Sophie Reads YA

Stacking the Shelves: September 12th 2015

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Review: Famous in Love (Famous in Love #1) by Rebecca Serle

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Famous in Love
Series: Famous in Love #1
Author: Rebecca Serle
Published October 23rd 2014 by Macmillan Children's Books

Goodreads Synopsis
She fell in love with him in the books - now she has the chance to star opposite him in the film . . .
Paige doesn't think she's particularly special, but after getting the starring role in a massive film adaptation of the bestselling Locked trilogy, the rest of the world would disagree. Now she's thrown into the spotlight, and into a world of gossip, rumour and deceit. The only people who know what she's going through are her two male co-stars, and they can't stand the sight of each other. Paige knows it's a mistake to fall in love on the set of a movie, but days of on-screen romance and intensity start to change her mind. The question is, can she keep what happens behind the scenes a secret when the world is watching her every move?
Goodreads

Review
I first read this book not long after it was published last October, and remember really enjoying it. I thought I would reread it before the publication of Truly, Madly, Famously, and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

In Famous in Love, the main character, Paige, has always dreamed of one day become a proper actress. When she lands the role as the female lead in the film adaptation of a best selling series, it's as if all of her dreams have come true. She is now a recognised name across America, and is set to become a major star. However, this doesn't mean life is now easy and carefree. Paige's male co-stars, Rainer and Jordan, have a log history between them, and are at odds with each other. Paige is drawn inexplicitly to both of them, but can't afford for any behind the scene trouble, lest she ruin her career before it begins.

Paige's character was one I loved reading. She seemed like an honestly real person, with real issues, etc. - the only difference being that she is now famous. Even when filming came to an end, she still couldn't understand that she was an honest to god star, and her life would never be as it was before. She never really changed, personality wise, which I enjoyed. She was just a normal teen girl, who was having feelings for two different guys, and trying to come to terms with these emotions. She had family and friends issues, just like anyone else, and the teen angst was not lacking. Famous in Love was just like any other romantic YA contemporary, set with a Hollywood backdrop, in the best way.

The little interspersed information about Hawaii, and the happenings of Hollywood, and all it entails, helped to spread out the angst. I loved that Serle seems to have really done her research into this topic. She showed that Hollywood isn't all glitz and glammer, rather, it is hard work, and it takes tons of people to create a blockbuster.

The male protagonists were very different from each other. Out of the two my favourite was Jordan, as I felt he more understood Paige, and really wanted to help her through the process of creating a film. Rainer, on the other hand, seemed too old, and too 'star'-y for Paige. He didn't really get her when she wanted to be normal, and I sort of feel as if their relationship was more one sided. To me, Rainer was kind of using Paige for more publicity, etc., and to get one up on Jordan. Whenever Jordan was around, Rainer was really touchy-feeling, and possessive over Paige, and that just wasn't on.

The ending was, for me, a bust. I didn't agree with Paige's choices, but considering it's a trilogy, the angst needed to be set up for future books. I hope Paige comes to her senses in either book 2 or 3, and makes the right decisions. Even saying this, I still really enjoyed Famous in Love. It was just a nice, easy book, with lovable characters, and a realistic storyline/plot. It's a book I don't regret re-reading, and I'm sure I'll probably go back to it in the future and re-read again. I would say contemporary lovers would enjoy this, and I'm so excited that Truly, Madly, Famously is out in October!

Dates Read:
August 10-12, 2015

Rating
4 Stars

Kate Rorick

Waiting on Wednesday: The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet: A Novel by Kate Rorick & Rachel Kiley

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Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is:

The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet: A Novel
Series: None
Author: Kate Rorick & Rachel Kiley
Published September 29th 2015 by Touchstone

Goodreads Summary
Before her older sister, Lizzie, started her wildly popular vlog, Lydia was just a normal twenty-year-old plotting the many ways she could get away with skipping her community college classes and finding the perfect fake ID. She may not have had much direction, but she loved her family and had plenty of fun. Then Lizzie’s vlog turned the Bennet sisters into Internet sensations, and Lydia basked in the attention as people watched, debated, tweeted, tumblr’d, and blogged about her life. But not all attention is good…

After her ex-boyfriend, George Wickham took advantage of Lydia’s newfound web-fame, betrayed her trust, and destroyed her online reputation, she’s no longer a naïve, carefree girl. Now, Lydia must work to win back her family’s trust and respect and find her place in a far more judgmental world.

Told in Lydia’s distinctive, eccentric, and endearing voice, The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet picks up right where The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet left off and “offers a fresh take on Pride and Prejudice without ruining it” (The Washington Post, on The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet). Featuring fresh twists, wonderful new characters, and scores of hilarious texts, doodles, and tweets, The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet takes you behind the webcam and into the lives of your favorite sisters in a way that’s sure to satisfy existing fans and delight new ones.
Goodreads

Why I'm waiting:

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is one of my favourite youtube series ever, and the Pride and Prejudice story is the only classic novel I've ever read more than once.
Lydia in LBD was so awesome, and to read more of the original story for her POV is like a dream come true.

Are you waiting for this book? Have you already read it? Let me know :)

5 Stars

ARC Review: The Secret Fire (The Alchemist Chronicles #1) by C.J. Daugherty & Carina Rozenfeld

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The Secret Fire
Series: The Alchemist Chronicles #1
Author: C.J. Daugherty & Carina Rozenfeld
Published September 10th 2015 by Atom

Goodreads Synopsis
French teen Sacha Winters can't die. He can throw himself off a roof, be stabbed, even shot, and he will always survive. Until the day when history and ancient enmities dictate that he must die. Worse still, his death will trigger something awful. Something deadly. And that day is closing in.
Taylor Montclair is a normal English girl, hanging out with her friends and studying for exams, until she starts shorting out the lights with her brain. She’s also the only person on earth who can save Sacha.
There’s only one problem: the two of them have never met. They live hundreds of miles apart and powerful forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart.
They have eight weeks to find each other.
Will they survive long enough to save the world?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

As you probably know, C.J. Daugherty has quickly become a favourite author of mine, and as soon as I found out that C.J. had a new series coming out, I knew I needed it! In this series, which she has co-written with French author, Carina Rozenfeld, we are treated to the dual point of view story of Sacha and Taylor, teenagers from France and England, respectively. Sacha is a 17 year old, living in Paris, who knows he can not die, no matter once. Due to some curse placed on his family, he will die on his 18th birthday, and not a second earlier. He is now closely approaching said birthday, when he is contacted by an English girl, in order to tutor him. This girl is Taylor, also 17, whose sole ambition is to do well in her exams and go to Oxford university to study with her grandfather. She soon finds herself thrown into a magical world when she manages to blow up sound systems, etc., using just her mind. Taylor is the only person who may be able to reverse the curse on Sacha, but dark magicians and creatures are doing everything they can to separate them.

Taylor and Sacha were wonderful protagonists. Both of their voices were distinctive, and I could imagine that I was actually living their lives with how descriptive their words were. I loved them both equally, and was invested in their lives as much as they were. When they actually met up in person, I was so giddy. The tension between each other was palpable. I think I actually swooned when Sacha called Taylor sweetheart. Sacha and Taylor are my newest OTP, and I need more romance-y feels from them in the sequels!

The plot was really intricate too. Though it is set in the modern world, in both the rural English countryside, and the bustling city of Paris, the history of the curse and the Alchemists really made it feel sort of outer-worldly. More people than you would expect are involved, in one way or another, and that also helped it to feel fully integrated in normal life. I really felt for Taylor, as she had no clue what was happening at first, was was simply shoved, head first, into this magical world, which was a tad scary. Imagine finding out that you are the 'saviour' of the known world, and if you don't succeed, the while world is going to go to pot? Yeah, that's what Taylor is facing. At least with Sacha, he had some forewarning, though it was still morbid knowing he can't die until a certain day, when he will definitely die. No wonder he was a bit of a basket case to begin with. Once Taylor and Sacha realised how involved they were with everything, and that they could work together to stop the end of the world, I felt like they matured a lot, and really came into their own, in terms of their abilities.

I'm seriously invested in this book, and series, and just wish I had book two in my hands. The acknowledgements from both authors at the end of the book were so sweet, and I love that the idea of co-authoring the book came over a cup of coffee. I can't wait to see more of Taylor and Sacha's story, and would say everyone should just drop everything, and get this book ASAP - you will not be disappointed!

Dates Read:
August 22-24, 2015

Rating
5 Stars

ARC August

Final ARC August Update: 6th September 2015

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September

Stacking the Shelves: September 5th 2015

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4 Stars

Review: The Heir (The Selection #4) by Kiera Cass

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The Heir
Series: The Selection #4
Author: Kiera Cass
Published May 7th 2015 by HarperCollins Children's Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series has enchanted readers from the very first page. In this fourth romantic novel, follow Illea's royal family into a whole new Selection-and find out what happens after happily ever after.

Eighteen years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon's heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn't expect her Selection to be anything like her parents' fairy-tale love story...but as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought. A new generation of swoonworthy characters and captivating romance awaits in the fourth book of the Selection series!
Goodreads

Review
You know what, that wasn't as bad as I was expecting! This probably isn't the best way to start a review, but I digress. Before I started reading The Heir, I'd seen loads, and I mean a lot, of bad reviews, so it's safe to say I was a bit apprehensive.

The Heir revolves around Eadlyn, the 18 year old daughter of Maxon and America, who is next in line for the throne of Illea. *gasp* A girl - shocking, I know -.- Perhaps I'm slightly biased, being English and all, but I personally think that women can rule countries greater than men, at times. This isn't actually the case in Eadlyn's case. Eadlyn is quite bratty, and self centered, but that didn't bother me as much as it did others. To me, I just thought that was a by product of her being the heir to a throne from birth, and the certain advantages that gives a person. Anyway, a lot of problems are still going on in Illea, even with the caste system being demolished, and to combat this, Maxon and America decide to force their only daughter to go through her own Selection - the first ever female led Selection. After all, we all know how well it worked out for them, without no problems at all(!) Eadlyn agrees to 'act out' the Selection, thoughts she's prepared to bail out after 3 months, without a marriage occurring, just to divert the public from revolution.

From the 35 selected guys chosen to court Eadlyn, there were really only two I liked, and one who wasn't even an actual contender. Kile, Henri, and Erik were the only boys I thought had any sort of positive connection to Eadlyn, and I sincerely hope this remains the case in the following book. Kile Eadlyn had known her entire life, being the son of Marlee, America's best friend. Before his name was announced in the Selection process, Eadlyn basically despised him, but once she got to know him a little better, she definitely appeared to develop feelings for him. Feelings were also developed for Henri, though the language barrier, him being unable to speak more than a few words of English, definitely hindered their courtship. Erik, who was not a contestant, was Henri's translator, and this helped him and Eadlyn to have a quasi-romantic relationship, once which was definitely present towards the end of the book.

The end of the book was a complete rip off though. This was one part that had caused a lot of anger in fellow bloggers, and it's safe to say I agree. The end started off quite well. There were a few revelations that I wasn't expecting, and though they weren't completely shocking, I'm looking forward to seeing how they pan out in book 5. However, the very last thing to happen, if it actually results in a characters death, will seriously annoy me! I feel like it's the kind of thing an author would use if they couldn't think of anything better, and needed to make a cliffhanger in order to keep readers reading the series.

Overall, I didn't hate it, and actually enjoyed parts of it. It wasn't the chore I was expecting it to be, but book 5 could seriously be a chore if the death happens. If you've read books 1-3, the original series, and what we thought was the end, and somewhat enjoyed them, I'd recommend you try this book. But know it's not for everyone. Eadlyn is more annoying than America, though that seems to be due to their different upbringings. Still, it's safe to say I'll definitely be getting book 5 when its released, and I sort of hope this is the end. I'm sick of series ending *cough The Selection and The Mortal Instruments *cough* only to be revived when the author obviously can't come up with new worlds to entice their audiences.

Dates Read:
June 15-19, 2015

Rating
4 Stars