my books. my life.

Did February fly by or what? That extra day didn’t slow it down at all!

I read four books in February:

Need | Joelle Charbonneau | print | 3.5 stars

Need was an exciting read. Need is a new social network which grants member “requests” after asking them to perform tasks, which quickly turn deadly. I rarely encounter a book I can call a “page-turner” these days but this was it. I kept sneaking a few pages every chance I could and I read it very quickly. Perhaps that is why I thought the ending was rushed and unsatisfying. It was disappointing to race through this book and be left without all of the answers I was looking for.

The Royal We | Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan | print | 5 stars

I loved this one to the point that I became slightly obsessed with this book while I was reading it. It was the Forever YA Book Club pick in February so I kept texting my friend who was also reading it. The Royal We follows Bex – an American studying abroad – as she navigates a complicated relationship with Nick  – the future King of England. It was a big book for me and it was not a quick read, but I found myself carving out time for it. The boys were sick one weekend and I read for hours and hours while they were couch-bound and napping. It also inspired me to do quite a bit of Kate and William research (which my book club appreciated). I’d recommend this one for sure.

Carry On | Rainbow Rowell | audio | 2.5 stars

It turns out that Rainbow Rowell is really hit or miss for me. I adored Eleanor & Park, FanGirl, and Attachments, but had to drag myself through Landline and Carry On. It was a little surreal to be reading fictional fan fiction and I never really felt like I belonged in the world of mages. It really did feel like we were plopped into this already existing story (which I suppose was the point). By the time the adventure really got going in the last third of the book, I was finally interested, but it was too late to totally save the book in my view. If I had been reading this in print, I wouldn’t have made it that far.

Isla and the Happily Ever After | Stephanie Perkins | print | 5 stars

When I read Stephanie Perkins story in My True Love Gave to Me at Christmas, I was reminded how great she is at writing a story of young love and of the fact that I still had to read this one…so I did. It was a fun, easy read of teenage love in Paris. There wasn’t much not to like. Anna will always have my heart, but Isla comes in a pretty close second.