Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 368pgs

The Story

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY . . .

THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

The Review

Having practically adored Jenny Han's Summer trilogy and having not read any of Siobhan Vivian's work before, I just knew there was something interesting, special, and terribly wicked about their co-authored YA series, BURN FOR BURN, as it reminded me of the TV show Revenge which is a secret pleasure for me when it comes to making wrongs into a right again. So like with most of my book taste instincts being correct, I was right yet again when it came to this book because this book was so devilishly good! And while no one should seek revenge for whatever reason - whether it is to hurt someone for hurting others you care most about or with someone betraying all of your trust - we all know in the end that revenge has its consequences but boy . . . it was still just so good, GOOD!

BURN FOR BURN, the first installment of a YA trilogy, revolves around three girl's perspectives: Lillia, Kat, and Mary. At first I found it quite hard to connect with all three of these girls, at least towards the beginning of it all, but once each of their own stories is slowly being revealed bit by bit and once we get to connect to them on an emotional and personal level, the book soon ends up becoming such a compelling read for me and and I was pretty much glued to the hip with these three girls with each one being so different to one another.

For Lillia's character, she was a tricky character to like but she was the most honest one of the three. I mean, she always questioned the girl's revenge quests - even her own actions too - and she also had a good head on her shoulders to ask herself that maybe revenge was not the right answer for things . . . so yeah, I really liked her for that. As for Mary, she was probably the hardest character to like and yet once I knew her story . . . I connected with her straightaway because her past was pretty dawn awful. I think she had more reasons than anybody else to seek out revenge to be honest with you. And as for the young Kat - the sassy, sarcastic, kick-ass chick who takes no crap from nobody - she was someone I loved from the get-go. Despite her stronger exterior she had also shown plenty of vulnerability to her and for that I loved her even more. Sure, she was the wildest one out of the three girls and was the one wanting the revenge more than Lillia or Mary ever did, but I didn't care . . . I LOVED her to bits!

On another side note, while all three girls have good reasons for wanting revenge on those who did them wrong in the past, but revenge within itself must not be encouraged to younger teens who read this book because it really does nothing in the end. . . wait - what am I talking about? It's revenge! I love it! Mwhaha. No, seriously . . . I loved the revenge featured in this book, even when it seemed the girls were going too far for their own good. But in the end, whether revenge is good for the soul or not, I just couldn't help but continue in reading this book just find out whether justice was going to be served or that karma was going to lash out on the three girls instead . . . so if you want to find out more then I seriously recommend picking up a copy of this book soon! It's just so good!

Overall, BURN FOR BURN was a revenge story with a slight supernatural twist to it and I loved every single bittersweet moment of it. Even when the revenge the girls committed was not something that was handled very well, especially when you consider how things turned out by the end of the book, but despite those little things this book was simply addictive and I will be now patiently waiting for the sequel, Fire with Fire, which is coming out later this year!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 320pgs

The Story

Belly has only ever been in love with two boys, both with the last name Fisher. And after being with Jeremiah for the last two years, she's almost positive he is her soul mate. Almost. Conrad has not gotten over the mistake he made when he let Belly go even as Jeremiah has always known that Belly is the girl for him. So when Belly and Jeremiah decide to make things forever, Conrad realizes that it's now or never - tell Belly he loves her, or lose her for good. Belly will have to confront her feelings for Jeremiah and Conrad and face a truth she has possibly always known: she will have to break one of their hearts.

The Review

WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER is set two years after the last book of the Summer series had left off from and Belly is now off to college with Jeremiah - who is her now long-time and totally devoted boyfriend - and everything between them is going as great as everyone would expected from them. They go to parties, they have their meals together, they hang out with their friends and they study. Basically everything is perfect or so Belly had thought. With many problems arising in Belly and Jeremiah's relationship, Belly cannot help but think back to those past summers that she shared with the Fisher brother's and the path she didn't follow with her Conrad, Jeremiah's brother and the boy she left behind. Being the last conclusion of Jenny Han's Summer series trilogy, while it's not all smooth sailing for the characters but boy . . . it was everything I hoped for and more!

For those who've read my reviews for the last two books of this YA trilogy, you would know how much love and respect I have for this author, Jenny Han. She's hands down one of my favourite contemporary writers out there at the moment! It's not because she's totally awesomesauce - okay, maybe she is - but the reason why I love her writing so, so much is because she's just one of those authors that you're hooked on from the very beginning and she's an author who can paint a vivid picture of the summers you wished you had experienced sometime in your life and make every scene, every word and every little cliche line sound utterly amazing!

Once again the characters in this series are incredible and so realistic too! Belly, the main narrator of this delicious summer tale, has grown so much in this trilogy alone where I hardy recognize her and she's finally learning from many of her past mistakes which was great to see. Sure, she still makes some wrong choices in this third book but she's a grown woman now and eventually she goes for what she wants the most and you can't help but root for her own happiness! As for Jeremiah's character, her boyfriend at the current time, while he didn't exactly turn out to be the nice guy in the end like the one I loved from the previous two books, but he's trying his hardest to make his and Belly's relationship work, which is completely understandable given his situation. But sadly I kind of lost respect for him . . . such a shame really when you come to think about it because I adored him from the start! But seriously . . . enough about him and let's talk about Conrad!

Oh Conrad, Conrad, Conrad . . . you have won my heart, my soul and you SO totally deserve a whole paragraph all to yourself for staying true to who you are as a person! A gorgeous one at that. Now for the record you guys, Conrad has always had the softer side of me and it's not because he's the broken, bad boy type that we all want to fix somehow (because that's how tortured bad boys are to supposed to impact on us, right?), but no, what I really love about this bad boy (even though he's not a bad boy at all) is just him being . . . well, our Conrad. True and flawed. After his mother's death and after everything that has happened between him, his brother, and even his girl Belly, he needed to find himself before moving forward and I guess in this book he finally gets his life back on track, and he also finally sees what he's been missing all along and that's our Belly. From books one and two readers have been SO frustrated with how Conrad had treated Belly, but in the end he proves himself again and he's now worthy to fight for Belly, and really . . . I think it's Belly who needed to find ways to be worthy of him because whether he's a complete wreck or struggling over his own heart, Conrad is and will always be my summer boy. So be prepared ladies cause this reformed bad (good) boy will have you crying yourself to sleep by the time you finish this book!

Overall, WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER is the kind of book that will always be in my heart and even though everything is now coming to an end. And my GOD it's just so hard to let go of these beloved characters of mine, ones I've grown so familiar with, and it's almost like saying goodbye to a family member or a best friend but it's also gratifying to see every character grow with each book and see them off with the happy ending that they ALL deserve! So if you love the first two books in this trilogy, then this book right here will break your heart in every way possible - but in the most brilliant way too! Adored it so much! Gah!

The Rating

5/5 stars

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 288pgs

The Story

Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach? It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Counsins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come. But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started - at Cousins Beach.

The Review

There's no doubt in my mind when I say that I've fallen in love with this series and with the characters Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah. Right from the very beginning. From the start of summer til the end of it. Not only does this series have every bit of element I love in my books - the summers, the romance, the heartbreak, the conflicts - but it only goes to show how much this one author, Jenny Han, rocks my world and yet again she delivers a fantastic novel to add to her name.

Belly had thought things were perfect after what happened during the most incredible and heart-changing summer . . . but she couldn't have been more wrong. Everything has changed now and not even her summers will ever be the same again. When one of her childhood best friends, Jeremiah, calls to ask for her help in finding his older brother, Conrad, as you can imagine, Belly is still very conflicted with her emotions regarding Conrad, especially how things ended with him from the first book, The Summer I Turned Pretty. But when you hold such strong feelings for someone, you cannot simply refuse them and in Belly's case Conrad will forever be in heart, and she will always be there for him even if it means being only a friend to him. But there's a question that still remains: Can Belly finally get some closure with her lost-love and childhood crush or will seeing Conrad again stir up those old feelings of hers and complicate matters even further than she first anticipated?

I won't go into greater detail about the plot, but it was equally as fantastic as the first installment. Han's writing alone comes alive instantly through what seems like endless of pages and flows so easily too, with each and every shining word you read. The thing I love about this author, Jenny Han, is her ability to know how to reach out to her readers on a personal level and knowing that teenagers will always do stupid things or make the wrong decisions at the wrong times, and I guess that's why I love this author so much because of the realism she adds to her storylines. Even her male characters have a touch of realism to them and aren't presented as these perfect and untouchable beings. She is instead presenting these males with some screwed-up flaws that can easily become one of their strengths. Yes, this book is perfect no matter the cracks on the surface.

Regarding the wonderful set of characters, Belly remains one of my favourite gals. She's stronger than ever before, she has a weakness for love (which we love most about her) but knows how to contain it, and she's still the same old girl who is always there for everyone else when they are in need. And while Belly has discovered many things about herself and about the boys she loves, and even about her own family and friends, but in this sequel I found that she still has a long way to go in learning about what it truly means to let go of the past and move forward with life. Same goes with the love interests of the story - Conrad and Jeremiah. Both boys have their own complications and feelings towards many different things including their feelings for Belly, but no matter the drama and no matter what comes out of their frustrating-but-sexy mouths, they will forever hook me. I admit Conrad was a bit harder in personality than previously seen in the first book and even Jeremiah has changed too, but the thing about these two boys right here, is that they come together as a team through the hardest times of life and honestly there's not one bad thing I've got to say about them. Flaws and all . . . they're perfect just the way they are and are just as perfect as this perfect book of Jenny Han's!

Overall, IT'S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU was a shining star for me and was a hundred times better than the first book in the series. It was far more intense for me and because of that I cried, I laughed, I was a damn right mess and I always felt frustrated . . . but clearly this book was way, way too good for its own good if you get my meaning! If you love YA realism, beautiful romances and down-to-earth friendships and all of the little teenage drama inbetween, then this book should have a permanent place on your bookshelf because I loved every single moment of it!

The Rating

5/5 stars

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Puffin

Pages: 276pgs

The Story

Some summers are just destined to be pretty.

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer - they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

The Review

Oh wow, why didn't I read this book sooner? I knew bloggers and other authors alike have been non-stop raving about this book since its release back in 2010 and talking about the author's talents in creating the perfect book, but for whatever reason I overlooked this title and hadn't thought much about it until now. And then after I read it, it quickly became one of those rare books that changes your life forever (well, so to speak) and it's by far one of my favourite YA romance books of all time! An unforgettable one to be honest with you.

Reading THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY is almost like watching your favourite tv program such as The OC where you're daydreaming about yourself attending those bonfire parties on the beach, hanging out with your friends like the world had stopped just for you - for only you - to enjoy those fun-filled moments that you may never experience again and falling for those beautiful boys with the timeless summer romances that comes along with them. Combining all of those elements together that's exactly what you get inside of this book and if not more than you first expect from it, and no matter the cutesy love . . . it was perfect in every single way.

Belly, the main character, tells her story through the present times and through several flashbacks of past summers - the different memories she had whilst growing up as a kid. Not even once did this distract me, switching back-and-forth, because all of her experiences and memories were needed to truly understand what Belly was going through in the actual book. The heartbreaks she's suffered, the intense feelings she had - and still has - for her long-time unrequited love, and also the strong bond ties that she's never dared to cut with her childhood friends. In this present times story of Belly's, she is now sixteen-years-old and has returned with her mother to the beach house where she used to live in from past summers, and she soon reunites with her friends, brothers named Conrad and Jeremiah. Upon seeing them again, everything from the tension, the jealousy and the heartbreak will soon come to a head, and Belly will need to find out what exactly 'growing up' means for her and for everyone else.

While I do enjoy the summer romances and the teenage themes displayed throughout this book, but what made this story even more remarkable than it was already was the characters and the realism the author brought into her characters - both in the boys and in the girls. For Belly as the main narrator, she was such a gem and was presented in a way where I, myself, could relate to her on many levels. I may not have had two gorgeous brothers as my best friends in my own childhood but her strength to keep going, believing in the best of everyone, and her capability of dealing with the most difficult of all things - love - is something to really admire about her. Some reviewers suggested Belly was 'too whiny' for her own good, but I say she was a girl who was still trying to find herself in the world like all of us must do eventually and no matter the angst she experiences . . . that's what teenagers are. Whiny. Complicated. Confused. Angry. Self-doubting. Naive. It's all written in this book in a way of today and come on . . . we've all experienced teenage angst at least once in our lives.

Lastly, I need to mention the two leading young men of this story. The dark, the alluring, the mysterious, the bad-boy Conrad (the unattainable one Belly has FOREVER loved) and his funny, doting, and charming brother Jeremiah (the one Belly had her first kiss with). In my own past time I've read about many boys with their own sets of appeals, but these two boys right here have really cut it for me - to be one of the best and the most honest of them all. With Conrad's character, he maybe frustrating for the most part, but there's so much more to Conrad's character and personality than meets the eye. After all, he's dealing with a lot of heavy stuff. Whereas Jeremiah, the good guy, is the exact opposite of Conrad. He's the boy that would make any girl happy to be around with. He's the boy that mother dearest would approve of. But like so many fangals out there of this series, it's Team Jerad because you change your minds with who you love more with both of the boys like . . . constantly. Especially when it comes to the boy's love of their mother. For those who've read this book already and have witnessed how the boys love their mother . . . it kind of hits home for me.

Overall, THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY is an absolutely solid and splendid summer story. It's about a young girl deciding to grow up and take control of her live, but also falling in love all over again and find out what it means to be loved by somebody. If you love those sweet romances with the sweetest boys ever presented in a contemporary YA novel, then this book is most definitely something for you! I'm still deciding who I like best - Conrad or Jeremiah? Hmmm it's very hard to choose between them let me tell you!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars