Showing posts with label SIMON AND SCHUSTER. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SIMON AND SCHUSTER. Show all posts

Friday, May 6, 2016

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson


Title: The Unexpected Everything
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Source: ARC from Publisher
Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo
Andie had it all planned out.

When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks)

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected.

And where’s the fun in that?

There only thing I love more than finding out about a new Morgan Matson book is getting to read a new Morgan Matson book. It feels like I had been waiting to read The Unexpected Everything for forever. And now that I’ve read it, I can say it was everything I expected and so much more.

Andie had a plan for her summer. One that involved spending her summer at John Hopkins in one of the best programs for future premed students to build up her resumĂ©. But that was before a scandal rocked her father’s political career and changed everything. Now, Andie can look forward to a spending her summer at home with the father she hasn’t had a relationship with in five years. But maybe not having any plans is just what Andie needs. If her summer had gone according to plan, Andie wouldn’t have ever realized everything she was missing by sticking to the plan. Because sometimes, the best parts of life are the ones you never planned on.

Morgan Matson is one of my all-time favourite authors, there is no doubt about it. There is nothing I love more than picking up one of her books and immersing myself in the world she created for a few hours. And when I’m done, I can’t help but be sad that I won’t get to that again for quite some time. Sure, I can reread books, but it’s never the same as reading them for the first time. When I picked up Morgan Matson’s latest release, The Unexpected Everything, I wanted to take my time, to really savour the story and the time I would spend in this story with these characters. And I loved every single page of it. Morgan Matson is a master at writing contemporary stories that just suck the reader in. I got so wrapped up in this story, in all the relationships and the way they were connected and woven together. And all those complex relationship is what made this story so fantastic. I loved seeing all those relationships. The friendship between Andie and her three best friends Bri, Toby and Palmer made me wish for a group of friends who have known me for my whole life. Andie’s relationship with her father, seeing them reconnect after years of just sharing the same space, made me miss my own father even though I talk to him on a weekly basis. And Annie’s relationship with Clark just made me so stupidly happy. The reason I completely bought into all of these relationships? The characters all felt so incredibly real.

There was never a time while I was reading that all the characters in The Unexpected Everything didn’t really like real people. In fact there were plenty of times while I was reading that I desperately wanted to be a part of the group of friends I was reading out. I wanted to be friends with Andie, Tobi, Bri and Palmer, and by extension Tom, Clark and Wyatt. I wanted to participate in Palmer’s crazy scavenger hunt, I wanted to have Bri sneak me in to not-so-great movies, I wanted  Toby to guide me through the museum, and I wanted to walk dogs with Andie. I loved all four of these girls, but most of all I loved Andie. I loved seeing Andie’s personal growth over the course of the story, seeing her go from following a plan she felt she had to follow to someone who was doing things for herself. It wasn’t always easy for her to let go of her plans and there were definitely some bumps along the way. And as much as I loved who Andie was at the start of the story, I loved who she was even more by the time I reached the end. Also Clark. Clark is quite possibly my new favourite book boy ever. I can’t even handle how freaking adorable Clark was. If he and Andie weren’t so great together, I would totally want him for myself. 

Morgan Matson’s The Unexpected Everything was everything I had hoped it would be and so much more. There wasn’t a single moment of this story that I didn’t love. Also, if I could maybe have a book about each of Andie’s best friends, that would be awesome. 

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Monday, April 4, 2016

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle


Title: The Great American Whatever
Author: Tim Federle
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Release Date: March 29, 2016
Source: ARC from Publisher
Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo
From the award-winning author of Better Nate Than Ever comes a laugh-out-loud sad YA debut that’s a wry and winning testament to the power of old movies and new memories—one unscripted moment at a time.

Quinn Roberts is a sixteen-year-old smart aleck and Hollywood hopeful whose only worry used to be writing convincing dialogue for the movies he made with his sister Annabeth. Of course, that was all before—before Quinn stopped going to school, before his mom started sleeping on the sofa…and before Annabeth was killed in a car accident.

Enter Geoff, Quinn’s best friend who insists it’s time that Quinn came out—at least from hibernation. One haircut later, Geoff drags Quinn to his first college party, where instead of nursing his pain, he meets a guy—a hot one—and falls hard. What follows is an upside-down week in which Quinn begins imaging his future as a screenplay that might actually have a happily-ever-after ending—if, that is, he can finally step back into the starring role of his own life story.

Tim Federle is one of those authors I’ve known about for a long time, but hadn’t read any of his books no matter how many great reviews they were getting. But when I found out he was (finally) writing a YA, I was all over that. And The Great American Whatever went above and beyond any expectations I had.

For the past six months, Quinn Roberts has been hibernating in his room, (not) dealing with his grief after his older sister’s death. But his best friend has finally had enough and is determined to bring Quinn back into the land of the living. What happens when Quinn leaves his room? He goes to a party, drinks his first beer, meets a hot guy, and, most importantly, he starts thinking about the future again. But for Quinn, that future is like a screenplay, perfectly planned out with just the right dialogue. But sometimes, real life isn’t like you imagine the movie of your life to be.

Though I haven’t actually read any of Tim Federle’s middle grade titles, he’s an author who’s been on my radar for quite some time. I mean, I love reading his tweets. So when it was announced that he was releasing a YA novel, I was all over it. I wanted to read The Great American Whatever pretty much from the moment I found out about it. There was just something about the synopsis that caught my attention and made me want to read this story. And now months after originally finding out about it, I have finally read The Great American Whatever and I can say that it was fantastic! If you’ve read the synopsis, then you know that this story has the potential to be kind of dark. I mean, it’s about a teenage boy dealing with the death of his sister. That’s hardly a light and fluffy subject. But the story didn’t feel heavy while I was reading. The Great American Whatever was written in a way that depicted the reality of grief while still having plenty of funny moments. On more than one occasions, I actually felt like laughing at some of the things Quinn would say or do. And when I think about it, Quinn is really the reason this story didn’t get as dark and heavy as it could have. And I loved Quinn.

Quinn was such an unexpected character. It’s not that I went into The Great American Whatever thinking that I wouldn’t like him, I just didn’t expect to like him as much as I did. I loved the way he talked about his life and told his story, at times it felt like he was talking directly at me as opposed to me just reading his story. It allowed me to get that much more into the story. I loved his snarkiness and his deadpan humor. I loved the way he would imagine how moments in his life would play out in a screenplay. I just loved Quinn. He completely creeped up on me over the course of this story and by the time I reached the end, I would have been very happy to just keep reading about him. As much as this was Quinn’s story, I also found that it was also very much a story about Annabeth, Quinn’s dead older sister. Though she’s been dead for close to six months at the start of the story, she’s very much present throughout. Whether it’s because Quinn is constantly thinking about what his sister would think about what he was doing or because people are constantly referencing her, Annabeth is just always there. It just made for an interesting dynamic and added another layer to this story. 

Can a book be both sad and funny at the same time? Because that’s exactly what Tim Federle’s The Great American Whatever was. This story went above and beyond my expectations and I loved every page of it. 

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Monday, October 5, 2015

Madly by Amy Alward


Title: Madly (Potion #1)
Author: Amy Alward
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Source: ARC from Publisher
Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo
When the Princess of Nova accidentally poisons herself with love potion meant for her crush, she falls crown-over-heels in love with her own reflection. Oops. A nationwide hunt is called to find the cure, with competitors travelling the world for the rarest ingredients, deep in magical forests and frozen tundras, facing death at every turn.

Enter Samantha Kemi—and ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent. Sam’s family were once the most respected alchemists in the kingdom, but they’ve fallen on hard times, and winning the hunt would save their reputation. But can Sam really compete with the dazzling powers of the ZoroAser megapharma company? Just how close is Sam willing to get to Zain Aster, her dashing former classmate and enemy, in the meantime?

And just to add to the pressure, this quest is ALL OVER social media. And the world news.

No big deal, then.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that I haven’t really been reading much non-contemporary this year. But there have been a few non-contemporary books this year that have caught my attention. And then I find myself completely surprised by how into them I get. And that’s what happened with Amy Alward’s Madly.

Samantha Kemi wants to bring the Kemi name back to its former glory. Once upon a time, the Kemi family were the most respected alchemists in the kingdom. But the rise of synthetic potions, there isn’t much of a demand for traditional potions. But that was before the Princess of Nova accidentally postponed herself with a love potion. Now, all of the best alchemists in Nova are called on a hunt to find a cure. And Sam is determined to win and save her family’s reputation. But that’s easier said than done when she has to compete with alchemists who have more power and more money than her. And then there’s Zain Aster, her enemy. Who also happens to be the boy she can’t get out of her head. Sam only has to much time to find a cure and the clock is ticking as the whole world looks on.

Remember a few years ago, when so many of the books being published in YA involved some sort of paranormal or fantastic element? I kind of miss those days. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my contemporary books and I will forever love them, but every so often I miss those paranormal books. So despite reading almost exclusively contemporary books in the last year or so, I still pick up the odd paranormal or fantasy book. The most recent of those being Amy Alward’s Madly. And guys, this book was awesome. I figured I would enjoy it, but I didn’t think I would get as into it as I did. Once the story really got going, I had trouble putting the book down. I got so caught up in the search for the cure, and the crazy adventures Sam was going on. Once the action got going, it didn’t let up. Sam was constantly getting dragged from one place to the next, putting her life in danger trying to save the princess and her family’s reputation. And I loved the different relationships that were present in the story. I loved seeing the family dynamics, and the friendships and the subtle romance that was present throughout. It drew me into the story that much more.

Sam was a total badass. This girl wasn’t afraid of anything. Or at least that’s what it felt like when I was reading. She was determined to win the Hunt and repair her family’s reputation. But she wasn’t as fearless as everyone thought she was. And seeing all those different aspects of Sam’s personality and character is what made me love her as much as I did. I loved how much she cared about her family, how participating in the Hunt wasn’t just about her making a name for herself but also about putting her family back on the map. It was always in the back of her mind what her parents or her grandfather would think about what she was doing. Sam was just a fantastic, layered character. And I loved her. And I loved all the other side characters in this story. Seeing Princess Evelyn fall in love with her own reflection was at times very amusing. The friendship between Sam and the Patel siblings made me smile and all the Kemi family moments warmed my heart. And as much as I typically love my romance, I loved how here, the romance between Sam and Zain wasn’t the focus of the story. It’s something that was there the whole way through, but it was understated and I hope I get to see some more of it in the future.

I was completely taken by surprise by how much I loved Amy Alward’s Madly. It’s not a book I would pick up on my own, but having now read it I’m so happy that I decided to read it. If you’re looking for a book filled with fantastic elements and action, this is it.

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Monday, March 23, 2015

Blog Tour - We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach + Giveaway


Title: We All Looked Up
Author: Tommy Wallach
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Release Date: March 31st, 2015
Source: ARC from Publisher
Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo
Four high school seniors put their hopes, hearts, and humanity on the line as an asteroid hurtles toward Earth in this contemporary novel.

They always say that high school is the best time of your life.

Peter, the start basketball player at his school, is worried “they” might actually be right. Meanwhile Eliza can’t wait to escape Seattle—and her reputation—and perfect-on-paper Anita wonders if admission to Princeton is worth the price of abandoning her real dreams. Andy, for his part, doesn’t understand all the fuss about college and career—the future can wait.

Or can it? Because it turns out the future is hurtling through space with the potential to wipe out life on Earth. As these four seniors—along with the rest of the planet—wait to see what damage an asteroid will cause, they must abandon all thoughts of the future and decide how they’re going to spend what remains of the present. 

I’ll be the first to admit that I was curious about Tommy Wallach’s We All Looked Up when I first heard about it. Mostly because I didn’t know what to make of it. But then more and more people were talking about it and I knew I had to read it. And I am more than happy that I did.

Thought everyone always says high school is the best time of your life, most can’t help but think about what life will hold for them once high school is finished. There’s a whole world to explore after graduation. Whether that’s going to college or just trying to figure out who you are, there all these possibilities. But what if those possibilities suddenly disappear. For four high school seniors, that’s exactly what happens. As they get ready for their final semester of high school, an asteroid is flying to space, straight for Earth. There’s no way to know if they will survive or if the asteroid will wipe away everyone. In those final weeks, Peter, Anita, Eliza and Andy figure out how they’re going to be spending their last days on Earth.

Here’s the thing about We All Looked Up. It wasn’t what I expected at all. Not in the least. But I pretty much loved it because of that. The synopsis does give a sort of idea of what this story is going to be about. But at the same time, it doesn’t. And that’s really for the best. If I had known everything I needed to about this story before I started reading, then I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. And it definitely wouldn’t have packed the same punch. This story sort of creeped up on me. For a while, I didn’t know how it was going to all fit together. But then everything clicked and I couldn’t stop reading. I was afraid of what would happen to these characters, to what happened to the planet, but I couldn’t look away. It was just so interesting to see the way the world was reacting in the face of the impending end of the world. Not only that, but it also got me thinking, about what I would do if I were ever put in the situation all those people were put in. What would I do if I knew that there was a pretty strong chance that I would be dying along with the rest of the world in just a few weeks? I don’t know what I would do. And to be completely honest, I’m hoping I never have to find out. I’ve said already that We All Looked Up wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. And the ending has a lot to do with that. The ending was not the one I thought it was going to be, not even close. This ending, and what comes before it, will punch you in the gut and leave you a little raw. Or at least that’s what it did for me.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about having this story told from four different perspectives. I just wasn’t entirely sure how it was going to work. Having now read the book, I couldn’t imagine the story told any other way. It just worked to have this story told from Peter, Eliza, Andy and Anita’s perspectives. These were four people who never would have really spent any time together if it weren’t for the impending end of the world. I really enjoyed seeing how the four of them were brought together because of their circumstances, and I couldn’t help but wonder if these people would have found each other without an asteroid coming for them. Regardless of that, I just loved seeing the friendships grow, and the romance develop between some of them. And much like with the story as a whole, none of these characters were who I thought they were going to be. When I was first introduced to each of them, I inevitably went to typical stereotypes and I was later happy to be proven wrong about each of them. Anita was so much more than just a Type A overachiever. Andy was more than just a skater and he deserved so much more credit than people gave him credit for. There was a lot more to Peter than a basketball-playing jock. And to say that people had Eliza pegged completely wrong would be a gross understatement. At the end of the day, these four teens were just trying to figure out their lives, hoping to be able to do so before the world ending. No pressure.

Tommy Wallach’s We All Looked Up was different from what I expected in the best way possible. This story got me thinking, got me questioning what I would do if I were faced with the world ending. And this book punched me right in the gut. Again, in the best way imaginable. 


Favorite Quotes

As part of the tour, I was asked to share some of my favorite quotes from We All Looked Up. This is the kind of book that has so many amazing words and passages and it made it hard to pick just a few. So here are three of my favorites.




Giveaway!

Win 1 of 3 finished copies of We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach. To enter, just use the Rafflecopter form below. US ONLY.

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Thursday, September 4, 2014

K.A. Tucker's One Favorite Moment Event + Giveaway

Today I’m very excited to be participating in the One Favorite Moment event to celebrate K.A. Tucker’s Ten Tiny Breaths series. I have read and loved the four books in this series and they are among some of my all-time favorite reads. This is truly one of the best New Adult series and I couldn’t think of a better way than this event to share my love for it.

To give you a taste of it all, here’s how I fell in love with this wonderful series.


I first read Ten Tiny Breaths, the first book in the series, when I was only just starting to read New Adult titles. I didn’t really know what to expect when I picked up this book, and I had no idea just what I was getting myself into. But once I started reading, I absolutely could not stop. This book dragged me in and I didn’t want to ever leave the story. It was engaging, suspenseful and came with characters that quickly wormed their way into my heart. Here’s a bit of my review, to give you an idea:

This was a story that completely broke my heart. Everything the characters had gone through just didn’t seem fair. But at the same time, through everything that happened, there was still a light at the end of all. But what will stay with me are the characters who felt completely real.

What I felt when reading Ten Tiny Breaths, though, was nothing compared to how I felt about One Tiny Lie. My love for the series just kept growing the more I read. Once again the characters got to me, and it wasn’t long before I was falling for Livie and Ashton. As I put it in my review, Ashton and Livie gave me ALL THE FREAKING FEELS. My love for K.A. Tucker and these books has only grown over time. Four Seconds to Lose and Five Ways to Fall have only reinforced that.

This series has more than just fantastic stories, though. It’s the characters that get to me EVERY SINGLE TIME. All the characters I’ve met in this series, no matter how big or small a role they play in the story, have all felt completely real. And the main characters? I love them all and they are among my favourite. Whether it’s Livie, who’s just trying to live up to the promise she made to her dad before he died, or Ben, the arrogant, manwhore bouncer who works at the strip club, these characters all hold a special place in my heart. 

And now I can’t wait to see what K.A. Tucker will do next. Because reading her stories, are some of the best times I have. 


Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


About the series


TEN TINY BREATHS
Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

Four years ago Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, holding her boyfriend’s lifeless hand and listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, twenty year old Kacey and her fifteen year old sister Livie escape Grand Rapids, Michigan to start over in Miami. Struggling to make ends meet, Kacey needs to figure out how to get by. But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.

Trent Emerson has smouldering blue eyes, deep dimples, and perfectly skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy. Hardened by her tragic past, Kacey is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but their mutual attraction is undeniable and Trent is determined to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means that an explosive secret could shatter both their worlds.



ONE TINY LIE
Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents’ tragic death and Kacey’s self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would…and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a loveable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t wan tin a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fit Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinning about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.



FOUR SECONDS TO LOSE
I believe you don’t have years, or months, or weeks to impact a person’s life. You have seconds. Seconds to win them over, and seconds to lose them.

Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine-year-old Cain is starting to second-guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with his staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.

Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl, but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her can’t get distracted by romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, and that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.



FIVE WAYS TO FALL
Sometimes you can’t change—and sometimes you just don’t want to. Discover Ben’s side of the story in this fourth novel by the beloved, top-selling indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths, One Tiny Lie, and Four Seconds to Lose.

Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’ plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumour has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…



IN HER WAKE: A Ten Tiny Breaths Novella
Author’s Note: Although it is a prequel, In Her Wake is best read after completing Ten Tiny Breaths.

Before you knew him as Trent in Ten Tiny Breaths, he was Cole Reynolds—and he had it all. Until one night when he makes a fatal, wrong decision…and loses everything.

When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy. Normally, he’d be able to lean on his best friends—the ones who have been in his life since he could barely walk. Only, they’re gone. Worse, there’s the shattered body of a sixteen-year-old girl lying somewhere in a hospital bed, her entire life ripped from her because of a case of beer and a set of keys.

Everyone assures him that they know it wasn’t intentional, and yet he can’t ignore the weight of their gazes, the whispers behind his back. Nor can he shake the all-consuming guilt he feels every time he thinks of that girl who won’t so much as allow him near her hospital room to apologize. As the months go by and the shame and loneliness festers, Cole begins to lose his grip on what once was important—college, his girlfriend, his future. His life. It’s not until Cole hits rock-bottom that he can begin to see another way out of his personal hell: forgiveness.

And there’s only one person who can give that to him…



About K.A. Tucker
Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.


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Friday, May 9, 2014

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson


Title: Since You've Been Gone
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Source: ARC from Publisher
Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo
The Pre-Sloane Emily didn’t go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn’t do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell. But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try…unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple picking at night? Ok, easy enough. Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a stranger? Wait…what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go skinny dipping? Um…

Much like any bookworm out there, there are authors whose books I just have to read. These are authors whose books I’ve read and adored in the past. For me, one of those authors is Morgan Matson. So there was never any doubt in my mind that I would love Since You’ve Been Gone, I just didn’t know I would end up loving it quite as much as I did.

Since becoming Sloane Williams’ best friend, Emily Hughes has lived in her friend’s shadow. But Emily doesn’t mind being in Sloane’s shadow because Sloane takes Emily out of her comfort zone, makes her do things she wouldn’t normally do by herself. But now Sloane has disappeared, leaving no explanation for Emily. The only thing left to prove Sloane was ever around, is a list of thirteen tasks Emily should complete. This shouldn’t be so hard. Except these are “Sloane-tasks” things Emily wouldn’t do if it weren’t for her best friend pushing her. By going through this list, Emily has an unexpected summer, one that brings about new and unexpected friendship and help from unlikely sources. 

Anyone who knows me knew that I would love Morgan Matson’s Since You’ve Been Gone, they just couldn’t have predicted how much I would love this book. There’s just something that happens any time I read one of Morgan Matson’s books. I start reading, and slowly, without really realizing it’s happening, I get sucked into the story, becoming invested in the characters and their stories, not ever wanting to leave them. So of course, this happened with Since You’ve Been Gone. It’s one of those books that made me do nothing else but read from the moment I walked into my house after coming home from work. I just spent my entire night in Stanwich with Emily, Frank, Collins and their friends. And if I’m being honest, I didn’t want to ever really leave that place and those characters. So in case it wasn’t obvious by now, I loved Since You’ve Been Gone, but it’s hard to put that love into words. All I really want to say is that everyone needs to read this book because there is something in there that will appeal to everyone, whether it’s the characters, the themes or the story as a whole. For me, as it often is, it was the characters that did it.

I connected with Emily right from page one. And it was more than just the fact that we shared a name (though spelled differently). In Emily, I saw a lot of the person I was in high school. The person who was almost more defined by the people she was friends with than the person she was herself. But I loved seeing Emily grow over the course of the story, start to figure out who she is beyond just Sloane Williiams’ best friend. And I loved the person she became, the Emily who made friends with new people, who would exchange running playlists with Frank. And I can’t talk about Emily without talking about the person she became when she was with Frank. Because I loved Frank. I kinda want a Frank of my own. It’s hard to put Frank into words. On the surface he looks like he has it completely together. But the more Emily got to know him, the more she realized that he wasn’t as perfect as he seemed. And in my opinion, those imperfections are what made him so great. Basically, I adored these characters and they will stay with me for a long time.

As you may have guessed by now, I ADORED Morgan Matson’s Since You’ve Been Gone. I flew through the pages, never wanting the story to end so I wouldn’t have to say goodbye to these characters. If you have yet to read one of Morgan Matson’s books, you should seriously consider changing that as soon as possible.

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Monday, April 28, 2014

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han


Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Source: ARC from Publisher
Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo
Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control in this heartfelt novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series.

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?

Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

I ADORE contemporaries. It’s no secret. And lately, it seems like all these awesome contemporaries are being published. Basically, I am in Heaven. I had been looking forward to Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before for quite some time and I was beyond excited to read. And so surprise, I absolutely loved it.

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song has been in love exactly five times, with five different boys. Every time she’s been in love, she’s written that boy a letter pouring out her heart in an effort to get over them. Once she’s finished, she doesn’t mail the letters, she puts them in a hatbox she keeps in her closet. But one day, Lara Jean arrives at school to find out that someone sent her letters to each of those five boys. Now Lara Jean has to deal with what those letters mean, especially the one that was sent to Josh, the boy next door who also happens to be her sister’s boyfriend. With help from an unlikely source, Lara Jean starts to realize that her imaginary love life is nothing like the one she has now. She discovers that love is often messy and who you fall for is completely out of your control.

Have I mentioned lately that I ADORE contemporary books? In case I haven’t done so enough already, I’ll say it again just for good measure. And Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is exactly why I love contemporaries. Right from the start, I was pulled into the story. Being the curious person that I am, I wanted to know what was in those letters, even who those letters were addressed to in the first place. Most of all, I wanted to know who had sent them. And once I started getting some answers to my questions, I just couldn’t seem to turn the pages fast enough. I loved seeing the relationship between Lara Jean and Peter develop, especially the situations they would get themselves into being that they were only “fake dating.” But the more time they spent together, I could just see that it was becoming less and less fake, even if they didn’t realize it. It was just an overall fun and adorable story about first love and growing up. And if I’m being honest, as much as I love my deep and serious contemporaries, I might love my adorable ones even more. Basically, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is just the kind of story I adore.

I connected with Lara Jean pretty early on in the book. Just like her, I’ve been guilty of writing letters to people (read: boys) just to get stuff off my chest and never sending them. Unlike Lara Jean though, no one’s ever sent those letters behind my back. But even then, I could feel her pain when she discovered that letters that were never meant for anyone’s eyes but her’s had been read by the boys they were addressed to. And I loved seeing her struggle with how to deal with everything. The situations she put herself in often made me smile, especially when she was with Peter. Because though they may not have been particularly fond of each other at first, Lara Jean and Peter were really fun together. I loved how despite the fact that they started this whole thing as a ploy to make other people feel jealous, I could tell that they were starting to care for each other and eventually even go so far to as fall for each other. It was just great to see both of them grow and change, becoming better people. And now that I know there’s a sequel, I have some thoughts on what I want to happen to both Lara Jean and Peter.

Though this probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, I absolutely loved Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. It was exactly what I hoped it would be, and I loved getting lost in this story and getting to know these characters. I can’t wait to find out more in P.S. I Still Love You

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Friday, April 4, 2014

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson


Title: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Release Date: May 4, 2010
Source: Purchased
Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo
Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself. 

Thanks to the seemingly never ending winter we've been having here in Canada this year, I made the decision to start reading the summer romances sitting on my shelves as a way to escape the snow and cold. But I also got to read a bunch of books that I've been meaning to read for who knows how long. And in the process, I realized how stupid I had been for not picking up Morgan Matson's Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. You read that right. I, the contemporary love, didn't read Amy & Roger's Epic Detour until about a month ago.

For the past month, Amy has been living alone in an empty house, finishing out her junior year before driving her mom's car across the country to her new home in Connecticut. But the last thing Amy really wants to do is drive. Since her father's death in a car accident a few months earlier, nothing has been the same. To help her get the car to Connecticut, Amy's mother enlists Roger, the son of an old friend. Amy isn't particularly looking forward to speeding long expenses of time alone in a car with someone she barely knows, but before she knows it, she finds herself enjoying her time with Roger more than she thought she would. Somewhere along the way, Amy starts coming to terms with her father's death and starts piecing her life, and her heart, back together.

So yeah, despite being the contemporary lover--and borderline fanatic--that I am, up to about a month ago, I still hadn't read Morgan Matson's Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. Which I know, bad on many levels. But in an effort to escape the never ending winter we've got going on over here, I decided that it was the perfect time to read all the summer romances I had sitting on my shelves. And so when I picked up Amy & Roger's Epic Detour I realized how big a mistake I had made not reading this book sooner. I mean, I had read Morgan Matson's Second Chance Summer when it first came out, so it's not that I didn't know whether or not I would enjoy the book. I knew I would on some level that I would love the book, I guess I just forgot I had it? But seriously, why had no one forced me to sit down and read this book before? Because I LOVED it. It was everything everyone had told me it would be and I loved every page of it. The story completely sucked me in and it felt like I was right in that car with Amy and Roger. And as can be expected, once I finished reading the book, I basically just wanted to hop into a car and go on a cross-country road trip of my own. This book made me realize that there's so much of the world, heck of my own country, that I haven't seen and that I just want to see.

Of course as much as I loved the story, I loved the characters even more. Right from the start, I just knew that Amy and Roger would be good for each other. Each one came with their own baggage and I loved seeing them grow and slowly start to let go of some of that baggage. Amy was clearly suffering because of her dad's death and I knew there was more to it than she was letting on, especially with her reluctance to drive. And I loved seeing her start to discover how she really felt about everything, especially where Roger was concerned. And Roger, what can I even begin to say about him? I loved that for once, i was reading a story where the guy was just a good guy, plain and simple. Because that's who Roger was: a good guy. Granted, a good guy who had some issues, but still. I was just reading, waiting of him to realizes that he should just get over his old girlfriend and do something about Amy. So basically, this book, and these characters in particular, just kinda gave me all the feels.

Why I didn't read Amy & Roger's Epic Detour sooner? WHY? I loved it. Actually I more than loved it. And now for a small PSA: If, like me, you still haven't read Amy & Roger's Epic Detour (or any of Morgan Matson's books for that matter), get on that. Don't do what I did and wait to read them. They are more than worth it.

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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday (78)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to reading.


THIS WEEK'S PICK:
SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE BY MORGAN MATSON


The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend--the one who yanks you out of your shell. But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There's just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try…unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple picking at night? Ok, easy enough. Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a stranger? Wait…what?

Getting through Sloane's list would me a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she'll find?


Go skinny dipping? Um...



Morgan Matson's Second Chance Summer broke me when I read it two years ago and I can't wait to read more from her. Since You've Been Gone sounds like it has so much potential both when it comes to making me smile and breaking my heart. And the premise makes it sound like it will be lots of fun. I honestly cannot wait to read it. 

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson will be published May 6, 2014 by Simon & Schuster.

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Monday, October 7, 2013

Golden by Jessi Kirby


Title: Golden
Author: Jessi Kirby
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Source: Purchased
Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository
Love, tragedy, and mystery converge in this compelling novel from "an author to watch" (Booklist).

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she's about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap--one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery--she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High--perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna's journal tells a different story--one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane's jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna's journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live--and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Despite being the contemporary lover than I am, I hadn't read any of Jessi Kirby's books until I decided to pick up Golden after it was recommended to me by a friend. And I loved it. Golden was everything I was told it would be an there wasn't a singly page of it I didn't love.

Parker Frost has always done what was expected of her. She goes to school, gets good grades and is about to be the Valedictorian of her graduating class. But when she finds Julianna Farnetti's senior journal, Parker decides to investigate what really happened 10 years ago, and in the process, start to really live her own life. With the help of Kat, her best friend, and her crush, Trevor, Parker starts to uncover who Julianna Farnetti really was. Turns out her small town may have had it all wrong and Parker isn't sure anymore how everyone sees her is who she really is.

Before reading Golden, I had been a bad contemporary lover in that I had never read any of Jessi Kirby's books. But, thankfully, I have now rectified that situation. Golden was everything I was told it would be. The story had a powerful message that, in a way, almost felt understated. It was a story about living life and doing so the way you want, not the way others think you should be. And with Golden this message was in not one, but two stories. That's what I loved about Golden, I got two stories for the price of one. Not only did I get to read Parker's story, I also got to read Julianna's story through her diary. And even though I saw the end of Julianna's story coming, it didn't stop me from appreciating it and the message it carried. And more than that, I loved seeing how Julianna's story impacted Parker's own story.

In many ways, I could relate to Parker. Just like her, I mostly did what everyone expected me to do without really questioning it. Because of that, I really enjoyed seeing Parker come into her own as the story went on and she found out more about Julianna's story. And I loved that it all led to her standing up for herself and taking a chance on Trevor. Because Trevor wasn't exactly who I expected him to be…he was better. Despite the fact that he came across as a player, I quickly realized that there was more to him than that and he really cared about Parker and what happened to her. And if you want my opinion, Parker and Trevor were a perfect match.

I'm happy to have finally read one of Jessi Kirby's books. Golden was not just what I hoped it would be. It was also a powerful and touching story that stayed with me long after I finished reading.


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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Blog Tour - The Great & Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms by Ian Thornton

Today I have the pleasure of Ian Thornton here on the blog to answer a few questions about his debut novel, The Great & Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms. While this book is not one I would normally pick up by myself, it is proving to be quite the entertaining and interesting read. So here is what Ian Thornton had to say.

Where did inspiration for The Great & Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms come from?

I read an article in a Sunday newspaper in England back in the early 90s about a young man in Sarajevo who left college one Friday evening and by the time the weekend was over, he had set in motion a chain of events, which has affected the lives of everyone on the planet today. Many great men spend their lives trying to alter a city block, and here was one young chap who just wanted to be left alone for the weekend and drink coffee and read books, maybe a newspaper, but instead set fire to the twentieth century. That is powerful stuff. Imagine the turmoil, the horror of dealing with that. This kernel always stayed with me, and when I decided I was going to write, there was never any discussion in my mind that this would be my subject matter. 

I guess too, in hindsight, there may have been some sub-conscious mirroring of events with those in my own life. I too had made some rather stupid decisions, and was running away from them. Maybe I empathised with this poor boy more than I realised at the time.

The book covers an entire century's worth of events. How did you decide when to be faithful to history and when to create your own version of history?

I attempted to create a moving, amorphous life against the rigid backdrop of historical events. I have not read Flashman (it is NEXT on the list, given the recommendations I have had) but I suspect parallels, though his fidelity to history seems to be legendary. I have actually avoided George Macdonald' Fraser's work while I was writing for the natural fear of mimicking what may already be of a similar feel. I think the real artistic license comes when the tale passes from the macro to the micro. Established and well-known events are solid and immovable. The minutiae of individuals movements and lives are pliable and malleable. These two positions merge when Johan's story becomes that of the planet and her trajectory, i.e. Sarajevo June 28th, 1914. This I will explain in a second.

First however, I think/hope it is quite clear from very early on that it is a fantastical tale. The line about 'the exaggerations of two old men and the DNA of the cadaver known as the tale' is a key one, explaining how this story is third-hand and told through a prism.

Yes, June 28th, 1914. The newspaper story I mentioned earlier planted the seed of doubt about who the chauffeur was. When I spent time in Sarajevo several years ago, the eminent professors there could provide no absolute answer and no overall consensus as to whether the driver was Loyka or Urban. So this, along with my memories of the newspaper article, allowed for enough room for conjecture, for fiction and for a third possible culprit.

Hemingway, Paker and Orwell were all in Spain at the same time, though quite unlikely to have been in Monreal del Campo on Hemingway's birthday in 1937. I guess it is the definition of historical fiction; an imagined story set against the immovability of history. Historical fiction in this regard does seem oxymoronic. The line may move as to where one starts and the other ends, but if the reader knows he or she is not reading non-fiction, then that license is understood, and one assumes Coleridge's willing suspension of disbelief.

On that note, how much research went into writing this story?

This is a good question. It is my first book, so I have no real measure, no yardstick. It seemed like a lot, I hope it comes across as such. I spent a lot of time in Sarajevo, Southern France, Vila di Bispo, the 'end of the world' in Portugal, Spain, London and Minehead.

Things like clothing, the architecture and the language I picked up osmotically through a raging love of early and mid-century cinema; English, European, you name it.

A lot of Johan's experiences were my own, transposed. I guess they were therefore in effect research, though I did not know it at the time. If this seems like a cop out by hanging out in these places and calling it research, then I guess I am guilty. In hindsight, it was a quite effective way of utilising many lazy and happy days for a more sensible and career-minded end. Don't they say 'write about what you know'?

Yes, there was the slog of library books and increasingly the internet, but a lot of the research came from having lived a life and watched hundreds of movies. I guess the downside of this, is that my next book is likely going to be more study-based. Or maybe not…

How would you describe The Great & Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms to someone who knows nothing about it?

The ten second La Croisette pitch? HIstorical fiction, black comedy, love story, buddy story set against the war-torn twentieth century.

The thirty second La Croisette pitch? The fictionalised life story of the man who inadvertently started the Great War, by being the driver for Franz Ferdinand on the day of the assassination. How he took a wrong turn and couldn't find reverse gear when the lead Serb assassin walked out of a cafĂ© to find, by chance, his target. How he (the driver) blames himself for not only the assassination, but also for the Great War and everything that led from there; the Russian Revolution, the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of Hitlerism, the Second World War, the gas chambers, the atomic bomb, Vietnam, you name it. A.k.a How I started a world war and finally learned to stop worrying about it. Sort of. 



About the book:
A wild, rollicking novel on chance, friendship, love, regret, and the entire history of the twentieth century. 

Johan Thoms is poised for greatness. A promising student at the University of Sarajevo, he is young, brilliant, and in love with the beautiful Lorelei Ribeiro. He can outwit chess masters, quote the Kama Sutra, and converse with dukes and drunkards alike. But he cannot drive a car in reverse. And as with so much in the like of Johan Thoms, this seemingly insignificant detail will prove to be much more than it appears. One the morning of June 28, 1914, Johan takes his place as the chauffeur to Franz Ferdinand and the Royal entourage, and with one wrong turn, he forever alters the course of history. 

Blaming himself for the deaths of the Archduke and his wife, Johan hastens from the seven , and for once his inspired mind cannot process what to do next. Guild-ridden, he flees Sarajevo, abandoning his friends, family, and beloved in the fear that he has caused them irreparable grievance. He watches in horror as the Great War unfolds, every death settling squarely on Johan's conscience. Turning his back on his old life, Johan does his best to fade out of memory.

But the world has other plans for Johan Thoms. As each passing year burdens Johan with further guilt for his inaction, he seeks solace in his writing and in the makeshift family he has assembled around himself. With everyone from emperors to hooligans at his side, and pursued by the ever-determined Lorelei, Johan winds his way through Europe and the Twentieth Century, leaving his indelible mark on both. 

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