Waiting on Wednesday: What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that highlights pre-publication/upcoming releases that readers cannot wait to get their hands on. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: What I Like About You
Author: Marisa Kanter
Publication date: April 7, 2020
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Synopsis

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 that’s perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson, Marisa Kanter hilariously and poignantly explores what happens when internet friends turn into IRL crushes.

Is it still a love triangle if there are only two people in it?

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.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Trick-or-Treat Yo Shelf: The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett

Title: The Lady Rogue
Authors: Jenn Bennett
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: September 3, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Historical

Synopsis:

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.

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Welcome to my second “Trick-or-Treat Yo Shelf” post of the season. All through September and October, I will be reviewing new releases and helping you decide if you should TREAT YO SHELF to the featured new release.

Today’s book choice is The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett, which released on September 3, 2019. And you guys, SPOILER ALERT, I’m just going to tell you right now: you need to TREAT YO SHELF to a copy of The Lady Rogue ASAP!

I am a huge fanatic of Jenn Bennett’s YA contemporary novels, and I could not wait to read her historical book. And surprise, surprise: I adored The Lady Rogue so much. After reading this constant page-turner, I was raving to everyone on my social media outlets, insisting and demanding that everyone add Jenn Bennett’s historical, fantasy novel to their TBR NOW! The Lady Rogue gave me extreme The Mummy vibes (the best kind of vibes, in my opinion), and, of course, the angsty, swoon-worthy feels that are the epitome of Jenn Bennett’s novels.

This novel is definitely the perfect book to read this autumn. The Lady Rogue eloquently melds adventure, history, romance, Gothic scenery, cursed objects, and magic into the perfect historical tome. 

Are you still wondering if The Lady Rogue is the perfect book to Treat Yo Shelf to? Well, my bookish friend, wait no further. If you like more than three things off this checklist, you best believe you need to add The Lady Rogue to your TBR list.

The Lady Rogue Checklist: 

♦ A fierce and sassy heroine
♦ A charming and dashing hero named Huxley Gallagher a.k.a. Huck
♦ Witty and angsty banter
♦ Treasure hunting for magical artifacts
♦ Trekking through the Romania wilderness
♦ Characters taking some unethical but daring risks
♦ Code-breaking and puzzle solving
♦ Unraveling tales and legends of Vlad the Impaler
♦ Adventurous travels through modes of trains and planes
♦ Secret societies and Gothic vibes
♦  SWOONS!

Blogger Note: A huge thank you to Simon Teen for providing me an ARC to read and review. All statements and opinions are my own. 

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Songs from the Deep by Kelly Powell

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that highlights pre-publication/upcoming releases that readers cannot wait to get their hands on. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: Songs from the Deep
Author: Kelly Powell
Publication date: November 5, 2019
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Historical

Synopsis

A girl searches for a killer on an island where deadly sirens lurk just beneath the waves in this gripping, atmospheric debut novel.

The sea holds many secrets.

Moira Alexander has always been fascinated by the deadly sirens who lurk along the shores of her island town. Even though their haunting songs can lure anyone to a swift and watery grave, she gets as close to them as she can, playing her violin on the edge of the enchanted sea. When a young boy is found dead on the beach, the islanders assume that he’s one of the sirens’ victims. Moira isn’t so sure.

Certain that someone has framed the boy’s death as a siren attack, Moira convinces her childhood friend, the lighthouse keeper Jude Osric, to help her find the real killer, rekindling their friendship in the process. With townspeople itching to hunt the sirens down, and their own secrets threatening to unravel their fragile new alliance, Moira and Jude must race against time to stop the killer before it’s too late—for humans and sirens alike.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Review of Save the Date by Morgan Matson

Title: Save the Date
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 5, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

 

Synopsis:

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

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You guys, am I broken? I didn’t love a Morgan Matson book and I feel like I let myself down. I went into Save the Date with so much hope and high expectations. I loved the premise of a wedding bringing a huge family together, but OHMYGOD there was so much drama and mishaps . . . AND GAH, I had such a hard time processing a 432-paged story with so many characters, very little romance, so many feelings, and just SO MUCH drama. And with so many characters not fully developed, I could not connect with any of them. But even though Save the Date didn’t work for me, there were a few “RAVES” I would love to highlight. Although this wasn’t the summer rom-com I was hoping for, I’m sure other contemporary readers will enjoy the wedding shenanigans that pursue.

-There’s a cute dog named Waffles.
-The Grant family is very unique (and large), and I loved that a comic strip, created by the main character’s mom, is showcased throughout some chapters.
-The wedding planner’s nephew is a breath of fresh air whenever he shows up in the book.
-There are hidden Easter eggs and references to Taylor Swift, Stranger Things, and some characters from Matson’s previous books make a cameo appearance.
-J.J., one of Charlie’s three brothers, is hilarious, and I think he needs his own book.

Note:   I was not provided a copy of this book by the author or the publisher in exchange for a review. I bought this book (and two other copies, lol) with my own funds, and I reviewed the book at my own discretion.  All statements and opinions in this review are mine. 

Review of Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

Title: Emergency Contact
Author: Mary H.K. Choi
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

 

Synopsis:

For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn’t actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.

Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him. 

When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.

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Confession time: I didn’t love Emergency Contact as much as I thought I would. I read some reviews, where readers labeled it as a romantic comedy, but I thought the book was too serious in tone to be considered a “rom-com.” I think portraying both Penny and Sam, the main characters, as being very “reclusive” and in constant “crisis” modes overwhelmed me. I picked up this book because I thought it was going to be funny and romantic, but instead their “inner thinkings” and sense of loneliness made the pacing of the story very slow and cheerless.

In Emergency Contact, I had a hard time connecting with the two main characters. Although they were unique and we were always inside their heads, the characters’ personalities and motives did not click with me. Throughout most of the book, the main characters are very stagnant, which almost made me put the book down and mark it as “DNF.” However, I pushed myself to continue reading, and the last 100 pages actually saved me from putting the book back on the shelf.

The latter part of the book definitely has its swoony and laugh-out-loud moments, even though both characters are going through some major life crises. Near the end, I enjoyed watching Penny and Sam’s lives become more entangled, which allowed their stories to be filled with heart, deep confessions, and motivations. Although the book was not 100% for me, I highly recommend it for fans of Eleanor and Park.

Note:   I was not provided a copy of this book by the author or the publisher in exchange for a review. I bought this book with my own funds, and I reviewed the book at my own discretion.  All statements and opinions in this review are mine. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Save the Date by Morgan Matson

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that highlights pre-publication/upcoming releases that readers cannot wait to get their hands on. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: Save the Date
Author: Morgan Matson
Publication date: June 5, 2018
Publisher:  Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

Synopsis

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future. 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Waiting on Wednesday: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that highlights pre-publication/upcoming releases that readers cannot wait to get their hands on. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: The Rules of Magic
Author: Alice Hoffman
Publication date: October 10, 2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magic Realism, Historical, Supernatural

Synopsis

Find your magic

For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.

Goodreads | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that highlights pre-publication/upcoming releases that readers cannot wait to get their hands on. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: An Enchantment of Ravens
Author: Margaret Rogerson
Publication date: September 26, 2017
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis

Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized among them. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes – a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love, violating the fair folks’ ruthless Good Law. There’s only one way to save both their lives, Isobel must drink from the Green Well, whose water will transform her into a fair one—at the cost of her Craft, for immortality is as stagnant as it is timeless.

Isobel has a choice: she can sacrifice her art for a future, or arm herself with paint and canvas against the ancient power of the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel. 

Goodreads | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

1. I am in love with this cover. I love the colors. I love the raven. I love everything about it.

2. THERE ARE FAIRIES!!! I have not read an amazing fae story in a long time…and you guys, I NEED THIS BOOK AND STORY AND CHARACTERS IN MY LIFE. 

3. The synopsis sounds intriguing, dangerous, magical, and nail-biting. I have a feeling that this book is going to be words woven into the most beautiful fabric that I cannot wait to wrap myself in. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF THE FAIR FOLK, I NEED THIS BOOK ASAP.

   Is it September, yet?!

   

Book Review: The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Title: The Diabolic
Author: S.J. Kincaid
Publication date: November 1, 2016
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for. Nothing else.

For Nemesis, that person is Sidonia, heir to the galactic Senate. The two grew up side by side, and there’s no one Nemesis wouldn’t kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the Imperial Court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia.

She must become her.

Now one of the galaxy’s most dangerous weapons is masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced Senators’ children, and Nemesis must find within herself the one thing she’s been told she doesn’t have—humanity. With the Empire beginning to fracture and rebellion looming, that could be the one thing that saves her and the Empire itself.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N |  The Book Depository

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As an avid reader of science fiction books, I could not wait to dive into The Diabolic. However, this book did not live up to the high expectations I had for it. Overall, the book started off very slow for me but I did like the ending (no spoilers though). It took me a good 100 pages to finally enjoy the plot, and even after those pages I still felt like I was walking on eggshells every time I turned the page. Due to all the violence and what I believe to be several “unnecessary” deaths (GRRR!!!), some parts of the story made me irritated, cringe, or want to throw the book across the room.

Also, I was not a big fan of the main character, Nemesis. I cannot put my finger on it, but she just rubbed me the wrong way. For a character that was supposed to hold very “little” emotion, she was an emotional wreck and all over the place. Whenever I started to like her character, she would go and do something that made my “eyes roll.” Ugh, get it together Nemesis.

But in the end, I did not walk away from The Diabolic with regret. I mean there has to be a reason why I gave the book a 3-star rating, right? Well, you guys, I was utterly in love with the character Tyrus–a very smart and calculating person with the most swoony lines and scenes. Tyrus carried me through this book and I’m most grateful for his rebellious actions. If the book was solely told through Tyrus’ voice, I would probably have given the book 5 stars, and none for you Glen Coco…I mean Nemesis. 

Even though The Diabolic was slowly drawn out in the beginning, overall I liked where the book went in the end, and I would LOVE to read more of Tyrus in future books. 

My Rating: 3 out 5 Star

NOTE:  I was not provided a copy of this book by the author or the publisher in an exchange for a review. I received this book as a gift from a friend and reviewed it at my own discretion.  All statements and opinions in this review are mine.

ARC Review: The Unexepected Everything by Morgan Matson

Title: The Unexpected Everything
By:   Morgan Matson
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Pages: 528 (Hardcover)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: e-ARC
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads Summary

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?

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My Rants and Raves of The Unexpected Everything

First off, if you love Morgan Matson’s past books, you will definitely add The Unexpected Everything to your favorites list. Matson once again creates a contemporary world rattled with familial problems, tested friendships, swoony and smart boys, and summer plans gone awry. The main character, Andie, is not the most likable character, but her development throughout the novel shows great maturity. A lot of characters consume this book, making the story a bit confusing and overpowering with drama, but overall each character brings their own spin and flair to the story, and they all help shape Andie’s unforgettable summer.

Andie is the daughter of a widowed congressman; she is organized, ambitious, and always has a plan. She has her summer internship set up and she’s single, so no one can get in the way of her goals. However, after her dad is caught in the middle of an investigated scandal, Andie’s plans get put on the back burner and she has to learn to “go with the flow.” Even though Andie is very high-strung, I love that she takes initiative to make the most of her summer instead of wallowing in self-pity.

Throughout the novel, Andie does not have the best communication skills when it comes to talking to her father and her friends, and this always seems to lead to more problems. When communication problems go astray in the book, frustration is ensued.  The lack of communication is a huge conflict that is stretched throughout the novel, and it is not just Andie dealing with it. Even one of her friends, who is obsessed with emojis, starts to feel the pressure of how communication is a key factor in making friendships and relationships work. Luckily, Andie meets Clark who is shy, but also has an innate gift of bringing people together through storytelling. 

In regards to my absolute favorite “rave” of The Unexpected Everything, I can definitely admit that Clark is by far my favorite character in the book. First off, his “geeky” shirts are “punny” and fantastic. And not to give too much away about him, but I love that he is going through a George R.R. Martin writing phase. Clark is smart, awkward, funny, and so adorable (those dimples!!!). He is definitely the perfect person to balance Andie’s strict, planned out life.

Additionally, my fellow Matson book-lovers, characters from Since You’ve Been Gone make small cameos in The Unexpected Everything…it’s brief but some of our favorite characters are there and it’s blissful and wonderful (EEEEeee!!!)! 

Overall, The Unexpected Everything is 528 pages of frustration AND adoration. It definitely has its great moments: Clark, Bertie’s shenanigans, and a big group scavenger hunt, to name a few.  This book is unquestionably the perfect read to start off your summer with. So prepare yourself for some teenage angst, leaked secrets, fluffy dogs, and a story about an unanticipated summer filled with humorous surprises.

My rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

PURCHASE THIS BOOK FROM YOUR LOCAL BOOKSELLER/RETAILER 

Amazon   •     Barnes and Noble    •     Book Depository 

NOTE:         Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me an e-galley/e-ARC of this book for an honest review. All statements and opinions are mine.