Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Title: Burn for Burn
Author: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
Info: Jenny - Website | Jenny - Twitter | Jenny - Facebook | Siobhan - Website | Siobhan - Twitter
Release Date: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster  
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Acquired: Bought
Interest: Series
Age Group: Young Adult

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. I'm still suffering from a book hangover and I finished this novel just a few days ago. Honestly, I read this within three hours and I was still in shock when I turned that last page. It left me with my jaw open and desperately looking online because there was no way this book didn't have a sequel to it.

Since I was young I was always an advocate for revenge. Sometimes karma just takes a little too long, so I felt like this book was just my right kind of poison. And what I found even more surprising is how I connected so well with all three girls. Granted, I'm not as tough as Kat, or as rich as Lillia, or as thin as Mary, but there was something about each of these girls that I found a personal connection. The bullying with Kat, the bullying because of my weight with Mary (not to mention she has the first half of my name!), and the protectiveness of Lillia.

I feel like I shouldn't have, but I secretly kept cheering for Kat and Alex. I don't know what will happen between the two or if Alex will be with Lillia (or any of the girls, actually) but I love that there was at least some tough of romance. And Rennie. Can I just say that both Lillia and Kat had patience of steel? I would have smacked the girl and made her life a living hell way before she had the chance to make mine a living hell. The way that both of them just let Rennie get away with things irritated me to no end.

And Lillia's patience is just infinite because some of her friends, I just had to shake my head the whole time. This poor girl, I want to feel sorry for her but at the same time I'm too busy being pissed that she let these things drag on for so long.

There wasn't much of Mary, sadly. I wanted to see a little bit more of her and I'm hoping that she reveals a little of herself. Especially with everything that occurred with her, I just can't put my finger on it, but something is just so...strange. I don't know, but the authors explore it.

I have never read anything from Jenny Han or Siobhan Vivian (even though both authors are on my TBR pile) but now that I've had the best taste of what they can do I'm excited to explore more of their work soon enough!

This book was the best and I'm even considering rereading it. It was the best, and the relief that I felt knowing there was more to come, wow. This is the best!

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Title: Saving June
Author: Hannah Harrington
Release Date: November 22nd, 2011
Publisher: Harlequinteen
Pages: 336
Format: Electronic Copy
Acquired: ARC; Netgalley
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 5 Stars

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.

This book is an emotional ride that takes the reader into the life of Harper, after losing her sister to suicide. The subject of suicide is always a very emotional one for me, just because of how personal it gets for me. And when reading something about suicide, but not from the victims point of view, but the aftermath, it just makes it much harder.

Harper's life was surrounded by the perfect life of her sister June, who in a twist of events kills herself. Now Harper is left to ask why, especially surrounded by her somewhat dysfunctional family. And as a way to save her sister from the life she hated, Harper decides to take her sister's ashes to California, her sister's dream.

The book was so warming but sad at the same time. It makes people think about who is in their life and what certain people mean to everyone. Death is a very touchy subject, but it is also one where if people talk it over, they can start this healing processes.

When Jake appears in Harper's life and takes her to California, things get interesting. I love Jake, because he is so understanding, and sometimes I wish he wasn't so closed off from people. It's almost like him and Harper try to block people out and in the process draw each other in, it's weird, but you can see that. Laney, as much of a good friend as she was, pretty much annoyed me a lot of the time. I just wish someone would tell her to shut up and almost applauded Jake for when he told her off, but also felt bad because of the way he did it.

I really liked the ending, because it made me cry, it made me smile, it broke my heart, and just gave me this hope for the characters. Harper was trying so hard to push people away, and when she lets them in it's great. These characters came to life and the music. I have to know what the authors intention of using the music in the book as one of the main themes. Most of the artists, of course, I've never heard of, but whenever music was involved, it was like it brought them together. Harper and Jake that is.

Anyways, I absolutely loved this book, and I highly recommend it because this book is sad and beautiful and just everything you can imagine.