Recent Reads: 9-15 December 2018

I read FOUR books this week!

See what all I read in this week’s reading blog!

Sunday (9th December)

Paper Girl by Cindy R. Wilson

“I haven’t left my house in over a year. My doctor says it’s social anxiety, but I know the only things that are safe are made of paper. My room is paper. My world is paper. Everything outside is fire. All it would take is one spark for me to burst into flames. So I stay inside. Where nothing can touch me.

Then my mom hires a tutor. Jackson. This boy I had a crush on before the world became too terrifying to live in. Jackson’s life is the complete opposite of mine, and I can tell he’s got secrets of his own. But he makes me feel things. Makes me want to try again. Makes me want to be brave. I can almost taste the outside world. But so many things could go wrong, and all it takes is one spark for everything I love to disappear…“

Published: 4 December 2018

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary / Mental Health

Pages: 336

Check out my review HERE!

*Disclaimer: I requested a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of my reviews contain my honest opinion only and are not influenced in any way.*

Wednesday (12th December)

Fractured Magic (Unstable Magic #1) by Emily Bybee

“As the world’s worst witch, Maddie is mistreated by her own kind. She was born a Defect. Most of her spells blow up in her face, literally. While witches search for the long-lost power of the earth, Maddie spends her time in the science lab. There, she discovers a clue to the lost power. The only other witness is Jax, a smokin’ hot college bad-boy, who Maddie can’t decide if she wants to kiss or kill.

When she fails her magic final, the council orders her magic stripped. Maddie’s only chance to keep her brain intact is to find the power with the hope that it can fix her. Jax is her one true ally on the journey. The two of them must use their smarts to stay ahead of the witches while they follow a two-hundred-year-old trail to the power of the earth and the truth behind Maddie’s defect.“

Published: 31 October 2018

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 306

Check out my review HERE!

*Disclaimer: I requested a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of my reviews contain my honest opinion only and are not influenced in any way.*

Thursday (13th December)

The Night We Said Yes (The Night We Said Yes #1) by Lauren Gibaldi

“A fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti! What happens when Matt and Ella reunite one year after their breakup? Are second chances really possible?

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over her ex-boyfriend and graduate high school—simple as that. But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player—was never part of that plan. And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

But then Matt leaves town, breaking Ella’s heart. And when he shows up a year later—wanting to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.“

Published: 16 June 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary / Romance

Pages: 294

Click HERE for my book review!

Friday (14th December)

Trouble is a Friend of Mine (Trouble #1) by Stephanie Tromly

“Of course I didn’t like Digby when I first met him. No one does.

The first time Philip Digby shows up on Zoe Webster’s doorstep, he’s rude and he treats her like a book he’s already read and knows the ending to.

But before she knows it, Zoe’s allowed Digby—annoying, brilliant, and somehow…attractive? Digby—to drag her into a series of hilarious, dangerous, and only vaguely legal schemes all related to the kidnapping of a local teenage girl. A kidnapping that might be connected to the tragic disappearance of his little sister eight years ago. When it comes to Digby, Zoe just can’t say no.

But is Digby a hero? Or is his manic quest an indication of a desperate attempt to repair his broken family and exorcize his own obsessive-compulsive tendencies? And does she really care anyway?

This is a contemporary debut with razor-sharp dialogue, ridiculously funny action, and a dynamic duo you won’t soon forget.“

Published: 4 August 2015

Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary / Mystery

Pages: 336

Click HERE for my book review!

Saturday (8th December)

Dream Keeper (The Dark Dreamer Trilogy #1) by Amber R. Duell

“The Sandman is seventeen-year-old Nora’s closest friend and best-kept secret. He has to be, if she doesn’t want a one-way ticket back to the psychiatrist. It took her too long to learn not to mention the hooded figure in her dreams to her mother, who still watches Nora as if she’ll crack. So when Nora’s friends start mysteriously dying gruesome deaths in their sleep, she isn’t altogether surprised when the police direct their suspicion at her. The Sandman is the only one she can turn to for answers. But the truth might be more than she bargained for…

For the last five years, the Sandman has spent every night protecting Nora. When he hid the secret to the Nightmare Lord’s escape inside her dreams, he never expected to fall in love with her. Neither did he think his nemesis would find her so quickly, but there’s no mistaking his cruel handiwork. The Nightmare Lord is tired of playing by the rules and will do anything to release his deadly nightmares into the world, even if that means tormenting Nora until she breaks.

When the Nightmare Lord kidnaps Nora’s sister, Nora must enter enemy territory to save her. The Sandman is determined to help, but if Nora isn’t careful, she could lose even more than her family to the darkness.

(Please note: This story contains vivid death scenes.)”

Published: 29 January 2019

Publisher: The Parliament House

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 288

I ended up DNF-ing this one. I really liked the darkness that is this story and the idea of the spin on the classic Sandman story, but I was just not getting deep into the book as I had hoped. So, I eventually put it down for now. I think that it may have been that I wasn’t in the right mood for this writing style.

*Disclaimer: I requested a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of my reviews contain my honest opinion only and are not influenced in any way.*

Favorite Book of the Week: Paper Girl

# of Pages Read: 1,282

Total # of Books Read: 4 books with 1 DNF

Some posts you may have missed this week:

December 2018 Monthly Reads
Blog Tour: Paper Girl by Cindy R. Wilson (YA Contemporary / Mental Health)
Book Blitz: Captive Rebel (The Allegiance #1) by Erin McDermott (YA Fantasy)
TBR Wednesdays: The Disasters by M.K. England (YA Sci-Fi)
Blog Tour: Fractured Magic by Emily Bybee (YA Paranormal)
The Night We Said Yes (The Night We Said Yes #1) by Lauren Gibaldi (YA Contemporary / Romance)
Trouble is a Friend of Mine (Trouble #1) by Stephanie Tromly (YA Contemporary / Mystery)

For this next week, I will be continuing on in my quest to finish the first 8 books from my Owlcrate unboxings. I’ve had a lot of fun reading these, and there have been a few that I was pleasantly surprised about.

Today, I will be binge-reading a few books from my local library, so stay tuned to figure out which ones they are!

What will you be working on this week?? Did you read anything interesting?

Want to know what I thought of each book?? Subscribe below to be notified when the reviews have been released!