Review: Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

Title: Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1)
Author: Abbi Glines
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: August 25th 2015
Page Number: 320
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…  

 

REVIEW

 

Some people may think I am biased because lately I've been reading Abbi Glines's books like they're chocolate, but that is nowhere near the case. I've only been reading her steamy New Adult books, so I was slightly nervous that her YA books wasn't going to be as good. But I was so wrong.

 

Until Friday Night is easily one of the most realistic YA Contemporary books I've ever read. The characters were incredibly relatable, yet still going through their own terrors in life. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one will completely relate to West and the pain he is going through. He's got no one to rely on because his mother is going through the exact same thing, his friends don't know and I know from past experiences that keeping secrets becomes impossible until you have to tell someone before you crack.

 

I've never experienced anything like Maggie has and I've certainly not stopped speaking (I can talk for Wales, apparently. I think it's a Welsh thing; we're all chatter box's.) however, that didn't refrain me from connecting to her. She has her fears, but I saw so much of my former self in Maggie. She's quiet, loyal, compassionate and selfless. She cares about everyone else rather than herself, because at least she hasn't got to confront what she's going through.

 

West and Maggie's relationship did confuse me a little. Their chemistry was...off the scales. Like in any Abbi Glines book, but Abbi really did something that I've not seen in any YA or NA book; she called out the guy being possessive. And I'm so happy that Maggie's character did that because I think it's something that needs to be done. You're meant to love her, not own her. She's not a trophy you can keep on the mantelpiece of your living room, she's a human being with feelings.

 

This is definitely one of my favourite Abbi Glines book and I'm super excited to see what's going to happen in Book 2 (It follows Maggie's cousin, Brady.) I love these small town romances too much. I may need to go to rehab.

 

A finished copy was provided by the publishers for a honest review

 

Pre-order the book (Waterstones) | Pre-order the book (Book Depository)

An Ember in the Ashes - #FantasyIRL Tag!

So today I received my ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) of An Embers in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir from Harper Voyager UK. And inside the parcel were 4 post cards with questions on that us Bloggers and Booktubers had a choice to answer. Like any warrior, I accepted!

CARD ONE

POWER. There are plenty of examples of abuse of power around the world and in AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, the impact of power both on the powerful and the powerless is key.

We all feel powerless sometimes. Have you ever fought against someone in a powerful position and stood up for yourself - if so, how did you do it?

Answer - I think everyone has been in a situation where we feel powerless and I am no different. I used to get bullied a lot in school, I always felt like I had no power because they made me feel weak, worthless. But I fought back in a way that was least expected. I didn't punch them in the face or tell a teacher, instead I continued going to school as myself. Over time they noticed that whatever they were to say wasn't going to affect me and left me alone.

CARD TWO

It's easy to let fear CONTROL your actions - it governs Laia's decisions from the outset in AN EMBER IN THE ASHES. And in reality, the pressures of modern life can be just as difficult to navigate.

We all have moment where we feel out of control of our own lives. What helps you regain control?

Answer - Everyone has suffered some form of loss of control, but I'm very patient and laid back. I stick to what I believe in because that's my opinion and it's not going to change. However, I do get stressed a lot when I lose control and only ASMR Videos can help with that.

CARD THREE

The burden of DESTINY is discussed throughout AN EMBER IN THE ASHES. Regardless of whether you believe in destiny or not, modern life generates its own expectations and pressures - whether from yourself, or your surroundings.

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason and your destiny is laid out for you? What do you think you can do to change your own destiny?

Answer - We control out own destiny's, but don't be surprised if something unexpected pops up now and then, because it can be a change we either want or need.

CARD FOUR

Elias struggles with the motion of FREEDOM in AN EMBER IN THE ASHES - he desperately wants to make his own decisions, as we often do in reality.

Modern life often means doing things we don't want to do (as in fantasy). What do you do to keep yourself feeling positive during a difficult day?

Answer - I honestly don't. Sometimes I take a deep breath, hold it in for 10 and slowly release it. Or I write down how I feel on a piece of paper, read it over and then burn it, letting it free into the world.

NOW FOR A SURPRISE!



Because I am taking part in this tag, Harper Voyager are letting me pick 2 people to win an ARC copy of An Ember in the Ashes. All you have to do is answer the question in the comments below and I will pick a winner 7 days after this post goes live! Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour. (Giveaway is UK only!)

What is your most anticipated release of 2015 and why?


My review of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES will go live on Monday 1st June.

 

 

 

Review: The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard

Title: The Perfectionists
Author: Sara Shepard
Genre: Contemporary/Mystery
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Published: October 2nd 2014
Page Number: 272

Summary:
In Beacon Heights High, Nolan Hotchkiss is king. His charm, wealth and good looks are deceptively seductive, and many are the students whose lives and reputations have been ruined by it. All while Nolan continues to reign, unquestioned and undisrupted. Until now, that is.

Mackenzie, Ava, Julie, Caitlin and Parker seemingly don't have much in common. Each has their own friends, dramas and goals. But one thing they do share: they all have a deep hatred of Nolan Hotchkiss. And they all think it's about time he paid for what he's done. They come up with the perfect murder - a hypothetical murder, of course. It's all wishful thinking ... until they wake up one morning to find that their wish has come true. Nolan has been killed - in exactly the way they planned. The thing is, they didn't do it. So who did?

Review:

 

I received this book from the Publishers for an honest opinion.

 

Sara Shepard is the author of the Pretty Little Liars series and my expectations for this Duology was high, sadly it didn't really hit the target. I felt like I was reading a reincarnation of Pretty Little Liars and not a new and original story. However, I did really enjoy it and the little twists that went on throughout the story.

 

This story is meant to be a mystery, but I kind of felt like the Mystery element wasn't in this book. I mean, there was a Mystery, but I felt it was too predictable and I guess that's why I tend to stay away from these type of books, because I always manage to guess who the suspect is. With the way it was written - in different POV's - I felt like it wasn't always clear who the character was and threw me off course, but after about 60 pages, I got used to it and it started to flow very well.

 

The writing is very simplistic and very easy to follow, which I think all contemporaries/mysteries need to be. They need to be confusing, but also easy to understand. What I wanted from this book was a spark, which I never got. Pretty Little Liars is an okay series, the earlier books were brilliant, but I can't help noticing the similarities between the both.

 

My other little problem was that I wasn't always captivated through out. Some scenes I got bored of and skipped a few pages, which shouldn't naturally happen. Sometimes with small books under 300 pages, I tend to find that I lose interest quickly because they rush it all and with this one I didn't feel that. I felt it was a bit dragged out. The cliffhanger at the end definitely didn't make me want to read the next book, but I may give it a chance to see how it wraps up.

 

Overall, I somewhat enjoyed this book. I just wished it was a more original idea. 3/5 stars!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini Reviews

 

 

Low Expectations by Elizabeth Aaron

 

I have to admit that once I saw this book I had to request this from the publishers. In September I'm going to be starting Magazine Journalism at University, but my main topic is Fashion. I love it!

 

This book is definitely one that people need to pick up and devour. It's a quick read, but it's also very witty. The characters and their situations are very realistic and up-to-date with everyone in their early 20's. I found myself laughing at specific situations that, I, myself had been in. Some people have compared Elizabeth's writing to Louise Rennison and I completely agree.

 

I gave this a solid 4/5 Stars.

 

 

Don't Tell the Boss by Anna Bell

 

I've heard of Anna Bell through Wattpad where she uploaded her very popular book Don't Tell the Groom. I found that to be very witty and I weren't sure this one was going to be as great. It was. The book was a great carry on and I actually preferred this one to the first. The character felt more developed and so did the storyline.

 

However, the one problem I had was the few spelling mistakes I noticed on most pages. Some were little, some were big and it took away from the pleasure of reading this book. But I couldn't fault it too harshly.

 

3.5/5 Stars!