My Favorite Books of 2013!

So, before doing a December wrap up and January TBR, I wanted to share with you my favorite books of 2013 that I read. I hope to read just as many book next year as I did this year. It was a good book year and I cant wait to read more books next year! I hope you all had a great year, personally and book wise!

1. Anna and the French Kiss///Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.

2. The Summer I Turned Pretty series by Jenny Han.

3. Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles.

4. Under the Never Sky///Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi.

5. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger.

6. Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry.

7. Slammed///Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover.

8. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover.

9. Beautiful Disaster///Walking Disaster///Beautiful Wedding by Jamie McGuire.

10. Frostbite///Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead.

11. The Best Night of Your Pathetic Life by Tara Altebrando.

12. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.

13. The Edge of Never///The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski.

14. Obsidian/Onyx/Opal/Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

15. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider.

I look forward to finishing the rest of a lot of the series I have next year! I cant wait for new releases as well! AHHH! :)

Book Review: Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

SYNOPSIS:
In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.
Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…
Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs.

MY REVIEW:
Well, well, well. As you all know, I LOVE Hopeless. It it seriously one of my favorite books Ive ever read! But, as much as I love this book, and how much I hate to say this, Losing Hope was such a repeat. I did enjoy this book, don't get me wrong, but it just felt like reading Hopeless all over again. And yes, I know that was the point of this book, sticking to Holder's point of view, but as I was reading, it just felt like I wanted to skip a lot of the parts. I would be reading one of the parts that was in Hopeless and just wanted something different. I liked the parts that didn't come from Hopeless like when he was talking to Daniel and doing other things when he wasn't with Sky. I loved the way Holder is in this book. I loved what he was thinking and how he actually told his side of the story. I liked reading his thoughts and his inner thoughts about Sky for that matter. I overall enjoyed this book and gave it a 4/5 stars. I cant wait to read Finding Cinderella on my Kindle! It is a novella (and its free) and its told from Daniel's point of view when he finds 'Cinderella.' 

Book Review: The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski

SYNOPSIS:
Five months ago, Camryn and Andrew, both dealing with personal hardships, met on a Greyhound bus. They fell in love and proved that when two people are meant to be together, fate will find a way to make it happen.
Now, in the highly anticipated sequel to The Edge of Never, Camryn and Andrew are pursuing their love for music and living life to the fullest as they always swore to do. But when tragedy befalls them, their relationship is put to the ultimate test. As Camryn tries to numb her pain, Andrew makes a bold decision: To get their life back on track, they'll set out on another cross-country road trip. Together they find excitement, passion, adventure-and challenges they never could have anticipated.

MY REVIEW:
I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK until..... the last 100 pages. It was going so well! It scared me in the beginning because of the semi depression she went into and the pills she took. I was like, OH MY GOD! Shes going to die! But then Andrew found out and it was all better. I loved how they make it their mission not to end up like every other family out there: stuck with the same old job, paying bills every month and doing the the same thing all the time. They went on the road again and how can you not love a good road trip? I was also so scared when they were in Florida and they go drugged. And then what that blond girl did! If I were Camryn I would have bitch-slapped the hell out of her! SO now to the bad parts, because, yes, I gave this book a 4/5 stars. The last 100 pages FLEW BY. It was like a couple weeks, then months then years! I didn't like that at all. I would have settled for it ending at Lily's birth and then her saying "Fifteen Years Later.' There was just some unnecessary scenes and then it was fast forward again. Gosh, that just made me mad. I cant get over it! It made me drop it a whole star! I am sad that the series it over, but I enjoyed every minute of the two books! *goes and cried myself to sleep now...*

Book Review: Never Too Far by Abbi Glines

SYNOPSIS:
He had held a secret that destroyed her world. 
Everything she had known was no longer true. 
Blaire couldn't stop loving him but she knew she could never forgive him. 
Now, she was back home and learning to live again. Moving on with life… until something happened to send her world spinning once again. 
What do you do when the one person you can never trust again is the one that you need to trust so desperately? 
You lie, hide, avoid, and pray that your sins never find you out.

MY REVIEW:
What is the saying? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me? Yeah, that's pretty much how it is with this book. I didn't enjoy the first and went ahead and bought the second book trying to convince myself it would be better. MY BAD. I ended up giving this book 2 stars! 2! I never give romances that low. I usually love contemporaries. Not this one. This book was mainly composed of sex and trust issues. Blaire was always thinking Rush deserved more and how she was still going to leave in 4 months. And Rush was always talking about how he cant stand to live without her and how she comes first and yet he was always taking Nan's side. NAN IS A BITCH. And that's putting it nicely. Ugh, I cant even take talking about this because these series just sucks ass. I really just wanted Blaire to get with Woods. Hes freaking fantastic. Hell, I want her to go back to Rush so I can have Woods! And the sex scenes were just not necessary. Rush kept saying how he didn't want Blaire thinking the relationship was all about sex and then he went and got in her panties! I just feel like every time either of them was going to leave or how they thought they weren't good enough for each other, it turned into sex. Like, okay.... I just wont be reading the third for a while or ever. 

Book Review: Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines

SYNOPSIS:
To want what you’re not supposed to have…
She is only nineteen.
She is his new stepfather’s daughter. 
She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother. 
But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.
Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

MY REVIEW:
So let me start off by saying that I'm not a huge Abbi Glines fan. Over the summer, I read The Vincent Boys and its sequel/companion, The Vincent Brothers. I didn't really like the first book, but I enjoyed the second one. I bought Fallen Too Far cheap on my Kindle so I read it in less than a day. So, first of all, I ended up giving this book a 3/5 stars. Why so little stars Lauren? Don't you love romance and contemporaries? Yep, I sure do. But not when men are possessive and little girls who are supposed to be grown up don't act their age, it kind of pisses me off. TO NO END. I like the story line even though I totally knew what was going to happen. I knew Nan had something to do with the ending and her father coming back and everything. I hated how Rush just told her what to do and she's all "Well, I cant say no." or "I did what he told me." Like, what the fuck  Chuck?! Blaire was always worried about her and her alone and then she's all "I hope I'm not acting cheap." WHINE WHINE CRY. You are getting yourself into this situation little girl!!! And don't even get me started about the sex scenes. I was totally embarrassed for her when it was her 'first time.' Like, all she did was nod and he gave her instructions. I was like, OH GOD. I'm pretty sure I was blushing just reading it for the both of us (me and Blaire). Even though I am ranting like a madwoman right now, I just bought the second book. I hope it is better than the first or I am going to have problems. I only bought it because that ending had me go bonkers. Excuses, excuses. I know....

Book Review: The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

SYNOPSIS:
Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.
No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.
But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes? 

MY REVIEW:
ALL THE FEELS, GUYS. So, in the first chapter, I was a little scared that this book wasn't going to be good because of how he told the story. But then the next couple chapters were freaking amazing! I absolutely loved the humor in this book. I was seriously laughing out loud. I just loved Ezra and Toby's jokes and puns and ugh, they have the perfect bromance. Can't even deny it. This book reminds me of Looking For Alaska by John Green and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. I loved the adventures they went on and all the fun they had. I would definitely want to be part of their group! Except for a couple people. I was in the zone reading this book and then I got to the last 80 pages last night and I couldn't even stand the book. I knew how it was going to end and I totally didn't want to continue, but I sucked it up and did. I read parts in the book during the beginning and middle that told me exactly what was going to happen and ugh, I'm so pissed still thinking about it. The life freaking struggle!! I really liked the story before the end and was going to buy myself a copy considering the one I had was from the library, but no. NOT ANYMORE! That ending made the decision for me. I would recommend this if you like Looking For Alaska, Stargirl or Perks of Being A Wallflower. Overall I gave it 4/5 stars.

Book Review: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

SYNOPSIS:
Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.
In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

MY REVIEW:
WHAT. THE. HELL. My heart is just completely shattered over this whole book. This is why I never read books like this. I hate when people die in books and then the main character is getting through the death. I don't like drug use books or disease books like this one. They are so hard for me to read because things like that can really happen. People are going through real life problems and diseases as I'm reading this piece of fiction. It was extremely hard for me to continue this book. I finally just sucked it up and finished it. I love Anderson's writing and how much detail she used. That's what made me scared half the time. Ugh. I cant even type words to make you understand my feels. Other people who enjoy stories like this will fall in love with this book. These books are just not my cup of tea. (Even though I have 2 more books like it on my shelf to read...UGH.) I gave this book a 5/5 stars. I don't even know why. I loved it but then hated it at the same time. I don't even know if I'm making sense...  

November Wrap Up and December TBR

Coming out of a reading slump for two months, I was happy with the outcome of this month. It still wasn't what I was going for, but it'll do. I managed to read three books:

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane: 1/5 stars (Terrible. Terrible. Terrible.)
Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout: 5/5 (How am I supposed to wait until next year for the last book?)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: 4/5 (GREAT classic.)

I don't have an extremely large TBR but I would like to end the year on a good note. (And finish my goodreads challenge!) So, here goes nothing.

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle (I'm only reading the first story though, because its the only one I liked out of the three.)
An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller (Reading the last half considering I read the first half last year)
The Holiday Present by Johanna Lindsey (Two novels in one!)
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (Choice for Canadian Literature book club on goodreads)

I hope to read all these books and have a good reading month to end 2013! I also hope you all get good books this holiday and give good books! Merry Christmas!