Review: One Small Thing by Erin Watt

One Small Thing by Erin Watt 

Release Date: June 26, 2018 

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance 

Source: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 

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Beth’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister died. Her parents try to lock her down, believing they can keep her safe by monitoring her every move. When Beth sneaks out to a party one night and meets the new guy in town, Chase, she’s thrilled to make a secret friend. It seems a small thing, just for her.

Only Beth doesn’t know how big her secret really is…

Fresh out of juvie and determined to start his life over, Chase has demons to face and much to atone for, including his part in the night Beth’s sister died. Beth, who has more reason than anyone to despise him, is willing to give him a second chance. A forbidden romance is the last thing either of them planned for senior year, but the more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings get.

Now Beth has a choice to make—follow the rules, or risk tearing everything apart…again. 

Review: 

Erin Watt has quickly become one of my go to authors over the past year. The Royals series filled the Sea Breeze/Rosemary Beach sized gap in my life while While It's Real proved so much sweetness and so many "aww!" moments that I'm still thinking about it more than a year later. Therefore, when I heard about One Small Thing it instantly sky rocketed to the top of my TBR pile. 

The result? I liked One Small Thing. It was romantic and addicting. I had no problem get lost within the world Erin Watt presented for a few hours. However, here's the thing: it just didn't live up to the greatness that was When It's Real. Maybe I had too high expectations but I expected more. 

One Small Thing focuses on Beth and Chase. 

Ever since her sister died Beth has been the good girl, the perfect daughter. The only problem? She's sick of her parents's constant pressure and worries. She wants to be free again, free to make her own choices and live her life the way she wants. My heart broke for Beth. It's hard enough to deal with the loss of a loved one, but to then have your parents completely shut down and lose all common sense, that's even worse. I couldn't believe the ridiculous rules they had for and how they expected her to just stay with them for the rest of her life. I get that they cared, that they wanted her to be safe, but sometimes less is more. I found Beth to be likable. I understood her need to break free and let loose. I feel like anyone would in her position. I also respected her willingness to give people a second chance. Not everyone would've given Chase the time of day, but Beth wasn't everyone. I loved seeing her form a connection with him. 

Chase, on the other hand, is just trying to get by. He regrets what happened that night every single day of his life, but now that he's out, he's just trying to get his diploma and leave. My heart broke for Chase as well. It was easy to see that he had paid the ultimate price for what happened that night, and I could see why he would want to move on. He was a good kid who just made an incredible bad decision. What I loved the most about Chase, however, was how much good was still within him. Some people in his position would've become different people: closed off, anger, resentful, but Chase still felt the need to reach out, to make connections, no matter how much his head was telling him no. Chase was my favorite part of the book. He was so sweet, so adorable, so perfect yet imperfect at the same time. 

One Small Thing's plot primarily involves the developing romance between Chase and Beth as well as the drama that results from Chase's reappearance in town.  The romance between Chase and Beth was sweet; however, I wish there was more to it. It felt rushed at times, and while I admit that there was a connection between them, it still would've been nice to seen more moments between the two of them. Chase's reappearance in town, on the other hand, kept me on my toes, as it brought about drama as well as big revelations. Leave it to Erin Watt to have a big twist up her sleeve...I saw it coming but at the same time I couldn't believe what I was reading. 

The main thing that brought this book down to three stars is what I hinted to above: I wanted more. Sometimes this book felt way too fast. Yes, Erin finished out all the story lines and provided conclusions, but at a rapid speed. I wish there had been more development, more scenes, especially at the end. I felt that it concluded rather abruptly and I think the book would've benefited from what happened after, seeing some pieces put together more closely. 

In all, One Small Thing is a romantic and heartwarming book, perfect for the summer. I probably would've loved it more had I not read When It's Real first, but regardless Erin Watt is still one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to see what's next.  

3 stars!!

Review: Everything All at Once by Katrina Leno

Everything All at Once by Katrina Leno 

Release Date: July 25, 2017 

Publisher: HarperTeen 

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary 

Source: Library 

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A soaring novel by the critically acclaimed author of The Half Life of Molly Pierce and The Lost & Found, perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven and Rainbow Rowell.

Lottie Reaves is not a risk taker. But she’s about to take a leap into the unknown…

When Lottie's beloved Aunt Helen dies of cancer, it upends her careful, quiet life.

Aunt Helen wasn’t a typical aunt. She was the world-famous author of the bestselling Alvin Hatter series. She knew a thing or two about the magic of writing, and how words have the power to make you see things differently.

In her will, Aunt Helen leaves Lottie a series of letters—each containing mysterious instructions. As Lottie sets about following them, she realizes they’re meant to make her take a risk, and, for once in her life, really live. But when the letters reveal an extraordinary secret about her aunt’s past—and the inspiration for the Alvin Hatter series—Lottie finds herself faced with an impossible choice, one that will force her to confront her greatest fears once and for all.

Part mysterious adventure, part love letter to the power of books, this is a brilliantly woven novel about loving, reading, writing, grieving, and finding the strength to take a leap.

Review: 

With 2017 quickly coming to an end, I made a late resolution to read some more 2017 releases, specifically YA contemporaries. With that goal in mind, I picked up Katrina Leno's Everything All At Once. I hadn't heard too much about it, but the reviews I had seen had been incredibly positive. Plus the synopsis screamed "read me, read me!" And now that I've read the book (well, more like DEVOURED it!) all I can think is: "Why aren't more people talking about this?!" 

Everything All at Once begins the story of Lottie Reaves, a rule follower who prefers to watch action unfold in her favorite books rather than partake in it. That's all about to change, however, as Lottie's late Aunt Helen, the woman behind the world famous Alvin Hatter series (think J.K. Rowling level famous), has left her behind 24 letters with very specific instructions. Each letter contains a dare, one that will make Lottie live a little bit more, and the letters will lead up to a big reveal - a secret that Aunt Helen has hidden for years. 

There's so much I loved about this book; however, I think the part I loved the most was the characters. Lottie was without a doubt my favorite. 

Lottie is sweet as well as funny and just a tad bit quiet. She loves reading, which I could 100% relate to, and she'd rather hang out with her best friend and brother than go adventuring, which I could also relate to. Over the course of the book, however, a new side of Lottie comes out: a daring, risk-seeking side. I enjoyed seeing this transition as well as seeing how Lottie evolved after each dare. What I liked the most, though, was that it wasn't a 180 degree flip. At the core, Lottie was still the same girl just a bit more ready to live her life to the fullest.

In addition to Lottie, her whole family was introduced, and all of them were wonderful! Lottie's mom, dad, brother, and aunt all brought their own special touch to the novel. I especially appreciated that that even though Aunt Helen was gone by the time the novel began, I still got to know her through her letters and excepts from the Alvin Hatter series. Aunt Helen is eccentric, caring, and strong - the kind of aunt that I would want on my side for sure! 

The plot Everything All at Once mainly revolves around Lottie's dares, and through the dares, more is revolved about Lottie's aunt and her books. With twenty four dares, I worried that some would become repetitive, or that eventually the excitement of what was next would wear off, but that didn't happen one bit. Instead Katrina Leno perfectly crafted them, making each unique and important to the story. I especially loved how she slowly built up Lottie's fearlessness through them as well as the secret that Aunt Helen was hiding. It was enough to keep me satisfied with the progress but dying for more! I also enjoyed that Katrina Leno put a relationship we don't often see in YA novels up front and center: the bond between an aunt and niece. I've been blessed with many wonderful aunts in my life, so to see a novel about the positive relationship between an aunt and her niece was so awesome! The bond between Aunt Helen and Lottie was unbreakable, and my heart broke to see Lottie go through the pain of not having her anymore, of not being able to sneak over to her house to admire her knickknacks and ask for the advice only an aunt can offer. I also appreciated that Katrina Leno included Lottie's anxiety and panic attacks as a focus of the book. I thought she did a wonderful job of incorporating them into the plot, and I also liked that they didn't magically disappear as Lottie built up her confidence. The scene at the end equally broke and warmed my heart. I was so proud of Lottie, but I won't say more than that!  

Last but not least: the writing. Katrina Leno is such a great writer! She seamlessly brought together the letters, narrative, and excerpts. I was never left craving more....well, okay maybe that's a lie: I kinda with the Alvin Hatter series was real so I could see it in all its glory! 

In all, Everything All at Once is a magical, beautifully written contemporary! It tackles the hard topics in life: death, moving on, speaking up, and dealing with obstacles out of your control. It's so easy to be lost within its page - when I got to the last chapter I was like "that's it?!". Katrina Leno is a hidden gem of a writer, and I can't wait to read more by her in the future! 

4.5 stars!! 

Review: This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada 
Release Date: November 27, 2017 
Publisher: Simon Pulse 
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian 
Source: Library 

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In this gripping debut novel, seventeen-year-old Cat must use her gene-hacking skills to decode her late father’s message concealing a vaccine to a horrifying plague.

Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius.

That’s no surprise, since Cat’s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own.

When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole, arrives with news that her father has been killed, Cat’s instincts tell her it’s just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat’s help to release it and save the human race.

Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier with secrets of his own? The father who made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much can she even trust herself?

Review:

Books with lots of hype worry me. Why? Because I don't want to be that one person who doesn't see the greatness. So even though I've been dying to read Emily Suvada's This Mortal Coil since the moment I first heard about it, I've been putting it off; however, a couple of weeks I decided to get over my worries and order a copy. As it turns out, I'm so glad I did, because now that I've read this book all I can think is: "Why did I wait so long to read it?!" and also "WHAT?! NO! I NEED MORE!?" but I'll get to that portion later on. 

This Mortal Coil is a very smart book. It's easy to tell that Emily knew what she was talking about it, and more importantly, she does a great job of conveying the science behind the virus and its implications. I have a chemistry degree so I was already familiar with the majority of science she talked about it; however, even if I didn't have that background, I would have had an easy time digesting it. Better yet, even though this book was incredibly science based, it didn't read like a textbook; instead, she perfectly intertwined the science into the characters, romance, and action, leaving me a very happy reader. Basically, this book shows that science can be so COOL, and as a science nerd/lover, this made me so incredibly happy - my heart was rapidly beating from the excitement of it all! 

Catarina, the main character, was easy to like. She was strong as well as talented and always willing to go the extra yard to help the people she loved and valued the most. When the story first begins, she's in a bad place. Living on her own has only gotten harder since her father's disappearance. She's running out of food and supplies and the virus is closing in her more and more as the days continue. Because of this, she trusts almost no one. She's been taught to believe that no one, especially Cartaxus, can help her.

As the book progresses, though, she begins to open up and starts to question and ponder the things she knew about her father, the supposed truths he told her to live by, and her world is torn upside down. I felt bad for Catarina. It's bad enough to loose a loved one, but to loose a loved one and then learn some shady stuff about them? Even worse. I thought Catarina did a great job of weighing both sides to the story - she was never quick to jump to a conclusion. I also liked that she learned to stand on her own in this. Yes, she was strong when the book began, but she got even stronger and grew confidence in her smarts and talents. 

The Mortal Coil also introduces Cole, Catarina's love interest and protector. Sexy, strong, and mysterious, Cole's the kind of boy I love in a dystopian type novel. I especially enjoyed that Catarina's influence and eventual friendship humanized him to a point. At first, he was so cold and aloof, but by the end, he was the kind of guy you'd want on your side no matter what. Also, Catarina and Cole were an unstoppable force. Most of the book only involved them and their adventures, and honestly, I could read about those all day. Seriously, book boyfriend right here, ladies and gentlemen! 

The plot described in two words? Action packed! Honestly, I don't think there was one time where this book lagged or made me feel bored. The twists and turns kept me on my toes, and while some of them seemed slightly out there, I could deal.  

My only compliant? The sort-of love triangle that occurred. In The Mortal Coil, we're presented with two boys: Cole and Dax. I've already talked about Cole above so I won't go into anymore about him other than to say: team Cole all the way. Dax, on the other hand, is the best friend/young teenage crush. When the story begins, Catarina hasn't seen him for two years, as he was taken away with her father, but she's been pinning about him to a certain degree. We're introduced to him in an flashback scene, and at that point, I mostly liked what I saw - he was a tad bit arrogant but him and Catarina had some good chemistry. Then flash forward to the point where he's eventually introduced in present times, and gosh is he now such an arrogant piece of work. I couldn't stand him, and I just wished he would go away. He treated Catarina like dirt so all I can say is please don't let the tables turn in the future - let him stay a forgotten crush and a current annoyance. 

In all, This Mortal Coil is smart, fresh, and fast paced. Despite its large size (over 400 pages), I raced through it in one sitting. Simply put, The Mortal Coil is reminiscent of The Hunger Games just with an extra large helping of mad scientists and DNA. 

5 stars!!