Review: Seize Today (Forget Tomorrow #3) by Pintip Dunn

SEIZE TODAY

Author: Pintip Dunn

Series: Forget Tomorrow #3

Pages: 300

Published: Entangled Teen

Release date: 3^rd October 2017

Synopsis: The third book in the New York Times bestselling and RITA®-award-winning Forget Tomorrow series is a thrilling conclusion to an epic trilogy.

Seventeen-year-old precognitive Olivia Dresden is an optimist. Since different versions of people's futures flicker before her eyes, she doesn't have to believe in human decency. She can literally see the path to goodness in each person—if only he or she would make the right decision. No one is more conflicted than her mother, Chairwoman Dresden, and Olivia is fiercely loyal to the woman her mother could be. 

But when the Chairwoman captures Ryder Russell, a boy from the rebel Underground, Olivia is forced to reevaluate her notions of love and faith. With Ryder's help, Olivia must come to terms with who her mother is in the present—and stop her before she destroys the world.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Seize Today is the third book in the Forget Tomorrow series by Pintip Dunn and takes place six months after Remember Yesterday ends. This is a series which needs to be read in order to fully understand and appreciate what has happened.

Seize Today is seventeen year-old precognitive Olivia’s book, she is the daughter of Chairwoman Dresden and can see different pathways a person can take in their future; after being in hiding she has emerged to try to stop her mother from creating mass genocide. Olivia was an interesting character and one who I really felt for, she has been isolated for a majority of her life and hasn’t felt love or had any real friendships until Jessa and Tanner.

In this book, the fast paced plot progresses as we continue to learn about the follow on effects from the first two books and future memories and learn of a new virus causing people to more or less disappear; it is essentially a race for Olivia, Jessa and their team to stop a vision that she had as a small child as well as a more recent memory which saw Ryder Russell from the rebel underground kill her.

Ryder is Jessa’s best friend and someone who doesn’t easily trust, he has felt loss and betrayal and doesn’t let anyone close but after Olivia saves him from her mother he sees something in her and slowly begins to let her into his world. The romance wasn’t at the forefront of this book as it has been in the others but it was one that I enjoyed as it bought Olivia closer to someone and form more than a friendship; she yearned for someone that would love her, I enjoyed their interactions and the way he came to care for her.

I have to admit the sci-fi components of this book were a little lost on me at times and I did find myself skimming; other than this I couldn’t fault it. Pintip Dunn’s writing is engaging, the creative world that she has written is unique and the characters were all amazing! Chairwoman Dresden was crazy but as the villain was perfectly written.

Everything was tied up neatly in the conclusion to this series and I am saddened that it has come to an end; getting to know each of these wonderful characters and delving into this creative world has been an amazing experience and I look forward to reading more books by this fabulous author.

Thank you to Entangled Teen via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Seize Today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. 

Pintip’s novel, FORGET TOMORROW, won the RWA RITA® for Best First Book. It is also a finalist for the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire, the Japanese Sakura Medal, the MASL Truman Award, and the Tome Society IT list. In addition, THE DARKEST LIE was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. 

Her other books include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, SEIZE TODAY, and GIRL ON THE VERGE.

She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. 

Review: Rikki by Abigail Strom

RIKKI

Author: Abigail Strom

Series: Hart University #1

Pages: 212

Genre: New Adult

Release date: First published September 20^th 2015

Goodreads

Synopsis: Ever since junior high and an ill-fated game of seven minutes in heaven, Rikki Eisendrath and Sam Payne have hated each others’ guts. But when they end up at the same college—and the same dorm—they figure it’s time to declare a truce. 

They even become friends . . . sort of. But when Sam asks Rikki to model for his sculpting project, they start spending more time together—and her feelings for him get more complicated. 

She tries to focus on the guy she’s been crushing on instead. But Sam’s the one she can’t stop thinking about, even though their arguments are starting to heat up as much as the chemistry between them.

With antagonism and attraction this intense, there’s bound to be an explosion. But when the dust settles, will Sam and Rikki be enemies, friends . . . or something more?

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

What a frustrating book! In the most positive way of course; I don’t think I have come across characters that are clearly so perfect for one another but can never seem to communicate their true feelings and prefer to play games with one another’s emotions. If it wasn’t for what happened towards the ending of this book it would have been a 5 star read for me.

Rikki and Sam have always hated one another; it all started out with their academic competitiveness but then it changed with a game of seven minutes in heaven; both characters are extremely strong-willed and not willing to forgive the other until they call a truce when they end up in the same dorm at college.   

Rikki and Sam were both well-developed, fleshed out and likeable characters but boy oh boy did they need to work on their communication skills; it isn’t until Sam asks Rikki to model for his sculpting project that their friendship actually begins to change and Rikki feels differently towards him despite crushing on someone else.

As the book progresses, we learn that Rikki and Sam have a lot in common; they bond over their virgin status, they also have family issues – Rikki with the pending divorce of her lesbian parents and Sam with the recent death of his father and his struggle to leave home and his mum. Their conversations and bonding times strengthened their growing friendship.

I really enjoyed Abigail Strom’s writing style, she wrote some wonderfully diverse characters who all played a role in the overall story and kept the plot entertaining with their ongoing antics; as mentioned above though there was an incident towards the end of the book that left me deeply disappointed; it was a big plot twist that I truly didn’t expect, I won’t divulge what it was to avoid spoilers but be prepared.

Overall, I enjoyed Rikki by Abigail Strom and I look forward to reading more titles by this author.

Thank you to Abigail via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Rikki.

About the author: Abigail Strom started writing stories at the age of seven and has never been able to stop. She lives in New England with her family, who are incredibly supportive of the hours she spends hunched over her computer. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at abigail@abigailstrom.com.

Like all writers I'm a reader, too, and that's why I'm on Goodreads. I read everything, but especially romance, YA, mystery, sci fi, and fantasy.

Review: Never Apart by Romily Bernard

NEVER APART

Author: Romily Bernard

Series: -

Release date: 3^rd October 2017

Publisher / Source: Entangled Teen

Pages: 400

Young Adult Fiction

Synopsis (Goodreads) How many times would you die for love?

What if you had to relive the same five days over and over?

And what if at the end of it, your boyfriend is killed…

And you have to watch. Every time.

You don’t know why you’re stuck in this nightmare.

But you do know that these are the rules you now live by:

Wake Up.

Run.

Die.

Repeat.

Now, the only way to escape this loop is to attempt something crazy. Something dangerous. Something completely unexpected. This time…you’re not going to run.

Combining heart-pounding romance and a thrilling mystery Never Apart is a stunning story you won’t soon forget.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Never Apart was a fascinating quick read for me as I was eager to find out what was going on! With twists and turns aplenty, I found this book to be completely captivating.

Our MC’s are Grace and her boyfriend Ander who die on repeat every five days, trapped in an alternate reality they wake, they run and they die always at the hands of their former friend, Finn. They fall in to a parallel world with the same outcome every time but the difference is they come back a different version of themselves.

In their latest fall, things are different, Ander hasn’t found Grace and her twin Jem, who has been absent in the other falls is again with the family; things have never changed so it has left them confused. In every alternate reality they try to work out a way to change the end result but they have never succeeded, I don’t want to reveal too much to avoid spoilers but it was a thrilling mystery that was done very well and kept me engrossed from the very first page.

All of the characters were written well and played a pivotal role in the overall story, Grace was such a ‘real’, likeable character. I adored her! She is a shy girl with anxiety and she was extremely relatable. Ander is a character with a lot of issues, he was my least favourite, Finn was wonderful! He had the most depth and despite not instantly liking him by the end of it all, I loved him and his sense of humour.

Never Apart is wonderfully written with a superb premise and fascinating characters, and an alternating now and then timeline which I don’t tend to enjoy but it worked well for this book.

I can’t fault Romily Bernard's writing and her creative, imaginative story-line, it was a fast paced read that really left me surprised at the end of it all, it was wonderfully executed. My only problem with this book was I didn’t find the ‘then’ sections as engrossing as the ‘now but I still enjoyed it for the most part.

Thank you to Entangled Teen via NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Never Apart.

Review: If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Jennifer L. Armentrout 

If There's No Tomorrow

Series: –

Release Date: 5^th September 2017

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 480

Synopsis (Goodreads): Lena Wise is always looking forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. She's ready to pack in as much friend time as possible, to finish college applications and to maybe let her childhood best friend, Sebastian, know how she really feels about him. For Lena, the upcoming year is going to be one of opportunities and chances. 

Until one choice, one moment, destroys everything. 

Now Lena isn't looking forward to tomorrow. Not when friend time may never be the same. Not when college applications feel all but impossible. Not when Sebastian could never forgive her for what happened. 

For what she let happen.  

With the guilt growing each day, Lena knows that her only hope is to move on. But how can she move on when tomorrow isn't even guaranteed?

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Good grief! What an emotional roller coaster we are taken on in If There's No Tomorrow by JLA; it reads quite differently to her other books; there was a sombre feel to it given the subject matter but it was balanced nicely with love, friendships and a journey to self-forgiveness, I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.

If There's No Tomorrow is a story about decisions, both good and bad, it’s about not wanting to feel emotion and believing it is not deserved because of a poor decision. Amongst the grief there is a story about love, relationships – family, partnership and family, forgiveness and learning to live life despite the hardships.

Our MC is seventeen year-old Lena Wise, she’s ready to face her senior year head on by completing her college applications, hopefully obtaining a volleyball scholarship and spending as much time with her close friends as she possibly can until one night changes her life forever, it’s a decision that she can’t forget or forgive herself for and its tearing apart her friendships; she has to recover herself but she also has to face her friends, school and the one person that means so much to her, her best friend Sebastian.

Lena has been best friends with Sebastian for a very long time but they haven’t moved past the friend zone out of fear of ruining their perfect friendship. I absolutely loved what they shared and the way that they supported one another despite the obstacles. Sebastian was amazing for Lena in every way, I love the best friend to more trope and this was done very well; he was a pillar of strength for Lena despite his own personal struggles. 

If There's No Tomorrow is emotional and intense, the topics of drink driving and death was dealt with in a way which was believable and not brushed over without mention of counselling and the grief, depression and guilt that go along with loss. My heart broke on numerous occasions reading of Lena and her friend’s struggles.

I adore JLA’s writing, this was gripping, passionate and emotive; it is very different to her other books with confronting subject matters but her storytelling is engaging and enjoyable. Another book I highly recommend by this wonderful author.

Thank you to Harlequin Teen via Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review If There’s No Tomorrow.

About the author: # 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia. 

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true. 

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen. 

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Review: Proof of Lies by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Proof of Lies

Author: Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Series: Anastasia Phoenix

Pages: 400

Publisher / Source: Entangled Teen

Release date: 7^th March 2017

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Some secrets are best kept hidden… 

Anastasia Phoenix has always been the odd girl out, whether moving from city to international city with her scientist parents or being the black belt who speaks four languages.

And most definitely as the orphan whose sister is missing, presumed dead.

She’s the only one who believes Keira is still alive, and when new evidence surfaces, Anastasia sets out to follow the trail—and lands in the middle of a massive conspiracy. Now she isn’t sure who she can trust. At her side is Marcus, the bad boy with a sexy accent who’s as secretive as she is. He may have followed her to Rome to help, but something about him seems too good to be true.

Nothing is as it appears, and when everything she’s ever known is revealed to be a lie, Anastasia has to believe in one impossibility.

She will find her sister.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Proof of Lies by Diana Rodriguez Wallach is the first book in the Anastasia Phoenix series and was a one day read for me, I couldn’t put it down! I always enjoy a good mystery / thriller and Proof of Lies was written very well.

Anastasia is the daughter of scientist parents who are constantly on the move, she speaks four languages and has a black belt in karate; when her parents announce that there will be yet another move she is extremely annoyed and upset but before this happens they tragically die in an accident leaving Anastasia living with her older sister Keira.

Things aren’t always easy for Keira and Anastasia and they do clash often but when Keira goes missing presumed dead, Anastasia will do anything she can to find her sole living relative, even if it means flying around the world to meet with questionable people to get her sister back; travelling with Anastasia is another Dresden corporation child – Marcus.

The plot of Proof of Lies is fast paced and action packed and I couldn’t quite guess who could and couldn’t be trusted! It really was a search for the truth throughout the whole book and many secrets were revealed. I was impressed by the world-building and I am excited to read the next book to see how it all plays out, especially with the exciting ending that we were left with.

We get a small amount of romance but it wasn’t at the forefront of the story, it also was a little bit of a letdown for me because of Anastasia’s hot and cold feelings; Marcus was great and understanding but I would like to see it further developed in the next instalment.

The secondary characters were each written well but I would like to get to know them more, especially Marcus who is still a bit of a mystery to me, we meet Anastasia’s closest friends but we also meet a few along her travels that I could never quite call friend or foe, as previously mentioned I never quite knew who could be trusted.

Proof of Lies was a thrilling read! It was mysterious, filled with interesting characters that progressed throughout the book and an exciting plot that left us with an ending where you need more.

I enjoyed Diana Rodrigues Wallach’s descriptive writing, exciting storyline and the build-up that she has left us with; I am excited to read Lies that Bind which has an anticipated 2018 release date.

Thank you to Entangled Teen via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Proof of Lies.

About the author: Diana Rodriguez Wallach is the author of the Anastasia Phoenix series, three YA spy thrillers set to debut beginning in March 2017 (Entangled Publishing). She is also the author of three award-winning young adult novels: Amor and Summer Secrets, Amigas and School Scandals, and Adios to All The Drama (Kensington Books); as well as a YA short-story collection based on the Narcissus myth, entitled Mirror, Mirror (Buzz Books, 2013).

In 2011, she published a highly regarded essay in Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperCollins). It was the only essay chosen from the anthology by Scholastic to be used in its classroom materials. Diana is featured in the anthology, Latina Authors and Their Muses (Twilight Times Books, 2015), and she is currently on staff as a featured blogger for Quirk Books.

In 2010 Diana was named one of the Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch by LatinoStories.com, and she placed second in the International Latino Book Awards. She is an advisory board member for the Philly Spells Writing Center, and is an active advocate for inner-city public schools. She holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, and currently lives in Philadelphia.

Visit Diana's website to learn all about her: dianarodriguezwallach.com

Diana is represented by Taylor Martindale Kean of Full Circle Literary.

Review: Hold my Breath by Ginger Scott

Hold my Breath

Author: Ginger Scott

Series: -

Publisher / Source: Self - Netgalley

Release date: 18^th November 2016

Pages: 300

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Fractions of seconds can do lots of damage. One decision can ruin lives. A blink can be tragic. And loving a Hollister…can hurt like hell.

I would know.

They say the average person can hold their breath under water for two full minutes when pushed to the extremes. Will Hollister has been holding his for years. The oldest of two elite swimming brothers, Will was always a dominant force in the water. But in life, he preferred to let his younger brother Evan be the one to shine.

Evan got the girl, and Will…he got to bury all of the secrets. A brother’s burden, the weight of it all nearly left him to drown.

The daughter of two Olympians, my path was set the day my fingertips first touched water. My future was as crystal clear as the lane I dominated in the pool—swim hard, win big, love a Hollister.

My life with Evan burned bright. He gave me arms to come home to, and a smile that fooled the world into believing everything was perfect. But it was Will who pushed me. Will…who really knew me.

And when all of the pieces fell, it was Will who started to pick them up.

In the end, the only thing that matters are those few precious seconds—and what we decide to do while we still have them in our grasp.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

What a wonderfully engrossing and complex story! I am a huge Ginger Scott fan and this book was thoroughly mesmerising.

Maddy, Evan and Will were childhood best friends; all of them great swimmers but it was Evan who was the golden child; the three of them pushed each other to be the best that they could but when tragedy struck friendships were broken and their lives were forever changed.

Will left for college and ended up on a path of self-destruction after his family’s accident; he made many mistakes, most publicised but after 4 years absence he returns to town ready to retrain and rebuild lost trust and his relationship with Maddy; he does this with the help of his uncle and also Maddy’s father who owns a swimming club which is on the brink of bankruptcy.

There were a lot of emotions felt whilst reading this book; my heart broke for the characters who were all affected in one way or another; there was lost trust, betrayal, forbidden romance and secrets that all made for a fast paced an engaging story.

I couldn’t help but hope for happiness for Maddy and Will. Maddy’s past with Evan haunts her and with the reappearance of Will her feelings are conflicted; seeing their friendship reignite and their slow road to trusting one another and to an eventual romance kept me on the edge of my seat.

I enjoyed all of the swimming scenes between Maddy and Will, they were competitive and wanted the best for each other but there was always something stopping them from fully letting themselves give in to their feelings; their past and secrets were holding them back. There was a lot of drama and Will had to take on a huge burden; he had been through so much and things weren’t getting easier for him, I felt like he was given too many problems in this book, there was a lot of pain and suffering.

I thoroughly enjoyed the connection between Maddy and Will, I enjoyed the forbidden aspect and despite there previously being someone else involved also the friends to lovers’ storyline.

Ginger Scott’s writing is truly wonderful, her characters are flawed but each well-developed and interesting; I was hooked from the very first page and wanted more at the end. My only reason for not rating this book higher was because there was just too much angst, my heart was breaking.

Thank you to the author via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Hold My Breath.

About the author: Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams, The Hard Count and Hold My Breath.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for pretty much ever. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Review: The Reader by M.K Harkins

The Reader

Author: M.K Harkins

Series: -

Publisher / Source: Self - Netgalley

Release date: 17^th August 2016

Pages: 260

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Hunted, shot, and without her memory, eighteen-year-old Ann Baker wakes in shallow water on a deserted Pacific Northwest island. She is soon approached by two young men claiming to be her friends. Something isn’t right, but when gunshots sound, Ann is left with little choice but to allow Devon and Archer to help her escape. Soon she finds herself in their North Bend mountain compound, where the higher evolved humans claim to be mind-readers. While Ann heals, she realizes they believe her to be one of the last and most powerful of all – The Lost One.

She’s welcomed by most with opened arms, but not everyone is happy about her arrival. A jealous adversary has plans for Ann, which spirals the entire Reader community into chaos. 

As lies, murder, and betrayal threaten to rip apart the once harmonious mountain dwellers, Ann is thrust into making a decision that could save or devastate not only The Readers, but all of mankind. But there’s just one glitch: by doing so it may require her to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I was quite fascinated by the premise of The Reader and thoroughly enjoyed the action, romance, mystery and overall storyline.

Our MC is 18 year old Ann Baker who wakes up on a deserted island with no recollection of why or how she arrived there; when she is approached by two guys claiming to know who she is she is initially wary but trusts them to get her to safety.

Devon and Archer take Ann to a compound where she meets a group claiming to be able read minds and believes that she is the most powerful of them all, The Lost One and destined to save a race of people.

I thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness and the concept, the world-building was entertaining and not overly complex. The notion of higher evolved humans and their abilities was intriguing and seeing Ann have to decide who to trust with the war against The Readers and The Jacks kept things entertaining.

Ann was a great character, full of sass and sarcasm; she is selfless and strong. Devon and Archer were both interesting, a little evasive and complete opposites, we also meet Lucy who was a fabulous character and Suzie drove me crazy! Each of the characters played a pivotal role in the overall story and to be honest I couldn’t tell who could and couldn’t be trusted.

The plot moved at a solid pace; it was highly engrossing but there were a few parts where I felt there could have been further development; certain situations were resolved quite easily, I did enjoy the twists and turns that weren’t expected.

This book does have romance and it was one I thoroughly enjoyed, sweet and slow to burn.

Overall, if you are after an action packed, mysterious, thrilling and romantic read then The Reader will be perfect.

I received a copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

About the author: MK has always been a voracious reader. After hitting a dry spell of reading material, she decided to write the kind of book she'd like to read. This resulted in the creation of her debut novel, Intentional. (Award for Best Sweet Romance - eFestival of Words- August 2014)

Unintentional, her second book, is based on the life of one of the characters in Intentional. Unintentional was written as a stand-alone book.

Breaking Braydon and Taking Tiffany have both been released. Available on Amazon.

The Reader is MK's latest project, released August 2016.

MK is currently working on Famous by Default and the follow up to The Reader - The Jack. (Due out 2017)

When she's not writing novels, she likes to spend her free time traveling the world, splashing in mud puddles (She lives in Seattle, what can she say?), watching movies and reading (!)