live life with no regrets.

Sarah. 25. Yogi. Adventurer. Big sister. Fangirl. This is my photo diary, everything belongs to me unless otherwise stated.

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The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks once again has written another book that pulls you in and tugs on your heartstrings. As with his previous books, I was drawn in to the characters and found them to be (for the most part) realistic and believable. I liked this book....but I just couldn't give it more than three stars. At the end of the day, it followed the same vein as his other books. Boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl's relationship is tested (in this case by Luke's riding and the risk for death), and one of them makes a sacrifice resulting in them getting together and living happily ever after. I just...the ending was too unrealistic for me. I enjoyed it, and was drawn in, but at the end I felt let down. I don't know what it is that really bothered me. I just kind of felt like it was a cop out. I didn't like how it was ended with Ira.... That being said, the last letter Ira wrote to Ruth broke my heart, and made me teary. I also loved Luke's character. All in all, I'm really glad I read it, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Nicholas Sparks.

[goodreads]

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Priceless (On the Edge of the World #2) by Tom Davis 

I could not have chosen a better time to read this book. Sex trafficking is something that has been covered in class and at my internship, and I have been finding that I am increasingly drawn to the efforts to stop sex trafficking as well as helping the girls who's lives are torn apart by this horrible practice. I've read one other book by Tom Davis, and I actually thought this one was better. I connected to the story and felt myself drawn in by the plot as well as the overall theme of the book. I wanted to get up and go help some children RIGHT NOW. The ending was a little...rushed, and a bit too fairy-tale ending for me. The ending just didn't flow with the rest of the story and that bothered me. It's almost like this book could have used a few more chapters just to wrap things up in a more believable way. That being said, I really did like this book and I highly recommend it.

[goodreads]

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The Silver Rose (The Dark Queen Saga, #3) by Susan Carroll 

I don't know what to say, other than Susan Carroll has bewitched me. Kidding, but still. I had the first book sitting on my shelf for a LONG time, and after I finished I ordered the second off of amazon. By the time I was almost done with the second, I just bought the rest of the series. This book focuses on the youngest of the Cheney sisters, Miribelle and her attachment to the witch-hunter that has plagued both herself and her family. I enjoyed this book. I really did. The first is still my favorite, but I thought this book did a good job of further establishing characters introduced in the fist two while introducing us to characters that will be fleshed out in later books. Definitely recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction, emphasis on the fiction.

[goodreads]

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Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz

I’ve had a few days to process Drowning Ruth, and still can’t decide how I feel about it. There were moments where I just wanted it to end, I found that some characters were stagnant and quite simply, useless. On the other hand, there was a certain level of fascination. It’s both unbelievable as well as completely conceivable that people could make the same choices and mistakes as these characters. One after another. In fact, it was the ridiculousness that made the story believable. There was no unrealistic happy ending, because even if things seemed happier in the end, it doesn’t change the fact that these characters are stuck within themselves and their secrets. Some people said that they did/did not want to read Drowning Ruth because it was an Oprah book. I’ll be honest; it had absolutely no bearing in my choice to read it. This book has been on my shelf for years and I chose it before leaving for our roadtrip across America. I recommend forgetting about it’s being an Oprah book. It doesn’t matter. It is a good book, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

[goodreads]

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Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier 

Why. Why why why. I chose this book 1) because it has been sitting on my shelf for years. 2) I had started it a long time ago, and never really "got into it" and I've heard repeatedly how amazing it is, and 3) I was traveling to Gettysburg, PA with my family and wanted to read something based in the Civil War Era. The beginning was a bit slow for me (again) but it picked up and never really stopped. I loved the characters that Inman met on his travels, and I loved the development of Ada (as well as her relationship with Ruby and her land). That ending though. No. I can't. I was and still am emotionally compromised. That ending was so abrupt and so.......sad. I highly recommend this to lovers of historical fiction, specifically American historical fiction as well as people who don't require "happy" endings in everything they read.

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American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

This book started off much stronger than it finished. By the end, Alice just plain bothered me. Alice is extremely impulsive, and most of her decisions are suspect. As a person, this is not someone I would look up to. This is not someone I would like. Alice's selfish ways lead the entire story, and are constantly justified. I enjoyed the first and second parts the best, the third was alright and the fourth was just.....overkill. I understand that this book was based on Mr. and Mrs. Bush, however I did not know when I picked American Wife up. Starting this book whilst on vacation in DC was another little treat. Unfortunately, the dog I was sitting decided to eat my book, so I am unable to re-read my copy, however I'm not sure that I want to. I enjoyed reading this book, but I genuinely don't think I can handle Alice again. [goodreads]

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Champion (Legend, #3) by Marie Lu 

Damn. Damn damn damn. I did not mean to care. I did not WANT to care. I blew through the first two books, and was continuously let down by the writing and the (lack of) development in the main characters. While Prodigy was a marked improvement from Legend, I still found it lacking. This means I came in to Champion unprepared for the best book in the entire series. Which brings me back to the "damn x4." I still need to process. I think that Lu did a FANTASTIC job writing a believable and mature ending to her trilogy. These books went from having me intrigued and invested mentally, to gripped and so emotionally invested, that this morning I woke my sister up a half hour early because if "I have to be miserable because of this stupid damn book, then you don't get to sleep." Seriously. I did. The ending was great and the epilogue was believable and lets the reader determine what happens. I will try and post a more coherent and well thought out review later...after I've processed.

[goodreads]

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Prodigy (Legend, #2) by Marie Lu

I found this book to be MUCH better than Legend. It clearly defined the Republic and it's conflict with the Colonies, as well as developing the relationships between the characters and the mounting tension between the Patriots and both sides of the war. It took a book that read well as a singular, individual novel, and made it interesting enough to be a series. The characters made more sense, and their actions were not so unbelievable. The romance was a bit ... unneeded, if that makes sense? There's enough of the actual story to draw interest without so much angst. However, it did not bother me as much as it did in Legend. I am in the middle of Champion now, so it's getting hard to differentiate between the different books. That should tell you something about how MUCH better the second book was, when I finished I was knocking on my sister's door demanding the third.

[goodreads][pinterest]

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Legend (Legend, #1) by Marie Lu

I like the concept of Legend. However, I just get so tired of these futuristic dystopian novels with "strong" female leads, that can only focus on their love interest and the shape of said love interest's lips. I also found the lack of explanation of WHY there is a republic, and WHY the USA is split, to be REALLY frustrating. THere were great ideas, but they weren't fleshed out. Probably because June and Day were to focused on how beautiful they find each other. All that being said, I liked Legend. I've been told that the story improves and that there is more in the way of explanation and development. I am looking forwards to seeing that happen.

[goodreads][pinterest]

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The Courtesan (The Dark Queen Saga, #2) by Susan Carroll 

While not as good as the first in the series, The Courtesan was still a gripping read. This book is clearly a bridge between the first in the series and the rest, and I don't believe that it would be successful as a standalone read. Three years after the events of The Dark Queen, we are able to see where our characters end up. My LARGEST problem in this book is that it introduces new conflict in characters from the first book, and then literally address this conflict in passing (literally in one sentence. That just doesn't work for me, and ended up making the storyline choppy and difficult to follow. When focusing on Remy and Gabrielle, the flow was successful, however any additional characters were almost just unnecessary. That being said, if they were addressed properly then these characters may have been great additions to the plot (thinking Henry of Navarre, the Wolf, even Simon). I'm very glad I continued with the series, and I can't wait to read more. I recommend this book as part of the series, but again, not as a standalone read.

[goodreads][pinterest]

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Montana Reunion (Montana, #1) by Soraya M Lane

This is another book I really wanted to like, but just couldn't. The idea had potential, and I was excited to get started. However, it took so long for this book to "get" anywhere, taking forever to develop, and then it rushed through all the major plot points.

[pinterest][goodreads]

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What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman

I bought this book on vacation at Chelsea Market in NYC. After seeing the cover and reading the back, I knew this book was one that I would get a real kick out of, and I absolutely did. Kristin writes with a sense of humor and self deprecation that I found to be extremely refreshing. Not only is Kristin honest (she warns readers that while they may not approve of her choices, she refuses to be "slut-shamed") but she writes in a way that made me want to drop my book and become her friend. I just wanted the ability to travel to these places and let myself go the way that Kristin did. I found this book to be incredibly brave, and truly enjoyed every bit of it.

[goodreads][pinterest]

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I reviewed this book when I initially read it a few years ago. Below is my original review! I don’t even know how to start this. I mean, I was really excited to read this book. I love historical fiction, and I love reading about Ancient Greece or Rome, it’s one of my favorite subjects. This book just didn’t do it for me. At all. It just ended up going and going and… going! It was intense. Every time I read 100 pages, it felt like the book grew longer. The book was repetitive and I found the character of Mary to be selectively strong. There was some major potential for the story line, but I just found all of Mary’s thoughts to be very self gratifying. I didn’t like how her children weren’t too important for a while of the book and all of a sudden, they were her everything.

[goodreads]

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Stealing Athena by Karen Essex

I reviewed this book when I initially read it a few years ago. Below is my original review! I don’t even know how to start this. I mean, I was really excited to read this book. I love historical fiction, and I love reading about Ancient Greece or Rome, it’s one of my favorite subjects. This book just didn’t do it for me. At all. It just ended up going and going and… going! It was intense. Every time I read 100 pages, it felt like the book grew longer. The book was repetitive and I found the character of Mary to be selectively strong. There was some major potential for the story line, but I just found all of Mary’s thoughts to be very self gratifying. I didn’t like how her children weren’t too important for a while of the book and all of a sudden, they were her everything.

[goodreads][pinterest]

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Misery by Stephen King 

I love Stephen King. I love the way he writes. I love the way he fleshes out his characters. Misery is no different. The characters were so believable and fascinating. It took no effort to fall into the "hole" and become completely invested in the story. However, I can't say that I "loved" Misery. It was too gruesome, gory and just plain gross for me to say that I loved it. That's hard to say, because I've really never had a problem before but for some reason Misery just grossed me out. I'd been needing a Stephen King fix, and man, I got it. I still think it's a necessary read for any Stephen King fan, and I'm glad that I read it.

[goodreads]

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War Brides by Helen Bryan

I have to say, this book was an extremely pleasant surprise. I found the beginning a bit choppy, and had a hard time understanding who was who, and the importance of each character. And I wasn't particularly pleased with the ending either (that twist?!?), but that's it. The rest was fantastic. I was moved to tears multiple times. I felt very strongly for the characters, and was extremely invested in their outcomes. And the epilogue took my breath away. I don't want to give anything away, as this book really needs to be experienced. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys books about WWII. 

[goodreads][pinterest]

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows 

This book took me by complete and utter surprise. I can't believe it has sat on my kindle for so long. I feel like I ate this book up, and I'm just left feeling like I wish I could go back in time and read it for the first time again. The ending was a tad bit rushed and predictable - but it didn't take away from the brilliance of the total story. I've always loved books centered around WWII or right after, but this book very quickly moved to the top few that I've ever read. I thought the style of the book was refreshing, and I loved learning about each character through their letters, and the letters written about them. There were a few parts where I could have cried, but that would have made me slow down. That's how involved I was. I could go on and on, but I won't.

[goodreads][pinterest]