The Summer I Wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi

Summary: When lesbian, Lexi, is outed to her mother she goes to a pray-the-gay-away camp and falls for someone she shouldn't.

Stars: 4

I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 for little reasons. The writing isn't the best, it's a little cheesy, but I went into it knowing that. The ending was a little rushed, the beginning a little long but it wasn't a huge deal.  Also, the romance trope- angst-for-the-entire-book-and-then-they finally-get-together-and-the-last-page annoyed me. I wanted a sneak off into the woods, making out behind the bible, and in the church attic, passing dirty notes when pastor isn't looking type of thing but alas, I was let down. 

Overall, it was a great read. It was funny, touching, and the characters were great. Every single one of them were fledged out and intriguing. It was a quick read too. I read it in one sitting, refusing sleep until I finished it.  Some of the figurative language was so unique I did a double take, but it seemed like that only happened in the beginning chapters. I would definitely recommend this to someone who doesn't read much, as it was quick and easy, yet still really good. 

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Rating: 4 Stars
Summary: Years after a sickness kills many adults but leaves some children with special powers. The main character, Adelina, has just joined The Young Elites, a group of kids with powers who wish to take back the oppressing crown.


Overall this was a good books. I am really excited for the next one, the set up looks really good. I think the reason I gave it four stars instead of five won't be a problem in the next one too. Since it is a first book of a fantasy series it wasn't the best, but it still was really good.

Some things I especially liked: The secondary characters were really fascinating, I wish I  got to know them better, and I hope they are in the next books. I also really enjoyed the world and the premise of the book. The romance was another highlight, it not being too focused on, but still satisfying.


However, the main character was annoying. She had secrets that didn't have to be secrets and could've been totally fine if she just asked for help.  But, also that trope always annoys me. I think that's not going to be a problem in the next book. That and some things that happened in the ending made it a 4 star book rather than a 5.

I would definitely recommend this and I am looking forward to the next one. I wouldn't say this was as good as her Legend series, but it was still good.

The Ruby Circle

Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary: The final installment in the Bloodlines series, which is a spin off of the Vampire Academy series. Vague Spoilers. 

Overall I really enjoyed this. I thought it did a good job of wrapping everything up, just maybe did a little too good of a job. Everything in this book seemed convenient. Especially the end, which was kind of rushed and there was a time jump at the end which caught me off guard and confused me. It also could've been longer. I felt the last 100-200 pages were rushed and some arcs should've been longer. 

This one wasn't as funny as the others. Or it might just be I don't find it as funny as I read this in the daylight

Thinking about this series what amazing me the most and one of my favorite parts of it is the character development both Sydney and Adrian has had. 

This definitely wasn't my favorite of Bloodlines, that having to be Silver Shadows but it also wasn't my least favorite as I found the first couple annoying. Comparing the two series, Bloodlines and Vampire Academy I honestly don't know which one I liked best. They seem so far away from each other and seeing Rose and Dimitri in these books kind of cloud my judgement. It's always weird seeing characters in a different perspective no matter what book or how much you love them. 

This book was also different from me to the others because I read all 8 VA and the past 5 Bloodlines at 3 in the morning bingeing them very, very fast. Before I was totally emursed in the world and this time I didn't remember a lot and couldn't really get into it. 


This review is a mess. Read this if you read the others. 

One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva

Rating: 3 Stars

Summary: Kid gets left alone for the summer and falls in love with someone he doesn't expect to.

There were parts in this that were really good. So cute I have to smile, laughing, my heart is swelling moments. But then there were moments where I moaned out loud and/or had to set the book down out of annoyance. This book would get so preachy and cliche and cheesy it made me wanted to throw up. It was such a up and down roller coaster my feeling are so conflicted. This is so short of a review because I dont know what to say.

Was this a bad book? No? Was this a good book? I don't know? Did I like it? Who knows??