Book Blitz: PUSHING PERFECT by Michelle Falkoff

Book Blitz! LOVE AND LEFTOVERS by Sarah Tregay

Love and Leftovers

by Sarah Tregay 

Paperback Re-Release: 05/13/14

Katherine Tegen Books

Summary from Goodreads:

My wish
is to fall 


cranium over Converse

in dizzy, daydream-worthy 
love.

(If only it were that easy.)

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father. By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up.

But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? Can you even know it until you've lost it?

Excerpt

When My Mother Takes an Ambien

I have eight hours to devote to whatever I choose.

Some nights, I take her laptop down to the end of the lane

to pick up a Wi-Fi signal from the neighbors,

IM Katie, and watch Linus’s music videos,

while I perch on the rock wall.

Other nights, I sit facing the glowing coals

and read steamy romance novels that Aunt Greta has left behind.

Without Mom to tell me 

to get off the computer, 

or to come inside unless I want West Nile

I can hang out with my friends (online).

Without Mom to tell me 

that weak female characters 

are the result of an unimaginative author,

I can read about women who go weak in the knees

at the sight of a cowboy in Levis 

and nothing else.

But most of the time

I write poems in this blue notebook

because

I feel free 


when Mom is out cold.

Available from:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Book Depository

About the Author
Raised without television, Sarah Tregay started writing her own middle grade novels after she had read all of the ones in the library. She later discovered YA books, but never did make it to the adult section. When she's not jotting down poems at stoplights, she can be found hanging out with her "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sarah lives in Eagle, Idaho with her husband, two Boston Terriers, and an appaloosa named Mr. Pots. Her next book, Fan Art, will be released in June.

Author Links:

   

GIVEAWAY:

Win a signed paperback copy of Love and Leftovers and a guitar-pick necklace. (USA and Canada)

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Fangirl Friday Review: SECOND STAR by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Title: SECOND STAR by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Pub Date: May 13, 2014
ARC received from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.
Dannie says: I'm already wishing for a sequel!

A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward his nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of J. M. Barrie's classic tale, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up—and the troubled beauty trapped between them.

WHAT I LIKED

The overall story arc and plot. It's a like not a love because, for me, while the first half of the book had fantastic, gripping pace, the latter half, maybe last third, felt rushed. Part of that is that I was reading at top speed, dying to know what was going to happen next. But in terms of plot points it felt a little bottom heavy for me. That said, the plot is fantastic and I read the book from start to finish in one sitting, forgoing sleep because I was so invested in the story. 

The characters and relationships. Related to the point above, I felt like we got great insights and time with Pete, but not so much with Jas. I felt like he needed to be more villainous, or at least we needed to see his villainous side played out on the page a little more clearly. I think maybe the author fell for Jas as she was creating him and sort of softballed him as a result. And surely part of that was to emphasize the love triangle aspect, but for me it made him feel less three-dimensional than Pete. I wanted the author to take his relationship with Wendy further, to spend more time building their bond. Without revealing too much, I left the love triangle aspect of the story not knowing who I was rooting for, and I'm a pretty effing opinionated person when it comes to love triangles. It's the reason I avoid writing them in my own stories. I didn't know who I thought was a better fit for Wendy, not because I loved them both equally but because I didn't get to love either of them enough. 

WHAT I LOVED

First thing's first--yay contemporary retellings! I loved the way the author incorporated and stayed true to the original Barrie fairytale while setting the book firmly in the modern real world. I think she did an excellent job in that respect. Her concept grabbed me immediately and I felt like she did an amazing job of following through on what her book blurb promised. 

The setting. I'm not a beach book gal by any stretch of the imagination. But I felt really pulled into the setting and the world that she created, despite my original misgivings that pink, beachy books are not for me. She contrasted that enough with real world grit that I got invested quickly and stayed *hooked* throughout. ;)

The MC. I like that Wendy is that catalyst for the story. Yes, there are strong male figures in the story and yes they definitely impact the plot, but this is Wendy's story and she's a strong female MC without being overtly feminist or unfeminine. I really enjoyed reading her story and I was rooting for her from start to finish. 

WHAT I WANTED MORE OF

More resolution in the ending--in looking on Goodreads, it doesn't appear this is a series. Boo. That said, the ending doesn't feel neat enough for me for a standalone. I wanted something more concrete. So ironic, because I'm the queen of unresolved open and grey endings. But there it is. 

A nitpicky note, but I wanted Jas to be more Hook-like. I was hoping he would have some sort of disability the way Hook does (it would be easy, given the hazards of surfing), or at least something symbolic of the hook. If there was such a thing I missed it, but I definitely found myself looking for it when Jas was introduced and throughout the read. 

These are picky, purely opinion things, though. And they won't stop me from re-reading this one. 

Short story long, I can't say enough about this story. The only negative I have was that it wasn't long enough--that I wanted to keep reading even after I ran out of pages. I really hope there is a sequel planned they haven't revealed yet. Maybe I'll have to wish upon a star to make it happen, eh?

Buy links below. If you like retellings or beach reads or good YA in general, pick this one up. 

Review: ME SINCE YOU by Laura Wiess

Title: ME SINCE YOU by Laura Wiess
Pub Date: Available now!
ARC received from MTV Books in exchange for an honest review
Dannie says: LOTS to love here!

Are there any answers when someone you love makes a tragic choice?

Before and After. That's how Rowan Areno sees her life now. Before: she was a normal sixteen-year-old--a little too sheltered by her police officer father and her mother. After: everything she once believed has been destroyed in the wake of a shattering tragedy, and every day is there to be survived.

If she had known, on that Friday in March when she cut school, that a random stranger's shocking crime would have traumatic consequences, she never would have left campus. If the crime video never went viral, maybe she could have saved her mother, grandmother--and herself--from the endless replay of heartache and grief.

Finding a soul mate in Eli, a witness to the crime who is haunted by losses of his own, Rowan begins to see there is no simple, straightforward path to healing wounded hearts. Can she learn to trust, hope, and believe in happiness again?

WHAT I LIKED

The MC. She came off as bratty at first and I kind of didn't care what happened to her as a result, making her a like instead of a love. This changed as the book progressed, however, but at first I really was more invested in her father than the MC herself, which for a typical YA reader might be a huge problem (since they tend not to attach to the adults in stories as much as other teens.) That said, her brattyness lended itself to nice room for character growth.

Really engaging read once you get past the initial pace issues. (More on this below) but the story architecture was a little off balance, making the middle of the book feel very, very slow. Once the story picked up, though, it was unputdownable. 

WHAT I LOVED

The grittiness. This is my sort of read. There are very realistic emotions throughout and nice authenticity. As a result, however, the beginning is very intense, maybe too realistic for some readers, and probably not suitable for kids under fifteen or sixteen (info for my parent readers). This is a tough read, and it may be triggering for some readers who have depression or care about someone with serious depression or suicidal ideation. It would be a great book for a parent and teen to read and discuss together. 

I love that this is a YA story that focuses on family. So much of YA/C falls into the full blown romance category. And while there is a huge romantic component to this story (more on that below) the story holds water without the romance. I think this is a story that needed a voice in YA. 

Love the romance. It's exactly the right balance of sensitivity to the main story arc while not overstepping its boundary as a subplot. It's also a nice example of writing authentic and realistic teen romance where the characters fulfill a need for each other that's actually meaningful (a big pet peeve of mine in pink teen lit.)

WHAT I WANTED MORE OF

Story architecture feels a little wonky. The main character's journey doesn't really get rolling until the unexpected (sorta) twist with Dad, which feels too late in the plot arc for me. First third of book happens around MC more than to her in a way that made the pace there feel on the slow side. As I read, I found myself wondering whether teen readers would be engaged by the first third of the book. 

As a school counselor, I wanted more realistic/respectful portrayal of how school personnel respond to situations like this. The scene with bus driver, for example, is completely unrealistic. Bus drivers don't antagonize students or go looking for a fight because there are dash cameras right there to catch the whole thing. Also because if a school bus driver is looking for a fight there's usually one to be had with an intentionally antagonistic kid who is also looking for a fight. This might be remotely plausible in a middle school setting, but high school bus drivers tend to leave their students along and as a consequence the students do the same and everyone's happy as a result. So this scene totally pulled me out of the story. 

It's highly unlikely the press would show the video on the local news. Too glamorizing of suicide and they would have a serious lawsuit on their hands if a copycat trend started. Would it be available online? Sure. But not on regular TV news or even really on cable TV news. So here again I was pulled out of the story because this sort of thing just doesn't happen in real life.

 

I felt like there was too much normalizing of risk behaviors for YA in my opinion. The drinking and drug content is presented with the casual nonchalance you might expect in a new adult book. Regardless of the authenticity, when we write for teens I feel like we have an ethical obligation to do our best not to glamorize risk behaviors--unprotected sex, casual drug use, etc. Why? Because kids interpret this as condoning the behavior. And as a therapist who's seen too many kids die or ruin other people's lives with their drug use, that's not okay with me, as a writer or a reader, not to mention as a parent. This book was not nearly as normalizing as many others I've read, but it did stick out for me so I wanted to note it for my parent readers. 

All that said, I did really, REALLY enjoy this read. It has some kinks that might benefit from further finessing, but on the whole it was definitely a book I was glad I happened across on NetGalley. Read it and let me know what you think!

TTYL by Bethany Lopez: Blog Tour and Giveaway!

TTYL (Stories About Melissa #4)

by Bethany Lopez

Release Date: 11/12/13

The last few months have been a rough road for Melissa. Her grades have slipped, her parents treat her like a prisoner, and her closest friends are too involved in their own lives to spend time with her. Desperate to escape her depressing funk, she starts spending more time with Layla, who introduces her to a new crowd...the wrong crowd. When Melissa starts to go down a dangerous path, can anyone get through to her before she does something she'll regret?

Excerpt

I was saved by Megan walking into the kitchen, looking much like she had a few hours ago. She was scratching her head as she walked in, and was stopped short when Mom said her name in a shocked voice, “Megan!”

            Megan looked at mom and asked, “What?”

            “What is that on your neck?”

            I got up to come and see what Mom was talking about, and saw the large raspberry-colored hickey on the left side of Megan’s neck.

            I couldn’t help it, I started laughing.

            “Gross!”

            “What?” Megan asked, still half asleep, and obviously unaware that Scott had left his brand on her.

            “Is that a hickey?” Mom asked, dumbfounded. She looked back and forth between us, as if she expected the hickey to disappear from Megan’s neck and appear on mine.

            Ewww… As if! I would never let a guy suck on my neck and leave a nasty mark like that.

            Megan’s eyes opened wide, and she clamped her hand over the spot where Mom and I were looking. She turned and ran out of the room, probably to find the nearest mirror.

            She was going to kill Scott, I thought, and I started laughing again.

            “This is not funny, Melissa,” Mom fumed. “Just wait until your father sees that.”

            Oh, boy. Megan was a dead girl.

About the Author

      

Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible.

***GIVEAWAY***

1 set of paperbacks of the series

1 set of ebooks of the series

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Review: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT by Sarah Mlynowski

Title: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT by Sarah Mlynowski
Pub Date: March 11, 2014 from Random House Children's (Delacorte Press)
ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Dannie says: *We* really, really liked it. 

We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper. 

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same. 

So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

WHAT I LIKED

The premise. I think it's current (with all the vaccine paranoia on the news etc) and a unique twist on the "I can hear what people think" trope. I love magical realism in general, and this is a nice twist. It's a like not a love for me though because I do feel like there is a lot of paranoia about vaccines and I felt like this might feed into that since it's never really confronted as a story element. 

The characters--it's really hard to pin point one in particular that stood out from the bunch, though, making them a like rather than a love. Because we are getting so many different characters' perspectives, there wasn't really enough time to invest in any of them completely. The possible exception to that might be Cooper, who I really wanted to love, and who kept surprising me. But I didn't get to spend enough time with him to fall completely in love.

WHAT I LOVED

The narrative voice. It took me a while to get used to first person plural POV, but once I did, it was less of a distraction from the story than I expected it to be. Because that was a pleasant surprise and because it was so, so well done, it was a definite love for me. Probably my favorite part of the read. 

The story structure and pace. I had some other competing projects during this read, so it isn't one I finished in under a day, but I did feel that the pace was strong and that the story for the most part moved forward at a good clip. I also felt that the story itself had enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and engaged, and I felt the overall story arc was well structured. 

The character of "we". This is something I hadn't seen done before in contemporary YA and I felt like it was done exceptionally well. I was completely bought in, which isn't always the case with magical realism for me. With this novel I was able to completely suspend my disbelief and dive into the story. Such a fun read. 

WHAT I WANTED MORE OF

Trivial point first: The cover--meh. If I saw this in B&N it would not have grabbed my attention. But more than that, after reading, I'm not exactly sure who these girls are. They don't seem to coincide with the girls I felt stood out the most in the story, and they ignore the character who did, Cooper (a guy.) I felt underwhelmed by the cover. Trivial, I know, but it irked me. 

Denouement. I felt like the story wrapped up too quickly post climactic arc. It felt as if it was left open for a sequel, but in this case I didn't feel like there was enough story to justify part two. What she has here is great, I just wanted more resolution. 

More realistic and multifaceted adult characters. Some of the funniest moments for me were when "we" were overhearing the thoughts of the adults in the story. However, I was disappointed how superficial that aspect remained. I wanted there to be at least one adult character who surprised the teens in a good way--whether that be through their caring for the teen characters, their insightfulness, etc. And I felt like we never really got that. Granted, this is me reading the book as an adult reader, so the intended audience might not feel the same way. But I felt like there was a missed opportunity for a teachable moment there. 

Short story long, while this isn't one I'd pick up and re-read over and over again, it was a fun read the first time around. If you're looking for a twisty YA Contemp with quirky voice and interesting resolution, check this one out. Buy links are below!

Fangirl Friday: Double Cover Reveal from Cassie Mae (@CassieCook2)

How to Seduce a Band Geek (How To #2)

by Cassie Mae

Release Date: 05/06/14

Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Sierra Livingston’s got it bad for her sister’s best friend, Levi Mason—the boy who carries his drumsticks in his pocket, marches with the school’s band, and taps his feet to whatever beat runs through his head. Sierra racks her brain for ways to impress the sexy drummer, but the short skirts and bursting cleavage don’t seem to cut it.

When Sierra gets paired with Levi’s sister, Brea, for a mentorship program, they strike a deal. In exchange for Sierra keeping her mouth shut about Brea ditching the program, Brea lets Sierra dig for more info on Levi to help get the guy of her dreams.

But when Sierra discovers Levi no longer plays the drums, his family has moved into a trailer, and he’s traded in his Range Rover for a baby blue moped, Sierra’s not sure if she can go through with violating his privacy. She’ll have to find the courage to ask him straight out—if he’s willing to let her in—and explore other ways to seduce the school’s band geek.

How to Hook a Bookworm (How To #3)

by Cassie Mae

Release Date: TBD

Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

It’s Brea Mason’s sixteenth birthday, and she has three wishes. 1. Be magically eighteen like the rest of her friends. 2. Grow a money tree for her family whose financial problems are well known about town.  3. Overcome her test anxiety before she flunks out of every class.

But one day later, she's still sixteen, her family's money worries abound, and she's no closer to passing than she was the day before!

Then a very sexy transfer student—with gobs of cash—shows up. Brea figures she has a better chance of burping up glitter than attracting the new guy, but he seems extremely interested in her.

Just when Brea thinks things are looking up, her report card arrives marked with four giant F’s. Enter resident bookworm and Brea's loyal friend, Adam Silver. If he can't help Brea pass, no one can.

Even with Adam's help, Brea can't handle the mounting pressure, and finds an escape with the new student who knows little about her problems. 

But spending oodles of time with her boyfriend strains the friendship with Adam she relies so heavily on. Faced with losing the only real comfort and support she has ever had, Brea starts to wonder if she can hook a bookworm before it's too late. 

Link to book one:
(cover linked to Goodreads)

About the Author

Amazon multi-category and international bestselling author of HOW TO DATE A NERD, HOW TO SEDUCE A BAND GEEK and HOW TO HOOK A BOOKWORM

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. Her angel children and perfect husband fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

Cassie Mae is an Amazon.com bestselling author of the teen contemporary romance novel REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND, which she self-published. In addition to publishing with Swoon Romance, she is published by Random House Flirt.

Author Links:

    

Cover Reveal Organized by:

Review: HEARTBEAT by Elizabeth Scott

Title: HEARTBEAT by Elizabeth Scott

Pub Date: January 28, 2014

ARC received from Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review. 

Dannie says: I wanted to fall in love with the MC more, but can I keep Caleb?

Life. Death. And...Love?

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge. Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

WHAT I LIKED

The narrative voice is a like instead of a love for me--I like the adolescent authenticity, but the voice itself didn't really stand out from a lot of Contemporary YA I've read recently the way the John Greens and Rainbow Rowells of the world do. 

WHAT I LOVED

The premise. What a heartwreching, ante-upping twist on the dead YA parent trope. More than anything, the hook of this story is what kept me reading to the very end. 

The step-father's character--and I won't say anything more so as not to spoil anything for anyone, but I like that he's not the complete villain the vast majority of YA stepparents are made out to be. 

The LI--I'm a sucker for a misunderstood badboy, and Caleb definitely fits the mold. But he also breaks it--which is what makes me really love him. The author did a great job of weaving their stories together in a way that made their coming together make sense, making the romantic subplot one of my favorite parts of this read.

WHAT I WANTED MORE OF 

A more likable MC: I get the fact that the MC is angry. I write about angry, bitter, heartbroken teens, too. But to validate her stakes and make me invested in her story, she needs to have some sort of redeeming quality, something to champion. For me, I struggled to find a reason to want this particular MC to "win" until the very end. I felt like she was too pitiful.

Less internal monologue--because the MC is so depressed and has wholeheartedly embraced the idea of isolating herself, there are lengthy sections of narrative paragraph where the MC doesn't interact with any other characters. This combined with her wholly negative personality dramatically slowed the pace for me at times. 

Despite this, though, I kept reading to the very end--something I was under no obligation to do--because I was really invested in the story's outcome. And that, my friends, is what a killer premise/hook is all about. 

Short story long, I'm iffy on this one, but not to iffy to finish reading it. Pick up a copy and let me know what you think! Buy links are below!