The Sun Is Also A Star

The Bookworm says... Yes! The Sun Is Also A Star is truly a shining sophomore novel for the lovely Nicola Yoon. Natasha and Daniel collide in a near fatal moment on a corner in Times Square. It is a big day for each- Natasha's family is being deported, and Daniel has an interview with a Yale alumnus. Natasha is a firm believer in science and the accuracy of the scientific method; her only mission is to reverse her father's mistakes and keep her family in America. Daniel is a poet, a dreamer, who is trying to be happy in his life while living up to his parents' expectations. Once Daniel sees Natasha, his interview immediately fades from his mind. All that matters is getting to know this intriguing, beautiful girl with the "DEUS EX MACHINA" jacket and the afro. Daniel invites Natasha to get coffee, and she obliges; his most pressing issue is no longer the Yale interview- it's making a girl who doesn't believe in love fall in love.

The Sun Is Also A Star proved itself to be an outstanding new YA romance that questions the power of fate and expectations, and what happens if you defy them. I'm not going to lie, the beginning of this book did not have me sold. I was unsure if I would finish the book pleased or disappointed. Just looking at the exposition, the cliche is undeniable- love at first sight in Times Square? Come on. But, as I continued to read, Daniel and Natasha drew me in, their different cultures (Korean American and Jamaican) providing something unique and interesting to the story. After around 100 pages, I could not deny the quality of this story. By the end, any hint of cliche that would take away from the reading experience was gone. Upon finishing the book, I was beyond crushed that the twenty-or-so pages I thought I had left was actually a preview of Everything, Everything, Nicola Yoon's first novel. I could have read another hundred pages of this book easily. This is an adorable YA that is sure to tug at your heart strings- don't miss out!

"The sun is also a star, and it's our most important one."

Previously reviewed by Nicola Yoon: Everything, Everything

DISCLAIMER: Review is based on an advance reader's copy. Tentative on-sale date is November 1, 2016.

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

Love Letters to the Dead

The Bookworm says... Wow. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira left me speechless, in the best possible way. It starts as an English assignment: write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain, because May loved him. The letter to Kurt Cobain becomes a notebook full of letters to Kurt, Janis Joplin, E. E. Cummings, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart, and Amy Winehouse. Laurel writes to them about starting high school, her new friends, her parents splitting up, and learning to grieve for her sister, May. It's not until Laurel has written down her truth that she can begin to tell other people. She can finally accept that May was not perfect, nor was she. 

This book was stunning, for lack of a better word. It explored all the hardships of loosing someone dear to you, entering high school, and facing the world. Terrific. 

"There are two most important things in the world- being in danger, and being saved." 

Gone Girl

The Bookworm says... ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY YES! Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was terrifyingly excellent. Nick and Amy have been married 5 years, happily for the most part. Well, maybe not so happily. On their fifth anniversary, Amy goes missing and Nick is the number one suspect. Nick can be hostile and he's definitely not perfect, but would he murder his wife? This novel was outstanding. The sharp plot twists you never saw coming, the amazing characterization, the literary excellence. The ideas put into this book are unheard of. I've never been so disappointed that a book ended.

"It's a very difficult era in which to be a person, just a real, actual person, instead of a collection of personality traits selected from an endless Automat of characters."

The Infinite Moment of Us

The Bookworm says... Yes. The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle was an excellent book. Wren Gray is eighteen years old, but she always does what her parents say. Always. Her parents raised her, and they know what is best for her, right? Wren thought so, until her high school graduation. Her parents decided she is going to the college of their choice. Wren wants to go to Guatemala with the Peace Corps. Then, Charlie Parker comes into her life. Everything Wren wants is right in front of her, but she can't have it all. She has to choose: Charlie, college, or Guatemala. Are there any possible combinations? Wren needs to choose, her heart or her parents ideas? It's time to make a decision.

"You're saying the mysteries are worth examining, even if they're too big to be understood. That maybe they're bound to be too big to understand, but that doesn't  take anything away from them, and in fact just adds to their beauty."

Previously reviewed: Let it Snow (co-written with John Green and Maureen Johnson)

Before I Fall

The Bookworm says... Yes! Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver was a lovely read. Samantha Kingston was killed in a drunk driving accident. She is dead. Was dead. The one problem: she wakes up the next morning. And everyone around her? It's like it never happened. She relives this day, her death day if you will, several times. Each day she changes things she realizes she has done wrong. being the most popular girl in her high school, Sam has messed up a few times. Now she has a chance, or seven, to fix her ways, and die peacefully. I adored this book. Absolutely adored it. The main reason I had picked it off the shelf was because of the review on the cover from Jay Asher, one of my favorite authors. I'm indescribably happy with Before I Fall, and Lauren Oliver. In fact, it drove me straight to Barnes and Nobles to buy another one of her novels, Panic. I think I just found a new favorite author.

"Maybe for you there's a thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so much time you can bathe in it, roll around in it, let it slide like coins through your fingers. So much time you can waste it. But for some of us there's only today. And the truth is, you never really know."

Lovely, Dark, and Deep

The Bookworm says... YES! Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Amy McNamara was an outstanding novel. Mamie Wells was a perfect student, but also an avid partier and social butterfly. One accident causes this girl to disappear forever. She moves from New York City to live in a secluded home in Northern Maine to live with her artist father. She no longer goes by Mamie, but Wren. She completely abandons everything from her old life, and tries to build a new one. This being said, she promises herself that someday she will return to NYC and go to college as planned. One day, after nearly being run over by his car, Wren meets a boy named Cal. They keep in touch, but not often. After months of living like a recluse, Wren's parents intervene. She is forced to get a job, and help out around the house. After being pushed to go see a therapist, Wren heads out on a stress run, forgetting it's nearly midnight. There she runs into Cal, who is with his ex girlfriend. She jumps to conclusions and runs away, back into the woods. In her stress and confusion, she ends up hospitalized with hypothermia. She recovers, and is seemingly happier. Until, that is, her best friend from her former life arrives with a stack of letters she had been meaning to send and two bottles of champagne. Will Wren welcome Meredith back into her life, and return to her old self, or will she continue to push Meredith away and sink back into seclusion, accepting her life for what is? After having this book recommended to me by a close friend (and then proceeding to steal her copy), I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it. I even put off reading it for a while; once I started the novel I couldn't put it down until two hours later when I finished it. This book is outstanding, and I would recommend it to any young person that may have, not unlike Wren, lost themselves whilst loosing someone else. An excellent debut novel.

"The only constant is change."

Love and Other Perishable Items

The Bookworm says... Maybe. Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo was not a bad book, it just wasn't outstanding! Amelia is 14 years and 9 months old, and working her first job at a supermarket. Leave it to Amelia to fall in love with her co-workers. That in itself is an issue, but this particular co-worker happens to be a 22 year old uni student named Chris. Amelia tries to keep her cool around Chris, and succeeds. They become close friends, but nothing more. Until one night at another co-workers birthday. They are both drunk, and Chris kissed Amelia. They both leave the party with very different expectations of where their relationship will go. This book starts out in Amelia's point of view, then transfers into Chris's point of view through his journal entries. 

William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist

"Love is awkward. Amelia should know."

Side Effects May Vary

The Bookworm says... Yes! Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy was an outstanding novel! 

Then

Alice was diagnosed with leukemia one year ago. She always thought life was guaranteed, but now tow weeks aren't even guaranteed. So, there are some things she must do before she dies. Blackmail her ex boyfriend into embarrassing himself after cheating on her, telling people her private information, and making fun of a gay boy in their grade. She must break into the amusement park from when she was little and go on the tea cups. She has to humiliate her former dance rival, and constant enemy onstage during the school play. She needs to buy a puppy for the little girl next door. And finally, she has to go to a prom. For all of this she enlists her childhood best friend Harvey. 

Just after all of Alice's issues are settled, she feels she could die peacefully. She tells Harvey her feelings for him, and falls asleep content with death. Only to learn the next day she has gone into remission. She was living life like she was dying, but now she is going to live. 

Now

Things are extremely awkward between Alice and Harvey. Alice has to return to school. Alice is still weak. She returns to school and faces her dance enemy Celeste. Celeste and her side kick Mindi are horrible to Alice, saying she should have died. While Alice tries to figure out her feelings for Harvey, she doesn't realize that she is leaving his feelings in the dust. She kisses him, but won't say she loves him. She doesn't talk to him at school, yet she is jealous when she sees him with other girls. She doesn't know what to do. Celeste and Mindi are trying to plan something awful for Alice, and it happens. They make her a shrine type memorial that would have happened if she had died. Alice witnesses her own memorial. Harvey has a girlfriend. Alice confronts her mom about what she saw in the window one day. Life is going down hill. Alice realizes that in her quest for revenge and good deeds, she never did soemthing for Harvey. So, she tries to find his dad, and in the process finds her feelings for him. 

This book was excellent. It switches point of view and time period every chapter which is usually enough to make me close a book. But, it works. Julie Murphy, well done. 

It's Kind of a Funny Story

The Bookworm says... YES. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini was am excellent book. Craig Gilner was always a model students and studied his butt off for the admittance test for Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School. He spends all his time studying, and the pressure pushes him to his breaking point. He begins to become more and more depressed. Once he gets to the school he realizes that he will never be an A+ student, just normal 93's which aren't bad but they aren't outstanding and if they're not outstanding, he won't get into a good college and he won't get a good job. The stress keeps piling on and Craig stops eating and sleeping. He finally decides to kill himself. In the middle of the night, he prepares to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. He calls a suicide hotline and they tell him if he is considering harming himself he should check himself into a hospital. Craig decided that death probably falls under the category of harming yourself, and checks himself in. While in the Brooklyn Mental Health Facility, he finds people that are non-verbal, transsexuals, depressed teens, drug addicts, and... love? Will Craig manage to get his depression under control (or experience the Shift as he calls it)? And what will he use to make this happen? Will he escape this hospital and find true love? 

Asylum

The Bookworm says... YES (if you like scary things)! Asylum by Madeleine Roux was an excellent book, and a thriller to top it off! I am a huge fan of scary things, so this was an upside for me, but it could also be a downside. If the cover creeps you out, I would advise you not to look any farther. Sixteen year old Daniel Crawford is going to a summer college prep program at New Hampshire College Prep, or as referred to by the locals NHCP. But, before beginning the program Dan received a letter saying that the dorms were under construction, and college prep students would be staying in the newly renovated Brookline Phsyciatric Hospital dorms. This would be enough to make a sane person shaken, but not driven Daniel Crawford. Upon arrival, Daniel meets two people named Abby and Jordan. They become friends instantly. When Daniel is shown to his dorm room, he finds a picture of a man wearing glasses, but the problem seems to be that his eyes had been scratched out rather brutally in pen. This rattles Dans bones. That night, Jordan, Dan, and Abby begin exploring the locked up hallways of the asylum. They find more disturbing photos, and one particularly gory photograph of a young girl. They continue to explore, and Dan begins recieiving strange notes. One night as they sneak up from the cellar, they realize they have walked straight into a crime scene, and someone has been attacked. More attacks, more strange notes, mysterious texts, and hidden relations. As the students dig deeper into the asylum than they should, behavior begins to waver and ancestry starts to show between the students and patients. There are some secrets meant to stay buried, and some doors meant to stay locked. It seems the only way to stay sane is to get out of the place whose very purpose is to make people sane. Asylum was an excellent book, full of haunting photos from real life asylums. This is a must read for all horror lovers, also for lovers of Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

An Abundance Of Katherines

The Bookworm Says.... Yes. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green was excellent. John Green is one of my all time favorite authors EVER. I don't think I could ever think badly of a book written by John Green. Colin Singleton is a child prodigy. No a genius though. Just a prodigy. He is also a dumpee. He is one that gets dumped. He has been dumped 19 times to be exact, by 19 girls named Katherine. Usually the dumping doesn't affect him much, but Katherine 19 really gotta him. So he and his best friend Hassan decide to go on a road trip. They end up in Gutshot, Tennessee. While in Gutshot, Colin decides to make a graph-able formula that could predict relationships. In Gutshot, they are staying with a girl named Lindsey, and her mother Hollis. Hollis puts the, to work, interviewing the citizens of Gutshot for a documentary. Colin struggles to complete the Theorem, and may end up trying a girl that IS NOT named Katherine. Read all of this and more in An Abundance of Katherines. I would recommend this book to all John Green lovers, and anyone looking for a good romance. Also, if you enjoy math, this book is the place for you!

Looking For Alaska

The Bookworm says...YES. Looking For Alaska by John Green was fantastic. Just hearing John Greens name should make you go out and buy it. Miles is a nerd, loser, outcast, etc. He decides to restart his life at a boarding high school called Culver Creek. He gets there and meets his roommate Chip, aka The Colonel. The Colonel introduces Miles (who was immediately nicknamed Pudge) to Alaska Young and Takumi Hikohito. They all become best friends. They pull many excellent pranks on The Weekday Warriors- the snobby rich kids that go home on the weekend- and on The Eagle(the principal). After a long night of truth or dare, and hopeless drunk ness, Alaska gets a call. During it she starts to cry and scream. She runs to her car, and has Pudge and The Colonel make a distraction. She leaves and.... Well I'm not going to give away the surprise. This book was by all means wonderful, and seeing as you are still reading this, there is no way you could be buying the book. So stop reading this and go!!

Beautiful Creatures

TheBookworm says...Yes. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia wasa great book! If I had to put an age recommendation on this book, I would say12+. In the small town of Gatlin, nothing ever changed. No way, no how. But oneday it does. A strangely beautiful girl named Lena Duchannes moves in with thetown shut-in Macon Ravenwood. Strange things start happening with this girl...But right when Ethan Wate sees her, he knows she is the girl from his dream. Hehas been having dreams of a girl who is always just out of reach, and she alwaysfalls through his grip. He wakes up, covered in dirt, as if he were actuallycrawling around the mud, holding on to her. One morning after one of theseepisodes, he finds a new song on his MP3 player. It is titled "SixteenMoons" it goes:

SixteenMoons,

Sixteenyears,

Sixteentimes you dreamed my tears,

Fallingfalling through the years. 

 

Afterthis girl cause a few strange occurrences, Ethan learns she is a Caster, almostlike a witch. He also discovers that on her sixteenth birthday, at midnight,she will be claimed, either dark or light. He is wondering what exactly"dark" is when he encounters Lena's cousin Ridley. She tricks himinto escorting her for dinner at The Ravenwood place. He later learns she is a siren.Ridley creates chaos, and nearly kills Ethan. She shows up again at their schooldance, Accidentally causing Lena to destroy the dance. They school committeehas a trial to get Lena out of their school, but when her uncle Macon starts spilling the school boards dirty little secrets. they agree to let Lena stay. On the night of Lena's sixteenth birthday, shortly before midnight, Ridley reappears, and gets the "popular" girls to throw Lena a surprise party. Lena begs to go, and Macon relents. Is it a trap? Will she still be out when she gets Claimed? Does she have to be Claimed tonight? If you read this book, all of these questions answers will become clear. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sitting on the edge of their seat, and biting their nails over suspense.

Divergent

The Bookworm says..........YES!!!!! Divergent by Veronica Roth was an AMAZING book!! To start, there are five factions. They are Erudite, Candor, Amity, Dauntless, and Abnegation. Each one has a virtue that they live by. Erudite the geniuses, Candor the honest, Abnegation the selfless, Amity the peaceful, and Dauntless the brave. But it mostly starts with a girl named Beatrice Prior and her brother Caleb. They live in the Abnegation section of future Chicago. Beatrice has just turned 16 and is having faction-transfer simulation tests. When she gets her results, they are extremely dangerous. She is Divergent. At the choosing ceremony, she lets her blood drop onto the Dauntless coals. She renames herself as Tris, and tries her best to become Dauntless. The initiation is very hard. You have to jump onto a train, then jump off it onto a building, then into a hole. All the while, there are two instructors the nice- Four, and the cruel, brutal, sick- Eric. Then there is brutal fighting, and more simulations. And the rankings. Ahhh the dreaded rankings. Will you do well? Will you not? Before she knows it, Tris finds herself above her competition, above Drew, Molly, Peter. Above her friends Christina, Al, Will. Above everyone. Little did she know, this was dangerous, almost as dangerous as being Divergent. There is an attack in the middle of the night, and Tris is saved by Four. After a few times visiting together, and after the initiation is over and the failers are faction-less, Tris and Four become Boyfriend and Girlfriend. Four discovers interesting information about the Erudite planning war against Abnegation. They even use the Dauntless as minions, after injecting them with a serum that will make all respond to the Erudite leader, and will not remember a thing when awoken. This affects everyone. Well, everyone but the Divergent. The few Divergent among them gather against the Erudite who had done this to them, and help take down the computer bank, and turn against them. This book was amazing, a great read that will have you calling out, and sitting on the edge of  your chair, and gripping the table. This book truly deserves its spot in the Barnes and Nobles top 10!

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

The Bookworm says maybe. I recently read the story Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. This book tells the story of a young girl named Minli who lives in a small, poor, struggling village on the face of Fruitless Mountain in China. Minli is fascinated when a man comes through her village selling.......Goldfish? She purchases one of the fish from the man, but when she finds feeding the fish will be too much for her family to handle, she sets him free. Then, does the fish talk to her? Minli goes on an adventure through the jungles and mountains of China meeting some interesting friends (and some people that were NOT her friends) including a talking dragon, some evil fruit throwing monkeys, a poor boy with his buffalo, a weaving goddess, an undercover king, and many more. This story teaches an important lesson of wisdom, gratefulness, forgiveness, and loving your family no matter how much fortune you have. I liked this book, but some parts were slow and seemed to drag along. I would definetly reccomend this book to someone who loves lots of myths and old tales.

A Mango Shaped Space

The Bookworm says yes! I have just read a book called A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass. This was her first book, and an excellent one indeed. This story tells the life of a 13 year old girl named Mia that lives in an isolated country town. You will learn of her struggle through her teen years battling synthesia, a condition where you may associate certain tastes with words, colors with words, numbers, or letters, or personalities with tastes, words, letters, and numbers. Mia experiences friendship troubles, failing a few subjects in school, meeting other synthesetes (people with synthesia), her first crush, and one day, a mango shaped space where her beloved cat Mango should be. This book is an excellent example of love, caring, kindness, and other feelings that are fun and entertaining to read about at any age.