In Real Life Book Review

In Real Life by: Jessica Love

Pub Date: March 1st by St. Martians Press

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Hannah Cho and Nick Cooper have been best friends since 8th grade. They talk for hours on the phone, regularly shower each other with presents, and know everything there is to know about one another. 
There's just one problem: Hannah and Nick have never actually met.
Hannah has spent her entire life doing what she's supposed to, but when her senior year spring break plans get ruined by a rule-breaker, she decides to break a rule or two herself. She impulsively decides to road trip to Las Vegas, her older sister and BFF in tow, to surprise Nick and finally declare her more-than-friend feelings for him.
Hannah's surprise romantic gesture backfires when she gets to Vegas and finds out that Nick has been keeping some major secrets. Hannah knows the real Nick can't be that different from the online Nick she knows and loves, but now she only has night in Sin City to figure out what her feelings for Nick really are, all while discovering how life can change when you break the rules every now and then.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I really enjoyed this book!! At times, it was a bit unbelievable and other times it was very realistic. It did feel a bit like a story about two characters that were from a different story. I guess you could say is was like a fan-made story. Which I have absolutely no issues with. I really liked how Jessica portrayed the characters and how the story glided along.

The characters were a bit frustrating at times. Hannah didn't picked up on the "bad" or "misleading" signs which frustrated me a bit because the story might have drastically changed if she did. Although, there were parts that I definitely could relate to, such as the character's quirkiness. 

Hannah and Nick's relationship was definitely different. I've never read a book about a "couple" that were virtually seeing each other. I believe Jessica did a wonderful job at portraying their relationship. It takes a lot a trust to really let yourself out there to someone you've never even met and could be cat-fishing you. This is a very common situation that happens in the real world in our generation and this book shows the pros and cons of virtual dating.

Overall, In Real Life was not a disappointment what so ever. It was quirky, fun, and very adorable. Even though it did flip back and forth from good to bad, I really enjoyed it and it would be a perfect read for all you contemporary lovers out there. <3

Star Rating: 4/5 Stars

-Savannah @abookowl

Into the Dim Book Review

Into the Dim by: Janet B. Taylor

Pub Date: March 1st by HMH Book for Young Readers

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing.      Addictive, romantic, and rich with historical detail, Into the Dim is an Outlander for teens.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Into the Dim is everything I wanted it to be. It had action, a bit of romance, and best of all..time traveling! Surprisingly, I've never read a book that is focused this much around time traveling. The elements that were incorporated were a nice touch and I also like all the history and back stories that were included, it definitely made the story easier to follow. I loved learning about more about Scotland's culture and can see how fans of Outlander would love this book too!

It didn't take long at all for the story to begin. The time traveling starts just before the halfway mark and then the rollercoaster of feels and action begins (will not be getting into that, no spoilers!). The beginning of the story is very secretive and it just makes you sit at the edge of your seat because you don't know what is coming next. One of my all time favorite scenes from this book was when Hope found out that her mother was still alive and she needed to go back in time and find her.

Another good aspect about Into the Dim is that the characters were very likable. I never had that big of issues with them. You hate the evil and you love the good.

Hope is such an intelligent character. She reminded me a lot about myself, being homeschooled (I do online school though) and growing up in the more southern part of the US and not really fitting in. She's also not much of an extrovert, which is totally explainable considering all the horrors she has been through. You really warm up to Hope and feel for her during her journey on finding her mom. 

The story flowed really well together and kept be intrigued until the very last page.

Overall, Into the Dim is a fast paced, time travel novel that everyone needs to read if you are a fan of Outlander and Ruby Red! I cannot wait for book 2!
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars

-Savannah @abookowl

Waiting on Wednesday #2

Waiting On Wednesday
A Season for Fireflies by: Rebecca Maizel
Pub Date: June 28th 2016 by HarperTeen

  

Synopsis:

A year ago, Penny Berne was the star of her high school’s theater department, surrounded by a group of misfit friends and falling in love for the first time. Now her old friends won’t talk to her, her new best friend is the most popular girl in school, and her first love, Wes, ignores her. Penny is revered and hated. Then, in a flash, a near-fatal lightning strike leaves Penny with no memory of the past year—or how she went from drama nerd to queen bee.

As a record number of fireflies light up her town and her life, Penny realizes she may be able to make things right again—and that even if she can’t change the past, she can learn to see the magic where she never could before.

                                                                                    

Bookstagram Friday #2: How to Get Your Bookstagram Started!

Happy Friday everyone! This week's Bookstagram Friday topic will focus around getting your bookstagram account started! My Instagram account (@abookowl) will be turning 2 on June 6th, I still cannot believe it has been that long! Since then, I've learned quite a few things that are good and that are bad when starting your account out. Today, I'm going to share those with you!

Do:

• Use your phone for photos! You don't need an expensive camera to take gorgeous photos. But, if you have a camera, go ahead, anything will work! I use my iPhone 6 to take my photos and I need they turn out quite nice. :) (Next week I'm planning on doing a post about how to make your photos clear and clean. I'll being telling you guys about my favorite "editing" apps, what filter I use, tips on lighting, and much more!!)
• Use hashtags! Hashtags aren't bad! I know some people hate them, but that's your #1 way for your account and photos to be discovered. The only tip I have for hashtags is to not put them in your caption. Put the hashtags in the comment section on your photo so they aren't that noticeable.
• Communicate with your followers! I'm not going to lie, it a while back it was very occasionally that I would reply back to my followers. Now, I love communicating with them and not just thinking of them as my followers, but as my friends. 

Don't:

• Spam your follower's feed. It is fine to post 1 to 3 photos a day, but make sure and spread out when you post them and not all in the same hour. We love to see your pretty photos, but it is better to save your photos and have some for multiple days than post them all on the same day.
• Ask for a shoutout or for a follow in exchange for a follow. I know you want to earn followers fast, but it is actually quite annoying for the person receiving a comment. I'm not hating on anyone, I only had a few followers at one time too, but I think you should EARN your followers, not force them into following you.

*In no way am I trying to tell you to change how you are doing your account!! If what you're doing is working for you, then don't change! I'm not posting about this to make everyone work their account like me, I'm just giving tips to the people that would like some!*

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That will conclude today's post! I hope those Do's and Don't's up there helped a bit! Leave a comment of your IG username so I can check it out if I don't follow you already. 

-Savannah @abookowl ig

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Top Ten Tuesday Topic:

Top Futuristic Books You Love

(made by The Broke and the Bookish) 

1. The Hunger Games by: Suzanne Collins

Oh, the classic. This book opened me up to the world of YA in grade 5, I'm so happy my Language Arts teacher showed me The Hunger Games. A story that I will keep the closest to my heart. <3

2. The Vault of Dreamers by: Caragh M. O'Brien

I read The Vault of Dreamers back in November or December 2014. I fell in love with the story and the characters, I've never read anything like it. Add this to your TBR list ASAP!!

3. The Rain (H2O) by: Virginia Bergin

I started this book thinking it was no big deal and that I might get the chills a couple time, nothing that severe. I kid you not, I was scared of the rain for days. This books is so realistic, it gets into your head which is what you want to happen. I guess?

4. The Selection by: Kiera Cass

The Selection, also a classic. My 5th grade LA teacher also recommended this series to me. I fell in love with America and how brave she is. How she doesn't need a husband in order to have a happy life and knows can support herself on her own. I read all 3 books in less than 3 days. The Heir is also a favorite of mine, but I think I like America better, so far..

5. Illuminae by: Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Last, but not least, Illuminae. The story is told in stolen files, emails, messages etc., but never in face-to-face conversations. I went into this book not really knowing what it was about and I think that's the best way to go into it. It's something new that was recently added to the YA community and I hope to see more books like this soon because Illuminae was amazing!

-Savannah @abookowl ig