Tag Archives: heartwarming

Book Tour
Book Title:
Been Here All Along
Book Author:
Sandy Hall
Publishing Date:
August 30th, 2016
Publisher:
Swoon Reads
Date Read:
August 10th, 2016
Source:
eARC from publisher via NetGalley

Synopsis

Gideon always has a plan. His plans include running for class president, becoming head of the yearbook committee, and having his choice of colleges. They do NOT include falling head over heels for his best friend and next door neighbor, Kyle. It’s a distraction. It’s pointless, as Kyle is already dating the gorgeous and popular head cheerleader, Ruby. And Gideon doesn’t know what to do.

Kyle finally feels like he has a handle on life. He has a wonderful girlfriend, a best friend willing to debate the finer points of Lord of the Rings, and social acceptance as captain of the basketball team. Then, both Ruby and Gideon start acting really weird, just as his spot on the team is threatened, and Kyle can’t quite figure out what he did wrong…

My Review

I don’t always love sweet, fluffy romances, and I tend to stay away from them, but I was super excited to read this one.  I read Signs Point to Yes when it came out, and I did enjoy that one, … Continue reading

13 Comments
Book Title:
The Inside of Out
Book Author:
Jenn Marie Thorne
Publishing Date:
May 31st, 2016
Publisher:
Dial
Date Read:
June 7th, 2016
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher

Synopsis

For fans of Stephanie Perkins, Meg Cabot, and Glee comes a hilarious, romantic, whip smart young adult novel about your best friend finding love before you do, and the lines you’ll cross to stay part of her life.

When her best friend Hannah comes out the day before junior year, Daisy is all set to let her ally flag fly. Before you can spell LGBTQIA, she’s leading the charge to end their school’s antiquated ban on same-sex dates at dances—starting with homecoming. And if people assume Daisy herself is gay? Meh, so what. It’s all for Hannah, right? It’s all for the cause. What Daisy doesn’t expect is for “the cause” to blow up—thanks to Adam, the cute college journalist whose interview with Daisy for his college newspaper goes viral, catching fire in the national media. With the story spinning out of control, protesters gathering, Hannah left in the dust of Daisy’s good intentions, and Daisy’s attraction to Adam practically written in lights, Daisy finds herself caught between her bold plans, her bad decisions, and her big fat mouth.

A Clueless or Emma for the modern age, this is a breezy, charming, incisive tale of growing up, getting wise, and realizing every story needs a hero—sometimes it's just not you.

My Review

The first thing that captured my attention with this book was the cover.  It’s really pretty – especially the rainbow colored boards that the three kids are sitting on.  It’s also nifty how the characters on the cover look almost … Continue reading

4.5 stars
1 Comment
Book Title:
The Museum of Heartbreak
Book Author:
Meg Leder
Publishing Date:
June 7th, 2016
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Date Read:
June 2nd, 2016
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher

Synopsis

In this ode to all the things we gain and lose and gain again, seventeen-year-old Penelope Marx curates her own mini-museum to deal with all the heartbreaks of love, friendship, and growing up.

Welcome to the Museum of Heartbreak.

Well, actually, to Penelope Marx’s personal museum. The one she creates after coming face to face with the devastating, lonely-making butt-kicking phenomenon known as heartbreak.

Heartbreak comes in all forms: There’s Keats, the charmingly handsome new guy who couldn’t be more perfect for her. There’s possibly the worst person in the world, Cherisse, whose mission in life is to make Penelope miserable. There’s Penelope’s increasingly distant best friend Audrey. And then there’s Penelope’s other best friend, the equal-parts-infuriating-and-yet-somehow-amazing Eph, who has been all kinds of confusing lately.

But sometimes the biggest heartbreak of all is learning to let go of that wondrous time before you ever knew things could be broken.

My Review

This book was featured on my blog as a Waiting on Wednesday pick a while back, because as soon as I had heard of it I had the feeling I knew it was going to be my new favorite contemporary … Continue reading

5 stars
6 Comments
Book Title:
Every Exquisite Thing
Book Author:
Matthew Quick
Publishing Date:
May 31st, 2016
Publisher:
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
May 19th, 2016
Source:
ARC from publisher

Synopsis

Didn’t you ever just simply want to…stop?

Star athlete and straight-A student Nanette O’Hare has played the role of dutiful daughter for as long as she can remember. But one day, a beloved teacher gives her his worn copy of The Bubblegum Reaper—a mysterious, out-of-print cult classic—and the rebel within Nanette awakens.

As the new and outspoken Nanette attempts to insert her true self into the world with wild abandon, she befriends the reclusive author and falls in love with a young, troubled poet. Forced to make some hard choices that bring devastating consequences, Nanette learns the hard way that rebellion can sometimes come at a high price.

My Review

Everyone raves about books written by Matthew Quick, but to be shamefully honest – I’ve never read any of his books.  I have a few of them for Kindle, but I’ve never really had the time to read them yet.  … Continue reading

4 stars
2 Comments
Book Title:
Girl Against the Universe
Book Author:
Paula Stokes
Publishing Date:
May 17th, 2016
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Date Read:
May 16th, 2016
Source:
eARC from publisher via Edelweiss

Synopsis

Maguire is bad luck.

No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the rollercoaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.

It’s safest for Maguire to hide out in her room, where she can cause less damage and avoid meeting new people who she could hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star. Jordy is confident, talented, and lucky, and he’s convinced he can help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away. But it turns out staying away is harder than she thought.

From author Paula Stokes comes a funny and poignant novel about accepting the past, embracing the future, and learning to make your own luck.

My Review

“Once I accepted the fact that I was bad luck, I shied away from group activities. And groups. And activities. I started spending a lot of time in my room, tucked under my covers reading books. There’s only so much … Continue reading

4.5 stars
5 Comments
Book Title:
The Season of You & Me
Book Author:
Robin Constantine
Publishing Date:
May 10th, 2016
Publisher:
Balzer + Bray
Date Read:
May 12th, 2016
Source:
ARC from Author

Synopsis

Cassidy Emmerich is determined to make this summer—the last before her boyfriend heads off to college—unforgettable. What she doesn’t count on is her boyfriend breaking up with her. Now, instead of being poolside with him, Cass is over a hundred miles away, spending the summer with her estranged father and his family at their bed-and-breakfast at the Jersey Shore and working as the newest counselor at Camp Manatee.

Bryan Lakewood is sick of nevers. You’ll never walk. You’ll never surf. You’ll never slow dance with your date at prom. One miscalculated step and Bryan’s life changed forever—now he’s paralyzed and needs to use a wheelchair. This is the first summer he’s back at his former position at Camp Manatee and ready to reclaim some of his independence, in spite of those who question if he’s up for the job.

Cass is expecting two months dealing with heartbreak.

Bryan is expecting a summer of tough adjustments.

Neither of them is expecting to fall in love.

My Review

Cassidy is having a rough time dealing with the breakup with her boyfriend, Gavin.  She thinks the perfect way to get over him is to go to stay with her dad and his new wife at their bed and breakfast … Continue reading

4.5 stars
2 Comments
Book Title:
Avenging the Owl
Book Author:
Melissa Hart
Publishing Date:
April 5th, 2016
Publisher:
Sky Pony Press
Date Read:
April 7th, 2016
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher

Synopsis

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Han Solo avenged the destruction of an innocent planet by helping Luke Skywalker blow up the Death Star. Han walked away with a gold medal and the love of his life. But when Solo Hahn—named in honor of the beloved action hero—tries to avenge the death of his gray-and-white kitten, he gets eight months of community service. Eight months of working at the local raptor center helping owls—his now sworn enemies.

For the first time in his life, Solo is labeled a troubled kid, an at-risk youth. He’d always gotten good grades, had good friends, and gotten along with his parents. He used to volunteer to read Reader’s Digest to old people at the retirement home next door, and his favorite thing in the whole wide world was to surf. He wrote screenplays for fun. But when his parents uproot him and move the family from California to backwoods Oregon, Solo starts to lose track of the person he was. Everything is upside down, and he finds himself dealing with things way beyond his understanding. He’s the new kid in town, and he’s got a bad reputation. The question is: What will he do next?

This is a story about staying true to yourself when things get tough. Solo has every reason to lash out, but he ultimately needs to find a way to cope. Avenging the Owl deals with the difficult issues of suicide and depression, but more than anything it captures the powerlessness of being a kid. It won’t be easy, but the wild beauty of Oregon, its cold, empty beaches and captivating wildlife, may be just what Solo and his family need to help them start over.

My Review

Avenging the Owl is another one of those books that made me realize that I really need to read more middle grade fiction.  I mean, I read a middle grade novel every now and again, and it’s a really nice … Continue reading

4.5 stars
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Book Title:
Dreamology
Book Author:
Lucy Keating
Publishing Date:
April 12th, 2016
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Date Read:
April 7th, 2016
Source:
eARC from publisher via Edelweiss

Synopsis

For as long as Alice can remember, she has dreamed of Max. Together they have traveled the world and fallen deliriously, hopelessly in love. Max is the boy of her dreams—and only her dreams. Because he doesn’t exist.

But when Alice walks into class on her first day at a new school, there he is. It turns out, though, that Real Max is nothing like Dream Max, and getting to know each other in reality isn’t as perfect as Alice always hoped.

When their dreams start to bleed dangerously into their waking hours, the pair realize that they might have to put an end to a lifetime of dreaming about each other. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough?

My Review

I seldom read a book that I absolutely love so much I have the desire to go out and buy the finished copy of the day it releases.  However, in the case of Dreamology by Lucy Keating, I honestly can’t … Continue reading

5 stars
3 Comments
Book Title:
Arrows
Book Author:
Melissa Gorzelanczyk
Publishing Date:
January 26th, 2016
Publisher:
Delacorte Press
Date Read:
January 27th, 2016

Synopsis

A modern cupid story set in present-day Wisconsin combining the fantastical elements of Greek mythology with the contemporary drama of MTV’s Teen Mom.

People don’t understand love. If they did, they’d get why dance prodigy Karma Clark just can’t say goodbye to her boyfriend, Danny. No matter what he says or does or how he hurts her, she can’t stay angry with him . . . and can’t stop loving him. But there’s a reason why Karma is helpless to break things off: she’s been shot with a love arrow.

Aaryn, son of Cupid, was supposed to shoot both Karma and Danny but found out too late that the other arrow in his pack was useless. And with that, Karma’s life changed forever. One pregnancy confirmed. One ballet scholarship lost. And dream after dream tossed to the wind.

A clueless Karma doesn’t know that her toxic relationship is Aaryn’s fault . . . but he’s going to get a chance to make things right. He’s here to convince Danny to man up and be there for Karma. But what if this god from Mount Olympus finds himself falling in love with a beautiful dancer from Wisconsin who can never love him in return?

This fast-paced debut novel explores the internal & external conflicts of a girl who finds herself inexplicably drawn to a boy who seemingly doesn’t reciprocate her feelings, touching on the issues of love, sex and responsibility, with a heroine struggling to control her destiny–perfect for fans of Katie McGarry’s novels and MTV’s 16 and Pregnant.

My Review

When I first heard about this book, I fell in love with both the cover and the synopsis, and it instantly because one of my most anticipated reads of 2016.  Usually when I’m incredibly excited about a book, I end … Continue reading

5 stars
2 Comments
Book Title:
The Heir and the Spare
Book Author:
Emily Albright
Publishing Date:
January 18th, 2016
Publisher:
Merit Press
Date Read:
January 12th, 2016

Synopsis

Going all the way to England for college--to Oxford, no less--for college would be exciting enough. But no sooner does Evie set foot on English soil than she falls for a boy who turns out to be a real prince--in fact, second in line to the throne of England. Edmund is wonderful, even though loving him can be a royal pain, from the demands of his family to the stuck-up aristocrat who thinks she should be the one to win Edmund's heart. All that is swept aside, however, when the riddle of Evie's past surfaces, and the new couple becomes obsessed with figuring out who the real Evie is, with the growing suspicion that the truth will be a shocker.

My Review

The Heir and the Spare is a sweet, witty romance book that is absolutely swoon-worthy and enjoyable to read.  It’s light-hearted and fun, and successfully pulls you into the story so that you feel like royalty, too. The Heir and … Continue reading

4 stars
4 Comments