ARC Book Review Archives - Page 5 of 9

Book Review: You’re Still the One by Rachel Harris

Feb 18, 2016

You’re Still the One by Rachel Harris

Pages: –
Publish date: February 15th 2016
Publisher: Entangled: Bliss
ISBN: 9781633755550
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Arabella Stone, Nashville’s darling, is eager to shuck her prim-and-proper rep, and a few wild months spent checking items off her “ summer bucket list” is the way to do it. First up: kiss the man she’s crushed on since she wore a training bra, the bad boy of country himself, Blue bassist Charlie Tucker.

For Charlie, a beautiful woman flirting with him isn’t out of the norm—but a beautiful woman bolting after the hottest kiss of his life sure is. And when he finds out his kiss-and-run Cinderella is none other than Arabella Stone, daughter of his label’s CEO, he knows he’s in trouble. Because not only is she a Stone, she’s also his employee for the next few months at the recording studio he just bought.

Over the course of one thrilling summer, Arabella and Charlie chip away at her list, but once it ends, so does their time together.

You’re Still the One:

I received an e-arc of You’re Still the One by Rachel Harris from Entangled Publishing and InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I have quite a few Rachel Harris books to date but surprising none of her young adult ones. I find that her New Adult ones are so fun to read and I can normally read them in a day, two at the most and it was no different from You’re Still the One.

You’re Still the One follows protagonist Arabella Stone who is Nashville’s precious gem as she knocks off items from her bucket list while she is away from her over protective by loving father. Arabella is the daughter of the CEO of Blue whom we have previous meet in Accidently Married on Purpose.

The first thing on this list is to kiss the man she has had a crush for what seems like forever; Charlie Tucker. The thing is that she is country music’s bad boy and he just happens to be the bassist for Blue.

I loved You’re Still the One. It was filled with funny, sexy and awkward moments that every Rachel Harris novel, but there something different about this one. Charlie was introduced to us in Accidently Married on Purpose and I loved him straight away. There is something about him that grabs your attention, so I was really glad that he has his own novel.

Charlie is used to having all the girls attention, but Arabella is different. They have met quite a number of times before, but he was too busy with this music and being chased by girls that the CEO’s daughter didn’t catch his eye. But there is something different about Arabella to Charlie, apart from running away after they shared a steamy kiss she has this drive that Charlie hasn’t seen before. And now that he is her boss, let’s just say things get interesting.

I really did love Charlie. We get to see him grow throughout the novel and fall for Arabella, slowly. He was adorable sometimes, especially with his sister and niece. He handle things that is new for Rachel Harris, but I loved it so much. He cared so much for this family and what had happened and wanted to protect them with everything his got.

Arabella is very awkward and fun. She has liked Charlie forever, but has never really done anything about it. It loved her interactions with Charlie. She was a very easy protagonist to love. She wasn’t whiney or annoying, she is the person that everyone wants to be friends with.

The romance was adorable. Arabella and Charlie fumble around each other and get up to all sorts of stuff as they cross things off her bucket list. Some of the things that they get up to cause quite a bit of drama, however the drama that you love to read.

I also love that we get to see the rest of Blue and the band and there some adorable scenes that had me squealing, there is also some foreshadowing towards the next book in this series.

I have a love/hate relationships with books that include a musical person, you know the ones where the protagonist just pops put a guitar and starts signing – yer I really dislike those. Nevertheless, You’re Still the One is different, the band has already been together for quite a while and they are just building.

Overall, I really enjoyed You’re Still the One. It had all the Rachel Harris swoon worthy moments and had me flipping page after page. You’re Still the One reminds us that stardom isn’t everything. Behind every close door someone could be tearing themselves apart and that some people need a little light in their lives.

Have you read You’re Still the One? What did you think? Are you going to read it?

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Harris writes humorous love stories about sassy girls-next-door and the hot guys that make them swoon. Vibrant settings, witty banter, and strong relationships are a staple in each of her books…and kissing. Lots of kissing.

An admitted Diet Mountain Dew addict and homeschool mom, she gets through each day by laughing at herself, hugging her kids, and watching way too much Food Network with her husband. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult romances, and LOVES talking with readers!

Website | Facebook |Twitter | Rachel Harris Goodreads | Newsletter Sign Up

Book Review: My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

Feb 11, 2016

My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

Pages: 398
Publish date: January 27th 2016
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
ISBN: 9781760112226
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon US – Amazon AU

What if the most terrifying person you’d ever met was your ten-year old sister? A spine-chilling psychological thriller from one of Australia’s finest YA authors.

‘I promise,’ said Rosa. ‘I won’t kill and I won’t make anyone else kill.’

I can’t see the loophole. Since the guinea pig there’s been nothing. Months now without Rosa killing as much as a mosquito.

As far as I know.

Che Taylor has four items on his list: 1. He wants to spar, not just train in the boxing gym. 2. He wants a girlfriend. 3. He wants to go home. 4. He wants to keep Rosa under control.

Che’s little sister Rosa is smart, talented, pretty, and so good at deception that Che’s convinced she must be a psychopath. She hasn’t hurt anyone yet, but he’s certain it’s just a matter of time. And when their parents move them to New York City, Che longs to return to Sydney and his three best friends. But his first duty is to his sister Rosa, who is playing increasingly complex and disturbing games. Can he protect Rosa from the world – and the world from Rosa?

My Sister Rosa

I received an early copy of My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier for review from Allen and Unwin, this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Before you go into this book be prepared that it is going to mess with your mind, there is no doubt about it. When you think something is going one way, it changes all up and you are back to the start: You know that something is going to happen, however you have no idea what, or when or how.

When I wake up the sun is coming up and Rosa is curled up in a ball on my bedroom floor.
Her face is relaxed, her mouth a little open. She looks like the baby she once was, the one whose tiny fingers curled around mine, who smiled up at me. It’s hard to believe this is a child with no heart.

I haven’t read numerous psychological thrillers, but by far My Sister Rosa is the best that I have read. Justine Larbalestier is brilliant, she knows how to write a book that only the author knows what is going to happen and everyone else that reads it, sits there is shock when they have finished it.

Che is the protagonist of My Sister Rosa, he is trying to be a normal 17-year-old male, which happens to move around quite a bit. Che only wants 4 things:

He wants to spar, not just train in the boxing gym.
He wants a girlfriend.
He wants to go home.
He wants to keep Rosa under control.

And trying to get those 4 things is pretty hard. I loved Che, he is probably one of the sweetest, most nicest protagonists that hasn’t annoyed me to hell. All I wanted to do throughout the whole of My Sister Rosa was hug him.

Che has this characterise about him that you just enjoy reading. I also loved that he was male. You don’t get to see male protagonist much in YA – so whenever I have the chance I pick the book up. I loved that he boxed too. I find boxing quite fascinating.

Rosa on the other hand– man that girl can charm. Who knew a 10 year old could be so nice and yet be a psychopath. But you see that is their speciality. They can manipulate people and boy does Rosa do it well.

I wish I was a psychopath so I wouldn’t hurt, so I wouldn’t care. Right now I wish I had no feelings. If I had no feelings I might be able to survive this.

Rosa frustrated me to know end, especially since we knew what she was doing and no one else could see it, it’s like open your eyes!

Their parents, let’s just say that they are not my favourite people in the world. Apart from being oblivious to Rosa’s behaviour or simply ignoring it – they weren’t the best of parents and so many times when Che tried to tell them about Rosa, they put him down for it and blamed him.

Nevertheless, I also loved the diversity of My Sister Rosa, it stood out. It was nice to see different races, different religions, and different ethnicity.

Overall, My Sister Rosa is a terrifying, fantastic read that will mess with your mind. Be prepared for a book that has many twists and turns that you have no idea what hit you, My Sister Rosa reminds us that sometimes a smile and looking pretty doesn’t mean that the person is not a psychopath. Nevertheless, Larbalestier also reminds us that you not always like your family.

Book Review: Beyond The Stars by Stacy Wise

Feb 5, 2016

Beyond the Stars by Stacy Wise

Pages: 336
Publish date: 8th February 2016
Publisher: Embraced: Entanlged Publishing
ASIN: B01AGF8X70
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Falling for him wasn’t in the plans…

Most girls would kill for the opportunity to work for Jack McAlister, Hollywood’s hottest actor, but twenty-one-year-old Jessica Beckett is ready to kick him out of her red Ford Fiesta and never look back. She should be spending her junior year in France, eating pastries and sharpening her foreign language skills. Instead she’s reluctantly working as Jack’s personal assistant, thanks to her powerhouse talent agent aunt.

Jack is private, prickly, and downright condescending. Jessica pushes his buttons—she’s not the type of girl to swoon over celebrity heartthrobs, precisely why her aunt thought she’d be perfect for the job—and Jack pushes right back.

But as she begins to peel away his layers, Jessica is shocked to find she craves her boss’s easy smile and sexy blue eyes. The problem is, so does the entire female population. And what started out as the job from hell soon has Jess wondering if a guy like Jack could ever find love with a regular girl like her.

Beyond the Stars:

I received an e-arc of Beyond the Stars by Stacy Wise from Embraced: Entangled Publishing via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Reading books from Embraced: Entangled Publishing is my guilty pleasure, most of the time they are very fluffy, sweet and cliquey, but sometimes I want that. I don’t want to read a book full of magic or supernatural creatures, I like to read a book that is fun and exciting. That is why I requested Beyond the Stars, and I wasn’t disappointed on that mark, however some parts did fall flat for me.

Beyond the Stars follows protagonist, Jessica as she becomes personal assistant to Hollywood’s new hottest start Jack McAlister. She was supposed to spending her summer in France, eating pastries and polishing her skills of speaking French. But it’s life doesn’t always go to plan.

Beyond the Stars starts off quite unusual, with a pig in the passenger seat. A real pig, like the animal. I was like, umm, am I reading the right book here? It was funny and the pig turned out to be the cutest thing ever. The plot of Beyond the Stars was very cliquey and I was hoping that something more would happen and it didn’t. I was looking for it towards the end of the book and it wasn’t there.

I enjoyed Jessica as a character. She liked to cook and that is always a bonus for me. She was this sweet, but sometimes sassy girl who has been hurt before by someone from Hollywood, so she has this guard up. Although I did like Jessica, she was sometimes quite annoying and I didn’t want that, I wanted to like her.

Jack, I didn’t find him as quite as annoying as Jessica found him. Which was quite frustrating. Jack tries to keep everything private and I totally understand that, but somehow that annoyed Jessica at times, but to me he wasn’t doing much wrong.

However, both with both characters, I didn’t feel like they had any character arc. They went from what they were at the start of Beyond the Stars to what they were at the end, but then it didn’t truly show what was in between.

The romance was, wired. It didn’t go anywhere for a while and then bam they were all lovey dovey and I thought I missed something because I hadn’t picked up too much connection previously and then they were suddenly together. So it was confusing and startled me for a second. There wasn’t any chemistry or connection.

The major tension of Beyond the Stars kind of fell flat for me. It was good and interesting, however, I didn’t feel that it was big enough. It played a part in the novel as it created heaps of tension between Jessica and Jack as well as someone else. But once it was all over, it was all over.

There was also scenes and events that happened that confused me, they were not needed and it made the book longer than necessary or it could have been focusing more on the connection between Jessica and Jack.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed Stacy Wise’s writing style. It was easy to read and understand. Wise is quite good with cuteness and creating an interesting story.

Overall, I liked the fluffiness and cuteness of Beyond the Stars, I also enjoyed both Jessica and Jack, however the plot and the romance fell flat for me. It had me wishing for more.