Mini Reviews: Tempest, Slide and The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Why yes, yes it is time for some more mini reviews! This time with some 2012s that are definitely fantastic and awesome!

Tempest by Julie Cross: Brilliant, mind blowing, and intricate, this book is seriously so many kinds of awesome. The story is exceptional, the execution pretty much flawless, and the characters are so fantastically well done. Add in the fact that the writing is solid and vivid, and this book is pretty much a trifecta of amazing. Jackson is one of my favorite characters ever... so completely real and authentic. Yeah, the guy messes up, and he's far from perfect, but holy crap the development and growth he goes through is so fantastic. He made me ache so much. He's also completely charming, sexy and alluring, and, yes, lickable. Seriously, I love this guy, both as a guy to swoon for and as one to root for. Then there's the plot, which takes place in a few different years and Julie nails every single one of them. She gets the small things that set 2007 apart from 2009, she changes her characters according to it, yet then she's got this huge overall plot that is just... wow. It's the kind of story that is so hard to wrap your mind around, and I kind of wonder how she didn't break her brain writing this. Love love love times a million, love.

Slide by Jill Hathaway: I love murder mysteries. And I love books that are contemporary, except for this one little thing. And this book? Exactly that kind of book. The only supernatural part of this book is the fact that Vee can slide into people, see things through their eyes. The rest? Fantastically realistic and I loved it. This one has such an awesome overall who done it kind of plot. There's plenty of clues along the way, and maybe you'll predict who it is, but the moment of truth and reveal is still gutting and has impact. And I loved Vee's character, so well done. She's the kind of girl who has her battle scars, and maybe she isn't totally infalliable, but she is still someone who takes this as they come and puts her best foot forward as much as she possibly can. She is a fantastic character, and definitely one readers will fall for. Then there's the fact that this book has not one but two hot boys... both of whom you will want to get a little piece of... and it's a total win.

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg: This is another one that has a pretty strong realistic element, despite the fact that the main character is dead. And even though Brie is forever fifteen, she still goes through tremendous and awesome growth, and I loved every single minute of it. Even more stellar about this book is how Jess weaves in the five stages of grief. It's a journey for Brie, and the book is divided through them, yet getting through them is most definitely not the only point of the book. They are totally seamless in how they weave in, and Jess does such a great job of making the reader feel what Brie does, going through each one. And then there's Patrick, who is so completely cheesy and quite possibly lame, yet he has this undeniable charm to him that will make you melt. Even as you're rolling your eyes, you still want this boy.