Rain Falling on Embers (Katie McCabe, #1)

Rain Falling on Embers (Katie McCabe, #1) By Liana Gardner
Publication date: October 3, 2023
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Middle-Grade, Young Adult
Summary:

How do you survive the worst thing that can ever happen?

When thirteen-year-old Katie McCabe’ s dad gets sick and is hospitalized, she’ s sent to live with her uncle in a strange town. But within days of arriving, her dad unexpectedly dies.

Struggling with her new reality, Katie is lost. She doesn’t fit in at her new home and never will.

It only gets worse when Katie starts her freshman year of high school and begins to have run-ins with the son of the man who owns the town— a powerful man with ties to her family’ s past.

Then one day, she is attacked from behind. Blindfolded and slung across the back of a horse, Katie is taken up into the hills. Dumped in the middle of the wilderness in an oncoming storm, she is left to find her way home. But how will she survive?

—

EXCERPT:

A streak of lightning shot through the sky and brightened the area like a spotlight. And I saw it. A dark break in the stone formation. Praying it was big enough, I hurried forward.

A thunderclap shook the ground, and I stumbled but managed not to fall. Before I reached the crack, the skies opened, and rain poured down. I ran toward the entrance.

The opening wasn’t big enough. With gritted teeth, I beat a fist against the rock wall, then turned to look for somewhere else. What am I gonna do now? Slumping against the formation, I slid down, holding back tears.

Wait.

Blue

Blue By L.E. DeLano
Publication date: October 26, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary:

When Blue Mancini’s mother picked her name, it ended up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A year ago, Blue’s brother, Jack, was involved in a car accident that killed the father of her classmate, Maya Rodriguez. Luckily for Jack, he got out of a manslaughter charge and into a plea bargain thanks to the top-notch lawyer hired by Blue’s wealthy parents.

The fallout is now affecting Blue as Maya returns to school determined to carve out a pound of flesh from the only member of the Mancini family she can reach. 

On top of that, Blue has a demanding mother, a father who’s never around, a drama-addicted best friend, and a secretive new guy who’s determined to make Blue his own personal cheer-up project. It’s a perfect storm of misery.

When Maya’s social media taunts and in-person digs finally push Blue to retaliate, they find themselves in afterschool detention and forced into a project meant to foster cooperation and civility. As the layers of their tangled drama unravel, Blue learns more about Maya’s life—and her own sense of privilege—when secrets are revealed that cast a new perspective on everything in Blue’s world.

—

EXCERPT:

My stomach tightens so hard I feel like I’m going to puke. I glance at my phone again, and the texts from last night are still there.

Maya’s back at school

my mom saw her mom at Target

Maya is back

did u see her pic on IG

Did you hear about Maya?

I shove the phone back down in the pocket of my coat and I blow on my fingers to get them warm. I should have remembered my gloves but the whole morning is a blur and I had to get out of my house and now I’m sitting in my car in the cold and I can’t bring myself to turn the key in the ignition.

Rob Starr - Pre-Order Tour!!!

ROB STARR by JA Howard is coming out Thursday! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy of this feminist driven YA today!

Title: Rob Starr

Author: JA Howard

Genre: YA Contemporary

Release Day: August 19th

About Rob Starr:

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬? Rob Starr (sigh) was out of Mia Morgan's league. Of course, she had a crush on him. Everyone did. But in her case, it would just be way too weird to admit that. 

For starters, their moms were best friends and Mia had known Rob since she was five. But while Mia was now a demi-geek with relentlessly frizzy hair, Rob had become a demi-god and Ellsworth High's basketball superstar. Besides, he’d been going out with the totally perfect Chloe Olsen since, like, forever.   

Other People's Butterflies

Other People's Butterflies By Cora Ruskin
Publication date: June 22, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary:

Gwen Foster has never been kissed. But when she gets the chance to finally see what all the hype is about, it’s with her best friend’s crush. Embroiled in relationship drama she doesn’t understand, and ostracized from her friend group, Gwen escapes the angst by using her favorite femme fatale as a role model… and makes snooping on her classmates her new pastime.

Gwen’s detective work appears to be going well, until an unknown social media account starts spilling all the scandalous personal details she’s uncovered. 

Now this wannabe spy must stop whoever is behind it before everyone’s dirty laundry is aired, and Gwen is forced to finish high school without any friends.

Other People’s Butterflies is a coming-of-age contemporary mystery about not needing to find your first love – but yourself – and how to mend the relationships that matter to you.

—

EXCERPT:

Two hours later, I have a new favorite movie. I also have a new favorite character and her name is Lana Barrington. She’s a badass double agent (or possibly a triple agent or a double reverse quadruple agent – the plot of Dead Tulips is pretty confusing) who’s so devious that her own dad nicknames her “Poison Candy”. She’s very femme fatale-ish, with black hair and blood-red lips. 

She wears this pearl necklace, and one of the pearls is full of cyanide in case she ever finds herself in a jam. In the movie she gets into, like, seventeen jams, but she never bites down on the cyanide pearl because she always finds a way to wiggle out of it. She also has a little black book, which looks empty because she writes in invisible ink, and she keeps information about everyone she meets in it.

The Weight of the Sky

The Weight of the Sky By Caroline Schley
Publication date: May 20, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary:

For every important decision in her life, fifteen-year-old Chris Miller relies on silence rather than courage. 

In her rough Bridgeport neighborhood, Chris bites her tongue when her best friend gets sent to juvenile detention for a crime she didn’t commit. As a scholarship kid at St. Catherine’s Prep, Chris acquiesces to ‘drinkstagram’ at tony sleepover parties. 

At home with her overbearing mother, she swallows her questions about her father’s identity. Chris understands that quiet insecurity isn’t the most valiant approach to life, but it gets her through the day unscathed. Until she’s sexually assaulted.

In the aftermath, Chris’s tenuous happiness crumbles alongside her grades, yet she can’t find the courage to report the assault. At a crossroads, Chris is forced to volunteer at an afterschool program for low-income families to maintain her scholarship. 

Catapulted back to the very neighborhood she struggled to escape, Chris finds her family thrust into the crosshairs of a gang war. When one of the students from her afterschool program is put at risk, Chris discovers just how much damage her silence can cause. 

Ultimately, she must decide if she will remain quiet as others call the shots and remain a victim or if she can forge the strength to stand up, speak the truth and call herself a survivor.

—

EXCERPT:

Chris’s fingers trembled over the email icon on the cracked screen of her Samsung phone.

“It’s from St. Catherine’s. Oh my God, Lesley, I’m going to pee my pants.”

“Spelling Bee, there’s no way they didn’t accept you. Get that tremble outta your pale-ass chin.” Lesley pulled her full lips and dark eyebrows into an assured pout. “You’re the smartest freshman in the history of Bridgeport High School. All that shit about string theory you were spouting off in the hallway last week? I didn’t even know you were speaking English. I thought Mr. Idelson was going to nut himself.”

“Eww.” Chris wrinkled her nose at the thought of her ancient Biology teacher doing anything that resembled nutting himself.

Awakened Are the Starry-Eyed

Awakened Are the Starry-Eyed By Christine Doré Miller
Publication date: May 14, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary:

A new city and unexpected freedom give Andrea the fresh start she craved, but her haunting past threatens to unrest an already tangled future. 

In this tense and emotionally stirring sequel to Forgiven Are the Starry-Eyed, Awakened will leave you breathless as it navigates the heartbreaking disquiet of one survivor’s scattered and uncertain path towards healing.

—

EXCERPT:

“Andie!” Ethan shouted with a big grin on his face. He was seated in the crowded hot tub and started to get out when he saw us. Grabbing a towel from the nearby deck chair, his long legs stumbled underneath him as he moved. “Phew,” he said when he finally planted himself by me, wrapping his left arm around me for a side hug.

“Come on, man.” I laughed as the warm water dripped from his body onto my shirt. He shook his head quickly, so the droplets spritzed toward me as they flicked from his curly hair. Ethan snickered through his wide smile, his sky-blue eyes dancing.

“You all right?” Carter asked him. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Not enough to talk to you!” Ethan shouted, his words slurring through some forced laughter.

Gutter Girl (Twin River High, #1)

Gutter Girl (Twin River High, #1) By Kelly Anne Blount & Lynn Rush
Publication date: May 10th 2021

Buy Link: Amazon

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Star football player Jace Rovers has a secret. And not just any secret—a shocking secret… He writes romance. The kind with swords. And dresses. And kissing.

Nobody knows. Not the other kids at Twin River High. Not his overbearing parents. And certainly not the millions of fans who’ve read his book on the writing platform Scribbles. And that’s the way he plans to keep it.

Except suddenly one of the other football players grabs his notebook in jest and starts reading a kissing scene out loud…and Jace knows he’s busted.

But then McKenna Storm, resident goth girl who avoids the spotlight like a virus, snatches up the notebook and tells everyone she’s the author. And lucky for Jace, she later agrees to continue the ruse…for a price.

Heck, he’d give her anything not to reveal his secret. But when they start to fall for each other, he knows he’ll have to keep the biggest secret of all—his darkest character is based on her…

The complete series:

EXCERPT:

Ernie waited a few seconds, then slammed his hands on the counter. “Spill it! Quick, before someone else interrupts us!”

I grabbed the disinfectant spray and wiped Ernie’s handprints off my counter. “Okay, so get this. After lunch, I bumped into Jace in the hallway. Our notebooks accidentally got switched. And in the process he actually gave me a compliment. It was really weird!”

Worn Out Places

Worn Out Places By R.H. McMahan
Publication date: September 1, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary:

I can’t answer that question. I can’t tell him I’ve spent my whole life trying to disappear. I can’t tell him that I was born a drug addict. Or that I’ve been in foster homes so terrible I wished I didn’t exist. And I can’t tell him that last year ended any ambition I had to make it somewhere better in this world.

Drug addict parents. The foster care system. Living on the streets of New York City.

Zoie Cruz is used to an unflinching world that takes without giving back. But at seventeen she isn’t used to Northern Michigan, a family that wants her to succeed, and sobriety.

Everything changed on Christmas morning last year. Her social worker calls it a tragedy and her weekly Narcotics Anonymous meeting wants her to open up. All Zoie wants is to be left alone to get high.

When she meets local golden boy Dean, he’s determined to pull Zoie out of her darkness. And she’s determined to keep her walls sealed shut.

In a whirlwind struggle to stay clean, Zoie’s secrets can only stay hidden for so long.

A Shot at Normal

A Shot at Normal By Marisa Reichardt
Published by: Farrar Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication date: February 16, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary:

Marisa Reichardt’s A Shot at Normal is a powerful and timely novel about justice, agency, family, and taking your shot, even when it seems impossible.

Dr. Villapando told me to get a good attorney. He wasn’t serious. But I am. I’m going to sue my parents.

Juniper Jade’s parents are hippies. They didn’t attend the first Woodstock, but they were there for the second one. The Jade family lives an all-organic homeschool lifestyle that means no plastics, no cell phones, and no vaccines. It isn’t exactly normal, but it’s the only thing Juniper has ever known. She doesn’t agree with her parents on everything, but she knows that to be in this family, you’ve got to stick to the rules. That is, until the unthinkable happens.

Juniper contracts the measles and unknowingly passes the disease along, with tragic consequences. She is shell-shocked. Juniper knows she is responsible and feels simultaneously helpless and furious at her parents, and herself.

Now, with the help of Nico, the boy who works at the library and loves movies and may just be more than a friend, Juniper comes to a decision: she is going to get vaccinated. Her parents refuse so Juniper arms herself with a lawyer and prepares for battle. But is waging war for her autonomy worth losing her family? How much is Juniper willing to risk for a shot at normal?

—

EXCERPT:

Now that the new school year has started and my parents have reached out to other local homeschoolers to plan field trips, I’m hoping I’ll make some new friends.

Until then, I’ll remain on the outside looking in.

Like this morning, in my room, where I spent from seven forty-fi ve to eight a.m. watching through the window as bright yellow buses pulled up to the curb in front of Playa Bonita High School. The bus doors opened and students spilled onto the sidewalk. Others rode up on bikes and skateboards. The older ones, the juniors and seniors, arrived in cars crammed with passengers, two in the front seat and three in the back. Everyone wore shorts or sundresses, because it’s still the last week of August and the heat of summer hasn’t let go of this town yet.

Blog Tour: Fractured

This is my stop during the bookstagram blitz for Fractured by Shay Siegel. Fractured is a raw and relatable coming-of-age tale.

This bookstagram blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. This bookstagram blitz runs from 25 till 31 January. See the tour schedule here.

Don’t miss the tour wide giveaway! One winner will win a gift basket. You can enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post.

Fractured By Shay Siegel
Genre: Contemporary 

Buy Link: Amazon
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: October 27, 2020

Blurb: 

Mason Vance is the guy everybody wants to be, and he knows it. He’s the best high school quarterback in New York, a shoo-in for a football scholarship at any school he chooses, and he’s expected to land in the NFL one day. That is, until a broken wrist leaves him fearing whether he’ll ever play again.

Desperate to save his damaged ego, Mason sets his sights on Lace. No cheerleader or homecoming queen like his usual type, she’s too wrapped in her own misery to fall for his pickup lines. Even though she tries to shut him out, she’s surprised to find he’s there for her when no one else is. Slowly, she lets him into the sad workings of her mind and less-than-perfect life, and Mason finds himself caring about Lace more than he’d ever thought possible. That’s why neither of them sees his huge mistake coming—one that instantly fractures everything between them.

Will Mason confront the ugliest side of himself, and in the process see who he’s capable of becoming, or will he fall back into the life he knew before Lace and his injury.

Links:
- Bookbub
- B&N
- Bookdepository

Excerpt: 

I woke up the next morning—still on a Sharon Martin high—and asked Mom if I had an appointment with the doctor. The pain was in full effect and I came to the conclusion that this cast was designed for ultimate discomfort. The way it took up most of my arm, locking it in a pathetic L-shape. The pressure had my shoulder aching, my elbow cramped, and it had only been a day. Basically, I felt like a little whiny bitch. 

The orthopedist was able to fit me in at 11 a.m. My mom let me skip school for the day to take it easy and see how the appointment would go—I liked this sympathy. My mind wandered to Sharon again on the car ride. The way she massaged my shoulders before she leaned in and kissed me, her cinnamon scented neck, her thick blond hair tickling my chin. All a solid memory to distract from whatever news I’d get from the doctor. I shut my eyes and exhaled.

Book Blitz: About a Girl (Heartless, #1)

About a Girl (Heartless, #1) By Mary E. Palmerin
Publication date: June 5, 2018
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary:

Sprucewood High School changes everyone. The girl with sad eyes who walked out of the bathroom stall; she made herself puke. 

The star basketball player can’t read an entire sentence, so he takes his anger out on the introverted kid after third period. 

His face turned purple and blue.Olive was just a girl. Fletcher was just a boy. And there they were, together, wandering in the chaos of it all. Their paths crossed, all because of fate. 

She was the lost girl who wanted to love, but she also wanted to die. He was the mysterious new kid with golden eyes that held a story she wanted to know. 

Together, they attempt to figure out a way to numb themselves from the pain of finding out who they are in this world, where they belong, and how to handle the memories that haunt them in their nightmares. 

Addiction in its nastiest of forms torments them, threatening their false paradise as they attempt to escape their pain.Will their self-destructive ways be too much for the love they start to feel? Or is it even love when it is clouded by the H they shoot into their veins? Hearts break and souls get crushed at Sprucewood High.

—

EXCERPT:

Prologue
Olive
The Day Death Welcomed Me
The Day After Love

I sat there with a silent jar of thoughts, which was consuming every ounce of myself that I had left. My long, unkempt black hair dangled annoyingly across my face as I laid atop my tiny safe place with my knees pulled up to my chest. The creaking of the ground sent dust up into the humid spring air from the thunderstorm the night before, and my attention span was that of a fly. 

My window air-conditioning unit was useless during the grueling Kentucky weather. I couldn’t help but dazzle my stare with the dirt that danced just before me. It was strangely calming as I sat there, half-naked with my still developing body in nothing but underwear and a button up flannel, wondering if I would have the balls to die today.

My life was different. My life had changed. I was not going to make it until tomorrow. My script had been altered, it was re-written due to fate. The sirens of my heart were singing and screeching the highest they ever had. I was off track and at the most desolate place I’d ever been in my life. Isolation isn’t true when you are unsure about the thoughts and feelings in your head. I had ten-thousand emotions taking up space in mine. I wasn’t alone. I was in the presence of things that didn’t make sense. Truths had yet to be revealed.

Book Blitz: Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza? (The Pizza Chronicles #2)

Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza? (The Pizza Chronicles #2) By Andy V. Roamer
Publication date: June 1, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary:

RV, having successfully completed his freshman year at the demanding Boston Latin School, is hoping for a great summer. 

He’s now fifteen years old and looking forward to sharing many languid summer days with his friend Bobby, who’s told him he has gay feelings too. But life and family and duties for a son of immigrant parents makes it difficult to steal time away with Bobby. 

Bobby, too, has pressures. He spends part of the summer away at football camp, and his father pushes him to work a summer job at a friend’s accounting firm. 

Bobby takes the job grudgingly, wanting to spend any extra time practicing the necessary skills to make Latin’s varsity football team. 

On top of everything, RV’s best friend Carole goes away for the summer, jumping at an opportunity to spend it with her father in Paris. Luckily, there is always Mr. Aniso, RV’s Latin teacher, to talk to whenever RV is lonely. 

He’s also there for RV when he inadvertently spills one of Bobby’s secrets, and Bobby is so angry RV is afraid he is ready to cut off the friendship.

—

EXCERPT:

Bobby and I sat there for a while, not saying anything, just enjoying being together, feeling like we were watching the whole world but not letting the world see us.

“So? Was this worth the bike ride and the climb?” Bobby finally asked.

“You bet. I love finding special places. Like the place in the woods not far from my house. It’s a good place to think and dream.”

Bobby nodded. “Yeah. I discovered this spot when I came to the park with my folks. They just wanted to sit and relax on the hill, so I went exploring.”

“Yes, exploring is good. Where would we be in life without exploring!”

I laughed and gave Bobby a nudge. He nudged me back. “Now I’ve shown you a good place to think and dream too.”

Book Blitz: The Redpoint Crux

The Redpoint Crux By Morgan Shamy
Publication date: June 9, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Young Adult
Summary:

“Dark and achingly beautiful, The Redpoint Crux will break your heart then make you whole again. Shamy is a true storyteller with a gift for weaving wounded characters with twisting plots and a gorgeous, haunting world.” —Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game 

“An addictive mystery woven into a tapestry of lush theatre and ballet lore.” 

—Wendy Higgins, New York Times Bestselling Author 

Fans of The Phantom of the Opera and Black Swan will enjoy this thrilling debut. 

When Megan Van Helsburg gets kicked off the U.S.A. Climbing Team, she has no choice but to return home and leave her climbing career behind. With no coach, no money, and no prospects, she joins the corps de ballet determined to improve her strength and agility. But the ballet theater is in dire straits. 

Not only do a series of murders break loose, but the ballerinas are becoming deathly thin and brain-dead. As Megan investigates, she meets Bellamy, a tortured young man who lives beneath the depths of the theater. Megan falls hard and fast for Bellamy, who becomes her mentor, but something is off about him. 

It isn’t until the company announces they’re doing Giselle for the fall performance that Megan realizes the parallels between the ghost story and the lives around her. Megan must find a way to not only save her climbing career, but balance her feelings for Bellamy, and stop the murders and dying girls before she, too, is numbered among the dead.

—

EXCERPT:

Dying wasn’t on Red’s to-do list that day.

At least, not at the top of her list.

If she had been asked if she wanted to die the week before, it might’ve been a different story. Of course, then she had just been pulled from a competition due to an “incident” and banned from the U.S.A. Climbing Team for the next six months. “Breathe and get some perspective,” Coach had said.
It was the only competition in which she hadn’t taken first place in the last five years.

Book Blitz: Sticks & Stones

Sticks & Stones By Dianne Beck
Publication date: March 18, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary:

When fifteen-year-old Emily Greene wakes up to police banging on her door, she is shocked to see her mother arrested on drug charges. 

Uprooted and in disbelief, Emily moves to a new town to stay with her grandmother, known as Crazy Carol for her outspoken faith and quirky behaviors. As if the arrest isn’t enough, kids at her new school immediately begin to stereotype and judge her based on the news they’ve heard about her mom. 

Emily is sure her mother’s fiancé is to blame for the crime. He has conveniently disappeared since the day of the arrest. She’s determined to find him, and prove he’s at fault. But something awful happens, shaking her world yet again. 

After this string of tragedies, Emily starts to question God, but is gently and consistently reminded by her grandmother, through stories she tells of all the sticks, leaves, and stones she collects, that God is her good and faithful parent. 

Emily must learn that the words others say about her don’t matter, that her mom’s mistakes don’t define her, and she is always deeply loved by her heavenly father. If only she can learn to forgive herself.

—

Are you a book blogger?
Join the blog tour here!

—

Author Bio:
Dianne Beck has spent the majority of her career teaching students ranging from Kindergarten through adult. No matter what age, her biggest goal is to encourage her students to be their own unique selves, to have confidence in who they are, and to follow their passions.
Dianne’s debut young adult novel, Sticks and Stones, was inspired by her years of teaching, where she saw so many students struggle with varying issues, and also experienced how an understanding ear and relevant literature could make a significant impact on their lives. She hopes young people as well as adults can find faith and strength, like her main character Emily does, even when things seem to be falling apart.
Dianne is motivated daily by her faith in God, her husband, and her four adult children. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading, sipping coffee, browsing a bookstore, or pursuing a part-time faith and fitness ministry at www,ofcommonground.com.

Website

Book Blitz:High School Queens (The High School Queens Trilogy, #1)

High School Queens (The High School Queens Trilogy, #1) By Zachary Ryan
Publication date: March 21, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary: 

They all thought they did a masterful job of keeping their secrets close to their chest. These stupid fools thought they were the high court of this kingdom, but they had no clue who was really pulling the strings. 

You might wonder to yourself, who would be that heartless to make them backstab their friends, expose other’s secrets, and lose their morals? You don’t need to know who I am, but you better remember my name, The Marked Queen. 

Danielle, Andrew, Delilah, Aman, and Jasmine all are now faced with a mysterious villain whose one goal is to ruin each of their lives. They must protect their secrets at all cost, or they’ll be the next victim on Marked Day. 

They know what’s at stake, and they’ll stop at nothing to continue being: the rich spoiled girl, the normal teenager, the girl who isn’t banging the principal, the straight vlogger, and the girl who isn’t her dad’s punching bag. What happens when The Marked Queen changes up the game just in time for prom? Will each of our favorite puppets survive? Or are they willing to backstab each other just to keep up their personas? The only thing lost at this prom wasn’t going to be their virginity. 

Sex, Lies, and High School Queens explores the major theme of self-acceptance. Can they learn to accept all their flaws or pray victim to The Marked Queen? Each chapter continues to fill your sweet tooth until the climactic moment at the prom where you get to have that final bite of the bitch cake you’ve been dying to consume.

—

EXCERPT:

Danielle, Delilah, and Jasmine on one side while Calvin, Aman, and Eddie were on the other side. “Now, before we announce who will be King and Queen, there is a video montage first.”
The video started off about Danielle with her fashion, Delilah with her writing, Jasmine with her studies, Calvin with baseball, Aman with vlogging, and Eddie with football. The video ended with all six of them in a group shot together.

Principal Grand smiled. “Well, that was something.” People started applauding. “Now it’s time to announce your Prom King and Queen.” Principal Grand opened the envelope. “Prom King and Queen of Johnson Prep 2018 are…” Principal Grand didn’t get to announce, because the projector started displaying another video.

Book Blitz: Forgiven Are the Starry-Eyed

Forgiven Are the Starry-Eyed By Christine Doré Miller
Publication date: April 26, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary:

Naïve sixteen-year-old Andrea Cavanaugh is elated when Josh, a charismatic, bright-eyed piano prodigy, becomes her first boyfriend. 

But the closer she gets to him, the more she realizes that he is not the boy she first fell for. 

In its poignancy and emotional darkness, Forgiven Are the Starry-Eyed takes you deep into the delicate and devastating web of shame that spirals from the depths of dating violence when dreamy teenage love turns dark. 

Andrea must find not only an escape, but a belief that she is even worthy of freedom.

—

EXCERPT:

My eyelids closed as if they were being drawn down by sluggish, unhurried weights. When I forced them open after several seemingly endless moments, nothing had changed. I could still make out a blurry image of Josh standing nearby, Mr. Thompson’s hands clenched firmly on Josh’s shoulders from behind.

There was a crowd, I think, and muffled voices. The steel school locker felt cold against my back and I recognized the familiar feeling that lately seemed to just dwell and ache in my bones. Fear, I think it was, mixed with just enough madness to keep the blood racing through my veins … fast. Too fast.

“Why did you do that, Andrea?” Josh shouted in my direction.

My eyes fell closed again. I don’t remember what else he said. I just remember the feeling of each overly pronounced syllable piercing the air while he said it. I stared through the darkness that danced behind my heavy eyelids. What had I done?

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.

Trailer Blast: 7TH Grade Revolution

Print Length: 301 pages
Publisher: Vesuvian Books (October 24, 2017)
Publication Date: October 24, 2017
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B0748BLJLN

AWARDS
2018 American Fiction Awards Winner for Pre-Teen Fiction (Ages 10-12)
2018 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Finalist for Best Juvenile Fiction
2018 International Book Awards Finalist for Children's Fiction
2018 Hollywood Book Festival Honorable Mention for Children's Fiction

Praise for 7th GRADE REVOLUTION

"7th Grade Revolution is a thrilling and engrossing ride through past and present based on real events in North Carolina. Though technically a middle grade book, I feel readers of all ages will enjoy this novel. Trust me, you won't want to put it down." ―Tracy Riva, Midwest Book Review

..". a stunning new Middle Grade novel that is part historical fiction, part action adventure mystery, and all around fun. Featuring a cast of wacky, interesting kids I was hooked on page one and enjoyed every twist and turn of the creative plot. Gardner is a writer to watch." ―Dan Elish, Award-Winning Author of BORN TOO SHORT: The Confessions of an Eighth-Grade Basket Case

..". an exciting, smartly written book filled with adventure, intrigue, and history in a modern school setting. Luke Spooner's accompanying art is simply spot on. I can't wait for my daughter to read this, and there's no higher compliment than that." ―Mercedes M. Yardley, Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of Little Dead Red

So, I arrived home earlier today to find your book on my front porch and I have just come up for air, realizing that I haven't even eaten since I picked it up. (It's 11:00) I don't even know where to begin. Should I start with the dedication that brought me to tears? 

Book Blitz: You Don’t Know My Name (The Black Angel Chronicles #1)

You Don’t Know My Name (The Black Angel Chronicles #1) By Kristen Orlando
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: January 10, 2017
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

Fighter, Faker, Student, Spy.
Seventeen-year-old Reagan Elizabeth Hillis is used to changing identities overnight, lying to every friend she’s ever had, and pushing away anyone who gets too close.

Trained in mortal combat and weaponry her entire life, Reagan is expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and join the ranks of the most powerful top-secret agency in the world, the Black Angels. Falling in love with the boy next door was never part of the plan.

Now Reagan has to decide: Will she use her incredible talents and lead the dangerous life she was born into, or throw it all away to follow her heart and embrace the normal life she’s always wanted? And does she even have a choice at all?

Find out if you are ready to join the Black Angels in the captivating and emotional page-turner, You Don’t Know My Name, from debut novelist Kristen Orlando!

♥ ♥ ♥

—

EXCERPT:

I love Malika and Harper. They make me happy. They really do. But there’s something about being with them that makes me feel lonely too. I can never really be myself with them. I can’t really be myself with anybody. It’s ingrained in me to lie, to stick to the cover story and blend in no matter what. And I feel guilty about that. Because they think they know me so well.

They think because they can finish my sentences they know everything about me. But they only know Reagan MacMillan; the quick-talking, tough girl I created. Sometimes I wonder which parts of my personality are really me and which ones belong to the pretender.

But with Luke, it’s different. There’s nothing forced or strategic about our friendship. He’s gotten to see glimpses of the real Reagan. And that scares the shit out of me. Because I know how quickly it could all be torn away from me. How quickly I could be torn away from him. There’s no such thing as a happy ending for a girl like me.

Book Blitz: The Breakup Support Group

The Breakup Support Group By Cheyanne Young
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: November 22, 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

After four years of first love bliss, Isla Rush just got dumped. 

Any hope she has of winning her ex-boyfriend back is shattered when the town rezones her neighborhood, forcing her to spend senior year at a wealthy high school in the next town over. 

With a broken heart consuming her soul, Isla can’t focus on anything, except maybe Emory Underwood—a ridiculously hot guy who dates a new girl almost every day. She can’t help but crush on him, even though it’s wrong. 

When memories of her ex make her cry in second period, the school counselor sends Isla to a club that meets during lunch. The Break-Up Support Group is a collection of broken-hearted misfits who are all helping each other heal. 

Just when Isla’s heart is finally on the mend, Emory shows up, forced to atone for all the broken hearts he’s caused over the years. While hiding her massive crush, she helps him understand the seriousness of breaking a heart. 

In turn, Emory offers to help Isla get back on the dating scene by agreeing to be her fake date for the homecoming dance. Isla gladly accepts the ruse, because if anyone can make her into a desirable girlfriend, Emory can! There’s just one small problem. 

Isla’s little crush on Emory might be exactly full blown. And a homecoming fake date with him could push her over the edge to possibly uttering the “L Word!” 

Isla can’t afford another heartbreak so soon after the last one. She will have to resist his charms, refuse to look into those dreamy eyes, and above all else, not make the mistake of letting him kiss her. 

If only she hadn’t let her guard down at the end of the night, under the light of her porch in a toe-curling kiss moment of weakness. And now, after months of Break-Up Support Group therapy, and with a heart fully on the mend, Isla has just handed it over to a guy who knows full well just how to break it.

 ♥ ♥ ♥

—

EXCERPT:

The first time Nate and I went to the movies was during eighth grade. His dad had picked me up and dropped us off since we weren’t old enough to drive, and I still remember how hard my heart pounded from the backseat of Mr. Mile’s Tahoe. Even over the country music his dad blasted everywhere he went, I feared Nate would hear my heartbeat doing jumping jacks and know I was freaking out. This was an official date after all. My first.

It was the start of December, and it was freezing cold outside. I wore a denim skirt and leggings in an effort to be cute, but the cold had me shivering like a maniac while we waited in line to buy tickets. And then thirteen-year-old Nate took off his jacket, a junior high letterman, and draped it over my shoulders.

It didn’t do anything to stop the cold from crawling up my legs, but I was warm all the same. A boy had given me his jacket. I still have that jacket to this day, hanging somewhere in the back of my closet. It officially became mine on that first Christmas we spent together.