Review Wednesday: My Skylar by Penelope Ward

*This is a book meant for adults due to some inappropriate content for people younger than 18.*

Title: My Skylar

Author: Penelope Ward
1st Date of Publication: June 2, 2014

ISBN: 9781499764529
# of Pages: 312

Genre: New Adult

Age Rating: 17+ (Language and Sexual Content)

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Book Description:
Skylar was my best friend, but I secretly pined for her. One thing after another kept us apart, and I’ve spent the last decade in fear of losing her forever.

First, it was the cancer, but she survived only to face the unthinkable at my hands. Because of me, she left town. For years, I thought I’d never see her again.

But now she’s back…and living with him.

I don’t deserve her after everything I’ve put her through, but I can’t live without her. This is my last chance, because she’s about to make the biggest mistake of her life. I can see it her eyes: she doesn’t love him. She still loves me...which is why I have to stop her before it’s too late.

Setting: Several locations on the east coast of the United
Point of View: 1st person- Mitch and Skylar

Goodreads Rating: 4.36

My Rating: 4.50

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Cover

View on the Cover: It looks like a beach read. Why is the woman topless? What are the man's tattoo supposed to mean? Why does the cover show a somber tone?
View on Title: It seems a bit possessive. Why is the woman his?

Pros:

• This is definitely a beach read. I really enjoyed it and I got it free, which made it even better.
• This book had every possible sad story plot twist in it. All I will say is that it starts out with kids with divorced parents and then cancer, I won't spoil the rest of it. It made the book more interesting. Ward really knew how to make each scenario flow throughout the book.
• The character I found really interesting was Charisma. I kind of hate her, but she is a genius.
• The character development is done very well where it made the characters feel real. You can feel the raw emotions of both Mitch and Skylar. You can understand the motives of both characters and it makes you sympathize with them.

Cons:

• I felt that the sad story plot twists became a little much once the Mitch and Skylar meet. It's a double edged sword, but the stakes were high for the both of them. It gave the notion that love can overcome anything, which is hard to believe.
• Charisma was also a double edged sword. I really hated her and thought she was unnecessary.
• Skylar's indecision really bothered me because that caused most of the problems when it came to her relationship with Mitch.

Penelope Ward's Website:
http://www.penelopewardauthor.com/

Other Recommendations:

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Fifty Shades of Gray by E.L. James
Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Review Wednesday: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Title: The Moon and More

Author: Sarah Dessen
1st Date of Publication: June 4, 2013

ISBN: 9780670785605

# of Pages: 435

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Age Rating: 13+

Buy it on Amazon

Book Description: Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

Setting: Colby Beach, NC in 21st century

Point of View: 3rd Person- Emaline

Goodreads Rating: 3.63

My Rating: 3.75

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Cover

View on the Cover: The cover art makes me want to go to the beach and bask in the sun.
View on Title: The title was intriguing because it is a saying many people say so I wanted to see the take on it.

Pros:

• It's a beach read!
• I had a love-hate view of Theo (but I'll give the love part here) and related to him quite a bit. He is an extremely awkward character and makes everything as "special events." I think it's adorable since that's how I feel about everything.
• I loved that Emaline was such a forgiving character. Even though a few characters used her, it does not stop her from being a light in the darkness.
• Emaline's half-brother, Benji, adds some comic relief as he is any typical 10-year old. They always need something to do and if they do not they will torment you. (I have experience. My little sister is 9.) He is also very intuitive and manipulative in a cute sort of way. He is the character that brings all the other characters together.

Cons:

• Emaline's character is a little frustrating at times with the way she deals with certain characters and situations. But, she does have quite a bit against her.
• Theo always felt to me like a one-sided and selfish character. If it really did not benefit him in the end, he did not feel like doing it.
• Luke's character was difficult for me to wrap my mind around. He cheats on Emaline and thinks it's okay, but continuously tries to make up for her all while basically dating other girls. (It does not work like that, buddy! You're either all in or not at all.)

Critics' Reviews:
"Dessen aims for the Moon with her latest novel and manages the landing quite wonderfully. Readers looking for a story as warm and real as The Truth About Forever (Viking, 2004) need look no further. Emaline works hard, both in school and at her family's realty office with three generations of women handling beach-vacation rentals in the small southern town of Colby. Her efforts get her accepted to Columbia, but when her birth father, back in her life after being absent for 10 years, suddenly and inexplicably withdraws his offer of substantial help, she has to settle for a less-prestigious school just two hours away. One advantage: her boyfriend, Luke, will also be there. Summer starts off normally: her dad, the one who married her teenaged mother and adopted Emaline years ago, is still fixing up their house; her older stepsister is bossing her around at work; and Em is passing out keys and towels and hanging around with her best friends, Daisy and Morris. Characters are crafted with care to be whole and realistic, so readers will be immersed when Emaline meets the New Yorkers who rent a mansion for the summer to make a documentary about local character Clyde, once quite a big deal on the art scene. Theo, the filmmaker's cute assistant, seems smitten with Emaline; and when Luke indulges in clubbing with a pretty tourist, the dream couple breaks up, enabling Emaline to spend some time with someone new. Complications romantic and familial help crystallize the strength in Emaline as her understanding transitions from youth to adulthood." -School Library Journal

Sarah Dessen's Website:

http://sarahdessen.com/

Other Recommendations:

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
One Summer by David Baldacci