How to Love by Katie Cotugno

Goodreads Blurb
Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.
After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?
In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

Oh my God, How to Love definitely surprised me with how much I loved it! I was so excited to start this due to all my friends' love and gushing over this book, that I was a bit afraid it would fall flat--thank God it didn't!

I was definitely pulled in the moment I saw the synopsis. Usually these kinds of books aren't really my thing--but I'm a romantic at heart and I definitely believe in second chances. I was dying to know exactly how everything would turn out and desperate for the happy ending I was praying would happen. But my lips are sealed and you'll just have to suffer through this absolutely beautiful book to find out what happens and what happened "Before".

And I really loved how Katie Cotugno wrote How to Love. With "Before" and "After" sections, we get to compare and contrast how each character has changed, and how they're still changing. It was definitely fascinating seeing these alternating points in time all stemming from a moment where everything started changing. I loved getting the backstory and I loved watching both of them fall in love twice. In different ways, in different times, but still falling in love!

The biggest thing about this was that while it didn't really make me sob like a baby, it brought out so many emotions that literally hurt my heart (or, at least my chest. My chest hurt.) It was just like a buildup of emotions until I could barely breathe--oh, the feels! It's a raw story that Cotugno writes, and a hard one to write to, but she pulled it off with a flourish and just made me fall in love with her story and her characters.

Oh, the characters. There are no words that could really describe them or why I loved them. They were just such perfectly, beautifully flawed characters that I could find myself in in so many little gestures. They were so real and so fleshed out, I feel as if thousands of people are going to be able to see themselves in this book. We can't help but fall in love with each of them and we can't help but wish we could hide them from any harm. But we can't because in every page, there's some kind of raw pain there, some kind of little kink that makes everything fall just a little more apart.
I absolutely loved Reena's voice, the mistakes she made, the hurt she tried to keep buried, and the facade she tried to maintain until it finally burst. It was...heart wrenching.
Sawyer was just someone I felt like I should hate but couldn't help love. He tries to do the best he can, but sometimes it just isn't...enough, and I hated whenever he got hurt. I really just wanted to cuddle them both and never let go.

How to Love is an absolutely tragic, compelling story of what it's like to let go, and what it's like to hold on. It's brilliant and wonderful, something everyone should read. It's a perfect book about not-so-perfect people with a not-so-perfect relationship that's definitely going to hit home with most readers. Gorgeous writing, lush characters, and a heartbreakingly beautiful romance, what else can you do but read it and love it?

Pages: 320

Genre: Contemporary

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: Oct 1, 2013

Rating: 5 stars

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider

Goodreads Blurb

Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes? 

***THE TITLE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING AND THE COVER HAS CHANGED AS WELL.***

Oh my gosh. I have absolutely no words for this. Like, none. At all.

...

Okay, so maybe I have many a few words. 

"I still think that everyone’s life, no matter how unremarkable, has a singular tragic encounter after which everything that really matters will happen."

I absolutely adored The Beginning of Everything (though I did love it's old title so much more). I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading, but it certainly wasn't this. There were a lot of tragedies that we faced in this novel and this book hurt. Not in the way that makes me sob, or the one that makes me feel like I just got stabbed. The words just flowed under my skin and it was a dull ache, the kind that hangs in the back of your mind. There's a lot of philosophical thought in this and I could instantly relate to the sayings. It shows how each event can all be traced to a turning point, how everyone ends up linked in one way or another, and how different the world can look when you just change your perspective. 

"That moment is the catalyst—the first step in the equation. But knowing the first step will get you nowhere—it’s what comes after that determines the result."

The story itself was beyond beautiful too. And yet, so incredibly tragic! I did expect part of the big twist--but the other? It completely broke my heart. I didn't expect it at all and it...oh my gosh. Cassidy...I couldn't blame her for much really. As much as I sometimes wanted to shake her, she had good reasons, undeniably sad ones, but still reasons. I adored Cassidy though. She had a lot on her shoulders, and she bore it, until she just couldn't. But she was a quirky, fun type of girl who had that sarcastic wit we love. At the same time, though, she understood things that people usually don't. She was a complex character who was just perfect. Or, perfectly flawed, rather. 

Ezra was a flawed character too, in a different way. He had a habit of running away, something I don't think he really noticed until it was pointed out. But he had a snarky attitude that matched Cassidy's perfectly, and I loved that!

"I leaned over and placed the crown of flowers onto her head, letting my hands linger in her hair just a moment more than was necessary."

The romance was so sweet and so deep. You could immediately tell the difference between their slow burn compared to the quick flare of high school romances. But theirs was, from the start, a tragedy. It was a heartfelt kind of love and one that made me smile at every scene. It was clear they understood each other on a different level. Things were real with these two and you just hoped that it would work itself out! 

"We move through each other’s lives like ghosts, leaving behind haunting memories of people who never existed."

Here are two things I agree with regarding the book-

1) This story truly is about the Beginning of Everything. Can't elaborate on that without spoilers though!

And

2) There've been comparisons of this book to John Green's book--and I can agree with that in full confidence. The Beginning of Everything was sad and comical, touching and funny, and all around stunning. Fans of his will definitely love this book. Because, in the end, it's a book about loss and how to deal with it.

P.s. My only complaint was that what the epilogue hinted at was a bit far fetched to me and I didn't like it. Also, the beginning was a tad slow.

P.p.s. Sorry if you had to suffer through all the philosophical stuff. But, I had to. The only way to write a review of a book like that is to write a review like this.  

Pages: 368
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Release Date: August 27, 2013
Rating: 5 stars

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Goodreads Blurb

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.
Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

Oh. My. God.This is possibly one of my Top 3 favorite books ever. I'm not even joking. This review will be possibly the most vague and probably won't even begin to describe my feelings for this amazing book. But I promise to try!

(Also, this is probably one of the only times I can't analyze characters, romance, plot, anything. Just One Day was so much more than just those specific things. But I can't explain how! you'll just have to read to see.)

I haven't read If I Stay, Where She Went, or any others. This is my first Gayle Forman book and I can promise that I'll be reading and loving the others. There was not one thing I didn't like about Just One Day. It made me think, it touched my heart, and it was surprisingly deep. The difference between falling in love and being in love really did make sense and I loved how it rang true. I loved how even though Allyson was looking for someone else, she was rediscovering herself all along. And I loved how she wasn't portrayed as some lovesick damsel pining for the guy. The way I saw it, she was looking for answers, for questions, not just for a guy.

So I'm going to try and talk about the characters. These were possibly the most real characters I've ever read about, and that's honestly saying something.They all touched my heart in some way and no matter how small or short their scenes were, I loved them.One thing I found strangely weird though, was that each person was kind and friendly, even though that's far from true. But hey, it's fiction right? And very good fiction too.

Just One Day is a novel that makes us question ourselves in ways we never have before and makes us wonder what love really is and who we really are. It will break your heart, put it together, and do it again and again. Just One Day will make you tear up, and you'll never stop thinking about it, because it just isn't possible to.

Pages: 320
Series: Just One Day #1
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: Jan 8, 2013
Rating: 7/5 stars

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

Goodreads Blurb

How can you talk about something you can’t remember?
Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.
Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

What I Liked

There were so many things I loved about What Happens Next but the one that stood out the most? It dealt with real problems, real insecurities, and real people. Our characters weren’t perfect—they were far from it, in fact. They weren’t gorgeous-but-didn’t-know-it. They just…weren’t gorgeous. And you guys, that is such a relief. Cassidy goes through real-life situations, ones that almost anybody can go through. It was…heartwarming and heartbreaking. Even Corey, our love interest isn’t perfect or liked. He isn’t the stereotype bad boy, cocky and handsome with a dark side. He’s sweet and even if he does deal in drugs…well, he has a good reason to. He wasn’t insanely hot either and he was far from cocky. He was just the outcast who had a few secrets of his own. That’s what I loved about him. His non-stereotypicalness. Which I totally just made up on the spot!

Pacing? It wasn’t too fast or too awkward—one problem after another. It flowed well and it wasn’t too crazy. One thing lead to another and even when some things surprised me, I realized that it really didn’t. I knew it was going to happen somehow. It’s one of those amazing books that don’t need a giant plot twist to make it good. I can’t explain why it was so good. It’s just…impossible! But it was just amazing the way it was written and all

What I Didn’t Like

The main character. I mean, she wasn’t annoying or anything, but she was a bit…not smart. I mean…going to a party with a guy who she barely met who’s older and already seems obsessed….ermmm…no. And when it turns out that no one is really there and letting him get you a drink? It’s just asking for trouble. Other than that I really don’t have many complaints. It was just great otherwise!

Pages: 320

Series:Standalone

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Publisher: Poppy

Release Date: October 9

Rating: 4 stars

 

Send Me a Sign by Tiffany Schmidt

Goodreads Blurb

Mia is always looking for signs. A sign that she should get serious with her soccer-captain boyfriend. A sign that she’ll get the grades to make it into an Ivy-league school. One sign she didn’t expect to look for was: “Will I survive cancer?” It’s a question her friends would never understand, prompting Mia to keep her illness a secret. The only one who knows is her lifelong best friend, Gyver, who is poised to be so much more. Mia is determined to survive, but when you have so much going your way, there is so much more to lose. From debut author Tiffany Schmidt comes a heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting story of one girl’s search for signs of life in the face of death.

I’ve read so many heartbreaking stories this year, you guys know that, but Send Me a Sign…heartbreaking is a total understatement. A mind-blowing story made of heartbreaks, and breakups, hope and understanding.

The amazing thing about this debut us that, if you hadn’t read the story, skipping to the tear-jerking parts, you would be completely dry-eyed. Using her writing talents, Tiffany Schmidt deftly creates characters that you learn to care about, tight, unbreakable bonds that you feel, not read, and a subtle romance that’s all too endearing.

“I make my own luck.”

The romance was definitely one of my favorite parts. There was Ryan, Mia’s perfect, popular, sort-of boyfriend who’s sweeter than he seems, and then there’s Gyver, her best-friend-nest door who’s been there through thick and thin. But he’s strictly a friend. Right?

The romance was so sweet, both interests caring and protective. While it wasn’t a live triangle, per say, it was definitely more than Ryan’s old reputation that made Mia hesitate in dating him. I honestly had no idea who Mia would end up with in the end, but the guy I rooted for in the beginning…let’s just say he totally lost my vote. Then gained it. Then lost it.

“I wouldn’t know until I went inside.”

The characters. Oh. My. Goodness gracious. I completely fell in love with them. They each had their own distinct personalities, their own flaws, and I loved them for it.

Mia seems like a shallow girl at first, I admit, but when you got to actually know her, she was sweet and kind and a bit insecure. She refused to tell her closest friends, and look read at how that turned out. I loved how her character (and her friends’ characters) really did fit “their season”. Mia was sunny but she got her own summer showers once in a while, and she was always there to cheer her friends up.

Out of all of Mia’s friends, I really didn’t like Lauren. She was that girl who told secrets behind a person’s back, the one who was always asking for reassurances, and made me feel as if she was just fishing for compliments daily, even when Mia had cancer. No. Just no.

“I didn’t want to know anymore.”

What I didn’t like was that Mia was so secluded. I mean, I get why she wanted to keep her cancer a secret, but instead of weaving all these lies (knowing her friends were bound to find out), she could’ve just told them and saved herself from a lot of suffering. I also wonder: if Hil, Ally, and Lauren were such good friends, why hadn’t they noticed that Mia was never as active and that all these sudden things were happening? It made no sense, they didn’t question it. There were just a few holes in the thinking, but all in all, it was an amazing read that all contemp lovers should read!

“At the hospital, it was the first time I realized I might not beat this. I might die.”

 

Pages: 384

Series: Stand alone

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Publisher: Walker Children Books

Release Date: October 2

Rating: 7 stars

Blog Tour: What Happens Next

As part of the What Happens Next blog tour, I interviewed Colleen Clayton, the author of this amazing contemporary!

Fiction Freak: The question that all authors HAVE to answer--what inspired What Happens Next?

Colleen Clayton: I wanted to write a story that explores the connection between sexual assault and eating disorders. Studies have shown that survivors of assault are at risk for developing eating disorders and it makes so much sense when you think about it. I started researching and thought yes, this is something I want to write about. I also wanted to write a story where a girl regains her sense of physical and emotional desire post-assault. It was important for me to convey to readers that horrible experiences do not have to define your entire life, that there is hope for a brighter day.

I also enjoy writing place-based stories that take readers to fictionalized versions of real places. I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland and have lived in the Rust Belt my entire life. I wanted to write  a story set there. It’s a place that is often stereotyped in fiction and media. I mean how many times have Cleveland and other Rust Belt cities been the butt of jokes in Hollywood? The only place that I think gets railed on more is my parents’ home state of West Virginia. I wanted to write a story set in my hometown because I love it so much. Cleveland, Ohio (AND West Virginia) are great places to live.

FF: What Happens Next deals with some real problems and Cassidy (Sid) goes through some emotional turmoil. What made you decide you wanted to write that kind of book?

CC: I’ve always loved reading reality-based, young adult issue books and think they are so important to the world of literature. I am thrilled that my book can now be counted among them.  Regarding emotional turmoil, it was important to explore the trauma of what happens to Sid and do so in a believable, empathetic way. However, I also wanted to depict the ups-and-downs of a wider high school landscape as well as provide a good dose of hope and moments of levity throughout the narrative. I didn’t ever want Sid’s story to be singularly-focused or filled with page-upon-page of doom and gloom. People who experience trauma of any kind usually don’t feel horrible every waking second of the day.  Real life is not that black and white. There are usually glimpses of joy and laughter, even in the darkest of circumstances.

FF: Just out of curiosity--have you ever experienced a "rage black out"?

CC: I have.  In fact, the incident in the book about the kittens that Corey tells Sid about? That actually happened to me in college. That is one of the few things in my book that is based upon real life. Every word of that gruesome, sad tale is true. I won’t spoil it for readers but needless to say, I had a ‘rage-induced black out’ over it. I went completely APE-&#%+ on a horrible neighbor regarding some abused kittens and I don’t remember any of it. My roommates told me the things I said to her and I seriously don’t remember a single moment of it to this day.

FF: Throughout the book, Sid hides an extremely gigantic secret from friends and family--have you ever done that?

CC: Yes. But I want to be clear in saying that this is not in any way related to the story that I wrote. I believe that people who have experienced assault of any kind should tell someone and seek help. But to answer the question, there some things that I’ve experience in life that I’ve kept to myself, that I’ve not told even my shadow. Sometimes there are things that happen that are just better left unspoken.  I don’t believe that you should have to share everything that happens to you. If something happens to you that you never want to talk about with another human being, then that is okay. It’s your life and you can do that.

FF: Did you ever consider writing a dystopian/ fantasy etc. before deciding to write contemporary?

CC: No. I did however write a short sci-fi, paranormal genre blender story after I wrote WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. I kind of like it. It’s sitting in my hard-drive waiting for me to be brave enough to grow it into a novel. I have great respect for genre writers. Genre stories are extremely difficult to write because you can’t rely on the world that you and the reader are already familiar with. If I say the words: gas station, Christmas,  bicycle the author and reader have a shared understanding of what these things are. To build “other worldly” landscapes,  gadgets, political structures, and species is a daunting task.  

FF: The fun question! Are you a Sid skier (bad) or a Paige/Kirsten skier (good)?

CC: I am a somewhere in between. I can handle a green/blue diamond run on the slopes. Black diamonds…egh, not so much. But I hope to improve on it! Skiing is just so darn expensive and then if I go, I have to take my kids which really just gets into some serious dollars. But we try to go as a family about twice a year.  

FF: After What Happens Next releases, well...what happens next? Any other books on the way?

CC: I’m editing a book right now with my agent. It is set in the same high school but features different characters and issues. I’m having a good time with it. It’s a great story with a lot of potential, I think.

FF: Randomly: Can you bake anything as scrumptious as Corey?

CC: Oh, God no. I H-A-T-E baking. In fact, I hate cooking altogether. Generally, anything in the domestic realm (baking, cooking, gardening, sewing, extreme couponing, and then certainly cleaning…) you can keep all that. If I won the mega-millions, the first thing I would do is get a maid and personal chef. Funny thing though…I love watching Food Network shows! I mention one of them in my book, Iron Chef America. (Go Chef Symon! Cleveland boy…represent!)

FF: What has been one of your favorite debuts of the year and why?

CC: I loved BUTTER by Erin Jade Lange. It was so funny and poignant and had such voice.

FF: What's one random, hilarious fact about you?

CC: Colleen = World’s Biggest Ding Bat. I am seriously Out. To. Lunnnnch half the time, stuck inside my own head with the world buzzing around me. To give a recent example…I teach writing at Youngstown State. School started last week on a Wednesday. I showed up, syllabus in hand, all rarin’ to go on Tuesday. The parking lot was near empty and I still didn’t get it. I thought: “Wow, I heard enrollment was down but this is just sad! Poor YSU.” I marched to my class and sat outside the empty classroom worrying that everyone had dropped my class or that it had been canceled from the schedule. Someone finally clued me in: Uh, school doesn’t start until tomorrow, Colleen. It was so embarrassing. The good thing is that my friends and family have accepted this about me and love me anyway.  

What Happens Next Blurb
How can you talk about something you can’t rememberz

an town just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating from Kent State University, she worked as a social worker in residential treatment centers for troubled teens and as Program Supervisor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mahoning Valley. She currently lives in Ohio with her family and recently received her MFA in fiction writing from the Northeast Ohio Consortium (NEOMFA). She teaches fiction writing and composition at Youngstown State University.

 

tContact

 Facebook

  Twitter

 Goodreads

Website

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Goodreads Blurb

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

You know, just as a warning: When you reach the last half, I advise you to grab a tissue or two (or three, or four, or—you know what? Just take the entire box.) Seriously. You’re going to need it. If there’s one word to describe Second Chance Summer, it’s heartbreaking.

Can I say heartbreaking again? Yes? Ok, it was completely, utterly heartbreaking. All these things were happening and you keep thinking “he’ll be okay. He won’t die. HEA right?” but I’m spoiling this now: it’s not a Happy Ever After ending no matter how much you want it to. It was just inevitable but somehow you ignore the oncoming tragedy with the romance, the friendship, and all things inbetween. But when it does happen, it strikes you completely unaware, even when you know it’s happening in the next chapter. It’s this dreaded feeling that builds up in you and when it happens…agh! A book filled with second chances, I loveloveloved it!

Second Chance Summer seemed more like an insanely descriptive diary rather than a book, and that’s a good thing. Actions seemed so real, not far-fetched. Reactions were probable and the characters reminded me of what my friends would’ve done if I had slighted them like that. Characters seemed real. I haven’t read Matson’s debut, but you can bet I will after reading Second Chance Summer!

As sad as it is, Second Chance Summer is definitely a great Summer-ends read. Not one you want to read at the beginning of summer, but definitely one that will end your summer with a bang. Seriously guys. Y’all have to read this!

Pages: 468

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Rating: 5 stars

"Standing across from me, five years older, all grown up, and much cuer han I remembered him being, was Henry Cosby."

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Goodreads Blurb

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

This book was incredibly emotional and mournful. Even with the warning at the beginning of this story, I couldn’t have imagined just how deep it would affect me.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect. A retelling of Peter Pan? That just seemed so far-fetched since I’d heard it was an emotional rollercoaster. I should not have doubted it. Tiger Lily surpassed all expectations and honestly, made my eyes wet. Tiger Lily has always been one of my favorite Disney princesses since she was loyal, brave, and strong, but sadly was overlooked and only had one line that barely lasted 2 seconds. Her character traits were highlighted in this amazing book, making me love her even more. Tiger lily has been betrayed, hurt, lost, and was an outcast. That is, until she meets Peter Pan and falls in love with him and he with her. It was a beautiful, subtle, love story, but it was that subtle part that ripped it all apart.

Let me just say this now: I hated Wendy. She seemed shallow and uncaring, pretty much your average bitc*. I absolutely hated her with all my heart and wanted to tear out her pretty little hair just so Peter Pan would love Tiger Lily again. Sadly, I couldn’t and just had to keep reading, learning how things would play out, and leaving me heartbroken with tears in my eyes. Never has a Disney movie been so emotional, so sad, and so, so beautiful.

This story is told in Tinker Bell’s, that’s right Tinker Bell’s, point of view and that made this all the more worthwhile to read. This way, you can catch a glimpse what others are thinking, imagining, and you never have to second guess what a character is feeling. I almost felt like I was in the book, Tiger Lily, Peter, Hook, and Tik Tok in front of me. The writing was lyrical, the plot shocking, and the mood/tone sorrowful, mournful, despairing. No other book has made me feel that way.

My favorite part though, was the letter at the end of the story. Those last 2 pages ended this piece wonderfully, making you want to unread the book just to re-read it again, if that makes any sense. I don’t think, I honestly don’t think, that there is one book that comes close to this heartbreaking retelling.

All in all: Jodi Lynn masterfully weaves this story together so that both adults and teens will love this story and never want to put it down. Tiger Lily will keep you reading frantically until the very last page, the very last word. It was that amazing. Retellings always are, but this one touched me so much deeply than any other stories could. I recommend this book to everyone who watched and loved Disney movies and even to those who didn’t. Trust me, if you hated Disney before, this book will change your perspective. One thing I learned: sometimes, you have to let your feelings show or else you may just lose everything.

The quote for this review isn’t going to be one that raises your anticipation, but one of the most heartbreaking ones in the book.

 Pages: 304

Series: Standalone

Genre: Retelling/Romance/Fantasy

Rating: 5 stars (If possible, 10 stars)

“He stood up. ‘You’re worthless to me, Tiger Lily.” He said. He walked off into the woods. She sat on the ground, listening to the calls of the birds.”