Top Ten Tuesday #09

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

Our topic this week is...

Top Ten Words or Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy or Pick Up a Book

The Topics I Auto Pick Up:

1. Distopia

Not gonna lie. There are quite a few dystopian novels that I bought and/or requested arcs for strictly due to the fact that they were dystopian, no synopsis read. I am such a sucker for them. I love the worlds created, the fight for survival, never knowing who to trust or what to trust, and yes, sometimes even the death. It's a given, people are gonna die. Sometimes you like them. Sometimes  you're cheering on their demise. I just can't get enough.

2. Angels

I don't know what it is about angels that gets me in the feels department so easily. Is it the look? The fluffy, soft white wings and the heavenly good looks. Or is it the overall goodness of them? I really can't pinpoint it. I just love the idea of them.

3. Vampires

Not all of them sparkle you know. But to give my full reasoning for the vampire attraction would be to reveal way too much of the inner workings of my mind. So we'll just leave it at....vampires.

4. Ink

Oh my. Tattooed up boys, especially bad ones, are extremely sexy. I see a cover with a guy covered in ink I want to get my hands on it and see what it has to offer instantly!

5. The Boy/Girl Next Door Syndrome

There's something endearingly sweet and sigh worthy to me about the thought of a boy climbing up a tree tapping on the girls window. Even if I've heard it happen before in Book-A, I can't wait to run out and get Book-B and read it happening again. Best example so far: Jase and Samantha in My Life Next Door. :)

The Words I Auto Pick Up:

6.  "Dark"

Bright, happy, cheerful isn't always the attraction. Sometimes I need something a little bit dark. Something that really makes me think or blows my mind.

7. "Beautiful"

How can you not want to read something that tells you it's beautiful on the cover? Okay,  yeah I know that's not how it really is but for some reason I see that word and I have to take a look at it. I have at least 5 books that I can physically see on my shelf and desk that have the word Beautiful in the title. It's a pattern I'm thinking.

8. "Dare"

The possibilities are so wonderful here. You could get into some pretty juicy subjects with that dangerous little word. ;)

9. "Die", "Death", "Dead"

Pretty much any form or tense of the word "Die". I'm usually hoping for some sort of a mind fuck with this one. (Excuse the language it just sort of popped out and now I can't erase it) I want heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, mind blowing twists and turns. And on the other hand maybe I'll find a great new paranormal. The possibilities are endless!

10. "Rock"

I sort of debated where to put this one. It can fit in both "Word" and "Topic" section. There's quite a trend with rocker bad boys and I, for one, love it.

Honorable Mentions:
Modern Day Retelling (Fairy-tales)

So there we have it. Kind of an odd selection there but it was probably my hardest Top Ten I've done yet.  What sort of things make you pick up or buy a book straight away?

ARC REVIEW: Crush. Candy. Corpse. by Sylvia McNicoll

Title/Series: Crush. Candy. Corpse.
Author: Sylvia McNicoll
Publisher: James Lorimer & Company 
Published: February 17th 2012
Format: eBook | Pages: 164
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mystery
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

★★★ (3/5) Stars!

Sylvia McNicoll | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Paradise Manor is depressing -- the smells are bad and the residents are old. Sunny would much rather be doing her volunteer hours at Salon Teo, but her teacher won't let her. Who says volunteering at a hair salon doesn't benefit the community?

But working with the Alzheimer's patients has a surprising effect on Sunny. Along with Cole, the grandson of one of the residents, she begins to see that the residents don't have much more choice about their lives than she does: what they eat, how they are treated by staff, even what they watch on television. So Sunny does what she can to make the residents happy -- even if she has to sometimes break the rules to do it.

When tragedy strikes at Paradise, Sunny's left to make the decision about whether or not to honour a promise that Cole made to his grandmother about her life...and her death.

This is a hard review to write, because while on the whole I enjoyed this book I did have a few problems with it. Now it was a very short book, my Adobe Digital Editions displayed a total of 164 pages at the bottom. That's not what I had a problem with. That was fine. But the way it was written kind of gave me whiplash at times. It starts out at the beginning of her trial and then it starts jumping back and forth between the past and her thoughts of what happened at each point, back to the trial and what was being said, who was being questioned, what they were asked etc.  

This volunteer work is a graduation requirement and they're supposed to put in 40 hours and keep a journal about they're hours for English class? I don't remember for certain. As evidence for the trial, her journal entries would sort of be the transition between past and present at times. There wasn't ever a smooth transition either, that would have made it okay but it was like Witness A is being asked questions and she's reacting in her head then numerous times she would say something like "..if only they would read more entries in my journal, then they'd understand" and bam you'd have a big bold title DAY 2 - 38 HOURS LEFT or some such and then a short paragraph or two for the entry where she's writing to her teacher. but then it goes right into a flashback with no warning and sometimes at first I couldn't tell if I was still in the journal entry or in the flashback.  

I guess I feel like with it being such a short book there was a much bigger opportunity to make this book a bit fuller and ease the headache it causes at times, instead of the constant whiplash from the back and forth between flashbacks. It wouldn't of hurt. And the ending could have been fleshed out dramatically. It just sort of dropped off. And if you're going to stop it right there just like that..we should have at least gotten a epilogue. All this build up and then...nothing. 

There were a few other items but I really don't want to give away anything about the plot and/or the characters. But none of this is to be mistaken as I didn't like this book. Because it was a good story. Had it been a bit longer and the ending tweaked just a bit it would have been a great story. It was definitely worth the read. Though Alzheimer's hasn't touched anyone in my life I have known others that it has effected. If to get a better understanding about the people it touches alone it's worth the read. I feel like it does a decent job portraying the patients and some of them are quite endearing. 

REVIEW: The Vincent Boys (The Vincent Boys #1) by Abbi Glines

Title/Series: The Vincent Boys | The Vincent Boys #1
Author: Abbi Glines
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: October 30th 2012
Format: Paperback | Pages: 259
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Purchased B&N
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Abbi Glines | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Get seduced by a sizzling account of attraction and betrayal in this previously self-published phenomenon. 

There was something wicked about Beau that drew me to him. What was wrong with me? Why did I want to sin so badly?

Ashton is getting tired of being good, of impressing her parents and playing ideal girlfriend to Sawyer Vincent. Sawyer is perfect, a regular Prince Charming, but when he leaves town for the summer, it’s his cousin Beau who catches Ashton’s eye. Beau is the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, and even though he’s dangerous, Ashton is drawn to him.

Beau loves his cousin like a brother, so the last thing he wants to do is make a move on Sawyer’s girl. Ashton is off-limits, absolutely. That’s why he does his best to keep his distance, even though he’s been in love with her forever. When Ashton wants to rekindle their childhood friendship in Sawyer’s absence, Beau knows he should say no.

Ashton and Beau don’t want to hurt Sawyer. But the more they try to stay away from each other, the more intense their urges become. It’s getting way too hard to resist...

 

I hate this phrase to my very core. It's so cheesy and ridiculous. But there are no other words to be said after finishing this. Everything about this book, the story, the cover, Beau Vincent...everything...rocked my freakin world. I've been all over the place with books lately. Some dystopia, some paranormal and lots and lots of contemporary. But everything has been more on the young adult side of it lately. The sweet love. The tamer love. Which has been great I've read some really good books. But I needed something more. I needed a bad boy. And lord have mercy I found one.

Ashton and Beau have this uncontrollable attraction and explosive chemistry. It made for an irresistible love story that I found impossible to put down. I swear the more they tried to fight it and do right by Sawyer the steamier things got. It left me completely breathless quite a number of times. My one problem with this book? The fact that the day AFTER I bought it an extended and uncut version came out. I'm so not kidding. The. Very. Next. Day. Ahhh! Seriously though it'll be worth it to buy that one too because I definitely need another Beau fix. Geez I feel and sound like a heroin addict. Ha!

This was truly book perfection in my eyes. There was a sweet, sweet love story. Hot and steamy attraction. The gut wrenching sadness when everything crashes down around all three of them. The power of forgiveness and unconditional love and support. No matter what they all went through. And it was so well written. This was the first Abbi Glines book I've made it through and I've immediately become a fangirl. I know! I know. I'm late to the party. Forgive me.

I'm sort of nervous moving on to Vincent Brothers though. I wasn't a very big fan of Sawyer's in this book. I mean don't get me wrong he had his moments where he was a pretty great guy. He just wasn't Beau. I liked Lana though and she deserves something great. So when I do read it, it will be mostly for her and I'm sure Sawyer will grow on me eventually. I guess I'm glad I didn't buy them at the same time though. I need a bit of a breather before I jump into his story. But if it's even a smidge like this one was I'm sure I'll be blown away. Again.

REVIEW: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Title/Series: My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Published: June 14th 2012
Format: Hardcover | Pages: 394
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Purchased B&N
★★★★ (4/5) Stars!

Huntley Fitzpatrick | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

I think I'm feeling a bit let down by this book. I had some pretty high expectations and I was so happy with the first half and the characters were so great, with the exception of Samantha's mom of course that woman got on my last nerve, but I was so happy in the land of good books. I quite literally got about halfway through and turned a page and crap! The very next page was ripped straight down the middle vertically. I had half a frickin page. (Now I think, looking back, maybe that was a sign.) Lucky for me, I sent in an email just asking, since I was pretty sure I was either past return date or super close, if I could get a replacement book. The wonderful people at Barnes & Noble ♥ replied by sending me a shipping receipt email. So awesome! My one and ONLY issue I had with them and it wasn't even an issue. Anyway!

I was so excited to get back to Jase and Samantha's story. When I had to stop, everything was in that really great blissful spot. I mean I knew something had to happen eventually and I even knew what was going to happen to pull the rug out from under me. I think part of my problem was I just got so attached to the Garrett family, that the thought of something happening to any of them just broke my heart. They were such awesome people, especially little 4 year old George. I adored that boy and every scene he was in I just wanted to reach into the book and snuggle him!

Even as prepared as I was, the way everyone in the Reed family handled it was seriously inexcusable. I feel it the most with Samantha, I expected it from her mother. And then...it just kind of ended. It was like this big huge life altering thing happens and then once it's all out in the open it's just over, and I'm left sitting here thinking "Umm...that's it?" Had there been a more substantial ending I'd be sitting here singing it's praises and feeling more satisfied. As it was, I don't necessarily dislike the book I loved a good portion of it and it was worth reading, almost for the Garrett family alone!

REVIEW: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Title/Series: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Site
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Poppy
Published: January 1st 2013
Format: Paperback | Pages: 236
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Purchased B&N
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!

Jennifer E. Smith | Twitter | Goodreads

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

I picked it up. Started  reading it. When I put it down again, it was finished. First sign of a really good book. By the time I was finished, my cheeks quite literally hurt. I was grinning through 95% of it. Second sign of a really good book. During the other 5% I was trying to fight back tears from all of the dysfunctions and problems going on within both Hadley and Oliver's families. I lost the fight by the way. *Sniffles* Third sign of a really good book. I'm sitting here in the middle of such a book high, still 24 hours later, finding it difficult to want to get into anything else. I'm still in a very Hadley and Oliver place. Last sign of a really good book.

It was easy for me to connect to Hadley. We had a pretty similar story of our parents splitting at roughly the same age. Though I may have been a year or so younger. For her, her dad goes off to work in England for four months and just..doesn't come back. For me, it was my mother and sadly it wasn't England. That would have been bloody fantastic. (See I woulda fit in when I was on holiday..Yep I'm just full of Briticisms.) So every little thing she went through and talked about in regards to her relationship with her father...I got it and was able to connect to this book on a deeper level than most books I've read.

Now, I  know I say this quite a lot...but...I am in love with Oliver. I mean it, I would leave all my other book boyfriends for this guy. He was 99% of the reason I was grinning throughout the majority of this book. He was just so charming and witty and funny and completely adorable. I did get a bit annoyed with him for a short time though because it seemed that he was always asking about her life but whenever she would ask him something, some of the stuff he would talk about but other than that he would most of the time give sarcastic jokey answers or would just shoot questions down completely and I sat there thinking how unfair! And then soon after they land and get separated, the bomb drops and everything starts to make sense and I lost it. I think I literally said "Oh no, no, no!" out loud. So, Oliver...I'm sorry for doubting your perfection. It was only for a moment!

But besides having two really great characters, behind them you have such a great love story. It's one of those stories you dream about having. Meet a gorgeous stranger at the airport. Ending up in the same row and most of the flight sharing stories and falling in love. [Insert girlish dreamy sigh here] Why couldn't my mother have run off to England? :(

REVIEW: Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins

Title/Series: Anna and the French Kiss | Anna and the French Kiss #1
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Speak
Published: December 2nd 2010
Format: eBook | Pages: 386 
Genre: YA, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased Amazon 
★★★★ (4/5) Stars!

Stephanie Perkins | Twitter | Goodreads

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

This book has been on my TBR shelf for quite a while now. But one of my favorite fellow bloggers posted a review a week or so back (Kelly on Anna) and she pulled the old peer pressure card and next thing I knew it was in my Kindle. Oh and Kelly? That thing about "HA! You'll be thanking me soon enough. :):)" Okay fine. You were right. Thank you. Ha :P

At one point or another I wavered in my liking of each one of these characters for different and various reasons. All of them seemed to be varying degrees of messed up. But, really, how together can you truly be when your parents ship you off to a boarding school in Paris?

Truly, my only problem with this book was there were just too many obstacles to cross to get to that one thing we all want so badly when reading this book. For Anna and Étienne to say those three little words to each other and walk off into the sunset together. There were just too many people on the outside getting in the way and that made for an extremely frustrating read. Not necessarily in a good way either. I'm fine with love triangles and unlike most people I enjoy them very much. But this was more of a love hexagon.

But if you can get past that frustration the core of the story is very sweet. Étienne is an absolute dream. He's charming, funny, sweet, British, completely adorable... oh and did I mention British? As if you can't tell, I'm a sucker for the accent. He goes through so much in this book and you find that deep down, on top of all that swoon worthiness, you find a vulnerable, amazing guy. Scared of losing everything.

Anna is fun and quirky and sarcastic and very easily to relate to. It was excruciating at times watching the two of them dance around their feelings. He has a girlfriend, she has an almost boyfriend, Things would get so close and then... Nothing. Would. Happen. And trust me some of those "so close" moments were so intense and you would be thinking "Okay this is it! It's finally going to happen!!" Then nope. And on the inside I was screaming "OH COME ON!!!!!!!!!" because had it been me? I would have said screw it and just made a move! ... Okay probably not, I'm a coward haha. But you get my point!

*Sigh* It really is a sweet and heartwarming book though. And if you can get past the hexagon, by the end you'll be swimming in a pool of blissful satisfaction. I'm so happy that I finally read it and I look forward to reading more of Stephanie Perkins work.

ARC REVIEW: The Testing (The Testing #1) by Joelle Charbonneau

Title/Series: The Testing | The Testing #1
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Expected publication: June 4th 2013
Format: eBook | Pages: 336
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Joelle Charbonneau | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Who will be chosen to lead? The best...the brightest...the deadliest? 

There will be a testing. In the wake of the Seven Stages War, the government of the Unified Commonwealth devised The Testing to assess the instinct, intellect and sheer nerve among a select group of the population's young people. Candidates who pass, attend the University to become leaders of the Commonwealth; civilization's hope to transform a post-war wasteland into a peaceful and technologically advanced society. But progress comes at a price. 

Mechanically-inclined Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a candidate but on the eve of her departure, her father confides partial memories of his grisly experience as a candidate, still haunted by nightmares and living in fear of what he can't remember. It's not enough to pass the test, Cia will have to survive it and her deadly fellow candidates. To stay alive Cia will have to learn who she can trust and, if necessary, who she must kill.

 It's very difficult to please the lovers of the dystopian genre. Everyone always seems so quick to judge and compare new books with....that other series. You know the one I'm talking about. Which I find highly unfair. Those books do not make up the entire genre, and as such shouldn't be used as the score card every time something new comes along. Because while,yes, I did enjoy them quite much...I've found others that I've enjoyed even more. And if this first book in The Testing series is any indicator of what's to come with the rest of the books, they're going to be right there towards the top of my list.

I downloaded it without even looking at the blurb. I received a pre-apporval and so I pulled it up on Goodreads and checked the shelves it was on and three popped out and made my decision straight away; YA, Dystopian, Post-Apocalypse. Done. I have to read this book.

I get settled and thrust myself into Cia's world. I adored her. She was your ideal dystopian heroine. She's smart, strong, stubborn when it counts (not just to be stubborn), and always wanting to do right by people and try to help them if she can....which, for the last one, in this genre can also be a fault. She was also trusting, to a fault. And in a world where trusting the wrong person could get you killed, it made for an anxiety filled read (in a really good way!) As I'm sitting here typing this to you, having finished this first book...I'm still unsure about a couple people. And it's killing me! Ahhh!!! ...Okay, I think I'm okay.

It was a smooth read. And kept my interest from start to finish. I'm serious when I say I could. Not. Put. It. Down. And it wasn't a love story set in a post-apocalypse type of world either. Though there were hints of love here and there, this was more like an adrenaline pumping story of survival and betrayal and death. The characters are fantastic. The world is painted in a vivid picture that allows your imagination to take over and you can picture everything as it's going on. Even the cringe worthy parts. The death in this book is definitely not for the squeamish.

I'd like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read and review this book!! It was an amazing adventure that ended too soon and I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Weekly Haul #08

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. I think it's supposed to be moved over to The Mod Podge Bookshelf at least temporarily. I haven't heard any different at this point, but I haven't seen a post either...Oh well! Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Both are a way for us to share our excitement over all the lovely new books and/or swag we've received over the past week!

So this week is sort of a big week. Sort of an accident. A huge portion of the stuff that will be listed under my Nook/Kindle were either free or $0.99 type of thing. So don't judge me! Plus I had a night where I went a little crazy in NetGalley, A week or 2 ago when I got The Testing, and requested probably at least 25 books. I know! I never do that many at once but I was like; "Pffffffffffft! If I'm lucky 1 out of 3 publishers approve me. IF I'm lucky. This will be okay!" ....Famous last words right there. I've heard from like 9 already and out of those 9 only 2 have declined me. I get scared now every time I see a new email come in from a publishing house. Hell the last decline email I got I sort of did a little dance haha. Can we say overwhelmed? Yes..yes we can. But enough of all that let's get to the good stuff am I right?!

Bought:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Thoughtless | Effortless | Reckless by S.C. Stephens

 

Come Away With Me (With Me in Seattle #1) by Kristen Proby

Wreck Me (Wrecked #1) by J.L. Mac

Dying to Forget (The Station #1) by Trish Marie Dawson

Ember (Death Collectors #1) by Jessica Sorensen

Damaged (Damaged #1) by H.M. Ward

Fallen Too Far (Too Far #1) by Abbie Glines

 

If You Stay (Beautifully Broken #1) by Courtney Cole

Resisting Her by Kendall Ryan

Recalled (Death Escorts #1) by Cambria Herbert

Perfect For You (Laurel Heights #1) by Kate Perry

The Baby Bargain (Once A Marine #1) by Jennifer Apodaca

How to Misbehave (Camelot Knox #1) by Ruthie Knox

 

NetGalley:

Crush. Candy. Corpse. by Sylvia McNicoll

Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild #1) by Kate Douglas

Accidental Time Traveller by Janis Mackay

   

In Too Deep by Coert Voorhees

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence 

✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

So....yeah....I got a lot this week for the very little amount of money I spent. I guess I can't complain. I think I should get somebody to babysit me for the next month or two though and make sure I don't order anything or go anywhere near NetGalley. With everything I've had from before this PLUS this I've got enough to last me the rest of the year I'm sure. *Sigh*. Anyway. What did everyone else get this week/month however often you do it? :)

REVIEW: The Collector (Dante Walker #1) by Victoria Scott

Title/Series: The Collector | Dante Walker #1
Author: Victoria Scott
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Published: March 25th 2013
Format: Paperback | Pages: 352
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Purchased B&N
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Victoria Scott | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

He makes good girls...bad. 

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

There was so much hype for this book before it was even published. Everywhere I turned (in the lovely world of the internet, bloggers and goodreads that is) there was all out excitement for this book called The Collector. And girls everywhere were swooning over this guy that most of them didn't even know yet named Dante Walker. Though I couldn't blame them, I mean seriously, Dante freakin' Walker...the name just oozes sexiness. So I was curious and did some poking around and pulled up the blurb...

He makes good girls...bad.

  

Yep. That's all it took. My next thought was...

But you had to worry and wonder, with all this hype and excitement.....would the book be able to hold up? Would it be any good? Good? No. Freakin awesome? Hell yeah! Pow! I don't think you see enough "Pow!" on a day to day basis. Ha. Anyway.

Hands down, Charlie is my all time favorite book heroine. Period. I mean she finds happiness and joy in anything. Seriously anything...jumping on the bed for crying out loud! How can you not love someone like that? And she was nothing like I anticipated her to be. But you know, that's okay. I liked this Charlie. Start to finish. And then there's Dante. He's an arrogant, self centered, cocky, materialistic, soul collecting demon from hell. Yeah I'm with you. I love him too. I don't think I've had as much fun reading a character in a long, long time. Even if he made me cry. Twice. Jerkface.

This book is filled with humorous moments and dialogue. You can really see Victoria Scott's  personality shine in this book. Most of us have been following her for a while before the book was released and you can see it in her blog posts and things like that. So even before I started reading it, I knew I was going to be laughing. A lot. Nothing else was predictable though, every time I'd think I had something or someone figured out I kept ending up wrong. I hate being wrong!

It's funny. Before I started blogging I never really paid much attention to acknowledgements. It was sort of a "Ehh. Books done time to move on." I don't know why doing this sort of thing changed that but I'm glad I did I cracked up at the end.

"Finally, to God, who has mad swagger just like D-Dub. Thank you for blessing me with everyone I just mentioned. Sorry Dante is so bad. He's getting better."

He's trying. Good girl, Charlie.

Ha! It came on my playlist right when I pasted the code. I'm so not joking...creepy O_O