All I Need by Susane Colasanti

All I Need by Susane Colasanti

Released: May 21, 2013
Publisher: Viking 
Page Amount: 340, US Hardback
POV: 1st Person (Skye and Seth)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon
OVERALL:
Plot-19/20
Characters-19/20
Creativity-18/20
Writing-19/20
Pace-10/10
Ending-10/10
=95/100 A
★★★★★/5






SUMMARY:
Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it’s obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did—and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?.Goodreads.com

REViEW:
I'm not one for cheesy, idealistic relationships. That made me leery to start reading this book. I was lucky enough to meet Susane and she was so amazing and nice in person I had to read this book. Covers and titles can be deceiving, I should have learned from Anna and the French Kiss. Sure this book started out very romantic, but that just drew me into the book and made me fall for the characters. This book is a short little read with not a super strong plotline, but that was okay. The main focus was placed on Seth and Skye's relationship, which, contrary to my predictions, was not perfect. I loved that. Seth and Skye fought about things I have fought about with some guys in my life. It was very realistic because of the disagreements. The setting of the story was absolutely gorgeous. I loved the beach scenes and the roller rink. It was very detailed and had a lot of meaning behind it. This book wasn't all gumdrops and rainbows, but still maintained that summer vibe that so many books fail to achieve.

The characters were pretty perfect in this story. There was Skye, one of the narrators, who was very tied up in all the high school drama. She was in high school where her two best friends were fighting and where all the college applications were just waiting to be completed. She's young, younger than Seth, a swoon worthy, smexy, college boy. I'm sorry that was unprofessional... But who am I kidding? Seth is a guy that any girl would love to go out with. Some complications ensue regarding the age difference, but I love how they figured it all out and figured out how to keep their relationship going.  

This ending was the perfect conclusion to sunny, summer romance. I loved what Seth did at the end. My heart swooned. I would marry any guy that did that for me. By the end of this book, I felt lucky to have been a part of this relationship. Even though I was just an observer, it felt as if I was lucky enough to fall in love at the same time Skye did. From the first page I knew that this was going to be the book of the summer, and it really truly was.

My Favorite Part: The relationship between Seth and Skye is one that I want to have.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes, it is the perfect summer romance.

Thank you for reading! How did you feel about this book?

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti
Released: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Speak
Page Amount: 236, US Hardback
POV: 1st Person (Noelle)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot-17/20
Characters-17/20
Creativity-17/20
Writing-18/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-10/10
=88/100 B
★★★★/5

SUMMARY:

Noelle's life is all about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself--and for the love that keeps her holding on.-Goodreads.com

REViEW:
The plot of this book was quite interesting. I love me a good bullying story and this one did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the journey of learning how to stand up in this book. It set it apart from other books about bullying. I loved the incorporation of writing and how Noelle slowly started to find herself because of it. It was a really great addition to this book. I loved the character growth in this book because I truly believe that that is what advanced this book's plot.

Noelle was a very intriguing protagonist. I loved reading from her perspective because it was very relatable. She started out a little shy and quiet about her rough home life and bullying, but I loved seeing her grow by the end of the book. Seeing her stand up at the end of the book really makes the reader feel the power of just speaking up for whats right. Her best friend, Sherae, was also a very interesting character that I really enjoyed to get to know. Her story of date rape was very honest and I could feel her pain. I only wish I could have read more about the repercussions it had on Sherae's thoughts. Speaking of guys, Noelle begins the book in a terrible relationship with Matt. I felt so bad for Noelle, but I wish she would stop thinking she was so unlovable. She let Matt love her so I didn't really understand why she couldn't be with Julian. It didn't make sense to me. Julian is an amazing guy and I sure as heck wish he went to my school. This world needs more caring gentlemen.

The ending was empowering. Noelle's strong attitude made me want to fight against bullying too. I loved how honest the last few pages were. Having been bullied my whole life, those words hit home and really made me feel less alone. This book is a perfect story of learning how to speak up and to feel your worth as a person. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is being bullied or has been bullied because the last couple of pages will really touch your heart, just as they touched mine. 

My Favorite Part: The ending being so dang beautiful and perfect.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes it's really inspirational.

Thank you all for reading! :D

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥