The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Mara Dyer is a teenage girl who is in an accident with her friends and when she wakes up in the hospital 3 days later, her family tells her that she is the sole survivor. Mara has no recollection of the accident and feels increasingly guilty about it. Her family is worried about her psychological state and they move to Florida to escape from the bad memories.

But Mara's problems aren't over. She starts hallucinating on a regular basis and soon, she can't tell tell if her visions are fake or real. During that time, Mara meets and falls in love with Noah Shaw. But things aren't simple between them. Noah has a secret too and as their worlds collide, they are both swept up in a whirlwind of events that they never could've foreseen.



If you like dark and creepy books, you need to get this right now. Holy cow is this book creepy! It is not the type of story that I'll normally pick up but I'm really glad that I did!

Mara's visions made me feel like I was in a horror movie. There were twists and turns around every corner. The book was dark but had quite a few funny moments. The events were vivid and literally had me on the edge of my seat. There was never a dull moment.

I felt so bad for Mara and everything that she had to deal with. This girl seriously needed a hug. Her mother was willing to have her committed! And death followed her everywhere she went! But at the end, when we found out Noah's secret, I was flabbergasted! I didn't see that coming at all!

So even though this book wasn't my normal cup of tea, it is definitely a 5/5 star book! I heard that the sequel is actually creepier and more disturbing than this but I'll have to see for myself! If you haven't read it, check it out! I can't recommend it enough!

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?

-Chelsea

Rule

I literally just finished this book about 5 minutes ago but I loved it so much that I just had to write a review about it and share it with all of you!

Rule Archer is your typical bad boy and Shaw Landon is a typical good girl, searching for the approval of everyone around her. Rule has kept his distance from Shaw for years because he thought that she had been in a relationship with his dead twin brother, Remy. He finds out that this wasn't the case and that Shaw had been in love with him since the first day that she met him. And from there starts a tumultuous relationship with the unlikely duo. Factor in a stalker ex-boyfriend, disapproving parents and the fact that Rule's mother blames him for his brother's death and it makes for a very interesting story.

I don't know what it was about Rule but he was just so easy to love. He had some baggage and demons to deal with but still found ways to make himself happy, even if it drove a wedge between him and his family. Shaw sought the approval of everyone and considered herself a part of Rule's family more than her own. In a drunken stupor one night, she throws herself at Rule and he willingly obliges her desires. From there, they realize that they are a perfect fit but that doesn't make the relationship easy. They have their fair share of doubts and problems and have to decide if this is something that they both can handle and are willing to work with.

This book was amazing and had me captivated from the first page. I literally could not put this book down. I was so enthralled with this book that I felt like I was a part of the story. The characters were flawed and actually human, which I appreciated. I read a lot and it bothers me when authors write characters out as if they're perfect and don't make mistakes. So having flawed and emotionally scarred characters made the book more relatable and enjoyable.

There was tons of suspense, a few twists and a ton of drama. To say that this book was emotional would be an understatement. I remember getting so mad at Rule at one point that I wanted to throw my book at the nearest wall. I was involved in this story that when I flipped to the last page, I was sorry that it was over. I also liked that the ending wasn't forced or rushed. The characters stayed true to themselves and the ending just fit. Jay Crownover is an extraordinary writer and I commend her for this story.

I found this book on a whim and took a chance on it. Thank goodness I did! It is my new favorite book and I can't wait to read more of the series! If you have not read this, I recommend going to the book store now and picking it up! The cover alone is a good enough reason to read it anyway! :)

Have you read this book? Have you read the rest of the series? What are your thoughts?

-Chelsea

Matched

This is not a story that I would typically pick up but on a recent haul (I bought so many books!) at Barnes and Noble, I saw Matched on a display and I just couldn't walk away from it. I am often intrigued by book covers and the picture of a girl in a lavish green dress trapped in a bubble caught my attention right away. So I picked it up, read the synopsis and decided to take a chance. And I am so glad that I did!

The story is set in a dystopian society where everything is decided for you: how you dress, where you work, who you marry, etc. Cassia is a young girl who has just come of age to be matched but when she does, two boys come up on the screen, Ky and Xander. They are both friends of hers but there is a bigger problem. Ky cannot be matched at all and even though Cassia knows this, she cannot seem to stay away from him.

Cassia gets to know Ky better. She finds out who he truly is and he shows her parts of the world that she could only dream about. But then Cassia finally sees flaws in Society's systems and begins to question everything around her. The world around her starts to crumble and she knows that in order to have a chance at happiness, she has to fight back.

I give this book 5/5 stars! It was amazing and I did not want to put it down! Unfortunately, there are other things that have to get done but as soon as I was done with everything else, I could not wait to put my nose back in this book! I really felt like I related to Cassia. I was always the good girl that did as she was told and never questioned things until her eyes were opened.

I absolutely loved all of the characters, their background stories and their complex personalities. I hate it when characters are one-dimensional and I didn't find that to be the case with this book. I have a long list of books to read (from that haul) but now I am absolutely dying to read the sequel, Crossed!

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?

-Chelsea

Beautiful Disaster

I hadn't heard of this book until I found a review of it online at About That Story. The synopsis and the 4/5 star review intrigued me and I immediately put it on hold at the library.

The story follows Abby and Travis' very complicated and unlikely relationship. Abby is a goody two-shoes with a dark past which she is constantly trying to leave behind. She and her friend America (I could not get over the name while I was reading this) moved far away from their old lives to Eastern University, where America quickly begins a relationship with Shepley. Shepley's roommate and cousin is Travis "Mad Dog" Maddox, who participates in underground fighting and is known for having constant one night stands and treating girls like dirt.

Enter Abby Abernathy, who Travis can't seem to resist. Abby knows that they are all wrong for each other but agrees to place a bet with him. If Travis wins, Abby has to live with him for a month and if Abby wins, he has to stay abstinent for a month. Either way, the loser is going to have a tough time. When Abby loses the bet, she and Travis start a very tumultuous relationship and realize that even though they drive each other crazy, they can't seem to stay away from each other.

I'm going to give this book a 3/5 star rating. When I first started it, I could not put it down but about halfway through it, it just started to get monotonous and old. The concept was good, I just think that it was taken a bit too far. Travis is a bad boy with a good heart but a terrible temper. And although I am a sucker for a bad boy gone good, the way that he tried to possess Abby as if she was a piece of property really bothered me. I mean, I love it when guys are a little jealous because it shows that they actually care about losing their girlfriends. But insecurity is a big turn off. A guy couldn't look at Abby without Travis kicking their ass and he had some serious issues that he really needed to work on. And no matter how bad he acted or how mad he was, in the end, Abby just kept coming back.

As far as Abby goes, she keeps pushing Travis away from the beginning, claiming that she wants to escape her past and blah blah blah. But even though we find out what was so bad about her life, she never fully explained to Travis why she kept pushing him away. She explained to us readers but never gave Travis the answers he deserved. She just kept him guessing and nothing he ever did or said seemed to be good enough. I may not have liked everything he did or said but at least he was man enough to apologize. She could've at least thrown the poor guy a bone.

I loved America and Shepley, who were big supporting characters in the story and I feel that the characters were well-written and complex. I did feel that the ending was a big rushed but generally speaking, it was a pretty good read.

Oh and Travis called Abby "Pigeon" and the entire time, all I could think about was how Tramp called Lady that same name in Lady and the Tramp.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? Do you have any recommendations?

-Chelsea

Wedding Magic

Late into last night, I was glued to Patricia Coughlin's story, Wedding Magic. Recently, I've been having a lot of bad luck finding books that I've liked. So you can imagine my happiness when I delved into Coughlin's story and fell head-over-heels for the story!

The story follows Sophie Bennett who, along with her two stepsisters, runs a successful wedding planning business. Sophie is the miracle worker of the group, always getting the most outrageous demands for her brides and making it look easy. But when Shelby Archer hires her company, her skills are put to the test. Shelby is getting married in less than two months, wants a hemp dress, a completely green wedding and most importantly, to be married at the "Princess House."

Sophie is then told to get the owner of the "Princess House", Owen Winters, to agree to hosting the wedding. But Owen is less than receptive to the idea. He hates weddings, thinks love doesn't exist and wants nothing more than to be left alone. But Owen changes his mind when Sophie acknowledges the supernatural force that's been living in his house. Over time, they find out that the ghost is Ivy Halliday, the woman who used to own this house, who was supposed to be married in the house and who would do anything to stop this wedding.

And boy does she try. But while Sophie and Owen are trying to find some way to make this work, their connection to each other is undeniable and they both have to acknowledge their feelings for one another, no matter how much they try to hide them.

I really loved this story. I'm a sucker for a good paranormal romance. I had never heard of this book and I just happened to stumble across it in the library. But I adored Sophie and Owen. Their characters were real and relatable, both experiencing some sort of pain and trauma in their past, which makes them afraid for their futures. They are both stubborn and won't admit just how strong their feelings are. And of course, Ivy's character was very entertaining. I found myself tearing through the pages, just to see what she would do next to stop the wedding. But she ended up being a much more complicated and layered character than just the ghost who haunts the house.

I highly recommend this story, especially if you like reading about the supernatural.

Onto the next book! Do you have any recommendations?

-Chelsea

Melissa Explains It All

If you follow Melissa Joan Hart on Instagram, you'll know that she's been promoting her book, Melissa Explains It All, for weeks. Being a huge MJH fan for my entire life, I couldn't wait to pick it up! So I put it on hold at the library and raced over to get it when it was ready.

It's been out for a few days and I'm pretty ashamed to say that it's taken me 3 days to read it cover-to-cover. (I normally finish books in a day.) But although I do love nonfiction books, I don't always find them to be the page-turners that fiction books are, so I put them down a lot more often. I find that after my brain has sponged up a ton of information about one topic, I need to take a break. But nonetheless, I found it an extremely captivating read.



As a rule, I tend to stay away from memoirs because (I hate to admit this but it's true) I'm an extremely judgmental person. When I read Gene Wilder's memoir, I was so disgusted with what I had read, I couldn't watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for a year. I was afraid of what I'd learn from Melissa's book and wondered if I'd be able to watch Sabrina the Teenage Witch ever again without cringing.

So the reason that I picked up this book was to take a step forward in the right direction, to make myself more accepting of other peoples' flaws and mistakes. And I figured that Melissa would talk about drugs, cheating and things of the like. Sure enough, she did and I found myself a bit upset with her stories of her non-stop party days and cheating on her boyfriend James with Ryan Reynolds while shooting the Sabrina movie.



But then I thought to myself, am I going to punish Melissa for mistakes that she made in her 20s? Especially when she's brave enough to air her dirty laundry out to the entire reading public?

No, I'm not. I'm going to accept that she's lived her life and it's not my place to judge, which is what I was hoping to get from reading this book. I really feel like Melissa Explains It All (a clever reference to her previous hit TV show, Clarissa Explains It All) was a well-written, well paced and informative story of Melissa's life. It was written in a conversational tone, easy to follow and provided a lot of insight to a person I adored as a child.



I don't agree with every choice that she's made but I still admire her nonetheless. If you haven't picked up the book yet, I suggest you do. It's a really good read and you should definitely form your own opinion on it. :)

Do you have any new book suggestions?

-Chelsea