the summer i turned pretty by jenny han

recommended: this is a wonderful summer read about a young girl growing up. belly spends every summer at the beach, but this time might be the last summer before everything changes. there are two boys that she grew up with, and she has always been in love with one of them. this is the story of her growing into a woman instead of a girl. i definitely related to this book. it was written really well. the characters are well-developed, and there were moments when i laughed out loud, but there were also moments when i felt sadness and reality. i will definitely be reading the sequel this summer and saving this book for next summer to maybe read again.

the iron king by julie kagawa

recommended: this is a fantasy novel that has a lot going on. it is a very creative story with a lot of action, almost too much action because there was so much going on so fast that the author didn't take enough time to expand on the characters like i would want. don't get me wrong, the characters were well-defined but i found myself wanting more from them. the story was very creative, but at the same time, the message was a little forced. my favorite character was puck. you can never go wrong with a funny, charismatic guy, but he was only in a third of the book, which was disappointing. the sequel comes out in august, which i will probably read.

here's the thing about sequels: i usually can't help myself. i need to know how the story ends.

capitvated by carrie jones

recommended (if you have read the first book, need): i didn't think that this sequel was as good as the first book. it was slower to start. it didn't grab my interest until the middle of the book. it seemed like it was a middle book because there is obviously going to be a third book. it was ok. i'll read the third one, though.