amarisafloria

I'm not claiming to be a huge Shawn Johnson fan, but I distinctly remember being in high school and cheering for her when she competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Of course, it was from my living room couch. And it was my dad who was mainly watching ... but my eyeballs *did* see her flipping and twisting on my television screen. This only explains why I chose to read The Flip Side, and in no way influences what I think of the content.

"Charlie Ryland has a secret. She may seem like your average high school sophomore—but she's just really good at pretending. Because outside of school Charlie spends all her waking hours training to become one of the best gymnasts in the world. And it’s not easy flying under the radar when you're aiming for Olympic gold ... especially when an irresistible guy comes along and threatens to throw your whole world off balance."

Right from the start, I noticed that the style of writing and form of storytelling caters to a young audience. This was solidified when the word "bae" was used in dialogue. That's the thing kids use nowadays, right?! Not gonna lie, I was baffled when I read it. I still have no words. As simple as The Flip Side was, it *did* explore a great theme: FRIENDSHIP.

Although Charlie and Gwen are training/competing against each other, they are also real friends. There are many ways that backstabbing and catty behavior could've been written into their situation, but it was nice to see that they genuinely encouraged and pushed each other to be better. Side note: The Flip Side reminded me a little of the Disney movie Ice Princess, which I just Googled and found out that MEG CABOT (the author of The Princess Diaries series) wrote the screenplay for?! Thankfully, Gwen's mom does not go out of her way to sabotage Charlie's career ... but I digress.

As much as I loved Gwen and her willingness to take risks for Charlie, I thought she (and the other characters) were TOO PERFECT and one dimensional. We don't know much about Gwen, just that she's dedicated to performing her best, and I would have loved for her character to be developed in some way. We also hardly get to know the guy that just shows up in Charlie's life—why did he like her so much, and vice versa? The lack of backstory for this guy emphasizes the want for this book to be about Charlie experiencing love ... and that was my main disappointment.

For a book centered around a gymnast, I was hoping there'd be more about the actual sport. I feel like it was more about a teenage girl wanting to experience the normal high school events, like prom, and less about an inside look at how a gymnast balances her dream and high school. But it's partly my fault—even the description hints at a budding romance.

The relationship between Charlie + guy didn't work for me, but I appreciate seeing the ways her family is impacted because of the choices Charlie makes. Her parents and brother sacrifice many things for her, privacy and comfort being two. I'm glad that part of being a gymnast was shared.

The Flip Side is ...

• "basic" (read: opposite of unique) ... can you tell I'm trying to be hip like the kids?)
• slightly entertaining but lacking in conflict. I wanted more drama!
• probably written for youths in middle school/entering high school.
• a quick read. If I didn't have priorities, I would've easily finished in one sitting.
• not too much about gymnastics and mostly about ... meeting a cute boy in high school?

This actually took me a while to compile, mainly because I've been a lot more picky with adding books to my TBR ("to be read") list. As you scroll through this extended list, I'll be crossing my fingers and hoping that these will all be five-stars reads for me :p


BLOOD FOR BLOOD BY RYAN GRAUDIN // November 11
There needs to be more talk about Wolf by Wolf because that book was so good. It dips into various genres (alternate history and paranormal, to name a couple) but it isn't forced at all. The world-building is done really well, I am SO READY for all the action!!!

GEMINA BY AMIE KAUFMAN AND JAY KRISTOFF // October 18
CREEPY + INTENSE are the two words I'd use to describe Illuminae, which I'm hoping will carry through to Gemina. (It works perfectly for the storyline, I think!) I wish we would continue with the same main characters, but I'm sure it will be an amazing read anyway.



NEVERNIGHT BY JAY KRISTOFF // August 9
Another book by Jay Kristoff, that man must be a writing machine! I heard it was compared to Harry Potter? SOLD.

THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR BY KATHARINE MCGEE // August 30
LOOK AT THE COVER. PRETTY COLORS, PRETTY FONT. But before the cover was even released, I read a description and found the premise to be enthralling. The higher you live in the building, the more status you have in the world. And one day, a woman falls from the thousandth floor ... It's categorized under sci-fi, so I am *really* hoping for it to be FULL of science fiction-y things. I mean, I hope it's properly categorized and not just there because it takes place in the future.

EVER THE HUNTED BY ERIN SUMMERILL // December 27
The name Britta (the main character) will forever remind me of Britta from Community! But that is not why I put this book on my list ... To be completely honest, it's here because I've been hearing good things about it on Twitter.



THIS ADVENTURE ENDS BY EMMA MILLS // October 4
If you've been around since the beginning of this year, you would know that I have SO MUCH LOVE for First & Then, Mills' debut novel. Macmillan/Henry Holt was so kind as to grant my wish on NetGalley, so I will be reading this very soon! I still don't know what it's about, but I will read anything with Mills' name on it :)

HEARTLESS BY MARISSA MEYER // November 8
Meyer is BACK AT IT AGAIN with another fairy tale retelling, this time in the perspective of the Queen of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Here's to hoping I finish The Lunar Chronicles series by the time it gets released!

MY UNSCRIPTED LIFE BY LAUREN MORRILL // October 11
Meant to Be was such a fun contemporary romance, I have no doubt I'll feel the same about My Unscripted Life. After reading the synopsis for this book, I realized that I'll automatically want to read a book if it involves a movie set. There's just something about "behind the scenes" that I love.

THE SECRET OF A HEART NOTE BY STACEY LEE // December 27
I feel like I'm cheating a bit by placing Lee's next book under this category because I haven't read anything of hers yet, but I DID get to meet her at the Bay Area Book Fest last weekend (!!!) and she was so sweet. I will make the exception :p


SCRAPPY LITTLE NOBODY BY ANNA KENDRICK // November 15
Anna Kendrick is such a versatile human being. She is hilarious, but she can be serious too—just watch The Last Five Years. And I love that she can make fun of herself. Like Mills', I will read anything Anna Kendrick puts out.

What are some releases you are most looking forward to? Have you read any of the ones I mentioned yet? And because I've been in and out for a while—what are you currently reading?

To everyone who still reads amarisafloria: I have accepted the fact that this blog is all over the place (as is my life) but I still want to share what I can!

• Weekend trip to Lake Tahoe with the fam — the first trip my whole family has gone on together since 2005. Ten whole years ago, can you believe it? We weren't able to go snowboarding, but it was still a good time barbecuing, playing pool, hanging out at the lake (it was BEAUTIFUL) and eating as much sushi as possible.
• I GOT BAPTIZED! — I've been meaning to for ages now, but haven't had the right opportunity until now. I'm really thankful for all the friends who came to support me, and I am very happy to have had the chance to share my testimony with everyone.
• My baby brother graduated from high school! — he's really not a baby anymore, but it's so strange to think that he'll be going to college in the fall ...

FAITH #1 + FAITH #2 BY JODY HOUSER
I really love that Faith isn't your typical pretty girl hero with boobs. It was an OKAY first issue—there's a bit of mystery as to why she left her old team, and it ends with a boom. But we don't get to see her fight (which I was looking forward to) and the reason she had to encounter these perps was kinda lame. Also, the eyes for the characters were CREEPY. Second issue: nothing much happened, which I am really disappointed about :(

THE FLASH, VOL. 1: MOVE FORWARD BY FRANCIS MANAPUL
The art was cool (I LOVED the introduction pages for each issue) but the story was so-so and not memorable at all. It pains me to say that, especially because I *love* the television show ... BUT! I heard Geoff Johns' run is excellent, so I'm going to give it a try—issues #164-176, if you're interested.

THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN, VOL. 2: A TROUBLED MIND BY DAN SLOTT
Much better than volume one, mainly because it was more about the Avengers trying to figure out what was going on with Spider-Man and less about Doc Ock's personal life. I guess I'm just not a fan of him?

• CWTV's The Flash — SUCH A GOOD SHOW.
• After finding a video of Grant Gustin singing If I Didn't Believe in You, I watched the movie version of The Last Five Years (Anna Kendrick + Jeremy Jordan) on Netflix and LOVED it. Which, considering the topic, is very strange. The story is told in the two perspectives of a couple who spends five years together. What makes it interesting is that Jamie's is told from beginning to end and Cathy's from end to beginning. The songs are incredibly powerful and heartbreaking. Favorite songs from the soundtrack: Still Hurting, See I'm Smiling, Nobody Needs to Know, and, of course, If I Didn't Believe in You.
• Other songs that have been on repeat all month long: Heartbeat by Carrie Underwood, Break Up in a Small Town by Sam Hunt, Work ft. Drake (R3hab Remix) by Rhianna.

Okay, how many of you guys watch The Flash? WE NEED TO DISCUSS. Which books are you looking forward to reading in June? What type of comics are you in the middle of right now?