Wish You Were Italian ( If Only...,#2)

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wish you were italian

if  Only...,#2

kristin rae

Publisher: Bloomsbury.

Publication Date:May 6,2014

Genre:YA Contemporary Romance|Adventure

Format|Pages:Hardcover|323

Source: Goodreads|Library.

The summer before senior year of high school. It’s supposed to be one of the biggest summers of her life, but Pippa is headed to an art program she has no interest in. The one saving grace is it’s in Italy. And when the opportunity strikes, she decides to ditch the program and travel Italy accomplishing her own list of goals. Things like swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, eating a whole pizza in one sitting…and falling in love with an Italian boy! 

As she explores the famous cities of Rome and Pompeii, Pippa finds herself falling for two boys: a local guy she knows is nothing but trouble and a cute American archaeology student who keeps disappearing and reappearing at the strangest moments. Will Pippa find her true love before her parents find out the truth about her summer program? 

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This was such adorable debut novel. You can’t help but love Wish You Were Italian . It took me 2 days to finish the book. I spent most of Sunday reading it, I couldn’t force myself to put it down. I got so attached to Pippa’s story, adventures that I was curious how it would end for her. I wondered if she would get caught, considering that she lied to her parents for 2 whole months. If her and Darren would finally admit their feelings for one another, kiss. There was so much that I wondered about. I loved fact that it took a place in Italy; it’s one of the places that I would love to visit in the future. I always loved reading travel type of novels that took place in foreign country. Once I read Wish You Were Italian I felt like I learned even more about Italy and now I want to visit it more, I am eager to see places that Pippa, Darren, Nina saw. All of them sound fascinating, breathtaking and I would love to see them all. It had such vivid descriptions’ of each. How could you not want to go to Italy afterwards? If I could right now. I would. 


At first I had a bit trouble determining if I liked Pippa or not. At first I was bit annoyed that she was complaining about going to Italy. Even if I went alone, it not something that I would complain about, it’s Italy. Of course forcing for her to study art history which wasn’t something that was her, I could see why she was angry with them. I was actually curious if she would go through it, go to art history class. Moment that she discovered the money, I got a feeling that she planned something but I didn’t know if she would actually go through it. In a way I hoped she would, studying art history all summer in Italy, wouldn’t be my idea of fun though I love art. I would want to explore instead. That’s what Pippa did. I felt like I went along on her adventures with her. Even if it didn’t end well for her, I’m glad she got to experience Italy. I was sure she would gotten caught sooner that she did. If she didn’t do it, she wouldn’t met Darren, her new friends. 


Darren, how could you not love him? I could tell that there was connection between two of them, moment that two of them met. Connection that two of them didn’t want admit seemed like. I knew why Pippa didn’t, because at first she thought he was with Nina and then she met Bruno. She was conflicted. If I was in her situation, I would be too. Two cute guys, both sweet and pay attention to me, it would be hard to decide whose feelings were real. In this case, I knew it was Darren, considering how many girls Bruno flirted with, including in front of her. Then stealing from her. He wasn’t one for her and I hoped that she would see her. I was bit confused why Darren refused to kiss her, there were few times that they came close, but each time he held back. Pulled away. Once they did kiss, it seemed magical to me. It had me smiling. I loved most of the scenes between two of them, I could tell how much he cared about her. Otherwise he wouldn’t came all way, to see her. He did everything so he could spend time with her. It was sweet. I was glad to see their happy ending. 


This was one of most contemporary, romantic debut I read. There were multiple times I found myself smiling. It was also real. At least to me it felt real. It was fun, sweet. You couldn’t help but fall in love with the characters. It’s an author I will be checking out in future.

Rites Of Passage.

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rites of passage.

joy n.hensley

Publisher: Harper Teen.

Publication Date:September 9,2014

Genre:YA Contemporary Romance|Suspense

Format|Pages:Hardcover|416

Source: Goodreads|Library.

Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave her before he died. 

So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty...no matter how much she wants him. 

As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and active… and determined to force her out. 

At any cost. 

Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust...and choosing the wrong person could have deadly consequences.

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  Suspense, Action, Survival, Military, forbidden romance. Rites Of Passage had all of those, a type of book that I love. The novel wasn’t any different. I fell in love with it right from start. Most of my families were in military and couple good friends of mine. I had always enjoyed novels like these and I have read few that were military based. When I saw that this was military based and fact that she went to military school for dare, had my interest right away. It ended up being even better that I imagined it to be. It was an unexpected, unlike the story that I expected to be. First it was based in military school, second it focused a lot of survival, since Sam was one of first class of females in Denmark Military Academy. Rites Of Passage is a type of book that has you go through emotions all the way through. How can you not in a novel like this one? It deals with quite bit violence and of course action. Plus the descrptions of everything they went through, the training, hell week and everything in between is intense. Reading it, you can’t help but wonder: Who will make it? Will they succeed? Those were my thoughts. I got so into book that even days I was worn out after work, I found myself reading before bed because I wanted to find out what happens. Not what I expected it. Rite of Passage was a book I thought about after reaching the end. 


Loved Sam from the start. It takes a lot to face what Sam did. I wouldn’t last a second in military school, I would lost it, left at the first time someone yelled at me. Sam had the courage, a lot of it. She was strong and despite what happened, what others put her through, especially Matthews and how her brother treated her, she kept on going. She wouldn’t give up till it got resolved. Now that takes a lot. Considering that she almost got killed more than once, her father going MIA, missing her older brother, Amos. All of those is hard enough for one person to deal with, I don’t even know how she managed to not give up. I would have. I do believe that having her drill sergeant, Stamm on her side helped her through it all. He helped her through so much, and one of the guys that didn’t actually tried do anything to make her quit, he did the opposite. Loved the scenes between two of them, it sucks that no mattered what happened, they still couldn’t be together. That would be hard on anyone and considering how much they went through. The way they parted, made me sad probably as much as it hurt them. I hoped that they would found a way to be together. However that what made the book more realistic than ones I read before. 


I try not to dislike characters but sometimes it hard not to. I disliked Matthews from the moment he appeared in the book, how he tried to make her quit from day one. Even if he wasn’t the only one attempting to make her quit, there was something off about him. Something that I disliked about him, and it seemed like he was mostly conctrating on making Sam quit more than others. There were multiple times that I wanted to punch him. I hoped that he would get caught and kicked out, but of course that didn’t happen and I had feeling that his father had something to do with that. Now Jonathan, I was angry with him too. How could he treat his own sister like that? Once I did find a reason behind and they had their brother/ sister moment it was hard to dislike him, I actually was smiling. He was trying protecting her. Rites Of Passage had always something going one, there wasn’t one dull moment. If I could give it more than five stars. I would. 


Rites Of Passage will have you on edge of your seat. Even after you will wonder what could happen next. You won’t be able to get the book, the story out of your mind. A mind-blowing debut.

The One(The Selection,#3)

☆☆☆☆☆

the one

The Selection,#3

kiera cass

Publisher: HarperTeen.

Publication Date:May 6,2014

Genre:YA Dystopian Romance|Action

Format|Pages:Hardcover|323

Source: Goodreads|Library.

The time has come for one winner to be crowned. 

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants. 

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If I wasn’t Team Maxon already, I would have after reading this book. It had me smiling by the end. How could I not? Both of them finally got their happiness and after everything that they gone through. This is one of my favorite’s quotes, it had me tearing me. Feeling sad and happy at same time. “I'll love you until my very last breath. Every beat of my heart is yours. I don't want to die without you knowing that. It was heartbreaking considering the situation but at same time I couldn’t help but smile. It was at that moment I realized how much he loves, that what happen between her and Aspen doesn’t matter to him, that she is the one that matters to him. The title fits it perfectly. America is the one for Maxon. I wondered how long it would take her to realize that she loved him. I knew that she cared about him , especially after reading The Elite but I was curious if she could fall in love with him. When she finally realized it was Maxon that she loved, and told him. That was most of romantic scenes, at least in my opinion. Of course after that everything fell apart when he found about Aspen. I can’t imagine how he felt, I couldn’t blame him for acting way that he did. He was heartbroken. I was sure that he would choose Kriss, though it wasn’t the one he truly loved. It does make me wonder if palace wasn’t attacked and he wouldn’t been shot, would he still choose her? My heart broke for America during that time. She changed so much through the series. I hoped that Maxon would see that they belong together. 



There was a bit more action in this one. And in this novel, America was taking the completion a bit more seriously and now she wasn’t here because of money, but in order to win heart on Maxon. She went through a lot and I saw how hard it was on her when she saw Maxon with the other girls, especially Kriss. I believe it was the reason that she didn’t tell him that she loved him sooner, because she wasn’t aware of his true feelings. She might known he cared about her but she didn’t know how much. She didn’t till he told her, till she read the letters. That were so sweet and I felt like I was America when I read them. The emotions in this book were so amazing, the way that America described she felt, they felt so real and at times I felt myself the feelings that she was feeling. About Maxon. About the completion. Her father’s death. It was hard for me not to like America. Maxon changed her. Being in completion changed her. I was happy that America made friends with girls at last, even though it took all of them a while. I was happy to see them at America’s wedding. I was happy to find out that there is another book after this one. I’m curious to see what happens now that Maxon is the king, what other chances he will make, what other challenges he will make. 



Out of all the book covers in the series, The One is my favorite. How can you not love it? Just look at it. The dress is white and surrounded by white roses designs. It looks great on America took. Even I would love to wear a dress like that. Even if book is fictional, I am actually a bit jealous of America, of that dress. The cover is completely stunning and it would capture attention of any reader. The design of the book. It’s breathtaking, just like the story, the characters. There wasn’t anything I didn’t love about it. It’s a series I wasn’t sure how much I would like due to mixed reviews but became one of my favorites. I’m looking forward to The Heir though not sure if can wait till May, I wish I could pick it up now. I’m in love with the series.

Infinite (Newsoul,#3)

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Infinite

Newsoul,#3

jodi meadows.

Publisher:  Katherine Tegen

Publication Date:January 28,2014

Genre:YA Paranormal Romance|Dystopian

Format|Pages:Hardcover|418

Source: Goodreads|Library.

DESTRUCTION
The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk. 

FLIGHT
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach. 

CHOICE
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all. 

With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions. 

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An incredible conclusion to a breathtaking series. I’m still having a hard time accepting fact that it’s over. I don’t want it to be over, I loved everything about it. One of best series, addictive series that I have read this year. Every page, every book had me craving more. Newsoul was an incredible adventure for me. I am going miss the heart and especially Ana & Sam, out of all characters out there; they stood up for me the most. They were my favorites. Not only was the story incredible but the covers are gorgeous. I believe than any reader out there would be captivated by them. Not only are they are colorful but mysterious as well. Especially cover for Infinite, black wings, it gives her a darker, more mysterious look, It’s like a clue to let reader know that something big is about to happen. Any fan of mystery, fantasy would be drawn by covers alone. Newsoul is a series that worth every page. 


Infinite had much more action. Every page, every chapter there was always something happening. I had trouble putting the book down from the very first page, it had me hook and engaged on the journey that they were all on. I wondered will all of them make it through it all? Would they be able to stop Janan? None of them were safe and I knew the possibility of them not making it all the way. It’s a dangerous task, and that’s a lot of responsibility, especially for Ana. It seemed like everyone depended on her, on what to do. But at times when she did make the decisions, such as to go to dragons for help, they got angry with her. That I could understand, considering Sam’s history with them. Ana sacrificed so much, especially towards the end. Everything that happened, I pictured it all and to me it was real. Their journey, their struggles, their hope. 


As I said before, I love Sam & Ana, what they have is real. I loved fact that there were no love triangles in here. Just Sam & Ana from the moment that two of them met. They have connection, chemistry. The two of them belong with each other. I disliked when they fought, especially when they had that long fight, and honestly I didn’t think he was being fair to her then, but at same time I could understand him. I could understand how he was feeling, I understood how both of them were feeling. The two of them went through so much and in end, they were still there to comfort one another. When they were together, it seemed like it took away everything else at that moment. The pain. The loss. The scenes between the two of them were my favorite ones to read. 


Newsoul is a series about love, loss, revenge, power, friendship, acceptance, strength. It’s unlike any series that I read before and I loved everything about it. If you love fantasy with romance, suspense in the mix, Newsoul is a series you wished you picked up earlier. A series you won’t want to end. 


Incredible, thrilling ride.