Over You by Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus

Summary: After the grand explosion of her relationship, seventeen-year-old Max Scott developed what every girl in the history of the world has been waiting for: a way to get over being dumped. Now Max is the go-to guru for heartbroken high-school girls all over NYC. But when her ex unexpectedly shows up in her neighborhood, Max’s carefully controlled world starts to unravel. With her clients’ hearts hanging in the balance, Max will have to do the seemingly impossible: get over him once and for all.

My Thoughts: In general, this was a cute book, but I can’t decide if the cuteness outweighs the issues I have with it.

Issue #1 ~ Theft, which Max tries to explain away (she’s just “borrowing” without permission). And not just small things – designer clothes. Thousands of dollars worth.

Issue #2 ~ Max is a hypocrite. Big time. She’s preaching to these brokenhearted girls about how to move on but not taking her own advice. Worse, she refuses to talk to anyone – even her best friend, Zach – about her own heartbreak.

Issue #3 ~ She’s in New York City and does things that I’m sure cost TONS (especially in NYC). Where’s she getting the money for this stuff? I know she’s had some donations from previous “clients” but eventually that’s got to run out. Sure, she’s not buying clothes (see above), but other things cost, too.

Issue #4 ~ Max supposedly has connections just about everywhere because of her past clients. I find it hard to believe that these clients’ parents would do some of the things they’ve done simply because she helped their daughters get through a breakup.

Issue #5 ~ While there’s not much of it, what little sex there is in the book is treated so casually that it gives me pause. I should make it clear that it’s just implied, not actually “shown” – which I do appreciate. I’m having a hard time verbalizing my thoughts on this, but I wouldn’t want my teenage daughters reading this simply because I don’t want them taking sex so casually.

There are other things, but my mind is mush now, so I’ll leave it at that. Despite that, the story is cute, and it reads quickly. I liked the third-person perspective going between Max, Ben, Taylor, and even Zach (if I’m remembering correctly on that last one) on occasion. I especially liked seeing Taylor’s perspective – the other side of these cases.

I was expecting more humor. The synopsis I’d read before starting the book made me expect it. I think I might have smiled and/or chuckled a few times, but no outright laughter from me. It’s not hugely disappointing, not even when I realize that it was the reason I decided to give the book a try.

So, would I recommend this? No. I don’t think so. I didn’t dislike it, per say. Just didn’t really like it, either. I definitely don’t think I’ll pick this one up again.

Source: Received through Around the World Tours for review.

Read It: Over You is scheduled for release in August 2012. You can pre-order your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

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Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis

Summary: What if you forgot your identity and had to rely on other people to tell you who you were?

And what if to discover your true self, you first had to unravel a mystery so big and terrifying you were not sure you’d survive solving it?

When Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other’s arms with zero memory of how they got there or who they are, it’s the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future.

Terrified by their amnesia, the two make a pact to work together to find the answers that could jog their missing memories. As they piece together clues, they discover they’re in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls, where everyone seems mysteriously happy, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town’s perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything—not the death of Marshall’s mom, not the hidden shame in Elyse’s family, not even the day-to-day anguish of high school.

Lonely in this world of happy zombies, Marsh and Elyse fall into an intense relationship…but the secrets they uncover could be the death of this growing love—and the death of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls.

My Thoughts: Phoebe Kitanidis does it again. I remembered loving Whisper, so I figured she is an author to watch. After reading Glimmer, I think I was right about her. I will very much be looking forward to more of her books.

Onto the review …

Glimmer is fantastic, original, and full of surprises. This is a riveting tale about magic, evil, forgiveness, and second chances. Elyse and Marshall are interesting characters, and both are likable from the start. They both have pasts with much more to them than you think, and both of their paths forward contain surprises of their own. As the mystery surrounding Summer Falls starts to become revealed, the bits and pieces start to fall into place. And still I found myself surprised by some of the twists and turns. They are very well handled, and flow smoothly with the story.

The story is told in first-person narratives from both Elyse and Marshall’s perspectives. And it works pretty well. Most of the time it’s no problem remember whose head you’re inside, and each person’s thoughts and memories (as they are recovered) are integral to the story. Kitanidis does an excellent job of weaving it all together.

As with Whisper, I would highly recommend Glimmer. It’s well-written and a whole lot of fun.

Source: Received through Around the World Tours for review.

Read It: Glimmer is scheduled for release on April 17, 2012. You can pre-order your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2012.

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Miracle by Elizabeth Scott

Summary: Megan survived the plane crash—but can she survive the aftermath? An intense, emotional novel from the author of The Unwritten Rule and Between Here and Forever.Megan is a miracle. At least, that’s what everyone says. Having survived a plane crash that killed everyone else on board, Megan knows she should be grateful just to be alive. But the truth is, she doesn’t feel like a miracle. In fact, she doesn’t feel anything at all. Then memories from the crash start coming back.      Scared and alone, Megan doesn’t know whom to turn to. Her entire community seems unable—or maybe unwilling—to see her as anything but Miracle Megan. Everyone except for Joe, the beautiful boy next door with a tragic past and secrets of his own. All Megan wants is for her life to get back to normal, but the harder she tries to live up to everyone’s expectations, the worse she feels. And this time, she may be falling too fast to be saved…

My Thoughts: I found myself quite frustrated with Megan throughout most of the book. Although, as she started to figure out how she felt and what she needed, I found I understood her better. As such, I loved the last quarter (or so) of the book. Suddenly, once I understood her better, I could tolerate her more. I could even have some empathy (or maybe sympathy, as I have never been the sole survivor of any type of tragedy, thank God) for her.

Megan’s connections with Margaret and Joe were really neat to watch unfolding, and I thought how cool it was to use those to help dispel some misconceptions. Both were, to some extent and in their own way, town outcasts. Megan felt she had more in common with them than the rest of the town once she was labeled a miracle. She defied the small-town gossip and actually really got to know two people who were very much worth knowing. Loved that. And, yes, she finally starts the healing process. Watching that begin was pretty cool.

In all, Miracle by Elizabeth Scott is an emotional tale with realistically flawed characters. I don’t know if I’ll make a point to read it again, but if given the opportunity I just might.

Source: Received through Around the World Tours for review.

Read It: Miracle is scheduled for release on June 5, 2012. You can pre-order your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

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The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell

Summary: Heartbroken over the tragic death of her fiancé, seventeen-year-old Zora Stewart leaves Baltimore for the frontier town of West Glory, Oklahoma, to help her young widowed aunt keep her homestead going. There she discovers that she possesses the astonishing ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a“springsweet” to advise other settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land.Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed The Vespertine and was quite excited at the prospect of a sequel – or in this case, a companion novel. Instead of Amelia, we focus on Zora, her best friend. I remembered enough of The Vespertine to remember that there was a lot of tragedy. And while not remembering much of the story (it’s been over a year, and probably close to 200 books, since I read it), I remembered enough to understand references made to the events therein. Especially Thomas’ death. Poor Zora lost her fiance, her best friend (who is believed to be dead), and others in a short time. And now she’s reeling. She finds a way to get sent to Oklahoma, and finds herself.

First, this is when she fully discovers her “gift.” Yes, there are some hints before she leaves, but it’s not clear to her in the city. With the help of a boy named Emerson, she discovers it in full, and finds herself along the way.

There’s a small love triangle, but no one is strung along. It’s quickly dealt with, and other events are central to the story. I did feel like, with the exception of this part, that much of the events were glossed over. Everything was interesting, but I think there could have been more depth to the story.

That aside, I enjoyed The Springsweet and am looking forward to the final book in the trilogy, Aetherborne. When it’s all said and done, I do think I might read the series as a whole when I have all three books available to me.

Source: Received through Around The World Tours for review.

Read It: The Springsweet is scheduled for release on April 17, 2012. You can pre-order your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2012 and the 2012 Sensational Seconds Challenge.

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