The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando

Every time I see this in random book blogs that I'm following, my attention is always drawn. I like books like this! I mean, I know it's not a revolutionary monumental literature but it has something that satisfies me. Fun. Adventure. Wit. Drama. Friendship. Life.

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Mary Gilhooley and her tentatively named group of "Also-Rans" joins the annual scavenger hunt held for high school seniors by the previous winner.

She is graduating high school and soon leaving for D.C. (it's where she's going to college). After losing the slot for Georgetown to Carson (a jock who got in instead of the nerd), Mary wants to prove that it's just circumstantial that her life seems suck-erish (at least in her own perspective).

She's willing to do everything to win and take the Yeti (yes, the trophy is some sort of a Yeti figurine) with her to D.C. and not let it go to Georgetown with Carson.

And with all the drama going around. 

The love of her life, the boy she's been secretly in love with since the beginning of high school is rumored to break-up with his current girlfriend. Why? Is it because he has developed feelings for Mary? Also, why is her best girl friend Winter acting weird?

Her best friend Patrick is getting more and more confident in expressing his love for her. How will Mary turn him down?

Will they succeed the hunt with all these major drama?

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Okay, I did a minimalist kind of review. There is so much more that I want to share and believe me, it's not for the sake of being a total spoiler but because this blog is not called loexiebooksummaries for a reason.

I just completely immersed myself with this interesting novel. It's very hip if you ask me. The way it was crafted was with much thought.

I loved Dez. I loved the Yeti. I loved Leticia Farrice. I loved every character! It makes me want to participate into something as cool, traditional and well-thought as the scavenger hunt in the book. One of the many books I wish they turn into a movie.

This book is so light. Very amusing and fast-paced. I don't think I really have anything bad to say about it because my objective was to kill time and I wouldn't have it any other YA. I didn't want to be too emotionally shaken. And so, everybody happy.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

When hearing the title or seeing the orange butterfly, I always get the idea that this book is some teeny-bopper love story. It wasn't. This book has been making waves and I just had to see what it's about for my sake. I was entranced. I was thrilled. I was melancholic. I was in love. I was hopeful. I was devastated. It made me feel too much and that's why it deserves the Michael Printz award/stamp.

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 Gemma Toombs, her mom and her dad are in Bangkok Airport. They are about to catch their next flight to their next destination. It's a school vacation and they're traveling the world to buy and sell paintings. Her mom is a curator while her dad is a stockbroker. They come from London.

Gemma decides to stray away from her parents for a while to get coffee. In the small coffee shop at the airport, she notices this attractive-looking guy who's been following her around in their recent trips. He has this air of familiarity in him but she can't really point out what it is.

When she looks for money in her purse, she realizes that she's short then the mystery guy volunteers to pay for it. They sit together at the same table and talked. The guy's name is 'Ty'.

Our protagonist gets dizzy. Ty leads her around the airport. There are several happenings in between; Ty changed her clothes, he feeds her this cream-filled chocolates, she was dragged around in different airports and then she was zipped and locked inside a suitcase.

When she regains consciousness, she realizes she's in the middle of a red desert where there's no civilization. She immediately develops this huge amount of hatred towards her captor, Ty.

She realizes she's in Australia. She tried to escape several times and Ty never fails to come to her rescue.

Ty addresses his love for her. Gemma is disgusted and confused.

One day she gets bitten by a snake and the only way for her to survive is to get to civilization.

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If you don't want to be genuinely sad for no reason but the story of this book, don't read this.

There's always this effect of being emotionally invested when we encounter beautiful broken characters. I have got the chills from this Tyler MacFarlane dude, you know! But like Gemma, I loved him too. I was ripped. I don't know if I like him better to be saved or locked up. Fortunately, the heroine did the right thing. The author did the right thing with this story!

It made me think who was really crazy. If a person is brought up in a certain way and was made to think like he does from experience, I don't really consider them to be crazy. I think Gemma was the crazy one, she always felt like she needed to go when going wasn't really a choice. She could have been smarter from the very start and used his feelings against him. I don't really blame her anyway. 

He loved her too much that he kept her for himself but he loved her enough to let her live even if it meant letting her go and sacrificing his freedom.

The part where I'm totally decided that this book is unfathomably too good for any adjective:

  "But I'll tell them of your other side too. The side I saw sometimes when you spoke softly to the camel and when you gently touched the leaves of the saltbush; only taking what you needed. And the times you rescued me. I will tell them how you chose prison rather than let me die. Because you did, didn't you? You knew, right from when that snake bit me it was all over. When I asked you to stay with me on the plane, you did it knowing you were turning yourself in. And I am grateful, Ty, don't get me wrong. But I gave up my life for you too, once... back in Bangkok Airport. And I had no choice.

Wifey by Judy Blume

Bought from BOOKSALE for 60pesos. As I started reading, I thought to myself... "WTH! I thought Judy Blume was on the Young Adult genre?!"

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Sandy is an unhappy New Jersey upper-class housewife. She is one of those girls who is brought up to marry more so likely for convenience than love.

One day, a boy riding in a motorcycle stopped in front of her house and jerked off. Sandy called the police immediately. The police thought Sandy was just having a wild imagination but called her back a few days after to confirm some evidence they found.

Sandy's husband Norman is your typical elitist country-club-lovin' man. He pushes Sandy real hard to go into the sports he's interested in like tennis and golf. He accuses her of being depressed because their two kids are at camp for the summer and that they're growing up.

Sandy doesn't like her husband anymore because he is insensitive and demanding. Their sex life is not going on very well and she wants more.

A few more times of the mystery guy calling on the phone, visiting and jerking off and the rest of the story zooms in on Sandy sleeping around with her sister's husband then her best friend's husband and then her first love, Shep.

Before they move houses to Watchung, she takes their dog to the vet. She sees the motorcycle helmet of the vet, a stripes and stars design, similar to the mystery jerk-off maniac.

She and Norman talks about their plans for the future.

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At the beginning of the story, I had so much sympathy for Sandy. She has so much to bear and there's no one looking after her. She receives not enough love from her husband. But after everything, when the book is nearing to the end, I kind of switched sides with Norman.

Norman was right. She has nothing to complain about. Their life is perfect! It's just her insecurities working. She felt that she wasn't loved the right way so she went to bed with the whole town? She single-handedly ruined every marriage of the people she cares about, especially her own marriage. Her sister and her best friend does not know and the only person Norman knew she slept with was Shep.

In the end, Norman forgives her and he promises to try to lick her down there just like she said Shep did.

UNBELIEVABLE!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I remembered my mom telling me that this was one of her favorite books. If I'm not mistaken we were on a plane ride home (to which country I don't remember, both are home to me). So when I had the chance to download it from iBooks, i did!

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The story revolves around Elizabeth Bennet and her family. The time and setting is on the turn of the 19th century in England. The Bennet family consists of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Lydia, Kitty and Mary.

One day, a gentleman, his best friend and his sister arrives in town. Mr. Bingley, a rich man just bought an estate nearby and will be attending the ball from which most of town will be attending as well. He meets Jane Benett. Jane is described as the most beautiful of the Bennet sisters.

While Jane and Mr. Bingley danced two times, Mr. Darcy on the other hand rejected to dance with Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennet was so proud of Jane, she starts spreading gossip that her daughter is about to marry soon. Elizabeth expresses hatred towards Mr. Darcy because of his seemingly arrogant manners.

Jane is invited to Mr. Bingley's estate but because of the rain and the refusal of Mrs. Bennet to lend her a carriage, she fell ill riding a horse and was soaked in rainwater. Mrs. Bennet couldn't be more delighted of the incident as Mr. Bingley insists on Jane staying while she's sick. Worried sister Elizabeth came to her sister's rescue and soon she's invited to stay as well.

Jane gets better and they all come home safely. Mr. Bingley and his crew soon leaves town and modest Jane is left pretending that she's fine when she herself thought that Mr. Bingley liked her as much as she did.

Mr. Bennet's clergyman cousin Mr. Collins arrives, he is the heir to Mr. Bennet's estate. Mr. Collins decided to marry one of the Bennet sisters. He is left with the choice to marry Elizabeth. Elizabeth refuses him and soon he marries Charlotte Lucas, a family friend.

Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy again when she was invited by Charlotte and Mr. Collins to visit their home. Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, asks her hand in marriage but she refuses it as there are a lot of things about Mr. Darcy that she needs to know about.

 Mr. Wickham had spread tales about Mr. Darcy that were incriminating. Also, Elizabeth knew that it was Mr. Darcy that discouraged the relationship between Jane and Mr. Bingley.

Are the accusations true? Is Mr. Darcy a horrible arrogant man? Then why has Lydia run away... with Mr. Wickham! Who fixes it all? Will there be any marriage happening for the Bennet sisters?

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I'm in love with this classic. I just love how conservative it was. It isn't just a romance novel. It's got everything you could call out on every family, friends, community and society. It deliberately serves the readers the egos of every character. My time was not wasted, I thought I'd hate classics like this. I was wrong.

Dare to Love by Jaci Burton

I am so ashamed that I've started reading romance novels like this.

Oh well.

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Lucy Fairchild is the heiress to her father's prominent law firm. She comes from the "elite" and when she meets Jake Dalton, a construction worker with big dreams, her life will take a swift turn of events.

But her father does not approve. There is someone else he'd like for her to marry. Alexander Sheldon, a successful man much like the Fairchild's is very much interested in marrying Lucy.

Who will Lucille "Lucy" Fairchild choose?

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I didn't really like this book. It was too cliche and unbelievable (in a bad way). It lacked depth and meaning. It was like it was there to take someone away just for the sake of taking someone away.