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...
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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.
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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: ♥♥♥♥♥

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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: ♥♥♥♥♥

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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♥