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Book Review: Anya and The Shy Guy by Suze Winegardner

Jul 14, 2015

Anya and the Shy Guy by Suze Winegardner

Pages: 200
Publish date: July 14 2015
Publisher: Entangled: Crush
ASIN: B00ZOGRDD2
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

It’s always the quiet ones…

Anya Anderson doesn’t just need a big break, she needs any break. Living on the streets doesn’t leave a girl many options, so when she scores a gig reporting on the Seconds to Juliet tour, she jumps at the chance to earn enough money to sleep somewhere safe. And the paycheck will get bigger—and keep her off the streets for good—if she can dig up dirt on Will Fray, the irritatingly hot “shy guy” of the band.

Problem is, Will Fray isn’t who everyone thinks he is. In fact, he’s not Will at all. Matt, Will’s identical twin, is actually the guy onstage, reluctantly covering for his brother while he’s in rehab. To make matters worse, Matt’s being shadowed by a cute reporter with troubled eyes determined to get the scoop. On him. And he’s having trouble finding the willpower to keep his distance…

But if the secret gets out, it won’t just be his head on a platter—it’ll be the whole band’s.

Anya and The Shy Guy:

I received an e-arc of Anya and the Shy Guy by Suze Winegardner from Entangled Publishing: Crush via NetGalley in exchange for a review, this has in no way influenced my thoughts on the book in any way.

This is the 4th Book in the Backstage Pass Series from Entangled Publishing: Crush, and the 3rd book I have read in this series. I missed reading the 3rd in the series somehow, but I will get to it hopefully soon. From all the books that I have read in the series, Anya and the Shy Guy is probably my favourite. It may have to do with the fact that I started reading it before I headed to the 5 Seconds of Summer concert and finished it when I was home.

Anya the female protagonist of Anya and the Shy Guy was someone that I really enjoyed reading. I don’t know what it practically was, but I liked being in her perspective on her journey finding more about herself and the people around her. Anya has suffered more than enough; being homeless since she was fifteen and not really have knowledge of the ‘outside’ world, so when she goes on tour with Second to Juliet she struggles.

Anya has been hired by a magazine to dig some dirt on Will Fray the ‘shy guy’ from Seconds and Juliet, but there is a problem. One big problem, Will Fray isn’t, Will Fray it’s his identical twin Matt.

Matt (the male protagonist) is taking Will’s spot in the band while he is in rehab recovering from pain killer abuse. Matt is quite similar to Will except for one thing – his not shy. While Matt struggles to act like Will would, react when he hears ‘Will’ and remember the words of the songs that he has to sing on stage nearly every night, he must also keep his identity not only from his band members, but their manager and now, Anya.

Like Anya, I really enjoyed Matt in Anya and the Shy Guy. He was interesting and mysterious, but also the reader is able to see him break down, as the pressure starts to build.

I enjoyed the writing style of Suze Winegardner in Anya and the Shy Guy, more than the other books in the series. It was more refreshing and didn’t have too many cliché responses like the other books. There were still some here and there, but I found it more toned down from the other books.

Furthermore, I really enjoyed the banter between Anya and Matt. While they tried to shy away from each other because of all the secrets that they both hold, they are drawn to each other and they both have to do their jobs. Anya find some dirt of Will Fray and Matt has to keep his brother being in rehab a secret.

The romance like the other books in the series moves fast. If you don’t like fast moving romance, then Anya and the Shy Guy might annoy you. But If you don’t mind a fast past plot and romance, then I am sure you will love it. I am not the biggest fan of fast moving romances, but occasionally I just need a cliché romance.

I loved seeing the other boys throughout the book and it’s awesome to see the interaction of the boys from different perspectives. What the boys think of each other, how the different girls seem them together. It’s fun and different.
I also like the friendships that build throughout the book. It creates the book into something that isn’t solely focused on the love side of it but Anya and the Shy Guy has a combination of friendship, family and love.

If you like a fun, fast paced, but emotional read that will have you screaming and giggling at times, then Anya and the Shy Guy is the book that you need. Suze Winegarnder’s writing style is clever and entertaining, while her characters and plot keep the reader engaged.

Book Review: What Lies Within by James Morris

Jul 1, 2015

What Lies Within by James Morris

Pages: 226
Publish date: June 2nd
Publisher: Kindle Press
ASIN: B00VF6T5C2
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

“You’re going to die”

A single text message and Shelley Marano’s world is upended. A normal high school senior, Shelley discovers she is adopted. She goes on a journey to uncover her past, only to find she was part of a horrific experiment to test the theory of nature versus nurture. In a culture of violence committed by young people, she may be one of these killers. With the lives of her and her friends in the balance, one thing is certain: she will never be the same.

What Lies Within:

I received a copy of What Lies Within by James Morris for review in exchange for an honest review, this has in no way influenced my opinion on the book.

I hadn’t heard about What Lies Within before I was contacted. I had no idea what it was about or anything about the author, but I read an excerpt and I was hooked.

What Lies Within follows Shelley Marano as her world is tipped upside down and on its head after she finds out that she is adopted in a not so conventional way. As she goes on a journey trying to uncover her past, she delves into things that anyone wouldn’t want to know. Not only was she adopted, but she was part of a scientific experiment on the theory of nature vs nurture.

I would class What Lies Within somewhere on the thriller spectrum, but then it has mixes of different types of genre’s that make it a real interesting read.

The concept of What Lies Within was intriguing. It was similar to other ideas, nevertheless James Morris made it his own. The plot started right in the thick of all the drama and kept on going up from there. I found What Lies Within fast paced and packed a punch with all its twists and turns.

Her search was over. Matthew Ridge came into her life like a storm and then left, leaving behind a trail of windblown breadcrumbs that had led nowhere.

I also loved the writing style, it was beautiful and pulling. It kept me engaged from the start. How a word flows into another, how sentences fit perfectly together was brilliant.

Shelley is an interesting character. She works with her single father is his auto body shop while not at school and only has one real friend, Winston. Shelley was a strong female lead, which took the reader on a journey. The reader is able to grow with Shelley and feel her emotions. At times she did annoy me with her superficiality, however as the novel went on, the reader is able to see her move away from all this.

I certainly an enjoyable Winston as a character. The reader is able to see that he cares deeply for Shelley and that he would literally do anything for her. I wish we were able to see a little more of his personality.

…she took an art class in school and knew there was something about putting your soul on paper. Sharing yourself in a way that was more personal than mere words.

I also wish we could have gotten more interaction between Shelley and her dad. I understand that her life was all a mess, though he was barley in any scenes and when he was, there wasn’t much interaction between the two. And what he did, I totally understand why he did it because, well if I had a kid and they told me what Shelley did, I would think that they are a little crazy too.

One thing that I didn’t like was the romance, if you could call it that. One moment she was thinking about her crush and then next thing I know BOOM! Like what on earth. I could not believe what I was reading. It took me by shock and, Shelley was all for it.

The ending was explosive and in my opinion unpredictable. I was in such shock, but a good, breathtaking shock. It was a unique way to finish a book and I haven’t read anything like it before. I thought I knew what was going to happen with it all and then bang it was totally different to what I was expecting and it was such so good.

Overall, What Lies Within was a really enjoyable, thrilling read that kept me on the edge of my seat. The writing was beautiful and intriguing and although there was a few elements that I didn’t like it was still a fun read that I enjoyed.

Book Review: Faking Perfect by Rebecca Phillips

Jun 25, 2015

Faking Perfect by Rebecca Phillips

Pages: 272
Publish date: June 30th
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN: 1617738808
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

When Lexi Shaw seduced Oakfield High’s resident bad boy Tyler Flynn at the beginning of senior year, he seemed perfectly okay with her rules:

1. Avoid her at school.
2. Keep his mouth shut about what they do together.
3. Never tease her about her friend (and unrequited crush) Ben.

Because with his integrity and values and golden boy looks, Ben can never find out about what she’s been doing behind closed doors with Tyler. Or that her mom’s too busy drinking and chasing losers to pay the bills. Or that Lexi’s dad hasn’t been a part of her life for the last thirteen years. But with Tyler suddenly breaking the rules, Ben asking her out, and her dad back in the picture, how long will she be able to go on faking perfect?

Faking Perfect:

I received an e-arc of Faking Perfect from Kensington Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts on the book.

I always love to read about a bad boy. I don’t know what it is, but they always seem to make things interesting. Faking Perfect really intrigued me from the synopsis, it sounded interesting and like there was going to be drama, drama, drama and for that part it did not disappoint me, however I did feel that some of the characters lacked substance and the writing style wasn’t my favourite.

Lexi Shaw is the main protagonist in Faking Perfect and she isn’t the ‘good girl.’ So if you were looking for a good girl/bad boy relationship then it’s not in this book. Lexi annoyed me thought-out most of the book. She wants to be this perfect girl that everyone loves, including Ben but still has her late night extravaganzas with Tyler Flynn, but then keeps on going about how she has to be perfect without really changing everything.

Lexi felt like a hypocrite to me most of the book and it ticked the wrong boxes for me. I wanted to like her so much and when she was with Tyler, most of the time I did really enjoy her. But when she tried to be perfect she was fake.

Tyler – I loved him. He is your typical bad boy: sells weed at parties, drinks and driving around like a hoon. But as the novel goes on we see that his character develop, and he starts to try and be a better person. He follows Lexi’s rules and even though he has all these feelings inside of him he doesn’t let them all out because he knows he will hurt Lexi.

But we don’t see that from Lexi, she didn’t change her thoughts all too much from the start of the novel till the end and I love seeing people grow. Her obsession with Ben, gosh it frustrated me so much. She wants to be his girlfriend, he is treated like this perfect student and person and yet he has girlfriends after girlfriends. Her friends as well. She tries to act perfect in front of them and when she doesn’t do something that they were approve of, they stop being her friend.

Let’s not even go into the family problems, her mother is drunk with boyfriends coming in and out of the house, she can’t pay the bills and really doesn’t care about her daughter. Then the father situation, actually I quite liked her father, but it all worked to fast. One minute Lexi was angry and then she was all smiles.
Overall I don’t know really how I feel about Faking Perfect. I liked most of it, but then there was things that really put me off. If you like a quick contemporary read, then Faking Perfect is perfect for you.