Review: The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

The Avery Shaw Experiment

By Kelly Oram

Published: May 4, 2013

Publisher: Blue Fields

eBook, 278 pages 

When Avery Shaw’s heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how—scientifically.

The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She’s going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can’t do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who broke her heart.

Avery finds the solution to her troubles in the form of Aiden’s older brother Grayson. The gorgeous womanizer is about to be kicked off the school basketball team for failing physics. He’s in need of a good tutor and some serious extra credit. But when Avery recruits the lovable Grayson to be her “objective outside observer,” she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for, because Grayson has a theory of his own: Avery doesn’t need to grieve. She needs to live. And if there’s one thing Grayson Kennedy is good at, it’s living life to the fullest. --Goodreads 

 

4.5 Stars

Review:

Contemporaries are always hits or misses. There are always those contemporaries that make us want to swear to never read another contemporary, but then there are the awesome romances that make us scream for more. The Avery Shaw Experiment is an adorably hilarious contemporary that totally belongs in the latter category.

Avery Shaw is the average nerd. Science club president, straight A student, she's a nerd through and through. When her best friend decides to push her away, Avery decides to use her anguish for her upcoming science fair experiment. Roping in her ex-bestfriend's playboy brother, Grayson, Avery is determined to deal with her inner pain scientifically. Too bad Grayson has far more daring ideas...

At first glance, The Avery Shaw Experiment is one of those nerd to popular books. We see Avery receiving a makeover and turning from a nerd into one in the popular crowd. However, Avery's transformation is more than physical; Avery gains confidence and develops stronger relationships with those around her. There isn't any of the cheesy scenes where the girl screams/attacks her bullies to show her strength. Avery does not need any of that crap to showcase her inner strength, making her transformation all the more compelling.

Grayson is so lovable! I'm so glad that Kelly Oram had the genius to write half of the book from his point of view, so the readers could fall deeper in love with him. He isn't perfect, in fact he has tons of flaws including his shame toward joining the science club. However, his reluctant acceptance makes his little gifts to Avery so much more romantic. His actions aren't really as heroic as fighting dragons or witches, but their total worth is so much more by helping Avery break out of her shell. If only there were more Graysons out in the world...

If there were a list of the must-read contemporaries, this book would have to top this list. With its hilarious adorkable side characters, such as Avery's best friend, Libby, to the wonderful parents who support their children all the way, The Avery Shaw Experiment is a witty coming-to-age story that leaves the rest behind by a long shot.

Favorite Quote:

"Your loss. I happen to have the spirit of a wildcat. I could take you places sexually you never knew existed." 
This time even the nerds gasped. 
"Libby!" Avery cried."What? When a girl knows what she wants, she should go for it." Libby waved a hand at Owen. "Look at those abs! Libby definitely wants." She glanced up at Owen. "Can I feel them?"

Cover Reveal: Off Course by Sawyer Bennett

Off Course

By Sawyer Bennett 

Expected release date: August 4, 2013 

Genre: Contemporary 

Age Group: New Adult

Cover designed by : Vitalink Renner 

Caldwell has her life perfectly mapped out. She has the ideal relationship, the perfect job and all is right in her world. When a shameful turn of events happens, she boards the first plane bound for Ireland to lick her wounds and get her head back on straight.

Cillian O’Braidagh is the sexy, front man to the Irish rock band, Over The Edge. His rising fame and sultry voice make him every woman’s fantasy come true. Not to mention his single-minded determination. To put it simply: what Cillian wants, Cillian always gets. And he wants Renner, because there’s just something about the flame-haired beauty he has to possess.

If their relationship was just about sex and rock n’ roll, it would be easy for them to get lost in their desires. Only their relationship is anything but a hook-up. Will lies, deceit and hidden tragedy get in the way, making the path to true love uncertain? Or will the girl whose been knocked Off Course, find her footing with the man who is teaching her it’s okay to lose control? --Goodreads

About the Author:

USA Today Best-Selling author, Sawyer Bennett, is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Review: The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson

The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back

By Sariah Wilson

Released: August 15, 2012

Publisher: Fire & Ice Books

eBook, 224 pages

Source: Free eBook

Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust.

But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old?

Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.

Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.

Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school.

And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her. --Goodreads

Purchase The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back here for FREE for limited time: Amazon (Kindle)

3.5 Stars

Review:

Sometimes, you just want an adorable, sweet read to balance out your reading depression. Nothing too depressing like cancer or tragic pasts, but not too cheesy and fluffy. Thankfully, there are books like The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back here to fulfill this purpose. With a lot of heart and laughs, this book made me smile at every turn.

Mattie is the average girl that is continually being traumatized by her stepsister's perfectness. Not to mention, Mattie is having to deal with a sociopathic mother, a bully who knows how to press all of the right buttons, and an arrogant Jake Kingston. Life sucks, right? Even though Mattie is facing way too many issues for someone her own age, these problems are so relatable and similar to the stuff we face in real life. Initially, Mattie faces these issues cynically and does nothing to put a stop to them. It doesn't happen until Mattie is utterly humiliated when she decides to fight back. However, she receives help from the person she least expects: Ella. With Ella, Mattie goes to prove to the world that even an average person can defeat the extraordinary through the student council elections.

If you can't tell already, this is an underdog story. It's a story that brightens our day when we read about the underdog defeating everything standing in her way. Mattie is definitely a flawed heroine. She makes so many mistakes and assumptions throughout her journey to discover herself. But this makes her so likable because she actually learns from her mistakes and admits to them. 

I admit, I really enjoyed this book. So many of the characters, not just Mattie, were so enjoyable to read about. We meet Ella, Mattie's perfect stepsister, who is so ridiculously nice and kind. Initially, Ella seems like a flat character because we only really see how perfect she is. Little by little, the history behind Ella's actions and personality unveil, soon making her my favorite character after Mattie. Jake himself wasn't too bad either. After piercing through his arrogance, we see the stereotypical male lead who is mean because he is pressured to get into a good college, so he vents out at others behind everyone's back. I mean seriously, there probably are more original reasons for why Jake was such an arrogant *beep*, but I guess this reason was believable, so kudos to the author for that. Additionally, many of the other characters were cute to read about, such as Mattie's dad, Trent (Mattie's best friend whose a guy), and Mattie's sociopathic mother (Yeah, she was really mean and nasty, but my mom is like that too. Therefore, I probably don't see Mattie's mom's verbal abuse as something completely wrong).

As a light, summer read, The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back is a perfect relaxing read. Snarky, adorable, and emotionally riveting, this book is a book that will bring a smile for it's dorky, but sweet ending. Despite a few clichés and extremely childish moments that were unsuited for the age of the characters, The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back is a fun, fast-paced read that will have you laughing, crying, and smiling with Mattie during her journey for identity.

Vain Blog Tour: Review and Character Interview and Giveaway

Vain (The Seven Deadly #1)

by Fisher Amelie

Published: December 24th, 2012

Publisher: Fisher Amelie

Kindle Edition, 355 Pages

If you’re looking for a story about a good, humble girl, who’s been hurt by someone she thought she could trust, only to find out she’s not as vulnerable as she thought she was and discovers an empowering side of herself that falls in love with the guy who helps her find that self, blah, blah, blah...then you’re gonna’ hate my story.

Because mine is not the story you read every time you bend back the cover of the latest trend novel. It’s not the “I can do anything, now that I’ve found you/I’m misunderstood but one day you’ll find me irresistible because of it” tale. Why? Because, if I was being honest with you, I’m a complete witch. There’s nothing redeeming about me. I’m a friend using, drug abusing, sex addict from Los Angeles. I’m every girlfriend’s worst nightmare and every boy’s fantasy.

I’m Sophie Price...And this is the story about how I went from the world’s most envied girl to the girl no one wanted around and why I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.--Goodreads

4.5 Stars

Review: (Warning: May Contain Spoilers!)

May contain run on sentences! I have this thing where if I really liked a book I tend to blab on about it and it really shows in my writing. 

Even though I already predicted how the story will play out, it was still a really good read. There were a lot of twists in this novel that you don't want to miss. 

At first I disliked Sophie for being such a rhymes-with-witch, but then I felt sorry for her. In a way when someone acts the way Sophie Price does, you kind of have to feel a bit bad for them because they  don't have any real friends and no one to care for them, at least no one that they know of. Except in novels and on TV, the spoiled, mean people usually have that one person who is usually their servant who cares about them. In this book it was Pembrook. Although we didn't get to see much of Pembrook, the parts about him made him seem pretty awesome.

What drew me into reading this book was definitely the summary (see above). And because I have never read a YA novel that didn't have a romance aspect to it, I was intrigued by this book that claimed that it did was not a love story. But it actually was a love story, but I wasn't at all disappointed about that because once you got the love part of the novel, you were already rooting for Ian and Sophie. Even though I was rooting for Sophie and Ian, what happened to Spencer? We met Spencer at the beginning of the book and it seem like he and Sophie were going to be a thing, but NO! The weird thing is that the more Ian was featured in the book, the more I forgot about Spencer... :/ But I would love to read a book on Spencer. 

The majority of the novel takes place in Africa and I liked how the setting was important to the book. You know how sometimes a novel takes place in an uncommon area, but it seem like the novel could've taken anywhere and you even forgot where it was suppose to take place anyway?...Yeah I hate when that happens! But it didn't happen in this novel! Maybe it was just me but it seem like some of the things from the book seem to be alluding to the Kony disasters in Africa. hmmm...

Some advice: don't start this book if you can't finish it in a day! I started this novel pretty late at night, so like 10pm-ish and I couldn't stop reading it! Vain was one of those novels where you knew you had to do something else, like sleep, but you just couldn't until you finished the book. I finally finished the novel around 2am, but I had school the next morning, so I went to school on about 4 hours of sleep. BUT it was time well spent! 

My only (small) complaint was that the ending seem a bit unrealistic and rushed compared to the rest of the story, but it was still a great story! 

Purchase this novel at: Amazon / B&N / TBD

Author Information:

Find Fisher on her blog here!

Find Fisher on Amazon!

Find Fisher on Barnes & Noble!

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Find Fisher on Goodreads!

Find Fisher on YouTube!

Character Interview: Sophie Price

Did you think you believe in true love before Ian?

Great question. Absolutely, unequivocally no. I didn’t even know what love truly was until Uganda. I learned to love in Masego. I learned to love myself when I fell in love with the children. I learned I was worth being loved in return by the way Ian treated me. True love comes in many shades and my favorite color is Ian.

Why do you think you never thought of Spencer in a romantic way? He seems to be the only boy who cares about you besides Ian.

Spencer is simply not my fate. I knew that immediately. I tried to push it but even at my absolute lowest, I couldn’t commit to using him because he was so kind to me. Also, Spencer cares for me deeply but I don’t think he realized that, even to him, I was only meant to be his friend.

Why do you think your dad was so big on appearances? Do you think that was indirectly a way of taking care of you?

My father was the ultimate in selfish. Appearances to him were everything because it kept up the façade that our family were composed, stable and well-adjusted. It gave the impression that he made no mistakes.

Unfortunately it was not his way of taking care of me, which is sad. His motivation was nothing but selfish and my mother followed along because she wanted only to please him and him alone.

If you hadn't grown up rich, and thus get exiled to Africa, do you think you would've turned out the way you are today?

It’s hard to say. If I hadn’t been wealthy, I can’t imagine my parents would have focused so zealously on themselves so I might have had a somewhat normal upbringing but then again, that’s a game of ‘what if’s’ and I’m afraid of that game because, now that I’m at Masego, I couldn’t imagine a better place to end up.

After returning to the States, you realize that you were now very different from your old friends. Do you think you will still be friends with them?

They’ve made it quite clear that they wanted nothing to do with me. My old world is a fickle place. One small mistake and your group status can come toppling down. When your entire existence is about looking good, owning everything and comparing yourself to those around you, that becomes your life’s goal. So you can only imagine when their queen bee returns to them sans couture, sans attitude, sans an ego that you have a recipe for the gossip of the century. In other words, we will never be friends again unless they make a dramatic change within themselves.

Do you have any advice for our readers?

I’ll leave you with this quote.

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. 
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. 
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” - Mother Teresa

Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway



View the Trailer of Vain:
 

Cover Reveal: Lost and Found by Nicole Williams

Lost and Found

By Nicole Williams

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Cover Designer: Okay Creations

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

    There’s complicated. And there’s Rowen Sterling. After numbing pain for the past five years with boys, alcohol, and all-around apathy, she finds herself on a Greyhound bus to nowhere Montana the summer after she graduates high school. Her mom agreed to front the bill to Rowen’s dream art school only if Rowen proves she can work hard and stay out of trouble at Willow Springs Ranch. Cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn for a couple dozen ranch hands and mucking out horse stalls are the last things in the world Rowen wants to spend her summer doing. 

Until Jesse Walker saunters into her life wearing a pair of painted-on jeans, a cowboy hat, and a grin that makes something in her chest she’d thought was frozen go boom-boom. Jesse’s like no one else, and certainly nothing like her. He’s the bright and shiny to her dark and jaded. Rowen knows there’s no happily-ever-after for the golden boy and the rebel girl—happily-right- now is a stretch—so she tries to forget and ignore the boy who makes her feel things she’s not sure she’s ready to feel. But the more she pushes him away, the closer he seems to get. The more she convinces herself she doesn’t care, the harder she falls. When her dark secrets refuse to stay locked behind the walls she’s kept up for years, Rowen realizes it’s not just everyone else she needs to be honest with. It’s herself. 

 About the Author

 

 I'm a wife, a mom, a writer. I started writing because I loved it and I'm still writing because I love it. I write young adult because I still believe in true love, kindred spirits, and happy endings. Here's to staying young at heart *raises champagne glass* . . . care to join me?

Nicole Williams | Facebook | Twitter

Things I Can’t Forget Blog Tour: Review of Things I Can’t Forget plus a Bonus

Things I Can't Forget (Hundred Oaks #3) 

By Miranda Kenneally

Publication: March 1st 2013 

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Format via NetGalley

Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

Some Rules Were Meant To Be Broken.

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt…with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…--Goodreads

Note: Mature themes, sexual situations, religious discussions.

4 Stars

Review:

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel! Everything in this review are my own opinions.

I HATED Kate. I know this is an incredibly negative approach to writing a review, but just deal with it for now and let me explain. It took me most of the book to like her. I thought she was judgmental and she wasn't open to things. For Kate, everything can only be seen and done one way. I kept reading this book mainly because of the other characters, like Matt and Parker and Will. (BTW Parker and Will are from Stealing Parker, which is my favorite of the Hundred Oaks series:) But the more I read, the more I hated Kate. There were parts were I liked her, but for the most part she wasn't a likable person. Then I got towards the end and really started to like Kate.

Ahhh Matt! All the guys in Hundred Oaks are awesome. But some of the guys stories I want to hear are Ryan's (Parker's older brother), Brian's (The coach from Stealing Parker. I wonder what happened to him), and Brad (from Things I can't Forget. Is he with Andrea now? I thought we didn't like her). Matt didn't judge Kate and did the cutest things for her, such as sleeping outside her cabin when she didn't want to sleep with everyone else at Dogwood. I really liked how Matt and Kate went to camp together when they were 11 and now found each other again! I'm such a sucker for cute things like that. :)

I love how Miranda Kenneally's novels are all about finding yourself and truly thinking about what YOU believe in. Kate was just trying to listen to what she was taught and when she didn't, she thought she sinned. Unlike the other Hundred Oaks novels, you might not like the protagonist right away, but she does make you think about your life and what you believe in.

Purchase this novel at: Amazon / B&N / TBD

About the Author:

Miranda Kenneally writes and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. She is also the co-creator of the website DearTeenMe.com. You can visit her at www.mirandakenneally.com or @mirandakennealy.

BONUS Part of the Post!

Top Ten Secret List - Learn about ten upcoming characters from THINGS I CAN'T FORGET and RACING SAVANNAH (Dec. 2013)

1. Kate Kelly: Kate is the heroine of THINGS I CAN’T FORGET. Kate is 18, a recent high school graduate, and she’s working as the arts and crafts director at a summer camp, where she meets up with Matt Brown, the boy who gave her her first kiss.


2. Matt Brown: Matt is the love interest in THINGS I CAN’T FORGET. Matt is 20, in a fraternity, and plays the guitar. He’s also training to run a marathon barefoot! He’s getting over a bad breakup with his ex-girlfriend when he meets Kate. Is Kate really the girl for him, or will dating again just lead to more heartbreak?

3. Emily Mansfield: Emily is Kate’s former best friend. They got into a fight after high school, and without her, Kate doesn’t know who she is anymore.

4. Ian Hot Boy With No Last Name: In THINGS I CAN’T FORGET, Ian is the wild crazy guy who cracks me up. He likes to fool around with his girlfriend in inappropriate places and refers to many people as “douches,” but he has a big heart and a soft side. I never gave him a last name, but I love him. Ha!

5. Parker Shelton: In STEALING PARKER, Parker doesn’t have many girlfriends. In THINGS I CAN’T FORGET, she doesn’t get along with Kate at first, but as they get to know each other, is there a chance for a real friendship?

6. Savannah Barrow: Savannah is the heroine of RACING SAVANNAH. She’s 17, a senior in high school, and she works at a high-stakes horse farm, doing everything from hauling hay to shoveling manure to mopping floors. She’s been living in the servants’ quarters all her life, but she wants nothing more than to become an exercise rider and work with the horses that compete in big races like the Kentucky Derby.

7. Jack Goodwin: Jack is the farm owner’s sexy son. Jack is being groomed to take over the farm one day, so his father makes him manage the estate and staff. Even though he’s attracted to Savannah, Jack knows he won’t be considered a responsible, gentlemanly farm owner if he goes after a member of his staff.

8. Marcus Winchester: Marcus is the villain of RACING SAVANNAH. Marcus is a rival farm owner’s son, and he has a past history with Savannah, which doesn’t make Jack too happy.

9. Rory Whitfield: Rory works on the horse farm in RACING SAVANNAH. He’s the younger brother of Will Whitfield (Corndog!) from STEALING PARKER. Rory lives next door to Jack and Savannah and he’s Savannah’s closest friend. Rory is in the drama club and wants to sell a screenplay to Hollywood.

10. Vanessa Green: Vanessa is the younger sister of Ty Green, the love interest from CATCHING JORDAN. Vanessa has a thing for Rory Whitfield… and is rather shocked that Rory has Star Wars sheets and sleeps with a Chewbacca stuffed animal.

Review: Kiss Me by Jillian Dodd

Kiss Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #2)

by Jillian Dodd
Published November 28th 2012
Publisher: Bandit Publishing
Kindle Edition, 299 Pages

I've always written scripts for my perfect life.

But no way could I have ever scripted this.

My life is so far from perfect, it’s not even funny.

All because of a stalker.

I’m at a boarding school where I have to lie about who I am.

I can’t see my family.

I’m tutoring a Hottie God that tortures me with his smile.

The most popular girl already hates me.

But there’s this boy.

This hot, sweet, sexy boy.

So I’m going to stop trying to script my life and just live it.

Because who knows how long I have left.--Goodreads

4.5 Stars

Review:

Kiss Me picks up exactly where Stalk Me ended, kind of like the first book never end. So make sure you read the first novel! This series is shaping to be like Gossip Girl except boarding school edition, which is awesome because I love GG. This book definitely has a lot more going on than the first novel, meaning way more drama! Seems like Stalk Me was just the build up of the drama that is Kiss Me. By the way, why do boarding schools always seem so glamorous in novels and TV?

Keats and her parents are really tight. It's really nice that they get along, since most YA characters don't get along with their parents. It's pretty cool that she goes to her parents for relationship advice and that she listens to their advice. 

I knew there was a reason why I didn't like Brooklyn! After reading Kiss Me I don't like him at all! Brooklyn= yuke! I don't really understand why Keats is mad at Cush though. It's not like he betrayed her...

There's another love triangle. There always is.... Although I find love triangles overrated and overused, I do like this love triangle between Aiden, Dawson, and Keats better than other love triangles in the YA novel world. First off Dawson, hello that's the name of the character from the Lux series! And Aiden is the guy from the Covenant series! #JLA is the greatest! Sorry... the characters in Kiss Me just have really awesome names. I hate when both the guys in the triangle are both awesome because that makes predicting and deciding what guy she should end up with much harder.

I definitely liked Kiss Me better than Stalk Me. Maybe it was because I read both within a few days of each other, but I think it was because after Stalk Me I got to know the characters very well. I can't wait for Date Me(the third book)! Very sad/ mad/ excited that we have to wait until spring!!! April 15th come faster!

Purchase at: Amazon / B&N / TBD

Cover Reveal: An Endless Summer by CJ Duggan Plus a Sneak Preview

An Endless Summer (Summer #2)

by CJ Duggan

Expected pub: July 17th 2013

It’s Summer time 4 years on. 
And EVERYONE’S coming home.

A near death experience. 
A break-up. 
A make-up. 
A mission. 

All while trying NOT to fall for an Onslow Boy… 

…No one said coming home would be easy.--Goodreads


About the Author:
C.J Duggan is an Australian author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.
The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.
For more on C.J and ‘The Summer Series’, visit www.cjdugganbooks.com

Sneak Preview/ Teaser :)

Sean looked out over the lake, squinting against the sunlight. He turned to me, his expression sobering as his eyes flicked over my face in a silent study.
 
"Come on Amy, I saved you once, I’ll save you again."
 
I met his stare unflinchingly. "I don’t need saving."
 
A wicked grin formed slowly. "Don’t you?"
 
After a rebellious summer night that almost claimed her life, Amy Henderson – the Onslow publican’s only daughter – is sent away to suffer a fate far worse than any other punishment: Boarding School.
 
Three years on, a now nineteen-year-old Amy returns to Onslow for the summer. What once was a cauldron of activity with live bands, hot meals and cold beers, the Onslow Hotel now lies dark, deserted and depressing. All fond childhood memories of loitering on the hotel stairs and eavesdropping on customers’ colourful conversations are in the distant past.
How had her dad let it come to this?
 
With the new threat of putting the Onslow up for sale, Amy reluctantly turns to a local tradesman for help: Sean Murphy, the very same Onslow boy who saved her life all those years ago. With his help and that of some old friends, the task is clear: spend the summer building the hotel back up to its former glory or lose it for good.
 
In an endless summer, Amy soon realises that sometimes in order to save your future, you have to face your past, even if it’s in the form of a smug, gorgeous Onslow boy.

Pre-Order at: Amazon

Kiss Me Blog Tour: Review of Stalk Me by Jillian Dodd and Giveaway

  Stalk Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #1)

by Jillian Dodd
Published September 1st 2012
Publisher: Bandit Publishing
Kindle version, 365 Pages
Tour organized by: AToMR Tours

Gossip girl meets Hollywood in this new series by That Boy author, Jillian Dodd.

Keatyn has everything she ever dreamed of. Her life is following the script she wrote for the perfect high school experience. She’s popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most coveted lunch table.

She’s just not sure she wants it anymore.

Because really, things aren’t all that perfect.

Her best friend is threatening to tell everyone her perfect relationship is a scam. 

Her perfect boyfriend gets drunk at every party they go to.

It’s exhausting always trying to look and act perfect.

And deep down, she isn’t sure if she has any true friends.

To add to the drama, her movie star mom’s long-time fan has turned stalker.

An older man is flirting with her and telling her they should make a movie together.

And she’s crushing on an adorable surfer. Dating a guy like him would mean committing social suicide.

So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life will come together in perfect harmony. But little does she know, there’s someone who will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen.--Goodreads

4 Stars

Warning: This review might be long!

So I decided to do something different. I saw Rosie, another of our YAN bloggers, do this update thing, where she would read then wrote what she thought about the book from what she had recently read. I decided to write my review of Stalk Me that way, so this review is longer than other reviews...

Day One: 17%
The beginning is really slow and I don't really like the voice of the main character. She mentally writes a screenplay of possible scenes that she wants to happen to her in her real life. At first it was cool and different from other novels I've read, but then it kind of got on my nerves. It wasn't that the scenes she imagined were weird, they just came off (at least to me) as vain and a bit obsessive. Ahhh it looks like bad news!

Update: But it wasn't!

Day two: 27%
As a character, Keatyn is really starting to grow on me. I realize that is the case for most of Jillian Dodd's novels, at least for me as a reader. Like in That Boy, I didn't like the novel right away, but since everyone was saying how they adored it and how it was one of the cutest novels that they have ever read, I decide to stick it out and finish the book. ( Note: Even Angie (fellow YAN blogger) liked That Boy and she hates contemporary, so Jillian Dodd's novel MUST have something spectacular about it.) I was really glad I did because all the characters grew on me, until I loved each and every one of them. That Boy got a 5 star rating out of me. LOL:) I'm hoping that it would be the same way with the Keatyn series. So far, Keatyn has been involved with two guys: Cush and Brooklyn. So far, I like both, but I like Cush slightly more.

Note to Keatyn: If an (more than 10 years) older guy is hitting on you, that SHOULD raise red flags!

Day three: 74%
Once you start really getting into this novel, you can't stop! By now, I like all the characters. Her parents are especially awesome! I really hate love triangles in novels. Keatyn and Cush or Keatyn and Brooks? Ok, a guy can't tell you what to wear and what not to wear! If he calls your outfit skanky, then obviously something is wrong in that relationship. I was so mad and annoyed that Keatyn was so indecisive and it kind of seem like she was stringing along the two! Ahh this is why I can't stand love triangles!

Keatyn's girlfriends were jerks through and through! I don't understand why she needed their "friendship."

So by now, I've gotten to the big conflict that gets Keatyn sent away. I have to admit everything in this novel is moving quite fast, almost like watching TV fast. I'm about 3/4 done the book and I like it.

Day four: 100%
My only complaint was that the book introduces so many new people. It wasn't that the new people didn't fit into the book, there were just so many people that I needed to know. As you can see from my reading process, it took me awhile to read the book, but once I got into it, I read pretty fast. If you find yourself not really liking the book, stick it out until about 40% through the novel because that's when I found myself liking the characters, and thus liking the novel. Overall, I liked this book, even though Keatyn was a bit of a frustrating protagonist.

I'm beginning to read the second novel to this series, Kiss Me, so look for that review soon-ish!

Purchase this novel: Amazon / B&N / TBD

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About the Author:


Jillian Dodd grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She has drank from a keg in a cornfield, attended the University of Nebraska, got to pass her candle, and did have a boy ask her to marry him in a bar. She met her own prince in college, and they have two amazing children, a Maltese named Sugar Bear, and two Labrador puppies named Camber Lacy and Cali Lucy.
She is the author of the That Boy Trilogy and The Keatyn Chronicles Series.

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Excerpt and Giveaway: Ten Days of Perfect by Andrea Randall

Ten Days of Perfect (November Blue #1)

By Andrea Randall

Published: September 21, 2012

eBook, 254 pages

This is the first book in the November Blue series.

Scars from her first love and the reckless lifestyle of her parents force Ember Harris to chart a new course. She favors practicality over spontaneity and rules over a broken heart.

An encounter with a musician at a local pub forces Ember into making a decision to let go or hold on for dear life as passions are unlocked and deceptions revealed. --Goodreads

Excerpt:

“Adrian Turner, please.” I held my voice steady on the phone. Monica watched me. She looked like she was boiling with excitement.

“May I tell him who’s calling?” the unsuspecting secretary responded.

“Of course, November Harris from The Hope Foundation.”

“Seriously?” Monica whispered. “As opposed to the November Harris from the ‘Girls You Sexed Up foundation’?” I threw my pen at her.

"Just one moment, Ms. Harris.” I was clicked to hold.

I mouthed to Monica that I was on hold but in an instant, I wasn’t.

“Adrian Turner here.” His voice hadn’t changed at all. It purred through the phone and headed straight for the recesses of my brain. No! You don’t live there anymore, Turner

“Adrian, hi!”

“November? How are you?” He did his best to sound surprised.

“Oh, listen to you, acting all surprised that it’s me when your secretary took my name,” I teased while Monica shot me a ‘thumbs up’.

“Witty as ever, I see.” Adrian’s voice retained its purr.

“Listen, Adrian-” I was ready to attack, but he cut me off.

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