The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard

The Perfectionists
Sara Shepard
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
FIRST OF ALL CAN I JUST SAY-- THAT COVER!!! :0

In Beacon Heights High, Nolan Hotchkiss is king. His charm, wealth and good looks are deceptively seductive, and many are the students whose lives and reputations have been ruined by it. All while Nolan continues to reign, unquestioned and undisrupted. Until now, that is.

Mackenzie, Ava, Julie, Caitlin and Parker seemingly don't have much in common. Each has their own friends, dramas and goals. But one thing they do share: they all have a deep hatred of Nolan Hotchkiss. And they all think it's about time he paid for what he's done. They come up with the perfect murder - a hypothetical murder, of course. It's all wishful thinking ... until they wake up one morning to find that their wish has come true. Nolan has been killed - in exactly the way they planned. The thing is, they didn't do it. So who did?

I really, really loved this book. It was filled with mystery, intrigue, romance *blushes* and I was kept in suspense the whole time.
I loved most of the main characters, who each have pretty interesting backstories. Out of all of them, I liked Ava the best, as I got to know and understand her most. She felt like a real person that could be in my Tech class at school. I love that she is bold and such a strong person. She went through a lot of awful stuff and I think she had the worst outcome of all the MCs in the end of the book. I adored Ava and Alex's relationship- it was sweet and sincere. They said "I love you," and truly meant it. However, the other relationships were pretty boring. THERE ARE LITERALLY TWO LOVE TRAINGLES.
I couldn't care less about Carson and Julie, because as strange as it is, I totally ship Parker and Julie. <3 Whenever they had a total BFF moment I was all

I hated the Mac-Blake-Claire love triangle. To be honest Mac was really the only character I didn't like or connect to much. She was very... two dimensional.
The Josh-Jeremy-Caitlin love triangle, on the other hand....

There was actually a guy you could root for, as Josh was a douche the whole time. #TeamJeremy XD
I do have to say, though, that Caitlin wasn't a favourite either....
Julies backstory was amazing. I don't acre about popularity much (quality over quantity) but I completely understand how she would like to have friends, after what happened at her old school. Parker was a very interesting character too. I really liked reading her chapters of the book. The fact that her mum blamed her for everything with her dad was truly awful, and I felt her pain. Even though the book was third person, I managed to connect and get to know 3\5 characters so that was good :D
I do kind of wish there had been more story behind Caitlin's brother, Taylor, though. It was kind of glossed over, you know? I get that its Caitlin's point of view and she didn't really understand what was going on, but at least a few full passages from Taylor's journal would be nice. I actually thought for a bit that the girls HAD killed Nolan. But then I found out they just drew on him so yeahh xD that kind of cleared things up. The book had a few similarities to PLL, but it was mostly just the familiar theme and The Perfectionists definitely stood out as an original book. (Except that it is practically the same story as  Get Even by Gretchen McNeil but they were both published around the same time so I can't really blame anyone for that. Just a coincidence I guess. And they both did have lots of differences anyway.)
The start of the book seemed to be ALL about Nolan and what a pig he is, so it was nice when they slightly ventured away from him and focused on the fact that someone may be trying to frame them for his murder. I am so glad there is a second book, The Good Girls, because I NEED to find out who killed Nolan, and much like in Get Even, nothing much was resolved.
The book never ceased to be thrilling or shocking, and I definitely enjoyed every second of it.

the spoiler sessions

My current theories on who killed Nolan and Granger

(and more!)

1. Claire is the killer. She was nervous when the police were interviewing the students. And it's very Sara Shepard to make the least suspected be the bad guys (Mona Vanderwaal from pll and Ethan from tlg)

2. Parker came back after the girls left and killed Nolan, and it was erased from her memory.

3. Alex killed Granger, thinking he was in a relationship with Ava (and getting revenge on Ava by pinning it on her)

4. Elliot Fielder. There has to be more to the guy. I think either he is framing the girls, or he is actually trying to protect Parker.

 

 AND NOW, THE WAIT FOR BOOK 2 BEGINS.

XX, Aria\Emmi

 

 

Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns 

John Green

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ 


Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...

I am going to start this review by saying this is not a fangirling review. Quite the opposite. Sorry.

The start of this book, the adventure with Margo was PERFECT. So how did things go so downhill?
Well for a start the characters are the same as in Looking For Alaska.
The main character who is socially awkward and unpopular is in love with the cool, trendy girl who is different to everyone else, and then goes on a mission to find her, with his humorous and kind of strange best friend.











There's also the girl who for a second people think might be a love interest but they don't end up being the love interest after all. COME ON. That is the exact plot for Looking For Alaska!  In the middle of that sentence I forgot whether this was a review for LFA or Paper Towns!
I think with these two books you can only love ONE. And I felt that Looking For Alaska was a superior version. Much more superior. I stopped thinking as Q as an actual person- his ONLY interests are Margo and a video game. He has no background, no personality and no interesting facts. And Margo is just an annoying copy of Alaska. I'm sorry- I didn't love her.










 Most of this book I had to DRAG myself through because UNLIKE Looking For Alaska, this book was BORING. It even got painful after a bit.













Things I did like about the book... Come on, there has to be a reason you gave this a 2 instead of one- ok, I liked the start as I stated before. And I loved the road trip part until they found Margo. The ending was SO cheesy! Happy endings just don't work for John Green. You could FEEL the awkwardness. And I also liked that the humour was good. It wasn't forced or too try-hard. The book actually made me laugh around the road trip part. Ben and his bladder.... XD

Do I recommend this book? Sure! Read it all you like. I'm just saying that I didn't like it because I liked Looking For Alaska so much, and the book was a total copy of it. I will likely see the movie even though Margo is supposed to be curvy with chestnut hair, not stick thin and barbie like (no hate please!) but maybe Cara's acting will make up for that? John said she was good and the casting for TFIOS was perfect so... *shrugs* I trust him on this choice. And he couldn't have chosen a better Q.

2/5 for being a bit too much like LFA but having humour.  

Until the next time, xx Emmi\Aria

Alphas by Lisi Harrison

Alphas
Lisi Harrison
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

At OCD the losers are tormented.

At Alpha Academy, they're sent home.

Skye Hamilton has scored an invitation to the ultra-exclusive Alphas-only boarding school where beta is spelled LBR . What happens when the country's best, brightest, and hawtest begin clawing and scratching their way to the top?

In year eight, I picked up a book called The Clique, and I loved it. It was witty, clever and interesting with likeable characters. And Alphas is even better. 
I liked that the girls weren't nearly as silly as in the clique- no, "LBR" "ermahgawd" "pretty committee" or petty cat fights. This is Harrison at her best.
From page one to the end, I was captivated by the book. I loved the characters- Skye, Charlie and even Allie at the end- and found he book humorous and realistic.
But there was one problem,  with two words.
Love. Triangle.

It was obvious there would BE one, but I was upset at Allie through most of it- she was so horrible to Charlie, saying she was a spy and all the rest. 
But all the characters had really good backstories- Skye, and her need for people to notice her, Charlie and her devotion to Darwin and feeling guilty for what she had to do to get into Alpha academy and Allie and her secret of identity theft. I had hoped she would be found out. I really hated Allie through most of the book- she was needy and pathetic. She was okay in the end, though not exactly loveable. She is still crazily insecure and scared. 
As for the recurring cast- perfect. Triple was a pretty awesome frenemy, and Renee was a pretty cool one, too. But Renee was almost Massie-like, which worries me a little. As in, in the second book, what if I open it to find that Skye has become Dylan Marvil and Charlie is suddenly Claire Lyons? But I trust Lisi to NOT have made that mistake. 

The love interests were okay. There weren't obvious ones other than Darwin after all. I hope the second book will say more about the other brothers, and maybe Charlie can end up with Darwin and Allie with someone else?? 

The only real issue with the book was the length. I hope the next one is at least 300 pages. I need moreeee! 

The book itself was pretty readable and easy- a fun read that does teach you a few things about being yourself- from when Skye realises she has just danced for others and not herself. You need time to do something for yourself and this book said that clearly. 

5 stars!

Book Review Request!

I  got a message from author Suren Hakobyan asking if he could send me a copy of his book, Edge of end, in exchange for an honest review! :D so that should be up once  finish the book!
byee!
-Aria

Get Even by Gretchen McNeil

Get Even

Gretchen McNeil

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars in Gretchen McNeil’s witty and suspenseful novel about four disparate girls who join forces to take revenge on high school bullies and create dangerous enemies for themselves in the process.

Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot have nothing in common—at least that’s what they’d like the students and administrators of their elite private school to think. The girls have different goals, different friends, and different lives, but they share one very big secret: They’re all members of Don’t Get Mad, a secret society that anonymously takes revenge on the school’s bullies, mean girls, and tyrannical teachers.

When their latest target ends up dead with a blood-soaked “DGM” card in his hands, the girls realize that they’re not as anonymous as they thought—and that someone now wants revenge on them. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose.

This book screams "Murder and excitement."

Which is what I got. I thought it was a bit too similar to Sara Shepards "the perfectionists" and Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivians "burn for burn." 

But it was perfect too. The theme of "Don't trust Anybody" echoed through the whole book. It was exciting and thrilling and I can't wait for Get Dirty. 

The characters were mostly good. I loved Bree the most, and Olivia was a favourite too. Kitty was okay, and I didn't like Margot at all. Ed the head seems a bit sketchy but in a really interesting way. I knew from the start there was going to be a John-Bree relationship, but I didn't know that I would ship it so much. The Kitty-Olivia-Donté love triangle was a bit tiring, and I felt pretty bad for Olivia but at times she was ridiculous. Amber was plain awful and I hope to never encounter a human being like that. The whole theme of the book was captivating and mysterious. I had an inkling that I was going to get the same ending as in The Perfectionists, but I didn't mind, because I enjoyed reading it. There were not ever boring slow parts, and I never felt compelled to put the book down. The idea of DGM was pretty awesome sounding. It was fun and exciting. I was actually never spoiled for this book, so I was happy about that. But I have to say.. The body count is pretty high and I don't think this book is for the faint-hearted. But I think pll fans will enjoy this.

The spoiler sessions

MAJOR SPOILERS

I was horrified by Coach Creeves death, only when I read it in the book it was referred to as "his murder" and I thought he had killed someone XD 

I was really interested in the Christopher stuff- particularly waiting to find out what Bree had done to him. I think he is the murder for sure. 

My theories of who is Christopher:

Rex- he's an obvious choice in my opinion. He didn't go to middle school with Christopher or Bree and I think it could easily be him.

Ed the Head- I strongly suspect him...

Logan- just because lots of signs point to him. 

They'll probably make it someone like Margot to mess with my head though. 

Sorry for the short review but my head is killing me right now. Until the next time, 

xx- Aria 

Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Ashes to Ashes
Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
★ ★ ★ ★ ★


New Year's Eve ended with a bang and Mary, Kat and Lillia may not be prepared for what is to come.
After Rennie's death, Kat and Lillia try to put the pieces together of what happened to her. They both blame themselves. If Lillia hadn't left with Reeve... If Kat had only stayed with Rennie... Things could have been different. Now they will never be the same.
Only Mary knows the truth about that night. About what she is. She also knows the truth about Lillia and Reeve falling in love, about Reeve being happy when all he deserves is misery, just like the misery he caused her. Now their childish attempts at revenge are a thing of the past and Mary is out for blood. Will she leave anything in her wake or will all that remain be ashes?

I felled ing love with this book series. I remember I put off reading it for months, but one night I finally sat down and opened burn for burn. And I devoured it. When my copy of this book was ready at the library, I was so excited. I was screaming happily, and when I got it I kept taking pictures of me and the book, and I kept staring at the cover. And the book did not disappoint. Just like the other two, the book starts with an intriguing line, and it makes you desperate to read more. I started...more I fell in love with this book series. I remember I put off reading it for months, but one night I finally sat down and opened burn for burn. And I devoured it. When my copy of this book was ready at the library, I was so excited. I was screaming happily, and when I got it I kept taking pictures of me and the book, and I kept staring at the cover. And the book did not disappoint. Just like the other two, the book starts with an intriguing line, and it makes you desperate to read more. I started this book at 4:30 pm and finished it at 10:54 pm. I didn't take any breaks other than a brief dinner. The conclusion was absolutely perfect. Everything I wanted to know was resolved. (Spoilers will be tagged) I loved everything, but Mary creeped me out a lot. It had a lot more paranormal stuff in this book, and you get to see Mary and Reeve deeper as people. You also get to see the aftermath of Rennies death, which shocked me in fire with fire. I understand why people would be unhappy about Reeve and Lillia. I personally didn't like the relationship very much, though there were times when I was rooting for them. I was a bit unhappy with the ending, though the whole Mary thing was mostly resolved nicely. I was spoiled for some of the ending but not too badly, which was very good :) The book was easy to read and flowed perfectly, as did the first two. I honestly want a tv show- and have the perfect cast. Mary- Emily Osment. Kat- Ashley Benson Reeve- Devon Bostick Lillia- Mao Inoue Rennie- Chloe Grace Moretz Ashlin- Shay Mitchell I felt some parts of the story were glossed over, which disappointed me a tiny bit. But it's not bad enough to not give the book five stars. (Of course!) The spoiler sessions! I really didn't like that Lillia and Alex ended up together. I love Kat and Alex :,( I also wanted Mary to somehow become alive again. But I like the ending for that enough, so that's okay.. I guess. I do like that it makes me realise we can't always have a perfect ending. Even if Kat wants to be with Alex... tough luck. You get what you get.  I don't think that Kats dad would realistically believe that the dog was run over- he had a huge hole through him! But maybe he didn't get a close look.. But I kind of got the feeling he would, you know? Oh well. And, uh, yeah. Ashlin was.... Ashlin. Only she sort of  turned into a mild version of Rennie in my opinion :\ sorry for the short review :( you will get a REALLY long one for The Perfectionists though XD so yeah, until the next time! xx Aria\Emmi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

 

Shatter Me
Tahereh Mafi
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆


I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

I really hated the start of the book. it has so many weird lines-- i'm dripping red paint on the floor my mouth is on my kneecaps.... etc. I really ship Kenji and Juliette. I think Adam is sweet though. it got much more readable, and I really really liked it from page 290 onwards. but because it was SO boring the rest of the time, I give it a 2\5. (1 and a half) into more depth, I didn't like Juliette much until the end. she seemed a bit weak (emotionally) but I guess she had been through some awfu...more I really hated the start of the book. it has so many weird lines-- i'm dripping red paint on the floor my mouth is on my kneecaps.... etc. I really ship Kenji and Juliette. I think Adam is sweet though. it got much more readable, and I really really liked it from page 290 onwards. but because it was SO boring the rest of the time, I give it a 2\5. (1 and a half) Going into more depth, I didn't like Juliette much until the end. She seemed a bit weak (emotionally) but I guess she had been through some awful stuff. The strikethroughs of text bugged me (it sucks to try and read through that) and the constant weird metaphors? The makeout scenes were awkward, and I cringed through most of the scenes  the entire book because the writing was just..... And I didn't care for Juliette and Adams relationship much either. Just being honest...   Now. As for Kenji......................................................  ;) I would recommend it because even though it wasn't my thing, it may be someone elses? And my friend told me Juliette gets "some serious backbone" later on which I CANNOT wait for! I really hope they don't make a Warner-Juliette-Adam love triangle, but I do want Juliette to end up with Kenji, as before stated. xD I felt like this book had too much of a shortage of female characters. It seriously annoyed me at points because there is literally only Juliette and tons of guys. Near the end the book kind of turns into the X men, which wasn't bad :) I have an issue with the cover though-- why is there a runway model??? I mean REALLY?? they couldn't be more original or interesting? I really don't like it. -_- My feeling towards Adam were this- he was a bit too possessive and needy. This would be me in a relationship with him- okay, now one thing I HAVE to mention--- I will read unravel me. I may and may not like it, but I will give it a chance and be open minded, like I was with Shatter Me. XX