Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Page Count: 522

Published on: October 6th 2015

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Paranormal
Source: Print: Hardback

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 5 stars

Twitter: @rainbowrowell

Goodreads synopsis:

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

~~~

Hey guys!

        Carry On is about Simon Snow. Simon Snow is the Chosen One and he has been prophesied to save the Magick World from the Insidious Humdrum. Simon has so much expected of him, and on top of all of the stress caused by the Humdrum, Simon's nemesis Baz has gone missing.

        I received Carry On for an early birthday present from my Grandma. I was absolutely ecstatic. I've been waiting for this book since November of 2014 when Rainbow announced that she was writing Simon & Baz's story. I fell in love with Simon & Baz when they were introduced in Fangirl. Carry On is supposed to be the fanfiction that Cath had written in Fangirl. There were only a couple of things that I didn't particularly like. There's one little thing that I didn't like are kind of nit-picky and can't be helped. The one thing I didn't like was that I didn't have the background knowledge that I would have had if there had been 8 books like it had said in the Simon Snow bio written in the beginning of Fangirl. This cannot be helped because it is fan-fiction. Oh my gosh guys...I want the Simon Snow books to be real! They sound so fantastic and beautifully written. It'd be like Harry Potter all over again...

        I actually wish that there had been just a little more of a relationship between Baz and Simon, but I can understand that there wasn't as much because Carry On is supposed to be the eighth book. I loved that the chapters switched POVs and sometimes the chapters would switch POVs in the middle of chapters. It was really well done, and I didn't feel like Rainbow wrote the chapters to make the events of the plot convenient. I was constantly on the edge of my seat throughout the book, and I had no idea what was going to happen. This book was action packed and the romance was amazing and the magic was...fantastical and amazing. 

         I highly recommend this book. It's absolutely amazing. Even if you didn't enjoy the little excerpts in Fangirl you will still love Carry On. Geez guys I love this book. It's so fantastic...

My Favorite Character: Baz

My Least Favorite Character: The Mage

My Ship: Simon & Baz

My Anti-Ship: Simon & Agatha 

If You Like __#__ Then You Will Love Carry On!

• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell {5 stars}
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling {5 stars}
• Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce {5 stars}
• Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins {5 stars}
• Simon & the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli {4.5 stars}

Enjoy! Happy reading!
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~

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Top 5 Wednesday: Beauty & the Beast Retellings

Hey guys!

       It's that time again! It's Wednesday! This week's #T5W is about my top 5 favorite Beauty & the Beast retellings. Oh my gosh I've read so many B&B retellings it's insane...to be honest I've read so many retellings this past summer...I am unashamed. So here are my top 5 Beauty & the Beast retellings!

1: A Court Of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas

This is one of my top 15 favorite books that I've read in 2015. Oh my gosh...This book is so amazing. I cannot stress this enough! READ IT! It's so amazing!!! I've actually gotten my sister to read it and one of my friends, Julia, bought it and I recommend it to everyone who asks for fantasy recommendations :D

You can check out my review {HERE!}

You can also check this amazing book here:

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

2: East by Edith Pattou

I've read this book twice now and geez it's my favorite retelling of East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon which is a Norwegian retelling of Beauty & the Beast. I've read 3 retellings of EOSWOM and East is by far my favorite. It's so beautifully written and gahhh I can't explain how much I love it. You will fall in love with the characters and the setting and the story. It's fantastic! The last time I read it was in August of 2014 but the first time was probably in 2012.

My Rating: 5 stars

You Can Find It Here: 

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

3: Beauty by Robin McKinley

So it's been a while since I've read this beauty, but Beauty is probably one of the first B&B retellings. My twin sister bought this in middle school, and I read it after her and we both adored it. The story was so cool, and it was actually really original considering it's a retelling. Even though it's been a while since I've read it, I still remember the ending really clearly and I remember I really wanted a sequel...and I think there is one, but I haven't picked up yet...oops.

My Rating: 4.5 stars but I need to reread it

Where To Find It: Amazon // BD // Goodreads

4: Beastly by Alex Flinn

This book was a huge...trend I guess? The local library held this contest where 7th & 8th graders read 10 books and studied them and re-read them until they basically knew everything about them. We'd go to the public library and my school would compete against the teams from the public schools. This book was so popular because the Battle Of The Books Team absolutely raved about it! Everybody loved this book. I loved this book. I highly recommend this book guys. Alex also has some awesome retellings of Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and a take on the Witches perspective. These are really good books!

My Rating: 5 stars
Where To Find It: Amazon // BD // Goodreads

5: Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

I read this because it was on the recommended books list from East, and I really enjoyed it. I wrote up a review if you want to check it out :) 

Check out my ramblings here:

My Review: {click here}

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // BD

I hope you guys enjoyed this #T5W :) I enjoy putting these up for you guys, and I hope that someday I can make some YouTube videos so you guys can interact in the comments with me. Comment down below your Top 5 Favorite Beauty & the Beast Retellings! If you have a specific bookish topic you want me to discuss, then comment it down below and I will give you my top 5 favorites.

Enjoy! Happy Reading!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Page Count: 436

Published on:  September 10th 2013 

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre(s): Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Romance, YA, New Adult, Chick Lit
Source: Print: Hardback 

Age Rating: PG-14

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 5 stars

Twitter: @rainbowrowell

Goodreads synopsis:

A coming-of-age tale of fanfiction, family and first love

        CATH IS A SIMON SNOW FAN. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan... But for Cath, being a fan is her life--and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fanfiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. 

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to. 

        Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath that she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend; a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world; a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words...and she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone

        For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

~~~

Hey guys!

        Fangirl is by far one of my all time favorite books ever. Fangirl is about Cath. Cath is a fangirl, and not just any fangirl she's a fan of Simon Snow. Simon Snow is "a series of...fantasy books...The books tell the story of Simon Snow, an 11-year old orphan from Lancashire who is recruited to attend the Watford School for Magicks to become a magician. As he grows older, Simon joins a group of magicians --the Mages-- who are fighting the Insidious Humdrum, an evil being trying to rid the world of magic..." (Fangirl: pg. 3). Cath is off to college, and her twin sister Wren is insisting that she wants to meet new people and distance herself from the Simon Snow fandom. Cath is way out of her comfort zone when it comes to living without her sister by her side. She has an unruly and wild roommate who's boyfriend lurks around more that Cath would prefer. She can't stop worrying about her father and her sister, and throughout the story she constantly asks herself "For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?" (GR synopsis).

       I absolutely adore this book! I've read it twice now, and even reading it the second time, I felt so much emotion and I fell in love with Rainbow's characters and the story. I feel so close to Cath, I relate to her. I'm going off to college this next fall and my twin sister may be going to a different college than me...I feel like Cath and I are one in the same in some respects. I also think that Wren is kind of like my sister Sarah, though my sister doesn't drink and isn't as wild as Wren, I see the close relationship that Wren and Cath have and it reminds me of Sarah and I. Now! On to Levi! Holy cow! I love Levi. He's basically the perfect person for Cath, and he's basically the perfect guy. It's commonly known that boys in books are the best haha.  

       Rainbow's writing is perfect. Every word of this book was positively perfect. Her characters are amazingly perfect and so well written. I understood every action that took place throughout the book. Rainbow didn't leave anything unfinished or underdeveloped. I never felt as if she dragged the book on, even thought the book is 436 pages. 

       Rainbow addressed many different topics that need to be addressed in YA fiction. She addressed family/domestic issues and anxiety. Though these are quite heavy subjects, this book is actually really upbeat and Rainbow handled the topics exceptionally well. I feel like I learned a little more about them. I empathize with her characters and I love them even more for their insecurities and faults. 

       I also loved that Rainbow Rowell included snippets of the Simon Snow books and the snippets of the fanfiction written by Wren and Cath. Some do not enjoy the little passages, but I adored them. It made me desperately want the Simon Snow books. 

Blogger's Note: Rainbow wrote Simon & Baz's story in her newest book Carry On. Carry On is the title of the fanfiction that Cath was continually writing in Fangirl. It's actual name is "Carry On, Simon" but it was refered as Carry On in the book. When I found out that it was being written in November of 2014 I was over the moon. I just finished Carry On last night (10/20/2015), and I will have a review up on Thursday (10/29/2015). 

My Favorite Character(s): Levi & Cath
My Least Favorite Character(s): Wren & Cath's mom and Nick

If You Love __#__, You Will Love Fangirl!

• Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins {5}
• Simon & the Homo Sapian's Agenda by Becky Albertalli {4.5}
• Just One Day by Gayle Forman {4.5}
• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell {4.5}
• Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson {5}

Enjoy and happy reading!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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Where the Staircase Ends by Stacy Stokes

Page Count: 250

Published on: April 14, 2015

Published by: Month9 Books

Genre(s): Contemporary,  Fantasy, Magical Realism, 
Source: Print: Paperback

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 4 stars

Twitter: @stacyastokes

Goodreads synopsis:

After her best friend orchestrates the lie that destroys her reputation, Taylor wants more than anything to disappear from her life. But when an accident turns this unspoken wish into reality, instead of angel-filled afterlife, Taylor must climb a seemingly endless staircase into the sky. Instead of going up, the journey plunges her into the past. As she unravels the mystery behind her best friend's betrayal, she must face the truth about her life and find the strength to forgive the unforgivable -- unless the staircase breaks her first.

~~~

Hey guys!

      Where the Staircase Ends follows Taylor as she is struggling to deal with her best friends's betrayal which causes her to become a social pariah amongst her peers. As Taylor is trying to cope and figure out why her best friend has betrayed her, she is suddenly killed and sent to a never ending staircase that she has to unwillingly climb. As she continues to climb she encounters ghost like people that cause her to remember events of her life that are both good and bad. As she relives those memories she has to discover what caused her friend's betrayal, and decide whether to "forgive the unforgivable". 

       Stacy Stokes wrote the high school world almost perfectly. She recorded the student's minds so well. I loved how she subtlety showed the readers how twisted high school can be, because sometimes it really is! My school isn't as bad as this, but the way the students acted in this wasn't very far off. The book was mainly flashbacks, but it wasn't written so it was confusing at all and I loved that.

    

       I really enjoyed this book. I don't think it's the very best book I've ever read, but I really enjoyed the story and the heavy subjects it dealt with. This book deals with peer pressure, drinking, abusive relationships, death, forgiveness, and it kind of had a love triangle. I enjoyed the love triangle, but you can kind of tell who Taylor wants to be with. This book doesn't only take place on the staircase. The events that took place from before she ended up on the staircase. The characters were actually more complex then I thought they would be. They had such profound personalities, and even if I didn't actually like them, I knew the causes behind their actions. I kind of respected the characters more because Stacy put so much thought into them. 

       Overall this book was really good. I really enjoyed the premise and the plot and the characters were really well thought out. 

My Favorite Character: Justin & Taylor
My Least Favorite Character: Logan 

My Ship: Taylor x Justin

Enjoy!
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~

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Top 5 Wednesday:Top Authors You Discovered This Year

Hey guys!

        My best friend Courtney suggested that I start posting Top 5 Wednesdays. Top 5 Wednesday was started by Lainey from GingerReadsLainey on YouTube. 
Here Are Lainey's Social Media Links!
Twitter // Tumblr // Instagram // Figment // Goodreads

This week's Top 5 Wednesday is "Top Authors You Discovered This Year".

These are in no particular order :)

1: Renee Ahdieh

The author that has automatically come to my head is Renee Ahdieh. Her debut novel The Wrath & the Dawn has definitely made it to my top 15 favorite books read in 2015. The sequel to The Wrath & the Dawn, The Rose & the Dagger will becoming out in May of 2016. I'm so excited!

Check out Renee's Social Media Links!

Twitter // Website // Facebook // Goodreads // Instagram // Tumblr

My Review of The Wrath & the Dawn: {click here!}

My Rating: 5 stars!

2: Soman Chainani

 The second author I discovered this year is Soman Chainani. Soman wrote The School For Good & Evil trilogy. I started the series in June and finished the first and second within a week. The third came out July 27 and I read it within a week as well. These books were so addicting and fantastic. I'm so glad I discoverd them this year! 



Check out Soman's Social Media Links!

Twitter // Website // Facebook 
// Goodreads // Instagram // Tumblr

My Review of The School For Good & Evil:
{click here}
My Review of A World Without Princes: 
{click here}
My Review of  The Last Ever After: 
{click here}

I gave all three a 5 star review!!!!

3: Elaine Dimipoulos

So, my school librarian Mrs. Longgood had some ARCs from HMH and she asked me to read some for review. I read Material Girls first. I am absolutely in love with Elaine Dimipoulos's writing. This book was pretty much perfect for me.

Social Media:

Website // Twitter // Facebook // Goodreads

My Review: {click here!}

My Rating: 5 stars!

4: Tehereh Mafi

Ah! How can I not mention Tehereh Mafi! Not only are her books fantastic, she is fantastic! I have loved watching Tehereh when she's a guest on some of my favorite BookTubers' channels and she and Ransom Riggs are so adorable. Anyway, I've read all of Tehereh's books and gaaaah so good!

Social Media:

Twitter // Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest // Website //

My Review of Shatter Me: 
{click here}
My Review of Unravel Me: 
{click here}
My Review of Ignite Me: 
{click here}
My Review of Unite Me: 
{click here}

I gave all of these awesome books 5 stars!

5: Holly Smale

Now I've only read 2 of Holly's books, Geek Girl and Model Misfit. Both of which I absolutely loved. The characters are so hilarious and gahh I just love her books. 

Social Media: 

Goodreads // Facebook // Twitter  

My Rating of Geek Girl: 5 stars
My Review of Model Misfit: {click here}

My Rating of Model Misfit: 5 stars



If you haven't checked out any of these author's books, then you should definitely check these out. They are all such great books. Comment down below if you have read these books and comment your top 5 favorite authors that you discovered this year! 

Enjoy & Happy Reading!
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~
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Geek Girl: Model Misfit by Holly Smale

Page Count: 400

Published on: July 21st 2015

Published by: Harper Teen

Genre(s): Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Romance, Adventure
Source: Print: Paperback: Library

Age Rating: PG-14

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 5 stars

Twitter: @holsmale








Goodreads synopsis:

Harriet Manners is a model.

She used to be a geek, but now she has transformed into a creature of grace and sophistication. She is completely at one with the world of fashion.

Except she’s not.

In fact, Harriet feels even less popular and more awkward now than she did when she was just a geek. So when Yuka Ito invites her to go to Japan and be the face of her new label, Harriet seizes the chance to get away.

Harriet might have to bring along her crazy grandma Bunty, and she might run into Nick, the gorgeous costar who unceremoniously dumped her two months ago. But no one is going to ruin her fabulous Tokyo summer.

Unless she accidentally ruins it herself…

~~~

Hey guys!

        So Model Misfit is the sequel to Geek Girl by Holly Smale. Geek Girl followed Harriet Manners as she was discovered by a high end modeling agency and thrown into the world of modelling. Harriet is a geek. She's proud of it. 

        Holly Smale has done it again! Harriet Manners is just as geeky and socially awkward as she was in Geek Girl. This time her step-mum is expecting and Harriet's off to Tokyo for a shoot....and she's about to show the world how clumsy she is. 

        I enjoyed this book immensely. The characters are hilarious and the whole story wasn't predictable at all. I loved that whenever Harriet got nervous she'd just spew out a random factoid and I just find that hilarious and adorable...and kind of a mix of my twin sister and I. I also loved that the short time that we had with Toby and Nat are still absolutely hilarious and adorable. Aunt BUNTY! Holy cow! She's so hilarious! These characters are so cute! I'm obsessed!

        While Harriet is in Tokyo, she's completely on her own in a new place, a new culture, new people, and a whole lot of awkward. She's very out of her league when it comes to modelling While she is in Japan, Harriet struggles with her modeling career and with a very frustrating boy. Geez, y'all just need to read this book it's so perfect. Throughout this whole book, you won't see the plot twists that are going to happen. 

 If you loved Geek Girl, then Model Misfit is a MUST READ!!!!

I wish I could say I wrote a review on Geek Girl, but I haven't. When I read it in March. It was one of the months that I didn't write a review of every book that I had read that month. I gave Geek Girl a rating of 5 stars....You will love them!

If You Like _____ Then You Will Love Model Misfit!

• Don't Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley   4.5 stars
• Lola & the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins   5 stars
• Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins    5 stars
• Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson  5 stars

Those 4 books are hilarious romantic-comedy contemporaries. You should definitely check them out. 

     Sorry I didn't post this past week. I've had a paper due before my fall break and I was focusing on that. Also, it was my birthday week! I've turned 18! Woo! I'll be posting a birthday haul if you guys would like that. Let me know! Comment down below!

I'm currently reading Carry On by Rainbow Rowell which I receive from my Grandma for an early birthday present. 

I will be posting this week at least 3 times :) I'm on break so posts will be most likely on time. 

Enjoy guys!
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~

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The Time Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky & Sandra Suy

Page Count: 262

Published on: April 5th 2011

Published by: Poppy

Genre(s): Contemporary, Middle Grade,  Children's Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Source: Print: Paperback: Library

Age Rating: PG-9

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 3 stars

Twitter: @BiancaTuretsky

Facebook Page:  {click here}

Sandra Suy's Website: {click here}

Goodreads synopsis:

What if a beautiful vintage dress could take you back in time?

Louise Lambert has always dreamed of movie starlets and exquisite gowns and longs for the day when she can fill the closet of her normal suburban home with stylish treasures. But when she receives a mysterious invitation to a vintage fashion sale in the mail, her once painfully average life is magically transformed into a time-travel adventure.

Suddenly onboard a luxurious cruise ship a hundred years ago, Louise relishes the glamorous life of this opulent era and slips into a life of secrets, drama, and decadence. . . .

~~~

Hey guys!

       So this book is about this 12 year old girl who absolutely loves vintage clothes and loves to design clothes in her free time. One day she is invited to this vintage sale, and when she goes she finds this gorgeous pink dress: 

When she tries it on, she is transported back in time. She finds out that she's aboard the Titanic..yeah that Titanic... She struggles to find out why she was taken back in time and try to make her way back home.

        Now I really liked this book, but there were too many things in it that I didn't like. For one, I didn't feel connected with the characters. The only character I felt just a tiny bit connected with was the maid, Alice? She was the sweetest character, but I feel like all of the characters were more like the back ground characters, even Louise! I felt like they were all really underdeveloped and I just didn't really like them. There were also way to many pop culture references for my taste. I was hoping that Bianca would have used more history in her novel. I was really hoping to learn at least one thing considering that it's kind of a historical fiction/science fiction/contemporary novel. I also wish there were better relationships with her family and best friend. I didn't really like, from what I heard, the way she and her best friend interacted. 

        The whole concept of this story really caught my attention when I saw it while I was in my school's middle school library (because I'm the assistant at the end of the day :D) and I was just drawn to the "time travel" concept and the "fashion design" concept. Both of those are a couple of my favorite things. I love Doctor Who and I love to design clothes! I could relate to Louise's love for fashion and vintage. I loved her passion and I loved her dialogue regarding her views on vintage. I also loved that at the end, she actually researched the Titanic and tried to figure out what happened to the friends she made when she was on the Titanic. She could put faces to their names and I really loved that. 

       Oh my gosh this book is absolutely gorgeous! Guys! If you're not interested in reading this book you ought to just look at it for a few minutes. The spine! The dust jacket has glitter! The cover without the dust jacket! Guys! LOOK AT THIS!

THIS IS FLOPPING GORGEOUS!

        Holy crap! The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! The picture from above? In the book! You guys just need to flip through to see Sandra Suy's work! She is everything I want to be! Oh my goodness! LOOK AT THIS!

Images from: (click)

Images from: (click)

ARE YOU NOT IMPRESSED!?!?!?

Y'all gotta check them all out! So gorgeous! Holy cow! 

I hope you guys enjoyed this review!

I'll be trying to post every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday or Saturday.

Enjoy!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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