99 Days by Katie Cotugno

99 Days by Katie Cotugno
Published: Balzer + Bray, April 21st, 2015
Pages: 384
Source: Hardcover, borrowed (library)
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 2/5

How I Felt: This was just one big disappointment. I've heard nothing but good things about this book and I really loved Katie Cotugno's first book so I was so looking forward to this, but to me, it was just one big flop.

I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the plot, everything that happened just seemed so stupid and immature to me, and everything that came out of the character's mouths just had me rolling my eyes so hard.

Molly was just so dumb. Everything she did was based on impulse and just had me screaming No! at the top of my lungs. If there was one song that would literally describe this book perfectly it would be Say No to This from Hamilton. I literally just had that song stuck in my head the entire time I was reading this. Just no.

I think the reason this just didn't sit well with me because there was so much cheating. The main character just kept cheating on and with the same two guys (and they're brothers!) over and over again with no remorse whatsoever. The biggest regret she had about this whole situation was what it did to her reputation and I couldn't stomach that. It was just too messy for me and I absolutely hated this aspect of this book. It just felt like one huge cycle and nobody learned anything from it.

To me, this book was so immature and filled with too much angst and emotions all squished together to create an interesting romance plot. But, like...no. I just couldn't get passed all the stupidity coming from Gabe, Patrick and Molly. Gosh. Even Julia, Tess and Imogen started really getting on my nerves.

The only part of the story I actually liked (an is the main reason for the generous rating of two stars) was Molly's relationship with Pen and her kids. I really wish that storyline was more fleshed out and present more because it was literally the only redeeming quality of this book. I also wish we could've seen more of the relationship between Molly and the boys' mother, Connie. The one flash we got of it at the end of the story was so heartwarming and I would've liked to see more flashbacks into their relationship instead of all these stupid flashbacks with Patrick.

Another part that annoyed me was when Molly went off on a little rant about how she doesn't like to read and thinks it a boring pass time, blah blah blah. I mean, everyone's entitled to their own opinion but I'M LITERALLY READING A WHOLE FREAKING BOOK ABOUT YOUR LIFE whatever.

I'm glad I borrowed this from the library instead of spending my own money on it. I had so much hope for this. I will consider reading more of Katie Cotugno's books in the future if the synopsis intrigues me but after this one I'm going to be a bit more cautious.

Now let's talk about the brothers. Oh, those dreamy Donnelly brothers. I could tell from the beginning what was going on but of course, Molly has to be so naïve and unobservant that she has no clue what's going on until the very end. Please. Patrick especially was getting under my skin. He was so quick to throw around words and call Molly a whole lot of nasty things. He deserved those punches. Gabe I did like and I'm sad he got hurt. Of course, he had his moments of total aggravation but I was rooting for him.

All this being said, I do know a whole lot of people who loved this book so if this sounds like a cute, cheesy contemporary you'd like, by all means pick it up. I think I'm just the one with the unpopular opinion here.

Overall, this just wasn't my type of book. The fact that it took me a while to get into it should've been a clue. Sadly, this didn't live up to my expectations I set based off of reading and loving her previous book, How to Love. Although, if you love cheesy, cutesy contemporaries I suggest you give this a go.

Thanks for reading!

~Birdie

*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*
*Images taken from Google.ca  

Birdie's Books Update

Hello booklovers! I just wanted to do a quick little update to apologize for posing so infrequently and erratically lately. I've had a busy summer and now school is keeping me busy too! I'm going to try to post a review at least once a week and another fun post if I have time. Hopefully this time I can stick to a schedule, haha!

Anyways, sorry again! I'm just trying to find a balance between school and blogging. Thanks for sticking with me :)

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
Published: Dutton Books for Young Readers, May 26th, 2015
Pages: 375
Source: Hardcover, borrowed (library)
Genre:Thriller/Mystery
Rating: 5/5

How I Felt: Oh my gosh, this was so good!! I did not expect to love this book at all. I assumed it was going to be another cheesy, predictable YA thriller but boy, was I wrong. This is one of the best mystery/thriller books I've ever read.

If you're looking for a main character who is a villain/antihero and seriously messed up in the head this is for you. The main character is just so morally gray and crazy it's so intriguing and I couldn't help but be drawn into her story. Her moral indecisiveness made reading this a game of tug of war. One minute I could see her good side and I was rooting for her and the next she was completely diabolical and I wanted her arrested.

There are scenes that hint at her being redeemable but then she would do something just completely messed up and wicked and I was like woah nevermind... 

The writing in this was just so brilliant! It was genius! Carrie Ryan has definitely made me want to pick up her other books now based on the way this one was written. She is able to paint such vivid pictures of the setting and the mood of each scene it was perfect!

Also, the use of foreshadowing in this was on point. The best part of this was that after you know the revelation, you can clearly see now how everything was building up to this moment. Like those paintings where you can't tell what it is if you stand really close to it, but once you back up a bit everything becomes clear. All the puzzle pieces lock into place. Some obscure fact would be mentioned early on in the book and I'd think nothing of it, assuming it was just the character taking in her surrounding's and stating facts but noooo that was wrong. As the story progressed I was able to realize that was a clue and then I'd be all OHMIGOSH MY BRAIN IS ON FIRE IT ALL MAKES SENSE.

This was just the perfect revenge book. Everything you could ever want is here. Mystery, murder, poison, suspense, a sunken ship, a main character with a seriously messed up past and head. I have been trying to read different YA books recently trying to find one that satisfies all my dreams for a good thriller revenge story, and this one does just that.

If you've been wondering why I haven't said the main characters name yet it's because that's a touchy subject and the main source of her problems. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away but... The main character, Frances, was involved in a sunken cruise ship tragedy along with her friend, Libby. Libby didn't survive and since her father was devastated and Frances looked similar to her...well, he asked her to pretend to be Libby. This makes Frances really confused about who she is and also makes being in her head WEIRD. She doesn't think she's Frances or Libby; she calls herself a hybrid of both. So much so that she refers to herself in the third person. It was so creepy but really worked well. For example, she would say something along the lines of: "I could feel Frances rioting inside of me, fighting to take control. I decide to let her. Just this once."

The side characters were also brilliant. They all helped to showcase different sides of Frances. Morales, Shepherd and Grey. On their own, I cared so much about each of them. And the way they interacted with Frances just really helped to show how broken she was and how much the tragedy affected her, despite what she might say.

Even though the epilogue was really short, I really enjoyed it and thought it was a perfect way to wrap up everything that happened and still leave a bit of mystery in the air.

Overall, I really loved this book and I highly recommend this if you're looking for a great thriller (that isn't too scary) and mystery books with an untrustworthy character this is for you! I really enjoyed this and it's definitely one of my favourites of the year so far!

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*
*Images taken from Google.ca  

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Published: Henry Holt and Company, September 25th, 2015
Pages: 465
Source: Hardcover, purchased
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5

How I Felt: *runs in circles screaming*

OH MY GOSH WHAT EVEN IS THIS BOOK??? I cannot right now. Don't touch me.

I listened to this alternating between reading the physical book and listening to the audio and I loved this experience so so much. I really enjoyed connecting the voices of the narrators with the character's voices in my head.
This has got to be one of the best heist stories I have ever read. It was full of suspense and twists, and as the reader, the characters don't let on as to what they're doing right away and the mystery is so wonderfully frustrating because once you figure it out everything falls into place and it feels amazing. (So much rambling at this point ha!)

Okay, this took me a little bit longer to read because I kept putting the book down towards the beginning. The set up of Kaz and the Dregs and the world building was a little slow going at first because of all the new information and I was a little impatient. But once everything clicked together and we got to talking about the heist I diD NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF MY PRECIOUS CHILDREN.

The suspense in this book, my goodness. I couldn't breathe I was literally holding my breath hoping everyone would make it out alive.

I loved how we thought the world was falling apart and everyone was doomed and then Kaz would say "Haha psych! Part of my plan succahssss" Too many emotions, please don't do this to me.

I really liked the crew. I loved how diverse and unique each of them were. I could clearly tell who's perspective I was reading from and I loved each of the characters in their own way. When a book with multiple perspectives is written poorly, the characters' voices tend to blur together but that was not the case here and it was perfect.

Honestly, this book is just a masterpiece. Pure genius. There are so many layers of mystery and it's full of twists. GAAAHHH

While you don't have to read the Grisha trilogy to understand this one, there are a few nods to what happened in those books and I enjoyed every single one of them. Precious Nikoli.

I love Kaz so much. But my heart broke for Inej. And I will say that I ship Nina and Matthias so hard it's not even funny. I swear if anything happens to them I will lose my MIND.

I also loved getting to see each character's backstory. I thought the flashbacks were timed well and didn't interfere with any tense action sequences. It made me love my new children more.

Now how does one choose a favourite character? How do I choose between my children?? I love them all so much but I do love Matthias. Always the brooder.

The writing was beautiful, it all connected, every little detail is important, twists and twists and awesomeness and heists and tears and stress and perfection. That is what this book is. I enjoyed this immensely. I want an infinite amount of books like this.

Overall, I (obviously) loved this book so much. Definitely worth the hype and worth the read. I highly recommend you read it if you haven't already. Leigh Bardugo is a genius and has ruined my life in the best way with this book. I need the second book right this second. (I'm so excited for that Wylan P.O.V.) Just fantastic!

Favourite Quotes:

• “The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.”
•  “I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”
•  “When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”
•  “It's not natural for women to fight."
  "It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.”
•  “No Mourners. No Funerals.”
•  “I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept from this oath.”
•  "If you can't beat the odds, change the game."

 Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*
*Images taken from Google.ca 
*Quotes taken from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and Goodreads.com 

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Published: Philomel Books, February 2nd, 2016
Pages: 391
Source: Hardcover, purchased
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5

How I Felt: Another beautiful historical fiction from Ruta Sepetys. The talent and passion while reading her books is quite evident. I hope she continues to write books in this genre in the future because they are so good and she is so talented.

I cried so much. I loved all of these characters. I loved how each one was so distinct and I never forgot whose perspective I was reading from. They were all so unique and had such strong voices. I grew to love the majority of them very much. I say majority because I hated Alfred. He creeped me out. Badly. I hated his perspective because it was so majorly warped. He was so delusional I couldn't tell if it was an act or if this guy was for real. And the whole thing with this Hannelore girl was a little weird too. To sum up, Alfred is weird and I don't like him.

I'm so happy we got to see what happened to Joana. In Between Shades of Gray Lina is constantly wondering how her cousin is doing. By getting to see from Joana's perspective we learn about what caused Lina's family to be arrested and what happened in those few years between the last chapter and the epilogue of Between Shades of Gray.

Florian is a precious cinnamon roll and must be protected at all costs. I love Florian.

Emilia had me sobbing the most. I felt so attached to her after getting to know her full story. When revelations were made about her past, I bawled my eyes out. I felt so bad for her, and she was so young. The ending also had me bawling my eyes out for her. Gosh, these books make me cry like nobody's business.

Another character I loved was the Shoe Poet. I loved getting to hear him describe people based on their shoes. He was so wise. I love elderly in books. It's so important that they share their story.

I love how Ruta writes books on topics ignored by many others. The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff had a much higher casualty toll than the Titanic, yet hardly anyone knows about it. I love how Ruta is able to make me care so deeply for these fictional characters, yet also inform and educate me on an important and devastating tragedy from history that most often gets neglected.

Overall, I loved this book. I don't know which of Ruta's two books that I've read is my favourite. I love them both so deeply. I highly recommend you read this one as well. This story deserves to be heard. I would suggest reading Between Shades of Gray before this one so you can connect the story lines together, but it isn't necessary to understand either novel. Beautiful.

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*
*Images taken from Google.ca 

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Published: Speak, April 3rd, 2012
Pages: 352
Source: Paperback, purchased
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5

How I Felt: Oh my gosh what do I even say? Nothing could ever do this book justice. It was beautiful, brilliant and emotional. I loved it; I'm so glad I read it. I honestly think everyone needs to read this book. It's so eye-opening, Ruta Sepetys is brilliant.

Firstly, I want to say that I loved the writing. Absolutely loved it. I love how she ends chapters. They end on such powerful one-liners that either make you cry or make you think. Too good ugh.

Let me just say that this book had me bawling like a baby. Reading Lina's reactions to things and how everyone around her rallied together to support each other had me feeling all the emotions. So many heartfelt moments. And what made this book all the more emotional was that this was based on true events, events that not too many people talk about. What made me cry the most, was how cruel the secret police were, and yet the prisoners were always kind to them. Always.

This has become one of my favourite books of all time and I will forever recommend it to every person I ever meet. Lina's story is one that needs to be shared with people; everyone should be made aware of the injustices done to these people.

I love Lina, I love Jonas I just love this book so much. I highly recommend it if you haven't yet picked it up. It's a heavy read because of all the horrible things that happened, but it's definitely worth it. Perfection. I want to read all of Ruta's books now.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it to everyone, even if you aren't the biggest fan of historical fiction. Despite the heavy topic, Ruta's writing is so easy to read. I flew through this book and I can't wait to read more of her works in the future. 

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*
*Image taken from Google.ca 

My Summer TBR!

Sorry for the recent lack of posts! Exams have finally ended and I spent a whole week just binge reading to decompress from the school year and it felt so good. Now that I've had a break I'm ready to jump back into blogging!

I don't usually make TBRs for myself because I'm the worst at sticking to them, but I decided to share a list of the books I plan on reading this summer. Now that school's over, like I said, I've had so much free time on my hands so I've been filling it with reading! To add to my current mess of a TBR pile, my birthday is coming up so I will be spending a lot of birthday money at the bookstore (oops?). Anyways, enough rambling, let's get to it!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo- the fact that I haven't read this yet is a little ridiculous. I got it when it first came out and I've heard nothing but good things so there's really nothing holding me back.

Winter by Marissa Meyer- I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna finish this series. I've been putting this one off because I don't want it to enddd. I love this world and these characters so much!

Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid- I swear every TBR I've made has had this book on it. I just am never in the mood to pick it up and I'm not sure if I'll like it or not. Excuses, excuses.








Riders by Veronica Rossi- I loved the Under the Never Sky series and this one is about the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Need I say more?












Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld- I have been trying to read this book for about 2 years. I don't know what it is about Scott Westerfeld's writing but I've never been able to get into it or enjoy it. I love the concept for this book so I do hope I am able to like it.







A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro- This being a Holmes and Watson retelling immediately piqued my interest. Finding out that this is a series has made me want to put it off a bit but now I just want to read it because I have high hopes that I'll like it.







How to Love- I have had my eye on this for a while. I don't know why I've never picked it up before but now that I own it I have no excuse. This to me, seems like the perfect book to read in the summer.







Alright, I'm going to keep this list brief so I don't set myself up for too much disappointment. I hope I'll be able to read all these and not get extremely lazy and just sleep all summer like I usually do. What are your reading plans for the summer?

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie