Books That Take Place in a Foreign Country Book Recommendations

Hello everyone! My blog post for today is a little different, something I thought of as I'm reading Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill. This inevitably led to me thinking about my future and what I want for myself as far as careers and college go. For awhile now, I've been thinking about majoring in International Business; I love to travel and I would like working in the business field. So as I'm thinking about this, I realized I've read quite a few books that have taken place in a foreign country and I've enjoyed all of them. So without further ado, here are my recommendations!

1.) Of course I have to go with Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. This book is a light, fun, cute, fluffy romance. I was originally turned off by this book, though, because of the title and the (old) cover. Eventually, after I had heard enough great things about it, I picked it up and ended up LOVING it. It's definitely time for a reread.

2.) Next is a paranormal series that also takes place in Paris. It's the Revenants series by Amy Plum. It's so good and gives you ALL of the feels and I love it with all of my heart. If you haven't heard about it or checked it out, I definitely would because it's a series that will captivate you.

3.) Number 3 is quite an obvious one- Harry Potter. Harry Potter of course takes place in the UK and it's a very popular series... that I have yet to finish. I know, I know, who hasn't finished Harry Potter?! Well this girl right here. I'm on the fourth book but I feel as if a reread of the first three are in order. I don't really think I need to explain the appeal or love behind this series so I'm going to move right along to number 4.

4.) Fourth is a book that I'm currently reading (and loving!) right now. Granted, I only have 30 pages left, but it's a book that has captured my heart and won't let go. It is Meant To Be my Lauren Morrill and it takes place in London. Who doesn't want to go to London?! The main character is on a school trip to London and is partnered up with her "nemesis" Jason. While they're touring and exploring London, they're also exploring their feelings for one another... It's a swoon-worthy, cute contemporary novel!

That's all for now, but I'll do a second part at some point in the future, because I have a few intriguing books on my shelf that take place in foreign countries. Have a great day!

Five Summers Book Review + I'm Back?!

I'm just going to proceed this review by saying that it's been almost a year since I've posted on this blog. I'm not going to make up any unnecessary excuses as to why I've been gone, I'm just going to lay down the facts and tell the truth. I've forgotten about it. Forgetting to post for one day leads to more and more and eventually I was just so wrapped up in my real life that I forgot to update this blog. I'm sorry and I hope I can get back to updating this regularly soon!



Bittersweet, funny, and achingly honest, Five Summersis a story of friendship, love, and growing up that is perfect for fans of Ann Brashare's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Judy Blume's Summer Sisters. 

Four best friends, five summers of camp memories 

Emma, Skylar, Jo, and Maddie have all come back to camp for a weekend of tipsy canoe trips to the island, midnight skinny dipping in the lake, and an epic game of capture the flag—boys versus girls. But the weekend isn't quite as sunwashed as they'd imagined as the memories come flooding back. . . .

The summer we were nine: Emma was branded “Skylar’s friend Emma” by the infamous Adam Loring . . .
The summer we were ten: Maddie realized she was too far into her lies to think about telling the truth . . .
The summer we were eleven: Johanna totally freaked out during her first game of Spin the Bottle . . .
The summer we were twelve: Skylar’s love letters from her boyfriend back home were exciting to all of us—except Skylar . . .
Our last summer together: Emma and Adam almost kissed. Jo found out Maddie’s secret. Skylar did something unthinkable . . . and whether we knew it then or not, five summers of friendship began to fall apart.

A young adult book with a friendship story that will last long after the last s'more is gone.
(synopsis taken from goodreads.com)

Five Summers by Una LaMarche was a book I picked up last summer at Walmart. I was camping and decided to get a book for the trip, but I never ended up reading it during that time. So as I was perusing my shelves looking for a nice summer-y book to read, my eyes skimmed right past this one. i found myself doubling back and found this book. Intrigued, I read the back and decided that this would be my next read.

I had no expectations of this book whatsoever, so I figured this could turn out to be an amazing book that will blow me away or a total and utter waste of my time. All I knew about it was that it followed four best friends across five summers at a sleep-away camp. I never went to sleep-away camp as a child so I didn't really know what to expect from this book other than the fact that it was about friendship and was compared to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares. 

Luckily for me and my oh-so-precious time, this book blew me away. I was definitely surprised by this book and the messages and meanings surrounding it. There was the main conflict of this book, of course, that everyone sees and experiences whilst reading it, but the underlying messages, themes, and conflicts of this book is what really made me fall in love with it. It captured the essence of friendship so perfectly and what it means to be a good and loyal friend. The book doesn't shy away from real teen issues either while the four girls meet up again at the reunion. Being a teen myself, I enjoyed seeing the honesty of the situations presented and I'm glad the author didn't sugarcoat the outcomes and consequences.

Since this book follows four different POV's I definitely connected more to some of the characters than others. I really felt as if I connected with Maddie and Emma more than Skylar and Jo but that doesn't mean I love them any less. LaMarche did a great job at really making the characters feel real and alive and I don't usually experience that with a standalone contemporary novel. Even the side characters made the story have more depth and become more exciting to read about.

This book is on the longer side of contemporaries, but I never felt like it dragged. I never found myself skimming or looking ahead to see what happened. I also never found myself wishing for this book to be over. I loved all the aspects of this book and the four POV's whether it took place during the present time reunion or during one of the 5 past summers.

Overall, I strongly suggest you guys read and pick up this book. It's so underrated and I feel as if it deserves more recognition and love. It's light and fun but deals with real world teen issues at the same time which makes it feel like a realistic book that almost everyone can relate to. 

5/5 stars.

Zoya Book Review- Danielle Steel

Hey guys! Today I'll be reviewing Zoya by Danielle Steel.

Rating: 4.8 stars.

- Characters: 4.5 stars.

- Plot: 4.5 stars.

- Setting: 5 stars.

I loved this book! It's not something I would normally read, but I was gifted it from a friend for my birthday. It starts out with a seventeen year old Zoya, living in St. Petersburg. Her cousin is the Tsar, so she lives in luxury. But that all changes in a very short moment.

Let's start with the characters. I loved most of the characters! There was a few, one is particular, that I wasn't that fond of. What also kind of ticked me off was that every man Zoya met was in love with her. It got slightly ridiculous after a little while.

The plot. I thought the plot was slightly slow, but it worked for this particular story. The only reason I docked half of a star was because I felt that it was kind of back and forth, and the story started to repeat itself a little. She went from being rich to poor more than once in the novel.

The setting is last. I thoroughly LOVED the setting! It takes place in St. Petersburg at first, which is cool, then moves onto Paris, which is such a fascinating place, than it moves on to New York City, where I want to go to college and live someday. So, I loved the setting with all my heart. Each place added so much to the story, it was sometimes hard to remember that Zoya was going through tough times.

Overall, this story will remain as one of my favorites, and I recommend to everyone who loves historical fiction! 

Quick Currently Reading!

Hey everyone!! I'm just here to do a quick currently reading!

At the moment, I'm reading Opal, the third book in the Lux series. This is series is like crack cocaine. It's so addicting! The characters are literally perfect. The main female character is a book blogger as well!! The series is a paranormal romance about aliens. The covers are kind of horrendous, but don't let the covers deter you from reading this! (They're now in bind-ups! The first one is called Lux: Beginnings, and the second one is called Lux: Consequences!) I plan on reading Origin after Opal. If I complete both of those by August 5, I'll pick up Four: A Divergent Collection. If not, I'll continue reading then pick up the last book of the Lux series: Opposition. 

PS: The series is by Jennifer L. Armentrout. :)

*Sorry if there are any typos, I typed this up quick on my phone :)*

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1) by Mary E. Pearson *Wishlist Wednesday #1*

In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia's life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight-but she doesn't-and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom-to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive-and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets-even as she finds herself falling in love.

7.30.14 - 4.04 average rating
492 pages.

**All information taken from Goodreads.com**

Hi everyone!! This is the newest-and first-series I will be doing on my blog! It's called "Wishlist Wednesday" and it's where I post book stats and such on a book from my wishlist I am dying for!

This week the lucky book is The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. I posted the synopsis above, and it appears to be a fantasy novel about a young girl fleeing from an arranged marriage her parents are forcing her into. 

What does this book NOT have?! Two guys, a fantasy world, 492 pages of greatness, and a heroin in hiding. This book has something for everyone it seems. 

One reason I'm pumped about this book is because I've heard TONS of raving reviews on this! All of my friends on Goodreads who have read this have all given it 5 stars! They're all saying it's a fantastic start to a new trilogy!

If anyone else is excited or intrigued by this book, let me know! :) 

Just a Warm Welcome. :)

HI EVERYONEEEE!!

My name is Hannah Abbott.

Cool fun fact: My name is in Harry Potter.

Mmhmm.

It is, it is.

Some don't believe me.

My life revolves around reading.

My friends say I have every book in America.

I don't.

It'd be nice, though.

I'm trying to figure all this out, so if anyone has any tips or pointers, I'd love to hear them!

On this blog I'll be doing book reviews, most anticipated books, currently readings, book hauls, etc!

I hope you enjoy :)