Ashes to Ashes By: Valerie Thomas Review

Thank you to the author for providing a free ebook copy of Ashes to Ashes in exchange for an honest review. 

I have read all of this author's Auburn series and I absolutely loved it. So of course I was very intrigued to read something else by her. Also, the summary for Ashes to Ashes sounded right up my alley. However, it unfortunately ended up not being for me. 

#TheAuburnSeriesIsAmazing

My main issue with Ashes to Ashes is that the pacing is not fast enough. The book starts off somewhat interesting, but then it just seems to get slower and slower as the book goes on until the end. Which I do have to say I wasn't thrilled with the ending either. The story wasn't too bad though and I did like Natalie's character, but most of the book was just too slow. I had a very hard time paying attention to what I was reading because it just dragged for me. 

#SnailPacing

Overall Ashes to Ashes is not a terrible book, but it is extremely slow and I had a hard time staying interested. There are the few small things I enjoyed, but mostly this one wasn't for me. 

#NotTerribleButNotGreat

I can't personally recommend this one, but if it sounds good to you then give it a try! I definitely do recommend her Auburn series though.

#NotForMe

Auburn: Midnight Suns and Farewell Lovers (Auburn #3) By: Valerie Thomas Review

I received an ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!  

I have so much love for this series!! I enjoyed books one and two immensely and I have been really looking forward to reading the conclusion of the Auburn series. I am so happy that I've had the chance to read these books. I love books about music or with music incorporated into it and I also love books about important subjects. This book series has both of those things in all three books. 

#FinalBook

At the beginning of Auburn: Midnight Suns and Farewell Lovers I was a little concerned though. Ashley was getting on my nerves a bit and I was screaming NOOOO at her in my head. Thankfully this did not last long AT ALL. I just love her character and the thing is I ended up okay with everything. Ashley isn't perfect and I love that about her. She had some really great character development in this one. Looking back at book one Ashley has matured quite a lot since then, but she has never given up fighting for the outcasts!

#ExcellentCharacterGrowth 

So... the band... they went through A LOT in this book. There were so many band issues that happened, but I'm pleased with how they all were resolved. As a whole this book was wrapped up very well at the end and I'm super happy with it. I would be curious to see what's next for Ashley (musically and relationship wise) after this series ends. Speaking of relationships I am SUPER happy with how things resolved with Charlie and how things went with Aras. 

#TheEndingIsWellDone

Overall I am very pleased with Auburn: Midnight Suns and Farewell Lovers. It's a very well done end to a fantastic series. As a whole this series is very well written and highly entertaining. I think this series would be appropriate for younger teens as well. It has a great message about bullying, but it's not preachy.  

#AntiBullying

I recommend the entire series to anyone who enjoys books about music, outcasts, bullying, and growing up. 

#IRecommendIfYouLikeBooksAboutMusic

Auburn: Lost Causes and Bad Investments (Auburn #2) By: Valerie Thomas Review

A big thank you to the author for providing an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so glad to have the chance to read Auburn: Lost Causes and Bad Investments! I really enjoyed the first book in the series, Auburn: Outcasts and Underdogs, when I read it back in December. Here's the link for my review of the first book if you would like to take a look at that one: Auburn:Outcasts and Underdogs Review.

Summary From Goodreads:

My Review:

I have to say I enjoyed Auburn: Lost Causes and Bad Investments even more than the first book in this series. First of all it was incredibly easy to slip back into the story and remember what happened in the first book. I  am always super excited when an author does this well and keeps me interested in what's going on now in the story. Honestly I find that not all authors are good at this and I'm really appreciative when it's done well. Hooray!

I really loved the direction that this book took, especially as far as the band goes. I am so glad that Auburn went on tour and as a band matured a bit in the music business. The tour was really fun and exciting to read about, I love the song lyrics, and I like that Ashley uses her song writing to help her deal with emotional things going on in her life. I enjoy books about music so much (since I love music just as much as I love books!) and this one really hit that spot for me.

As far as the characters go I still loved Ashley in this one and I liked seeing some good character development with her. I think she has more maturing to do and hopefully we will see more of that in the next book. So at the end of the first book I was not liking Charlie so much and that continued in this book for about the first half. After that I was really pleased with how things were going as far as Charlie and Ashley's relationship are concerned. By the end of the book I wasn't annoyed with Charlie anymore and I'm really curious to see where the author will go with him in the next one. Another character I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next with is Aras. I am hoping the next book will have him in it a lot because he is now my second favorite character. Ashley is the first one of course. :)

Overall I am extremely happy with this book and I finished it in a day! I was immediately hooked and before I knew it I was done with the book. I love that this series is about more than music and starting a band. It's also about rooting for the underdogs and growing as a person. This book continues that from the first book and I'm so glad that it does. I can't wait for book three!

I recommend Auburn: Lost Causes and Bad Investments to fans of coming of age stories, rooting for the underdogs, and to music lovers.