Review: Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Title: Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda            
Author: Becky Albertalli

Publication: April 7th 2015, Balzer + Bray

Format: Hardcover, 303 pages             

Source: Gifted (Thanks soooooo much, Alia of Ponderings of Psyche)                       

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

SYNOPSIS:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Review: 

Okay, I just had a glass of milk and ate half a packet of double stuff Oreos so let's do this! I've been meaning to write a review for this book for a while but can't find the proper words but because of the Oreo energy, I think I'm ready. This book blew me away.

Review: Fans of The Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa

Title: Fans of The Impossible Life                               

Author: Kate Scelsa

Publication: September 8th 2015, Balzer + Bray

Format: e-ARC, 368 pages               

Source: Edelweiss (Thanks so much to HarperCollins!)   

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:                                      

This is the story of a girl, her gay best friend, and the boy in love with both of them.

Ten months after her recurring depression landed her in the hospital, Mira is starting over as a new student at Saint Francis Prep. She promised her parents she would at least try to act like a normal, functioning human this time around, not a girl who sometimes can’t get out of bed for days on end, who only feels awake when she’s with Sebby.

Jeremy is the painfully shy art nerd at Saint Francis who’s been in self-imposed isolation after an incident that ruined his last year of school. When he sees Sebby for the first time across the school lawn it’s as if he’s been expecting this blond, lanky boy with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Sebby, Mira’s gay best friend, is a boy who seems to carry sunlight around with him like a backlit halo. Even as life in his foster home starts to take its toll, Sebby and Mira together craft a world of magic rituals and secret road trips, designed to fix the broken parts of their lives.

As Jeremy finds himself drawn into Sebby and Mira’s world, he begins to understand the secrets that they hide in order to protect themselves, to keep each other safe from those who don’t understand their quest to live for the impossible.

A captivating and profound debut novel, "Fans of the Impossible Life" is a story about complicated love and the friendships that change you forever.

Review:

This book is sad. Absolutely sad and I can't believe that the first book I've read this year was this depressing. And I've had a really difficult time coming up with these proper words to say to it.

Fans of The Impossible Life features the distressed life of three teenagers: Jeremy, Mira and Sebby using the first person, second person and third person narrative respectively. Each character has a different story to tell but all interconnected with each other. The narratives focus on the school and every day lives of the characters and how even the most fun of situations are laced with underlying depression and sadness.

Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Title: Everything, Everything                                

Author: Nicola Yoon

Publication: September 1st 2015, Delacorte Books For Young Readers

Format: Hardcover, 320 pages              

Source: Pinoy Book Tours (Thank you Dianne of Oops I Read A Book Again         

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:   

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Misfit Review:

When I first heard of this book, from a friend, I went, "Huh, I think that would be quite the incredible book." And it is folks. It is.

DNF: '89 Walls by Katie Pierson

Title: '89 Walls                                

Author: Katie Pierson

Publication: June 5th 2015, Wise Ink 

Format: e-ARC, 264 pages               

Source: Netgalley (Thanks to the publisher!)

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:                                      

College is not in the cards for Seth. He spends his minimum wage on groceries and fakes happiness to distract his mom from the MS they both know will kill her. It’s agony to carry around a frayed love note for a girl who’s both out of his league and beneath his dignity.

Quinn’s finishing high school on top. But that cynical, liberal guy in her social studies class makes her doubt her old assumptions. Challenging the rules now, though, would a) squander her last summer at home, b) antagonize her conservative dad, and c) make her a hypocrite.

Seth and Quinn’s passionate new romance takes them both by surprise. They keep it a secret: it’s too early to make plans and too late not to care. But it’s 1989. As politics suddenly get personal, they find themselves fighting bare-fisted for their beliefs—and each other—in the clear light of day.

Misfit Review:

36%

I really wanted to finish this book, with all of my heart, but it just got too complicated and I dunno, threw me off almost immediately.  I think what made me like it, first and foremost was the talk on American politics, but it was also the reason why I didn't continue it. I'm quite curious about how politics was, especially how it worked in other countries. And in this sense, it was also set in 1989, a time I wasn't even born into, and Taylor Swift was probably still trying to get out of her Mom.

{BLOG TOUR} Excerpt: An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes by Randy Ribay

Title: An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes
Author: Randy Ribay

Publication: October 16th 2015, Merit Press
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:

As their senior year approaches, four diverse friends joined by their weekly Dungeons & Dragons game struggle to figure out real life. Archie's trying to cope with the lingering effects of his parents' divorce, Mari's considering an opportunity to contact her biological mother, Dante's working up the courage to come out to his friends, and Sam's clinging to a failing relationship. The four eventually embark on a cross-country road trip in an attempt to solve--or to avoid--their problems.

Told in the narrative style of Akira Kurosawa's RASHOMAN, AN INFINITE NUMBER OF PARALLEL UNIVERSES is at turns geeky, funny, and lyrical as it tells a story about that time in life when friends need each other to become more than just people that hang out.

EXCERPT

Her Hidden Multiverse

Saturday

On second thought, Mari decides to destroy the world. She crosses out the final paragraphs and brainstorms how she will do it.

It is late. A light in her room is the only one on in the entire house. Her door is closed, and an instrumental track set on repeat plays through her headphones. She lies on her stomach across the floor.

She pauses, pressing the tip of the pen to her lips, and searches the walls for inspiration.

{BLOG TOUR} Review + Giveaway: This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

Title: This Monstrous Thing                                

Author: Mackenzi Lee

Publication: September 22nd 2015, Katherine Tegen Books

Format: e-ARC, 384 pages              

Source: From author through Fantastic Flying Book Club       
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:                                      

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

Misfit Review:

Take the essence of Frankenstein and mix it all up with elements of steampunk, then you've got yourself one interesting rendition of a classic novel.

Alasdair loses his brother and decides to bring him back to life. And with a life that you take, consequences are bound to come for you. I love how edgy and gritty this novel is. It does present a very dark ages of sorts, set in old European bound culture, yet adding the element of clockwork. 

Review + Giveaway (US + INTL): The One Thing by Marci Lyn Curtis

Title: The One Thing                               

Author: Marci Lyn Curtis

Publication: September 8th 2015, Disney-Hyperion

Format: ARC              

Source: Won from giveaway! (Thank you so much Erin Dealey on Twitter and Marci Lyn Curtis!)   

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:                                      

Maggie Sanders might be blind, but she won't invite anyone to her pity party. Ever since losing her sight six months ago, Maggie's rebellious streak has taken on a life of its own, culminating with an elaborate school prank. Maggie called it genius. The judge called it illegal.

Now Maggie has a probation officer. But she isn't interested in rehabilitation, not when she's still mourning the loss of her professional-soccer dreams, and furious at her so-called friends, who lost interest in her as soon as she could no longer lead the team to victory.

Then Maggie's whole world is turned upside down. Somehow, incredibly, she can see again. But only one person: Ben, a precocious ten-year-old unlike anyone she's ever met.Ben's life isn't easy, but he doesn't see limits, only possibilities. After awhile, Maggie starts to realize that losing her sight doesn't have to mean losing everything she dreamed of. Even if what she's currently dreaming of is Mason Milton, the infuriatingly attractive lead singer of Maggie's new favorite band, who just happens to be Ben's brother.

But when she learns the real reason she can see Ben, Maggie must find the courage to face a once-unimaginable future... before she loses everything she has grown to love.

Misfit Review:

We take a lot of things for granted, that's for sure. And if we lose a thing that means a lot to us, then we'd feel like nothing else matters anymore, that we're incomplete and we cannot function anymore. The One Thing serves as an eye-opener, that even in times of pain and obstacles, there is hope and you are not alone.

DNF: Cleo by Lucy Coats

Title: Cleo                               

Author: Lucy Coats

Publication: May 7th 2015, Orchard Books

Format: e-ARC, 320 pages            

Source: Netgalley (Thanks to the publisher!)         

Buy it on: Amazon | iBooks | The Book Depository |  National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:                                      

Her precious mother is dead - and it isn't an accident! The young Cleopatra - Pharaoh's illegitimate daughter - must flee the royal palace at Alexandria or die too. As her evil half-sisters usurp the throne, Cleo finds sanctuary at the sacred temple of Isis, where years later she becomes initiated into the secret Sisters of the Living Knot. But now Isis's power is failing, Egypt is in danger, and Cleo must prove her loyalty to her goddess by returning to the Alexandria she hates. She must seek out the hidden map which is the key to returning Isis's power - on pain of death. But will she be able to evade her horrible sisters? And will she find dreamy Khai, the über-hot Librarian boy she met as she fled Alexandria years before? Cleo's powerful destiny is about to unfold...

Gorgeous and evocative, this captivating new YA novel imagines the life of the teenage Cleopatra before she became the icon we think we know.

Misfit Review:

7%

I have no issues with stories that are based off of real people, those who existed and made an impact in society, good or bad, as long as the story is interesting, consistent, not boring and not written in a way I expected it will be.

This reimagining of Cleopatra, in her teenage years, and how she claims her right to the throne is written way too modern for my taste, like reading a usual YA contemporary novel. Maybe if this written with a high fantasy flair, I could've taken it seriously. I also found the rivalry between the sisters quite childish and didn't made me curious enough. And please, Cleo, you just lost your Mom, and you're going goo-goo for Khai, the sexy librarian with the beautiful eyes already? Please. When you think about it, it feels a little like Mean Girls... I mean, just a bit.

{BLOG TOUR} Excerpt + Giveaway: Hello, Goodbye And Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: Hello, Goodbye And Everything In Between                               

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publication: September 1st 2015, Poppy

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Follow the book tour through Pinoy Book Tours

Synopsis:                                      

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan only have one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they'll retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night will lead them to friends and family, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

EXCERPT

"I know," he says, but he won't look at her. His eyes are fixed on the closed door of the garage. "That's my point. Let's skip it all."

"College?" she says with a smile, letting her hand drop.

{BLOG TOUR} Mini Review: All We Have Is Now by Lisa Schroeder

Title: All We Have Is Now                              

Author: Lisa Schroeder

Publication: July 29th 2015, Scholastic (Point)

Format: Paperback, 272 pages

Source: Pinoy Book Tours (Thank you Dianne of Oops I Read A Book Again)         

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:

What do you do with your last day on earth?

Just over twenty-four hours are left until an asteroid strikes North America, and for Emerson and everyone else who didn’t leave, the world will end. But Emerson’s world already ended when she ran away from home. Since then, she has lived on the streets, relying on her wits and on her friend Vince to help her find places to sleep and food to eat.

The city’s quieter now that most people are gone, and no one seems to know what to do as the end approaches. But then Emerson and Vince meet Carl, who tells them he has been granting people’s wishes—and gives them his wallet full of money.

Suddenly, this last day seems full of possibility. Emerson and Vince can grant a lot of wishes in one last day—maybe even their own.

                                      

Misfit Review:

I'll be keeping this short and sweet since I don't literally have the time to be doing reviews... (why do I do this to myself?) All We Have Is Now discusses the issue of "What if the world ended? What will you do?"

The Misfit Interviews: Lance Rubin

So yeah! Hi there Misfit Booknerds! Been a while, yeah? I know! Oh right, yes, I'm doing an interview with one of my new favorite authors, Lance Rubin! He's new, so be nice to him, okay? Okay! Let's continue!

1. What is your favourite color? 

• Blue. That’s such a boring answer. But it’s the truth. 

Review: Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

Title: Emmy & Oliver                               

Author: Robin Benway

Publication: June 23rd 2015, HarperTeen

Format: e-ARC, 352 pages

Source: From the publisher (Thanks HarperTeen!)

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:

Emmy’s best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life.

She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.

He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

Readers who love Sarah Dessen will tear through these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.

Misfit Review:

When someone important in your life comes back after many years, knowing that them disappearing has caused great trauma to a lot of people, is it alright to just go back to the way it was or will the change be too much to handle?

Emmy & Oliver is a rollercoaster of feelings, brought about the traumatic experience of Oliver being kidnapped by his Dad one day, at age 7. After 10 years, Oliver comes back home and Emmy, his best friend, is both happy and worried. Things have changed. Oliver's mom won't rest till his Dad is arrested, Emmy's parents are way too overprotective of her and Caro and Drew, Emmy's best friends (Oliver's friends once), are gonna have to learn to adapt to everything again. It's a mixture of happiness and uncertainty for everyone and on whether everything should be done-over or should it be a start over.

{BLOG TOUR} Review: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

Title: We All Looked Up

Author: Tommy Wallach

Publication: March 26th 2015, Simon and Schuster UK

Format: Trade Paperback, 384 pages

Source: Pinoy Book Tours (Thanks again, Dianne of Oops I Read A Book Again)

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnesand Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:

Before the asteroid, we let ourselves be defined by labels:

The athlete, the outcast, the slacker, the overachiever.

But then we all looked up and everything changed.

They said it would be here in two months. That gave us two months to leave our labels behind. Two months to become something bigger than what we'd been, something that would last even after the end.

Two months to really live.

Misfit Review:

Many times, I find contemporaries tiring and repetitive in formula, while some just go beyond my expectations. We All Looked Up proved that it will definitely go beyond my expectations indeed, but it did bring up some casualties.

So the plot goes around as an apocalyptic few months left for the world because an asteroid called Ardor is going to fall from the sky and presents distress among people, especially the focus of the story, the teens in Seattle, who try to make the coming of the end worthwhile by throwing a party and making sure that they didn’t leave the world with any regrets.

DNF Review: The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi

Title: The Night We Said Yes 

Author: Lauren Gibaldi

Publication: June 16th 2015, HarperTeen

Format: e-ARC, 304 pages

Source:  Edelweiss        

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnesand Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:

A fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti!

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan. And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future. In alternating then and now chapters, debut author Lauren Gibaldi crafts a charming, romantic story of first loves, lifelong friendships, uncovered secrets, and, ultimately, finding out how to be brave.

Misfit Review:

35%

I love my sweet, romantic stories with music and cute guys but with The Night We Said Yes, it just felt too formulaic. This is going to be a very short DNF review, and if you guys haven't noticed, I have never done a DNF review. So this is the very first. Sad to say that it lead to this.

Upcoming Books With TO DIE FOR Covers

Hi there Misfit Booknerds! As a motto for some, "Don't judge a book by it's cover." and yes, it does feel a tad wicked to judge a beauty of a book by just its outer appearance. However, book covers are becoming more diverse and inclined to showing beautiful colors and even textures, with typography that catches one's aesthetic.

Gorgeous book covers have now become a trend. (We'll get to naked hardcovers next time. *winks*)

{BLOG TOUR} Review + Giveaway: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication: May 5th 2015, Bloomsbury USA Children's
Format: e-ARC, 432 pages
Source: Netgalley (From Publisher! Special thanks to ThroneofGlassPH)
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Book Store / Fully Booked (PH)

SYNOPSIS:

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Misfit Review:

As someone who has stepped into adulthood, you might think I'm not anymore bound to the wonders of fairy tales but in fact, they have been a huge part of my upbringing, thus my continuous love for them. Sarah J. Maas' new novel will indeed fill up that fairy tail void while also bringing a more mature flair that will set you on fire.

Stacking The Shelves: New Babies

Stacking The Shelves is a feature hosted by Tynga’s Reviews where bloggers share what books (both physical and digital) they received, won, bought, and borrowed.

Hey there Misfit Booknerds! January is upon us and well, did you do a bit of book shopping. I certainly did at least and my mock bookshelf is definitely happy to have these new babies under its wing. 

BOUGHT

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

GIFTED

Summer on The Short Bus by Bethany Crandell (Signed)

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

FOR REVIEW

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Thank you so much to Bethany Crandell, life and soul of The Flail Hesitations for the signed copy!!! Twas the best Christmas! I think we still need new band members, coz 2 ain't cutting it. LOL. Also, my biggest thanks to Jamie of The Perpetual Page Turner for also giving me the best Christmas present of Open Road Summer!

Many thanks to Dianne of Oops I Read A Book Again and Kai of Amaterasu Reads for lending me Noggin and to HarperCollins International for the e-ARCs! I LOVE YOU!

So that's it for my book haul! Tell me what you got last Christmas or this month in the comments! Also, recommend a book to me if you want! :)

All the best Misfit booknerds!

Review: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Title: All The Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publication: January 6th 2015, Knopf Books for Young Readers
Format: e-ARC, 400 pages
Source: From the author (THANK YOU JENNIFER!)
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | iBooks | Kobo | National Book Store / Fully Booked (PH)

SYNOPSIS:

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

Misfit Review:

I've contemplated for many days how I will actually write this review.  For a week, I'd stare in front of my laptop, wishing from the heaven's above that it'd give me the right words to describe this book. There was a day that I simply lost it and my brothers kept asking why I was crying. I told them it was because of a book and they laughed at me. Even my other relatives. It was a dark day in my house.

All The Bright Places is a story of two polar opposite characters that meet halfway and find solace in each other. Theodore Finch is the kind of voice you don't get to listen to every day. He's remarkably funny, witty and perceptive of so many things that go on in the world that you simply can't pass him off as just the regular character you fall in love with then forget. He's just extraordinary. Finch is special in many ways.  Violet on the other hand is a girl filled with regret, the stain of losing someone so important to her is what's allowed for her time to stop. The existence of Violet Markey is what brings balance to Finch's world and for Violet, Finch is what's brought that ray of light in her dark, closed world. But things just don't end right there.

I seriously don't know how to explain my current feelings towards the book. How it talks about mental disorders and loss is tragically beautiful. I don't think there was a page in the book that I never felt a heavy burden in my heart and told myself I should stop reading out of the sake of saving my poor, poor heart. It has been hurt by so many stories already that adding something so engrossing would completely shatter it... For now, I am currently adding a few band-aids, asking for a few stitches and waiting for the book gods to heal me.

But let's go back to Finch and Violet. The beautiful tension that they have built upon themselves is impeccable. I've laughed, I cried, I've felt I was either Violet or Finch. And when I say that I've felt I was Finch, I mean, it hits very close to home. That dark swirling feeling he's been feeling the whole time, is something I've been going through for a while. I'll talk about that soon enough. Right now, the rawness of Finch's feelings and his actions are engraved in my heart.

And as I was reading All The Bright Places, I kept telling Jennifer how the book slowly tore my heart into a thousand pieces and how every word and moment felt real and not too distant. Jennifer Niven gives readers a new perspective of wandering, finding ones drive again and also that the smallest of demons, could be the greatest adversary. There's a level of honesty that Jennifer brings into her writing that makes the whole thing so special. It comes from an experience, important to her and luckily will be important to the readers that have been affected as well as educated with this literary experience of a masterpiece. Thank you Jennifer, for bringing us Finch and Violet in your most heartfelt and in no way means to break our hearts kind of way. Well, I think the last one doesn't apply. But seriously, from the bottom of my empty, empty heart, going to be filled with other experiences of love and pain, grief and joys, THANK YOU!

I sincerely ask all Misfit booknerds to please, go to your local bookstore and find a copy of this most wonderfully profound and lovely, lovely book. And I will not hide the fact that it is currently, the best contemporary novel I have read in a very long time. Now, I think it's time to go back into my room and cry a reservoir.

P.S. Do read till the end of the book, to all the acknowledgements and the author's note. I know I have. And I know what I will do.

All The Bright Places is a special book that will be marked in your minds and in your hearts leaving you wandering, to fill maybe an emptiness you never know was there, telling you it is good to be awake... It is good to be alive. It hurts to lose people but it is good to move on and move forward, to find the perfect day. To find the brightest place.

P.P.S. You are all lovely.

About The Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

By the time I was ten, I had already written numerous songs, a poem for Parker Stevenson ("If there were a Miss America for men, You would surely win"), two autobiographies (All About Me and My Life in Indiana: I Will Never Be Happy Again), a Christmas story, several picture books (which I illustrated myself) featuring the Doodle Bugs from Outer Space, a play about Laura Ingalls Wilder's sister entitled Blindness Strikes Mary, a series of prison mysteries, a collection of short stories featuring me as the main character (an internationally famous rock star detective), and a partially finished novel about Vietnam. I was also an excellent speller from a very early age.

In 2000, I started writing full-time, and I haven't stopped... I've written eight books (two of those are forthcoming), and when I'm not working on the ninth, I'm contributing to my web magazine, Germ (www.germmagazine.com), thinking up new books, and dabbling in TV. I am always writing.

Stacking The Shelves #8: Sad and Thrilling

Stacking The Shelves is a feature hosted by Tynga’s Reviews where bloggers share what books (both physical and digital) they received, won, bought, and borrowed.

Hey there Misfit Booknerds!!! Lots of good reads this week??? Hopefully! Did you add any good books to your shelves or your e-readers? I have two new books added to my Kindle app and they are some of my most awaited!!!

GIFTED & FOR REVIEW

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

The Remedy by Suzanne Young

I would like to thank Jennifer Niven first and foremost for being especially kind and warm to me everytime I talk to her on Twitter and for especially giving me an e-ARC of All The Bright Places. I know she means well for breaking my heart because of this novel. HAHAHA!

And to Simon and Schuster on Edelweiss for their trust in me always. I know I have been not as active but I will be reviewing all of the books you have granted my request to as soon as I could. 

So how's your stack this week??? Tell me in the comments below! :)