ARC Review: Scratch by Rhonda Helms

Title: Scratch
Author: Rhonda Helms
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: September 30th, 2014
Add to Goodreads / Pre-order on Amazon

Summary: 

The most painful scars are the ones you never see.  

In her DJ booth at a Cleveland dance club, Casey feels a sense of connection that's the closest she ever gets to normal. On her college campus, she's reserved, practical-all too aware of the disaster that can result when you trust the wrong person. But inexplicably, Daniel refuses to pay attention to the walls she's put up. Like Casey, he's a senior. In every other way, he's her opposite.  

Sexy, open, effortlessly charming, Daniel is willing to take chances and show his feelings. For some reason Casey can't fathom, he's intent on drawing her out of her bubble and back into a world that's messy and unpredictable. He doesn't know about the deep scars that pucker her stomach - or the deeper secret behind them. Since the violent night when everything changed, Casey has never let anyone get close enough to hurt her again. Now, she might be tempted to try.

~~~

The whole idea of Scratch caught my attention, the cover as well. Though I enjoyed Scratch, it wasn't as attention grabbing as I was hoping it would be. The story was good but I just missed the connection I typically get when I read a romance novel. 

I liked Casey, her story was tragic, she has an awesome job, she was an all around an interesting character. She reminded me of myself a lot, she kept to herself, preferred to stay home then party, didn't let people in easily. Her story touched me, it was heartbreaking. But as much as I liked her she easily frustrated me. People wanted to her friends and wanted to know her but she pushed them away and it was very frustrating. I had mixed feelings about Daniel. I liked him and then I didn't. He pushed Casey to tell him her story, and even when she did it wasn't enough for him. But then this is where my feelings for Casey were mixed because I wanted her to tell him, but not when she was angry and upset with him. I felt Casey and Daniel both didn't communicate well and took drastic actions on things. 

My one major problem I had with this book was the transitions were confusing. One paragraph they would be doing one thing and the next paragraph would be days later. I confused me a lot because I would loose thought on what was supposing to be happening. 

Though I didn't get the connection I was hoping, I did enjoy Scratch.

RATING: ★★★

Review: Four: A Divergent Story Collection (Divergent, #0.1-0.4) by Veronica Roth

Title: Four: A Divergent Story Collection (Divergent, #0.1-0.4)
Author: Veronica Roth
Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)
Hardcover, 285 Pages
Published July 2014
Add it on Goodreads!
Books #0.1-0.4 in the Divergent Trilogy

Read my review of:
Divergent (Divergent, #1)
Insurgent (Divergent, #2)
Allegiant (Divergent, #3)

Summary: Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child. Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system. Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth comes a companion volume to the worldwide bestselling divergent series, told from the per-spective of the immensely popular character Tobias. The four pieces included here—The Transfer, The Initiate, The Son, and The Traitor—plus three additional exclusive scenes, give readers an electrifying glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the Divergent trilogy.

When Veronica Roth announced that Four would be coming out and that it would contain several different short stories from his point of view, I couldn't help but fangirl a little bit. Four was totally swoon-worthy and gorgeous and strong and rebellious and perfect throughout the entire Divergent trilogy, even up until the bitter end of Allegiant. *sniffles* However, I went into this book excited and expecting a lot more than I got.

I figured that even though Four/Tobais seemed a bit fierce and intense when the story was told from solely Tris' point of view, this book would go more into depth with his emotions and thoughts and wants and desires, including and especially about Tris. In a way, I did get to see some important situations of the story through his perspective (such as Tris being the first jumper, his first conversation with her in the cafeteria, and when he slipped and told her that she looked good by the chasm), but I didn't learn that much more about Four. At least, not nearly as much as I was expecting to learn, and that's what made me hesitate and give this book three stars instead of four.

But enough about the negativity. 

This was still a good book that I enjoyed reading. I was a bit worried about if this book was going to keep my attention because I thought it was just going to be Divergent all over again, told from a different point of view, which would have bored me. However, my worries weren't anything to worry about at all, because a majority of Four actually takes place before the beginning of Divergent even begins. I got to read about Four's family live, his Choosing Ceremony Day, his own initiation and also how he came to be such a highly ranked member of the Dauntless faction by the time Tris came around.

It was definitely an interesting thing to see the life of an important character of a trilogy before the trilogy actually begins, because that's something that I (along with many other people, I'm sure) tend to wonder about when I'm reading a book--what are they like before the story starts? What are they like after the epilogue? I think that the Divergent fan base would be pleased if Roth came out with another book showing Tobais' life a few years or so after Allegiant, when the city goes back to restoring itself. We need to know! 

All in all, Four was a good book that I enjoyed reading. It was interesting to see Tobais' life before the whirlwind known as Tris came into it, and also to see certain important events throughout the first book told in his perspective--because we all wanted to know what he was thinking when he first laid eyes on Tris, and now I can gladly say that yes, I know what he was thinking. Great prequel to the Divergent trilogy and I'm still pushing for a final book after Allegiant told in Four's perspective, too!! <4

Life Lived Twice by Sherrie Wouters (Book Blitz + Giveaway)

Release date: June 6th 2014
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Some promises are made to last forever ... What if you fell in love with a stranger ... but that stranger had come from your past, a past you never knew existed until the moment your eyes met? 

When Tess Winters locks eyes with a stranger at an airport bookstore, it ignites a feeling of passion somewhere deep inside her that she can't explain. Although the encounter is innocent and brief, the intensity of it lingers, leaving her overwhelmed by a yearning for the mystery man now consuming her every thought. 

Struggling to break the powerful hold he has over her heart, Tess starts to experience strange but familiar dreams...dreams from the turn of the twentieth century of the charming Mr Addison Taylor. 

As her dreams start to materialize into reality, and past and present begin to blur, Tess is forced to put the pieces of a forgotten time together, and soon discovers that love isn't the only thing that can find you after an eternity. Captivating, mysterious, and romantic, Life Lived Twice will leave you wondering whether love is so powerful it could last more than a lifetime.

EXCERPT

============

By the time I’d examined his tanned calves, the masculinity of his skin was lingering in the air between us. He smelt sensational, and I found myself uncontrollably breathing in as I rose.

Now curious to see more, I kept going. But as I began to move, an odd sensation of warmth radiating from him came over me; it was almost like an invisible hand caressing my skin. My heart fluttered at the idea of it, and suddenly blood was rushing to all the wrong places as I felt an unexpected thrill of anticipation.

After tracing his body all the way up to his chest, my wandering eyes didn’t seem to want to stop, and they were soon up to his neck and following the stubble along his jaw, right up to his light brown hair. And then he spoke. The sound of his voice jolted me from my daydream and pulled my gaze to his.

“Addison!” I gasped as our eyes collided. From the moment the name left my lips, my eyes widened ... stared ... and became lost in his. As a rush of airy weightlessness floated me from the floor, suddenly everything felt more enhanced, more real, like something inside me had suddenly woken up. It was an intoxicating feeling and the longer I stood entranced, the further his beautiful blue eyes reached into mine. Somehow they were knocking on the door to my heart, stirring something so powerful it made me want to cry and laugh at the same time and, for a brief second, there was something in his eyes that made me feel complete.

Suddenly his brows squeezed then softened. “Ah ... um ... sorry about the electric shock.” He smiled. “But who’s Addison?”

My throat tightened as warmth flushed my cheeks. Who the hell was Addison?

Embarrassment pulled my eyes from his. “Oh,” I said, choking on my words, “Um ... ah ... no ... I don’t know anyone called Addison ... I mean, um ... ”

“Oh!” He smiled cheekily as he leaned towards me and whispered. “You sounded so convinced I was him ... I thought for a second I could be. I mean, if you wanted me to be.”

My face shot back to his, words jamming in my throat as I stared. Who was this guy, this stranger? In just a few seconds he’d turned my soul inside out, and now he was charming me with his words as well.

As his lips rose into a smile, I couldn’t help but smile back. But panic quickly returned to my constricted throat as that name re-entered my head. 

Suddenly aware of the warmth still creeping across my face, I managed to pull my eyes from his again and divert my gaze. Addison, Addison, who the hell was Addison? I couldn’t budge the name from my thoughts.

As I stood fidgeting, I could feel him staring, waiting for me to say something, anything. After taking a breath, I shifted my gaze and we locked eyes again as I spoke. “Um,” I said, swallowing hard, “I must be mistaken ... sorry.”

About the Author

Sherrie Wouters is a thirty something flame haired chick who accidentally wrote a book and is now an author. A qualified Homeoeopath and Kinesiologist, Sherrie lives in country Victoria, Australia with her husband, and two daughters. She is currently working on the sequel to Life Lived Twice.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

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Review: The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno

Title: The Half Life of Molly Pierce
Author: Katrina Leno
Rating: ★★★★ (4/5 Stars)
Hardcover, 256 Pages
Published July 2014
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Summary: You take it for granted. Waking up. Going to school, talking to your friends. Watching a show on television or reading a book or going out to lunch. You take for granted going to sleep at night, getting up the next day, and remembering everything that happened to you before you closed your eyes. You live and you remember. Me, I live and I forget. But now—now I am remembering. For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.

Content-wise, I was all set to give this book three stars, but the fact that one chapter into this book I was already boggled and my pulse was racing with what the heck just happened??!?!?!?, I knew Leno had a talent for not beating around the bush and getting right into the action of the story. 

As the summary explains, Molly is a teen girl with a split personality disorder, even if that's not what it's outright called in the book. She creates a second half of her in her head as a child--a happier, bolder, braver, luckier Molly. And she names her Mabel. For years, Molly and Mabel were able to coexist, totally unnoticed.

But as time went on, Mabel would spend more and more time in Molly's body, leaving Molly to return into situations where hours would pass and she would have no idea what was going on. And it became serious. One minute, Molly would be sitting in class taking notes, and then she'd blink--and it'd be six hours later and she'd be sitting on her couch doing her homework. What happened in between those six hours, she had no recollection of--but Mabel did.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce was gripping and strange, and I definitely had to follow along at all times, otherwise I would be hopelessly lost. Katrina Leno managed to spin an intricate story that baffled me like a story hasn't baffled me in a long, long time. 

I even texted my co-blogger, Amber, right after the first chapter, completely shocked that in less than 20 pages a majority of WOW moments already happened. Pretty much, Leno wasted no time getting down to the important pieces of the story--no rising action for her. Quite literally, no time was wasted. At all. In one chapter, an extremely important and crucial event already happened in the story. Not even just a one chapter, but the first chapter. LESS THAN 20 PAGES IN AND I WAS MIND BLOWN.

Page after page, the story unraveled and more and more clues were revealed about the lives of Molly and Mabel and the memories that Molly would lose while Mable was present in her body, etc. I found it very interesting throughout the story that Mabel was referred to as a separate person, when in reality, she was just a figment of Molly's imagination the whole time, since that's what happens when people have split personality disorders--their minds fabricate a whole new person.

From a psychological perspective, the story was even more interesting. Watching Molly search for answers and then slowly receive and make sense of them was an interesting development, and the story gave me plenty of insight of what it's actually like to suffer from a split personality disorder like Molly did. Very, very chilling and interesting. 

All in all, The Half Life of Molly Pierce was a gripping, fast-paced psychological novel that blew my mind over and over again with plot twists and shocking information at every turn, and I was thoroughly engrossed in the story the whole time. Katrina Leno did a great job and I definitely can't wait to read more of her work. :-)

Review: Allegiant (Divergent, #3) by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant (Divergent, #3)
Author: Veronica Roth
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Hardcover, 526 Pages
Published October 2013
Book #3 of 3 in the Divergent Trilogy

Read my review of:
Divergent (Divergent, #1)
Insurgent (Divergent, #2)

Summary: The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered--fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature--and of herself--while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

My heart. My heart is burning and melting and shattering into a million pieces and OH MY GOD VERONICA ROTH TOTALLY SCREWED MY FEELS OVER, BIG TIME. She definitely took the road less traveled with this one, and my heart...it hurts.

**WARNING:** Please do not read anything in between the red stars (★) unless you have finished reading Allegiant. Paragraphs in between the red stars contain spoilers!

★ As much as it truly breaks my heart,Veronica Roth is a literally genius for that plot twist. I'm going to be completely honest (and also go out on a limb and assume you all do the same thing) and say that normally when I'm reading an intense, suspenseful book with lots of danger, I may be on the edge of my seat to see what happens, but I'm more or less positive that the main character will live because, well, duh, it's the main character. I'm not talking about supporting characters--I'm talking about the absolute main character; the character that the whole story revolves around. They can't just die, because then what will become of the story?

Wrong. Veronica Roth put my theory to absolute shame. ★  

I'll admit, this book had been spoiled by me prior to me reading it (*glares at Amber and also at the evil internet trolls*), so I knew about the upcoming spoiler (including what chapter it took place in), but I didn't know much more than that. All I'll say to keep the story light and spoiler-free is that Roth totally rocked the scene and ripped my feels to absolute shreds. I have no words other than oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god. If you started the Divergent trilogy and wasn't keen on finishing, I would correct that mistake right now and keep reading because the last book is a totally satisfying conclusion. Kinda.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Allegiant and felt that as feel-shredding as it was, Veronica Roth did an excellent conclusion to the trilogy that took the nation by storm. Well done, and I'm ready to open my copy of Four and read the whole thing again from his perspective!