{REVIEW} P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Title: P.S. I Still Love You
Author: Jenny Han
Series: To All The Boys I've Loved Before
Book: 2
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb from Goodreads:

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

My Reaction/Thoughts:

“People come in and out of your life. For a time they are your world; they are everything. And then one day they’re not. There’s no telling how long you will have them near.” 

This book was so wonderful! It was everything I hoped it would be. Well it was seriously lacking some more Peter K, but I will forgive you, Jenny Han, because that ending seriously gave me so many feels that I just can't...

“So I take Peter’s hand; I put it on my heart. I tell him, “You have to take good care of this, because it’s yours.” 

I can't explain enough how much I seriously love this series. It paints such a vivid picture deep first love, betrayal, heartbreak, and daring to love again. I absolutely love it!

“I know now that I don’t want to love or be loved in half measures. I want it all, and to have it all, you have to risk it all.”

  I adore Lara Jean and Peter and Kitty and John even made me love him! I do admit I missed Josh, but I understand why he was missing. I think this book needed way more Peter and Lara Jean because I am greedy and needy so I can't say that I enjoyed this more than the first book, but I did enjoy the ride. I loved all our new characters and the new romance that John brought — even though he was seriously blowing holes in my ship. But my favorite part of this book was definitely Lara Jean. I know many people are bothered by her because she is a classic sixteen year old girl worrying about the most mundane things and is naive, but what sixteen girl isn't? I know I was. I know I worried about the dumbest things and wouldn't get over it until they just ate me alive. But that's what I loved about her. She realized what was important in the end and was mature. She such a classic girly girl too. This girl would curl her hair when she was upset so she could think and I loved that. I did silly things like this when I was younger too. I could just relate to her so much and I felt a little nostalgic reading from her. She showed a nice dose of character development. She didn't fuss over things too long with Peter and was able to move on so they could enjoy being together and I think their relationship was great. Although it really bothered me that he spent so much time with Gen. I mean really he was with her more than he was with LJ! I WANT MORE PK AND LJ FEELS! And then we just see them start to fight more and more and then the break up! UGH!!!! 

Then Jenny Han brings in the lost letter from the first book and John Ambrose McClaren...

Oh John, he was quite a sweetie pie and I'd be lying if I didn't say I had to root for him a little bit, but my heart belongs to Peter Kavinsky, Sorry, Johnny. 

However, who didn't swwon when we saw him in that uniform driving that red convertible? 

John was just so sweet to Lara too. I loved their effortless chemistry and the way they just seemed to understand each other. It just wasn't the right time — which makes it more realistic. 

I think I laughed so hard at all the wonderful scenes with Stormy. That woman was a riot! And kudos for Miss Han for bringing in the feminist debate, LOL.

“I had no idea you were such a feminist,” I say. 

“Feminist?” Stormy makes a disgusted sound in her throat. “I’m no feminist. Really, Lara Jean!” 

“Stormy, don’t get worked up about it. All it means is that you believe men and women are equal, and should have equal rights.” 

“I don’t think any man is my equal. Women are far superior, and don’t you forget it. Don’t forget any of the things I just told you.” 

All in all, I loved this book. I loved it so much and I can't believe I finished it in a day. I hated that we didn't get to see more of Peter and LJ and that she spent more time away from him than with him, but that ending more than made up for it. That ending was everything! That ending is why I couldn't bring myself to give it anything less than five stars. 

I am just going to swim around in my feels now. 

{REVIEW} My True Love Gave to Me Edited by Stephanie Perkins

Title: My True Love Gave to Me
Author: Stephanie Perkins, Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kierstan White
Editor: Stephanie Perkins
Rating: ★★★★

Blurb from Goodreads:
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ...This beautiful collection features twelve gorgeously romantic stories set during the festive period, by some of the most talented and exciting YA authors writing today. The stories are filled with the magic of first love and the magic of the holidays.

My Rating/Thoughts:

I loved this book so much. It was exactly what I was wanting and I had so much fun reading it. The stories were cute and cheesy and made me smile. Only thing that bothered me were some of the stories did actually disappoint me and I felt like they just didn't belong, but I still love this book so I will have to read this every Christmas!

Without further adieu, let's get started!

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell: ★★★★★

“I need you to be my person. I need to see you. And hear you. I need you to stay alive. And I need you to stop kissing other people just because they're standing next to you when the ball drops.” 

I LOVED THIS STORY SO SO SO MUCH! This was so cute and I loved the way it was written and the romance was perfect. I loved that they were best friends for years and that friendship turned into love. Now I know why this was such a fan favorite and like many others, I WANT A WHOLE NOVEL!

“You're a kaleidoscope. You change every time I look away.” 

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link: ★

"She knows, every part of her knows, that she wants to kiss him. That he wants to kiss her. All of her skin prickles with longing. Her insides fizz."

This story was so weird. I just did not like it at all  and I found myself just skimming through it because I was so confused. The romance just felt so awkward and unbelievable.

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena: ★★★

“The feeling it gave me was an odd combination of weightless self-pity and excitement. I understood my life was meaningless, and this knowledge freed me up to accomplish absolutely anything.” 

I really liked this story a lot. I felt that it was a little more believable and the romance felt a little unrealistic, but I could totally see this being a little cheesy Holiday ABC family movie. I really liked it. I liked that the characters got to know each other and spent time together. It was a little rushed, but hey it's a short story so what do you expect?

Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han: ★★★1/2

This story was entirely way too short. I wanted more! Way more. Just when I settled into the story it was over! But I still enjoyed it. I think it should have been longer because it ended so abruptly and it was a little unclear where the story was supposed to go. I had no idea how to even imagine my own ending because I just don't know the direction!

It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: ★★★★★

“Shame leads to secrets, and secrets lead to lies, and lies ruin everything.” 

Stephanie Perkins is perfect and everything she writes is perfect too. This story is definitely in my top 2. I loved everything about it. I loved Marigold. I loved North. Where can I get a North? I loved the story and how it flowed. The only thing that I had a problem with is that it ended ): I wanted to know what her mom thought of the Charlie Brown tree and the apartment! I want to know what happens to Marigold and North! Sigh I just loved it.

"The rareness, the specialness, of North. Of this night. She wished it could last forever." 
So did I.

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan: ★★

 "He says presents aren't important, but I think they are- not because of how much they cost, but for the opportunity they provide to say 'I understand you.” 

This was so depressing. The main character spends the whole story talking about how he doesn't belong. We learn that his boyfriend's family doesn't even know about him and so when he comes in and plays this Santa so that Connor's little sister will still believe in Santa, he is struck by how much he doesn't belong. What a little downer. I just didn't like this story at all. It was weird that this is supposed to be a "romance" where we didn't even see the romance at all.

“I am here, and he is here, and everything I need to know is that I will hold him and he will hold me until I am warm again, until I know I belong." See? No.

Krampuslauf by Holly Black: ★★

“Sometimes I felt like I was waiting for my life to begin and more than anything, in that moment, I wanted to force some kind of beginning. I wanted things to be different than usual. I wanted to bend reality.” 

Another really weird story. I just didn't connect to it at all. This was just too out there for me. I kind of didn't like how the whole story surrounded her friend's secret relationship with her boyfriend and trying to expose him as a liar.

What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? By Gayle Forman: ★★★★1/2

Now this one was actually pretty cute. I really liked the humor and the way the story progressed. I just really liked it because it was a short cute love story around likable characters that ended up really understanding each other.

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire: ★★★★

I really enjoyed reading this story as well. I liked that it took place over the duration of a Christmas pageant for the church and it was more believable for our characters to fall into "love" when they already knew each other and had some feelings. It makes everything so much more cute. I enjoyed the flirting and the understanding. We see some character development and it's just a really nice read.

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White: ★★★★★

“Christmas Eve is my favorite... I think the anticipation is more fun than anything else. I kind of lost that. The idea that something - food, traditions, an arbitrary date on the calendar - can be special because we decide it should be. We make it special. Not just for ourselves, but for others.”

I loved everything about this story! I think this is another one of my favorites because it was absolutely perfect! It literally brought tears to my eyes. It was believable realistic, cute, and heartwarming. I liked the voice and her sense of humor.

“The door opens with a rusted jingle, and an animatronic Santa insults my moral virtue three times. Ho, ho, ho.” 

 I loved the relationships between Maria (I think her name was Maria, I already don't remember lol) and Ben. Maria spends this whole time thinking that she has no future and wants so badly to get away, but her mother and boyfriend have actually been looking out for her the whole time. I cried. I cried when he learned Spanish so that he could connect to Maria and her mother. I loved how Ben was constantly trying to make food to make other people happy. I loved everything. It was just so sweet and cute. Ben brought some holiday cheer and brightness to the vision Maria had of her home. Such a great story. I want to read more books by Kiersten White now.

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter: ★★★★

“I sang because that is what I do when I am happy and when I'm sad. I sang because it is who I am when I am being the best possible version of me.” 

This had a nice amount of suspense to it that had me glued! I had so many questions! Who is Hulda and why doesn't she want to go meet Ethan? What happened? Who was our main character? Why was she running? I am glad at least a couple of them were answered but I still had so many! I thought it was so touching that even though Ethan's family were onto her that she wasn't really Hulda, they still accepted her into their family and wanted her to stay. I could have cried when Aunt Mary asked Liddy to stay with her. It was exactly what she needed. The both of them.

I could see this being a TV movie as well. Actually I'd loved that.

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor: ★

Sigh. I wanted to like this story, I really did, but I just couldn't. It was a little too much like Daughter of Smoke & Bone to me. Spear was just like Thiago in wanting and expecting Neve to marry him, even against her will. And Dreamer just sounded like a chimaera to me. I don't know. This just wasn't a "winter romance" at all. It was a little too awkward. I mean there is nothing wrong with fantasy, but I just wanted something different. We are supposed to believe that Neve really fell in "love" with Dreamer when she never even met him and was only receiving gifts from him on her porch? So much was going on also that I was just a little confused and it made it hard to follow because I ended up not caring. Which is sad because I am currently trying to read Days of Blood & Starlight by Taylor and thought that this story would be great, but it just felt like I was almost reading the same thing with different names and setting.

November Wrap Up

So November I was obviously in my slump, but I am still impressed with  myself. Battling a slump is rough, but I still managed to read 7 books! Go me! I hope December brings me just better reading times because work is making me lazy! Oops. 

So this month I have read:

1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (reread before the movie)
2. My Life With the Walter Boys by Ali Novak
3. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 
4. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han  
5. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West (ebook, not pictured)
6. The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger 
7. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

What books have you read this month? Have you read any of these? What did you think? (:

{REVIEW} To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Title: To All The Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Book: 1
Rating: ★★★★ 1/2

Blurb from Goodreads:

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

My Rating/Thoughts:

“Love is scary: it changes; it can go away. That's the part of the risk. I don't want to be scared anymore.” 

This was a fun, fast, easy, and cute read. I genuinely enjoyed it. I haven't read anything by Jenny Han before so I didn't know what to expect considering everyone was raving about this book so I was a little worried I hyped this book up in my head, but it did not disappoint. The writing is great and filled with so many relatable feelings. The plot was simple, yet very interesting and compelling. Lara Jean is a likable character (though all the characters are so likable). To me, she was a bit relatable. She cares about her family with all her heart and she lives to please and make sure they are taken care of once her sister Margot goes off to college in Scotland. I loved the male characters in this book as well so much that I just didn't know who I loved more at first. I still don't. But I think I am definitely Team Peter.

“You'd rather make up a fantasy version of somebody in your head than be with a real person.”

Peter was such a great character! He was funny and sweet and just all around great. I loved the way he acted with Kitty. I thought he was a great boyfriend to Lara Jean even if it was "pretend' but let's be real..this kid was in love the whole entire time no matter what he says. He was so honest and straight with Lara Jean about everything and it was refreshing. She could be herself with him and just enjoy being with him. How sweet it is that he'd pick her up everyday for school and went out the night before to get mocha donuts for their ski trip?! Awwwwe!!!

“When someone's been gone a long time, at first you save up all the things you want to tell them. You try to keep track of everything in your head. But it's like trying to hold on to a fistful of sand: all the little bits slip out of your hands, and then you're just clutching air and grit.” 

I think the only problem I had with this book was Margot. She was a little too hypocritical to me and she annoyed me. She appeared to be a little too judgmental and a know it all that I was a bit turned off by her. Lara Jean looked up to her so much and her opinion was all that mattered to Lara Jean so it was a bit sad that their relationship was tearing apart when Lara Jean needed her most. But their ending was still heartwarming and I am really happy for the ending. I'll look forward to what happens in the next coming book because let's face it...we need more.

I need more Peter! I need more Josh and Kitty!

Great cute read and I am glad that I read this in a day during my horrendous reading slump!

Would I recommend? Yes. It's cute and will make you smile.