books culture read

Ryder is the 4^th book in the Slater Brothers series. He is also the oldest out of the 5 of them. But just because he is older, does not mean that he is free from the issues plaguing the family. Throughout the whole series, Ryder has been with Branna even before Bronagh was with Dominick. In fact, their relationship was what threw Bronagh and Dominick together.

But what nobody knew was that Branna and Ryder were good at keeping secrets. Their relationship was not as what it seemed like. They no longer are the couple who is in love with each other. In fact, it has been months since they even slept in the same room.

There were a lot of secrets that Ryder was keeping from Branna. Such as why is their shared account running out of money? And where has Ryder been going every night, leaving Branna alone every night.

As for Branna, there is only so much that she can withstand before she hits her limit. So how does this fare for this couple? Are they heading towards breakup land? Or can Ryder save this relationship? If you wanna know, grab a copy of RYDER now!

In my opinion, this book was a bit fast paced compared to the other books. I guess this was because you could see that there are problems with the couple in earlier books. However, the twist in this book would kinda shock you. What it is, you’d have to read it to know what it is!

In truth, I can’t blame Branna for wanting a baby. Especially considering she is 10 years older than her sister and her sister is already building her family.  If it was me, I would’ve been angry with what Ryder was doing too!

But all in all, I applaud Branna for standing up for herself. All ladies must be able to do this. In front of an attacker, snatcher, rapist, but most importantly stand up against the one you love, especially if you know that you would be better off without them.

And on another note, it is very very important for the ladies to take up self-defense. This is not so you can boast to others that you know this skill, it is for your own safety. With how dangerous our world is now, it’s better to be safer than sorry. 

books culture read

Second chances does not only refer to a second chance in love or a second chance in love. In The Fall Up, Sam is a heavily tattooed man who is always by the bridge. Levee Williams is a celebrity, seen at the bridge for 3 days in a row. Starting from a simple conversation, these two hit it off pretty quickly.

Sure, she claimed that she was not about to jump, but deep down, she knew that the need to jump is there and for that, she is forever grateful for Sam who was there and kept talking to her to keep her mind out of it. Being a celebrity puts Levee in the spotlight most of the time. So her spending so much time at the bridge would cause some chaos.

This is a really fun book to read just because of Sam and Henry, Levee’s best friend (Who is also very gay). Just imagine Henry’s excitement when he met the gorgeous Sam! Their wit and charm makes the book worth reading. Apart from that, Levee would make you change your mind on how celebrities behave just by how sweet she was in the book!

What made this book our choice of book in the second chance theme we have going on this month that this book talks more about how Sam and Levee has a chance to move on from what happened in their life before. I’d tell you what happened to them before, but then you’d accuse me of spoiling it for you. So run over to your closest bookstore and find this amazing book!

books culture read

What do you know about bulimia and depression? What do you really understand about these two illnesses? Well in this book, readers will enter the mind of Stevie Delisle, a seventeen year old girl who is suffering from both illness. To make it worse, Stevie’s father placed her in rehab for 60 days.

However, in her mind, she knows she will not last 60 days. She is aiming for only 27 days. Why 27 days? Because the date will be the one year anniversary of her brother’s death. And because of that, she believes that that will also be the date when she will die as well.

Regardless of her plans, she didn’t account her bubbly roommate, or her shrink that is willing to go the extra mile to help her recover. Will she actually commit suicide once the 27 days are up? Well, you’d have to read it to find out.

Reading and reviewing this book is difficult for me because as a teenager, it hits me where it hurts the most. Honestly, I think some girls are closet bulimics because it helps them feel good about themselves. It shames me to say this, but so was I at some point of my life. While Stevie was dealing of bulimic and depression due to her brother’s death, I dealt with it just to make myself feel good.

This book is brutally honest and raw. It hits you at all the places that will shake you to the core because it tells you what will happen to you if you continue the dark path of bulimic and depression. It also teaches you on how to deal with these illnesses in terms of advises you can give to those you know who are suffering.

Depression is not the end of the world or the end of you. If you are suffering, reach out to someone whom you can trust and tell them your problems. It might not seem as a big of a deal, but by doing so, you would unconsciously unburden yourself and you will think of it less. Never bottle your problems because if it is not treated correctly, it might explode soon enough.

books culture read

Have you ever felt as if you have to prove yourself to your friends? Like your friends define who you are? Well that was exactly what Gia Montgomery felt. Since her boyfriend Bradley is a UCLA student, her friends never believed her when she talks about him, especially since whenever he was in town, he prefer spending time with Gia alone. So on prom night, Gia was finally able to introduce him to her best friends. But instead, he broke up with her right before. So she was about to go to Prom, alone.

That’s where Hayden comes in. He’s just an innocent bystander who was dragged into being Gia’s fill-in boyfriend for the night. But instead of being just one night, they developed a friendship which was more than what Gia asked for. But instead of telling the truth to her friends, she kept with the lie, spinning those around her in the web, which in the end caught herself.

Her best friends refused to talk to her, so instead of wallowing in self-pity, she decided to say f*ck it and started being friends with other people. There was also the fact that her brother created a short film featuring her being self-absorbed and shallow. So she wanted to change herself and she believed that new friends are what she needed to do so. So she said goodbye to the popular group and hello to the underclassmen.

The moral of the story is that your friends DO NOT define you. So they don’t believe you, SO WHAT? What matters is that you believe in yourself. Appreciate those around you, especially those who are quiet but will be with you whenever you call. Appreciate the guy who is willing to help a complete stranger because that is what gentleman does.

But most importantly, you don’t have to bow down to peer pressure. In Gia’s case, she caved when her ‘best friends’ demanded to see her boyfriend and when she couldn’t deliver, she just chose anyone that she believed would play the part. If your friends really do care about you, they would not care about whatever bullshit you sprouted because best friends would never judge you.

So do me a favor and call your best friend and just talk to them. There are things that you need to unload and so do they. Friendship should turn you into a better person. Not turn you into an asshole just because you have to please them. 

books culture read

Samantha Strattan found out her parents are getting a divorce and her mother is moving into her beau's house and dragging her along. She hates moving in with the Kades because she dislikes the Kade brothers, Mason and Logan.

They're like Gods in Fallen Crest. Everyone loves them but Sam.  She hates the fact that they relish on the attention that they get from everyone.  The feeling is completely mutual with the brothers until they witnessed her mother, Analise, hit her. Since then, they became good friends until sparks of romance developed between Mason and Sam.

They went through the struggles of Sam being bullied by snobs in the Academy, to being bullied by b*****s in Fallen Crest High. But through it all, they stood together, as a family. 

The reason, to me, why these books are so good because it shows what is happening in most high schools now. How the school’s hierarchy system controls the whole school and how the teachers has no power over the students.

One thing I admire about Sam is that she stands for who she is. She’s not the type to befriend popular people just because she wants to be popular. Oh and did I mention how badass Sam is? She made the hottest guy in Fallen Crest to fall for her and actually won against her bullies from two different schools and boy, do those girls fight. I’m talking dislocated jaw, bruised ribs and all those other injuries.

Coming from similar broken families, Mason, Sam and Logan go through everything together. Like what Sam said, “I’d kill anyone who would repeatedly hurt both of you.” This shows that even though they were together for less than a year, their loyalty runs deep.

If you love books about those in high school, about bullying and social status, this is perfect for you.

P/s – The arrangement of the books are as follows: