Just One Year

  When Willem wakes up, he can barely remember what happened. He doesn't even know how exacty he ended up in the hospital. The only thing he remembers is the girl who he needs to get back to. Lulu. Not even her real name. Just the nickname he gave her, because he said she looked like a Lulu. Nevertheless, she is waiting for him, and he must get back before it's too late.


    For those of you who read my review of Just One Day or heard my rant about it, I was not as disappointed with Just One Year as I thought I would be. The messages in the first book were awesome, and I was sure that this second book wold ruin it.
   But it didn't. Instead, this book, told from Willem's point of view, was about his journey to realizing his mistakes. Sure, he still isn't the greatest role model, but I like that he became a better person by the end. I loved how the so-called "accident" helped him to fix his relationship with his mom (No, I didn't cry...I have no idea why you would think that....).
  

My Name is Memory

 Lucy has had a crush on Daniel for years, although he seems not to want to even be friends with her. When, at their senior prom, Lucy finally gets an opportunity to talk to him, she is ecstatic. Little does she know that Daniel has The Memory, which allows him to remember all his past lives. He and Lucy have fallen in love before, only to be tragically torn apart. 

  After the first few pages I was prepared not to like this book. It didn't seem to me that the rest of it could be interesting or good; Lucy was obsessed with Daniel. Daniel wanted Lucy but didn't think she would understand or remember. How could this go on for three-hundred more pages?
   I ended up liking it, though. I thought it was cool that Daniel told the story of his past lives, and as he told them he came to realize some important things. Honestly, I think it could have done without the romance. The book would have been great just as a sci-fi novel. The romance scenes just seemed pointless to me (and there were just one too many of them.) I also thought there were some really funny lines. 

   
   

Just One Day

  Allyson is an obedient, sheltered American. Towards the end of her senior year she goes on a trip to Europe with some of her classmates, enjoying the fun before she heads off to college.
  When she and her friend Melanie sneak off to see a performance of Twelfth Night, she meets Willem and there is a definite spark. So when Willem invites Allyson (he knows her as Lulu) to spend a day with him in Paris, she accepts after a few mocking comments from Melanie. Allyson has a fantastic day in Paris and has what she thinks is a connection with Willem.
  Which is why she is shocked to wake up the next morning and find that he is gone.

   I actually really liked this book. I was glad to find that it wasn't all about Lulu and Willem's romantic day in Paris, that it also had some good messages in it. It was really saying how one mistake (like running to Paris with a guy you just met) can effect you for the rest of your life, however if you try you can learn from these mistakes.
   I'm looking forward to the sequel yet dreading it. Just One Day, I think, made a good point by itself. Just One Year is from Willem's point of view, and it could either make the messages in Just One Day stronger or it could ruin them. It could be that Willem realizes his mistakes and tries to improve, or that he is actually the perfect guy and Allyson was wrong to ever doubt him. (I'm hoping it's the first one).

Where She Went

It's been three years since the accident. Three years since Mia made a miraculous recovery. And three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life.
Then, by chance, the two of them run into each other in New York. And that night all their memories--the good and the bad--are unearthed, causing both of them to rethink their choices, their emotions, and, most importantly, their futures.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had the same lovely writing style as If I Stay, but I would suggest being at least 14 to read this one as it has plenty of language and some other content. One of my favorite things about this book was that Adam had the "perfect life" desired by most people, but he wasn't happy and his problems didn't disappear; rather, they multiplied.

Matched Trilogy

Book One

Matched 

  Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

    The Society tells her that it was just a glitch and that she should forget about it and focus on living a happy life with Xander. But Cassia doesn't forget and can't help but feel that the Society isn't as safe as she once thought. She soon finds herself falling in love with Ky, and by doing so she chooses a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Book Two

Crossed 

  Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in search of Ky, who has been sent by the Society to his certain death. She arrives to find that he has escaped, and then she must follow the clues he left behind. The longer she travels the more determined she becomes to spend her life with Ky and the angrier she becomes at the Society. She wants to find the Rising, the rebellion plotting against the Society, and help them destroy it. 

Book Three

Reached 

 Cassia, Ky and Xander are all in the Rising but are stationed in different places, and with the sudden outbreak of the Plague, it's hard to get away and see each other. The Rising and the Society are both trying to find a cure for the Plague, and soon the three of them realize the the Rising is just like the Society, and that both of them are running out of places to look for a cure.

  I liked the whole series, but I think Matched and Reached were better. I love sci-fi and usually don't like romance, but in this series I liked both. The romance between Cassia and Ky isn't like the romances in other books I've read. I liked it because it was more about their friendship and they slowly started having feelings for one another rather than . Cassia isn't flighty, Xander isn't evil, and Ky isn't perfect like the typical characters in love triangles. I highly recommend these books.