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Posts by angelreads

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ARC Review: Tape by Steven Camden

Jan 24, 2014

Tape

Expected Publication: January 30th 2014
Pages: 352 (Hardcover)
Publisher:  HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 0007511205
Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU 

Synopsis

Record a voice and it lasts forever…

In 1993, Ryan records a diary on an old tape. He talks about his mother’s death, about his dreams, about his love for a new girl at school who doesn’t even know he exists.

In 2013, Ameliah moves in with her grandmother after her parents die. There, she finds a tape in the spare room. A tape with a boy’s voice on it – a voice she can’t quite hear, but which seems to be speaking to her.

Ryan and Ameliah are connected by more than just a tape.

This is their story.

Tape 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, it in no way influences my review.

I have seen mixed reviews for Tape, but I loved it. It was fresh, different, new, and emotional. It took me on a ride full of emotions.

The first thing that grabbed my attention about Tape was the cover, it is just so gorgeous. Then I read the synopsis and I needed to read it. It sounded so intriguing; I just didn’t know how everything would fit. I also was intrigued by Steven Camden, when I heard about the book, I just learnt about Spoken Word Poetry, which might I say I love, and then I found out that Steven is a spoken word poet, I just could not say no to it.

At first it was hard to grasp the concept of the novel, I was really confused at times but then everything just fell into place and I understood what was going on.

I liked both our main characters, Ryan more than Ameliah. I would have loved a little more characterization, as I felt it lacked a little here and there.

Ryan was really down to earth and his emotions were very raw and on show for everyone, which is unusual for a male character. I felt so sorry for him at times, he missed his mum so much and I feel that his dad, yes he cares, but I just feel there is something is lost between them.

Ameliah pissed me off at times, especially when she is trying to find out who Joe is, just the way she went about it, she was so focused on finding out, that nothing else mattered that much. But other than that I really liked Ameliah she was very strong minded. I loved the relationship between Ameliah and her grandmother, even thought yes they ‘fight’ here and there. They have this strong relationship. I let a few tears fall, a few times when Ameliah’s mum was talked about.

I liked there was flashbacks here and there, it was cool and it just added to the book, it made it more emotional. I loved how everyone seemed to intertwined with each other, in one way or another. We find out how everyone knows each other. It was a little predictable, but I still found it interesting and it put a smile on my face that it worked out.  I liked that we got to know the characters back stories; who they were, why they did things, and it was really intriguing and sweet at the same time.

In my copy of Tape, when it’s in Ryan’s time it is a different writing style then when we are in Ameliah’s time and I found that pretty awesome. It was cool and different and you could tell the difference between who was who. I also find when there is dual POV’s that both voices come into one and you cannot tell the difference but in Tape by Steven Camden, it wasn’t like that, even if it was the same type of writing you could tell the difference between who was who.  I felt that the chapters were really long and I am not sure If I liked it or not. For me, when I read, I read chapter by chapter so when I want to stop reading I stop at the end of the chapter, but with Tape I just could not do that.

I also liked that fact that music was incorporated into book.  It was interesting and new, and I love music so it was fun. Some songs that remind me of the book are; A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope, Unconditionally by Katy Perry and Everything has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

Overall I really liked Tape by Steven Camden, it was original as well as touching enough that it pulls at your heart. I think a younger audience will like it, as our main characters are on the

I Give Tape 4 Stars out of 5 

ARC Book Review: The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello

Jan 22, 2014

The Moment Before

 

First Published: January 14th 2014
Pages: 216 (paperback)
Publisher: Diversion Books
ISBN: 1626811679
Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU 

Synopsis

“Don’t get me wrong. I loved my sister. I never, not once, wished her dead.”

Brady and Sabine Wilson are sisters born eleven months apart, but they couldn’t be more different. Popular Sabine, the head cheerleader dating the high school hunk, seems to have all the luck, while her younger, artsy sister “Brady Brooder” is a loner who prefers the sidelines to the limelight.

After Sabine dies in a horrific cheerleading accident, grief unravels Brady and her family. Once recognized for her artistic talent, 17-year-old Brady finds herself questioning the value of everything she once held dear. Her best friend betrays her. Her parents’ marriage is crumbling. And the boy everyone blames for the accident seems to be her only ally in the search for answers in the wake of her sister’s death. As an unlikely friendship emerges, Brady learns more about Sabine – and love – than she bargained for.

Review 

After having so much trouble of being able to read my eARC, I finally got to read The Moment Before and I am very happy that I did.

The Moment Before was a very heartfelt, emotional read.  We start reading and we already see and feel the emotions that our main character Brady, has with the death of her sister, Sabrina. She is in a rough place. She can’t seem to concentrate at school, she can function but she really isn’t there.

I really like Brady as a character; she isn’t stuck up, or thinks she is the best in the world. Brady is very much down to earth, but at the same time she is broken inside. I really feel for Brady, she doesn’t really know how to deal with the lost of her sister. And as the book goes on, we see her come to terms with everything as well as become stronger. I love that she is an artist; she sees the world differently then everyone else and that just makes it that more interesting. I feel so much for her, she has gone through so much and she just can not get a break. I also found at times that Brady is so sassy, I loved it. Suzy Vitello created so much emotion throughout the whole book.

Conner, is the boy that is being blamed for Sabrina’s death. I just feel for him, his back story with Sabrina is heartbreaking. He is not only being blamed, he believes that her death is his fault and I just want to go and comfort him and tell him it’s not his fault. I think the fact that he also cared alot for Sabrina makes me feel so much more. The way that Conner and Brady connect, helps them both with their grief and also with themselves.

I really disliked Brady’s parents, yes I understood that they were grieving their daughter’s death, but during that time they pushed there other daughter, Brady, away and it affected her. I disliked Brady’s mum more than I did her dad for some reason, even though what her dad did was bad, just the way her mum treated her, I wanted to scream in her face.

I though the plot behind this book, would be pretty straight forward, but it wasn’t and I loved it. It had twist and turns and it was pretty damn awesome. There is something, more like alot of things that Brady doesn’t know about her sister, and they all came to play a part in her death in one way or another. My heart hurts for her.

I really disliked Nick, Sabrina’s boyfriend before she died. I had this bad feeling about him from the start; I just could not connect with him at all. He is just a d***. He is a Scio. I wanted to hit both him and Martha for what they did.

I don’t understand why Brady keeps on going to Martha, she is just a bitch and so stuck up, she does not care about anyone but herself most of the time. She doesn’t understand what is important. I just found her to be really shallow. At the end she kind of redeems herself, but not that much. It just to made me tolerate her.

I really liked the way that Suzy Vitello set up of the novel, the way that we get flashbacks of time between Brady and Sabrina, I think it’s cute and emotional and showed their relationship with each other. I found it interesting that sometimes Brady heard Sabrina talk to her, I think Brady found comfort it in some of the time.

I didn’t like the ending that much. I think it lacked something, especially between Conner and Brady, it was like “okay, there done”.  I wanted something more. It was just so good until then last few pages. But overall I really liked The Moment Before.

I Give The Moment Before 4 Stars out of 5 

Quote;

‘Mad? Oh, Martha, that doesn’t even approach how I feel about you. And him’

Waiting on Wednesday #13

Jan 22, 2014

waiting on wednesday

 

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spin, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly  anticipating.

 This Week my Waiting on Wednesday is Panic by Lauren Oliver 

Panic_HC_JKT_des4.indd

 

Expected Publication: March 4th 2014 
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Format:
Hardcover (416 pages)
Series:  –
Genre:
Science Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy  
ISBN13: 
9780062014559
Add to Goodreads Shelf 

Synopsis

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

 

Why am I waiting? This sounds soo good and really interesting. It sounds intriguing. I have a love hate relationship with Lauren Oliver, I loved Delirium, then like Pandemonium and then I found out what happened in Requiem and just could not read them. Put I am really liking this. it sounds awesome and I haven’t read much Sci-fi so it will also give me a chance to get into that genre as well.

What are waiting for this Wednesday?

 

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book blogger 💻| romance books 💜| bookseller 📖
💌 angel@angelreads.com
📚15/150

I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I have a love-hate relationship with this series. But I ended up really enjoying this one. It’s best friends to fake dating to-lovers. It’s always been you, bad-boy/good-girl, and I loved that. While Save Your Breath has quite a few tropes, it really leads itself to it, and it works. 

Aleks and Mia have known each other for years now. Since they were teenagers, that angst has been building up this whole time. And you can tell right from the get-go, it’s fantastic. I even wanted more of it, because I love pain. When Aleks went to live with Mia’s family as a teenager, sparks flew, but for many reasons, they both put their feelings aside. And well, now they are not only going to be fake-dating, but they might as well be engaged, too. 

I really enjoyed seeing how both Aleks and Mia both tried to hide how they were feeling throughout the whole ‘fake-dating’ situation, but anyone could see it. They know each other as no one else does. Aleks has a lot going on, and while I do think this was brushed over a little too much, Mia is his centre. Mia is a massive music star and is a female in the industry, so yeah, people don’t respect her. Obvsiouly because why couldn’t a female star be badass and write about the things that she has gone through? Aleks and Mia get each other, and that is very clear from the start; they are both just trying to squash everything. We get to see them slowly start to show how they feel, and well, one night it all explodes. 

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot; it’s not my favourite of the series, but I had a great time reading it. I liked Aleks and Mia a lot as characeters and while I think the mental health aspect could have been explored a whole lot more, I can see why it wasn’t. The romance was slow and spicy, the angst was great, and the payoff for these two was what they needed. 

Tropes
🏒Sports/Hockey Romance
🎤Fake Dating/Engagement
🏒Childhood Friends to Lovers
🎤Forced Proximity
🏒Athlete x Pop Star 
🎤Angsty Slow Burn 

Content Warnings
Mental Health Struggles 
Suicide Intention 
Family Deaths 
Alcohol Consumption
Violence on Ice

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #bookreview
Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I onl Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I only ended up reading 3 books in. 3 pretty fun books but one of my slowest readings months in a while. 

And I’m going to be honest here it’s because I’ve been constantly reading Heated Rivalry fanfics. 🤷‍♀️ I’m having the best time though. 

How was your reading in February? Any 5  star reads? 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #februarywrapup
January was a really solid reading month. I read s January was a really solid reading month. I read some books that had been on my tbr for some time, reread a few things that peaked my interest. I also started a few new series. And just had a good time!

I just had a really good start to the year. While February is a little slow so far I’m looking forward to what I can pick up.

What did you read in January? Any 5-star reads? Let’s chat! 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #januarywrapup
Can you believe that it’s already February? I know Can you believe that it’s already February? I know I can’t. But that means it’s a new month with more releases coming out! And that makes me excited. Some fantastic titles releasing this month and I cannot wait to read them. 📚

A couple of these are on my TBR already and some have just caught my eye and that makes me super excited to pick them up. 🖤

What are you looking forward to reading this month? Let’s chat! ✨

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #Februaryreleases2026
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