Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Release Date: May 4, 2010

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 288

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Lani and Erin have been friends for as they can remember. They’ve done everything together, from Girl Scouts to driving, to surviving high school. Jason is Erin’s boyfriend, and Erin thinks they’re perfect together. The thing is Fate has other plans for Jason and Erin, plans that include Jason being with Lani.

Lani and Erin have always had very different tastes in everything from boys and pizza to hanging out. Lani is laid back and more on her own, while Erin is outgoing and likes being the center of attention. But there’s two things that have always bonded the girls; one being their obsession with Fate and everything surrounding it, the other being the accident.

As soon as Lani meets Jason, there’s this instant connection that everyone around them seems to notice, everyone except Erin of course. Lani and Jason have this unworldly, crazy amount of things in common (I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything they have in common). Erin encourages them to hang out, even just the two of them; she trusts her best friend and thinks it’s great they get along so well.

When school ends and Erin goes away to camp for the summer, Lani tries to avoid Jason to no avail. Once they start hanging out, Jason breaks up with Erin and there’s no stopping what happens nest when Fate is playing the game. Lani and Jason start their relationship; keeping it hidden from everyone they know, for the simple reason of wanting to be the ones to tell Erin the truth.

Of course things are never as simple as they should be, there’s always the “girl code” and that says that you can’t date your friends ex, but does that really matter if Fate is involved and if they’re soul mates? It shouldn’t, but this is high school, and a YA novel, so of course it matters! When Erin finds out the truth, she’s furious. She does everything she can to hurt Lani and ostracizes her in the process.

I know some people haven’t liked Something Like Fate because they’ve read other Susane Colasanti novels, but this is my first one and I really enjoyed it. I found Lani to be really smart and have a strong voice, at least when it came to everyone except Erin. With Erin, Lani became a total pushover and would become a doormat or a scared puppy in the corner. Erin is one of those girls that you want to like and that you’ll be civil to, but someone you could never really stand to be around for that long.

My favorite character had to be Blake, Lani and Erin’s other friend that is totally adorable and hilarious. He’s the logical, eyes wide open kind of friend, he reminds me a lot of my own best friend. He’s so hilarious too, I love the opening scene between him and Lani; it amuses me so much. Jason is super sweet and way more sensitive and mature than any of the guys I knew in high school. Although, I must call his maturity into question when he knows he has feelings for his girlfriend’s best friend and stays with her, waiting until the worst possible time to break up with her.

I really loved Lani and Jason’s relationship. They cared for each other in a way that most people only dream about, they are the definition of soul mates, in a sense. Despite their situation, they had this very pure, innocent kind of relationship and that is very endearing to me. On the other hand, I could stand Erin. I tried, I mean I really tried to like her even a little, but I just couldn’t. She’s mean and self-centered and actually a total…witch. Every time she spoke to Lani, it was like she was talking down to her and it grated on my nerves to no end.

I really liked Something Like Fate, I think it’s a great story and it’s made me move the other Susane Colasanti novels I have higher on my TBR pile. For the most part I liked the characters and the story flows so well, I can’t wait to read more from her.

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I received this book as part of Around the World Tours.

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

Release Date: May 25, 2010

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 288

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Drea isn’t your typical teenage girl, she’s logical, literal, and isn’t clouded by the normal emotions that seem to haunt most teenagers. Drea see’s the world in black and white; there aren’t those gray areas that the rest of us deal in. For her things either are or aren’t, there’s no in between, and she doesn’t understand why nobody else sees life the way she does.

Drea has Asperger’s Syndrome and because of her diagnosis, Drea just wants to be normal, she’s tired of going to shrinks, she’s tired of being ignored, she’s tired of being held back by her AS. You know those times when you came home crying because of something some boy or girl said or did to you? Drea would give anything for that moment, even though you would rather pretend it never happened. When Drea moves to a new town, she meets Naomi, her neighbor, and everything changes for Drea.

Drea and Naomi become instant friends. Naomi doesn’t know about Drea’s AS and there’s no way Drea will tell her, she wants to be thought of as normal or at least somewhat normal. When she starts school, Drea meets Justin; he’s cute and instantly drawn to Drea and what he sees as quirky behavior. The thing Drea doesn’t want to admit is that she’s drawn to him too. With her new found friends, they assemble a band, and through that connection you watch as the characters mature and fit with one another.

It’s been almost impossible for me to write this review. Usually I give more details, but with this one, Tara Kelly made it impossible! I found myself having to be extremely vague describing this book to people without giving anything away, but there are a few things I can tell you. One being that this is exactly what debut novels are made of! It’s emotional through and through, the characters are amazing in every sense of the word, and the story is just…wow.

I felt as if I was right there with the characters, I felt like I knew them. You see these characters grow and change through each chapter, you feel what they feel. Tara Kelly has done a truly amazing job in character development, to the point that I was left stunned! The plot flows beautifully, and the story is totally captivating. There were times when I was sitting there grinning ear-to-ear, staring at the pages and the scenes that had just played out. There were also the parts that left me sitting there, jaw dropped, eyes wide and burning as I tried not to cry.

Tara Kelly has written one of the best debut novels I’ve read in a long time and she’s done it with a poise and style that I a dying to see again. Harmonic Feedback is a story that holds a lot of weight, it’s an emotional tale with heavy content, and she handled that in way that just blew my mind. Harmonic Feedback has everything you could want in a novel: love, hate, conflict, tragedy, pure happiness, amazing characters, a story that will blow your mind, and a beautiful cover, all in under 300 pages. I must not only applaud Ms. Kelly, but also beg her for another novel…like immediately!

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I received this book as part of Around the World Tours.

Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw

Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw

Release Date: May 1, 2010*

Publisher: Amulet Books

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 272

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There’s always going to be those stories that capture your heart. Whether it’s something that is heartbreaking and sticks with you, or something that is so pure and enticing that your heart envelops it; one way or another your heart becomes involved with the words and the characters inside. Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw is not only one of those stories, it’s the latter of the two, it’s the one that runs through your mind over and over again, it’s the one that so pure that you become one with the story.

In 1847, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published a poem, “Evangeline,” that has now become one of his most notable works, and also one of the most common taught poems in English classes. This beautiful poem inspired Tucker Shaw to write Anxious Hearts and for that, I must thank Mr. Longfellow (yes, I am going to thank a man that’s been dead for somewhere around, oh, 125+ years).

Anxious Hearts begins the story of Eva and Gabe, two teenagers that lost touch in each other’s lives, only to pick back up years later as they explore the forests surrounding their seaside town. They follow the same paths, and are exploring the same tranquil forests as Evangeline and Gabriel, two young lovers, did over one hundred years before them. On the day of Evangeline and Gabriel’s wedding, their village was attacked by enemies and they were separated from one another. In the present, Gabe suddenly disappears from Eva and it seems as if their love will mirror that of the two lovers torn apart on their wedding day.

The first couple of chapters threw me through a loop, I’m used to alternate points of view, but I don’t think I’ve ever read anything that is not only alternate voices, but also alternate time periods. Eva and Gabe’s story is told by Eva, while Gabriel and Evangeline’s tale is told by Gabriel, some hundred years earlier. It only took a few chapters in for me to not only get used to the change, but to also welcome the bits of each tale I got.

The imagery in Anxious Hearts is something I’ve not seen in a long time, not since AP English in high school. It’s got the air of one of those old stories your teacher forces you to read, then you’re thankful in the end. It’s pure, beautiful, and vivid in the words that flow across the page. The beauty in Longfellow’s tale weaves into Shaw’s and characters, both new and old, come alive on the page and leap into your mind.

I found it really hard to find the words to describe Anxious Hearts. There were moments that made me laugh and smile, then there were the ones that made my jaw drop and stay hanging open in fear and pain for the characters that have woven themselves into my heart in fewer than 300 pages. Eva, Gabe, Evangeline, and Gabriel all found their own place in my heart and I found myself understanding them in different ways and wanting the best for them.

If you’ve never read “Evangeline” then I advise you not to read it until after you’ve read Anxious Hearts. It’s been years since I’ve read it, but once I started reading the story of these lovers those years faded away and the story was there again. The story behind Shaw’s words is just as important as the words themselves. Anxious Hearts is beautiful and lyrical, it flows with a fluid grace that enamors the soul and captures the soul, all in the same page.

Anxious Hearts speaks to the hopeless romantic in all of us. It contains the purest love I’ve read in a long time. I didn’t want the story to end, even though I knew it had too. If there’s one romance that should be on everyone’s shelf, it should be the timeless beauty that is Anxious Hearts. Even those that aren’t big fans of romance will have no other choice but to fall in love with these characters and the stories they have to tell.

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I received this book as part of Around the World Tours.

*While Anxious Hearts isn't set to release until May, it is already in stock at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Book Depository.

Restoring Harmony by Joëlle Anthony

Restoring Harmony by Joëlle Anthony

Release Date: May 13, 2010

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Age Group: Young Adult

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Molly lives in a world very different from the one you and I have come to know. And that is not because she lives it Canada. It’s because she lives in 2041 and after the Collapse, which left the entire world in financial peril.

Molly and her family live on a small island, an island that was able to recover quite well after the Collapse, one that’s small and quaint; one where family is the most important thing you’ve got. When the island doctor is killed in a freak accident and Molly’s grandmother in the United States is feared to be dead, it’s up to the 16-year-old Molly to make back to the U.S., find her ex-doctor grandfather and bring him back to the island before her pregnant mother gives birth.

The way the world is described, I would be terrified! It’s a totally different kind of world than we live in today. The economy has totally collapsed, there’s no oil, the government is in ruins, and most of the large cities are ran by The Organization (basically, the mob). There’s little actual money anymore, the economy is mostly made up of the barter system, and occasionally gold. That is all so very odd to me, but that’s also a very different world than the one I live in, and the one you live in.

Technology has of course advanced…A LOT. Like there’s CyberSpeak (an advanced version of Skype), most cars that are left are electric, and there’s a number of other kind of awesome contraptions that would be totally useful (weightless trailers that can be pulled on a bicycle, anyone?). At times it doesn't really feel like technology is all that advanced because transportation has gone back to trains and bicycles, but the downfall of cars and the like really didn't have anything to do with technology as much as it was because the government had taken over the oil supply.

Armed with only her fiddle, feisty attitude, and a good sense of the land, Molly heads to America. With the help of a few friendly strangers, Molly’s adventure takes her right where she needs to be, but can she make it home alive?

There’s some really strong characters in Joëlle Anthony’s debut novel. I found Molly to be an adoring sort of person; she’s smart and relatable in a sense. Spill is that sweet guy with the tough outer shell that I was dying to see more of. Grandpa, while rough at first, had the warmest heart and was absolutely hilarious at times. They were all strong, well developed characters, and I totally adore that.

But I did have a few concerns. Molly has got to be the luckiest character in dystopian literature history! Every predicament she got into, she got out of generally unscathed and in about two seconds, talk about unlikely and after a while, very predictable. The bad guys weren’t bad enough. There were plenty of bad guys, but they were either seriously stupid or way too soft, and this should have been a story where the bad guys were really bad. I really wanted more action too. Molly spent so much time doing ordinary, mundane things and I was hoping for more adventure and action in this excitingly, dangerous world.

While it did have its flaws, there were things I thoroughly enjoyed. I love how Molly risks it all, including her life, for the attempt to save her family. I love how caring she is; even towards those she barely knows (i.e. Brandy and Michael). Watching her relationships with those around her grow is also a major treat, and totally refreshing to see, since a lot of what we see are broken families and unhealthy relationships. It was nice and moving to see a different kind of relationship between characters, after a while seeing nothing but dysfunctional people can get tiring.

Despite the setting, I didn’t really find Restoring Harmony to be as much a dystopian novel, as I saw it to be more about family and relationships. And that’s not completely a bad thing, although I was disappointed since I was expecting something more of a dystopian adventure. At its roots, Restoring Harmony was a fairly enjoyable story, but don’t go into it expecting to be shocked and scared by their dystopia.

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I received this book as part of Around the World Tours.