Thorn of Secrets (My Darkest Secret, #2)

Thorn of Secrets (My Darkest Secret, #2) By B. Truly
Publication date: January 25, 2022
Amazon: Pre-Order
Genres: Coming of Age, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

In love with the same face that haunts me….

The falling leaves of autumn are like the deceit in my family lineage. Closing the door on the infinite cold—winter blossoms into the spring of new beginnings. 

In the next season of my life, I’m mending the pieces back together. Opening myself up, I even begin to date, which is a big step for me.

After graduating from high school, a shocking development causes me to be on alert. When nothing comes of it, I move forward, wanting desperately to put the past behind me.

About to start college, I bump into someone from my complicated past, and my heart is torn. The dilemma I struggle with: Do I let other people’s opinion define who I am? I must decide if I’ll push through the ridicule and pave my own path. Could the face that’s scorned me be the key to my resolve? I’ll never know if I take the easy way out.

I’ve unlocked my darkest secret only to have it return to torment me. As the thorns of his obsession encompass me, I discover I’m part of a twisted ploy. If I don’t figure a way out of this predicament, then the life I’ve known may cease to exist.

Don’t miss the riveting sequel to Madison’s story that will have you dangling on the edge of your seat.

—

EXCERPT:

On Thanksgiving Day, the Thibodeaux family gathers—courtesy of my gram’s married name. Aunt Cass, Dari’s mom, and her father Drew are here. So is Uncle Clemens, the eldest, with his wife, and my older cousin, Kenya. Gigi’s oldest daughter, Corine, has made it, too, which is a relief. She has always been the mediator between her two younger, bickering sisters. Aunt Corine’s son, Ryan, accompanies her. Even Gigi’s younger sister and her husband have made the trip.

Finally, the last to arrive is my birth mother, Charlotte. Ever since she wouldn’t give me a straight answer about believing me, I’ve been referring to her as Charlotte. She no longer gets the privilege of me calling her Mama. Her arm is laced through her significant other, Regan, and my older sister is by their side. One big happy family—in hindsight.

Book Blitz: I Am Here Now

I Am Here Now By Barbara Bottner
Publication date: August 4, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Coming of Age, Young Adult
Summary:

Set in the 1960s, Barbara Bottner’s I Am Here Now is a beautiful novel in verse about one artist’s coming of age. It’s a heartbreaking, powerful and inspiring depiction of what it’s like to shatter your life—and piece it all back together. 

You can’t trust Life to give you decent parents, or beautiful eyes, a fine French accent or an outstanding flair for fashion. No, Life does what it wants. It’s sneaky as a thief. 

Maisie’s first day of High school should be exciting, but all she wants is to escape.
Her world is lonely and chaotic, with an abusive mother and a father who’s rarely there to help. 

So when Maisie, who finds refuge in her art, meets the spirited Rachel and her mother, a painter, she catches a glimpse of a very different world—one full of life, creativity, and love—and latches on. 

But as she discovers her strengths through Rachel’s family, Maisie, increasingly desperate, finds herself risking new friendships, and the very future she’s searching for.

—

EXCERPT:

THE CITY

The tiny fire escape is our private spot.
My dad says he’s sorry he’s gone so often.
Do I remember when I was six
and he took me into the city?

I wore a red coat, red shoes,
and perfect white leather gloves
embroidered with tiny blue buds.

I recall watching the road into New York:
billboards, telephone lines, bridges,
muddy sky.

Book Blitz: The Princess of Baker Street

The Princess of Baker Street By Mia Kerick
Publication date: January 22, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
Summary:

“Always wear your imaginary crown” is Joey Kinkaid’s motto. For years, Joey, assigned male at birth, led the Baker Street kids in daring and imaginative fantasy adventures, but now that they’re teenagers, being a princess is no longer quite so cool. Especially for a child who is seen by the world as a boy. 

Eric Sinclair has always been Joey’s best friend and admirer—Prince Eric to Joey’s Princess Ariel—but middle school puts major distance between them. 

As Eric’s own life takes a dangerous turn for the worse, he stands by and watches as Joey—who persists in dressing and acting too much like a Disney princess for anybody’s comfort—gets bullied. 

Eric doesn’t like turning his back on Joey, but he’s learned that the secret to teenage survival, especially with and absent mother, is to fly under the radar. 

But when Joey finally accepts who she is and comes to school wearing lip gloss, leggings, and a silky pink scarf, the bullies make her life such a misery that she decides to end it all. 

Eric, in turn, must decide who he really is and what side he wants to stand on… though no matter what he chooses, the consequences with be profound for both teens, and they’ll face them for years to come. 

Is there a chance the two teens can be friends again, and maybe even more?

—

EXCERPT:

Every day’s basically the same—it’s like the lunchtime bullying plan is set in stone, and it’s only the end of September. And it’s way worse than it was last year, even though he sat alone then too. Travis gets to sit at the jock table, seeing as he’s on the county football team.

He starts in on Joey as soon as he sets his rear end on the bench and drops his lunch tray onto the sticky table. For Travis, “bullying Josie” is sort of like a bad habit he just can’t kick. But I’m pretty sure he’d say it’s more like a hobby he’s real good at.

“All the way through sixth grade, Kinkaid wore a dress, like, every day after school—I kid you not.” He announces this loud enough for the jocks and the entire hot-girl table, and of course, lonely Joey, to hear. And even though Joey wasn’t hiding that he wore his mom’s purple dress after school when we all played together, blabbing about it makes me feel like we’re ratting him out.

Review: Mirror World

 Mirror World by John Calicchia
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: August 27th, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon 

Book Description:

What would you do if you saw the future apocalypse of the world in a mirror? Would you try to save the world and those you love, or die trying?

Welcome to my life, this is the vision of the future I've been cursed to see.    – Cailyssa Larkin

When Cailyssa Larkin looks in a mirror she has an ominous feeling that someone is watching her. Stranger still, she has visions that foretell the future. While visiting her Uncle Spencer, Cailyssa gazes into a mirror and sees a dark future that only she can change. With the future of her own world hanging in the balance, Cailyssa bravely enters the portal to the Mirror World. Here, the Dark Lord controls all the mirrors and bends reflections so all creatures see evil within themselves. With her sister Terry, her mysterious best friend Daemon, and a host of weird and wonderful creatures, Cailyssa embarks on an epic quest to overcome the evil forces trying to destroy her world. She can only defeat the Dark Lord by finding her true self and discovering the family secret that has led her to Mirror World.

This book, written by a psychology professor, integrates famous psychological studies in the story. Readers will enjoy learning important life lessons through the psychological concepts illustrated in the book.
♥ ♥ ♥

Mirror World by John Calicchia is the story of a girl who is thrust into a magical world she never knew existed and is in charge of saving it from an evil Dark Lord who has come into power. His plan is not only to take over the Mirror World that Cailyssa just learned about, but he wants to branch out into our world as well.

This book had a lot of promise to it, but there were a few things that were holding it back. I wanted to really like this book- other worlds, angels, dragons, magic, a fight to save the world – but it still ended up falling a bit flat for me.

Review: School of Deaths (The Scythe Wielder's Secret #1)

 

School of Deaths  by Christopher Mannino
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: May 2nd, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Thrust into a world of men, can a timid girl find bravery as the first female Death?

Thirteen-year-old Suzie Sarnio always believed the Grim Reaper was a fairy tale image of a skeleton with a scythe. Now, forced to enter the College of Deaths, she finds herself training to bring souls from the Living World to the Hereafter. The task is demanding enough, but as the only female in the all-male College, she quickly becomes a target. Attacked by both classmates and strangers, Suzie is alone in a world where even her teachers want her to fail.

Scythes hungry for souls, Deaths who subjugate a race of mysterious magicians, and echoes of an ancient war with Dragons.

As her year progresses, Suzie suspects her presence isn't an accident. She uncovers a plot to overthrow the World of Deaths. Now she must also discover the reason she's been brought there: the first female Death in a million years

♥ ♥ ♥

I was pretty excited to read "School of Deaths". It's a new take on the story of the Grim Reaper, which I thought was a pretty cool concept. The book is about a 13 year old girl named Suzie Sanrio who gets thrown into the all male world of being a Death. Deaths are what we think of when we think of the Grim Reaper, but there are actually a lot of them and before Suzie, they were always boys who were chosen.

Since Suzie is the first girl to go to the School of Deaths in living memory, she faces a lot of scrutiny and criticism. However, she doesn't let that stop her from unraveling some of the mysteries that she's stumbled upon in this new world. With the help of the few friends she's made, she uncovers more and more clues as to what is really happening around her.

Review: The Last of the Firedrakes (Avalonia Chronicles #1)

The Last of the Firedrakes (Avaolia Chronicles #1) by Farah Oomerbhoy
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: August 15, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥

Book Description:

16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad.

Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way. Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.

With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.

♥ ♥ ♥

"The Last of the Firedrakes" by Farah Oomerbhoy was the start of a great premise for a story. It's a high fantasy young adult journey with easy to understand language, making it nice to read.

Although I did enjoy the start to Oomerbhoy's "Avalonia Chronicles" series, it took me awhile to read. There is over 400 pages, and it's written mostly in exposition where the protagonist is telling the reader what is going on in her head as well as around her. The story centers around 16-year-old Aurora, and is mostly told through her. I wish there was more dialogue and character interaction to help the story move along.

Book Blitz: Sweet Tea

Sweet Tea by Wendy Lynn Decker
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: March 12, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

The fourth anniversary of Olivia’s daddy and John Lennon’s death is approaching. Like the shot heard ’round the world, TV and radio stations keep the frenzy alive and recognize Lennon’s life, while Olivia’s mama remembers Daddy’s death. Instead of healing, Mama’s strange behavior keeps getting worse.

After viewing an afternoon talk show, Olivia discovers her mother might have more than a case of eccentricity – she may be mentally ill. When those fears are confirmed, Olivia is faced with more decisions than any sixteen-year-old should have to make. With no adult family members to turn to, she is forced to trust the only people who’ve offered help: one strange man and a friend her mother makes at the mental institution.

Facing the intricacies of her mother’s illness one minute and the decision to have sex with her new boyfriend the next, Olivia finds that through faith and determination, she can conquer it all in this poignant story of love, intuition, compassion, and hope.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

“Well look at you, Miss Trailer Queen, all wrapped up in a fur coat. Did your little brother catch it live and skin it for you, too?” Luke had gone from a baseball-playing typical young boy to a backwoods hick since we’d moved to the trailer park, but insulting him like she did made my chest tight and my face burn.

At first, I felt a spike of anger, ready to thrust from my fist into Monica’s button nose. Instead, I fluttered my lashes and held my head high. “No, Monica. Only your daddy would accomplish such a task by hand. I got this as a gift.”

Monica’s face reddened. I could almost see smoke whistling from her ears as her mind spun fast, trying to outwit me. Regardless of her standing as Landon’s golden girl, my wit sparked of amber and sapphire. Monica’s smoldered like a windblown matchstick. I shared a subtle grin of satisfaction on my way out the door to the hallway.

Review: "Bad Taste in Men"

Bad Taste in Men by Lana Cooper
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Humor
Release Date: December 18, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ Barnes and Noble

Book Description:

Have you ever felt like even Mother Theresa has got more game than you?
If you have, you'd be in the same boat as geeky, awkward metalhead Nova Porter.

Bad Taste In Men follows Nova from her prepubescent years through young adulthood and her attempts at getting dudes to dig her.

Juggling self-esteem issues, small town outsider status, and questionable taste in guys, Nova is looking for love in all the wrong places - like the food court at the mall. Nova's circle of friends and her strange(ly) endearing family more than make up for what her love life lacks.

Along the way, Nova alternately plays the roles of hero and villain, mastermind and stooge; picking up far more valuable life lessons than numbers for her little black book.

One part chick lit for tomboys and one part Freaks and Geeks for kids who came of age in the mid-'90s, Bad Taste In Men is loaded (like a freight train) with pop cultural references and crude humor.

From getting laughed at by your crush to being stood up (twice!) by a guy with one eye, Bad Taste In Men showcases the humor and humiliation that accompanies the search for love (or at least "like") as a small-town teenage outcast, managing to wring heart-warming sweetness from angsty adolescent memories - and jokes about barf and poop.

♥ ♥ ♥

"Bad Taste in Men" by Lana Cooper can best be described as a "fictional memoir". It's a work of fiction that follows Cooper's main character, Nova, from her preteen years through adulthood and her journey to find love. Unfortunately for Nova, the journey is far from a smooth one and the reader goes along with the character and all of her mishaps and heartbreaks.

Nova is an interesting character. She lives in small town America, but is a complete metal head that's not afraid to be loud and make dirty jokes at every opportunity. These qualities make her a bit of an outcast in town as well as school, and that's one more challenge that she has to overcome on her way to finally finding a boyfriend.

Another difficulty of Nova's is that she's looking for love in all of the wrong places. More than once she tries to turn a friend relationship into something more, and ends up ruining the friendship from trying to force something that's not there. Also "Bad Taste in Men" really isn't just a title. Nova's taste is HORRIBLE. The poor girl can't help but to fall for deadbeats and guys who treat her poorly. At times as a reader I felt bad for her, and there were other times when her taste was just so wrong that it was humorous.

Review: Prom Impossible

Prom Impossible by Laura Pauling
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Release Date: May 2014

Book Description:

Cassidy decides her senior year, including prom, will be about Michael Greenwood, the boy destined to be her soul mate. 

One problem. 

He hasn’t figured that out yet. At the end of the year, she’s dateless the day before the big night but risks a lot more than her pride if she can’t find a way to fix her mistakes. 


PROM IMPOSSIBLE is a modern-day Shakespearean romantic comedy in the world of teens, true love, and life




♥ ♥ ♥
"Prom Impossible" by Laura Pauling is a romantic comedy about a high school senior, Cassidy, and her dream of having a perfect senior year that's complete with the perfect prom night with her soul mate.
Cassidy wasn't the normal leading lady we're used to in young adult fiction. She was extremely awkward and prone to ramble to fill silences or have panic attacks.

She is also a dreamer and paints fantastical scenarios in her head of how she wanted her life to go, and was willing to hatch any scheme to make those dreams a reality. Cassidy has a huge crush on the "hot geek", Michael, and even though he's never expressed feelings for her, she's decided that they are "soul mates" and it's her mission to make him realize that in time to be her date to their senior prom.

Even though she was awkward, I still wanted good things for Cassidy. She's the type of character that had nothing but bad things happen to her and all her plans go wrong, and you just want to root for her so something in her life can finally go right. This book covers a long span, going from the summer before Cassidy's senior year and all the way to her prom, and the entire year seems like one big failure for her.

Review: No Alligators in Sight

No Alligators in Sight by Kirsten B. Feldman
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Coming of Age
Release Date: November 25, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

In this coming of age novel, Lettie and Bert squeak by in a tiny town on Cape Cod, one parent an alcoholic and the other absent.

After a string of bad decisions on Lettie’s part, their father ships them to their barely remembered mother for the summer, where they will learn hard lessons about themselves, their family, and their future by way of the Florida swamp.

Throughout Lettie keeps her biting humor flowing, her razor-sharp pen at the ready, and her eye on her quest for a “normal” life.



♥ ♥ ♥

I was excited to read No Alligators in Sight by Kirsten B. Feldman. It seemed like the kind of book that I would like. That being said I’m almost reluctant to write this review, but I’ve put it off long enough as I’ve tried to gather my thoughts. No Alligators in Sight follows Lettie as she tries to navigate the waters of a not so great life, taking care of her younger brother and alcoholic father.

Lettie is thirteen and has extreme anger issues, though who could blame her with the life she’s leading. I really liked how Feldman started the story out. I liked seeing the Mother and daughter talking and then deciding to read the Mom’s journal, which lead us to the past where we see Lettie’s life through the eyes of her younger self.

Promotional Event: I Don’t Wanna Be an Orange Anymore

I Don’t Wanna Be an Orange Anymore by Hank Kellner
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Coming of Age
Release Date: November 15, 2013
Buy Links:

Smashwords

Book Description:

Growing up in the fictional town of Meadowview, young Willie Watson objects to being required to play the part of an orange in the school play when he is nine and in the fourth grade. But that's just the beginning of his problems.

As he continues through elementary school and into junior high school, Willie has to deal with the town bully; Christmas with his relatives; the death of a schoolmate; the loss of his girlfriend; the theft of a fountain pen, and his broken eyeglasses.

But that’s not all. Willie doesn’t want to eat his peas; take the garbage out; deal with his troublesome kid sister; try to climb the ropes in gym class while his gym teacher harasses him, or have to stay after school until he’s “…old enough to grow a beard.” Readers will discover how Willy becomes a member of Brucie’s gang; what happens in the old movie house on Main Street; how feisty old Grandma inspires Willie, and much, much more.

Included in this book are such chapters as "There Is No Santa Claus," "Oh Captain, My Captain," "The Dog in the Rhinestone Collar," "A Bird's Just a Bird," and "Hey Brucie, Your Sister Wears Long Underwear."

I Don’t Wanna Be an Orange Anymore contains a wealth of humorous and often touching descriptions of a young boy's fantasies and life experiences as he grows up in a small town many years ago.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:
Call me Willie. My last name is Watson. I have a wife, two kids, two cars, and one mortgage. I’m an English teacher at a high school, so I guess that makes me a pretty average guy. But I wasn’t always that way. You see, when I was nine and in the fourth grade, I was the kind of kid my classmates called a dweeb. In fact, I was so dweeby that everyone was always pushing me around, especially all the guys who were members of Brucie Schultz’s gang of spitters and troublemakers. Luckily for me, however, my days as a dweeb ended one fine day in 1942.

You remember that 1942 was the year that Japanese soldiers overwhelmed American and Filipino forces during the Battle of Bataan in the Philippines and Anne Frank’s family went into hiding in Amsterdam in Holland.

Author Spotlight: Krista Holle

The Wind Whisperer by Krista Holle
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Coming of Age, Romance
Release Date: October 2013

Book Description:

At fifteen, Anaii is the most important member of her tribe—and the most mysterious. Ever since Anaii can remember, the spirits of the wind have whispered of fertile hunting grounds and imminent enemy attacks. But when her people are ambushed by a brother clan without any apparent cause, the spirits remain eerily silent.

As the village prepares to retaliate, Anaii is pressured by her best friend, Elan, to marry him. It’s an old plea—Elan has spent a lifetime loving her, but Anaii only sees a childhood playmate out of an imposing warrior. Stifled by Elan’s insistence, Anaii escapes into the forest where she meets Jayttin, the beautiful son of the enemy chief.

Enamored by Jayttin’s carefree spirit and hope for peace, she repeatedly sneaks away to be with him, but when her deception is discovered, Elan is devastated. Pledging his lifelong affection, Elan gives her a passionate kiss, and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light.

While Anaii is tormented over which man she must choose, the wind whispers of a new threat that could destroy both tribes. Only a union will afford a chance at survival, but the reality of that union is based on one thing—which man Anaii chooses to die.

♥ ♥ ♥


Do you recall how your interest in writing originated or did you always just know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always had a love of writing, but it was reignited after the fantastic popularity of Twilight. I never believed that Twilight was such a huge success because of the vampires. For me, it was the good old fashioned love story. These type of stories never go out of style.

What inspired The Wind Whisperer?

Promotional Event: The Wind Whisperer

The Wind Whisperer by Krista Holle
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Coming of Age, Romance
Release Date: October 2013

Book Description:

At fifteen, Anaii is the most important member of her tribe—and the most mysterious. Ever since Anaii can remember, the spirits of the wind have whispered of fertile hunting grounds and imminent enemy attacks. But when her people are ambushed by a brother clan without any apparent cause, the spirits remain eerily silent.

As the village prepares to retaliate, Anaii is pressured by her best friend, Elan, to marry him. It’s an old plea—Elan has spent a lifetime loving her, but Anaii only sees a childhood playmate out of an imposing warrior. Stifled by Elan’s insistence, Anaii escapes into the forest where she meets Jayttin, the beautiful son of the enemy chief.

Enamored by Jayttin’s carefree spirit and hope for peace, she repeatedly sneaks away to be with him, but when her deception is discovered, Elan is devastated. Pledging his lifelong affection, Elan gives her a passionate kiss, and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light.

While Anaii is tormented over which man she must choose, the wind whispers of a new threat that could destroy both tribes. Only a union will afford a chance at survival, but the reality of that union is based on one thing—which man Anaii chooses to die.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

I looked around cautiously before freezing at the sketchy outline of a muscular man partially hidden in the grass. A man! He was sprawled on his back and golden pink from too many hours in the sun. My heart pounded to see the unfamiliar pattern of a deer on his breechcloth. I had marched myself directly into the reach of a Zennite warrior!

I gingerly took a step backwards, but to my horror, the man’s black eyes fluttered open. I turned and hurled myself back across the meadow, just as the man shot up and flew after me like a predatory bird. My muscles burned and strained to lengthen the space between us, but getting away was hopeless. I was not a challenge to even the young boys in the foot races.

Review: Geek Girl

Geek Girl by Holly Smale
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Young Adult: Coming of Age
Release Date: February 28, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Harriet Manners knows a lot of things.

She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a "jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves.

As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did.

And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?

♥ ♥ ♥
Let me start out by saying I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book or not when I settled in to read it. However, I wound up giving it a five hearts rating, because I wound up loving it. Harriet is an amusing character, if one that isn’t entirely relatable to me. I’m most definitely a self-declared geek (and proud of it), but Harriet takes this to the extreme.

I can’t spout off random scientific facts the way that she can, but I can certainly relate to the feeling of alienation that she experiences from her peers. I think that nearly all young adults experience this at some point in their lives, though hopefully not to the degree that Harriet does.

Review: Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality

Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: March 1, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ Book Depository

Book Description:

A hilarious new novel from Elizabeth Eulberg about taking the wall out of the wallflower so she can bloom.

Don't mess with a girl with a Great Personality.

Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).

Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.

The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game - and she's in it to win it.

♥ ♥ ♥

Review: Frost

Frost by Marianna Baer
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Romance/Coming of Age
Release Date: Sept. 13, 2011
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ Book Depository

Book Description:

Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school starts with a cruel shock: Frost House, the cozy Victorian dorm where she and her best friends chose to live, has been assigned an unexpected roommate—confrontational, eccentric Celeste Lazar. What Celeste lacks in social grace, however, her brother, David, a recent transfer student, makes up for in good looks and charm. But while he and Leena hit it off immediately, Leena finds herself struggling to balance her growing attraction with her fear of getting hurt.

As classes get under way, strange happenings begin to bedevil Frost House—frames mys-teriously falling off walls, doors locking by themselves, furniture toppling over. Celeste blames the housemates, convinced they want to scare her into leaving. And while Leena tries to play peacekeeper between her best friends and new roommate, soon the mysterious happenings in the dorm, an intense triangle between Leena, Celeste, and David, and the reawakening of childhood fears all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. But does the threat lie with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind . . . or in Frost House itself?

Frost is a stunning and surprising tale of suspense from debut author Marianna Baer.

♥ ♥ ♥
This book is more than a little unsettling. The setting is drenched with foreboding throughout the novel, which leaves you tense and eager to keep reading to find out exactly what’s going on. But here’s a heads up: whatever you think is going on, you’ll probably realize you’re wrong. The ending is a twist I didn’t see coming at all, and having read a lot of suspense/paranormal novels, I generally can predict endings.
Which means, of course, that I really liked this one, and that I was impressed.

Review: Looking For Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Coming of Age
Release Date: December 28, 2006
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ Book Depository

Book Description:

Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

♥ ♥ ♥

This book literally set on my bookshelf for six years. I’m one of those book hoarders that buys books in bulk and doesn’t have as much time to read them as I’d like. So when I accidentally left my Kindle at work one night and didn’t feel like making the drive back to get it, I grabbed this one off my shelf, dusted it off and curled up in bed. I chose this one that night because I’d read the author’s book The Fault in Our Stars, a few weeks ago, and loved it (review on it to come at a later date, unless Cori or Andi beat me to it!).

Book Review: Wishing for Someday Soon

Wishing For Someday Soon by Tiffany King
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Coming of Age
Release Date: March 25, 2012
Buy Links:

Amazon 

 

Book Description:

Seventeen year old Katelyn Richards is a stronger person than anyone will ever know, and that is just the way she wants it. Behind her normal facade lies the reality of a broken home life. Thanks to her abusive mother, a string of deadbeat stepfathers, and an unsympathetic system, Katelyn has learned that the only one she can count on is herself. Her life’s mission has become to shield her nine year old brother, Kevin, and to give him the future that they both wish for. A life with no more abuse, no worries about where their next meal will come from, and no more wondering if they will have a roof over their heads.
 
When her mother moves them again, this time to a small town in Montana, Katelyn’s resolve is shaken when she meets Max, a cute boy from her new school, who gets a glimpse into her real world. Max slowly manages to break through Katelyn’s wall of distrust, stirring up feelings she never saw coming. Now with her world more complicated than she ever intended, Katelyn struggles with the decision to follow her heart into the arms of the first boy she has ever loved. A decision that could risk the promise she made to protect Kevin, and to give them the ‘someday soon’ that is so close within their grasp.


♥♥♥   "When I was younger, I always thought of life like chapters in a book. I never knew what each turn of the page would bring, but always hoped for something better and happier." --Katelyn Richards

Isn't that something that most of us can relate to, at least on some level? Katelyn looks at her life like a book because her mom has moved Katelyn and her brother Kevin around so many times that they have both fallen behind in school, and they have no sense of stability in their lives, save for one another.

Review: Finding Mia

Finding Mia by Rachel K. Burke
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Coming of Age
Release Date: January 8, 2012
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Intelligent and fiercely independent, sixteen-year-old Mia Marchette has never had a childhood. After her father’s disappearance when she was six, she has alone borne the burden of her mother’s bipolar disorder.

When her mother is institutionalized after a failed suicide attempt, Mia is abruptly forced to live with the estranged father she has not known for ten years. She is shocked to discover that he has created a new, picture-perfect life for himself, and is now living with a stepmother and a half-sister Mia never knew she had. Together, Mia and her new family must face the bitterness, mistakes, and long-hidden secrets that threaten to destroy their precarious happiness.

Finding Mia follows Mia's journey as she searches to find the unanswered questions from her past, leading to her own self-discovery.

Ultimately, this is a story of confronting pain and finding freedom, of letting go and learning to search for love in unexpected places.

♥ ♥ ♥

“What I’ve learned is that any obstacle we are given is a gift, to allow us the chance to grow stronger and to shape the people we are today, as we are nothing without our experiences, and our experiences are nothing if we don’t learn from them.” - Mia Marchette, Finding Mia.

This book was ridiculously amazing! No, this is not an exaggeration or a joke. I can honestly say that I’ve only ever been this effected by a book once or twice, but Finding Mia was heart wrenching, beautiful, and filled with the kind of hopeful tomorrow you want to see after the sadness of the beginning.