I Take You by Eliza Kennedy | Rating: ★★☆☆☆

As a note, a printed galley of this novel was sent to me via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

For months I’d been anticipating the release of Eliza Kennedy’s debut novel; the blurb I’d read sounded like it had all the makings of an entertaining spring and summer, kick back and relax read. And the cover art: boy, is that cover a beauty. I couldn’t stop starring at it. I still can’t; in spite of the flaws of the book the cover art is still lovely.

I squealed a lot when I saw my request had been filled. There may have been a bit of obnoxious, neighbor's stare inducing, happy dance. I honestly couldn’t wait to dig in. It promised to be delicious and offensive in that good, fun sort of way. And while it did strike a lot of chords humor wise, it was generally a letdown. I can’t figure out where everything went wrong – Eliza’s writing is easy, descriptive, stylish and witty.

But the story was so… sigh.

And the characters are even worse.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer | Rating: ★★★☆☆

“And the sound of your heart," he continued. "It's the most significant sound in my world. I'm so attuned to it now, I swear I could pick it out from miles away. But neither of these things matter. This," he said, taking my face in his hands. "You. That's what I'm keeping. You'll always be my Bella, you'll just be a little more durable.”

Upon finishing my reread of the entire Twilight Saga, I have come to the conclusion that the series is incredibly dull and I can’t understand how I was so into it way back when. While Twilight was a solid introduction to Stephenie Meyer’s supernatural romance, New Moon was thoroughly horrendous. I had little hope for improvement while going into Eclipse regardless of the fact that it was at one time my favorite in the series.

What frustrates me most about the book is that Stephenie has a great grasp on human emotions. She does wonderful describing it; letting you into her characters minds. Meyer’s is also good at creating a new take on supernatural creatures as well as painting us a clear image of what the world her characters live in is like. It’s only when she tries to put it all together and make the story go a certain way when things get a bit wobbly.

Eclipse improves on a lot of things, in particular what New Moon failed. Bella is happy to have Edward and the Cullen’s back in her life and is now certain that one day soon she will become a vampire and live happily ever after with her friends. Blah-blah-blah. Her only struggle is trying to maintain a friendship with Jacob, her shifter best friend who is openly in love with her.

Perfect (PLL #3) by Sara Shepard | Rating: ★★★★★

She knew too much. -A

Sara Shepard’s completely addictive bestselling series Pretty Little Liars continues down its dark and delicious path of Rosewood through its third installment, Perfect, and picks up right where Flawless left off.

Everyone’s favorite liars and readers alike have hardly had a chance to breath, and things are only looking more dramatic from here on out. Trouble is certainly brewing in the beautiful, exclusive town of Rosewood -- what could possibly happen next?

Pretty Little Liars is wildly entertaining in the vein of Cecily von Ziegesar's Gossip Girl book series, for its exploits of rich, mysterious and beautiful teenagers, with dashes of a good old vintage young adult thriller reminiscent of Lois Duncan. With every clue, with every description and development, with every answer comes about a dozen more questions.

And that, my friends, is what makes the suspense of A and who killed Alison DiLaurentis so fun.

Us by David Nicholls | Rating: ★★★☆☆

“I had always been led to believe that aging was a slow and gradual process, the creep of a glacier. Now I realize that it happens in a rush, like snow falling off a roof.”

As a note, a printed galley of this novel was sent to me via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

David Nicholls knows how to tug on your heartstrings; this much we already know based on his bestselling novel One Day. When I received my copy of Us, I knew only one promise of the general plot: rediscovery in a last ditch effort to save one marriage and bring a family closer together.

What our leading man doesn’t understand is that sometimes marriages fall apart and you have to let go. Which is both a curse and seemingly admirable. His optimism in rekindling his marriages romance is something that everyone can relate to because it’s something that often comes up in everyone’s life; whether that be romance or friendship there’s always something in us that wants to save a connection.

And while it makes some of his efforts cringe worthy, and at times messy, it also makes him real and shows readers how easy it is to feel for him as he plans for the trip. Douglas is thoughtful and filled with humor in his narration that it makes the novel that much more likable.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater | Rating: ★★★★★

...she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other.

At last, here we are. I've blown through this series in less than a week and this morning I finished Blue Lily, Lily Blue (the third installment in the phenomenal The Raven Cycle series) and I have to say that it is perhaps the best book yet. Here’s why: after the massive cliffhanger and the events to the previous book, everything only grows more challenging and thrilling from this point on.

Within the first few chapters of BLLB, which picks up where TDT left off, we are beginning to see something growing stronger and more spin tingling than before in the plot. It’s almost as if it’s reaching its climax, but the promise of more to come is still there.

Maggie continues to bring us into such a fantastically dark and magical world that it’s just… breathtaking. She’s made a lifelong fan out of me and I can’t help but to admire her mind, her writing (which is almost poetic and refreshingly vivid and sarcastic) and everything she’s done so far with everyone’s favorite Raven Boys.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater | Rating: ★★★★★

"Want and need were words that got eaten smaller and smaller: Freedom, autonomy, a perennial bank balance, a stainless-steel condo in a dustless city, a silky black car, to make out with Blue, eight hours of sleep, a cell phone, a bed, to kiss Blue just once, a blister-less heel, bacon for breakfast, to hold Blue's hand, one hour of sleep, toilet paper, deodorant, a soda, a minute to close his eyes.

What do you want, Adam?

To feel awake when my eyes are open."

I’ve got to admit, I’m on a serious roll when it comes to my binge reading sessions of the three already released books in The Raven Cycle. As of now, in the second book, things just keep getting better and more engaging and remains to be one of the most intriguing novels I’ve picked up this year.

It's got everything: questions, answers, magic, mysterious, thrills, romance and more. Most importantly, everything is so well developed that not only does it fit together--it can carry its own weight. What makes this book isn't just the mystery, the magic, the darkness -- it's the fact that everything about it is so thoughtful and the characters are stunning.

Maggie once again blows me away with her incredibly fascinating descriptions, her plot twists and developments.

You're the One That I Want (GG #6) by Cecily von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★★★★

You’re the One That I Want is the sixth installment in the pop culture phenomenon that is Gossip Girl and is my personal favorite of the series of books. For a series that is as messy and poorly written as GG is, it’s still thoroughly entertaining, stylish and engaging.

And in this installments case, the writing has improved immensely.

In true GG fashion, its main plot line is fueled by teenagers misbehaving and narrated by the queen of gossip herself. Most of our favorite UES teens are nearing the end of their high school careers (graduation is just months away!) and seem to be branching out more and more as they discuss what their adult lives will soon hold for them.

YTOTIW promises its usual array of scandal, gossip, fashion, luxury and sex. It’s the perfect combination of teenage angst, hormones and boredom. Which is what makes it fun and appealing to teenagers. Each character is different and yet still obtainable. They can all be extremely horrible to each other, yet you want to root for them in many ways.

Pretty Little Killers: The Truth Behind the Savage Murder of Skylar Neese by Daleen Berry and Geoffrey C. Fuller | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.8)

There’s something striking about the case of Skylar Neese, a bright teenage girl who was murdered by her two so-called best friends in the summer of 2012, and with every shocking detail and theory comes the realization that it all hits close too home. When you think of the ups and downs of teenage friendships it’s not often you think that, upon friendships falling out, murder will soon follow.

In all its horrific notes, you can’t help but wonder how this could have happened or why. Skylar Neese’s murder is startling and captivating in the most horrible of ways to everyone who comes across the case. Maybe even to keep her quiet about secrets that only friends share. Noted as one of the most cold, shocking murders of our time it’s likely that you know the chilling details already and the lack of remorse that both teenage murderers offer.

What’s more appalling and terrifying than their lack of remorse is their reasoning. Supposedly, Skylar was murdered by her two best friends Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf because they simply didn’t want to be her friend anymore. Is your stomach turning already? I know mine did. Yes, Pretty Little Killers shines light on all the skin crawling details of this mysterious case.

Lord knows I nearly vomited the more I studied the case as well as tweets that followed from the killers. It blows my mind in the worst possible ways and reminds us all that we can’t even trust our own best friends because we never truly know anyone.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater | Rating: ★★★★★

"She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own."

After months and months of procrastination and hearing nothing but good things about the series from friends, I finally found myself reading the first installment of The Raven Cycle: The Raven Boys. Those who frequent the book community have all heard the hype for this series and can’t help but to be intrigued by it.

I’d purchased the already published books in the series back in April as an Easter treat for myself but I hadn’t found the time to start them – I was almost holding off until the final book was in print, for binge reading purposes, but because it is slated for a release in 2016 I’d decided to finally get off my ass and check it out.

And honestly? I’m sure glad I did. It was enjoyable from start to finish and one can quickly see why it’s as well received as it is. This is my first book experience with the phenomenally talented Maggie Stiefvater and I’m glad it was. She has a way with words, truly, and it just blew me away.

The Raven Boys is the perfect opening novel for any series and authors everyone should take notice. It’s dark, vivid, mysterious, magical and, yes, a little bit frightening.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer | Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

While I do have a certain fondness for the Twilight Saga, more out of nostalgia than actual love, New Moon is the exception to that interest. I absolutely loathed this book then, and my feelings remain unchanged: I hate New Moon far more than I do of almost any book in the world. Somehow Stephenie’s writing weakened and remains her worst to-date and soils the already weakened plot.

I’m honestly not trying to be mean about it, either. It’s just so bad.

Aside from the flaws: Twilight was romantic, adventurous and sometimes charming and funny, New Moon is a bore and downright offensively flawed. It shows us true emotional turmoil, breaking our hearts – that is true, but it’s so painfully unhealthy that it’s obvious a lot of concerns have been brought out from its original publication.

There is to say, though, that Stephenie’s still pulling our heart strings, even if it’s in pure irritation.

All that follows isn’t realistic (beyond the supernatural elements) or believable or healthy. It’s painful to read because with the amount of times the secondhand embarrassment and annoyance hit you, you find your interest and patience dwindling. I wanted to shake Edward, I wanted to shake Bella, I wanted to roll my eyes at the melodramatic tone the entire damn story took on because holy crap was it B-A-D.