Review: The Way I Used to Be

Good evening and happy Tuesday! I hope you all had a fantastic day! 🙂
I’m here today with a review of The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith, which is definitely one of my new favourite books! It was very emotionally intense and heartbreaking, but it was so beautifully executed.
Hope you enjoy!

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The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 376
Publication Date: March 2017
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read April 2021

Goodreads Synopsis:
In the tradition of Speak, this extraordinary debut novel “is a poignant book that realistically looks at the lasting effects of trauma on love, relationships, and life” (School Library Journal, starred review).
Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.
What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.
Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year—this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, all while learning to embrace the power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.

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Click here to read my thoughts/review on Goodreads!

Have you read The Way I Used to Be? What were your thoughts on it?
Have you read any of Amber Smith’s other books? Are they on your TBR?
What is the most emotional book that you’ve ever read?
I’d love to chat about it in the comments down below! 😉

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a great week!
Until next time! ❤

Find me on Goodreads here.

See my Bookstagram here.

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Happy Sunday! I hope you’re all staying safe and healthy!! ❤
This afternoon I’m back with a review of one of my favourite books ever, The Unbecoming of Mar Dyer. I reread this for the third time last week (as if I don’t have a about fifty other books that I should be reading right now) and I had the absolute time of my life. This story never fails to blow me away.
I hope you enjoy! 😀

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The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Genre: Young Adult – Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery/Thriller
Series: Mara Dyer #1
Pages: 456
Publication Date: September 2011
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read May 2015, April 2017, April 2020

Goodreads Synopsis:
Mara Dyer believes life can’t get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.
There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

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Click here to read my thoughts/review on Goodreads!

Have you read this trilogy?
What did you think of it? Who was your favourite character?
I would love to discuss it in the comments down below! ❤

As always, thank you so much for reading. Until next time!! 🙂

Find me on Goodreads here.

See my Bookstagram here.

Review: Sentinel (Covenant #5)

Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Covenant #5
Genre: Young Adult – Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Mythology
Pages: 297
Publication Date: November 2013
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read July 2017

Goodreads Synopsis:
It’s a beautiful day for a war.
As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.
And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.

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Click here to read my thoughts/review on Goodreads!

Have you added the Covenant series to your TBR?
For those of you that have read the series, what did you think? Were you satisfied with the ending?
Have any of you read the spin-off series? Are they as good as the original series?

Find me on Goodreads here.

See my reviews for Jennifer L. Armentrout’s other books:
Covenant Series:
Half-Blood (Covenant #1) 
Pure (Covenant #2) 
Deity (Covenant #3)
Apollyon (Convenant #4) 
Sentinel (Covenant $5) 
Lux Series:
Obsidian (Lux #1)
Onyx (Lux #2) 
Opal (Lux #3) 
Origin (Lux #4) 
Opposition (Lux #5) 
Wait for You (Wait for You #1)

Review: Apollyon (Covenant #4)

Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Covenant #4
Genre: Young Adult – Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Mythology
Pages: 343
Publication Date: April 2013
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read July 2017

Goodreads Synopsis:
Fate isn’t something to mess with and now, neither is Alex.
Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.
The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole an Apollyon can’t be killed theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.
Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer or she might become the God Killer herself.

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Click here to read my thoughts/review on Goodreads!

Is the Covenant series on your to-read list?
If you’ve already read it, who is your favourite character? Which book is your favourite in the series so far?
Let me know in the comments down below!

Find me on Goodreads here.

See my reviews for Jennifer L. Armentrout’s other books:
Covenant Series:
Half-Blood (Covenant #1) 
Pure (Covenant #2) 
Deity (Covenant #3)
Apollyon (Convenant #4) 
Sentinel (Covenant $5) 
Lux Series:
Obsidian (Lux #1)
Onyx (Lux #2) 
Opal (Lux #3) 
Origin (Lux #4) 
Opposition (Lux #5) 
Wait for You (Wait for You #1)

Review: Deity (Covenant #3)

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult – – Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Mythology
Series: Covenant #3
Pages: 330
Publication: November 2012
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read August 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:
History is on repeat, and things didn’t go so well the last time.
Alexandria isn’t sure she’s going to make it to her eighteenth birthday–to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she’s a goner… and so is Aiden.
If that’s not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time “training”–which really is just Seth’s code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time–she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.
But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she’s caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.
Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate…

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Click here to read my thoughts/review on Goodreads!

Have any of you read the covenant series yet? If you haven’t, I would highly recommend that you do so!
If you have read it, what are your thoughts on it? What did you think about the ending of this book? What are your predictions for the next one?
Let’s chat about it in the comments!

Find me on Goodreads here.

See my reviews for Jennifer L. Armentrout’s other books:
Covenant Series:
Half-Blood (Covenant #1) 
Pure (Covenant #2) 
Deity (Covenant #3)
Apollyon (Convenant #4) 
Sentinel (Covenant $5) 
Lux Series:
Obsidian (Lux #1)
Onyx (Lux #2) 
Opal (Lux #3) 
Origin (Lux #4) 
Opposition (Lux #5) 
Wait for You (Wait for You #1)

Review: Pure (Covenant #2)

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult – Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Mythology
Series: Covenant #2
Pages: 329
Publication Date: April 2012
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read August 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:
There is need. And then there is Fate… Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn’t exactly awesome—especially when Alexandria’s “other half” is everywhere she goes. Seth’s in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom—so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do—and sacrifice—for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies—lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon… and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn’t blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude… or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

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Click here to read my thoughts/review on Goodreads!

Is the Covenant series on your TBR?
Have you already read it? Did you enjoy it?
How about Jennifer Armentrout’s other novels?
Let me know in the comments down below!

Thanks so much for joining me!

Find me on Goodreads here.

See my reviews for Jennifer L. Armentrout’s other books:
Covenant Series:
Half-Blood (Covenant #1) 
Pure (Covenant #2) 
Deity (Covenant #3)
Apollyon (Convenant #4) 
Sentinel (Covenant $5) 
Lux Series:
Obsidian (Lux #1)
Onyx (Lux #2) 
Opal (Lux #3) 
Origin (Lux #4) 
Opposition (Lux #5) 
Wait for You (Wait for You #1)

Review: Ensnared (Splintered #3)

Ensnared by A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #3
Genre: Young Adult – Retellings, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 420
Publication Date: January 2015
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read June 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:
After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She’s determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world–a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that’s gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?

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Click here to read my thoughts/review on Goodreads!

Is this series on your TBR?
Have you already read it? Which book was your favourite? Are you on Team Morpheus or Team Jeb?
Let me know in the comments down below!

Find me on Goodreads here.

Review: Kill The Boy Band

Kill The Boy Band by Goldy Moldovsky
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 320
Publication Date: February 2016
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read May 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:
Just know from the start that it wasn’t supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near them. That’s why we got a room in the hotel where they were staying.
We were not planning to kidnap one of them. Especially not the most useless one. But we had him—his room key, his cell phone, and his secrets.
We were not planning on what happened next.
We swear.
From thrilling new talent Goldy Moldavsky comes a pitch-black, hilarious take on fandom and the badass girls who have the power to make—or break—the people we call “celebrities.”

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Click here to read my thoughts/review on Goodreads!

Is Kill The Boy Band on your TBR? (If not, go add it!)
Have you read this book yet? Did you love it as much as I did?
Let’s discuss down below in the comments!

Thank you all so, so much for joining me this evening! Hope you have the loveliest of weekends! 🙂

Find me on Goodreads here.

 

 

Review: The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3)

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer #3
Genre: Young Adult – Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 470
Publication Date: November 2014
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read April 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:
Mara Dyer wants to believe there’s more to the lies she’s been told.
There is.
She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.
She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.
Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.

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Click here to read my thoughts/review on Goodreads!

Is this series on your TBR? If not, what are you waiting for? Go add it RIGHT NOW, or I will hunt you down!
Have you already read it? Which book was your favorite? Who is your favourite character?
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments down below!

Find me on Goodreads here.

That’s all I have for you today! Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you all again soon.

Review: Opal (Lux #3)

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction, Paranormal, Romance
Series: Lux #3
Pages: 382
Publication Date: December 2012
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read February 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different… And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
Together we’re stronger… and they know it.

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Click here to read my thoughts/review on Goodreads!

Is this series on your TBR? (because it really should be)
Have you already read it?
Share your thoughts with me in the comments down below!

Find me on Goodreads here.

See my reviews for Jennifer L. Armentrout’s other books:
Covenant Series:
Half-Blood (Covenant #1) 
Pure (Covenant #2) 
Deity (Covenant #3)
Apollyon (Convenant #4) 
Sentinel (Covenant $5) 
Lux Series:
Obsidian (Lux #1)
Onyx (Lux #2) 
Opal (Lux #3) 
Origin (Lux #4) 
Opposition (Lux #5) 
Wait for You (Wait for You #1)