Wicked Review: Calm Like Home by Kaisa Clark

Expected Publication: July 15, 2015

Acquired: eARC from author

Amazon

Alexa Clausen has never fallen. She’s never soared. She’s lived her entire life floating midway between passion and despondency, never experiencing those extremes. But all it takes is one evening with Adam Westbrook to draw her out of her shell, to leave her feeling bold for the first time ever. He is fiery and magnetic. He is gravitational, that inescapable pull no one can avoid. After a few chance encounters, Alexa finally accepts that she can’t stay away, can’t deny the electricity she feels every time he comes around.

But as the intensity between them deepens, she also can’t avoid the subtle hints that Adam is hiding something. His wide smile and radiant eyes obscure some burning secret, some detail of his past that resurfaces to steal his joy. The farther Alexa falls, the more she realizes just how little she really knows about Adam and how far he is willing to go to cover up the truth.

Calm Like Home is a story about love and longing, growth and stagnation, discovering one’s counterpart but losing oneself, and ultimately finding that one person truly has the power to change everything.

First of all I would like to thank Kaisa Clark for giving me a copy and entrusting me with her work. It means a lot to me.

Everyone who's been in love has been through what Alexa has gone through. Pining for someone but that someone doesn't see you for anything else other than a friend. It hurts a lot, yes. That is the sad reality for us poor, hopeless souls. Alexa is going crazy with Adam. I mean, first there's the innocent touches and pick up lines that send her heart racing to edge. She doesn't know what to make of it.

Adam decides to change that. From the boring friendship, it blooms into a fiery passionate relationship that Alexa hopes will last after the summer. I think summer has got to be the shortest time of the year ever. Just when you want it to last, it comes to end.

Past summer, they try to make it work. Even if they've confessed their true feelings for each other, Alexa feels like Adam is still hiding something from her. You give everything and you feel empty because something is missing. Love should be a give and take relationship.

When Alexa falls, I felt like I fell too. I mean, ugh, I rooted for this couple since the start of this book and now everything's falling apart. I don't like it at all. I wished that Adam had a chance to explain more of his story in this book. I mean, he eventually explained himself and I understood the meaning of the title of this book.

Nonetheless, Calm Like Home lives up to its name. It's about that kind of love you long for and the kind of love that you want to give your all even if you're scared to get hurt in the process.

Kaisa Clark is the author of the new adult novel Calm Like Home. She is passionate about reading and writing and also has an intense love for music, coffee, and dark chocolate. She lives with her amazing husband, sweet dog, and kooky cat.

Amazon || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || Pinterest || Spotify || Website

Wicked Photo Diary: June 2015

Hello, everyone! Wicked Photo Diary is a monthly feature where I share what has happened in my life through my Instagram photos. Think of it as an organize photo dump...only wicked!

Can you believe it? We're already six months into 2015. My, my, my. Well, here's what happened to me this June!

June 1, 2015

I was going to meet my good friend and trusty book supplier, Neil, that day and while I waiting I had coffee while reading A Clash of Kings...which until now, I haven't finished yet.

June 2, 2015

First up is, How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr. This book lived up to its name. You can read my review here.

June 6, 2015

June TBR! How To Save A Life, Sweethearts, and Story of A Girl by Sara Zarr, Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, and Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S King. Glory O'Brien is my first ever A.S King book. The others are from Neil!

June 12, 2015

June 12 is the Philippine Independence Day. It's also the birthday of my late maternal great-grandmother. She's Victoria, victorious in English. Sadly, I'm not in that photo. I just got this photo from my cousin. Well, I miss her dearly. We all do.

June 13, 2015

I'm not really supposed to take a photo inside the bookstore where I frequent to but I can't help it. I mean, it's books!? And plus this day was so memorable for me. I love this day so much. *insert heart eyes and dreamy sighs*

June 14, 2015

Another sneaky photo inside my favorite bookstore. Sweethearts captured my heart like no other. You can read my review here.

June 15, 2015

I just can't help it! *insert really naughty laugh*

June 17, 2015

I started watching SORTED Food on YouTube. They're 4 British guys who are just so funny yet they cook up the best recipes. I tried to make my own version of crisps/chips using a peeler and it turned out quite well!

June 18, 2015

Story of a Girl did not disappoint. It was endearing and real. You can read my review here.

June 21, 2015

This is our ancestral home backyard. Years ago though, the water level is higher and cleaner. I once crossed that river with some of my cousins and tried to catch dragonflies to play with. Those were definitely the days.

June 22, 2015

This is *hopefully* my last semester in school. So I have to do my best so I can graduate! Anyways, this is my favorite place in school, the library.

June 23, 2015

Now, Dangerous Girls is a whole different story. You can my extremely lengthy and rather crazed yet still coherent review here.

June 24, 2015

More food success! Frozen veggies and leftover rice and voila! Food!

June 29, 2015

I expect nothing but the best from A.S King and she delivers very well. I'm not yet done but I can tell that this book is amazing. Beautifully crafted plot plus a rather eccentric main character, how can I not like it?!

So that's it, folks. I bid June goodbye. I can't wait to show you more photos next month. Anything interesting that happened to you this June? I'd like to know so comment below! Oh and do follow me on Instagram!

Wicked Review: Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

Published: May 6, 2014

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Acquired: Borrowed Paperback

Amazon || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Fullybooked

It's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations. 

As Anna sets out to find her friend's killer; she discovers hard truths about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone around her thinks she is not just guilty, but dangerous. When the truth comes out, it is more shocking than one could ever imagine...

Where do I even start with writing this review? Jeez. For the first time in my absurdly weird life, I am at a loss for words.

All 400 pages of the book is alternating between their before the vacation, during their vacation, that fateful night, Anna's trial, the "now", the waiting, and the after. It's all told in Anna's perspective. There are things in the book that you wouldn't normally see in a book but it all helped in understanding the story. You'll know when you read the book.

You see, Anna Chevalier wasn't overly rich like her friends. She was from a public school. They got rich and she transferred to a prep school where she met Elise Warren. Their friendship is quite typical. High school girls without having a care in the world, sneaking out behind their parent's back, going to college parties, drinking, ditching school, and doing all sorts of crazy stuff really. Elise is more than just Anna's friend. She's her rock, I would say. Elise is everything to Anna and Anna is everything to Elise.

Anna met Tate Dempsey. Tate is everything you want to bring home to Mom. Elise warned Anna about Tate and Anna didn't take it to heart. Anna had everything she could hope for. Then tragedy struck her family. What's admirable about Anna and Elise's friendship is that no matter what happens, Elise is always there for Anna. Just what friends are supposed to be.

Come Spring Break. A week of no rules and no parents. It was perfect until Elise was murdered. This had my heart pumping. Evidences are presented to the court and Anna is accused of murder. I absolutely loved the courtroom drama. I can see it in my head like I'm watching How To Get Away With Murder or Suits. It's dramatic and it left me out of breath really.

So, who killed Elise? You just have to read the book to find out. Personally, I knew who killed her halfway through the book but I was in denial. I need more of this story though. Abigail Haas you blew my mind.

Abigail Haas has written two adult novels and four young adult contemporary novels under the name Abby McDonald. Dangerous Girls is her first young adult thriller. She grew up in Sussex, England, and studied Politics, Philosophy & Economics at Oxford University. She lives in Los Angeles.

Website || Twitter

Wicked Review: Story of A Girl by Sara Zarr

Published: January 10, 2007

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Acquired: Borrowed Paperback

Amazon || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Fullybooked

When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother's best friend—Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," she longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany and redemption.

No one really knows what happened to Deanna Lambert during that unfortunate time she was caught in the backseat of Tommy, her brother's best friend, except for her. She was cast as the slut when it fact she was only with Tommy for the rest of her miserable life and her father looks at her as if she's such a disappointment.

This book is painful, annoying, and sad. She misses spending time with her father whom she clearly loves so much. She reminisces the times when she was a kid that her father would smile at her and their family was a happy one.  Living in a small town doesn't really help Deanna's case as stories and rumors about her do around, some stories worse than the last. No girl should ever go through that emotional pain. Or better yet, no one should ever be talked about like that, boy or girl.

This book is not for the judgmental and narrow-minded. What happens in the latter part of the book might put some people of but I urge you to go through this book with an opened mind. I swear on all the peanut butter cookies I ate as I wrote this post, this book is well worth the read.

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: Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

Published: February 1, 2008

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Acquired: Borrowed Paperback

Amazon || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Fullybooked

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