If Only... (21)

If Only Obsidian were a movie.

Haven't read or heard of the book yet? Here's a taste:

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something... unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

Review: The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez

Growing up, Gaby Rodriguez was often told she would end up a teen mom. After all, her mother and her older sisters had gotten pregnant as teenagers; from an outsider’s perspective, it was practically a family tradition. Gaby had ambitions that didn’t include teen motherhood. But she wondered: how would she be treated if she “lived down” to others' expectations? Would everyone ignore the years she put into being a good student and see her as just another pregnant teen statistic with no future? These questions sparked Gaby’s school project: faking her own pregnancy as a high school senior to see how her family, friends, and community would react. What she learned changed her life forever, and made international headlines in the process.

In The Pregnancy Project, Gaby details how she was able to fake her own pregnancy—hiding the truth from even her siblings and boyfriend’s parents—and reveals all that she learned from the experience. But more than that, Gaby’s story is about fighting stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself.

If Only... (20)

If only Ice Princess were a book.

Have seen or heard of the movie yet? Here's a taste:

Brainy Casey Carlyle has never quite fit in. Caught between her fantasy of becoming a championship figure skater and her strong-willed mother, who has her on the fast track to Harvard, she can only hope to be like Nikki, Tiffany and Gen--three elite skating prodigies who are ruthlessly competing on the US National circuit (and have attitudes to match). But when Casey gets the chance to train with Gen and her coach, a disgraced former skating champion who also happens to be Gen's mother, she must dash her own mother's hopes in order to pursue her dream. Now, with only the support of Gen's teenage brother, a hunky Zamboni driver, Casey takes on the challenge of her life when she finds herself competing against the best to make it into the championship circuit and become a real "ice princess."

Review: Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

There are two sides to every breakup.
This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.
It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.
But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.
Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

Special Someone Saturday: Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy

Commence part 2 of the major fangirling for Gaurdians of the Galaxy:

So last week I fangirled all over Chris Pratt and his manliness. This week I'm fawning over all that is GROOT! 

There isn't much to say about Groot besides "I am Groot." 

Groot is just this badass tree thing who can't really say anything besides "I am Groot," yet even those three words can mean so much. 

If Only... (19)

If only Shatter Me were a movie.

Haven't read or heard of the book yet? Here's a taste:

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.
She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.
They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.
She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

I know what you're thinking--it's about time, right? Ish reviewed this over a year ago now, yet here I am, seriously lagging it to the point that I had to reread book one, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, before cracking this open. Let me tell you, I'm mentally kicking myself for not having done so a long time ago.

Special Someone Saturday: Chris Pratt as Peter Quill

Last week I finally got the chance to go watch all that is fantastic, known as Guardians of the Galaxy, and for those of you who haven't seen the movie, you should definitely check out the trailer:

Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Embrace the Forbidden
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

If Only... (18)

If only The Other End of the Line were a book.

Haven't seen or heard of the movie yet? Here's a taste:

Struggling to convince his new hotelier client, Kit Hawksin, Granger Woodruff is told by one Jennifer David that his identity has been compromised, and his credit card is being misused. While tracing transactions, both become friendly and agree to meet in San Francisco at the Hawksin Hotel. She does not show up, and Woodruff befriends an East Indian woman, Priya Sethi, who has come to attend a relative's marriage. Woodruff will get a rude awakening when he finds out that Priya is actually Jennifer - who is the fiancé of wealthy Mumbai-based Vikram Bhatia - and has traveled there without informing her family. He will also incur her dad's wrath, who has been compelled to travel there along with his wife to first locate and then escort Priya back home to get her married to Vikram.

Anyone who knows me well is aware of how much I absolutely adore this movie. Being Indian by ethnicity, I may be a little biased, but generally it's just a feel-good type of film, and I think it would translate quite well on paper.

Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

If Only... (17)

If only Daughter of Smoke & Bone were a movie.

Haven't read or heard of the book yet? Here's a taste:

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Review: Also Known As by Robin Benway

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.
Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

Special Someone Saturday: Braden from On the Fence

This past week I finished reading On The Fence by Kasie West, and well safe to say I have officially added another special someone onto my never ending list! This week, I'm featuring my newest bookish boyfriend, Braden ( I don't know his last name :(( I feel like it would be Thomas for some reason but I can't remember).

If Only... (16)

If only People Like Us were a book.

Haven't seen or heard of the movie yet? Here's a taste:

While settling his recently deceased father's estate, a salesman discovers he has a sister whom he never knew about, leading both siblings to re-examine their perceptions about family and life choices.

Fun fact: I never expected to like this movie, let alone love it. To be honest, I was initially in it for the fact that I adore both Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks. People Like Us is such a simple concept, and from what I've seen of reviews, many think it was melodramatic and overdone, but it resonated quite strongly with me. I've got one older brother and he's always looked out for me, so it was sweet to watch Sam (Pine) look after Frankie (Banks) after so many years of not knowing about her existence. Also adorable, and entirely amusing because he had such a potty mouth, was Frankie's son Josh.

Review: Sentinel (Covenant #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

It's a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.

If Only... (15)

If only The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson were a movie.

Haven't read or heard of the book yet? Here's a taste:

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.
Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

Review: Ungifted by Gordon Korman

The word gifted has never been applied to a kid like Donovan Curtis. It's usually more like Don't try this at home. So when the troublemaker pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he's finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction (ASD), a special program for gifted and talented students.
It wasn't exactly what Donovan had intended, but there couldn't be a more perfect hideout for someone like him. That is, if he can manage to fool people whose IQs are above genius level. And that becomes harder and harder as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything). But after an ongoing experiment with a live human (sister), an unforgettably dramatic middle-school dance, and the most astonishing come-from-behind robot victory ever, Donovan shows that his gifts might be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.

Special Somone Saturday: Kaiden Rowe

After finally reading Sweet Evil, I can now see why EVERYONE loves Kaiden (as in "ai" in Thai). He is literally the epitome of the bad boy gone somewhat good *swoon.* Over the past two years since the book has been out I never knew why everyone loved his character, but after staying up all night till 3 am to read the book (I made the mistake of starting at 11 pm) I realized I was falling in love with Kaiden just like everyone else. 

If Only... (14)

Hi everyone! Now that it's officially summer, Ishita and I have decided to get back into blogging, perhaps not to the full extent that we did previously, but in some context just to keep things flowing. So without further ado, let's take it from where we left off!

* * *

If only Lucy were a book.

Haven't heard of the movie? Here's a taste:

In a world that is run by the mob, street gangs, drug addicts, and corrupt cops, Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is a woman living in Taipei, Taiwan who is forced to work as a drug mule for the mob. The drug implanted in her body inadvertently leaks into her system, changing her into a superhuman, due to accessing much more than the normal 10% of her brain capacity.[6] She can absorb knowledge instantaneously, is able to move objects with her mind, and chooses not to feel pain or other discomforts.

So I'm definitely cheating a little with this one because Lucy hasn't even released yet, but my goodness, I'm dying to see it. I'm a huge fan of both Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman, and I think a written format would make for an amazing action/adventure, thriller type of novel. Granted it would probably fall into an adult genre rather than YA/NA due to the age of the main heroine along with the violent content, but nonetheless, it's something I would love to read.