Had Me At Howdy (A Hillside * Spring Creek Novel)

Had Me At Howdy (A Hillside * Spring Creek Novel) By Mary Karlik
Publication date: November 22, 2025
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Platinum credit card? Deactivated. New car? Sold. Best life ever? Canceled.

Thanks to my dad losing his job, we’ve ditched Chicago for Fumbuck, Texas—population: redneck. Now I’m living on a rundown farm, scrubbing dishes, and driving a rusty pickup. Worst of all? I’m stuck working alongside a cowboy.

But this Cinderella isn’t giving up. I’ll claw my way back to the luxe life I left behind—and no one, not even infuriatingly chill, stupidly handsome Austin McCoy is going to stop me. Even if he does make feeding the chickens weirdly… enjoyable.

She thinks she’s just passing through. I’m hoping she stays.
I kind of feel for the Quinn sisters. City girls don’t belong in Spring Creek—but Kelsey? There’s more to her than designer labels and eye rolls. When she forgets to be angry, I see it—like the way her eyes light up when she feeds the chickens.

Now all I have to do is convince her the guy she really wants is me, not some rich dude taking her to a ball in Chicago.

Content Warning: This work contains a subplot involving death, grief, and an off-page instance of date rape. While these events are not depicted directly, they are referenced and may be distressing to some readers.

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EXCERPT:

The universe had completely crapped on Kelsey Quinn’s life.

She dabbed at her eyes, blew her nose, and wadded up the tissue before dropping it to the pile on the seat next to her. Pressing her forehead against the car window, she watched the scenery fly by at seventy miles per hour. They passed Bob’s Stay and Go combination gas station—fast food restaurant—hotel, followed by some weird concrete starship-shaped pizza parlor. Next, three-foot fluorescent letters screamed about redemption across a junkyard fence surrounding rusted pieces of mangled metal. The few words of scripture painted there weren’t going change her fate. Her dad was in the driver’s seat and they were heading straight for the armpit of Texas.

Things I Wish I Said

Things I Wish I Said By Gracie Graham
Publication date: November 7 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Lung cancer patient Ryleigh Sinclair wants a boyfriend for the summer.

And my mother wants me to be the one to make her wish come true.

Me. The eternal pessimist. The guy who no longer believes in happy endings after my dad died of pancreatic cancer and my girlfriend dumped me in the same month.

But after weeks of spending time with Ryleigh, she somehow does the impossible. She fills the gaping hole of my father’s absence until I’m the one hoping for a miracle.

I’ve learned my lesson about wishes.

Happily ever afters are a lie.

Yet I’m the one wishing like hell for another outcome for Ryleigh.

I lost my father to cancer; I can’t lose her too.

—

EXCERPT:

“You make me happy.”

I swallow, afraid to move and the break the spell we’re under. “No, I don’t,” I say, my throat raw.

“You do. This last month, I’ve laughed more than I have since I lost him. You make me forget to be so damn sad all the time.” His other hand rises, and he drags his thumb over my lower lip while my heart crashes into my ribs.

“Grayson . . .”

“You asked me why I kissed you.”

Never Gonna Happen

Never Gonna Happen By Linda Kage
Publication date: November 8, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Peyton’s mom and my mom were best friends.

You’d think that should cover the gist of it. But, no… Oh, no.

Not even close.

You see, Mom and Aunt Donna (as I’d always called Peyton’s mother) were not simply just best friends; I’m saying they were the-same-person-inhabiting-two-different-bodies kind of best friends.

And thus, Peyton Royce had been forced on me since the moment she was born.

We were treated like twins, yet always expected to fall in love one day and get married. The only problem with that was I didn’t love Peyton. And I’m fairly certain she didn’t even like me in return.

Don’t get me wrong. I adored our moms—swear to God—but they had to let this stupid notion go, because one thing had become abundantly clear to me over the years. I would never marry Peyton Royce. I think it was my one goal in life, actually.

So… Sorry, Mom and Aunt Donna, but you two just weren’t going to get your way on this.

Peyton and I? It was never gonna happen.

—

EXCERPT:

Aria took her turn next. When she immediately turned toward me and Peyton, my stomach dipped with dread.

“York,” she smirked snidely. “Truth or dare?”

“Uh…” Damn. I shrugged, not sure what would be worse from her. I ended up going with, “Truth,” only to hold my breath and hope she didn’t ask about why I’d really broken up with her. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings and admit that I just didn’t feel any sparks.

The Other Brother

The Other Brother By Jax Calder
Publication date: January 12, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQ+, New Adult, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

What happens when you fall for the one person you can’t have?

Ryan has had seventeen years of being compared to Cody, part of his toxic fractured family, so you’ll forgive him for some epic eye-rolling when it comes to Mr Perfect. Although not related to him by blood, Cody has always been annoying background noise in Ryan’s life. 

It doesn’t help that Cody’s a high achieving musician, while Ryan’s life ambition doesn’t extend past catching the next wave.

One summer changes everything. It’s the summer when circumstances collide, and Cody and Ryan end up spending time together at Cody’s family’s beach house. It’s the summer Ryan teaches Cody to surf and Cody teaches Ryan to play guitar. It’s the summer when they become friends.

And then more than friends.

But when summer ends, Cody and Ryan are forced back to reality, where they must hide their relationship from their warring family members. And as tragedy strikes and family secrets buried deep in the past worm their way to the surface, their relationship is threatened. Can their feelings, which began in the summer sun, survive the winter ahead?

Note: This coming-of-age story contains sexual content.

—

EXCERPT:

The next day I’m out surfing early. The waves are gentler today, and while the rides aren’t as intense, it’s crazy-cool being out with the early sun glinting off the water and the fresh salt air giving my nostrils a spring clean.

I’m about to head in when I notice a lone runner on the beach. As the figure draws closer, I recognize the lean build and curly hair.

Okay, so maybe I time my exit from the water so I intercept him. But hey, it’s a long, lonely fifty-feet walk back to the house. It’s natural to want some company.

Double Negative

Double Negative By Susan Marshall
Published by: Evernight Teen
Publication date: November 12, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Injured competitive swimmer Reece never wanted to be Vice Prez of West Hill High. It was her brother Jamie’s idea, just something to do until she could get back into the pool.

She knew that Jamie—who led his campaign with a striptease “election speech”—would be a complete “President Dumbass.” But Reece didn’t foresee that she’d fall hard for Jamie’s Student Council rival, Zain.

Zain is hot and intense, plus an amputee and a basketball star. Between Zain’s disability and Reece’s surgery, they have their challenges, but that deepens their connection—until he drops a bombshell about his accident. Suddenly, everything important to Reece starts to implode.

Struggling with issues of family loyalty, secrets, and scars, Reece must decide if real relationships are worth the heartache.

 

—

EXCERPT:

The atmosphere in the auditorium was near electric. The students were gobbling up the performance, knowing Jamie’s “speech” could be stopped at any second. As he started to lower his swimsuit, DiFran suddenly—finally—stomped onstage. I momentarily covered my eyes with my good hand, and when I peeked through my fingers, I exhaled in relief. His flesh-colored t-shirt was part of a unitard. No frontal nudity today, folks.

Fists and jaw tightly clenched, DiFran leaned in and whispered insistently into Jamie’s ear. But like a pole dancer resisting the grand finale, Jamie shook him off.

Seventeen Butterflies

Seventeen Butterflies By Anna Katmore
Publication date: August 23, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

The embarrassment of being the only unkissed girl in high school is something Sandy Cardington refuses to accept. 

The first kiss project is her foolproof plan to finally get rid of the status at her 17th birthday party, while her parents are out of town.

With several kissable boys on her guest list, this should be a walk in the park. But she didn’t count on her older brother returning from college and throwing a wrench into her plans. 

To make matters even more complicated, he has a friend in tow, and the cute hockey player stirs unexpected butterflies in her stomach every time their paths cross.

While Sandy moves heaven and earth to make her party and project come true, it looks as if Thane Griffyn has his own plans to teach her the real meaning of a first kiss…

A compelling, sweet high school romance, perfect for fans of Kelly Oram, L A Cotton, Cassie Mae, and Erin Watt.

—

EXCERPT:

“Who. Are. You?”

The words fly out of my mouth even before the front door falls shut behind me. There’s a stranger in my house—built like a demi-god, demonic dark hair, and with eyes like an angel. He comes out of the bathroom as if he’d just taken a break after parking himself in my home for a cozy film marathon. Hello?

The intruder with the white t-shirt wipes his still damp hands on the back of his washed-out jeans, not even half as confused as I am, obviously. “My name’s Thane,” he says. Then he smiles, and the sun is rising a second time today at half past six in the evening. What the hell?

Hate Notes

Hate Notes By Gracie Graham
Publication date: June 30, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Topher Elliot is high school royalty.

The king of Lakeview prep.

You know the type. Disgustingly rich. Blond-haired. Eyes the color of a clear, blue sky. And muscles for days.

He also happens to be enemy #1, the bane of my existence.

Only, now my scholarship is in jeopardy and, like the peasant I am, I must tutor the king himself if I want to graduate.

Still, if I have to be around him, I might as well make it worth my while. So I send him a scathing text, telling him exactly what I think about him. 

But he mistakes me for someone else. That’s when I hatch a plan: get dirt on the king, and watch his reign crumble.

It’s about time someone made the king come tumbling down.

—

EXCERPT:

Now that we were alone, I couldn’t help but wonder if he got my text and what he thought about it.

Did it bother him? Did it affect him at all? Or did it bounce right off his bulletproof ego? Because he sure seemed unaffected.

I glanced up at him, confirming his gaze, and I almost opened my mouth and confessed with an apology when he said, “Hey, I uh, wanted to say sorry for this morning. Mikey and the guys can be jerks sometimes.”

I raised a brow, surprised at the admission. I hadn’t expected that.

“Sometimes?” I asked, and when he laughed, I flinched at the sound.

“Good point.” Topher grinned.

In A Mirror (In It Together, #1)

In A Mirror (In It Together, #1) By Emily Bourne
Publication date: November 12, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Can a social outcast prove to her cheerleader sister she’s not the enemy and save her family?

Anxiety riddled Brittany is setting her sights on popularity. She doesn’t give a crap about her sister’s desire to bond, because landing a boyfriend will fill the void in her heart. 

When a chance encounter with her gorgeous crush sends her sweating, the jittery voice inside her head threatens to derail whatever he found attractive about her. 

When soaring up the social ladder, insecurities force her blabbermouth into action. Will Brittany reveal her greatest fear to the people she needs to impress the most? That she is a total freakin loser!

Emotional mess Charli can’t deal with her parents’ divorce. If it wasn’t for the support of her loving boyfriend, she would drown in loneliness. When a party launches her sister into popularity, Charli is desperate to pull her down to earth. But her sister still deems the past pain she caused as unforgivable and shoves her away. 

With the return of their wayward father, Charli is hell-bent on saving her family, starting with reuniting her parents. Can she mend her tortured relationship with her sister and regain her trust before the emotional damage is irreversible?

If you love heartwarming and emotionally gripping books, you’ll love this coming of age, contemporary teen drama and ultimate beach read that is IN A MIRROR by Emily Bourne.

Goodreads / Amazon

Other books in the series:

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The Spring Renews (Honey Cove, #3)

The Spring Renews (Honey Cove, #3) By Marie McGrath
Publication date: May 18, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Never fall in love. It only breaks your heart.

Sophie Graham didn’t believe in love … not anymore. Ever since her father died, Sophie watched the pain her mother went through. Love was messy and not worth taking the risk.

When her mother starts dating again and things get serious, Sophie’s beliefs get called into question. 

Not to mention, she has to work at the movie theater with a boy she had almost kissed from a stupid dare. 

Pushed together by the manager, she has to spend more time with Drew than she had wanted to ever again.

Will she open her heart to love and the possibilities? Or will she bar her heart from everyone?

—

EXCERPT:

I groaned. I didn’t want to get stuck with this man at the festival. I already had plans to go with Riley, Randy, and Shelby. I didn’t want a parental escort.

“Sounds great.” Rowan eyed me, keeping his posture open and his eyes as if they were smiling.

Our guidance counselor had given us a lesson about body language for our school interviews next year, and, if I remembered correctly, open posture was supposed to be welcoming. Well, his welcoming stance could shove it. I didn’t want him to welcome me into whatever this was.

The Winter Heals (Honey Cove, #2)

The Winter Heals (Honey Cove, #2) By Marie McGrath
Publication date: January 12, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

It was almost impossible to heal when everyone was out to get you.

Shelby Rowe was stuck between two worlds—the one she wanted and the one everyone else wanted for her. As the daughter of a prominent family in Honey Cove, Shelby’s life was out of her control. 

Her friends, interests, and even her love life was controlled by others.

When a new girl moves to town, Shelby’s life was turned upside down as she gets a glimpse of what life could be like—no obligations, no pressure. 

As the Christmas break begins, Shelby is left stuck between what is expected and what she feels is right. Split in half, Shelby has to make decisions to correct her life and heal her spirit.

Will she allow others to control who she is? Or will she finally go out on her own?

—

EXCERPT:

Luke watched me as I eyed Priscilla and Tabitha from across the room. “Don’t panic, Shelby. You’re by far the most beautiful one in this ballroom tonight.”
“Thanks, Luke, but I’m not worried about what anyone else looks like.”

He nodded and smiled, but it didn’t quite make it to his eyes.

I probably wouldn’t have believed me either. I wasn’t fully lying, just wasn’t the entire truth. Priscilla had a chance to outdo me; it was just her insecurities that came back for her. If she had more confidence, people wouldn’t hate her as much for the nasty things she always inflicted on others. Although, I supposed someone else could say similar things to me. I certainly hadn’t always been the nicest one around. I had done plenty of cruel things, things I still was ashamed of, but I tried to change. That had to account for something, right?

Book Blitz: Out of My League

Out of My League By Sarah Sutton
Publication date: June 16, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

It’s all fun and games until someone catches feelings. 

Sophia Wallace is convinced her life is over when her high school cuts the journalism program. Without the elective, she loses her chance to intern with the biggest newspaper company in the county, and why? All because the baseball team needs more funding. 

To make matters worse, her boyfriend publicly dumps her at a party, which is mortifying. But the icing on the cake is when the captain of the baseball team and the most popular guy at Bayview High, Walsh Hunter, decides to be chivalrous. He jumps in, throws his arm around Sophia, and declares his undying love for her. In front of everyone. 

Suddenly, Sophia is thrown into a world of fake relationships and undercover journalism, and she realizes she’s way, way out of her league. 

Good thing she’s got the team captain to teach her how to play. 

But faced with choosing between saving her journalism class or her newfound feelings for Walsh, will she strike out or hit a home run?

—

EXCERPT:

Staring at his face, I noticed a faint, silvery scar underneath his right eye, as small as my thumbnail. I reached out with my free hand, tracing my fingertip along his skin. A featherlight touch, barely there.

“What happened here?”

His gaze never left mine. “Baseball cleat. Fourth grade. One of my teammates threw it at me.”

“Some little league kid threw their shoe at you? Why?”

“I told him that he couldn’t bat very well.” Walsh shrugged. “He couldn’t take the truth.”

I snorted. “You were that kid? The dream crusher?”

Book Blitz: Forever Summer

Forever Summer By Nicole Bea
Publication date: February 24, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary: 

Morrigan Westhaver isn’t convinced anything could make her forget her abusive ex-boyfriend—not even if she travels all the way from her home in Michigan to her father’s ranch in Alabama. 

Saved text messages and voicemails haunt her life with poisonous words and crippling self-doubt, but she can’t seem to let them go. 

On the ranch, much to her surprise, she immediately takes to a rescued horse, Stormy, as well as Levy, an attractive ranch hand. Will their understanding and gentle support help her heal, or is the damage too deep?

—

EXCERPT:

“We could have texted if you wanted to talk,” I remind him, patting the spot on the bed where my phone has slipped down to.

He pulls an elastic band from his wrist and snaps it into place around his hair, making a perfectly small bun before taking the towel, squeezing the excess water from the style, and taking a seat at the edge of my bed.

Book Blitz: Shipley’s Secrets

Shipley’s Secrets By Jen Simmons
Publication date: December 10, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Growing up in foster care, Malcolm has never known his birth family. The first twelve years of his life is riddled with trauma and abuse. His only dream in life is to make it to eighteen years old so he can join the military and change his fate. 

When Malcolm’s placed in the care of a new foster home, he meets Adler and Sal. Three boys having grown up with no family, no connections and no hope of a steady life, they find something in each other they never thought they’d have. Family. 

After a horrific trauma occurs in this new foster home, Malcolm, Adler and Sal are thrust into uncertainty and an indefinite separation from each other. That is, until an unlikely savior steps in. 

Trauma brought three boys into the lives of the Keating’s. The love they carry as brothers will guide them into the life they’re meant to have. Their shared dream of joining the military just a short time away. Loyalty to each other and their newly built family is the glue that binds all those dreams together. But with loyalty and the need to protect each other, comes secrets. 

Clara has had her own fair share of trauma. After a life altering event, Clara vows to move on with her life and be happy despite all that is stacked against her. When she meets the mysterious Malcolm, her curiosity about him leads her to an unlikely turn of events. And a life she never expected. Which way will her heart sway? Will the path it takes tear apart a brother’s bond? 

Will all the secrets kept between these lives break the loyalty of this family?

—

EXCERPT:

Clara

Standing up straight and looking into the mirror, I see Sal standing behind me, wet from a shower. His chest is bare with the exception of a thin silver chain, a cross attached and dangling from his neck. The only thing he has on are gray track pants, hanging low on his waist, showing the perfect shape of his toned hips and slender build.

The definition of muscle from his chest to his stomach as it makes its way down his body has my mouth watering. God, he’s perfect. He has a towel in his hand, the motion of drying his short hair halted at the sight of me in his bedroom. His dark eyes burn into mine. I can feel his stare all the way to my toes. Those familiar goose bumps are back and covering every inch of my skin.

Book Blitz: What Are Friends For?

What Are Friends For? By Sarah Sutton
Publication date: January 14, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary: 

FALLING IN LOVE ISN’T COMPLICATED…UNLESS IT’S WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND.
A close, easygoing friendship can all change with just one kiss. 

Seventeen-year-old Remi Beaufort learns this the hard way when she plays a blindfolded kissing game at a party. 

She thinks she’s kissing Jeremy, the totally hot basketball player she’s been crushing on. And the kiss…it’s amazing. Heart-stopping, world-changing, toe-curling. The kiss makes her forget about her overbearing mother, the next-door neighbor’s drama, and the probability that she’ll fail her senior year. The best kiss of her life makes all that fall away. 

Until her blindfold falls off, and she realizes that instead of kissing her crush, she’s kissing Elijah, her best friend since third grade. 

Though she manages to convince Elijah that he was kissing his girlfriend, Remi can’t get the thought of his lips on hers out of her head. As things between them grow more and more complicated—because it turns out her fantasizing about his mouth is more of a problem than it sounds—Remi has to make a choice: does she live the rest of her life loving her best friend in secret? Or does she tell the truth and risk ruining their friendship forever? 

Heart-melting and romantic, What Are Friends For? is a swoon-worthy best-friends-to-lovers story that will leave you crushing hard.

—

EXCERPT:

There were times between us that felt totally normal—like, almost the entire time we’d been cutting out snowflakes, things had felt normal. I hadn’t been staring at his mouth or imagining his body heat enveloping me into a hug. We joked like normal, laughed like normal. But the quiet moments between us had my heart aching, wanting.

Book Blitz: Two Thousand Lines

Two Thousand Lines By Michelle Jester
Publication date: November 21, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Olivia Brooks has been able to keep her life in Sugar Mill, Louisiana held perfectly together, far away from the small town where she grew up. 

Even though her past still haunts her, she has found a perfect process of surviving, until a string of events brings Luke Plaisance to Sugar Mill and turns her organized life upside down.

While Olivia fights to hold on to the life she’s created, unraveling it may be exactly what it takes for her to truly survive. 

She must accept her past in order to live, or let it threaten the only future she’s ever wanted. Because some secrets can’t stay buried… and shouldn’t.

An inspiring and heartbreaking tale of abandonment, survival, and purpose. A harrowing journey of self-discovery and perseverance.

—

EXCERPT:

Luke saw her red face and swollen eyes.

“Whatever it is, I’m sorry.”

“No need. Besides, maybe I just cut an onion.”

“I’m not asking you why, Olivia, but also don’t feel like you have to lie to me. It’s none of my business and I know that. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.”

“Then why are you here?” she turned abruptly to face him, obviously angered.

Book Blitz: In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety (The Cecily Taylor Series, #2)

In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety (The Cecily Taylor Series, #2) By Krysten Lindsay Hager
Publication date: September 3, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Cecily feels like she has it all: great best friends, the beginnings of a career as a model/actress, and she’s dating her favorite singer, Andrew Holiday. 

Then Cecily’s best friend Lila begins to ditch her every time Lila’s boyfriend calls. Cecily feels lost, but she and Andrew begin connecting more and she’s never been in a relationship where she felt so understood. 

Andrew even begins to confide in her about his anxiety. Soon Cecily experiences her own anxiety on a magazine photo shoot, but she manages to impress the magazine staff. 

Just when it seems like all her dreams are coming true, everything comes crashing down when a photo of Andrew with another girl appears online. 

He swears nothing happened, but Cecily is crushed. She feels like she’s lost two of the people closest to her. Was her perfect relationship real or was she in over her head?

—

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Join the blog tour here!

—

EXCERPT:

“Good luck at the photo shoot tomorrow,” he said. “You’ll be great.”

I stared out the window on the ride back to the hotel taking in all the sites. As I walked into the hotel I felt a new air of confidence. Instead of just reading about someone going out with a pop star to some fabulous rooftop hotel restaurant and being in the big city, I was living it.

This was my life and not some YA book heroine’s. Tomorrow I was off on a modeling shoot. I was living a dream and proving how I was ready for a big life. This was my destiny. I could do this.

Book Blitz: Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List By T.K. Rapp
Publication date: July 15, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary:

Recently graduated from high school, Holland Monroe had no expectations for her last summer before heading off to college to be anything but ordinary.
Until she got a job as a waitress at the local country club to make extra money for school. 

Milo Davis was smart, cute, and absolutely not interested in Holland. At least that was what she believed. But the day she started working at the restaurant, everything changed. 

Finally together, they were left with only three months to spend time together before she moved away. 

Good thing they decided to make their time as memorable as possible. 

But will they remain friends? Or will checking off items on their summer bucket list lead them to something they didn’t expect — Falling in love.

—

EXCERPT:

He took a tentative step toward me and I remained fixed in place. Curiosity would not let me walk away, though that was exactly what I wanted to do. He stood across from me, the annoyance and disgust erased from his face. Milo shoved his hands into his pockets and when he looked up at me, he looked—uncertain.

“I didn’t know how to talk to you,” he finally said.

“You don’t seem to have a problem now,” I snapped. “In fact, I sort of wish you’d go back to ignoring me.”

Book Blitz: Travel Diaries of the Dead and Delusional

Travel Diaries of the Dead and Delusional By
Lauren Nicolle Taylor
Publication date: February 18, 2019
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Summary: 

Nineteen-year-old Langley is crazy…like get out the straight jacket and prepare the padded room kind of crazy. She knows it, and the kicker is—she’s choosing to stay that way. 

She clings to the persistent and intrusive hallucination of her dead sister by choice. Sure, it might be nice to live life in the real world. But not if it means she has to let Sarah go. 

Tupper’s life is charmed. He has loving adoptive parents, and several athletic college scholarships on the table. But his passion is for the arts, for the beauty of solid ink lines on paper. 

His illustrations are eerily similar to a keepsake from his birth mother, Anna: comic-book-style drawings scrawled across an old map…her version of a travel diary. At eighteen, Tupper sidesteps his planned future and starts his journey where Anna’s ended—following her map from Kansas City to Canada. His travels will put him on a collision course with Langley, and their bond is palpable from the start. But secrets will push between them—Sarah and Anna, two ghosts who could sink their icy fingers into the teens and tear them apart. 

Perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover’s Hopeless and John Green’s Paper Towns, TRAVEL DIARY OF THE DEAD & DELUSIONAL is a unique and robust novel that explores themes of mental-illness and self-discovery from three distinct perspectives. Lauren Nicolle Taylor is the award-winning and best-selling author of Nora and Kettle and the beloved Woodlands series, among others. 

Book Blast: Some Boys

Print Length: 347 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (August 5, 2014)
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Language: English
ASIN: B00JS4J81G

Praise for SOME BOYS

"You will be satisfied at the end of this powerful work. " ―RT Book Review

"A largely sensitive treatment of an emotionally complex topic. " ―Kirkus

"Some Boys" belongs in every YA collection." ―School Library Journal

Some boys go too far. Some boys will break your heart. But one boy can make you whole.

When Grace meets Ian she's afraid. Afraid he'll reject her like the rest of the school, like her own family. After she accuses the town golden boy of rape, everyone turns against Grace. They call her a slut and a liar. But...Ian doesn't. He's funny and kind with secrets of his own.

But how do you trust the best friend of the boy who raped you? How do you believe in love?

A gut-wrenching, powerful love story told from alternating points of view by the acclaimed author of Send.

Excerpt:

Minutes pass, but they feel like centuries. I fumble for my phone—my mom’s phone since she made me switch with her—and call her.

“Grace, what’s wrong?”

“Can’t breathe, Mom. Hurts,” I push out the words on gasps of air. “Okay, honey, I want you to take a breath and hold it. One, two, three, and let it out.”

I follow her instructions, surprised I have any breath in my lungs to hold for three seconds. The next breath is easier. “Keep going. Deep breath, hold it, let it out.”

It takes me a few tries, but finally I can breathe without the barrier. “Oh, God.” “Better?”

“Yeah. It doesn’t hurt now.” “Want me to take you home?”

Book Blitz: Romeo and What’s Her Name

Romeo and What’s Her Name By Shani Petroff
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 7, 2017
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

Understudies never get to perform 

. . . which is why being Juliet’s understudy in the school’s yearly “Evening with Shakespeare” is the perfect role for Emily. 

She can earn some much-needed extra credit while pursuing her main goal of spending time with Wes, aka Romeo, aka the hottest, nicest guy in school (in her completely unbiased opinion). 

And she meant to learn her lines, really, it’s just: 

a) Shakespeare is HARD,
b) Amanda, aka the “real” Juliet, makes her run errands instead of lines, and
c) there’s no point because Amanda would never miss the chance to be the star of the show. 

Then, Amanda ends up in the hospital and Emily, as the (completely unprepared!) understudy, has to star opposite the guy of her dreams. Oops?

♥ ♥ ♥

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EXCERPT:

I stood there like a lump, waiting for my line. Finally, I turned toward Kayla and repeated, “I said, LOUDER-ETH.”

She fed me the line again. Supercrazy loud this time. “I would not for the world.”

It was so loud, the crowd heard it and started to laugh. Not the snickers from before, but those evil, full belly laughs people get when watching home videos of someone getting kicked in the groin. Wes was going to hate me for putting him through this. This torture needed to end.

“Methinks,” I said, “I could use-eth a book-eth.” Come on, Kayla. Take the hint. “You know-eth. A BOOK-ETH where-est I can recite-eth beauteous words to thee . . . thou . . . whatever. I NEED THE BOOK-ETH.”

As I was shouting that last book-eth, I got my wish. The script came sailing from off stage left and hit me in the back of the head. “Ow,” I unintentionally yelled, to the delight of the crowd. It weighed a ton.

“Sorry,” Kayla whispered. “My bad.”