Beware the Boy: 'The Girl Who Fell' Review

The Girl Who Fell

Author: Shannon M Parker

Goodreads / Amazon

High school senior Zephyr Doyle is swept off her feet—and into an intense and volatile relationship—by the new boy in school. 

His obsession.
Her fall.

Zephyr is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and leaving her small town for her dream school, Boston College.

But love has a way of changing things.

Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team’s starting goaltender, Alec. He’s cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn’t judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities—he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can’t control, something she doesn’t want to control.

Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, and overwhelming, and … terrifying?

But love shouldn’t make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn’t make you feel guilty—or worse, ashamed.

So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it’s time to take back control of her life.

If she waits any longer, it may be too late.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abusive relationships start out normally. You feel like you're in love. And maybe you are. But then, something goes wrong.

These days, books are pretty open-minded. We have books about all sorts of things. But abuse seems to be lagging behind. We need to have an open conversation about abuse. And I think this book could start it.

As I said, we need more books about abuse. Before this, I never read anything about abuse. (Not to my recollection, at least.)
The abuse in this book was bad. You knew it was coming (You saw all the warning signs), yet you couldn't help but shiver when it came. (By it, I mean the Worst Part of the abuse. The physical part.)
Abuse in the real world can be like this too. The other person seems so kind and so sweet. You fall for them, hard and fast. But then things pop up. Unexplainable things. But, by then, you're too late.
I hope this book helps teach people about the warning signs and when to stand up for yourself. I hope it empowers people who are in abusive relationships.

The sex didn't fade to black. Honestly, I was surprised by that. But I'm kinda happy that happens too. Sex, in reality, doesn't fade to black. It's you and another person. It's real. Books need to show that. Sex is real. And books show reality to a certain degree.
We need more sex-positive books. Because sex is okay.

I know the romance was supposed to be hurried and crazy. But I couldn't stand it. If he's forcing you from your life, there's something wrong. Zephyr dove in too deep. If she had calmed down and taken it slower...things might have been better, or worse I don't know. I just felt sick reading all the sappy parts. It made my stomach churn. Romance isn't like that. At least, not like that in my mind.

The ending seemed rushed. We had hints about Alec's personality throughout the book, but the climax of the story came in the last 100 pages or so. I really couldn't stand this. We had a whole story that teased the scene in the beginning, but it took forever for us to actually get there. I was annoyed, to say the least.

Overall, this isn't a bad book. If you want to read a book that does show abuse, this is not bad. But I couldn't stand the romance. Even if I knew its implications.

Verdict:

Not lost in love

What in the World Just Happened? Aka My Thoughts During the Entire 'Wink Poppy Midnight'

Wink Poppy Midnight

Author: April Genevieve Tucholke

Goodreads / Amazon

Every story needs a hero.
Every story needs a villain.
Every story needs a secret.

Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous.

What really happened?
Someone knows.
Someone is lying.

This is not the book that pulled me out of my reading slump. But I still loved it. It was complex and confusing. It didn't make any sense. I did love part of it, though.

Likes:

• The toxic relationships intertwined. And I loved them. I'm not condemning toxic relationships, but I loved the way the three teens interacted. Poppy's domineering push towards Midnight. Midnight's shyness and submission towards Poppy. Poppy's confusing relationship with Wink. Wink and Midnight's love story. There was a web of tangled relations. I had to sort through the complicatedness of it all. And the toxicity of the relationships was awful. Truly. You couldn't help but feel for Midnight. But things weren't simple. There were so many sides to each relationship. It was super interesting to see how things played.

• I typically don't like artistic-y stories. They confuse me. I'm left behind. But the way the story was told was understandable for me. I write in the same manner. Repeating words. All that sort of thing. I understood this story much better.

Dislikes:

• The plot wasn't the type of plot I liked. It was kinda dull. There wasn't much pizazz. I wanted more scenes of Poppy in the Roman Luck house. I wanted more conflict. There was conflict, but it wasn't interesting. I wanted more Poppy on Wink. I wanted more of their story. Even if it's not action-y at all. I wanted more Hero and Villain action. There wasn't enough for me.
• The ending was super confusing. What happened? How did Poppy prove it? I wanted more information. Would Midnight go home? Where was home? What was his motivation? I had too many questions and no answers.

Being Human Sucks: 'Symptoms of Being Human'

Symptoms of Being Human

Author: Jeff Garvin

Goodreads / Amazon

The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is…Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

My emotions when I saw this book were as follows:
Shock, disbelief
Excitement
Fear
Dread
Though not in that order. People were hesitant with this book since the last genderqueer book didn't accomplish a lot.

Likes:

• This book had real emotions and realistic portrayal. The story of Riley and Riley's troubles could be somebody else's. People get bullied over this. It's somebody's reality. I'm happy that the author wrote about this. He didn't hold back. He didn't hide the truth. He wrote about the bullying. And he went one step farther by showing the cyber bullying. In this day and age, people use social media to lash out at others. Cyber bullying is, sadly, something that happens. We can't prevent it really, unless you never use the Internet ever again. But then you'd be faced with real life bullying. And I'm not sure which is worse.
• The blogging aspect was amazing. A lot of people turn to social media to vent and figure things out. I mean, I do. Even now. Blogs are great outlets, for the writer and reader. I remember that Instagram let me vent and helped me figure out a lot of things. In middle school, I learned more about the world via Instagram. Social media can teach you, but it can also be destructive. I'm happy that this book also had the social media focus. Social media is amazing but also a little detrimental. Also, bloglr just makes me laugh. Bloglr? Haha. Perfect.
• The LGBT community was strong in this story. There was the Q. And the people who read Riley's blog. The sense of family was strong. I wanted more of that. It was intriguing to read. People who are outcasts band together. Even if they have nothing else in common. We're all different. But the same in a way. And we come together to form a community.

Dislikes:

• The lack of plot really annoyed me. It seemed to just go with the flow. There wasn't an overarching story. To put things bluntly, Riley moved to a new school, Riley met new people, Riley was bullied, Riley came out, and Riley dealt with the aftermath. That is putting things in the most simplistic manner, but the story didn't continue past that. I wanted more of Trans Health Con and the coming out, but the story was too focused on the beginning (with the blog and the bullying.) The thing is Riley didn't do much in the beginning. It was a lot about the dysphoria. And not much else. I wanted more of the story. More of the after-coming-out.
• Bec was just tiresome. Her mood swings and her appearances and disappearances were annoying me. I was sick of her. She was so rude to Riley, and she didn't deserve Riley. I just wanted to shake some sense into her. If I was given more about her life, I'd probably be more sympathetic. But this isn't Bec's story. It's Riley's.

Don't Have an 'Identity Crisis': Blog Tour

Identity Crisis

Author: Melissa Schoor

Goodreads / Amazon

When curvaceous Annalise Bradley’s scandalous freshman year hookup sparks the anger of her female classmates, three of them decide to get her back by "catfishing" her, creating a fake online profile of the perfect boy to toy with her affections.

Against her better nature, introverted Noelle Spiers, goes along with her friends’ plan, hoping to distract Annalise from dreamy Cooper Franklin, her lifelong crush who has fallen for Annalise instead.

As Annalise discovers she is being played and seeks revenge, Noelle increasingly regrets her role in the cruel hoax and tries to salvage their relationship.

Told in alternative perspectives, IDENTITY CRISIS covers romance, betrayal, and timeless friendship in the age of modern technology.

BOOK LINKS:

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25877205-identity-crisis

Amazon paperback: http://amzn.to/1SdGGfq

Barnes & Noble (B&N):  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/identity-crisis-melissa-schorr/1121690253?ean=9781440590146

Bookdepository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Identity-Crisis-Meliss-Schorr/9781440590139

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/es-es/ebook/identity-crisis-32

City of Identity

Who are you? That's the slogan for this town. It's a town of mystery and fake love. The people in the town lie, but they have good reasons to. At least that's what they tell themselves. There are music festivals often, and people compete to get the singer's attention.

But underneath it all, there is revenge.

"I gobbled this book up. It was an interesting book. I couldn't put it down. I had to keep reading. Why? I'll tell you.

"The characters were fascinating. Especially the character development. Annalise had a troubled past. Thing is none of it was her fault. It's not like she could control her dad cheating or people assuming she was itching to jump into Amos's pants. Everything with her Freshmam Fling incident was a misunderstanding. Two things. One, she was only a freshman. That's insanely young for all of this to happen. Two. These things don't typically happen in teenage life. I haven't heard of these things before, but I'm not a typical teenager. And Noelle was so unassuming. You wouldn't think she'd do any of this. I honestly think she did care for Annalise. She started to stand up for herself, and I really liked that. People shouldn't let themselves be walked over. Her change was invigorating. It made me want to change. Just a little. But I'm a stickler for consistency.

"I loved the emphasis on friendship. Maeve's friendship with Annalise was subtle, but Maeve cared for Annalise and didn't want her (Annalise) hurt. It was sweet that Maeve cared so much for her friend. Their friendship reminded me of my best friend and I. They stuck together. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Eva's gang. Poor Noelle was roped into that mess. I despised, and still do, people like Eva. She wasn't a good friend. She dragged Noelle into catfishing Annalise. For what? Revenge? That's extremely rude no matter now you look at it. I would hate to be in a friendship like Noelle and Eva's. I'd be so submissive like Noelle, though. That's the sad thing. Maybe I would end up fighting. But things would be like they were for Noelle in the beginning.

"The ending was satisfying. The epilogue really tidied things up. I loved how Annalise and Noelle ended up. And Cooper. Him too. That little rascal got it good. I felt like there wasn't anything more. Nothing to add. Sure, the Brass Knuckles scandal was a tad annoying and a tad rushed, but I didn't particularly mind. The friendships built were great. I really liked it. And Noelle standing up for herself and publicly apologizing? Perfect. Not that it'd happen in real life, though.

"Plot wise, this book was a little lacking. It wasn't that the plot was slow or anything. It was a little rushed if you ask me. Things happened too fast. They met. They flirted. They discovered the truth. I wanted things to slow down. Life doesn't happen that fast. Relationships don't happen that fast. If things were slower, that would have been better."

IDENTITY CRISIS has part of a song’s lyrics in it. Come up with a SECOND VERSE for the rest of the song in order to enter the giveaway! (Song on the rafflecopter entry) Leave your answer in the rafflecopter and in the comments section!

SONG: “INNER BEAUTY”

(FIRST VERSE) 

You sparkle

You shine

Your cheekbones

Sublime

But a pretty face does not mean a pretty heart.

(CHORUS)

There’s just no inner beauty

Where is your inner beauty?

Without some inner beauty

You’re a perfect waste of time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Melissa Schorr is the YA author of GOY CRAZY (Hyperion 2006) and IDENTITY CRISIS (forthcoming, Merit Press 2016), and a contributor to the YA anthology DEAR BULLY.

She is currently a contributing writer/editor to the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. Her freelance work has appeared in numerous publications, including GQ, People, Self, San Francisco magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. 

Melissa currently lives in Boston with her husband, her daughters, and her dog, Bailey.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website: http://www.melissaschorr.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/321338.Melissa_Schorr

Twitter: https://twitter.com/melissaschorr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Melissa-Schorr-1420293581623246/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissarschorr/

Stay With Me For 'Every Last Word'

Every Last Word

Author: Tamara Ireland Stone

Goodreads / Amazon

If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. 

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

City of Words

A story about poetry and love and OCD and a loss of control. Has romance. Has an adorable guitar player and a group of Mean and Popular Girls. A narrator you'll feel for. Amazing poetry. Amazing friendships and relationships.

"I started to cry when I began to read this. I don't know why. I loved that Tamara Ireland Stone wrote about OCD. I feel like people make OCD into a cleaning thing when it isn't always true. It's about impulses more likely. (Not that I know the exact details.) I have a love of studying the mental disorders. It's kinda why I want to be a psychologist. Personal reasons actually. Not important here, though.

"If my school had a Poet's Corner, I'd be set. You know what, I'll make it. It's decided. I love Sam. Her poetry is meaningful. Poetry is just pouring your thoughts onto a page. It's therapeutic. And Caroline? I loved her shirts. Can someone please make shirts like Caroline's? I want them all! And the romance. It wasn't bad. A little rushed. I was lost at why they would want to date since there wasn't history or chemistry. But The Guy really changed Sam. And that's what I thought was good about him. And the friendships. I loved that. The MaP Girls(Mean and Popular Girls) annoyed me. I don't think I've ever met MaPs before. Seriously. And I'm in high school for goodness sake. And the things Sam's mom did for her? Best. Fictional. Mom. Ever. Overall, a thumbs up."