Bookish Friends || YA Icons & Once

The past week has been a whirlwind of activity - and I love it! I've had fun things happening to me nonstop since last Saturday, and today's post will share just what I've been up to lately. It's rare that I've got this much stuff going on, but I figure I'm going to embrace what comes my way. I've been blessed with the opportunity to be living in New York, surrounded by amazing friends and opportunities, and I'd like to always remain grateful for that.

Last Saturday, I commuted all the way to JFK. It was not because I was traveling (although I wish I could do that soon, since I'm starting to get restless); it was because I was on my way to pick up Rachel and help her move into her dorm for the summer! Once we'd found each other in the airport (and had a few moments of "OMG, we're finally meeting in person! AAAAAAH." pass), we grabbed a hold of her luggage and somehow maneuvered our way onto the Air Train, then the A train, and walked a couple of blocks (okay, maybe around 15) to her new place. I helped Rachel unpack and arrange her stuff, went with her to pick up some essentials at Target and then we ended the night with a late dinner at Monty's. 

It was so wonderful to finally meet Rachel in person. It was also a little scary how alike we were, although we're different in many ways too. Still, Rachel is a kindred spirit and so we got along great! I also fell in love with her new neighborhood and may be using my visits to her as an excuse to hang out in her area. 

Last Monday, I attend the YA Icons event at Books of Wonder featuring Margaret Stohl, Tonya Hurley, E. Lockhart, Eliot Schrefer, Gayle Foreman and Barry Lyga. The event was wonderful, mostly because the authors were intelligent, funny and just plain weird (which is pretty darn awesome). I enjoyed listening to them talk, and I did manage to tweet a few things:

After the panel and a short Q&A, I had the opportunity to finally meet Gayle Forman and have her sign my books! While I was too starstruck to ask for a photo, we did have a nice little discussion about The Lumatere Chronicles (yay!) and New York City. I'm sure I'll be seeing her again, but it was great to be able to get my copy of Just One Day signed. (To be fair, I also bought copies of If I Stay and Where She Went. This is just in time for the Gayle Forman Read-along that my friend Brittany dreamed up, and which I'm a part of too.)

Gaby, Rachel D., Rachel K. and I all headed out to dinner at Schnipper's afterward, where we had fun conversations about books and BEA and other fun things. We've come to the conclusion that Gaby needs to read Pushing the Limits (which, by the way, she's doing right now), Rachel K. needs to read Dare You To, Rachel D. needs to read Alanna: The First Adventure and I need to read Under the Never Sky. All in all, it was such a fun night and I look forward to the many more times we'll do this during the summer!

On Wednesday, I finally got a chance to watch a Broadway show for the first time in ages. I had high expectations for Once after having heard such great things from Estelle & Magan and a few other friends. And it completely blew me away. I am in love with the soundtrack, which is all sorts of wonderful. And I wanted to put Arthur Darvill (who plays the Guy) in my pocket so that I could take him out whenever I wanted and have him sing and be adorable... 

I went with Gaby (who is fast becoming one of my constant blogger buddies - and it's awesome!) and one of my best friends and roommates Pat. I was happy to share the night with these two amazing ladies! In fact, hanging out with Pat has inspired an idea for a future post about our friendship and just how it got started... because it all started with a book. But you'll have to wait around for that one to pop up in the future!

I'm taking the rest of this weekend off to relax, recuperate and prepare for BEA. There's a lot of cleaning and laundry to do, packing to finish (for a balikbayan box I'm sending home to the Philippines) and books I want to try to read before BEA. Wish me luck!

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Nantucket Blue - Leila Howland (Review)

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Source/Format: Bought/Hardcover
More Info: Goodreads || Amazon
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge 2013

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer. But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality. (modified from Goodreads)

Nantucket Blue was just the right read for a beautiful day where I lingered at the park and read in peace. The story has a relaxed, fun, summery vibe to it, and I immediately longed for the warmer days ahead of us. But it also has a lot of substance plot-wise, as Cricket spends the summer discovering new things about friendship, love and her own self, and dealing with the aftermath of these discoveries in her life. Howland successfully engages the reader in Cricket’s story, deftly laying it out against the backdrop of charming, beautiful Nantucket.

Howland certainly painted such a vivid picture of Nantucket for her readers. The first thought I had upon finishing Nantucket Blue was, “I have to go to Nantucket.” The way she described the beaches, the small town, the houses was fairly straightforward, but somehow the words she chose brought the place to life. It sounds like a lovely place to spend the summer, a place to relax, recuperate and live as simply as possible. Reading about Nantucket called forth an unvoiced longing in my heart for long summer days, beaches and quaint little towns, so kudos to Howland for picking such a lovely setting.

Cricket is what makes Nantucket Blue so wonderful, since it really is her story. Readers are given an insider’s look into Cricket’s thoughts, and are sure to be entertained.  Her thoughts and the way she expressed them struck me as that of a typical teen, bouncing back and forth from the positive to the negative and back again. But more than that, Cricket is fairly honest with herself and extremely funny. She made me chuckle a few times, particularly when she was thinking about her body’s reaction to, ahem, certain people.

Cricket is faced with a couple of situations during her summer in Nantucket Blue. It all begins when her best friend Jules invites her along to their annual summer vacation to Nantucket – and then abruptly retracts the invitation and distances herself from Cricket. (That’s situation #1.) Cricket’s disappointment lasts for the briefest moment as she latches onto an alternative way to Nantucket via a summer job. When her initial employment falls through, she luckily finds a job to replace it, although it’s not exactly what she planned to be doing. (That’s situation #2.) And then there’s the matter of her summer romance (which is pretty darn cute, mind you) (That’s situation #3.). Apart from these things, Cricket is dealing with her father’s new family, her mother’s passivity after the divorce and scores a summer internship with a writer. Obviously, Cricket has a lot on her plate. But she shows amazing resilience and strength in spite of everything being tossed her way, good and bad, and I really liked that about her! She slips up now and again, but that just made her even more human to me.  

Nantucket Blue is a contemporary novel with a lot of heart, thanks to main character Cricket. It reeled me in from start to finish, and it was hard not to finish the novel with a big smile on my face. If you’re searching for a book that promises summer fun, a sweet romance, and a main character you’ll love, then this is the perfect novel for you.

(P.S. You might want to check out this awesome Nantucket Blue playlist created by Betty & Cassie. I am absolutely in love with it -- and was surprised to find I knew almost all the songs!)

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Boundless - Cynthia Hand (Review)

[Please note that this review is for the third book in the series. If you haven't read it yet, you might want to check out my review of the first book Unearthly instead.] 

Boundless by Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly #3 (Book 1 || Book 2)
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: January 22, 2013
Source/Format: Bought at a signing/Hardcover
More Info: Goodreads || Amazon

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal. (from Goodreads)

 
Most of you know that I'm a series-binger, so I took the opportunity to binge on the Unearthly series. In other words, once I finished Hallowed, I could see no other way to proceed than by reading Boundless. The conclusion to the Unearthly series is very satisfying, as it wraps up all the loose ends. Boundless was a completely unexpected emotional experience, one that brought me to the point of tears. Hand chose her ending carefully, and it paid off.

If I thought my emotions were all over the place during Hallowed, Boundless tore me apart and put me back together again. Clara is determined to make the most of college, and it's refreshing to see her experience the normalcy of dorm life and choosing a major. However, Clara's also waging a war against her misery at the many losses she's had to endure since she first found out that she was an angel-blood. But I'm glad that Hand wrote Clara in such a way that, in spite of her misery, she remained strong and certainly determined to uncover and fulfill her purpose and try to live as normal a life as possible.

The stakes are higher and the danger greater in this story, particularly when it comes to Clara's purpose. Clara certainly put on a brave front in spite of the wretched situations she was forced to face! Once again, her purpose has something to do with her loved ones, and so, I was highly emotional right alongside Clara as she discovers what it is and decides what she should do.

The concept of purpose is handled a bit differently in this novel. In Unearthly, Clara was confused about how to figure out her purpose and also faced the dilemma of whether to fulfill it or to follow her heart. In Boundless, she's come to accept the part that her purpose will play in her life and has figured out a few tricks in order to find out more about it. This difference makes it clear how much Clara has matured since the first book, and I think Hand did well with this transition.

Familiar characters - particularly her best friend Angela, her little brother Jeremy, and Samjeeza - have more expansive stories. Angela's story is of fulfilling her purpose, and the way that this plays out floored me. I don't think I was expecting Hand to take this route but it actually ended up making sense to me. Jeremy, on the other hand, returns to Clara's life, but it's clear that he's suffering greatly from his past. Clara's desperation to keep him safe and keep him near really plays a part in how his story plays out - and trust me, I was definitely not expecting this either.

Samjeeza, on the other hand, is a character I really felt for while reading Boundless. Readers are given the opportunity to learn his true story - his history, his fascination with Clara, and his relationship with Clara's mother. I had guessed at a few things about Samjeeza, but the truth was far more gripping than I could have imagined. While he's still a Dark Wing, and Fallen, I did find a bit more compassion and understanding for him. (He's fast turned into one of my favorite villains in a novel!)

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the two boys everyone talks about - Tucker Avery and Christian Prescott. Tucker is noticeably absent in this novel, as Clara has decided to once and for all break up with him in order to keep him safe from harm. It is noticeable how much Clara misses him, and readers will witness her joy as she is occasionally reunited with him in the most random circumstances. There's a beautiful innocence, dedication and passion to their feelings, in spite of everything they've been put through, and a part of me wanted them to be able to be together.

And then there's Christian, wonderful, amazing angel-blood Christian. My affection for him still knows no bounds! His friendship relationship with Clara undergoes some changes in this one, as their friendship grows stronger. We see just how much they have in common, and how comfortable and right and easy it is for them to just be with each other. I enjoyed their banter and their many moments together, and I was sincerely rooting for them. Christian is something solid for Clara - a person she can rely on for support, encouragement and unconditional love and understanding - and that's good foundation for any relationship.

Obviously, I don't intend on spoiling the novel, so you're not going to find out who she chooses in the end. But seriously, this back-and-forth kept me on tenterhooks for part of the novel (and this aside from all the action the other parts of the story bring) -- and I think that Hand made the right decision, even though the way it happened was a teensy bit cheesy.

[When I posted my review for Hallowed, I mentioned that I had jumped ship to Team Christian. While that's still true as of my finishing this novel, I will say that it's by a very slim margin. Tucker managed to remind me of the way I felt about him when reading Unearthly, and that means my affection for him is nearly equivalent to the affection I have for Christian.]

Boundless was the book that ensured the Unearthly series went out with a bang! Hand wrote a solid ending to this trilogy, laced with unexpected events, big revelations and the cast of characters we've come to know and love. While Unearthly will still be my favorite book in the series, I will always remember Boundless being the most emotional read (for me) of all three - and how it cemented a permanent place in my heart for this series.

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