Jessie Hearts NYC

Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton 
Published July 7th 2011
255 pages
Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction
Stars: 5/5

Description via Goodreads: 

Jessie's just arrived in New York, hoping to forget about her awful ex.  

New Yorker Finn is in love with his best friend's girlfriend.  

They might be perfect together, but in a city of eight million people, will they ever find each other?

My thoughts:

 This was pretty good. A really light, mindless, quick and entertaining read. The story is told from the point of view of two people- English girl Jessie and New Yorker, Finn. They keep turning up everywhere together and eventually end up talking to each other properly. The writing was nice and easy and the characters pretty believable. I especially enjoyed the interactions between Jessie and Natalie as they felt quite real and a lot of it was really funny. I did think the coincidence thing was a bit overdone and far too convenient at times but it wasn't unbearably so. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I would definitely read something else by Keris Stainton.

Twisted

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Published March 20th 2007
250 pages
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction 
Stars: 5/5

Description via Goodreads: 

High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.
In Twisted, the acclaimed Laurie Halse Anderson tackles a very controversial subject: what it means to be a man today. Fans and new readers alike will be captured by Tyler’s pitchperfect, funny voice, the surprising narrative arc, and the thoughtful moral dilemmas that are at the heart of all of the author’s award-winning, widely read work.

My thoughts:

Twisted was a brilliant book. The average sounding description on the back definitely did not prepare me for what was inside. It started out pretty slow but once I got into the swing of it, I simply couldn't put it down. Tyler's character is just so real and raw. His voice is believable, witty and intelligent. I could really connect with him and really cared about how things would turn out. The book had me in suspense many times and was a real page-turner. Twisted is an excellent portrayal of family life and deals well with some very real problems. It was fascinating to watch Tyler stumble through life and see his courage develop as the story went on. Overall, a very enjoyable and emotional read.

Breaking the Silence

Breaking the Silence by Diane Chamberlain
416 pages
Genre: Romance, Realistic Fiction, Women's Fiction 
Age group: Adult
Stars: 5/5

Description via Goodreads: 

Laura Brandon had promised her dying father she would visit Sarah Tolley, but her own agony is drowning out the old woman's ramblings. Her husband killed himself, and the only witness- her daughter, Emma- now refuses to speak. Desperate, Laura turns to a man she once met nine years ago: Emma's real father. Together they search frantically for the key to Emma's silence, only to find it in an old woman's fading memories of love, despair and unspeakable evil.

My thoughts:

Diane Chamberlain's writing is very distinctive and unique and I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book.

Breaking the Silence was almost impossible to put down. It's full of fascinating characters and tons of mystery. The whole time I was just so eager to know what the truth was and there was plenty to keep me entertained until the final truth came out- which I was pretty satisfied with, in the end.

I'm not usually a fan of alternating narrators but I didn't mind it in this one- it worked and it was very easy to follow. Laura is a really likeable character though certainly not flawless or over the top. Emma was interesting, well developed, believable. Dylan was way more likeable than I expected him to be- and Ray and Stuart angered me a lot.

The ending was great. Some bits were a bit predictable, but the rest I certainly did not see coming. I loved how it all came together and made sense after so many pages of being confused and wondering how it could all work out. Overall, it was an excellent book and I'm looking forward to reading more of Chamberlain's work.