If I Stay by Gayle Forman

It was all the hype surrounding the release of Where She Went that actually got me interested in reading If I Stay. I was aware of the love it received upon its publication a couple of years ago. But even though it appeared to be universally loved, I never picked it up, as I tend to be somewhat leery of coma/out of body experience stories. It's not that I've read a ton of them, but in the few that I have read, I've had a hard time connecting to the main character. What with them being . . . well, comatose and all. So I'd pretty much decided I wasn't going to try this one, until the blogosphere had a collective meltdown over there being a sequel at all and then at how awesome it apparently was. You know how hard it is to resist that promise of a sequel that lives up to (possibly even surpasses) its predecessor. I'm certainly not able to hold out against it for long. So I snagged a copy of  If I Stay  and ignored my niggling concerns to see just what all the fuss was about.

Mia comes from a musical family. From her ex-rocker dad and groupie mom to her adorable drummer of a little brother, her family has music in its bones. And Mia does, too. But not in exactly the same way. You see, Mia loves classical music. She's a dedicated cellist and just waiting for that acceptance letter to Julliard. Her loving family supports her passion, if they remain a bit bemused at how straitlaced and determined she is. Then the unthinkable happens. Mia wakes up to find she's been in a car crash. Her entire family was in the car, and now she's in a coma and her parents and brother are . . . gone. From a foggy distance, Mia watches life go on and alternates between watching her body in the hospital and flashbacks to life before the crash, to her relationships with her family members and with her sweet musician boyfriend Adam. What will happen, Mia is not sure. Is there anywhere to go from here? Is she stuck in an eternal in-between? And most importantly, will she ever have the chance to tell her loved ones how much they meant to her?

My emotions about If I Stay have not faded over time. It's a monumentally quiet story, and the reader drifts along with Mia on a gently wistful refrain of loss. In fact, it's so quiet and gentle that it borders on bland. Which is not to say that I didn't like Mia and Adam and the rest. I did. Very much. And I'm not sure what I was expecting, but what I got was much lower key than that. The writing was competent and unobtrusive, the characters sympathetic, and the situation (naturally) absolutely heartbreaking. But I wasn't consumed. I wasn't so attached that I couldn't put it down. But I kept reading because I did feel fond of these characters, and I really did want to find out how Gayle Forman would resolve Mia's story. And here's where things get interesting, my friends. Because If I Stay has the best ending I've read in some time. And I am not even a little bit joking. I am seven kinds of serious when I say that this book ramps up to one humdinger of a climax. It was so good it took my breath away. And it sneaks up on you like nobody's business, so that when it does happen you immediately look back on the whole in wonder. Because it really was more than the sum of its parts. It was one of those not just a good ending, but the only one, you know? And all I could think was how well-crafted it was, how seamless and inconspicuous, how softly it crept, all so that you could experience the sheer magnitude of that ending. Honestly, I was just so impressed. It was the perfect ending, and truthfully I wasn't sure at all that I wanted a sequel. Which is actually how you ought to feel after finishing any book, isn't it? Bravo, Ms. Forman.


Linkage
Books for Company Review
It's All About Books Review
Maw Books Blog Review
Medieval Bookworm Review
My Friend Amy Review
Novel Thoughts Review
One Librarian's Books Review
Presenting Lenore Review
See Michelle Read Review
StoryWings Review

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

I bought the ebook version of Flat-Out Love when I saw what a good deal it was right now. I'd seen it read, reviewed, and loved here and there for several months now, but for some reason nothing pushed me over the edge into trying it out myself. I know. Then when I found myself in between books and casting about for the next great thing, I remembered I had it on my nook and pulled it out to see how we got on. The answer is: famously! This is one of those books you kick yourself for not picking up sooner and then attempt to make reparations by singing its praises in the hopes that others will be quicker and savvier than you. I also just ordered the paperback, because I can tell that a digital copy is not going to be enough. This is one I'll want to have on my shelves for lending and rereading and the like. Plus, it's pretty, that cover. I mean, it kind of fills me with a maelstrom of emotions after the fact. But pretty it is. This is my first book by Jessica Park and I'm eager to find out what she's working on next and what we have to look forward to.

Julie is a bit down on her luck already and it's only her first day in Boston. She's come all the way out east to go to college, leaving her mother and the Midwest behind. But it turns out using Craigslist to secure an apartment wasn't the brightest idea. Fortunately, after one harried phone call with her mother and one minor meltdown in front of the burrito shop that was supposed to be her apartment, Julie is saved when the son of her mother's old college roommate shows up. Her mother's old roommate Kate and her family live in town and offer to let Julie stay with them until she finds an actual apartment where she will not be mugged or killed. Putting aside the fact that she really didn't even know Kate existed, and that she's just about as different from her mother as it's possible to be, Julie settles in to life with the eccentric Watkins family. And eccentric doesn't even really touch the surface when it comes to these people. Kind and generous, they are also incredibly . . . different. What with professor parents Erin and Roger never being around at all, MIT student Matt's over-the-top nerd shirts and doubtful social skills, and 13-year-old Celeste carting around a life-size cardboard cutout of her big brother Finn, whom she has dubbed Flat Finn. Between searching for a place to live, trying not to make a nuisance of herself, and navigating the obviously treacherous waters going on in this family, Julie has her work cut out for her. Doesn't help that she appears to be developing a crush on one far-flung member of the family along the way . . .

What is it about me and books set in Boston? It may come from having devoured a large quantity of Ellen Emerson White books as a young adult, but hand me a book about a girl and Boston and I am one happy clam. The hilarious thing is, I've never even been there! I dream about parts of this city I feel like I know like the back of my hand, I've read about them so many times. But I have yet to see them with my own eyes. One of these days . . .   So, rather unsurprisingly, I fell in love with Boston and the Watkins family right along with Julie. Quite frankly, it's impossible not to. They are wonderfully obtuse and endearing. The banter between Julie and Matt has a hilariously natural flow to it, as she ribs him for being hopelessly uninterested in Things Not Math, and he responds in kind teasing her for being too preoccupied with pop culture and caffeinated drinks and other lower aspects of life. Honestly, it is such a good time following the way Julie organically becomes a part of the family. She takes a special interest in Celeste, determined to get to the bottom of why she felt the need to create Flat Finn and what she's afraid will happen if she doesn't have him by her side (talking to him) every minute of every day. Finn himself is off traveling the world and his communications with Julie via Facebook had me grinning ferociously. As it happens, this book engaged every one of my emotions. The romance is of the heart-palpitating variety, somehow managing to be sweet, genuine, and seriously intense all at the same time. And even as I laughed out loud at one of Finn's many digital witticisms or one of Celeste's oddball contraction-free responses, fear crept up on me reading from behind. Fear of what Julie would find and that her finding it would shatter the fragile peace Matty, Celeste, Erin, Roger, and Finn had constructed. I wiped tears away more than once, and my love for every single one of the characters only grew and never diminished. Flat-Out Love is not only incredibly addicting but packs an emotional punch I felt in my gut for days after. Highly, highly recommended.

Linkage
Chachic's Book Nook review
The Compulsive Reader review
Janicu's Book Blog review
Rather be Reading review
Reading After Midnight review
Stuck in Books review
The YA Curator review

The Raven Boys Cover

I knew next to nothing about The Scorpio Races before it was published, and look how spectacularly that turned out. So my reaction to Maggie Stiefvater's announcement that she has another book coming out this fall, that it's called The Raven Boys, and that it features a girl named Blue and a guy named Gansey was pretty much . . . BRING IT.

First in a four-part series, The Raven Boys is due out September 18th.

Queen's Thief Week

Today I'm over at Ch-ch-ch-Chachic's place losing my crap over Eugenides and Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series in general. Chachic invited me to talk a little bit about how I've gone about convincing others to read this wonderful series, and I happily accepted. I mean, talking about talking about books? Count me in! Bibliovangelizing is one of my very favorite pastimes and these books have caused me to indulge in quite a lot of it. This is one spectacular event Chachic's organized and the posts so far have been top notch. Do drop in and say hi, won't you?

Bibliocrack Review: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

I'm pretty sure I ran across Jill Shalvis as part of a list of recommendations for people who enjoy Kristan Higgins books. As that would very much be me, I decided to investigate the matter. And you know what? The woman has written an absolute crap ton of books! Where to start, where to start? I finally settled on the first book in the Lucky Harbor series, Simply Irresistible, as a nice little point of entry. I was encouraged by the fact that the covers and titles for this series feel like they hail from the chick lit end of the romance spectrum, and I still feel like I'm getting my feet wet, so to speak, when it comes to those genres. Several people I trust on Goodreads seemed to be keen on it, which is always a plus and an excellent indicator of where I'll fall, so hello Lucky Harbor it was. Well, I made short work of the three books currently out in this series, and I'm happily awaiting the next three on the horizon. In retrospect, I think this series is definitely a good fit for Kristan Higgins  fans, if a bit higher up on the heat scale.

Maddie Moore is on the road to the small coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington and not at all sure how she feels about it. Recently sprung from both a relationship that was demolishing her and a job that was keeping her afloat, she is understandably torn over recent developments. Breaking it off with her "boyfriend" (I use the term with extreme disdain) was the hardest thing she's ever done. Leaving L.A. was a close second. But when the news came that she (along with her two half-sisters Tara and Chloe) had inherited a moldering old inn up in Lucky Harbor when their mother passed away, Maddie thought it just might be a sign. That her life had a new direction. That perhaps she might be able to reinvent herself after all. That is if she can convince her somewhat estranged sisters that they shouldn't sell the place on the spot, pocket their thirds, and head for the hills. Fortunately, she runs into a general contractor on her way into town who might be able to help with the major rehabilitation the inn will need in order to convince her sisters it's worth their time and money spending a little more of both in Lucky Harbor than they planned. Maybe even putting down some roots and see if they take.

Cute. Very cute is the way I'd describe Simply Irresistible. Maddie and I got on right off the bat. She forms the sensible, forthright center of the trio of sisters, and she made me feel grounded while I laughed and shook my head at Tara and Chloe's respective charisma and antics. I enjoyed mapping their widely disparate histories, as Maddie and Tara both grew up with their fathers, leaving Chloe the only daughter to actually spend any time at all with their wild and inconstant mother. Sandwiched in between her livelier, more colorful half-sisters, Maddie often gets overlooked and shunted to the side. But she is definitely the heart of the girls and the story. And I was pleased to see her push her way to the fore from time to time, carve out a little place for herself, and face up to her past. With the help of a little added purpose in the form of the inn and the admiring eye of Jax Cullen. Jax is a general contractor, among other things. He has his hand in a lot of Lucky Harbor pies, a past to match Maddie's for pain, and a good eye when it comes to character. Jax and I got on just fine. Here's one of the exchanges between Maddie and Jax that, well, it made me giggle:

"Sorry," he said. "Let me drop the belt--"

"No." She held on when he would have pulled away. "Dont. I like it."

Again, he lifted her face, and he smiled. "The tool belt turns you on."

"No." She closed her eyes and thunked her forehead to his chest. "Little bit."

So basically I waltzed my way through this introduction to Jill Shalvis and ended our first encounter with a heart as light as one of Tara's muffins.

For what it's worth, after reading (and enjoying) all three books, Simply Irresistible remains my favorite. I think that's because, while I really liked Tara and Chloe, Maddie and Jax remain the ones with the kind of gravitas that works for me. It's the one that I want to have on my shelf for those nights when something cozy is in order. For what it's worth.

Reading Order
Simply Irresistible
The Sweetest Thing
Head Over Heels

Linkage
About Happy Books review
Book Binge review
Book Obsessed review
Ex Libris review
Fiction Vixen review
Gone with the Books review
Smexy Books review
Smokin' Hot Books review

Icy Pretties

The good news is these are all due out in the spring. So, not really that far away at all. The bad news is one of them is only coming out in Australia. When, oh when, will the American publishers tune in to the awesome that is Kirsty Eagar? I refer you to my review of Raw Blue. All three look interesting to me, and I'll be searching them out come springtime for sure.

Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar
After falling hard and fast for Raw Blue, I am quivering with anticipation over this upcoming release. As with its predecessor, this one looks like it involves surfing and a girl finding solace in the sea. Unlike its predecessor, it also has Gothic mystery elements. Uh-huh. Where do I sign?
Due out (in Australia) April 26th.

The Selection by Kiera Cass
Another pretty dress, I know. Apparently I am still prey to the allure of the ruffles and the endless reflections. Ah, well. You can only grow up so fast. This is a dystopian. And though it does sound a bit like Princess Academy meets The Bachelor, I'm intrigued by the caste system and the selected living in a palace under rebel assault.
Due out April 24th.

Pure by Julianna Baggott
This one is popping up under post-apocalyptic, steampunk, and young adult labels alike. It's also garnering rave reviews from the likes of Richard Russo and Justin Cronin. Featuring mechanical butterflies and a society of the damaged versus the pure, I'm cautiously optimistic.
Due out February 8th.

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

In the mood for a cozy, post-holiday read? I suggest you give Maybe This Time a try. I first discovered Jennifer Crusie through the insanely entertaining Bet Me. I then immediately went on a Crusie binge. And though I enjoyed several of them, none quite matched up to that first one. So I'd been kind of avoiding another Crusie read, even after hearing very positive reviews of her newest. The fact that it was categorized as a mystery/romantic suspense piqued my interest, but when I received it as a gift awhile back, I placed it on my nightstand and promptly forgot about it. Sometimes you have to wait until the right time for a certain book rolls around, you know? I've made my mistakes trying to force a book at the wrong time, and it never accomplishes anything but driving a rift between us. So I waited on this one. And the right time rolled around (as it almost always does) a few nights back. I'd been bouncing around from book to book for awhile, searching for the one I needed. What a relief and a surprise to find it was the unassuming little ghost story that had been patiently sitting on my nightstand lo these many months.

Andie Miller is trying to do the right thing. Walking into her ex-husband North Archer's law office to sever all remaining ties seems to be, by all accounts, the right thing to do. Even if it is almost impossibly hard. After all, they have been divorced for ten years. And the single torrential year they were married ended so spectacularly badly it almost crushed Andie. They've both moved on since, and it's time for some closure. But when she sits down with North, the man who never asked anything of her while they were married now has a favor to ask. Will she travel down to one of the family estates where his two young wards are living? Their aunt died not long after their parents did, and it seems there's some trouble keeping a reliable caregiver in the house. Could she possibly go down and check on them, see if she can get them ready to attend school? Then in just a few weeks' time they'll be done with each other for good. She can go off and marry her fiance and start that calm and peaceful life she's been looking for. In the face of the hefty wad of cash North is offering her in exchange for her efforts, Andie agrees, overrules her own doubts as well as her fiance Will's objections, and packs her bags. Of course, circumstances at the old house are far grimmer than North suspected. Twelve-year-old Carter and six-year-old Alice are unusual, to say the least. And desperately unhappy. Creepy old Mrs. Crumb, the housekeeper, seems to encourage Alice's tantrums and Carter's increasing isolation. And the longer Andie stays there, the more convinced she becomes that the whole place is haunted. She tries to convey the extent of the weird in her sporadic calls to North, but it's clear that saving these children from whatever dark force is lurking will be up to her and her alone.

I started making a list of my favorite things about Maybe This Time on page one, and I quickly lost count. A retelling of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw complete with all my favorite Gothic trappings and a leading lady and man with a history with a capital H? I was instantly in heaven. From the first page, which has just two lines on it:

This book takes place in 1992.

Because. 

And you know the slightly odd, not-so-very-far in the past setting is perfectly suited to this wacky, atmospheric, romantic tale. I was charmed by the sartorial, cultural, and musical references throughout. In fact, the song "Somebody's Baby" plays a significant role in the book, and I could not get it out of my head (in a good way) the entire time I was reading it. I love it when that happens, when an author successfully accesses a specific cultural artifact that I as the reader have experience with. And so we both bring a set of emotions to the table, creating a wholly new, vibrant experience through the act of reading. I hadn't thought of or heard that song in years. But suddenly I'm singing it in the shower and humming it while I'm driving. And from now on I will associate it with this story and these characters. Speaking of these characters, here's a representative phone conversation between Andie and North which shows a hint of why I keyed into this thing going on between them so quickly:

She sounded worried, and North tried to think of a way to make her feel better and then realized that was ridiculous. She was doing a job for him, she hadn't called for comfort, they weren't married anymore no matter what lies she was telling down there, he had Mrs. Nash waiting, and there was nothing he could do anyway . . . "Do you need me to come down there?"

"No, I can handle this," she said, her voice as confident as ever. "It's the kids I'm worried about. I don't know if I can make things normal for them. I think I can make things better."

"You always make things better."

The silence stretched out at the other end of the phone as he thought, Dumb thing to say, and then she said, "Thank you." Her voice was softer than it had been, and it brought the past rushing back again.

"You're welcome," he said, thinking, Get off the damn phone. "I'll get you your cable and your contractor and somebody to fix the phones."

"I know you will. You always come through."

Jesus. "Call me if there's anything else," he said briskly, trying to find his way back to normal.

"I thought we weren't supposed to talk to each other."

"I was going through an independent phase," North said, and then closed his eyes as her laugh bubbled through the phone.

"That was a helluva long phase. I'll call if there's anything else. You have a good day."

She hung up, and he sat there with the phone in his hand for a minute, trying to find his way back to normal.

There's a lot going on behind those words, and one of the highlights of this book was tracking down those hidden histories, following the progress of this relationship that ignited, flared out, and is trying to find its way back to normal. Another highlight was far and away Andie's relationship with the two kids. Alice and Carter are just barely hanging on. I loved them immediately, and if North did nothing else admirable in this book, I would love him for sending them Andie. She's strong and mouthy, and without blinking an eye she sets herself up as their protector, promising she won't leave until she sets things right. I lapped it up right along with them. Truthfully, I was glad she was there, because this book effectively creeped me out. The roaming spirits and the eerie, bloody history of the house's inhabitants slipped their icy fingers under my skin. And, while the last third of the story got a little too crazy, and I started wishing it had gone back to the restrained tension it mastered in the first two-thirds, I thoroughly enjoyed it for taking me away from it all, giving me characters I could root for, and sending chills down my spine.

Linkage
Alpha Heroes review
Books from the Addict review
La Deetda Reads review
Medieval Bookworm review
S. Krishna's Books review
Smart Bitches Trashy Books review
Smexy Books review