TUNE IN TUESDAY: MIX

Hi there! Tune in Tuesday is a GReads meme currently hosted over at Kate's Tales of Books and Bands.  My picks for this Tuesday are a mixed bag.  Hopefully, there's something in there you'll like :-).

Hope you're having a great week!

Ninja Girl

UNINVITED by Sophie Jordan

The premise of this book was SO right on!  I couldn't say no, and I'm glad I didn't because it was a really great read.

In Sophie Jordan's Uninvited, scientists have discovered a gene that can predict whether a person will become a murderer.  This idea hooked me even though I've seen it before.  Minority Report, anyone?  I actually enjoyed MR.  But this YA was so much better, and I'll explain why.

Instead of a Tom Cruise-ish character, who's all secret agent-y and capable of kicking some major butt, our heroine is a high school senior.  Davy Hamilton has her whole life ahead of her.  She's a music prodigy who's been accepted to Julliard.  She's got friends, loving parents, and a hot boyfriend.

But all that changes the moment Davy finds out she has HTS (Homicidal Tendency Syndrome).

Her entire life falls apart--and we get to see it crumble.  This was one of my favorite things about the book.  I got to experience everything Davy experiences after finding out she carries the kill gene.  Her disbelief that quickly morphs into despair, her heartbreak when everyone she thought she could depend on turns against her.

Davy's parents basically pretend she doesn't exist.   Her boyfriend turns out to be a jerk (called that one wayyy before Zac showed his true colors ;)).  Her best friend betrays her in an awful way.  She's "uninvited" from her high-brow private school.  The only person who stands by her is her older brother Mitchell--who I absolutely adored!  Mitchell, the loser-problem-child-screw up, was such a great big brother and character.

Actually, there was one other person who stood by Davy, and I'd say he's possibly the #1 reason to read the book.

Sean O'Rourke.  Gahhh, what can I say about Sean?  He's another HTS carrier, but he looks the part: big, tough, amazingly HOT, tattooed with the circled-H that marks you for life as violent.  The scenes with him are charged.  Sexy, sweet, and completely captivating.  I hoped for a great romance to match the awesome plot, and Jordan didn't disappoint.  Sean was everything I look for in a book boyfriend and more :-D.

Another thing I loved was how Jordan kept Davy in her home environment.  She wasn't suddenly spirited away to a government facility or internment camp.  By keeping her in the same setting, we got to really see the "Before" and "After."  It was so much more emotionally affecting than if Davy had been taken somewhere else immediately after finding out she has HTS.

If you couldn't tell: I loved this book!!  I'd definitely recommend it.  With so many series out there--especially in YA--Uninvited is a definite Must-Read.

Happy Reading,

Ninja Girl

STACKING THE SHELVES (21)

Hi there! Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

List of Books: Unite Me by Tahereh Mafi
                       Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
                       Slow Burn by Julie Garwood
                       Foreplay by Sophie Jordan
                       Also Known As by Robin Benway

List of e-Books: As You Turn Away by Molli Moran

Not really sure which book I'm most excited about this week :).  I've already read two of the books in this batch--Foreplay which I LOVED and Unite Me which I bought b/c I needed to own Destroy Me in paperback.  Julie Garwood is one of my fave authors, and I'm so happy for Molli and the release of her book!!

How did you guys make out this week?  Hope you got some great books!

Ninja Girl

TUNE IN TUESDAY: ANNIE EVE

Hi there! Tune in Tuesday is a GReads meme currently hosted over at Kate's Tales of Books and Bands.  I just discovered this fantastic artist named Annie Eve.  Her voice is smooth, unique and fragile.  The music, the lyrics are...sigh.  They reach right inside and pull on your heartstrings <3.  This is my favorite of her songs, "Southern."  Hope you enjoy!

But I never got bored with you.  I never got bored of us.

Hope you're having a great week!

Ninja Girl

STACKING THE SHELVES (20)

Hi there! Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

List of Books: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
                       Alienated by Melissa Landers
                       Twice Tempted by Jeannine Frost

List of e-books: Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

So happy that NetGalley offered BKoB as a "Read Now" book, and I'm excited about the other three reads--though, I think I know The Fault In Our Stars is going to shatter me.

Hope you got some great books this week!

Ninja Girl

THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by Jennifer E. Smith

As I'm writing this review, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is playing in the background.  It is now officially V-Day.  Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are doing that amazing "It's like you're Photoshopped" scene.  And I'm feeling the love you guys, so here's a book sure to bring the swoon :-).

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith is a sweet, romantic contemporary YA, featuring a hook I just fell in love with.

From the jacket summary: Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet--albeit virtually--when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an e-mail about his pet pig, Wilbur.  The two seventeen-year-olds strike up an e-mail relationship, even though they don't even know each other's first name.

Sigh…Smith had me at hello lol.  That bit about the pet pig made me smile.  Usually, I stay away from books where e-mails are involved.  Don't know why.  To me, online communication always seems so impersonal.  I'm a big Jane Austen fan, so I'm also a big fan of the handwritten letter.  I like books I can hold (though ebooks are growing on me).  Anyway, the point is I kind of doubted this relationship.

But I was wrong--and so, SO happy about it!

Ellie and Graham's e-mails were absolutely my favorite part of the book.  They were used in such an amazing way.  Through their exchanges, they get to know each other--and we get to know them.  Beyond the surface details (names, hair color, eye color etc.), they discover each other, what really makes the other tick.

I thought this sent a beautiful message.

Truth: While writing, I have a hard time physically describing my characters, figuring out what they look like.  But I know who they are.  I know what they like best, what makes them cry, their sense of humor, who they'll fall in love with and why.  In my head, I guess those are what make up the character, not their looks.

So I loved how Ellie and Graham's relationship started.  I also really liked the fact that this errant e-mail could begin such a sweet romance.  Great way to integrate today's technology, and like I said, Smith brought the swoon.

I am now a believer in the power of e-mail LOL.

Graham was a true romantic, a 17-year-old movie star who falls for a girl he's never met.  I liked him immediately.  Ellie was an endearing character.  I loved how she was just "normal," as much as any of us are normal.  She was a well-rounded character with likes and dislikes, dreams and fears.  Both of them were good people you just wanted to see get together.

And Smith makes that happen in this beautiful, sweet way <3.  Would've liked a more concrete ending, but no other complaints.  I'm seriously not all that big into Valentine's. But I think the world could use a little more happy.  A perfect read for Valentine's Day!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

TUNE IN TUESDAY: LOVE EDITION

Hi there! Tune in Tuesday is a GReads meme currently hosted over at Kate's Tales of Books and Bands.  This week it's the Love Song Edition, so I'm bringing the swoon <3.  Hope you enjoy!

1. Love Lost by The Temper Trap

2. Sea of Love by Cat Power

3. Stubborn Love by The Lumineers

Happy Tuesday, everyone,

Ninja Girl