Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Review!

  "Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. In Laurie Halse Anderson's powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.

Speak is a haunting, sad story about a girl who survives rape and has no one to trust. I am going to thank my English teacher, Mrs. Mays for giving me this book and telling me that it was a good age for me to read it. I could have read this before and not have gotten the message or what was happening. I have met people who are survivors and I can try to help.

Melinda is a typical teenage girl in how she talks but she has many issues that she has to deal with. No friends, No life, and parents who don't try to understand her. She has to deal with High School but how she even tried is my surprise. Melinda has to deal with seeing her rapist and it hurts to see her go through this. The part where it almost happens again is terrifying to both Melinda and the read but she gets the courage to stop it.
    This book shows how difficult it is for Rape survivors and how we can try to help them.

                                                                     5/5 stars

Peace, Love and Fangirl,
Alex

If I Stay by Gayle Forman Review!

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time













 If I Stay is a haunting read that will stay with you days after you finish. This book hit me hard because I identified with Mia, her family reminded me of my family and I felt their loss deep in my soul. I sobbed hours after finished and it took cuddling with little bro to calm down. This book is difficult to read but so worth it.

The characters were all so likable and fantastic which makes my heart hurt. Mia is a teenager with her life ahead of her and her out-of-body experience is terrifying. Teddy, her mom and dad were big parts of her family and having to read the happy flashbacks makes it so much worse because you realize that there won't be anymore happy moments. 
Adam was so lovable and adorable. He and his dramatic gestures to see her were all around painful. He was so heart-broken that you could feel his pain. Her family and friends were so good to have in the book because you saw that they wouldn't blame her if she left. The words her grandfather said to her hit me hard and I could not shake them.

I lost any semblance of composure when she found out Teddy died because I have a little brother that same age. If I had to live without him or my parents would not be a life. I don't know if i would stay like Mia did because without my family there would be no me. I dread seeing how she has to go through life now but she chose to live. I don't want to see her regret it.

                                                                    5/5 stars

Peace, Love and Fangirl,

Alex

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy Review!

What if you'd been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, who she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that's as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her archnemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger). But just when Alice's scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the con­sequences of all that she's said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she caused irreparable damage to the people around her—and to the one person who matters most?

   *sniffle* I loved this book so much, I can't deal with it. SEMV is a fantastic book with love, loss and teenagers and their hormones. 

Alice has issues and I have accepted that. She is bitchy and I love her for it, I cannot bring myself to hate her. It could be that she has such good revenge plots, the world may never know. Harvey is a sweetheart with a heart of gold and I ACHEEE FOR HIM. Stupid Julie and her sweet fictional boys.

The plot was so juicy and I loved it so much. I can't even express how wonderful it was. The way that Alice carries out her revenge was wonderfully horrible. Julie captured high school in such a great way. It showed how your life can go to shit in a second.

I applaud you, Julie Murphy

                                     5/5 stars

Peace, Love and Fangirl,

Alex