Review for The Thousand Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars #1) by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham

TITLE: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
SERIES: Veronica Mars #1
AUTHOR: Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
PUBLICATION DATE: March 25, 2014
PUBLISHER: Vintage
PAGES: 324 pages
FORMAT: Audiobook
SOURCE: Borrowed
RATING: 5 bows

A decade after graduating high school, Veronica Mars is back to her old self. She’s taken the PI gig back up, despite Keith’s wishes, and she’s determined to keep Mars Investigations going while Keith recovers from near fatal car crash injuries. So when a girl goes missing during spring break, Veronica is more than willing to do her part in finding her. What starts as a simple disappearance turns into anything but. This case could go so many different directions and it’s up to Veronica to untangle the web before it’s too late.

For those of you who follow me regularly, you may know that a mystery novel isn’t exactly my cup of tea and you would be entirely correct. I’m not really the murder-mystery type. Someone always ends up dead in those and Noir novels rarely have happy endings. What you might not know is that I’m a big time Marshmallow. I’ve been a VMars fan since the shows second season, so there was no question for me when this was announced. I knew I’d have to read it, period. I can’t miss the possibility of more Veronica/Logan action (and Veronica’s smarts and snark). Then it was released on audio…..narrated by Kristen Bell….

I borrowed a copy as soon as humanly possible and began listening with my husband (who is also a rabid fan). Because we only listened when we were together, it took a while for us to get through it, but man, it was perfect. Before I even get into the plot or the writing, I just wanna give Kristen props. She does an amazing job narrating this thing. She knows each character so well and she is amazing at imitating Keith’s verbal mannerism, if that makes any sense. What I’m trying to say is she’s amazing…as if we didn’t already know that.

Now, as to everything else. First off is always character. What can I say about the characters of this novel? Most of them I already know and love. You get a peak of everyone in the VMars cast that you could want.

Veronica is a character I feel like I grew up with and have always admired. She has her faults, but she’s so fiercely loyal that I have a hard time faulting her for them. She’s so damn smart and cocky and awesome. I just don’t have the words to do her justice. She’s the queen of sarcasm, something I can relate to entirely.

Then we have Logan Echolls.

Logan is a character that I would hate in real life. That image is probably not what you’d get if this novel is your first foray into the VMars world. Here, Logan is stable and strong. He’s sweet and caring and exactly who we all knew he was capable of being. But earlier in the series, he was Neptune’s obligatory psychotic jackass. He was cruel and careless and it would be easy to hate him. In real life, that’s how it would have stayed. He wouldn’t have changed. But the magic of fiction means anything is possible, so Logan and Veronica grow closer and closer and closer and he’s constantly saving her ass. For me, it was always Veronica and Logan. I was never a Duncan fan (a character we have yet to see reappear) or a Troy fan and just FUCK Piz. I could see her staying with Leo, but it was always always Logan. He was such a tortured character with a twisted backstory and so much potential.


ANYWAY…enough of my fangirling. As Logan pertains to this novel, we don’t get nearly enough of him. He’s deploy as an Airman (I think? I’m pretty shitty at keeping up with the different divisions of the armed forces), so we get a handful of skyped conversations between him and Veronica. Unfortunately he isn’t actually present for the duration of this novel, but have no fear! He is in a good bit of the next one (I’m a reliable source for that info ‘cuz I’ve already read it). Logan’s just a character I can’t help loving. The fact that he seems to understand Veronica on a level no one else does makes it all the better.

Then we have Cindy “Mac” Mackenzie!

She was one of my favorite characters in the show and I’m so psyched about her having a big presence in the novels. She’s probably smarter than Veronica and a computer genius. She gave up a high paying job at Kane Software to work the PI gig with Veronica and even though the money isn’t as good, she is obviously so much happier with this job. She gets to hang with Veronica and put her computer skills to the test finding the missing details that just might help solve the case.

Everyone else you’d expect to find shows up sooner or later. Weevil, Keith (of course), Cliff, Leo, Wallace, Dick, the whole gang. Hell, Veronica’s mom even puts in a game-changing appearance. I, personally, cannot get enough of Cliff McCormack. He’s just so funny! I love him. That doesn’t really add much to the review, does it?

Writing and plot-wise, this was interesting and perfect. Veronica solves the crime and saves the day, but it doesn’t necessarily go where you expect it to and there are some pretty great twists and turns. I don’t know if it was because of the fact that I listened to this on audio with Kristen or if it really was perfect, but this had that Veronica Mars feel that you can’t find anywhere else. The thing with the world of Veronica Mars is that even though the show wasn’t extraordinarily long (3 seasons and a movie), you still had an undeniable understanding of each character. I’m in it for the characters. I have to connect with them, to want to take this journey with them and I would follow Veronica’s story to the ends of the Earth, but it’s not just Veronica. Every single character is well-rounded and fleshed out completely. They feel like old friends….I’m getting a bit off topic again, aren’t I? See, this is why I’ve been avoiding this review for months. I knew I wouldn’t be able to write it objectively. My opinion of VMars will always be colored by my love of the show.

All you really need to know is this: If you’re a Marshmallow, this won’t disappoint you. The biggest difference between this and the show is that now they aren’t on TV and can use a bit more language. If don’t know much about the show, then I’d suggest you start there. This seems to written with enough background given that you can just jump in and make sense of it, but I feel like you won’t have that deep abiding love for it if you read it cold. Go forth and familiarize yourself with all things Neptune, California and then come back and prepare to be amazing. Also, be glad that you are just now coming into the fandom, not forced to wait ten years between the show and the movie when the show ended at the worst possible moment. TEAM LOGAN FOREVER!

Review for Delilah: The Making Of Red (Nova #2.5) by Jessica Sorensen

TITLE: Delilah: The Making Of Red
SERIES: Nova #2.5
AUTHOR: Jessica Sorensen
PUBLICATION DATE: March 18, 2014
PUBLISHER: Forever Yours
PAGES: 94 pages
FORMAT: Ebook
SOURCE: Purchased
RATING: 3 bows

Delilah Peirce is just an ordinary girl who loves to dance. She’s also a bit of an invisible girl because no guys really look at her. Why look at her when the more experienced and more beautiful version (AKA her mom) is available for fun times? Then Dylan Sanderson moves in with his parents next door and suddenly Delilah knows what it’s like to be noticed and desired. Suddenly, she isn’t really Delilah anymore, she’s Dylan’s Red, and there is no place she’d rather be.

This review is exceedingly difficult for me to write. Delilah is a character I am not comfortable with in this series. In this particular novel, we get to see her before she becomes a crackwhore, but I can’t get that image out of my head. We finally get to see past the bitchy facade here, to the innocent girl before the sex and drugs fucked her up. Here we see a girl who genuinely deserves to be Nova’s friend and is so worthy of the goodness that girl brings with her. For anyone who has read any other book in this series, you know the relationship with Dylan isn’t going to go well. He’s an abusive asshole who does everything from pressure her to do things she is uncomfortable with to beat her to lead her down to a life of drugs and addiction that she’ll never escape. I can almost empathize with her here, almost. She’s so young and just wants what every sixteen year old girl does, to be noticed by someone she deems worthy. And I was truly excited for her until things start to go south. The first time Dylan hit her, she should have run like hell. Fuck his “heartfelt” apology, fuck his excuses. There is no excuse, there is no reason, no getting around it.

This is why I seriously thought about not reviewing this novella, because all I really want to do is rant about how stupid Delilah is and how I cannot tolerate this type of behavior…and how she reminds me of an old close friend. I get that once you get to the crackwhore level, there is not going back, not without a bunch of people dragging your ass to rehab. But there were so many opportunities to get out before it got that far. When Breaking Nova starts, Delilah has been split with Dylan for a while and is just going back to him and that’s what really gets me, why the fuck did you go back? What is so great about that life? You could have done so much better! I just don’t get it. Drugs don’t hold an appeal for me and neither does abusive druggies, no matter how “hot” they are. Fuck. You. It’s just not worth it and I don’t see how anyone can let themselves get to the level where they are selling themselves for their next hit and I hope like hell I never do.

Okay, so besides the pointless rant, what I really want to say is that this novel will humanize Delilah’s character a bit more to you. Also, it kinda gives a spoiler for Nova & Quinton: No Regrets, if you read between the lines a bit. You can tell her fate and that happens in N&Q. I knew going in that this would never be my favorite novel, that I wouldn’t love Delilah, no matter how pitiful her story was and I was absolutely right. Her story isn’t that bad, her past nothing compared to Nova and Quinton and Tristan. She’s just a sad girl looking for attention, which she unfortunately gets. Her life is a tragic reality for too many people and I absolutely hate that.

Review for Third Degree by Julie Cross

TITLE: Third Degree
AUTHOR: Julie Cross
PUBLICATION DATE: March 25, 2014
PUBLISHER: Flirt, a imprint of Random House
PAGES: 240 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via NetGalley
RATING: 5 bows

Isabel Jenkins has always been a prodigy, picking up the science of medicine quickly and effectively. She is a PhD by 18 and she’s a psych test away from legally being able to practice medicine without supervision. Unfortunately, she fails the psych test. Now, she’s has to find something to occupy her time while she waits for the next opportunity to take the psych exam. She ends up going to college for her third degree, just trying to assimilate into the “normal” college experience. But she doesn’t really understand people, her roommate hates her, and the only person she seems to get along with is her extremely off-limits RA. Marshall (the RA) seems to be constantly flirting with her, but does he really like her? Maybe this third degree will be the most useful yet.

Imagine Gregory House as a teenage girl and that’s basically Isabel. Except without the Vicodin addiction. She’s crazy smart when it comes to medicine and diagnosing people, but less than skilled with the bedside manner. It’s not that she is insensitive or indifferent, but she just doesn’t see her patients as human. That sounds bad, but it’s what made her so relatable for me. I struggle to understand people as well and to fit into their roles. Sympathy and empathy aren’t things I’m good at displaying or faking. Watching her slowly and awkwardly find her place in this college environment was addictive and hilarious and endearing. Her medical training is never far even though she’s trying to conceal that part of her past and the situations she gets herself into range from funny to horrifying. Cross did a great job of taking a character that should have come across as condescending and making her completely down to earth. I’m imagine it would be hard to stay on cloud nine after having your dreams taken away, but she continues to hit the new challenges straight on which was more admirable than the ability to have a doctorate at 18.

Then there is Marshall. Strong and athletic with a great sense of humor and smarts and he’s probably at the top of many swoon-worthy male lists. The way he approaches Izzy, even when she’s being difficult, having an open caring nature that she can’t help but open up to him. He’s so sweet and strong, in spite of his problems and he never lets Izzy’s weirdness get in the way. This is all from her perspective so we never really get to see what he was thinking, but I imagine his inner monologue would just make the world fall for him even more.

The writing was intriguing. The chapters opening with a new and interesting medical fact really amusing me. I loved the whole idea of rich supersmart kid getting knocked down a peg. She’s led such a privileged life, with parents several steps above financially stable and every opportunity provided for her to make the quick ascend up the academic ladder. Watching her not get what she wants for the first time ever was beyond entertaining. This is a new adult romance, so that entails a love story at the core with a bit of smut on the side. Cross keeps the smut to a standard romance level, thankfully not venturing to fully erotica level. Not that I don’t like that, but lately it seems like every NA I pick up feels the need to go that far and sometimes I want it to be more about the romance than the sex. They are romance novels so let’s focus on that, shall we? Good.

Anyway, this is the first novel I’ve read by Cross and I’m wholly satisfied. I have The Tempest but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. If this novel is any indication, that will be pretty epic. This little romance enthralled me. I read the majority of it in one day, stopping only when it was absolutely necessary to go to sleep and then quickly finishing it the next day. Isabel’s story about what happens after your dreams fall apart is uplifting in a way I wasn’t expecting. Maybe what we think we want isn’t what we really want or, better yet, it isn’t what we need. Isabel really needed to get out in the world and experience people because she wasn’t an adequate doctor without that ability to sympathize with her patients. I really loved the whole and can’t wait to dig in to anything else Julie Cross plans to write! I think fan of the new adult genre will enjoy this immensely.

****Thank you to Flirt, an imprint of Random House, for providing me with an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

TITLE: Don’t Even Think About It
AUTHOR: Sarah Mlynowksi
PUBLICATION DATE: March 11, 2014
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press, a imprint of Random House Children’s Division
PAGES: 320 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via NetGalley
RATING: 4 bows

Everyone in homeroom 10B had a fairly normal life. School, home, significant others, same shit as any other teenager…until they go to get their flu shots from the school nurse. Suddenly they all develop telepathy and start hearing things that they’d rather not. The hope to keep their secrets is not looking good, since the entire group can hear their inner workings and a secret split between 22 people is difficult to keep. Mackenzie cheated on her devoted boyfriend, Tess is secretly in love with Teddy, and BJ is the class perv. That and much more is in store for this group of kids who go from a bunch of “I”s to a singular “we”.

This is probably the only book I’ve read that does such a great job of keeping up with such a large ensemble cast. The cover is a bit deceiving because there are 22 kids “infected” with ESP and all of them have at least a minor role. Obviously you get a bit more from some than others, but it wasn’t nearly as confusing as I thought it would be to follow so many characters stories simultaneously. Each character is fleshed out with their own individual personality, no two being overly similar. Olivia, Mackenzie, Pi, Tess, and Cooper are the “main” characters, at the forefront of most of the novel, but we get quite a bit from the rest. I could sympathize with all them, but I have to say that I am not a fan of Pi, especially after that stunt she pulls at the end. Not cool lady, not cool.

I’m not Mackenzie’s biggest fan, but it’s hard not to empathize with her. Yes, she fucked up and cheated on Cooper and that is a terrible, unforgivable thing, but she is so damn contrite that it’s hard to stay angry at her. Don’t get me wrong, I think Cooper should dump her and stick to that decision because it’s bound to happen again, but I could feel Mackenzie’s pain over everything that was happening. Olivia and Tess were probably my favorite two, the two I could relate to the most. BJ was also a favorite because he becomes so sincere and sweet.

I knew going in that this would be that great combination of funny and realistic, despite the paranormal aspect. I love Mlynowski’s Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have) because it was funny and insightful and beautifully realistic. Mlynowski’s voice is similar here. These kids get ESP and learn that they should be more worried about what their friends are really thinking than anything else. The fight and grow closer and struggle with personal dilemma’s with a true to life fashion that you can’t help but fall in love with them. They grew into that sibling mentality of I can bitch about you all I want but nobody else better fucking dare. Despite the telepathy, this is much more about this bunch of kids finding themselves and their relationships than the actual ability. It helps, and makes for amusing reading, but it’s not the heart of the story.

I really enjoyed this little novel. My biggest issue is that the ending seemed less than realistic. I know, I’m reading about a group of teens who accidentally become telepathic and here I am bitching about realism,

but I just didn’t quite believe it. I also think it was a bit too short. There was a lot of plot to get through and I felt like a story or two deserve a bit more time to fully develop and wrap up. You have an ensemble cast of 22 teens who suddenly develop telepathy and you somehow cover everything that needs to be addressed within 320 pages? Maybe I’m just snippy because I would have loved a hundred more pages of this humors, heart-felt text, but I just think it deserved a bit more.

Despite the minor complaints, I really enjoyed this novel. These characters will make you laugh and cry and curse their stupidity. Why, Mackenzie, did you cheat on Cooper? Why do you just go along with what Lazar says Olivia? Tess, can you just let Teddy go because you deserve better? One of my favorite things about it was the group’s running commentary. You get things from specific characters points of view, but even then, the entire group gets to weigh in at times, giving their opinions on whatever is going on, trivial or otherwise. It was exactly what I was looking for, a witty, humorous tale about learning the truth, whether you are ready for it or not.

****Thank you to Delacourte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Division, for providing me with an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review****

Review for My Life From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #3) by Tellulah Darling

TITLE: My Life From Hell
SERIES: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #3
AUTHOR: Tellulah Darling
PUBLICATION DATE: March 20, 2014
PUBLISHER: Te Da Media
PAGES: 279 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via NetGalley
RATING: 5 bows

This is it, the final showdown is a week away and Sophie must prepare to forever win the battle and be humanity’s savior or die trying…and take everyone on the planet with her when she fails. No pressure, right? Add the stress of that on top of trying to heal from psycho Bethany’s stab wound, trying to get Kai to talk through his feelings, and working through the revelation that Felicity is actually Demeter (AKA Persephone’s mom) in disguise and this poor girl is literally developing stress rashes. Can she get it together and save the world or is humanity doomed?

I intentionally read this slowly trying to make it last longer. As excited as I was to get my hands on it, I was equally sad because I don’t really want Sophie’s journey to come to an end. Well…I do because a longer journey means more conflict and poor Soph has been through enough, but I know I will miss her wit and her charm and her massive amounts of snark. Yes, I can (and probably will) re-read the novels, but it’s not the same, you know? I’m going to try to keep my weepy, maudlin-ness to a minimum, because it won’t do the book justice, but I suspect it might creep in here and there.

If we thought Sophie had been put through the ringer before, we were sorely mistaken. Here, Sophie more or less gets shoved into Persephone’s last week of life and the fall out from having to see Kai loving her or Demeter actually showing affection should be enough to send her over the deep end. Add that to the stress that she still must figure out a way to save humanity and I’m surprised she never seriously contemplated suicide. Not our Soph, though, because she’s too determined and resilient to give up. She’ll save the world or die trying, and force her friends to help, even if they can’t remember who she is.

The Kai we get is a mash-up between book 1 dickhead Kai and book 2 charming and swoony Kai. He’s obviously still not recovered from the knowledge that Persephone planned to betray him and takes a good bit of that frustration out on our undeserving Sophie. He gets better, though, and he’s good-guy side takes over once again. You know all those banners up right now that say “I sigh for Kai” for Wendy Higgins Sweet Evil Trilogy? Well I want one, but for this trilogy because this Kai is beyond sigh-worthy. That speech he makes to Sophie at the end?

The rest of the gang is all present, though we don’t get as much of Hannah and her nerdiness as I would have liked. Theo and Festos are the most adorable couple ever and Hannah’s new found obsession with Pierce is lovable, even if it does make her into one of those girls who is more interested in her boyfriend than anything else. Poor Hannah actually is as human as the rest of us, with hormones and imperfections.

There was a point while reading this when I panicked. Though I won’t say who, someone dies. An important character dies. I HATE character death and I instantly went into a tailspin. I’m going to have to write a negative review. How can I write an negative review about one of Tellulah’s books?!?!? I love her and all her work. I think I even started hyperventilating at the prospect of putting negative thoughts out about an otherwise amazing series. But I hate character death and I can’t not mention it, right? I can’t write a review without being completely honest and I can’t love something where a favorite character bites the dust. Luckily for me (and all of you) this character doesn’t stay permanently dead. We get a perfectly acceptable loophole for him to be…not dead.

Though I am sad to see it end, the ending itself is perfect. I loved the way Sophie saves the world and the uplifting message that leaves you with. I can’t say much more than that without spoilers, but more novels should end with that particular moral in mind. This is everything I wanted when I started it. You get deep emotional drama and trauma along with Sophie’s signature level of snark. You get Kai’s swooniness (though it takes a bit of time to manifest). You get to see all your favorite characters get the happy ending they deserve. The only thing it’s missing is comeuppance for Bethany, but it’s okay because the way the last scene with her is written is better. I can’t express how thrilled I am to have had the opportunity to read this amazing series and how utterly sad I am to see it end. I feel the textbook definition of a book hangover. What am I supposed to do now?

When all is said and done, I truly recommend not only this book and this series, but anything Tellulah Darling plans to write. She will surprise you with her ability to make you laugh and cry. Her ability to write in a realistic teenage voice never fails to surprise. She writes in a way that truly reminds me of Jennifer L Armentrout and that is a compliment of the highest order. Seriously, pick up My Ex From Hell if you haven’t already because it’s exactly what you didn’t know you were looking for and you’ll thank me later.

****Thank you to Tellulah Darling/Te De Media for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Panic by Lauren Oliver

TITLE: Panic
AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver
PUBLICATION DATE: March 4, 2014
PUBLISHER: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
PAGES: 416 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via Edelweiss
RATING: 4 bows

Panic is a dangerous game played by the graduated seniors of Carp High School. The game consists of challenges that you must bet by whatever rules the judges set or accept failure and no longer compete. The challenges can be anything from crossing a jumping off a cliff into the waters below to playing Russian roulette. Heather never intended to play, but when the first day of the challenge comes and she finds herself depressed about where her life is going, she joins in a mad rush of spontaneity. Now she must continue, for the winning money, an amount north of $50,000. Dodge is playing for completely different reasons and he won’t stop until he’s won and gained the revenge he’s been seeking for a year. But with the new alliances between Dodge, Heather, and Heather’s bestie (and Dodge’s crush) Natalie, they discover a few things and the odds of winning is in their favor, if they can keep the courage to continue playing.

The only thing I can definitely tell about the characters is that I liked Bishop. Not as in, swooning in excitement, but he was the only character I really liked all the way through the novel. Heather I liked most of the time, but I didn’t love. There were times when I could truly sympathize with her plight, having to deal with her druggie mother with no father to speak of couldn’t have been easy. But she makes some dumb moves.****SPOILER****One of which leads to a tiger being shot to death which didn’t make me happy. I am an animal lover so animal deaths are a big no-no for me.****END SPOILER**** I didn’t really like Natalie or Dodge at all. Natalie was the typical flighty best friend, with big aspirations of being an actress, but no skills or training to really pursue that career. Not to mention the whole using Dodge to possibly gain winning money. Dodge was too set on revenge. I understand his need for it, but it won’t solve anything. It won’t fix his problem, so what’s the point?

I’m not sure how I feel about this book as a whole. It was a little difficult to read for me because it couldn’t hold my interest completely. I could only read a few chapters at a time before my brain demanded I do something else. I don’t know if that is because I didn’t like the way it was written, it didn’t interest me, or if it was just too much information to take in for a single sitting. I really didn’t believe it was the writing because I really enjoyed Oliver’s rather blunt voice. Either way, it took me nearly a week to read this, but somehow managed to end on a happy note. I couldn’t stop smiling after I finished it because it ends happily.

The ending, you see, was what worried me the most about this novel. I have read Oliver’s Before I Fall and HATED the ending. I like happy endings where everyone gets to live happily ever after with the majority of their goals either achieved or extremely possible. Before I Fall does not end well. I haven’t read the Delirium series yet, but I’ve heard bad things about the ending there too. This had me on edge for the entire novel. I just knew someone was going to die, probably Heather, and things would resolve well for most everyone else. I am happy to say that I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong wrong wrong. This ends hopefully. All the characters are alive and striving to achieve their goals.

This is a dark, disturbing tale of teens pushing themselves over the limit to win enough money to get your life started. What teen doesn’t need an large amount of money to pay for college or start a life? Had I gotten that much money at that age, I probably would have went straight to college or put a down-payment on a house, depending on how I felt. Some of the challenges laid before the contenders were down-right terrifying to read about, much less the fear of actually having to perform them. I don’t know if I would have been able to complete some of those things. Life may be greatly improved by money, but the idea of having to put a gun to my head and pull the trigger without knowing if the bullet was in the chamber or not is more than I could have handled.

Oliver really pushes the envelope here, leaving us with dark questions about how far we’d go to win a rather large sum of cash. There isn’t an ounce of humor hidden anywhere within these pages, just the raw terror of trying to figure out how you are going to make it through the next challenge. If you are looking for something completely different than you’ve read, something that will keep you on your toes and leave you thinking, this is for you!

****Thank you to Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, for providing me with an eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review****