Book Review: My Name is Chloe by Melody Carlson

Book Title: My Name is Chloe

Author: Melody Carlson

Publish Date: January 10, 2003

Genre: Young Adult Christian Fiction

Series Name: Diary of a Teenage Girl: Chloe (#1)

Plot (from Goodreads): Chloe, Josh Miller's younger sister, is a free spirit with funky clothes and dramatic hair. She struggles with her own identity, classmates, parents, boys, and -- her biggest question -- whether or not God is for real. But this unconventional high school freshman definitely doesn't hold back when she meets Him in a big, personal way. Refusing to change her image to fit into the "stereotypical Christian preppy mold," Chloe expresses God's love and grace through the girl band she forms, Redemption. In her development as a musician and performer, tender-hearted Chloe will learn tough lessons about following God, her heart, and her dreams.

Why I Read this Book: I found this series at my local Goodwill and they looked really interesting.

 

Review 

My favorite part about this book is that I learned more about God while reading it.  Chloe, although a new Christian, has wonderful incites about God and His love.  For more about this, read my post on my other blog, God Speaks Through Everyday Things.

The writing style for this book was very simple and plain.  There were some really slow parts in the book and there did not seem to be a strong central plot.  The book is written as a series of diary entries in which Chloe tells about what is happening in her life.  The plot seemed to be the act of Chloe discovering what it means to be a Christian and to have a relationship with God.  

I do plan on continuing with this series.  I think that it is intended that the reader reads the Diary of a Teenage Girl: Caitlin series before the Chloe series, so I think I will read the first Chloe book next and continue from there.

 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 13+ for mature and appropriate discussion about sex

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Blog Tour and Review: Rylee Everley Series Books 1 and 2

The Rylee Everley Series

By S.M. Knowles

Young Adult ~ Paranormal Romance

Unusual Awakening

Book 1

With tears and a tight hug, Rylee Everley’s dad left for Afghanistan with the Army Reserve. Since his deployment, her mom has been distant, her sisters are constantly fighting, and Rylee, at only thirteen years old, has to be the glue to keep them together. While her mother stays locked in her room, Rylee has been forced into the role of parent.

Now, two years later, a freak accident involving a bus at school promises to restore some normality to her family. In spite of not knowing how their father is, her mother is happy and her sisters don’t seem to fight as much as they used to. Rylee herself is seeing more of her friends and is even trying to sort out her own feelings about Brock Parker. However, something dark threatens to disrupt that normality for personal gain, and that darkness is willing to break every rule to get what it wants.

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The first book in this series was not my favorite book.  There was not much of a plot and there was a lot of confusion about how the storyline was progressing.  The pace of the book was really slow and I took several breaks while reading this book.  That being said, there is a lot of potential in this book.  The characters were pretty interesting and that minor romance plot was also interesting.  I enjoyed the emotions that this book led me to have.  The sadness that was in Rylee's family because of her father being gone was really touching.  I believe that with some further edits, this book would be amazing.  I incredibly enjoyed the last 10-20% of the book when the pace of the plot really picked up.

Rating: 3/5

Awakening Dream

Book 2

Since her father disappeared while in Afghanistan, Rylee Everley has been taking things one day at a time. After burying their friend over the summer, she and her friends returned to school for their junior year. While her friends are worried about career choices and the future, she hangs on to a secret. Witches exist, and they live here among us. She has been asked to help vanquish a half witch who has caused some problems with only a wisp trapped in a necklace to help her, her own manifesting gifts, and cryptic dreams to guide her.

To top it all off, her childhood friend, and crush, has been acting really strange ever since he started dating Adysin. He ditched the football team, and he acts like a totally different person. They were once so close, and now she finds herself missing him and feeling guilty for pushing him away. Is this just concern for a friend she’s feeling or could it be love? Can Rylee save her childhood friend from a witch who’s willing to go to any length and pay any price to keep him?

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Wow!  This book was really great!  The pace of the plot really picked up in this book and it was packed with adventure!  The paranormal aspects of this book were not incredibly unique, but they were certainly interesting and heightened the plot and the emotions in the book.  I cannot say much about the plot, since this is the second book in the series, but this series is well worth reading!  I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.  I will be buying it as soon as it comes out.

Rating: 4/5

S.M. Knowles was born in Elmira, New York where she was swept away in a whirlwind to the Land of Oz--Independence, Kansas. Her parents were relocating for working opportunities and decided that this would be the perfect place to start new roots. Little did she know that this place would contribute to the inspiration for the first book she wrote in her Rylee Everley Series.

While growing up, S.M. would travel the roads around her house while imagining she was somewhere else. Her imagination would take her everywhere, making the long hot summer days seem shorter throughout her fantasies.

At the age of twelve, she decided to write her first book. Filled mostly with dialog, she filled up one-hundred pages, front and back. After taking the book downstairs to show her mom, and persuading her to buy her more paper, she excitedly ran back to her room. As she barreled through the door, S.M. tripped over items left on her floor, and her papers came raining down in her room. Discouraged, she stood there in tears, picking up her papers and throwing them in the trash. Her work had no organization, no numbers on her pages, just a child fulfilling a joy that she would put down and not pick up again.

When she became older, she joined the military for something different. In that time, she was able to explore many places and even met her husband in Iraq. After coming home, she started her family in Arizona and went back to school, earning a Master's degree in Adult Education and Training.

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Book Review of Chameleon by Cidney Swanson

Book Title: Chameleon

Author: Cidney Swanson

Publish Date: September 6, 2011

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series Name: Ripple

Plot (from Goodreads): Sixteen-year-old Samantha Ruiz has a lot on her mind. The crush who kissed her but changed his mind. The BFF who thinks Sam is in an abusive relationship. The geneticist who wanted Sam dead but now wants her ALIVE. And of course, Sam’s still dealing with a tendency to disappear into thin air.

When Sam learns of her nemesis Helmann’s Nazi-like plan to establish a Thousand-Year Reign, she’s determined to fight him. Along with Will and Mickie, Sam flees to France to meet Sir Walter—their best hope for stopping Helmann’s brave new world.

But Sam isn’t any safer in France. Someone is following her. Someone invisible. Sam will have to figure out how to hide from an enemy she can’t even see.

Why I Read this Book: I received a free electronic copy of the book for review purposes from the author.  This in no way influenced my review of the book.

 

Review 

I really love this series.  It has a rich plot and dynamic characters.  Although the plot has some scifi/fantasy elements, it is realistic.  The romance aspect is a little cheesy and predictable, but it is still suspenseful and lovely. Every page is filled with action and suspense.  This book has a few new characters that are introduced and I really enjoyed them.   I cannot tell you too much about this book without giving away parts of the series because it is a sequel.  Just know that this series should be on your TBR list if you have not read it yet.

 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: Any Age

Overall Rating: 4/5

Blog Tour: Silver Linings

Tour Schedule

Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin

Drew Westfall wants nothing more than to forget what he had to do in the name of "smart" business. Cutting off all ties with his parents—including handing over the entire contents of his trust fund to a charity—he takes off for Bridger, Colorado where his best friend has an extra room for him. It doesn't take long for him to realize that his business degree won’t do him much good in a town as small as Bridger, but he's broke and has nowhere else to go.

Eden Torresi has every reason to wallow. Not only did she have to sell her house to pay for her mother’s medical expenses, but she also had to drop out of school and is in a relationship with a guy unwilling to commit. But Eden isn't the wallowing type. Instead, she chooses to spend most of her time taking care of the seniors at Silver Linings Assisted Living. When she learns that her boyfriend's new roommate is down on his luck, her caring nature makes her want to reach out to him and offer what help she can. But the more time they spend together, the more complicated things get, especially when the seniors of Silver Linings decide to play matchmaker.

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Review

Silver Linings is a great second novella to the Ripple Effect Series.  It is written by a different author than the one that wrote the first book, Home Matters, and it can easily be read as a standalone.  The plot of this book was super enjoyable to me!  I loved the romance storyline and found it incredibly unique.  I cannot wait to read the third novella in this series!  

Rating
 5/5

Author Kaylee Baldwin

When Kaylee Baldwin isn’t writing, she’s usually chasing after her four children, checking her email, trying to get motivated to train for that race she shouldn’t have signed up for, hanging out with her pretty awesome husband, and reading whatever good book she can find. She graduated from Arizona State with degree in English Lit. Her published books are Meg’s Melody, Six Days of Christmas (part of the All I Want collection) and Silver Linings.

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The Ripple Effect Romance Novella Series

Enjoy this exciting new series of clean novellas by six critically-acclaimed authors.

"Like a pebble tossed into calm water, a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet, perhaps setting a life on a different course—one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love."

Book 1: Home Matters by Julie N. Ford

Book 2: Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin

Book 3: Righting A Wrong by Rachael Anderson

Book 4: Lost and Found by Karey White

Book 5: Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver

Book 6: Immersed by Jennifer Griffith

Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 4/14/14

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