Wicked Review: Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

Published: February 1, 2008

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Acquired: Borrowed Paperback

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As children, Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick were both social outcasts. They were also one another's only friend. So when Cameron disappears without warning, Jennifer thinks she's lost the only person who will ever understand her. Now in high school, Jennifer has been transformed. Known as Jenna, she's popular, happy, and dating, everything "Jennifer" couldn't be---but she still can't shake the memory of her long-lost friend. 

When Cameron suddenly reappears, they are both confronted with memories of their shared past and the drastically different paths their lives have taken.

From the National Book Award nominated author of Story of a Girl, Sweethearts is a story about the power of memory, the bond of friendship, and the quiet resilience of our childhood hearts.

At first I was skeptical when I picked it up after reading How To Save A Life, mainly because it only had 217 pages. I don't really read books with less than 300 pages. But hey, don't judge a book by the number of its pages.

Jennifer was bullied because she was fat. She only had one friend, Cameron Quick. When they were kids, Cameron confessed to Jennifer that he loves her via a note in her lunch box. The day of Jennifer's birthday changed everything for both of them. Jennifer and Cameron carried that horrifying experience as they got older. Cameron left town and disappeared off of the face of the Earth or so Jennifer believed all along.

She branded herself as Jenna. She was happy. She had friends. She had a boyfriend. And then Cameron came back. He wasn't dead after all. The worst part is that Jenna's own mother led her to believe that he really is dead. First off, that was just bad. She grew up having Cameron as her only friend, as the one person that she leaned on. To believe that the person is dead hurts a lot. I kept shaking my head at this because REALLY? Why did you do that?

I wish the book was also told in Cameron's POV because I'd really like to know what he feels or what he's thinking. He's emancipated and he moved back to Utah from California just so he can see Jennifer/Jenna. He wants a better life for his brothers and sisters which I think is a noble effort.

Jenna realizes that she really loves Cameron. Even if they were separated for eight years, she still thought about him, her one true friend. In the end, one thing I learned from this book is that there will always be that person who'll leave mark in your heart and no matter where you are or what you do or who you're with, you'll always think about them.

Sara Zarr is the acclaimed author of four novels for young adults: Story of a Girl (National Book Award Finalist), Sweethearts (Cybil Award Finalist), Once Was Lost (a Kirkus Best Book of 2009) and How to Save a Life. Her short fiction and essays have also appeared in Image, Hunger Mountain, and several anthologies. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, and online at www.sarazarr.com

Wicked Review: How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr

Published: October 18, 2011

Publisher: Little Brown Books For Young Readers

Acquired: Borrowed Paperback

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Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she’s somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it’s like to grow up unwanted—to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she’s sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It’s harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy—or as difficult—as it seems.

Where do I even start with this book? I mean, this is just phenomenal, really! It's written in dual POVs which is good so there's no confusion. It has the right amount of all the emotions known to mankind.

It was hard to believe at first that Jill's mother, Robin, agreed to an open adoption. If I were Jill, I would be skeptical. Here comes a stranger carrying who could be your future sister or brother and she'll be living with you until the baby comes. I mean, that's a big deal! I understood where Jill was coming from and why she was pretty angry at everyone. It's a tragedy in the making.

Mandy, on the other hand, is like a lost puppy. She was at least thirty three weeks into her pregnancy and she's just as skeptical as Jill in this situation. She wanted a good life for her baby. She was confused. One minute, she couldn't be more happier to be living a life that she could've lived if it weren't for her mother and then she's scared that one day, Robin and Jill would just let her go along with the baby and she'll have nowhere to go.

For the most part the book dragged on around Jill and Mandy, enough that it made me tired. I was wondering when this will all end. I wanted to know if both of them have made the right decisions in life and whether those decisions would make them really happy or not. You just have to leave it to the masters of time. Give things ample time to reveal themselves...for lack of a better term.

I understand why this book is called How To Save A Life. You just have to get a copy of this book to fully understand where I am coming from.

Sara Zarr definitely wowed me with this one. I have two more books of hers (courtesy of my really good friend, Neil!) and she already has a special place in my heart.

Sara Zarr is the acclaimed author of four novels for young adults: Story of a Girl (National Book Award Finalist), Sweethearts (Cybil Award Finalist), Once Was Lost (a Kirkus Best Book of 2009) and How to Save a Life. Her short fiction and essays have also appeared in Image, Hunger Mountain, and several anthologies. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, and online at www.sarazarr.com

Wicked Review: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

Published: February 10, 2015

Publisher: Harper Collins

Acquired: Borrowed Paperback

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Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner. 

Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince.

I just remembered now that I should've written this a long time ago. Sorry for that.

You know how there are those stories with two characters that are so broken beyond repair and suddenly fate decides to play with the two of them so that they could survive or at least somehow learn about life. This book did exactly that and more. Aysel and Roman "planned" how they would die together. Planning your death is not such a good idea. For one, it wouldn't work.

It didn't work for both of them. This is where fate played with both of them. Sure, there is the romance bit but it's not over-powering that it draws the reader's attention away from the actual story. Aysel's father is a convicted murderer. Roman is blaming himself for his sister's death. Aysel doesn't want to have her father's sadness that caused him to kill a young boy that shook the entire town. She feels sad and I definitely felt it. Because of what her father did, she was cast aside. No one wanted to befriend the daughter of a murderer. Even at her own house, she's an outcast.

Roman is the complete opposite of Aysel. He lived that life. He was a basketball player. He had a girlfriend. He smiled a lot. Notice how I used that past tense? That's because that's all in Roman's past. His younger sister died and he blames himself for it. Deeply blames himself for it.

Jasmine Warga hit the mark, with the theme and the romance and the life lessons. This is really good. I couldn't say more.

Hi. I'm Jasmine. My first novel, My Heart and Other Black Holes, will be published in 2015 by Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins. I'm currently writing my second book which is tentatively scheduled to be published in 2016.

I like emotive music, animals of all sorts, lemonade, and Swedish Fish. And books.

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Wicked Photo Diary: May 2015

Happy June 1st everyone! Well, if you're in Asia, it's June 1st and it's still May 31st across the Pacific Ocean. ANYWAY. We're halfway through the year. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I can't. Here's another round up of what happened in my life through my Instagram photos! And also, May is my birthday month so...yes, I'm 21 years old.

May 2, 2015

This is the Centennial Terminal where my brother and I dropped of our mother to fly down to Cebu where my maternal grandparents are. It was a pretty sad weekend for our family as we lost our loved one but I know my dear grandfather is safe and sound, wherever he is now.

May 3, 2015

This 1 of 4 books that I borrowed from my good friend Neil. He supplies me with the best books ever. And also, May 3rd is a pretty sad day for Filipinos as well, as the People's Champ lost to Money Mayweather. So much for beating the May-weather. My Heart and Other Black Holes is a splendid read and I just realized that as I was typing this, I haven't reviewed it yet. Woops! I'll be posting one really soon!

May 5, 2015

How often can you get a free Starbucks beverage? Answer: RARELY. Well, at least, in my case. A friend of my OJT Supervisor gave this to us interns and voila, free Tall Dark Mocha Panna Cota Frappucino to beat the heat!

May 9, 2015

This book had me on the edge. I mean, really! Every time I look at it, it gets my heart racing. Check out my review here. Everyone should read A.S King. She is the best!

May 10, 2015

I took a photo because I just found it really cool. It's Mother's Day too so, my brother and I picked my mom and my grandmother up from the airport because we're dutiful children.

May 20, 2015

I vow to read everything by A.S King because she's so amazing. Check out my review here.

May 23, 2015

After all the feels I got from A.S King and Jasmin Warga, I settled down with Victoria E. Schwab. This one gave me the right amount of creep and I love it. Check out my review here.

Mom wanted to buy a dedication cake and my brother and I, being really avid football fans, decided to dedicate the cake our favorite clubs. Mine's FC Bayern Munich and while he's with FC Barcelona. Both teams won their respective league cup trophies so we're happy football fans.

May 24, 2015

This is my cousin, Kieffer, and he's the cutest thing on earth. We had a party in the province for one of my grandfathers and my mom and I have a competition on who gets to touch Kieffer first since we rarely get to go home in the province because it's so far away. Needless to say, my mom beat me to it.

May 26, 2015

I love this drink so much. It's the best thing ever. I don't really like purple potato but mixed with coffee, I'm solved!

May 29, 2015

Stock photo because May is the month of flowers.

I already miss having to go to the office and write a lot. It's the first time I've written for a website and I want to make a career out of it. I met some really cool people during my one month stay and I pray to my lucky stars that I get to work with them again someday.

May 30, 2015

I mean, how can you not take a photo? Just. How. Btw, I finally know why this thing is so expensive. It is so sinful and decadent and I love it so much I wish I could marry Godiva.

Awkward photo skills. I know.

May 31, 2015

I woke up to some good news yesterday that Arsenal won their 12th FA Cup trophy! *insert intense screaming*

So there you have it. How did May went for you? Tell me in the comments below!

Wicked Review: The Archived by Victoria E. Schwab

Published: January 22, 2013

Publisher: Hyperion

Series: The Archived #1

Acquired: Borrowed Paperback

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Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous—it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost, Da's death was hard enough, but now that her little brother is gone too, Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself may crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

This book creeped me out. I mean, it talks about the dead. You see, the Histories get to interact with the Keepers. Some of them are really young kids. When they see Mac, they ask her to show them home. Death is an inevitable thing really and no one really knows where we would go after we die. It was sad and depressing and creepy.

But nonetheless, it kept me at the edge of my seat. Mac grows restless from clearing her list now that she's moved to a different branch. The Histories are coming back to the Narrows where they don't belong. What scares her the most are the Keeper-Killers, the older Histories. They are more restless and more dangerous and harder to kill. The Librarians say there's something wrong with The Archives.

Mac meets Owen, a History lost in the Narrows. It was sort of hard to wrap my head around the fact that Owen can touch Mac even if he's a History and that his name hasn't come up her list yet. Truths are revealed and suddenly Mac is torn between protecting Owen because she feels something for him or that she should tell the Librarians about him. Wes, on the other hand, is another Keeper. Together, they try to put the Coronado, where they are currently stationed. He helps her clear out names off of her list.

Mac thought that the Archive is a safe place. But it isn't what she thought it was and now she must choose who to trust so that she can protect those she loves.

Victoria is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say "tom-ah-toes," "like," and "y'all."

She also tells stories.

She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.

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