UNTIL FRIDAY NIGHT by Abbi Glines

This book came at the right time for me.  It really touched my heart, and I'll explain more below, but again…Until Friday Night came at exactly the right time.

To tell you the truth, I initially wanted this book because: 1) It's Abbi Glines <3.  2) The title, cover, and what I remembered of the summary made it sound a bit like a swoony Friday Night Lights (which I loved).  3) I remembered that Maggie, the female MC, doesn't speak.  Couldn't remember the reason, but I have a thing for MCs and love interests who are scarred, mute, illiterate etc.

What I didn't remember (and what likely would've prevented me from buying)...

...was the cancer.

West, the male MC, has a dad whose health is rapidly declining and who has been dying of cancer for a year.  West hasn't told anyone, not even his best friends.  It's just him, his mom, and his dad dealing with this awful disease.  He's living with this unbearable secret.  And it is eating him up while it takes the person he looks up to most, the person he loves most in the world away.

I don't know where she got the inspiration for this book.

But Glines must have had some real life experience to draw from.

I know this because I lived it.  My aunt passed away in December after a nearly nine month long battle with cancer.  She was my best friend in all the world.  I loved her so very much and was helpless in the end to help her.  Even as I write this, I'm crying again, so I'll get back to the review.

The reason I loved this book was that I could relate to nearly every emotion West had: The guilt at being away from home.  The fear of going home and what he might find.  The fear that came every time his cell phone rang, rushing to answer to make sure his dad was okay.  The pressure and anger that comes with keeping everything secret.  The despair.  The helplessness.

It made me not feel so alone.  That was what ultimately made me love the book.  There was just enough real to convince me that Glines (or someone she knows) lived through this tradgedy, too.

Until FridayNight is truth, raw and ugly.  West's emotions, his fears, were real, and anyone who has lost a loved one to cancer can relate.  What's more, Glines gives us two broken people and shows us the journey they take to understanding, to love, and ultimately to heal.  It is a beautiful book.  It found me at just the right moment.  And I enjoyed it very much.

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

STACKING THE SHELVES (26)

Hi there! Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  I got three books that I'm over-the-moon excited to read, so I decided to share.

List of Books: Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers
                         Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace
                         Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

First up to read: ???????????????????????????

I honestly don't know which book to read first...  I've been waiting for Assassin's Heart since forever ago, back when it was called All That Remains.  It has assassins--families of them--and a girl who was betrayed and wants revenge, which I LOVE.  Then there's Shallow Graves; I've read some great reviews about it recently, and yes, that first sentence is A-mazing.  Throw Abbi Glines in there with a book that's part Friday Night Lights, part swoonworthy romance, and I'm completely torn.  I wish I could read all three at the same time...but I really don't because I want to give each book some one-on-one time.  Ack!

Anyway, I hope you got some great books this week!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

THE VINCENT BROTHERS by Abbi Glines

If you like steamy YA romance set in the South, you NEED to read these books!  Humor, hot guys, feisty females, enough Southern flavor to give the reader a firm sense of place/setting.  Oh, and drama!  Loads and loads of it J.  This is going to be a review of The Vincent Brothers, Glines's second book in the series, but I highly recommend reading The Vincent Boys first.

And it's not just because I liked Beau better J

Nah, it's totally because you need to read it to understand Sawyer's POV.

The Vincent Brothers starts six months after book one.  Sawyer Vincent, the all-around good guy, has been single a while--but he's still not over Ashton, the girl that got away.  His cousin, Beau, just up and stole her right out from under him, but Ashton had loved him back.  So Sawyer did the honorable thing and stepped aside.

(Which kinda proved he wasn’t right for her in the first place, but I digress…)

Even though Sawyer played nice and gave up Ashton without a fight, he's still spittin' mad.  Everywhere he turns, there they are.  His best friend and his girl.  And he let it happen.  Sawyer hasn't made peace with seeing them together, and he needs a distraction.  Badly.

Enter Lana McDaniel, Ashton's logical, level-headed cousin, who's staying at Ashton's house over the summer.  Lana has one goal: Make Sawyer Vincent fall completely head-over-heels, hot-under-the-collar, wipe-the-drool-off-his-chin in love with her.  She's been in love with Sawyer forever, and with Ashton out of the picture, he's fair game.  But can Sawyer fall for her when he thinks he's still in love with Ashton?  And why is it that polite, kind-hearted Lana makes the good Vincent brother suddenly want to be a bad boy?

The romance is mature (MCs are 17+), so I'd recommend for older teens.  But man, does Abbi Glines know how to write some smokin' hot romance!  I'm telling you the scenes where Lana breaks through Sawyer's "nice boy" image were some of my faves.  I loved him so much more with her than with Ashton.  Lana brought out his wild side, and I enjoyed every minute!

I'll admit, after book one, I wasn't a big Sawyer fan.   He was a bit of an ass, and even if Ashton did fall for Beau, I hated how Sawyer treated her.  And let others treat her without standing up for her.  But I'm glad I got to read his side in The Vincent Brothers.  Though I still love Beau, I was able to get past Sawyer's earlier jerkiness and enjoy his story.

And I think that was because he was a little more "Beau" in this book.  Sawyer was never as perfect as people thought.  He just needed the right girl to make him let loose.

I usually roll my eyes whenever a girl MC undergoes a transformation like Lana did, and basically pretty-fies herself for the guy.  But I didn't here.  It was actually sweet how Lana finally worked up the confidence to try and attract Sawyer instead of hiding herself.  That took some real lady balls (or should I say ovaries?J), and it made me like her.  A lot.

Glines's writing has a great flow and quick pace.  If you want a great summer read, look no further!  Loved The Vincent Boys, really enjoyed The Vincent Brothers.  Can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

P.S. This is my big 50th Book Review!!! Whoohoo!  Must do something to celebrate :D

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY

Hi everyone!  This is my first "Waiting on Wednesday" post, which is a really cool meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine.  It's all about the books that you've been eargerly anticpating, waiting forever for, keep looking up again and again to see if the release date has changed ;)

I've been waiting for this book to come out for months now, so I thought it'd be a perfect fit.

Summary from Ms. Glines's website:

What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.

Pagan Moore doesn’t cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn’t let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn’t realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with, is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

Seriously, I love the premise (and the beautiful cover!!).    Plus, that last sentence--He is Death and he's about to break all the the rules--totally rocks, great punch to end, made me want to own the book.  I've always been a fan of Death as a character, and in a YA setting, I think this concept could really take off.  I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for this one to release, and it finally came out yesterday *whoop*  Can't wait to read Existence!!

Hope you all are having a great week,

Ninja Girl