Ten by Gretchen McNeil Review!

Ten

Author: Gretchen McNeil 

Average Rating: 3.75/5.0

Personal Rating: 4.0/5.0

Page Count: 296

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: 18 September 2012

Confessions of a Queen B* Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway!

Confessions of a Queen B*

Author: Crista McHugh

Average Rating: 3.83/5.0

Personal Rating: 5.0/5.0

Page Count: 200

Publisher: Crista McHugh

Release Date: 28 July 2015

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

Naked Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway!

Naked

Author: Stacey Trombley

Average Rating: 4.15/5.0

Personal Rating: 4.0/5.0

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Entangled Teen 

Release Date: 7 July 2015

The Choice Review and Blog Tour!

The Choice 

Author: Allison J. Kennedy 

Average Rating: 4.35/5.0

Personal Rating: 5.0/5.0

Page Count: 170

Publisher: Booktrope

Release Date: 23 May 2015

Sleepless Review!

Sleepless (Narrowdale #1)

Author: Michael Omer

Average Rating: 4.09/5.0

Personal Rating: 4.0/5.0

Page Count: 176

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Release Date: 10 January 2015

Genres: Paranormal, Thriller, Young Adult

According to Goodreads...

Don’t fall asleep. Don’t dream. Don’t get caught.

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest Review!

I Am Princess X

Author: Cherie Priest

Average Rating: 4.03/5.0

Personal Rating: 3.5/5.0

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Release Date: 26 May 2015

According to Goodreads:

Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure.

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

Daughter of Deep Silence

Author: Carrie Ryan

Average Rating: 3.71/5.0

Personal Rating: 5.0/5.0

Page Count: 375

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers

Release Date: 26 May 2015

According to Goodreads:

I’m the daughter of murdered parents.
I’m the friend of a dead girl.
I’m the lover of my enemy.
And I will have my revenge.

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History

Author: Art Spiegelman 

Average Rating: 4.34/5.0

Personal Rating: 4.0/5.0

Page Count: 159
Publisher: Pantheon Books

Release Date: 1 November 1991

Tilt by Ellen Hopkins Review!

Tilt

Author: Ellen Hopkins

Average Rating: 4.19/5.0

Personal Rating: 4.5/5.0

Page Count: 608

Publisher: Margaret F. McElderry Books

Release Date: 11 September 2012

The Flappers: Ingenue Review!

Ingenue

Author: Jillian Larkin

Average Rating: 3.85/5.0

Personal Rating: 4.0/5.0

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Release Date: 1 January 2011

According to Goodreads: 

Power . . . love . . . scandal . . .
There’s never enough to go around.

Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel Book Review!

Charlie, Presumed Dead

Author: Anne Heltzel

Average Rating: 3.36/5.0

Personal Rating: 3.0/5.0 

Page Count: 272

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Release Date: 2 June 2015

Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling Book Review!

Very Good Lives

Author: J. K. Rowling

Average Rating: 4.28/5.0

Personal Rating: 5.0/5.0

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Release Date: 14 April 2015

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella Review!

Finding Audrey

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Average Rating: 3.91/5.0

Personal Rating: 4.0/5.0

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Release Date: 9 June 2015

According to Goodreads: 

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a terrific blend of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery in a contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and entertain.

An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family. 

The Body in the Woods by April Henry Review!

The Body in the Woods (Point Last Seen #1)

Author: April Henry

Average Rating: 3.52/5.0

Personal Rating: 4.0/5.0

Page Count: 263

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Release Date: 17 June 2014

According to Goodreads:

In this new series told from multiple perspectives, teen members of a search and rescue team discover a dead body in the woods.

Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for a autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own.

No Parking At the End Times Review!

No Parking At the End Times

Author: Bryan Bliss

Average Rating: 3.32/5.0

Personal Rating: 3.0/5.0

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Release Date:  1 January 2015

According to Goodreads:

Abigail’s parents have made mistake after mistake, and now they've lost everything. She’s left to decide: Does she still believe in them? Or is it time to believe in herself? Fans of Sara Zarr, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell will connect with this moving debut.

Abigail doesn't know how her dad found Brother John. Maybe it was the billboards. Or the radio. What she does know is that he never should have made that first donation. Or the next, or the next. Her parents shouldn't have sold their house. Or packed Abigail and her twin brother, Aaron, into their old van to drive across the country to San Francisco, to be there with Brother John for the "end of the world."

Modern Monsters by Kelley York Review!

Modern Monsters

Author: Kelley York

Average Rating: 4.08/5.0

Personal Rating: 5.0/5.0

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Release Date: 2 June 2015

According to Goodreads: 

Vic Howard never wanted to go to the party. He’s the Invisible Guy at school, a special kind of hell for quiet, nice guys. But because his best friend is as popular as Vic is ignored, he went…

And wished he hadn’t.

Because something happened to a girl that night. Something terrible, unimaginable, and Callie Wheeler’s life will never be the same. Plus, now Callie has told the police that Vic is responsible. Suddenly, Invisible Vic is painfully visible, on trial both literally, with the police, and figuratively, with the angry kids at school. As the whispers and violence escalate, he becomes determined to clear his name, even if it means an uneasy alliance with Callie's best friend, the beautiful but aloof Autumn Dixon.

But as Autumn and Vic slowly peel back the layers of what happened at the party, they realize that while the truth can set Vic free, it can also shatter everything he thought he knew about his life…

The Duff Book Review!

The Duff

Author: Kody Keplinger

Average Rating: 3.91/5.0
Personal Rating: 3.5/5.0

Page Count: 300 

Publisher: Poppy

Release Date: 7 September 2010

According to Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “Duffy,” she throws her Coke in his face.

The Flappers: Vixen Review!

Vixen (Flapper #1)

Author: Jillian Larkin

Average Rating: 3.77/5.0

Personal Rating: 4.0/5.0

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Release Date: 15 December 2010

According to Goodreads:

Jazz... Booze... Boys... It's a dangerous combination. 
Every girl wants what she can't have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle--and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she's engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago's most powerful families, Gloria's party days are over before they've even begun... or are they?

Clara Knowles, Gloria's goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch--but Clara isn't as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she'll do anything to keep hidden...

Lorraine Dyer, Gloria's social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria's shadow. When Lorraine's envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone's going to be very sorry...

My Opinion:

I don't know about all of you, but it has been a life long dream of mine to be able to travel back in time to the Roaring Twenties. There's something so...okay cheesy alert...enchanting/enthralling about the flappers, the jazz, the speakeasies, the clothes, the mob. That time period seems so exciting compared to 2015. I know 2015 that you are not even halfway over, but I mean nothing has really happen. It's not me, but you. Anyway...and how can we forget about the slang??? You are the cat's meow? Copasetic? Look how fun those are. All we got are...swag, hipster, dough. Eh. 

As you might have picked up on, I love the setting. The characters didn't disappoint either. The book has three narrators that alternate each chapter. First, you have Gloria who wants to rebel against her goody two shoes lifestyle before she is tied down due to wedding vows. She comes from a new money family, and is engaged to Bastian Grey, who is old money. There's even talk that he has a hint of royalty running through his veins. He has the looks and the money ladies and gentlemen, but don't be fooled! That is purely a disguise. Jerome is a popular African American pianist in the most popular speakeasy currently, the Green Mill. Gloria is instantly drawn to him and he vice versa. Lorraine is the second narrator, and Gloria's best friend...if you can call someone that who is always jealous of your popularity and is always looking to be the center of attention. The third narrator is Clara, who is Gloria's cousin from a farm in Pennsylvania but arrives with a secret past. Interlaced throughout all the narratives is Marcus, a handsome boy who is friends with Gloria and Lorraine. 

There are about 2 1/2 romantic relationships occurring throughout the novel. Two are right in your face, in a good way. The other half involves someone chasing and pining over a boy who doesn't look at her much more than as a friend. It takes her well over two-thirds of the book to realize she needs to move on, only for her to run into a man who actually does pay attention. I enjoyed following along as the characters shared their secrets, gained trust, broke away from relationships/friendships, and basically figured out what they really wanted and not what society or their parents wanted.  

There are two things that I wished we would have gotten. They are both mild. One, I wish we could have received more backstory about Clara's relationship with the man from her past (I don't want to say the name, because it will take away some of the suspense). The other thing I wish there would have been more of was more interaction with the mob. However, I feel like my second wish will come true in the second novel Ingenue, because that plot twist had me questioning my existence. Let's just say, I immediately requested Ingenue from my library, and will be picking it up on Tuesday. 

I recommend Vixen to all historical fiction lovers, especially for those who would have wanted to live during the Roaring Twenties like me. The novel is definitely low-key on the action level, but the suspense and the vividness that Jillian Larkin creates with her writing truly makes Vixen worth the read. 

Purchase Links:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository / Audible

Check out the Flappers Website!

The Flappers

Mia and the Bad Boy by Lisa Burstein Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway!

Mia and the Bad Boy

Author: Lisa Burstein

Publisher: Entangled Crush

Release Date: 19 May 2015

According to Goodreads:

This good girl’s about to meet her match…

Ryder Brooks is living the dream—he’s famous, loved by millions of girls, and miserable. All he really wants is to write his own music, not Seconds to Juliet’s sugary sweet pop. In order to do that, though, the “bad boy” of the band will have to play by the rules. And that includes behaving with his new—and super cute—über-good-girl tutor.

Mia Reyes is in fangirl heaven. Tutoring her favorite member of her favorite band? It’s a dream come true…until it turns into a complete nightmare. Ryder is nothing like she thought. He’s crude, arrogant, and pretty much a total jerk. And the worst part? She’s roped into pretending to be his girlfriend so that no one finds out he’s being tutored. Fake kisses, plenty of PDA, and even sharing his hotel room…

But sometimes even the baddest of bad boys needs a little redemption.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Purchase Links

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo Books / iBooks

My Opinion:

I received an e-ARC through NetGalley through YA Bound Book Tours, but in no way does that influence my opinion. 

Reading Mia and the Bad Boy was a fresh breath of air for me. It has been forever since I read a contemporary romance that involved a bad boy and good girl. I love watching the good girl slowly but surely realize there's more to life than following every single rule and restriction in the non-existent rule book. 

S2J, the boy band in the novel, reminded me so much of One Direction. I loved how Lisa Burstein portrayed each member of the band. In fact, I wish she would have gone deeper into each of them so the reader could have gotten to know them more. However, the whole novel basically surrounds around Ryder and Mia. 

I felt like some parts were hard to believe. For example, Mia has to share a couch bed with Ryder at one of their concert stops. She doesn't try to find Lester, the band's manager and Mia's boss, and she doesn't put up a huge fight. I get the guy is hot and all, but he's still a stranger to her at this point. If I were in her spot I probably would have made a larger deal about it than just contemplating on how she needs to be this good girl but she'll go ahead and sleep there with him. 

Overall, I found the romance was sweet and cute. I would definitely say this is a fast read with plenty of drama as Ryder figures out how to open his heart to someone leading him to be vulnerable. I would recommend Mia and the Bad Boy to all of you who are out there looking for a light contemporary read. 

About the Author:

Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats.

She wrote her first story when she was in second grade. It was a Thanksgiving tale from the point of a view of the turkey from freezer to oven to plate. It was scandalous. 

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Off the Page ARC Review

Off the Page

Author: Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Average Rating: 3.96/5.0

Personal Rating: 5.0/5.0

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release Date: 19 May 2015

According to Goodreads:

Meet Oliver, a prince literally taken from the pages of a fairy tale and transported into the real world. Meet Delilah, the girl who wished Oliver into being. It’s a miracle that seems perfect at first. Sure, Oliver doesn’t know that you shouldn’t try to open your locker with a dagger or that there’s no such thing as “the ruler” of the local mall. But he also looks at Delilah as if she’s the only girl in the world—the only girl in any world—and Delilah can’t help feeling that being with him is a dream come to life.
 
But not every story can have a happy ending. Because the book wants Oliver back. And it will turn both worlds upside down to get him. 
 
Oliver and Delilah will have to decide what—and who—they’re willing to risk for love and what it really means for a fairy tale to come true.

Purchase Links:

Barnes & Noble  / Amazon / Book Depository / Audible 
 

My Opinion:

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from the publisher, but in no way does that have an impact on my opinions.

Off the Page is the companion novel to Between the Lines also written by Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer. If you are interested in checking out my review for Between the Lines you can click here. Off the Page was filled to the brim with humor, events leaving you on the edge of the seat, and maybe even sneaking a little sneak peak at what the next chapter will hold. 

I felt that I was able to connect with the characters, especially Delilah and Oliver, more when I read each of their chapters. Picoult and Van Leer were able to portray the emotions that could occur if all of a sudden your favorite character pops out of the book into real life. In addition to Delilah and Oliver we were able to read from the perspective of Edgar, who is the son of Jessamyn. Jessamyn is the author of the fairy tale Between the Lines in the two book series. Have I befuddled you yet? Sprinkled throughout the novel were also small paragraphs that were thought provoking. They discussed topics like why do we love? Why do we hurt when we lose someone? Why do we hope? I felt these small passages added a great aspect to the novel, because it allowed us to take a step back from the plot and reflect to better connect to how the characters are feeling. 

There was definitely a lot more going on during Off the Page than in Between the Lines. We got to experience Oliver's first day of high school in the real world. We were able to laugh a long with Delilah when Oliver's attempts at ordinary and redundant activities we don't think twice of went astray. We got to go on the roller-coaster that resembled Delilah and Oliver's romantic relationship, and we got to watch another potential relationship between two characters evolve. 

I highly recommend Off the Page to fans of Jodi Picoult, Sarah Dessen, and Meg Cabot. Off the Page is a comedic romance that brings readers back to their childhoods or maybe even more recently when they wished they could live in a book or meet their favorite character in real life. Picoult and Van Leer leave the message in each reader's heart that there is a bit of magic in everything we see and do.