Tag Archives: simon pulse

Book Title:
Clean
Book Author:
Amy Reed
Page Count:
272
Publishing Date:
July 19th, 2011
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Date Read:
March 25th, 2019
Format:
Hardcover
Source:
Trade

Synopsis

You’re probably wondering how I ended up here. I’m still wondering the same thing.

Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva have one thing in common: They're addicts. Addicts who have hit rock bottom and been stuck together in rehab to face their problems, face sobriety, and face themselves. None of them wants to be there. None of them wants to confront the truths about their pasts. And they certainly don’t want to share their darkest secrets and most desperate fears with a room of strangers. But they'll all have to deal with themselves and one another if they want to learn how to live. Because when you get that high, there's nowhere to go but down, down, down.

My Review

Clean is one of those books that I honestly wasn’t sure that I would love as much as I did! I haven’t read Beautiful by Amy Reed, but I have heard some really good things about it, so I grabbed … Continue reading

4 stars
3 Comments
Book Title:
Last Star Burning
Book Author:
Caitlin Sangster
Book Series:
Last Star Burning, #1
Page Count:
400
Publishing Date:
October 10th, 2017
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Date Read:
February 1st, 2019
Format:
Hardcover
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

Sev is branded with the mark of a criminal—a star burned into her hand. That’s the penalty for being the daughter of the woman who betrayed their entire nation.

Now her mother’s body is displayed above Traitor’s Arch, kept in a paralyzed half sleep by the same plague that destroyed the rest of the world. And as further punishment, Sev is forced to do hard labor to prove that she’s more valuable alive than dead.

When the government blames Sev for a horrific bombing, she must escape the city or face the chopping block. Unimaginable dangers lurk outside the city walls, and Sev’s only hope of survival lies with the most unlikely person—Howl, the chairman’s son. Though he promises to lead her to safety, Howl has secrets, and Sev can’t help but wonder if he knows more about her past—and her mother’s crimes—than he lets on.

But in a hostile world, trust is a luxury. Even when Sev’s life and the lives of everyone she loves may hang in the balance.

My Review

Last Star Burning was a book that I bought a while ago, but never picked up until now. It just sounded so amazing, and I fell in love with that gorgeous blue and silvery cover. The whole concept behind the … Continue reading

3 stars
Leave a comment
Book Tour
Book Title:
American Panda
Book Author:
Gloria Chao
Page Count:
322
Publishing Date:
February 6th, 2018
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Date Read:
January 31st, 2018
Source:
eARC from publisher via NetGalley - Thank you!

Synopsis

An incisive, laugh-out-loud contemporary debut about a Taiwanese-American teen whose parents want her to be a doctor and marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer despite her germophobia and crush on a Japanese classmate.

At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’ master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.

With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can’t bring herself to tell them the truth—that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.

But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?

From debut author Gloria Chao comes a hilarious, heartfelt tale of how unlike the panda, life isn’t always so black and white.

My Review

From the very first chapter of this book, I knew for a fact that this was going to wind up being a 5 star read.  It’s been a while since a book has really captured my attention and made me … Continue reading

13 Comments
Book Title:
The Chaos of Standing Still
Book Author:
Jessica Brody
Page Count:
403
Publishing Date:
November 28th, 2017
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Date Read:
December 14th, 2017
Source:
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!

Synopsis

Over the course of one chaotic night stranded at the Denver airport, Ryn confronts her shattered past thanks to the charm of romance, the uniqueness of strangers, and the magic of ordinary places in this stunning novel from the author of Boys of Summer.

Ryn has one unread text message on her phone. And it’s been there for almost a year.

She hasn’t tried to read it. She can’t. She won’t. Because that one message is the last thing her best friend ever said to her before she died.

But as Ryn finds herself trapped in the Denver International Airport on New Year’s Eve thanks to a never-ending blizzard on the one-year anniversary of her best friend’s death, fate literally runs into her.

And his name is Xander.

When the two accidentally swap phones, Ryn and Xander are thrust into the chaos of an unforgettable all-night adventure, filled with charming and mysterious strangers, a secret New Year’s Eve bash, and a possible Illuminati conspiracy hidden within the Denver airport. But as the bizarre night continues, all Ryn can think about is that one unread text message. It follows her wherever she goes, because Ryn can’t get her brialliantly wild and free-spirited best friend out of her head.

Ryn can’t move on.

But tonight, for the first time ever, she’s trying. And maybe that’s a start.

As moving as it is funny, The Chaos of Standing Still is a heartwarming story about the earth-shattering challenges life throws at us—and the unexpected strangers who help us along the way.

My Review

I haven’t read a lot of books by Jessica Brody – while I have quite a few of the ones that she has written so far, the only one that I have actually gotten around to reading was Addie Bell’s … Continue reading

3 stars
14 Comments
Book Title:
When Dimple Met Rishi
Book Author:
Sandhya Menon
Page Count:
380
Publishing Date:
May 30th, 2017
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Date Read:
June 14th, 2017
Source:
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!

Synopsis

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

My Review

It’s been a while since I’ve read this, but I’m catching up on old reviews so I thought I would start with this one.  While I liked When Dimple Met Rishi, I’m once again going to be the black sheep … Continue reading

3.5 stars
10 Comments
Book Tour

A Void the Size of the World Author: Rachele Alpine Publication Date: June 20th, 2017 Publisher: Simon Pulse Synopsis: A haunting novel about a girl who must face the consequences after her actions indirectly lead to her sister’s disappearance. Rhylee … Continue reading

10 Comments
Book Tour

Such a Good Girl Author: Amanda K. Morgan Publication Date: June 20th, 2017 Publisher: Simon Pulse Synopsis: Pretty Little Liars meets Luckiest Girl Alive in this riveting novel about a practically perfect girl who is willing to do anything to … Continue reading

10 Comments
Book Tour
Book Title:
Alex, Approximately
Book Author:
Jenn Bennett
Page Count:
400
Publishing Date:
April 4th, 2017
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Date Read:
April 4 th, 2017
Source:
ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

In this delightfully charming teen spin on You’ve Got Mail, the one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet.

Classic movie buff Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online by “Alex.” Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.

Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new arch-nemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever-it-is she’s starting to feel for Porter.

And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.

My Review

This book was perfectly timed with the weather here to be the beginning of summer contemporary romance that I absolutely wanted to read.  I’m not really a big spring/summer fan, but this book felt like it took those summer blues … Continue reading

4 stars
11 Comments