Top Ten (3) Favorite 2016 Releases So Far

Soooooo...turns out I haven't read a ton of 2016 releases. I've just been more in to backlist titles, I guess. And a few of the 2016 releases I've read haven't been that spectacular, so I have only THREE 2016 releases that really knocked it out of the park for me.

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman
Published: February 9, 2016 by Simon Pulse
MY REVIEW - 5 STARS

Summary from Goodreads:
Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything. This is their story.

Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England?


From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell

Published: February 2, 2016 by Simon Pulse

MY REVIEW - 5 STARS

Summary from Goodreads:
For as long as she can remember, Gwendolyn Allister has never had a place to call home—all because her mother believes that monsters are hunting them. Now these delusions have brought them to London, far from the life Gwen had finally started to build for herself. The only saving grace is her best friend, Olivia, who’s coming with them for the summer.

But when Gwen and Olivia are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and taken to a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey, Gwen realizes her mom might have been sane all along.

The world Gwen finds herself in is called Neverland, yet it’s nothing like the stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through her fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the roguish young pirate who promises to keep her safe.

With time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But will she be able to save Neverland without losing herself?

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
Published: May 3, 2016 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
MY REVIEW - 4 STARS

Summary from Goodreads: 
Andie had it all planned out.


When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected.


And where’s the fun in that?

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE 2016 RELEASES SO FAR? WHICH RELEASES ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO?  

Lefty's Lowdown: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
(standalone)
Published: May 3, 2016 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Source: purchased

Summary from Goodreads: 
Andie had it all planned out.

When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected.

And where’s the fun in that?

Morgan Matson has done it again, y'all. I saw this book at the store on May 3rd and knew I needed to buy it, not even realizing it was the release date, and I'm, like, 99.9% certain that was fate or destiny or serendipity. Matson has wiggled her way deeper into my nerd heart with this dynamic tale of summer memories, friendship, dorky romance, and dogs. 

Okay, I'll admit, when I first delved into this novel, I was getting slightly nervous that I wouldn't love it as much as I loved the only other novel by Morgan Matson that I'd read (Since You've Been Gone) because it started out fairly slow. Before I knew it, though, it was 6:30 am and I was obsessed with the characters. 

I could dedicate full paragraphs to each character because that's how well Matson develops them, but I'll (try to) keep it brief. Andie, the Type A protagonist, is used to playing it safe. She has so many walls, she doesn't even realize when she's blocking something off. A summer of instability shakes her up, though, and her walls begin to crumble. She makes some stupid decisions, but she grows a lot. I related to her a lot. The love interest, nerdy fantasy author Clark, is everything to me. I'm currently wishing he was real. And dating me. He wears Doctor Who shirts and writes books and is beyond socially awkward at times. What more could I possibly ask for????? He experiences a ton of growth too. I'm not even kidding...Clark is boyfriend goals. The other characters (Palmer, Toby, Bre, Tom, and her father) are all wonderful characters to read about, and they all contributed something special to the book. 

Other wonderful parts of this novel: the realistic friendships, the family dynamic, and the dog walking, to name a few. On top of that, the summer atmosphere was the perfect book to kick off my summer vacation. I loved the feeling of fun summer nights with friends and memories and first love. Summer vacation just isn't the same in college, so this novel brought back pleasant feelings. 

All in all, I really enjoyed this novel. The writing was great, the characters were all a pleasure to read about, and the feels were definitely there. I think the only thing keeping this from being a five-star knockout would be the length. It was 500+ pages. I enjoyed reading every single one of those pages, but I'll admit it could have been a little more exciting. I think fans of Matson will love this novel and will recognize the aspects of Matson's writing that are so wonderful in her other books. 

4/5