Gabriella M Reads

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider 4 Stars I liked this book and I feel like maybe I could have loved it, had I not read it right in the middle of a slump. The characters were funny and I kind of found myself wishing I could be friends with some of them, specifically Toby. I'm not going to dive into my thoughts on Toby because, I feel you need to discover him for yourself. The main character, Ezra Faulkner, started out seeming a tad whiny to me, rightfully so, but at some point I found myself really just wanting to give him a hug and cheering him on. I couldn't tell you the exact moment that this happened only that it did. While The Beginning of Everything is about how everyone gets a tragedy, you might find yourself laughing the way I did. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, this story just plays with you in the best way. I did hit a patch within the last three chapters where I was crying and unsure whether or not I wanted to finish. I'm glad I did. Robyn

Tucson Festival of Books March 15, 2015 This year was my first year attending the festival and I had an awesome time. I planned my schedule out beforehand and was able to do most of the things that I wanted to. Day one didn't go as planned at all! In fact, because of work schedules Tyler, Logan, and I missed Mitch Albom! However, we did get to walk around and stop at a few tents which was cool. Big tip: Wear sunscreen and drink a lot of water. Day two was just Logan and myself. The first thing we did was walk down to the Education Kiva to see the Girl Power seminar featuring Ally Carter, Jenny Han, and Sarah Mlynowksi. I was genuinely interested in what these ladies were saying. One of the things being that if the cover of The Hunger Games had a female on it, fairly less people probably would've read it. It's a sad thing to think about. Girls can be strong and tough, not just boys. I really hope one day we'll be seen as equals. My favorite thing discussed

For the past month or so I've been in quite the reading slump. I went from finishing 9 books in the month of January to finishing only 2 in February. However, I felt like I should make a TBR for March anyway. I know I will not finish all of these books this month, but I would like to at least start them. In fact, I have already started half of them!  The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith:  I was lucky enough to be sent this book for review from Mr. Eric Smith. I've already started it and I love it so far. For those of you who don't know, this book is a legitimate guide to dating and it's hilariously wonderful. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider: I chose this book using my reading challenge jar. The challenge was to read a book that was gifted to me and even though I had a few choices, this was the only one that seemed right. It's about that one life changing moment that we all have, specifically a tragic one. Maybe yours hasn't happened

Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell 4 stars I bought this book on a whim. I saw it and was nostalgic for the television show Greek. That and once upon a time, I wanted to join a sorority. I went in to this book expecting kind of a cutesy sisterly love type of deal. What I got was a hot frat guy, anal beads, strange hazing, drugs, a sex tape, and some revenge. If you’re not intrigued by that then, I’m shocked. I must say, I did enjoy reading this, just not in the way I had originally expected to. Like I said, this book took me completely by surprise. It is a tad fast paced and part of me wishes it was longer given that it takes place over an entire school year, but I see why that could’ve been necessary. The only thing I found annoying throughout Dirty Rush was the use of the word cute. Example: Instead of “crystal clear” the characters would say “crystal cute”. Needless to say it drove me a little crazy. Overall, it was a good read. I felt myself longing for the type of friendships show