Title: Once Upon a Dream Author: Liz Braswell Publisher: Disney Press Publication Date : April 5th 2016 Genre: Retelling, Fantasy, YA Format: Paperback My Rating: 4.5/5 Links: Goodreads . Amazon Blurb: What if the sleeping beauty never woke up? Once Upon a Dreammarks the second book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. It should be simple--a dragon defeated, a slumbering maiden, a prince poised to wake her. But when said prince falls asleep as soon as his lips meet the princess's, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over. With a desperate fairy's last curse infiltrating her mind, Princess Aurora will have to navigate a dangerous and magical landscape deep in the depths of her dreams. Soon she stumbles upon Phillip, a charming prince eager to join her quest. But with Maleficent's agents following her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are, and moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up? My Review: This lyrical Sleeping Beauty retelling will take you on a luscious, insane journey . I know what some of you are thinking. Another retelling/spin off of the Sleeping Beauty; how many versions of this story is this Industry going to remake ? Let us start by saying that Once Upon a Dream is not an over-said-and-done plot. It glows with novelty, and sparks with creativity . I believe that even parents could enjoy reading this book with their kids. When the story begins, I was presented with a lie about Maleficent that itself, could have been made into another great tale. I really hope that Liz would someday consider writing a novella based on that lie being actually true. Something that really mesmerized me is that our Aurora seems to have developed a mental illness, Wait, let me correct myself. She had it from the beginning of the book, but we learn more about it later on. I am not going to say what illness, but I will let you know that it fits perfectly with the the original tale's most renown events. I a absolutely enjoyed this adventurous lyrical read, and I plan on reading Liz's entire fairytale retelling series. I give it 4.5/5 stars. About the Author: After the sort of introverted childhood you would expect from a writer, Liz earned a degree in Egyptology at Brown University and then promptly spent the next ten years producing video games. Finally she caved into fate and wrote Snow and Rx under the name Tracy Lynn, followed by The Nine Lives of Chloe King series under her real name, because by then the assassins hunting her were all dead. She also has short stories in Geektastic and Who Done It and a new series of reimagined fairy tales coming out, starting with A Whole New World—a retelling of Aladdin. She lives in Brooklyn with a husband, two children, a cat, a part-time dog, three fish and five coffee trees she insists will start producing beans any day. You can email her at [email protected].
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Title: The Replacement Crush Author: Lisa Brown Roberts Publisher: Entangled Teen ( Crush ) Publication Date: September 6th, 2016 Genre : YA, Contemporary, Humor Format: e ARC My Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars Links: Goodreads . Amazon Blurb: True love can’t be strategized. After book blogger Vivian Galdi’s longtime crush pretends their secret summer kissing sessions never happened, Vivian creates a list of safe crushes, determined to protect her heart. But nerd-hot Dallas, the sweet new guy in town, sends the mission and Vivian’s zing meter into chaos. While designing software for the bookstore where Vivian works, Dallas wages a counter-mission. Operation Replacement Crush is in full effect. And Dallas is determined to take her heart off the shelf. My review: I received an e-ARC of The Replacement Crush from the publisher via NettGalley, in exchange with an honest review. The Replacement Crush will leave you with an aching jaw, painful cheeks, and lots of looking like a fool as you swoon , scream, and laugh ! I really loved the fact that the main character was a book blogger. This made the book even more interesting for me. I love how creative was Lisa when she created the rating scale for Viv's book blog. It was not only creative , but also hilarious. A good way to display how the little things always matter is to look even beyond this book's plot, and focus on how people interacted in this story. A simple question like " Are you vegetarian/ vegan?" can give others a sense modesty, and respect. At first, I wasn't sure why the book was that long. I had a feeling that the story could have been over by 80%. Then, things happened that made reconsider that thought, and even admire this book much more. Lisa is the Queen of Contemporary Romance and Humor; she always find a new way to tell her stories and make her readers giggle and swoon. I think I just came up with a new word ! Wait for it !!! Lisa never fails to make me Swiggle ( Swoon & Giggle ) I really enjoyed The Replacement Crush, and I can't wait to see what she writes next. About the Author: Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn't recovered from the teenage trauma of nearly tweezing off both eyebrows and having to pencil them in for an entire school year. This and other angst-filled memories inspire her to write YA books about navigating life's painful and funny dramas, and falling in love along the way. Title: Resisting the Rebel Author: Lisa Brown Roberts Publisher: Entangled Crush Publication Date: July 25th, 2016 Genre: YA, Contemporary Format: ebook My Rating: 4.5 stars Links: GoodReads . Amazon . Blurb : Disclaimer: This book contains a villain pretending to be a hero, a hero pretending to be a villain, a disco-dancing heroine, two overprotective sidekicks, a little bit of bad language, and a whole lot of swoony kissing. Spirit committee leader Mandy Pennington is secretly in love with her best friend, Gus, but when he hooks up with her archenemy at a party, she decides to win him over once and for all. She just doesn’t know how. But who better to help than hot loner Caleb Torrs? Caleb’s got his own problems, but when he sees Mandy pining over Gus at a party, he thinks she’s finally smoked the spirit stick and lost her mind. Maybe he has, too, because he just asked Mandy to be his fake girlfriend.She’ll get her loser friend’s attention, and he’ll get his stalker ex off his back.It’s a win-win. But soon one fake date blends into the next and before he knows it, he actually wants to kiss Mandy. For real. Too bad their plan is working, and Gus is finally noticing the one girl Caleb just might be falling for… My Review : I received an eARC of Resisting the Rebel from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange with an honest review. First things first, I am a realist. And I here by declare Lisa Brown Roberts as the Queen of Romance and Comedy. The charisma that these characters have is amazing. I has a hard time catching my breath from swooning & laughing ! I will admit that at the beginning , I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. I knew that Lisa can write better than that because I read other works by her. But the elements of this story made me overlook this. What this book is and how it is marketed ,is what I dream the future industry of book publishing would become. Let me explain . Mandy has ADHD, and we see through out the story how this affects her school life and day to day interactions. However, the book is not being sold, or even 100% focussed on her ADHD. Don't get me wrong, I love how now we have a lot of diversity in books. And we currently really need these books. It is important to have such books, especially during this transition phase of having diverse characters. But I can't wait for the day to come, when I open the book and discover that the character is actually disabled, has mental illness , belongs to any of LQBTQ community, is a POC, is a Muslim, Jewish, Atheist ,or even a devoted Christian . This book 100% did that. When it comes to how well ADHD is presented, I am not 100% sure, but I think it was decently represented . If you have ADHD and read this book, let me know your thoughts. I was able to connect with Maddy on so many levels! Especially when it comes to school stuff . “How can my response be wrong?” Mandy Maddy's Response to The Catcher In The Rye is exactly the same as mine to those who tell me (I didn't read TFIOS correctly !)" I absolutely loved this book, and I can't the rest of Lisa's stories ! I give it 4.5/5 stars. About the Author : Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn't recovered from the teenage trauma of nearly tweezing off both eyebrows and having to pencil them in for an entire school year. This and other angst-filled memories inspire her to write YA books about navigating life's painful and funny dramas, and falling in love along the way. Title: The Darkest Lie Author: Pintip Dunn Publisher: Kensington Publishing Publication Date: June 28th 2016 Genre: YA, Mystery , Contemporary Links: Amazon . Goodreads . My Rating : 5/5 stars Blurb: “The mother I knew would never do those things. But maybe I never knew her after all.” Clothes, jokes, coded messages…Cecilia Brooks and her mom shared everything. At least, CeCe thought they did. Six months ago, her mom killed herself after accusations of having sex with a student, and CeCe’s been the subject of whispers and taunts ever since. Now, at the start of her high school senior year, between dealing with her grieving, distracted father, and the social nightmare that has become her life, CeCe just wants to fly under the radar. Instead, she’s volunteering at the school’s crisis hotline—the same place her mother worked. As she counsels troubled strangers, CeCe’s lingering suspicions about her mom’s death surface. With the help of Sam, a new student and newspaper intern, she starts to piece together fragmented clues that point to a twisted secret at the heart of her community. Soon, finding the truth isn’t just a matter of restoring her mother’s reputation, it’s about saving lives—including CeCe’s own… My Review : I received an eARC of The Darkest Lie from JenHalliganPR in exchange with my honest review . This is my first Pintip book to read; honestly , I wasn't disappointed . The writing style perfectly entwines with the plot of the story. It will keep you on your toes, anticipating to flip every single page to unravel the mystery . I really liked the topics that Pintip discussed in this book . It is more than just suicide . There are things that I can not mention without spoiling the book, but I can tell you this. It includes topics that many authors choose to stay away from , and refrain from discussing it. The Darkest Lie made me stay up till sunrise to finish it, just because I couldn't bare the idea of sleeping without knowing how the story ends. This is one of the 3 books that helped me overcome my very long reading slump, so there is that ! I really enjoyed The Darkest Lie, and I can't wait to read more of Pintip's books. I give this book 4.5/5 stars. About the Author: Pintip Dunn graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. She also published an article in the YALE LAW JOURNAL, entitled, “How Judges Overrule: Speech Act Theory and the Doctrine of Stare Decisis,” Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. Her debut novel, Forget Tomorrow, is a finalist in the Best First Book category of RWA’s RITA® contest. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, YARWA, and The Golden Network. She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com Title: SIGNS OF LIFE (Rough Romance #2) Author: Selene Castrovilla Publisher: Last Syllable Books Publication Date: June 21, 2016 Genre: YA, Contemporary , Romance Format: eARC My Rating: 4.5/5 stars Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble Blurb: The tables are turned with a vengeance in this tour de force love story. Nearly a year has gone by and now it’s Dorothy who is fragmented and lost, while Joey keeps the promise he had made her to better himself—even though she’s gone. Joey talks about what is happening in the present while Dorothy describes what happened before— in the moments and hours after the Glock dropped. This time the stakes are even higher, as Joey forces himself to move forward while Dorothy is frozen in place. But when he learns of a devastating decision, Joey races to find her before it is too late. Truth, consequence, repercussion and modern medicine collide as pieces converge in this psychological, thrilling story, which begs the question: Can love really conquer all? My Review: I received an eARC of Signs of Life from Jen Halligan PR in exchange with my honest review. I was highly anticipating the Rough Romance's sequel because I really fell in love with the 1st book, Melt. I loved it so much , that I wrote a poem that was inspired my the story. You can read it here . I loved how Selene wrote this story. We get to slowly see the past, which is a continuation of Melt's ending, and its effect on the present. Not only that, but also we get to see how many characters viewed these events. At first, it was mostly Joey and Dorothy , but then we get to see how other characters think. I won't say which characters because flipping the page , and discovering that one of these characters get to share his/her POV of the story ,is an experience in it self ! Once you reach 20% of the book, you keep on flipping the pages because you will be so anticipated to know the continuation of what a specific character, in a specific tense, has to share. I can't even say how many quotes I had to copy from this novel; was it way too much,or not even enough ? For the first time, this book opened my eyes to something I have never realized while reading a book. It all started when Joey was thinking in a certain way, and I started yelling No ! No! No ! I kept on saying how it is wrong to think like that; I was so disappointed. Then, I realized something that I have already believe in, but never had to consider in a book. As humans, we all see things differently and have different opinions. My opinions build up and create facts, but these facts are only my facts. To others, it is just another opinion. So why was I so pissed when one of my favorite characters thoughts and believes opposed mine. Because for the 1st time, a character I liked had thoughts that I absolutely disagree with. Because this is what books should do, represent other thoughts and believes than yours. I have no idea why this only became clear tome now, but I would like to thank Selene for that; for making me see that flawed characters are the best type of characters. Because we are all flawed, but we don't always see some of our flaws. The only thing that I didn't like in this book was how long Joey's self-punishment routine was expressed. I wished that it wasn't that expressed at the beginning because it made wonder if I was going to enjoy this book. Nevertheless, I ended up loving the sequel. Just like Melt, Signs of Life left me screaming because the ending is simply the perfect, most tortoures way to keep me anticipated for the 3rd and final book. I give it 4.5 / 5 stars
Checkout My Review For Melt!
Based on true events, MELT is both a chilling tale of abuse, and a timeless romance. MELT will hit you like a punch in the face, and also seep through the cracks in your soul. MELT is a brutal love story set against the metaphorical backdrop of The Wizard of Oz (not a retelling). When sixteen year old Dorothy moves to the small town of Highland Park, she meets, and falls for Joey – a “bad boy” who tells no one about the catastrophic domestic violence he witnesses at home. Can these two lovers survive peer pressure, Joey’s reputation, and his alcoholism? Told in dual first person, Joey’s words are scattered on the page – reflecting his broken state. Dorothy is the voice of reason – until something so shattering happens that she, too, may lose her grip. Can their love endure, or will it melt away? MELT: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble Clickhere to read my review
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About Selene Castrovilla Selene Castrovilla is the award-winning author of multiple narrative nonfiction picture books and young adult novels. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and a BA in English from New York University. She lives on Long Island with her two sons and too many cats. Visit her website: www.SeleneCastrovilla.com. Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest |
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