October TBR!

OCTOBER.png

October, October, October, how I love you so. You are the month that I can buy as many pumpkin spice lattes without feeling guilty. You are the month where I can start wearing jeans, flannels and knitted sweaters. You are the month where I can watch gold and auburn leaves tumble off of trees. But most of all, you are the month where I can start reading all of my thrillers!

So, hey everyone! Today, I am going to be sharing my October TBR with all of you. I feel like October gives off a creepy vibe, so it is perfect to binge-read some thrillers and mysteries. I have put 5 books on my TBR for this month, and I am super excited about all of them. SO, let’s get into it!

*Warning, I am already finished the first book on this list*

Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

Dangerous LiesA teen is forced to make a fresh start after witnessing a violent crime—but love and danger find her anyway in this novel from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.

Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.

After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.

But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.

As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, #1)A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Alone by Cyn Balog

AloneWhen her mom inherits an old, crumbling mansion, Seda’s almost excited to spend the summer there. The grounds are beautiful and it’s fun to explore the sprawling house with its creepy rooms and secret passages. Except now her mom wants to renovate, rather than sell the estate—which means they’re not going back to the city…or Seda’s friends and school. 

As the days grow shorter, Seda is filled with dread. They’re about to be cut off from the outside world, and she’s not sure she can handle the solitude or the darkness it brings out in her.

Then a group of teens get stranded near the mansion during a blizzard. Seda has no choice but to offer them shelter, even though she knows danger lurks in the dilapidated mansion—and in herself. And as the snow continues to fall, what Seda fears most is about to become her reality…

Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson

DreamlandOdea Donahue has been able to travel through people’s dreams since she was six years old. Her mother taught her the three rules of walking: Never interfere. Never be seen. Never walk the same person’s dream more than once. Dea has never questioned her mother, not about the rules, not about the clocks or the mirrors, not about moving from place to place to be one step ahead of the unseen monsters that Dea’s mother is certain are right behind them.

Then a mysterious new boy, Connor, comes to town and Dea finally starts to feel normal. As Connor breaks down the walls that she’s had up for so long, he gets closer to learning her secret. For the first time she wonders if that’s so bad. But when Dea breaks the rules, the boundary between worlds begins to deteriorate. How can she know what’s real and what’s not?

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I FallWith this stunning debut novel, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver emerged as one of today’s foremost authors of young adult fiction. Like Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why and Gayle Forman’s If I Stay, Before I Fall raises thought-provoking questions about love, death, and how one person’s life can affect so many others.

For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—”Cupid Day”—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.

And, that’s it for today’s post! This list is actually VERY subject to change since my birthday is later this month. And obviously, I asked for some books! So, some books may be kicked off of this list, and others might be added. Anyways, let me know which books you plan to read this month! Also, don’t forget to like and follow to stay up to date with all of my future posts!

Happy Reading,
Alaina

Review: Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

DNF REVIEW- (9)

Dangerous LiesInformation:
Title/Author: Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Standalone
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller, Romance
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

Stella Gordon’s life is a lie.

She does not belong in Thunder Basin, Nebraska. As the star witness in a murder trial against a drug dealer, Stella is now in the Witness Protection Program. The small-town locals can never know who she really is. Not even Chet Falconer, the one boy who makes her want to reveal her true self. She knows that telling the truth will only bring violence to this safe haven.

Despite how hard Stella tries to stay under the radar, danger is fast approaching. Criminals have a way of getting rid of witnesses, and Stella may have made the one mistake that could lead the cold-blooded men hunting for her right to her doorstep.

I read part of Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush series earlier this year and absolutely loved them. When I saw a hardcover copy of Dangerous Lies sitting in the pile of YA novels at a local used book sale, I grabbed it as quick as I could. As October was approaching, this book’s eerily creepy cover called my name. And I have to say, although this book takes place in summer, it is the perfect read for the Halloween season.

What I loved…

First of all, let’s talk about this absolutely gorgeous cover. This book takes place in Nebraska, and by the looks of it, it sums of Nebraska’s fields pretty well. It could also pull off the fields just outside my city. But, I love how this cover focuses on the colours black and white, with an eerie white glow coming from the letters. The lights in the background make me predict a car crash. And I LOVED the texture of the raindrops on the cover.

Now, some might pity Stella, but I found her to be a very strong character. She was a part of the US WITSEC program, which is basically a witness protection program. Basically, she witnessed a crime and was sent into a program for her protection. She was sent to a small town in Nebraska to live with Carmina Songster, an ex police woman. How would you feel if you were sent away from your family, friends and home? I would be devastated and terrified, so I thought that Stella was a really strong character by how she dealt with her personal situation.

I loved Stella’s character and personality throughout this whole novel. She was partially stuck in the past, and partially in the present. So with that said, she was still the girl who loved makeup, curled/straightened hair and health diets. But, she was also the Nebraskan cowgirl we saw in this novel. I also loved how much she loved basketball, since I really enjoy basketball.

Now, can we talk about our hottie, Chet Falconer? I didn’t know if I was going to like him at first, since I didn’t like the name Chet, BUT I LOVED HIM. He is such a chilvarous gentleman, which we don’t see much of in YA books. Chet was never a douchebag and cared about Stella from the moment they met. Neither of them knew each other’s past, but they treated each other as if they had known each other for years.

I also really loved Inny’s storyline. In case you didn’t know, Inny is a pregnant local who worked with Stella. It really isn’t often that we see “young” pregnancy in YA novels, so I found this one to be super cool! And just you wait to see who the dad is. I was definitely ShOCkED.

What I didn’t like…

I think that the only things that I didn’t like about this novel were certain characters. I didn’t like Stella’s mom. I hated Danny Balando. I didn’t understand why Dusty was necessary in the novel. That’s about it.

Favorite quotes…

“I haven’t been able to think straight since I met you. I can’t think of a day when you haven’t been in my thoughts. There are a hundred other things I should be thinking about, but I think about you. What you’re doing, when I’ll see you next, what you’re thinking.”

Overall…

I ended up giving this novel 5/5 stars. It isn’t often that I get hooked on a book during the school year, but this one definitely had me hooked. I just couldn’t put it down. I loved the romance. I loved all of the mysteries. This was the first book this school year that made me WANT to read.

I would definitely recommend reading this book in October. Both the cover and plot give off a creepy vibe that is definitely worth reading near Halloween.

Amazon | Chapters/Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Happy Reading,
Alaina