Christmas Giveaway! THREE ARCS!

It's Christmas time! I have a few ARCs to giveaway, and I thought, why not give some away on Christmas Day? 

Still haven't read Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian? Maybe it's Origin you still haven't had time to pick up. Or maybe it's The Raven Boys you are dying to read. Here's a chance to win all three of them.

All ARCs are from BEA, and are in pretty good condition. All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form below! 

US/Canada only (sorry, shipping can be a little expensive)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

Review: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn #1

Release Date: September 18^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 368

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: ARC from BEA

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...THEY GET EVEN. Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister. Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay. Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him. Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

I’m a sucker for revenge books. I’m not one to usually seek revenge, so maybe that shy I like them so much. Or maybe it’s because everyone knows that revenge almost never goes according to plan. In Burn for Burn, we meet three girls who seem to have nothing in common, except they all have been wronged. Yet, even it their all their differences, they end up together getting the revenge the think they deserve.

Lilia, Kat and Mary couldn’t be more different, and I think that’s one of the big reason I liked it so much. We have Lilia: the popular girl, the cheerleader, and the girl that seems to have everything she could possibly want. Then you have Kat, the outcast, and Mary, the new girl if you want. Mary who came back after years and years to get revenge on the boy who made her childhood a living hell. They are all brought together to help one and another get the revenge they deserve. This gives us a great mix of drama, and newfound friendships.

I was surprised at first by some of the reason the girls wanted to seek revenge, especially on the first victim. I get that they feel like they were wronged, but I was curious as to why they didn’t check their facts a little more before really bringing on the punishments. Okay, maybe not for the two other victims, since I think they do deserve to be punished on some level, but still. I have to say that it all made me expect things to not go according to plan, and not to be all it seems. Appearance can be deceiving after all.

Okay, I have to talk about the paranormal aspect of this book, since I know that many were wondering about, and so was I before I started the book. I mean, when you read this summary, you wouldn’t really expect to have this little touch of paranormal added into the mix, but I’m really curious to see how it will affect the next book, since I didn’t feel it made that much difference in this book, except for one scene. It wasn’t something that put me off; it was more something that left me wondering what was the importance of it. Other than that, this book was a perfect mix of revenge, drama and friendship that will please many readers. 

Review: We'll Always Have Summer

Title: We’ll Always Have Summer

Author: Jenny Han

Release Date: April 26^th, 2011

Series: Summer #3

Number of Pages: 288

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Source: Bought

Belly has only ever been in love with two boys, both with the last name Fisher. And after being with Jeremiah for the last two years, she's almost positive he is her soul mate. Almost. Conrad has not gotten over the mistake he made when he let Belly go even as Jeremiah has always known that Belly is the girl for him. So when Belly and Jeremiah decide to make things forever, Conrad realizes that it's now or never--tell Belly he loves her, or lose her for good.

Belly will have to confront her feelings for Jeremiah and Conrad and face a truth she has possibly always known: she will have to break one of their hearts.

I loved this series. It’s that simple. I simply loved it. If you liked the first two books, you’ll probably like this one.

The only thing is that there’s a lot of “I love Jeremiah. I love Conrad. I love them both. Who should I chose.” Well, if you didn’t really like this part in the two first books, you probably won’t really enjoy this one, because it is there time ten. I liked it, simply because I grew attached to these characters, but I’m not usually a big fan of this kind of love triangle (brothers? Seriously?)

I was of course hoping for her to choose a certain brother, which made me kind of unsure if I would love this book. After all, with that kind of story, if you’re favorite get the girl, you liked it. If he doesn’t, you won’t be able to really love it.

A great way to end this series. If you’re looking for a summer romance, that’s a really good one!

Loved it!

Review: It's Not Summer Without You

Title: It’s Not Summer Without You

Author: Jenny Han

Release Date: April 27^th, 2010

Series: Summer #2

Number of Pages: 275

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Source: Bought

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Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.

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Wow. Seriously, this series is getting better. Belly is back, her heart broken by the loss of Susannah, and Conrad in a way. I didn’t like every decision Belly made, but I could understand them. She was growing, but she had to stop being so impulsive. So many of her mistakes were made because she didn’t take a second to think… sigh…

Jeremiah slightly annoyed me… again… There is just something that gets on my nerves… I can’t really say what. Maybe it’s his over jealous side… I don’t know.

I like Conrad. I know he can be an ass sometimes, but I get why. I understand what that it is his way of going through his mom’s death, even if it hurts those around him. There’s just a side to him that come across as vulnerable.

I have to say that I simply love Jenny Han’s novels. They are perfect summer read, with a great mix of romance and emotional drama. I can’t wait to read the next books.

If you want to check more about her first book, I have already reviewed the first book in the series, The Summer I Turned Pretty. A series I definitely recommend for the summer!

Review The Summer I turned Pretty

Title: The Summer I turned Pretty
Author: Jenny Han
Release Date: May 5th, 2009
Series: Summer #1
Number Of Pages: 276
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Bought
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Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

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I had heard a lot of good comments about this series, and I thought it would be a good series to start during my vacations. I read it within one day simply because I couldn’t put it down. I’m not usually a big fan of contemporary YA, even though I usually end up liking the one I read, but I’ve really enjoyed this one.

The story is set in a beach house during one summer, but it includes flashback to previous summers, which I thought was interesting. It helps us understand more the characters. The story revolves around Belly. She is looking for who she is, through her feelings for her family, and of course boys. There is a lot of stuff going on in the story, and even though there was sometimes events that made me want to scream at Belly, it kind of reminded me of the kind of person I was when I was 15-16, even if it isn’t that far. The ending made me smiles, but didn’t really surprise me.

The characters had their good part and bad part. I liked Belly, because I could identify with her, even if I found her immature at some points. Yet, she’s 15-16, trying to distance herself from her family, and trying to figure out her heart. Yes, it usually means that everything she did wasn’t always the brightest thing to do. Still, the most annoying thing about her was probably her name. What kind of name is Belly? Sounds like the nickname of a 5-years-old. Conrad got on my nerves at first, but the more you understand what he is going through, the more I liked him. I understood that what he was doing was a way to numb himself from the pain of what was going on, and to protect himself against the others. Sometimes, it can be easier to push people away than to open a door for more pain. Not right, but easier. I liked Jeremiah at first, but the more I read, the more he got on my nerves. Yet, I can’t really put words on the reasons why. The mothers were simply perfect. I love how they were so present for their children, without trying to be too much. Loved them.

I found Jenny Han books to be simply captivating. I love how she included the flashback. The only thing I would have like her to do is to have included Belly’s real name earlier. Really, she could have given her a different nickname. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good contemporary book for the summer. Simply enjoyable.