Nil by Lynne Matson

Pages: 384

Genre: Sci-fi

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Henry Holt

Release Date: March 4, 2014

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have exactly 365 days to escape—or you die.
Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s naked in an empty rock field.
Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that she has to find a way to beat the clock, and quickly.

Ever since I first heard of Lynne Matson and Nil, I've been absolutely dying to read this story! Teens with only a year to live? To escape? Talk about fascinating!

The number one thing that I have to comment on (besides the hot guys, of course) is the amount of science that Lynne Matson manages to include. The clues that are scattered about the island, that our characters manage to piece together are unbelievably scientific and precise, and it was thrilling to see how they all fit together! The worldbuilding of the island is so thoroughly well built, I'm probably going to be paranoid of all noons and heat waves forever.

I absolutely loved the characters in Nil too! There were so many, but each was so individual, had such a range of personalities, it was hard not to fall in love with them. Each character, main or supporting, managed to wiggle into your heart--all the more heartbreaking for when Matson rips them away from you (and oh, she does this quite a lot.)

Plot wise, Nil is pretty much perfect--it's fast paced and as we learn more and more about this sinister island, things get more and more intense until suddenly twists are thrown at you left and right. I honestly, no matter how often you hear this, put it down. I got home from school, sat down, and read for two hours straight. With little explosions of caps and exclamation marks on twitter.
Especially the end. The ending was absolutely heartbreaking and heartwarming and I could not believe it whatsoever. It's really a perfect ending that I really loved and actually made me tear up!

My only slight complaint was the rushed romance and insta love in the beginning, but once you get used to it, it's a really sweet romance that made me love Thad and Charley all the more. The romance is adorable and in all honesty, sometimes I squealed at certain scenes. Except one in the end. That one made me cry.

Anyways.

Nil is definitely a book to check out when it releases with it's fantastic pacing, gorgeous writing, a cut throat island, and sci-fi elements that'll enrapture you the entire read! And who can forget about all the amazing characters that'll simply make you fall in love with the, no matter how...short...you know them?

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If I Lie by Corrine Jackson

Goodreads Blurb

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.
Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.
Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

Oh my my my. Oh my. If I Lie was such an amazing book that, by the end of it, I had an emotional breakdown. Or, as close as you can get with a book! This book was absolutely, positively, completely heart wrenching. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there was a quality to this novel that just ripped your heart out and made you sob a waterfall. 
I'm not kidding. 

"Just leave Quinn. Nobody wants you here."

The way this story was told surprised me--we start after the big scandal and see what happened through memories. It's a great way to tell this story and somehow made an already emotional tale even more so. Part of it may be that we learn the secret early on in the book, so it wasn't really something that book had to rely on to be amazing. Oh, I don't make sense anymore do I? 

I'm bruised from the inside out.

These characters were so fleshed out and so real that it hurt sometimes. They're easy to connect to and they're wonderful characters in general. Quinn was in so much pain, but she held her head high--God, even her father seemed to hate her! I, honestly, would've blurted out the truth almost immediately, but that Quinn was strong enough to brace herself for all this...it was amazing. 
George was, by far, my favorite character. Even more so than Quinn herself! He was the only one who believed her and stuck by her and he brought a lot of dry humor when it was needed. He was definitely the father figure in this book and I adored him. He was sweet in a cranky kind of way and he just made me smile through my tears a lot of times.
"One day, people will see that about you, and you are going to knock them on their asses with how stunning you are." 

So many things happen in a book that's not really even 300 pages, so I was surprised by how...perfect it was. So many things happen, one right after another, but all of these things just kind of flow into one another and smooth each other out. I had no idea what I was crying for after a while--was it because of this? Was it because of that? Maybe both? Or this thing? They all became just...a story someone had to tell.

Sometimes a moment defines you, defines how people see you for the rest of your life.

If I Lie is a beautifully written story that will stun you. It plays on the fact that there are always two sides to every story and that sometimes you don't always know the whole story. It's a bittersweet kind of book that'll leave you in tears--joyful and mournful ones. It's just that kind of story. Whether you're a contemporary fan or not, this is definitely one you don't want to miss out on.  

Some words hit you like a tree branch slapping you in the face. And some words rip into your flesh, leaving scars so deep, they never completely fade.


Pages: 276
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Stand alone
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: Aug. 28, 2012
Rating: 7/5

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

Goodreads Blurb

There are some things you can’t leave behind…A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.
Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

This was a different kind of book for me, so maybe that's why I'm a bit hesitant to review this. It was...weird. The writing was beautiful, yes, and the story was captivating! But there was something slightly off about it. Sometimes we were info dumped with backstory, and sometimes we were told very little. And instead of loving the suspense, it sort of frustrated me because...well, it was obvious. But Carey was just oblivious to what was sitting in front of her, and she doesn't really realize it till the end. 

The romance also bothered me a bit because of the fact that she was technically 14 and the guy was 17. I'm not sure why that's a problem, since some of my favorite couples have larger age differences, but 14's always been that in-between number. It could be MG or YA, so it just felt weird. But what she'd been through was absolutely horrifying and made me want to cry or gasp in horror.

I adored some of these characters and I definitely could acknowledge Murdoch's capability of writing the perfect school antagonist! Oh she was one giant...bee. And the perfect mean girl to push Carey along! I couldn't really connect to Carey though because I have a issue with dropping g's in narration. I don't know. It added to the story, but it made me a bit uncomfortable. I loved Nessa, and Ryan seemed to be pretty sweet! I wish we saw some more of her school friends, though. They seemed like they could have some amazing characterization, but their brief scenes ended up making them a but flat in my opinion.

The pacing felt perfect for this novel and I adored the plot, though not many things really came as a surprise. There were many subplots, mainly including the relationships between each character, and I was a bit disappointed that most all of them ended with a Happy Ever After.

If You Find Me is a heartbreaking story that made you realize that the world isn't as perfect as we hope. It's a gritty, beautifully told story that can make you see the world in a different way. And, using a cliche, it'll make us thankful for what we have. And what we don't.

Pages: 256

Genre: Contemporary

Series: Stand alone

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: March 26, 2013

Rating: 3 stars

That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard

Goodreads Blurb

Lexi Ryan just ran away to join the circus, but not on purpose.
A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake--and facing a terrible tragedy--Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi's mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.
When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn't there . . . but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus's fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.
But then Lexi's ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it's Lexi's own future that's thrown into question.
With humor, wisdom, and a dazzlingly fresh voice, this debut reminds us of the magic of circus tents, city lights, first kisses, and the importance of an excellent playlist.

While this wasn't the emotional read I'd imagined it to be, That Time I Joined the Circus was still an amazing book that pushes Alexandra (aka Lexi aka Xandra aka X) on her road to self discovery--the kind of contemporary I love to read. 

I loved the story idea. How often do we read about a character who runs and joins the circus? Almost never! But I definitely want to read more now! Seeing the circus through Lexi's eyes was wonderful and I loved reading about the circus and the life behind it! 

That Time I Joined the Circus is more of a light read, though you can tell where the emotional parts were supposed to be. It's not bad, but it wasn't really what I expected! It was an adorable story that honestly made me want to squish the characters to death! It had an airy atmosphere that didn't really give me the "I'm in a hopeless situation" feeling. Where it may have been a deeply emotional book, it came as a sweet book with a happy feel.

And I think part of the reason was maybe because of the unreality of it. Lexi was completely unpopular at her old prep school, but when she stumbles into a circus filled with beautiful, talented people, she's suddenly adored. It was just super fairy tale-ish, not to mention the fact that it's rare when a ringmaster would let you work without, really, any talents. But it was perfect for the story and I honestly didn't dwell on the story!

But I definitely dwelled on the romance. It was a weird little thing. One moment Lexi was making out with Jamie, then Nick, then oh look a blast from the past. Then, still in love with one of them, one of them betrays her, she goes with one of the other guys, then the left out guy dates her friend. What? It was pretty all over the place and I maybe wanted to introduce my face to my palm, though it was rare. Because it was adorable (no matter how awkward the situation was!)

The characters were definitely detailed, though I did think a few minor characters were flat. The twins were definitely sweet characters, but I'd definitely hoped to see more of their brother so that we could sympathize with Eleski's situation. I felt a little detached from the characters, but they were often relatable a bit contradicting, but it's hard to explain!

I loved the story itself. It was seriously amazing and I really did just adore it. I would definitely recommend this to any contemporary fans! 

Pages: 272

Genre: Contemporary

Series: Stand alone

Publisher: Point

Release Date: April 1, 2013

Rating: 4 stars