P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

 Title: P.S. I Still Love You

 Author: Jenny Han

 Series: To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2

 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

 Date Published: May 26, 2015

 Genre: Romance, Contemporary

 Pages: 352 (Hardcover)

 Age Range: 13+





                                                                     Summary:

     Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

     She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

     When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

                                                                        Review:

     Oh, my goodness. Lara Jean is finally back. THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. EVEN THE BLURB CONTAINS SPOILERS.
     So, I really missed Lara Jean and her cutesy little romance. The first book really left off on a brutal cliff hanger, and I waited with baited breath for this book. I was a little worried about how things in this book would work- things were pretty crummy with Peter, and I wasn't ready to throw another love interest in the mix. Then, I met John Ambrose McClaren. John Ambrose was super amazing. While Peter is my favorite, John was pretty close. In the end, I would have been okay with Lara choosing either boy.
     In this book, Lara Jean has so many new issues with Genevieve. I wanted nothing more than for Lara to slap Gen. And Peter, UGH. I understand why Peter couldn't tell Lara Jean about Gen's issues, but I also got increasingly frustrated with both of them. Couldn't Lara trust him? And couldn't Peter feed her at least a little bit of info? This book solidified my hatred of Gen.
      We met a whole slew of new characters, all of them incredibly minor. As much as I liked the characters, I really wished that we could meet some of them more. Maybe they can have their own duologies? I also really loved the Assassins game and plan to play with some good friends soon.
     I did love the moments between Lara and John, and Lara and Peter, but they were fewer than the first book. This book was much more drama-filled. I loved this sequel, and I can't wait for Jenny Han to write something new. More contemporaries, please??

                                    

Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

 Title: Ashes to Ashes

 Series: Burn for Burn Trilogy #3

 Author(s): Siobhan Vivian, Jenny Han

 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

 Date Published: September 16, 2014

 Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal

 Pages: 401 (hardcover)

 Age Range: 14+




          Summary:

     They only meant to right the wrongs. It was about getting even. Burn for burn.
     But the fire they lit kept raging…Reeve ended up hurt, then Rennie ended up dead.
     Everything will turn to ash if they don’t stop what they started. But now that Mary knows the truth about what happened to her, will she want to?
     Secrets drew Lillia, Kat, and Mary together. The truth might tear them apart.

                                                      Review:

     Oh, my literal gosh. Ashes to Ashes is like that third book in a series that you just have to read, but you kinda wish you could rewrite. It's slightly angering, more than slightly intense, and a little perfect. Honestly, I'm not sure how to rate this book- I almost wished that I hadn't read it. I want to give it all the stars, but I also want to take away a few stars because of... issues. This review is going to be spoilery because I can't talk about this book without being spoilery. I just can't...
     Mary became so evil and awful in this book.I knew that something was totally wrong with her, but I never guessed ghost. When I read Mary's chapter and found out that she's been a ghost the whole time, I lost my mind. And that was the beginning! It really set the mood for the rest of the book. I really hated Mary in this book. She became so evil and vengeful over something that she did entirely to herself. I liked Lillia even more through this book, but she made a few stupid decisions. That being said, I felt bad for Lillia too. Kat... was Kat? She didn't undergo much of a change throughout this trilogy and I didn't get to see her shaken up that much except when she gave up Oberlin. Reeve- oh, Reeve- I kinda love him now. He's changed so much throughout this trilogy, and he's not the person that I though the was at first. Alex also didn't go through much change, but I still really like him.
     The plot in this book is slower than in the others, but there's also so much more that happens. When Lillia gave up Reeve, and Kat gave up Oberlin to kill Mary, I was rocking back and forth like a crazy person- I was so upset. And when Lillia broke the seal with Reeve that had been placed on Mary, I was screaming at Lillia for being such a fool. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Reeve was shoving Kat and Lillia out of the room so he could deal with Mary. I almost cried when Reeve cut himself, and I thought that he was dead. My favorite part of the book is when Mary realized that she had done everything to herself. I really liked how the authors dealt with Mary's problems and suicide.
     The epilogue... I don't even know. I really started shipping Reeve and Lillia and then Lillia never hears from Reeve again?! What is up with that? And Kat settling for a different school? And Alex and Lillia are together? I'm glad there was an epilogue because I hate open-ended books, but I'm not sure if I liked the epilogue. It was so...final. And so final in things that I'm not sure if I like.
     I'm so glad I read this series, and Fire With Fire is my favorite book out of the three. Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian truly have some talent- especially together.


                                         

Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

 Title: Fire With Fire

 Series: Burn For Burn Trilogy #2

 Author(s): Siobhan Vivian, Jenny Han

 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

 Date Published: September 16, 2014

 Genre: Paranormal, Contemporary

 Pages: 544 (paperback)

 Age Range: 14+





                                                     Summary:

      Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.
     Not even close.
     For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there was ever a pact.
     But there is something seriously wrong with sweet, little Mary. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure someone will get hurt. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

     It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn…

                                                      Review:

     Wow. Jenny Han has a serious Peter complex. For those of you that don't know what that means, let's compare Peter from the To All The Boys I've Loved Before duology, to Reeve from this trilogy. They're both jocks that are seemingly jerks, but end up being love interests because they are just so gosh darn sweet when you actually get to meet them. No, that wasn't sarcasm. I seriously love Peter, and Reeve seems pretty good so far. That being said, I guess it's time to look at the characters.

     Mary is creeping me out more and more. I don't know what really ends up happening with her, but she is seriously creeping me out. I think in Ashes With Ashes she's gonna go on some revenge trip by herself to get back at Lillia, but I really just don't know. I'm an even smaller fan on Mary's after reading this book because she's grown bratty, self-centered, and even more obsessive over Reeve. In the book, we have some more Reeve moments, and we actually have some really nice moments, but (SPOILERS) I'm not sure if he's boyfriend material. I kinda like Alex and Lillia. Alex is that sweet boy that's pined after Lillia for years, and Reeve is the jock that *gasp* cares for a girl a little more than himself. However, I am okay with LIllia and Reeve just because I really love LIllia and want to see her happy, especially after all this drama with her friends (END SPOILERS). I liked when Reeve almost went on a revenge trip, and when Lillia went after him, but I feel like that could have been a scene between her and Alex, or at least between Reeve and Lillia as friends. I feel so bad for poor lil' Kat and I really hope that she finds someone to be with, or at least gets into Oberlin. I'm glad that she and Alex didn't work out, because I ship Alex and Lillia, but if Alex and Lillia don't work out, I'd be okay if Alex and Kat got it on.

     (SPOILERS) I'm a terrible person because when Rennie died, I laughed for a good five minutes. I was so happy because I hated Rennie so much that it was almost ridiculous. (END SPOILERS) We have some major drama in this book, even more so than we saw in the first book. Because this book is considerably thicker than the first one, the story moseyed along at a slower pace, which was nice. I saw the Rennie thing coming, but I didn't see something happening to Rennie in such a big way.

     Predictions? Oh, Lord. I think that Mary will go on her own, personal revenge trip, at least against Lillia and Reeve. I think that Lillia and Alex will end up going to college together, but I think that Lillia and Reeve will stay together :(... I hope that something happens to Kat's family, just so that we can get some more depth to Kat. Kat is kinda like this untouchable vixen, and I'd like to see her world shaken a bit. I hope Mary dies. That's horrible, I know. But seriously. Let's get rid of the psycho? Please?

     I can't wait to read Ashes With Ashes. I've heard it's a really disappointing conclusion, but I'm waiting with baited breath.

                                       

Burn For Burn By Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

 Title: Burn For Burn

 Author: Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian

 Series: Burn for Burn Trilogy #1

 Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

 Date Published: August 6, 2013

 Genre: Contemporary, Paranoramal-y

 Pages: 384 (paperback)

 Age Range: 13+ 




                                                    Summary:

     Postcard-perfect Jar Island is home to charming tourist shops, pristine beaches, amazing oceanfront homes—and three girls secretly plotting revenge.
     KAT is sick and tired of being bullied by her former best friend.
     LILLIA has always looked out for her little sister, so when she discovers that one of her guy friends has been secretly hooking up with her, she’s going to put a stop to it.
     MARY is perpetually haunted by a traumatic event from years past, and the boy who’s responsible has yet to get what’s coming to him.
     None of the girls can act on their revenge fantasies alone without being suspected. But together…anything is possible.
     With an alliance in place, there will be no more “I wish I’d said…” or “If I could go back and do things differently...” These girls will show Jar Island that revenge is a dish best enjoyed together.

                                                    Review:

     This is the first book in what I think is going to be a trilogy, and already we have had A LOT of action. We have a handful of three wildly vengeful girls on our hands, all willing to go to the extremes to extract their personal, sweet revenge. In this book, we read from three different POVs, and all of them have their own, distinct voice. Kat, Mary, and Lillia all are very different people that join together seamlessly to create this intense, crazy story.
     First off, the characters! Mary kinda weirded me out. I mean, yes she is a vital person in the plot, and yes, she has maybe the most reason to want revenge. Buuut, she still gave me some major heebie jeebies. I'm kind of on the fence about her because I feel so bad for her, and because she seems genuinely sweet, but she also seems to have some weird ulterior motive with some odd, paranormal aspect going on with her. I just don't know. Kat, I just felt meh about. She was kind of an annoying, flighty little girl, but I love her rebellious streak that brings out some craziness in the other girls. Lillia is my favorite character out of the three. She seems like a really nice girl stuck with the wrong group of people. As for the group of friends that we are dealing with, I really like Alex, I like Nadia (honestly, just because we share a name), I hate Rennie, and I feel meh towards Reeve (but love his name).
     The plot of this book is really fast-paced. I suppose that I should dislike that this book revolves around petty revenge, but my inner girly-girl is loving it! I really like the character and plot development that we've seen so far. Everything really moved along, but I'm not sure if I like how Rennie and Reeve are kind of grouped together. I almost feel like they each deserve their own special hell... But.....We'll see what happens in book two!
     This book was surprisingly good, and it has a really pretty cover. I have book two half-read on my shelf right now.