ReVamped by Ada Adams Review + Giveaway!

Release Date: February 20th, 2012

Format: Paperback

Age Group: Young Adult

Nineteen-year-old vampire Dawn has led a sheltered life within the confines of her father’s presidential headquarters. Upon being sent on a mission to revamp four goofy misfits into guardians of a peaceful little town of Angel Creek, Dawn believes that all her dreams have finally come true. What starts off as a simple task, turns into something unexpected, changing Dawn’s life forever and leading the action-loving, thrill-seeking vampire teen on a path of mystery, danger and intrigue.

When a human girl is kidnapped by a group of rogue vamps, Dawn discovers that there is more going on in Angel Creek than meets the eye. And it all connects to Ethan, the cute newcomer who seems too perfect to be true, Sebastian, the mysterious vampire with a turbulent past, and even Dawn herself. Dawn must not only succeed in revamping the troubled recruits, but must also prevent the vampire race from being overtaken by a malevolent villain who has a strange and obsessive fascination with her. As threat escalates, romance blooms, and ghosts from her past begin to surface, Dawn is sure of only one thing: her life will never be the same.

It takes a lot to get me to read a vampire story these days. A few years back after reading a certain story about beautiful, sparkling, undead creatures, I went crazy devouring every other vampire book I could get my hands on. Then I got burned out, big time. I dabble from time to time in the genre, but it takes a really unique angle and some serious selling by other readers whose opinions I trust. That is how I ended up with ReVamped in my hands. It had high praise and a synopsis with the promise of something new. And Ada Adams delivered!

Dawn is such a cool character. She’s a vampire, she is completely kick-ass and capable of defending herself, but she’s also completely socially awkward and a little sheltered. Having spent her whole life at her father’s mansion, training to be a practically unstoppable warrior, she doesn’t really know how to deal with people. And it was her awkwardness around the folks of Angel Creek, when she first arrived, that endeared me to her. I want to be her friend and you will, too.

Dawn is in town rounding up a ragtag team of misfits, who will become the guardians of the town. Unfortunately, none of them are particularly good at being vampires, let alone able to protect the people of Angel Creek. These guys were so much fun and had me cracking up all over the place. I think Seth is definitely my favorite of the misfits, but I’ve got a soft spot for Sophie and her love of books.

Of course, there are cute boys, too. Ethan is the adorable, human bartender and has Dawn swooning from the first time she sees him. Then  you’ve got Sebastian, the seriously hot and broody vampire. Both guys gave me reasons to love them and both of them really seem to care about Dawn, but for the first time in a while, I haven’t actually picked a team. I have this terrible habit of reading a book and completely falling for guys that are on the outskirts of the story. I decide the girl needs to have that boys love in her life and then I am always so disappointed when it doesn’t happen. Well, I’m doing it again folks. An outside of the triangle guy has captured my heart and I am so desperately hoping he captures  Dawn’s, too!

AND! Because I love you guys and I love this book, I'm going to give away an ebook copy to one lucky reader! AND, AND!! Because Ada Adams totally rocks, she is going to send out a bookmark and stickers, to the lucky winner. They are gorgeous, guys, so trust me when I say you want them :0)

To enter, just leave a comment on this post about what catches your eye in a paranormal these days, and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win! Easy, peasy :0)

I'll pick the winner on June 25th!
(The winner will receive their choice of either a Kindle or Nook version of the book, so please be sure you have a way to read one of those.)

Just a little update...

As I am sure is obvious by now, I love YA fiction. I love it so much, in fact, I have read nothing but YA for the last couple of years. Recently, though, I picked up an adult contemporary novel and devoured it in one sitting. Ever since then I have been reading adult fiction like crazy. So with this newly formed addiction to adult fiction, as well as YA, I have decided to branch out a little on the blog. Up to now, everything on The Book Life has been YA oriented. While it will still mostly be YA, I am going to start reviewing some adult books and doing some posts involving adult fiction. I think that's the best part about blogging, as my reading tastes are growing and changing, my blog can also grow and change. I'm really excited to put a little variety here on The Book Life and I hope you all will enjoy hearing about some awesome adult fiction titles, too!

I also want to say thanks to all of my wonderful followers and all of the friends I've made in the blogging community. I'm coming up on my first blogoversary at the beginning of next month, and it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without all of you! So here's to great books, great people, new things, and many more wonderful blogging years :0)

"When You Were Mine" by Rebecca Serle

Release Date: May 1st, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: eGalley
Age Group:

What’s in a name, Shakespeare? I’ll tell you: Everything. Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her—and when he finally does, it’s perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose’s best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy...and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn’t even stand a chance. Rose is devastated over losing Rob to Juliet. This is not how the story was supposed to go. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet’s instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob’s heart, but also for his life. Because Shakespeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends….




I'm one of the rare few who doesn't actually like the original Romeo & Juliet. I've always found it extremely depressing, unromantic, and wildly inappropriate. That being said, I love Romeo & Juliet retellings. So when I heard about this book I immediatly put it on my wishlist. When You Were Mine is less of a retelling, though, and more of a reimagining from a different point of view.

I'd never given much thought to the character of Rosaline in the original story. She's a very minor character and we only hear about her briefly, so I was really interested in her story and how it tied in with the tragedy of Romeo (Rob) & Juliet. I loved Rose, she had such a great voice and all kinds of attitude, while being sweet and shy at times. Rose has got feelings for her best friend and the boy next door, Rob. And she's pretty sure he feels the same way, because before he left for the summer there were moments. Of course, now that the summer is over and he is back in town, she is really nervous about seeing him. What if he doesn't feel the same way? What if his feelings changed over the summer?

She didn't need to worry, though, and things seems to be going great for her and Rob. Well, except for one small problem. Her cousin Juliet. Honestly, I liked Rose better after she and Rob weren't in each others lives. She always had her best friends , but she starts branching out a little more in school and becomes a little more Rose. While this story isn't really anything like Romeo & Juliet, they are in the story, and we all know their lives end in tragedy. It's sad and it's hard watching Rose deal with the guilt she has over it, but it also serves as a final step for Rose to move on with her life and be the girl she is now.

This was excellently told and so clever. It's about time someone wrote about other characters from this world.  I didn't even know I wanted to read Rosaline's story until I found out she was getting one. Definitely recommended :0)

"This Is Not A Test" by Courtney Summers

Release Date: June 19th, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Format: ARC
Age Group: Young Adult

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?



I am a huge fan of Courtney Summers and her ability to write incredibly real and flawed characters. Her books always make me cry and feel a myriad of emotions while reading. So when I heard that her next book was going to have zombies, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Zombie stories are usually humorous, or just full of insanely violent zombie fighting, and I couldn't figure out what angle this story was going to take. Let me tell you, this book is classic Courtney Summers brilliance. Yes, this book has zombies and there are acts of violent zombie fighting, but this book is not about the zombies. This book is about the characters, what they've gone through and what they are currently going through. I have to say, this is the most beautifully written and deeply layered zombie story I have ever read. I loathed, I cringed, I cried, I hoped and cried some more. Well done, Courtney, well done.

The story is told from Sloane's perspective. Sloane has a lot of secrets that have nothing to do with the current zombie apocalypse. She's very guarded and apprehensive, and we can tell right from the beginning that she doesn't exactly want to be holed up with the group of kids from her school, waiting for help to come. Despite her desire to just give up, she feels like she owes it to the rest of them to keep acting like she's hoping they will all be saved. Not everyone in their group gets along and they are pretty much divided down the middle. Cary has sort of taken charge of the group and is the reason they have gotten as far as they have, but a tragedy that happened along the way, has made him the enemy of Grace and Trace. Trace is tired of following Cary and begins challenging his every move. Rhys has sort of attached himself to Sloane, but after witnessing some things, he's not so sure he wants her around at all.

All of these teenagers are trapped inside their high school, under the worst circumstances imaginable, and the story that unfolds from that is so amazing. I didn't expect to be so deeply invested in a story with a zombie backdrop, but I really shouldn't be surprised, because Courtney Summers never fails to knock it out of the park. Everyone needs to run out and get this book as soon as they can. It will knock your socks off and you won't be sorry!

"Keep Holding On" by Susane Colasanti

Release Date: June 14th, 2012
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Format: ARC
Age Group: Young Adult


Between Noelle’s difficult home life and the bullying she endures at school, all she wants is to get out of her small town. Noelle would give anything to be with Julian Porter. But staying with her emotionally distant boyfriend is safer. When things heat up between Noelle and Julian, she has to decide whether she can be her true self with him.






This book made me so emotional. I knew that it dealt with bullying a little, but I didn't realize how deep into the subject it got. It is so real and terrifying, because the things that happen to Noelle and the other kids at her school, happen to teens all over the world. And just like in the book, parents and teachers often do little to stop any of it from happening. I went through so many emotions while reading this. I was so sad for Noelle and the awful relationship she had with her mother. I was angry for her and some of the other kids, because of the way they were treated by the bullies at school. I was appalled, because so many of the adults just ignored it or looked the other way. I was also grateful for Noelle, because she had a couple of great people on her side and that isn't always the case for bullied kids.

Noelle is very poor, in a very rich town. She often has to take lunches that consist of mayo and mustard sandwiches, and the mean kids constantly torment her during the school days. Noelle was luckier that some of the bullied kids, because she had an excellent best friend, who didn't care about any of that stuff. Sherae might be one of my favorite characters in YA, at least that I have read recently. She was an excellent friend to Noelle, she didn't care that her family had money and Noelle's didn't, she loved her for who she was and not what she had. Sherae was always trying to convince Noelle that she was better than she saw herself and she desperately wanted her to stand up for herself. A little further into the story Noelle makes a second friend, Simon, who also only likes her for her. He's also above caring about the social hierarchy and just wants Noelle to be who she is. I wish every bullied kid had friends like these two. I'm sure it would make high school so much easier if you always had someone in your corner.

The adults in this book, except one teacher, left a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, I think it's probably a pretty acurate portrayal of how adults handle bullying. It's almost as if they think avoidance will make the problem go away. Or maybe the don't want to get involved because it's too much of a hassle. I don't care how inconvenient it is, if you see a kid getting bullied, you are the adult and you are supposed to try and help them. I don't even want to get started on Noelle's mother. There are so many things that are wrong with that women and the way she treats her daughter, once you start the book, you will understand.

I think this is a book that both teens and adults should read. It's terrifying and tragic, but it's what is happening all over the country. We see it in the news, but do we ever really pay attention. I may not relate to Noelle, because our teen years were very different, but I definitely feel for her and any kid who gets tormented like she did in this book. I think this is a must read.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Release Date: June 14th, 2012
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Format: eGalley
Age Group: Young Adult


“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

In all of the books I’ve read, I don’t think there has ever been a family I’ve loved more than the Garretts. From the beginning, even before Samantha really gets to know them, I could definitely see why she spent so much time watching them. Sam lives a very clean and controlled life. Her mother has very specific ways she wants things to be and isn’t very pleased when things go outside of her lines. The Garretts are a big family, full of life and there is always something going on. Jase Garrett introduces himself to Sam one night and it changes everything. The more time she spends with Jase and his family, the more she falls in love with them.

There are a lot of characters in this book and Huntley Fitzpatrick has given them each their own distinctive personality. While reading I felt like I was really getting to know every character, even if I didn’t like what was learning about them. A lot of times the younger sibling characters are sort of generalized in a book and just serve as background to the story, but the younger Garretts were just as fleshed out and some of my favorite characters to date. Especially little George, he was such an awesome kid, I just wanted to hug him.

There is such a contrast between the way Samantha and her family live, and the way the Garretts live. Samantha’s mother is all about appearance and order, she wants things a specific way and expects her daughters to comply. While the Garretts lives are more about doing what makes you happy and living their lives. I really liked how Samantha fit in with Jase’s family so quickly. Considering all of the horrible things her mother had said about them over the  years, she might not have been so comfortable in their world, but it was just one more thing to prove that she is her own person and not her mother’s clone.

This book tells an amazing story about family, friendship, tragedy, love and finding out who you want to be. I loved every page and I can’t wait to go back and re-read it. I am such a fan and I can’t wait for more books by Huntley Fitzpatrick :0)