Favorites: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros, Wilder by Rebecca Yarros

I haven't done a favorite post for a while, but now it's time for that and we get to look at two of my all time favorites. 

I had a privilege to meet amazing Rebecca Yarros in London last September. She was one of the authors I really wanted to see at Rare19 London. I had a hard time with my thoughts. My mind was foggy and struggled with words (because English isn't my first language). She was so patient with me. I am eternally grateful for her ❣ I got both of my books signed. And those are the books we're talking about today. This is going to be a long post, so bear with me.

I absolutely love the way she interacts with her readers. I love how content she is with herself. She is so real. I like how she talks about her family, it really shows that she loves her family really much. I hope that one day I could be as good mom as she is. She knows what she's writing. Her style to write is awesome. I can't wait to read Great and Precious Things. It's her latest release, but I haven't read it yet, because I couldn't afford it. But some day 😊

The Last Letter was one of my top reads last year. I didn't read the blurb, so I started crying at the very beginning of the book. If I had read the blurb I wouldn't have cried so much while reading. Right after reading I posted my review on Goodreads with words "I've no idea how to rate this book." And it still fits.  I am tempted to give only one star, because this book broke my heart in a million pieces. But I think that it's also a sign of a great book. If you don't feel anything while reading, is the book worthy enough of your time? So five stars it is. 

I am not kidding when I say I cried all the time while reading. I can not tell anything about the book. I am afraid that I'll spoil it. The book is about Ella and Beckett. At first they write letters to each other then the situations change and they spent time together. This book is a roller coaster of emotions. This book is about love, friendship, family. This book gives you an explanation to words like courage, honor, duty. If you didn't understand the meanings behind these words before, you sure do after reading this book. This book is about to keep going even when times are though. The most important message this book gives you is that you're enough. You can crumble. You're allowed to break down. Just get up and keep going. You're worthy. Never doubt that. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros

Entangled: Amara

2019

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The first book I ever read by Rebecca Yarros was Wilder. I love a good college romance and this is one the best ones I've read, even if it's not a traditional one. I don't know if there really is this kind of Study at the Sea -program. But if I were young and in college, I would definitely apply on that program.

The thing is that Leah is a tutor to this student called Wilder. They are in this Study at the Sea - program together. For months to sail international waters, study and see places you wouldn't normally see. Leah has some emotional package with her, she's so damn brave. I don't think that she sees it, but she really is. Wilder on the other hand. He's a star. He's this total adrenaline junkie. He has X Games medals, he has a wild streak. He does all these crazy stunts with his crew. His crew, Renegades, are making a movie at the same time as they're trying to study. There are all this cool stunts and I could see all those stunts. They were written so well that it was easy to image how they ride bikes, go parasailing, jump of cliffs and so on. All those stunts made me want to try something so cool. 

There are a lot of going under the surface. Wilder isn't always as happy as he seems. He has his own demons to battle with. He has been living this life for so long that it tooks Leah to show him that some moments can stay between few people are not meant for the whole word to see. It isn't always easy, sometimes life is hard.

I really love this book. This book is about people you have in your life, whether they are your friends or family. There are times when your closest friends are your family. I love this books honesty. These characters are honest, loyal and passionate about what they are doing. This book is the reason why I finally had the courage to sky dive. (It was freaking awesome, btw. Will do it again!) Wilder states that "Life starts at the edge of fear" and I think it's true. If you do something that scares the sh** out of you; you're twice more proud of yourself after doing the thing that scared you. So do the things that scare you, because it's rewarding. Be brave.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wilder by Rebecca Yarros

Entangled: Embrace

2016

My Life as Kelsey by Victoria Anders

This is one of the books I got free, because of a current situation. 

My Life as Kelsey is a sweet YA -romance. It's your basic love story, but that's not a bad thing. There are tons of same kind of books. Some of these books are good, some are not. This is one of the better books. 

The book starts with Kelsey working. We learn that she isn't rich kid, but she's really smart. She lives with her mom and grandmother. Something happens and she moves.

She meets a cute boy and after a move she sees this boy again. Now they are at the same school and start to hang out together.

Kelsey felt like a real teenager with all the feelings. Being a teen isn't always easy. Sometimes the situations in your life make it even harder to be a teenager.

The story flows forward. This is an easy and happy book. There are some hard subjects, but they're not too hard and they're well written.

Thank you for Victoria Anders for giving me this book!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Life as Kelsey by Victoria Anders

Independently published

2019

Scary times

We live some scary times now. But I want to give a quick shout out to the authors!

We all know this Covid-19 hassle is scary, really scary. All these lockdowns and all this hoarding. All these news about people getting sick. 

But there are some good authors out there. They are giving their books away for free on Amazon. They are giving their books straight to the readers or via BookFunnel. I can't believe how thoughtful these people are. They are giving you something else to think about, they are giving you a hope. Thank you. 

Take care and stay safe 💟

More serious books

If you don't like books about Holocaust, please stop reading now.

I know that these books are way different than the books I've posted about earlier. But I really like to read these stories about survivors. I don't know why I like these books; maybe because I'm still trying to understand how this could happen. Maybe because I want to know that there were survivors; that you can survive from something that was meant to destroy you. I like to believe that there is always hope. I like to believe that hope is stronger than fear. I once saw this post about hope that stated H.O.P.E means hold on, pain ends. I would like to believe that it's true.

The first book about Auschwitz I read was Playing For Time by Fania Fénelon. I was something like fourteen or fifteen years old. I read it again few years later, but haven't read it since. I think I'll reread it soon. Maybe it feels different now than it felt then. 

Lately I've read a lot of other books about Holocaust. The last book I finished was Born Survivors by Wendy Holden. It was about three women who were pregnant while climbing on a train that took them to Auschwitz. The book tells how these women survive through the next weeks and months with trying to keep their pregnancies secret. The book was a bit disoriented or at least it felt like that. It went back and fort too much for my liking, but it was definitely worth of reading!

I have also read book about Sonderkommando. They were those men who worked inside gas chambers. It was a really brutal book. 

I read also Last Stop Auschwitz by Eddy De Wind. That's the only book that is written inside of concentration camp. It was a really touching book. I think this book was originally published decades ago, but was published just now in English. Please correct me, if I'm wrong.

Because of Mr. De Wind's book I was interested of Block 10 and it's women. That's why I chose to read a book about these women. Hans-Joachmin Lang wrote a book about these women. I'm not sure if this book is translated in English. 

I have few other books about Auschwitz in my TBR pile. I have been avoiding The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, because I am really sure it will break my heart in a million pieces. But I have now that book in my shelf, so the time has finally to come to read this book. Also The Pharmacist of Auschwitz. The Untold Story. is waiting in my shelf. I want to read Cilka's Story, too. I liked the first book of the series. I understand why some people didn't like it, but for me it was a good reading experience.

I want to believe that we can do better now. I believe that we're all equal. And I want to believe that my kids can grow up and live in a better world; where no one needs to be afraid because they are who they are. Spread the love, not the hate. And hold on, because there has to be a time when pain ends. 

World Book Day 2020

It's a time for yet another World Book Day!

Every year, the first Thursday of March we're celebrating World Book Day. It's a charity funded by publishers and booksellers in UK & Ireland. Their mission is to give every child and teen to book of their own. It's also a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and reading. Unesco has designated that World Book Day is a worldwide celebration. 

In UK & Ireland they actually give these tokens to kids that kids can use to buy new books. Some might put on a costume in World Book Day. It's all about to get the kids closer to books they already love, but also to get the kids to find new books to read. 

I think that this is an awesome idea. You can never read too much. This isn't really a thing in my home country, but it should be. I would love to participate on an event like this. This is an event that I wouldn't mind to donate some money. Kids doesn't read enough these days. They play video games. I think that there are actually studies out there that shows kids learning to speak later because parents doesn't read to their kids. I think that it's really sad, because books can give you so much. 

So, what are you reading today? How are you encouraging kids to read? What book will you introduce to your kid or any kid if you don't have your own? 

It's so easy. Most of us have a library in our home town. Most of us can afford to buy a book from a store or second hand market. Most of us have some books in our homes. If all these are impossible to excel then please tell stories to your kids. Kids have an amazing imagination and it's our job to make it even better. 

Happy World Book Day! Enjoy your books!

Just One Year by Penelope Ward

Once again a great book by Penelope Ward!

I have read Penelope Ward's books before and I've loved every single one of them! Stepbrother Dearest, Jake Undone, RoomHate, Drunk Dial... Also the books that she has co-written with Vi Keeland are awesome. She is an automatic one-click author to me.

Just One Year came out last Sunday and I one-clicked so fast. But I couldn't start reading before last night. Then I spent most of the night reading this amazing book. It was odd to start reading, because I had read the blurb earlier. But it was still a really good book! 

This is a NA book. College romance and friends-to-lovers story.

Teagan lives in Boston and her stepmom wants to house an exchange student. Caleb, a hot British man, comes to live with them. At first they doesn't seem to like each other, but as the time goes on they develop feelings towards each other. 

They both have some heavy baggage because of their pasts, but as you know sharing your secrets may help you more than you can guess. Their time together is limited, but they want to make the best of it. Penelope Ward's books never have easy ends. She really knows how to write younger characters who has old souls. Her characters always have some though decisions to make and this book isn't exception. Both Teagan and Caleb struggle with their feelings. 

I love how in this book both Teagan and Caleb give each other strength to go on. For me this book is so much more than a romance book. For me this is a story of friendship and not giving up. This is a story about believing yourself. This book is about believing you're worth it and you should never settle. Once you know what you want you should do everything in your power to make it happen. You rarely regret something you have done, even if it doesn't last. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Just One Year by Penelope Ward

Penelope Ward Books, Inc.

After All by Heidi McLaughlin

I would love to say this is a second chance love story with all the feelings. But in my opinion this is also friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers love story. For me it's all of these.

I have read few Heidi McLaughlin's books before and I have loved all of them. I got a chance to meet her in London last fall. She is a wonderful woman. She surely knows how to write a book with a roller coaster of emotions. 

I got After All from NetGalley. Thank you for giving me an ARC to review. It was truly my honor to read this book before hand. 

I fell in love with the cover. It's so serene. The sunset (or sunrise) is so beautiful. I didn't read the blurb before I started reading, because sometimes blurbs spoil a lot. But you can find a blurb in here if you want to check it out. And it won't spoil anything. I just love to dive in blind.

The book is written in third POV, which took some time from me to get used to. But that's just me, because once I got pass my issues I had no problems with reading. I read this book almost in a one sitting. 

The book starts with Brooklyn coming back to Cape Harbor, the place where she spent her teen years. Back to the same town where she fell in love with Austin, the local boy who was loved by everyone. Back to the same town where she lost the love of her life. Back to the town she left behind and never looked back. The town isn't all she left behind, because once she comes back she sees that there are still the people she once cared about. 

Bowie lost so much more than a best friend 15 years ago. He lost two friends. One to the sea and another one just disappeared without a trace. His life hasn't always been easy. He's struggling with his company and once he's offered to renovate the local inn he jumps on board. 

What these two doesn't know is that they're supposed to work together. They are supposed to bring the life back in inn. The inn that once was so great and was a special place for local. But the inn hadn't been the same for 15 years. While they are building the inn together it's hard to ignore one another. Old feelings and ways to behave come back. 

They struggle to let go of the past and move on. The events from the past can be powerful and they can keep you from living your fullest life. Small town brings its own vibes. Everyone knows everyone and everyone thinks they know everything. So many secrets waiting to come out and open. So many people and feelings to sort out.

For me this book is mainly about friends and family. No matter what happens you should be able to turn to your friends and find comfort with them. But I can clearly see why Brooklyn did what she did. I can understand how heartbroken she was. I also understand why Bowie reacts as he does. This book felt really real.

I liked how we got to see inside of both of them heads. I like dual POV. The book mainly happens in present time, but I loved how there were scenes from the past. A solid summer read. Or a winter read, because you feel the summer coming out of that book. Four summer stars!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

After All by Heidi McLaughlin

Montlake Romance

#AfterAll

#NetGalley