Book Review: Zoe Letting Go

This is the first book review from my summer books 🙂 During vacation, we went to the dollar store, and I bought this book because, hey, why not, if I don’t like it, well, it was only $1. But O.M.G. it was SO intriguing!

Book: Zoe Letting Go
Author: Nora Price
Rating: PG-13 – eating disorders
Score: 8/10

Summary:
Zoe protests when her mom sends her to a mysterious retreat for girls. There are only six girls there, and they kinda creep Zoe out. Through her suspicious, Zoe learns that the retreat is a rehab center for girls with eating disorders. Each girl has a different way of coping with the program. Zoe writes to her best friend, telling her about the odd program and reminiscing about their past. But still, Zoe can’t figure out why she’s there; she doesn’t have an eating disorder, right?

Review:
This is definitely not the type of book I would just pick up and read on a whim. I read this book because I had nothing other to read, but once I started it, I could not put it down for a minute! It is so captivating! The story was extremely interesting because it really shed some light on the rationale behind eating disorders. I understood and sympathized with the girls’ thoughts, and was taken on an emotional roller coaster. I normally hate [teenage] drama, even in books, but I felt that the drama in this book was well written, and only added to the stresses of trying to recover from an eating disorder. Lastly, you will not believe the ending!

I strongly recommend this book to teen girls (boys will probably not relate to most of it). I think it would actually be a really good book to read in school to begin to understand how people with eating disorders think of themselves, because it is really eye-opening.

Have you ever read a book about eating disorders? How did you like it? What are your thoughts on eating disorders?

Summer Reading Adventure

I love summer for a bunch of reasons. First, my family loves to explore, so we try to go on exciting day trips as many times as we can. Also, every summer, we travel east to visit family that we only see during the summer! This year, we drove there! (And I’m talking full on, 12-18 hours of driving a day here) it was so fun! But generally, my favorite part of summer is simply having more time to do what I love, which mainly includes reading and crafting!

Here are the books I read this summer:

Hiding in the Light by Rifqa Bary- Wow. Oh my goodness this book was amazing! More on this one in another post but wow. It’s a must read!

Zoe Letting Go by Nora Price- Not really my “type” of book, but so well written and captivating. This is one that surprised me in terms of how much I liked it. More on this one in another post, too.

Fable by Chanda Hahn- Book 3 in the Unfortunate Fairy Tales Series. If you enjoyed the first two, you will definitely like this exciting and quick read!

The Heir by Kiera Cass- A continuation of the Selection Series. Maxon and America’s oldest daughter, Princess Eadlyn, goes through her own Selection in this book. Wonderful storyline and plot, but Eadlyn left much to be desired in a heroine.

Michael Vey Hunt for Jade Dragon by Richard Paul Evans- Book 4 in the Michael Vey Series. Every bit as exciting and surprising as the rest of the books, Hunt for Jade Dragon was over much too quickly and left me wanting more, more, more!

Kingdom Keepers Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson- The first book of the Kingdom Keepers Series, Disney After Dark introduces a new and thrilling side to Disney World that all fans will love reading. I haven’t finished the series, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this Disney story doesn’t have a happy ending.

Maximum Ride Forever by James Patterson- As always, Patterson expertly toys with our emotions, leaving us crying, laughing, and praying for the fate of our favorite characters all at once. But finally, FINALLY, this is the conclusion all MR fans want and need!

These are the books I remembered I read during the summer, hahaha. I bought some more books over vacation that I still haven’t read! Hiding in the Light and Zoe Letting Go will both be featured in upcoming book reviews, so stay tuned!

What books did you read over the summer? Comment below!

Book Review: Graceling

Hello, sorry I didn’t post Friday; I was sick the entire weekend and just was not up to posting. Unfortunately, I was also not up for seeing Avengers: Age of Ultron. 😦 I must see it now!

book cover image from kristincashore.blogspot.com

Book: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Rating: PG-13- fighting action, adult content
Score: 9/10

Summary:
Within the Seven Kingdoms, there are only a few people graced with special skills and abilities, called Gracelings. Katsa is Graced with killing. Her uncle, King Randa, gives her royalty status as long as she does what he says and threatens the people he tells her to threaten. When Katsa and her friends secretly rescue the Lienid king’s father, a Lienid prince shows up at Randa’s court. The Lienid prince, Po, is a Graced fighter, and soon Katsa and Po form a friendship out of their brilliant sparring matches. After hearing some disturbing rumors, Katsa and Po travel to Monsea together to stop an evil more dangerous than they ever thought.

Review:
This book was amazing! I was a little confused about what they were doing, like what Katsa and Po’s goals were by traveling, but that’s okay, I just kept going and enjoyed the story. The protagonists are so likable and fun to read about. The fight scenes are actually pretty fun to read about, and Cashore’s scenery details are amazing! It is inferred that Katsa and Po do *the thing* because Katsa needs to eat special herbs after, but this doesn’t detract from the story and if it bothers you, you could easily skip over that part.
I could not get enough of the Graceling world, so I had to read Fire and Bitterblue, the companion/sequels within the week!!! Even Fire, a good monster, is relatable! The Graceling books are perfect for thrilling, action-packed, suspense-spotted, romance-sprinkled reads!

Have you read Graceling? Tell me your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

Book Review: The Program

How do you guys like the book reviews so far? If you ever have any book recommendations for me, or thoughts about books, don’t be shy in the comments! I love to hear from you!!!

book image from suzanne-young.blogspot.com

Book: The Program
Author: Suzanne Young
Rating: PG-13– language, mature content
Score: 7/10

Summary:
When teen suicide becomes an epidemic, The Program is created. It’s supposed to cure teens of the depression that causes them to commit suicide, but it does this by taking their memories. Sloane has lost her brother to suicide, and her friend to The Program. She has her boyfriend, James, now, but how much longer can they hide their depression, even when they’re together?

Review:
Such an intriguing concept! The topic is really interesting, and the protagonists are realistic and easy to connect to. However, I thought it was kind of watered down. I think the book could have been so much more exciting; I guess I understand that because the book is about depression, the tone is low-key, depressed, as well, but I think that element of depression could still be in the tone of the book without sacrificing some of the excitement, suspense, or quality. I’m not sure if I will continue reading the rest of the series. That being said, overall it is a good book that I would recommend for an all-day weekend read, preferably during a storm or a cloudy day, because it’s definitely not light-hearted!

Have you read The Program? Tell me your thoughts and opinions in the comments! And if you’d like to know what some upcoming book reviews are, subscribe to the monthly email newsletter!

Hey, we could start a book club!!! Yeah?