There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Title: There's Someone Inside Your House
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Publication date: September 26, 2017
Pages: 289
Source/format: Publisher//ARC

Rating: ☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Scream meets YA in this hotly-anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss.

One-by-one, the students of Osborne High are dying in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, the dark secrets among them must finally be confronted.

International bestselling author Stephanie Perkins returns with a fresh take on the classic teen slasher story that’s fun, quick-witted, and completely impossible to put down.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Stephanie Perkins is known for her Anna and the French Kiss companion trilogy but this is her first time launching a horror novel! The novel starts off with a group of girls talking about the Sweeny Todd production that they are apart of at Osbourne High School in Nebraska. Unfortunately, one of the girls in the production is murdered at home and is the first of many students who are killed within the novel.

Makani Young moved from Hawaii about a year or so ago to Osbourne, Nebraska and still is trying to fit in. Her friends Darby and Alex and supportive and she is beginning a steady relationship with Ollie. Makani left Hawaii because of a scandalous past that caused her to change her last name. Her grandmother currently raises her in Nebraska and her parents find her a nuisance and a burden.

Although the novel is a horror novel, I find the book a fusion of contemporary and horror. There are a lot of instances of Makani and Ollie hooking up in the novel. The novel is more of a contemporary with scattered instances of horror weaved into There's Someone Inside Your House. Just a warning, there are instances of a lot of make out sessions, sex and hazing in the novel. I was a little put off by it because of how intense the hazing situation is.

Readers find out about the murderer earlier than expected. Half way through the book, Makani meets the killer and becomes a victim. Unlike the other victims, she survives. I didn't expect to find out about the killer so soon. I was hoping for the suspense to last until the very end where clues led to identity of the murderer. I also find it ironic how the school is doing a Sweeny Todd production during the time the serial killer is out to kill many students who attend Osbourne High School. The show ends up being cancelled due to the grieving community and the nature of Sweeney Todd.

There's Someone Inside Your House is written in third POV and readers will know what is happening to each character right away. Sometimes it can be hard to follow the plot with so many characters in the book. I recommend this book for those who like contemporary novels but want to have a taste of horror but aren't ready for a full blown suspenseful horror novel.

Looking Ahead: Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories Cover Reveal

Jim Tierney illustrated the cover to My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories, a wonderful winter anthology edited by Stephanie Perkins. Yesterday, he revealed his cover art for Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, also by Stephanie Perkins. I love how he illustrated Summer Days and Summer Nights similarly to My True Love Gave To Me. They look fabulous next to each other and the colors contrast nicely. In terms of design, Olga Grlic did a wonderful job with the typography. Both anthologies complement each other nicely. The deciduous trees, valley and lake is perfect next to the coniferous trees, mountains and frozen lake.

Check out some of Tierney's art work on his website. I cannot wait to match up the couples on the cover of Summer Days and Summer Nights with the characters in the anthology. I hope someone makes an animated version of the cover just like My True Love Gave To Me and I hope there is a lovely UK version because I love my UK version of My True Love Gave To Me.

The author line up for Summer Days and Summer Nights is fantastic. I am looking forward to reading stories by Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Stephanie Perkins, Veronica Roth and Jennifer E. Smith. Ms. Perkins revealed Marigold and North will be back which I am ecstatic about because "It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown" is my favorite story in My True Love Gave To Me. Check out more information about Summer Days and Summer Nights here!

North and Marigold from Stephanie Perkins's website

The anthology will be released June 14, 2016. It's perfect timing to start next summer! What do you think about the cover art? Will you be picking up Summer Days and Summer Nights next June?

Isla and the Happily Every After by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Publication date: August 14, 2014
Pages: 339
Source/format: Hardcover from Molly from Cherry Blossoms & Maple Syrup

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

My Thoughts

After reading Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Isla and the Happily Ever After. Isla is first introduced in Anna and the French Kiss and now she has her very own novel. Isla Martin has been crushing on Josh Wasserstein for years but always held back because Josh had a girlfriend. Isla bumps into him at a café in Manhattan, New York City before school starts and catches up with him. I think it is cute how she has been pining him for years but I did find it a bit stalkerish when she wanted to see if he returned to the café day after day. Isla and Josh are both seniors in high school at a boarding school in France. She even researches more about him online and even ends up living in his previous room at the residence hall at the School of America in Paris.

I enjoy reading about how Isla and Josh become a couple. Reading about how Isla and Josh interlace each others' fingers and how they are completely honest with each other is part of the journey. I absolutely love how Josh is creative, artistic and doesn't care about what others think about him. Although Perkins conveyed romance quite well in this novel, Perkins also touches upon strong friendships. Isla is good friends Kurt Donald Cobain Bacon. Kurt is the rational one. He helps Isla figure out what she should do when she doubts herself. I definitely love how Perkins includes a reference to Kurt Cobain in the novel. And of course, I was excited to read about the Harry Potter reference.

I cried when I read this book. It's full of love, heartbreak, drama and so much more. Perkins captures what it means to be in love so perfectly. Isla and the Happily Ever After echoes To All the Boys I've Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You, both by Jenny Han. Gen reminds me of Margot and Hattie definitely reminds me of Kitty. The sisterly bonding is very similar to To All the Boys I've Before. I find it interesting that the youngest sister in both books impulsively sends something in the mail which leads to happy endings for Isla and Laura Jean.

Although Anna, Lola and Isla are interconnected, they are unique and they carry themselves differently. I love the cameos of characters from Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door. It definitely made the book more special. The novel is full of emotions. I was riding a roller coaster. Isla and Josh are meant to be and to read about their journey about good and bad times is important. Work hard for what you want! Don't give up! Anything is possible! Isla and Josh Forever!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication date: September 29, 2011
Pages: 352
Source/format: Purchased/Paperback

Rating: ☆☆☆☆1/2

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):

Lola Nolan is quirky and eccentric who doesn't conform to the mainstream. She dresses up in costumes because she loves to express herself in a non-conventional way. Life is perfect in San Francisco with her two dads, Andy and Nathan, and everything is perfect with her boyfriend, Max. However, the Bell twins move back into town and everything about Cricket Bell floods back to Lola's memory.

My Thoughts:

I am falling in love with this book and I definitely love this one more than Anna and the French Kiss. Anna and Étienne make a cameo in the book which is great since Stephanie Perkins bridges her companion novels together. I can still keep tabs on how Anna and Étienne are doing while reading about Lola and Cricket.

Perkins touches upon distinctive family dynamics in this novel especially when it pertains to Lola's family. It is nice to know that a family of four with a father, mother and two children living in a house with a white picket fence is not everyone's family. Because Lola's family is unique, it helps shape who she is today.

Lola is snarky but she is sweet at the same time. Cricket on the other hand is the perfect boy next door who is also an inventor. I loved him from the start compared to Étienne in Anna and the French Kiss. Why do I find it funny that Cricket pops into Lola's life at the most random times? It is adorable how he pines for her. I feel bad for Lola because she is emotionally confused throughout a good chunk of the novel. She has always liked Cricket but she has a boyfriend. It seems like everyone likes Cricket and it takes awhile for Lola to embrace what Cricket has to offer her. It took forever for Lola to finally admit her feelings for Cricket. And I mean forever!

" 'When I meet Anna, I was with someone else. And it took a long time before I found the courage to do the hard thing. But you have to do the hard things.'
I swallow. 'And what's the hard thing?'
'You have to be honest with yourself.' " 

Well said Étienne. Well said! Sometimes there are hard decisions you have to make in your life but being honest with yourself is important. You have to make the right decision and the right decision is not always the same for each person.

Cricket Bell is pretty much everything you can ask for in a guy. He is generous, sweet, understanding and genuinely cares for Lola. He is the type of guy that will go out of the way to make sure Lola is okay. Lola, be honest with yourself.

Perkins does an incredible job with the character development. Many of the characters are quite likable and Perkins writes some of the best contemporary romances. Lola and the Boy Next Door is the perfect coming-of-age novel that will complete your heart. Start the swooning now!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Speak; Dutton Juvenile (first)
Publication date:  July 16, 2013; December 2, 2010 (first published)
Pages: 372
Source/format: Paperback, gifted from Melissa at Novelty Podcast

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Can Anna find love in the City of Light? Anna is happy in Atlanta.

She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?

My Thoughts:

Stephanie Perkins is an amazing writer. I love her writing style. The only piece I've read by her was her short story in My True Love Gave to Me. The first page of the book was the perfect start to Anna attending the School of America in Paris aka SOAP. There she meets Meredith who lives next door. Meredith introduces her to some friends in the circle and that's when Anna is acquainted with Étienne St. Clair. Anna is smitten with him at first sight. Anna can't resist Étienne but Étienne has a girlfriend.

The novel is super cute. I understand how she became to love Étienne overtime but the whole love at first sight sometimes turns me off. I mean, Étienne has a girlfriend. Anna should know not to step over those boundaries even though Étienne keeps flirting with her. And Anna should also be wary about Christopher aka Toph.

However, Anna keeps questioning herself whether if she likes Étienne or Toph. There was one point she wasn't sure if she likes Dave. I was quite upset when she was hanging out with Dave just to piss off Étienne. I think Anna needs to decide who she likes and who she wants to be with. Also, it doesn't help that Étienne secretly likes Anna but is still with Ellie but Étienne and Ellie are having relationship problems. But then again, it doesn't help with Anna's best friend from back home is dating Toph and doesn't tell Anna. There is so much relationship drama in this novel! And there is so much cheating. I am okay with certain love triangles but I am not okay with cheating.

I am glad that Anna found something she likes to do in Paris other than flirting with Étienne day and night. I know at first Paris was overwhelming and intimidating but Anna found the courage to venture out of SOAP. Her love for cinema helped her enjoy the city to it's finest. She loves watching films and reviewing them on her Femme Film Freak website.

I kind of laughed when I found out Matt is Anna's ex-boyfriend. He still cares for her as a friend. It reminds me of Matt Donovan in The Vampire Diaries and how he is still good friends with his ex-girlfriend, Elena Gilbert. I thought it was cute how Anna Oliphant has a nickname of Banana Elephant. I love how Étienne gifted Anna the glass banana bead. He is super thoughtful when it comes to gifts like when he gave her the left handed note book for taking notes for her film reviews.

I was so sad when Étienne found out about his mom having cancer and how his controlling dad wouldn't let Étienne visit his mother. It was heartbreaking. The different family dynamics that Perkins includes in Anna and the French Kiss shows readers that families aren't perfect and there are always obstacles that everyone has to face. Running away does not help diffuse the family problems and issues. Anna helped Étienne face his father and to stand up to him!

I am looking forward to reading Lola and the Boy Next Door and also Isla and the Happily Ever After. I hope they are a tad better than Anna and the French Kiss. I thought it was awesome that we get to meet Isla Martin in Anna and the French Kiss. I also respect Isla for backing up Anna when Anna had that fight with Amanda. I cannot wait to read more about Isla and her happily ever after.

My True Love Gave To Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

Title: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories
Authors: Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Peña, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Stephanie Perkins, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor and Kiersten White
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (US) and Macmillan (UK)
Publication date:  October 14, 2014 (US) and October 9, 2014 (UK)
Pages: 320 (US) and 335 (UK)
Source/format: Purchased, Hardcover

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

US version: If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins.

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell

I love this story. It's so simple yet relatable and realistic. I enjoyed reading about Mags and Noel and how their friendship blossomed every New Year's Eve. I think it's cute how Rainbow shows us three years of friendship in three days. The story reminds me a bit of Landline, a bit of Eleanor & Park and a bit of Fangirl. Rainbow Rowell is the queen of contemporary! The story is just that good!

Rating: 5/5

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link

I didn't really enjoy this story. It wasn't super horrible but I couldn't connect with any of the characters and I couldn't get into the story.

Rating: 2/5

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Peña

I like Matt de la Peña's writing style in this story. The way he tells the story through first person works very well. I love how Shy and Haley meet. It's cute how Shy and Haley share stories about themselves to get to know each other better but the only thing that put me off was the cheating in the story since Haley didn't break off her relationship with Justin until the end of the story.

Rating 4/5

Polaris is Where You Will Find Me by Jenny Han

I laughed when I read about the Great Hall. All I can think of is Harry Potter. I think it's cute how Natalie is adopted by Santa and how she gets to travel with him in the sleigh while he works. I loved this story about Natalie and how Flynn doesn't want to get hurt. He would basically do anything for Natalie. I just wished the story was a tad bit longer.

Rating: 4.5/5

It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins

Marigold is interested in Christmas Tree Lot Boy aka North Drummond. He is everything opposite of the boys she is usually attracted to. But ultimately she needed his voice. She needed his help with her YouTube comedic animated short films. But of course Marigold plays it off saying she is just looking for a tree and not any tree but a Charlie Brown tree. I thought it was so cute how North and Marigold interacted. It was adorable and heart warming. It turns out that Marigold likes North more than just for his voice.

Rating: 5/5

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan

I think it's so cute how Connor say Pweeeeeease. The story was just okay. I wanted more interaction between the two boys. Maybe some more dialogue.

Rating: 3/5

Krampuslauf by Holly Black

All I can think of is Harry Potter when I read the part about the cloak, crystal balls and magical potion. The whole Krampus part of the story still confused me even after I read the story but I loved when Oscar snorted with laughter and said, "That is Harry Potter shit." The wishing for magic on the wish list is pretty crazy. Anything is possible.

Rating: 3.5/5

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman

I love the writing style of this story. The story actually reminds me of being back in college. I laughed at the part how Sophie argued with the bookstore clerk about how textbooks should go digital and should be updated automatically. I think we all know that the selling your books back to the bookstore is a rip off. Sophie's interaction with Russell is genuine. It's so cute how they meet at the caroling concert and get pie and coffee at a diner. I love how Russell celebrated the last day of Hanukkah with Sophie even though she is not home with her family. The ending was perfect too! Loved it!

Rating: 4.5/5

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire

I was sucked into the story the second I read the first line. Vaughn is your typical trickster who ends up in trouble. He has to do community service and ends up helping with the Christmas pageant. There he gets to know Gracie Robinson, the Pastor's daughter. She is everything completely opposite from him. This actually reminded me of A Walk to Remember and how Landon ends meeting Jamie, the minister's daughter, and they participated in The Christmas Angel. This story was cute.

Rating: 4/5

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White

I like how we are introduced to a small town named Christmas and how Maria works at a cafe/diner in the town. Maria meets the new cook, Ben, who is genuinely nice and makes a mean gingerbread cookie. Ben is seriously whipping up some yummy foods and my mouth was watering when I was reading this story. I really want to try some of those eggnog chocolate chip cookies. I also enjoyed reading about Maria's mom and the mom's boyfriend. The relationship that Maria has with her mom is quite special and I thought it was sweet when Maria asked Ben to help her make rice pudding for her mom. I loved how this story was all about giving.

Rating: 4.5/5

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter

This story is so cute. I love how Lydia and Hulda switch plane tickets near the holidays. One ends up in New York and the other in Oklahoma. I don't want to spoil the story but it's the perfect holiday story about a girl finding a new family who loves her very much. I wish there was a bit more romance though.

Rating 4/5

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

I did not like this story. I couldn't get into it and the writing style was not my cup of tea.

Rating 2/5

Overall

I loved reading these short stories during the holidays. It's perfect for when I want to only read a small amount of pages per day. It was easy to pace myself to read all the stories and the best time to read them is during the last two weeks of December. I actually just finished reading the whole anthology today which is perfect. I loved how each story is different and how many of the stories including diversity of all sorts.