Flashback Friday: Heart on A Chain by Cindy C. Bennett

the lowdown


Kate lives with a terrible home life. She has an absent, alcoholic father, and a pill addicted mother who abuses her. At school, things aren't much better. Because of her secondhand clothes, she's an easy target and she's learned that fighting back only makes it worse. So she hides, and does her best to make herself invisible. But that changes when Henry, her elementary school crush, returns. He remembers Kate and refuses to let her be invisible anymore. As they fall in love, Kate tries to keep everything straight and figure out what game Henry must be playing with her, even as the violence at home escalates.

I read this book a few years ago and considered it to be one of my favorites for quite a while. Something about this book really stuck with me, and even before I picked it up to reread it for this review, I could still remember a lot about it, even after years, which is rare for me. I was scared, though, that I would find it a bit far fetched now that my tastes have matured a bit. While that did happen to a certain extent, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book again. It moved me to tears multiple times, and it was a really refreshing story.

the good

• Kate is a really likable character. I think that the strength that she shows in the face of so much adversity is extremely moving. At the beginning, she can be a little frustrating, especially when she refuses to believe Henry's true intentions, but who can blame her?
• Henry and his entire family are so wonderful. I think to a certain extent, they're probably a little unrealistic, because it's like they're taken straight out of the Perfect Family Museum. I think though, that this serves the book well, because Bennett draws such sharp dichotomies between family types. Henry is also straight up out of the Perfect Boyfriend Museum, but again, I think that it serves the book well.                                                                                             

the bad

• This book is heavy on drama, and Kate definitely relies on others to save her. There's some criticism that this is a little anti-feminist, that Henry comes in and saves the day. But I think that allowing yourself to be that open to being saved. But, I understand the criticism, it would have been nice if Kate would have taken a more active role 

the quote

“Kate, I’ve loved you for years. I mean, I know twelve-year-olds don’t know what love is, so I guess I should say I’ve really liked you for years. But when I saw you this year, I knew. I knew we should be together. I just didn’t know how hard you were going to make me work to get you to even like me. So, yeah, of course I want you to love me back.”

skip it/borrow it/buy it

This one is tough for me to decide, but ultimately, I think it falls into the buy it category. As evidenced by this review, I liked this book enough to want to reread it. It's a heartfelt, emotional, and heartwarming story about love and its redeeming qualities, and I think it warrants buying.

overall score:8/10

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Flashback Friday: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

the lowdown
Mary Boleyn has come to Tudor Court to catch the eye of Henry VIII and to keep him entertained at the age of fourteen. She lures him and captures him, but soon finds that she needs more than beauty to keep wrapped around her finger. Her sister Anne has caught his eye before Mary can hatch a plan to get him back. She will go to great lengths to secure the king and her future, forever.

I had been itching to read this a few years ago after I saw the movie and I'm glad I did. Hands down it is far better than the movie, although the movie did do it justice. I love historical fiction, especially anything having to do with Henry VIII and his wives. Philippa Gregory is able to hook you within a matter of minutes and its a book you cannot put down. You want to keep finding out what Mary and Anne will do next and how far they'll go to get and keep the king's attention.

the good

• Gregory brings these characters to life. She is able to make them jump out of the pages and to me, it was like I was back there and watching everything from the sidelines. The words are so beautifully written that you get lost in them and wish for the book to never end. 
• The storyline keeps you captured and takes on all these twists and turns that end up keeping you hooked to the book. With two women vying for a king's attention, plus a queen, who wouldn't want to read a book about drama and how it was handled differently in those days? It's a love story mixed with a womanizing king, family drama, and a whole lot of English pride. If that isn't a recipe for a good book, I don't know what is.

the bad

• Sometimes the language can be confusing, especially if you aren't really paying attention. I think I only got confused and had to reread about two times but other wise its pretty straightforward. 
• The book can be a bit long at time and it may seem never ending. With a book this size its expected. I found myself willing to read faster to finish it but other times, I wanted to take my time so it would never end.

the quote
"I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't do anything but think about him. At night I dream of him, all day I wait to see him, and when I do see him my heart turns over and I think I will faint with desire."

skip it/borrow it/buy it
 If you're in the market for a historical fiction, buy it. Its a great book with historical characters and interesting lives that will transport you back in time.

overall score:8/10

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Flashback Friday: Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen

the lowdown

Lock & Key tells the story of Ruby, a girl who is abandoned by her mother to live in the tiny yellow farmhouse that they live just a few months shy of her eighteenth birthday. She exists on her own for weeks but is eventually found out and taken to live with her sister, Cora, who is 10 years older than her, and who she hasn't spoken to in years. Now she's living in a huge house in an expensive neighborhood, and she's going to Perkins Day, the smaller private school, instead of Jackson High. It's a rough transition but along the way she meets some wonderful people, including her techie brother-in-law Jamie, her handsome next door neighbor Nate, and eccentric Harriet who employs Ruby to help her sell jewelry. All these wonderful people come together and force Ruby to examine what exactly it means to be family.

Lock & Key is probably my favorite Dessen novel. It has a lot to do with the characters, which Dessen always excels with, but they really shine here. It also has to do with the fact that so much of this book centers on family, which feels very real to me, coming from a very tight nit family. At the end of the day, though, this is just one of those books that makes you smile from the inside out.

the good

• Ruby. Ruby is probably my favorite Dessen narrator. There is just something so relatable about wanting to be tough, but being shown that keeping others out isn't always the best course of action. She's funny, tough, and smart, all things I strive to be in my own life. The way she grows throughout the book is quite spectacular, and at the same time, you don't even realize it's happened until it does. 
• The supporting cast. Nate and the rest of her high school gang (Gervais, Olivia, and Laney) are quite fun characters to lead. While I wish that Olivia had been a bit more fleshed out, I think that Nate is easily the most well developed love interest in a contemporary that I've read in a long time. Her family, Cora, and Jamie, are also wonderful to read. I think that giving Cora her own struggle, as well as serving as an anchor for Ruby, really augments the main storyline.
• That hard to quantify factor. There's just something so heartwarming about this book that is hard to put into words, but you know it when you read it. It's what makes you want to keep reading the novel, devouring each page, waiting to see what happens. Lock & Key definitely has this, as do most Dessen entries. 

the bad

• Despite my obvious obsession with this book (seriously Ruby is awesome), I think that it had a pretty unsatisfying finish. While all the loose ends were definitely wrapped up, it feels like there is a scene that is missing.
• This one, for me, is also a little skimpy on the romantic interest part. I certainly enjoy these parts of YA novels, but aren't necessarily what makes or breaks a book for me, so it's rare for me to say that there wasn't quite enough. While I definitely feel like I got to know Nate pretty well, as does Ruby, it's a little light on the time that they're actually together. 

the quote
"But I was sure of something, too: it's a lot easier to be lost than found. It's the reason we're always searching, and rarely discovered--so many locks, not enough keys."

skip it/borrow it/buy it
It's pretty obvious that for me, this is solidly in the buy it category. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I'm saving up all my Sarah Dessen books to give to any future offspring I might have. I just reread this for this review, and it brought joy to me all over again, definitely making me glad that I bought this one.

overall score:9/10

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Flashback Friday: Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

the lowdown

Gigi and her two best friends, Neerja, and Bea, are just biding their time in high school, waiting for their all but certain acceptances to good colleges so that their lives can begin. When they hit the Ivy Leagues, they'll have everything. But when they discover how empty Neerja's idolized, genius older sister's senior yearbook is, they realized that there may be more to getting everything than what they thought. They decide that they've got to take action to get everything they deserve, including a full yearbook.
I actually just read this recently, but it was published a while ago. I wanted to read this because it seemed like something that I could relate to...in high school I was definitely a lot like Gigi.  I also hate reading books about girls who aren't interested in being perceived as intelligent. It's a huge pet peeve of mine, so I figured I would really like this book. Overall, it was a cute read. Nothing groundbreaking, but it didn't really pretend to be and I wasn't expecting that. I found Gigi to be a relatable character, with some feminist undertones that I appreciated. 

the good 

• The friendship. I absolutely wanted to go hang out with Gigi, Neerja and Bea. I seriously adored their best friendship and the way they support each other. This little friendship group was definitely the highlight of the book, and they serve of a great example of how to write female friendships without cattiness. I really enjoyed reading about them growing as they were pushed out of their comfort zones. 
• The supporting characters, specifically Gigi's family. I love that Gigi's mother is another smart female (this book has them in spades!) and that she cares a lot about Gigi even though she's not there for her all the time. But I especially liked Gigi's hilarious french-speaking grandmother who pretty much lets her do what she wants. As far as the love interest goes...it's hard to say much without giving the plot away, but I liked him a lot, too, but wish that he would have been developed a little more.
• I really appreciated the representation in this book. It can always be better, and actually the main character Gigi is pretty bland, but I appreciated that Neerja was Indian and that there were references being made to a lesbian couple.

the bad 

• The plot was definitely predictable. I can't say that there was anything about this book that caught me off guard or surprised me. That being said, it was an enjoying sort of predictable, and it was paced well. 
• There wasn't much of substance here. It was a nice, light pick-me-up read, which is what I was expecting, but I would't have been disappointed if I found that it covered deeper and more difficult topics. There was definitely room for it--some of the characters had some really interesting and trying family situations that I think could have been fleshed out a little more. 

the quote
"Friends should have the right to adopt one another after age thirteen."

skip it/borrow it/buy it
Borrow it. This book is definitely worth reading if you're looking for a smart young adult book. I don't see myself coming back to reread this one, though, and so this is a great one to grab from your local library or a generous friend.

overall score: 7/10

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Flashback Friday: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

the lowdown
I actually haven't reread this book in awhile but it has always been one that I can easily pick up and reread all over again. Dan Brown makes Robert Langdon jump out of the page. He takes you, and places you in the middle of all the action. Compared to the movie, the book is much better because it better describes what Langdon is feeling and how he analyzes every piece of the puzzle. It plays on what you believe and you will begin to question everything you have heard about Jesus Christ and the last supper.

The books is perfect for anyone looking to jump into the historical fiction genre and is a great example of how well books can really capture you and make you play mind games. Dan Brown does a wonderful job of opening your mind into this controversial topic and really makes you question everything you have ever thought was true.

the good

• The characters in the book are so descriptive that you can imagine them as living people. RobertLangdon and Sophie Neveu come to life in this book as the perfect pair to figure out the puzzle. 
• The complexity of The Da Vinci Code cannot compare to his other books. There is something so unique to the book that made it a page turner. You always wanted to know what was going to happen next and if Sophie and Robert were going to be able to figure it out. 

the bad

• The controversial topic of the book and its history facts makes for a read as if he, Dan Brown, was trying to push his convictions on you. Even if it is historical fiction, there is some truth to what he has to say and thats what makes for a tough read. You would have to be open-minded going into this page turner book.
• The book does get a bit repetitive after a while and you begin to find yourself bored for a while. I would skim it for a bit because some of the information written didn't deem to be of importance and wouldn't really tie into the storyline. 

the quote
""The Last Supper is supposed to be thirteen men. Who is this woman?
Everyone misses it, our preconceived notions of this scene are so powerful that our mind blocks out the incongruity and overrides our eyes.""

skip it/borrow it/buy it
 Even though I have this book, I would recommend borrowing it because its a book that many people who aren't historical fiction junkies, would be bored of in a few chapters. The book is definitely not for everyone so if you do read it, go into it with an open mind.

overall score:6/10

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