The Test – Sylvain Neuvel

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Raincoast Books
Published: March 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Recommended Age: 14+
Genres & Themes: Adult, Dystopia, Suspense, Family, Morality

REVIEW:

This is so messed up. I mean that in the best way possible. Do you want to read a soft dystopian that has been done before over and over again or something daring, captivating and all sorts of terrifying? I love an author who dares because tame stories are not for me. I want to be surprised and shocked and thrown into suspense instead of gently nudged in one direction or the other. Continue reading →

Jar of Hearts – Jennifer Hillier

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Raincoast Books
Published: June 12th, 2018
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Recommended Age: 16+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Death

BLURB:

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he’s something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo’s first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed. For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela’s death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison. While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong. Continue reading →

Review: Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

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

26050845 Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: NetGalley
Publication Date: February 11th 2016
Publisher: MIRA
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 15+
Pacing: Slow
Genres & Themes: Adult, Contemporary, Psychological Thriller, Suspense

BLURB:

The 2016 debut bloggers can’t stop raving about. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and The Ice Twins

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace.

He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do. Though, you’d like to get to know Grace better.

But it’s difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart.

Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows.

Sometimes, the perfect marriage is the perfect lie. Continue reading →

Review: All Fall Down (Embassy Row, #1) by Ally Carter

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

22571275 All Fall Down by Ally Carter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publication Date: January 20th 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Past
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense, Action, Espionage, Crime, Family

BLURB:

Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:

1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her — so there’s no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door, who is keeping his eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can’t control Grace — no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do. Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn’t stop it, Grace isn’t the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down. Continue reading →

Review: The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave, #1) by Rick Yancey

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

16101128 The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: May 7th 2013
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Point of View: 1st Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopia, Aliens, Survival, Romance, Action, Suspense, Science Fiction, Forbidden Love, War

BLURB:

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother-or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. Continue reading →

LGBT Recommendations for You | Love the Love

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

Hey, guys!

I have a new video for you today, in which I am sharing five great LGBT book recommendations with you! Have you read any of these? What are YOUR favorite LGBT books?

Lola xoxo

Review: Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publication Date: April 15th 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Point of View: 1st Person & Female
Genres & Themes: YA, Mystery, Contemporary, Suspense, Romance, Secrets, Death, Family, High School.

BLURB:

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it’s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took “mean girl” to a whole new level, and it’s clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She’s getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she’s falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn’t just buried deep inside of Sam’s memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive? Continue reading →

Review: Crane (The Legends Saga #1) by Stacey Rourke

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Crane by Stacey Rourke

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: NetGalley
Publication Date: May 26th 2014
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing
Genres & Themes: NA, Paranormal, Legends, Romance, Suspense, Mystery.

BLURB:

The Horseman is unending,
his presence shan’t lessen.
If you break the curse,
you become the legend.

Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle had no choice but to cover up the deadly truth behind Ichabod Crane’s disappearance. Centuries later, a Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow awakening macabre secrets once believed to be buried deep.

What if the monster that spawned the legend lived within you?

Now, Ireland Crane, reeling from a break-up and seeking a fresh start, must rely on the newly awakened Rip Van Winkle to discover the key to channeling the darkness swirling within her. Bodies are piling high and Ireland is the only one that can save Sleepy Hollow by embracing her own damning curse.

But is anyone truly safe when the Horseman rides? Continue reading →

Review: Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: bought
Publication Date: August 14th 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
POV: 1st person & female
Pacing: fast
Genres & Themes: YA, Romance, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery, Secrets.

BLURB:

It all comes down to this. Oliver, Ethan, and I. Three teens venture into an abandoned lake house one night. Hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding. The other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder …? Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece the story together – a story of jealousy, twisted passion and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful faces …

Continue reading →

Review of Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: bought
Publication date: July 16th, 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genres & Themes: YA, Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Suspense, Romance, Contemporary, Holidays, Friendship.

BLURB:

It’s Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations.

As Anna sets out to find her friend’s killer; she discovers hard truths about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

As she awaits the judge’s decree, it becomes clear that everyone around her thinks she is not just guilty, but dangerous. When the truth comes out, it is more shocking than one could ever imagine…

Continue reading →