Review-What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers

Published: April 7, 2020

Genre: YA Romance

Source: E-ARC

Rating:

See what other readers & reviewers are saying HERE!

Blurb:
Can a love triangle have only two people in it? Online, it can... but in the real world, it's more complicated. In this debut novel Marisa Kanter explores what happens when internet friends turn into IRL crushes.

There are a million things that Halle Levitt likes about her online best friend, Nash.

He’s an incredibly talented graphic novelist. He loves books almost as much as she does. And she never has to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him in real life. They can talk about anything…

Except who she really is.

Because online, Halle isn’t Halle—she’s Kels, the enigmatically cool creator of One True Pastry, a YA book blog that pairs epic custom cupcakes with covers and reviews. Kels has everything Halle doesn’t: friends, a growing platform, tons of confidence, and Nash.

That is, until Halle arrives to spend senior year in Gramps’s small town and finds herself face-to-face with real, human, not-behind-a-screen Nash. Nash, who is somehow everywhere she goes—in her classes, at the bakery, even at synagogue.

Nash who has no idea she’s actually Kels.

If Halle tells him who she is, it will ruin the non-awkward magic of their digital friendship. Not telling him though, means it can never be anything more. Because while she starts to fall for Nash as Halle…he’s in love with Kels.

Review:

Buy the book:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

About the author:
Marisa Kanter has worked in publicity for major publishers and covered YA books for MTV. Currently, she works in sales, on the distribution side of the publishing industry. She can often be found searching for the best iced chai in NYC, or reading on the 3 train. What I Like About You is her first novel. Follow her at marisakanter.com and on Twitter @marisakanter

Blog Tour Review + Giveaway-Glow of the Fireflies by Lindsey Duga

Glow of the Fireflies

by Lindsey Duga

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Release Date: October 1st 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Briony never planned to go back to the place she lost everything.

Firefly Valley, nestled deep within the Smoky Mountains, is better kept in her past. After an unexplained fire gave Briony amnesia, her mother disappeared and her dad moved them to Knoxville.

But now her grandmother needs a caretaker and Briony's dad volunteers her to help. The moment she returns, her whole world shifts. She feels a magical connection to this valley, as if it's literally part of her somehow.

And when she meets a hot guy who claims he was her childhood friend but now mysteriously keeps his distance, Briony starts piecing together her missing past...and discovers her mother didn't leave to start a new life somewhere. She's trapped in the hidden world within the valley.

Now, Briony will do whatever it takes to rescue her, even if it means standing up against dangerously powerful nature spirits. Even if it means giving up her first love.

Review:
Soooo... This was kind of weird, magical, and whimsical all at the same time. But it was still more weird than anything. It took me awhile to truly get in the book but when I did, I was able to appreciate it as a whole.

Briony has lost ten years of her life after a fire that almost took her and then her mother just up and disappears. Briony’s whole life changes and she can’t even remember how; all the while she and her father move away from her hometown.

When Briony is asked to go and take care of her grandmother, who broke her leg, things start changing again. Only this time, Briony could possibly get the answers she’s desperately wanted.

We are thrown a curveball when we find out that Briony’s mother is somehow alive but in some spirit world that’s neither here nor there—and she needs help escaping.

Briony, along with a super hot dude that was apparently a childhood friend before the whole amnesia thing, go and try to save Briony’s mother. Along the way, readers are taken on a fantastical ride filled with pretty words and a world you can fall away into.

I thought the story was a very interesting concept, the characters were engaging and at times relatable, and overall, I thought it was a fun read.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

BOOK LINKS

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43256810-glow-of-the-fireflies

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JxgDRL

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/glow-of-the-fireflies-lindsey-duga/1130016370?ean=9781640637313

Bookdepository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Glow-of-the-Fireflies-Lindsey-Duga/9781640637313

iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/glow-of-the-fireflies/id1468918599

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ph/en/ebook/glow-of-the-fireflies

Google Books: https://books.google.fr/books/about/Glow_of_the_Fireflies.html?id=EcmnvwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

Lindsey Duga is a middle grade and young adult writer with a passion for fantasy, science fiction, and basically any genre that takes you away from the real world. She wrote her first novel in college while she was getting her bachelor’s in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University.

Other than writing and cuddling with her morkie puppy, Delphi, Lindsey loves catching up on the latest superhero TV show and practicing yoga.

September 23rd

The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club - Welcome Post

September 24th

Kait Plus Books - Guest Post

PopTheButterfly Reads - Review

The Lovely Books - Review

Bookmark Lit - Review

Library of a Book Witch - Review

September 25th

One in a Million - Official Playlist

Milky Way of Books - Review 

A Dream Within A Dream - Review

Book-Keeping - Review

Discover Elysian - Review + Favourite Quotes

September 26th

Confessions of a YA Reader - Top 10

A Court of Coffee and Books  Review + Favourite Quotes

Moonlight Rendezvous - Review + Favourite Quotes

Book Slaying - Review

Sincerely Karen Jo - Review

September 27th

Bookish Looks - Official Dream Cast

Shalini's Books & Reviews - Review

The Reading Corner for All - Review + Favourite Quotes + Video Interview

Novel Nerd Faction - Review + Playlist

September 28th

Love, Stars, and Books - Review

DEEKAY | Daily Dose of Reading - Review + Favourite Quotes

Book Nerd Anonymous - Review

Bookishly Nerdy - Review

Book Briefs - Review

September 29th

Never Too Many To Read - Review + Character Interview

The Reading Faery - Review + Favourite Quotes

Hauntedbybooks - Review

Port Jericho - Review

To All The Books I've Read Before - Review + Dream Cast + Playlist

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review-The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Published: September 3, 2019

Genre: YA Historical

Source: Finished copy

Rating: 5 stars

GOODREADS

Buy from Amazon US

Buy from Amazon UK

Blurb:
The Last Magician meets A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue in this thrilling tale filled with magic and set in the mysterious Carpathian Mountains where a girl must hunt down Vlad the Impaler’s cursed ring in order to save her father.

Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.

Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.

Review:
There’s nothing out there like a Jenn Bennett book. She writes stories that not only have the cutest plot lines, but also ones that make you fall in love. And I fell in love with this story like you wouldn't believe. Theodora is such a great character that I instantly rooted for. Huck...yes. He's very dreamy and the banter between him and Theodora was what kept me turning the pages.

Huck and Theo have what one would like to call, history. Huck broke our girl's heart when he left her without a goodbye and never looked back. That is, until now-when he shows up at her hotel in Istanbul. Before she knows it, they're on the run and in search of a magical ring from Vlad the impaler.

We are then taken on a magical adventure filled with action, romance, and a roller-coaster of a ride that you don't want to get out of. I fell in love from the very first page and didn't stop until I finished the story. It was so romantic and I loved being able to leave the real world and go into this fantasy land that was entirely too much fun. Oh how I wish this wasn't a standalone!

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About the author:
Jenn Bennett is an award-winning author of young adult books, including: ALEX, APPROXIMATELY; STARRY EYES; SERIOUS MOONLIGHT; and THE LADY ROGUE. She also writes romance and fantasy for adults. Her books have earned multiple starred reviews, won Romance Writers of America’s RITA® Award, and been included on Publishers Weekly Best Books annual list. She lives near Atlanta with one husband and two dogs. Visit her at www.jennbennett.net.


Follow her on:

Twitter
Instagram

Review-Bullied (Bullied #1) by Vera Hollins

Publisher: Self-pub

Published: August 27, 2019

Genre: Young Adult-dark themes

Source: e-ARC

Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads

Blurb:

I have always been bullied and trapped in darkness. I hoped life would get better when I moved to my mother's hometown, but it only got worse because it was there that I met my unrequited crush, Hayden Black.

He despised me from day one, and even more when I became best friends with his twin, Kayden. Kayden gave light to my life, but my happiness with him lasted only until one night two years ago.

That night Kayden died because of me.

Half of me died with him. The other half was left to bleed, suffering Hayden's and his friends' constant bullying.

Now I must endure one more year before I can finally escape them and go to college. This year has to be different.

Either I will become stronger, or they will finally break me into nothing.

Warning: This book contains mature and sensitive themes such as abuse, violence, and offensive language. It includes situations that may be triggering for some readers, so caution is advised.

Review:

Wow. This was deep and depressing. If the cover is anything to go by, trust me when I say that this isn’t your typical bully romance—it’s dark. After reading this, I think I need a break from books. It was...a lot. Almost like a rollercoaster that kept jerking me all over the place. Not fun but something I couldn’t stay away from even if I tried. 

Readers, please take the trigger warning seriously. I’m going to be first to admit that I LOVE bully romances. This is NOT a romance, in my humble opinion. So if that’s what you’re looking for, this ain’t it. There is actual bullying going on. And not the occasional prank or some hero making the heroine feel bad type thing. Such as pretending to like the heroine and then humiliating her. This is much darker. Hayden, actually hurts the heroine, Sarah. She gets physically, emotionally, and verbally abused—consistently throughout the whole book. All the way until the very end. The hero isn’t a hero. Although, I felt for his character and feel oddly connected to him. Especially after all the revelation. 

Sarah is weak. There’s no other way to put it. She fights back occasionally but for the most part she’s constantly scared and trembles a lot. So many times I wanted her to just fight back with all her might. But she didn’t. Instead she endured the pain and humiliation her classmates put her through. I have a hard time believing a school would be so callous as to ignore students being hazed the way they were. The way Sarah was. It’s despicable. 

I couldn’t help but think of how volatile and abusive the hero was. It wasn’t romantic in the least. (Not that I think that’s romantic. But I like the occasional alpha possessive H every now and then) And I kept thinking about how I would never recommend this to young ladies because this isn’t how love is supposed to be. So I feel like the author did well in that regard. Showing us how the terrible cycle of staying with an abusive man that says he’s changed can happen. And sometimes how it starts. 

I know this book won’t be for many people. And I get it. There were some difficult subjects to read about. Which is why I feel like I need to go watch something less dramatic and sad. Because yes, I cried at the end. It was too devastating. 

I would like to say that I think towards the end the heroine did show a teensy bit more backbone. I look forward to her character growth in the next book! 

*Thank you to the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Buy links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2Le80Nj

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2MZxnVh

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2FnyOqj

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2Kww525

Amazon All Stores (BR, IN, ES, FR and more): http://bit.ly/AmazonMarketplaces

Apple, B&N, Kobo and more stores: http://books2read.com/u/3891d6

About the Author:

Vera Micic now writes as Vera Hollins.

Check out her new profile to stay up to date with her new and upcoming books: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Website

https://www.verahollins.com/

Blog Tour Review—The Reckoning of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #2) by Michelle Hodkin

I'm so happy to start off the blog tour for our boy, Noah! We have a lot of fun blog posts planned for you. Please make sure to check out the schedule below! 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Published: November 13, 2018

Genre: YA PNR

Source: Print ARC

Rating: 3 Stars

GOODREADS

Book Synopsis

In this sequel to The Becoming of Noah Shaw, the companion series to the New York Times bestselling Mara Dyer novels, legacies are revealed, lies are unraveled, and old alliances are forged. Noah’s reckoning is here.

Noah Shaw wants nothing more than to escape the consequences of his choices. 

He can’t. 

He’s sure the memories that haunt him are merely proof of a broken heart. 

They aren’t. 

He thinks he can move forward without first confronting his past. 

He’s wrong.

Review:

Well...that was something. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I feel like something was missing. That being said, of course I enjoyed this. It’s Noah Shaw for goodness sake! If you haven’t yet read Mara Dyer Trilogy and/or the first book in The Shaw Confessions—then I highly recommend that you do. Why? Well for one, a lot of spoilers and you’ll be lost. Things that happened in Mara Dyer are making a comeback in this book. 

Proceed with caution. 

With the way the first book ended—on a cliffhanger, no less—I knew that I needed the next book to see how the story would go. It was weird seeing Noah in such a pessimistic light. Which is kind of the same way he is in The Reckoning. Only, I kind of feel like nothing happened. Plot? Non existent. Mara? Not in the book! For real, I was a
little upset about that.

The ending has definitely made me want to get the next book. Yes, it’s one of those endings again! Noah is an interesting character and being in his head was a bit of a mind game in itself. A bit confusing, if I’m being honest. But this is Noah we’re talking about and nothing can keep me away from him. 

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

BUY NOAH HERE US
BUY NOAH HERE UK

Author Bio

Michelle Hodkin grew up in Florida, went to college in New York, and studied law in Michigan. She is the author of the Mara Dyer trilogy, including The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, and The Retribution 
of Mara Dyer. Visit her online at MichelleHodkin.com.

Blog Tour Schedule

November 5 – The Lovely Books

November 6 – Too Fond of Books

November 7 – Downright Dystopian

November 8 – Pure Imagination

November 9 – The Book Loving Nut

November 10 – a GREAT Read

November 11 – The Eater of Books!

November 12 – My Guilty Obsession

November 13 – Arctic Books

November 14 – A Gingerly Review

November 15 – Ex Libris Kate

November 16 – Girl in the Pages

ARC Review—Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Published: June 5, 2018

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance 

Source: Print ARC

Rating: 4 Stars 

GOODREADS

Blurb:

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.

Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.

Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.

So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.

Winner takes the loser’s heart.

Literally. 

Review-

“None of them will fill the emptiness, the gaping chasm, the cold void of the girl I used to be. A happy girl, an innocent girl. A girl with family. A girl who believed in the goodness of the world, once. 

A girl with love.”

Bring Me Their Hearts ends on such a cliffhanger, I don’t know what to do with myself. Sara Wolf is an author I’d follow anywhere; simply for the fact that she gave me Jack Hunter in the Lovely Vicious Trilogy. It was inevitable that I would choose to read and review this book as well. 

I’ll be honest, it took me a hot minute to truly get into the story. Why? I have no idea. The main character is spunky and hilarious; I loved her immediately. I just couldn’t, for the life of me, care for the story. The more I read though, the more interesting this new world became. The world building and the story in all, was different. Good but very different. You have beings that are called Heartless—they literally don’t have a heart and witches control them. 

“I might be a thief, but I’m also a romantic. I’m after his heart.”

Zera, our main girl, is a Heartless. She’s given a huge task—to seduce the crown prince and take his heart. In turn, she’ll get the freedom she desires for her and her friends. Things prove to be difficult once she meets Prince Lucien and see how kind and caring he is. But Zera only has so little time to get the job done until everything is too late. 

Despite the fact that the book started off slow, I clearly enjoyed the story very much. The comedic way the heroine would handle situations, made the book so fun. I like books that don’t take themselves too seriously. I think Wolf has a great imagination and I’m so happy she’s shared this particular story with us. Now, I’m not too needy when it comes to reading material but...can we get the sequel like now?

“His heart. Freedom. His heart. Freedom.”

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon US 

Amazon UK

About the Author:

Sara Wolf is a twenty-something author who adores baking, screaming at her cats, and screaming at herself while she types hilarious things. When she was a kid, she was too busy eating dirt to write her first terrible book. Twenty years later, she picked up a keyboard and started mashing her fists on it and created the monster known as the Lovely Vicious series. She lives in San Diego with two cats, a crippling-yet-refreshing sense of self-doubt, and not enough fruit tarts ever.

Blog Tour Review—Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson

Publisher: Razorbill

Published: May 29, 2018

Genre: YA Contemporary/Mystery

Source: Print ARC

Rating: 4.5 Stars

GOODREADS

BOOK DESCRIPTION 

"A compulsive page-turner with a shocking twist--get ready to stay up all night!" --Sara Shepard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars

"This conversation-starting page-turner is...Fatal Attraction meets Big Little Lies." --Kirkus Reviews

     Gabe and Elyse have never met. But they both have something to hide.

     Quiet, shy Elyse can't believe it when she's cast as the lead in her Portland high school's production of Romeo and Juliet. Her best friend, Brynn, is usually the star, and Elyse isn't sure she's up to the task. But when someone at rehearsals starts to catch her eye--someone she knows she absolutely shouldn't be with--she can't help but be pulled into the spotlight.

     Austin native Gabe is contemplating the unthinkable--breaking up with Sasha, his headstrong, popular girlfriend. She's not going to let him slip through her fingers, though, and when rumors start to circulate around school, he knows she has the power to change his life forever.

     Gabe and Elyse both make the mistake of falling for the wrong person, and falling hard. Told in parallel narratives, this twisty, shocking story shows how one bad choice can lead to a spiral of unforeseen consequences that not everyone will survive.

Review:

Holy moly! I finished the book in three hours. I meant to read a few pages before bed, but then I couldn’t stop reading. This was so damn good! I just thought I’d throw that out there. There’s a juicy forbidden romance plotline, betrayals, crazy ex-girlfriends, and pretty much spending the whole book wondering how everything comes together. 

Oh boy, did it deliver! The twist was perfection that I didn’t even see it coming. It was so obvious but I still didn’t see it. I love a good mystery. I’m the story we follow two separate characters—Gabe and Elyse and the side characters, Catherine, Sasha, and Aiden. All these characters lives are entwined in some kind of way. Gabe is dating Sasha—she’s crazy and manipulative though, so luckily he sees the light and breaks it off. 

That is until he starts getting threatening texts on social media that he knows pinpoint to Sasha. But proving it’s her is only half the battle. Then Gabe meets Catherine in an unusual way and he obviously can’t stop thinking about her. Catherine’s got secrets that leave her guarded and somewhat standoffish. Gabe wants her anyway. 

Elyse has always been okay with being in the shadow of someone else’s spotlight. Her home life isn’t great, so she does what she can to get by. The day she wins the coveted role of Juliet in Romeo + Juliet, is the day her life changes. And not for the better—though she wished it was. 

I want to shout on the rooftop at the top of my lungs how much I loved this story and the characters. It wasn’t a complex story but it did pull at my heartstrings. The biggest thing an author can do, is make me feel all the feels. Once that happens, I usually become a fan for life of said author. If you’re looking for a story that seems quiet in presentation but takes a mean punch in the end, don’t hesitate to read this! I dare you to try to put it down after the first chapter. 

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon UK

AUTHOR BIO

Jennifer Donaldson graduated from Reed College and received her MFA from the University of Texas at Austin. She currently lives in Austin with her family.

SCHEDULE 

WEEK ONE

May 14 – Brooke Reports – Playlist

May 15 – Lindseyybooks – Review + Insta Photo

May 16 – Lo’s Lo-Down on Books – Review 

May 17 – Novel Grounds – Book Aesthetic and Creative Instagram Picture

May 18 – Little Bookworm Reviews – Review + Book Aesthetic

WEEK TWO

May 21 – Just Add a Word – Review + Book Aesthetic

May 22 – The Nerdy Girl Express – Review

May 23 – The Lovely Books – Review

May 24 – Next Book Review – Creative Picture

May 25 – Snarky Yet Satisfying – Creative Instagram Picture

WEEK THREE

May 28 – Coffee Cocktails and Books – Review + Book Tag

May 29 – HelloJennyReviews – Creative Bookstagram Picture

May 30 – Young Adult Reads – Review

May 31 – Seeing Double In Neverland – Review + Creative Photo