Wishlist Thursday[124]: Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales

Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Farrar, Strous and Giroux

Release Date: September 15, 2015

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the author of This Song Will Save Your Life comes a funny and relatable book about the hazards of falling for a person you haven't met yet.

Seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley is recklessly loyal. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But she's tired of being loyal to people who don't appreciate her—including her needy best friend and her absent mom.

Arden finds comfort in a blog she stumbles upon called "Tonight the Streets Are Ours," the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter. When Peter is dumped by the girlfriend he blogs about, Arden decides to take a road trip to see him.

During one crazy night out in NYC filled with parties, dancing, and music—the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does—Arden discovers that Peter isn't exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn't exactly who she thought she was, either.

Why?:

While I’m behind in reading her books, I’ve heard a lot of really good things about her previous one. And this one sounds quite fun. The going to meet someone you met online is definitely an idea that throws up red flags for me, but at the same time, it sounds like a fun plot line, with the blogging and all. I’m intrigued.

What’s on your list?

Novel Review: Queen of Secrets by Jenny Meyerhoff

Rating (Out of 5): ~3-3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Release Date: 2010

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This year, Essie Green’s life is going to be different. She’s made the cheerleading squad and caught the eye of the captain of the football team. However, she didn't expect her estranged cousin to join the football team. Micah is instantly branded a freak for praying during games, and Essie doesn’t want anything to do with him. As the football team’s teasing of Micah shifts into hazing, Essie is forced to make a choice between the boy she might love and the cousin she barely knows.

The Cover:

I rather like the cover, actually. I think the girl represents the character well, and the position of it. It's relevant, since she's a cheerleader. I do think the religion aspect, or the serious part of the book, could be represented better, since this makes it seem more happy-go-lucky, but overall I like it.

Quotes:

• "'Praying is wishful thinking—false comfort for people afraid of life. And death. I’ve seen enough of both,’ he said. ‘I’m not afraid.’” (Hardback, pg. 18)
• "'When people don’t know the reasons for things, they have to make up their own explanations.’” (Pg. 96)
• "'Don’t let the circumstances of your life dictate your beliefs,’ the rabbi said. ‘Contemplate. Then make a choice.’” (Pg. 123)

Review:

This was a bit surprising, actually, if still a bit of an average book.

I like the way that religion was handled in it. There were some frustrating moments, but I think it was okay in the end.

I wasn’t expecting the guy, Austin, to actually be a good guy, and for a while I still didn’t think he was going to be. But he surprised me by turning out to be a pretty decent guy in the end, and I liked that. It was a nicer turn than I was expecting, and it was good for Essie.

I liked where Essie was at the end of the book, and where everyone else was, too. This was a pretty average book for me, not particularly outstanding, but it was good. And it handled its issues pretty well, I think.

Novel Review: This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary/Realistic

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Release Date: 2010

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Peters is absolutely over the moon when her literary idol, the celebrated novelist and much-adored local priest Mark D. Brendan, selects her from hundreds of other applicants as the winner of his writing contest. Not only is she invited to take his class at the local university; she also gets one-on-one sessions with him to polish her story and prepare it for publication. But the writing sessions escalate into emails, and texts, and IMs, and gifts, and social events. What was once a delightful opportunity has become a dreadful burden. What kind of game is Father Mark playing? And how on earth can she get out of it?

The Cover:

I really like this cover. I think it's pretty, and that it represents the book really well. It gives the right feel with what Olivia goes through.

Quotes:

• "'Never forgo an opportunity to get to know someone who intrigues you.’” (Hardback, pg. 43)
• "Faith is letting yourself fall and believing, knowing that someone, something, this big being we call God is waiting there to catch us in a big, soft, God-sized baseball mitt.” (Pg. 202)

Review:

I was actually expecting this to be a darker story, or a more gritty one. So I was surprised, but I still think it was a very good story, with a just as worthy message.

Olivia gets into a highly wanted and hard to get into college class by writing a story. This leads to her forming an oddly close relationship with the teacher and Father. She’s excited by this, but then things take a turn.

The way that Olivia’s feelings start to change, how she realizes what’s going on with the Father, was done really well. How she feels about it and doesn’t know what to do about it were really understandable. It was portrayed really well.

I was expecting rape and manipulation, and while there was some manipulation, there was more stalking. It was a direction that I wasn’t expecting, but I think it was done really well, and that the topic is also one worth thinking about. It was definitely creepy, and bad.

I was surprised by this book, but it was really good. It was well done, and I liked how it worked out in the end.