Review: The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 340
Received: Received a copy from Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: October 13, 2015
Buy From Chapters.ca / Buy From BookDepository.com

Goodreads Synopsis:

Riley Vasquez is haunted by the brutal murder of the couple she was babysitting for.

Max Cross is suffering under the shadow of a life-altering diagnosis he doesn’t dare reveal.

The last thing either of them wants is to spend a weekend away at a therapy camp alongside five other teens with “issues.” But that’s exactly where they are when three masked men burst in to take the group hostage.

The building has no windows. The exits are sealed shut. Their phones are gone. And their captors are on a killing spree.

Riley and Max know that if they can’t get out, they’ll be next—but they’re about to discover that even escape doesn’t equal freedom.

My Review:

How do I even put this review into words without spoiling this book?! WOW, that is what I felt like when I finished reading this... I almost wanted to re-read it because I think I would have found new information the second time around. Kelley Armstrong is such a masterful storyteller, for both adults and teenagers. Her stories truly capture your attention, and you absolutely cannot stop reading. I know with this book I put it down at times and then looked at it and had to pick it up again because I couldn't stop thinking about it and the characters.

Honestly, this book truly drags you deep into it's pages and you absolutely need to continue to find out what will happen to these kids. I can truly say that I could not predict the things that happened in this story and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going on. This is the type of book that you will want to take a day where you have nothing to do and just binge read it (though I feel like that with most of Kelley's books).

The cover depicts the creepiness of this book so perfectly, And yet there is so much more to this book than just the kidnapping. This is also a story about recovering from such a traumatic incident... and having people around to help you through such tough times. I loved the relationships that are developed in this story as well, Riley and Max help each other through things despite the secrets hanging between them.

Honestly, I can't say much more about this book other than please read it! Kelley Armstrong is an absolutely amazing storyteller, and I can't wait to keep reading what she gives me!

Review: Young Widows Club by Alexandra Coutts

Publisher: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
Pages: 304
Received: Received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley

Release Date: November 10, 2015
Buy From Chapters.ca / Buy From BookDepository.com

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Tamsen Baird didn’t set out to become a teenage widow. All she did was fall in love and get married. But when her nineteen-year-old husband, Noah, dies suddenly in the middle of the night, her whole life changes. Now Tam is forced to return to the existence she thought she’d left behind—beginning with moving back home and finishing high school. But in order to overcome her loss and find her way forward, she’ll need to reinvent herself and reach out to others in ways she never imagined. She’ll need to open herself up to living—and even loving—again.

In Young Widows Club, Alexandra Coutts depicts a teenager whose struggle with grief and disappointment is heartbreakingly real and, in the end, powerfully uplifting.

My Review:

I wish I had this book when I was a teenager, it was such a beautiful book that really shows how to grieve for a lost loved one, it doesn't necessarily have to be the love of your life that you married when you were young. Alexandra Coutts touches the hearts of her readers in Young Widows Club and shows that life can go on after a heartbreaking loss.

Tamsen fell in love at an early age and gave up so much to be with Noah, they decided to get married at a young age and when he dies all of a sudden, Tamsen doesn't know how to restart life. Tamsen has to learn to live without the one person she thought would always be there, and she truly learns a hard lesson at an early age. Tamsen has to go back to people she thought she had left behind and learns how hard it is to go back again, but if you work at it, anything can be possible.

What I really loved is how realistic this book is in many ways, this book shows that it can be possible to pick up the pieces and learn to love again after losing someone close to you. Tamsen loses herself when she loses Noah, and begins to get herself into trouble just to be able to feel something again. This book is about finding yourself again, but also it's almost like a warning... you can't let yourself get lost completely in love, you still need to be yourself when you are in a relationship.

Tam definitely grows a lot in this book, when I first met her, I didn't really like her, she has an air about her that makes her feel better than people around her... especially when she joins her widows group. But Tam slowly has friends that even though she left them for Noah, they invite her back and want to help her get through her tough times. The other thing is the family values in this story, Tam is very close to Noah's parents and she feels like she may lose them as well because she isn't as close to her family... Yet her family is also there and wants to really help her bring herself back from this grief.

This is definitely an emotional book, because you see Tam go through the many stages of grief, and you as a reader want to grieve with her, especially because it is such different circumstances. But I love the scenes with the widows group, because it is such an interesting take on working through the stages of grieving, and it adds some nice humour to a rather emotional story. I definitely think this is an amazing book for anyone who has lost someone they loved in their life.

Happy New Year!!!

First I want to wish all my readers a very happy new year!!!! Hope the holidays were good, and I want to thank you for sticking by, even though I know this blog has dwindled a little over the last year. I am definitely trying to catch up and get back into being more active here. 

Well it is a new year and I am excited to start anew with 2016. I went through quite a bit in the last year or so and I've been disappointed in myself... This year I'm going to really start getting back to doing more things for myself. 

I definitely let a lot of things get in the way, and found that I didn't truly leave enough time for myself and to do the things I really love (like reading). This year I am hoping that I can find more of that precious time where I was on my own and just relaxing. 

Last year I found myself getting stressed out too often and bringing work stress home with me, it really made it hard to focus on the important things. Switching locations for my job did a lot of great things for me, and I made some new and amazing friends through the change, but it also brought about a few new stresses, which hopefully I can change this year. 

This year I really want to go by the saying "New year, new me". I'm looking forward to some new adventures this year and focusing more on being back in the blogging world, I have missed some old friends that I met when I started this adventure and I want to get back in touch with those people as well.

So here's to a new year and some new fun with old friends and new family!!! CHEERS!