Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

     Mallory's Pastimes:
         1. Making out with her boyfriend, Jeremy
         2. Making lists
         3. Going vintage

     Mallory is a junior in high school who has been dating her boyfriend, Jeremy, for about a year. When she finds out that he has cheated on her with a girl online she decides to go off the grid. Her inspiration is a list that her grandmother made in 1962. She is going cold turkey---no cellphone, no Internet, and definitely no Jeremy. For two weeks, Mallory tries to live as if she is in 1962, but what she thought would make life simpler makes life slightly more complicated. Being a teenager is what makes being a teenager hard no matter what decade it is. Oh, yeah, add in said ex-boyfriend's hot cousin, that makes it a little harder, too.

    I went into this book expecting a light-hearted read, and that's exactly what I got. It doesn't get into anything too deep and is easy to read. I was a little worried for almost the first 100 pages since there wasn't much happening, and I thought it was going to be a book that I was going to have to force myself to finish. It started to pick up a little when Oliver, the ex-boyfriend's cousin, enters the scene. I felt like he added a little pizazz to the story and actually wish he appeared a little more, but I think this book was more about focusing on finding out what really makes you happy and that you can be OK with just yourself.

     I rated this book a 4/5 stars and recommend it.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

     Camille Preaker is a reporter for Daily Post in Chicago and has just been released from a psych hospital. She has been out for six months when her boss sends her to her hometown to report on a murder of a young girl and another missing young girl. This is not a trip that Camille wants to take. She hasn't really been close to her mother or stepsister, and she has to plan to stay with them for the duration of this investigative report. Camille immediately drowns herself in her reporting all the while learning more about her family than she ever knew. The longer she stays the more she identifies with these two young, tragic girls. Why is that?

    This book is drenched in dark themes. I had this in mind when I started this book so I wasn't really surprised by all the happenings that occurred. We are seeing through Camille's eyes that are tainted with psychological problems herself, and as she learns more of her family we see why she is a troubled young woman. I did have suspicions of what was going on, but I was actually a little deceived which is what I think Gillian Flynn was going for with her writing. All in all, by the end everything that happens isn't too surprising. It was still a really good story, and I look forward to reading more books by Gillian Flynn.

    I rated this 4/5 stars, and I recommend it.

     

The Last Girl by Joe Hart

     I received this for free thanks to my Prime Amazon account and Kindle First Reads.

     In 2016, female birthrates reduced significantly. In the following years they continue to reduce until only one female is born in 100 million births. What has caused this? No one truly knows why. It is suggested that a virus has caused the reduction in female births.
     The heart of our story starts with Zoey who is about to turn 21. Zoey has lived in a facility that houses females to keep them safe from the unknown virus. These precious females have been taught that they are helping humanity---how much is a life worth? This has been drilled into them from their beginning. Sacrifices must be made for the greater cause.
    Zoey isn't sure that what the facility's director says about where a female goes when they turn 21 is quite true. She questions many things that are the norm for herself and the others. Zoey wants to leave before she turns 21, but how is she going to escape?
   
    This story intrigued me. How does humanity survive without females? I appreciate the world that Joe Hart created--one that is realistic if this were to happen. I found the book to be full of action once it truly got started. Now after saying that, I found there to be excessive killing that did not have to happen to tell the story. Also, I had to overlook the fact that a young, sheltered girl that could not have been very strong could accomplish some of things that she did. I cannot really elaborate without spoiling the plot.
    The ending was one that allows you to know that there will be a second book which is wonderful as I want to know what happens to the characters.
    I rated this book a 4/5 stars. I had to dock a star due to some of the unbelievable feats of Zoey. I do recommend this book if you can overlook some little details.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

ARC

     I'll admit that this one was a little confusing for me. When I was sent a review copy I was so excited because it sounded so mysteriously good! I can't say that it was fabulous, but I can say that it made me keep turning the pages. I just had to know what happened to the main character.
     This book is marketed with not much of a synopsis which intrigued me. The reader is told that if asked about how the book ends to lie about it. What?! That made me want to read it even more. What could possibly happen in this book that it warrants so much secrecy? Secrecy it must be, though. I just don't know how to review this very well without giving something away.
     In short, this is a book about a young girl and her cousins plus one cute boy that spend each summer together on a family-owned private island. There is fun, romance, mystery, and tragedy throughout the story. The plot was an interesting one. How it ended made it especially interesting. I'm not saying that I liked the ending, which I did not, but it all made for a big bang.
     My biggest question is: why were they called The Liars? That question doesn't seem to get answered. I felt that the prose was halting, and I remained confused for quite a bit of the time.
     I hate that I didn't love this book, but sadly I did not. There are some redeeming qualities: the characters, the mystery, and the tragedy. Yeah, I know. That seems kind of sadistic, huh? All in all, the tragedy was beautifully sculpted, but the execution of the rest of the book, especially that darn ending, was just insufficient.
     I gave this book 3/5 stars.

The Wreck of the Nymph by Don Flood

Netgalley ARC

     Bwah, bwaahh, bwaaaahhhh! FAIL.
     I hate to be so harsh, but this book just didn't cut it. When I first read the synopsis I thought it sounded really good. Sadly, it did present as a disappointment. The premise of this story is one that will evoke excitement and a spirit of adventure, but the pacing was wham, bam, thank you ma'am. I understand that this is only 130 pages long, but it could have been so much more. Maybe if it had been a longer book where the author could have taken the time for development of the plot, the book could have been a success.  As it is now it's more like a flop.
     Character-wise, the book doesn't give us much to like. The character Amanda, who I thought was the leading lady, leaves much to be desired. I felt like there wasn't anything to connect to with her. She's just plain horrible. She is manipulative, greedy, and shallow. I wish that the author would have took the time to maybe build her character so that we could see why she was that way. There needed to be a glance into her past so that we could understand her. Next, we see Kyle who stirs a little something in the heart by the end of the book, but still there wasn't much time to truly know him. Honestly, he seems like a love-sick puppy that is weak and a push-over. There are a couple of bad guys and a few other characters thrown in but no one to truly connect with. All in all, I pretty much hated the characters except Kyle who I was just barely fond of.
     So what is the book really about? Well, it's supposed to be about Amanda, a reporter who is nearing 30 and is presented with a get rich quick scheme. Really though, the book is about "everyone." There was so much flitting from one character's point of view to another's that sometimes it was confusing. We hear what everyone is thinking, even characters who don't really stake a claim in the story, but just have a fleeting appearance. Ok, enough with this tangent. So ask me again.
     So what is this book really about? Apparently, there was a ship that went down off the coast of Delaware that had a bounty of treasure. Amanda joins ranks with Kyle, a professor, and a couple of bad guys to search for this treasure. Many of searched for it with no success. What follows is a line of crazy antics that left a bad taste in my mouth. This may not have been the case if, once again, the story had been carefully built.
     I gave this book 2/5 stars because I liked the premise, but the actuality of the book disappointed.

Tattoo Sketchbook by Nate Powers

This book was sent to me for review via LibraryThing.

     Nate Powers is very talented with his art. This book is full of beautiful images--colored as well as black and white. The viewer is given drawn images as well as tattoos. I do feel that the theme ran very dark, though. Skeletons, zombie-like portrayals, and other dark images were presented. Even the angelic images had a dark edge to them. Although they were drawn very well, I found myself wishing for more themes. I love tattoos and have a few myself so I was looking forward to reviewing this book. I would like to see Mr. Powers show less dark themed tattoos. If he can do more than what is presented in this book it will really show his talent.
     I gave this book 3/5 stars.

Rock It by Jennifer Chance

Netgalley ARC

     Lacey Dawes works at a talent agency that represents Dante Falcone, who just happens to be the guy of Lacey's dreams. She has followed his music career since it started years ago and went through a period of obsession with him.
     Lacey's dreams come true when Dante chooses her to be his temporary manager for his Dream It tour. She gets to spend two whole weeks in his presence! Although she tries to be professional the fangirl in her may just have to make an appearance.
     Dante Falcone has been in the music business for years and even though he enjoys the music and his fans he's getting burned out. When Lacey comes along she brings him relief and exactly what he needs.

     This book was definitely enjoyable for me. It was the first time that I had ever read about a rocker. I can't say that the story blew me away, but it was a fun and entertaining read. I found Dante to be a complete jerk to begin with but he made me like him by the end of the book. Lacey is a likable character but her "slight" obsession with Dante was a little annoying at times. I know that she is still young when she meets him but she seemed immature at points in the story. Overall, I really enjoyed the book despite its flaws. This is a book meant to be enjoyed for its entertainment factors not how well it is written.
     I gave this book 4/5 stars and recommend it.