GReads Recommends... {7}

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

I read quite a few YA books before I started this blog, but never wrote reviews for them.  I thought I'd dig around in that pile to suggest a few oldies, but goodies for you all.

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre.

Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . . {taken from goodreads.com}

Before the wolves of Mercy Falls, there were faeries in Stiefvater's literary world.  I was a bit hesitant on this book because I had read Shiver prior to Lament, and was worried it wouldn't live up to the beauty of her secondary series - I was wrong.  Lament flows just as effortlessly and rhythmic as everything else Maggie touches.  If you're a fan of her writing, or just interested in a dark faerie world - I suggest picking this one up.

One Night That Changes Everything
by Lauren Barnholdt

Two years ago, when Eliza Sellman was in ninth grade, her dad found out he was being transferred and the family was going to move. Having always been shy and not so confident about her body, Eliza took that opportunity to start a list in her private notebook of all the things she planned on doing when she moved but had always been afraid to—like wearing a miniskirt and asking guys to dance; singing karaoke in front of strangers; posting a photo of herself on her Facebook wall in a bikini...you get the idea. New town, new Eliza, right? Well, she'll never know because the transfer fell through and they didn't move. But Eliza kept adding her goals and secret fears to the list in the notebook.

Now it's two years later, and in that time Eliza has had and lost her first boyfriend. But this was more than your average breakup...turns out the sweet and cute Cooper was only dating her as a hazing stunt by a secret society. Eliza got her revenge by posting some pretty nasty (and only sort-of true) stuff about Cooper online. That posting has had major consequences and now Cooper and his buddies have stolen her private notebook and won't give it back until she performs all the things on her list in one night. It's torture...until Eliza steals something from the boys she knows they'll want to trade her notebook for. What starts out as a night of humiliation turns into a night of revelations as Eliza learns what Cooper was really thinking when they dated, the real reason he's stolen her notebook, and how freeing—and life-changing—it can be to do the things you fear the most. {taken from goodreads.com}

I love books that are told in a 24 hour time period.  You know going in to it that there is a time frame, and only so much can happen during that amount of time.  It's exciting & so much fun to follow.  This book in particular listed things Eliza had to accomplish by the end of the night -- which were so much fun to read about.  Behind the tasks, were some deeper issues that were touched upon too.  I really enjoyed this book for it's theme & execution.  So much fun to read!

Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly...and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly's mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she's getting desperate to feel something, anything—so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul's kisses are a welcome diversion...and it's nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.

But things aren't so simple with Saskia around. Paul's real girlfriend is willowy and perfect... and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly's choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had. {taken from goodreads.com}

The story-line for this book felt very real & emotional for me.  I took a lot of personal things from it as well.  Every now and then I can appreciate a book that explains the ugly side to teenage sex.  It's not always rainbows and butterflies - sometimes it's messy & regretful.  My heart went out to Holly in this story, and I found myself really connecting with her.  If you're in need of a book that makes you feel more than just what's written on the page, I highly recommend this one.

Crave by Laura J. Burns & Melinda Metz

Shay could never do the things her friends could--never try out for sports, never go to parties, never fall in love. Because of the mysterious and incurable blood disorder she was born with, she can barely make it through three days of school a week.

But now, her doctor-turned-stepfather has a brand-new treatment that he thinks will change everything. And it does. As soon as the new blood starts pumping into Shay's veins, she has visions of a different life...Gabriel's life. She sees an orphanage, loss, fangs, blood, and lust that she can't explain.

Is Gabriel real? And if he is, could he really be what she thinks he is? {taken from goodreads.com}

If you're looking for an interesting twist on the vampire tale, I recommend picking up this book.  I'll admit, I was first drawn to this one due to that hottie on the cover -- but the story-line intrigued me, too.  There's a hidden secret about Shay, that she doesn't even know yet.  This book is definitely a page-turner to find the truth.  Added bonus: the authors of this book also wrote the Roswell High books, which later become the popular tv show Roswell.

Let me know if you've read any of these books mentioned, and what your thoughts about them are.  I'm always open to new recommendations myself - so feel free to leave some more in the comments below.