Review: Wildlife

With a friend like Holly who needs enemies?

Sib is having a lucky year. Her godmother got her to pose for a huge billboard. And now, Ben Capaldi, aka the most wonderful guy in school, just kissed her. This makes up for being forced to spend an entire semester in the woods. If only her best friend, Holly, would stop tormenting her every chance she gets.

Meanwhile, Lou, a new girl who suffered the loss of her boyfriend, sees everything and can't help but try to get Sib to learn to stand up for herself. Even if that means she'll need to start caring again.

Although, both point-of-views had their moments, Sib's controlled the plot as Lou had to face anger and grief before she could start coming out of her shell. But, all in all, Holly's character is the one who steals the show. Her friendship with Sib is of a controlling nature, which can only be described as plain bullying. From showcasing her pictures of her pimples to the boys, to forcing her to have sex -- Holly needs to be stopped before it's too late.

A little lengthy, but worth the read, especially if you've ever been in or observed a controlling relationship.

Top Ten Tuesday: Hard Knock Books

 

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

TOP BOOKS THAT WERE HARD TO READ 

I knew what I was getting into in terms of subject matter when I selected these following books, and yet they managed to surprise me in ways I didn't foresee.  

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

A serial killer, I can't deal with. I've seen Dexter. But this guy has ''sexual issues'' that were too much to handle.

Maus by Art Spiegelman

Even with drawings, the subject matter of Auschwitz is always hard to read.

Lucky by Alice Sebold

I learned that rape isn't the worst that could happen. Imagine your family and friends asking you over and over why you didn't try to escape.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

That scene, when they numb a boy and remove his organs one by one while he's still conscient.

By the Time You Read This I'll be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

There are so many ways to commit suicide. Peters lists them all, how long it will take you as well as the pros and cons.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Piggy should have been the saddest part, but for me, it was reading about all those poor six-year-old kids surviving alone while the others casted them aside.

Which book topped your list?

Review: No One Needs to Know

We always judge ourselves more harshly than others do.

Olivia's parents are always gone lately, leaving Liam, her twin brother, as her anchor. But she's too clingy in his eyes -- wanting to celebrate all their birthdays together and going to watch movies on fridays. So when Liam meets Zoey, Olivia has no choice but to spend time with her. What she didn't expect was to fall in love with her in the process.

The LGBT romance is not rushed. Instead, Amanda Grace provides us with a gentle courtship of how love should be. With Oliva's social class being higher, she is able to seduce Zoey with gifts and dates. The real challenge comes from confronting her peers when her entourage mocks Zoey's scholarship status. Although, the conflict with Liam takes second place, the love story is so endearing we forgive Grace for the lack of triangle tension. 

Feature and Follow Friday: Yummy Tweets

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

Once you answer be sure to leave me your link so I can follow you back

Q: Book character (s) you'd like to see with their own twitter?

Given as Christian Grey, Gideon Cross and Lord Voldemort (yeah, I heart him) already have twitter accounts, my choices are limited.

I'd probably go with Sophie Kinsella's Becky Bloomwood to get the latest fashion trends and learn of all the creative ways you can wear a scarf. I live in a cold climate, it's hard to accessorize.

Review: Crank

“We used to do coke, till "Just Say No" put the stuff out of reach. Now it's crank. Meth. The monster. It's a bitch on the body, but damn do you fly.”


Three weeks. That's how long Kristina will have to spend with her distant father, a user. He doesn't cook, doesn't clean, he doesn't care -- and so their distant relationship continues even if they are living together. No one can blame Kristina for being thrilled when she meets Adam. So what if he wants to smoke a little pot? A line of meth, why not? It brings out a different side of her. Besides, it's not like she'll be doing drugs forever. 

I was not prepared for this book to be written all in verse. It's not the first book I read that way, and yet Hopkins handled dialogue through it all. That did impress me! If you know an addict then you can understand how they tend to withdraw or be happy one moment then angry the next. Kristina/Bree was the same. Making it difficult to be in her head for a long time, hence why the verse felt necessary. 

Unlike Go Ask Alice by Anonymous where the main character tries one drug and then goes on a rampage trying them all, Kristina/Bree appears to have a link between Adam and the monster as if she has linked meth and love together. It makes her feel special, wanted, audacious... but as the days go by, all it does is destroy her.

A sad story based on Hopkins daughter.