the bursting book shelf

A huge thank you to Crown Publishing for the Advanced Copy via Netgalley! I found out about this book while I was scrolling through NetGalley. The book reminded me of a mix of Love, Rosie and One Day . As you may have noticed, I am a sucker for anything in the romantic genre. I'll be honest, going into the book, I thought I had the plot figured out. Often, books in this genre are on the predictable side. Instead, I found One Day in December  was a well executed, genre defying, just plain-old-good book.  I love Laurie. She is imperfect, but she tries her best in all areas of her life. What I really love about her is her level of self-reflection and the value she puts on her relationship with Sarah. Laurie spent the better part of a year pining and obsessing over the man she saw at a bus stop and when he resurfaced as Sarah's new boyfriend, she didn't do the predictable thing and try to steal him away. Instead, she did the realistic thing and repressed the hell out of her fe...

Title:  Ready Player One  Author:  Ernest Cline Publisher:  Broadway Books  Release:  August 16, 2011 Pages:  374 THANKS TO WONDERKIND PR FOR THE REVIEW COPY. Synopsis: In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. Review: Have you ever read a book just for the hype? I'll admit, I was hardcore jumping on the bandwagon when I decided to read th...

Title:  Echoes and Embers  Author:  Karsten Knight Publisher:  Simon & Schuster  Release:  August 28, 2012 Pages:  480 THANKS TO SIMON AND SCHUSTER CANADA FOR THE REVIEW COPY. Series:  Wildefire #2 Synopsis: Fan the flames: A teen goddess fires up her search for love and family in this sequel to  Wildefire . Ashline Wilde may have needed school to learn that she is actually a reincarnated goddess, but she’s ready to move beyond books. She leaves her California boarding school behind and makes for Miami, where she meets a new group of deities and desperately seeks her sister Rose, the goddess of war. But she’s also looking for love—because even though her romance with Cole had to be snuffed, Ash is a volcano goddess—and she doesn’t get burned.      This sequel to the edgy and action-packed  Wildefire  continues a fiery drama on an immortal scale. Review: I was lucky enough to receive Wildefire for review last ...

Title:  The Lost Girl  Author:  Sangu Mandanna Publisher:  Balzer + Bray Release:  August 28, 2012 Pages:  423 THANKS TO HARPERCOLLINS CANADA FOR THE REVIEW COPY. Series:  Unknown Synopsis: Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready. But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this. Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive. What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedl...