I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

 

Throughout the entire time I was reading this book I was constantly going Awww! Seriously, I got some pretty weird looks...

Emily Bell is your average, run-of-the-mill kind of girl. Plain and easy to walk by and not really notice. Until she meets Sam Border and his little brother Riddle. Sam is unlike anyone Emily has ever met, from his mysterious looks to his artsy side to his amazing musical abilty. Emily isn't the only one who notices Sam's uniqueness, Bobby Ellis, a boy with a "thing" for Emily, seems to think that her and Sam are spending too much time together, and that's not good.

When Bobby starts to do some snooping around he uncovers the truth. Sam and Riddle live with their aggressive father who constantly steals and hears voices. When Emily's family accepts Sam and Riddle into their lives with the love of a real family, the boys feel as though nothing can go wrong. Until their dad hauls them away from the only place that has ever been home and throws them in a life-threatening situation. Emily, devastated by the thought of never seeing Sam again, and her family, consumed with the grief of losing the boys, have to find a way to get them back and sew back together the pieces of a life they never imagined having.

This book was adorable. I would recommend this if you love happy endings. Oops, I probably shouldn't have said that :D! Any teenage girl or hopeless romantic will love this book and it is truly a great read.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

 

 

This modern take on Cinderella is as far from the original story as you can get. With a plot that keeps your eyes glued to the page and twists that will give you whiplash, this book will leave you wanting more. Thank Goodness there are a billion other books in the series!

Cinder, a cyborg who is left with her rude step mother and sisters after her adoptive father dies, is a mechanic working in the markets to pay for her family's luxuries. In the midst of a plague that is quickly killing everyone she knows and cares about, Cinder is just trying to keep herself alive. That is, until she meets the handsome prince Kai. While Cinder is trying to keep herself from feeling things for Kai, her sister is rapidly dying of the fast spreading plague and Cinder feels as though she is drowning.

When Kai asks her to his coronation ball it takes all her strength to say no. She has too much on her plate to indulge in such a luxury, with the realization that she is immune to the plague and the evil Lunar queen visiting the castle, Cinder doesn't have time for boys. Or should I say men? Along with some very secret knowledge that she has uncovered about herself, thanks to her friend, Dr. Erland, Cinder has to deal with her hate consumed step mother and the fact that her dreams of running away may never come true. Will Cinder ever catch a break?

This book was marvelous! I loved how Marissa Meyer took the general idea of Cinderella and she twisted it to her liking. I mean, how much more modern can you get than cyborgs?! This book kept me up at night, reading until my eyelids were so heavy that I was reading with my eyes closed. To read this book or not to read this book, that is the question? Oh, wait! No, it's not! READ THIS BOOK!