The Au Pairs (The Au Pairs, #1)

Summary:

"Summer in the city? Way overrated. Everybody who's anybody in New York City summers in the Hamptons. Mara, Eliza, and Jacqui all want a piece of the action, all for different reasons.So the girls answer a classified ad to become au pairs. How bad can it be, watching a couple of kids on the beach all day? They've got the swank address, the sweet ride, and an all-access pass to the hottest social scene on the East Coast. It's shaping up to be the summer of their lives."

Plot: The Au Pairs plot line is a pretty predictable summer read and overall kind of vapid. However, I did enjoy the name dropping and the essence of the Hamptons.

Characters: Mara quickly becomes the main character of the series and easily most like-able. While Jacqui quickly became the most annoying and Eliza the one with the most growth.

Final Thoughts: I am very impressed how Melissa DeLaCruz is a versatile author and how whenever you read her books, you she transforms. Certains authors have a trademark way of writing that you know it is them, but DeLaCruz is full of writing surprises. With that being said The Au Pairs, would be the least favorite book I have read of hers, I will continue to read the series to see if the plot gets stronger.. However, I cannot see where it can go.

Paper Valentine By Brenna Yovanoff

Summary:

"The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.
For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.
With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.
Paper Valentine is a hauntingly poetic tale of love and death by the New York Times bestselling author of The Replacement and The Space Between."

I found Paper Valentine to be a very captivating and pretty fast paced book. I liked how their was a paranormal element to the book, but that it was understated... like it happens normally. However, I would of liked a little more of an explanation on that front. I was pretty interested in the story line until midway through the book it was obvious where the plot was going and it kind of got old but I powered through it. Finn and Hannah's relationship is kind of cute, but I felt no real connection with it. Would definitely read more from this author, but Paper Valentine ended up being a disappointment.

Top Ten Tuesday: Dealing With Tough Subjects

Hosted By The Broke and Bookish

1. Go Ask Alice By Anonymous

2. Mick Harte Was Here By Barbara Park

3. The Book Thief By Markus Zusak 

4. My Sister's Keeper By Jodi Picoult

5. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

6. Room By Emma Donoghue

7. A Scattered Life By Karen McQuestion

8. What Remains By Carole Radziwill

9. Please Ignore Vera Dietz By A.S. King

10. The Fault In Our Stars By John Green

Meeting Gayle Forman

This Post Is LONG Overdue!!! On April 22nd. I had the pleasure of attending a Gayle Forman Meet and Greet at my local Burbank Public Library. If I Stay and Where She Went are some of my favorite books, So I was pretty elated when I got the chance to meet her.

However, this meet and greet was a little different then any other one I have been to. When I walked in and sat down.. a projector ready for a slide show greeted me.

Gayle started by welcoming us, and saying how excited she was since she grew up in Burbank. Then she took out her very well loved copy of Just One Day and began by explaining the concept of the book and the story behind the 1st photo in the slideshow. What was cool about the slideshow was that every slide tied into a section in her book and essentially she read several pages from her book at various parts. So, I got a VERY good understand of the book, but also got to find out the personal parts of them for her.

After, that she took some questions and surprisingly... I asked a MAJORITY of the questions! I normally like to sit and listen and laugh and observe. I will admit I got most of my questions from the day before at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. After that it was time to get in line and  get my books signed! 

The Women In Green Is Author Robin Benway!

As Usual I was pretty nervous, but I told her about how much I loved her books (DUH) and that Adam Wilde has been my favorite bookish boyfriend for the LONGEST Time, but that I was starting to like Willem form the excerpts. She had also said that there is a new male character in a book she is working on that is WAY hot in a bad boy kind of way.. I believe she called him Ben and I look forward to that! She thanked me for asking a lot of questions and I think that was about it!

 Needless, to say I had a GREAT time and I would DEFINITELY go to a book signing of hers again.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Read When I Need Something Light and Fun

Hosted By The Broke and The Bookish

Okay, That Is More Than 10.. BUT I Had To Include Them ALL!

The GREAT, Great Gatsby Post

So on May 10th. Warner Brothers Finally Releases The HIGHLY Anticipated Great Gatsby Movie! In General, The Great Gatsby is already a pretty popular book, being deemed a Classic and written F.Scott Fitzgerald. However, with this movie coming out I imagine The Great Gatsby is going to gain even more popularity, especially with the younger crowd. So, this post is my attempt at a one stop shop for EVERYTHING Gatsby!

First Off Is The Book Itself. I personally enjoyed it and find it to be timeless and well worth earning the title of  A Classic and with ANY Book, there will be some people who do not like the book either. So, Here is some reviews from fellow bloggers. Both good and bad.

My Review

Belle's Bookshelf

An Unexpected Book Blog

Kimberly's Novel Thoughts 
 (Let Me Know If You Have Reviews, You'd Like Me To Add)

There are A LOT of cool things about The Great Gatsby but one of my favorites is John Green's Crash Course explanation of the books. I am not an overly critical reader, so when I watched Crash Course it really gave me an even better perspective of the book.

The Movie Trailer


 
and If You Want To See The 1926 Movie Trailer Click Here.

When the casting was first announced for The Great Gatsby. I was personally elated, mainly because everyone they cast (minus Tom Buchanan) was who I had imagined in the roles while reading them. Since seeing more of Joel Edgerton's work (he is currently a favorite actor of mine) and seeing him act in the trailers, I can now say he is a great choice. I am imagine someone like Ben Affleck or the guy who played the bad guy in Titanic in the role. Regardless, I am excited.

The Great Gatsby has been around for 88 years and in those eighty-eight years has gone through many different covers.

Photo From http://idesweb.bc.edu

With The Movie Coming Out Even Tiffany's Is Getting In On The Action with Some Art Deco, Inspired Jewelry!

Side Note: This Is My Actual Wedding Ring, and I Got So Excited That It Was Even In This Collection That I Had To Share It.

Literally A Diamond Headband!

 

And, it isn't just Tiffany's that is inspired by Fitzgerald's work. A lot of people are and their work is a little more affordable. Click on The Photos To Link To Their Sites.