Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make…
1. I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?
2. I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is now enraged and out for blood. Mine.
3. High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry—get it?)
Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.
(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.)
(Sorry. That was rude.)

First off, let’s talk about this book cover. I love it. I have no idea why I like it so much, but I do. (I think it may be because the cover has a lot of white on it which makes it look… clean. I read Confessions of an Angry Girl awhile ago, but for some reason never reviewed it. However, I recently found myself rereading it- so I thought I should post a review. When I first picked up this book, I was weary of it since the main character is pretty young for a YA character (she’s 14, instead of the usual 15-18).

However, I loved Confessions of an Angry Girl. Rose was spunky, and I ended up liking her way more than I thought I would. At times, her snarky narrative added some comedic relief to the story. The comedic relief was definitely needed, since Rose’s narrative also got quite dark at times. I admit, I cried a few times while reading this.

Confessions of an Angry Girl is fantastic. It has spots of snark paired with patches of serious bits. Louise Rozett is an amazing writer. I can’t wait to read the second book in this series! Rose Zarelli captured my heart and mind, and I loved reading her story.

FTC- eGalley from Netgalley.

Touched by Corrine Jackson

Remy O’Malley heals people with touch—but every injury she cures becomes her own. Living in a household with an abusive stepfather, she has healed untold numbers of broken bones, burns,and bruises. And then one night her stepfather goes too far.
Being sent to live with her estranged father offers a clean start and she is eager to take it. Enter Asher Blackwell. Once a Protector of Healers, Asher sacrificed his senses to become immortal. Only by killing a Healer can a Protector recover their human senses. Falling in love is against the rules between these two enemies. Because Remy has the power to make Protectors human again, and when they find out, they’ll be coming for her—if Asher doesn’t kill her first.

This book was so magnificent. I loved Corrine’s debut novel, If I Lie, so I was excited to start Touched. I loved Touched, however, both books are wildly different. If I Lie was an emotional contemporary novel. Where as Touched is the first in an emotional (in different ways) paranormal series. I devoured Touched. I read most of it before meeting Corrine at a book signing, and then read the rest on the way home from the signing. This book is seriously addicting, so if you start reading it (which you should), you should make sure to carve out a few hours because you’ll most likely want to read it straight through.

Remy was awesome. I loved how kickass she was- and how she wasn’t afraid to stand up to people. The power that she had, being able to heal people was really interesting. I especially like that her power isn’t just one sided. Using it has its consequences, and even though it hurts Remy to heal people, she still makes the choice to help. Asher is gorgeous. It’s really apparent that he’s a YA boy, though. Some parts about him were stereotypical. Asher was dark, brooding, and mysterious. That being said, I still loved him.

Touched was a great book. The characters were well written and the story was overall really interesting. Corrine Jackson is am amazing writer, and I can’t wait to read the second book in the Touched series!

FTC- Bought.

Waiting on Wednesday (65)

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

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

July 2, 2013

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.
So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.
She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kristin Cronn-Mills

"This is Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, on community radio 90.3, KZUK. I'm Gabe. Welcome to my show."
My birth name is Elizabeth, but I'm a guy. Gabe. My parents think I've gone crazy and the rest of the world is happy to agree with them, but I know I'm right. I've been a boy my whole life.
When you think about it, I'm like a record. Elizabeth is my A side, the song everybody knows, and Gabe is my B side--not heard as often, but just as good.
It's time to let my B side play.

This book was so good! It was the first book I had read after a long reading drought. Beautiful Music for Ugly Children was refreshing. It wasn’t a light book to read, but it was easy in the sense that getting into the story didn’t take much effort. I was immediately drawn to Gabe, and his heartfelt story. I was a little apprehensive about starting Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, but once I started it, I couldn’t put it down.

Kristin Cronn-Mills is a fantastic writer. She stunned me with her writing and characters. Gabe was amazing. He was an interesting, fearless, badass character who people should aspire to be like. I honestly wasn’t expecting to care for Gabe, along with all the other characters in this book, as much as I did.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children is a must-read for everyone. There aren’t many books out there that are able to accomplish what this book accomplished. I have endless praise for Kristin Cronn-Mills. Her writing is beautiful, and this story is stunning.

FTC- Received at Summer ALA.

Waiting on Wednesday (64)

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

Leap of Faith by Jaime Blair

September 3, 2013

Now that Leah Kurtz has a place to call home, there’s no way she can tell the truth.
That her name is Faith, not Leah.
That she’s seventeen, not nineteen.
That the baby isn’t hers—she kidnapped her.
She had to kidnap Addy though. She couldn’t let her newborn sister grow up like she did, with parties where the drugs flow all night and an empty refrigerator in the kitchen holding nothing but pickle juice and ketchup packets inside.
She can’t risk losing Chris—the only guy she’s ever given herself to completely—by telling him she’s been lying. He’s the most generous person she’s ever known, and he’s already suffered the tragic deaths of his mom and infant sister.
But being on the run with a newborn catches up with her when a cop starts asking questions, and Chris’s aunt finds a newspaper article about Faith and a missing baby. Faith knows it’s time to run again—from Chris and the only place that’s ever felt like home.

Also Known As by Robin Benway

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.
Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

I am, and always have been a huge fan of Robin Benway’s novels. Because of this, I had huge expectations for Also Known As. Luckily, all of my expectations were more than met. Benway is an amazing writer. She’s able to craft a well-written, humorous story that holds your attention until the very end. It also had spies! I love spies.

Maggie was fabulous. She was smart, witty, and totally kick-butt. I liked that she was still a realistic teen character, even though she is a freaking spy! I loved her. Maggie’s parents were great too. One of the things I love most about Benway’s writing is her ability to make all the characters real, even the parents. Instead of being divorced/dead/other, Benway made Maggie’s parents like most parents. They’re dysfunctional, but they still have their own personalities.

Also Known As was fabulous. I loved every minute that I was reading it. Benway’s writing is fast-paced (I read the book in one sitting) and unmistakably hilarious. Fans of The Gallagher Girl books will love this. But, I recommend it to everybody who’s looking for a good spy novel, or just a book that will make them laugh.

FTC- Received from publisher.

Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

Big-hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend shreds her reputation and her school counselor axes her junior independent study project. Chloe is forced to take on a meaningful project in order to pass, and so she joins her school’s struggling radio station, where the other students don’t find her too queenly. Ostracized by her former BFs and struggling with her beloved Grams’s mental deterioration, lonely Chloe ends up hosting a call-in show that gets the station much-needed publicity and, in the end, trouble. She also befriends radio techie and loner Duncan Moore, a quiet soul with a romantic heart. On and off the air, Chloe faces her loneliness and helps others find the fun and joy in everyday life. Readers will fall in love  with Chloe as she falls in love with the radio station and the misfits who call it home.

I waited anticipating this novel like no other. I saw it on Goodreads a few months before it came out and immediately pined for it. I was finally able to track down a copy at the library 7 months after the books release, and I ended up reading it in a day. Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe is a lovely book. I was expecting a nice, fluffy-yet-good book that would satisfy my never ending need to read YA books about radio shows/music. This book was light, but still dealt with serious issues.

Chloe was an awesome character. People were annoyed with her because of her popularity and self-obsession. However, readers see the other side of Chloe that other characters are missing. We see her family life, and the problems that revolve around it. And we get to know a different side of Chloe. I admit, she still annoyed me at times, but ultimately I loved her. Duncan was adorable. I just wanted to go into the story and give him a hug. He’s quiet, shy and kind. His story is one of the things that makes Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe more serious than I thought it would be. Duncan is an ace character, though. He was one of the best, cutest boy characters that I had read in awhile.

Shelley Coriell is a fantastic debut writer. Her first novel was addicting, emotionally touching and brilliantly written. I can’t wait to see what she has coming out next.

An Interview with Liz Fichera

Today I have an interview with Liz Fichera. Liz is the writer of the awesome novel, Hooked which was released by HarlequinTeen this week. Here’s the interview-

1. Did you purposely give the main character of Hooked the nickname Fred? If so, why?

I knew that the heroine in HOOKED would never be a Tiffany or Madison or some other contemporary trendier name.   I wanted her to have a classic, strong name and one that would have an appropriate nickname.  When I spotted the name Fredricka, I knew I found my Fred. J  In my head, she is completely and totally a Fred and I could see her trying to distance herself from her full first name.  It was perfect.

2. Describe Hooked in six words or less.

Worlds collide.

3. What would the playlist for Hooked look like?

It’s pretty eclectic:

The Proclaimers – Whole Wide World

Miranda Lambert – The House That Built Me

Jerrod Niemann – Lover, Lover

Gloriana – Kissed You

Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me

Sóley – Smashed Birds

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

First and foremost, it’s a story.  I hope readers would want to get lost inside the lives of Fred and Ryan for a little while and perhaps see pieces of themselves in each of them.  While I didn’t set out to write a book with big themes, it just worked out that way.  I hope readers finish it and realize that it’s important to dream big dreams, especially when your life stretches in front of you as it does for all teens.  Don’t let anyone stand in the way of achieving your dreams, even yourself.

5. Is there anything you can tell us about the companion to Hooked, Played?
PLAYED is all about Sam and Riley’s story, with brief appearances from Fred and Ryan.  Sam and Riley are two secondary characters in PLAYED and I really have a soft spot for both of them.  They are opposites, much like Fred and Ryan, but their motivations and desires are somewhat different.  Sam is also the kind of guy I could have totally crushed on in high school so writing his story for PLAYED was so much fun.  He never in a million years expected to get mixed up with a girl like Riley but he gets his chance in PLAYED.  And it’s not all smooth sailing.