ARC Review: Aspen by Rebekah Crane

Title: Aspen
Author: Rebekah Crane
Publication: June 5th 2014, In This Together Media
Format: e-ARC, 206 pages
Source: Netgalley (Thanks to the publisher!)
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

SYNOPSIS:

Aspen doesn't want to remember the car accident that killed Katelyn Ryan, a sleek-haired popular soccer player. But forgetting is hard-- because Katelyn may have died -- but she didn't leave. Her ghost is following Aspen around, and heading into senior year, it's kind of a problem. Especially when Katelyn's former boyfriend Ben appears to be the only person at school with a clue as to how Aspen feels. 

Popularity, Homecoming Court, hot guys - none of these things ever mattered to Aspen. She's been busy trying to keep her stoner mother Ninny in line and out of unemployment. But with Ben sitting next to her in Physics and her therapist begging her to remember all the things she wants to forget, Aspen is thrust into a vivid, challenging world she can't control ... and doesn't want to. 

A darkly funny, emotionally gripping story of opening up, letting go, and moving on, Aspen is about the best-worst accident of your life ... and what comes next.

Misfit Review: 

If you are looking for a book with quirky characters and a mind boggling story, then I suggest you read Aspen.

A few weeks ago, Katelyn appeared in the corner of my room, like one of the ghosts in A Christmas Carol, except she didn't move or talk or anything. She just stood there in her soccer uniform, looking alive.

The story begins with Aspen Yellow-Sunrise Taylor is starting her senior year after going through an accident. It was the same night that soccer star, Katelyn Ryan died. Aspen seems to know something that happened that night but she can't seem to get herself to say anything. She's scared and worried that something might happen and so she keeps a tight lip. But she is constantly haunted by that past... Haunted every waking moment by Katelyn's ghost.

I'm already the illegitimate daughter of a teen mom who smokes more pot than Willie Nelson. I'm weird enough without the ghost.

Aspen is an interesting read. It's not far off from books I've read, though I really loved how the characters truly lifted the story. Aspen is the flower child, keeps to herself, loves to sketch and accidentally smudge charcoal on her face, and get this: SHE'S NOT INTO COLLEGE... (I hope life is this easy). She lives with Ninny, her hilariously funny and upbeat Mom. Aspen and Ninny's chemistry in the book was done so well, that I wouldn't mind just reading the book with only the two of them in it!

"Anything is better than Kim. Kim Choi is just so Asian. I'm more unique than that."

But add characters like Kim and Cass into the picture, and the book blooms of comedic prowess! I really like Kim because she breaks all Asian stereotypes and Cass isn't afraid to just be himself! Reading their parts together made Aspen a worthwhile adventure as well!

"I'm not supposed to be happy with you." Ben's eyes are serious. More serious than I've ever seen them. My heart pounds in my ears. "Why?"
"Because it makes me forget."

Then there's Ben. FUDGESTICKS! Ben and his dark hair and chameleonesque eyes. I really did think he was a young Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock Holmes form! Oh please, warp me to the book so I could have him. Ben is Katelyn's former boyfriend. They seemed like the perfect couple and everyone loves them. Ben misses Katelyn but finds solace in Aspen. I like their dynamic and chemistry. It's not just bound on sexual tension. There's a bond that forms though I wish it was more solid. But it was still beautiful between the two of them. Oh yeah, keep tabs on Ben! He's got a few things hidden under his sleeves... Not literally though. You get the gist.

"Isn't it weird that we never really see ourselves? We just see reflections," I say. "It's a good thing I like your face." "It's kind of depressing, though, that we never really see ourselves," I say. "Maybe it's about letting other people see us."

The novel is not really focused on romance which might bum out some rom-com enthusiast (BUT SERIOUSLY! IT DOES! Not so much though, from my point of view). The novel plays on the central theme of facing your fears and accepting the truth. The past will forever haunt you unless you face it and bury it for good.

The supporting characters shine too much sometimes that I care more for them than I do Aspen. Suzy may seem weirdly attached but she proved that she's not just the sweet side character. Although, I hated the fact that Kim and Cass didn't have much going on for them around the end. They kinda just pop out when the occasion needs them. I think I fell in love with them too much. As for Katelyn's ghost, there's so much mystery to it that you really would want to know what was going on, but I guess, we'll just leave it to the imagination, or when you purchase the book! HAHAHA!

I don't think the grove will ever be complete. That's the funny thing about endings. They're usually the start of something new.

As for Rebekah Crane's style, she seems to pull in the same punches of the Young Adult genre yet adding that odd hint of mystery that would get the readers questioning the protagonist and even the people around her. It was written decently and humorously captivating! And that ending! It's so perfect! So perfect!

If you are looking for a hilarious escape, with a psychological, mysterious twist. Aspen is the kind of book to cuddle up to in a cold day or maybe any day! It's that good!

P.S. Don't you think the cover looks like Carrie Bradshaw? I mean, c'mon! HAHA!

About the Author:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Rebekah Crane fell in love with YA literature while studying Secondary English Education at Ohio University. After having two kids, living in six different cities, and finally settling down in the foothills of her beloved Rocky Mountains, her first novel, PLAYING NICE, was published. ASPEN, her second YA novel, set in Boulder, CO, is due to release in summer 2014 from In This Together Media. She now spends her day carpooling kids or tucked behind a laptop at 7,500 ft high in the Rockies, where the altitude only enhances the experience.






Be sure to stay tuned for more book reviews and other feature contents here on the blog! I'll make it up to you guys! Thank you!

{Blog Tour}: Review: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

Title: The Truth About Alice
Author: Jennifer Mathieu
Publication: June 1st 2014, Hardie Grant Egmont
Format: Paperback, 199 pages
Source: Pinoy Book Tours (Thanks guys!)
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble |iBooks | Kobo

SYNOPSIS:

There are a lot of rumours about Alice Franklin, and it's stopped mattering whether any of them are true. 

It all started at a party, when Alice was supposedly with two guys in one night.

Soon everyone at Healy High has picked a side in this game of he said/she said. Do they believe Brandon Fitzsimmons, the most popular guy at school and the football hero of Healy? Or do they believe Alice, the girl who wears too-tight T-shirts and was caught kissing Brandon in a closet a couple years before?

When Brandon dies in a car crash, there are serious allegations that his death was Alice's fault. As the rumour mill spins into overdrive, Alice's small town becomes suffocating. And when the truth becomes a matter of opinion, something's got to give.

Misfit Review:

Do you keep quiet when people talk about you? Do you speak up? Alice Franklin's life takes a turn as she is allegedly accused of killing football star and town heartthrob, Brandon Fitzsimmons. He dies fom an accident and everyone blames Alice after some people pin her down for it. Rather than talk, Alice keeps to herself and the rumor spreads like wildfire. 

The novel is short, 199 pages long and it was a read that I would say, moved me but also made me angry. Angry in the sense that I hated bullying. To be honest, I could never see any fault in Alice's character. I mean, she's not a goody- two shoes but she's nothing but nice to people around her and in the chaos of the rumor, no one trusts her, and people would rather throw darts at her than be seen next to her. 

“There is one thing I've learned about people: they don't get that mean and nasty overnight. It's not human nature. But if you give people enough time, eventually they'll do the most heartbreaking stuff in the world.”

The narrators, four of them-Elaine, Kelsie, Josh, and. Kurt- take us into their own psyche while telling the story of how they know Alice and how they interact/ed with her. Elaine is the star of the school, seems to hate Alice but she really isn't a bad nut. She feels bad for Alice too, in ways, but would rather keep it to herself. Kelsie, is Alice's "best friend", a nerd turned popular girl after moving out or her old town. She doesn't want to lose her current image, thus, she turns her back on poor Alice. She even starts some side rumors just to keep herself around the social circle. She's despicable. Josh, Brandon's best friend and football player, is charming but is the one who accuses Alice of the accident.  Finally, Kurt, the introverted nerd who is in love with Alice and would go to any lengths to help her. But he knows something that may change the course of the story.

What the narrators may have in common is that they are all self-centered in certain degrees. As they narrate Alice's story, we dive in into their own stories, problems that may either make us understand why they are doing what they are doing or would totally make us tear their parts from the book. Kelsie's POV is the most interesting to read but also the most difficult to stomach in. Kurt is also a personal fave, especially when he has these moments with Alice.

“How much did it hurt? It was like a million paper cuts on my heart.”

Healy didn't feel like a place I would spend my summer vacation in. I felt bad for Alice ultimately. If I had some sort of power to warp myself into the book, I'd clearly tug her out of that place and bring her somewhere quiet and where she can breathe. I could only imagine what it feels like for people who are going through the same thing as Alice. This is the reason why I love that Jennifer Mathieu dedicated this novel "To all the Alice Franklins". It should drive people to stand up for themselves and know when to keep quiet. Help is always there. It's only a matter of finding the right way to seek it.

Jennifer Mathieu's writing is clean but holds that pain so vigorously that it almost hurts to turn a page. It also brings forth the subject that this does happen in real life and that it's something that shouldn't be ignored. The ending wasn't clear but it made me think that there's a way out. 

The Truth About Alice leaves you mad at the world but also aware of what truths are out there.

About the Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Jennifer Mathieu is an English teacher, writer, wife, and mom who writes books for and about young adults. Her debut novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, will be out in the spring of 2014. Her favorite things include chocolate, pepperoni pizza, and this super hilarious 1980s sitcom about four retired women called The Golden Girls. She can basically quote every episode. She lives with her husband, son, one rescue dog, one fat cat, and another cat that is even fatter than the fat cat. When it comes to what she reads, She loves realistic young adult fiction, creative nonfiction, super scandalous tell-all memoirs and unauthorized biographies, and basically anything that hooks her on the first page.

I'm so sorry if I haven't been posting Misfit Booknerds.. I have been undergoing something this August, but thank you for being helpful too! I love you! Thanks!