You know the story...you have a million books to read and review, and you've started to learn that your reviewing time is valuable. Plus, you have a little less patience for the read that's taking just a little too long to get into. So, you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Do you keep reading and hope things get better? Or, do you call it a day on the book and put it down? There are definitely books that I debated this very thing regarding, and I'm so glad I ended up finishing them! Take a look:

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Between by Jessica Warman

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature from The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books I've Read During the Lifespan of My Blog:

First off, for those who didn't know, i swim for oceans is going to be 3 years old in December! Go figure, right?! For reals though...it hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows. There have definitely been times I've thought about quitting, but I think I'd miss it more than anything if I did. I blame (love) Jenny from Supernatural Snark for that. Anyway, moving on. These are the top ten books I've read during the life of my blog. 

1. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - I have a slightly more than slight fangirlish obsession with this book. Mostly because it's dark, and twisted, and slightly mad (all things I love about Michelle, too). Regardless, this book speaks to me on so many levels, and let me just say...The Evolution of Mara Dyer DOES NOT DISAPPOINT!

2. The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan - Guys, I read very little MG these days. I want to read more, but there is just so much fluff out there that it is hard to distinguish between what is good, and what is just...well...filler. This book is one of the most harrowing, cunning, spellbindingly dark books I've ever read, and it's still age-appropriate. It's a delicate balance of incredible insanity.

3. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab - There is something about this book that just sings to me. The prose, the story and the entire package is just sheer perfection. I've never read such a lyrical novel that has so many layers and, frankly, I just adore it. If you haven't read it yet...you must.

4. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar - I remember swearing up and down that I would never, ever, EVER like a contemporary novel. I told people they were cloying and obnoxious, and I told people it just wouldn't happen. Until this one. I read this book in one night. I found myself laughing and crying, utterly devoted to Carly's story. This is one of those books that hooks you and just won't let go.

5. Between by Jessica Warman - There are a lot of unsung novels in the world of books, but I have to say that I think this one missed the fan-fare it deserves. Though there is a slight predictability to it, this novel blew me away with the character growth and soaring plot line. It was heartfelt and believable, and I truly loved it. I've read it four times since.

6. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - I read this just when my blog was starting, and I had mixed feeling based on it. I suffered with an eating disorder for many years as a teen, and those feelings never really go away. The novel is so well-written and so very painstakingly real that it's actually verging on triggering. However, it's one of the most harrowing and poetic books I've ever read, too.

7. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan - First of all, that's an epic author duo, so it screams perfection. Secondly, this one grew on me with each re-read. It's one of the first books I've ever read where a secondary character steals the limelight, and there was just such a genuine, honest and fun feel to this novel. It felt utterly real and, therefore, utterly absorbing.

8. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - I should actually just put the entire series on here. I would never in a million years have read this series if it wasn't for another blogger consistently recommending them. I love Percy Jackson, and I don't care if that make me one of THOSE twenty-something women carrying her YA and MG books around. This is a classic.

9. Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles - This was another contemporary novel that just blew me away, and I'd picked it up on a whim, which made it even more special. The story of Maggie and Caleb was so wrought with drama and tension and angst that I should have hated it. But, instead, I loved it, and I loved them, and I love this book.

10. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins - Colour me crazy, kiddos, but I was pretty sure that I was going to hate this one going in. In fact, I'd pretty much chalked it up to a failure before I even started it. Boy, was I wrong. With fantastic characters, a swoon-worthy love interest and more depth than I thought was possible in the paranormal YA genre these days, it just blew me away.

Title: Beautiful Lies
Author: Jessica Warman
Publisher: Walker Children's
Publish Date: August 21, 2012
Genre: YA, Mystery
Pages: 422
Source: Publisher

Rachel and Alice are an extremely rare kind of identical twins - so identical that even their aunt and uncle, whom they’ve lived with since their parents passed away, can’t tell them apart. But the sisters are connected in a way that goes well beyond their surfaces: when one experiences pain, the other exhibits the exact same signs of distress.

So when one twin mysteriously disappears, the other immediately knows something is wrong—especially when she starts experiencing serious physical traumas, despite the fact that nobody has touched her. As the search commences to find her sister, the twin left behind must rely on their intense bond to uncover the truth. But is there anyone around her she can trust, when everyone could be a suspect? And ultimately, can she even trust herself?

Alice and Rachel are identical twins. They’re not just any identical twins though. They are so very similar that even their aunt and uncle that raised them can’t definitively tell them apart. However, there are some key differences between them that lie beneath the surface. Rachel is quiet, pensive and studious, loving life in a simple anonymity. Alice, however, had a wild streak a mile wide. And when she disappears, Rachel seems to be the only one that senses something is off. It’s common for Alice to take off, but something sinister is lurking beneath the surface, and Rachel has to figure it out. There’s a dark mystery between the twins that is unraveling at the pace of runaway train.

This is the third book I’ve read from author, Jessica Warman, and I have to say that after her last book, Between, I was a bit scared to try it. I loved that book so very much that I was certain Beautiful Lies wouldn’t be able to measure up, and that always scares me. Twists and turns abound in this novel, setting the pace for a whirlwind mystery that you’ll think you understand, only to realize it’s nothing like you expected after all. With a breakneck speed, Beautiful Lies takes every single one of your preconceived notions, your character perceptions and your “understanding” and makes you reconsider it all. Equal parts mystery, anguish and spine-tingling suspense, you’re in for one heck of a ride.

Gosh, there were so many things that I loved about Beautiful Lies. Alice and Rachel, for one, were both well-rounded and powerful characters, each complete with their own backstories and this shared connection that sings throughout the novel. Equally impressive is the host of secondary characters that never seems to be too vast or cloying. This is also a fairly large novel, and mysteries can seem a bit daunting. Beautiful Lies, however, managed to weave this mystery throughout the entire book, and I never once knew who was responsible for Alice’s disappearance, or what was really happening. There is no real answer in any of the pages, as each clue we’re offered teases and taunts us in the wrong direction. It’s like the world of a madman, switching from one POV to the other with ease, but doing so cleverly enough to confuse and disorient you in the best possible way. The ending will hit you like a ton of bricks, throwing everything you thought you discovered to the wind, which is the way a good mystery should be. I will admit there were a few things that confused me, such as how Alice and Rachel could be so very connected, yet sneaky enough to hide things from one another. I also found myself confusing Alice and Rachel’s personalities every now and again, but I’m left wondering if the author wanted it that way to disorient the reader more.

I’m one of those readers that’s a glutton for the discombobulated, so Beautiful Lies worked for me despite its flaws. This is like a psychological maze, and you’re sure to be guessing throughout. I give this book a 4 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to the YA audience, especially those who enjoy the author’s work, as well as mysteries and psychological thrillers.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books I'd Save From a Natural Disaster:

1. Watership Down - Daunting in size, I know, but this one is one of my absolute all-time favourites. It's beautiful, it's poetic, and, frankly, I don't know that it gets much lovelier than this! 

2. Many Waters - I have a few copies of this one. However, there are a couple of those copies without covers because I've worn them out by reading them too much. I don't think I could survive without this! 

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I want the whole series, and I'd probably sell my soul to save all seven BUT if I could only choose one and play by the rules, this would be it. Oh, Sirius Black. You have my heart. 

4. Time Windows - This is definitely not the best written novel I've ever read, but it may very well be what got me onto paranormal stories. It's beautiful and complex for its age range, and I love it to this day. 

5. Memoirs of a Geisha - I read this on a whim one day, only to find out months later that it was in our AP curriculum in high school. Needless to say, I loved it both times. It's so moving and beautiful, and the prose and backdrop are seamless. 

 6. My Sister's Keeper - Forget the movie. NEVER watch it if you can help it. It simply does not do this book justice. I cried for hours after this one, and I was just floored. It is so immensely powerful. 

7. The Glass Castle - I found myself re-reading this one last week to get out of a little bookish funk, and I remembered why I loved it so much. It's a quick read, but boy is it potent. That woman's story simply resonates. 

8. Between - This was a bit of a sleeper hit for me. I was worried when I first read it, but having read it a few times now, I'm just as blown away as the first time. This story sings with sadness, and I keep singing its praises. 

9. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - So sue me. I can't leave Noah behind! Plus, I just have to re-read that cliffhanger of doom daily. I keep looking for hints, or clues, or some little sign I missed. But no...just doom. 

10. Salamandastron - I love me some Redwall books, and the badgers were always my favourites. I think a close second would be Pearls of Lutra, but this one simply has to win. It's so beautiful and rich, and I think living in that mountain would be epic!

Title: Between
Author: Jessica Warman
Publisher: Walker & Co
Publish Date: August 2, 2011
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 464
Source: Publisher

Elizabeth Valchar--pretty, popular, and rich--wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday on the yacht where she'd been celebrating with her closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, she finds her own drowned body is hitting the side of the boat. Liz is dead.

She has no memory of what happened to her, and can only observe in horror the fallout of her death. She's also soon joined by Alex Berg, a quiet boy from her high school who was killed by a hit-and-run driver. The two keep each other company, floating in and out of memories and trying to piece together the details of what happened to each of them.

Liz was perfect in life. She had the looks, the friends and the money to buy popularity and keep it. Beneath the surface though, Liz was more than just a pretty face. Born to a mother plagued by anorexia, Liz learned from an early age that eating equals control, and when her life spun out of control, she controlled her eating habits. On the morning of her 18th birthday, Liz wakes up to see her body floating in the water, but she has no recollection of what's happened. As she wanders the "between," she meets a fellow classmate, Alex, and together they begin to unravel the mysteries of their deaths. But Liz was wasting away in life, biding her time to the inevitable conclusion of her life...what was destroying her?

Between is one of those books that you probably see at the bookstore but pass over for the big-name book you've been coveting for a while. It's daunting in size and, frankly, despite the gorgeous cover, Between doesn't necessarily pop from looks alone. It's unfortunate though because Between is a breathtaking and haunting story about love, truth and the ability to live with oneself at all costs. Jessica Warman is no stranger to issue-driven books. With Between, she's crafted a story that chronicles a teenage girl's life spinning out of control as we, the reader, are helpless but to watch as her life falls to pieces. Gripping and emotional, Between captures your attention from page one through the tragic and troubling conclusion.

From page one, Between is well-written. We're given a snobby, conceited MC that we somehow have to relate to and feel for, but we're challenged throughout. Despite the fact that we want to feel for Liz, we want to know why she has become the way she is, as well. Her story is a downward spiral of darkness that spins and twists throughout, leading us into a darker maze of lies and lack of control, which is compounded upon by the great supporting cast of secondary characters, including Alex, Richie, Josie and Caroline. The dynamic of Liz's relationships in life directly impacts Liz's relationship with Alex in death, which is a strength in Between, showing us character growth and potential. The writing of Between is also well-executed. At times rich and descriptive, we're painted a picture of a girl that's lost in her own life and death. At other times, Between is sparse and puritan, giving us nothing but the clean, essential facts. The two writing styles play off one another to provide depth and intrigue. I will say that the anorexia story, although extremely well-done in Between, was difficult to read. The emotions that anorexics feel and the painstaking details about control and lack thereof are difficult to read and hard to swallow. As one who is, and will always be, in recovery from an eating disorder, Between can be triggering and painful. That said, while it's painful to read, it was executed well and provides a shadowed layer to an already riveting novel.

Between was a beautiful book that crosses genres, giving us the best of contemporary, love and ghost stories in one fast-paced read. The adult themes of drugs and eating disorders should, however, be known when approaching this book. I give it a 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA and adult books, especially those who enjoy mysteries, contemporary fiction and ghost stories.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.