Hooked by Liz Fichera

When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.
But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.
But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...
GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.

Hooked was lovely. I was expecting it to be cheesy- and judging by the cover, similar to books by Simone Elkeles. I was right about one thing- readers of Simone Elkeles will love Hooked. It wasn’t at all cheesy. Hooked was deep and cute- but covered some serious issues such as alcoholism and how it can affect those around you. Liz Fichera wrote a fantastic novel.

I loved Fred. Despite having family troubles and a hard time at school, she was able to keep her head up. I really liked that she remained true to herself and her passion for golf. Fred kicked butt! The little bit of romance in this was just adorable and served as the icing on the cake. Ryan was a fantastic character, and I liked how genuine he was. Seth however, was horrible- but that’s okay, because he’s supposed to be. I absolutely adored Fred’s dad- he was adorable, and one of my favorite parts of Hooked.

Hooked had fantastic pacing. One thing after another, what happened in the story was interesting and addicting. I couldn’t put Hooked down. Fichera is an awesome writer. I can’t wait to read her next book, which will be a companion to Hooked.

FTC- Received for review.

Waiting on Wednesday (63)

Waiting on Wednesday is an amazing weekly topic that is brought to you by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

Indelible by Dawn Metcalf

July 30, 2013

Joy doesn’t know who “Ink” is, but she suspects it might be the guy who tried to stab her in the eye. Ever since that night at the club, Joy keeps finding cryptic notes, messages, and threats for Ink. Trying to disentangle herself from this bizarre case of mistaken identity, Joy discovers the truth about the mysterious Indelible Ink and other members of the Twixt, unexpectedly pitting them both against a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, and a scheme to end the Age of Man.

Cover Reveal- Stained by Cheryl Rainfield

Today is the official cover release date for Stained by Cheryl Rainfield! Yay! Cheryl’s other books include Scars and Hunted. I was lucky enough to have Cheryl contact me to help get the information about her upcoming book out there. For without further to do, here is some information about her next book STAINED! At the end of this post, you can watch the book trailer for STAINED.

Description-

In this heart-wrenching and suspenseful teen thriller, sixteen-year-old Sarah Meadows longs for "normal." Born with a port-wine stain covering half her face, all her life she’s been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. But when she’s abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had, become a hero rather than a victim, and learn to look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside. It’s that—or succumb to a killer.

A Note from the author-

Like I did with SCARS and HUNTED, I drew on some of my own experiences of bullying, abuse, and trauma to write STAINED and to give it greater emotional depth. Like Sarah in STAINED, I experienced abduction, imprisonment, periods of forced starvation, mind control, and having my life threatened. And like Sarah, I tried hard to fight against my abuser, keep my own sense of self, and escape. I hope readers will see Sarah's strength and courage, and appreciate her emotional growth as she reclaims herself.

STAINED will be released on November 19, 2013

You can pre-order STAINED from The Book Depository by going here.

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl.
As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better.

Ask the Passengers was beautiful. A.S. King has really outdone herself with this novel. I couldn’t stop reading Ask the Passengers, I was completely hooked and wanted to bring it everywhere with me.

Astrid was an amazing character. She was thoughtful, interesting, and extremely real. I loved how she would give her love to the people on the plane. It seemed so intimate, yet modest. Her personality was just so good. Astrid was easy to relate to because like many people, she doesn’t want to be categorized into a box- she doesn’t see a point in it. Her love of philosophy and Socrates was an awesome quirk that really made her, her.

A.S. King is a fantastic writer. She’s extremely quotable. All of her books are beautiful and thoughtful, and Ask the Passengers isn’t any different. This novel made me think. It made me want to think deeply more, and to appreciate all the world has to offer. Astrid made me want to try and do what she does- send love to the people in the sky, or just to people in general. Ask the Passengers as an overall story was nothing short of spectacular.

FTC- Received as a gift.

An Interview with Amy McNamara

Today I have an interview with Amy McNamara, who’s novel Lovely, Dark and Deep was beautiful. You can find my review of it here.

1. How did your background in poetry affect how you wrote Lovely, Dark and Deep?

Poetry has made me very aware of music in language. When I sit down to work, I read aloud what I wrote the day before. Poetry is a musical art form, more compressed than prose, and when you’re working in a compressed form, your choices — syntax, pacing, sound, even silence — become very pointed, deliberate.

For example, take a look at Elizabeth Bishop’s poem One Art. That first line,

”The art of losing isn’t hard to master”

evokes through rhythm and sound a sense of bluster, loss, disaster.

(You can read the entire poem here: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15212)

Poetry leans heavily on image for making meaning and it has taught me to be aware of my choices, to ensure my images are working toward my meaning, not against it.

2. What character in the novel can you relate to the most?

I relate to a few characters in equal measure. I was mourning a friend when I wrote Lovely, Dark and Deep. The nature of my loss was different, but to a certain extent I was experiencing some of Wren’s same shock at life’s callous expression of meaninglessness. Lucy the librarian has my dream job—a apparently fully-funded, beautiful library in a tight community. I related to Zara and her desire to coach Wren through the parts of grief where she’s beating herself up. And finally, I relate in some ways to both of her parents. I share Wren’s mother’s wish to have everything run smoothly, and if I’m being honest, I share some of Wren’s father’s desire for the kind of isolation that lends itself to really focusing on making.

3. In Lovely, Dark and Deep, Wren is from the city, but stays in a small town. Are you a city or a town person?

I’m a city person through and through. I love being around people; I love that my kids are just as likely to sit on the subway next to someone reading a Thai newspaper, or one in Cyrillic, as they are to sit near someone rockin’ out to something in their earphones. I was raised in a small city in the Midwest, but dreamed of New York early on. From time to time my eye wants nature, particularly the ocean, so I get out and refill with the rhythm of the natural world, but then I get restless and start to wonder where all the people are.

4. What would the playlist for Lovely, Dark and Deep look like?

It’s funny, when I write poems I can’t have music on at all. Maybe for me, the art forms (music, poetry) compete too much? But when I wrote this book I had almost a hunger for a soundtrack. That alarmed me at first; after writing for so long it’s strange when your rhythms suddenly shift. But there it was, this craving for music. I spent so much money on iTunes! I wrote at length about the music for a great British blog called BookAngelBooktopia. If you’d like to read it in full, you can check it out here:

http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/2012/11/musical-moments-guest-post-the-soundtrack-to-lovely-dark-and-deep-by-amy-mcnamara.html

I wrote Lovely, Dark and Deep in 2009, and the straight-up playlist looks like this:

1. “Waiting for a War” talking through tin cans, The Morning Benders

2. “Your Ex-lover is Dead” Set Yourself on Fire, Stars

3. “Simple” The End of Part One, The Violet Archers

4. “Last Leaf” Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, OK Go

5. “Zebra” Teen Dream, Beach House

6. “Burning Star” Mimicking Birds, Mimicking Birds

7. “Herringbone” In Ear Park, Department of Eagles

8. “Better than Worse” Has a Good Home, Final Fantasy

9. “To Be Alone With You” Seven Swans, Sufjan Stevens

10. “Woods” Blood Bank, Bon Iver

11. “Deep Blue Sea” Friend, Grizzly Bear

12. “Honey Honey” The Reminder, Feist

13. “Under the Willow Tree First Rodeo, HoneyHoney

14. “Take Care” Teen Dream, Beach House

15. “Beach Baby” Blood Bank, Bon Iver

16. “Under and In Rocks” Mimicking Birds, Mimicking Birds

17. “We Are Fine” Tramp Sharon Van Etten, (with Zach Condon)

18. “Sailing By Night” A Johnny Glaze Christmas: Classical Snatches and Samples a Go-go 2003-2007, Department of Eagles

19. “Simple” The End of Part One, The Violet Archers

20. “Service Bell” Dark Was the Night, Feist & Grizzly Bear

5. What would you like readers to take away from your novel?

That’s a great question with an easy answer: grief is a complex constellation of feelings that run on their own timeline. Talking to other people who have experienced loss helps. There’s an incredible memoir of grief and grieving by fellow Warren Wilson MFA grad Meghan O’Rourke called The Long Goodbye. In her book, Meghan recounts the loss of her mother to cancer while also investigating what it means to grieve in modern America, how quick we are to want to tidy things up. She analyzes the so-called stages of grief and questions the utility of and in some cases the harm in turning feelings into illness when they don’t neatly conform to current expectations.

Thank you so much, Amy!

My Life in Black and White by Natasha Friend

What if you lost the thing that made you who you are?
Lexi has always been stunning. Her butter-colored hair and perfect features have helped her attract friends, a boyfriend, and the attention of a modeling scout. But everything changes the night Lexi's face goes through a windshield. Now she's not sure what's worse: the scars she'll have to live with forever, or what she saw going on between her best friend and her boyfriend right before the accident. With the help of her trombone-playing, defiantly uncool older sister and a guy at school recovering from his own recent trauma, Lexi learns she's much more than just a pretty face.

I didn’t read the summary to My Life in Black and White until after I read it- so all of my assumptions on what the book would be about were based on the cover. So naturally, I didn’t know what to expect after looking at this cover (which adds to the appeal, I suppose). One things for sure- I wasn’t at all expecting a novel so deep and serious. My Life in Black and White surprised me, and I loved it.

I really liked Lexi. I was apprehensive of her at first because she was popular, perfect and seemed a bit superficial. However, as the story went on, she began to grow on me. Though I can’t relate to Lexi’s story personally- I think almost everybody will be able to relate to her struggle of finding a place to fit in (after the accident). All of the other characters in My Life in Black and White were wonderful as well.

My Life in Black and White had the perfect balance of themes. There was normal teen-problems, serious things relating to what happened to Lexi, familial relationships, and romance. One of my favorite things about this book is how the romance wasn’t the only thing present in the story. Every single aspect of the novel and Lexi’s life was evident- and the romance was just one of those parts.

My Life in Black and White was spectacular. I finished it in a matter of hours, and it took me weeks to get it out of my mind. Jessica Friend is an amazing author, and I can’t wait to read more of her books.

FTC- Received from publisher.

Waiting on Wednesday (62)

Waiting on Wednesday is an amazing weekly topic that is brought to you by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

The Originals by Cat Patrick

May 7, 2013

17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life...
Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she's not a carbon copy of her sisters; she's an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.

Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed

One house, two worlds...
Rose Cliffe has never met a young lady like her new mistress. Clever, rich, and beautiful, Ada Averley treats Rose as an equal. And Rose could use a friend. Especially now that she, at barely sixteen, has risen to the position of ladies’ maid. Rose knows she should be grateful to have a place at a house like Somerton. Still, she can’t help but wonder what her life might have been had she been born a lady, like Ada.
For the first time in a decade, the Averleys have returned to Somerton, their majestic ancestral estate. But terrible scandal has followed Ada’s beloved father all the way from India. Now Ada finds herself torn between her own happiness and her family’s honor. Only she has the power to restore the Averley name—but it would mean giving up her one true love . . . someone she could never persuade her father to accept.
Sumptuous and enticing, the first novel in the At Somerton series introduces two worlds, utterly different yet entangled, where ruthless ambition, forbidden attraction, and unspoken dreams are hidden behind dutiful smiles and glittering jewels. All those secrets are waiting . . . at Somerton.

Cinders & Sapphires was so good! I’m not a big historical fan, but I really really enjoyed Leila Rasheed’s writing and characters. It took awhile for me to get into the book, but once I did there was no looking back. Cinders &Sapphires was an amazing historical YA that deserves all the praise in the world.

Cinders & Sapphires is told in different points of view, which is hard to pull off- but it was pulled off extraordinarily well in Cinders & Sapphires. This book was so dramatic. I loved it. Every time I would even begin to lose interest, something would happen that scooped me right back into the story.

However, there were parts where I did lose interest. It’s really difficult for me to read historical novels because they just don’t manage to capture me as well as other books do. There was the occasional bit that made me want to stop reading- however I didn’t, and that seemed to pay off in the end.

I recommend Cinders & Sapphires for fans of Downton Abbey, and dramatic historical books. Though I probably won’t be seeking out the second book in this series- I don’t regret reading Cinders & Sapphires.

FTC- Received from publisher.

Shadowlands by Kate Brian

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.
Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

I hadn’t heard anything about Shadowlands before it arrived on my doorstep. And even then, I was weary about reading it- the cover kind of makes it look dystopian and the summary didn’t really strike my fancy. But once I started reading it, there was no looking back. This is the first book I've read my Kate Brian and it certainly won’t be the last.

Shadowlands was crazy addicting. It kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what’s going to happen next. The pacing in it was wonderful. From the very first page, there wasn’t a dull moment. Rory was a nice main character- she was likeable and it was easy to be sympathetic towards her situation. I felt so bad for all she had to go through, and I like how believable she was written.

It’s difficult for me to write this review without giving anything away. Kate Brian is the master of plot twists, and I can’t wait to see where Shadowlands goes in the sequel. She has me waiting on the edge of my seat to read the second book.

FTC- Received from publisher.

An Interview with Huntley Fitzpatrick

Hey everyone! I’m here with an interview featuring Huntley Fitzpatrick, author of the amazing novel My Life Next Door. I posted my review her book yesterday, if you want to go check it out. Without further to do, here’s the interview!

1. Which character in My Life Next Door is your favorite? Which one can you relate to the most?

It’s hard to pick a favorite—cliche alert—because it’s a little like picking a favorite child. I can tell you I identify with almost everyone. Probably the one I relate to most is Tim. Whom I intended to be a small character but who sort of strolled on in and did what he pleased in the book. I was not a redheaded eighteen year old alcoholic and drug addict, but I do tend to cover pain or insecurity with humor.

2. In your biography, you mention that you have six kids. Is your life hectic like that of the Garrett's? Do you think having a big family is what influenced you to have a big family in My Life Next Door?

Our life IS hectic like the Garretts. In fact, in one scene in the book I describe what is on the counter in their kitchen. I took in straight from my kitchen. Having a big family was always a dream of mine. I have two half-siblings whom I love dearly, but I grew up mostly as an only child, so I always longed for more kids around. It’s turned out to be every bit as great as I imagined.

3. Describe My Life Next Door in five words or less.

That’s a tough one because I’m excessively verbose. I’ll try. Neighbors become friends, then more.

5. Which YA book do you wish you would have written?

So many. Hard to choose. Okay, The Fault in Our Stars. Shine. Alice Bliss.

6. What would you like readers to take away from reading My Life Next Door?

That most things look different from a distance and that everyone struggles.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another
“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?
A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

Oh, this book. It’s so cute! I can’t get over it. Huntley Fitzpatrick wrote an adorable, unforgettable novel. The writing was so good. The characters were fantastic. And the overall story gave me chills because of how sweet it was.

When I think about trying to get how I felt about My Life Next Door into word-form, all that my mind comes up with is a key-smash*. Samantha was really well written, as were all of the Garretts. Each member of the Garrett family had their own individual personality and I loved all of them, especially Jase. Jase and Samantha were so cute with each other. Everytime they would be in a scene together, I would completely melt. Jase is seriously one of the best literary boys to come around in awhile.

Though My Life Next Door is cute and heartfelt. It also tackles some serious topics that everybody can relate to. Whether it be being judged for the size of your family/type of lifestyle or trying to live up to someone’s expectations of you.

Huntley Fitzpatrick has built a strong name for herself with this amazing debut. I can’t wait for her second book, because it’s sure to be lovely as well. You should go check out My Life Next Door, you won’t regret it.

FTC- Bought.

* For those who don’t know, a key-smash is when you basically just hit random letters on your keyboard because that’s the only way to sufficiently represent your thoughts about something. For example- aedifhdfads

Waiting on Wednesday (61)

Waiting on Wednesday is an amazing weekly topic that is brought to you by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

Just LIke Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

August 27, 2013

Just Like Fate follows the dual possible narratives that spring from one girl's fateful choice: to stay by her dying grandmother's bedside, or to go to a party and miss her grandmother's last moments.

Crash by Lisa McMann

If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trouble. The suspenseful first of four books from the New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy.
Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.
What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode...and nine body bags in the snow.
The vision is everywhere—on billboards, television screens, windows—and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.

I loved Lisa McMann’s first series, starting with Wake. Since it ended, I’ve read all of her YA books, but none of them really captured me the way Wake did until Crash. I’m not saying the writing in Crash was fabulous or the characters were super well developed, but it was a really good story.

Crash took you on a journey. It was interesting, action-packed, and overall really engaging. Jules annoyed me, but for some reason I still liked her. I liked how passionate she was about what she believed in, and I liked how she wouldn’t give up trying to save the people who are in the body bags. Jules’ parents got on my nerves. A lot. They were overly strict because of a feud that was blown way out of proportion by everyone involved. Even at a time later in the novel where they should forget about old feuds, they didn’t. They kept bogging down the story, and got in the way of how much I would have enjoyed reading it.

Though the characters weren’t my favorite thing about the novel, it wasn’t all bad. The story was genuinely interesting, and I was interested in it since I read the summary. I just think that Crash would have been way better if there had been better character development and overall a little better writing.

FTC- Received from publisher.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

Everyone kept telling me to read Mara Dyer, but since it has received so much praise, I was worried to read it (because I didn’t want to be the one person who disliked it). Luckily, I’m not the one person who dislikes it. I devoured The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. It’s not a small book, and I read it within a day.

At the beginning, I was kind of confused with what was going on in the story. However, as time went on, everything started unfolding and the story got easier to understand (and more in depth). The end result, was amazing. Michelle Hodkin is a fantastic writer. I finished Mara Dyer a week and a half ago, and I still don’t know how to form my opinion into eloquent words.

All I can say is that the characters in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer are all fantastic and mysterious and I love them. The romance is beautiful and (dare I say it) sexy. Hodkin is a fantastic writer who’s writing style captured be from the very beginning. I have yet to read the second book in this series, but I want to read it so bad, because I just can’t wait to get back into Mara’s world.

5 stars to Michelle Hodkin, because I can’t get The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer out of my mind. There isn’t enough good adjectives to describe how much I loved this novel. You should really read it.

FTC- Bought.

An Interview with Kristen-Paige Madonia

Today I have the author of Fingerprints of You, Kristen-Paige Madonia on the blog for an interview! You can read my review of Fingerprints of you here, and you can find the Goodreads page for the book here. Without further to do, here’s the interview-

 

1. What part of Fingerprints of You was the most difficult to write? 

I worked particularly hard on the ending -- on finding that delicate balance between wrapping things up but also inviting the readers into the story and allowing them the freedom to draw their own conclusions about what happens to the characters. I tend to be fearful of neat and tidy endings, so while I wanted it to be clear that my characters were moving forward and had become stronger by the events that occurred during the the novel, I also didn't want to lay out all the details of their futures. The plot elements of the ending never changed, but the way I handled them shifted quite a bit during the various rewrites and drafts. 

2. In the novel, Lemon and her mom travel to and from various states. Why did you choose San Francisco as the place for Lemon to run off to?

If truth be told, part of my heart will always belong to San Francisco, so it was a natural choice when I set out to write a coming-of-age novel that involved the physical movement from one part of the country to another. I lived in the city for three years, having moved there just after I finished grad-school, and the cultural of SF shaped and changed me in all kinds of profound ways. In a way, I came of age there as well (though at a much different life-stage than Lemon), so it was lovely to return to that setting and use it as the backdrop for her story. I think that, when you grow up on the east coast as Lemon and I did, there's a natural draw to California -- to that unknown place on the other side of the country. So it felt organic to explore that longing through Lemon.

4. It's mentioned in the story that both Lemon and her father are readers. What are some of your favorite books?

This is such an impossible question... it honestly depends on my mood, what I'm working on at the time, and what's happening in my personal life. But there are a number books I tend to recommend repeatedly, so here's a handful of them: The Outsiders (this book planted the seed for me to write against the age-old advice, "write what you know"); Great Expectations (one of my favorite coming-of-age novels, a true classic); Let the Great World Spend (hands down brilliant - everyone should read this book); Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (an all-time favorite that I return to repeatedly with that "how did he do that?" awe); Ten Thousand Saints (a top pick when contemplating the roaming third person point of view); Looking for Alaska (a contemporary YA "must-read"); Drop City (I love T.C. Boyle, but this is my favorite of his novels); and anything my Raymond Carver and Flannery O'Connor. 

5. What is the one thing you'd like readers to take away from reading Fingerprints of You?

I hope readers leave the book with a greater awareness of the impact we can make on one another. It goes back to the title -– we don’t always know that we’re doing it, but we change and mark one another all the time. The interaction may seem small or even insignificant at the time, but we often affect one another in ways we’re not always aware of. It may be a quick conversation on a bus or a handful of weeks working together, a shared concert or a brief moment in a restaurant; we don’t always know that we’re doing it, but we can affect one another in monumental ways. I hope readers leave the book inspired by that idea: we’re constantly impacting the people in our lives –- we’re all connected, and the exchanges we have may seem small but can often be more powerful than we realize.  

That, and I hope readers are entertained. I hope they fall in love with these characters as much as I did. 

6. Are you working on any other novels (that you can talk about)? Do you have anything you'd like to add?

For the first time, I'm working on two books at once. I just completed a literary novel (for adults) which my agent is now reading. It's so very different than FINGERPRINTS OF YOU, which was an intentional decision; if FINGERPRINTS is about family, this novel is about memory -- the way memories have the ability to distort our reality, for better or worse, and the the way all memories are filtered and translated in some way. I'm also in the middle of writing another YA book, which I'm super excited about. I'm in the first-draft stage, so I'm still learning exactly what it's about, but I've got a good feeling about this one...

Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara

A resonant debut novel about retreating from the world after losing everything—and the connections that force you to rejoin it.
Since the night of the crash, Wren Wells has been running away. Though she lived through the accident that killed her boyfriend Patrick, the girl she used to be didn’t survive. Instead of heading off to college as planned, Wren retreats to her father’s studio in the far-north woods of Maine. Somewhere she can be alone.
Then she meets Cal Owen. Dealing with his own troubles, Cal’s hiding out too. When the chemistry between them threatens to pull Wren from her hard-won isolation, Wren has to choose: risk opening her broken heart to the world again, or join the ghosts who haunt her.

I hadn’t heard anything about this book before getting it in the mail. I have no idea why I hadn’t heard of it before. Lovely, Dark and Deep was sad and emotional, but also incredibly good. Amy McNamara didn’t just made the book about Wren going through the grieving process. She made it about the journeys of other characters and how they all interact with each other. Overall Lovely, Dark and Deep was a really good novel.

Wren was so well written. She was relatable, but still had her own story that made her unique. Her mom, though at times a little too protective, was extremely believable. Owen was interesting, and I really liked him. I specifically liked how he had his own ‘thing’ going on. His existence in the novel wasn’t to act as just a love interest. He had his individual personal struggles, which isn’t something you see in many YA novels.

From the very beginning, McNamara had me hooked on Wren’s story. I couldn’t stop reading. I aimed to read the first 100 pages, and when I looked up from the book it was 3 hours later and I had finished reading. Lovely, Dark and Deep is a really original story, and is difficult to put down. The characters are all amazing. The writing is lyrical, but not in a way that distracts from the story. Amy McNamara is a debut author to watch.

FTC- Review copy received via publisher.

Waiting on Wednesday (60)

Waiting on Wednesday is an amazing weekly topic that is brought to you by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

May 14, 2013

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.
Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.
But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

Then You Were Gone by Lauren Strasnick

Two years ago, Adrienne’s best friend walked out of her life. One week ago, she left Adrienne a desperate, muffled voicemail. Adrienne never called back.
Now Dakota is missing. She left behind a string of broken hearts, a flurry of rumors, and a suicide note.
Adrienne can’t stop obsessing over what might have happened if she’d answered Dakota’s call. And she’s increasingly convinced that Dakota must still be alive.
Maybe finding and saving Dakota is the only way Adrienne can save herself.
Or maybe it’s too late for them both.

I love Lauren Strasnick’s writing. I’ve read her two previous novels and have loved them both. So naturally I was excited when Then You Were Gone showed up on my doorstep. It took me awhile before I really got into Then You Were Gone, but once I did, I couldn’t stop reading.

Then You Were Gone tugs right at your heart. Adrienne’s concern for Dakota, despite not being friends with her for a couple years, was completely understandable. One of the reasons I love Strasnick’s writing is that it’s always so real. This book was no different. The characters were all fantastically written, which added even more to the already amazing story.

Every single chapter of this novel left me wanting more. The chapters are short, but that’s not why. It seems like every chapter Adrienne was discovering more and more information to solve the mystery. I loved solving the mystery with Adrienne.

Then You Were Gone was fantastic. I highly recommend it. It’s a fast-paced, emotional novel that is difficult to get out of your head. Strasnick is an immensely talented author, and I can’t wait to read her next book.

FTC- Received from publisher.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.
Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

Everyone kept telling me to read this, and boy am I glad I did. I love If I Stay and Where She Went, Gayle Forman’s previous two books. However, for some unknown reason, I was hesitant to start Just One Day. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. Forman wrote an unforgettable novel.

I loved that Just One Day started off in London and then went to London. It made me want to travel and go on adventures with Allyson. This book is fast paced, and a good deal of it takes place within the course of a few days. This makes the novel really easy to read. However, it also at times seems like the book is going too fast. Allyson moved really fast with Willem. I wouldn’t call it insta-love, but she did fall for him really fast. It wasn’t even that that bothered me about the relationship between Allyson and Willem. What bothered me the most is how obsessive Allyson got. She was willing to go through some great lengths for a man she only knew for a few days. Her reaction to Willem was realistic, I just wasn’t a fan of it. That’s really my only complaint about Just One Day.

Forman is an incredibly talented writer who was able to capture my attention from the very beginning. I can’t wait to read Just One Year. Just One Day was a marvelous, crazy, lovely novel that I can’t get out of my head. Forman’s writing is enchanting and pulls you in from the very beginning.

FTC- Received as an ARC from the local independent bookshop.

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.

As usual, you can click on the title of each book to be sent to its Goodreads page.

Received for review-

Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara

Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed

Bought-

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez

Where Things Come Back by Corey Whaley

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Altered by Jennifer Rush

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?
Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.
Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.
Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

Altered was so good! I hadn’t heard anything about it before I got it, so it was interesting going into the story with no preconceived ideas of what would happen. Altered took my completely by surprise. It is a thrilling sci-fi novel, and I couldn’t put it down. This is Jennifer Rush’s debut novel, and I cannot wait to read her next book.

I couldn’t stop reading Altered. It was action-packed, and incredibly fast-paced. Rush kept throwing in unexpected curveballs, which kept the book interesting. At first, I didn’t know if I was going to like Altered- because the characters didn’t really stand out to me. However, as the novel progressed, I got to know the characters better and so it became easier to get into the book. Once I got into it, I couldn’t stop reading.

My favorite part about Altered was the crazy journey that Anna and the boys had to go on in order to survive. It was like an epic, unpredictable road trip (except it was way more serious than your average road trip). Though the characters were well written, the plot played a huge role in the book- and that’s ultimately what made it so special.

Altered was fantastic. Since reading it original, I’ve already reread it. Jennifer Rush is an author to watch. I was super happy when I discovered that Altered is the first in a series. I can’t wait to read it!

FTC- Received from a blogger friend.

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

Be careful what you believe in.
Rudy’s life is flipped upside-down when his family moves to a remote island in a last attempt to save his sick younger brother. With nothing to do but worry, Rudy sinks deeper and deeper into loneliness and lies awake at night listening to the screams of the ocean beneath his family’s rickety house.
Then he meets Diana, who makes him wonder what he even knows about love, and Teeth, who makes him question what he knows about anything. Rudy can’t remember the last time he felt so connected to someone, but being friends with Teeth is more than a little bit complicated. He soon learns that Teeth has terrible secrets. Violent secrets. Secrets that will force Rudy to choose between his own happiness and his brother’s life.

Teeth is a weird book. Not bad weird. Not bad at all. Teeth is amazing, heartbreaking, life changing, and definitely not even close to being bad-weird. I say that it’s weird because of how brilliantly original it is. Hannah is a fantastic writer, and has been one of my favorite authors since I read her first novel Break. I wasn’t at all disappointed when I read Teeth.

Hannah created such a great world. While in the process of writing/editing Teeth, Hannah gave it the nickname Magic Gay Fish- so I was automatically interested. When the book finally sold, I was super excited to read it. Then when I was able to read it, I was so pleased with what I read. The characters were so well written. Their emotions were real and intense- just the way I like it. Rudy had so much drive and emotion, but was also just really nice to read about. Teeth (the magicgayfish) was fantastic. I loved him.

What I wasn’t expecting was just how freaking sad this book was going to be. Hannah’s books are usually emotional. They usually make me cry. I knew that I was probably going to end up crying at some point while reading Teeth. But this book didn’t just make me tear up. No, I was completely emotionally invested.

I don’t know what else to say about Teeth, except that I loved it. The plot is out there and I know there are probably a lot of people out there that will be skeptical to read it. But, oh my gosh you should pick this book up. It is fantastic. While you’re picking up Teeth, you should also really check out all of Hannah’s other books- they’re amazing.

FTC- Received on Edelweiss.

Waiting on Wednesday (59)

Waiting on Wednesday is an amazing weekly topic that is brought to you by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

Nobody but Us by Kristin Halbrook

January 29, 2013

Bonnie and Clyde meets IF I STAY in this addictively heart-wrenching story of two desperate teenagers on the run from their pasts.
They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run.
Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger....
When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough.
Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending. Described as “beautiful, heartbreaking, and exhilarating” by Kody Keplinger, author of The DUFF, Nobody But Us will prove irresistible to fans of Nina Lacour, Jenny Han, and Sara Zarr.

My 10 Favorite Books of 2012

This is a list of 12 of my favorite books that I’ve read in 2012! The list is in no particular order, and it may include books that were published before 2012 but that I read this year. If you click the book title, you’ll be sent to my review of it.

 

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I’m still not over this book. I read it the week it came out, and it still hasn’t left my mind. I LOVE The Fault in Out Stars.

 

 

2. Every Day by David Levithan

My love of David Levithan’s books isn’t a secret. He’s my favorite author. That being said, I genuinely think that Every Day is one of the best YA books published in 2012. It was really original and was written amazingly.

 

3. Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

This book was so good. I still can’t put my thoughts about it into coherent words, and I read it back in March.

 

 

4. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

I never wanted to put down Ask the Passengers. It tugged at my heart and I loved every minute of it. (My review of Ask the Passengers should be coming soon.)

 

5. If I Lie by Corrine Jackson

This book made me cry oceans of tears, but it was amazing. Corrine is a fabulous writer, and I can’t wait to read what she come out with next.

 

 

6. Ten by Gretchen McNeil

I get easily frightened, so this was not an easy book for me to read. But despite being a scaredy-cat, I was able to read Ten in one sitting, and it was fantastic.

 

 

7. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Second Chance Summer was spectacular. It was deep, but also really light. Matson did an amazing job writing it.

 

8. In Honor by Jessi Kirby

This was the first book that I’ve read of Jessi Kirby’s and I loved it. It had the perfect balance of serious and fun topics- and was an incredibly quick read. (I haven’t posted my review of In Honor yet. Hopefully it will be up soon.)

 

9. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

This book was SO GOOD. It was the first book I read in 2012, and it was an amazing book to start the year off with. I love it so much.

 

10. Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Corriell

I just read this book, but I love it so much. Chloe was fantastic and the storyline was fantastic and I just love it. (My review should be up soon)