Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I'm trying something new, so be sure to tell me whether you like it or not in the comments!

"What do you want from me?" he asks. What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him. More. 


Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn't a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all. 


In this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future.


My Thoughts/Review:

What I love the most about this story is the lyrical, emotional way that is written. I think I've never read something that beautiful, and probably never will again. Except, of course, when I read this again. It gives you the background story along with a mystery, explaining the most complex human relationships that have possibly ever graced the pages of a book. Miss Marchetta's writing had real depth, and I'm kind of sad that I put off reading it for so long. Which goes to show you, the cover and the blurb aren't always the most accurate representations of a book. Taylor really grew throughout the book, and it was great to read that. And may I just say, Griggs is completely swoon-worthy. And he is filled-To the Brim-with real, amazing emotions. So is Taylor. That being said, I cried. But I laughed too, so that makes up for the angst.


                                    I give this Book Four Stars.


"What's with what your wearing?" Griggs asks while we stand outside waiting for the others.
 "It's pretty hideous, isn't it?" I say.
 "Don't force me to look at it," he says. "It's see-through." That kills the conversation for a couple of seconds.


                          Oh, and here's a good one.

He stops and looks at me. "I'm here because of you. You're my priority. Your happiness, in some fucked way, is tuned into mine. Get that through your thick skull. Would I like it any other way? Hell yes, but I don't think that will be happening in my lifetime."
"Wow," I say sarcastically. "That's way too much romance for me today."
"If you want romance, go be with Ben Cassidy. Maybe he'll fawn all over you or play a beautiful piece of violin music. I never promised you romance. And stop finding a reason to be angry with me. I didn't redevelop this place. I just asked if you ate at restaurants."

You are So Undead to Me(Megan Berry #1) by Stacey Jay

Megan Berry was a funny, sarcastic, normal teenage girl, and for that I thank the author. The only different thing about Megan Berry? Well, she has a job. A pretty awesome job. She settles Zombies. What could be cooler than that? (Sorry. Team Zombie.) Nothing. I guess Zombies chasing you all the time might suck though. Anyways, Megan and Ethan's relationship is cute, it shows in the way they interact, and in the way they seemed to just fit. In a "Hey, don't they look cute together." kind of way. But I could have lived without all the jealousy dynamics. I mean, no one really wants to read about jealous people. (Even if we've all been there. Don't Lie.) Anywho, it was a cute entertaining read to pass the time.


Here's the Blurb:



Fifteen-year-old Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a bunch of dead people with a whole lot of issues. 


All Megan wants is to be normal and go to homecoming, of course. Unfortunately, it's a little difficult when your dates keep getting interrupted by a bunch of slobbering Undead. 


Things are about to get even more complicated for Megan. Someone in school is using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into flesh-eating Zombies, and it's looking like homecoming will turn out to be a very different kind of party the bloody kind. 


Megan must stop the Zombie apocalypse descending on Carol, Arkansas. Her life and more importantly, homecoming depends on it.




                   I give this Book Three Stars.

She's so Dead to Us(He's so/She's so #1) by Kieran Scott

The girls in this book are pretentious, snarky snobs. Poor Ally just seems like the coolest, most down to earth girl, and all the Cresties hate her. Because of something her Dad did. Dumb, No? Jake can seem really cool one moment, then really awful the next. Cause he was totally awesome until he started getting all "My friends can't see me with you." Yeah, some friends they are buddy. But Ally was just cool throughout the entire book. So. The story was cute, and I'll probably read the next one.

Here's the Blurb:

Ally Ryan would rather be in Maryland. She would rather be anywhere, in fact, than Orchard Hill, site of her downfall. Well, not hers exactly—but when your father’s hedge fund goes south and all your friends lose their trust funds, things don’t look so sunny for you. Her mother moved her to Maryland to flee the shame, but now they’re moving back. Back to the country-club, new-car-every-year, my-family-came-over-on-the-Mayflower lifestyle that Ally has outgrown. One bright spot, however, is gorgeous, intense Jake Graydon. But it won’t be easy for the two of them to be together—not if his friends (her former friends) have anything to say about it. Is Ally ready to get thrown back into the drama of the life she left behind?




                                       I give this Book Three Stars.