Orphan Train

The Bookworm says... Yes! Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline was a very nice book! From the mid 1850's to early 1900's, an orphan train ran from the East Coast to the Midwest. Vivian Daly rode this train as a young Irish immigrant. After a long, ever changing life, Vivian settled in coastal Maine and led a quiet, peaceful life. Her life is very normal; the attic is where the secrets hide. Seventeen year old Molly knows how it feels to be unwanted, and she knows that if she wants to stay out of juvie she needs to complete her community service hours. What she doesn't know is that by cleaning out an old lady's attic, she will find a friend in someone extraordinary. Unprepared for the similarities between her and Vivian, Molly is completely taken by surprise by what lies ahead of her. 

I did not have very high expectations for this book. I'm not sure why- maybe the cover, maybe the description. I'm not sure. But I loved it. The two tales of Molly and Vivian flowed together seamlessly, creating an artful, exquisite story. 

"I believe in ghosts... They're the ones who haunt us... The ones who left us behind."

Anna and the French Kiss

The Bookworm says... Oui! Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins was a lovely book. Anna loves Atlanta. She's excited to be a senior, and excited about her bubbling almost-relationship with Toph. It's smooth sailing, until her father decides to ship her off to Paris. The newest member of the 25 (now 26) person senior class of the School of America in Paris, Anna doesn't speak a word of French. She makes new friends: Mer, Josh, Rashmi, and Étienne St. Clair. Oh, St. Clair. Anna and St. Clair. St. Clair and Anna. Instant best friends, so close that a romantic relationship seems inevitable. Except St. Clair has a girlfriend. And Anna kindasortamaybe has a boyfriend. Her heart is in Atlanta, but also very present in Paris. Through a series of touristy activities and some classical films, Anna and St. Clair attempt to work out the broken pieces of their friendship/relationship, while fixing each other in the process. 

I really enjoyed this book! It was definitely very cliché, set in the City of Love. A little cliché never hurt anyone! I'm happy to say it lived up to my high expectations set for this book, and that I cannot wait until I have a chance to buy the rest of this romantic Stephanie Perkins trilogy. 

"For the two of us, home isn't a place. It's a person. And we're finally home."

Everything I Never Told You

The Bookworm says... Maybe. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng was not a horrible book, but it was not amazing. The story of a 1970's Chinese American family, beginning with the death of their eldest daughter. But they don't know she's dead yet. From Marilyn and James's wedding, to Nath's birth, to Lydia's death, follow the Lee family through hardship and peril. Lydia, forced to conform to the dreams of her parents, a subject of parents living through their child. Nath, full of achievements yet pushed to the side in Lydia's wake. Hannah, overlooked and observant. And the whole Lee family, trying to make do as the only Chinese family in the whole of small town Ohio. 

Plot wise, this book was alright. It developed much too slow for my liking, and I was left with chapter upon chapter of what felt like filler information. Not my favorite. 

"Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet."

To All The Boys I've Loved Before

The Bookworm says... Yes! To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han was great! Lara Jean is the type to be consumed by love. She falls in love, and can't concentrate on anything else. So, she writes love letters to the boys she loves. Once she writes, seals,  stamps, and locks away her letters in a box, she can finally go about her daily life. One day, her letters get mailed. Lara Jeans secret love letters to her loves throughout the years have been delivered, and whether the boys knew about her feelings before, they're about to find out. 

I had heard so much about this book, it would practically be a crime not to read it. I had very high expectations, and it met them! My only complaint would be that after about 90 pages, the rest of the book is fairly predicable. However, that didn't make it less enjoyable! 

"My letters set me free. Or at least they're supposed to."

The Sky is Everywhere

The Bookworm says... Yes! The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson was a  great book! Not as good as her other novel, I'll Give You The Sun, but good all the same. Bailey's death tears everyone apart, especially her sister Lennie. Her heart overflowing with grief, she needs to find a way to relieve herself. Toby, her dead sisters boyfriend. Joe, the hot/mysterious/musical prodigy new boy. One boy helps her remember how good it is to be alive, and the other helps her forget everything. She needs them both, yet she knows she can't have them. Hearts collide, as do universes. 

To be quite honest, this book was not as good as I hoped for it to be. The beginning seemed to drag on. I did, however, love the poetry. Beautiful. 

"Lennie, the sky is everywhere, it begins at your feet."

Previously reviewed by Jandy Nelson: I'll Give You The Sun

Read Between the Lines

The Bookworm says... Yes! Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles was a lovely book that I had the pleasure to read an advance copy of. The release date is set for March 2015. Living in a small town, the whole cast of typical high school characters is there: the nerd, the jocks, the (almost) high school dropout, the cheerleaders, the closeted basketball star, and the one cheerleader that always seems to be overweight. The day begins with Nate breaking his finger in gym class. His middle finger, earning him the nickname "Finger Boy". Throughout the day, throughout different points of view, relationships will end, they will begin. People will lose friends, people will find friends. They will defend their pride. And most of all, they'll let their middle fingers fly. This was an excellent book and I can not wait for the official release! 

"I don't know when finding Grace's boyfriend's parties became more important than trying to find ourselves. Maybe it's because we became afraid of what we'd find." 

**official release is March 10, 2015!

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

The Bookworm says... Yes! The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton was a really good  book! Generation upon generation of the Roux family have been blinded by their ability to love. Ava and Henry are not spared from this fate. Henry doesn't speak, yet he is still a kinder heart than most. Ava is born with a full set of wings, yet very much just a girl with a heart that's too big for her body. 16 year old Ava Lavender just wants to understand her family and the world that se has been shielded from, but she has a hard time seeing around her curiosity. Ava Lavender seeks to unveil her family history and the stories of the people around her, and try to just be a normal girl (which proves to be quite hard with a pair of wings). 

Honestly, the whole beginning of this book came off as very strange to me. If I had been the type to stop reading a book when it disinterested me, I wouldn't have finished it. But let me tell you- the second half of this book is incredible. 

"Love makes us such fools."