Blog Tour: That's Not What I Heard - Stephanie Kate Strohm

That's Not What I Heard
Stephanie Kate Strohm
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Scholastic
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

What did you hear?

Kimberly Landis-Lilley and Teddy Lin are over. Yes, the Kim and Teddy broke up.

At least that's what Phil Spooner thinks he overheard and then told Jess Howard, Kim's best friend. Something about Teddy not liking Kim's Instas? Or was it that Teddy is moving to Italy and didn't want to do long distance? Or that Kim slid into someone else's DMs?

Jess told her boyfriend, Elvis, that he needs to be on Kim's side. Especially if he wants to keep her as his girlfriend. But Elvis is also Teddy's best friend.

Now, Kim's run out of school for the day. Jess is furious. Elvis is confused. And half the lunch period won't talk to Teddy. Even the teachers have taken sides.

William Henry Harrison High will never be the same again!

In a Nutshell Reviews: YA Edition

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

Top Ten Tuesday: Last Ten Added

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Last Ten Added!

I must confess. I am CONSTANTLY added books to my TBR. I get a little thrill every time I find a new book, that sounds pleasing to me, and I hope I can get a copy of it one way or another. My TBR is full of wishes, and here are my last ten. Some are being released soon, some are further off and don't even have covers, but all sound great to me.

Blog Tour: Only a Breath Apart - Katie McGarry

Only a Breath Apart
Katie McGarry
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Tor Teen
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Bestselling author Katie McGarry’s trademark wrong-side-of-the-tracks romance is given a new twist in the gritty YA contemporary novel, Only a Breath Apart.

Jesse Lachlin is cursed.

So the town folklore says, but while Jesse’s had his fair share of tragedy, the only curse he believes is in his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year, Scarlett Copeland.

Scarlett Copeland is psychic.

Glory Gardner tells Scarlett she has hidden psychic abilities, but Scarlett thinks Glory is delusional. What is real is Scarlett’s father’s irrational fears, controlling attitude, and the dark secrets at home. Scarlett may have a way to escape, but there’s a hitch: she’ll have to rely on the one person she used to trust, the same boy who broke her heart, Jesse Lachlin.

Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other. But as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Discussion: Winter - Embrace or Escape?

This Week’s Topic: Winter - Embrace or Escape

It's winter here in the US, and as I write this post, the wind in howling and the mercury barely rose to 5°F (-15°C). They say it "feels" like -17°F. As I struggle to keep warm under my electric blanket, I am wondering how you approach your winter reading. 

Me, as I write this post

Blog Tour: The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me - Olivia Hinebaugh

The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me
Olivia Hinebaugh
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Lacey Burke is the last person on the planet who should be doling out sex advice. For starters, she’s never even kissed anyone, and she hates breaking the rules. Up until now, she's been a straight-A music geek that no one even notices. All she cares about is jamming out with her best friends, Theo and Evita.

But then everything changes.

When Lacey sees first-hand how much damage the abstinence-only sex-ed curriculum of her school can do, she decides to take a stand and starts doling out wisdom and contraception to anyone who seeks her out in the girls' restroom. But things with Theo become complicated quickly, and Lacey is soon not just keeping everyone else’s secrets, but hers as well.

In a Nutshell Reviews: YA Edition

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

Top Ten Tuesday: I Meant to Read That

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

I Meant to Read That!

Every year, there are a BILLION books I hope to read, but it's impossible to get to them all. However, there are those books, which I really, really still want to read, even if I'm late to the party. I had previously talked about books I missed in 2018, and I am appending the following 10 must-read-this-year books to that list.

Isn't It Romantic

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Discussion: Plot, What Plot?

This Week’s Topic: Plot, What Plot?

One Old, One New: Sara Barnard Edition

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two books by Sara Barnard.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Fear of Missing Out - Kate McGovern

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I can't wait for Fear of Missing Out!

Top Ten Tuesday: Nice to Meet You!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

New-to-Me Authors!

I read a LOT of books in 2018, and was happy to "meet" so many new authors. Below are some of the AMAZING authors I read for the first time last year, who really blew me away, and had me wanting to read more of their books immediately.

Blog Tour: Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Our Year of Maybe
Rachel Lynn Solomon
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Aspiring choreographer Sophie Orenstein would do anything for Peter Rosenthal-Porter, who’s been on the kidney transplant list as long as she’s known him. Peter, a gifted pianist, is everything to Sophie: best friend, musical collaborator, secret crush. When she learns she’s a match, donating a kidney is an easy, obvious choice. She can’t help wondering if after the transplant, he’ll love her back the way she’s always wanted.

But Peter’s life post-transplant isn’t what either of them expected. Though he once had feelings for Sophie too, he’s now drawn to Chase, the guitarist in a band that happens to be looking for a keyboardist. And while neglected parts of Sophie’s world are calling to her—dance opportunities, new friends, a sister and niece she barely knows—she longs for a now-distant Peter more than ever, growing increasingly bitter he doesn’t seem to feel the same connection.

Peter fears he’ll forever be indebted to her. Sophie isn’t sure who she is without him. Then one blurry, heartbreaking night twists their relationship into something neither of them recognizes, leading them to question their past, their future, and whether their friendship is even worth fighting for.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Discussion: I "Up-Lit", Do You "Up-Lit"?

Blog Tour: Pretty in Punxsutawney - Laurie Boyle Crompton

Pretty in Punxsutawney
Laurie Boyle Crompton
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Blink
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Fresh and funny, this new YA romance—a Groundhog Day meets Pretty in Pink mashup—tells the tale of a girl who’s stuck repeating her first day at a high school filled with cliques and misfits, convinced that a true love’s kiss will break the curse.

Seventeen-year-old Andie is the type of girl who always comes up with the perfect thing to say … after it's too late to say it. She's addicted to romance movies but has yet to experience her first kiss. After a move to Punxsutawney, PA, for her senior year, she gets caught in an endless loop of her first day at her new school, reliving those 24 hours again and again.

Convinced the curse will be broken when she meets her true love, Andie embarks on a mission: infiltrating the various cliques to find the one boy who can break the spell. What she discovers along the way is that people who seem completely different can often share the very same hopes, dreams, and hang-ups. And that even a day that has been lived over and over can be filled with unexpected connections and plenty of happy endings.

Pretty in Punxsutawney is this generation's ode to the coming-of-age, romantic, teen-angst dramas that director John Hughes made into some of the most beloved teen films of all time.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Pretend She's Here - Luanne Rice

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I can't wait for Pretend She's Here!

Top Ten Tuesday: The Anticipation is Killing Me!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Anticipated 2019 Releases!

I had previously shared some of my most anticipated YA releases, and now I am going to show some love to all the adult books I cannot wait to read in 2019. This is a mix of go-to authors, new favorites, and new-to-me authors, and I am excited about each and every one of these books!

Isn't It Romantic?

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Discussion: Challenge Me, 2019!

This Week’s Topic: 2019 Reading/Blogging Challenges

It's that time of year again! The time to shift through all those awesome reading and blogging challenges that are out there, and select the few that may my reading. I actually only "officially" join one challenge, but I track my progress in the all the others. 

Isn't It Romantic?: The Chicago Edition

It was a such a pleasure reading these two books back to back, because they made me laugh so much and smile incessantly, but it was also fun spending so much time in Chicago. My daughter is now a resident of that city, and I keep hoping some of the places featured in these books are real, because I really want to visit them.

One Old, One New: The Emma Mills Edition

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two books by Emma Mills.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best of the Bunch - Volume 2

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Best of the Bunch!

I had participated in #Top10of2018 and did a Best of the Best post the other day, but since I read over 400 books, I was lucky enough to encounter more than 10 amazing books. AND, I will always welcome another opportunity to show my affection for books I loved. So, I picked some random categories, and these are some of my favorites, which fit the category.