We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han (Summer #3)

It’s been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college– only, their relationship hasn’t exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It’s time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.

Belly is a sweetly naive college girl who has been with her boyfriend, Jeremiah for the last two years, after having broken up with his brother Conrad. When Jeremiah cheats on her, her entire world comes crashing down on her. In a moment of weakness and desperation, he proposes to her and she takes him back and it brings them closer than ever before. This drives a wedge between Belly and her mother, and generally causes a huge amount of upset. So, Belly is forced to carry on with everything as planned and get ready for a wedding — without her mother’s help, or her blessing. Belly’s naiveté was both endearing and grating at times.

I could envision myself laying by the pool, tanning and reading this. It isn’t too involved or overly complicated, and Han’s writing is pretty solid and engaging. The story line is predictable, and it’s pretty obvious who she’s going to end up with in the end. I actually really liked Conrad a lot. Jere was kind of an inconsiderate pig and he seriously annoyed the bejesus out of me.

I think I’m going to read the first two books now. I wanna know more. =]

Final verdict? 3/5.

This book is due for release on April 26, 2011.

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

 The author did a really good job with the concept, and character development and painted a beautiful picture of the beautiful, and often times savagery of the mermaids.  In this vengeful story, mermaids are made, rather than born . Its foreboding melodious lull swept me into the world of these killer mermaid girls.

Luce. I hated her. She was just so.. pitiful. Her father and mother are dead, she doesn’t fit in as a human or a mermaid for that matter, and her uncle is an abusive alcoholic.  After drinking himself into a stupor in the local tavern one night, he brutally attacks Luce,  mistaking her for her mother and she falls from a cliff. But, instead of dying, she turns into a mermaid. The mermaids that inhabit the sea are not of the sugary, cutesy, dolled-up versions that Disney has fed us our whole lives.  In this story, they are vindictive, and malicious, hating the humans for what they had done to them during their lives as mortals, so what do they do? They sing. and their song leads sailors to their death, and the mermaids described in this story take great pleasure in this.

Lost Voices addressed a lot of issues such as abuse, redemption, forgiveness, and friendship, which was honestly what saved it for me. The relationships described in this book were heartbreakingly real and really hits home.

Oh, and plus it’s prefaced with a Radiohead song.

It’s due for release on July 4th, 2011.

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird

 In this book, we’re introduced to Maggie Blair who is orphaned and lives with her Grandmother in 17th Century rural Scotland. The book is peppered with references to Laird’s own ancestry and landmarks, and has some pretty solid writing. A shame to say what a disappointment the book was.  I was completely bombarded with scripture and bible verses and it seemed that the main focus of the story was God and Religion which makes sense, as Maggie is wrongfully accused of being a witch. I think that Laird just took the concept and ran with it. Overall, I found the historical setting fairly authentic, with allowances given to help make it accessible. I felt empathy for Maggie, yet there was a distance throughout my reading, I never felt totally immersed and didn’t really feel that connection with the main character as I normally do when I read a book.

The main problem that I had with Maggie was that she was so superstitious and ignorant, so she fell short.

I give this book a 3/5 because the writing, and character development was done really well.

The book is due for release on April 18, 2011.