This is What Happy Looks Like (This is What Happy Looks Like #1) by Jennifer E. Smith

Book Summery (Via Goodreads):When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.
Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Book Review:
I have read Jennifer Smith before. In fact, I read her book The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and looooved it. However, I didn't get the warm fuzzies for This is What Happy Looks Like. This love story seemed lukewarm to me from the start. I felt that Graham and Ellie fell in love with the idea of love, rather than love in reality. There was no spark, no chemistry. Also, no one in this book seemed particularly happy to me. At all. Ever. The love story is the usual...boy meets girl, they fall for each other, antics ensue, eventually they come to their senses,,,kind of, Despite the disappointing romance, this is a fast, light read. What really brought down the rating for me was the ending. I didn't know that the sequel, Happy Again, existed. While I'll definitely read Happy Again, This is What Happy Looks Like just fell a little short for me.

Cover Art Commentary:
I usually love the Jennifer Smith covers, but I'm not so crazy about this one. I guess yellow isn't my thing? Neither is water.

Rating:

The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

Book Summery (Via Goodreads):Olivia Mead is a headstrong, independent girl—a suffragist—in an age that prefers its girls to be docile. It’s 1900 in Oregon, and Olivia’s father, concerned that she’s headed for trouble, convinces a stage mesmerist to try to hypnotize the rebellion out of her. But the hypnotist, an intriguing young man named Henri Reverie, gives her a terrible gift instead: she’s able to see people’s true natures, manifesting as visions of darkness and goodness, while also unable to speak her true thoughts out loud. These supernatural challenges only make Olivia more determined to speak her mind, and so she’s drawn into a dangerous relationship with the hypnotist and his mysterious motives, all while secretly fighting for the rights of women. Winters breathes new life into history once again with an atmospheric, vividly real story, including archival photos and art from the period throughout.

Book Review:
I would like to start off this review by asking myself, WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS?! This book has everything I love...historical fiction, feminism, a touch of paranormal. I should have read this the minute it was released! Olivia is such an easy character to relate to. The world sees her as a "soft and delicate" creature that is very "docile and obedient." We find out very early in the book that this is not the case. Olivia is doing her best to appease her very controlling, opinionated father. However, she has strong beliefs, especially on women's rights and goes through a great deal to have her voice heard. I very much enjoyed the supporting characters in this book. I initially thought Fanny to be meek, plain, and well...not very interesting, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Percy eventually shows his true colors. And Henry...oh Henry...such a progressive man in an oppressive time. Needless to say, I loved ALL scene's that included both Olivia and Henry. The historical background was a perfect backdrop to the story line. All I can say is thank goodness I was not born near the turn of the century! Let's take a minute to talk about hypnosis. I seriously don't understand how or why anyone would submit themselves to be controlled by another person. It freaks me out on MULTIPLE levels. As we learn from this story, its effects can be quite unsavory. *ahem* Back to my main point...Overall, I can't *squee* enough about this book! I will DEFINITELY be reading Winter's future publications!

Cover Art Commentary:
I have drooled over adored this cover from the minute I first saw it. First of all, I love the colors. Second, I love the overall period theme of the turn of the century (1900). Third, I love the thumbprint overlay...we all leave an individual mark on the world.

Rating:

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Authors I REALLY Want To Meet

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Authors I REALLY Want To Meet

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Beth Revis

Gail Carriger

Holly Black

J. K. Rowling

Maggie Stiefvater

Maria V. Snyder

Neil Gaiman

Sarah Ockler

Rainbow Rowell

Margaret Atwood

Made for You by Melissa Marr

Book Summery (Via Goodreads):When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

Book Review:
I have been a fan of Melissa Marr for a while. Here is a link to some of my reviews of her other books. Once again, Marr hits it out of the park! Made for You is a southern YA mystery. Eva, while the popular queen bee, is very down-to-earth and easy to relate to. I could feel her sorrow in the hospital. I could feel her fear of not knowing who the killer might be. I could feel her hope of a possible romance. Needless to say, it's easy to step into Eva's shoes. I enjoyed Eva's relationship with her parents, as well as her friends. It's very easy to get invested in the supporting characters as well as Eva. As a nurse, it was easy to relate to the hospital setting. In fact, I worked on a neurology unit for many, many years. Marr got it right, from the terminology, to the symptoms, to the nurses. I'm impressed. Overall, this book was engaging and extremely difficult to set down! As a fan of Marr's work, I will definitely be picking her books in the future.

Cover Art Commentary:
Hello gorgeous! I love EVERYTHING about this cover! I love the font. I love the design. I LOVE THE COLOR!!!! *ahem* I'll reign it in...

Rating:

Weekly Round-Up 5/3 - 5/9

Life This Week:

*whew!* The house is really coming along! Yay!!! However, this week has been all about packing. I'm packing up my apartment with a lot of help from John and his mother Joy. We're pretty sure that we'll be able to move in by the end the month...fingers crossed!

Books Read and Reviewed:

The Silver Witch by Paula Brackston

Top Ten Tuesday:

Ten Books I Will Probably Never Read

Film Feature:

I discuss my thoughts on the new Avenger movie

What I am Currently Reading:

What I Will Be Reading Next:

Randomness:

My friend and blogger Rachel from Parajunkee's View posted this on facebook last week and I've been watching it non-stop...it cracks me up every time! It makes me want to read Rachel Hollis' books! :)