Self-Care Sunday - Mental Health Awareness Month

Feature: Mental Health Awareness Month - Crash Into Me by Albert Borris 

This month, for Mental Health Awareness Month I'm featuring books that I think realistically represent mental health issues. This week I'm showcasing CRASH INTO ME by Albert Borris which is a backlist book that came out June 24, 2009 and covers depression, suicide attempts, feelings of inadequacy, survivor's grief, and sexual orientation issues. I'm also talking a bit about depression throughout my teenage years. 

Come back every Sunday in May for some self-care tips, a book recommendation, and stories of personal experiences. 

Crash Into Me by Albert Borris

by Albert Borris

Published by Simon Pulse on June 24, 2009

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 257

Amazon | Goodreads

Owen, Frank, Audrey, and Jin-Ae have one thing in common: they all want to die. When they meet online after each attempts suicide and fails, the four teens make a deadly pact: they will escape together on a summer road trip to visit the sites of celebrity suicides...and at their final destination, they will all end their lives. As they drive cross-country, bonding over their dark impulses, sharing their deepest secrets and desires, living it up, hooking up, and becoming true friends, each must decide whether life is worth living--or if there's no turning back. Crash Into Me puts readers in the driver's seat with four teens teetering on the edge of suicide. But will their cross country odyssey push them all the way over? Only the final page turn will tell, in Albert Borris's finely-crafted tale of friendship forged from a desperate need of connection. 

Being A Teenager With Undiagnosed Depression

My Personal Mental Health Story of the Week

When I was in my early teen years I had no idea what was “wrong” with me. Why the idea of going to school each morning filled me with such dread and fear that I’d burst into tears, why getting in a car and going beyond the city limits suddenly made my stomach upset, why I felt the need to spend entire days in bed with the curtains drawn tightly shut. 

It was embarrassing, this way that I felt. It made me think that it was the reason nobody wanted to be my friend because of the way that I acted. The worst part is, the things I could hide - the sleeping all day and crying into my pillow - I hid from everyone. 

If you asked my grandmother she would readily tell you this was all my mom’s fault, that her rejection made me have low self-esteem. It took me a long time to realize the signs for what they truly are. I have anxiety and severe depression. 

I have what I like to call triggers with the anxiety. Things that send me spiraling into a panic attack that if severe enough takes me hours to calm down from. The depression... that’s still a mystery. I can’t quite pinpoint when I went from the bright, chatterbox kid to someone that struggles to even smile or feel happy for a few minutes. 

Through the help of a counselor and medication to stabilize the bad days I can say I don’t feel as bad as I used to, but life is not picture perfect. I still struggle. There are days when the depression has me so exhausted I can barely function. Days when even though I have ideas, I have no desire to work on my next novel and that lack of desire has made me push back my deadline for the past six months. Other days, a simple forgetful moment can send my heart seizing in a fit of anxiety. It’s truly a day to day thing. 

I’ve always been transparent online about my mental health yet I struggle to open up some of my closest family about it. It’s taken me nearly a decade to not feel ashamed for what I cannot control, but that fear of rejection from the people that are supposed to love you most still makes me cautious. 

I am who I am. Depression and all. I’m not ashamed. I’m not a freak. I can stand on the bridge knowing that I will not take a step over the edge. I’m stronger now, I will not let depression rule my life. 

As the tattoo on my forearm reads, “Don’t let the hard times get you down.”

Self-Care Tip of the Week

         I know sometimes sharing how you feel with a parent or a friend or even a counselor sounds scary. While it can be helpful to talk to someone, not everyone is ready. I started writing in a journal after my stepfather passed away in 2008 because the school counselor told my sister it would help her. It didn't with her, but it did help me somewhat and I still do it daily to this day.

        You don't have to write anything fancy. You don't have to write in it every day. You don't have to be a poet or write long, romantic prose. Most of the time I start by writing down any dreams I can remember from the night before, good or bad. That's probably the writer in me stowing away ideas for later. 

        I mainly journal about my day to day life; what I ate that day, who I talked to, anything strange I observed, if I got into an argument with anyone and over what, if something hurt my feelings, what I watched on tv, etc. 

         You can start out small, grab a notebook and a pencil and just write. Follow my example and write about your day or write about how you might be feeling at the time, if anything is worrying you, don't think too hard just let your mind fly and tell you what to say. You don't have to show this journal to anyone if you don't want to. You won't be judged for the things you write inside, you're not being graded or critiqued for writing style or grammar so just relax, take a deep breath, and write.  

         According to the University of Rochester Medical Center journaling can help you:

• Manage anxiety
• Reduce stress
• Cope with depression

        Journaling helps control your symptoms and improve your mood by:

• Helping you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns
• Tracking any symptoms day-to-day so that you can recognize triggers and learn ways to better control them
• Providing an opportunity for positive self-talk and identifying negative thoughts and behaviors

If you or someone you love are struggling with depression or another mental health condition and have thoughts of suicide, please reach out to someone!

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Book Review: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Blurb:

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles...and make a powerful choice.

My Review:

Simply Amazing!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When 12-year-old Tea raises her beloved brother from the grave her fate is sealed as a "Bone Witch", the most hated and feared of the three types of ashas (witches). In swoops Lady Mykaela to take Tea and her resurrected brother Fox back to her home and become Tea's mentor.

As Tea follows Lady Mykaela through the lands she learns that not everyone hates Bone Witches. She meets a young prince named Kance from her home kingdom, Odalia and he will be a constant presence in her thoughts in the years ahead.

When Tea arrives in Kion's capital, Ankyo, she is tested and deemed worthy by the oracle and allowed entry into Lady Mykaela's asha-ka, Valarian - run by the strict Lady Parmina.

Tea's life in Ankyo begins with her being a maid, not an asha apprentice, at the asha-ka and she works hard hoping that soon she will be allowed to begin formal lessons. One night, two years later, a girl from a tearoom fetches her from Valarian and an unexpected event resulting from a trick played upon Tea from the girls of the Imperial House causes everyone to see how powerful Tea really is.

After her show of power, Tea is fast-tracked through her training but it may not come fast enough. Lady Mykaela is getting weaker every day and someone is working against the ashas by raising up a powerful daeva (a monstrous creature capable of wreaking complete havoc) against the ashas and deathseekers (male warriors with the ability to draw runes).

Will Tea be able to save the kingdom from the daeva and figure out who wants to destroy the ashas? What unforgivable event causes her to become exiled? What will Tea do when the lines between good and bad, right and wrong begin to blur?

The Bone Witch is an addictive, excellently written novel told in two perspectives: the bard, who has been summoned by the now-exiled Tea as he spends seven days with her hearing her story, and Tea herself as she recounts to the Bard her story of how she became a bone witch and what leads up to her being exiled.

The way Rin Chupeco describes details of everything from the clothing everyone wears to the kingdoms and even Tea's lessons is amazing. You can clearly picture Tea's world in your head. However, sometimes the descriptions go on and on, bordering on dull. The dual perspectives The Bone Witch is told in and Tea's story pull you in and you want to find out what happened to her to get her to the point she's at when the Bard finds her.

The imaginings of The Bone Witch is every fantasy lover's dream and I loved every minute of this book. I can't wait for the next book in this series because the ending of this book leaves you craving more. Especially when you find out who Tea's love is - it will make you say "wait, what? How did that happen?"

Overall The Bone Witch is a fantastic start to what I'm sure will be an amazing series.

My rating: 5 of 5 Stars!

Book Info:

The Bone Witch is available today, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, from Sourcebooks Fire. You can buy it on Amazon in eBook or Hardcover! 

Book Review: Arise by Skye Malone

Arise (The Awakened Fate Series #4) by Skye Malone

Blurb:

Kidnapping. Torture. Betrayal.

Chloe has survived it all. On the run from her parents, a mad scientist, and Noah's bloodthirsty relatives, her only chance at finding answers now lies with Ellie's mysterious teacher, Olivia. But when nearly everyone who's learned your secret has ended up wanting to use you or kill you, trust may prove the most elusive thing of all.

My Review:

Where do you go when nowhere is safe?

I received a copy of Arise in exchange for an honest review. 

After escaping the torture they experienced at the hands of Dr. Brooks, Chloe and Zeke find themselves on the road to Colorado with Ellie, Baylie, and Noah. Unbeknownst to them Noah's cousins are chasing after them - and they have Chloe's parents as hostages. Also on their tail are the psychotic Dr. Brooks, Chief Reynolds, and Aaron Reynolds. 

When they arrive in Colorado they seek the help of Ellie's mentor, Olivia. Olivia agrees to help Chloe and Zeke by calling a meeting with the Landwalker Elders she trusts. When the meeting goes awry Chloe and her friends must wonder: Can they trust Olivia and the Landwalker Elders? Or are they really working for Dr. Brooks?

When Noah's cousin Wyatt finally gets Chloe on the phone and tells her to show up at their house on the Washington coastline or he'll kill her parents they end up on a crazy mission to get Chloe's parents back before it's too late. 

At the same time the beast is growing stronger and a storm is brewing. Everything is about to come to a catastrophic climax and not everyone will survive the storm...

After dealing with people that claim to want to help Chloe only for them to betray her with their own agendas or homicidal wishes, is there anyone Chloe can trust? At the end of everything will she choose to split herself and become a landwalker or a dehaian?

Wow - this book was intense. As a reader you're constantly worried about what's waiting around the bend for Chloe and her friends and whether the next person will be a friend or foe. The addition of Wyatt's perspective is like looking into the mind of a chilling psychopath. Out of all the books in the series so far I think this one holds the most action and violence, but it's very well written. 

I could have done without Chloe freezing out both Zeke and Noah and focusing so much time trying to figure out who she wants, mostly because I see her working out with Zeke better. Noah's nice and all but I see him and Chloe being just better off as friends. The character I feel most sorry for is Baylie, she never asked for any of this and now she's caught up in all the danger. 

Overall I think this book amped up the storyline from the previous books, making it even more complicated and involved so the reader can be swept right into Become. I'm eager to see how this series wraps up in book five, I've just really loved reading not just Arise, but all of The Awakened Fate Series and being caught up in this magical world filled with dehaians, landwalkers, greliaran, and wizards. If you're not reading this series you should be in my opinion!

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Book Review: Return by Skye Malone

Return (The Awakened Fate Series #3) by Skye Malone

Blurb:

For Chloe, the ocean was supposed to mean safety and for a time, it almost did. She overcame the Sylphaen's drugs. She discovered an unforeseen attraction to Zeke, one that he shares for her. A life underwater seemed possible, until she learned that nothing was as it appeared.

After an unspeakable betrayal shattered everything she thought she knew about Zeke's world, she and Zeke have fled the ocean for the one place Chloe never expected to want to go.

Home.

But the challenge of living as a mermaid over a thousand miles from the ocean isn't the only problem facing her. Home has changed. Enemies are waiting, ones she never saw coming. Her little Kansas town is full of surprises.

Including Noah, the guy she left behind.

My Review: 

I received a copy of Return in exchange for an honest review.

With the Sylphaen still after Chloe, she and Zeke head for land. They believe if Chloe can stand being away from the ocean without getting sick the safest place for her will be back home in Kansas, and Zeke is determined to accompany her as far as he can stand it.

When they reach land Chloe and Zeke seek shelter at a house isolated in the woods, only to be attacked by Earl, the greliaran owner, who wants to get revenge against all dehaians after the death of his daughter.

Chloe and Zeke manage to escape and head East, but they're being tracked by Noah's crazy uncle and cousins. They make it as far as Nebraska before they have to call Chloe's parents to come get them, but sometimes home sweet home is anything but sweet. A whole new set of problems waits for Chloe and Zeke back in Chloe's hometown.

Can Chloe and Zeke trust Chloe's parents? Why are they acting so strange? How will Chloe react when she's face to face with Noah again and he's begging her to believe he didn't mean anything he said? Will Chloe and Zeke be able to escape their latest run-in with trouble before it's too late?

Return is a great addition to the Awakened Fate series! Sometimes when a series has 3 or more books the storyline begins to get stale or repetitive by book three or four but this series keeps being fresh and interesting. Yes, the Sylphaens are still after Chloe but in Return Chloe, Zeke, and Noah face new challenges and enemies.

I was shocked by the length Chloe's parents would go to to keep her under their control, but Chloe remained a strong character throughout all the horrors she faces in this book. Zeke and Noah are both crazy about Chloe and I'm dying to see who she picks in the end. I also really liked that we finally got to learn a little about the mysterious "beast" everyone is so worried about.

This book definitely doesn't disappoint, I loved it just as much as the first two books and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. This series and this author's writing are quickly becoming my escape after a long day!

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

You can find Return on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iBooks, and add to your TBR list on Goodreads!

Book Review: Under the Lights by Abbi Glines

Under the Lights by Abbi Glines

Blurb:

Willa can’t erase the bad decisions of her past that led her down the path she’s on now. But she can fight for forgiveness from her family. And she can protect herself by refusing to let anyone else get close to her.

High school quarterback and town golden boy Brady used to be the best of friends with Willa—she even had a crush on him when they were kids. But that’s all changed now: her life choices have made her a different person from the girl he used to know.

Gunner used to be friends with Willa and Brady, too. He too is larger than life and a high school football star—not to mention that his family basically owns the town of Lawton. He loves his life, and doesn’t care about anyone except himself. But Willa is the exception—and he understands the girl she’s become in a way no one else can.

As secrets come to light and hearts are broken, these former childhood friends must face the truth about growing up and falling in love…even if it means losing each other forever.

My Review: 

Under the Lights ripped me open and left me breathless!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When 17-year old Willa Ames is released from a juvenile correctional facility and finds her bags packed on her mother's doorstep she calls the only person she has left, her grandmother "Nonna" - the woman who raised her for most of her life.

Nonna agrees to take Willa in as long as she stays away from boys, stays out of trouble, and keeps up with school. Nobody believes Willa about what happened that awful night and Willa cannot forgive herself. Returning to small town Lawton, Alabama means returning to the two friends she left behind, Gunner Lawton, the boy who lives in the big house, and Brady Higgens, the sweet boy she had a crush on six years ago.

Just like Willa, Brady and Gunner have changed a lot over the past six years. Brady is casually dating a girl he doesn't really like and Gunner has been playing the field and swearing off love. When Willa blows into town everything changes.

As the boys try to figure out their complicated feelings for their childhood friend, Willa struggles to put her dark past behind her. Gunner has always been Willa's friend, her confidante and when she left Lawton six years ago to live with her mother she was just beginning to have feelings for Brady; but Willa sees herself as too damaged to be deserving of either boy.

Will Willa ever be able to put the nightmares of the past behind her and allow herself to heal? What will happen when a scandalous family secret shakes up Gunner's life, will he confide in Willa once again? Will Willa allow either of the boys in?

Under the Lights is a beautifully written novel about friendship, love, and forgiving yourself. This book ripped me open emotionally and left me breathless. Willa and Gunner's struggles were realistic and the reader will be rooting for them throughout the book. Willa, Brady, and Gunner were characters that were easy to fall in love with. This book is easily one of my favorite Abbi Glines books and it reminded me a little of the Vincent Boys books, especially with the dynamic between Brady and Gunner and Gunner and his family. What I really liked about Under the Lights was that, like Abbi Glines's other books in other series, you can read Under the Lights as a standalone novel as well as within the series. I really wanted to read Until Friday Night, the first book in the Field Party series, but I haven't been able to find it in my local bookstores and I haven't gotten around to getting it off Amazon yet so I was afraid I'd be missing something when I started Under the Lights. Thankfully Willa, Gunner, and Brady's story is complete within this novel and I wasn't missing anything important from the first book. You can read this novel without missing a beat which is a major perk of reading books by this author.

Under the Lights is a must-read page-turner that will keep you gripped until the last page. The only thing I didn't completely love was the placement of Gunner's view of six years ago. It might have been more natural at the beginning of the book, but then maybe it would have been too telling, I'm not sure.

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Book Info:

Under the Lights is available today, Tuesday, August 23, 2016, from Simon Pulse! You can buy it on Amazon in eBook and Hardcover!

Book Review: The Selection (Selection #1) by Kiera Cass

The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass

Blurb:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want.

Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

My Review:

When Prince Maxon of Illea is ready to find a wife girls country-wide are encouraged to enter "The Selection", a competition that's like a mash-up of The Bachelor and The Hunger Games (minus the whole death part).

America Singer, a five on the scale of Illea's caste system where the lower your number is, the more privileged and easy your life is, wants nothing to do with The Selection. To her, Maxon seems stuck up and shallow. Besides, for the past two years she's been secretly dating Aspen, a six - the servant caste one peg lower than America's 'artists and musicians' caste.  But America's parents would never approve the match because sixes are even poorer than fives and starvation is a reality sixes face on a near daily basis. 

When Aspen tells America he wants her to enter The Selection because he'd never forgive himself if she had a chance for a better life, America reluctantly agrees while believing there's no chance that she would ever be picked. 

Nobody is more shocked than America when her name is announced as one of The Selected. Suddenly America is pulled into a new world full of things she never could have imagined could be hers. She's whisked away to the palace in Angeles where she meets her fellow contestants and has her first taste of privileged life. When she meets Prince Maxon she realizes that her preconceived opinion couldn't be more wrong - but can she forget about the boy she loves back home? The one who broke her heart and she's not sure still loves her at all? 

Will America remain in The Selection? Or will the sudden reappearance of the boy she thought she'd lost make her abandon the friendship - and more- that's forming between her and Prince Maxon?

I was very surprised to find that I loved this book as much as I did. Dystopian novels aren't really something I like but the Bachelor-esqe competition almost made me forget the dystopian theme altogether. From the moment America meets Maxon I was hoping that he would win her over and she would forget all about Aspen. There's enough girl-drama between the characters to please anyone who likes watching reality dating competitions and America's first taste of palace life and all of the new experiences she encounters  - even with the underlying sense of danger - kept me turning pages late into the night. 

I loved Marlee as well as America's maids, Anne, Mary, and Lucy and I can't wait to see more of them in The Elite (The Selection #2). I'm dying to know if America and Marlee's friendship will continue or if some obstacle will tear them apart. Coming into this series late in the game after Maxon and America's story concludes I sort of already know how this Selection will wrap up but I'm eager to follow the journey all the way through. 

The only thing I didn't like so much about this novel is that, like many other novels, we find a character that everyone else thinks is beautiful but America doesn't see herself as anything other than plain. I understand that America's humbleness is part of what Maxon likes about her but the whole beautiful-girl-doesn't-know-she's-beautiful plot has been done over and over again in YA novels. 

Overall I loved this book so much and I recommend it to anyone who: likes dystopian romance novels, loves watching reality dating competions like The Bachelor, or anyone looking for a great cross between a fairytale love story and danger-filled dystopian novel. 

My Rating 5 of 5 Stars

Book Review: DESCEND by Skye Malone

Descend (The Awakened Fate Series #2) by Skye Malone

Blurb:

Chloe always dreamed of visiting the ocean, and now the ocean is the only place she has left to go. Trapped in the form of a mermaid and on the run from the Sylphaen, her best chance for safety lies in traveling with Zeke to his underwater home and staying under his protection there.

Leaving isn't easy, however. Her best friend doesn't know where she's gone, and her family doesn't either. She's been forced to abandon Noah, the boy she's liked for years and who she's just discovered likes her too. She only hopes Zeke's people will help her so she can return soon.

But when conspiracies follow her and people start to die, safety becomes harder to find than ever. The Sylphaen are coming. They're more powerful than she could have imagined.

And they're not through with Chloe yet.

My Review:

I received a copy of Descend in exchange for an honest review. 

After being injected with a strong, modified dose of Neiphiandine by the insane Sylphaen cult, Chloe is forced to remain in mermaid form. Unable to survive on land she travels back to Nyciena with Zeke and his brother Niall.

Her arrival in Nyciena is less than welcoming. Chloe discovers Zeke's father is a king and his eldest brother, Ren, the heir to the throne, is sure that Chloe is a spy. King Torvias allows Chloe to stay in the palace under guard and grants her the medical attention she needs although he doesn't completely believe Zeke's story about Chloe being a target of the supposedly eradicated Sylphaens. 

Everyone in the kingdom believe Chloe is Zeke's latest fling and she can tell everyone is gossiping about her as she tries to blend in and make friends with Zeke's twin sister, Ina. 

When a deadly attack strikes the palace, suspicion falls on Chloe and Ren takes action against her, playing right into the Sylphaens' hands. 

Will Zeke get to her in time? Will any place on land or in the ocean ever be safe for Chloe? Is it possible that there is a Sylphaen hidden in her midst waiting for the right time to strike? 

Descend picks up right where Awaken leaves off bringing you right into an amazing underwater fantasy world that will blow your mind. Everything about Yvaria and Nyciena is so well thought out by the author. Details about the palace and the way the dehaians live make them seem so realistic and almost... human.

I loved the storyline, it kept me interested and kept in line with the events of the first book. I also was happy that in this book Skye Malone gives you chapters in Chloe, Zeke, and Noah's perspectives. Noah's perspective really added to the story in my opinion. The characters have so much depth and you fall for each of them in their own way (although I love Zeke - he's awesome!). The end of the book leaves you wanting to get right into the next book as soon as possible. I am so in love with this series and I can't wait to see what awaits Chloe, Zeke, and Noah next! 

Overall, the writing is great, this book is easy to get into, and if you loved Awaken you will love this continuation of the Awakened Fate series!

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Book Review: Awaken by Skye Malone

Awaken (Awakened Fates #1) by Skye Malone

Blurb:

Running away from home was never Chloe Kowalski's plan. Neither was ending up the target of killers, or having her body change in unusual ways. She only wanted a vacation, someplace far from her crazy parents and their irrational fear of water. She only wanted to do something normal for once, and maybe get to know her best friend's hot stepbrother a bit better at the same time.

But the first day she goes out on the ocean, strange things start to happen. Dangerous things that should be impossible. Things to which 'normal' doesn't even begin to apply.

Now madmen are hunting her. A mysterious guy with glowing blue eyes is following her. And her best friend's stepbrother seems to be hiding secrets all his own.

It was supposed to be a vacation. It's turning out to be a whole lot more.

My Review:

I received a copy of Awaken in exchange for an honest review.

All Chloe Kowalski wanted was to see the ocean, but her crazy water-hating parents said a big fat NO when she asked to go on vacation to the California coast with her best friend, Baylie. So Chloe does what any sensible teenager would do - she goes anyway, running away from home.

At the beach house owned by Baylie's extended family, she meets Diane and Peter, parents to Baylie's stepbrothers, Maddox and Noah. Chloe has had a little bit of a crush on the super-hot Noah for a while now, but Baylie says he's been acting strange lately.

When Chloe first steps foot into the ocean she feels like a missing piece of herself has just been found. What she doesn't know is that she's setting off a dangerous series of events and putting a target on her back. Chloe is part dehaian (mermaid) and part landwalker (a person who can't stand to be near the ocean) and a dangerous mermaid cult, called Sylphaen, want her dead. How will Chloe handle it when she finally learns the truth about herself? Will her new friends think she's a freak or is it possible that they're hiding something too?

Meanwhile, dehaian Zeke noticed a change in the water the minute Chloe first entered the ocean and he wants to know what about this pretty girl caused that reaction in the water. Things seem even fishier to him when Chloe seems to have no idea what she really is. Zeke wants to get to the bottom of things and when the cult he thought had been eradicated goes after Chloe he has a strong urge to keep her safe. Will he get to her in time? Or will the Sylphaen sacrifice her to fulfill some crazy prophecy?

I've never read a mermaid-themed novel before but I absolutely loved Awaken!. The first line draws you in and before you even find out what Chloe is, you're dying to find out why Chloe's parents don't want her anywhere near the water. Their crazy reaction will shock you. I like that this story is told in alternating perspectives between Chloe and Zeke but it would have been an added bonus to have a few chapters in Noah's perspective to see into his head. The world of the Dehaians, with their magic and their technology (like the medicine and the relay station) was really imaginative and gave their underwater world much more dimension than your average mermaid story.

The only thing I found confusing was the Delaneys' relationship to Baylie. How were they related through marriage? I know it was meant to be complicated but I felt like I needed a family tree to illustrate it better.

Overall this book is great! The story keeps you interested and engaged, the characters are easy to like, the plot is well thought out and the conflicts and action are appropriately set throughout the beginning, middle, and end of the story and the ending makes you want to dive right into book two. I feel like there may be a love triangle brewing between Chloe, Noah, and Zeke in one of the future books. Read Awaken and you'll fall in love and be hooked on this series for sure!

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

***You can find Awaken on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and Kobo; and add it to your TBR list on Goodreads!***

Book Review: Up In Flames by Abbi Glines

Up In Flames by Abbi Glines

Blurb:

Spoiled. Selfish. Rich girl. Villain. Slut.

As the Prada-clad bad girl of Rosemary Beach, Nan Dillon has been called every vile name under the hot summer sun. Some of her reputation is deserved—she’s never had to worry about anything but maintaining her perfect figure and splitting Daddy’s private jet with her brother, Rush. 

But Nan is far from happy. Rush has another kid on the way and doesn’t have time to catch up with his sister. Grant, the last guy she truly cared about, chose to be with her half-sister, Harlow, instead of her. And Harlow, who has never gotten over the way Nan treated her when she first moved to town, remains distant.

So when Major asks her out, she jumps at the chance to date the gorgeous charmer. Though she doesn’t know much about the sweet-talking Texan, and though it’s clear he doesn’t want to be exclusive, dating him beats hanging out with vapid socialites or watching Netflix alone at home.

For a while, Nan deals with Major’s playboy ways, but after he burns her one too many times, she takes off for an impromptu wild weekend in Vegas. There, she meets Gannon, a darkly seductive and oh-so-dangerous businessman who knows exactly how to handle her.

With Major asking for a second chance and Gannon haunting her dreams, Nan has to decide who to give her heart to. But what she doesn’t realize is that these players are involved in a much bigger game—and they’re already two moves ahead of her.

My Review: 

After sexy playboy, Major Colt blows Rosemary Beach's most infamous resident, Nan, off for another girl one too many times Nan takes off for a wild weekend in Vegas.

There she meets Cope "Gannon" Roth, who she is immediately drawn to. Their connection is immediate and sparks fly leading to mind-blowing sex. At the same time, Major keeps texting Nan trying to win her back. 

When Gannon turns out to be too good to be true, Nan returns to Rosemary Beach with a bruised heart. She allows Major to try to win her back but Gannon is never far from her mind, especially with the vivid "dreams" of amazing sex she has about Gannon night after night. 

But is any of it real? Do either Major or Gannon actually care about Nan? Or is she just a pawn in a dangerous game? Will Nan ever get the love she's been craving for so long or will that dream go Up In Flames?

I can't believe it but Abbi Glines actually did it. She got me to like Nan. I never thought it would happen but I give her huge credit for that.  I really didn't care for Major, he was mostly a jerk and a pig and that's what made you feel sympathy for Nan. Cope, on the other hand, whew - Cope was so freaking awesome! The only thing I didn't like about him was the slapping. I mean it's cool if you're into rough sex, no worries, but when he slapped Nan across the face that was crossing a huge line for me. That's not okay and it's wrong for the author to make it sound like it was a hot kinky game. The other thing I didn't like was every time the word "ok" was used it was in all caps. It tended to look like the abbreviation for Oklahoma. Overall I loved this book and I'm glad I gave Nan a chance! Great way to end the Rosemary Beach series! 

My Rating: 5 0f 5 Stars

BOOK REVIEW: The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman

I spent all Wednesday evening finishing my "WIR"-Wednesday book, The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman. Here's the review I posted on Amazon and Goodreads:

The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman

Blurb:

Life for patient 29 is full of medicated daydreams of a life outside the walls of Soothing Hills Asylum. But fantasies are not all that consume her. A monster roams the halls of the sanitarium she reluctantly calls home and three girls have been found dead. The dead girls share one common thread . . . each was 29's cell mate. As the investigation gets under way, she retreats into her mind, listening to the voices that call to her. She is endowed with the cursed gift of perception. Through it, she hears messages carried upon the notes of music, discerns words hidden among the strokes of paintings, and minds pleadings for help from the corn field outside. Could the key to the murders lie within 29's broken mind? Mason, an orderly, does not see 29 as a lunatic and as his belief in her grows so does her self-confidence. The possibility of one day leaving the asylum seems less and less like a fantasy. But the monster has other plans for her. Leaving will not be so easy, at least not while she is alive.

My Review:

A Page-Turning Must Read

The blurb of this book, as well as the beautiful cover, is what drew me to this book. I love books set in asylums, especially those set in times when humanity still performed horrifying acts, such as lobotomies, on people who had nobody to speak for them or defend them from such atrocities.

19-year-old Jane (Patient 29) has no hope for a life outside of the Soothing Hills Asylum. As a life-long resident, the asylum is all she knows as doctors have deemed her insane for the music she hears in her head. The cruel Dr. Frost subjects her to his cruel punishments and experiments and rules over the asylum with an iron fist while kind, compassionate Dr. Grayjoy encourages her music and artwork. Her only friend is Patient Twenty, Kate, who was dumped in the asylum when her husband decided to trade her in for a younger woman. Then Jane meets Mason, an orderly that sees her and not her supposed illness and for the first time, Jane believes there is life outside the asylum. But is Mason her salvation? Or does he have ulterior motives for being at the asylum?

On the outside, 19-year-old Jules Frost lives as just as much of a prisoner as Jane. Her father, the cruel Dr. Frost, dictates every aspect of her life, how she dresses, when she practices her music, and even who she is to marry. She soon is defying her father's orders and helping out at the asylum where she sees the unfortunate side of life where people are sent when the people that are supposed to love them get tired of them. At the asylum, Jules meets the handsome Dr. Grayjoy and she's immediately drawn to him. But could he ever love her?

Dr. Jonathan Grayjoy sees the cruel way that his colleague Dr. Frost treats the patients of the Soothing Hills Sanatorium, especially patient 29, whom Dr. Grayjoy is infatuated with. The closer he gets to Jane's case the more volatile Dr. Frost gets which makes Grayjoy determined to unravel the mystery of Jane's past and the real reason she was sent away to Soothing Hills.

There is a monster roaming the halls of Soothing Hills Sanatorium. Patients have gone missing, never to be seen again, and three were Jane's roommate. Can anyone solve the mystery and stop the disappearances?

The Requiem Red is an amazing novel, I was drawn in from the first page and found myself unable to put the book down. I had to know what would happen next. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that grips you from the first page and keeps you going until the very end.

My only question is: is this book going to have a sequel? The ending seems to lead the way to a next installment. Either way, it was an excellent read!

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars!