Fresh Off The Press (#35) - Jan 5 to Jan 11

 Welcome to Fresh Off The Press! It’s where I'll showcase all the great books hitting shelves in a week. These are all YA titles and hope you get to pick them up soon! These books are releasing from (Jan 5 to Jan 11)

Hardcover: 

 

Paperback:

So much amazing books releasing this week! I honestly looking forward to All The Bright Places and There Will Be Lies! Hope you guys pick up all of these books and I'll see you soon :)

A Feel Good Book: This Is What Happiness Looks Like - Jennifer E. Smith

This Is What Happiness Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Date Released: April 2, 2013
Publisher: Headline
Pages: 416 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Library Book Sale
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars (Loved It!)
Series: Standalone!

Goodreads Synopsis: If fate sent you an email, would you answer?When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs? 

From Goodreads

This Is What Happiness Looks Like (Or TISWHLL) by Jennifer E. Smith was a down to earth, feel good, YA book that I devoured in two days! I liked everything about it from the main character, Ellie to the emails, and the end was hands down perfect for me. I enjoyed every second about it :)

 

Jennifer E. Smith's take "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle" was all kinds of perfect. Ellie O'Niell is living the normal life, with her mom on the beach live in Maine. She has that calm, relaxed life, but not until she accidentally emails movie star, Graham Larkin. In the beginning of the book, I loved reading all the emails they sent each other and it felt real and genuine. And when they meet, Ellie questions if she can have a relationship with Graham and how the spotlight will respond to her.

I loved Ellie and Graham right off the bat from the beginning of the book. I felt like Smith's writing was the perfect kind to write this type of book. I like Ellie's quietness and the way she got her thoughts in place, it worked well with Graham's extrovertness (Is this a word??) and his fame. 

TISWHLL does YA contemporaries justice. The simplicity of the book and the plot can easily sweep you up in the beach of Maine. All of the characters: Graham, Ellie, Olivia, Quinn all created a wonderfully written story that can easily capture anyone's heart. TISWHLL hits everything from reconnecting with a lost person to finding someone to broken friendships to finding one's self. It was perfect!







Definitely pick this one up! It would be a great book to pick up this year!

Find This Is What Happiness Looks Like On:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Chilling & Boring: Black Ice - Becca Fitzpatrick

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick 
Date Released: October 7, 2014
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 400 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: For Review (Thanks!)
Rating: 2 Stars out of 5 Stars
Series: Standalone!

Goodreads Synopsis: Danger is hard to resist in this sexy thriller from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.

Brit Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants;but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there and in uncovering this, she may become the killer's next target.

But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

Black Ice is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick's riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous.

From Goodreads

Honestly, this book was just another Evermore, Fallen, Twilight book. 

Seriously.

 

Everything from the characters to the plot just reeked of the "Evermore, Fallen, and Twilight" trend. I honestly could not stand how unoriginal Black Ice was, even though it had a different setting and maybe a unique character it was still so predictable and disappointing. 

Black Ice is your cliche girl gets lost in the woods with her best friend who meets two guys who turned out to be killers type of novel. Brit Pheiffer and her best friend are in the mountains and as the snow piles up, a killer is in the midst of Britt and her friend. Now, it's up to Britt to uncover the killer, deal with emotions, and find a way off the mountains. Honestly, the book was all over the place. One moment it's Britt agreeing with her friend, then it switches POV to Britt before she went into the mountains. I expected a lot more from the plot and it just felt a big fat snooze feast.

I did actually enjoy reading on how Britt tried to escape the killer! It was cool how she analyzed this situation and came with how the outcome would be. But sometimes she did such stupid things it was like:

 
 Like come on Becca, add something more interesting about Britt...

 Black Ice actually did a good job on piecing everything together - from the killer, to Britt's boyfriend, Calvin, and the murder of a young girl. It all made sense and I was practically cheering when it happened! 

In the end, Black Ice is a flat and stale book for me. It did not do anything that surprised me or shock me, but it is a well written cliche book - with a girl, boy, killer dynamic throughout. But still give it a try, you never know!

Find Black Ice On:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads 

Merry Christmas + 2015 Resolutions (Wow, that's very ahead!)

 

Happy Christmas! It is finally that time of year when we get together with family and friends and spend time, eat tons of food, and remember God's birth. I wish all my readers, followers, blogging friends, and publishers an amazing Christmas! I hope you guys have a great night and I cannot wait to be back in 2015!

The middle and end of 2014 was very stressful for me. School really had taken over my life and it barely had time to blog. It felt like an accessory and I didn't feel like putting in energy into it when I could with school. So I did call in a break and as the Christmas season is coming, I wanted to enjoy these couple weeks before I head back to school. 

But that doesn't mean I'll be on a hiatus like last time!

 

I will have tons of reviews scheduled (I'm actually writing them as you read this XD), author interviews, blog tours, my 2015 Reading Challenges, and giveaways! 

Thank you guys so much! Have a great 2014 winter and cannot wait for 2015!