Justine's Thoughts: Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

Summer at Willow Lake
[Lakeshore Chronicles - book 2]
By Susan Wiggs

Source: Borrowed from Sarah at Read Away the Day
Pages:  534
Book Description:

Real estate expert Olivia Bellamy reluctantly trades a trendy Manhattan summer for her family's old resort camp in the Catskills, where her primary task will be renovating the bungalow colony for her grandparents, who want one last summer together filled with fun, friends and family. A posh resort in its heyday, the camp is now in disarray and Olivia is forced to hire contractor Connor Davis—a still-smoldering flame from her own summers at camp. But as the days grow warm, not even the inviting blue waters of Willow Lake can cool the passions flaring or keep shocking secrets at bay. The nostalgic joy of summers past breathes new promise into a special place and people…a promise meant to last long after the season ends.

A quote:

If you're drowning for real, and nobody believes you, then you sure as hell better figure out how to swim.

Thoughts:

Expectations: The first thing I saw was the cover, which I was much too hesitant about. I admit to be an extreme judge of book covers *shame*, but I really dislike it. However, Sarah was also much too insistent that I read it. And if she wants me to read this book so much, then it must good! In the end, she was right. Summer at Willow Lake is refreshing and lovely.

About Setting: It alternates between the city and Camp Kioga, which I had no trouble with whatsoever. The descriptions are written easily but engrossingly. You just can’t help but close your eyes and feel like transporting into the novel. For me it made me wish that I went to camp as a young teen! It sounds like a new and exciting experience.

About Characters: Olivia “Lolly” Bellamy comes from a big, wealthy family who owns Camp Kioga. She’s now a smoking, fit, professional real estate stager who used to be the lonely fat kid at camp. I found her character very appealing; she’s funny and real and serious with the right amount of strength in mind. Connor Davis is the good looking bad boy from Olivia’s past. And boy, how I love him. Together, they’re the ‘it’ couple, which makes me so, so happy. There are also many other characters who I look forward to read about in the other novels in this series. Such characters include Daisy and Julian, Max, Uncle Greg, and more.

About Plot: Olivia is in charge of reconstructing Camp Kioga for her grandparents’ 50^th wedding celebration but her contractor is Connor Davis, who she shares a past with. Together, they must work to make the place look extravagant. That takes them back to old times and memories they shared with each other. As a child every summer, Olivia goes to Camp Kioga and spends time with Connor Davis. As the story switches from present day to their pasts and back and forth, we get to see how their relationship forms and develops. The story also touches upon other characters and their main backgrounds, making it overall enjoyable as well as satisfying.

Overall Rating: Y Y Y Y Y
Summer at Willow Lake is the perfect read if you’re looking for some way of escapism. It’s even more perfect in the summer, with the fresh feelings of the sun and the sky. I enjoyed it thoroughly and it will always be one of my pleasure reads.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Release Date:
June 5th, 2012

Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky. She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal. And Jena is wasting away. To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives. Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one. Someone like Jena. But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization. Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all. Maybe she really only ever had one.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is held weekly by Kristi at The Story Siren.

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Borrowed

Leftovers by Laura Weiss

This is a schedule post because by this time I will be away for work for the summer. But I just had to add this book since I'm taking it with me! It may not be much but it's something. Thanks Steff for letting me borrow it, you kind soul! She knew the books I have right now won't last me long ;) She's also the one who's curious about Fifty Shades of Grey and is willing to read it to see what the hype is going on about. On another note, I think it's time to switch to a new meme that features new books...except I don't know what meme to adapt. Anywho, I will check back in three weeks!

Have a great weekend!

Friday's Finest

Friday's Finest is a new meme hosted by Justine from A Bookful of Thoughts.
Rules:
~Post a quote that really stuck to you after reading it in a book.
~Make sure it isn't a spoiler!
~If you'd like, expand on what you think it means and why you chose it.

Lola and the Boy Next Door
by Stephanie Perkins

You should show encouragement whenever you can. People try harder when they know that someone cares about them.

This quote is important, I believe. Encouragement can make such a difference to a single person. It can entirely boost their self-esteem by a little or by a lot. Still, you're making a good difference.

Justine's Thoughts: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither
[The Chemical Garden Trilogy - 1]
By Lauren DeStefano

Source: Won from Becky at Stories and Sweeties
Pages:  358

Book Description:

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every newborn has become a ticking genetic time bomb -- males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape -- to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

A quote:

The world seems so clean if you only looked up.

Thoughts:

Expectations: There is a lot of word about Wither everywhere around the blogosphere. Everything I read has been positive, too. Wither is one of the first YA dystopian novels I’ve ever read and I was expecting for it to be mind-blowing. Although it did not reach my level of expectations, I found that I really, really loved it.

About Setting: The haunting society was so vividly described, especially with DeStefano’s incredible writing. The inside and the outside of the mansion seem interesting. I mostly liked the outdoor gardens; the orange grove sounded beautiful. The entire setting is a bit limited because Rhine spends most of her time at the mansion, although sometimes she gets the chance to visit the city. We also travel back in time to what life was like for Rhine and her twin brother, Rowan, before she was chosen to be a bride. Sometimes I would even stop and pause after reading a paragraph so I could absorb it all in and make sense of things.

About Characters: I fell in love with the characters. It was magnificent. Rhine is one great heroine and I adore her. She always had the determination to escape and return to Rowan. One thing I liked about her was that she would take the time to think things through and she would always stand strong. Her relationship with Gabriel slowly blossoms in Wither. From the description, it may seem like there would be a lot of romance, but truthfully there isn’t much.

My favourite characters are the Sister Wives: Jenna and Cicely. Jenna is older while Cicely is younger than Rhine. Each of them have their own individual personality traits that it’s easy to tell them apart. Jenna is miserable as she has come to realize that she’s spending the little time she has left in the mansion. On the other hand, Cicely is happy in the fact that she as well as Jenna and Rhine are living in a mansion with benefits rather than those who are living in the city. The three characters form a relationship that tugs at my heart. The other characters like Gabriel and Housemaster Vaughn and Linden have yet to be developed thoroughly in the next two books. I think of Gabriel as an innocent boy who I’m very eager to get to know more of, Housemaster Vaughn is just this frightening, eerie, mad scientist, and Linden is actually a decent guy who you would kind of feel sorry for. All the characters have something interesting about them that you would easily characterize them with.

About Plot: The plot is so very original. The society is set in the future with cancer and other illnesses cured and treated although resulting to an even deeper trouble with the population. The cure has caused a shorter lifespan for both men and women. With this untreated issue and with the dying population, women are treated harshly with pressure to have babies. It sounds like a horrifying world, one with polygamy marriages, diseases, and scientific experiments. Rhine has been chosen to be in a polygamy marriage with Linden and two other girls and she sets her mind on one thing and that is to escape. That leaves a limited setting with not much exposure to the outside world. For me, it felt like something was lacking. I do, however, love Lauren DeStefano’s writing. It is flawless and smooth and all kinds of beautiful. I am just hoping to see more and more of it as well as more of the other characters in the next instalment.

Overall Rating: Y Y Y Y
With an original, fascinating storyline, a haunting sense in setting, and a marvellous mix of characters, I most definitely won’t miss out on book 2, Fever.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.

Never Enough by Denise Jaden

Release Date:
July 10th, 2012

From the author of Losing Faith, a novel about two sisters and the eating disorder that threatens to destroy their family.

Loann’s always wanted to be popular and pretty like her sister, Claire. So when Claire’s ex-boyfriend starts flirting with her, Loann is willing to do whatever it takes to feel special…even if that means betraying her sister.

But as Loann slips inside Claire’s world, she discovers that everything is not as it seems. Claire’s quest for perfection is all-consuming, and comes at a dangerous price. As Claire increasingly withdraws from friends and family, Loann struggles to understand her and make amends. Can she heal their relationship—and her sister—before it’s too late?