Bookish Bluebird

Monday, January 4, 2016

Review: THIS LULLABY by Sarah Dessen

Title: This Lullaby

Author: Sarah Dessen

She's got it all figured out.

Or does she? When it comes to relationships, Remy's got a whole set of rules.

Never get too serious. Never let him break your heart. And never, ever date a musician.

But then Remy meets Dexter, and the rules don't seem to apply anymore.

Could it be that she's starting to understand what all those love songs are about?

"I had no illusions about love anymore. It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't."

I enjoyed this one. Not as much as I did my first Sarah Dessen book but it was still good. Light and humorous. I just couldn't connect with the heroine unfortunately. But I absolutely loved Dexter and John Miller because these two are so adorable and quirky and hilarious. Truth Squad, Dexter's band, was the highlight of this book for me. Dexter's dog, Monkey, was also a hoot.

2015: A Year in Review and Top 15 Reads

2015 has been an amazing year in books and blogging! Thanks to the constant book pushing of the Fizzle Reads girls, I've wholeheartedly embraced the YA genre this year. I didn't expect the 100+ new books I'd add to my tbr in the process though (not including my regular dose of NA/A) lol.

It was back in Janurary that I decided I'd be more organized with the blog and eventually made an blogging calendar to help with planning. Looking back now, I DID GOOD, if I do say so myself *pats self on the back*. I wasn't always consistent with my posts and often times I didn't go by the calendar [hahaha], but I have a visual that I stuck with it throughout the year.

Big BIG THANK YOU to all the bloggers and booklovers I've befriended this year, be it through my blog, your blog, goodreads, twitter or instagram. I've loved reading your comments, hearing from you and all your book recommendations! Everyone in the blogosphere is so supportive and loving. I may disappear now and then but you're stuck with me for a long while, you guys ;)

Here are my top 15 favorites in books:

Fuel the Fire and Long Way Down by Krista & Becca Ritchie
Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley
Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne
Seduction Game by Pamela Clare
Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi
Cinder, Scarlet and Cress by Marissa Meyer
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
Kaleidoscope Hearts by Claire Contreras
Back to You by Priscilla Glenn
Every Breath by Ellie Marney
To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han
Butterfly Dreams by A. Meredith Walters

And my top favorite read/watched/listened in 2015 for some other categories:

Anime: Kuroko no Basket (Honorable Mention: Haikyuu!!)
Manga: Akatsuki no Yona (Honorable Mention: Horimiya, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun)
TV Show: Bones (Thank you Netflix for allowing me to binge watch 9 seasons in a few months haha)
2015 Music Album: Handwritten by Shawn Mendes
Kpop song: Baby Don't Cry by EXO (Honorable Mentions: BTS' Run and Butterfly, GOT7's If You Do, EXO's Love Me Right)
Movie: Inside Out (PIXAR, MY QUEEN)

2015 consisted of 54 blogs posts here at Bookish Bluebird! *fires confetti canon* I had a blog makeover that included a name change. I've participated in 7 blog tours and 8 cover reveals. This was the first year I started using NetGalley and accepting more ARCs with was equally exciting as it was overwhelming. I started using a "review to come" method to give me more time with my thoughts but now I have a backlog of reviews to post ack. Pretty sure I'm going back to my old reviewing ways haa. For 2016, I hope to catch up on all my reviews, participate in more blog tours and blogger discussions, read more diverse books and go to a few bookish events! *raises champagne glass* Here's to another year of fantastic reads!

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Review: RIDE STEADY by Kristen Ashley

Title: Ride Steady

Author: Kristen Ashley
Chaos #3
Publisher: Forever

Publication Date: June 30, 2015

The ride of her life...

Once upon a time, Carissa Teodoro believed in happy endings. Money, marriage, motherhood: everything came easy—until she woke up to the ugly truth about her Prince Charming. Now a struggling, single mom and stranded by a flat tire, Carissa's pondering her mistakes when a vaguely familiar knight rides to her rescue on a ton of horsepower.

Climb on and hold tight...

In high school, Carson Steele was a bad boy loner who put Carissa on a pedestal where she stayed far beyond his reach. Today, he's the hard-bodied biker known only as Joker, and from the way Carissa's acting, it's clear she's falling fast. While catching her is irresistible, knowing what to do with her is a different story. A good girl like Carissa is the least likely fit with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Too bad holding back is so damn hard. Now, as Joker's secrets are revealed and an outside threat endangers the club, Joker must decided whether to ride steady with Carissa—or ride away forever...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"It was always you. Only you.

I was into you back then Carissa, in a big fuckin' way... And that hasn't changed."

Second chance romance at its best. Ride Steady effectively shot me in the heart and revived my 'must-read-all-KA-books' mentality after a very long KA hiatus. Joker and Carissa's story had everything I love in contemporary romance: family emphasis, endearing friendships, heart-warming romance, sexiness, an alpha male that's alpha in all the right ways, and a heroine that I wholeheartedly rooted for. I thought Shy was my number one biker boyfriend in the Chaos series, but Joker stole my heart and had me swooning to no end. [Side ramble: What is with all these hot biker names? Like Carson "Joker" Steele...*melts*]

Review: LONG WAY DOWN by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Title: Long Way Down

Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie

With a seven-year age difference, Ryke & Daisy have faced an uphill battle in the eyes of the world and their families. Known as the most adventurous, fast-paced couple—their next step has always been elusive to the rabid media.

Behind the scenes, heartbreaking trouble continues to test Ryke & Daisy's resilience and shape their future.

They promise:

To never slow down.
To never compromise who they are.
To never abandon their love for each other.

But persevering their happiness also means adding more risks. One that Connor Cobalt wouldn't even take. As professional free-solo climber, Ryke is no stranger to risk, but this next step with Daisy wagers more than just his health.

With their lives on the line, Ryke & Daisy head towards the vast, wild unknown in this epic final conclusion to the Addicted series.

**Author's Note**

It's possible to only read the Calloway Sisters spin-off series without reading the Addicted series, but you MUST read Fuel the Fire (Calloway Sisters #3) before reading Long Way Down (Calloway Sisters #4). It's highly recommended to read the books in the recommended reading order, which is in tangent with the Addicted series.

*Jae's Note*

READ IT ALL I SAY.

"Wherever you go, I'll go. I'll be here no matter what..."

How do I review a book that essentially ends an era? One that touched me to the core? And how do I move on from that book when it left me feeling blessed for the life I live and proud of the person I've become? I just can't without shedding more tears in the process. But I'll do my best to explain why Long Way Down is my new favorite book, and why you should start reading the Addicted series [pronto] if you aren't already. I'm just going to bare my soul to you in what I hope will be a short spoiler-free review. I apologize in advance should it make no sense at all.