Number of Pgs.: 320

Publication date: May 14, 2013

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: Mystery, YA, Contemporary, Thriller

How I got the copy: Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating:  4 Stars

From Goodreads:

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

Plot: 7/10

Characters: 7/10

Setting: 8/10

Pacing: 7/10

Style: 6/10

Cover:  I don't know what it is about that cover, but I love it.  It's blurry and the girl is running away and barefoot so she must be leaving in a panic.  

35+50=85 (4 Stars)

The Rules For Disappearing had gotten some iffy reviews making me very wary going into it.  I'm so glad I decided to read it anyway because I really liked it.  I read it on my phone while waiting in line at Whole Foods because I needed to know the ending right then and there that's how good it was.
 
   I do, however, advise you to go into it accepting that it is a fictitious story and therefore not really realistic at times.  Because let's be honest...a teenage girl can not solve a crime better than the FBI or do half the stuff she did.  And most teenage girls would be more scared of the situation than Meg was.  But I put all of that aside and was able to enjoy the suspenseful thriller of a story that it was.  It was a tad predictable, but that didn't really make a difference to me since I haven't read many books in this genre and also it read more like a contemporary at times.
 
Ethan was so swoon-worthy.  At first he's described as wearing camo and caked in mud and I was like, "um no thanks".  But he really proves to be such a sweet guy...think Tucker from Unearthly.  I was rooting for him the whole time.  There are not many guys in YA like him that are just so sweet and realistic to an actual teenage boy.

  If you liked stories like One Moment or Ten then you should try this one.  They have similar elements.  Don't let the bad reviews discourage you.  Decide for yourself like I did!  You might be surprised.  Don't forget to check out my playlist and enter the rafflecopter below!

Playlist:
I just picked three songs to analyze, but there are more on the YouTube Playlist

1. What's It Feel Like to be a Ghost Taking Back Sunday

What's it feel like to be a ghost?

Meg is basically a ghost.  She disappears every time the FBI moves her family whiteout getting a chance to say goodbye to her friends.

Are you up for, are you up for this?

This is her forth move in a few months and this time she doesn't want to make friends or join clubs.  But it's harder than it sounds to do that.

I look so close but it's been months who knows if I

will get this right...

look so closely, there might be something you'd like

What was it like?

She's been trying to figure out why her family is in this predicament for awhile and she's having a hard time with her plan of not making friends.  Especially with Ethan, the swoon worthy guy at her school.

2. We Are Broken Paramore

I am outside

And I've been waiting for the sun

With my wide eyes

I've seen worlds that don't belong

My mouth is dry with words I cannot verbalize

Tell me why we live like this
Keep me safe inside

Your arms like towers

Tower over me

This is my pick for Teeny (Meg's sister) and Meg's relationship.  Meg tries to shelter her sister from what's going on, but her younger sister isn't stupid.  

Yeah

'Cause we are broken

What must we do to restore

Our innocence

And oh, the promise we adored

Give us life again

'Cause we just wanna be whole

They both had to grow up really fast and mature.  They just want their old lives back though.

3. Arms Christina Perri

You put your arms around me

And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go

You put your arms around me and I'm home

Ethan makes Meg feel safe.  But there's always the chance that she'll have to be relocated and he'll never know where she went.  She'd never be able to get over that, but he'd eventually move on.

How many times will you let me change my mind and turn around?

I can't decide if I'll let you save my life or if I'll drown

She's very hot and cold to him because she doesn't want to get close to him, but can't help falling.  He lets her be hot and cold while she figures things out.

I hope that you see right through my walls

I hope that you catch me 'cause I'm already falling

I'll never let a love get so close

You put your arms around me and I'm home

But secretly she wants to tell him everything.  

The world is coming down on me and I can't find a reason to be loved

I never wanna leave you but I can't make you bleed if I'm alone

Number of Pgs.: 288

Publication date: April 9, 2013

Publisher: Soho Teen
Genre: Science Fiction, YA, Mystery

How I got the copy: From publisher in exchange for an honest review (Thanks Soho Teen!)

Rating:  4 Stars

From Goodreads:

17-year-old Sophie lies on her deathbed in California, awaiting the inevitable loss of her battle with cancer…
17-year-old Declan stares down two armed thugs in a back alley in Galway, Ireland…
17-year-old Anat attempts to traverse a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt…

All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned hospital—only to discover that they’re not alone. Three other teens from different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks ticking, they must band together if they’re to have any hope of surviving.  

Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to light Sophie, Declan, Anat, and the rest must decide what to do with a second chance at life—if they can survive to claim it.

Plot: 8/10

Characters: 4/10

Setting: 6/10

Pacing: 8/10

Style: 6/10

Cover:  The cover caught my attention right away.  I love the dark figures and how they're positioned.  It's creepy and mysterious.

32+50=82 (4 Stars)

    I was looking for something different than the predictable dystopian/paranormal books I had been reading lately.  Strangelets broke that streak for me.  I was entertained the whole time because I couldn't figure out how the characters would make it out alive.  And to my surprise some of them didn't!  It was so fast paced that it was like being on that roller coaster, Kingda Ka.  It shoots up on one high speed and then ends abruptly.  Right from the first page the adventure begins immediately which I loved, but the ending wrapped up a little to quickly for my liking.  I was really excited that this was a standalone because those are few and far between these days, but I thought that it should have had a more satisfying ending.  I wanted to know more, but maybe the author is planning a companion novel or something.
     Since this was definitely a more plot driven book, the characters kind of fell flat for me.  The only character I cared about was Declan because he had the most personality and Sophie a little bit too because she was sick.  Since we get the perspective from three characters it was kind of hard to connect with them.  But I absolutely loved that one of the characters turns out to not be who you think they are.  I didn't see that coming at all.
     The style of writing reminded me of City of Bones in that ever chapter ended in a cliffhanger and then switched perspective.  It made it impossible to put down because I just had to know what happened to the characters from two chapters previous.  I also loved the Science in this book.  I hadn't read any YA that had wormholes/portals that weren't fantasy or paranormal.  I liked that the characters came from all over the world too so I got a look into other cultures and settings.  Despite my struggles to connect emotionally with the characters, I was glad that they were realistic.  It wasn't like those scary movies where I'm screaming at the tv because the character does something stupid.

 

     Basically, if you're looking for a quick, dark, mysterious read with a pinch of Science Fiction you should definitely get this book.