Sooo. I did a thing.

So way back when I started this book blog because I LOVE reading books and still do. I have kind of slacked off on posting reviews and updating information on here and on FB but there have been many changes in my life which is why I didn’t have time to do so. I have continued to read and love books but we have moved and everything that comes with packing, unpacking, painting, and all that fun stuff well that has taken up a lot of my time.

ALSO…I have been writing myself. I was looking for a certain type of storyline that I just couldn’t seem to find and when I had talked to a friend of mine about it they said “Why not write it” So I did. Now it has taken me a lot longer than I thought it would. It has been a process I started it 4 years ago. I finally finished it and will be hopefully getting it out sometime before this year is over. I do not have a date yet. I will likely self publish so that is a whole new load of information I need to look into research and learn about. I will not be posting on here as much because of that I feel that it doesn’t really fit well for me right now to have a book blog. So I will be finished with this page for now. If all I have in me is 1 book then I will come back to blog and just share all the great and fun books that I love. Only time will tell.

The link to the Goodreads info about the book is below. You can see if it might be something you would enjoy reading.

The one thing that I enjoyed more than anything from this blog is all the connections I made with other authors as well as other book bloggers and readers. I wouldn’t change that for the world. It has been so fun.

Happy reading. 🙂

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20959474-coming-undone

https://www.facebook.com/author.rocha/

Review ~ Present Perfect by Alison G. Bailey

Title: Present Perfect

Author: Alison G. Bailey

Series: Perfect #1

I’ve been unsure about many things in my life except for one thing, that I have always loved him. Every single minute of every single day that I have been on this earth, my heart has belonged to him. It has never been a question, never a doubt. The love had taken on many different forms over the years, but it had always been a constant.

Everyone has their definition of love. There have been countless songs sung about it. A gazillion books, articles, and poems written about it. There are experts on love who will tell you how to get it, keep it, and get over it.

We’re led to believe love is complicated. It’s not the love that’s complicated. It’s all the crap that we attach to it and put in front of it that makes it difficult. If you’re smart, you’ll realize this before it’s too late and simplify.

Amanda Kelly spent her entire life trying to control every aspect of it, while striving for perfection. Her obsession with being perfect, along with her feelings of worthlessness, consumed her. The one thing she thought was perfect in her life was the bond she shared with her best friend, Noah.

Everything was going according to her life plan until she woke up one day and realized she had fallen in love with him. The one thing she couldn’t control was the affect he had on her. Noah had the power to give her one hundred lifetimes of happiness, which also gave him the power to completely devastate her. He was the one thing in her life that was perfect, but she couldn’t allow herself to have him.

Her life begins to unravel. Events take over and force her to let go of her dreams and desires. She needs to realize that a person cannot control the events in their life, only their reaction to them…but will it be too late for her to save her relationship with her best friend?

Present Perfect is a story of how past events have present consequences and how perfect your present could be if you stopped fighting and just allowed it to happen.

 

 

I heard a while back that this story was a really good one. I have been in a real book funk lately and decided to try this one. I will admit that a lot of the reason I never jumped onto reading this one is because the cover. I am not a fan of covers that have faces on them. It kind of ruins it for me. I think a cover with a girl with her head looking down so you can’t see her face but you see a gold feather necklace, I think if the cover were different it might get more attention. As much as I wish people didn’t “judge a book by it’s cover” truth is we all do, myself included. I wouldn’t have gotten to this one but then again I heard about it around a year ago and just got to it.

That being said I started and the beginning was a bit slow and didn’t grab me right away, but I know that we need to get back story first which was fine. It didn’t take long to get sucked in though. I started it in the afternoon and couldn’t put it down. I stayed up until 1:30 am reading. There is such a sweetness to Amanda and Noah. Something that I wish I had growing up, the type of friendship that sticks that way. That no matter what, you know you can always count on another human being to be there for you, to get you, to know everything about you.

NOW, I will say one thing. If you liked Thoughtless you will more than likely love this book; although there is no cheating in this one which is a plus. BUT I did find myself multiple times wanting to slap the crap out of Amanda. She drove me up the wall a bit with her wishy washy crap. The he’s mine, but were only friends, but no one can have him bullshit got old BUT I could understand how she felt the way she did. She didn’t want to ruin the friendship. I was so sucked into the story though, no matter how much she (Amanda) irritated me I needed to know how things worked out and know what happens. There were a few twists and turns that I didn’t expect at all. I will admit that it had me tear up a few times and got me.

One other thing that I LOVED about this book is I felt like I got a complete story. It was a nice long book and that was awesome. I have told my friends about this one because I know they will love it.

I hope more people will read this book because it a good one. It is full of angst which is something that I didn’t know I was missing.

Review ~ When Smiles Fade by Paige Dearth

 

 

 

Title: When Smiles Fade

Author: Paige Dearth

 

Emma was unloved from the moment she was born. Her earliest memory is being severely beaten by her father, Pepper Murphy, when she was eight-years-old. Seething with resentment over the sacrifice of his dreams for a woman he cares little about and children he never wanted, Pepper chooses to blame his oldest daughter. Her mother, Valerie, makes matters worse with her verbal abuse, leaving Emma isolated with a man that had no boundaries in punishing his daughter, taking his abuse to unimaginable levels.

Emma’s father’s coldblooded beatings and the ultimate abuse to which he subjects her, lays the foundation of the person she becomes. As she matures into a resourceful teenager, she is unwilling and unable to stifle her desire for revenge. Reaching her breaking point she can no longer control the impulse to fight back and finally takes matters into her own hands.

Having learned the art of hatred from her father and the mastery of manipulation from her mother, young Emma now sets out to make a better life for herself, leaving the memory of the abused child she had once been behind her. Hardened by the heartless brutality she encounters and the dangerous situations she must overcome in the course of her journey, she faces every challenge that comes her way in her quest for a normal life for herself and for those she loves.

Finally a person emerges from within that guides her toward a better life until she learns of a secret that sets her on the path of ultimate redemption.

I had to take a small break after reading her One Among Us book. It was a great book but it did take a tole on me because I have children that are the same age and it just hit close to home for me. I couldn’t wait to start another one of her books though. I love her writing. It is so raw, dark, gritty and a side that I never thought much about. I look at people who are on the street different now. I never put much thought into what their story might be. That being said after I had a few light reads under my belt I jumped right into this one. I wanted to know more about Emma because we get a little bit of info about her in One Among Us. I was left wondering what happened with her. So I was excited to learn more about her story.

This one broke my heart as much as the first, this one was easier for me to read but there is just as much heartbreak in it. Now I know that there are parents like this out there in the real world and it hurts my heart to know that there are children who feel completely unsafe, and scared to be home. There are so many things that happen and I felt like just when she was able to catch a break something else would happen.

I have read a total of 2 of her 3 books and after finishing this one up I will say that reading the next one is an absolute guarantee and I WILL be reading it. She can pull you in and make you feel like you are there living the situations. She has a way of writing that brings to light so many issues that many don’t want to know about or would much rather not think about. She helps get a story across in a way that you will never judge another person because you truly don’t know their story.

Now there were a few aspects in this story that were a bit over the top, not saying that they are unrealistic; I mean I know I was 100% behind Emma on the first 2 situations I am talking about specifically. There are 3 others that happen that I was kind of ehh about but over all the last one I thought was pretty good. She had to do what she needed to do to survive and I think that for that reason alone I can understand.

This story is not for everyone, there are some situations that may be a trigger for some and some may just find very difficult to read and get through. I believe that is what is great about books, you will have so many that may or may not enjoy a story. What one person may love another may not.

Paige Dearth has become an author that I will read what she puts out because she just has a way of pulling me in.

I love that her books are LONG, I feel like I get a complete story not a story that ends after 200 pages and I am left with questions. These though are so long that I just feel like everything is answered. The only thing I was not a big fan of was the way she would end some chapters. Giving you an idea of what is to come. I like to find out what is going to happen as I read and it happens not to know at the end of one chapter what is destined to be her downfall or whatnot. That is honestly the only thing that I had an issue with. Everything else I enjoyed. Very Much.

Review ~ Confess by Colleen Hoover

Title: Confess

Author: Colleen Hoover (awesomest author!)

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…

What to say???
She did it again. I have yet to be disappointed in ANY book she has written. I absolutely LOVE that all of her books are so different. She added music to one, and this one she added art. Which was BEAUTIFUL!

I am a HUGE postsecret.com fan so for me this was a book that had that type of twist to it. I kind of wish there were more secrets confessions maybe added at the end by the people that sent them to her. Her own version of postsecret. 🙂

I love the way that Owen make them into art. I truly wish that was something that was available. It would be amazing to be able to purchase a piece of art that was inspired by an anonymous confession.

My daughter has been on this Dr. Seuss kick after they celebrated his birthday at school and when she brought home one of his books (I will admit I haven’t read it before) and I read it to her ALL I could think of was that he wrote this for her. Oh the thinks she can think….I wish I could be in her head and see some of these storylines she has going on in there. She has a true talent. I remember when she had only Slammed and Point of Retreat out. I love those also. When anyone ever asks me for books as a recommendation Colleen Hoover is always an author I recommend.

I patiently wait for the next book to be published by her. I know I will love it as I do all the others. I teared up a little with this one. It was touching and just beautifully written. I wish she had a book out every 3 months!

Review ~ Also Known As by Robin Benway

Title: Also Known As

Author: Robin Benway

Series: Also Known As #1

Which is more dangerous: being an international spy… or surviving high school?

Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world’s premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it’s three digits, why bother locking it at all?)

But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she’s attending a private school with hundreds of “mean girl” wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school’s elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat… all while trying not to blow her cover.

From the hilarious and poignant author of Audrey, Wait! comes a fast-paced caper that proves that even the world’s greatest spies don’t have a mission plan for love.

I wasn’t so sure if I was going to enjoy this one because I am very picky when it comes to YA books. I ended up loving it for many different reasons.

I loved loved loved the banter. A book that does great banter is always a plus for me. I love that she is only 16 and is a spy. (well safe cracker)  It was really fun.

One of my favorite things to do is people watch. I have sat and would watch people and make up stories or wonder what their thing is. I watch movies and love spy movies. So with this book all I could think was how perfect it would be to make a kid an agent. I mean who would think it? not many would. It was fun to read this after having read such a heavy book not too long ago.

I kind of wish that there might have been a few more gadgets but like she said in the book that is for the movies. They want to blend in and look normal. I wonder if there is anyone in my neighborhood who might be working with the CIA undercover… It would be awesome. But I am nosy so that might be part of the reason as to why I find it fascinating at times.

If you are looking for something that is a bit of a suspense at times, as well as just fun this is a good one. It is about a 16 year old so it is YA. Usually I’m not a fan of high school, but this one was good and I liked it!

 

Review ~ One Among Us by Paige Dearth

Title: One Among Us

Author: Paige Dearth

 

 

 

Eleven-year-old Maggie Clarke is an average suburban girl known for her intelligence and beauty. Suddenly, her life’s path is tragically altered when Maggie is ripped from her family and thrust into the horrific underworld of human sex trafficking. In captivity, Maggie watches over a young boy, who gives her a reason to live. Robbed of her innocence and freedom, Maggie does whatever it takes to survive.

With the help of Detective Rae Harker, the Clarkes’ frantically search for their daughter. Haunted by his own demons, Detective Harker vows to find Maggie—dead or alive. Meanwhile on the vile streets of Philadelphia, a strange man approaches Maggie with a dangerous proposition, and she risks everything to break free of the network of unsavory characters that control her. Not even she can know how far she will go to get even with the people who ruined her life.

Raw, edgy, and intense, One Among Us ultimately offers hope through Maggie, who grows stronger and more resourceful through her experiences. You’ll be on the edge of your seat, rooting for Maggie as she fights for her life.

I was looking for something that was dark and gritty. This definitely fit the bill. I enjoyed this book I read it and it took a while to get through it because I did have to put it down a few times just because it was a lot to take in. This book is very graphic and emotional. There is a lot that goes on. There were a few things that were not amazing, but it didn’t affect my overall rating. I will break it down in a list. I think that will work best here. I will try and keep this as spoiler free as possible but there might be a couple because I just need to bring it up but I will keep it as minimal as possible.

* Maggie talks like an adult (well thinks like one) when she is 11 years old. (it happens, there are kids that are very smart and articulate) Some people didn’t like this some didn’t have an issue with it. I did not.

* There are a few times in the book that we don’t know something until it’s happening how she would know it. For example, someone gets hurt and she knows how to help. We find out after the fact that the reasons she knows what to do is because she read books about it. There were a few moments where this came to play. When I was reading this the fist time I did wonder What the hell??? How does she know this? She is too young.

* The whole book is in third person and that isn’t really an issue because that way we are able to see things in other people’s minds. I personally prefer that it was in third person for that simple fact. I almost want to say that it would have maybe even come across better as her telling the story and looking back over everything that happened might have worked out pretty well also, although we wouldn’t have been able to really see things in the others minds also.

* It is very graphic, it did take me a while because I have a son that is 10 and daughter that is 5. It hit close to home for me because all I could think is I will NEVER EVER EVER let my children out of my sight again. I there are some things that just broke my heart reading. This may be a big trigger for some.

* Some found her will to fight back and stay strong a little ill-placed, how it was convenient that she would be strong right when something bad would happen. I believe that it worked out fine. She was compliant and would do what she needed to do well what she had to do so that she wouldn’t be singled out, she would start to feel like she was losing who she was and would fight to hold onto it. So, of course, there are consequences. There is no question in my mind that happens. When it comes to human trafficking is there really a right or wrong way that a person should deal with it while they are going through that horror? Let alone it be a child?

* It is a LONG book. Some found this to be an issue I for one did not. I LOVE that this is a long, full novel. I felt like I got a complete story. I wish more would write longer stories instead of breaking books up into a series, when you could have just finished the book as a whole and it just have been a longer book.
* At the end of some of the chapters it lets you know pretty much about something that will be happening in the future. I kind of wish those were not there. It didn’t so much hurt the story, but I just like to not know ahead of time what to expect when reading a story. When it ends with “this will be what helps her in the future” I just wasn’t a big fan of that.

* When it comes to human trafficking I will admit that I don’t usually think of children, and that may be for the simple fact that I just don’t want to. I will also say that I think of other countries, (Mexico, Thailand, Middle East etc…) Now I will be the first to say that Human Trafficking is something that is an ongoing issue here in the United States as well. People just try not to acknowledge it because if we don’t then we think it isn’t an issue.  To think that it happens here (and it does) is just scary.

* There was one part that I did have a bit of an issue with. Now I am not Italian, I am also not a part of the Mafia…But what I want to bring up is Tony and Vincent, when you read this book you will meet them…Now it says that they are the Consiglieri. Okay from my understanding there is usually just one guy that has that role. They don’t sit out and watch someone for the “boss” that is what the capos/soldiers are for or even the underboss if they want someone they can trust to be keeping an eye on someone they care about. That being said I just found that part odd, it didn’t quite go. And they absolutely don’t get their hands “dirty” they are not a part of that. If they want something done they have the soldier/capos for that part. BUT I do believe that if it came down to it, if it is a personal issue that they want to be a part of I can see that being the exception. I just couldn’t wrap my head around that part though. I think if it were changed to one being the Underboss and the other his buddy who is also a capo…that would have been a little more realistic. For me.

* PTSD…we see it throughout the book yet I feel that when it should have been there it wasn’t that was one that I just had a bit of an issue with. Given when a child goes through a traumatic experience, their brain can shut out most of it; but I believe we would have just seen more of it strong willed or not.

Overall it was a great read, I understand that the outcome is rare but it’s fiction and I am so glad it ended the way it did. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I read it and while I was reading it. It is heartbreaking, heart-wrenching, emotional, dark, taboo, gritty, graphic, and just something that will stick with you. It is not for everyone that’s for sure, some may not be able to get past the subject matter. I enjoyed the read and will read the authors other books. I just need a break in between. 🙂 But I will get to them.

Review ~ Vanilla by Megan Hart

Title: Vanilla

Author: Megan Hart

 

It’s an acquired taste…he just has to acquire it

Elise knows what she wants in the bedroom, and she makes sure she gets it. Her thirst for domination has long been quenched by a stable of men only too happy to bow down before her.

But sexual satisfaction isn’t the same as love, and she’s been burned in the past by giving her heart too freely.

Niall is handsome, smart, successful and sweet—sweet as vanilla. When they meet, their romantic connection is electric, even though he’s way on the opposite end of the kink spectrum. Despite how she fights it, Elise falls for him—but how can a relationship work when both lovers want to be on top?

I do enjoy reading her books. I love that even though each of her books are stand alone books we get to see other characters that were in other books like in this one we get to see Alex he was in Tempted, Everything Changes and Naked. It is always fun getting to see the other characters and how they are doing.

Now onto this story…I enjoyed reading this one more than I thought. 🙂 It made me giggle. Although she is a Domme she wasn’t on the harsher side. Just like in any BDSM story you have different levels of dominance. Some can and are more strict some are more lax. She is one that is pretty lax. She explains this when she talks with Niall about it all. And I am very happy she put this in. Because I was starting to think that she was headed down hill on this story. It starts off very Dominatrix but then completely takes a turn later in the story. I was confused for a minute. Because although I believe that you don’t have to always have “kinky” sex if you are in that lifestyle but usually it is a part of who you are, it is what you need to really enjoy yourself. I also believe that vanilla is also a kink all on it’s own. So when it comes down to it, it was well written and I did like it.

I was confused at first wondering why it was titled Vanilla when I thought for sure that at some point Niall was going to come clean and say that he is a Dom haha. That would have been an awesome twist. But aside from the two of them. Esteban, well he kind of annoyed me, and I kind of loved the family story that was mixed in almost a little more than her story. But I loved when Alex made his appearances, always had me laughing.

I kind of wanted more about her brother and his story. I just loved her when she was around him and her nephew and mother.

It is always a good time and who can not love the Supernatural reference that is put in there? I LOVED it! 🙂

There was some pretty hot sex, some may find offensive I’m sure. I mean there will always be someone who is offended. But I thought it was pretty hot. 😉

Review ~ The Virgin by Tiffany Reisz

Title: The Virgin

Author: Tiffany Reisz

Series: The Original Sinners #7  (white years #3)

The controversial story before the story continues in the critically acclaimed and award-winning series The Original Sinners.

For years, Kingsley Edge warned Eleanor the day would come when she, the mistress of a well-respected Catholic priest, would have to run and hide. She always imagined if that day came she’d be running away with Søren. But instead, she’s running from him.

Knowing Søren and Kingsley will their use their influence to bring her back, Eleanor alone, penniless and scared takes refuge at the one place the men in her life cannot follow: the abbey where her mother has taken orders. Behind the cloistered gates of the convent, Eleanor hides from the man she loves and hates in equal measure

She cannot, however, hide from her true nature. When Eleanor befriends a young virginal nun, she faces a startling sexual awakening. But Eleanor can’t stay forever, and the lure of her real life beckons beyond the locked gates. But to follow her fate means to leave Kyrie behind, a sacrifice Eleanor refuses to make

The lure of the forbidden. The temptation to sin. The price of passion has never been higher, and Eleanor will have to pay it if she ever wants to go home again.

Oh how I love this series. I have tried to get friends into reading this one but they just haven’t so I have no one I can talk with about it and that drives me nuts!

So in this one, it is the white years; so it is in the present as well as the past. It is a good chunk in the past. It is about what happens during the time when Eleanor leaves Soren, before she became a Dominatrix. We also get to hear about when King met Juliete. I loved the whole story. Even though the series is broken up into two different series I believe that they should be read after you have read the first books int he Original Sinners series before you read the White Years.

I loved that we got a little more with King and his awesome kink. We also get some girl on girl action which was pretty awesome also. I wish the books were so much longer. I read them and when I get to the end I am always so sad. I want more every time. I just wish I could read and read. This is a series that I will be adding to my  personal library. I can’t wait to get the next one.

This is a series that I just enjoyed from the start, I look forward to every book that comes out and just enjoy spending time in their world. Every book has made me smile, laugh and love these characters. One thing I enjoy is that every book is about them in some sense. There are a few that are about a couple other people but we still get them. (King, Soren & Nora) And every book pulls me in just like the last and every book I love as much as the last. I doubt I will ever tire of reading about them. I will be extremely sad when the series is over. But I will absolutely read EVERY book Tiffany put’s out if they are anywhere as amazing as this series!

It isn’t for the faint of heart, you have to be okay with F/F, M/M, and other play that some may find taboo and a bit on the dark side. (blood play for example) I love it all!

Review ~ Thicker Than Blood by Madeline Sheehan & Claire C. Riley

Title: Thicker Than Blood

Author: Madeline Sheehan & Claire C. Riley

Series: Book #1

 

 

 

A true friendship never dies.

Leisel and Evelyn lost everything. Husbands. Families. Friends. Lives that made sense. All they had left was each other, and a friendship that could withstand anything…

Even an apocalypse.

Until one fateful night, the marginal safety they’d come to rely on comes to a vicious and brutal end. With the help of Alex & Jami, both unlikely allies, Leisel and Evelyn are able to escape their shattered sanctuary only to find themselves face-to-face with a much altered, much crueler life where they have to find the way—and the will—to stay alive in a world they no longer recognize.

Traveling across a broken and infection-ridden country; the road-weary group are pitted against endless violence, improbable circumstances, and the ultimate loss.
Everything comes at a price—especially safety, the cost of which could very well strip them of the one thing they’ve tried so hard to cling to: their humanity.

Yet along with all the trials they’re forced to endure, there’s also hope in the form of love. Having loved Leisel from afar, Alex attempts to put the pieces of her fractured heart back together.

But in such a savage world, is there room for love?

In a place of nightmares-made-reality, where the living should be feared far more than the dead, an unbreakable friendship and a love amongst all odds can mean the difference between life and death.

There are friends…

And then there are Leisel and Evelyn.

 

Now I had no clue what this book was going to be about. I didn’t even bother reading the blurb because well I have read the biker books that Madeline Sheehan put out. I just saw that she put out another book and I wanted to read it, so I got started on it and this is the first book that I have read that is zombies. 🙂 I wasn’t sure if I was really going to like it or not because I didn’t know how it was going to play out but I have to admit that I did like it.

I enjoyed reading about the connection these two women had, how they would do anything to keep each other safe. I will have to say that their journey is not easy and it is not all happy and rainbows. There are bumps and turns that they have to go through that I couldn’t imagine having to go through. I wasn’t sure if there was going to be another book until you get to the end. I will read the next one that comes out. I want to know what happens. I liked that we got two points of views, from both of the girls.

I actually enjoyed this…it was heart breaking as well as interesting and did a good job at keeping you interested in the story. Well done. 🙂

Review ~ The Mason List by S.D. Hendrickson

 

Title: The Mason List

Author: S.D. Hendrickson

 

 

An epic love. An epic hate. An epic story that would last a lifetime.

Today, 8:15 p.m.
I hurt. I hurt so deeply, I felt the pain searing in my bones and jabbing like a hot poker into my heart. I knew nothing would make it better as the memories pulled from the crevices of my mind, detailing the bad and the ugly, filling my thoughts with regret as I slipped into the darkness. . .

When I was eight, my mother was dying of cancer, my father lost his job, and the bank kicked us out of our house. I was forced to move to the strange town of Arlis, Texas where my father and I slept in our car in the hospital parking lot. Desperate and hopeless, we lived on fumes of our former life.

Then one night, everything changed forever. A knock on the car window brought a family into my life that I only wanted to shut out. I hated charity and I hated the Masons. Well, except one. He made it impossible to hate him.

Jess Mason had the biggest blue eyes and ornery smile of any boy I had ever seen. He was a ray of sunshine in my dark world. A boy full of adventure, dragging me across the meadow of Sprayberry Ranch; a beautiful Texas paradise full of horses and tree houses that got us into more trouble than anyone ever imagined.

Jess was my everything as a kid until we grew up and the rules changed. Instead of living happily ever after with a boy full of love. . . I destroyed it.
– Alex Tanner

Author Note: The Mason List is a coming-of-age story that follows the life of Alex Tanner from the age of six to twenty-six. The novel crosses the genres of Young Adult and New Adult. The Mason List is a standalone, 118,940 word, full-length novel.

This book was all over the place so many bloggers I follow were talking about it and how amazing it was. I knew I just had to start it in the hopes that I would feel the same way.

Though I hate to say that I didn’t fall in absolute love with it the way others did. It was a good book, it was a sweet story, I did enjoy it overall. I just didn’t feel as pulled into it as I wished I would have been. It took me around four days to read it because I just kept losing interest and would stop reading. It was a lot of back and forth and back and forth which overall is not an issue but I just wanted to know what was going on in the now (today) in the book when we get so little of it.

I know that many loved this book and I LOVE when I find a book that so many adore, yet something in it fell flat for me. It just reminds me how different we all are and how what one person loves another may not.

For me I didn’t connect, although I felt for Alex, I just didn’t understand some things and was waiting for more of an explanation and didn’t get it (or maybe it was one of the times I read but just didn’t pay much attention to what I was reading). I understand the need for back-story but at the same time I felt like that is 90% of this book. I understood why Alex disliked the Mason’s but at the same time I felt like she was very ungrateful, considering what her life could have been.

Now the main reason I was not a big fan of this story would be the ending. I read this book with as I said about 90% of it being the back-story 36/54 chapters are her past (from her being the age of 6 to the age of 26 and not consecutively so one chapter will be when she was 6 the next when she was 8 then you will have around 5 chapters all when she was 16 years old and so on.) That didn’t bother me though, what killed me is we went from so much of their past to a little of the present then it jumps SO far into the future. I COMPLETELY understand that it was a long story as it was (which is not bad) but I felt like maybe she could have made it a duo that way she could have gotten more of the present in there that so many of us were actually looking forward to. (I won’t say exactly what because that would give spoilers)

I just felt like there was such a build up and then bam it was over and we got nothing much in between if that makes sense (for those who have read you will understand maybe).

It makes me happy to find out this is the authors first book and so many have read and loved it. I don’t question if she will only get better!!