Gabriella M Reads

The Interview First thing first, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Maybe some little known tidbits? I’ve lived in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois my whole life, but I’d love to live in Vermont or New Hampshire, or Prince Edward’s Island in Canada. One day. Rumor has it that my great-great uncle worked for Al Capone. My great-great aunt denied it, but everyone else says it’s true. I’m left-handed and when I write with pen and paper, instead of writing left to right, I write sideways and down to up. I always forget how weird that is until someone sees me write something and is completely gobsmacked. If we ever meet in person, ask me to show you. I used to paint murals professionally. I also used to sing. But for the past few years, all of my creativity goes into writing novels. In the forward for Aftermath you mention that this story has been in your head for a long time, can you tell us what inspired it exactly? When I was twelve, a girl my age, from ...

Sad Perfect by Stephanie Elliot 5 Stars I was lucky enough to be included on a blogger ARC tour for this one and will be forever grateful. Sad Perfect is about an eating disorder that I had never even heard of beforehand. When I found out that it has had its mark on Stephanie and her family personally and I watched her daughter's video about it, I knew this was something I wanted to know more about. Sad Perfect, where do I begin? Our main character, Pea, is dealing with a lot more than meets the eye. On the surface she may seem like a girl who is simply picky, but in reality she has struggles. Throughout the book we follow her as she meets someone new, tries to navigate through her eating disorder, fights her inner demons, and really tries to make a change. I found it quite powerful.  Now to contrast our darker side of the novel, Stephanie has gifted us with Ben. Serious swoon. He is sweet, understanding, and caring like no other. I hope we are all lucky enough to find...

Aftermath by Clara Kensie 5 Stars When I read the synopsis for Aftermath I knew I had to read it. To the best of my memory this is the first book I've read that has to do with being taken, surviving, and trying to return to normal. And to think that Clara has held this story in her mind since she was twelve years old just amazes me. I'm not going to lie and say this is an easy book to read because of it's subject matter, but it is worth the read if you're up for it. Our main character, Charlotte, has been held by her captor for almost 4 years just dreaming of her family being happy despite her absence. Life goes on, you know? We meet this girl who has survived these horrors and she's so strong. Sure things aren't how she thought they'd be, but she is doing her best to make the best of things and make some changes. Doing it double because some can't do it at all. When you read this beautiful book, you'll get that line and maybe even cry t...

If I Fix You by Abigail Johnson 5 Stars I want to preface this review with how this book even came to be in my hands. Earlier this year I was standing in line to get my copy of Dorothy Must Die signed by Danielle Paige when I noticed the girl in front of me had super cute boots. We got to talking and she told me she had just sold her first novel and we exchanged information. Even if you're shy, always make friends. You never know who you'll meet. On to the review. All I really knew about If I Fix You at first was that our main character's mother did something inappropriate and left. Honestly, that was all it took to get my attention. I was beyond stoked that I was able to read it this Summer. Jill is your average sixteen year old who enjoys hanging out with friends, looking at the stars, and fixing cars with her dad. She even has a cute boy or two in her life. In my opinion, If I Fix You is anything by average. Throughout this one novel we deal with romance...

Where's Gabriella? So you may have noticed that my blogging has been severely slacking as of late. Well, the easy answer is that in the past three months I have only been able to finish two books. A major slump hit me in August at the same time that my life kind of picked up. I'm going to try to find a balance and I hope that you'll stick with me while I navigate through all of this. This coming week or so you can expect reviews from three different books that I have finished. These being If I Fix You by Abigail Johnson, The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti, and Aftermath by Clara Kensie. Thank you all for your understanding. Xoxo, Gabriella

About the Book:  Normal seventeen-year-old girls go to high school, binge watch TV shows all weekend, and flirt with everyone on the face of the Earth. But Ryn Whitaker is trying to save it. Ryn is a Citadel. A soldier. A liar. Ryn and her fellow Citadels were specially chosen and trained to guard a  Rift —one of fourteen unpredictable tears in the fabric of the universe that serve as doorways to alternate Earths. Unbeknownst to her family, Ryn leaves for school each day and then reports for duty as an elite, cybernetically-altered soldier who can run faster, jump farther, and fight better than a Navy SEAL—which comes in handy when she’s not sure if axe-wielding Vikings or any number of other terrified  and often dangerous beings come through the Rift. A fine-tuned weapon, Ryn is a picture-perfect Citadel. But that’s all about to change. When a young man named Ezra is pulled through the Rift, Ryn finds herself immediately drawn to him, despite her training....

Proof of Lies by Diana Rodriguez Wallach About the Book: Some secrets are best kept hidden… Anastasia Phoenix has always been the odd girl out, whether moving from city to international city with her scientist parents or being the black belt who speaks four languages. And most definitely as the orphan whose sister is missing, presumed dead. She’sthe only one who believes Keira is still alive, and when new evidence surfaces, Anastasia sets out to follow the trail—and lands in the middle of a massive conspiracy. Now she isn’t sure who she can trust. At her side is Marcus, the bad boy with a sexy accent who’s as secretive as she is. He may have followed her to Rome to help, but something about him seems too good to be true. Nothing is as it appears, and when everything she’s ever known is revealed to be a lie, Anastasia has to believe in one impossibility. She  will  find her sister. Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Amazon UK ...