GReads Recommends... {6}

Need something new to read?  It's a new month, so I thought I'd list a few recommendations from my reading pile.

Since we're a little more than half way through the year, I thought I'd list a few of my favorites... The Best I've Read So Far! Let me know if you've read any of these YA titles & what you thought of them.  I have many faves, these are just a few that I felt needed more attention on my blog.  

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees...

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.{taken from goodreads.com}

This paranormal book about angels totally took me by surprise.  It's probably my favorite new paranormal read so far this year.  I loved the dynamics of the characters and how you're constantly guessing who is what & how it all fits together.  Plus Tucker sorta, kinda took my breath away :-)

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Natalie Sterling wants to be in control. She wants her friends to be loyal. She wants her classmates to elect her student council president. She wants to find the right guy, not the usual jerk her school has to offer. She wants a good reputation, because she believes that will lead to good things.

But life is messy, and it's very hard to be in control of it. Not when there are freshman girls running around in a pack, trying to get senior guys to sleep with them. Not when your friends have secrets they're no longer comfortable sharing. Not when the boy you once dismissed ends up being the boy you want to sleep with yourself - but only in secret, with nobody ever finding out.

Slut or saint? Winner or loser? Natalie is getting tired of these forced choices - and is now going to find a way to live life in the sometimes messy, sometimes wonderful in-between. {taken from goodreads.com}

I was pleasantly surprised by this YA contemp.  I thought I was going to be reading about a teenage girl, maybe laugh a few times, and swoon a few more.  Boy was I wrong!  This story packed a powerful punch, with a realistic voice that I found to be very compelling.  I highly recommend it for all teenage girls. So much goodness is seeping from these pages.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life.

Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger.

Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances. {taken from goodreads.com}

If you have not read this book yet than I need to ask WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!  I already know it's going to top the lists of best YA of 2011.  It's no secret.  The story is brilliant, the characters are amazing, and this author is full of so much talent.  This is a masterpiece of greatness.

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastians, a boys' school that's pretends it's coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas who specializes in musical burping to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can't seem to stop thinking about.

Then there's Francesca's mother, who always thinks she knows what's best for Francesca—until she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and without an inkling who she really is. Simultaneously humorous, poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who must summon the strength to save her family, her social life and—hardest of all—herself.{taken from goodreads.com}

This book introduced me to the amazing Melina Marchetta.  This author is one that I will recommend to anyone who is a lover of books that make you feel something beyond the written word.  Her stories grab a hold of your heart and pull at every pulsating beat possible.  I have so much admiration for this author's work.  Though The Piper's Son is my favorite, it was this book that I first encountered and fell in love with (it's a prequel to the later).

Interested in knowing more of my thoughts? Check out my reviews here:

• Unearthly
• Not That Kind of Girl
• Divergent
• Saving Francesca