What Light by Jay Asher | ARC Review

What Light by Jay Asher
Publisher: Razorbill
Expected Publication Date: October 11, 2016
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Christmas, Realistic Fiction
Pages: 251
Source: Received eARC from Penguin's First to Read
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it's a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. 

Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.

By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb's past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.

What Light is a love story that's moving and life-affirming and completely unforgettable.

My Thoughts

This review will be shorter than normal because I don't have much to say about it. I thought the general concept was interesting. It was really unique to have the main character and her family run a tree farm then go sell Christmas trees in California every year during the holidays. This something I've never heard of or honestly ever thought about. For that, the story held my interest to see how it all worked. However, even with that, this story fell flat for me.

I didn't connect to any of the characters or care about their stories. While reading I just felt detached from what was going on. The only time I had any strong feelings was when the characters were being extremely judgmental. I was really hoping to enjoy this read but I ended up being disappointed. This book isn't terrible but I thought it was just okay.

Waiting on Wednesday | The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Expected Publication Date: November 3, 2015
Pages: 304
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Goodreads Description

Artist Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she's spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Leonardo da Vinci’s footsteps, she's ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.


Jack is charming, wildly attractive . . . and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in Beatrix’s own family’s closet tear them apart?

Why I'm Waiting

The Anatomical Shape of A Heart was a book that immediately drew me from the first time I saw it. I think it was a mix of the title and the cover, I'm not really sure, but it made me interested in what the book was about. After reading the summary I was immediately intrigued. Although it sounds like a basic plot that has been visited before, the little details given about the characters makes it something unique.

Since I have been reading a lot of fantasy/paranormal fantasy/urban fantasy books lately I have been wanting to read some contemporary. This book is contemporary but also realistic fiction. Not only does this summary interests me, I have seen some really positive reviews from people who have received ARCs. I'm excited to get my hands on this book!

Any opinions on this book?

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine. Head over to check out other Waiting on Wednesday posts.

Waiting on Wednesday | Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Breaking The Spine.

Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Expected Publication Date: October 27, 2015

Pages: 304

Goodreads Description 

Mattie shouldn’t be at the bonfire. She should be finding new maps for her collection, hanging out with Kris, and steering clear of almost everyone else, especially Jolene. After all, Mattie and Kris dropped off the social scene the summer after sophomore year for a reason.

But now Mattie is a senior, and she’s sick of missing things. So here she is.

And there’s Jolene: Beautiful. Captivating. Just like the stories she wove. Mattie would know; she used to star in them. She and Jolene were best friends. Mattie has the scar on her palm to prove it, and Jolene has everything else, including Hudson.

But when Mattie runs into Hudson and gets a glimpse of what could have been, she decides to take it all back: the boyfriend, the friends, the life she was supposed to live. Problem is, Mattie can’t figure out where Jolene ends and she begins.

Because there’s something Mattie hasn’t told anyone—she walked away from Jolene over a year ago, but she never really left.


Poignant and provocative, Marcy Beller Paul’s debut novel tells the story of an intoxicating—and toxic—relationship that blurs the boundary between reality and fantasy, love and loyalty, friendship and obsession.

Why I'm Waiting 

This was one of those books I kept scrolling past on Goodreads because the cover didn't grab my attention. I finally decided to read the description and was intrigued. The main reason I want to read this is the mystery. I'm curious about happened/how the main character got to where she is now. I also want to know what she was talking about when she mentions Jolene. In the description there is also the mention of obsession. I wrote a short story for my class that dealt with that topic. I'm very interested to see how it was done and possibly get more ideas on how to make it more believable when I revisit the story.

Is anyone else looking forward to this book?