The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Genre: Realistic Fic / Romance
Page Count: 320

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

I've been highly anticipating this book ever since I read Kasie West's debut, Pivot Point, in February.  Sadly, this book didn't live up to my expectations.

The first 150 pages or so were extremely slow to me.  I wasn't fond of the main character, Caymen, and nothing was happening in the story.  I was very close to putting down the book, but for some reason I kept reading.  Luckily, the second half was good, and is why I gave this book three stars when at the beginning I was thinking this one was only worth one star.

THE CHARACTERS:

I didn't connect with Caymen at all.  At the beginning, she seemed very judgmental.  Fortunately, she did change through the book, so the character development was there, but she didn't have a very fleshed-out backstory.  The only thing that kept me reading her story was her fun sarcasm.

As for Xander, I liked his character.  It was fun to see his character evolve from the first scene we saw him in the book, where he just seemed like a snotty rich guy.

THE PLOT:

The plot was full of cliches, and I found it pretty predictable.  On the plus side, there were some fresh ideas that made the story worth reading.  I liked how Kasie West wrapped up the story, but the beginning was uneventful and boring.  The plotline in the middle was okay since that's when the story finally began to pick up, but I'd say the last 50-or-so pages were the best.

I also liked how Caymen lived and worked at a doll store - something I don't see very often and I liked that! It gave the story something interesting while the overused rich-boy poor-girl storyline was playing out.

THE WRITING:
This is the main thing that bugged me in this book.  I thought Kasie West's writing was excellent in Pivot Point, but in this, there were no interesting metaphors and the writing just seemed to drag down the story.  I did quite enjoy the witty banter between Caymen and Xander, though, so that was a plus.

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Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Genre: Realistic Fic / Romance
Page Count: 325

Summary (from Goodreads):

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

I picked up this book because I had heard it was strongly recommended for fans of The Fault in Our Stars.  Turns out, I really enjoyed this book!

As the cover suggests, music played a part in Eleanor and Park's story, which made me happy. Music is a big part of my life, so I felt more engaged in the story.

Plus, the writing was spot-on for this type of story.  I liked how it wasn't "love at first sight" - it took a while for Eleanor and Park to warm up to each other, and that fact kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting for the drama to unfold.

The characters were excellent!  Character development is what I typically focus on when I'm reading, and I loved how the novel switched points of view - I liked knowing what was going on in Park's head and knowing what was going on at the same time in Eleanor's. That factor only works in some novels, but it definitely worked in this one.

The ending was heartbreaking, though.  Be warned!  Make sure you have some tissues lying around when you're reading those last few chapters.

Overall, I enjoyed the book.  It dealt with some social issues and the story kept me reading.  The romance was cute and compelling.  Will be reading future Rainbow Rowell books for sure!

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The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

Genre: Romance
Page Count: 375

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after. 

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I picked this book up.  I admit, I didn't think that she would actually be dead, I was expecting her to be metaphorically dead, not literally. But she actually does die (this isn't a spoiler, it happens within the first couple pages) and the storyline just picks up from there.

THE CHARACTERS:
I liked Brie.  I didn't connect with her very much, but I thought she was still a well-rounded and well-written character.  Her emotions and thoughts were all very logical in the situations she went in.

As for Patrick, he was probably my favorite character.  He was full of witty comebacks and I enjoyed reading the scenes when him and Brie would talk and argue.

THE PLOT:

It was seeming kind of predictable until the last fifty pages.  There's a giant twist that I definitely did not see coming.  The plot was also fast-paced, it never seemed very boring to me.  Something was always happening and each scene was there for a reason.

HEAVEN:

I really liked how the author depicted Heaven in this novel.  I won't talk too much about it because I don't want to spoil the wondrousness of it for you, but I liked the different ideas about what's up there.

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Genre: Historical Fiction
Page Count: 552

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS):

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

I've been hearing about this book for ages and I finally picked it up to see what all the hype was about.  Well, if you haven't read this yet, this book most definitely lives up to the hype.

THE CHARACTERS:

I connected with Liesel so much.  The fact that she recognized how powerful words are and how she loved both reading and writing certainly made me resonate with her the most.  I also liked how three-dimensional she was. Problems that she came across wouldn't just pass straight through her - she would think about those obstacles and use what she's experienced in the past to help her with her decision -- she was written perfectly.

The other characters were great as well.  I loved Rudy and Hans and even Death's characters.  They were all fantastic, and if I wrote a paragraph about each, you wouldn't make it to the end of this post.

THE PLOT:

Perfectly executed. There were a couple slow spots, but the action and the suspense really made up for them.  There were twists and subplots that were compelling and that I didn't see coming. 

THE WRITING:
Phenomenal.  That's all I can say.  There was at least two quotable phrases on each page -- hundreds of beautiful metaphors and insightful sentences.  Markus Zusak's writing really made the story vivid and you knew how each scene felt, smelled, and looked like all in gorgeous detail.  He's definitely become one of my favorite authors for his writing style.

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Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Page Count: 336
Stars: 5 / 5

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

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.

How do I even explain how much I loved this book? When I first picked it up, I was unsure if I would like it or not. I figured that it would just be a very sad story because of the description. The thing is: it wasn't. Not entirely, anyway.

Once I began this book, I couldn't put it down. Hannah Harrington's writing is SO GOOD - she's become one of my all-time favorite authors because of it.  This book was never boring, and I love it when I find a book like this.

THE CHARACTERS:

I connected with Harper, the main character, even though I'm not very much like her.  Since this novel is told in first-person, you get to see the inner workings of Harper's mind.  Her thought processes seemed very realistic, and she was three-dimensional and I really began to feel for her. When times got tough, I was rooting for Harper all the way.  

I struggled to connect with Laney, Harper's best friend, at first.  As the story unfolded, I really began to care for her and hope the story panned out well for her.  

As for Jake, I was very unsure of him at first.  The first scene with him, he seemed very dark and mysterious, leading me to think this would end up like your typical "dark/mysterious cheesy romance" but it wasn't!  As I learned more about Jake, I ended up loving him too!  

All in all, the characters were perfect and imperfect in all the right ways.

THE PLOT:

Their roadtrip was full of random stops and fun scenes, and I loved how much music played into the story.  Being a lover of music myself, it was so fun to see the author make references to artists I listen to and songs I love.  Overall, the plot was nicely paced and compelling.

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The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan

Genre: Realistic Fiction / Romance
Page Count: 312

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Tim Macbeth, a seventeen-year-old albino and a recent transfer to the prestigious Irving School, where the motto is “Enter here to be and find a friend.” A friend is the last thing Tim expects or wants—he just hopes to get through his senior year unnoticed. Yet, despite his efforts to blend into the background, he finds himself falling for the quintessential “It” girl, Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of Irving’s most popular boy. To Tim's surprise, Vanessa is into him, too, but she can kiss her social status goodbye if anyone ever finds out. Tim and Vanessa begin a clandestine romance, but looming over them is the Tragedy Paper, Irving’s version of a senior year thesis, assigned by the school’s least forgiving teacher.

Jumping between viewpoints of the love-struck Tim and Duncan, a current senior about to uncover the truth of Tim and Vanessa, The Tragedy Paper is a compelling tale of forbidden love and the lengths people will go to keep their love.

I really liked the characters in this novel. None of them were there just to fill up space - they all had stories and purposes.  This book captivated me from the beginning.  I just needed to know more about what happened to Tim, and how everything panned out.

I loved how the romance seemed real; not cheesy or over-the-top.  The way Elizabeth LaBan wrote it made me feel 

like this story, and Tim and Vanessa's romance, was very much alive - not fictional.  I loved it!

The story (mostly) takes place at a boarding school, so it was easy to imagine everything that was going on, since I experience school and everything that comes along with it.

Don't even get me started about the ending.  My emotions were everywhere.  The secret had been threatening to spill ever since the beginning, and when it finally came to light... well, let's just say I didn't see it coming.

Overall, excellent debut, I will be reading more by this author! 

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Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

This book is different than I was expecting it to be... in a good way!  I could really connect with the main character, Auden, which makes reading the book all the more fun.  I also loved how all the characters in the book had their own stories, that they weren't just there as fillers.  This was a cute book with drama at every turn! I recommend this book to fans of Sarah Dessen's other novels, fans of Stephanie Perkins, and fans of YA romance novels.

Summary (from GoodReads):
It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.

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For more info, visit the author's website.

I'll definitely be reading more of Sarah Dessen's novels!

~thespectacularbookworm  

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

I absolutely loved this book.  I wasn't expecting it to be nearly as good as it was. It's made my favorite books list of 2012, which is saying something.  All of the characters were created perfectly, and I found myself understanding and caring about every one of them, even the bad characters.  The plot was executed very well in my opinion, and I'll definitely be rereading this book in the future.  I'd recommend this for fans of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, the movie Mean Girls, or if you just need a good YA realistic fiction book to read.

Summary (from GoodReads):
Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

~~~

~thespectacularbookworm

Teen Angst? Naaah... by Ned Vizzini

This book was really fun to read. It's full of short stories from Ned Vizzini's teenage years, and they're all very relatable stories.  This is a really good book if you're looking for a light, comedic YA read.  I really enjoyed this book.

Summary (from GoodReads): 

“The events in these stories are real. Some names have been changed so I don’t get yelled at.” —Ned Vizzini
 
Ned Vizzini writes about the weird, funny, and sometimes mortifying moments that made up his teen years. With wit, irony, and honesty, Teen Angst? Naaah . . .  invites you into Ned’s world of school, parents, cool (and almost cool), street people, rock bands, friends, fame, camp, Cancún (almost), prom, beer, video games, and more.

~thespectacularbookworm

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

This book has been hyped up and so I was excited when I grabbed this book off of the library shelf.  I finished it in two days and sadly, I was disappointed. The characters seemed kind of flat to me and I've read other books that followed the same basic (and kind of boring) plotline.  It was a cute book overall, but I wouldn't recommend this. 

Summary (from GoodReads):
Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. 

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~thespectacularbookworm

Every Day by David Levithan

I loved this book completely.  The characters were real, and it was so interesting to see the different lives that A experiences throughout the book.  This book kept me intrigued, and not once did I find myself at a dull part because the whole book is interesting!  It was very well-written and I'm planning on reading some other books by David Levithan.  This book was amazing and I definitely recommend this to anyone who's a fan of YA fiction.

Summary (from GoodReads):
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. 

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan, bestselling co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

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You should definitely read this!

~thespectacularbookworm

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

John Green is a spectacular author. This is the fourth (out of five) books by him that I've read, and I've loved all of them. They're all really quotable and amazing. An Abundance of Katherines was no exception. It's funny and romantic and a lot of fun to read. I recommend this for lovers of the realistic fiction genre and if you've liked any other John Green books!

Summary (from GoodReads):
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. He's also a washed-up child prodigy with ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a passion for anagrams, and an overweight, Judge Judy-obsessed best friend. Colin's on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which will predict the future of all relationships, transform him from a fading prodigy into a true genius, and finally win him the girl. Letting expectations go and allowing love in are at the heart of Colin's hilarious quest to find his missing piece and avenge dumpees everywhere.
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For more info, visit John Green's website.

~thespectacularbookworm

Looking For Alaska by John Green

This is the third John Green book I've read, and it's fantastic! (Although my favorite John Green book is still The Fault In Our Stars). The characters were three-dimensional and all likable--which is rare. I'd recommend this for lovers of realistic fiction and if you liked any of John Green's other books! (Plus it won the Printz award, which is a GIANT accomplishment!!!)

Summary (from GoodReads):
Miles "Pudge" Halter is abandoning his safe-okay, boring-life. Fascinated by the last words of famous people, Pudge leaves for boarding school to seek what a dying Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps."
Pudge becomes encircled by friends whose lives are everything but safe and boring. Their nucleus is razor-sharp, sexy, and self-destructive Alaska, who has perfected the arts of pranking and evading school rules. Pudge falls impossibly in love. When tragedy strikes the close-knit group, it is only in coming face-to-face with death that Pudge discovers the value of living and loving unconditionally.
John Green's stunning debut marks the arrival of a stand-out new voice in young adult fiction.

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For more info, visit John Green's website.

~thespectacularbookworm

Paper Towns by John Green

First of all, I already knew John Green was a fantastic author from reading The Fault In Our Stars (and by the way, if you haven't read that yet, YOU SHOULD) and Paper Towns was a great book also!  I strongly recommend this for fans of John Green, fans of The Fault In Our Stars, fans of realistic fiction and/or fans of YA fiction!

Summary (from GoodReads):
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life--dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge--he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues--and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

Printz medalist John Green returns with the brilliant wit and searing emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers.

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You should read it!

For more information, visit John Green's website.

~thespectacularbookworm

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

This book was interesting. It's set in a dystopian world, and follows the life of the clone of the big and powerful Matteo Alacrán, who goes by the name El Patrón. It demonstrated a lot of social issues and while reading, you can't stop rooting for the main character.  I recommend this for fans of dystopian fiction.

Summary (from GoodReads):
At his coming-of-age party, Matteo Alacrán asks El Patrón's bodyguard, "How old am I? ... I know I don't have a birthday like humans, but I was born." 

"You were harvested," Tam Lin reminds him. "You were grown in that poor cow for nine months and then you were cut out of her." 

To most people around him, Matt is not a boy, but a beast. But for El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium--a strip of poppy field lying between the U.S. and what was once called Mexico--Matt is a guarantee of eternal life. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, for Matt is himself. They share identical DNA. 

As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister, grasping cast of characters, including El Patrón's power-hungry family. He is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards and by the mindless slaves of Opium, brain-deadened 'eejits' who toil in the poppy fields. 

Escape from the Alacrán Estate is no guarantee of freedom because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect. Around every turn in this vivid, futuristic adventure is a new, heart-stopping surprise.

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~thespectacularbookworm

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

First of all, I'd heard many great things about this book before I started it, so naturally I had high expectations. AND IT EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS! This book was funny and beautiful and real and heart-breaking. I recommend that you read it if you like realistic fiction and/or romance. But be warned -- this book is extremely sad.

Summary (from GoodReads):

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

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You should read this book!

~thespectacularbookworm

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book was pretty good. I liked Melinda's (the main character) voice -- Laurie Halse Anderson completely three-dimensionalized her. She was sarcastic and kind and real. This book is gripping and honest and I recommend this for fans of realistic fiction and fans of the book Thirteen Reasons Why. There's a movie, too (I haven't seen it though).

Summary (from GoodReads):

Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe. Because there's something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.

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~thespectacularbookworm

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

This is the new book by the author of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and I loved this book just as much as I loved Hugo (which is now out in theatres (as of today) -- I can't wait to go see it!

This story follows two children 50 years apart -- Rose's story told in pictures and Ben's story told in words.

Summary (from GoodReads):
Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.

Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful--with over 460 pages of original artwork--Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.
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To learn more about Wonderstruck, click here.

~thespectacularbookworm

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

I read this book a while ago, but I remember loving it!!  When you first look at it, your first thought is - 'Wow, that's a big book' because it is.  526 pages, but half of the story is told in pictures.  I read this in just two days!  It sucked me in from the beginning.
I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good, quick read... and plus, the movie's coming out in theatres on November 23rd, which is  Wednesday! 

Summary:
Hugo Cabret is a 12-year-old orphan, thief, and clock keeper, for he lives within the walls of a train station in Paris.  But when he meets a girl named Isabelle who has a key to his dead father's automaton, his world turns upside down as he and Isabelle try to decipher the secret.

For more information on the book, click here.
For more information on the movie, click here.

~thespectacularbookworm

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

This book was recommended to me, and so I was looking forward to a great book, and I did like it, but it did disappoint me a bit. The mystery of what Clay did to cause him to appear on the tapes kept me turning the pages. I was just DYING to find out what he did.  But I must warn you: it's a sad book.  It's rumored that it will be made into a movie soon, so make sure to read it before you see it!

Summary (from GoodReads):
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

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Find out more at ThirteenReasonsWhy.com

~thespectacularbookworm