In My Mailbox (15)

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and Alea from Pop Culture Junkie. If you want more details, click here. In My Mailbox explores all the books that I get in a week, whether it's in the mail, borrowed from a friend, borrowed from the library, or bought from a bookstore.

Recived:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (Hardback/ HarperCollins/ March 2010)

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

Swoon At Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter (Paperback/ Graphia/ April 2010)

It’s the summer before senior year and Polly Martin has sworn off boys. Who needs the hurt and confusion? Five recent breakups have left her with an unnatural knowledge of NASCAR, the ultimate hiker’s outfit, a student council position, the sixth highest score on the Donkey Kong machine at the mall, and a summer job at Wild Waves with ex #2 Sawyer Holmes.

Success seems a sure thing when Polly’s grandmother, the syndicated advice columnist, Miss Swoon, moves in for the summer. Polly almost doesn’t mind sharing a room with her little sister, Grace. Think of all the great advice she’ll get!
Everything is going according to plan except... Miss Swoon turns out to be a man-crazy septuagenarian! And then there’s Xander Cooper. If only he wouldn’t keep showing up at Wild Waves with his adorable cousins every afternoon — and what is he writing in that little notebook?

No advice column in the world can prepare Polly for the lessons she learns when she goes on a group camping trip (with three too many ex-boyfriends). Polly is forced to see people for who they are — a blend of good and bad qualities that can’t be reduced to a list or a snappy answer in a Miss Swoon column.

Bought:

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (Paperback/ Grand Central Publishing/ September 2009)

#1 bestselling author Nicholas Sparks's new novel is at once a compelling family drama and a heartrending tale of young love. Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alientated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels--first love, love between parents and children -- that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them.

-Lexi (:

Review Rewind (1)

I stole this idea from Ashley at Books Make Great Lovers! Love ya, Ashley! (:

So, in this post I'm just going to link some of my reviews that never got any comments or reviews that only got one comment. I think that everyone should have the chance to see them and be reminded of the good books that aren't so new!

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
My first review ever!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Seabold
This book made me fall in love with reading.

Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
First novel in the House of Night series.

I would love it if you would comment on these reviews!

They are from when I first started my blog so they aren't great reviews, but they are reviews none the less!

Thanks guy.

-Lexi (:

Old vs. New

Now, hopefully all of you remember when I used have a weekly post called Alternative Covers.

Well, I have changed the title of my post. I think this one is better (:

But if you have a suggestion, I would be happy to hear it!

Back to the post, the book I choose for this week is Dear John by Nicholas Sparks.

I reviewed the book not to long ago. If you wanna read and comment my review, just click here!

Andddd, here we gooo!


Old Cover:

Personally, I absolutely love this cover! I think the way they Incorporated the horses was really nice since horses actually are a big part of this book. Plus, I love the font and how the colors aren't really bright. Everything about this cover is very delicate but really pretty.

New Cover:

This cover happens to be the one that I own. I like how John and Savannah are placed on the cover and how they are kind of looking out in the distance. But I don't really think I like it more then the other one.

This isn't all about me though!

You guys need to tell me what you think about the covers.

Just leave a comment, I love knowing what you think!

And if you have any suggestions about how I can improve my post, don't be afraid to share.

-Lexi (:

Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers

Pub Date: December 2008

Summary: What causes the perfect girl to make the perfect fall from grace?

Parker Fadley is known as the perfect girl at school.

Cheerleading captain. Girlfriend of the most popular guy. Future Valedictorian.

But she turns into someone completely different.

Someone no one could have ever imagined her as before.

Parker starts drinking at school and failing her classes.

The one thing Parker hates doing is talking about what made her this way.

She just wants everyone to leave her alone.

Parker wants to disappear, she wants everyone to just ignore her.

If she can act like it’s no big deal, then why can’t everyone else follow suit?

But, Parker’s parents put her on suicide watch.

And her counselors are demanding to know the truth.

When a nice guy starts falling for her, Parker doesn’t know how to handle the feelings.

He’s making her feel things that she hasn’t felt in so long.

Parker knows something bad has happened.

She knows it might be her fault.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Review: Cracked Up To Be was a wonderful debut novel by Courtney Summers. It had a dark and haunting angle to it, but it still had a hint of love and romance. Parker was the perfect character. She was haunted by everything that happened to her, everything that she saw. She doesn’t know how to handle things. She feels as if she’s lost it all, so why not act like it? The nice guy (whose name will go unsaid) was pretty much the exact opposite of Parker in every way, but yet they were pretty much perfect for each other. I could picture many parts of this book in my mind, which is always a plus. Most of Cracked Up To Be could be someone’s real life high school experience and I don’t think everyone’s ever had a plot quite like this before. I’m really happy I had the chance to enjoy this book. I think a lot of other people need to read Cracked Up To Be, I’m almost certain they will like it!

-Lexi(:

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

Pub Date: April 2010

Summary: Best friends are NOT supposed to like their best friends’ boyfriend.

Sarah is breaking that rule.

She’s had a crush on Ryan for years.

Sarah thinks he’s smart, easy to talk to, and he understands her.

But there’s one tiny problem.

Ryan is Brianna’s boyfriend. Brianna is Sarah’s best friend.

So Sarah decides to fix this situation.

She ignores Ryan. She tries to prove to herself that she doesn’t really like Ryan.

The last thing Sarah wants to happen is for Brianna to get hurt.

She’s had a hard enough life with two parents who could care less about her.

But when one night causes something to happen between them, Sarah is torn.

It was wonderful and terrible at the same time.

Sarah can’t help herself from wanting Ryan.

All she wants is him, but she can’t get him without hurting her best friend in the process.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review: The Unwritten Rule was something that I had been looking forward to reading for a long time. When I got this book in the mail I couldn’t wait to read it. Every blogger that I know who has read it said it was really good. But I need to take it one step further, I think The Unwritten Rule was actually amazing. I read this book in one night. I found the love triangle between Sarah, Ryan and Brianna intoxicating. I’m sure we’ve all been there. We like a guy but our friend get the guy instead of us. It doesn’t even have to be our best friend, it still hurts. So, I felt bad for Brianna but at the same time I knew exactly how Sarah felt. She really was torn between a great guy and her not so great best friend. To us this might seem like an easy choice but for Sarah it was the exact opposite. As I was reading this, I kept wondering why Sarah was friends with Brianna. I still really wanted Sarah to end up being with Ryan. Every moment of The Unwritten Rule was really good. All I wanted was to know what was going to happen in the end. I recommend this book to everyone!

-Lexi (:

FTC: I received this novel from its publishing company/author with the understanding that I would provide an honest review. I am not getting paid in any way for writing and posting this review.

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Pub Date: October 2006

Summary: Two simple words change their lives forever and broke his heart.

John Tyree knows what it’s like to be in Army.

He knows how hard it is to leave everything behind that you love.

But when Savannah Curtin enters his life, he wasn’t even prepared for how hard it could get.

After high school, John entered the Army, not knowing what to do with his life.

He was an angry rebel, he hoped turning over a new leaf would straighten him out.

While home on leave, John happens to meet the girl of his dreams, Savannah.

The attraction between them is undeniable.

Even from the very beginning.

The love they share is unlike either of them have ever felt before.

Savannah vows to wait for John as he finishes out his last year in the Army.

Then everything comes crashing down when 9/11 happens.

John is forced to choose between the person he loves and the country he loves.

After returning home, he realizes the love can change a person.

In ways he could never have imagined.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review: Since Dear John was the book I have ever read by Nicholas Sparks, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I had heard a lot of positive things about him and his novels. The expectations I had were greatly surpassed. I fell in love with Dear John, it was so hard to choose something negative to say about this book and its characters. I actually found myself falling in love with John right along with Savannah but I defiantly thought that they made the cutest couple! Right away you knew that they were going to fall fast and hard for one another. They were pretty much perfect for each other and they had what seemed to be the perfect relationship. That is until John’s time at home was other and Savannah’s vacation was also over. They promised each other that they would always be in contact with each other, they would always write. Over time their loved actually seemed to grow but a part of me had a feeling that it might now last forever. Knowing what I know about Nicholas Sparks, I never expected the ending that Dear John had but I truly think it really fit the book. I can’t say what the ending was without giving away the whole book. If you want to know what happens, I recommend you read Dear John! And even if you don’t really want to know what happens, read it anyways.

-Lexi (:

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick

Pub Date: February 2010

Summary: What can you do with your life if you feel fragile?

Jeffery has accomplished a really scary thing.

He battled cancer and is now a teen in remission.

But he still feels so fragile.

Every moment has to be a memory because he still doesn’t know if his cancer will come back.

The affects that Jeffery’s treatment had on him will forever to a reminder.

He isn’t the best student and he can’t walk without a limp.

Jeffery’s parents can’t stop worry about him.

His older brother, Steven, completely lost it.

Now he’s in Africa.

He joined a drumming circle so he could do some soul searching.

Steven isn’t the only one that needs to “find himself” though.

Jeffery also needs to figure out who he is.

He’s not a little boy with cancer anymore.

Anger. Jealousy. Confusion. Secrets.

Jeffery’s lashing out at everyone.

Will it only make him stronger in the end?

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Review: I loved Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick but I’m not too sure if After Ever After fully lived up to my expectations. I really enjoyed seeing Jeffery grown up and dealing with his own life problems. But, I thought that Jordan could have added some things and taken away others. Jeffery was a very likable character though and the plot was kind of different. It was a nice was to add on to the DGAP series but with a different main character. I thought the romance part After Ever After was very subtle but it was still there. One could tell that Jeffery was falling for Lindsey but it was very cute. All of characters in this book interacted will and you could almost believe that they were actually real friends. A lot of the situations were believable. There was just some things that I didn’t really enjoy as much as I hoped I would. I think everyone who enjoyed Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie should read After Ever After.

-Lexi (:

FTC: I received this novel from its publishing company/author with the understanding that I would provide an honest review. I am not getting paid in any way for writing and posting this review.

Lost It by Kristen Tracy

Pub Date: January 2007

Summary: Tess Whistle’s junior year is starting off to be very bizarre.

Her best friend is plotting to blow up a poodle.

Her parents moved to a survival camp in the middle of the desert.

Her grandmother got her new bras and underwear that happen to be . . . sexy.

Oh, and her shoes explode.

Most people would not have a good reaction to this.

Some might say that their life was spiraling out of control if this happened to them.

With a new boyfriend and her good sense of humor, Tess is dealing quite well.

Or so she thinks.

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

Review: I was so excited to be able to finally read Lost It. Everything anyone has ever said about it has been almost 100% positive and I really have to agree. Tess was a character that pretty much anyone could relate to. Unique yet so down to earth. She didn’t always know how to deal with things, so she just ignored it. Kind of like most teenagers do nowadays! Lost It was really close to getting 5 stars, but something just stopped me for giving it that rating. It was a really great book, and I really think that a lot of girls will enjoy it. I mean, it’s about your first time, something girls never get sick of reading about! But I just kind of wish the ending would have been different. I’m a sucker for happy endings, but I do get why Lost It didn’t have such a perfect, happy ending. Others might argue with my rating but I’m sticking to it! This book will always be on my shelf, ready for another read.

-Lexi (:

Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Pub Date: December 2008

Summary: Sometimes there are certain secrets that shouldn’t be kept.

Camelia’s life had always been ordinary.

Three months ago, Ben started his junior year as the new kid Camelia’s school.

Everything seemed to change for a lot of people, especially for Camelia.

Ben had rumors about him everywhere.

People were saying that he was the reason was his ex-girlfriend’s death.

The rumors were the only thing the students listened to, it caused Ben to be ignored by everyone.

Except for Camelia.

She’s drawn to him, to his touch, to the way he makes her feel.

Soon, Camelia starts to get strange phone calls and presents.

Ben warns her that she’s in danger, that he wants to help.

The only question Camelia has is if he can really be trusted.

He’s hiding something, but he’s not the only one with a secret.

Rating: 5 Stars

Review: So far everything I’ve heard about Deadly Little Secret has been nothing but positive things, and I think I have to add myself to the list of people who love this book! Camelia was such a great character, I found myself feeling the things she did and thinking her thoughts. I love being able to connect with a character like that, it just adds so much more to the book. The plot of this book was very different. It was something that I don’t think I’ve seen before. Ben seemed like such a great guy, even in the beginning I felt the need to learn more about him right along with Camelia. He was a very intriguing character. Ben’s secrets made him have even more of a draw. Deadly Little Secret did have a sort of mystery side to it, and I personally have a soft spot for mystery books. The combination of a mystery and a romance was really enjoyable. Whenever I sat down to read this book, I had such a hard time putting it down! I just wanted to know what was going to happen next, I didn’t want to wait until the next time I was going to be able to sit down and read. This is one of the best series I think I will have read in awhile. Up next, Deadly Little Lies.

-Lexi (:

Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman

Pub Date: January 2010

Summary: Drama free.

That’s all anyone wants their freshman year to be.

And Charlie Healey is no exception to that rule.

For her, middle school was very hard.

Every day mean girls were all around her.

They judged and teased.

Always trying to hurt someone else to raise their own self-esteem.

Charlie thought high school would be completely different.

But now she’s about to find out that girls aren’t the only mean ones.

Charlie now has to add guys into her complicated life.

And try not to get a broken heart in the process.

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

Review: I really enjoyed reading Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials. It was a very fun read. It really kept me entertained the whole time and I even found myself giggling at some points. Even though I did thoroughly enjoy this book, I couldn’t give it 5 stars. There was room for some small changes and I have read some better books. But don’t think that I’m telling you this is a bad book or anything, because it really isn’t! Lots of people will read this book and like it a lot. Some will also give it 5 stars, but it wasn’t quite there for me. I really liked Charlie though, she had a great relationship with her friends. She was my favorite character, even though I like almost all of them. They all interacted will and I could picture a lot of the situations in my head because they just seemed that real at time. Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials really portrayed what high school can really be like. Teenagers and the atmosphere have changed a lot since our parents were in school, even if they don’t want to believe it! I really do recommend this book to pretty much everyone. You’ll enjoy it!

-Lexi (:

FCT: I received this novel from its publishing company/author with the understanding that I would provide an honest review. I am not getting paid in any way for writing and posting this review.

Girl on the Other Side by Deborah Kerbel

Pub Date: October 2009

Summary: Tabby Freeman and Lora Froggett.

They go to the same school but seem to live in two different worlds.

Tabby. Rich, pretty, popular.

Behind closed doors, her perfect world is falling apart.

Lora. Smart, shy, target for bullies.

She’s becoming nervous. She doesn’t want anyone to find out her family’s secret.

Tabby and Lora might have something in common though.

They’re both hiding secrets and pain.

When a series of events causes the two girls’ lives to intersect, will they be saved or destroyed?

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: Two girls become unlikely friends. This plot is used a lot for Young Adult books, but for some reason it doesn’t get old. Girl on the Other Side was no exception. Yes, I know I only gave it 3 stars but I have my reasons! This book was really short. To me, it could have been a lot better if it would have been longer. Parts needed more description. I couldn’t always picture some of the situations in my mind, which is really an important part of reading for me. But Deborah Kerbel did make the plot unique. That’s why it still got a 3 stars rating. Tabby and Lora were really good representations of the two sides of the social scale. Girl on the Other Side showed that even though you may be really different on the outside, something on the inside could really be a lot alike. I think that’s a good thing of everyone to remember in high school. It’s not necessary to judge someone based on what’s on the outside because the inside could be so different.

-Lexi (:

FTC: I received this novel from its publishing company/author with the understanding that I would provide an honest review. I am not getting paid in any way for writing and posting this review.