September - November Collective Book Haul

OH HELLO THERE!

Long time no see, darlings.

Seriously though it's been like 3 months.

And you don't know how sorry I am about that.

Truly - from the bottom of my heart, please forgive me.

I promise I wasn't abandoning you. Things have just been really crazy. With school, family, work - I just literally come home and pass out. My mind all out of sorts and unable to comprehend what's in front of me.

Well, I take that back, no really. I've honestly been doing nothing but work. I come home, sleep, then put my uniform right back on. No time to really chill. Oh well. At least I'm making that MONAY! Which means I'll be able to buy ALL THE BOOKS.

JK.

I wish I had that kind of money.

Anyway, here is my long over due, collective book haul. It's not much, but like I said, I've had no time and my money has been going toward nothing but school things and food... mostly food.

Haha.

So here we go, let's get started.(:





1.Where Things Come Back
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    I've been eyeing this book for a while. Around the booktubes, I'd heard some pretty good reviews. Plus, it's Printz awarded. So I got some birthday money from my God Parents and finally bought it. Can't wait to read it.









2. Blood of Olympus
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    I am so incredibly late with this thing! I finally bought it. I finally had enough money to press the purchase button and not feel guilty about it later

    ....
    wait

    what am I talking about?! This is Percy Jackson! The very last of     him at that.

    Omg! It just hit me. I'm going to cry.

    just... just give me a moment please

3. Eleanor and Park Exclusive Collector's Edition
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    I mean did you really expect anything less from me?! How could i say no....?







4. For Darkness Show's the Stars (ebook)
Goodreads • Buy it
    Epic Reads is such a great and magically place. I mean if it wasn't for them I wouldn't own half the ebooks I have. Thank you God for Epic Reads Epic Deals. ILUHYOU!

    Anyway, I'd heard some pretty great things about this book. So when I saw it for just $1.99 I couldn't not press the purchase button.

5. Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales
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    My mommie is so nice to me. Like she took me to Barnes and Noble on my birthday and just let me run free... sort of. I mean she gave me a $60 limit. Which was more than enough. I found this entire collection for just 20 bucks. Like... what?! So yeah I grabbed it and lived happily ever after. I can't wait to actually get into so I can play some of these stories off in my own writing.






6. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour (ebook)
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    I mean it's about time. Even though it's an ebook, I was finally able to purchase. I honestly don't know how long I've book wanting to buy this book. Guess since the summer. I dunno. But it was on sale on Amazon and  I nearly cried. I'll probably end up reading this at the beginning of the year. We'll see. I want to. Cuz I've heard so many great things about this story.

7. The Retribution of Mara Dyer
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    My.
    Heart.

        I can't believe it's over. I purchased this with Heroes of Olympus and when the box came in I nearly cried. Then I read it and almost cried too. I do have a few complaints. But that can wait until I do my trilogy review next year. I'm so glad I finally have a physically copy of at least one of the books. I have yet to purchase the first 2 hardcovers. In due time though.





8. World After
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    I bought this on a whim. I mean I was honestly just gonna wait until the last book comes out in January but it was still on sale so I was like "meh, why not." So it's in my kindle app, waiting for me to read.

9. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Other Stories
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    This cover though. Like how on Earth do you expect me not to buy. This was one of my birthday purchases. THANK YOU, MOTHER! I might read this in bits and pieces; share a few stories with my baby sister. But for now it's just a collectible. It's so so pretty. Like you don't even know.










PHEW! So glad this is off my chest. It's been so long, I'm kind of rusty. Hope you enjoyed my collective bookhaul. I mean in 3 months, it's not a lot but I'm a high school student trying to get ready for life outside of high school. My time is literally split in bits and pieces. Anyway, more to come. I triple pinky swear this time. 

CHRISTMAS IS COMING! So I'm expecting lots of Barnes and Nobles gift cards to buy all the books! 

Sort of.

Haha.

So get ready for that book haul.

I love you guys. See you soon.

Hugs and candy,
Lyric♥

August Book Haul

And the numbers just keep dwindling down.

Can you believe it ??

My book number isn't in the double digits. *insert extreme gasp*

I know I know. I 'm about as shocked as you guys. Never thought I'd see the day where I maintained the ultimate kind of restraint.

Grant it, I was still broke by the end of the month, but only because I actually needed things. Not that books aren't a MAJOR necessity. No, I just needed stuff for school... food.... sanity... more food. Stuff like that.

Anyway, since I have only 5 books to show you, this post shouldn't be that long.

Enjoy.♥

1. If I Stay
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        Like I mentioned in my August TBR, I'd already read this book. Well more like skimmed through it cuz my brain was too impatient to find out what happens. So yes, I already know what the outcome is in the end; I know what choice she makes. But like I said, I didn't really "read" the book like i should have. I didn't appreciate what my eyes were glancing over. So in lu of the movie's debut, I decided I would read it before I watched the movie (as any good reader should). I can't wait to read it because i've been hearing nothing but great things about it 

2. Night Circus
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        This was my job's book club pick of the month. I do actually already own the e-book version of it, but because I'm not necessarily the biggest e-book fan, I decided to just go ahead and buy the physical copy. I haven't read the book yet unfortunately, and the reason it's not in my book haul snap shot it because my friend is borrowing it. And from her, I've heard that it's pretty great. In fact, she says "it's probably one of her favorite books in life." So whenever she gives it back, I'll give it go, since we pretty much have the same taste in books.




3/4/5. The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy
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        I was initially going to check these books out at the library, read them, then see how much I liked what i read before I bought them. But circumstances made me impatient. So for days I contemplated and strategized my Barnes and Noble buys. Until the time came where I just decided to check out Thrift Books to see what they had to offer. And lo and behold they came through. The total package cost for all three books was estimated to about $9.50. Not bad, eh? And when my package came in, I found a few treasures in one of my books.... A plane ticket and a couple old receipts. Obviously they're expired, but I thought it was pretty cool how things get passed around. Anyway, I have the books, but I have yet to read them...
Story of my life.


Now I know August is already over, but I've had a lot going on towards the end of the month: School starting (-__-), college prep, work, family.

I'm here to stay though. 

Even though this is my last year of high school and around this time next year I'll be out on my own, this blog will always be in the corners of my mind. I'll try as hard as I can to find time to keep posting.

Summer blog writing has been fantastic ride for me, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has to hold.

I love you all.

Hugs and Candy,
Lyric♥

Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Publish: Speak
Date Release: August 4, 2010
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Goodreads Rating: (4.16/5)
Heart Score: ♥♥♥♥ (4.25)
Whistle Scale: (16/20)

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Summary: Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Etienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken - and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's been waiting for?

"Madamoiselle Oliphant. It translates to "Point zero of the roads of France." 

In other words, it's the point from which all other distances in 

France are measured." St. Clair clears his throat. 

"It's the beginning of everything."

I look up at him. He's smiling.

"Welcome to Paris, Anna. I'm glad you've come."

I'll just let you take a moment to squeal.

5....

4....

3....

2....

1...

Okay!

Just so you know, this review is gonna be drooling with praise. I literally loved this book to death. In fact, I'm already recommending it to my friends. I'm spreading the Stephanie Perkins contagion. #IRegretNothing2k14 ♥ 

Anyway, like I said, this book was so adorable. I loved every word of it. I couldn't stop smiling. And you know, it truly amazes me to think I could resist the magic that is Stephanie Perkins writing. She just has a way of looking into your soul, writing adorable characters, and forcing you put yourself in their shoes. Only letting you go when the last page no longer has anything further to say, and you're left blinking, wondering, why the hell you aren't in Paris. 

At least, that's how it was for me. It still is. I really wanna hop on the next plane and suck in all the Parisian air.

So yeah. This book was amazing. And like a true Lyric review, I'm breaking down all the favorite things. I don't think there will be any negatives. Which will honestly be a first for me. Here goes...

Spoilers May Occur....

What I LOVED:

• Paris: I think this says it all. I mean who wouldn't want to go to Paris for school? Stupid, close-minded people, I think. Just kidding. But I do believe if given the opportunity most of the people I know would jump right up for the chance. Cuz, seriously.... Paris.... Stephanie Perkins wove her words into my brain and made me imagine as much of Paris as I could muster without ever being there. And even though I haven't tasted most Parisian cuisine, I felt like I could stretch my hand out and snag whatever Anna was eating in that moment. I was so invested in the Parisian atmosphere, that i actually found myself listening to French music in my time off from reading. Not realizing until later the book was putting me in such a mood. It was surreal and wonderful. They say only the best authors can make their readers feel like their somewhere they've never been. This was definitely the case for me and I'm glad.
• Anna: Without Anna, would we really have a story? Maybe. But I don't think it would be the same, ya know? Anna was a great narrator. She dragged us through Paris, no matter how reluctant she may have been in the beginning, introduced us to her friends and the place she was beginning to slowly call home. In the beginning, Anna really reminded me of Cath from Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. In the way of not wanting to leave her room, and how anxious she was about starting her school year in a new, unfamiliar place. However, unlike Cath, Anna was more than determined to enjoy herself once she got the hang of things, and I couldn't help applauding her for that.
• Etienne: If there's one thing Stephanie Perkins is great at it's writing the perfect boy. I have officially declared Etienne as my own. Sorry Anna. Just kidding. Etienne is absolute perfection, even though, he does screw Anna over a few times. Surprisingly, however, I really love Anna how calls Etienne on his shit because at one point I wanted to hate him. But then he and Anna would have a moment and my annoyance would evaporate like heated rain. And what's even better, he's BRITISH AND FRENCH ohmuhgawd I'm fangirling all over again. Okay, I'm gonna stop. As you can see, I'm in love with Etienne and I was so fuhreaking happy when he and Anna finally realized they were meant for each other. The two of them going back and forth was so incredibly frustrating, I honestly wanted to reach in and slap them both silly. Thank GAWD they finally got their shit together. It made me so happy. As I'm sure it did everyone else.

I think I'm gonna stop there. I'm soo tempted to right down a couple negatives, but really their just petty things. Now if you want to know my PEEVES leave a comment below and maybe I'll right a small blurb or something. Anyway, as you can tell I really loved this book. I recommend this to EVERYONE. Especially people who are fans of Fangirl, because the similarities are pretty much written in bold. But it's the differences that truly caused convinced me I am in love with this book.

So yeah, I hope you guys liked this review.

I'm really trying to post more. They just take up a lot of energy. I'm trying though. If I want to be a successful BookTuber/Blogger, I have to stick with it. I am surprised at how much I actually have posted on this blog compared to my previous blog. Actually, let's not ever mention that again... okay? Okay.

Anyway, more to come.

Pinky swear.

Hugs and Candy,

Lyric♥

July Book Haul

So.... er... uh... books........

anyone?

Time for another book haul, y'all!! :D

Look! My stack isn't as monstrous as my last. Isn't it a miracle? I think it is. Cuz quite honestly, I was more than tempted to by all of Barnes and Noble at one point. But I remained strong; I fought the money-spending brain-tick. I came out victorious, though not empty handed. What kind of book blogger would I be if I came out empty handed?

1. Say What you Will
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      Ever since the Epic Reads Girls introduced this book in one of their ARC parties, I had to have it. The book is being pitched to John Green and Rainbow Rowell fans - I happen to be both. I'm also incredibly in love with this cover. The premise is very unique compared to most YA contemps, so that's always a plus.      






2. All the Light We Cannot See
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Reagan from PeruseProject, has been talking and talking about this book. When she introduced it on one of  her videos, I had to have it. It needed to be in my collection. Plus, I'm in LOVE with WW2 stories, so of course I had even more reason to make it mine.



3. Forbidden

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The first time I saw this book happened to be in school, when my friend checked it out of the library out of curiosity. I was drawn to the cover for one thing, then when I asked what it was about she kind of blushed and said "something risque". Which made me want to read the synopsis even more. So I did. And um yeah.... But to say I wasn't completely curious would be an understatement. Months past and while book browsing, I came across this book again. I then realized I needed to have it. Barnes and Noble, however, was asking for too much. I held it off. Then my friend from work kept telling us about this magical little website called ThriftBooks. I'm usually not keen on buying used books because they sometimes don't come the way i want them - shiny and pretty; good as new. However, I was kind of curious, as well as bored, so I checked it out. And surprise, surprise, Forbidden was on the website. I believe I only paid like $6 which i was very happy with, as was my wallet.

 4/5. Clockwork Angel/Princess

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I've been wanting to read these books for the longest time. I've added and deleted the box set to my wishlist so many times. Even though I've only read the first book of the Mortal Instrument series, I still wanted these on my shelf. Possibly more than it's initial series. I held off buying these books for so long until I found myself on ThriftBooks, just trying to scope out the website to see what they had to offer. And look what I found. I was really happy, especially because of the prices. Unfortunately, I could only find the first and third book in the trilogy. The second book either wasn't in stock or it didn't come in the quality I wanted. So I just opted to buy these two, then maybe one day soon I'll add the third book so the trio can be complete.

6. The Immortal Rules

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It's crazy how long I've been wanting to read and buy this trilogy. I love vampires. And I could go into an entire debate why vampires are WAY cooler than werewolves. BUT I'm going to save that for another time I suppose. This post long enough as is. Anyway, as I was saying, I've been really wanting to buy and read this book. Which, once upon a time I did... on my phone. It wasn't the same though. For me, personally, having to read on my phone kind of ruins the experience . I HAVE to have a book in my hands, touching and smelling it. Yeah, reading it electronically just isn't as magical. So because of this, I never finished reading. And like all my purchases, I was surfing Barnes and Noble, when I stumbled upon this pretty little paperback. I was so excited to find it was only like $7. This made me really happy, because 1. I HATE the hard cover version of this book  and 2. it was hella cheap for Barnes and Noble. So i put in my shopping cart and off we went into the sunset.

Lol jk. 
I'm not bout that outside life.

7/8. Anna and the French Kiss/ Lola and the Boy Next Door

7. Goodreads • Buy It

8.Goodreads • Buy It

This is basically the same story when I bought these: I hate the hardcover copies, they were cheap, and I've heard NOTHING BUT FANTABULOUS THINGS about Stephanie Perkins books. So I bought them. I've already read Anna and the French Kiss. It was absolutely positively wonderful and magical and bubbly and ugh! I just adored every word of it. I can't wait to read Lola, as well as Isla and the Happily Ever After that's coming out August 14. On top of that, I seriously can't wait to have all the matching covers. It's going to be wonderful!

9. Beautiful Disaster

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Honestly, I bought this book on a whim, whilst at Target. My book club and I were searching through the Target book section, as per tradition, and I saw this book resting on the shelf for only $12. In addition, I've heard pretty good things about this on Goodreads and the BookTubes. This will be my first New Adult purchase, so I guess we'll see how goes.

And that's all I have for you guys. 

July has been a really weird month for me. Plus with school slowly creeping around the corner, I seriously need to chill on the money spending thing. I have a SERIOUS problem. But what can I say, books are books and they will always be bae.

So yeah, hope you guys enjoyed my book haul. Next month's shouldn't be nearly as big because there are a few books that I'm only allowing myself to buy. So let's see if I can keep my own word and show some kind of restraint...

Until next time, kiddies.(:

Hugs and Candy,

Lyric♥

July Wrap-Up

GOODBYE JULY!!

IT WAS NICE SEEING YOU AGAIN!!!

Aw you guys! I can't believe July is already over. It went by way too fast. I didn't even really do anything this whole month except stupid summer school. -__- it was online. And yes, it was as awful as it sounds.

Oh well.

As long as it's over.

I can finally move on with my life.

I did however manage to get a few books wedged in between my down time.

Though as usual I didn't fully complete my TBR list...

So um... yeah.

*please refrain from judgement*


1. To all the Boys I've Loved Before
My rating: ♥♥♥
My thoughts: This book was really entertaining. More than anything, I definitely enjoyed myself. Jenny Han is a wonderful writer. I plan on reading more of her books in the future for sure.While this book was an enjoyable reads I did have some slight issues with it. But you can read about that in my review. I also heard there's supposedly gonna be a sequel. 

Not sure how I feel about that...
Goodreads • Buy it





2. The Impossible Knife of Memory
My rating: ♥♥♥♥
My thoughts: YAAYY! I'm so proud of myself for finally getting around to this. It was a really good story. I however didn't quite connect with the main character, Hayley. In someways she irritated me. Her love interest, Finn, was honestly the saving grace of the story for me. A lot of my fave quotes from the book came from him when he and Hayley were together. Still a good book though. Still a good book.
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3. Anna and the French Kiss
My rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
My thoughts: OMG!!! This is like the cutest story in existence. I, dead honest, could not stop smiling. I really don't have any bad things to say about this. I could relate to Anna; I adored Etienne; Anna's friends were the best. And I now I want nothing more than to hop on the next plane, fly to Paris, and stay there forever. I mean is that too much to ask? Read my review so you can read more of my thoughts.
Goodreads • Buy it





And that's my July Wrap-Up everyone.

It sucks I didn't get to read all the books I was planning on (aka Harry Potter) but school, no matter how much I loathe it, is gonna have to come first for me this year. I have to get into my dream college. And I have to get out this state. I just really can't give myself any other options.

*le sigh*

So until next time, kiddies.

Hugs and Candy,
Lyric♥

Month of Comtemporaries and All the Happy Things

Ohmuhgawd y'all summer is almost over.

I can't deal with this.

I'm not ready for the craziness that is about to be senior year.

Where on earth has the time gone?

I don't want summer to end.

But I know that if it doesn't, senior year will never end either and I'll never be able to really start my life.

*le sigh* That's some pretty deep shit right there.

lol because August is officially my last month of summer I've decided to make the most of it. And by that I mean chilling, enjoying my last few weeks of freedom and of course, as always, reading my heart out.

As the title suggests I plan on reading a buttload of lighthearted contemporaries. Mostly because I didn't really take up the opportunity to officially read any summery books, and because this past July has really been busy. I haven't had a lot of time to myself. Online summer school took up what I could've used as reading time. So I'm gonna try to make up for it in August.

 1/2. If I stay/ Where She Went
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Summary: Music has always been Mia's first love. A bond so strong she has to decide whether she's willing to make the choice between music, her family, and her loving boyfriend. Until one day when Mia goes for drive with her family she has to make the toughest choice - staying alive, or leaving... forever.
      Okay I'll admit this is gonna be a heavier story. Not as light and fluffy as the other's on my list, but the movie's coming out in a matter of days and like a true booklover, I wanna read the book before the movie comes out. I have read this book before. Well, sort of. I kind of skimmed through it, not really taking into account what I was spoiling. So, yes, I already know what happens. And yes, I already know the choice is Mia going to make. But I wanna read this book with a fresh mind. So that's what I'm gonna do.

3. Lola and the Boy Next Door
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Summary: Lola, a budding designer, has it all. Her life is pretty much perfect, right down to her hot rocker boyfriend. But when her old neighbors return to town, Lola finds she must face her feelings and confliction regarding the boy next door.
     I'm currently reading Anna and the French Kiss (It's amazing by the way). And i'm sure Lola will not be an exception since everything from Stephanie Perkins seems to be made of gold, sunshine, and neon rainbows. I've heard nothing BUT great things in regards to Lola, so I can't wait to eat this up.

4/5/6. The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy
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Summary: Belly lives for the summer. Every year, she and her family head up to the summer house in Cousins Beach with her mom's best friend and two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah, who Belly loves dearly. But one more than the other. As the summers come and go, Belly realizes she has to choose between the two brothers. Which means she'll have to break one of their hearts.
     I've seen these books around. Actually, I can't seem to hear enough about them. Everyone seems to love this trilogy. And you should know how much I love being apart of fandoms. So I've decided to give this trilogy a go. I recently read a sample of the first book, and it turns out I'm not immune. 

7. We Were Liars
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Summary: So apparently it's better going into this book not knowing what the hell is going to happen. So I'm gonna be cryptic and helpful and not post a summary. You're welcome.
     Lol. So yeah. I mean if you haven't already heard of this book for the past 3 months or so, then I don't know what you've been doing with your life. Living under an ocean rock, maybe? haha jk. Anyway, the summer's almost over, but I wanna see what all the hullabaloo is about. I'm late. But whatever.

8. Since You've Been Gone
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Summary: Emily has always been the quiet of the two when it comes down to her and her best friend Sloane. But when Emily's with Sloane, Emily is more adventurous, every now and then, letting Sloane be the voice and life of two girls. When school is finally out, Emily and Sloane have planned the best summer. But then Sloane suddenly disappears, though not hesitating to leave Emily with a bucket list of things to carry out until Sloane returns. If she ever does.
     So, um, this is another summer book that has blown up the Bookiverse. Nothing but fabulous things have been said. However, yet again, I'm behind and just now catching up to the hype. I also read a sample of this, and like before, I've been dragged in. Can't wait to finish it.

9. Fangirl
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Summary: There really isn't a great way to summarize this story. Other than it's life... in book-form. Fangirling. Having to start life in the unfamiliar. New love. First day of school. If you're a fangirl, you're gonna love this book. Trust me.
     I guess, as you can see, I've already read this. It would be a shame if I hadn't. This book is sunshine. Then again, we're talking about Rainbow Rowell here, so would you really expect anything less? This story is so relatable, whether you really are a fangirl or not, it will touch you in some way. And since this takes place as Cath begins college, I figured reading this before my first day as a high school senior, would be the most logical choice. 

Wow.... 9 books. 

Someone hold me.

Let's see how this goes.

Honestly, sometimes I question why I even make monthly TBRs cuz 70% of the time I never really read the books I say I'm going to...

Oh well.

Well hope you guys enjoyed this.

Lots more to come.

Until next time, kiddies.(:

Hugs and candy,
Lyric♥

Top 5 Wednesday: Top Books You've Read So Far This Year

So this is like my first ever Top 5 Wednesday and I'm really excited. I've seen these around the BookTubes and random blogs. Eventually I had enough interest to look into it and was so glad when I finally came across the the Goodreads group.

Even though this week's topic is 5 books you wish you read earlier, I couldn't really conjure up a decent list so I decided to bend the rules a little and do a previous week's topic.

So here we go.

 1/2. The Unbecoming/Evolution of Mara Dyer

My rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Goodreads • Buy it

i read these at the very beginning of the year. Right after Christmas, my money burning an aching hole in my pocket. I'd always seen the books around, completely intrigued by the premise and the gorgeous covers, so as I was scrolling through Barnes and Noble Nook shop, i saw these again and finally caved in. Possibly two of the greatests Nook purchases I've ever made. I devoured both books and was left, like the rest of the fandom, completely dying from the 2nd books cliffhanger. These books are a total mindfuck. That's what makes them so friggin fantabulous. I'm honestly counting down the days to the final book's release date. It can't get here fast enough. NOVEMBER WHERE ARE YOU ?!?!

3. How to Love

My rating: ♥♥♥♥

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This is in my top 5 because i completely connected with the main character Rena. Not in the way that I'm a teen mom or anything, but on a mental level I guess. Almost everything that was going on with Rena kind reflected off me. I could honestly put myself in her shoes. Her mistakes were relative to what my life will possibly look like if I don't get my shit together. Rena is me in the future, and that is possibly the scariest and most wonderful thing about this story.

4. Halo

My rating: ♥♥♥♥

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This is book is amazing. It has possibly everything you could ever want in a dystopian thriller. Violence. Badass protagonists. Sexy love-interests. Heart stopping cliff-hangers. I mean what more could you possibly need? I read this book as the book club choice of the month for my job, and I'm hella glad my assistant manager badgered us about it because the story was hella crazy good.

5. Anna and the French Kiss

My rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Goodreads • Buy it

The fact that I've held book off for so long doesn't entirely make sense to me now that I've read it. My name is Lyric Boyea, and I'm not as invincible as I thought. I fell in love with this story the way everyone has: slowly... then all at once. Lol. See what i did there? Ok. I'm gonna stop. But anyway, this book has all the magic and it deserves all the hearts and stars in the universe. The cuteness inescapable. I seriously can't wait for Isla and the Happily Every After. 

Well this was fun.

I'm definitely doing more of these.

Stay tuned this month and all of August cuz I have a crazy load of posts coming up. It's kind of scary actually. My posts feed is filled with nothing but red drafts. I need to step up my game.

Until next time, kiddies.(:

Hugs and Candy,

Lyric♥

Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Date Release: April 15, 2014
Author: Jenny Han
Goodreads Rating: (4.05/5)
Heart Score: ♥♥♥ (3.48)
Whistle Scale: (8/20)

Summary: Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are the ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved - five in all. When she writes she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until one day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.


Upon reading, I was quite surprised how much I was enjoying the story. To All the Boys I've Loved Before is typically a book I would read as a last resort, something to get my reading blood pumping. It helped, truly. And was thoroughly entertaining. More so in the way of me laughing at the certain situations Lara Jean got herself into and how she handled them. Besides the crazy, the story did deal with some heavier topics: familial bonding, self-discovery, and dealing with separation - death and distance. While all the good was there, there some flaws I just couldn't look past. But I think the good will out way the bad this time.

*Spoilers may occur*

What I LOVED:

• The beginning: Like I said, when I first started reading, I was honestly surprised how much I was already liking the story. The beginning of the book talks about Lara Jean's sister's boyfriend Josh, who every person in Lara Jean's family loves. I thought that was really sweet. It not only introduces a minor character, but it kind of sets up some Song-Covey background.
• Kitty: Kitty is Lara Jean's younger sister; she was possibly my favorite character. I think it was because of her sassy attitude, and how no matter what, she always had something to say. Her sass kind of reminded me of myself, how I still am today: I don't tolerate people's shit. Neither does Kitty. Despite the fact, that she's only 9 years old.
• Sister bond: What I really really loved about this story was the strong bond between the three Song sisters. Even though Margot, Lara Jean and Kitty's older sister, is moving away to Scotland for college, in the beginning, it was really nice seeing how glued the sisters were to each other. But when Margot does officially leave, Lara Jean is the one who has to step up and take care of her family, since Margot took over the role as "mother", raising both Lara Jean and Kitty, after their mother died, with their father, who juggled being a good dad as well as full time doctor. The lingering bond between the sisters also causes Lara Jean to grow up a little. Not as much as I would have liked. Though slowly but surely she makes a slight change in the way she sees herself.
• These quotes:
• 'Your sister suffers from the delusions of grandeur."' '"She is the fanciest of the three of us,"" Margo agrees.'
• 'Anyone looking at her would think she was fine. Because Margot is always fine, even when she's not.'
• 'It's like she said: when she's done, she's done. I wish... I was more like Margot. Because sometimes it feels like I'll never be done.'
• 'I've never known Margot to chicken out before, but I suppose in matters of the heart, there's no predicting how a person will or won't behave.'
• '...it's a lot of responsibility to hold person's heart in your hands.'
• 'It feels strange to have spent so much time wishing for something, for someone, and then one day, suddenly, just stop.'
• 'Love is scary: it changes; it can go away. That's part of the risk.'

My PEEVES:

• Lara Jean: This is one of the few times where the narrator has irritated the crap out of me. Not that there weren't moments when all I wanted to do wash hug LJ, but most of the time I just wanted to splash freezing water in her face and tell her to WAKE UP! Within the first few pages, I realized how childish Lara Jean sounded. Grant it, this a 16 year old girl. But she sounded like a 10 year old in my head. And throughout the entire story I tried to give her a more mature sounding voice. It was hard. The struggle was so real in this situation. While I loved how Jenny Han wrote the story, I just wish she would've matured Lara Jean's thought process, portraying her less naive, so she could at least convey some kind of common sense throughout some of the story.
• Peter + Lara Jean = Disaster: Honestly, I found Lara Jean and Peter's "relationship" the most entertaining part of the book. Mainly because they're so awful for each other. However, they want to "make it work" for certain reasons that would save the other's ass. With that being said, I hated how Peter treats Lara Jean. He knows how naive she is, yet he takes advantage of her way more than I thought necessary. He doesn't have any boundaries when it comes to what's good and bad; how his actions will affect Lara Jean in the long run. I wanted to slap Peter and I definitely wanted to slap Lara Jean. But I guess I can cut her some slack cuz she doesn't really know any better.
• Letters... What letters?: I mean the summary insists we're gonna read about the consequences of Lara Jean's love letters being sent out, but really, we just watch Lara Jean freak out for a few chapters after she discovers her letters are sent in the first place, then the last 65% of the story becomes about Peter and Lara Jean's relationship. It was like the letters weren't even a big deal in the first place. We were tricked. If I was Lara Jean, I would've gone all CSI, trying to find out who could have that much nasty motive to do something like to me. Then I'd probably torture them for a few months. Revenge, for me, is always so therapeutic.
• Blown way out of proportion: The reason Lara Jean even agrees to be in a "relationship" with Peter in the first place is because she doesn't want Josh to think she's still in love with him. Since 1. He's Margot's "property" and 2. She thinks she doesn't stand a chance with him. My problem with all of this was, if Josh already knows Lara Jean has/had feelings for him, why take the whole thing to entire level that doesn't even need to be jumped to. Lara Jean could've easily insisted her feelings for him were just young and hormonal. Not kiss the one boy who would take complete advantage of her naivety
• Cliche's: This book was completely dripping with cliches: Quirky girl gets with popular boy, finds out he's not as bad as everyone thinks (when really he is), they fall in love, blah blah blah. And if you hadn't already figured out who in fact sent out Lara Jean's letter's, then maybe you should rethink some things. Because it was pretty damn obvious who sent them: Kitty. Why you might ask? Oh, because she was upset  with Lara Jean for making fun of her crush on Josh.... Like seriously? How boring. That is seriously the dumbest, as well as weakest, reason to betray your sister like that. I don't know, the cliches were like little mosquitoes I admit, but in the end they just made the story that much more entertaining.

I could go on and on about more of my peeves, but really if you've already read the book, then you'll know what I'm talking. And right now I suppose it may seem like I didn't enjoy the story. I did though, I truly did. But not every story is perfect. There are most likely to be more flaws than good things when it comes to contemporaries. Because, we as humans, always want to see the rainbow-unicorn side of things, no matter how unrealistic.

I am glad I picked this book up. It kept my mind of some things, and entertained me during my day off. So for that, I thank Jenny Han for gracing me with Lara Jean Song to keep me company.

Hope you guys enjoyed this review.

More to come, I swear.

So until next time, kiddies.

Hugs and Candy,

Lyric♥

June Book Haul

Let's all take a moment of silence for the shitload of books I've bought this month....

Thank you.

So just let me explain myself... just give me a moment to tell you my reasoning behind this stack of gloriousness.

First of all, as some of you know, school has ended for the summer. I worked pretty hard this year, harder than I have in the past, and I decided, upon the deposit of my paycheck that i would reward myself. Plus with school being out, a large portion of my money is no longer being spent on food. A girl's gotta eat, ya know? Especially when school lunches are sub-par 80% of the time. Additionally, I have more money, due to more work hours, which really makes me happy. Then last but not least... when most girls online-boredom-shop, I, Lyric Boyea, boredom-book-shop. So half these books were bought out of pure need of something to do with my excess hours of free time. 

I know. I have a problem. But hey! at least I'm not spending my money on drugs and crappy shit.

This damage, I'm convinced, could be a lot worse. 

So with that, my collection of books has called for me to do my very first book haul.

Cuz I mean, why not?

(btw: this picture doesn't include the 4 books I've bought on my nook. hehe. (Don't judge me)).

1. This Star Won't Go Out

    Author: Esther Earl w/ Lori & Wayne Earl
    Goodreads
       I bought this for the same reason anyone would by The Fault in Our Stars: We always want to know more. And the fact that John Green dedicated and was inspired by Esther to create the Hazel we all know and love, made me want to hear about this girl's life all the more. Inspiration, oftentimes, comes from the most beautiful and sincere places.







2. Cress
Author: Marissa Meyer
Goodreads
      Can't post le summary cuz spoilers and I'm not bout that life. But basically this is the third installment in the Lunar Chronicles. And once upon a time, when I posted my June TBR, I said I would read the first book so I could join the Luanr fandom, but unfortunately I just never got around to it. Just not the right time I guess. But I will get there. I promise.





3. Dorothy Must Die
Author: Danielle Paige
Goodreads
   I finally got around to buying this after a 2 month book buying ban and the battle of whether or not I actually wanted to get sucked into this Yellow Brick bandwaggon (lol see what I did there?). I actually ended buying this at Target cuz, believe it or not, the price at target was less than what Barnes and Noble dot com was offering, so I snatched it up and off I went. But oh lord you guys, when I actually started reading and finished, I was truly surprised at how much I enjoyed myself. I  was thoroughly entertained, and quite honestly couldn't put the book down. This is a definite summer read when you need some action to fill your summer boredom.
      

4. Prisoner of Night and Fog
Author: Anne Blankman
Goodreads
      I've been wanting this book since the Epic Reads girls featured it in one of their ARC Party vids. I've always been fascinated with WW2. So the fact that this is from the POV of Hitler's niece just makes it that much more interesting... and slightly terrifying. Can't wait to get into it.






5. Into the Still Blue
Author: Veronica Rossi
Goodreads
      This is the final book in the Under the Never Sky Trilogy. Haven't read it yet, but I can't til I do so I know what happens with Aria and Perry and everyone around them. 

6. The Impossible Knife of Memory

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Goodreads

     So apparently Tumblr featured this book in their reblogbookclub and I completely missed out -__- and the book sounds really interesting, so i was like what the hell, i'll just read it on my own time. So i'm really happy I finally got the chance to buy it. Can't wait to dive into it.

7. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

Author: Leslye Walton

Goodreads

       This book was really beautiful. I seriously enjoyed myself, and was completely captivated by Ava Lavender's family's story. Leslye Walton clearly knows what she's doing. And I will most certainly buy anything she comes up with next. Plus, this cover, you guys... this cover is absolutely gorgeous.♥

8. The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Goodreads
This cover is pretty great. I, tbh, wasn't gonna buy this book anytime soon. But I needed something to fill  the requirement for me to be eligible for my spend $50, get $5 off coupon from Barnes and Noble. This was the only book on my TB (To Buy) list that would fit so, here it is. Although, now that I have it, seeing how amazing the cover is in person, I'm getting kind of excited to read it. Just don't know when that's gonna be...



9. Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Goodreads
I read this a while back and loved it of course. I wanted so badly to buy it, but I was on my book buying ban until the school year ended, and it wasn't in the next set of books I told myself to buy, so I had to hold it off. Now I finally have it on my shelf, and I can't wait to add Paper Towns to my John Green collection.




10. The Fault in Our Stars (Movie Tie-In)
Author: John Green
Goodreads

You really don't need to worry about if I've read the book or not. Because let's be honest, who hasn't? As well  as fallen in love with Augustus and Hazel.... over and over and over again? Crazy people, that's who. Anyway, as you can see this isn't the regular cover. It's the movie cover book, so of course I had to have my copy of it cuz life. Don't judge me.








11. I Wrote this For You (ebook)
Author: Pleasefindthis
Goodreads
I found this while roaming through amazon. I downloaded a sample of it and found the opening "letter" I guess you could say, absolutely amazing and so true to life. I had to have it. But I kept forgetting about it or the common factor of me not having a enough money to purchase it, held me back. Until one night, whilst trying to fall asleep, I found it again and was like "eh, what the hell" and  pressed the purchase button on my Nook.

12/13. Halo/ Radicals (ebook)
Author: Frankie Rose
Goodreads
Halo was the book of the month for my job's book club. This book you guys... this book was amazing. It had everything I wanted and could ever think of packed into 350 pages. An absolute thrill ride, so so much fun to read. If you like Hunger Games, Divergent, and other badass characters you're definitely gonna love the Halo Trilogy. Radicals is the 2nd book, and the 3rd book is said to come out this winter. So keep your eyes open for that. Oh and before I forget one of the amazing factors about Halo: It's FREE. Yes, you read correctlt. F R E E. If the synopsis doesn't draw you in, then maybe the zero amount of money you have to spend on the first book will.

14. In the After (ebook)
Author: Demitria Lunetta
Goodreads
So um... zombies, anyone? I godhonest hate zombies.... At least I hate watching them on television. They seriously creep me the fuck out. But for some reason, I don't mind reading about them. I think it's cuz I'm seeing it live and breathe (zombies don't breathe, do they...? Oh well) before my very eyes, it somehow makes it less scary...? Idk. My brain is weird. Anyway, I'd been seeing this book around for awhile and I was intrigued, honestly. Though not enough to pay full price or get it right way. But when Epic Reads informed me on Twitter that the ebook was on sale, I had to have it. So i bought it and yeah.




14 BOOKS!!!

JEEZUS no wonder I'm broke. Smh.

Oh well. Like I said, at least I'm not spending my money on drugs and stupid ish.

I don't think July's haul will be as bad, but we'll see how goes.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading about my book buying obsession. I told my friend, as soon as the summer started the addiction would be a real problem for me. But whatever. #iregretnothing2k14.

haha, until next time, kiddies.

Hugs and Candy,
Lyric♥