Gabriella M Reads

Liars, Inc. Black Friday Sale Blitz If you've been around for a while, then you know I absolutely adore Paula Stokes and her book Liars, Inc. If not, welcome! When I heard there was going to be a sale, I decided I had to share this with all of you. I've never read a book that blew me away quite like this one and I know you'll love it. Now on to the fun stuff! “This is one exciting ride.” –ALA Booklist Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money. So with the help of his friend Preston and his girlfriend, Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something, and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative? When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn't think twice about it. But then Preston never comes home. And the evidence starts...

Matt's Story by Lauren Gibaldi 5 Stars Lauren Gibaldi has done it again! For those of you who don't know, Matt's Story is the novella that goes with The Night We Said Yes. Matt's Story follows Matt during his time away living in Texas. In these short 63 pages we get inside Matt's head and see why he decided to keep to himself so much. New friendships are made and some old ones are mended. I'd say this novella is all about growth and how sometimes it's better to let people in and let them help you even when you don't want to. Lauren does a wonderful job of creating characters you'd want to interact with, they're just so realistic. I wanted to hug Matt, but also knock some sense into him most of the time. Plus Kat and Cindy were awesome. I'd love to be surrounded by the joy that they seem to radiate. I definitely recommend picking up The Night We Said Yes and then this wonderful novella. I can't wait to see more work from Lauren Giba...

Trust Me, I'm Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer 3.5 Stars This was the Better Read Than Dead Bookclub pick for the month of October and I must say it was decent. At the very beginning I found myself quite bored. The was a cliff hanger at the end of one of the first few chapters and I was actually able to put it down for a few days. This worried me. I thought, "Oh crap, another book I'm not going to finish." However, I kept reading every now and then. Basically forcing myself to get through it. About half way through, I suddenly became interested. I'm not sure if it was the story or the introduction of a cute boy, but it happened. Note that this boy alone earned a half star, without him I would've only given it 3 stars. The story suddenly became a bit of a thrill and I needed to know more. If you didn't know, this book happens to be about a teenage con artist searching for her missing father. As I read, I kind of had it in my mind that the main characte...

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley 5 Stars This novel gave me a full range of feelings. I sobbed a ton, full on ugly cried, and I even wanted to throw the book across the room. I would say that is the mark of a fantastic book. I buddy read this one with my best friend, who isn't much of a reader, and when she finished it I was basically told that she hated me and I needed to finish it. One of the best texts ever. Anyway, in this book we are introduced to a couple as a big shift is happening in their lives and slowly we go through flash backs and begin to really understand them. This book will absolutely break your heart in the best way. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that it deals with when life begins as well as when life should end. If any of you have read this, I would absolutely love to talk about it. If you haven't and you would like to, it's decently priced on the Barnes & Noble website. Xoxo, Gabriella

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton 5 Stars As a lover of the Jurassic Park movies, I just had to read the book. Now there were some changes and I actually didn't mind them much. An example being the nephew is older than the niece and it's the opposite in the films. I actually loved that difference. The boy being older made a ton of sense to me. I personally really enjoyed how this book jumps from the people that are in the park to the people that are in the labs and control rooms instead of only getting one side of the story. It's very interesting to see how each person reacts to all of the chaos. I would have to say one of my absolute favorite things was every time Dr. Ian Malcolm started rambling about how things wouldn't work, etc. When it came to the action, it was every bit as thrilling as the movies, if not more. I definitely needed to know what was going to happen next and I could not put it down! Within a few days of finishing Jurassic Park, I found myself...

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling 5 Stars I feel like I'm one of the last people, out of my age group, to read this series. Of course I've seen all of the movies, but that's just not the same as experiencing the magic and detail of the book. Going into this book I was very nervous for two reasons. One being that I heard a lot of people saying this was their least favorite book and also because it was my favorite movie. I didn't want to be disappointed and I definitely wasn't. J.K. Rowling has me at a loss for words. I was happy to see cute little Dobby was back and that Sirius was more prominent than he was in the movie. Lots of sobbing happened while I read, whether happy tears or sad tears, they were there. There's not much more I can say without spoiling it for the few others who haven't picked it up yet, but I will say that as fantastic as the movies are, the books are truly pure magic. I will be buying the next book in the ser...

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn 4 Stars I picked this book up a couple of months ago because my mother was desperate to see the movie and I obviously had to read the book first. Starting off, I really wasn't that into it and I kept putting it down for days and sometimes weeks. I actually found myself only enjoying the "Ben" chapters for most of the book. It wasn't until the last 150 pages or so that I began to enjoy every perspective as the story unraveled. The book felt a tad slow to me for the most part, only speeding up towards the end and boy did I need to know what was going to happen next. I felt the same way while reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn so I think that if you enjoyed the writing style there, then you'll enjoy it in this novel as well. I don't want to give anything away, but this one took me by surprise. I actually had no idea who actually committed the murders. If you haven't read the synopsis, I recommend not reading it. I personall...