To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Published by Simon & Schuster on April 15th 2014
Genres: YA contemporary, romance
Pages: 288 (Hardcover) / 422 (Paperback)
Goodreads

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a contemporary novel written by Jenny Han. It's the first instalment of the 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before'-duology. 

The story follows Lara Jean, a sixteen year old girl, who writes letters to all the boys she has ever had a crush on, 5 in total. Of course she never actually mailed them…until one day the letters get send out.

I first stumbled upon this book while I was looking for a book to read, so naturally I checked Goodreads and found this one. The summary appealed to me and I knew that this was going to be one of those books that I would just LOVE. And love I did. If you're fan of cute contemporary novels then I highly recommend you to read this book!

Characters: I found myself loving all of the characters, except Genevieve, from page 1 to page 288/422. Everyone was just so lovable and great. My favourite though was Kitty (Katherine); the youngest of the Song girls. She is so intelligent and mischievous for a nine year old girl. She often made me think of myself in some ways. 

Lara Jean: Lara Jean was this quirky girl that I (most of time) loved, as stated above. She grew and became a little bit more mature towards the ending. LJ was actually really immature for a 16-year old. She sometimes behaved like a 12 year old, which really bothered me at times, but nothing that I couldn’t handle. The first weeks since Margot left for college, LJ kept comparing herself to her older sister and that was really annoying. She eventually stopped and actually behaved a little more her age (which I am thankful for).

Also, Lara Jean was insecure. Especially when it revolves around Genevieve. Miss ex-best friend. Example:

“Your hand is too hot,” I hiss.

Through clenched teeth he says: “No, your hand is.”

I’m sure Genevieve’s hands are never sweaty. She could probably hold hands for days without getting overheated.

She was so insecure and compared herself several/all the time(?!) to Genevieve which made me want to slap LJ because everyone is beautiful in their own unique way and you should not compare yourself to another human being. I do understand why she would feel insecure. I mean *SPOILER* you’re supposedly dating your ex-best friend’s (Genevieve) ex-boyfriend (Peter) AND your ex-best friend apparently looks like a model. Not to forget that Gen also scared away a girl that dated Peter when they ‘broke up’…poor girl. Well let’s just say, LJ has some flaws like immaturity and insecurity etc. but everyone has them, right? 

Plot: I knew immediately who sent out LJ’s letters. It was so obvious! After all of the events that happened before you just knew she had it coming. (I am not going to say who so you better go read it yourself.)

What I got from the synopsis is that I was going to read this book about a girl who writes letters to her crushes but doesn’t send them etc. and that is exactly what I got. I was hooked from the first to the last pages and craved more. Luckily I had also purchased the sequel and concluding book to the ‘TAtBILB’-duology because THAT ENDING THOUGH. My heart was broken and it could only be healed by knowing that they were going to end up together at last.

What I liked a lot in this book and also in the sequel is the family aspect. It’s just so good. Lara Jean and her sisters and family are so close. Although you might have some discussions or fights with your siblings, parents or whoever; the hate never lasts.

I don't have to be so afraid of good-bye, because good-bye doesn't mean forever.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Published May 13th 2014 by Delacorte Press
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Ya Romance
Pages: 227
Goodreads

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a a modern, sophisticated suspense novel written by E. Lockhart. The story is about 'The Liars' three teenage cousins : Johnny, Mirren, our narrator Cadence and an outsider Gat). But something happend to them... Cadence had an accident which she can't remember and is left with crippling migraines.

A friend of me recommended this book,

she said it was beautiful and was constantly talking about the ending and how it was so unpredictable and so on which made me think: “Okay, I really want to read this book". Because my friend said so many positive things about it, I had a lot of expectations. But let me tell you this: “It was so breathtaking...so incredible... . We Were Liars left me defeated and I'm so glad that I have read this book. You should read it too if you haven't yet!

Characters: I liked everyone in this book. Some more than others. Lockhart described the characters very well, that it made me feel like I was there too. My favorite character was actually Johnny. I found him so funny. Maybe it was also because he didn't act so mysterious. Cadence was the narrator and sometimes there were parts where I thought : “WHAT AM I READING?” I was so confused!  for example: ‘Then he (Cadence's dad) pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest. I was standing on the lawn and I fell. The bullet hole opened wide and my heart rolled out of my rib cage and down into a flower bed. Blood gushed rhythmically from my open wound, then from my eyes, my ears, my mouth’. When I read this again I was like: “Oh ok, it's how she felt.” (I think Cadence is really messed up but I understand because I would be messed up too) The other Characters like Gat and Mirren were okay, I liked them but I didn't 'love' them. The only thing that missed was that I did not easily get attached to the characters.

Ending: I had a lot of theories, but none of them were right (I mostly thought that Cadence was raped by Gat). Lockhart did a great job. I mean no one saw that coming! I had to re-read the end because I did not believe it... Damn, it was so unpredictable! I'm not going to spoil anything. I'm only going to say READ THIS BRILLIANT BOOK! Read it and if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

                                  “Do not accept an evil you can change.” 

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Published by Knopf on January 6th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Mental Illness, YA Romance
Pages: 388
Goodreads

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

The only thing you really need to know before picking up this book is that once you start reading... you won't be able to stop. This book is so beautiful and incredible! It deals with depression and mental illness and changes the way you look at the world.

It's a book that makes you think about everything and anything.

The writing style is astonishing and beautiful (at some points I was a bit confused with the constant POV change. Am I reading Violet's point of view or Finch's?) You get attached to the characters so easily because they are so genuine. I really loved their personalities. Jennifer introduces us to two intelligent teenagers, whom both have some issues; Violet lost her sister in a car accident which she blames herself for, and Finch has depression.

In this story Theodore Finch stole my heart! He was so...I don't know how to say it...but he was so real... like he was my best friend. Violet was also a great character, but I loved Finch more.

This story will stay with me forever; and I hope that you will read it one day, because it's sure worth your time, let me tell you that!

              “The thing I realize is, that it's not what you take, it's what you leave.” 

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

Published by Penguin Young Readers Group on September 16th 2014

Genres: Contemporary, YA Romance

Pages: 384

Goodreads

I'll give you the sun is a contemporary novel written by Jandy Nelson. The story is about twins, Noah and Jude, who are both very into art. Noah tells the story from when they were 13 and Jude continues from when they are 16. Noah is a boy and Jude is a girl. Something happens to them which causes them not to talk or at least minimal to each other anymore.

I have to say that the chapters are really long.

Characters: Both of these characters were quick to steal my heart. They were so beautiful in their own way. For example, Noah being so passionate about art. You felt this immediate connection to them and just loved them. Well in my case I loved Jude in her POV and I loved Noah in his POV. They dealt with heartbreak over and over again and they changed so much during the course of the book. The character development was at first hard to comprehend but later...just extraordinarily beautiful. Jude : Her carefree personality in the beginning was so fun to read. Even though she did some things that she'd regret in the future she was still this headstrong person with determination. When the POV changed to hers and she was 16, we learnt that everyone changes...if you want it or not. Sometimes it's a good change and other times not so good. But you will always get back up on your feet! Noah: Noah is this person that you might not notice immediately. Slowly but surely he got to my heart and it shrunk when I read what he was doing at age 16. He was so passionate and suddenly all got taken away from him. And when we all finally thought that his life was somewhat going right, that event happened and broke my heart into these tiny pieces that were puzzled back together in the end.

Plot: I actually didn't really know what to expect of this book, well sure it has gotten great reviews and all that but the summary didn't really do its work because it misses one big subject that is actually centered in this story. ART. A R T. How can you not include this in your summary when everything involved ART? Of course we knew immediately form the beginning that they were both into art but please. Art is/was their life. There was so much rave about this book back in September 2014 and quite honestly it's fair that it got so much rave because man. I LOVED this story SO much. Everything was just beautiful. I know that not everyone will like this, but give it a try and we'll see. There are (a lot) some metaphors in this book. 

“People die, I think, but your relationship with them doesn't. It continues and it's ever-changing.”