Novel Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release Date: 2013

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

The Cover:

I really like this cover. I think it's pretty and simple, but eye-catching. I think it represents the book in a good light.

Review:

I can tell why so many love this book. It’s definitely her best yet, and now I can really see the comparison to Sarah Dessen; I felt it in this book.

Parker has always been the good girl, too afraid to do anything to cause trouble, always trying to keep her mother happy, to be a good student. And yet when she finds a journal from a dead girl at her school, a well-known classmate who died with her long boyfriend several years ago, Parker starts taking some risks. It forces her to look at her own life in a new way, see what she really wants and who she really is.

While I didn’t relate to Parker personally, I did understand her, and I liked the journey she took. I really liked the chances she took, and how honest she finally was with herself and her mother. It was what she needed.

The romance was definitely more in the background to the character development of Parker, but I did like it. Trevor was a fun guy, and I was happy when Parker finally was honest with him and went after her feelings.

Overall a really enjoyable book, and I was really happy with the ending for all of the characters. I look forward to reading her next one, as she has really gotten better with each book.

Teaser Tuesday[197]: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 ------------------------------------------

Golden by Jessi Kirby

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release Date: 2013

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Excerpt:

“Kat nudges me with her elbow. ‘He’s taking you home.’

‘No.’

‘Yes.” (Paperback, pg. 76)

What are you reading right now?

Novel Review: In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release Date: 2012

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn’s celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.

Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn’s last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn . . . and ruggedly good-looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn--but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

The Cover:

I really like the cover for this book. I think it's pretty, and very true to the book. It shows the road trip part, which is important, the model for her is wearing what she does in the book (or at least very close) which I really appreciate, and on the back is Rusty, looking how I imagine he would.

Review:

When Honor’s brother dies, she decides to take his last letter as a request and goes on a road trip. Her brother’s best friend Rusty tags along, pretty much forcing her to take him with her. And thus starts an adventure, where she takes some chances, and where she learns something about her brother and herself.

I think the journey that these two go on is good for them. Honor needed to get away, and she needed to figure herself out just as much as learn about her brother. She goes on a couple unique experiences on her trip, but she also goes through her car breaking down and being towed away. I will admit, though, that the way Honor just angsts while letting others take care of stuff for her bothered me at the end, especially when she acknowledged it and then kept moping on the beach. I did believe her grief over her brother, though, and liked that she wasn't numb like most people in books like this are.

I like the journey she was on, and how it ended, though. I like how things ended between her and Rusty, how there were possible romantic feelings, but they ended things as friends, because that’s what they needed to be. I think she did the right thing for herself at the end of the book.

This was a fun book, and I enjoyed it, though there were parts near the end that were upsetting, when Honor had to face reality. But I liked it, and will be reading her next one.

Teaser Tuesday[188]: In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

--------------------------------

In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release Date: 2012

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn’s celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.

Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn’s last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn . . . and ruggedly good-looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn--but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

Excerpt:

“A muted, repetitive thunk pulled at me from the other side of sleep. When I didn’t move, it persisted. I made an honest effort to lift my eyelids, but it felt like I had only just closed them, and my mind fumbled for every possible reason to keep them that way: still dark, summertime, no school, nowhere I needed to be, no one who should be waking me up…” (Paperback, pg. 58)

What are you reading?