Paperback Treasures

Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

2012-02-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

Title: New Girl
Author: Paige Harbison
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Release date: January 31st 2012
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: NetGalley - thank you to HarlequinTeen and NetGalley for providing a free eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

They call me 'New Girl'...
Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.
Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy.
And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.
Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend…but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.
And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

First sentence:

The panoramic view outside the windows of the bus showed a world that wasn't mine.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I really don't know what to say about this book - I'm not sure whether I hated it or loved it, which is strange, because I usually already know while reading whether or not I like a book. The idea for New Girl sounded creepy in a good way, but I still wasn't sure what to expect, since I'd heard mixed things about Paige Harbison's debut, Here Lies Bridget. So I can't say my expectations were met or not met - I just have really, really conflicted feelings about New Girl.

Before reading New Girl, I didn't even know it's a retelling of the classic Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, and I probably still wouldn't know if someone hadn't pointed it out to me. Since I didn't read the original, I can't tell how New Girl ties into that story. I think it works as a stand-alone, though, since I didn't feel like I didn't get something because of not having read Rebecca.

The background of the story didn't make all that much sense to me. The new girl had wanted to go to this boarding school when she was thirteen, but her application was rejected. Now, four years later, her parents tell her they'd secretly been applying for her every year, and this year she got in. I'm sorry, but that's just... weird. Why would the parents just assume their daughter still wants to go, four years later, when she hasn't mentioned it since? And why would they think changing schools for your senior year is a good idea, when there's absolutely no reason to leave? I also didn't get why the new girl didn't just say she doesn't want to go - she's always talking about how much life at the boarding school sucks and how much she misses her friends and the weather back in Florida, but she never says anything to anyone and doesn't tell her parents she wants to stay in Florida, which I didn't get.

The situation at school doesn't make much sense, either. A spot opened up because Becca's gone, and that's why new girl can go to that boarding school. When she gets there, there's still some of Becca's stuff in Becca's old room and now the new girl's room, still all of her pictures hanging on the wall. Wouldn't her parents have picked that stuff up, or wouldn't the school have done something about it? What did they expect the new girl to do, live with Becca's pictures on her wall and Becca's sheets on her bed? How can the school possibly think that's a good idea? Isn't it obvious that would cause problems between Dana, Becca's old roommate and now the new girl's roommate, and the new girl? I don't think it's realistic how the school just didn't take care of that at all.

I really liked how the new girl's name isn't revealed until the very end. That aspect is skillfully written, so much so that I didn't even notice until I wanted to take notes on her character and realized I didn't know her name.

Other than that, the MC is an okay, bland character. She's not terrible, and I could feel for her, but she's not special, either - nothing noteworthy about her, really. I got annoyed with her a few times when she doesn't see why people are upset with her - of course it's not her fault, but you have to admit it's got to be hard to accept someone who's now sleeping in your missing friend or classmate's bed, hanging out with the people your missing friend or classmate hung out with, and liking your missing friend or classmate's boyfriend. She got upset when people blamed her and said she as trying to replace Becca, and while of course it's not her fault, I would have liked to see her show some more sympathy towards those who lost Becca.

This book is partially written from Becca's point of view, which I didn't know beforehand. She's a fascinating character. I didn't like her - she's a manipulative bitch who would do anything to get attention, only thinks of herself and doesn't care whom she hurts by trying to get what she wants - but I was strangely mesmerized by her, like the other characters were, too. I found myself enjoying her chapter's more than the new girl's, even though that might just be because of the mystery aspect - I wanted to find out what happened to her, and the mystery is really what kept me turning the pages.

The secondary characters didn't really do it for me, and the relationships between the characters are strange. I got annoyed at Max and the new girl and how they couldn't make up their minds. Usually, I'm a fan of forbidden romance, but the chemistry is missing; there's no spark to their relationship. And there's no chemistry between Becca and Max. I guess that's the point, but there's no real chemistry between Becca and Johnny, either, and Johnny is just a very bland character. Most of the secondary characters are bland and boring - Julia, Madison, Cam and Blake don't seem to have any personalities of their own. Dana is the only really interesting character - I would have liked to know more about her relationship with Becca and seen some more development in her relationship with the new girl. The whole crowd at the boarding school acted strangely, and the rumors they make up about Becca's disappearance are just weird. For example, they think she might be pregnant, but how would that work? The police and Becca's parents don't know where she is, and wouldn't she have gone home if she wanted to hide her pregnancy from the people at school? Those theories just didn't make sense to me.

I know, my review is not what you'd call coherent - just lots of paragraphs about something I liked and something I disliked about New Girl, with no real connections of the paragraphs. I'm sorry, but that's exactly how I feel about this book - there are things I loved and things I hated. While it's not going to be one of my favorites, mainly because the unrealistic background and bland characters, I do recommend this book - a strong, intriguing mystery storyline makes New Girl worth reading.

If you've read this book, what did you think?

Guest Post by Denise Grover Swank (Here Blog Tour)

2012-02-22T05:36:00.000-08:00

This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for Here by Denise Grover Swank.You can find out all about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops if you'd like to know more about Here!

Today we have Denise Grover Swank here for a Teenage Garage Sale post! A Teenage Garage Sale post is basically just a guest post on what kind of things we’d find if Denise were to have a garage sale of items from her teenage years.

A yellow skateboard—My younger brothers and I all got skateboards and we spent most of the summer between my 6th and 7th grade year plowing down a huge hill in our neighborhood. It’s a wonder someone didn’t break anything. Oh, wait. My brother broke his clavicle. Twice.

An Eight-Track stereo/record player—I saved every bit of money I could to buy that stereo during my seventh grade year. The Kmart clerk wasn’t sure how to handle all of my coins. I think I paid ten dollars in pennies. The stereo cost $100, which when I think about it now, was a small fortune. The first thing I listened to when I got home? Barry Manilow. Gawd, I’m old.
Sean Cassidy Albums—yes albums. Sean Cassidy, younger brother to former teen heart throb David Cassidy of The Partridge Family. Sean was in a very short lived show called The Hardy Boys. But the show lived long enough to plaster Sean’s face on more than a few Tiger Beat magazines.

Eight-Track of Pat Benatar—Disco was alive and well when I was in high school until I heard “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” My taste in music has never been the same.
Spiral Notebooks, used—I constantly wrote in spiral notebooks, be it poetry, short story ideas or love letters.

A brown beret—I took three years of French and loved anything that had to do with France. However, some things are better left to the French.

Gauchos—God save the poor soul who thought those wide leg capri length monstrosities looked good. And have mercy on those of us who wore them.

A 1976 Mustang, yellow with black leather seats and a custom installed eight-track player—I seem to have a thing for eight-tracks, huh? They were our CDs back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The Mustang was my second car. My first was a Plymouth Cricket. Never heard of it? Yeah, neither had I. I bought it for $600 with my own money from my part time job at Wendy’s. It died about a month later, prompting the purchase of my used Mustang. It didn’t have air conditioning, but a couple of guy friends installed the stereo for me. I loved that car.

Thanks for the great guest post, Denise!

Make sure to check out all the other stops of this blog tour, and keep your eye out for Here - it's already been released! You can read my review here.

Here by Denise Grover Swank
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.
Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.

Character Tweets by Jess Rothenberg (The Catastrophic History of You and Me Blog Tour)

2012-02-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

Today we have Jess Rothenberg here to do some character tweets for the cast of The Catastrophic History of You and Me! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg. You can find out all about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops if you'd like to know more about The Catastrophic History of You and Me!

So here are the character tweets!

Hey @BrieLikeTheCheese! What’s-a-happenin-hot-stuff?

@HolyJeansBoy Uh, is that pizza on your face or are u just happy to see me?

@BrieLikeTheCheese Definitely pizza. (I’m saving it 4 later.)

@HolyJeansBoy Of course you are. Silly me.

@BrieLikeTheCheese Knock, knock.

@HolyJeansBoy #KillMeNow.

@BrieLikeTheCheese #ALittleLateForThatAngel. Knock, knock.

@HolyJeansBoy Who’s there?

@BrieLikeTheCheese Banana.

@HolyJeansBoy Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.

@BrieLikeTheCheese Come on, just play along.

@HolyJeansBoy Banana who?

@BrieLikeTheCheese Knock, knock.

@HolyJeansBoy Patrick!

@BrieLikeTheCheese No, see, when I say “knock, knock” YOU say “who’s there?”

@HolyJeansBoy OKAY. W-h-o’-s t-h-e-r-e?

@BrieLikeTheCheese Huh?

@HolyJeansBoy I SAID—

@BrieLikeTheCheese Knock, knock.

@HolyJeansBoy #SomebodySaveMeeee

@BrieLikeTheCheese Banan—HEY. Who moved my slice of cheese??

@HolyJeansBoy Hm, no idea. *crunches loudly on pizza* Must have been @TheHaminator.

@BrieLikeTheCheese Knock, knock.

@HolyJeansBoy Who’s there?

@BrieLikeTheCheese Orange.

@HolyJeansBoy ….

@BrieLikeTheCheese C’mon, we’ve been thru this. You’re SUPPOSED to say—

@HolyJeansBoy ORANGE WHO?!!

@BrieLikeTheCheese Orange you glad we’re 2gether for all eternity? <3

Make sure to check out all the other stops of the tour, and keep your eye out for The Catastrophic History of You and Me, which is out today!

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Brie's life at sixteen: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. But now that she's in heaven, Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend knows a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul who's been D&G (dead and gone) much longer than she . . . and who just might hold the key to her forever after. With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

Top Ten Tuesday #6: Books I'd Save If My House Was on Fire

2012-02-21T02:58:00.001-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish with a different topic for a top-ten list each week. You can find out more about it here.

The links will take you to my reviews (if available).

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books I'd Save If My House Was on Fire (or any other disaster struck)

This topic is evil. EVIL. I don't want to think about losing my books to a fire! My poor babies! I can't stand the thought of evil flames killing all my beautiful books! It was almost impossible to make this list - I can't save only ten! But, anyways, here is my list:

1. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Cornelia Funke is the first author I ever met in person, and I can't imagine losing my signed copy of Inkheart to a fire. (That's the German cover, the one I have.)

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I love this book so, so much. It makes me want to change every 5-star-review I've written to a 4-star one so that this one can have the 5 stars all to itself.

3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Just because.

4. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

This is the book I've read the most times - I just love The Truth About Forever. My copy is already worn from having been read so often, but I could never let go of it.

5. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Twenty Boy Summer is an all-around gorgeous book. The actual novel is gorgeous, and the cover and design are gorgeous too. Whenever I pass my bookshelf, I want to take this book off the shelf and hug it - I just love Twenty Boy Summer.

6. Saving June by Hannah Harrington

The same goes for Saving June - another book I want to hug and never let go.

7. Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

...And for Jumping Off Swings. You guessed it, I want to hug this book too.

8. Hold Still by Nina LaCour

The reason I want to rescue Hold Still is that this one isn't just an amazing novel; it also has gorgeous artwork in it! I'm not usually a fan of pictures in books, but the art in Hold Still is so beautiful!

9. Sweetearts by Sara Zarr

I just love this book so much. Such a beautiful, heartbreaking story.

10. I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

I've said this before, but I have a thing for Sourcebooks Fire books. The covers and design are all so beautiful, and I'm Not Her is my favorite of their books.

So these are the ten books I'd save if my house was on fire, even though it hurts my soul to know the rest of them would burn. Anyways, what ten books would you save if your house was on fire?

In My Mailbox #46

2012-02-19T05:26:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where you can talk about the books you bought or received this week.

Bought:

Choker by Elizabeth Woods
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria.
Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in. But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?

This one has been on my wishlist for ages, and the release of the paperback gave me a push and made me finally get around to buying a copy. I hope I'll love it as much as everyone else did!

Shine by Lauren Myracle
(Amazon | Goodreads)

When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.

I really liked the Internet Girls series by Lauren Myracle (even though it's been a while since I read them), and I'm excited to read another one of her books!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(Amazon | Goodreads)

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

*hides in corner* I know, not having read The Hunger Games means I should be exiled from the world of YA lovers, and I'm sorry! I don't know why, I just never got around to buying it, until now. I'll have to read it soon to experience its amazing-ness for myself.

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

2012-02-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

Title: Graffiti Moon
Author: Cath Crowley
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release date: February 14th 2012 (first published in Australia on August 1st 2010)
Pages: 264
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: NetGalley - thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for providing a free eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.
His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.
Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.
But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

First sentence:

I pedal fast.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First off, I love the cover for Graffiti Moon - it's gorgeous! It fits the book perfectly, with the night lights and graffiti-like writing and everything. And it's just so cute!

I knew absolutely nothing about this book when I started it. I hadn't even read the description. So even though the "But the one thing Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes" makes it obvious what's going on with Shadow, it wasn't obvious for me. The plot is great; a little slow in the middle, but other than that, it's interesting. The ideas of what happens to Lucy and Ed are crazy and hilarious and just so much fun.

This book is like a mixture of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (my review), and Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff (my review). The idea is similar to Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - a guy and a girl on a crazy adventure through the entire city for one night - and the characters Ed and Leo (especially Leo) could be street kids from Brooklyn, Burning. Graffiti Moon has Brooklyn, Burning's beautiful writing, too. And since I love both Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and Brooklyn, Burning, of course I loved Graffiti Moon, too!

The writing is what's best about Graffiti Moon. It's gorgeous, so vivid you can imagine everything perfectly. I even loved Poet's poetry. I rarely like when a book's characters write poetry in between chapters - the style either doesn't fit to the character's voice and is basically just the author's poetry, or it fits to the character but is, well, not good. The poems in Graffiti Moon, though, are amazing. Cath Crowley manages to make them authentic but also plain beautiful.

The descriptions of the graffiti are amazing. When I think graffiti, I think vandalism, just something sloppy and ugly sprayed on a wall to get attention or annoy the people who own that wall. But that's not the case at all in Graffiti Moon. The stuff Shadow and Poet do sounds amazing, and it's real art. I could imagine their pieces easily because of the descriptive and beautiful writing, and the pieces sound gorgeous. I wish my town had graffiti artists like Shadow and Poet.

The characters are great. All of them are different and unique, but you can understand and connect to each one of them. Lucy's insecurities and hopes are easy to relate to, and her quirkiness put a smile on my face. Even though Ed is extremely different from me and makes some stupid decisions, I didn't have any problems relating to him and feeling for him, either. The only thing I didn't get is why Ed agreed to go looking for Shadow in the first place. The relationship between Ed and Lucy is great - the way they interact is sweet and hilarious, very entertaining.

I loved the little sub-plots, the secondary characters Leo, Jazz, Daisy and Dylan. All of them are quirky and interesting to read about, and their relationships added a lot to the story. I liked the less important characters like Lucy's parents, Ed's mom, Al and Bert, too - all of them are fully-developed and unique characters.

Graffiti Moon is a surprisingly enjoyable read, considering I knew nothing about it beforehand. With vivid, atmospheric writing, quirky characters, and a hilarious plot, this story will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. Graffiti Moon is a beautiful portrayal of love, friendship, and finding yourself.

Bookish Anticipation #11

2012-02-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

Bookish Anticipation is a feature I do every once in a while to spotlight future releases I'm excited for. You can check out more Bookish Anticipation posts here.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: June 14th 2012

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen year old Samantha wishes she was one of them… until the day Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. Jase can sense that his beautiful neighbor is missing something in her sterile home, and as the two fall fiercely in love, his family makes her one of their own. But when the bottom drops out of Sam's world, which perfect family will save her–and will her perfect love survive?

The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: July 10th 2012

Kelsey’s not going to let one mistake ruin her life. Sure, she got kicked out of prep school and all her old friends are shutting her out. But Kelsey’s focused on her future, and she’s determined to get back on track at Concordia High. Isaac’s been kicked out of more schools than he can count. Since his father’s a state senator, Isaac’s life is under constant scrutiny—but Concordia High’s his last stop before boarding school, so Isaac’s hoping to fly under the radar and try to stay put for a change.
When Kelsey and Isaac meet, it’s anything but love at first sight. She thinks he’s an entitled brat, and he thinks she’s a stuck-up snob. So it surprises them both when they start to fall for each other. Kelsey’s happy for the first time in months, and Isaac’s never felt this way about anyone before….But nothing’s ever completely perfect. Everyone has secrets, and Isaac and Kelsey are no exceptions. These two may have fallen hard, but there’s one thing that can ruin it all: the truth.

Miracle by Elizabeth Scott
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: June 5th 2012

Megan is a miracle. At least, that’s what everyone says. Having survived a plane crash that killed everyone else on board, Megan knows she should be grateful just to be alive. The truth is, she doesn’t feel like a miracle. In fact, she doesn’t feel anything at all. Then memories from the crash start coming back. Scared and alone, Megan doesn’t know who to turn to. Her entire community seems unable—or maybe unwilling—to see her as anything but Miracle Megan. Except for Joe, the beautiful boy next door with a tragic past and secrets of his own... All Megan wants is for her life to get back to normal, but the harder she tries to live up to everyone’s expectations, the worse she feels. This time, she may be falling too fast to be saved…

Fall from Grace by Charles Benoit
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: May 8th 2012

Grace always has a plan. There’s her plan to get famous, her plan to get rich, and—above all—her plan to have fun. Sawyer has plenty of plans too. Plans made for him by his mother, his father, his girlfriend. Maybe they aren’t his plans, but they are plans.
When Sawyer meets Grace, he wonders if he should come up with a few plans himself. Plans about what he actually wants to be, plans to speak his own mind for a change, plans to maybe help Grace with a little art theft.
Wait a minute—plans to what?

One Moment by Kristina McBride
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: June 26th 2012

This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie’s life. Now it's the one she'd do anything to forget. Maggie Reynolds remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party the night before. She remembers climbing the trail hand in hand with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can’t she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below – dead? As Maggie’s memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?

The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: August 2nd 2012

Seventeen-year-old Jane can’t quite face her mother’s alcoholism even though it sucks to spend all her time and energy keeping them afloat—making sure her mom gets to work, that the bills are paid when there’s money to pay them, and that no one knows her mom is so messed up. But when Jane’s mom drives drunk almost killing both them and Jane’s best friend, Jane can no longer deny her mom is spiraling out of control. Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left years ago to go to college. A summer away with him and his tornado chasing buddies may just provide the time and space she needs to figure out whether her life still includes her mother.

Before You Go by James Preller
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: July 17th 2012

The summer before his senior year, Jude (yes, he’s named after the Beatles song) gets his first job, falls in love for the first time, and starts to break away from his parents. Jude’s house is kept dark; no one talks much—it’s been that way since his little sister drowned in a swimming pool when Jude was supposed to be watching her. He was watching her. He looked away for just a moment. He was only nine years old. And he’s never truly grieved for her, or for the emotional deaths of his parents, who refuse to talk about what happened. Seven years later, Jude is finally, finally starting to live. Really live. And then life spins out of control. Again. Acclaimed author James Preller explores life, death, love, faith, and resilience in a story that will grip readers from the book’s dramatic first few pages to its emotional end

Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: July 10th 2012

Kendra has always felt overshadowed by her older brother, Grayson, whose OCD forces him to live a life of carefully coordinated routines. The only way Kendra can stand out next to Grayson is to be perfect, and she has perfection down to an art -- until a cheating scandal threatens her flawless reputation. Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her, Kendra decides to drive away from it all -- with enough distance, maybe she'll be able to figure everything out. But eventually, Kendra must stop running and come to terms with herself, her brother, and her past. With undeniable grace and humor, acclaimed author Jennifer Brown explores OCD, the pressure for perfection, and the emotional highs and lows of a complex sibling relationship.

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: May 1st 2012

"What's in a name, Shakespeare? I'll tell you: everything."Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her--and when he finally does, it's perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose's best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy...and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn't even stand a chance.
Rose is devastated over losing Rob to Juliet. This is not how the story was supposed to go. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet's instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob's heart, but also for his life. Because Shakespeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends.

Review: The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hirandani

2012-02-16T04:06:00.000-08:00

Title: The Whole Story of Half a Girl
Author: Veera Hirandani
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release date: January 10th 2012
Pages: 224
Genre: MG; contemporary
Source: NetGalley - thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

After her father loses his job, Sonia Nadhamuni, half Indian and half Jewish American, finds herself yanked out of private school and thrown into the unfamiliar world of public education. For the first time, Sonia's mixed heritage makes her classmates ask questions—questions Sonia doesn't always know how to answer—as she navigates between a group of popular girls who want her to try out for the cheerleading squad and other students who aren't part of the "in" crowd.
At the same time that Sonia is trying to make new friends, she's dealing with what it means to have an out-of-work parent—it's hard for her family to adjust to their changed circumstances. And then, one day, Sonia's father goes missing. Now Sonia wonders if she ever really knew him. As she begins to look for answers, she must decide what really matters and who her true friends are—and whether her two halves, no matter how different, can make her a whole.

First sentence:

I'm in school, sitting with my hair hanging long down my back of my chair, my arm around my best friend, Sam.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

When I requested The Whole Story of Half a Girl on NetGalley, I thought it was YA. After reading a few pages, though, it was obvious that this is MG. Sonia is in the 6th grade, and honestly, that made me want to stop reading The Whole Story of Half a Girl - I thought the MC and the story would be too immature and I wouldn't be able to enjoy the book. But since it's such a quick read, I kept reading. And while the novel isn't perfect, and I'm definitely too old for it, it did end up being an enjoyable read.

Despite my wariness of reading from a sixth-grader's point-of-view, I ended up really liking Sonia. She's easy to relate to, despite our age difference, and I really liked how her innocent, young view of life affected her way of seeing and describing things.

I liked reading about the family dynamics, the little sister and her realistic relationship to Sonia, and the father's issues are handled well. I also liked reading about the differences in Sonia's and Kate's families.

The subtlety in The Whole Story of Half a Girl is great. That's one of the things I really liked about the - admittedly few - MGs I've read; they're more subtle than a lot of YA books. It's a great example of showing instead of telling, and that made me really like the characters - Kate, Sam, and the rest of Sonia's characters are all fully-developed characters.

The way the racial issues are handled, however, is only okay, in my opinion. It's too big a deal how everyone at school asks whether Sonia is black or white - honestly, what's the big deal? Have they never seen someone Indian before? The same goes for religion - everyone thinks it's weird that Sonia is Jewish, too, but I didn't get that either - do kids really care whether their peers are Jewish, Christian, or anything else? The focus on those issues at school is too extreme, in my opinion. How Sonia handles those issues, though, I liked - her problems with her identity are relatable and described well.

The Whole Story of Half a Girl is a great coming-of-age story, and a lot of aspects are really well-written, but still, I couldn't enjoy it too much, simply because I'm too old for this kind of book. I recommend it for a younger audience, though - I can see this being an amazing book for someone around Sonia's age.

Top Ten Tuesday #5: Books That Broke My Heart

2012-02-14T03:12:00.000-08:00

1. Hold Still by Nina LaCour

The emotion in Hold Still is incredibly raw. There's no holding back, and that really made me feel both Caitlin's grief and Ingrid's hopelessness.

2. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

This is the kind of book where you're just crying the entire time. And that ending - I must have cried for half an hour after finishing My Sister's Keeper. It's just so sad and beautiful!

3. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

This book almost killed me. It's incredible how the author manages to make me want Lochan and Maya to end up together, despite the fact that incest is so widely seen as wrong. I bawled while reading the ending. Such a powerful book!

4. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Unlike the last two, The Sky Is Everywhere doesn't have an ending that broke my heart; in this one, every single word broke my heart. Lennie's grief is so real, you can't help but feel it too.

5. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

The atmosphere in Sweethearts is so well-done. Even though the plot isn't the saddest one I've read, the writing makes this one a really emotional read. That counts for Story of a Girl and Once Was Lost, too, but I decided to go with Sweethearts because I liked it a little better than the other two Sara Zarr books I've read.

6. Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks (or any other Nicholas Sparks book)

Nicholas Sparks's books are pure evil. They break my heart every time. I don't think he knows how to write a happy ending - someone always dies. The ending of Message in a Bottle is especially heartbreaking.

7. Dear Bully

What makes this book so sad is that every single story is true. Thinking about how real people had to go through all of this makes Dear Bully one of the most emotional books I've ever read.

8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

This book broke my heart over and over and over again. What Charlie has to go through is terrible, and his feelings are so real.

9. Positively by Courtey Sheinmel

The whole story of Positively is heartbreaking and beautiful - a twelve-year-old girl whose mother died of AIDS and who's struggling with HIV herself. The strong, innocent MC makes this a tragic but hopeful novel.

10. Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

The story of Jumping Off Swings isn't all that heartbreaking - just another teenage pregnancy - but the writing... wow. One of the saddest, most beautiful atmospheres I've ever read.

So these are the top ten books that broke my heart. If you've read them too, what did you think? What are the top ten books that broke your heart?

Review: Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

2012-02-13T05:47:00.000-08:00

Title: Safe Haven
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Sphere
Release date: September 2nd 2010
Pages: 352
Genre: Romance
Source: Bought
FInd out more: Goodreads | Amazon

Goodreads description:

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family. But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

First sentence:

As Katie wound her way among the tables, a breeze from the Atlantic rippled through her hair.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I love Nicholas Sparks. Yes, the stories are cheesy and unrealistic, but... well, there is no real but, I just love them - the romance, the heartbreak, everything. Every once in a while, I need to read a cheesy love story, and Nicholas Sparks' books are perfect for that. And Safe Haven is no exception.

The characters in Safe Haven are great. Characters in adult books are generally harder for me to relate to than YA characters, just because YA is a lot closer to my own life. But even though Katie and Alex are twice as old as me, I had no trouble connecting to them. Alex is such a good guy, and I felt his grief. The way he takes care of his kids is so sweet, and the family's loss made me cry several times. Katie's a great character, too - I don't want to say too much about her in order not to spoil her secret, but she's been through a lot. Her fears are understandable, and you can't help but feel for her.

I don't know what to say about the relationship between Katie and Alex. Technically, it's too insta-love-y (there should be an actual word for that, by the way) - the attraction in the beginning is too obvious and unrealistic, and they develop too extreme emotions too quickly. But really, I didn't care - they're so cute together! It's like that in almost all of Nicholas Sparks' novels - the MCs develop unrealistically deep emotions for one another in too short a time - but I never seem to mind. The relationships are cheesy, but really, that's just the way his books are. You always know you're in for a good but cheesy romance when you open a Nicholas Sparks book.

One thing I always love about Nicholas Sparks' books is the small-town life. The books almost always take place in some small town on the coast of North Carolina, and the atmospheres are always so peaceful. His books always make me want to move to a small town near the beach.

The suspense in Safe Haven is really well-done. I don't want to say too much about Katie's "secret that still haunts and terrifies her" in order not to spoil it for anyone, but it really is terrifying at times. The suspense and danger of that storyline keep you flipping the pages, and the romance and suspense blend together really well. Still, I would have liked a stronger message concerning Katie's issue - I think, because of Alex's background, he could have easily given the reader some more information on how to handle something like that.

Safe Haven is a classic Nicholas Sparks book - a good but clichéd love story with some suspense thrown in there. No, they're not the most intellectually challenging books out there, but what girl doesn't want to read a cheesy love story every once in a while? Safe Haven isn't my favorite Nicholas Sparks book, but it's an enjoyable read.

In My Mailbox #45

2012-02-12T05:47:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where you can talk about the books you bought or received this week.

NetGalley/from publisher:

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
(Amazon | Goodreads)

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

I love Courtney Summers, so I'm really excited to read her newest novel! I hope I'll like it even though it's not contemps...

Bought:

In Too Deep by Amanda Grace
(Amazon | Goodreads)

I never meant for anyone to get hurt. All I wanted to do that night was make a play for Carter Wellesley. His heartless rejection was mortifying, but people got the wrong idea when they saw me leaving his bedroom, crying. That’s how rumors of rape started.
Now girls at school are pouring out their sympathy to me. Guys too. But not everyone’s on my side. The school has become a war zone and the threats are getting scary. What began as poetic justice has morphed into something bigger—forcing me to make a terrible choice.

I loved Amanda Grace's But I Love Him, and In Too Deep sounds just as amazing!

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers. In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

I know, I'm the last person on earth to read The Mockingbirds. Everyone has said it's amazing, so I'm sure I'll love it too!

I also got some awesome swag for Holly Cupala's Don't Breathe a Word - I'll include some of that in a giveaway soon!

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Review: Loving Emily by Anne Pfeffer

2012-02-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Title: Loving Emily
Author: Anne Pfeffer
Publisher: Bold Print Press
Pages: 276
Release date: November 17th 2011
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Received a finished copy from the author in exchange for an honest review - thank you, Anne!
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

Ryan Mills is torn with guilt over the death of his best friend, and it's all because of Emily Weintraub. If Ryan hadn't seen those incredible gray-blue eyes, hadn't pegged her as a Potentially Amazing Woman, he would never have gone looking for her at the party that night. He would have never left his wasted friend Michael alone, when Michael needed him and asked him to stay. And if Ryan hadn't left, Michael would never have driven off, totaled his car, and taken the cosmic ride into death.

As far as Ryan's concerned, when you've done something terrible, you don't deserve to be happy. He tries not to fall for Emily, but he can't help it. Before long, he is "completely, gonzo, out-of-control in love."

Ryan then learns that Michael died with a secret. Still grieving, he feels compelled to take on his friend's unfinished business. When Emily begins to question where his commitments really lie - with her or with Michael's memory - Ryan is forced to examine his choices. What does he owe to Michael, to Emily, and to himself?

First sentence:

Any other night, I'd be down for driving my best friend Michael to the party, but tonight is different.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

To say I had low expectations for Loving Emily is an understatement - the melodramatic cover with the creepy guy in the back; the too-long description; everything about this book screams small publishing - you know, not enough editing, too many typos, etc. And while it's far from perfect, I ended up really, really enjoying Loving Emily!

Honestly, I think the cover, title, and description are kind of misleading. They make it seem like the main storyline is the romance between Ryan and Emily. But for me, that's not the most important part at all - it's a coming-of-age story, it's about family, it's about grief, and yes, it's about love. But I don't like how the title and cover let you believe it's just romance.

Ryan is a good character. He's easy to relate to and a really sweet guy. He's always trying to do the right thing, and you can't help but feel for him and want the best for him. There are a few scenes, though, where the male point-of-view is a little unrealistic, in my opinion. Yes, it's LA, so maybe it's different, but I still thought the descriptions of appearance were a little strange - I don't think it's realistic for a guy to notice what color shoes people are wearing. But then again, what do I know about being a guy?

The family's situation is a storyline I really enjoyed reading about. Ryan's dad is a famous director, so he and Ryan's mom are almost never home, and Ryan has two adorable younger sisters. I really liked reading about how the situation affected Ryan and how it developed throughout the novel.

I also liked the grief-storyline. Ryan and Michael's friendship is portrayed realistically and relatably, and Michael's grief is heart-felt and honest.

The romance is the only storyline I had a problem with - maybe it's because the romance is the storyline I enjoyed the least that I mind how the cover, title and description focus on that. Anyways, the romance is a little too insta-love for me, and I think it's unrealistic how quickly the two develop such strong feelings for one another. Emily's character fell flat for me, and I feel like the reader never really got to know her. Yes, she has some interests and character traits, but her portrayal is too superficial, in my opinion. Since I never really got her as a character, I had a hard time relating to Ryan's and her relationship.

I also don't get why, in the beginning, Ryan wants to keep himself from falling for Emily. He says abandoning Michael when needing him gave him bad karma, so he needs to do a lot of good to make up for that, which makes sense, but somehow, he thinks he can't be with Emily because it would mean getting even more bad karma. I'm no expert on karma, but... why would falling in love be bad karma?

My favorite storyline is one I can't talk about without spoiling the book - I really liked reading about Michael's secret, the "unfinished business." The storyline and the relationship that comes from this secret seemed a lot deeper and more realistic than Ryan's relationship with Emily, if I'm being honest.

But none of those storylines is what I liked best about Loving Emily - it's the coming-of-age and Ryan's character growth. I loved reading about how he grows as a person and figured out who he is.

I can't justify giving Loving Emily more than three stars because I did have some problems with it - it could have used some more editing and copyediting, the whole story is a little-drawn out, so it got boring in places (it's only 276 pages, but the font is really small compared to most YA books, so it's actually pretty long), and I didn't like the romance. But still, I really enjoyed Loving Emily, a lot more than I thought I would. A good protagonist and a nice cast of secondary characters and an interesting plot make this a great coming-of-age story. This is the kind of book that makes me happy to be a book-blogger - it's great to know I can promote a good book people probably haven't heard much about.

Author Interview with Melissa Jensen (The Fine Art of Truth or Dare)

2012-02-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

Today we have Melissa Jensen here for an interview! Her debut, The Fine Art of Truth or Dare, is coming out on February 16th.

1. I read you love throwing dinner parties. If you were to throw one exclusively for YA authors, whom would you invite?

Sherman Alexie. He's not exclusively YA, but True Diary is one of my fave books and I think he's a little bit brilliant in general. Sara Zarr, for having one of the most appealing and compelling voices out there. Libba Bray, who is patently smart and a little snarky and quirky, all at the same time. John Green, who is the fab voice of fab geeky kids everywhere. Chris Crutcher, for being the very best with Big Messages. And...tough one...maybe Maureen Johnson, who just seems like someone who would complete a dinner party brilliantly and a little oddly.

2. What was your favorite scene to write in The Fine Art of Truth or Dare?

Alex takes Ella to a pretty unusual spot to face some of her fears. I can't be more specific without giving more away than I want to, but "Jaws" figures in. And I loved writing any scene involving Daniel Hobbes. He's a bit player, but a big presence. I have a little crush on Daniel Hobbes.

3. Inspired by the title of your book, what's one interesting experience you've had with the game of truth or dare, either really good or really bad?

One summer, I was working as a camp counselor, and anyone who's had any sort of camp experience knows ToD is a staple. So, when it was...well, I would have to call her a frenemy's...turn to challenge me, I went for dare. She was way too good at asking questions guaranteed to humiliate you into adulthood. Her dare: Whisper something I didn't want anyone to know about me into the ear of the boy counselor I had a serious crush on. She knew; he didn't. No way I'm gonna share what I told him, but I will say that we ended up dating more-or-less happily for the rest of the summer. As for the frenemy, last I heard, she was running a Fortune 500 company.

4. I've read both of your parents are artists - how did that inspire you to write about art in The Fine Art of Truth or Dare?

My father used to take me to the de Young museum in San Francisco every few weekends. In that macabre small-child way, I think I really wanted to see the mummy and Ancient Egyptian stuff, but eventually other things--most notably the Post-Impressionists--made their impression and made me conversant. My mother always encouraged us to follow our passions, artistic or not (only one of us showed much artistic talent--wasn't me), and didn't complain about seriously messy craft projects, even when we accidentally glued tissue paper, pipe cleaners, or ourselves to the furniture.

5. Ella's idol is the 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Why did you chose him as Ella's favorite artist?

I wanted to create a talented but second-tier painter with strong ties to Philadelphia and a story that could complement Ella's. Edward's art is actually less important than his life, but it's a good backdrop for that life. I was also able to connect him to other interesting people of the time like Cezanne and Edith Wharton, which is one of those great perks of writing fiction. I use real people. Best to use people who can't object, of course. The one time I tried to put a local politician in a gorilla suit, it ended badly...

6. I read one of your favorite books is Pride and Prejudice. How did it influence and inspire you?

I think P&P is a virtually perfect novel. Austen is the absolute unequaled master of clever-snarky-romantic, an irresistible combo for me. I think it was my adoration of her writing (books and letters) that put me on my writing path. I write hearts-and-flowers because I love a good love story, but I want mine to be a little deeper than just boy-meets-girl, and I want them to have a balance of clever-snarky-romantic that, while only a pale shadow of Austen's, is clearly mine.

7. If you could pair your main character Ella up with any character from any book, who would it be and why?

Neville Longbottom. Each time I ponder this question, I debate pairing her with a literary artist (Stephen Deadalus, Philip Carey...), but they're so heavy. Neville remains one of my fave teenage book boys. He would bring really cool flowers, listen when you talk, and put himself between you and an attacking Death Eater without a second thought.

8. Which is easier for you to write, dialogue or description?

Dialogue. Dialogue dialogue dialogue. Ask anyone who knows me. I'm a talker (with occasional tendencies toward insufferable-know-it-all-ism). Giving my characters' words lets me talk even more without actually opening my mouth.

Thanks for the great interview answers, Melissa!

Keep your eye out for The Fine Art of Truth or Dare, which will be released on February 16th!

The Fine Art of Truth and Dare by Melissa Jensen
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that’s just fine by her. She’s got her friends— the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She’s got her art— and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it’s hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they’re dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?

Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

2012-02-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Authors: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 272
Release date: October 26th 2010
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Bought
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them... turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”
Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a shelf in her favourite bookshop, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept them. But is Dash that right guy? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?
From the authors of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist comes a warm and funny story that will leave you perusing bookshop shelves, looking for a red notebook of your own.

First sentence:

Imagine this: You're standing in your favorite bookstore, scanning the shelves.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Every year I need to read one Christmas-y book to get into a Christmas-y mood. And since I loved Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's first collaboration, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (review), and the cover of this one is adorable, I thought I'd give it a shot. And it definitely worked - Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is the perfect book for the holidays!

I love the whole idea for this book. The idea of the notebook is adorable, and I love how it got them into such random, crazy, hilarious situations that are so much fun to read about. Yes, it's cheesy and not all that realistic, but the whole story is just so adorable. I also loved how bookish this book is. (And yes, I do realize how stupid that sounds.) All the bookish references are all really interesting to read about.

I have to say, though, I like the notebook part better than the part where the actual Dash and Lily meet, just because I think their notebook-versions have better chemistry. They're still cute together, but they're not all that special without the notebook-storyline. Some parts towards the end are kind of slow, and I was disappointed by the ending.

The characters are what make this book work. I loved Lily - she's easy to relate to, shy and awkward but totally lovable. Dash's a great character too, so smart and sweet and amazing... A little too amazing, even - I can't imagine anyone as perfect as Dash actually existing. Nevertheless, they're both quirky characters with honest and entertaining voices. The secondary characters are great, too - it's hilarious to read about how their entire extended families helped them, and Boomer is just plain awesome.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares made me want to go to New York so bad - I wanted to check out all of the places the two of them visited, the Strand and Max Brenner, especially. Max Brenner sounds so cool - they have chocolate syringes! I googled Max Brenner and they really do sell chocolate syringes! Getting off topic here, but I so need to go there.

Anyways, back on topic... Another thing I appreciated about Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is that there isn't as much swearing in this one as there is in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. The use of swear words is really overdone in Nick & Norah, in my opinion, and I'm glad it isn't like that in Dash & Lily.

One complaint I have, though, is the structure. The chapters are pretty long, and it goes back and forth between Dash and Lily's points of view. And since the chapters are longer, it'd sometimes be one day in this chapter and be the day before that in the next one, which got kind of confusing in parts.

Despite the problems I had with the structure and some slow parts towards the end, I definitely recommend it - Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is an adorably bookish romance that will warm your heart in the cold winter time!

Don't Breathe a Word Trailer Launch & Giveaway

2012-02-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

Trailer launch

Today is the trailer launch for Holly's Cupala recent release, Don't Breathe a Word! So let's take a look at the trailer:

Wow, isn't that trailer amazing? I've read Don't Breathe a Word (loved it!), and that trailer fits perfectly. What do you think?

Giveaway

Holly also has an awesome giveaway for you!

Five first-prize winners will get signed copies of Don't Breathe a Word and Tell Me a Secret, the Tell Me a Secret special edition audiobook, as well as bookmarks, stickers, and other swag!

Ten second-prize winners will get Don't Breathe a Word flyers, booksmarks, stickers and a Tell Me a Secret button!

Plus the first forty people who buy the book at this link between now and Valentine’s Day get Don't Breathe a Word bookmarks and stickers from Holly!

All prizes are US addresses only.

How to enter:

1. Click here to go to the DBAW trailer link, then click the Share button to send to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, MySpace, blog, or other social network. 5 entries each!

2. Click here to tell us where you posted and enter to win!

3. Buy the book at this link for more chances to win!

Good luck!

Top Ten Tuesday #4: Books I'd Give to Someone Who Says They Don't Read

2012-02-07T05:27:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish with a different topic for a top-ten list each week. You can find out more about it here.

The links will take you to my reviews (if available).

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books I'd Give to Someone Who Says They Don't Read

1. Ttyl by Lauren Myracle

This series is written entirely in IM messages between three best friends, and I think a format like that would work well for someone who doesn't read much.

2. The Harry Potter series

Because nobody can dislike Harry Potter.

3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Diary is a quick and entertaining read, especially because of the illustrations. These illustrations and the fact that it reads so quickly hold your attention, even if you don't usually read a lot.

4. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

This one is on this list simply because of shock value. What happens in Living Dead Girl is so horriying, I can't see anyone putting this book down.

4. And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky

And Then Things Fall Apart doesn't even read like a novel - it's like your inside of your best friend's head. And who wouldn't want to listen to their best friend tell them something from their life?

5. Size Twelve Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot (or any other Meg Cabot book)

Meg Cabot's style is hilarious and entertaining - it has everyone laughing out loud.

6. All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

I think mysteries in general are a good genre for people who don't read much - wanting to find out who did it will keep you turning the pages. For some reason, I don't read too many mysteries myself, but All Unquiet Things has a really good mystery storyline.

7. Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

I can't really explain why I think this would be good for someone who doesn't read much; I just do. It's so much fun to read.

8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Another simply hilarious book - I couldn't stop laughing while reading Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and I think this this the perfect book to prove that reading can be entertaining.

9. dancergirl by Carol M Tanzman

Also a good mystery that keeps you turning the pages.

10. Twilight by Stephanie Meyers

I thought about not putting this on the list, because, well, Twilight, but you can't argue with the fact that it has gotten loads of people reading!

So these are some books I'd recommend to someone who doesn't read a lot - not all of them are the most meaningful, but they're all entertaining and hold your interest, which I think is most important when persuading a reluctant reader. What books would you recommend?

Book Blogger Confessions #2

2012-02-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

Book Blogger Confessions is a new meme hosted by All-Consuming Books and For What It's Worth. You can find out all about it here.

Every second week there is one topic that has something to do with book-blogging that you can discuss on your blog.

This week's topic is:

Deadlines for reviewing and blogging. Do you set them? How do you keep them? What do you do if you can't meet a deadline?

When I first started blogging, I immediately started out with a schedule. I posted a review every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and on the rest of the days I posted memes (Waiting on Wednesday, Follow Friday, On My Wishlist and In My Mailbox). I tried to post every single day, and I wanted to have three book reviews up every week. That didn't always work - I just don't read three books every week. I was going crazy, saying "I have to finish this book and review it today or I won't have anything to post!" and putting that above whatever else I had going on that day.

I didn't last very long. Blogging got too stressful for me to enjoy it anymore, so I had to change something. I decided to stop doing memes other than IMM on a regular basis, and I decided to only post two reviews per week. They didn't have to be on a set day; I'd just post them when I finished the book. I had almost no schedule.

Even though I'm still not doing many memes (I still do IMM, and started doing Top Ten Tuesday and this meme, but I don't make myself take part every week), my blogging schedule has gotten fuller again. I now take part in lots of blog tours, where the posts are always scheduled for a certain day, and I do some features like New Releases, Bookish Anticipation, etc. every once in a while. I still post two reviews per week.

Now I'm posting almost as much as I did when I first started, but it isn't as stressful because I write my posts long before I actually post them. I don't spend the same amount of time blogging every week - sometimes I have lots of free time, and sometimes I don't. That's just the way it is. But I balance the varying amount of time spent blogging by writing my posts early. No matter how much I read in a week, I post two reviews. So if I have a lot of time one week and read five books (that doesn't happen often, but sometimes it does), I schedule those reviews for later. I have reviews scheduled up until the end of March - so if I don't read anything one week, it's not a problem.

That was working out fine... until I joined NetGalley. I live in Germany, so I don't really get many review copies, but I do get books for review on NetGalley. When I first joined, I was so excited to see all those great books that I requested way more than I could ever read on time. When you read a NetGalley book it's different from reading a book you bought or borrowed from the library because there's a certain time in which you're supposed to review the book. And when you request as many books as I did when I first joined NetGalley, that just isn't possible.

Now I restrain myself every time a new title shows up on NetGalley and ask myself - if I were at a bookstore and saw this book, would I buy it? I only request books for which the answer to that question is yes. Still, sometimes those books with "expiration dates" can be stressful. I use the same method of trying to read and review early - when I have the time, I read a NetGalley book that will be released in two months so that I can have a review written already and don't need to stress myself close to the release date. But that doesn't always work, and I feel so bad when I don't have a review up in time for the release date. I'm hoping to improve in that aspect.

Sometimes I curse my schedule, but really, I don't know what I'd do without it. I like that I'm so far ahead and don't need to stress about not having read anything for a week. I still need to get a hang on reviewing NetGalley books on time, but other than that, I'm handling my blogging schedule pretty well, and I don't feel as stressed out as blogging anymore as I did before.

So that's how I deal with blogging schedules and deadlines - what about you?

In My Mailbox #44

2012-02-05T01:16:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where you can talk about the books you bought or received this week.

GalleyGrab:

Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Charlotte and Oliver have been friends forever. She knows that he, Abe, and Trip consider her to be one of the guys, and she likes it that way. She likes being the friend who keeps them all together. Likes offering a girl's perspective on their love lives. Likes being the behind-the-scenes wordsmith who writes all the lyrics for the boys' band. Char has a house full of stepsisters and a past full of backstabbing (female) ex-best friends, so for her, being friends with boys is refreshingly drama-free...until it isn't any more.
When a new boy enters the scene and makes Char feel like, well, a total girl...and two of her other friends have a falling out that may or may not be related to one of them deciding he possibly wants to be more than friends with Char...being friends with all these boys suddenly becomes a lot more complicated.

I love reading about boy-girl friendships - there definitely aren't enough of them in contemporary YA! Being Friends With Boys sounds great, and I've heard a lot of good things about the author.

NetGalley:

Ferocity Summer by Alissa Grosso
(Amazon | Goodreads)

It’s the hottest summer on record in New Jersey and soon Scilla Davis must stand trial for her involvement in a deadly speedboat accident. With the possibility of conviction looming, life seems empty, unreal, and utterly hopeless. Watching her best friend Willow destroy herself with drugs and booze is especially painful. Yet Scilla can’t manage to wrest Willow—or herself—from a path of self-destruction.
With a new drug called Ferocity sweeping the nation, an FBI agent is eager to make a bust. He offers Scilla a way out of this nightmare. But is she willing to betray her own drugdealing boyfriend?

Ferocity Summer sounds amazing, right up my alley!

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she's not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn't know he's gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there's Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone's world. He's devoted to Fern, but he's annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn't for Ran, Fern's calm and positive best friend, there'd be nowhere to turn. Ran's mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it's true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same.

I love Jo Knowles, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this one, even though it sounds more like MG than YA.

What did you get this week?

Review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

2012-02-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers
Release date: September 12th 2007
Pages: 230
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Bought
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

With his first foray into teen literature, acclaimed author Sherman Alexie packs a punch in this absorbing novel about a Native American boy searching for a brighter future. At once humorous and stirring, Alexie's novel follows Junior, a resident of the Spokane reservation who transfers out of the reservation's school -- and into a nearby rich, all-white farm school -- in order to nurture his desire to become a cartoonist. Junior encounters resistance there, a backlash at home, and numerous family problems -- all the while relaying his thoughts and feelings via amusing descriptions and drawings.
Having already garnered a National Book Award for Young Adult Literature, this moving look at race and growing up is definitely one to pick up.

First sentence:

I was born with water on the brain.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I was wary of reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - it sounded so serious, so issue-focused, so intellectually demanding. I thought I'd read it since it's one of the most famous YA books ever, but I didn't think I would really enjoy it. But I couldn't have been more wrong - Diary is such a fun read!

Junior's voice is incredible; so, so real. I don't often like the younger side of YA - it's harder for me to relate to fourteen-year-old MC - but that isn't a problem at all in Diary. His young age makes the way he talks about his life on the reservation so much more honest and realistic. Junior is a strong character - he's easy to relate to, even though his life is totally different from mine, and I have to say, I admired how brave he is to transfer to the all-white school. His way of talking and thinking is hilarious - I was laughing out loud throughout the book.

But despite the light and funny tone, Diary addresses some dark topics. There's no preaching, no too strong message; all of the issues addressed are just a part of Junior's everyday life. That makes you feel for Junior even more.

All the subplots and secondary characters add a lot to the story, too - it's interesting to read about each of their lives and different problems, especially from an insider's point-of-view.

I even liked the illustrations. I'm not usually a fan of pictures in books or comics, but in Diary, they work - they help you get to know Junior and his world even better.

There are so many more amazing things about The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, but really, none of the little things are what make this book so special. It's just a great story of self-discovery, hilarious and tragic at the same time, and I definitely recommend it, if you haven't read it already.

This or That with Amanda Grace (In Too Deep Blog Tour)

2012-02-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

Today we have Amanda Grace/Mandy Hubbard here for a This or That interview! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for In Too Deep by Amanda Grace. You can find out more about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops of the blog tour if you'd like to know more about In Too Deep!

Summer or winter?

I actually just love the whole changing-of-seasons. I would never want eternal summer or eternal winter, because it’s the transitions I love! That first spring day where you can bust out the shorts! That first Autumn morning where you can see your breath!

Vanilla or chocolate?

Chocolate.

Day or night?

Night.

Coffee or tea?

Tea.

Movies or TV shows?

Movies! I am seriously dying for my 4 year old to get a little bit older so we can go see a bunch of silly teen chick-flicks together.

Outdoors or indoors?

Indoors.

Hardcover, paperback or e-book?

Paperback

Reading or writing?

Writing.

YA or adult fiction? (for reading, not writing)

YA!

Typing on the computer or traditional writing on paper?

Typing. I ABHOR hand-writing. I actually would probably stop writing all together before I wrote on paper.

The fun fiction you write as Mandy Hubbard or the darker stuff you write as Amanda Grace? (as in, what do you like writing more)

Writing the Mandy Hubbard books comes much easier to me. I think my forte is just the commercial, plot-heavy books. The quieter, character-driven stuff is really quite hard to write. But I’m always proud of what I’ve done, in the end!

Superpower: Being invisible or being able to fly?

Ooooh. I think Fly. I hate traffic, and after wrecking a few cars in my teens, driving sometimes gives me anxiety.

Being in a crowd or being alone?

If it’s a crowd of writers or agents, I feel SO excited and happy and at home. But crowds in general—I’d rather be alone.

Being able to change the past or living with your mistakes?

Living with mistakes.

Thanks for the great interview answers, Mandy!

Make sure to check out all the other posts in this tour, and keep your eye out for In Too Deep, which will be released on February 8th.

In Too Deep by Amanda Grace
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Review: The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski

2012-02-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

Title: The Sweetest Thing
Author: Christina Mandelski
Publisher: Egmont USA
Release date: May 10th 2011
Pages: 352
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: NetGalley - thank you to Egmont USA and NetGalley for providing a free eGalley of this book!
More info: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

In the world of Sheridan Wells, life is perfect when she's decorating a cake. Unfortunately everything else is a complete mess: her mom ran off years ago, her dad is more interested in his restaurant, and the idea of a boyfriend is laughable.
But Sheridan is convinced finding her mom will solve all her problems - only her dad's about to get a cooking show in New York, which means her dream of a perfect family will be dashed.
Using just the right amount of romance, family drama, and cute boys, The Sweetest Thing will entice fans with its perfect mixture of girl-friendly ingredients.

My rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Let me start with the positive: I love the cover of The Sweetest Thing! It's so sweet and I always like when covers show something that plays an important part in the actual book. The part about Sheridan decorating cakes I really liked, too - all the references to her decorating, her grandmother's baking and her father's cooking tie in well with the rest of the story. That, and it all just sounds so delicious - I was basically hungry the entire time while reading this.

But... That's where the positive ends. The rest of the book just didn't work for me. Let me start with the main character, Sheridan. She annoyed me to no end. Her mom left her dad and her a long time ago, wrote her birthday cards for a few years, and now even those have stopped. But Sheridan still hopes her mom will come back, thinking she'll come if she asks her, so she does everything possible to find out where she is. I got really frustrated by how she still couldn't accept that her mother doesn't want to come back, and it annoyed me to no end how she got mad at everyone who tried to tell her so. There are other, smaller things that annoyed me about her, too - she's just so immature and bratty. I could not connect to her at all.

The plot didn't work for me, either - every storyline is clichéd and predictable! I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but everyone knows how the classic love triangle between the popular guy and the best friend ends, and it was obvious from the start what would happen to the family-situation. I don't always have a problem with predictable storylines, but since every storyline in The Sweetest Thing is like that, the plot and its lack of twists bored me.

The secondary characters are equally clichéd and underdeveloped - there's not much to any of them, nothing that would make any of them memorable - even though it's normally pretty easy to get me to love the best-friend-turning-into-something-more type.

One thing I did like is the small-town setting. The atmosphere is really well-done, and I could easily see what Sheridan's life in St. Mary is like.

I don't have much more to say about The Sweetest Thing - just a bland, predictable read and a main character I couldn't relate to, with the exception of the baking theme, which I really liked.

New Releases February 2012

2012-02-01T06:26:00.000-08:00

New releases:

The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: February 1st 2012

The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area stretches across two million acres in northern Idaho. In its heart sits the Alice Marshall School, where fifty teenage girls come to escape their histories and themselves.Lida Wallace has tried to negate herself in every way possible. At Alice Marshall, she meets Elsa Boone, a fierce native Idahoan; Jules, who seems too healthy to belong at the school; and Gia Longchamps, whose glamour entrances the entire camp. As the girls prepare for a wilderness trek, Lida is both thrilled and terrified to be chosen as Gia's friend. But everyone has their secrets--their "Things" they try to protect; and when those come out, the knives do as well.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
(Amazon / Goodreads)

Release date: February 7th 2012

When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief she’ll never have to tell them that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief soon turns to heartbreak, as Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and not making waves, and Cam becomes an expert at this—especially at avoiding any questions about her sexuality. Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. To Cam’s surprise, she and Coley become best friends—while Cam secretly dreams of something more. Just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, her secret is exposed. Ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not quite sure who that is.

In Too Deep by Amanda Grace
(Amazon / Goodreads)

Release date: February 8th 2012

Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: February 14th 2012

When seventeen-year-old Rosie’s mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington’s Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty-per-cent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when she tells her mum’s best friend, ‘Aunt Sarah’ that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie was not her biological mother after all... Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, hitching along on her ex-boyfriend’s GAP year to follow her to Los Angeles. But all does not go to plan, and as Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply-buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonising decision of her own - one which will be the most heart-breaking and far-reaching of all....

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: February 14th 2012

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: February 16th 2012

Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev’s band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she’s abandoning their plans—and Colby—to start college in the fall.
But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie-Colby struggles to deal with Bev’s already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what’s next?

The Fine Art of Truth and Dare by Melissa Jensen
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: February 16th 2012

Trafficked by Kim Purcell
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: February 16th 2012

Hannah believes she's being brought from Moldova to Los Angeles to become a nanny for a Russian family. But her American dream quickly spirals into a nightmare. The Platonovs force Hannah to work sixteen-hour days, won't let her leave the house, and seem to have a lot of secrets - from Hannah and from each other. Stranded in a foreign land with false documents, no money, and nobody who can help her, Hannah must find a way to save herself from her new status as a modern-day slave or risk losing the one thing she has left: her life.

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: February 21st 2012

Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: February 28th 2012

Meet Josephine Foster, or Zo Jo as she’s called in the biz. The best pint-sized photographer of them all, Jo doesn’t mind doing what it takes to get that perfect shot, until she’s sent on an undercover assignment to shoot Ned Hartnett—teen superstar and the only celebrity who’s ever been kind to her—at an exclusive rehabilitation retreat in Boston. The money will be enough to pay for Jo’s dream: real photography classes, and maybe even quitting her paparazzi gig for good. Everyone wants to know what Ned’s in for. But Jo certainly doesn’t know what she’s in for: falling in love with Ned was never supposed to be part of her assignment.

Re-releases/new in paperback:

Choker by Elizabeth Woods
(Amazon / Goodreads)

Release date: Feburary 7th 2012

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: Feburary 21st 2012

Abby acepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.
Until the accident. Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her. She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen. Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

These are this month's releases I'm anticipating. Which February releases are most excited for?

Guest Post by Ivy Adams & Giveaway (The International Kissing Club Blog Tour)

2012-01-30T13:33:00.000-08:00

Today we have Ivy Adams/Emily McKay here for a guest post on China! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams. You can find out more about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops of the blog tour if you'd like to know more about The International Kissing Club!

Around the World in 80 Kisses Smooch Stop #63

Feature on China by Emily McKay

The sad truth is, I don’t have much to say about China. Or rather, there’s not much I could say that you couldn’t read dozens (or thousands) of other places on line. China is vast and diverse. It’s practically its own continent. Besides, I’ve never been there. A blog post from me about China, would be like a haiku about War and Peace by Adam Sandler. Just a bad idea all around.

But what I can talk about is Mei and her experience in China.

Occasionally, we have people ask why we decided to write a character who had been adopted and why we chose to have Mei have been adopted from China in particular. (Btw, by “we” I mean Tracy, Shellee and myself, the three friends who wrote IKC.) I don’t remember why we picked China in particular, but I do remember that we decided very early on to have one character who was adopted and searching for her parents.

When we were plotting the book, we started with the title. Although the title was cute and charming, we didn’t want the book to be vapid or frivolous. We knew we wanted one girl to be in it for the kissing, one who was in it for more serious reasons, one who just wanted to get out and one who had to stay at home. If you’re sixteen, what’s more serious than finding out about your birth parents? Than finding out who you are?

When the three of us writers divided up the characters, Mei was the one we all shared. Some of the early chapters were written together. Literally with all three of us huddled around tables at Starbucks while we dictated and debated. Once we got Mei’s voice down, we divvied up chapters by our strengths. Both Shellee and Tracy are great at setting, so they did the chapters when Mei first arrives. (Plus Tracy’s husband travels to China on business, so she had the inside track there.) Shellee writes great heroes, so she got to write Mei and Guiran’s farewell. Tracy writes fabulous kisses, so she wrote the fountain scene. So by default, I ended up writing the scene where Guiran and Mei visit the Social Welfare Institute where Mei lived before being adopted by the Joneses.

I started my research the way I always do, with hours of procrastination. I spent days on end reading blogs of adoption stories. Hundreds of families have posted their stories on line. I gotta tell ya, it was not for the faint of heart. I sat down that first morning with my laptop and cuppa joe. Seven minutes later I was blotting my eyes on my sleeve. It wasn’t long before I was working my way through a box of Klenex. There are amazing stories out there. Heart wrenching stories of love and hope and fear ... all the stuff that makes up parenting of any kind. Looking over and over again at those sweet kids. Knowing they found homes and families. Seeing the siblings who welcomed them into their lives. Man, it gets to you. I dare you to read those blogs without crying. I dare you.

You might wonder why I kept reading them. I did days and days of grueling research. But I never quite found what I needed. I needed pictures. Lots of them. Sure, all the adoption blogs had pictures, but they were mostly of the cute kids. I needed shots of the SWI. The people who worked there. The street the SWI was on. That’s the kind of thing I needed and despite all my efforts (and probably two boxes of Klenex), I just didn’t find it online. I know. Shocking right? Not all research can be done online.

Ultimately, I had to step out of my comfort zone. I had to talk to an actual person.
Luckily, I know several people who have adopted kids from China. I just didn’t know any of them well enough to say, “Hey, can I see all your pictures from this important and intimate time in your life?” But I made myself do it. I asked. People always amaze me with their generosity and openness and this experience was no exception. I got great info from more than one family. I hope I did justice to their generosity.

In the end, I’m so glad I asked for help, but I’m also thankful for all the mom’s online who share their journeys. It was worth the three boxes of Klenex. (Yes, it was three.)

Giveaway

Now tell me the story you’ve read lately that’s had you pull out your hankie in the comments (leave your email so we can contact you) to be entered to win the Around the World In 80 Kisses daily and weekly prize and also become eligible to win the Grand Prize, a Kindle Fire. For a list of all our Smooch Posts you can visit and earn more entries to win, visit us here.

The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams
(Amazon | Goodreads)

The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams is the story of four best friends: Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy--the misfits of Paris, Texas. Their whole lives, they’ve dreamed of escaping small-town life and seeing the world. So when Piper is the victim of an embarrassing prank that goes viral online, she gets the idea that the girls should escape via the school’s international exchange program, in search of fun, love and internet redemption.

Emily McKay, Shellee Roberts and Tracy Deebs write under the pseudonym Ivy Adams. They shop, gossip and watch movies in Austin, Texas.

This or That with Ian from Chance to Dance for You (Chance to Dance for You Blog Tour)

2012-01-30T07:08:00.000-08:00

Today we have Gail Sidonie Sobat here for a character interview with Ian from Chance to Dance for You! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for Chance to Dance for You. You can find out more about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops of the blog tour if you'd like to know more about Chance to Dance for You!

Sunrise or sunset?

While sunrise is often the beginning of Ian’s dancing day, his preferred romantic time is sunset and the hours after sunset because of the secretive nature of his romance with Jess.

Half-empty or half-full?

Ian is a half-full kind of guy. He sees his life and his art—dance—in terms of potential, not lack.

Summer or winter?

Summer! Winter poses hazards (icy sidewalks and streets!) for a dancer who aims to be professional.

Vanilla or chocolate?

Chocolate. Ian is definitely not into white. He thinks there’s too much white in the world, like dead white guys, horridly racist white shopkeepers, architecturally controlled white neighbourhoods, etc.

Cats or dogs?

Cats. They’re more acrobatic and like dancers.

Coffee or tea?

Ian hates coffee, but never objects to a nice cuppa hot Rooibos.

Outdoors or indoors?

Ian loves the outdoors, but so much of dance is performed indoors in rehearsal studios and on stage, so if he had to choose, he’d pick indoors.

Being in a crowd or being alone?

Soloist! Ian longs to be a principal dancer in a major professional ballet company, though of course he understands that “company” means teamwork and pulling together.

Being able to change the past or living with your mistakes?

Living with mistakes. Ian is all about growing and learning from the past, then moving onwards.

Superpower: Being invisible or flying?

Flying! It’s all about the grand jeté!

Jeans or sweats?

Sweats fit best over dance clothing.

Polka dots or stripes?

Stripes, because that’s how the rainbow appears, and Ian has definitely embraced the rainbow.

Thanks for the great answers, Gail!

Make sure to check out all the other tour stops, and keep your eye out for Chance to Dance for You, which will be released on May 1st.

Chance to Dance for You by Gail Sidonie Sobat
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Ian lives in a suburb where everything's the same. The houses are the same; the cars are the same; the families are the same; and their aspirations are the same. But Ian is different.
Openly gay in his bigoted high school, Ian doesn’t exactly fit in. But he's not worried— he's been training in dance for a long time and soon he'll be able to leave town and train to become a professional. Then he falls in love with Jess, the high school quarterback.

In My Mailbox #43

2012-01-29T12:51:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where you can talk about the books you bought or received this week.

Bought:

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic

(Amazon / Goodreads)

I had the dream again. The one where I’m running. I don’t know what from or where to, but I’m scared, terrified really.
Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. But in the short time he has left there’s one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live—even though he never will.
It’s probably hopeless.
But he has to try.

I actually already got this book last week, but forgot to put it in the IMM post. Anyways, I've already read it, and will have a review up soon!

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
(Amazon | Goodreads)

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future. By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.

I loved Thirteen Reasons Why (like everybody else), so of course I'm reading his next book. I haven't read anything by Carolyn Mackler, but I've heard great things about her. I have to say, though, I like the US cover better than the UK one!

NetGalley:

Jersey Angel by Beth Ann Bauman
(Amazon | Goodreads)

It's the summer before senior year and the alluring Angel is ready to have fun. She's not like her best friend, Inggy, who has a steady boyfriend, good grades, and college plans. Angel isn't sure what she wants to do yet, but she has confidence and experience beyond her years. Still, her summer doesn't start out as planned. Her good friend Joey doesn't want to fool around anymore, he wants to be her boyfriend, while Angel doesn't want to be tied down. As Joey pulls away, and Inggy tours colleges, Angel finds herself spending more time with Inggy's boyfriend, Cork. With its cast of vivid and memorable characters, this tale from the Jersey shore is sure to make some waves.

Jersey Angel sounds like the perfect summer read!

For review:

Crazy by Amy Reed
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Connor knows that Izzy will never fall in love with him the way he’s fallen for her. But somehow he’s been let into her crazy, exhilarating world and become her closest confidante. But the closer they get, the more Connor realizes that Izzy’s highs are too high and her lows are too low. And the frenetic energy that makes her shine is starting to push her into a much darker place. As Izzy’s behavior gets increasingly erratic and self-destructive, Connor gets increasingly desperate to stop her from plummeting. He knows he can’t save her from her pain… but what if no one else can?

I got Crazy for review because I will be taking part in the blog tour this summer! I've heard great things about Amy Reed, so I'm excited to finally read one of her books!

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Review: Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

2012-01-27T05:43:00.000-08:00

Title: Jumping off Swings
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 230
Release date: August 11th 2009
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Bought
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they begged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their "one-time thing" is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result. Told alternately from each character’s point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl’s life — and the realities of leaving innocence behind.

First sentence:

I can still feel a trace of his warm lips on mine as he slips away from me and fumbles for the door to his father's van.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I really liked Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles (review), so I was excited to read another one of her books. Still, I wasn't sure whether or not I would enjoy this one as much, since the idea isn't as unique as Lesson from a Dead Girl's, and I was a little worried about how the author would handle four distinct points of view, just because I usually prefer only one or two narrators. However, the different perspectives turned out to be what I liked best about Jumping Off Swings, and I ended up liking this one even more than Lessons from a Dead Girl!

The writing is what makes this whole thing work. Jo Knowles's writing is incredible, so beautiful. She manages to create a great atmosphere - even though the plot isn't the saddest story ever, the sad but beautiful atmosphere gives the whole novel a tragic feel. It's the kind of writing that can make you start bawling at any moment, no matter what's going on, just because of the sadness and beauty of it all. Jo Knowles's writing reminded me of Courtney Summers and Sara Zarr - all three can get me to burst out crying with just a few sentences.

Like I said, I'm not usually a fan of more than two narrators - it's really hard to give multiple narrators disctinct voices. But Jo Knowles made it work, and I could develop feelings for each character. I really liked how the narrative made us think of different ways of looking at the issue, and I enjoyed seeing how one problem affected these all characters differently.

Ellie's a conflicting but well-written character. At times I wanted to shake her and make her stop being so stupid and trustworthy and stand up for herself, but for the most part, I felt for her. Her feelings about the pregnancy are portrayed really well, and that made me understand the issue much better than other teenage-pregnancy books have. I wanted to hate Josh, but I just couldn't. In the beginning, he was easy to hate, seeing how he treated Ellie and all, but after seeing it his way, you can't help but feel for him, too. Caleb is my favorite character of the four - he's just so sweet! I found myself always looking forward to his chapters. Corinne is the only character I thought was lacking some depth. She's easy to relate to and a good friend to Ellie, but really, that's all she is. I would have liked to know some more about her as a person, seperate from Ellie.

Another thing I enjoyed in Jumping Off Swings is the depiction of different family situations. Each of the narrators has a differenty home life, but none of them have it easy. I really liked seeing how these family issues affected the characters.

Also, I love the cover of Jumping Off Swings! It portrays the atmosphere and beauty of the story perfectly. I really liked the scenes at the playground and the metaphors connected to the swings and all of that - I love when a cover has such a strong connection to the actual story.

With atmospheric writing and four distinct narrators, Jumping Off Swings tells the story of how one choice can affect each person differently. It's a beautiful portrayal of love, friendship and growing up.

Bookish Anticipation #10

2012-01-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

Bookish Anticipation is a feature I do every once in a while to spotlight future releases I'm excited for. You can check out more Bookish Anticipation posts here.

The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: May 1st 2012

The day Brigitta accidentally flings herself into the lap of a guy she’s never met, her friend Natalie is convinced he’s Trent Yves, egotistical heartthrob-in-hiding. Brigitta hopes he’ll hide far away from her. But Trent wouldn’t be the only missing person. Since her grandparents both died, Brigitta has felt lost—especially with her dad refusing to talk about them. When the boy, who calls himself Luke, is nearly eaten by a cougar, Brigitta finds herself saving his life, being swept into his spectacular embrace and wondering if she wants Natalie’s fantasy to be true. But as she comes to know him, Brigitta realizes she wants more than an idol. And she may not get to choose.

Nothing Special (Stupid Fast #2) by Geoff Herbach
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: May 1st 2012

Felton Reinstein thought he had it all-a great girlfriend, an athletic scholarship in the bag, and football friends he could totally count on. Wrong! Like an elephant storming a house of cards, it all comes crashing down. And it's Felton's fault. Turns out his little brother has taken an impromptu road trip to Florida (aka desperate flight from all the talented people) to make a bid for stardom (aka fronting a hotel rock band with escapees from a retirement community). What's a big brother to do but help pick up the pieces, even if it means giving up all the status, all the glory and once again facing a life of nothing special.

The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: May 10th 2012

Elizabeth Margaret—better known as Em—has always known what life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is that it’s not what she wants. When she gets the opportunity to get away from it all and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em pursues her secret dream of being a chef, and she also learns that her family has kept some significant secrets from her, too. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn't. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels she is living on her own terms for the first time.

Smashed by Lisa Luedeke
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: August 21st 2012

Maine high school senior Katie Martin is set to win a field hockey scholarship until her life is derailed by drinking, a car accident, and an angry classmate.

Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff that Made Me Famous by Kathryn Williams
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: August 21st 2012

Can a spot on a teen reality show really lead to a scholarship at an elite cooking school AND a summer romance? Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides was practically raised in the kitchen of her family’s Italian-Greek restaurant, Taverna Ristorante. When her best friend, Alex, tries to convince her to audition for a new reality show, Teen Test Kitchen, Sophie is reluctant. But the prize includes a full scholarship to one of America's finest culinary schools and a summer in Napa, California, not to mention fame. Once on-set, Sophie immediately finds herself in the thick of the drama—including a secret burn book, cutthroat celebrity judges, and a very cute French chef. Sophie must figure out a way to survive all the heat and still stay true to herself.

Counting Backwards by Laura Lascarso
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: August 14th 2012

Three weeks ago I tried to run away from home. Now all I want is to go back.
When troubled Taylor Truwell is caught with a stolen car and lands in court for resisting arrest, her father convinces the judge of an alternative to punishment: treatment in a juvenile psychiatric correctional facility. Sunny Meadows is anything but the easy way out, and Taylor has to fight hard just to hold on to her sanity as she battles her parents, her therapist, and vicious fellow patients. But even as Taylor struggles to hold on to her stubborn former self, she finds herself relenting as she lets in two unlikely friends-Margo, a former child star and arsonist, and AJ, a mysterious boy who doesn't speak.
In this striking debut, Laura Lascarso weaves together a powerful story of anger and self-destruction, hope and love.

Just Flirt by Laura Bowers
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: June 19th 2012

A secret blog brings a summer of lies, lawsuits, and love to a self-proclaimed Superflirt and her rival at a struggling campground. Serious relationships suck. So Dee Barton, self-proclaimed Superflirt, is planning to spend her summer putting the moves on the guys who come to stay at her family's campground. Flirting is fun and makes everyone involved feel good—which is pretty much the exact opposite of her relationship with her toxic ex-boyfriend, Blaine. Sabrina Owens's summer plans include keeping her over-the-top karoke DJ mother in check, maintaining her status as the queen of the popular crowd--and being the perfect girlfriend to Blaine. Dee and Sabrina hate each other. But when they're both drawn into a frivolous lawsuit, they must team up and embark on a risky, flirt-filled plot to set things right again.

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: June 5th 2012

Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorce dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancee and her kids. The fiancee's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.
Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

While He Was Away by Karen Schreck
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Release date: May 1st 2012

When Penna Weaver’s boyfriend goes off to Iraq, she’s left facing life without him. As summer sets in, Penna tries to distract herself with work and her art, but the not knowing is slowly driving her crazy. Especially when David stops writing. She knows in her heart he will come home— but will he be the same boy she fell in love with?

Guest Post by Emily M. Danforth (The Miseducation of Cameron Post Blog Tour)

2012-01-24T06:35:00.000-08:00

Today we have Emily M. Danforth here for a guest post! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth. You can find out more about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops of the blog tour if you'd like to know more about The Miseducation of Cameron Post!

These are character book picks by Cameron, the main character of The Miseducation of Cameron Post.

I think that, as a younger reader, Cameron Post would have been a big fan of the storytelling of Roald Dahl. She would have appreciated his fantastical situations and often grotesque adult characters and almost always resourceful kid characters, like eponymous heroine Matilda Wormwood from Dahl’s novel Matilda. Then, after the death of her parents, Cam would appreciate Dahl’s fiction even more, particularly the way it so often encourages—or seems to encourage—readers to conclude that in some instances certain parents or guardians don’t always know what’s best for the children they care for. And, in the most dire of those situations they actively make things decidedly worse for the children they care for. (Examples include Matilda’s parents, certainly—but also most of the parents in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with the exception of the Buckets; and the loathsome aunts in James and the Giant Peach; and several more I’m blanking on, at the moment.)

As a teenager I think Cam’s continual process of self-discovery would lead her to all kinds of novels. In the book she actually reads and responds to Rita Mae Brown’s seminal lesbian bildungsroman Rubyfruit Jungle. (And to any readers unfamiliar with Rubyfruit, I recommend it highly: Molly Bolt is an often hilarious and always compelling protagonist.) I would imagine that she’d also stumble upon (perhaps because of Lindsey’s influence) and be moved by novels like Nancy Garden’s Annie On My Mind or even Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.

She also would find much to admire in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Carson McCuller’s The Member of the Wedding, and of course: Catcher in the Rye. (And I hope that she would eventually get around to reading John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, if only because Jane Fonda (the character in my novel, of course, not the actress) quotes from it at length while they’re both at God’s Promise.)

And because I’m answering as if Cameron could pick books from today (even though my novel takes place twenty years ago), I’ll add Nick Burd’s wonderful The Vast Fields of Ordinary; Julie Anne Peters’ Keeping You A Secret; Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home; Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep; Jacqueline Woodson’s Hush, and Sarah Waters’ Tipping the Velvet. Finally, I can see Cam getting pretty excited about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (and the subsequent Lisbeth Salander novels in that series.)

Make sure to check out all the other tour stops, and keep your eye out for The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which will be released on February 7th.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Review: Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters

2012-01-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

Title: Keeping You a Secret
Author: Julie Anne Peters
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Release date: May 4th 2005
Pages: 250
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance; LGBT
Source: Bought
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

As she begins a very tough last semester of high school, Holland finds herself puzzled about her future and intrigued by a transfer student who wants to start a lesbigay club at school.

First sentence:

First time I ever saw her was through the mirror on my locker door.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Julie Anne Peters's By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead (review), so I had high hopes for Keeping You a Secret. Unfortunately, Keeping You a Secret fell flat for me. Maybe it's because of my high expectations, but I felt underwhelmed by every aspect of the novel.

I loved Julie Anne Peters's simple but elegant writng in By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead, but her writing didn't work for me in Keeping You a Secret. Compared to By the Time You Read This, it felt amaeur-ish and choppy. It just doesn't flow as nicely as it does in By the Time You Read This.

What annoyed me most is the preachiness of the whole novel. Of course a book like this should send a strong message of acceptance, but I think it was overdone. There are so many times when Holland goes on and on about how important it is to accept everybody for who they are and to do something about all the hate and homophobia in the world, even though, at least in the beginning, it doesn't fit to her character at all. It seemed too much like the author was directly telling the reader to be more tolerant instead of letting the story carry the message, especially since that took from the authenticity of Holland's character.

Holland as a character is just okay. For the most part, she's easy to relate to, but there are a few things that really bugged me about her - like I said, the preachiness made her voice somewhat unrealistic, but there were other issues, too. For example, I didn't get her problems with her mother in the beginning at all. Her mother keeps pushing her to apply to the best colleges, but Holland isn't sure she even wants to go. That would be fine, but she never does anything about it - even if she doesn't want to go to college, she needs to figure out what she wants to do, since it's her last semester of high school. How she went on and on about how annoying her mother's nagging about college is bugged me - I wated to shake and make her take charge of her life, instead of floating along doing nothing and blaming others.

Cece's character is just okay, too. Actually, she as her own character is fully-developed and complex, but I didn't get her either because of her relationship with Holland. The romance is way too insta-love-y for me. I mean, I guess it makes sense how Holland is so fascinated by Cece in the beginning, since she's never met anyone who's as open about their homosexuality before. Their chemistry in the beginning, before they get together, is well-done, too. But once they get together, their relationship moves way too fast. How they say they love each other after just a few days and always talk about how incredibly important the other one is to them, planning their whole life around each other and saying they couldn't live without the other one... all of that just didn't seem realistic to me.

That being said, I did like some of the seconday characters and sub-plots, for example Holland's relationship to Faith, her stepsister, and her friends Kristen and Leah. It was interesting to see how differently people reacted to Holland's coming out. I also liked reading about such a strong LGBT-community.

I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as I thought I would, but maybe that's just because of my too high expectations after reading By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead. Many aspects, like the fast development of the romance between Holland and Cece, and the preachy tone of the novel, didn't work for me. Still, I wouldn't say it's a bad book - I could see this being of great help to someone who's going through something similar to Holland's situation. But if you haven't read anything by Julie Anne Peters, I would suggest starting with By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead and not Keeping You a Secret.

In My Mailbox #42

2012-01-22T05:48:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where you can talk about the books you bought or received this week.

Bought:

Split by Swati Avasthi

(Amazon | Goodreads)

Sixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father’s fist), $3.84, and a secret. He tries to move on, going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can’t make him forget what he left behind—his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is keeping his secret. At least so far.
Worst of all, Jace realizes that if he really wants to move forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back. After you’ve said enough, after you’ve run, after you’ve made the split—how do you begin to live again?

Split sounds amazing, and I'm really excited to read it. I have to say, though, I like the hardcover cover a lot better than the paperback one.

Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

(Amazon | Goodreads)

Joy Delamere is suffocating. From asthma, from her parents, and from her boyfriend, delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.
Joy can take his words—tender words, cruel words—until the night they go too far. Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe...if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.
Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

I already finished this one and really liked it!

Grace by Elizabeth Scott
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

I love Elizabeth Scott, and Grace sounds really different and unique!

Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
(Amazon | Goodreads)

NAOMI AND ELY ARE BEST FRIENDS. Naomi loves and is in love with Ely, and Ely loves Naomi, but prefers to be in love with boys. So they create their "No Kiss List" of people neither of them is allowed to kiss. And this works fine - until Bruce. Bruce is Naomi's boyfriend, so there's no reason to put him on the List. But Ely kissed Bruce even though he is boring. The result: a rift of universal proportions and the potential end of "Naomi and Ely: the institution." Can these best friends come back together again?

I really enjoy the collaborations between Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, and this one sounds like a fun read!

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Review: Mercy Lily by Lisa Albert

2012-01-20T06:06:00.000-08:00

Title: Mercy Lily
Author: Lisa Albert
Publisher: Flux
Release date: October 8th 2011
Pages: 240
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Bought
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

Mama has slowly been losing herself to MS. After traditional treatment fails, she takes bee sting therapy, administered by Lily, to alleviate her pain. Lily is trained as a veterinary assistant, so she can easily handle the treatments. What she can't handle is what happens when the bee sting therapy fails and it becomes clear that Mama wants to die. One beautiful summer day, Lily's mother asks her for the most impossible thing of all—mercy. They live in Oregon, where the Death with Dignity Act allows a patient to make the decision to end their own life. While navigating first love, friendship, and the other normal worries faced by high school sophomores, Lily also has to choose: grant Mama's request, or cling to Mama's fading life for all it's worth.

Goodreads description:

Parkfield High School's courtyard swarms with students as I walk the mossy path to my bus stop.

My rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I was really excited to read Mercy Lily. Physician-assisted suicide is a fascinating topic by itself, and a mother asking her daughter to let her go seemed like such a great idea for a novel. However, the actual book fell flet for me, and I was pretty disappointed.

What first drew me in with Mercy Lily - the assisted suicide storyline - turned out to not play an as important role as I'd thought. I thought Mercy Lily would be mainly about Lily having to decide whether or not to let her mom go, but really, Lily's mom has already decided for herself to deny treatment and ask for the medication to leave this world. Lily doesn't need to decide whether or not her mom will go; she just needs to decide whether to support her mother in her decision or whether to stay mad at her mom for giving up. And while that in itself wouldn't be a bad storyline, it's not what I expected from Mercy Lily.

Lily's character fell flat for me, and I can't even explain why. She should be easy to feel for, having already lost her dad and now losing her mom, but it just didn't happen. Her thoughts and feelings are underdeveloped, in my opinion, and I don't feel like I ever really got to know her. That made me feel removed from the whole story, so much so that I didn't cry at all, even though the story itself is tragic (and I'm a huge crybaby, normally).

The writing is, well, okay. Mostly, it's beautiful, and I really enjoyed the symbolism and all that, especially the description of the lilies. But the dialogue didn't work for me at all - it's unrealistic and just strange.

The storyline with Lily's former friends fell flat for me too. Everything about how they all used to be friends, their falling out, and their slowly working out their problems now seemed kind of pointless to me. The characters are flat, especially Trent, and the development is much too fast to be realistic.

There is one thing I loved, though, and that's the role animals play in Mercy Lily. I really enjoyed reading about the dog, the horse, the rest of the farm animals, and even the spider - they all felt like actual characters, which was probably my favorite aspect of the book.

I know most of what I've said in this review is negative, and technically, there are a lot of things wrong with Mercy Lily, but somehow, this book still had an impression on me - I don't really know what it is, but for whatever reason, the novel is kind of beautiful and peaceful. I'm kind of confused on what to make of the whole book, so I don't know whether to recommend it or not. What I do know, though, is that what I thought would be great about Mercy Lily - the discussion of physician-assisted suicide - fell flat, so you shouldn't expect too much from that.

Review: Faking Faith by Josie Bloss

2012-01-19T07:33:00.000-08:00

Title: Faking Faith
Author: Josie Bloss
Publisher: Flux
Release date: November 8th 2011
Pages: 240
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Bought
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

After a humiliating "sexting" incident involving a hot and popular senior, seventeen-year-old Dylan has become a social outcast—harassed, ignored, and estranged from her two best friends. When Dylan discovers the blogs of homeschooled fundamentalist Christian girls, she's fascinated by their old-fashioned conversation themes, like practicing submission to one's future husband. Blogging as Faith, her devout alter ego, Dylan befriends Abigail, the group's queen bee. But growing closer to Abigail (and her intriguing older brother) forces Dylan to choose: keep living a lie or come clean and face the consequences.

First sentence:

School was the same sort of hell every day.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I was kind of wary of reading Faking Faith, like I always am when it comes to books dealing with religion. No matter what direction you're going, it's always a tricky topic. Books dealing with religion can go either way - I either love them or hate them. And while I didn't love how religion is handled in Faking Faith, it turned out to be a really fun read!

I was immediately pulled in by Faking Faith. Just like Dylan, I was intrigued by the blogs of these Christian fundamentalist girls. Before reading this one, I thought it was kind of weird that she turns to these blogs, and I didn't get how she would even come across something like that. But while reading, it made sense, and it turned out I was just as pulled in by that world as Dylan is - I wanted to know everything Abigail's life.

Dylan is a good character, easy to relate to, even in the beginning. Reading how she describes how she went out with Blake, the guy who ended up posting naked pictures of her online, it should have been easy for the reader to think of Dylan as some stupid girl who trusted a guy who acted like he cared for her. But somehow, the story works - she knows she was stupid and freely admits it, and that made me feel for her instead of roll my eyes at her stupidity.

Abigail's character is conflicting. My feelings towards her are similar to Dylan's - in the beginning, I thought she was completely crazy and didn't understand her at all, but after we get to know her more, I ended up really feeling for her. Asher, Abigail's older brother, is, well, okay. What we do know about him I liked, but I would have liked to know a lot more about him and his history.

Now comes the part of this review I've been dreading - the religion-part. For the most part, the topic is handled well in Faking Faith, and luckily, the author's not trying to shove her opinion down our throats, which I can't stand. But at times I think the book is a little too against Christianity - I don't agree with Abigail's belief, but Christianity itself is not a bad thing, and I would have liked to see some more of that in the book. The way it is, it felt a little too much like the author or narrator was condemning Christianity altogether.

I found the ending a little too happy, and I don't think it's realistic how much suddenly changes for the better.

Even though I feel like some aspects in Faking Faith are lacking, this is a really fun book. The topics are fascinating, and the whole concept is different from anything I've read before. I recommend Faking Faith if you're looking for a quick, fun read!

Top Ten Tuesday #3: Books I'd Recommend to Someone Who Doesn't Read Contemporary YA

2012-01-17T03:25:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish with a different topic for a top-ten list each week. You can find out more about it here.

The links will take you to my reviews.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend to Someone Who Doesn't Read Contemporary YA

I'm going to split this into two topics - one list for people who don't usually read contemps and another list for those who don't read YA.

Books I'd Recommend to Someone Who Doesn't Read Contemps

1. Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Stealing Heaven is so far removed from a regular person's life, it reads almost like fantasy.

2. dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman

This one is really fast-paced and action-packed, so I think it would appeal to someone who reads more paranormal than contemporary.

3. Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

The idea is crazy and also far away from a normal person's life, and I can't imagine anyone not having fun reading Five Flavors of Dumb.

4. And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky

I'm not sure how to explain why I think this would appeal to non-contemps-readers; I just do. The style is so sweet and real, it almost doesn't read like a novel but like something your best friend is telling you (in a good way), and who wouldn't want that?

Books I'd Recommend to Someone Who Doesn't Read YA

5. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

There's something about Sara Zarr's style that's just very mature, and I think her books could appeal to adult readers, too.

6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (or anything by John Green, really)

John Green is the author who, more than anyone else, knows teens are not stupid. His characters and stories are all just so smart, and I think that would work with an adult audience.

7. Hold Still by Nina LaCour

I don't think anyone could not be affected by the emotion in this book. Caitlin's grief is so raw and real, I don't think it would even make much of a difference whether she's a teen or an adult.

8. Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert

Ballads of Suburbia portrays so many issues realistically, and I think it could offer some insight into the struggles some teens face today.

9. Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff

God, how to explain this book? It's so real and smart, I can't think of an audience it wouldn't appeal to. The characters don't even have set genders, so what difference could their age make?

10. Dear Bully

Dear Bully offers insight into an important issue teens today face and adults have faced, too, and I think everyone could take something from reading such a heartfelt anthology.

These are some books I'd recommend to someone who doesn't read contemporary YA. What are your recommendations?

Interview with Aya Tsintziras (Pretty Bones Blog Tour)

2012-01-16T03:49:00.000-08:00

Today we have Aya Tsintziras here for an author interview! This interview is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for Pretty Bones. You can find out more about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops of the blog tour if you'd like to know more about Pretty Bones!

What inspired you to write about anorexia?

In the ninth grade, a girl in my grade passed away, and we quickly learned it was because of a severe eating disorder. Being only fourteen, I was really disturbed by this (but of course, this is disturbing at any age) and it basically haunted me throughout my high school years. I wanted to write about anorexia in order to explore the thoughts and feelings I had surrounding this tragedy, but also because dieting and body image is such an important issue in our culture and something that everyone deals with. In high school, I knew quite a few girls who ate weirdly, and that didn’t stop once I reached university – a lot of girls were obsessed with the gym and some even went several times a day. In tenth grade, I was having a really hard time and went through a minor depression and wasn’t eating, so when I was part of a young playwright’s unit here in Toronto the spring of tenth grade, I had to write a one-act play and I knew I wanted to write about a teenage girl with anorexia and how that would affect the people in her life. The summer before eleventh grade, I decided to turn the play into novel, and that’s how the book came to be. I think that almost every girl deals with food and weight and body image issues at some point in their lives.

Can you tell us a bit about the writing process? Do you have any weird writing habits?

The writing process for this book is quite different from how I write now. I wrote the first draft of this book when I was sixteen, and so I wrote in bits and pieces – sometimes I wrote after school at the Starbucks near my house, sometimes I wrote at night before going to bed. I thought about the story all the time, though – I daydreamed about it during class, I thought up new scenes before going to sleep every night.

Now, since finishing my university degree this past June, I write every day and I have more of a real writing process. After I wake up and have breakfast, I walk to my local Starbucks and come back home to write for the morning, take a break for lunch, and then write for a few more hours in the afternoon. Or I go to another coffee shop to write in the morning and then write at home in the afternoon. So every writing day isn’t exactly the same, and I do take some breaks, but the main thing is that I’m always working on something and try to write 2, 000 words a day.

I don’t think I have any weird writing habits! But for a while I was obsessed with writing in first person present tense, if that counts. The story I’m working on at the moment is in third person past tense, just for something different and to challenge myself.

If you could pair your main character, Raine, up with any character from any book, who would it be and why?

Maybe Heathcliff. I think that would be romantic and tragic enough for her. But really, she wouldn’t want to be with anyone other than her boyfriend, Dylan!

Which is easier for you - dialogue or description?

Both come pretty naturally depending on the book – but I absolutely love writing dialogue. Once I get the feeling of who my characters are, I could go on forever.

What was your favorite scene to write in Pretty Bones?

There’s a party scene near the end of the book that was really satisfying to write – but I can’t say more than that, because it would be a spoiler!

Thanks for the great interview answers, Aya!

Make sure to check out the rest of the tour stops, and keep your eye out for Pretty Bones, which has already been released.

Pretty Bones by Aya Tsintziras
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Raine has a family, good grades, best friends, and a boyfriend who loves her. But then anorexia takes over, and her life spirals out of control. Her efforts to hide her condition are finished when she collapses at a school dance. Although she's whisked away to treatment, Raine isn't ready to accept who she really is and get the help she desperately needs. For Raine, coming-of-age means coming closer to death.

In My Mailbox #41

2012-01-15T07:16:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where you can talk about the books you bought or received this week.

Bought:

The Fault in our Stars by John Green

(Amazon | Goodreads)

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

My pre-order of The Fault in Our Stars arrived this week! Sadly, it is not signed - German Amazon sucks. So yeah, I'm pretty sad about that. I already read it, though, and it was amazing!

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
(Amazon | Goodreads)

When an unexpected inheritance enables Ari to transfer to an elite Manhattan prep school, she makes a wealthy new friend, Leigh. Leigh introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York--and to her gorgeous cousin, Blake. Ari doesn't think she stands a chance, but amazingly, Blake asks her out. As their romance heats up, they find themselves involved in an intense, consuming relationship. Ari's family worries that she is losing touch with the important things in life, like family, hard work, and planning for the future.
When misfortune befalls Blake's family, he pulls away, and Ari's world drains of color. As she struggles to get over the breakup, Ari must finally ask herself: were their feelings true love . . . or something else?

I've heard great things about Other Words for Love, and the cover is gorgeous!

Torn by Cat Clarke
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Four girls. One dead body. A whole lot of guilt.
Alice King isn’t expecting the holiday of a lifetime when she sets off with her classmates on a trip to the Scottish wilderness, but she’s not exactly prepared for an experience beyond her darkest nightmares…
Alice and her best friend Cass are stuck in a cabin with Polly, the social outcast, and Rae, the moody emo-girl. Then there’s Tara – queen of mean. Powerful, beautiful and cruel, she likes nothing better than putting people down.
Cass decides it’s time to teach Tara a lesson she’ll never forget. And so begins a series of events that will change the lives of these girls forever...
A compelling story of guilty secrets, troubled friendship and burgeoning love.

I haven't heard all that much about this one, but it sounds great, mysterious and creepy.

NetGalley:

Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker
(Amazon | Goodreads)

Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart?
Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to.

I'm so excited for this one! The cover is gorgeous, and it sounds right up my alley.

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

One-Year-Blogoversary & Giveaway

2012-01-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

Today is my one-year-blogoversary!

I can't believe I've been doing this for an entire year now. When I started blogging, I thought this would be some small hobby I'd do on the side, but book-blogging has become a huge part of my life - in a good way. It's so much more work than I imagined, but it's also so, so much fun. I've had a blast writing reviews and posts and whatnot. I'm so happy to have found the YA-book-blogging community - you guys are awesome! It's so great to be able to connect with fellow booklovers, and it feels amazing that I've introduced a few books to people who otherwise would not have read them. This first year of book-blogging has been an amazing experience for me, and I hope to be doing it for a long, long time!

Now on to what you're really here for: the giveaway!

I haven't done one of these giveaways in a while, so the list is going to be looong, but I will give you the chance to choose from all the books I've given 4- or 5-star-reviews to since the last of these giveaways. And since this isn't just another giveaway but my blogoversary, there will be two winners instead of just one!

Rules:
- Two winners will receive one book of their choice from the list below.
- Open to wherever the Book Depository ships - check here.
- Must be 13 or older to enter.
- This giveaway will run for three weeks. That means you can enter between now and Friday, February 3rd.
- The randomly selected winner will be contacet by e-mail the following day. He/she has 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.
- I am not responsible for items lost or damaged in the mail.

So here are the books you can choose from:

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Positively by Courtney Sheinmel
The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert
Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff
You Against Me by Jenny Downham
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky
Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
Dear Bully
dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman
Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

To enter, fill out the form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writing Tens List by Holly Cupala & Giveaway (Don't Breathe a Word Blog Tour)

2012-01-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

Today we have Holly Cupala here for a guest post! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala. You can find out more about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops of the blog tour if you'd like to know more about Don't Breathe a Word!

Hello to Hannah and readers, and thanks so much for inviting me to your blog! DON’T BREATHE A WORD is on the shelves (as of last week!) and I’m really excited to be here.

Hannah invited me here to tell you my ten favorite things about writing Don’t Breathe a Word:

1. More secrets. I guess I’m just a secrets-suspense-superhot hero kind of writer, but I love to uncover my characters’ secrets.

2. The day the idea hit—my novels always seem to come like a movie trailer in my head, where I have the characters and emotional arc and major events in a flash, enticing me to sit down and write. I love getting ideas! (The hard part is writing them…)

3. Creed. After writing Tell Me a Secret, I wanted a character with honor and courage, a boy worthy of Joy’s love. I sort of fell in love with him, too!

4. It was fast! I spent four years (off and on) writing the first draft of Tell Me a Secret, and Don’t Breathe a Word came out in just four months. Is it too much to hope this next novel takes four weeks…?

Joy's moment of fear with Asher
(from the graphic chapters)

5. I got to write about one of my great loves, music.

6. Santos and May! They are homeless, scrappy, and full of heart. I love them. If they were real people, I would want to adopt them.

7. All of the connections between DBAW and Tell Me a Secret and the next book I’m working on...I love putting in all of the secret links!

8. Although it was hard at the time, getting to the depths of Joy’s relationship with Asher. He is dark and alluring and harsh—and I had to be willing to go into my own memories (I wrote my true story in the Dear Bully anthology). My hope is that DBAW will help women recognize when a relationship is unhealthy or abusive and to find their own power.

9. Revisioning. Oh, I can’t even tell you how much I hate revising and editing, but I love that it transforms the words on the page. (I have to constantly remind myself of this!)

10. Readers. I’m grateful for all of you who love Joy, Creed, Santos, and May, and who feel the heartaches and swell of triumph right along with them as their lives play out. Thank you. <3

Thank you so much, Hannah, for hosting me! And I hope you all enjoy Don’t Breathe a Word. Visit the rest of the DBAW tour for secrets, swag, and lots of chances to win signed books!

Check out the other stops of the tour here, and visit Holly on her website, the official site for Don't Breathe a Word, Twitter, and Facebook.

You can read a sneak preview of Don't Breathe a Word here!

Make sure to keep your eye out for Don't Breathe a Word, which has already been released!

Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

(Amazon | Goodreads)

Giveaway

Harper and Holly were so generous to offer multiple copies of Don't Breathe a Word for giveaways, so we will be giving away one per day!

Rules:
- There will be one winner a day, and winners are chosen at the end of each week.
- It doesn't matter when you enter; your entries will count for each week.
- This giveaway is international (as long as the Book Depository ships to your country - check here), but there will be no more than one international winner per week.
- International winners will be getting a copy from the Book Depository; US and Canada winners will be getting a signed copy directly from Holly.
- This giveaway is open from now until midnight of January 14th.

There is one automatic entry, and you can get extra entries for
- each post in the blog tour you comment on
- each way you promote this giveaway (Twitter, Facebook, blog)

To enter, fill out THIS FORM. Please fill out the form seperately or each entry, and make sure to include the links for your extra entries!

Review: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

2012-01-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

Title: Virtuosity
Author: Jessica Martinez
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 294
Release date: October 18th 2011
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Bought

Find out more: Amazon / Goodreads

Goodreads description:

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better? Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Goodreads description:

The balcony felt cold under my cheek.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I love the unique premise of Virtuosity. There are so many interesting storylines - the violin-playing, the anti-anxiety drugs and the forbidden romance. And while the execution isn't perfect, Virtuosity is a really fun read!

Usually, I'm pulled in by characters or writing, but the plot is what I liked best about Virtuosity. Carmen's violin-playing is really interesting to read about - I know nothing about the topic, but I loved reading about that whole world, the pressure and everything, especially since the author knows what she's talking about. I also loved reading about Carmen's problem with Inderal, but I wish that issue would have been elaborated on more - I don't think the reader gets to know enough about Carmen's struggle with anti-anxiety drugs.

Carmen is a pretty good character - she's easy to relate to, and you can't help but feel for her. But I still didn't love her - I can't even explain why, but she isn't my favorite character ever.

The secondary characters are really well-developed. Diana, the mom - wow. At the beginning I could still sort of understand her - her career as an opera-singer failed, so she wants Carmen to succeed in the music industry. No, that's not great parenting, but you can see where she's coming from, and it seems like she still wants what's best for her daughter. What she does later on, though... How can anyone be that cruel? I hated Diana with a passion. Clark, Carmen's stepdad, on the other hand, is so sweet. I love all scenes that include him, and I would have liked to know more about him and how he deals with, well, what happens.

I'm split on what to make of Jeremy and Carmen's relationship. I loved Jeremy as a character, but I think his relationship with Carmen developed too quickly, and I still don't get why they started hanging out in the first place. Carmen's obsession with Jeremy in the beginning is strange, too. Later on, though, I loved the two of them together - it's really well-done how they go back and forth between wanting to be together but both wanting to win, and that part seems more realistic.

The ending is perfect - it's not happy or sad; it's hopeful, and just right. Yes, I would have liked to know some more about what happens to all of the characters, but the ending works really well with the story.

The romance is a little too insta-love and there are some topics I would have liked to know more about, but all in all, this is a fun read with an intriguing plot and great secondary characters. I definitely recommend it, unless you cannot stand insta-love at all.