Friday, July 31, 2015

Book Review: Love Letters to the Dead

11:59 AM

Title: Love Letters to the Dead

Author: Ava Dellaira
Release date: April 1st 2014
Pages: 336
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
My rating: 3.5/ 5
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person.

Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to the dead—to people like Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, Amelia Earhart, and Amy Winehouse—though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating the choppy waters of new friendships, learning to live with her splintering family, falling in love for the first time, and, most important, trying to grieve for May. But how do you mourn for someone you haven't forgiven?

It's not until Laurel has written the truth about what happened to herself that she can finally accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was—lovely and amazing and deeply flawed—can she truly start to discover her own path.

In a voice that's as lyrical and as true as a favorite song, Ava Dellaira writes about one girl's journey through life's challenges with a haunting and often heartbreaking beauty.




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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday #14: Underwater by Marisa Reichardt

9:24 AM


Title:  Underwater
Author: Marisa Reichardt
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Publication date: January 12th 2016

Synopsis:


Morgan didn’t mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive—first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then, herself.


But Morgan can’t move on. She can’t even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she’s underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school. 


When it seems Morgan can’t hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside. 


Underwater is a powerful, hopeful debut novel about redemption, recovery, and finding the strength it takes to face your past and move on.

           Goodreads  |  Amazon  | TBD



My thoughts:

Some of my favorite books to read are those that present main characters who suffer from some kind of mental illness. They never fail to move me or make me connect with the MC and the story itself. This one sounds like an amazing book and I can't wait to read it. 


What are you guys excited for? Let me know in the comments!





Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.








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Tuesday, July 21, 2015

ARC Review: Joyride by Anna Banks

6:22 PM

Title: Joyride

Author: Anna Banks
Release date: June 2nd 2015
Pages: 288
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends 
My rating: 4/ 5 stars
Source: Won giveaway

Synopsis:

A popular guy and a shy girl with a secret become unlikely accomplices for midnight pranking, and are soon in over their heads—with the law and with each other—in this sparkling standalone from NYT-bestselling author Anna Banks.


It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.



Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.



All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh.




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Sunday, July 19, 2015

Book Review: The Botanist by L.K. Hill

7:16 PM

Title: The Botanist

Author: L.K. Hill
Release date: March 31st 2015
Pages: 475
Genres: Adult fiction, Crime, Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
My rating: 5/ 5
Source: E-Arc provided by author

Synopsis:



In the heat of the desert, Detective Cody Oliver inadvertently stumbles upon a strange garden adorned with exotic flowers. Upon closer inspection, he finds the garden is but a cover for the scores of bodies buried below. Soon, the small town of Mt. Dessicate plunges into chaos as journalists, reporters, and cameramen from across the nation descend upon the tiny, desert town to get a piece of the action.


Along with the media, a mysterious woman appears. She may be the only person who has come face to face with the killer, dubbed the Botanist, and lived to tell the tale. If Cody can't piece together a timeline of the land the crime scene is located on, decipher how the woman's mysterious past is connected to the killer, and bring the Botanist to justice, he may lose the people he values most.



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Saturday, July 18, 2015

Stacking the Shelves - #2

6:32 PM
  Stacking the Shelves is a feature hosted by Tynga's Reviews. This weekly meme's purpose is to showcase the books we've bought, burrowed, or received throughout the week/month.






Hi guys! I know I posted my first Stacking the Shelves a while ago and I haven't posted another one since then and I apologize for that. I'm really trying to be consistent (and clearly failing) with my posts, but it's not working out as well as I hoped. However, I'm going to keep trying until I get  this blogging thing all figured out haha.






Pride & Prejudice, Trouble and Something Real were from Bookoutlet because, I mean, who can resist Bookoutlet? Emmy & Oliver and Between the Notes were from the bookstore! 

Oh and I know, I haven't read Pride & Prejudice yet *nervous laughter* I plan on changing that really soon! 



  


A million thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with e-galleys of these lovely books. I can't wait to read them; they all sound so intriguing. 



So that'll be all from me! What did you guys get? Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments!


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Friday, July 17, 2015

The Make Me Read It Read-A-Thon

7:32 PM
The Make Me Read It Read-A-Thon is hosted by Val at The Innocent Smiley & Ely at A Book So Fathomless! It will run for a whole week, starting July 20th and ending on July 27th. 

I rarely ever join read-a-thons because they tend to stress me out more than I can handle, but I'm trying to change that. And I think this one is overall just a fabulous idea! Especially because of those books that you bought and have been meaning to read for a long time but haven't yet due to time constraints and/or the overwhelmingly awesome amount of books that keep getting released. I'm determined to do as best as I can with this one. 


If you guys would like to enter, just click the lovely ladies' links at the top of this post!


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Book Review: Everything You and I Could Have Been If We Weren't You and I by Albert Espinosa

9:04 AM

TitleEverything You and I Could Have Been If We Weren't You and I

Author: Albert Espinosa
Release date: July 2nd 2015
Pages: 203
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy/ Sci-fi
Publisher: Penguin Random House
My rating: 5/ 5
Source: Netgalley

Synopsis:


Can you imagine a future where everyone has given up sleeping?

From the creator of the television series Red Band Society and author of the international bestseller The Yellow World comes this uniquely special novel.

What if I could reveal your secrets with just a glance? And what if I could feel with your heart just by looking at you? And what if --in a single moment-- I could know that we were made for each other? Marcos has just lost his mother, a famous dancer who taught him everything, and he decides that his world can never be the same without her. Just as he is about to make a radical change, a phone call turns his world upside down.



(taken from goodreads)

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Sunday, July 12, 2015

Book Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

6:37 PM

TitleP.S. I Still Love You

Author: Jenny Han
Release date: March 26th 2015
Pages: 337
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/ 5 stars

                          Synopsis:


Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.



(taken from goodreads)

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Saturday, July 11, 2015

Blog Tour Stop: Don't Ever Change by M. Beth Bloom {Review + Dream Cast}

8:01 AM


Title: Don't Ever Change
Author: M. Beth Bloom
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 7th 2015
Rating: 4/ 5 stars

Synopsis:

Eva has always wanted to write a modern classic—one that actually appeals to her generation. The only problem is that she has realized she can't "write what she knows" because she hasn't yet begun to live. So before heading off to college, Eva is determined to get a life worth writing about.

Soon Eva's life encounters a few unexpected plot twists. She becomes a counselor at a nearby summer camp—a job she is completely unqualified for. She starts growing apart from her best friends before they've even left for school. And most surprising of all, she begins to fall for the last guy she would have ever imagined. But no matter the roadblocks, or writer's blocks, it is all up to Eva to figure out how she wants this chapter in her story to end.

Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell,Don't Ever Change is a witty, snarky, and thought-provoking coming-of-age young adult novel about a teen who sets out to write better fiction and, ultimately, discovers the truth about herself.


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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday #13: Riders by Veronica Rossi

8:41 AM


Title:  Riders (Riders #1)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication date: February 2, 2016


Synopsis:


For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.
Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can’t remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen—Conquest, Famine and Death—are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.
They fail.
Now—bound, bloodied, and drugged—Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he’s fallen for—not to mention all of humankind—he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.
But will anyone believe him?


           Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble


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