The Winner's Curse

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love 

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Oh my gosh, The goodness of this book is crazy. I really loved it and was so excited to get it from the library to read. I was very excited to finish this book, that was before reading the ending.... Also i thought this was a stand alone book, nope. Its another freaking trilogy! Seriously???? I was hoping we were past all that. Guess not. All in all it was a decently good read, just not as good as I thought it was going to be, i would still recommend it though. 

The Big Crunch

A funny, clear-eyed view of the realities of teenage love from National Book Award winner Pete Hautman.

June and Wes do not "meet cute." They do not fall in love at first sight. They do not swoon with scorching desire. They do not believe that they are instant soul mates destined to be together forever.

This is not that kind of love story.

Instead, they just hang around in each other's orbits...until eventually they collide. And even after that happens, they're still not sure where it will go. Especially when June starts to pity-date one of Wes's friends, and Wes makes some choices that he immediately regrets.

From National Book Award winner Pete Hautman, this is a love story for people not particularly biased toward romance. But it is romantic, in the same way that truth can be romantic and uncertainty can be the biggest certainty of all.

Oh my gosh. I really loved this book. It was such a cute book and even though it had a lot of ups and downs, it was very good. The ending could have been better though, it didn't really have a very defiant ending. I really enjoyed it and would defiantly recommend it in the end.

Before I Fall

With this stunning debut novel, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver emerged as one of today's foremost authors of young adult fiction. Like Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why and Gayle Forman's If I Stay, Before I Fall raises thought-provoking questions about love, death, and how one person's life can affect so many others.

For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam 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 ever imagined

My thoughts while reading this? Basically i wondered when she was going to do something very dangerous or anything. It seemed like all she did was random little things, like fighting with her best friends and yelling at her mom. I didn't really understand why she used her "relived" days (which she didn't know how many she was going to have) doing really weird things. I would have been traveling the world, doing things i would never have dared to do in real life. Don't get me wrong, she did a few things that she wouldn't have in everyday life but nothing HUGE I guess.She did do something to help herself and someone else in the end though so i was happy. I wish it ended a little bit differently though. I cant have everything i want though, sigh. I did really like her writing style though, it was very easy to get into the story and into her world. when i first cracked open this book i burn through almost 100 pages before i even knew what happened. Which for me equals my favorite kinds of books. Ones that are easy to get into and hard to ever set down and do other things like eat and sleep... Those are the kinds of books, I as a reader are always on the search for in my reading life. 

Splendor

New Beginnings.
Shocking Revelations.
Unexpected Endings.

As spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new roles as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.

Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty - but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.

In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

I loved this book! I mean really love it! Its a great last book in the series and the suspense kept growing through out the series. SO many questions got answered but many more also appeared. I really love all the twist and turns it takes you on all of the time and it is easy to fly through them. (when you can). I was very surprised at the ending, it was a good ending if you ask me. I had something i wanted to happen in the end that did, and others that didn't but I understood why the author did it that way. All in all an amazing read and a great ending to the series. 

Envy

Jealous whispers.

Old rivalries.

New betrayals.

Two months after Elizabeth Holland's dramatic homecoming, Manhattan eagerly awaits her return to the pinnacle of society. When Elizabeth refuses to rejoin her sister Diana's side, however, those watching New York's favorite family begin to suspect that all is not as it seems behind the stately doors of No. 17 Gramercy Park South.

Farther uptown, Henry and Penelope Schoonmaker are the city's most celebrated couple. But despite the glittering diamond ring on Penelope's finger, the newlyweds share little more than scorn for each other. And while the newspapers call Penelope's social-climbing best friend, Carolina Broad, an heiress, her fortune--and her fame--are anything but secure, especially now that one of society's darlings is slipping tales to the eager press.

In this next thrilling installment of Anna Godbersen's bestselling Luxe series, Manhattan's most envied residents appear to have everything they desire: Wealth. Beauty. Happiness. But sometimes the most practiced smiles hide the most scandalous secrets. . . .


I loved this book! I mean really love it! Its a great third book in the series and the suspense keeps growing through out the series. SO many questions got answered but many more also appeared. I really love all the twist and turns it takes you on all of the time and it is easy to fly through them. (when you can) I am looking forward to the last book in the series which I have just started and see how this crazy roller coaster ride will end. I would defiantly recommend it. 

Far From You

Lost and alone...down the rabbit hole.

Years have passed since Alice lost her mother to cancer, but time hasn't quite healed the wound. Alice copes the best she can by writing her music, losing herself in her love for her boyfriend, and distancing herself from her father and his new wife.

But when a deadly snowstorm traps Alice with her stepmother and newborn half sister, she'll face issues she's been avoiding for too long. As Alice looks to the heavens for guidance, she discovers something wonderful.

Perhaps she's not so alone after all....  

Loved this! I am a huge fan of Lisa Shroeder and i love this one too. I love how she writes then to sound like a novel but in the poetry way that novels in verse are. I loved this one just as much as the others of hers i have read. I wish more authors would pick up on this genre and start writing! Defiantly recommend it. 

Rumors

After bidding good-bye to New York's brightest star, Elizabeth Holland, rumors continue to fly about her untimely demise.

All eyes are on those closest to the dearly departed: her mischievous sister, Diana, now the family's only hope for redemption; New York's most notorious cad, Henry Schoon-maker, the flame Elizabeth never extinguished; the seductive Penelope Hayes, poised to claim all that her best friend left behind--including Henry; even Elizabeth's scheming former maid, Lina Broud, who discovers that while money matters and breeding counts, gossip is the new currency.

As old friends become rivals, Manhattan's most dazzling socialites find their futures threatened by whispers from the past. In this delicious sequel to "The Luxe," nothing is more dangerous than a scandal . . . or more precious than a secret.
 Jeez this book is better then the first. Which I didn't even think was possible! But it really was. More mystery, more action, and more of the people you love to hate. I really enjoyed this sequel and all that it had going for it, my sequel standards have been meet. I also loved how the author didn't do a lot of back tracking like some authors like to do, she did a small overview of what happened and the rest was slowly just added to the rest of the story. I defiantly recommend it.