Wednesday 29 February 2012

WWW Wednesday [7].

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading



[1] The book I am currently reading is:

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]






[2] The book I just recently finished is:
 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]




[3] The book I think I will read next is:
Why Do We Have to Live With Men? by Bernadette Strachan
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]



'Waiting on' Wednesday [7].

'Waiting on' Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly meme hosted by The Breaking Spine.


My WoW selection this week is:

A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont
Release date: 14th May 2012
Publisher: KTeen
Buy this book: Amazon UK

Synopsis [Amazon]
A scholarship student at an exclusive prep school, Emma Townsend feels like an outsider. Her stepmother doesn't come close to filling the void left by her mother's death. And her only romantic prospect - apart from a crush on her English teacher - is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma's confusion. "Escape" comes in the old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre that Emma receives as a gift. Then a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane's body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma experiences a sense of belonging she's never felt before, and a growing attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane's story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own...

I've been wanting to read the classics for a long time now, and it was the Classic Double Challenge that gave me the perfect excuse to do so!  This, as well as reading modern books that relate to the classic books in some way, like A Breath of Eyre, a book relating to the Jane Eyre novel. A gorgeous cover and intriguing synopsis. Why would you not want to read it?

I would love to know what your 'waiting on wednesday' selection is this week...

Tuesday 28 February 2012

The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothenberg.

Published: 2nd February 2012
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Puffin
Pages: 400
Age Group: Young Adult
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge 2012, 100+ Reading Challenge, Read and Review Challenge
Buy this book: Amazon UK

Synopsis [Amazon UK]
Brie's life ends at sixteen: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart - "literally." But now that she's in heaven, Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend knows a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost - and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul who's been D&G (dead and gone) much longer than she? and who just might hold the key to her forever after. With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on? but how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

The cover...
The cover is cute and seems perfect for the story.

How did I find out about this book?
I bought this book for the Debut Author Challenge that I am participating in.

What is this book about?

A called named Brie has died literally of a broken heart.  She ends up in another dimension that looks almost like where she came from.  She has to go through the stages of grieve, try to seek revenge and eventually accept that what has happened has happened and that she needs to make peace with it all.

My opinion...
From the beginning I was wrapped up in this book.  I think it was the joke 'What do you call a piece of cheese that's not yours? Nacho cheese.' that got me, what a perfect touch to lighten up something that could be the start of something sad.  This joke, and all of the other mentions of cheese in reference to Brie's name perked up the story and gave it that humorous edge.

The book is separated into five sections, these sections being the process of grief.  This is what Brie has to go through in order to fully move on and be at peace.  So, with the help of Patrick, a boy also in the other dimension, she sets out to score out each of these stages from her list.  In doing so, she realises what she had, what she now has and how to cope with both in the future.  I found that this way of separating the book was different, it was great to find out how she went through each stage and how she still had a lot of growing up to do even in death. Also, the chapter titles being lyrics to well known songs that related to what was happening in that particular chapter was great and a good way of hinting what was to come.

However, I was expecting a completely different story from reading the synopsis.  I was expecting someone still living to be able to see Brie and love to conquer death but the story was far from this and at parts rather confusing.  I think this was the only thing that I disliked.  As the author did go in to this but not at much as I would have hoped.  Brie was able to move things in the 'real world' and get in to the back of cars and smash things but, in my opinion, it didn't really achieve much as the reasons why she was doing these things would have come to a conclusion without them.

Brie died when she was sixteen years old, and at points I find this hard to believe in relation to her relationship with Jacob before her death.  The death of a literal broken heart does show the immature side yet I think there was a bit of conflict here in regards to age.

The twists and turns in the story were so unexpected and just made the book what it was.  This book had everything from life to death, love to heartache, even including the aspects of afterlife and reincarnation and it handled them all brilliantly.  What more could you ask for?

I loved the writing style of Jess Rothenberg and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!

If you enjoyed this book: what to read next...
I would recommend PS I Love You.  I think this is due to the 'there's life after death' aspect and how characters in both books are still connected to those that have moved on to a better place.

Monday 27 February 2012

In My Mailbox [7].

In My Mailbox’ is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.


The book(s) I bought this week are:

One Thing Led to Another by Katy Regan [Amazon UK]
Glasgow Kiss by Alex Gray [Amazon UK]
The Burying Place by Brian Freeman [Amazon UK]
The Clever One by Helena Close [Amazon UK]
Lasting Damage by Sohie Hannah [Amazon UK]
All The Dead Voices by Declan Hughes [Amazon UK]
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han [Amazon UK]
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater [Amazon UK]
Bombproof by Michael Robotham [Amazon UK]
The Drowning Man by Michael Robotham [Amazon UK]
The Suspect by Michael Robotham [Amazon UK]
First Grave on the Right (A Charley Davidson novel #1) by Darynda Jones [Amazon UK]

The book(s) I received for review this week are:

Waterstones: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce [Amazon UK]

I will update this post with links to my reviews once they are posted.
I would love to know: what's in your mailbox this week?

Sunday 26 February 2012

Catch Up Sunday [6].

Catch Up Sunday is a weekly post I created to highlight what I have posted in the past week.

Memes:

[1] In My Mailbox [6]
[3] 'Waiting on' Wednesday [6]
[4] WWW Wednesday [6]
[6] Catch Up Sunday [5]

Updated Challenge Posts:

[1] Debut Author Challenge
[2] ABC Reading Challenge
[3] 101+ Books in a year Challenge
[4] Read and Review Challenge

Reviews:

[1] Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Wednesday 22 February 2012

WWW Wednesday [6].

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading





[1] The book I am currently reading is:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]






[2] The book I just recently finished is:
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]



 





[3] The book I think I will read next is:
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]



'Waiting on' Wednesday [6].

'Waiting on' Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly meme hosted by The Breaking Spine.


My WoW selection this week is:

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Release date: 24th April 2012
Publisher: Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
Buy this book: Amazon UK

Synopsis [Amazon]
STOP THE COUNTDOWN. SAVE THE WORLD…
Leaving the beach, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit head on by a pickup truck.  And killed.
Then Ben Michaels, resident stoner, is leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, she knows Ben somehow brought her back to life…
Meanwhile, Janelle’s father, a special agent for the FBI, starts working on a case that seems strangely connected to Ben. Digging in his files, Janelle finds a mysterious device – one that seems to be counting down to something that will happen in 23 days and 10 hours time.
That something? It might just be the end of the world. And if Janelle wants to stop it, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets – and keep from falling in love with him in the process…

It wasn't the cover of the book but the synopsis that has made me really want to read this one! It sounds great!  I love books or movies that have a timer to them, you know something is bound to happen but you just don't know what and with this book I cannot wait to find out what that is!

I would love to know what your 'waiting on wednesday' selection is this week...

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Everneath - Brodi Ashton.

Published: 2nd February 2012
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Pages: 384
Age Group: Young Adult
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge 2012, ABC Reading Challenge, 100+ Reading Challenge, Read and Review Challenge
Buy this book: Amazon UK

Synopsis [Amazon UK]
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld...this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...


The cover...
It was the absolutely gorgeous cover that drew me to this book.  Everything about the cover is astonishing.
How did I find out about this book?
I bought this book for the Debut Author Challenge that I am participating in and the cover was one in which I couldn't resist.
What is this book about?

A seventeen year old girl named Nikki Beckett has spent a decade 'feeding' Cole in the Everneath.  Once that decade is over she is given the choice to stay with Cole or be sent to the tunnels.  Nikki chose neither but to Return to reality to see Jack, the one person she could never erase from her mind.  In doing so she has six months (before she is taken to the tunnels anyway) to say goodbye and perhaps find a way to change her outcome to prove that her decision was the right one.

My opinion...

If you were giving the opportunity to have all of your pain taken away would you take it?  Even if there were consequences to these actions?  In a way it seems that Nikki is forced into this situation by Cole.  She has the reasons to want this yet she still has something inside of her telling her that she should fight it.

The prologue of this book made me think that I wouldn't enjoy it.  It seemed too far-fetched and there was something about the repetitive nature of Nikki's decade long disappearance (this being only six months in reality) that bugged me.  It appears that in that decade that Nikki spent with Cole, all they did was lie next to each other and allow Cole to Feed?  It just didn't make sense to me that this would be the case for that length of time yet at the same time you wonder what else would they do?

Cole's guitar playing is consistent and you can tell it is a significant part of Cole yet I find it extremely strange.  It's like when he's around Nikki has a soundtrack to her life, however it's mainly on the occasions when he turns up in her bedroom.  Is his guitar-playing not heard by 'normal' people?  Surely, if he was playing a guitar within a short distance from Nikki's father, her father would be more suspicious than he already is of her return, no?  From the start her father seems to be more Mayor than father but as the book goes on you find out why this is his reaction and how everything that has happened in the past year has affected him.

I was really unsure of Cole.  One minute I liked him the next I didn't.  I didn't know whether he would be a good guy or not.  It just seemed like he was the way he was and there was no changing that whether he liked it or not.  However, it would have been great to see him have a more interesting opinion on the matter.  I guess I was the same about Nikki, she just seemed so vague to begin with.

Jack was my favourite character and I was quite disappointed that he was rarely mentioned in comparison to the rest of the characters in the first half of the book.  Maybe it was the absence of him that made the heart grow fonder?  Nonetheless I wanted to know more about him and felt a deep sympathy towards his reaction to Nikki's departure.  Additionally, his connection with his brother Will was cute and just added to his many great qualities.  Will brought humour into the equation of heartache and sorrow.  Another great character was Mary, as soon as you hear of her you want to know her story and know that her role will be significant too.

I loved that the author had undertaken so much research to write this book.  Although I don't know much about mythology it seems like everything is there waiting to be discovered and it is enticing making you want to know more.  At first I felt that it was easy to put this book down but it soon came to a point where I was sucked in and couldn't wait to find out more which made this story an intriguing read!  I hated the ended but I loved it at the same time and I just want that final statement to be answered.

If you enjoyed this book: what to read next...
This book is part of a series.  I haven't really read much on Greek Mythology and this book gives you an urge to read up on it especially the story of Orpheus and Eurydice!

Monday 20 February 2012

In My Mailbox [6].

In My Mailbox’ is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.


The books I bought this week are:

Long Gone by Alafair Burke [Amazon UK]
Rosebush by Michele Jaffe [Amazon UK]
Everything and Nothing by Araminta Hall [Amazon UK]
Why Do We Have to Live With Men? by Bernadette Strachan [Amazon UK]
The Dragon Diaries #1: Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke [Amazon UK]
House of Comarré #1: Blood Rights by Kristen Painter [Amazon UK]
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater [Amazon UK]
Balled by Maggie Stiefvater [Amazon UK]

I will update this post with links to my reviews once they are posted.
I would love to know: what's in your mailbox this week?

Saturday 18 February 2012

British Books Challenge 2012.

The fourteenth challenge that I will be participating in this year is the British Books Challenge.

The challenge requires you to read at least 12 books by British authors throughout 2012.

I will be updating this post with the books that I read as the year goes on:

[1]
[2]
[3]

To find out more about this challenge and to sign up click on the button below!

Friday 17 February 2012

Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012.

The thirteenth challenge that I will be participating in this year is the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge.

The levels are as follows (levels are named after characters from the books in order of their creepiness!): [1] Sam Glass: Books 1-3; [2] Oliver: Books 1-6; [3] Amelie: Books 1-9; [4] Myrnin: Books 1-12/13 [5] Bishop: Books 1-12/13 plus all short stories (in anthologies or otherwise).
The level I have chosen is in bold but this may change.

I will be updating this post with the books that I read as the year goes on:

[1]
[2]
[3]

To find out more about this challenge and to sign up click on the button below!

Thursday 16 February 2012

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith.

Published: 5th January 2012
Format: Hardback
Publisher: Headline
Pages: 240
Age Group: Young Adult
Challenge: Standalone Challenge, YA Contemporary Challenge
Buy this book: Amazon UK

Synopsis [Amazon UK]
Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?
Imagine if she hadn't forgotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the Atlantic or a fault with the plane?
Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...
Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.


The cover...
I love the cover of this book.  The fonts of the title are eye catching and I especially love the heart around the two people (a.k.a. Hadley and Oliver) highlighting that they are in a world of their own with the blurs of everyone around them.

How did I find out about this book?
I seen this book mentioned on a lot of other blogs and it sounded like a fun read.

What is this book about?

This book is about a girl named Hadley who misses her plane by 4 minutes.  This changes the whole outcome of her day as she meets Oliver and he allows her to see her life and everything in it in a different light!

My opinion...
 
From the start I was hooked on this intriguing love story.  From the chance meeting at the airport, their conversation with the old woman on the airplane to the trials and tribulations of her fathers wedding.  I am extremely interested in fate (kismet) and this book just gave me more to think about with a lot of 'what ifs'.

The sarcasm of Hadley when speaking to her parents and the witty come backs when speaking to Oliver made me relate to her a lot.  At some points I felt like I was in her shoes and figuring out what to do next.  I also found the comment on how Scottish people say 'girls' quite amusing.

However, it was the way in which Hadley and Oliver connected that got me sucked in.  It wasn't all about lust it was about working on your own differences with the help of a chance encounter leading to a strong connection of love.  This is what, in my eyes, made this book different from the rest.  We were able to see how they fell for each other through communication and taking chances.

At parts you know what is going to happen next, or at least you hope for it to happen and it's done in a way that avoids disappointment. I have no idea how the author was able to pack all of this emotion and activity into one day, but it was just right. I really enjoyed this book and I couldn't put it down, it was one in which you couldn't get enough of the main characters, yet the ending was still perfect.

If you enjoyed this book: what to read next...
If you wanted to watch a movie similar to this story then I suggest 'Sliding Doors'.  If I think of a book I'll update this post.

Thoughts on a Quote [1].

For a Thursday segment I have decided to do Thoughts on a Quote.  This will be for any segments in a book that stick out to me that I want to voice my opinion on.  I don't know if this will be weekly, I guess it will just be any time I find a quote that I want to discuss.


"Books are more real when you read them outside."

I never really thought about it until I read this line, but I believe this to be true.  I hadn't read outside in a long time until last summer and the way that you are able to get sucked into a book and conjure up images to go with the descriptions is so much better than when you're indoors.  You have the vast and never ending sky around you, the birds singing and the everyday noises of cars and people.  I love it and can't wait until it gets a bit warmer so I can do it all over again!

I would love to know: what do you think of this quote?

Wednesday 15 February 2012

WWW Wednesday [5].

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading



[1] The book I am currently reading is:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]






[2] The book I just recently finished is:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]





[3] The book I think I will read next is:
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]

'Waiting on' Wednesday [5].

'Waiting on' Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly meme hosted by The Breaking Spine.


My WoW selection this week is:

Partials by Dan Wells
Release date: 29th March 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Childrens
Buy this book: Amazon UK

Synopsis [Amazon]
The only hope for humanity isn’t human.
In a world where people have been all but wiped out by a virus created by part-human cyborgs called ‘Partials’, and where no baby survives longer than three days, a teenage girl makes it her mission to find a cure, and save her best friend’s unborn child.
But finding a cure means capturing a Partial…


Just look at that cover! As you can probably already tell I love a good cover and this one fits the bill!  However, it was the synopsis alone that got me wanting to read this book, it sounds so original and fascinating!  I can't wait to get my hands on it!

I would love to know what your 'waiting on wednesday' selection is this week...

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Valentines Day [1].

Happy Valentines Day!  For my first choice of a romantic novel to talk about on Valentines Day I chose:

PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern.
First published: January 1st 2003.
Buy this book: Amazon UK

Synopsis [Goodreads]:
A novel about holding on, letting go, and learning to love again.
Holly couldn't live without her husband Gerry, until the day she had to. They were the kind of young couple who could finish each other's sentences. When Gerry succumbs to a terminal illness and dies, 30-year-old Holly is set adrift, unable to pick up the pieces. But with the help of a series of letters her husband left her before he died and a little nudging from an eccentric assortment of family and friends, she learns to laugh, overcome her fears, and discover a world she never knew existed.
The kind of enchanting novel with cross-generational appeal that comes along once in a great while, PS, I Love You is a captivating love letter to the world!


I absolutely adore this book.  This was one of those books, for me, that I read and then advised everyone around me to read it too! I first read it when it was first released and ever since I haven't found a book quite like it.  There is a movie version, which I don't know whether it's a good thing or not, but I have never seen it.  I just didn't want it to ruin the book for me.  I know a lot of people have seen the movie first and loved it and then read the book and have been disappointed.  I fear that I will be the other way around! 

Questions for you:
1. Have you read the book?  What did you think?
2. Have you seen the movie?  What did you think?
3. If you have both read the book and seen the movie: in which order? Were you disappointed with any of them?  If so, why?

I have decided to go out and buy the dvd and watch it this Valentines Day...so wish me luck!
I will post my review of the movie on my other blog: www.kismetspillsall-movies.blogspot.com!

Monday 13 February 2012

In My Mailbox [5].

In My Mailbox’ is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.


The books I bought this week are:

Divergent by Veronica Roth [Amazon UK]
Tell Me No Secrets by Julie Corbin [Amazon UK]
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater [Amazon UK]
Ravens by George Dawes Green [Amazon UK]
Becoming Scarlett by Ciara Geraghty [Amazon UK]
Room by Emma Donoghue [Amazon UK]
The Mortal Instruments #1: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare [Amazon UK]
The Mortan Instruments #2: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare [Amazon UK]
Remember Me (Remember Me, The Return and The Last Story) by Christopher Pike [Amazon UK]

I will update this post with links to my reviews once they are posted.
I would love to know: what's in your mailbox this week?

Wednesday 8 February 2012

WWW Wednesday [4].

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading




[1] The book I am currently reading is:

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]

 
 


[2] The book I just recently finished is:
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]






[3] The book I think I will read next is:
The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
[My Review]
Buy this book: [Amazon UK]

'Waiting on' Wednesday [4].

'Waiting on' Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly meme hosted by The Breaking Spine.


My WoW selection this week is:
Slide by Jill Hathaway
Release date: 1st March 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Childrens
Buy this book: Amazon UK

Synopsis [Goodreads]
She sees through the eyes of a killer…
Vee Bell hates having narcolepsy. But collapsing at school is nowhere near as bad as the truth. When Vee passes out she slides randomly into other’s people’s heads and ends up seeing through their eyes. So when Vee finds herself in the head of a killer, standing over the body of a cheerleader, she’s beyond freaked.
Vee knows that this was no suicide. And when another cheerleader turns up dead, everyone is a suspect. Struggling to understand her terrifying and unwanted ‘gift’, Vee is tangled in a web of secrets, lies and danger…



This book sounds amazing! The cover looks great and the story to me sounds unusual and intriguing!


I would love to know what your 'waiting on wednesday' selection is this week...

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Fracture - Megan Miranda.

Published: 5th January 2012
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 272
Age Group: Young Adult
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge 2012, 100+ Reading Challenge, Read and Review Challenge
Buy this book: Amazon UK

Synopsis [Amazon UK]
By the time seventeen-year-old Delaney Maxwell is pulled out of the icy waters of a frozen lake, her heart has stopped beating. She is in a coma and officially dead. But Delaney pulls through. How? Doctors are mystified. Outwardly she has completely recovered. But Delaney knows something is very wrong. Pulled by sensations she can't control, she finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her brain predicting death or causing it? Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who lost his whole family in a car accident and emerged from a coma with the same powers as Delaney. At last she's found a kindred spirit who'll understand what she's going through. But Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature - or something much more frightening?


The cover...
The cover is simple yet elegant.  It shows the image of Delaney, on that icy cold day wearing her red parka jacket not knowing her fate, perfectly.  It would have been great if the title was all icy or something though.
How did I find out about this book?
I bought this book for the Debut Author Challenge that I am participating in.
What is this book about?

Whilst on the way to play a game in the snow with some friends, a girl called Delaney loses her balance on an iced over lake causing the ice to crack and Delaney to fall into the icy water below.  Delaney was under the water/unconscious for eleven minutes, enough to kill her, but something keeps her alive and changes her life in a way she could never imagine.

My opinion...

The character of Delaney Maxwell is like that of any other young teenager who wants to be the best and have fun with it.  However, her life changes the day that she and her best friend Decker decide to cross the icy lake to get to their friends instead of going around it.

The fact that Delaney has experienced something terrifying and miraculous yet is still able to consider doing school work is beyond me?  She comes across as being worried for her life and yet there still has to be that mention of school and how she wishes to be Valedictorian, and get good grades, it makes no sense to me.  I get that you would want to be successful but not when it has only been a week or so since you came out of a life threatening coma!  I see that school can become a distraction for Delaney but it gets to the point where that is all she thinks about.

It seems that for the first 60 pages or so, it firstly defines what happened to Delaney and then it goes on a path of discussions of school, a will they won't they relationship between Delaney and her best friend Decker and a controlled zombie like state (this is what I imagine) every time Delaney feels the 'pull'.  Another aspect is that of people owing others - mainly that of Delaneys' debt to all of her friends for saving her life.  They all played a part in saving her and now she owes them for this privilege, all I kept thinking here was 'I'm not jealous of those friends!'.
In reference to the characters, I warmed to Delaney and Decker's relationship rather to Delaney herself.  The way in which they were able to have a conversation full of wit and humour was a main reason why I was so drawn to it. They've been best friends for years so when they start to get jealous of each others' relationships it slightly takes them by surprise but it was fun to find out what happens between the two of them and how their relationship has its positives and negatives.  I think this is the reason why I carried on reading the book, I wanted to know what would happen between them!  However, Delaney's relationship with her parents, especially her mother, was rather strange.  Her mothers actions after the accident are not entirely motherly and the reference to her own parents to somewhat explain that was weird and made it seem like this book should have some form of sequel (maybe it does?).  The character of Troy creeped me out from the beginning and made me think 'what is your purpose?' and I was quite disappointed in what I found out in regards to him.

Don't get me wrong, the book was ok, I just wanted there to be some sort of closure in regards to Delaney's 'power'.  Throughout the book she wants to save people so what now?  It doesn't really make any sense for this to be a standalone book.  It seems like there are two different stories going on in this book, both starting off with Delaney's accident.  The first is that of how Delaney's life changes through school, home and her love life and the other is the power in which Delaney obtains through the accident.

I think the message of the book however is powerful.  The question of 'If you had one day left to live, what would you do?' is a question worth finding out the answer to.

If you enjoyed this book: what to read next...
There is a short story in relation to this book highlighting Decker's side of the story title Eleven Minutes.  I think it is great that the author has taken into account what Decker was feeling the days in which Delaney was in a coma/on deaths door, however, it would be great to know his take on more of story.
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