REVIEW: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Megan Matson

Pages: 344-US Hardback

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Released: May 4, 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Book Summary: Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew—just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road—diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards—this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself. -goodreads.com

My Thoughts:

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour was an incredibly fun read. Probably more so for myself considering i picked this story up a mere 2 weeks before i headed on a cross-country road trip from Texas to Michigan. 

Amy was such a strong female character who's dealing with the loss of a parent, an issue that none of us want to experience. Between the heartache and guilt Amy faces, she is able to finally see the fun in life again. All thanks to her partner in adventure, Roger. You could also say that Amy finds a little bit of love along the way. OOPS! I've said too much already!

Morgan Matson did an exquisite job of adding tons of fun features to this novel, or should i say it's more along the lines of a travel journal/scrapbook. Although there were a few dull, slow moving chapters she kept you wondering what the end had to hold for the entire cast of characters. 

Waiting on Wednesday(4)

Weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

Showcase which books you're going crazy over to be released!

The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson

Release Date: September 29, 2011

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities

Talk about a fresh new idea in the YA book scene. Jack the Ripper? How cool will this story be. I really can't wait for this new horror from Maureen Johnson!

REVIEW: Starcrossed

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini 
Pages: 514-US Hardback
Publisher: HarperTeen
Released: May 31, 2011
My Rating: 5/5
Book Summary: How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart. -goodreads.com

My Thoughts:
Ladies and gents, i have for you Heather's favorite book of 2011. Starcrossed has left me literally breathless.


Josephine Angelini packed this story full of action, mystery, and a completely riveting and fresh take on a greek gods love story. Main characters Helen and Lucas have been through quite a lot together- and it's only the first book! I will zip my mouth on any other further details for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of picking it up and diving in yet. 

There was never a dull moment of reading. Chapter by chapter tugged at my heart strings and played me like a puppet. I will divulge one piece of information though... hold on to your seats during the last few chapters. Choose to read it and you've signed up for quite a ride. 

REVIEW: Heist Society

Heist Society by Ally Carter
Pages: 287-US Hardback 
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Released: February 9, 2010
My Rating: 5/5
Book Summary: When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected. 

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way. -goodreads.com



My Thoughts:
Talk about one hell of a good story. i for one have to decided to take on the life of a full-time thief. Is there a class i can take?


Katarina Bishop has jumped to the top of my list of favorite female characters, and boy did she jump with amazing grace and speed. Not only is she a complete and total badass, but she has the most incredible devotion to her family. The risks she is willing to take to save her father are admirable to say the least. Plus, it doesn't hurt that her partner in crime happens to be my newest fictional character boy crush.


It just feels like such a real and believable storyline. The detail and history inside is beautifully written and SO FREAKIN' COOL! Whether or not any of the information is true, it's a story i loved to live in.


Heist Society is a book that sinks its claws into you and refuses to let go. It's full of humor, intrigue, witty remarks, the perfect villain, and a fantastical blooming love story.  I can't wait to see what is in store for Hale and Kat!

LIESL & PO by Lauren Oliver

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

Liesel lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

Release Date: October 4, 2011

from HarperCollins Publishing

Wow. Doesn't this book sound well.... freaking spectacular, amazing, fantastical, magical, wonderful and just about any other word that describes AMAZING. I think i have entered just about every contest there is out there just to get my hands on an ARC of this book because well, i'm pretty much DYING with anticipation. Can't wait to see what dreamland Oliver takes us into in this new middle grade series!