Book Title:
The Beast is an Animal
Book Author:
Peternelle van Arsdale
Publishing Date:
March 7th, 2017
Publisher:
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Date Read:
March 8th, 2017
Source:
ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

Alys was seven the first time she saw the soul eaters. Twin sisters, they radiated an energy that excited Alys. Through them she felt the wildness of the fforest, and The Beast within it. Too late, she learned of their power to destroy.

By the time she is fifteen, Alys knows too much about both the lure and the danger of the soul eaters. She lives in a world of adults who are terrified of their power, and who cower behind high walls and grim rules. Fear of the soul eaters—and of The Beast—rules their lives. Even more, they fear the ways in which The Beast may lurk among them—and within a girl like Alys.

For Alys has a connection to the soul eaters, and The Beast. And she hides a truth about herself that she can reveal to no one, for fear she will be called a witch. As the threat posed by the soul eaters grows, Alys must undertake a journey through the wild danger of the fforest. But the greatest danger is not outside her. Alys’s secret about who—and what—she is terrifies her most of all. And in order to save her world, she must also risk losing herself.

My Review

I came across The Beast is an Animal a while ago, and I was so excited to read it – horror is probably my all time favorite genre, so I expected to be pretty scared when I picked this one … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
Izzy Kline Has Butterflies
Book Author:
Beth Ain
Publishing Date:
March 7th, 2017
Publisher:
Random House Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
March 1st, 2017
Source:
ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

So many moments—big and small—make up a year, and Beth Ain chronicles them all in this heartwarming novel in verse, perfect for fans of Fish in a Tree and verse novels like Brown Girl Dreaming and The Crossover.

Fourth grade is here, and Izzy Kline is nervous! There are plenty of reasons for the butterflies in her stomach to flap their wings. There’s a new girl in her class who might be a new best friend. The whole grade is performing Free to Be . . . You and Me—and Izzy really wants a starring role. And new changes at home are making Izzy feel like her family is falling apart. First-day jitters, new friends, an audition . . . How many butterfly problems can one fourth grader take?

My Review

Izzy Kline is going to fourth grade, and she’s nervous about it.  She spends her time wondering what the year is going to entail for her – who will be her friend?  Will she get the lead spot in the … Continue reading

3.5 stars
2 Comments

The Roanoke Girls Author: Amy Engel Publication Date: March 7th, 2017 Publisher: Crown Source: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via the Blogging For Books Program in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Roanoke girls never … Continue reading

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Woman No. 17 Author: Edan Lepucki Publication Date: February 13th, 2018 Publisher: Hogarth Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Edan Lepucki’s Woman No. 17 “reads like a Hollywood Hills film noir.” — Seattle Times High in the Hollywood Hills, writer … Continue reading

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Book Title:
10 Things I Can See From Here
Book Author:
Carrie Mac
Page Count:
320
Publishing Date:
February 28th, 2017
Publisher:
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
March 1st, 2017
Source:
eARC from publisher via NetGalley - Thank you!

Synopsis

Think positive.

Don’t worry; be happy.

Keep calm and carry on.

Maeve has heard it all before. She’s been struggling with severe anxiety for a long time, and as much as she wishes it was something she could just talk herself out of, it’s not. She constantly imagines the worst, composes obituaries in her head, and is always ready for things to fall apart. To add to her troubles, her mom—the only one who really gets what Maeve goes through—is leaving for six months, so Maeve will be sent to live with her dad in Vancouver.

Vancouver brings a slew of new worries, but Maeve finds brief moments of calm (as well as even more worries) with Salix, a local girl who doesn’t seem to worry about anything. Between her dad’s wavering sobriety, her very pregnant stepmom insisting on a home birth, and her bumbling courtship with Salix, this summer brings more catastrophes than even Maeve could have foreseen. Will she be able to navigate through all the chaos to be there for the people she loves?

My Review

As someone who has suffered from severe anxiety and panic disorders since I was young, I was really excited to pick up this book, because it features a main character who pretty much worries about everything all the time, and … Continue reading

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Book Title:
Beautiful Broken Girls
Book Author:
Kim Savage
Publishing Date:
February 21st, 2017
Publisher:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Date Read:
February 18th, 2017
Source:
ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

Remember the places you touched me.

The parts of Mira Cillo that Ben touched are etched on his soul.

Palm. Hair. Chest. Cheek. Lips. Throat. Heart.

It was the last one that broke her. After her death, Mira sends Ben on a quest for notes she left in the seven places where they touched—notes that explain why she and her sister, Francesca, drowned themselves in the quarry. How Ben interprets those notes has everything to do with the way he was touched by a bad coach years before. But the truth behind the girls’ suicides is far more complicated, involving a dangerous infatuation, a deadly miracle, and a crushing lie.

My Review

Before reading Beautiful Broken Girls, I didn’t actually have the chance to read Kim Savage’s debut novel, After the Woods.  I did, however, hear nothing but amazing things about that book, so it really sparked an interest in her new … Continue reading

2.5 stars
10 Comments
Book Title:
Sad Perfect
Book Author:
Stephanie Elliot
Publishing Date:
February 28th, 2017
Publisher:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Date Read:
February 21st, 2017
Source:
ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

The story of a teen girl's struggle with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and how love helps her on the road to recovery.

Sixteen-year-old Pea looks normal, but she has a secret: she has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). It is like having a monster inside of her, one that not only dictates what she can eat, but also causes anxiety, depression, and thoughts that she doesn’t want to have. When she falls crazy-mad in love with Ben, she hides her disorder from him, pretending that she’s fine. At first, everything really does feel like it’s getting better with him around, so she stops taking her anxiety and depression medication. And that's when the monster really takes over her life. Just as everything seems lost and hopeless, Pea finds in her family, and in Ben, the support and strength she needs to learn that her eating disorder doesn’t have to control her.

My Review

The first thing I noticed about this book when I started reading was the fact that it is written in second person narrative – something that isn’t often attempted, and when it is, can be really difficult to successfully do … Continue reading

4 Comments
Book Tour

Well, That Was Awkward Author: Rachel Vail Publication Date: February 28th, 2017 Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers Synopsis: Gracie has never felt like this before. One day, she suddenly can’t breathe, can’t walk, can’t anything and the reason is standing right … Continue reading

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Book Title:
A Good Idea
Book Author:
Cristina Moracho
Publishing Date:
February 28th, 2017
Publisher:
Viking Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
February 23rd, 2017
Source:
ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

Can the right kind of boy get away with killing the wrong kind of girl?

Fin and Betty’s close friendship survived Fin’s ninth-grade move from their coastal Maine town to Manhattan. Calls, letters, and summer visits continued to bind them together, and in the fall of their senior year, they both applied to NYU, planning to reunite for good as roommates.

Then Betty disappears. Her ex-boyfriend Calder admits to drowning her, but his confession is thrown out, and soon the entire town believes he was coerced and Betty has simply run away. Fin knows the truth, and she returns to Williston for one final summer, determined to get justice for her friend, even if it means putting her loved ones—and herself—at risk.

But Williston is a town full of secrets, where a delicate framework holds everything together, and Fin is not the only one with an agenda. How much is she willing to damage to get her revenge and learn the truth about Betty’s disappearance, which is more complicated than she ever imagined—and infinitely more devastating?

My Review

As someone who would read pretty much every thriller in existence if I had the time, when a copy of A Good Idea showed up in my mailbox (a huge thank you to Penguin Teen!), I was incredibly excited – … Continue reading

3.5 stars
9 Comments
Book Title:
The Education of Margot Sanchez
Book Author:
Lilliam Rivera
Publishing Date:
February 21st, 2017
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster
Date Read:
February 20th, 2017
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

Pretty in Pink comes to the South Bronx in this bold and romantic coming-of-age novel about dysfunctional families, good and bad choices, and finding the courage to question everything you ever thought you wanted—from debut author Lilliam Rivera.

THINGS/PEOPLE MARGOT HATES:

Mami, for destroying my social life

Papi, for allowing Junior to become a Neanderthal

Junior, for becoming a Neanderthal

This supermarket

Everyone else

After “borrowing” her father's credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts.

With each order of deli meat she slices, Margot can feel her carefully cultivated prep school reputation slipping through her fingers, and she’s willing to do anything to get out of this punishment. Lie, cheat, and maybe even steal…

Margot’s invitation to the ultimate beach party is within reach and she has no intention of letting her family’s drama or Moises—the admittedly good looking but outspoken boy from the neighborhood—keep her from her goal.

My Review

The Education of Margot Sanchez is one of those books that I couldn’t help but love.  The characters were fun, the plot of the book was a good one, and the cover went really well with the story.  There’s a … Continue reading

4 stars
8 Comments