Reflection Blog Tour: Reflection by Jessica Roberts

Reflection
by Jessica Roberts

Published: February 17th 2012
Format: Kindle
Pages: 289
Series: Reflection #1

Amazon | Amazon UK

Bright, spunky Heather Robbins has escaped her small hometown and is anxiously beginning her freshman year of college.

Rising above her rocky childhood, she’s found a place where good things are finally starting to happen: her own private apartment, refreshing college classes, and an intense attachment to a mysterious and rugged classmate, Nick Richards.

But when her dreamy college life turns out to be nothing more than a wonderful dream while resting in a coma, questions threaten.
Now, Heather must press forward to unlock the real past, and find the answers buried deep in her mind.

What she unlocks instead is a roller coaster ride through flashbacks, embellished memories, and a whirlwind romance.

And when it’s all over and she comes face to face with the truth, will she lose everything she’s fallen in love with?

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
The book starts with Heather leaving her small hometown, excited to start a new life in a new place, even when it means leaving her best friend behind.
After this we'll see a small glimpse of her new life; she's madly in love and ready to come clean about her past. But before she gets the chance to do that, she's in an accident that puts her in a coma.
After that things get pretty interesting, because Heather doesn't really remember her past, just the things she's dreamed about while being in coma.

First I have to warn you: This book ends in a huge cliffhanger, and if you're anything like me, you'll end up harassing the author for the second book. Which she so kindly sent me almost right away, so I got to read the second book too (and the review is coming up in a few days)! But that's always a good sign, when after devouring the first book, I need to get the second one too.

But more about the plot now. So, in the beginning Heather wakes up from her coma, and starts telling her memories to the doctor. It stars pretty slow, so some people may stop reading at this point. I almost did, but I'm so glad I didn't. Trust me, just stick with it, and it gets just so interesting, you won't be able to stop reading.
Heather tells her "memories", and like I said, it's pretty slow and normal, but then things get odd, when Heather starts noticing "glitches" here and there. Occasionally, she sees her best friend appear, until he vanishes in a blink of an eye. Sometimes, she hears people talking (even some medical stuff), when there isn't really anyone around. Some memories just doesn't really make sense to her.
In the end of the book, we'll finally meet some "real" characters in real life, and things finally start making some sense. But then it's time for Heather to get back to normal life. That's when she learns that she's actually been in coma for ages, and some things just can't go back to the way they used to be.

My favorite part in this book was the fact that you could just tell that Heather was living in a "dream world". Dreams can be really weird and dirstorted, and that was Heather's life in the dream world. Like her communicating with other characters actually made me think that if they were "real" characters and the author was describing real life situations and interaction, it wouldn't work. But these characters were made for the dream world, and it worked out pretty amazingly. Their actions were distorted and in occasions exaggerated in such an interesting ways, you could just tell that they weren't "real". That was definitely brilliant job from the author.

Of course the romance was also something I enjoyed. There were rollercoasters, jealousy, fear and loath and everything in between, excactly the right ingredients for a great romance!

I could definitely recommend this to people who loved "Before I Fall" and "If I Stay", because this also gives a new point of view to the question "what's between life and death?". And has some great romance ;)

Cover Reveal: Pieces by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Pieces by Michelle Davidson Argyle


Expected publication
February 14th 2013

Publisher:
Rhemalda Publishing


Two years after watching her kidnappers go to prison, Naomi Jensen is still in love with one of them. Jesse will be released in a few years, and Naomi knows college is the perfect distraction while she waits. But when her new friend Finn makes her question what is right and what is wrong, she begins to wonder if Jesse is the one for her … until she discovers he's out on parole. Naomi must sort through her confusion to figure out where love and freedom truly lie—in Finn, who has no connections to her past, or Jesse, who has just asked her to run away with him.


Pieces is a companion to The Breakaway and can be read independently, if desired.

Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains.

She loves the seasons, but late summer and early fall are her favorites.

She adores chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in whatever time she can grab between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter.

She believes a simple life is the best life.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook


Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Stacking the Shelves #2

Last time I showed you some new books was in.. March! After the whole IMM- incident I wanted to do something else. And it took me this long to decide that now on I'll be participating in Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews!

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I'm still having some sort of book buying ban, so there isn't much to show. Actually, there's only one book, but it's so awesome I have to share it with you all!
Few days ago, my door bell rang and behind it was a copy of..

Mind Games by Kiersten White and I just went squeek!

Ever since I've been carrying this around, petting it and whispering my precious...
It's amazing, again huge thanks to HarperCollins, and special thanks to Christine! :)

Once Upon a Twisted Time Blog Tour

Once Upon A Twisted Time
by Tara Stogner Wood, Trish Marie Dawson, Lindsay Avalon and Miranda Stork

Published: October 31st 2012
Genre: Fairytales / Paranormal
Publisher: Moon Rose Publishing
Cover Artist: Miranda Stork
Number of pages: 250
Word Count: 76,000

Think you know your fairytales? Think again. These aren’t your normal happily-ever-after. Within these pages, a murderous Little Mermaid gets her revenge, the Cinderella doesn’t really want to wear the slipper, Snow White is up to her eyes in industrial experiments, and the Beauty is in fact the Beast.

This collection of four novellas will surprise you, make you gasp in horror, sigh with relief, and sit on the edge of your seat. And most of all…they will make you rethink everything you think you know about dark fairytales…

Song of the Abyss - Lindsay Avalon
Princess Nerissa had envisioned a perfect wedding to a handsome prince. Instead, she fell into a nightmare. When her new husband tries to murder her just hours after pledging his life to her, she must flee towards the sea. Caught in transition from woman to selkie, she is trapped by the dark waters she hoped would be her salvation. Now her destiny becomes that of luring young men to their death…until one comes along that reignites the spark of love inside her. However to ensure her future, she must first face her past. Revenge must be taken…for both her life, and the life of the young man she now loves.

Miss Cavendish and the Spark of Salvation - Tara Stogner Wood
In a city toiling under the iron fist of the Spiegel Syndicate and its monopoly on coal, Miss Georgina "George" Cavendish is on the brink of a breakthrough that could change the world forever. There's just one thing standing in her way, her aunt - Xenobia Cavendish. Threatened by her efforts, the Syndicate procures the services of a notorious assassin with a past tied to her own, known as The Huntsman, to dispatch the brilliant scientist. But once he gets a glimpse of the headstrong beauty, will he be able to do the job, or will Georgina sway him to The Cause? And will George find the breakthrough she needs in time, or is New London Town doomed to forever lie under the dark shadow of her aunt's factories?

Hawke and the Beast - Trish Marie Dawson
Some curses last forever, and some can be broken with the whisper of three little words. Isabella Rose Woodward fell in love with a witch's son over a century ago. Her punishment for breaking the young man's heart was a beastly one. Every month she turns into a different creature, aging on the full moon when her curse allows for a brief return to her human form. Her only salvation is to find a man that will love her as she is…be it adorned in feathers, fur or scales. Has she found this love with the handsome Jasper Hawke? Or will a mysteriously determined Hunter find her first, and snuff out the life she so desperately seeks? A life of normalcy, where she loves and is loved in return… just as she is.

Reborn City - Miranda Stork
Nyx has one mission in life; bring down the brainwashing of New Omsk’s citizens, and release them from their mundane lives of toil. The year is 2355, and the world is a new place. A Governor is in charge of every city in the world, and humanity is attempting to rebuild itself after recovering from a war that nearly killed it. But this Governor has set his eyes on the intrepid little hacker, Nyx, and he will stop at nothing to get her. But perhaps he needs her more than he ever dreamed he would…as do his citizens.

Tara Stogner Wood

Tara Wood divides her time between creating domestic bliss and creating hot paranormal romance with the occasional side of kink. When not playing June Cleaver for her hubby and daughter, she can be found at the local Starbucks slamming back Frappuccinos and plotting out her next idea. Or she’s watching the BBC. Tara resides with her wonderful and tolerant family in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. She is currently at work on several projects, one of them being the next book in her In Blood series.


Trish Marie Dawson

I was born and mostly raised in San Diego, California where I live now with my family and pets. I’ve been writing short stories and poetry since high school after an obsession with Stephen King’s ‘The Stand’. After over fifteen years of crazy dreams and an overactive imagination, I began my first book ‘I Hope You Find Me’ in December of 2011. When I’m not writing, I am homeschooling my amazing daughter and mildly autistic son, reading whatever I can get my hands on, or enjoying the Southern California sun. As a strict Vegetarian, I hold a special place in my heart for animal rights and dash into the backyard weekly to rescue lizards and mice from our mini-lab/aussie shepherd/cocker spaniel mixed dog, Zoey…who is always getting into some sort of trouble.


Miranda Stork

I was born in Guisborough, North Yorkshire in 1987 and have lived in various places around Britain, including Newcastle and Glasgow. My writing is inspired by various writers, including the vivid characters of Charles Dickens, the imagination of Stephen King, and the gothic imagery of Anne Rice.

My love of horror began at an early age, when I was only three or four. I could read proficiently at the age of three, and devoured fairy-stories, but I always had a bent towards the darker stories, such as the Brother's Grimm's tales...Red Riding Hood was always a firm favourite, although I always felt sorry for the wolf, despite him having tried to eat everyone!


Lindsay Avalon

I am a wife, a mother to an adorable mini schnauzer, a programmer, and now an author. I love reading romance because no matter what may be happening in my life, I can always count on my books to end happily ever after. My sister drilled into me an appreciation for fantasy and mythology, something I try to bring to my books. After hearing me complain a few too many times that I had “nothing” to read despite the hundreds of paperbacks scattered around the house, my husband began suggesting I write my own stories. When I finally took his advice I discovered that although I enjoy my day job as a software engineer, my true calling is to be an author.

Cover Reveal: Extracted: The Lost Imperials by Tyler Jolley & Sherry Ficklin

Extracted:
The Lost Imperials
by Tyler Jolley & Sherry Ficklin


Expected publication
11/12/13

Publisher:
Spencer Hill Press


Welcome to the war.

The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it.

The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens--their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream.

Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war.

When Lex’s girlfriend dies during a mission, the only way he can save her is to retrieve the Dox, a piece of tech which allows Rifters to re-enter their own timeline without collapsing the time stream. But the Dox is hidden deep within the Telsa Institute, which means Lex must go into the enemy camp. It’s there he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them both comes flooding back.

Now armed with the truth of who they are, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them both…again.

Kindle Freebies #3

Found something you liked? :) Leave a comment!

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Slide
by Jill Hathaway

Published: March 27th 2012
Publisher:Balzer + Bray
for HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 250
Series: Slide #1
Source: Borrowed
Amazon / UK |
Book Depository

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth - her sister's friend Sophie didn't kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn't actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else's mind and experiences the world through that person's eyes.
She's slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed "friend" when she slid into her during a school dance.
But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie's slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police.
Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting distant lately, especially now that she's been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
I've only seen this around like million times so it was about time for me to read it too. And I really liked the synopsis, 'cause the basic idea is pretty intriguing.
Vee is "narcoleptic", though in this case narcoleptic means "slides into someone else's head". It's pretty unpleasant, since she has no idea how to control it, and sees it more like a curse than a gift. And things turn from bad to worse when she accidentally ends up witnessing a murder through the killer's eyes. She has no idea who the killer is, but she's pretty sure her little sister is the next victim. She decides to find the killer and save her sister.
Along the way she manages to take control over her powers, but also wreck some relationships.

Okay, first I was going to give this 4 cupcakes, but as I started writing this, I changed it to 3.5 cupcakes. Because the more I started analyzing this, the more I started to notice some things I wasn't such a huge fan.
First, I really liked the slide- thing, but after a while, I started wondering if there's a reason why Vee doesn't use her "power" in her advantage, or hasn't she realize the possibilities? Well, she was just a little slow, and didn't realize the possibilities.
Other than her little slowness, I did like Vee. She's pretty much a loner, after everything that happened with her cheerleader friends (the same old story, used to be a cheerleader, her friends turned out to be bunch of b*tches etc., the usual way how people end up as loners, at least in books). She has one good friend, Rollins, but he's in love with Vee and that kind of complicates things. Don't worry, that's not really a spoiler, because it's so obvious. He starts acting like a jealouse crazy person the moment Vee starts talking with another boy, Zane.
It was really hard to decide which boy I liked more, because.. well, I liked both. And both had some huge dark secrets that end up causing some huge problems with their relationship with Vee. Though the other one is hiding some pretty bad secrets, but in the end, they're both great guys. Unfortunately Vee never didn't have to choose, because the author took the easy way out, meaning something horrible happens to one of these guys.

Plot was great, but like I mentioned earlier, Vee was pretty slow, meaning there was some very obvious things that took quite long for Vee to notice.
But it still managed to be pretty intense in occasions, even scary. Want to know the part where I jumped off my seat cause I got so scared? This is embarrassing, but here we go..

In my room, I snap on the light, and brightness blinds me. A face captures my attention in the corner of the room, but when I look, I realize it's only the face of the angel on the Smashing Pumpkins T-shirt.

I know, it's now official, I'M A WUSS. But the plot got so intense and then came along that part and I started screaming "OH NO NO NO THERE'S SOMEONE IN HER ROOM!!!!" and nearly started crying. First time ever when I'm scared of a t-shirt. In a book. Yeah, t-shirts are just scary. Time to change the subject.

If I had to compare this book to anything I've read before, I'd have to choose The Body Finder series, which has the somewhat same spirit and the whole "falling-in-love-with-my-best-friend"- thing also going on, though I must admit it was executed better in The Body Finder (..and in TBF, the main character is called Vi. Just saying). In this things were left open and the ending with Rollins was quite.. odd, in the sense of "Look at me, I'm ringing your doorbell after this long time and we're best friends again, let's play Pictionary!". Well, not exactly, but almost.
Plus, Vee chose to dye her hair back and loose the pink colour! No no no. You should have stayed pink, that's all I'm saying.

So, I'm not the biggest fan, but I still managed to enjoy this. And I did read this in one night, so it really wasn't bad! There just was occasionally some moments that made me wonder why Vee is so slow, because hey, they were just so obvious.

Resisting Velocity Release Day Blitz

Resisting Velocity
Xoe Xanders & Trinity Evans

Published: July 15th 2012
Format: Kindle edition
Series: High Velocity #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Elysium Fields, LLC
Cover Artist: Xoe Xanders
Number of pages: 185 pages through Kindle
Word Count: 60,000 words

As frontman of up-and-coming rock band, High Velocity, werewolf Zane Alexander has everything a man could want: Fame, fortune, friendship, and a pack to call home.

Well, almost everything.

Despite being able to take his pick of pretty much any woman, he wants the one girl he can’t have — the one girl who’s eluded his every advance.

Charlie Banks has always had a thing for Zane, but being the band’s head of security, she knows firsthand just the sort of guy he is. She’s determined not to become just another notch on his bedpost, but if doesn’t stop the want for a mate curling in her gut.
It’ll happen, someday — it just won’t be Zane. She’s decided that it’s time to leave High Velocity, to find a nice little home and settle down to live the rest of her life, away from sexy smiles and ripped bodies of rock stars.
But when someone threatens Zane’s life, she’s the only one he wants to protect him. Except, Zane has a hidden agenda. One that involves claiming Charlie as his mate, once and for all.

Excerpt

Breathing in short, sharp breaths, Zane followed her through the winding corridors of the Richter Stadium, past the women’s bathrooms and down a flight of stairs. He held his breath for a moment as he slid through the remaining security crew. His golden eyes zeroed in on the whipcord lean beauty, a few dark curls coiling down from the sensible bun she always wore it in.

She stopped, hesitating right outside the doors. Two more steps and he’d lose her to the nightlife, his identity keeping him from following her any farther. If fans saw him, his life would become a hurricane of screams and groping hands. He wasn’t in the mood to put on his usual charming-playboy air to deal with them and he knew that going furry on their asses would damage his career.

Now or never.

As she stepped out, he lurched forward, his pulse pounding furiously at his throat, and he crossed the floor in three strides. His fingers curled around her shoulders, firm and commanding, though he knew she hated it when he pulled the alpha role.

She spun and her lips formed a thin line, as if she’d been expecting this. She’d known. You couldn’t really lie to pack and get away with it.

“Charlie.” The one word was all he could say before her eyes pinned him. They were pale as a sheet of blue ice, staring up at him with a gentle ferocity that she’d only ever reserved for him. He had no doubts that she wanted him — he’d smelled it on her in the past, saw the way she looked at him sometimes, as if she was seeing through to his soul — but she was wary. Guarded. The walls around her heart were made of marble and he was left pounding both fists against the cool stone.

“You can’t leave.” His words were a statement. A fact.

“I can and I am,” she replied coolly.

“What about the guys? What about High Velocity? You’re just going to throw it all away?” He was surprised at the intensity behind his words, but he was far from done. “Are we not paying you enough? There’s always ways around that. How much will it take?”

She blew out a harsh expel of air and glanced down at his hand clamped around her arm, but she didn’t bother to pull away. Her winter gaze met his molten gold once more. “I’ve made my decision, Zane. You need to respect it. There comes a time in everyone’s career where they have to make a choice and take a stand. This is it. I’ve put in my notice, I’ve followed protocol. There shouldn’t be a problem.”

A growl slid up his throat, escaping with a rumble. “I don’t give a damn about protocol. You could flash your tits to the crowd if you wanted and we still wouldn’t fire you. I don’t care. You’re part of our group. And, like it or not, you’re part of the pack. My pack.”

“You and I both know that I’ve never really been part of the pack.” Her voice carried a touch of wistfulness. She was right — she’d always been a bit of a loner, keeping herself estranged from the members of Elysium, try as his parents might to welcome her in. But she’d never been distant with Zane and the guys and he wasn’t about to let that happen. Not now.

“You’re staying.”

She lifted a brow. “Since when are you my master?”

“Since you started talking crazy shit about leaving us!” He tamped his anger back down. He never had a temper. What was up with him? He took a deep breath, letting it whistle out his nose as he tried to soften his posture, tried to be less demanding. “We need you. Okay? I respect your decision to quit, but you don’t have to skip town and leave us. Just stay.” Please…

Her smile was tight. She shook her head slowly, like he just didn’t get it, and pulled free of his grasp. “Goodbye, Zane.”

His mind spun, thoughts bouncing off the walls of his head as he tried to scrape ideas together in a last-minute rush. He needed more time. He needed a damn good reason for her to stay, but damn it, he couldn’t think! She turned around, agonizingly slow, and he could see the muscles in her back through the crispness of her suit.

“Charlie. One last night.” His voice was soft, a plea in the undercurrent that he cursed himself for exposing. She stopped and he moved forward until his chest was pressed against her back, one arm wrapping around her waist. He pulled her against him, her body cupping his perfectly, like it was made for him.

She stiffened, but he didn’t let her go. His arm snug around her, he rubbed his chin lightly across the back of her neck, letting the stubble scrape gently against her skin. He murmured in her ear, using the sexiest voice he could muster. His beautiful-girl voice. “Go for a run with me. Tonight. One run.”

He’d figure something out between then and now. He’d get her back.

Trinity Evans is an upbeat, slightly off-color author with a wild imagination and a taste for the eclectic.
Born and raised in a small-town Americana, she loves the lighter and fluffier side of life with some paranormal spice thrown in.
She definitely enjoys the more comical side of relationships.

She adores hearing from fans and you can find her at trinityevans.wordpress.com.

Xoe Xanders is a quirky small-town punk princess whose ideas range from dark and dangerous to light and fluffy.
She enjoys writing in the vein of paranormal, fantasy, and soft sci-fi, all of it with a romantic edge.
She believes that love is love — no matter what gender, race, or color — and writes both straight and LBGT romance.

Wanna stalk her?
You can find her site at xoexanders.wordpress.com.


Twitter | Trinity's blog | Xoe's blog

Where to buy
Amazon | Amazon UK | Smashwords |

Barnes & Noble

Last Regress by Rachael J. Thorne: Excerpt

Last Regress
by Rachael J. Thorne

Published: July 15th 2012
Format: Kindle edition

Amazon |
Amazon.co.uk

Alyssa Matthews
thought she had an explanation for
everything.

After all, as a slightly sceptical paranormal investigator that was what she was used to doing;
researching, observing and explaining.

So when she began writing a paper about a long forgotten case of death by Spontaneous Human Combustion, she assumed it would be a run-of-the-mill piece.

Little did she realise that she was about to be plunged into a situation that would not only force her to question her own sanity, but also her scepticism about the nature of the paranormal.

Not to mention the dreams that just wouldn’t go away...

Prologue

We watch them living their lives. We watch their hearts beat, they breathe, they grow, they give birth, and ultimately of course they die.
We watch all of it happening. We are always there but they do not know it, they do not see us.
Sometimes, only very occasionally, they think that they can sense something, but more often than not the feeling passes quickly and they barely notice the difference.

If we are careless and do not obey the rules set out for us, maybe they actually do catch a glimpse, just for a second or two, but the memory inevitably fades for most of them, all apart from the more sensitive ones, and we are once again safely forgotten.

It is strictly forbidden for us to interact with them in any way, we cannot help them, we are not allowed to communicate with them at all, and we are only permitted to watch.
Anything else would carry with it the threat of dire consequences, it would upset the delicate balance that we constantly strive so very hard to maintain, and most important of all it would likely bring about our own downfall.

This is what we have learned from our own mistakes; only the few, only the most sensitive, only the ones who have been chosen to share our fate can be allowed to know us, and so we remain in the shadows, and we watch.

It has not always been this way though. We have made our mistakes, we have felt the searing pain of bearing witness to the damage that we have caused, and for this we have suffered.

Oh, how we have suffered...

Rachael J. Thorne is trying to make it in the world as an indie author between tending her garden and being a geek!

She lives in Essex, UK with her husband and crazy dog.

Last Regress is her first novel and she is currently working on her second, Running For A Life.



Twitter | Rachael's website | Facebook | Goodreads

34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodrigues

34 Pieces of You
by Carmen Rodrigues

Published: September 4th 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Ebook
Pages: 325
Source: Through Pulse It
Amazon |
Book Depository

A dark and moving novel — reminiscent of Thirteen Reasons Why — about the mystery surrounding a teenage girl’s fatal overdose.

There was something about Ellie... Something dangerous. Charismatic. Broken. Jake looked out for her. Sarah followed her lead. And Jess kept her distance, and kept watch.

Now Ellie’s dead, and Jake, Sarah, and Jess are left to pick up the pieces. All they have are 34 clues she left behind. 34 strips of paper hidden in a box beneath her bed. 34 secrets of a brief and painful life.

Jake, Sarah, and Jess all feel responsible for what happened to Ellie, and all three have secrets of their own. As they begin to confront the darkest truths about themselves, they will also find out what Ellie herself had been hiding all along....

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
Remember my reaction to Thirteen Reasons Why? (No? Read here!) Overall, I wasn't very pleased with it, so when another book is compared to that, I feel pretty hesitant. Okay, nearly didn't pick up this book. But man, am I glad I did! The bad memory of TRW is nearly erased from my memory, cause this was nothing like it. This ended up being so emotional read, and I do admit I cried, a lot.

Ellie is a charismatic girl, who everyone feel drawned to. But like with so many other charismatic people, she has something dark inside her. Like there's a black cloud hanging above her head. She never trusts people enough to really give them anything about herself. The closest person for her is her big brother, Jake, who knows some of her secrets. But then he has to move away for school, and she's.. not taking it so well. And then..
Ellie's dead. Her friends and family are left behind, wondering what happened, everyone blaming themselves. And everyone has secrets, secrets that involve Ellie and mostly make them blame themselves even more. Through out the book we'll get to see what life is like after Ellie is gone, but also get to see glimpses of life with Ellie.

What I really loved in this book was the emotions. They were real, and like I've said many times before, I usually fell in love with that kind of books. They're real, in all the ugliness and beauty of life.
Characters were also that, both beautiful and ugly, sometimes kind, sometimes awful to each other, but that's just life. So the raw emotions were definitely the strong point in this book.
And of course, where there's emotions, there's relationships. Every person had their own kind of relationship with Ellie, but my favorite was with Jess. It was so beautiful, innocent, real, what ever the word you want to use. It was also the most heartbreaking part of the book, and I cried nearly in every scene they had together. And I ended up heart broken myself because of them, because what happened to them was just awful.

There wasn't that many things I didn't like, but I did have sometimes little trouble with following all the characters, since there was several POV's AND we jumped back and forth in time. After few chapters I did get the hang of it, but usually I strougle with so many changes.
I was also a little disappointed when there wasn't any "let's-gather-and-reveal-all-of-our-secrets!"- moments in the end. I'm kind of a fan of those kind of scenes, so I felt a little empty in the end, since there was still so many secrets left uncovered.

But, this was believable story about broken people and how they deal with the lost of their loved one. It was heartbreaking and painful, but I'm so glad I didn't miss it, since it was all worth it.


Thanks to Simon Pulse for providing a review copy!