Jessa Russo

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC copy.
Girls Who Lie Together is separated into two distinct halves. the first focusing on the protagonist, Renata/Ren attending a work program after she hijacks and damages her stepdad’s car. The second focusing on Ren attending a new school in a small Texan town. The plot was easy to follow, maybe a bit cliche at times but overall decent for a light young adult read.
The book had a strong supporting cast however some of the questionable actions of the lead characters left me with mixed feelings towards them. Ren and Brit's romance was cute, and the banter between the two was interesting.
Ren’s narration was enjoyable for most of the book, however, some of the use of slang felt a bit awkward and at times pulled my attention away from the book. Her constant comparisons of Brit to Barbie also felt a bit overdone.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, suited to a young adult audience.… (más)

This book is the perfect fairytale re-telling. I knew it was a gender flip YA re-telling of Beauty and The Beast, but it felt like so much more.Holland is an average girl, and I think that's what I liked most about her. An average girl going through a life changing, crazy PHYSICAL change. Then there's the hottie here to rescue here, and it seems like she almost has a chance. This story kept me guessing, all the time. I had no idea where Jessa was taking this tale and it kept me flipping to the next page.

And then there’s the mysterious changes happening to Holland, graying eyes, sleepwalking, phasing in and out of reality, and the rage.

All consuming rage.

This isn’t just a gender flip, it’s a meshing of Beauty and The Beast and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde where the girl is our dangerous beast and it’s the boy who will need to convince this double sided beauty to fall in love.

Does he?

Guess you’ll need to read it and find out.… (más)

I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how to review this book without giving spoilers because the spoilers are really good, but I won't--I hate spoilers.

If I'm being vague in this review, I'm sorry!

In EVADE, we learn about the world of Collectors and Seekers. The paranormal really kicks up a notch and I love all the lore. This isn't just a romance book, there's some great world building.

One of the reason I liked the first book, EVER, was because of Ever. She's a teen most girls will relate with, even us older chicks. Her attitude and honest replies had me laughing. Moments like this one,

“I…” My mouth was dry and raspy. I swallowed, ran my tongue over
my teeth a few times—gross—then tried again.

How many times have you been around a cute boy and have done that? I don't consider myself vain, but regardless of what kind of situation I'm in, I'm concerned about my hygiene, not necessarily my looks, but definitely my hygiene.

The romance in this book is complicated and passionate. Russo gives us the perfect amount of hot kisses without going into x-rated territory and always left me wanting more.

There were some new characters introduced and I think my favorite is Samuel. I'm not sure what his deal is, or if he's good or bad, but I like him. Jessie is by far the best YA BFF I've ever read. I'd love to see her and Ariadne have a few rounds in the ring.

And the end...wow...the only thing I'll tell you is book number three is going to be epic.

To give you an idea of how twisty and turny the book gets, I gasped extremely loud during a particular scene and my hubby asked if the book was good, I gave him a big grin and nodded, then didn't the leave the chair until I was done reading.

If you haven't read EVER, BUY IT, then snatch up EVADE!… (más)