REVIEW: To All The Boys I've Loved Before

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Published: April 15th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books 

Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit, Realistic Fiction,

Pages: 288 pages

Format: Kindle Edition
Rating: 8.5/10
Description: This is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Let me just say: This is easily my favorite novel by Jenny Han. I wasn't impressed with her "The Summer I Turned Pretty" series at all; Maybe because it's for a younger demographic, but I digress. But, this book... It was so good. It pulled me in with it's funny, flawed characters, and it's tottally relateable premise. It had a lot of pop culture references (I highly appreciated the Harry Potter and LOTR ones). It was romantic, and cringe-worthy, and everything that you could ever want in a contemporary romance YA.


The Characters? I loved them so much. From Kitty, the sassy and adorable younger sister, to their father, the laid-back, kind dad. Lara Jean was such a relateable protagnoist. She doesn't give into peer pressure, has crushes, writes love notes, has a crazy relationship with her sisters. I loved her sisters and father! The awesome dynamic between the family was so refreshing. I loved Peter SO MUCH. The constant sassy bickering between them and the slow yet sweet descent into falling for each other was so well done. Margot's organization and bossiness was a great trait to see, especially in a young adult novel.

The Setting? Absolutely refreshing! The Korean/Asian household was just so fresh and stimulating. It was very relateable. I loved the descriptions of the Korean dishes that Lara Jean would prepare, and the descriptions of their customs. I liked the Korean household wasn't a huge stereotype. It didn't feel forced or anything. It felt real and fit right into the story. I suppose it's because Jenny Han herself grew up in a similar setting with her very own sister. Whatever the reason, Jenny Han wrote a terrific and genuine setting.

The Plot? The plot wasn't too complex. However, I was so invested in the story! The humor was spot-on. As a mentioned earlier, the references to Harry Potter, LOTR, ect. were so well placed. I felt like some potential with lost with the letters, though. It's a super cool premise, but I felt like the element with the letters could have been more implemented.
Other reviews were complaining about Lara Jean and about how a sixteen-year-old should be more mature. Um, no. I thought Lara Jean was perfectly normal sixteen-year-old. As I was just sixteen last year, I can tell you that her mind-set's were similar to mine. We're supposed to fret and fuss over little things, and write love letters, and do stupid things. I highly enjoyed Lara Jean's voice.
The loved the romance. I am a sucker for love stories like this: two people who conjure up fake love each other, and in actuality, argue and bicker with each other then end up falling in love them for real. I just love! I don't know why! I love it! And I loved Peter! And I loved Lara Jean with Peter! It was great.

Overall? One could probably deduce that I really, really, really, loved this book. From the cringe-worthy yet sweet romance, to the refreshing and loving family dynamics, to the funny pop-culture references, To All The Boys I've Loved Before is the perfect contemporary romance. I loved it.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell because of several things. Firstly, because of the sister dynamic. Cath and Wren are taking different paths and that's putting a wedge in their relationship while Lara Jean and Margot are separated due to school and the lack of communication puts a wedge in their relationship. Secondly, the Harry Potter references? Do I need to say more? And thirdly, the unlikely romance. Both are YA contemporary's and I enjoyed both of them immensely. 

REVIEW: The Elite & The One

The Elite (The Selection #2) and The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass
Published: April 2013 and June 2014 by HarperTeen
Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance, Chick Lit
Pages: 336 pages and 323 pages
Format: Hardcover
The Elite: 6/10 The One: 7.5/10

This review is a little different as I am putting two reviews into one! I basically marathon-read the entire The Selection trilogy in less than a week, so to me, the storyline was fluid and straightforward. I didn't feel that making two separate reviews would be wise, so I just made one! However, because I'm fresh off the feelings, this review will mostly be a rant.

WARNING: Spoilers! Everywhere, there are spoilers. I mean, it's the middle and last book of a series, what do you expect?

These are the last two books in The Selection trilogy!

I was surprisingly delighted with this short, sweet trilogy. It's not that well written, but boy, did these characters wheedle their way into my heart. By the last book, I was just overcome with the feels.

Rant #1: Let's start with The Elite, book two. This is probably my least favorite of the bunch, simply because the intensity of the awkward love triangle heightened. It was so forced and awkward in the first place, so when Aspen and America had their little lovey moments I was pretty much screaming. And how stupid is America? Letting him into her room and wearing his bracelet and ugh. Girl, c'mon. You love Maxon. It was pretty obvious from that America was going to choose Maxon from the first book, so every time she held back from Maxon because "oh but the tree house with Aspen!" was infuriating. Oh, you're "unsure", America? Really? And the copious amount of times that America cry's is astounding. I can't deal. She goes from being a strong protagonist to breaking down like a baby because a boy was acting kind of stoic or passive... I hated that.
Oh man, though. The Maxon/America romance and it's accompanying tension was good. The dynamic of America finding out that the King abuses Maxon and her cleaning his wounds was so tender and well done. I liked the tension of America catching Maxon with Celeste and discovering his deeper relationship with Kriss. It was a good wake-up call that Maxon was still a free man, and was being wooed by more women than America.
I enjoyed how the Rebels made the atmosphere more tense and serious. Discovering that Illea and the King are tyrants was a nice immersive bit.
Overall? It wasn't a bad sequel. It's sets up the situation for The One. I loved the romance and romantic tensions, but hated a lot of the poor character arcs. Still, I enjoyed it and read it in a day.

Rant #2: Finally, the last installment of The Selection, The Elite.
Oh. The. Feels.
Okay, I'm so happy with the ending. It was perfect, albeit there were some unnecessary deaths. I do wish that the death of The Queen was more emotional. All we got was "She was gonna let me call her mom. Sad face." I wish Celeste had lived, I honestly do. I would much rather have had Marlee die or something.
Speaking of Celeste, (what a segue), most of the character arcs were either weak, predictable or nonexistent. Celeste's was my favorite one by far. Her sudden death was so crippling because I was just starting to like her!
I didn't like the stereotyping of Elise's character. I liked her quiet and stoic nature, but get this: she's Asian and her sole character goal is to bring honor to her family. Really? It definitely bugged me.
I loved the rebels. Especially the uncovering of the rebels living amongst our familiar cast of characters such as America's dad and Kriss. I wish we got more of an inside look at the inner working of the Northern Rebels. Where did they get weapons? How do they communicate to far off allies? Who trained them? How does their base function without alerting the monarch? And more. I felt that breezing over these details wasn't a good idea. I feel like the novels would have been so much more interesting and intriguing if we got to find out more about the Rebels.
The dying letters written by Mr. Singer was so emotional and well done. I sort of had an inkling that he might die, as America depended on him so much. Still, his death and parting words were so touching.

Overall, I think that The Selection is a great trilogy. It's super girly, with some dystopian elements. I found myself really enjoying it and finishing the whole series in less than a week (four days). I recommend it to anyone looking for an easy, romance read!

REVIEW: The Selection

The Selection (The Selection #1) by Keira Cass
Published: April 24th 2012 by HarperTeen
Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance, Chick Lit
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 7/10
Description: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks. Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Firstly, I just want to make a quick disclaimer. I came into this novel with absolutely no idea about the drama/controversy surrounding The Selection and the rest of the books in the trilogy. I did not read or watch any reviews about The Selection as I didn't want to spoil the story. My initial reaction was shock as I read negative review after negative review. I actually got kind of upset at the amount of mocking that was going on. I want my review here to be unaffected by other's views of the author, or their personal views of the story itself. Just for some clarity: I actually really enjoyed this book. It was highly entertaining. So, let's get reviewing! 

The Characters? America is a frustrating protagonist, but she was highly enjoyable to read about. She is quite selfish and I was always expecting her to do something great. I was really looking forward to some wonderful scene with her and her instruments. As music is her and her families' entire life, I thought that there would be a touching scene with her on her violin or something, but alas, there wasn't. The whole music thing is breezed over, which was disappointing. One annoying thing about America is that she seems to think, "I am in the fifth caste. These two's and three's are so spoiled. Wah." As if people should pity her, or that she's better than everyone else because she has survived through the most. It was quite annoying. 
I am not a fan of love triangles, and this triangle was particularly forced. It didn't bother me too much, though. I didn't care for Aspen, so I was rooting for Maxon most of the time. I think I've gotten to the point where love triangles have become so re-used that I can pretty much predict the outcome. Eh. 
The characters are predictable. Be warned. That doesn't mean that you can't be entertained by them. Don't expect super complex character arcs and motives, because that's not what you'll get. You will get spiteful girls vying for the title of princess, a charming prince, and a headstrong protagonist. It's predictable. But I enjoyed them! 

The Setting? It's in a dystopian world in a county called Illea, which has a monarchy. The world itself isn't too rich. We know that there is a war in New Asia, and there are disputes and rebels coming from the North and the South. For the most part, our setting is the castle. It's not too interesting. 

The Plot? Obviously by now you'll have figured out that The Selection isn't a masterpiece by any means. It is quite flawed. It's story-line isn't weaving and complicated. Rather, (much like the characters), it is predictable and at times underwhelming. However, again, I was thoroughly entertained the whole time. It was exactly what I expected! It's a light romance, with girly drama, a light romance, and some dystopian elements. It's like a guilty pleasure read; Like watching The Bachelor. 
The language is easy and the whole book took my roughly 3-4 hours to breeze through. I liked the simple and humor dialogue, the descriptions of the gorgeous dresses, gowns, and exploring the castle. 
A common critique of The Selection is that it's supposed to be a dystopian, but it's anything but. I will have to disagree. It's a pretty typical dystopian. You've got different groups of people organized by society. The rich are super rich, and the poor are super poor and are mistreated. There's a war raging on that we hear about briefly and there are rebels that are... well, rebelling! The dystopian elements are there, however poor they may be. It's still better than Divergent. 

Overall? I really, really enjoyed it. I can't lie. Those people who were expecting a deep, in-depth novel will be disappointed. But honestly? It's a book about girls trying to win the love of the prince and become a princess. It sounds shallow, right? Well, expect some shallow characters and plots. 
Technicalities aside, I was hooked to the story. It was easy to breeze through. I was interested the whole time. Of course, that is just my personal opinion. There are plenty of flaws, as in all other works of literature. This is a great, quick, girly read. 

The Bachelor because The Selection is about 35 young women trying to win over a prince. The Prince Maxon will periodically eliminate some of the candidates. Also, there's a weekly, televised update. I mean, it's dying to be a TV show. 

Ah, The Hunger Games and Divergent. Firstly, I HATE it when people compare books to these two powerhouses of teen dystopians. But, I did note some similarities simply with the system in which all three dystopian worlds are run. There are groups in which every citizen are sorted into. TGH has District, Divergent has factions, and The Selection has castes. The poor are mistreated, and are often starving. Also, American's family dynamic with her younger sister is like Katniss with her sister. There's a lottery to pick people. And who could forget the love triangles! Can't have a teen dystopian without one! The same old formula for dystopians. It's getting kind of old, really. 

Random side-note: I just imagined Sophie Turner (the lovely actress who plays Sansa Stark on GoT) as America the whole book. If this ever becomes a movie or TV show, I want her to play America. She's so precious and beautiful. I love Sophie Turner. Look at her!