Hey guys! So in honor of one of my favorite series, The Mediator Series, and authors, Meg Cabot, having published a new book in the series, Remembrance, I am going to give-a-way a copy of the book. Your choice, paperback or ebook. This give-a-way is international because The Book Depository does have the paperback version of Remembrance.
The give-a-way will run February 2 through February 14, 2016. I will announce the winner on Valentine’s Day. Good Luck!!
Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves.
Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start… until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.
That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.
Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken.
The Love That Split The World is an enchanting read about young love and time travel. Natalie can see two different versions of her hometown, Union, and meets an intriguing guy, Beau, when she slips into the alternate town. Her grandmother, a “spirit”, tells her at the beginning of the book that she has three months to save “him”, but Natalie doesn’t know who “he” is. She spends the summer trying to discover who this guy she is supposed to save is, but also who she is and what she wants.
I found this book to be very interesting. There are stories within the overarching story itself. These stories come from old Native American tales passed down through generations, but also stories out of the bible. For Natalie, these stories have meaning because she is part Native American. Natalie is a complex character trying to find out who she is and where she fits in with the world. Since she is adopted, and one half Native American, she finds it difficult to determine where she fits in. When she meets Beau, who is an equally complex character, she is certain she has found someone who understands her circumstances because he is having a difficult time determining where he fits into the world as well.
Grandmother is a curious character. She tells stories that you don’t fully understand until the moment the Natalie understands them. She is an odd duck, only appearing to Natalie during the nighttime speaking in riddles.
Beau is my favorite character. He is chivalrous and benevolent. He is, generally,always there for Natalie when she needs him the most. And the bond that is formed between them is unbreakable.
Emily Henry’s writing is wonderful. I loved her use of the story within a narrative. As a reader, we are being told that these tales are important to the character in her quest to save a boy and discover herself. They play a major part in the plot and are a kind of foreshadowing, though at the time of reading them I didn’t know what they were foreshadowing.
I enjoyed the book, but I am not a fan of the ending. I was left with questions and wasn’t fulfilled. I need closure from my characters.
If you have finished The Love That Split The World, great! I truly did love this book, HOWEVER, I did not love the ending. I was left with so many freaking questions and it made me angry (Veronica heard all about how angry it made me).
The second to last chapter leaves us with Natalie making the choice to try and change history, the accident’s that left both her and Beau dead in their own worlds. GREAT! I love that idea. However, the last chapter is another story, telling us how a girl had never met a boy but she had missed him. I get the continuity with the story, and metaphorically, we can draw our own conclusions- Natalie succeeded in saving them both and they live happily ever after. I am not one to assume these things. I enjoy solid closure. I like to know FOR CERTAIN that she changes their timelines and they end up together.
This is why a star was knocked off for me.
“Life leaves you scarred. Love can make you beautiful.”
Seventeen year-old Sloane Munster is trying to reboot her life after a serious car accident left her badly scarred and emotionally traumatized.
Starting her senior year at a new school, she’s delighted to see Luke Naughton, a swimmer whom she once crushed on, in the class in front of her. But when he glares back at her with disgust and revulsion, she’s shocked and hurt, and assumes it’s because of her appearance. Despite misunderstandings, the chemistry between them sparks and love grows against a background of guilt, secrets, and mounting tensions at a school where bullying is rife and Sloane is not the most deeply scarred person.
Sharp with bittersweet humor, Scarred is an intense, beautiful, compelling story of life, death and fighting for love against all the odds.
Scarred is about Sloane Munster, who suffers from a tragic accident in her life, leaving her physically and mentally scarred. Due to the trauma, she spends almost a year in hiding, finishing her junior year with private tutors. But through the help of her therapist, Sloane attends a new school for senior year, where she runs into old faces, new faces, and has to come to terms with the actions of her mother as well as herself and how she will move forward with her life.
Joanne Macgregor’s writing is a graceful look at the physical and emotional aftermath of a tragedy in a person’s life. It is evocative. It doesn’t push aside the effects mental illness has on a person. Or how, through the support of friends, family, and love, a person can move forward in their life- move past the tragedy and see there is a bright future ahead of them.
When I first started this book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. Sloane Munster felt very one dimensional- she was focusing on how she looked and how her life used to be. She was beautiful. She was popular. “I didn’t used to get called anything nasty about my appearance, I used to be pretty. The GG’s- short for Gorgeous Girls- that’s what our clique was called, in my old school.” However, after moving further into the book, Sloane becomes more than a one dimensional character. The scar is just a representation of her emotions. By the end, I fell in love and didn’t want it to end.
Sloane is a truly tragic, and complex, character who has to adjust to her life A.S.- after scar. The girls at her new school taunt her looks, which shows just how juvenile and immature teenage girls can be. It also is a reflection of our society and how much pressure we put on young girls when it comes to physical appearances. She has to deal with boys staring at her. She has to acquiesce the lose of her family and guilt of ruining another family.
I truly enjoyed when Luke, Sloane’s love interest, was given a chapter. He is a central character, not only to Sloane’s development through out the book, but to the story itself. Seeing his point of view is vital to understanding his involvement in the accident and how he develops as a character. As a side sub-plot, the book also address the treatment of others in general, whether it is a student-student relationship, a student-teacher relationship, or a child-parent relationship, and how that can impact a person’s life, positively or negatively.
Joanne Macgregor is a counseling psychologist who specializes in victims of crime and trauma. It is very apparent that she knows what she is writing about; it is captivating and emotional and clearly understood from a psychologist’s point of view.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a gripping story of tragedy, loss, and survival. I think an anthem to this book is Scars to You Beautiful by Alessia Cara. Go listen to it during/after reading this book.
I’d like to thank Joanne Macgregor for the opportunity to read Scarred in return for an honest review. Receiving this book for free doesn’t influence my opinion.
The last place Suze Simon expects to find herself during Valentine’s Day is a cemetery. But that’s what happens when you’re a mediator – cursed with the “gift” of communicating with the dead.
That’s how Suze has ended up at the graves of a pair of NCDPs – Non-Compliant Deceased Persons – whose drama didn’t end with death. It’s Suze’s job to make sure they move on—for good.
But the NCDPs aren’t the only ones with problems. The reason Suze is spending her Valentine’s Day with the undead instead of her boyfriend, Jesse, is because he’s having so much trouble adjusting to life after death . . . not surprising, considering the fact that he used to be an NCDP himself, and now his girlfriend busts his former kind for a living, while he tries to cure his kind of what used to ail him.
Can Suze use her mediating skills to propose a mutual resolution, and bring all these young lovers together – including Jesse and herself – especially on the night Saint Valentine declared sacred to romance?
Or will she end up alone—and possibly undead—herself?
First of all, I am so so so so so excited not only for this novella, but the book that comes after this novella. I didn’t think we would EVER get another Mediator series book. The series seemed so finished, but I always hoped and dreamed that we would get something. And we did.
Meg Cabot’s Proposal is a spectacular way to dip you toes back into the The Mediator Series. It is full of the usual NCDPs and Suze’s own throw a punch first, ask her questions later mentality. Of course their is a ghost who needs her help and the only way to help him is to punch her way through. And by her side is the ever swoon worthy Jesse de Silva.
Before jumping back into Suze Simon and her mediator ways in Remembrance, check Proposal out first. You don’t want to miss what happens!!
A teen escapes to a boarding school abroad and falls for a Korean pop star in this fun and fresh romantic novel in the vein of Anna and the French Kiss.
Grace Wilde is running—from the multi-million dollar mansion her record producer father bought, the famous older brother who’s topped the country music charts five years in a row, and the mother who blames her for her brother’s breakdown. Grace escapes to the farthest place from home she can think of, a boarding school in Korea, hoping for a fresh start.
She wants nothing to do with music, but when her roommate Sophie’s twin brother Jason turns out to be the newest Korean pop music superstar, Grace is thrust back into the world of fame. She can’t stand Jason, whose celebrity status is only outmatched by his oversized ego, but they form a tenuous alliance for the sake of her friendship with Sophie. As the months go by and Grace adjusts to her new life in Korea, even she can’t deny the sparks flying between her and the KPOP idol.
Soon, Grace realizes that her feelings for Jason threaten her promise to herself that she’ll leave behind the music industry that destroyed her family. But can Grace ignore her attraction to Jason and her undeniable pull of the music she was born to write? Sweet, fun, and romantic, this young adult novel explores what it means to experience first love and discover who you really are in the process.
FREAKING ADORABLE. That is all I can come up with when I think of Hello, I Love You.
Many of you don’t know about my Kpop phase in college. I was OBSESSED with Korean pop my first year of college. I’m still a fan, but not in the obsessive way I was, so when I saw a YA book about a Kpop idol I went all grabby hands for it. I called dibs on Kayla’s copy.
HILY is a very fluffy and fun read, but it does have some serious moments. My heart broke several times watching Grace struggle with the family issues she was running from, but enter Mr. Kpop and the heaviness of the situation melted away. While I was not always a fan of Jason, I grew to like him. He was your typical aloof male Korean character. I felt like I was reading a Korean drama instead of watching one. It was GREAT. I devoured this book in two days. I am glad to report that I picked a great book as my first read of 2016.
I do want to point out that there are several out there that will most likely not LOVE this book like I do. If you are a fan of Korean dramas and the Kpop culture in general, I’m pretty positive you will at least like this book. If you are not into Korean entertainment, then it is 50/50.
If you are looking for a light, quick read, pick up Hello, I Love You. Give it a try at least. 🙂
Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything—how I destroyed my relationship with Patrick the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. How I wrecked their whole family. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done.
Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”
Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.
OH MY GOSH. WHY. MY FEELS. *dead* I never thought a book on cheating would be so insightful and real. I am blown away. The entire time I was reading it I experienced many emotions. At times it made me feel uncomfortable, but I could not look away. It was addictive. I finished it in one sitting.
Cheating is a very messy subject. Many people see it as black and white, but in reality there is more to it. Take for instance the story being told in 99 Days. It makes you think. It gives you all the information you need in order for you to make an educated decision. Are you on the side of the cheater or the one cheated on? At first you think, she deserves what she got! But then as the story continues you see how complicated and messy it is, and you start to question if she did cheat on him? Was that really cheating? Once you get to know each party involved in the mess, you start to see it wasn’t what it all seemed like in the beginning. Katie leaves you confused, and questioning the side you took at the beginning of the story.
At the end of the journey 99 Days takes you on, your decision on whose side you are on doesn’t even matter anymore. Who did or didn’t cheat, who was at fault, none of that matters. What matters is the lesson being taught. There are many sides to every story. Is cheating wrong? Yes. Should you judge the person? No. Life is messy and the only thing we can do is our best to do what is right and pray for some grace for the moments we fall short.
99 Days will leave you catatonic. You’ll have no idea what hit you and left you in a pile of feels on the floor.
passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.
In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.
Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.
Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever
V: Oh My Gosh. I was warned my feels would die and I joked about it but I did not know how badly it would hurt. THAT ENDING. DEAD. But… I guess we should start of with something lighter. Let’s talk about Etta. I think she was a good main character and I was actually not annoyed by her at all. What do you think Liz?
L: I loved Etta as a character. When authors talk about writing strong female characters, Etta is exactly what I imagine. She is courageous and fierce. But she is also feminine and unsure of herself. Strongly written female characters don’t have to be badasses who don’t ask for help. They just have to be fully developed and well-rounded. Do you agree Veronica? And also what about Nicholas? *Swoon*
V: I 100% agree with you! I loved that Etta asked Nicholas to be her partner, not her servant, her helper, etc. It truly shows a lot about her character and what we can come to expect from her. And Nicholas. I did not expect to like him as much as I did. He is such a good male character and so far, I haven’t really found fault in him. I hope this doesn’t change. But darn him if he’s not swoon worthy and that is all I can see right now. *wiggles eyebrows* What do you think of the “villain” or “Villains” I should say? And Etta’s mom. She’s… cold. And doesn’t seem to have a motherly instinct in her.
L: Nicholas is probably one of my favorite male characters that I’ve read in a long time. (Kind of wish he was real 😉) I would also say that there is more than one villain, which I think is important to the story, to keep it moving. BUT who is actually a villain v. who is just a terrible person? Alice is precious and needs to be protected. And Etta’s mother… Ugh she’s abhorrent and probably ONLY has Etta to fulfil Rose’s wants/needs. I would define her as narcissistic.
V: I like that. Not everyone is a villain, but there are a lot of terrible people in Passenger. I can’t wait for the second book to come out. I really need to know more about Etta’s father and how the heck did Etta’s mom evade everyone?! Any last thoughts Liz?
L: I had seen this book several times, read the summary but wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. I am so glad I did. Passenger is beautifully written. Full of details. Flowery language. Alexandra Bracken has stolen my heart. And I can’t wait until Wayfarer is published.
“Possibility, dear one. Possibility.”
Disclaimer: Thank you Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley for giving Liz and I the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not influence my opinion.
I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it.
And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are.
But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can’t stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game.
Falling for Katy—a human—won’t just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen…
So this book is a retelling of the first three books in The Lux Series: Obsidian, Onyx, and Opal from Daemon’s point of view, but only if you purchased eBook. The published paperback is only a retelling of Obsidian because it would’ve cost the publisher and the reader a lot more as the eBook is over 1,000 pages.
As I loved The Lux Series, it’s no surprise that I loved this retelling from Daemon’s point of view. When a book is told from one POV, I always wonder what the other characters are doing. Clearly we can’t have every single character in every single scene. This retelling is helpful because in Origin and Opposition we do get to read from both Daemon and Katy’s POV.
It was nice to see a more well-rounded, fully formed Daemon. His attitude hasn’t changed- still the same narcissistic personality. But we do see the sweeter side of him. It is immensely helpful to finally understand where his brain is when he is making his decisions about Kat and his family.
Great add to The Lux Series.
Every decade, the world’s monarchs and their heirs secretly convene to discuss global politics and social issues—and arrange marriages between kingdoms.
Elsa may be the Hereditary Princess of Vattenguldia, but she finds the entire situation archaic and unsavory. While she wants what’s best for her country, she isn’t about to jump into an unwanted relationship—let alone a marriage—with a virtual stranger. Of course, her feelings matter little to her parents, whose wheeling and dealings over trade pacts and alliances achieved at her expense begin the moment they set foot in California for the Summit. So when a blindingly handsome royal runs into her, she doesn’t hesitate to tell him there’s no way she’s marrying him.
Christian is all too happy to agree: no marriage. As the Hereditary Grand Duke of Aiboland, his main goal is to get through the summit without a bride being foisted on him. Which is why he suggests they help each other field potential intendeds. As Christian slowly gets to know Elsa, though, he realizes they have a lot more in common than just their feelings about the Royal Marriage Market. Only he can’t fall for her, because royal or not, they’re not meant for each other.
Elsa and Christian will have to evaluate matters of the heart verses those of state and crown, and decide whether or not tradition trumps love.
I wanted to like this book, so much. That is an empirical statement. I have read Heather Lyons’ other books- The Fate Series, The Collector’s Society, The Deep End of the Ocean. Each one was just as fascinating as the previous. She kept me enthralled, was able to tear my emotions apart. However, the Royal Marriage Market was less than spectacular. Actually, it fell short… like really short.
First, I got stuck on Elsa’s name. Maybe it wasn’t an intentional use of the name. Maybe that is just the character’s name? I understand this. BUT! Disney has a Queen Elsa, who is Scandinavian. I might be dramatic because my eye twitched. And of course all I saw was this blonde haired ice queen. But given that her full name is Elsa Victoria Evelyn Sofia Marie, could we have it mixed up? Give Elsa a different first name and she still be the same person? Probably. Speaking of names, the countries names! WHAT? I didn’t get them. They sound so fake. Doing research, Aiboland is a real thing… but Vattenguldia, nope it’s not (that I am aware of).
Second, it felt too wordy. Every statement Christian or Elsa made was followed with descriptors, upon descriptors, until I was to the point where I wanted to go read a children’s book for simply structured sentences. There were no back and forth conversations like you would normally see. Everything was prefaced with the POV of that character. And, maybe I missed them, but I didn’t read any descriptions of the characters. Maybe they were wrapped up in the complex sentence structures I had a hard time getting around.
The characters themselves felt one dimensional. Christian and Elsa didn’t want to be part of the RMM. They wanted to make their own choices. Their parents were the same- arranged marriage and you’ll do as I say or face the consequences! There was no real differentiation between each character’s voice, other than being told who is talking at the beginning of each section. And the action, or the juicy details, didn’t even make their presence known until 60% into the book. At that point, I just wanted to be finished.
That being said, I did enjoy the last 40% of the book. I liked the interactions Christian and his brother, Lukas, had. You could feel the sibling love (unlike Elsa and Isabelle). I appreciated Charlotte and Parker (Elsa and Christian’s personal secretaries). The Royal Marriage Market wasn’t a complete misadventure, but it wasn’t Lyons’ best work.
**Spoilery Review**
How do I start this… It’s been several days and my feelings are still mixed. Let’s start of with my favorite character.
Lukas. Every time he appears in the story, he makes it that much better. He is funny, real, and a great brother. His relationship with Christian is one of the best sibling relationships I’ve read in 2015.
I guess it is time to talk about my ‘mixed’ feelings. RMM is enjoyable. Once the story picked up, it was a breeze to read. Before that though… I questioned whether this was the book for me. It wasn’t the royal or romance side, but the writing itself. At times I was a little lost. At times it was hard for me to get through some sentences. I’m being lenient on that though because I was reading an ARC and not the finished product.
I both love and hate Elsa and Christian’s relationship. I like that they started of as friends, but disliked I was able to predict how it would go. I’m not saying everything that happened was predictable because Lyons threw me for a loop twice, but the ending was exactly as I thought it would end.
I did like that the story did not end at the end of the RMM. I loved that the story continued into weeks and months to come. I do wish I’d gotten more of Charlotte, and Elsa’s relationship with her father when she was younger. It would have been nice to see and not told.
Overall, if you are a fan of romance, I do think you will like this.
Disclaimer: Thank you KP Simmon at InkSlinger PR and Heather Lyons for giving Veronica and I the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not influence my opinion.
It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.
Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber’s mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.
All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh.
All I can think right now is… YES. Why do I have such reaction? Well I’ll tell you why. WE FINALLY SEE MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS AND UNDOCUMENTED INDIVIDUALS PORTRAYED CORRECTLY IN YOUNG ADULT FICTION. *claps forever*
Okay, maybe I should not be screaming that at you guys, but I am just SO HAPPY to see a real portrayal [even if we didn’t really go down and dirty into the lives of an immigrant family]. I’m disappointed with how little the publishing world talks about the reality of hispanic immigrants in the United States. And we all know how rare it is to see another ethnicity other than caucasian as a main character in young adult fiction. Now let me clarify, I am not bashing those books. I obviously don’t mind reading about white characters, but it is refreshing to see someone rise up to the challenge and write something else. With all that said and done, let’s continue.
One of the reasons why I really like Joyride is how real the story felt. Every single character was developed. They didn’t feel two-dimensional to me. They had depth. I love it when an author can write a story so well that the reader feels as if she were reading a true story, an account of something that happened in real life. Maybe I feel that way because I grew up in neighborhoods full of Mexican/Hispanic immigrants and know the struggles of those whose parents are undocumented. It is tough when you have to grow up at such a young age just like Carly. There is a lot I want to talk about, but I would go off on a tangent so instead…
In Fat Amy’s famous words… Ms. Banks crushed it!
The Talking Bookworm 