Effortlessly Reading

Won Pecan Pie and Deadly Lies from Goodreads First Reads. Did not get the book yet, but when I do, I will get to reading it soon. (:

Won Hard As It Gets from Goodreads First Reads. Did not get the book yet, but when I do, I will get to reading it soon. (:

3 or 3.5 stars. I don't know yet.

My Rating: 3.5 I've heard a lot about The Burning Sky, which was talked about throughout the blogosphere. Some bloggers really liked it, which immediately captured my attention because hey, just look at that stunning cover! I was honestly still iffy about the book though because books with gorgeous covers usually end up disappointing me, badly. In the end, I'm surprised and happy to say that I really enjoyed reading The Burning Sky, despite its few problems. The first thing everybody should know is that The Burning Sky uses several footnotes that appears throughout the book. But here's the thing: unlike regular footnotes, the footnotes doesn't appear at the bottom of the page the footnote appears in. Instead, the footnotes are in a Notes section at the back of the book. I have to admit, it was quite annoying to flip back and forth while reading. Although, on the plus side, the footnotes at the back of the book was entertaining to read about because it's written like a textbook with a brief history of the subject and sometimes even definitions. There existed something in this world that bound a mage tighter than a blood oath: love. Love was the ultimate chain, the ultimate whip, and the ultimate slave driver. (286) And that leads me to talk about The Burning Sky's fantastic worldbuilding. Everything in Sherry Thomas' world is fully explained - I literally did not have any questions left on the worldbuilding. Sherry Thomas explained how magic worked in the world she created, how the society of the mages and nonmages worked, the different powers/elements mages can have, and who has all the power in such a society. When Sherry Thomas introduces a new part of her world that I didn't know about, it is explained almost right away in the next paragraph or in the back of the book where the Notes section is. As for Sherry Thomas' writing, it is just so...grown-up. I don't know how else to describe it. I feel like her writing is meant for older kids to read and understand. (By older kids, I mean like kids a little older than twelve or thirteen.) It's really surprising that Sherry Thomas writes like that since her author biography says that she had "immigrated to the United States from China when she was thirteen and taught herself English in part by devouring science fiction and romance novels." Teaching yourself English definitely takes a lot of skills to do. On second thought, maybe it's just the font of the book that makes me think that her writing is so grown-up. I dunno. Did he wish daily - hourly - that he'd been born someone else, and not burdened with this crushing purpose? She would, but she could not tell about him. His true emotions were buried at the depth of an ocean trench, undetectable to anyone but himself. (214) The character that stood out the most in the book was Titus. He is such a complicated character. In the beginning, I hated him with a passion. He was so selfish and manipulative - two factors that did not bide well for me in anyone. However, as I read on and got to know him more, I slowly grew to understand him and why he does the things he does. I understood him so much that I started to sympathize with him. Yeah, Titus may seem to be a jerk in the beginning, but he redeems himself - a lot. I also love that the romance between Iolanthe and Titus isn't insta-love. Their romance developed slowly, but surely before they officially fell for each other. In fact, one of them hated the other one with a passion before they fell in love. (I think you can put together who hated who from the last paragraph.) Iolanthe and Titus' sweet moments had me grinning like a fool while I was reading - a fact that did not bide well for me since I was reading it on a crowded train. I wonder what people were thinking when they saw me like that. Thank goodness the cover isn't anything that just screamed ROMANCE! "Fall in love with me." He heard, loud and clear, the words the truth serum compelled from him. "If you loved me, everything would be so much easier." (272) However, my biggest problem with The Burning Sky is that there are sentence fragments scattered throughout the book. Some of these sentence fragments didn't make sense at all while I was reading, making me re-read that same sentence over and over again, trying to make sense of the sentence. As a result, the sentence fragments disrupted the flow of the book while I was reading it. It was kind of annoying to see that happen more than once. Overall, The Burning Sky exceeded my not-so-high expectations (I still feel guilty about that) by a lot. It's too bad about the whole sentence fragments thing though, or else I would have definitely given The Burning Sky a very high 4-star rating. I will definitely continue on with reading this series. (In case you don't know, this is a nudge for you to read The Burning Sky too.) Effortlessly Reading: The Burning Sky

Won Midnight City from Goodreads First Reads. Did not get the book yet, but when I do, I will get to reading it soon. (:

My Rating: 3.5 Once We Were was probably the most talked about book when it went up for review on Edelweiss. It's easy to understand why: What's Left of Me was one of the most memorable books I've read last year. With a premise of two souls sharing one body called hybrids and a society that doesn't accept them, What's Left of Me captured my attention in a heartbeat. What's Left of Me had me feeling so many different emotions from feeling happy to feeling conflicted in a span of a minute because of the whole hybrid situation Addie and Eva are in. I just can't help but want more of the hybrid universe, more of Kat Zhang's awesome writing, and more hybrid action. I love Kat Zhang's writing. It's so delicate and just so elegant. I honestly wish I can write like her. I cherish every single sentence I read in both What's Left of Me and Once We Were, reading it ultra slowly just to enjoy her writing fully. I can definitely see Kat Zhang writing even more books in the future and me reading them all just to enjoy her writing. But the thing is, sharing hands doesn't mean sharing goals. Sharing eyes doesn't mean sharing visions. And sharing a heart doesn't mean sharing the things we love. (ARC 1) The pacing in Once We Were was the thing I had the most problems with. The pacing in the first three-thirds or so of Once We Were was a bit slow, but I wasn't all that bothered about it. Kat Zhang's writing made up for it. The first three-thirds of Once We Were consisted of Addie and Eva learning and practicing more about fully controlling their body by themselves, learning more about the new people in their group, trying to join the hybrid rebellion, and making tons of plans. The last quarter of Once We Were is a whole different story. It was full of tons of action and tension; there was never a dull moment. I was worried about every single character in the book, I mean almost every single character (because come on, you can't cheer for the bad guys), and was hoping that they'll survive and get away safety. I tried not to think about the deliberate way Nina's frown had disappeared. As if she'd forced it away, along with her curiosity. As if, even at eleven, Nina had learned that her life would always be full of other people's secrets, and some were dangerous, and sometimes it was better not to know. (ARC 55) Unlike What's Left of Me, Addie didn't anger me as much in Once We Were. She wasn't as selfish as she was in What's Left of Me and this time, I totally got her. I felt like Eva was a little more selfish than Addie in Once We Were, but then again, if I was in Eva's situation, I can't help but want more in my life either. I didn't really connect with Ryan and see the appeal of him in What's Left of Me. However, in Once We Were, I slowly started to see why Eva was so attracted to him. Even though Ryan is a person of a few words, he's pretty sweet to Eva. Ryan just lurks up to you and captures your heart slowly and quietly until you realize that it's too late. But so many weeks of waiting, of wanting, of thinking and hoping and daydreaming were catching up to me. Then he was laughing, too, shaking his head, the edge of his hand pressing against his forehead. (ARC 112) I have to admit, when I first read What's Left of Me, I honestly didn't like the direction the last half of What's Left of Me was heading towards. It felt like the unique beginning of What's Left of Me was turning into any other dystopians out there: finding out that your government is corrupt, then some fighting and struggles, and finally rebelling against said government. In the end, I still have mixed reactions towards the direction this entire series is heading, but Once We Were was a pretty good read despite my worries. Would I recommend Once We Were? If you can get through a major slow beginning to finally get to the amazing and tension-filled ending, then yes, I'll definitely recommend that you read Once We Were. Effortlessly Reading: Once We Were

Won Snapshot from Goodreads First Reads. Did not get the book yet, but when I do, I will get to reading it soon. (:

My Rating: 4.5 I'll start my review with this: the ending of Burned scarred me for life. After reading and finishing the lengthy book, I was in desperate need for some answers and desperately hoping that there was a sequel so I will finally get some solid answers. Did Pattyn go through with it? Does everything happen exactly as planned? What happens next? Most of all, why was Ellen Hopkins torturing us with that open ending?! Several months ago, when I heard that Ellen Hopkins was going to write a sequel to Burned, words can not describe how happy I felt. Never in a million years would I think that I would get an ARC of Smoke to quench my curiosity, but alas, I did. Thank goodness Smoke gave me some closure and a sort-of happy ending for both Pattyn and Jackie. For those of you who have never read an Ellen Hopkins book before because you thought that her books were just plain poetry, newsflash: you're wrong. The formatting of Ellen Hopkins' may look like poetry, but in reality, you can read her books like they are just any other book out there. The format is written in a poetry format to place emphasis on certain words and events Ellen Hopkins writes about on that page. If you actually try reading one of Ellen Hopkins' books, you'll know what I mean. In fact, I think that Ellen Hopkins' books are all easier to read than The Odyssey was. Of course, how many people live unafraid? To truly embrace courage, I think, requires one of two things - unshakable faith that death is no more than a portal to some Shangri-la reunion. Or zero belief at all. (ARC 124) Smoke was heartbreakingly beautiful - the book tugged on my heartstrings relentlessly. I was tearing up and crying throughout the book. I felt sorry for Jackie, sorry for Pattyn, and sorry for the awful situation they were both in. While I was reading Smoke, I couldn't help but tear up like crazy, which was not so good for me because I was reading it while I was riding on the subway on my way to school. I couldn't stop tearing up and I could feel everybody's eyes on me. Smoke was one emotional ride, literally. Not only did Smoke make me cry, Smoke also made me absolutely furious, although not at the book itself, but at some of the characters in the book. I was boiling mad during some scenes, so mad that I just wanted to throw the book across the room, fling some of my notebooks around, and maybe even stomp my feet like a little kid throwing a tantrum. Few authors can really drag that feeling out of me and Ellen Hopkins is one of the select few authors. Do dreams sort out memories, or are they only closets where monsters hide? (ARC 314) Smoke also made me question my morals. Right from the start, readers know that Pattyn and Jackie's father is dead and that Pattyn's gun killed him. Smoke focused on the aftermath of their father's death throughout the book: Pattyn remembering the old dad she knew, Jackie trying to remember what had happened, both of them feeling very guilty, and all I'm thinking is thank goodness their father died; he deserves to die. I know it's wrong to feel that way, but I just couldn't help but feel that way. Pattyn's father made them suffer so much and what he did to Jackie was just plain sick. He caused them both so much pain in Burned that frankly, I think he deserves to die. ...time is determined to tarry, teasing, and trying to push it forward faster is a losing proposition. No use staring at the clock, wiling its cooperation. The second hand spins at its own pace. (ARC 331) Although Smoke has some parts that was focused on the Mormon religion, I didn't get the whole religious and preachy vibe from it. I just felt informed about the Mormon religion and learned about Pattyn and Jackie's conflicting feelings for it and their God. I have to admit that I was feeling a bit bored when I read all those religion parts though. You guys, you should definitely pick up a copy of Smoke now. I even pre-ordered my copy about a month ago, especially since Amazon has it for so cheap right now. (It's currently on sale for $11.99 aka 40% off. That's a steal!) If you haven't read the first book, Burned, I strongly suggest you do it now. You seriously can't live without reading this series. It will tug on your heartstrings, make you bawl, and most of all, make you question the world we live in. Effortlessly Reading: Smoke

Won Midnight Lies from Goodreads First Reads. Did not get the book yet, but when I do, I will get to reading it soon. (:

Won The First Crush is the Deepest from Goodreads First Reads. Did not get the book yet, but when I do, I will get to reading it soon. (:

My Rating: 2.5 Ever since I've read Hemlock, I couldn't get it out of my mind. With that dangling cliffhanger it left us, I had tons of questions left unanswered: Will Mac ever find Kyle? How will the whole werewolf situation end? And ultimately, who would Mac choose to be with in the end? Sadly, Thornhill only answered one of my many questions. Thornhill started off with a bang. Right from the very first page, I was confused, awed, and wondering is this a joke? I even reread the first page just to make sure that I was reading it correctly. Three pages later, I discovered that it kind of was a joke. I didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved that it didn't really happen after all. I'll leave you guys hanging from there, wondering what on Earth I'm talking about. However, I hate to be saying this after going on and on about how awesome the beginning of Thornhill is, but I think that Thornhill suffers from the middle book syndrome. It wasn't as good as Hemlock; in fact, I dare to say it, it was quite boring. Most of the book took place in the rehabilitation camp, trying to find out what the warden of the camp, Sinclair, is up to. Basically, the entire book consists of this: being captured, bought into camp, sneaking around, plans made, sneaking around, etc. "And that's what Thornhill is? A way to help us keep the lid on?""For the wolves who commit fully to the idea of rehabilitation, yes." (ARC 159) The main problem I had with Thornhill was that everything in Thornhill was so predictable. I figured out what Thornhill's (the camp, not the book title) ultimate goal toward werewolves was way before it was actually revealed. I just don't know how every single one of the characters in the book just didn't see it. If I was the one in that situation, I would have figured it out asap. I also figured out which (kind of) new character Mac will meet again before he/she made their appearance and how Jason would make an appearance in Thornhill. Amy the ghost (is she a ghost?) or Amy from Mac's imagination (is Mac really just imagining her there?) is back in Thornhill. Amy doesn't really have a purpose in the book other than to give Mac cryptic messages and to scare Mac when she sleeps. Honestly, I don't know why Amy is in Thornhill after the mystery of her murder was solved in Hemlock, although at the same time, I kind of know why. Maybe it's because the first book was centered around Amy so much that it just doesn't make sense for her to suddenly disappear in Thornhill? Maybe it's also because, as Mac stated, that Mac, Kyle, Jason, and Amy's lives were so tied together that you just don't know where one person ends and the other one begins. In the end, I still don't know. "Three blind mice," whispered Amy. "See what happens when they run." (ARC 194) As for whether I'm on Team Kyle or Team Jason, as of now, I'm currently on Team Jason. I was on Team Kyle, but after reading and finishing Thornhill, I'm definitely not on his side anymore. What Kyle did in Thornhill made me lose faith that he even truly wants to be with Mac. Kyle just gives up too easily and runs away when the going gets tough. Jason, however, is always there for Mac, even risking his life to support her when he could simply just walk away like Kyle did. I can also overlook Jason's support of the Trackers, compared to Kyle's situation with Mac. "I love you. You know that, right?""Me too." It occurred to me that the only times either of us had managed to say those words had been either during or just after mortal peril. (ARC 68) Overall, I'm really sad and disappointed with Thornhill. I was expecting tons of action and cute romance like Hemlock had, and instead, I got a book that failed to impress me and a book that failed to keep me engaged with the story. Hopefully the third and final book in the Hemlock series will not disappoint. I'm hoping that a character from Hemlock will make a reappearance in the last book so we'll finally get a full resolution to the series. Effortlessly Reading: Thornhill

My Rating: 3.0 Ever since I saw The Distance Between Us on goodreads, I just knew that I had to get my hands on the book. Even though it was a contemporary novel (contemporary novels and I totally do not get along with the exception of a few books), I was eagerly waiting for the release date to arrive. I wasn't that impressed with Pivot Point, Kasie West's debut, but I was willing to read The Distance Between Us and jump on the I-love-Kasie-West bandwagon. Not to mention the cover of The Distance Between Us screams a perfect summer read!, which is exactly what I've been looking for all summer. Add a book about not trusting a rich guy into the mix and I'm immediately hooked. I never thought I had the dumping-soda-on-something-purposefully instinct, but sure enough my hand reacts automatically. But he has instincts, too. Probably born from a lifetime of people wanting to dump soda on him. (182, 183) This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I thought that The Distance Between Us was an okay read. Just plain okay. It didn't impress me, it isn't one of my favorite books ever, and it wasn't at all memorable for me. In the end, all I really have to say about the book is meh, this book is probably just not the book for me. I like Caymen. I like her dry humor, the way she makes me laugh, and her dedication to her mother and her mother's doll shop. Caymen was also a character I could completely relate to. I mean, hasn't everybody liked somebody that they felt they couldn't completely trust once in their lives and struggled with it? I know I did. Apparently I'm further from being over him than I hoped and I hate myself for being weak. (169) As for Xander, he was just plain okay. He didn't really impress me or give me the butterflies. Yes, during some moments he was awesome and sweet, but during other moments, I wasn't quite so impressed with him. In some scenes, the way he acted was weird and I still can't put my finger onto it and figure out what he was thinking. If only Kasie West would write a book from Xander's point of view so I can understand what he was thinking and where his mindset was... The main issue I had with The Distance Between Us is that I can't feel the chemistry between Caymen and Xander. Sure, I didn't miss the parts (and hints) where it was stated that they were both attracted to each other, but I just didn't feel any chemistry between them. Therefore, their entire relationship was kind of bland in my eyes. Yes, they have their sweet moments and all, but I didn't feel the sparks fly or any real connection really forming between them two. When Caymen and Xander finally officially got together at the end of The Distance Between Us, I wasn't cheering and feeling happy for them. I just shrugged, closed the book, and started writing this review. He kisses me again and I laugh against his lips. I bury my fingers in the hair at the back of his neck. He squeezes my side and I laugh again. (247) I also felt like something was missing from the book. I don't know what it is, but I know something is. Maybe it's because I'm not really satisfied with the way Kasie West executed the rich-boy storyline and how the romance had no chemistry to it. Maybe it's because I expected so much more after seeing the raving reviews. I just don't know, but I do know this: I'm not satisfied with the book. I don't know guys, but maybe this is all just me. Tons of other people loved (and I mean loved) Kasie West's The Distance Between Us, but once again, I'm the black sheep. Will I recommend The Distance Between Us? Sure, especially if you love fluffy and cute romances. Hopefully you'll enjoy it better than I did. Effortlessly Reading: The Distance Between Us

Won The Outside from Goodreads First Reads. Did not get the book yet, but when I do, I will get to reading it soon. (:

My Rating: 3.5 I've never read My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, but I've wanted to ever since I first heard about it. I did request the book from the library, but the copy was so ripped and full of mysterious crumbs (were they even crumbs?) that I ended up not borrowing it. When I was offered to read and review the sequel of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, A Tale of Two Centuries, I immediately jumped at the chance to, especially since it looked like you didn't have to read the first book to get the second book, unlike most sequels out there. The relationship between Alessandra and Austin developed a little too fast for my taste in A Tale of Two Centuries. One second they were hating each other like crazy, the next they were hanging out 24/7, eventually landing in a relationship. This all happens in around one week. I'm glad that there were no actual "I love yous" though, that Alessandra realizes that she was falling in love with Austin, but was not yet in love with him. However, their relationship was giving off strong "I can't live without yous" vibes. "Baby, I just found you...you really think I'm gonna let her take you away from me? We'll figure something out, I promise you that." (ARC 276) Another problem I had with A Tale of Two Centuries was the words that were used. Let me explain: Alessandra traveled forward in time to the 21st century, where she meets her older cousin Cat. (Alessandra was originally from the 16th century.) However, sometimes Alessandra understood certain words that people from the 16th century shouldn't have known or understood, such as the word "blush," which is used as being flustered or to redden in this case. There is also the issue of the word "cheat," which was used as someone cheated romantically on another person in A Tale of Two Centuries. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I highly doubt that somebody from the 16th century would understand the context of the word "blush" and "cheat" used in the modern day 21st century without any explanation. (I tried to Google this, but alas, no reliable answer popped up.) Not to mention the fact that Alessandra should also not get the meaning of certain modern days phrases such as "Holy cow, girl," and "pretty hot and heavy." "D-don't call me that," I stammer, blushing all the more from his brazen question. "And I do not blush." (ARC 62) Some things in A Tale of Two Centuries were also so unrealistic. For example, how can Alessandra's cousin, Cat, manage to get Alessandra a spot in her high school in a day without any proper records or documents? I don't know about you, but in New York City, you can't attend/sign up to attend a high school in a day, especially without the proper records and documents. However, despite all these problems, A Tale of Two Centuries was a very fun enjoyable read. I literally couldn't put the book down and get my much needed sleep. I especially enjoyed reading about Alessandra's personal character growth and watching her get her own well-deserved happy ending. In the beginning of the book, Alessandra was a bit annoying; always comparing herself to her cousin Cat and stating how she pales in comparison. Alessandra also hints that she wants more freedom (because women in the 16th century have no control over their life), but she doesn't do anything about it. Luckily, Alessandra slowly grows a backbone with the help of Austin. In the end, Alessandra turned out to be a character I can genuinely root for and like. It is imperative that Austin not see my distress. I want him to think me brave and confident. I want him to be proud of me - I want to be proud of me. (ARC 202) Overall, if you're looking for a cute, fluffy read, then grab a copy of A Tale of Two Centuries. It will definitely be the perfect book for you. Reading A Tale of Two Centuries made me want to grab a copy of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century asap and read it to see how the series started, even though I already have a strong feeling about what had happened in it. Effortlessly Reading: A Tale Of Two Centuries

My Rating: 4.5 Wow! That was a wide ride! It's so hard to believe that I DNF'd Throne of Glass halfway through the book the first time I tried to read it. Like, what was I thinking? (Okay, I know what I was thinking. The first time I tried reading the book, I was bored out of my mind because I wasn't really in the mood for it. I think.) Now, I'm completely flabbergasted that I haven't finished the book the first time. Trust me guys, this book was amazing! I just didn't want to put it down. The first time I tried to read Throne of Glass, I hated Celaena so bad. I thought she was a show-off and had such a horrible ego that she just couldn't stand people not knowing that she was the awesome and famous Celaena Sardothien. This time, however, I surprisingly grew to like her and understood the tough position she was in. I also discovered that on the outside, Celaena acts all tough and mighty, like she's above it all, but in reality, if you know where to look, Celaena is in fact really vulnerable. Celaena has a secret soft side to her and she'll also be a good friend to you if you're a good friend to her. In the end, I found myself rooting for Celaena to win and mourning when she had faced some tough problems. Because somehow, the thought of him getting hurt - or worse - made her willing to risk just about anything. (278) I felt Celaena was so clueless at times though, specifically regarding two very important things: Chaol's feelings towards her and what was going on (aka the mystery portion of the book). When Chaol was mean to her (because hey, guys don't know how to be nice to girls they like but are supposed to hate), Celaena took his actions at face value instead of looking beyond what he was doing, to his true feelings underneath. Celaena kept thinking oh, he just hates me and doesn't trust me, leaving me extremely frustrated because it was so obvious that the opposite of that was true. Also, the theories Celaena came up with for who was responsible for killing the other Champions were so ridiculous when the obvious clues were just glaring at her in the face. I could think of so many other better possible suspects than the person Celaena suspected was behind it all. As for the love triangle, it was surprisingly not annoying at all. It was also not one of those unhealthy love triangles either. In the end, I don't know if I like either Chaol more or Dorian more. Chaol is the one who protects Celaena, but doesn't want to let her know that he cares about her. In fact, he doesn't quite realize that he's in like/love with her. Therefore, Chaol is mean to her, which is seriously a bad move for him because Celaena is just so clueless as mentioned above. Dorian, meanwhile, is the flirt. He cares about Celaena more than he cares about all the other girls out there, but he still flirts with other girls. Do you see why it's so hard to choose a side?! (Although I might be edging towards Team Chaol because nearly everybody I follow on twitter is on Team Chaol. They all must like Chaol for a good reason right?) But he knew that her thoughts weren't of him....Still, he watched, watched until she sighed and went inside. She never bothered to look below. (301) Unlike the first time I tried to read Throne of Glass, I didn't find the middle of the book slow at all. The first time I tried to read it, the pacing in the middle was horrible, so horrible that I couldn't finish the actual book. This time, I barely noticed the pacing. I just so into the book. There sadly wasn't any assassinating at all in Throne of Glass. Celaena just thinks of the ways she could kill someone, but doesn't actually do it. However, I'm expecting the next book in the Throne of Glass series, Crown of Midnight, to have tons of assassinating because the Champion's competition is finally over and we can finally go on with the real stuff. (Yes, I'm beyond excited for August. I need to get my hands on you now Crown of Midnight!) At least, that was her escort's intention, because she hadn't failed to notice when they went up and down the same staircase within a matter of minutes. Nor had she missed when they zigzagged between levels, even though the building was a standard grid of hallways and stairwells. As if she'd lose her bearings that easily. (1, 2) Overall, I simply loved and enjoyed reading Throne of Glass. There was never a dull moment in the book and the drama between Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian was so entertaining and fun to read about. (I sadly still don't know why I DNF'd it the first time I read it.) Grab a copy of Throne of Glass asap if you can; you definitely won't regret it. Effortlessly Reading: Throne of Glass

My Rating: 2.5 With disappointment after disappointment, I was really hoping that Jennifer Echols' latest book, Dirty Little Secret, would be as good as Going Too Far, or even better if possible. I was literally counting down the days until the book released in stores, until, to my surprise, I won an ARC of Dirty Little Secret on Goodreads. From then on, I was counting down the days until the ARC arrived on my doorstep. (It took two days for it to arrive for those of you who wants to know.) However, to my massive disappointment, again, Jennifer Echols' latest book just wasn't that good. Don't get me wrong, Dirty Little Secret wasn't as awful as Jennifer Echols' latest adult novel or her latest new adult novel, but it wasn't outstanding either. In the end, I have to give it a tired meh. Like a majority of other people who had read Dirty Little Secret, the main problem I had with the book was Sam. Ugh, Sam. He was a smart manipulative asshole. I don't like to write curse words on my book reviews, if "asshole" is even a curse word, but there's no other way to describe him. He is simply an asshole. At first, when I first met Sam, I actually liked him. He was cute and his actions were also cute. Sam was nice to Bailey and they just had this subtle chemistry upon their first meeting. This guy actually flinched when he realized he was accidentally giving Bailey innuendos he didn't mean. "You need to eat. I'll be working you hard tonight." He flinched as he heard his own words. "That didn't come out quite right." (ARC 64) Then, as I read on, Sam's personality took a downturn for the worse. Sam used Bailey for her talent and then tries to use her for her connections to her famous sister. He even went as far as going past third base with Bailey just to get her to stay in his band and to get her to get an "in" for their band. I felt sorry for all of Sam's friends; they had to give up their pride because of Sam and was forced to help convince Bailey to join his band. "How did you get my number?""Sam asked me to convince you to come back to the band.""I was never in your band," I said. (ARC 138) Even worse of all, Bailey actually liked Sam while he did all that to her. To make matters even worse, Bailey even knew what Sam was doing the whole time, while being clueless at the same time. What do I mean by that? Well, in the beginning, Bailey is wide aware of the fact that Sam was just using her for her fiddle skills. However, Bailey is also in denial. For example, Sam tells Bailey not to act like they liked each other in front of his band (hello girls, this is a huge warning sign! If a guy doesn't want to show what you mean to him in front of his friends, dump him!) without giving Bailey any explanation why and Bailey just agrees, even though, in the back of her mind, readers know that she knows why he was doing that. However, Bailey doesn't even bother to acknowledge why Sam didn't want them to act normal around his band mates; she just blindly follows his orders. Why? Well, that's because Sam is so hot. Like, dark black hair in waves with a 5 o'clock shadow hot. It doesn't matter that Sam is a jerk because he's hot, right Bailey? (I'm trying to emphasize how many times Bailey says that Sam is hot, like that was a valid reason for his actions. No Bailey, no. That is not how it works.) I do not know how many times Bailey keeps on saying that Sam is hot. But even with the smug look on his face, he was so handsome with the dim glow of the parking deck lights shining in his dark waves and glinting in his friendly eyes. (ARC 121) Another downfall of Dirty Little Secret was that the book failed to catch - and keep - my attention. It took awhile, around twenty-two long pages, for me to be interested in the book to read even further. Dirty Little Secret then picked up a bit, only to slow down dramatically again. Half the time I was reading, I was mentally debating whether to continue on with the book or drop it altogether. Only the fact that I won the ARC from goodreads, so I should read the entire book, kept me reading on. Reading Dirty Little Secret was definitely a bumpy ride. Will I recommend Dirty Little Secret to anyone? Sure, if you can stand douche love interests. If you can't do that, like me, avoid this book like the plague. Effortlessly Reading: Dirty Little Secret