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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Flirting in Italian - Lauren Henderson

"My adventure - maybe my real life - is about to begin."

Summary: Violet sets off on a journey to Italy to find out more about a painting that features a girl that looks just like her.

Oh my gosh, this book was awful. It might as well be considered a DNF for me because I basically skimmed it after the first 140 pages. Going into this, you get little information on what the book is actually going to be about. The second I read the Prologue, I was like 'This is so stupid." I don't know anyone in the real world who would automatically set out on a "life journey" just to learn more about a painting and the person in it. Once Violet actually gets to Italy, the story gets even worse. I don't want to spoil what happens in case you actually want to read the book but it was one of the worst story lines I've ever read. It just wasn't believable at all! And I can't believe there's going to be a second one! The only part I liked was this kiss that Violet shared with this hot Italian guy but even that storyline got ruined. I was warned that this book was bad but gave it a shot anyways. I really wish I hadn't.

Rating: 0.5/10

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Forbidden Boy - Hailey Abbott

 

"If he's your Prince Charming, he'll find his way back. He has to, actually. I think it's in the job description."

Summary: Julianne and Remi meet at a bonfire and instantly feel a connection. He gets her and her art like no one else. But Julianne soon finds out that he is the son of her new neighbors the Moore's who are set on taking over the whole beach just to build their dream mansion. So a relationship between them can't possibly work, right?

Compared to Abbott's other books, I felt like this one was a step back. For being published more recently, the writing wasn't up to par with some of her other books. Julianne really kind of annoyed me. I understood where she was coming from about not dating Remi when his parents are trying to force her family to give up their house but I felt like she could've handled everything differently. She would tell Remi "No we can't be together," and then turn around and still be with him! I did like Remi (aka Remington which FYI is the second Remi I've come across in books and I'm really starting to dig guys who have this name!), and I liked the relationship J has with her sister Chloe. I wish we got to see J actually hang out with her friends though and have time with other people in her life. Then of course there was Abbott's pretty descriptions again: "The reflection of the moon was tossed off the waves, like someone had drizzled the water with liquid gold."

Rating: 6/10

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