House at the End of the Street Review

Today I thought it would be fun if I read this book, watched the movie afterward, then did a review and comparison for you guys!

House at the End of the Street

BOOK

Written by: Lily Blake

# of pages: 188

Average Rating: 3.63/5

My Rating: 3/5

Read in August 2013

Summary

Elissa and her mom are moving to a new city, trying to move on from their past. Her parents separated and she hasn't talked to her dad in over a year, and her mom hasn't always been there for her. Elissa could not be less thrilled about moving, as she has to leave her current school and all her friends, and move into a house that is next to where a double murder took place 4 years prior. She is shocked to find out that the son involved in this now dead family is normal, and they soon become friends. Elissa's mom is not happy about this fast-forming relationship, as she has a bad feeling about Ryan (the son). Elissa is determined to prove to everyone that Ryan is normal and for people to stop judging him, but is it herself that will be proven wrong in the end?

My Thoughts

I felt that this story went by very quickly, and that everything flowed very well, however there were many faults that I found in this novel. In my opinion, there was not a lot of character development, character descriptions, or even setting descriptions. This made me feel that some aspects of the book were lacking in detail. With there being a lack of detail, it was a lot harder for me to create of mental image, which led to me hardly enjoying this book. 

Reading this, there were many moments in this book I could have done without, some parts were really boring, and there were also parts that didn't make sense to me. I would honestly rate this novel closer to a 2.75/5 instead of a 3, because I didn't enjoy it that much. The reason I cannot give it a higher rating, is because it wasn't a long enough book for me to critic it on the details and such. 

Overall, I was disappointed with this novel as I had high hopes and expectations. I was really hoping that the movie would be better, and restore my faith in thriller films. I didn't find this book to be scary at all, which could have been due to the lack of details and suspense, or just that the plot wasn't that interesting. 

MOVIE

Director: Mark Tonderai

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Max Thieriot, Elisabeth Shue

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Release Date: September 21, 2013

Average Rating: 5.4/10

My Rating: 6/10

Watched in August 2013

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed the opening scene as it followed the prologue of the story. This scene played out how I had imagined it would be. Some things in the other scenes were different, but they were only minor details - eating dinner before looking around the woods, some character lines here and there, etc. Unless you haven't read the book, or weren't paying much attention while reading it, you wouldn't have noticed. 

What I missed the most while watching this movie, was being able to read the characters thoughts. Elissa had a lot of thoughts in the book toward her mom and her dad, that were not addressed in the movie. In my opinion, the movie would have been improved if those thoughts could have been included somehow. 

I love Jennifer Lawrence, I think she is amazing, talented, hilarious, and beautiful with a sassy attitude. That being said, I hate to admit that I did not find this to be the best film she has done. 

Overall, this movie seemed to be just like the book, both in the plot, and the way they were slow and boring. 

The Statistical Probabability of Love at First Sight Review

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Written by Jennifer E. Smith
# of Pages: 236

Average Rating: 3.79/5
My Rating: 5/5

Read in August 2013

Summary

Hadley is about to face the worst weekend of her life, as she is on her way to the airport catching a flight to London for her father's wedding. She hasn't talked to her father for a couple of years since he left her mom, and Hadley has yet to meet her future stepmother. After missing her flight, it seems her night is taking a turn for the better when she meets the perfect boy. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he just so happens to be sitting in the same row as her on the plane. Can their connection last longer than the flight? Or is it over once they get through customs? Love has ways of finding you when you're least expecting it.

My Thoughts

This book really made me want to travel! Reading about her being in the airport, on the plane, and travelling London made me envious and miss the experience of traveling. Since I love to travel, this book seemed to be the perfect contemporary fit for me, and I was not disappointed. Also, as I am planning some trips, I can't help but let it cross my mind that this coincidental romance might happen to me some day ... A girl can dream right?

I was wondering how the story would continue with the two main characters after the flight, but OH MY GOODNESS I was not expecting what happened. Once I had gotten about halfway through this novel, I already had an idea forming in my mind of where the story would go. To my surprise, I was wrong but I couldn't have been happier with what took place.

This book really played with my emotions. It made me bored, then excited, then frustrated, then bubbly, and finally I felt satisfied with what was happening. This might be my favourite contemporary that I have ever read. I don't know if it is the fact that the main characters were my age, or the fact that this seems more realistic and not so fairy-tale or far-fetched, but I loved it. I definiely swooned over this book, and found myself hugging it after I had finished it.

Overall, I would recommend this mostly to women/girls, but guys could read this for sure. I suggest girls because there is a lot of romance as well as father/daughter stuff that guys might not be able to connect to as well. I read this book in a day because I didn't want to put it down, but it was also a quick and easy read. If you guys read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Casting Call Saturday - Crash by Lisa McMann

So, this is the most amazing idea that I have ever heard. My friend Alyssa (all of her links will be below) came up with the idea of doing a "casting call" for some of our favourite books! I loved this so much that I knew I had to join in.

Jules (main character) - Taryn Southern

For the main character of this novel, it took me a while to think of someone who would be a good fit. Eventually, I thought of Taryn Southern who is a YouTuber that does comedy and music videos. I am a fan of hers, and not only because she does videos with Chester See. I think Taryn is talented (she was on American Idol), and funny (have you seen her internet stalker video with Chester? Go watch it). Imagine Jules as a younger Taryn, and you will have a perfect match to     what I see. 

Sawyer (love interest) - Cole from IM5

Reading this book I imagined Sawyer as a sexy bad boy type, with dirty blonde hair and piercing dark eyes. Cole gives off the vibe of a preppy school boy, but also as a sexy badass/heartthrob. It was very easy for me to pick someone that would fit this mold quite easily - Cole from IM5. Am I attracted to Cole? Of course. Does that affect my decision about who I picked? Of course. But clearly I am not wrong in my choice, however if you disagree; let me know who you would pick down in the comments!

Trey (Jules' brother) -  Jim Verraros

Trey is Jule's older brother who happens to be gay, but is also the person who affects her decisions the most. These siblings are best friends and are close in age. Based on Jim's personality, and how the author portrayed Trey, I thought these two were the perfect combination. Plus he's hot and that is just an added bonus. 

Alyssa
http://acreads.blogspot.ca
http://www.youtube.com/user/acreadsblog
https://twitter.com/AlyssaLunz

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Written by Stephen Chbosky
# of pages: 213

Average Rating: 4.16/5
My Rating: 2/5

Read in January 2013

Summary

This is a story about a teenager named Charlie who is not very popular, very shy, and can tell things about people based on instinct. He meets two people named Sam and Patrick, and they introduce him to a whole new world. This includes a whole new spectrum of friends, but also drugs, sex, and other high school pressures. 


My Thoughts

I know that a lot of people really enjoy this book and think that it is life-changing, but I am not one of those people. I did not think that the plot to this story was that good or very original, which led to me not enjoying what I was reading. In my opinion, this was just a regual coming-of-age story, with nothing special involved, or any moments that stuck out to me.

The main character, Charlie, tended to creep my out for various reasons - mostly his personality and his tendencies - but the other characters were funny. There was quite a bit of character development for Charlie in this story, as he had many life experiences - well, high school experiences. He was able to get out of his little bubble that included only himself, and tried things he never thought he would.

Overall, I was very disappointed with this story, as I had heard many great things, and had high expectations. Maybe I had set my expectations too high, or I missed the life-changing aspect of this book.

Tempest Book Review

Tempest

Written by Julie Cross
# of pages: 334

Average Rating: 3.74/5
My Rating: 4/5

Read in June 2013

Summary

Jackson is a 19 year-old who seems to be a normal guy - he is going to college, he has a girlfriend, and he can travel through time. So maybe he's not that normal after all. Whenever he travels into the past, he does not change anything, it is mostly just for fun and adventure. It is all fun and games until one day strangers appear in his girlfriend Holly's apartment and something happens that changes Jackson's life and puts people in danger. Now it is up to Jackson to try and rescue Holly, all while uncovering secrets from his past, and learning more about himself and what he really appreciates ( or doesn't appreciate enough) about his life.

My Thoughts

I found parts of this book to be obvious of what would happen next in the story, rather than building the anticipation in the reader.

This book took me almost a month to read, because I found the first half of the plot to be very slow and boring. Once I sat down in a very quiet place, and put all of my thoughts and energy into this book, I found it quite easy to get sucked into the story and enjoy the rest of it.

This story was told in first person perspective from the main character Jackson, but there were other characters in Jackson's life. That being said, I figured I would reflect on who was my favourite character. Out of all of the characters in this novel, I would pick Adam - Jackson's best friend - as my favourite. He was a great comedic relief to plot points, he was a great part in Jackson's journey as he figured out formulas, came up with theories and conclusions, and was just a great overall help.

My least favourite character was Holly - yes, Jackson's girlfriend - because I found her to be annoying. I could compare he to that fly on your windshield that never goes away. There were times in this story where I found that she was getting in the way of things, saying things she didn't need to, etc. Let's hope that Holly acquires some character development, and is a lot easier to deal with in the second novel.

Overall, this book didn't live up to my expectations, but the ending made up for that. It left you with a bit of a cliffhanger, and made me want to pick up the sequel. This book felt more like a romance novel to me than anything else, and I believe that is what set me off on the wrong foot with it.

Wonderstruck Book Review

Wonderstruck

Written by Brian Selznick
# of Pages: 630

Average Rating:
My Rating:

Read: June 2013

Summary

This book tells the story of two people in two different times - Ben from 1977, and Rose from 1927. Ben is deaf but in one ear, while Rose is completely deaf. Rose's story shows her as a girl constantly sneaking out of her house, until one day she decides to runaway to New York. Ben's story is a much sadder one as he is dealing with the recent loss of his mother. He is now living with his aunt and uncle because he has no idea who or where his father is. Ben's story takes you on a journey with him to find his father, while Rose is on a journey to find somewhere where she belongs.

My Thoughts

A really heartfelt novel about struggles, inner strength, fitting in, and discovering who you really are.

I loved this book! Wonderstruck is a middle grade novel that tells the story of two people - Ben and Rose. The cool part about this book is that one of the stories is told through words, while the other one is told through pictures! It was so easy to follow along, even with mostly pictures and I read this book in no time!

The reason that I didn't give this novel 5 stars is because I found there wasn't much character development, and I also found that with Rose's story, things should have been more clear and easier to understand some parts - so maybe there should have been more pictures.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone, as it can relate to a bigger audience than just middle grade. I really enjoyed this story, I had emotions for the characters, I laughed, got excited, and there were sad moments. This was my favourite book that I had read in June, and I am glad I picked this book up!

Every You, Every Me Book Review

Every You, Every Me

Written by David Levithan
# of Pages: 245

Average Rating: 3.44
My Rating: 4/5

Summary 

This story takes place in a high school setting, and follows the lives of a teen named Evan, as he starts discovering a bunch of photographs, some of which he is in. He starts believing that someone is stalking him, although he already feels tortured with his best friend gone, and he not doing anything about it. He starts thinking that his lost best friend Ariel (mentioned previously), but he can't seem to put the pieces together. Follow Evan on his journey to figure out who is leaving him these pictures, and what message they are trying to send.

My Thoughts

I found this to be a very interesting concept, as I have hardly read a book with a plot line like this. I am quite a fan of David Levithan's writing, and this book did not disappoint! The way that this story is written makes it easy to follow, and takes no time at all to finish.

This is the first book that I have read where there are lines crossed out. I believe that this can also be found in Shatter Me, which I have not read, but I am not a fan of this kind of writing style.

Having the pictures to go along with the story made it a lot more interesting. This way, the author didn't have to describe what the pictures looked like. You were able to see it, experience it, and understand it for yourself.

Overall, this story was very mysterious and addicting, as well as a very quick read and i enjoyed it thoroughly.