Whats Broken Between Us by Alexis Bass

Whats Broken Between Us by Alexis Bass

Release Date:  December 29, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages:  304

Summary: Alexis Bass’s heartbreakingly beautiful second novel is a tale of love, loss, and learning to forgive.

Look to the left, look to the right. We’re all going to die. But someone has to do it first. So who’s it going to be?

Tragedy struck Amanda Tart’s town a year and a half ago when a sophomore girl was killed in a car accident on graduation night.

Amanda’s brother, Jonathan, was behind the wheel and too drunk to drive. He’s spent the past year in prison and has cut off all ties. But now Jonathan is coming home. Just as Amanda’s trying to figure out what that means for her family and herself, she’s paired up for a school project with Henry Crane—a former crush, and brother of Jonathan’s ex-girlfriend, who survived the crash with horrible injuries.

Everyone is still incredibly damaged by the events of that night. Can Amanda and Henry finally begin to heal what’s broken and find some peace?

My Thoughts:  I wasn’t sure if this was going to be my type of book or not. I read Bass debut novel and I just felt like it was ok.  

I enjoyed Whats Broken Between Us quite a bit more than her debut.

We are introduced to Amanda. Amanda is in high school and just trying to get through it and get it over with. A while ago, her brother Jonathan was in a car accident killing another of his friends and injuring the other girl in the same car. Jonathan has been in prison for a while but he’s coming home. This really puts Amanda in a bind. She wants her brother home of course, but she has to wonder if he’s changed or if he’s changed for the better or worst.

Amanda also has a boyfriend but she has a crush on one of the girls brothers who was in the car accident. She actually liked him before the accident happened. His name was Henry. I really liked Henry. I think he was the highlight of most of the story for me. Yes, I enjoyed the plot but I really really liked the parts with Henry.

I really did enjoy this one, but it's intense and things aren’t always happy. Its raw and emotional.  Amanda is a character you definitely want to root for.

Overall:  I liked this one a lot. Probably another 3.5 cupcake rating for me. I finished it really fast too!

Cover:  Like it. Its dark, almost haunting.

What I’d Give It:

Empire Of Night (Age Of Legends #2) by Kelley Armstrong

Empire Of Night (Age Of Legends #2) by Kelley Armstrong

Release Date: April 7, 2015

Publisher: HarperCollins

Age Group:  Young Adult

Pages: 432

Summary:  Sisters Moria and Ashyn are the Keeper and Seeker of Edgewood. Or at least, they were.

Their village is gone. Their friends have betrayed them. And now, the emperor has sent them on a mission to rescue the children of Edgewood—accompanied by Prince Tyrus and a small band of imperial warriors. But the journey proves more perilous than they could have imagined. With treachery and unrest mounting in the empire, Moria and Ashyn will have to draw on all their influence and power to overcome deadly enemies—not all of them human—and even avert an all-out war

My Thoughts:  I remember reading the first in this series and thinking it was just okay!! I kind of felt the same way about this one. I just don’t know why but I can’t seem to really get into these books. I do like the characters, and the plot is even good but I just have a hard time following things.

We are back with Moria and Ashyn and their crazy adventurous life. We also get a new boy in this one. His name was Tyrus. I did like him and he added a new mix into the book.

We also see Gavril again, but not much and his actions, blah.

I did finish this one at least.

Overall:  I won’t give away too many spoilers but I kind of saw the end coming, and then the very last thing, kind of saw that coming too!  This one was just okay for me. I’ll probably read the next one just to find out what happens!

Cover:  Its ok! Kind of dark and mysterious!

What I’d Give It:

Come Back To Me by Mila Gray

Come Back To Me by Mila Gray

Release Date:  December 8, 2015

Publisher:  Simon Pulse

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages:  352

Summary:  In this heart-wrenching tale of love and loss, a young Marine and his best friend’s sister plunge into a forbidden love affair while he’s home on leave.

When a Marine Chaplain knocks on her door, Jessa’s heart breaks—someone she loves is dead. Killed in action, but is it Riley or Kit? Her brother or her boyfriend…

Three months earlier, Marine Kit Ryan finds himself back home on leave and dangerously drawn to his best friend Riley’s sister, Jessa—the one girl he can’t have. Exhausted from fighting his feelings, Kit finally gives in, and Jessa isn’t strong enough to resist diving headfirst into a passionate relationship.

But what was just supposed to be a summer romance develops into something far greater than either of them expected. Jessa’s finally found the man of her dreams and Kit’s finally discovered there’s someone he’d sacrifice everything for.

When it’s time for Kit to redeploy, neither one is ready to say goodbye. Jessa vows to wait for him and Kit promises to come home to her. No matter what.

But as Jessa stands waiting for the Marine Chaplain to break her heart, she can’t help but feel that Kit has broken his promise…

Riley or Kit? Kit or Riley? Her brother or her boyfriend? Who’s coming home to her?

My Thoughts: From the first few pages on, I knew this one was going to make me cry somewhere in it. And it did.

We are introduced to Jessa who is a girl with a lot of hopes and dreams but she has a very overprotective father. A lot of times she’s just walking on eggshells around him trying to be the perfect daughter.

Jessa also has a brother named Riley who is in the Marines. Riley is gone a lot but when he does come home, its a fun time for Jessa. Jessa looks up to her brother and loves him with all of her heart. Riley also has a best friend named Kit.  Oh man, Kit. I loved Kit. He was also in the Marines and he was such a cutie. But he’s also a bit of a player, or at least he was most of his life.

Jessa has always had a crush on Kit from the time she was a teenager. The last few years Kit’s also had a crush on Jessa but he’s never let anyone know.

Well, this time when Riley and Kit come home on leave Jessa finds herself falling more and more in love with Kit and vice versa. Their secret relationship starts and its on fire!

I just loved the chemistry between them. And their relationship. Things aren’t always perfect though. They go through alot together and things happen.

I also want to mention this one is more New Adult than Young Adult. Or at least it should be.

As you can tell, things aren’t hunky dory all the time and people die, and people live, and things happen.

Overall:  It’s hard to put this one into words. It was really good in a way but I also at times wanted to skip ahead just to see what happened.  A lot of the book is also spent on moping and that really bugged me. LOL. I just wanted happiness. This one is definitely worth the read though and you might like it a bit more than me. I did really enjoy it but I think for me its more of a 3.5 contemp read.

Cover:  Love it! I’d pick this one up for the cover alone! Very sweet!

What I’d Give It: