Allegiant by Veronica Roth

LOVED this trilogy.  Such a solid ending too.  If you've read the first two books, the third is almost its own story, it's much different than the first two in terms of setting and characters.  It's also very revealing.

At the end of Insurgent, a video is played that is of Tris' distant relative, telling the people that once there is a high number of Divergents in the population, it's time for them to leave the city and come out into the world.  This is a huge shock, because to these people Chicago is their world, and they had no idea it was part of something bigger.  As it turns out, they were part of an experiment.  There had been a Purity War waged between people that were genetically pure and genetically damaged.  Those that were genetically damaged (fit in the sectors of Dauntless, Candor, etc) were viewed as lesser people.  They were placed into quarantine until their breeding removed those strains and there were Divergent people (fit into all categories, aren't missing certain parts of their genetics).  That quarantine became their world.  Now Tris and her friends are outside the walls waging a new war, trying to prove that there is no such thing as genetically damaged.  Just differences in people.

I can't give away the ending, but it left me with mixed feelings.  I loved the story, and the ending fit the story and made a lot of sense after I thought it over.  But the first reaction was shock and disbelief, which in hindsight, is the sign of a well written book.  I'm sad this trilogy is over because I enjoyed reading it, but the good news is all three books are out!  So if you haven't read the series you can start and not have to wait for the next book to be released.  Waiting between the 2nd and 3rd was pure anxiety, thanks to the cliff hanger in Insurgent.  This was recommended to me as a trilogy similar to The Hunger Games, and I would have to agree.  The strong female lead with the dystopian setting was very reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but it was different enough to keep my attention.  Great series!  The Divergent movie (shot in Chicago of course) comes out on 3.21.2014.  Another reason to start the books!

Side note, I was in Charleston for a friend's wedding over the weekend of Nov 9th, and that is the same weekend as Yallfest in Charleston.  Where all the bookstores host different YA authors.  There are almost 60 authors, book signings everywhere, different events.....basically a book lovers dream.  I didn't have a chance to attend because we were there for the wedding, but on Sunday sitting in the airport, I happen to sit a row away from Veronica Roth and Marie Lu.  AMAZING.  I totally creeped in on their conversation and heard them talk about the different characters and the way they wrote the books.  Kyle was slightly embarrassed while I nerded out, but whatever.  Best day of my life.

<3, jacq

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

I saw this on a list of books to read in your 20s, and I've been trying to read every book on that list.  This came up for checkout on KC Library and I read all their reviews.  They were awful!  Everyone hated the book, characters, writing style, etc.  So I almost didn't check it out.  But I did, and I LOVED it.

The book centers around three girls that just graduated and are navigating life in their twenties.  Isabella seems to be talked about the most, and Lauren and Mary are the other two characters.  They all live in NYC and are young working women, navigating life and love in the city.  They are at the age where they attend a lot of weddings and bridal showers, and are in the dating scene themselves.  Mary is the first to get married and have kids, and Isabella and Lauren help her with the changes.  Isabella is dating Harrison for most of the story, and Lauren starts seeing a guy names Mark seriously at the end.

There's really no plot or storyline to discuss.  It's simply about three girls dealing with life.  Each chapter centers around a mini story or event with one of the girls so you get insight into what their point of view is.  I think for me the best part of the story is seeing how these three stick with each other through college and to their thirties, despite life changes happening all the time.  They also talk just like friends would in real life, making the whole book so completely relatable.  I'm not a 20 something single living in NYC, but I have friends that are and this whole book is so accurate.  People didn't like this book in reviews because of the lack of storyline, and that was what made it to realistic for me.  The talks of dating, trying to find good guys in the city, dealing with low paying jobs, looking for small apartments that will cost you a fortune, and watching all your friends getting married and wondering if you are behind the curve.

**Spoiler alert - The ending was great.  There was no huge event, the girls didn't go off and get married, no super happy ending.  It simply ended.  Then you realize, reading through the book, how much the girls have grown throughout.  Their problems have changed, the bar scene days are over, and they are beginning to really settle down.  It made me realize how the book is really about just growing into your own, which is what the characters do.  And there is no ending in life, only the next chapter.  The girls ended their young, wild, searching days and are entering their adult, calm, settled days.  So to those that felt gypped by the ending, you obviously didn't understand where the author was going.  Or the beauty of a simple story that doesn't need all the crazy ups and downs that are so fictional, but reflects on a normal life.

If you are a 20 something I highly recommend you read this book.  It's entertaining, funny, and just so realistic you will want to befriend these girls.  As soon as I finished, I called a girlfriend and setup a dinner date this week, because the book reminds you of how important those people are in your life.  I may have my man, but I will always need my girls.

<3, jacq

Gone by James Patterson

Gone is the next book in the Michael Bennett series from James Patterson.  I was traveling to Charleston over the weekend for a wedding, so I was actually able to read quite a bit (hence the multiple updates).

Gone starts off where the series last left us, Manuel Perrine escaped from capture and is on the loose.  The whole Bennett family has been relocated by witness protection to a remote farm, since they are on the top of Perrine's list to kill.  Perrine has started routinely assassinating the heads of all drug families and mobs in an attempt to completely take over the drug community, and eventually, take back the state of California.  The FBI is hardly making any progress, so agent Emily Parker recruits Mike into helping the investigation and leaving his family in the marshal's hands.  The Bennett family is left in the backwoods area with the marshals and try to keep from going crazy.  However, a couple brushes with nearby families and some weed farmers (huge business up there) bring some attention to them, and it's possible Perrine will be able to find them after all.

First, let me say this isn't my favorite Patterson series.  I'm much more of an Alex Cross fan than a Michael Bennett fan.  Bennett is just too cliche for me in a lot of his one liners and actions.  I like the Bennett family, the fact that they are more of a ragtag bunch that's been adopted, with a sassy nanny and crazy Grandpa (who can get scary if he needs to).  So keep all that in mind.

(Spoiler alert) It drives me CRAZY that Perrine found them because of Seamus (the Grandpa) but Bennett just can't stay mad at him because his intentions are so good.  Seamus, who is a priest, volunteers to help lead a congregation in the local area.  Michael tells him that's not smart, but ends up saying caving when Seamus says you're right, we will just let the souls stay lost.  Then Bennett, who just can't stay mad at him, goes and takes some of the kids.  I mean really, you are in witness protection, you have a large adopted family that will stand out, and you let Seamus guilt you into going to church?  THEN after Michael leaves Seamus goes to the food bank with some of the kids to help, and people see him again.  So all it takes is for Perrine to ask a few people and sure enough they give Perrine the exact location of the family.  I think the reason that bothered me the most was because as soon as Seamus led worship, the reader knew at some point Perrine was going to find the family and use it as leverage against Michael.  So it killed the ending a bit for me.

Anyways, if you love Patterson it's still a quick interesting read, but personally I'm a little over Michael Bennett.

<3, jacq

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

I had no idea this was a book until recently.  I've seen the movie multiple times, and it's actually one of my favorites.  So I checked this out from the library to see if it was similar.

The book follows Andy Sachs as she works as Miranda Priestly's assistant.  Miranda Priestly is known for being difficult and insanely hard to work with, but once you work for her for a year, you can work anywhere.  So Andy takes the job, which takes over her life.  She is expected to be on call every minute of every day, and work insane hours, which naturally cuts into her relationships.  She loses touch with her best friend and her boyfriend, and hardly sees her family.  The rest is just fallout from her job.

One thing I noticed is that the book is drastically different from the movie.  First, Lily plays a much bigger role in the book (one of the main characters).  She is Andy's roommate and has a drinking problem, and Andy has to balance dealing with her and trying to help her with work.  Her family also plays a bigger role, and her sister ends up having a baby during the story.  Her boyfriend has the same name as the guy in the movie (Alex) but actually works as a teacher.  Not a chef.  Miranda was also a lot harsher in the book, and they don't end on good terms like they do in the movie.  At all really.  Also, Emily is much more of a friend in the book and not an enemy that eventually likes Andy at the very end.  I actually liked the book a lot better because it wasn't as shallow as the movie was.  Lily's character is much more interesting, and there was more to it than the fashion.

The biggest shock.....the reason Andy quits.  It has nothing to do with French Runway (never even mentioned in the book) or Nigel being passed over for a promotion.  His character isn't even big at all in the book.  The movie created that whole sub story line, which was unusual.  Usually the movie follows closer.  I would definitely read the book if you liked the movie though, because it's almost like a brand new story line!

<3, jacq

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Wow.  It's been a while since I read a book that had me in tears.  This story was incredible, beautiful, moving, and sad.  It's a reminder that when it comes to your life, it's quality that matters and not quantity. 

Hazel is a teenage girl battling lung cancer.  She lives her life knowing how it will end, and tries to make as few connections as possible to keep things from being complicated.  She has a couple friends, her parents, and acquaintances from her cancer support group she attends.  But one day at support group, she meets Augustus.  They have an instant connection, and even though she fights it, they form a close bond and a serious relationship.  I can't say much without giving away the story, but it's truly a great story.

I had been told by MANY friends to read this book and it was really never on my radar.  It wasn't until I was browsing the ebooks for the KC library that I saw it and decided to put it on hold.  I got an email this week saying it was ready to download, and I finished it within 48 hours.  It's the type of story that you just can't put down.  It's also refreshing to read a story that's real, with the honesty of teenagers and the reality of cancer.  If you are one for super happy endings or predictable plots, this book isn't for you.  However, if you want to read something that will touch you and force you to think about the relationships in your life, you'll love it.

The biggest impact in reading this book is realizing how lucky I am in my relationships.  I'm fortunate enough to be married to my high school sweetheart, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will stay that way for a very long time.  I've also had close calls with both parents, and they are now healthy.  That's an easy thing to take for granted, but after reading about Hazel and Augustus, I can't help but feel blessed.

 

<3, jacq

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and within the first few chapters I was hooked.  The book is based on white collar crime which isn't written about as often because it doesn't always viewed as exciting.  However, as someone addicted to the show White Collar (my cat is even named Mozzie) white collar crime is just as sexy and crazy as any murder mystery.

The book is about Claire Roth, an artist who works for Repo.com painting reproductions.  Essentially, she is a forger for a living (although legally it's a copy because it's never presented as a the real painting).  Because of this job, she has skills that go beyond painting.  She can age items and make them seem as close to the original as possible.  She is a talented artist but is a pariah in the art world due to an affair she had with her professor in the past, Isaac Cullion, and the after effects.  She painted one of his most famous paintings to get him through a hard time, and he takes the credit.  While Claire is trying to prove that she painted the art, Isaac becomes depressed and eventually commits suicide.  She was blamed as being the one to cause his depression by Isaac's wife Martha, and everyone in the art world comes to hate her.  So when Aiden Markel, owner of the famous gallery Markel G, approaches her to give her a show, she is all ears.  Despite the fact she will need to forge a painting to get there.  The painting is one of the original Degas works that was stolen from the Gardner museum.  Aiden's plan is to have Claire forge it, sell the forgery, then donate the original back to the museum.  The person who bought the forgery wouldn't be able to come forward without claiming to have attempted to buy the stolen painting, Aiden would make money on the deal to help his gallery, and in return for Claire's help he would give her a show in his gallery.  Seemingly, it's a win for everyone, until things go south.  Then Claire is hurrying to solve the original robbery in order to save Aiden.

The book moved VERY quickly.  I loved how detailed the author was in the actual work behind the forgery (I feel like I now have the skills to forge a painting) and how well she wrote Claire as an artist that gets absorbed in her work.  Despite the fact that Claire is spending most of the book painting, it still moves at a pace that keeps the reader involved.  The quick pace is due to the author's writing style of switching back and forth between the past and the present.  The past is revealed to us (both Claire's past and the Degas painting's past) an excerpt at a time, so even if things were moving slowly in the present you couldn't stop reading.  I highly recommend this book to anyone!!  Great read!

<3, jacq

Secret Shared by L. Marie Adeline

Secret Shared is the sequel to S.E.C.R.E.T. written by L. Marie Adeline.  It picks up where book one left off, with Cassie unsure of her boss Will and agreeing to be a guide for the organization.  It also adds another character to the book.

Dauphine is a lot like Cassie was before S.E.C.R.E.T.  Quiet, unsure of herself, not dating, and letting her self confidence waste away.  Cassie sees Dauphine at a restaurant, and uses Matilda to help recruit her into the organization to have her own fantasies fulfilled.  Dauphine agrees, and starts the process.  Unlike Cassie, she gives the organization free reign over her fantasies in an effort to let go and enjoy herself.  Meanwhile, Cassie is trying to get over her boss Will (we found out at the end of book 1 he is having a baby with his girlfriend).  Now that Tracina is pregnant, Will and Cassie ended their new relationship so he can focus on his duties as a father.  It obviously doesn't mean they don't still have feelings for each other, so work is becoming awkward and difficult for both of them.

This book was better than the first in my opinion.  The story line was better, and since Cassie went through the program last year her portion of the story was much more realistic and much less physical (Dauphine's was of course very physical).  We learned a lot more about her past and saw her come into her own after gaining the confidence she needed from the program.  Jesse, one of her fantasies that she never really got over, also comes back into the story.  He and Cassie start a relationship that's mostly just fun, but has the potential to become serious.  Jesse is also my favorite because he's obviously attractive, but has a kid and a good sense of humor.  He seems like one of those guys that would just be a catch.

The ending of the book was great, and I can't say much without giving things away.  But essentially Cassie is stuck between Will and Jesse, and the future of S.E.C.R.E.T. could be in trouble.  I hope the author doesn't wait too long to release the third installment in the series!

<3, jacq