All This Time // Book Review

Author: Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott
Published: 2020
Genre: Young Adult/Romance/Mental Health
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Synopsis
Kyle and Kimberly have been the perfect couple all through high school, but when Kimberly breaks up with him on the night of their graduation party, Kyle’s entire world upends – literally. Their car crashes and when he awakes, he has a brain injury. Kimberly is dead. And no one in his life could possibly understand. Until Marley. Marley is suffering from her own loss, a loss she thinks was her fault. As Kyle and Marley work to heal each other’s wounds, their feelings for each other grow stronger. But Kyle can’t shake the sense that he’s headed for another crashing moment that will blow up his life as soon as he’s started to put it back together. And he’s right.


I was very excited to read this book, since I was a huge fan of ‘Five Feet Apart’ by this author duo. The only thing I knew about this story was that it was going to be a hard-hitting contemporary. Or so I thought. The story has a very interesting concept, with a few twist and turns.

The plot is less about death and grief, more about life and healing. One of the most interesting factors was that for the first half of the book, you think you are reading one story, but the second half is a completely different story.

The twists were somewhat shocking, but I figured out one of them pretty early. For me, that isn’t necessarily a con, but I know some people would prefer more of a surprise.

“That’s the first thing you said to me, remember? Once upon a time.”

I thought that I was going to bawl my eyes out, as I did with ‘Five Feet Apart’, but that wasn’t the case. I’m not going to say that the book wasn’t touching. Still, I didn’t find it too hard-hitting. In my opinion, if you aren’t into heartbreaking books, then you should be safe reading this one.

The ending was nice, and wrapped up the story well. We should always remember the ones we love, and how they made us feel. Keep their memory alive in our hearts. But there does come a point when the grieving should end. We shouldn’t let loss consume us.

The writing was great. I find the authors to be great storytellers, and I will for sure be picking up more of their books. Let me know in the comments if you have read, or are planning on reading, this book. You can always follow the blog, which really helps it to grow!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Five Feet Apart // Book Review

Title: Five Feet Apart
Author: Rachael Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis
Published: 2018
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary



In this moving story two teens fall in love with just one minor complication—they can’t get within five feet of each other without risking their lives.
Source: Goodreads


I wasn’t sure if I should give the book 5 or 2 stars, because it truly broke my heart. However, I settled on 4 stars. I loved the writing style and the plot isn’t too far from John Green’s ‘Fault in Our Stars’. I was not a fan of Green’s book, yet it is very beloved. This book is not nearly as popular, but captivated me in ways ‘Faults in Our Stars’ didn’t. This was much more than a love story, even though that was a big part of the plot. It focused on death, illness, and not always getting what we want.

Stella is a major control freak with Cystic Fibrosis, waiting on new lungs. Will also has CF, but has contracted Cepacia as well, which is terminal to patients with CF. However, the two are drawn together after meeting during their most recent hospital stays. The only catch is that they must stay six feet apart at all times. I adored both characters, and watched their relationship grow organically. The book takes place solely in the hospital, and tries to paint the picture of what living with a chronic, life threatening condition is like.

“Everyone in this world is breathing borrowed air.”

I felt every heartbreaking thing Stella and Will felt. I hated their disease right along with them. And, I cried when the ending came. I don’t want to giveaway spoilers, because I do think that everyone should read this book. But this book doesn’t have a “happy” ending. Yes, the ending is somewhat great, still it breaks the readers heart in many ways.

The book was beautifully written and will give you great cry. I finished it in a day, which for me says that the plot was very engaging. I would have given it 5 stars, but I will probably never read it again. Only because it made me extremely sad. However, I could just be an overly emotional reader.

Remember, this isn’t a lighthearted ‘sick kids falling in love’ story, but it all works out in the end. But if you are looking for a book that will leave an impression on you, and give you a good cry, then you should give this book a read.

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Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

To Be Read // August 2021

Hello Friends,
It is monthly TBR time again! I am going to be talking about all the books that I hope to get to in August. This TBR is very ambitious since I read practically nothing last month. I was in a major reading slump for most of July, so here’s hoping that I can snap out of it in August. I gave myself a lot of genre options to choose from to help widen my reading choices.

‘Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories’ by Various Authors: This is a collection of short YA stories from tons of different authors. I think that all the stories are contemporary, so it’s right up my alley. I have been interested in picking this book up for years, but I hope this summer I can finally get to it.

‘Undead Girl Gang’ by Lily Anderson: I started this book about two or three years ago. I read about 30 pages before putting it down. I remember enjoying it but at the time I wasn’t in the right mood for it. It seems like a fun contemporary with some magical realism thrown in.

There’s Someone Inside Your House’ by Stephanie Perkins: This is another book that I started a few years ago but set aside. I am a fan of Perkins’ lighthearted contemporaries, so I was excited to read something a bit darker from her. This is a YA thriller novel that doesn’t have the best reviews, but Netflix is releasing a film adaption, so there has to be something good about it.

‘Peter Pan’ by J.M. Barrie: I have been wanting to read more children’s classics. I have never been the biggest Peter Pan fan, but I have heard good things about the original story. Also, there are quite a few versions of the audio-book with celebrity narrators that excite me.

‘Fool Me Twice’ by Carrie Aarons: This book has been on my tbr since its release. It sounds like a great summer read, and I can’t wait to see if it lives up to my expectations. The book kind of gives me “John Tucker Must Die” vibes, which I am down for.

‘Sunkissed’ by Kasie West: Of course I have to read Kasie West newest YA contemporary. The title alone screams ‘summer romance’. Honestly, I don’t know anything about this book, yet that’s okay with me. I’m predicting this to be a 4-or 5-star-read, so here’s hoping I don’t end up being disappointed.

‘The Elite’ (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass: I hate that this book is on my tbr, but I am determined to finish this series. This is a YA dystopian contemporary with a ‘ The Bachelor’ style plot. I didn’t love the first book, but maybe they’ll get better.

‘Bridge of Souls’ (Cassidy Blake #3) by Victoria Schwab: This is a middle-grade/YA trilogy about a tween ghost hunter that I adore. I am sad to pick up the last book in this series, but interested in seeing how it will end. The other books have been really good, so I assume this book will keep that streak going.

‘Alex, Approximately’ by Jenn Bennett: I have been told that if you like YA contemporary than Jenn Bennett is a must-read author. This book seems to be the go-to for a lot of readers who are new to Bennett’s work, so I am going to follow the process of others. Also, this book takes place in the summer and has a “You’ve Got Mail” kind of romance, which sounds adorable.

‘One of Us Is Lying’ (One of Us Is Lying #1) by Karen M. McManus: This is another older release that I never got around to, but I saw that a TV adaption is being released, so I knew I had to read the book first. I have heard that the book is somewhat problematic, and anti-climactic. However, the plot gives me a ‘Breakfast Club’-meets-thriller vibe, which intrigues me.

‘Five Feet Apart’ by Rachael Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry, and Tobias Iaconis: This book was a last-minute addition to my tbr. I had been interested in this book since the movie adaptation was released, but had heard mixed things about both. Also, the ending was spoiled for me, so I wasn’t sure I was ever going to give it a read. But witt the movie being add to Netflix I thought why not bite bullet and read it.

This TBR is every bit as ambitious as I thought it would be, but I think that I can get to at least half of these books. Let me know what you are reading in August in the comments below, and don’t forget to like and share this post with all your bookish friends.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny