Review: Love and Other Perishable Items

I really wanted to love this book. It really fell flat for me and I struggled to get through parts of it. I did like that the book is told through alternating points of view-Amelia and Chris. Overall, I felt at like both characters were so sad and unhappy. It got a little tedious to read over and over about the unhappiness of both main characters.

I think Amelia did learn a lot from her friendship with Chris. Chris is very book smart and has a great understanding of literature. He and Amelia have some great conversations about books. In my opinion, Amelia has a somewhat naive view of the world. I'm all for fairness and equality but some of her thoughts on feminism seemed over the top. Again, just my opinion. I hope that if we saw these characters 4 or 5 years down the road that we would see them both more mature and happy with their families and personal lives. I'm not sure that I would want to see them together in a romantic relationship but I would like to see them as good friends that are able to to talk, share, and laugh together.

This book takes place in Australia, so some of the language may seem different to you. This is not a reason to stay away from this book but it is different. If you want a happy, everything tied up in a pretty bow kind of book then this is not the one for you. I think this book is less about falling in love and more about finding yourself.

Review: Meant to Be

First....a book that takes place in London? Count me in! On Julia's trip to London with her fellow students, she gets the opportunity to see the biggest and best sites the city has to offer. And thanks to Jason, the one person she did not want to be partnered with, she gets to see some places off the beaten path as well.

Julia is the type of character that I love but can also annoy me at the same time. Until the trip, she is completely by the book. She has good grades and always follows the rules. When she gets to London she is paired with Jason, and Julia's world is turned upside down. Throughout this trip, she is constantly arguing with herself about what she should or shouldn't do. She is very stubborn and set in her ways and because of that I think she misses a lot of opportunities along the way.

There were some unexpected twists in this story for me and Julia learns an important lesson from her mom from all the way across the pond. This along with clever writing, some klutzy moments, a few almost kisses, and one sweet kiss in the rain are just some of the reasons why I liked this book so much.

Review: Something Like Normal

It is not often a book moves me to tears, like sobbing into your Taco Bell tears, and really I cried into my breakfast and lunch today because I could not stop reading this book.  I knew from reading the book description it would get to me but I had no idea how much.

Travis is one of my favorite characters I have ever read.  Why?  Because he is real.  Being inside his head was insightful and at times very painful.  The roller coaster of his life in Afghanistan, I can imagine, is portrayed to a tee.  When Travis returns from his tour, after losing his best friend in an attack, he has no idea where he fits in to his "normal" life.  His family life is messed up, to say the least, and he can't get the nightmares of Charlie's death out of his head.

Harper has quite the history with Travis that goes all the way back to middle school.  She is one kick butt girl that would be a heck of a friend to anyone...but don't cross her! She is a special person and is there for Travis in a way that no one else is.  She doesn't pry or push him but really challenges him in ways he doesn't even understand.

I can't imagine being in Travis' shoes.  He tries to put on a brave face but he is suffering with issues that not many of us will ever understand.  I challenge you after you read this to not look at the next serviceman you see in a different way or hear a news story about another fallen soldier and not tear up. This book made me realize once again what a valuable resource veterans our to our country.

This book is too important to not read.  I can't simply just recommend this book.  I give it my highest of recommendations.  I think everyone should read it.  In fact, I would a buy a copy for everyone if I could.  And I won't believe you if you tell me that when you read the last two pages you weren't be a sloppy, sobbing mess.  I'm thinking about it now and here come the tears again.

Review: The List

                                                             From Amazon:
An intense look at the rules of high school attraction -- and the price that's paid for them.

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.


This book made my heart hurt. THE LIST, very simply, shows the good, bad, and ugly of what being labeled can do to a person.  The story follows the eight girls that were selected to be on The List, and you may be thinking 8 POV's, too much for me.  I assure you that it isn't.  Each girl's perspective is so intricately woven into the story that the transitions are seamless.

So why did this make my heart hurt? These poor girls on this list, that's why.  The moment this list goes public their lives change.  One girl now believes she is on top of the world and it throws another girl back into her tailspin of fighting an eating disorder.  Another girl believes that even if it is short-lived, she finally has friends.  There is an inner struggle with all the girls as they try to figure out their place in the complex world of high school.  Friendships and relationships are tested all over the place and some things the girls thought were real turn out to be just a result of the list and go away as quickly as they came.

I couldn't stop reading this book last night because I was so worried for these girls I had to know what happened to them.  This book is a highly emotional book about how being labeled can affect a person.  High School is a tricky place to navigate through anyway, and while something like The List may be the extreme, people being labeled happens all over the place.  The List makes you realize that no matter what you are labeled: "pretty" or "ugly" or "smart" or "athletic" there are feelings, and consequences that everyone deals with on a daily basis.  If you don't read this book and think about your own high school and your own high school experiences, I'll be surprised.