Review: Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover (Gallagher Girls, #3) by Ally Carter

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

5267365 Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: June 9th 2009
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Espionage, Boarding School, Mystery, Contemporary, Romance, Family, Secrets,

BLURB:

When Cammie “The Chameleon” Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she’s in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she’s there to watch Macey’s father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world’s best school (for spies), “exciting” and “deadly” are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers’ plot, with only their espionage skills to save them. Continue reading →

Review: Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

25897851 Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: May 3rd 2016
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Point of View: 1st Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Family, Secrets, True Love, Destiny, Drama

BLURB:

“Just let it go.”

That’s what everyone keeps telling Hadley St. Clair after she learns that her father cheated on her mother. But Hadley doesn’t want to let it go. She wants to be angry and she wants everyone in her life—her dad most of all—to leave her alone.

Sam Bennett and his family have had their share of drama too. Still reeling from a move to a new town and his parents’ recent divorce, Sam is hoping that he can coast through senior year and then move on to hassle-free, parent-free life in college. He isn’t looking for a relationship…that is, until he sees Hadley for the first time.

Hadley and Sam’s connection is undeniable, but Sam has a secret that could ruin everything. Should he follow his heart or tell the truth? Continue reading →

Review: Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

6624871 Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publicatio Date: January 5th, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, High School, Abuse, Bullying, Friendship

BLURB:

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard—falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High… until vicious rumors about her—and her best friend’s boyfriend—start going around. Now Regina’s been frozen out, and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina were guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth, and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past whom she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn’t come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend…if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don’t break them both first.

Tensions grow and the abuse worsens, as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be. Continue reading →

Best of the Saddest Young Adult Books

Posted on May 7, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Best of the Saddest Young Adult Books

Dear readers, having recently experienced some drama in my personal life – the sad kind – I felt inspired to make a list of the best of the saddest young adult books that I have read.

Let’s get to it!

10 – The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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This book’s atmosphere in general made me sad. It’s an extremely beautifully-written story focusing on Charlie’s emotional responses to diverse situations and his overall thoughts about the world around him. Continue reading →

Review: Winning by Lara Deloza

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

26869849 Winning by Lara Deloza

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Edelweiss
Publicatio Date: June 28th 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 1st Person Feminine & Alternative
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, High School, Revenge, Anti-Hero, LGBT

BLURB:

House of Cards meets Election in this wickedly entertaining story about an uber-ambitious high school junior.

Whoever said being nice would get you to the top?

Certainly not Alexandra Miles. She isn’t nice, but she’s more than skilled at playing the part. She floats through the halls of Spencer High, effortlessly orchestrating the actions of everyone around her, making people bend to her whim without even noticing they’re doing it. She is the queen of Spencer High—and it’s time to make it official.

Alexandra has a goal, you see—Homecoming Queen. Her ambitions are far grander than her small town will allow, but homecoming is just the first step to achieving total domination. So when peppy, popular Erin Hewett moves to town and seems to have a real shot at the crown, Alexandra has to take action. Continue reading →

DNF Review: Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publicatio Date: April 5th, 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Point of View: 1st Person Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, High School, Death, Humor

BLURB:

Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

Julie Buxbaum mixes comedy and tragedy, love and loss, pain and elation, in her debut YA novel filled with characters who will come to feel like friends. Continue reading →

Review: You Know Me Well by David Levithan & Nina LaCour

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

27158835 You Know Me Well by David Levithan

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Received: NetGalley
Publication Date: June 7th 2015
Publisher: St Martin’s Griffin
Point of View: 1st Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Love, Friendship

BLURB:

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other — and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.
Continue reading →

Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

18660447 The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publication Date: May 5th 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, High School, Teen Drama, Media, Friendship, Humor

BLURB:

When Gia Montgomery’s boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she’d been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it’s not the real Bradley she’s thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn’t even know. But tracking him down doesn’t mean they’re done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend’s graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship. Continue reading →

Review: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

17838528 The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Edelweiss
Publication Date: May 3rd, 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Summer, Animals, Romance, Family, Friendship

BLURB:

Andie had it all planned out.

When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks)

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing – if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected.

And where’s the fun in that? Continue reading →