Favorites of 2015 (So Far)

Since this is only my 3rd post so far, you haven't really seen what I've read this year so I thought it would be fun to show you guys my five favorite books of 2015 so far!

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

If you follow my Instagram, you probably already know how much I absolutely love this book. It’s beautiful and passionate and heart breaking and has become one of my all time favorites. Jandy   Nelson’s writing is beautiful, poetic, and really pulls at your heart. I posted a full review of the book on here a few days ago, if you’re interested in reading it. 

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

This book is about a teenage girl’s incredible journey of self discovery that gave me a serious case of wanderlust. Reading about Allyson learning how to be her own person and how hard and wonderful it was made me nervous but mostly excited about growing up. Gayle Forman has a real talent for capturing what it feels like to be a teenager. 

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it’s a very different retelling. It takes place in a less-than-ideal fantasy setting where the main character Nyx has to marry the evil ruler of their kingdom in order to kill him. It’s a really dark, very weird and different retelling of the fairytale that really captures you attention. The chemistry between Nyx and the evil king was pretty incredible. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good fairytale retelling.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore Robin Sloane 

Mr. Penumbra’s is a perfect story for a book lover. It’s set in a very odd little bookstore and the plot revolves around a mystery behind the books in the store. Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore is a quirky, magical book about books with a multiple mysteries woven into these vibrant and lovable character's lives. If you want something that will feel like an adventure and will make your heart feel fuzzy with joy, read this special book. 

Ask the Passengers by A.S.King 

This book is a necessity to anyone who is questioning her sexuality. I've never read a better book about a teen who is confused with her sexuality and her journey in that confusion. A.S. King told a really heartbreaking and important story through really great writing. I definitely want to read more by her after enjoying Ask the Passengers so much.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments!

I'll Give You the Sun / review

I’ll Give You the Sun is one of the most beautiful, passionate, emotional books I’ve ever read. The writing by Jandy Nelson really pulls you in and makes you feel every little thing that the characters feel. And, oh, the characters. Noah and Jude Sweetwine are some of the most beautiful people I’ve ever had the privilege to read about. They’re so real and make a lot of mistakes and are honest, heartbreakingly so. The two just feel so real, I wanted to pull them out of the pages and give them giant hugs and blankets (because they go through a lot in this book). 

The way this book is written, in two different time streams from two different characters' points of view, was so brilliant. The sister Jude’s chapters were written when the twins were 16, and the brother Noah’s  chapters were written when they were 13. This created a very interesting dynamic. We learned things that had happened and things that were happening, but there was a space of time where events were kept from the reader until the end of the book. It created a very different kind of tension, one that I’ve never experienced before and I thought it was absolutely genius.

The characters in this book are incredibly precious to me. Noah Sweetwine is probably one of the most beautiful and passionate and heartbreaking characters I’ve ever gotten to read about. He made my heart ache and I felt for him the entire book. His chapters were very beautifully written, mostly due to the fact that he’s an artist and everything is amplified to him. Noah will always have a very special place in my heart. Jude is also a very wonderfully beautiful character. She makes a lot of development throughout the book and there’s nothing I love more than great character development. She made a lot of mistakes in her life and seeing her try to deal with the consequences was heartbreaking but also really made you cheer for her. Regardless of what she did, all I wanted was for her to be okay. There are a couple secondary characters in this book that are very vibrant and memorable, but no one was more important than Noah and Jude. 

The thing that really sticks out about this book was how it made me feel. Boy, did it make me feel a lot of things. I felt every emotion that the characters went through. I cried when they cried (and even when they weren’t because, let’s face it, I cry at most things). I loved when they loved. I was angry when they were angry. The way that their emotions were written and described were so painfully real and believable that my heart ached throughout the majority of the book. Probably from page 2 on. No book has made me feel such a range of emotions and feel them so intensely within 370 pages like I’ll Give You the Sun did. It was such an incredibly beautiful experience. 

5 out of 5 stars? I’d give this book 3000 stars if I could. I’d give it the sun.