Intentions by Deborah Heiligman

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Rachel thought she was grown up enough to accept that no one is perfect. Her parents argue, her grandmother has been acting strangely, and her best friend doesn't want to talk to her. But none of that could have prepared her for what she overheard in her synagogue's sanctuary.

Now Rachel's trust in the people she loves is shattered, and her newfound cynicism leads to reckless rebellion. Her friends and family hardly recognize her, and worse, she can hardly recognize herself. But how can the adults in her life lecture her about acting with kavanah, intention, when they are constantly making such horribly wrong decisions themselves? This is a witty, honest account of navigating the daunting line between losing innocence and entering adulthood—all while figuring out who you really want to be.

 
Growing up is a pain especially when it seems that everyone around you is either disappointing you or treating you differently. Sometimes it's hard to know which way is up or even believe that things eventually sort themselves out. In Intentions, Rachel is unsure of how to approach the problems assaulting her on many fronts – her parents’ fighting, her deteriorating friendship with her once best friend, her grandmother’s ailing health and finally a potentially explosive revelation about her rabbi. It's hard not to empathize with what it’s like to be that age going through rocky changes that leave you feeling helpless at best.

My first impression of Rachel is that she’s a pent up ball of anger just kind of hovering, waiting to move forward.  Her tendency as a narrator to list every thought and step going through her mind had me wondering if it was therapeutic for her to focus on each minute detail.  I found it tedious initially – I mean really, I don’t need to know all the steps between opening the door to the bathroom and going to the bathroom. But I began to ease up on her later because the very thing that bugged me in the beginning entertained me. Case in point, she goes through all the steps involved in primping and prepping for a much anticipated date. It was hilarious especially because it's so accurate.

The story gains some traction when Rachel finally decides to take action and confront her best friend Alexis about the state of their friendship. It’s a pretty neat scene and the chant that goes though her mind clearly shows her resolve. However, try as she might, it doesn’t make a difference and things go terribly wrong between them. In results in Rachel making a very poor choice with some harmful repercussions that she has to fix later. On the flip side, as one friendship ends, a new one begins as she becomes closer to Jake, a boy she’s had a crush on for a while. Jake is a pleasant surprise offering up the kind of support she desperately needs at this time.

I can’t go into detail any further without giving away the rest of the book. Suffice it to say that I was very much drawn in and even became a bit teary-eyed at parts. Rachel goes through the tough journey of loss, forgiveness and owning up to her mistakes. That last part is the hardest and takes the biggest toll on her. But through that debacle she receives support and encouragement which helps to reestablish her trust in the most important people in her life. It’s clear that her reliance on her religious upbringing is central to her. She finds her faith again and is even surprised by someone she least expects it from. It provides a much-needed feel good atmosphere that helps the book end on a positive note.

So Intentions' somber tone may not have grabbed me from the very beginning but it grew on me. And I very much liked the message it sent.  Rachel ends up being someone to admire, making some tough decisions, confronting her fears and taking control. All in a day's work on her path to maturity.


~ Bel

Waiting on Wednesday (31)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.



By Sophie Jordan
Publication Date:  September 11, 2012

(From GoodReads)
Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning....

Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy.

Otherkin by Nina Berry

**1/2

From Kensington (KTeen):

I thought I knew myself. Then I met Caleb.

Dez is a good girl who does as she’s told and tries not to be noticed. Then she rescues a boy from a cage, and he tells her secrets about herself. Now inside her burns a darkness that will transform her.

Everything is about to change—and neither Caleb, nor the Otherkin, nor those who hunt them, are prepared for what Dez will unleash.

The Bad:
I didn't feel like the characters in Otherkin were fully formed, more outlines than developed characters.  Dez didn't seem nearly freaked out enough about suddenly becoming a tiger and being thrust into a world of shifters and magic.  Her reaction was quite minimal and accepting.  I'm fairly confident this is meant to be a series, so perhaps we will see more depth in Dez, Caleb and their friends and foes. 

The Good:
Otherkin is an interesting story and I admit to being a little fascinated by the foreshadowing of what is to come for Dez and who she will turn out to be and finding out what Caleb's role in her destiny will be.  Fans of Nightshade and other paranormal/shapeshifter romance will find this to be an enjoyable read without the heavy emotional toll that often felt in this genre.  A decent debut for Nina Berry and I look forward to discovering what she does next.

~Shel

A Peek in the Biblio-Bin (38)

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the Biblio-Bin) has been created by the lovely ladies at Tynga Reviews.

Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.

This is what we have in our bin this week. Tell us what's in your Biblio-bin!

Easy by Tammara Webber
Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout

Sidecar by Amy Lane (Adult Romance)

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The year is 1987. The boys wear pink Izod shirts, the girls wear big hair, everyone has a stash box, and AIDS is just an ugly rumor rumbling like a thunderstorm from the cities. A teenage runaway wanders the side of the road, a heartbeat away from despair, and is rescued by a long-haired angel on a Harley.

But that's just the beginning of their story.

Josiah Daniels wanted peace and quiet and a simple life, and he had it until he rescued Casey from hunger, cold, and exhaustion. Then Joe's life is anything but simple as he and his new charge navigate a world that is changing more rapidly than the people in it. Joe wants to raise Casey to a happy and productive adulthood, and he does. But even as an adult, Casey can't conceive of a happy life without Joe. The trouble is getting Joe to accept that the boy he nurtured is suddenly the man who wants him.

Their relationship can either die or change with the world around them. As they make a home, negotiate the new rules of growing up, and swerve around the pitfalls of modern life, Casey learns that adulthood is more than sex, Joe learns that there is no compromise in happy ever after, and they’re both forced to realize that the one thing a man shouldn’t be is alone.

Once my kids are older, they will probably run from the house like it’s on fire every time I start a new Amy Lane book.  Why?  Because I can always count on her to leave me sleep deprived and cranky.  Not that I am complaining.  Her books always keep me up until the wee hours of the morning because I simply can’t put them down.  Sidecar was no exception. 

It’s no secret amongst the Bibliojunkies that my favorite type of book is a romance.  Throw in a forever boy and I am in heaven.  Sidecar delivers both - an absolutely loveable forever boy (Joe Daniels) but also a beautiful romance that slowly grows over the years.   

Sidecar does not contain the angst that Ms. Lane writes so well.  And for that I am grateful.  Even without it I found myself wiping tears off my face during little moments through out the book.  Within the first two chapters both Casey and Joe become such a part of you that your heart hurts for everything they experience.  The good and the bad.   

Joe Daniels is pretty simple.  He lived the carefree lifestyle of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.  But then he decided he was done.  No big dramatic moment made him change.  He just decided he was missing the space and quiet of where he grew up.  So by the age of 27 he is comfortably living in his own home far enough away from civilization to enjoy the quiet but close enough to drive to his job at the hospital where he works as a nurse.  Although a little scary looking with his broad shoulders, long hair, handlebar mustache/soul patch combo and a giant Harley, Joe is an all around NICE guy.  He believes in helping people.  His family taught him that it was the right thing to do.  He helps his aging neighbor that lives 20 acres away; he makes friends with patients at the hospital.  Even if they aren’t his patients.  And he takes in strays – dogs, cats and you guessed it, kids that he finds helpless on the side of the road.   He has no ulterior motives.  He is just that kind of guy.  Who doesn’t want this guy?  He is perfect.  I was imagining Aaron Eckhart a la Erin Brockovich (just change the hair color) while reading this.  Can I just say forever boy AND totally biker hot?

But here is the thing….although Joe Daniels is the forever boy in this book, I found that I was absolutely smitten with Casey.  The YA reader in me was drawn to him instantly.  He is so young at the beginning of this book (16 years old) and has had a pretty rough experience.  He isn’t broken by any stretch of the imagination.  He has an inner strength and outward feistiness that allows him to stay standing no matter what life might throw at him.  His instant love and hero worship of Joe in the beginning is almost heartbreaking in its sincerity and hopefulness.  I think the parts that made me cry the most were watching Casey grow up.  So many of his chapters made me want to put my book down and hug my children. 

There is always a risk of making the reader uncomfortable when building a romance between two people that start out with a guardian/child relationship.  But that isn’t the case here.  This story is so well crafted and paced that you can only cheer these two men on as they slowly reach that point where everything comes together.  And when it does come together?  You better watch out.  Their kiss in the car is smoldering.  And although the sex scenes are few, the few that are there….oh, my.  My book almost burst into flames from the heat.   

Watching the relationship develop and change between Joe and Casey over the span of 25 years is beautiful and romantic and heartwarming.  I absolutely love books like this.  They settle in and become comfort reads when I need something to brighten a gloomy day.  It is a guarantee that I will be re-reading Sidecar next time I need a pick me up.

Nat

Waiting on Wednesday (30)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.

By David Levithan
Publication Date:  August 28, 2012

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

Every Day by David Levithan

* * * * *

Available August, 28, 2012

A has no friends. No parents. No family. No possessions. No home, even. Because every day, A wakes up in the body of a different person. Every morning, a different bed. A different room. A different house. A different life. A is able to access each person's memory, enough to be able to get through the day without parents, friends, and teachers realizing this is not their child, not their friend, not their student. Because it isn't. It's A. Inhabiting each person's body. Seeing the world through their eyes. Thinking with their brain. Speaking with their voice.

It's a lonely existence—until, one day, it isn't. A meets a girl named Rhiannon. And, in an instant, A falls for her, after a perfect day together. But when night falls, it's over. Because A can never be the same person twice. But yet, A can't stop thinking about her. She becomes A's reason for existing. So each day, in different bodies—of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, walks of life—A tries to get back to her. And convince her of their love. But can their love transcend such an obstacle?

 

Every Day has got to be one of the most mind-bending books I've read in a while. In describing it to a friend, the best I could come up with is that it's sort of like a Quantum Leap/The Time Traveler's Wife mash up. I was consumed with every detail of A's journey reading it in half a day.

Our initial introduction to A is when A inhabits Justin's body for the day and meets his girlfriend, Rhiannon. Normally A has a steadfast rule about not getting too involved in the "host bodies" lives. A's goal is to create as little disruption as possible to the individual's day-to-day activities. On this day upon meeting Rhiannon, A is instantly enamored. A's mind screams to keep her at a distance knowing the dangers involved in forming attachments. But A cannot fight the compulsion to be with her, to get to know her and to protect her. It's the pull towards her that for the first time in memory, grounds A, providing a center to return to, a home, a possible future to hope for.

However, A's very inconvenient tendency to shift from one body to the next, landing anywhere from a half hour to 4 hours away, provides a huge obstacle to overcome, not just geographically but physically also. This is where the book starts to become a major head-trip. Meeting A for the first time as Justin naturally sets the reader up to think of A as a boy. But A does inhabit girls bodies too. A’s attraction and feelings for Rhiannon do not lessen with that biological difference.  A does inhabit many different bodies throughout the course of the book – kids his age from various backgrounds, physiques and even different sexual preferences. It's disorienting but it packs a powerful punch because it challenges our views on love and sexuality. A easily looks past the gender limitations leaving the rest of us to catch up. It's not even a consideration. Obviously that’s easy being that A has never remained in a body for more than one day, therefore, has never had to identify completely with a specific gender. One of my favorite moments in the book is when A inhabits the body of a gay kid named Hugo. While at a gay-pride parade with his boyfriend, Austin, A makes a beautiful observation about love:

"In my experience, desire is desire, love is love. I have never fallen in love with a gender. I have fallen for individuals. I know this is hard for people to do, but I don't understand why it's so hard, when it's so obvious."

It's a powerful observation that just slams right into you and totally shifts your perspective. I had to remind myself to not pin A down to any gender but to instead see the well-intentioned beautiful soul A is. A’s astute understanding and connection to the people whose bodies are inhabited provide some of the most poignant moments in the book. A has this inherent desire to try and improve their lives through some small gesture. And sometimes A is a life saver. As A and a skeptical Rhiannon become closer, A’s yearning to stay and create a life with her becomes more pressing. A's willing to risk more and starts to deviate from the rules.

Unfortunately taking those risks is dangerous. A has to work extra hard to remain anonymous when one recent outing results in unwanted attention from a religious group who believes that the devil has been possessing bodies. But out of this mishap, could there possibly be some help for A from the unlikeliest of sources?

Simply put, Every Day is phenomenal! It has this amazing "wow" factor that just grabs hold of you and takes root inside of you. It's an unconventional love story so be prepared to be hopeful, uncomfortable, confused but mostly moved. What is most amazing is how through Every Day Levithan challenges us to look at love beyond the conventional norm, beyond the limitations of gender and labels.  A may be in a different body every day but A's humanity and moral fiber come through very clearly. I couldn’t help but fall for A and share in A's hope for a future with Rhiannon.

~ Bel

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Every Day grabs hold of you and doesn't let go. I was honestly moved by it for days - still am. And when I heard the beautiful "Trembling Hands" by the very awesome and very talented Temper Trap, I had the chills and I immediately thought of A and Rhiannon. It's forever their song to me.