Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society Book 2) - Ally Carter

“Oh you’re heist-drunk Kitty Kat. And you have been since the Henley.”

Summary: After the big heist at the Henley, Katarina Bishop gets roped up in one of the biggest heists' of her life - stealing Cleopatra's Emerald. But this isn't just any emerald...it's cursed!

I got this book on audiobook like I did with the first Heist Society book and it was sooo good! I couldn't believe how much better it was then the first one! This one immediately started off with lots of heists and action which really helped and I didn't have to listen to tons of introduction information. I didn't read the synopsis before hand so once I heard that they were stealing Cleopatra's Emerald, I was immediately hooked! Since the emerald is cursed, it creates a lot of problems and a funny moment for Gabrielle when she got cursed! She actually slipped and fell and everyone was in shock haha! There was a particularly huge moment in the book and I was standing at one of my bus stops listening when it took place and I almost screamed and yelled out "SHUT UP I KNEW IT!!!" I was just in heaven with this book! The locations were so fun (Monaco!) and I looooooved Kat and Hale in this one! We got so much of them this time! Hale definitely became swoon worthy in this one! In regards to audiobooks, it's really hard for me to picture what the characters look like sometimes and I easily get distracted since I only listen to audiobooks when I'm taking the bus to work. It's hard not being able to flip to different pages in the book but what I love is that this book series feels really comforting and relaxes me! I'm so bummed that the third book isn't in audiobook format so I'm not sure when I'll read it. I almost don't even want to read it because the ending to this one was perfect!

Rating: 8.5/10

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Heist Society - Ally Carter

“It is an occupational hazard that anyone who has spent her life learning how to lie eventually becomes bad at telling the truth.”

Summary: Katarina Bishop comes from a family of thieves and was trying to leave the family business until she got pulled back in by Hale. Arturo Taccone has had his art collection stolen and it's up to Kat to get it all back and remove her fathers name from the suspect list!

Heist Society is my first ever audiobook listen and I have to say I really liked it!! I really feel like I'm even going through withdrawals without it haha! I take the bus to work each day and it gives me about an hour and a half to listen so it's perfect! It took me about seven chapters to get into the book and to get used to the narration. I think audiobooks are good for me only when it comes to books that I don't care enough about. The thing it seems about Ally Carter's books, is that it takes me that full seven chapters to finally start liking her stories. This series is a million times better then her Gallagher Girls books though! I thought Kat was a really cool MC and I love this whole world of stealing art. The big scenes where they were trying to get the painting back were so awesome! It felt like I was holding my breath the entire time! I think I guessed the thieve correctly at the end of the book but I'm not sure haha! So if you've read this book, let me know so I can discuss and see if I'm right! :) And I am so happy that my library has the second book on audiobook as well! I can't wait to pick it up this week!

Rating: 7.5/10

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The Moon and More - Sarah Dessen

"The thing is, you can't always have the best of everything. Because for life to be real, you need it all: good and bad, beach and concrete, the familiar and the unknown, big talkers and small towns."

Summary: Emaline has one last summer before she goes off to college. But the summer isn't what she thought it would be though when she is faced with tons of challenges - from a break-up, to the return of her absentee father, a summer fling, and more! During this one summer, Emaline will learn more about herself and the world around her, then she has her whole life.

Along For The Ride was my favorite Dessen book but it has officially moved to the number two spot after reading this one! I absolutely loved The Moon and More! Emaline was the perfect main character! I haven't read any fan reviews yet so I might be alone in this but I feel like everything she did was exactly how she should've done it. Usually when I read a book, I disagree with the route a character takes or something but I think in the end, the path she took was correct. I'm not even upset that she moved onto a summer fling literally after her three year relationship ended. I think she is a strong young woman and she learned SO MUCH. She's a changed person now and now she can go on this big journey and explore in college and learn even more about life and herself! One of my favorite things about the book was her relationships with Luke, Benji and her best friend Morris. I can't recall another book at the moment where I felt like the friendships were featured so prominently. Her friendships are what make her the person she is and I think she is a great friend as well! I just loved how thought provoking this book was (at least for me)! AND I am not sure if this has happened in other Dessen books....but the "Auden" featured in the book and Clyde himself, are the ones from Along For The Ride...right?! That's probably a stupid question but oh well!

Rating: 9/10

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Girlfriend Material - Melissa Kantor

"It's a long story."

"Cool, maybe you'll write it someday."

"You know, maybe I will."

Summary: Kate is being dragged from the summer she has planned at home in Salt Lake City to go spend the summer on Cape Cod with her mom and some old friends.

This book was a little iffy for me. I started off kind of liking it then I didn't like it and now I kind of do like it. It definitely wasn't anything special. The writing seemed a little weak in some spots and I really didn't particularly like Kate or Adam, her romantic interest. I did like that she was from Utah and that they talked about skiing at Deer Valley in Park City because that's where I lived and worked for the last two and a half years. I liked that Kate had so many interests (writing, reading, and playing tennis) but I didn't feel like I got a sense of who she was. Something felt off that I can't place. While Adam was cute and they shared some cute moments, I have found that I don't approve of their relationship. The ending between them was cute though. Another major event for this book is between Kate's parents. They're going through a rough patch (that's why her mom dragged her away for the summer) and we're left hanging as to whether or not they're going to stay together or get a divorce. Kate also didn't talk to her best friend for the majority of the book and while I assume they're going to patch up their friendship, we're still kind of left hanging. Overall, this book seems a little unfinished for me and was a bit disappointing.

Rating: 5/10

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