Double Digits by Annabel Monaghan

Source: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Digit and John are back for a second book and in way over their heads.

To say eighteen-year-old Farrah Higgins—or Digit—is good at math is a laughable understatement. She’s been cracking codes since childhood, and is finally at home with “her people” at MIT in Cambridge. Her talents are so off the charts that her laptop is under surveillance by both the CIA and an ecoterrorist named Jonas Furnis. So when she thoughtlessly hacks into the Department of Defense’s database, she lands in serious hot water inside and outside the law. Readers will be sad to turn the last page of this suspenseful, sassy, super smart thriller, the sequel to A Girl Named Digit

Ok I'm annoyed.

I am annoyed because I LOVED A Girl Named Digit. I loved it so much that as soon as I finished reading it, I immediately started Double Digits (the sequel).

I don't even want to rant because I'm still a fan of Annabel Monaghan. But this sequel disappointed me, solely because of the creation of a love triangle (and we all know how much I hate love triangles) that really didn't need to be there. Also sure, Digit started to get annoyed by all the people making decisions for her, which I understand, but to be honest she wasn't really making good decisions by herself. So her complaining just got tiring.

Ok this is a bit spoilerish so you've been warned.

I completely understand why John said that they should cool it for a while. And the fact that she took that as breaking up and then shut off contact from him for 6 freaking weeks was just a great big ball of frustration. And then if that wasn't enough, to then go and even ENTERTAIN the thought of having feelings for Bass made me go like WTH!!! I couldn't believe it! It totally cheapened Book 1 and whatever connection John and Digit developed there. Like how can you claim to love John so much and he's waiting for you to get your fill of school, trying not to distract you and you're almost kissing some other guy that you've known for how long?

I'm not here for that ish at. all.

All of the action stuff was great and all but I'm super annoyed that they made John out to be some kinda bad guy in this.

Especially at the end when she wouldn't take his hand. He's not trying to hold you back Dig, don't make it out like he is.

Anyway, I'm kinda sad, this could've been epic but it wasn't.

Note: 3 stars. Maybe 3.5. Clean.

A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan

Source: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Farrah "Digit" Higgins may be going to MIT in the fall, but this L.A. high school genius has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year. But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group's number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting. Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping-- all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously. So much for blending in . ..

Hey Guys,

So this is another book that has been on my to read list for ages, and I finally sat down yesterday to read it. Thank God I did. Within like a chapter I knew I had found a favourite. The same feelings of joy and excitement and a renewed faith in ya rushed through me as when I read Scarlet or Dairy Queen for the first time. And those feelings never left me. I freaking loved this book.

Thoughts:

First- I've been reading a lot of spy-ish based stuff and this was done so freaking well. Like no complaints. No feeling the mystery was too convoluted, no confusion, no what the heck is happening right now, none of those feelings of frustration. I able to completely go along with the ride without complaint.

Second- I really appreciate how much time was devoted to completely building up Digit's character before ish hit the fan. It was the perfect amount. Not too much that it felt like the story was moving too slowly, but not too little.

Third- Sure you read a lot of books where the main character has some kinda special ability but at no point did I feel like I was reading some kinda cliche.

Fourth- Yes to all things John.

This was just a really refreshing read. It wasn't like anything I'd read before, no regurgitations of common storylines or characters, it was just all around awesomeness.

Note: 4.25 stars. Clean

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Source: Goodreads

Synopsis:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Hey Guys,

So I've had TATBILB on my to-read list for a while now so since I've gotten back into a YA-mood I decided to give it a shot.

My thoughts:

First- I liked the back story of Lara Jean. Half Korean, dead mother, middle child of three sisters, single dad, all off that. It made for an interesting inner dialogue and also, I dunno, it just didn't feel like I was reading any other ya book, or she was just a regurgitation of another ya character. Even though the dead parent thing has been played way out in ya she didn't use it as an excuse for bad behaviour and shutting out the world or any other type of woe-is-me bleakness that is rampant in a lot of ya lit. 

Second- I liked that I didn't know which guy I was rooting for. And it wasn't a major love triangle. I hate love triangles. Seriously, if I'd heard that there was even the slightest of love triangles in this, I wouldn't have read it. My hatred for all things love triangle runs that deep. Side note you would not believe the amount of times I typed traingle and then had to retype.

Third- Lara Jean is insane. So many times while reading I thought, she is crazy. It's been a few days now since I read the book so I can't give you any direct examples but yeah. 

Fourth- I liked the book but at no point was I completely wowed. It was well written and enjoyable but not mind blowing.

Note: 3.75 stars. Clean.

Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy and Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

Source: Goodreads

Source: Goodreads

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy Synopsis:

Cammie Morgan is back, and it's clear that her life hasn't calmed down since the events of I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You. At first, giddy anticipation is in the air. Gallagher Academy, Cammie's elite spy school, is hosting a visit from a covert training center for boys. Soon after the boys' arrival, though, everything goes dangerously awry when a series of security breaches are discovered at the academy. Worse yet, teenage agent-in-training Cammie is being blamed for the penetration. With the school's top-secret status at risk, the Gallagher Girls have to work quickly to save their beloved school.

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover Synopsis:

When Cammie "The Chameleon" Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she's in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she's there to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world's best school (for spies), "exciting" and "deadly" are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers' plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.

As her junior year begins, Cammie can't shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn't feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion's corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions, Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe?

Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey's private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth

So taking a break from Rereads, I decided to try out the Gallagher girls series. See the thing is I read the first installment of the series about five or six years ago and I loved it but I didn't continue with the second. At the time, it was the first time I'd read any kind of spy novel so that made it doubly exciting. So today I decided it was time to pick up where I left off.

Now I don't have a lot to say. I read both #2 and 3 in the series on the same day. And all in all it was a great read, I really like the main character and all of her friends. Their personalities and voices were all very thought out and developed and nobody did anything that made me label them too stupid to live (TSTL). So as was the case in both books, I was chugging along, reading, getting into the story, excited to see how the mysteries will resolve, ready to proclaim the book(s) a four star read. But then all of a sudden, at like 80-90% things just got stupid, or convoluted, or I was left thinking "why is this happening" or "what exactly is happening" and so both books ended with a feeling a disappointment. I mean I understand cliffhangers, and nonresolutions. I get why they're present in series'. But this wasn't disappointment due to a cliffhanger, this was just disappointment due to endings that don't really match the quality of the rest of the books.

In my opinion.

But I'd still recommend them, and I will (at some point) finish this series.

Note: 3.75 stars. The squeakiest of cleans.

Rereads: A Game Worth Watching by Samantha Gudger

Source: Goodreads

Hey!

I'm doing this thing where I'm re-reading a bunch of books that I've read and loved this year, but failed to review out of shear laziness. So here goes!

A Game Worth Watching was awesome. I really really enjoyed this book. The storyline itself is not original but it was executed so well that I didn't care. I was there right along with the protagonist Emma. I felt her fears, her hopelessness, her insecurities. I felt it all. And the thing is, my love of this book is purely a testament to Gudger's writing ability, because Emma's character has a couple of traits that I normally can't stand. She snaps at people that try to get close to her for one and she sees herself as completely worthless. But Gudger just did such a great job of providing an in depth look at her both her home situation and her inner dialogue/ thought process, that I was sympathetic. Sure I didn't always agree with her opinions or her actions but I was rooting for her. I was rooting for her to break free from the poison that she had internalised and when she did I actually fist-pumped and yelled "YESSS!!"

So to summarise, it completely drew me in.
Note: Squeaky clean, 4.25 stars