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Fake It Till You Break It
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
From the moment I read the synopsis, I wanted to read Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen. Fake dating that might backfire on the characters in the end? That sounded like pure fun (for the reader, probably not the characters), and Nguyen delivered. Some people may think the book is predictable and full of clichés, which can definitely be the case depending on reading preferences (and mood).

But if anyone is looking for a light and funny young adult contemporary romance to read, Fake It Till You Break It is the perfect new release from Swoon Reads. Knowing each other since childhood, Mia and Jake have constantly been in each other’s presence thanks to their mothers being friends. From dentist visits to brunch and even vacation, they’ve done practically everything together growing up.

But now that they’re old enough to be in romantic relationships, their moms think the two of them will be perfect (and bonus: they can continue hanging out together if everything goes well). Tiring? Mia and Jake seem to think so. To get their moms off their backs about being the perfect couple, the two devise a plan: pretend to date, then break it off bad enough that they’ll be out of each other’s lives forever. So much for their moms trying to get them together, right?

Spoiler: Joke’s on Mia and Jake.

Mia and Jake were cute together and I loved their individual viewpoints throughout the book as they evolved from “we hate each other” to “maybe we don’t hate each other.” Their voices were easily distinguishable and not confusing between chapters while adding to the story overall. Both of their moms were so much fun to read despite the irritation Mia and Jake felt with the constant pushing for them to be together.

Fake It Till You Break is such a cute and pure romance, and I highly encourage giving Nguyen’s book a chance if you enjoy the fake dating trope and good banter, and you want a light read for the summer.

<a href="http://theartsstl.com/jenn-p-nguyen-fake-it-till-you-break-it-swoon-reads/">This review is originally posted on The Arts STL</a>
  
Silver Moon (The Silver #7)
Silver Moon (The Silver #7)
Cheree Alsop | 2013 | Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Silver Moon is the final book in the Silver series, and let me tell you, this book has ripped my heart out, thrown it on the floor, stamped all over it, picked it back up again, only to do it all again, before finally leaving me needing a new series!!!

Things come to a head for Jaze and his pack and he has to make decisions no young adult should have to. I really won't say too much as I don't want to give out any spoilers. All I will say is be careful! Your heart will racing, your mouth dry, as you try to figure out just how he gets out of certain situations. And also, for the last quarter of the book (at least) I was sobbing as I read. Not just crying, oh no. We're talking great big f'ugly crying!!!

There's so much I want to say but I can't without giving away spoilers! I want to talk about certain characters and what they went through and how it made me feel. I want to talk about that spectacular ending that just about killed me. I want to talk about the aftermath which made me cry again. But I can't.

What I will say is this series is simply outstanding. I have loved all of the books in this series for one reason or another. They all fit together perfectly. The writing is unsurpassed. The pacing is smooth. The characters are all lifelike and behave just as you think they should, before they turn around and surprise the living daylights out of you.

This book killed me. I love and hate it so it will be kept and re-read, again and again. So sad to see this series end but it does lead me nicely onto the next series, which now I just HAVE to read.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
The 5th Wave: Book 1
The 5th Wave: Book 1
Rick Yancey | 2013 | Children
10
8.0 (42 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the first book in the series. A teenage Cassie was living a normal life with her mom, dad and her little brother Sammy until the alien spaceship showed up above Earth. The waves start hitting the Earth and Cassie’s life turns upside down. She gets separated from her little brother Sammy and makes him a promise that she will find him. Along the way to find Sammy she meets this perfect man, Evan Walker but is he really so perfect, or is he hiding something? Will Cassie find Sammy? What else she will find along the way? Oh, You will have to read it to figure that out. :p

If you read “Divergent” or “Maze runner” you will definitely enjoy this book as well. The main character – Cassie is a very strong and ambitious teenager and hardly takes NO for an answer. Her main focus in this book was Sammy, which I found sometimes quite annoying. Yes, I understood that Sammy is your priority but why do you need to remind me that in every second page? :S Other characters are really strong and interesting as well. If there would be team Ben (another boy Cassie fancies) and team Evan I would definitely be in the second one. I found his character very mysterious, charming and would’ve liked to read more about things from his perspective.

The plot of this book is really catching. It is very fast-paced and has lots of action going on in there. I really enjoyed the way the book was written, giving the view of the story from different angles. One chapter talks about what Cassie is up to, another chapter tells you what’s going on in the camp. I really enjoyed that characters had their say in the book and it wasn’t just a one-way story. It is really easy to read this book, it sucks you in and keeps you in the world of aliens and doubt. To conclude, this is a great book if you are a Young Adult series fan, it is filled with action and teenage romance, surrounded with love for the family and grief.
  
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Family
The last crusade
Dora And The Explorer And The Lost City Of Gold maybe this years biggest shocker. A mix of Tomb Raider & Indiana Jones this one really does hit you right in the nostalgia gland. After not knowing anything about this character what so ever I was seriously expecting to walk out this movie shortly after it began, so imagine my surprise when just 15 minutes in I found myself not only highly entertained but actually full on laughing constantly at all the jokes too. Ok so Im not really sure who this movie is aimed at to be honest as theres not much in here that will apeal to young kids bar the strange inclusion of two horribly animated cgi characters (which I feel didn't fit at all with the look of the film & ruined the overall visual style of the movie). Dora the movie is also so self aware & full of strange adult humour/jokes that seemingly mock its own source material too which found hilarious. This along with how the overall tone was handled made such a fun & fresh aproach for a kids film that made it exciting & enjoyable to watch. Visually its beautiful with such vibrancy & vastness that sets feel alive/exciting to explore. They really captured the sense of adventure & discovery here & although most of the film is just a re-skin of Indiana jones and the last crusade it never felt stale or any less thrilling bringing back the same feelings I had while watching those films way back when I first saw them in my youth. Cast wise everyone one does a smashing job at over acting which only adds to the tone & humour with Michael Pena owning every scene he's in with his energy alone. Miles better than the last Tomb Raider & Indy films & filled with such randomness, strangeness, 4th wall breaking & fun Dora is a film recent Disney movies could learn a thing or to from, its genuinely hilarious, has great production values, a decent sense of threat, positive messages about leaving your comfort zone & a smart self awareness making it a really enjoyable watch. Oh & that Danny Trejo cameo 😂