tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40545881010169664232024-03-18T11:21:05.467-04:00The Book LifeSarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.comBlogger524125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-12507875752453797432017-07-21T17:17:00.000-04:002017-07-22T17:19:48.439-04:0024-Hour Read-a-ThonI've been seeing these 24-hour Read-a-thon's all over the place and I thought they looked incredibly fun and I wanted to join in. So, fully stocked with yummy iced coffee, Flamin' Hot Cheetos, my reading glasses for when my eyes get tired, and plenty of water...I'm ready to do this!<br />
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* It is 5:00 pm on Friday, July 21st. I have officially started my Read-a-thon. As I type this I am currently listening to the audio book of '<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30253864-talking-as-fast-as-i-can">Talking as Fast as I Can</a>' by Lauren Graham. I only have about 20 minutes left on this one, but it's still reading!<br />
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Up next I'm going to jump into '<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283884-the-gentleman-s-guide-to-vice-and-virtue">The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue</a>' by Mackenzi Lee. I'm only about 60 pages in and I look forward to finishing this fun and funny story. I'll keep updating as I go along :0)<br />
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* It is now 8:36 pm and I'm only at page 231 in Gentleman's Guide. This book is dragging and wordy and I really wish more were happening at this point. Feeling this way at almost halfway through isn't giving me a lot of hope. I'm going to put this one down right now, because if I keep trying it will be the only thing I read this whole 24-hours.<br />
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I think I'm actually going to pick up a graphic novel, next. I just got '<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34390407-spell-on-wheels-vol-1">Spell on Wheels</a>' in the mail today and I'm really excited to read it.<br />
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* Took a short break to make myself some dinner. It was buffalo shrimp and it was delicious. Just before eating I finished Spell on Wheels and I loved it! I need more, which makes it extra sad that I couldn't find any evidence that they are going to make any more of them.<br />
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Now I'm trying to choose between '<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32183095-throwing-my-life-away">Throwing My Life Away</a>' by Liz Czukas, '<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405594-it-happened-one-doomsday">It Happened One Doomsday</a>' by Laurence MacNaughton, and '<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16127234-matchpoint">Matchpoint</a>' by Elise Sax.<br />
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* It's 7:42 am and I just woke up. I only ended up making it until just after 1 am last night, then I crashed hard. I finally decided on 'Matchpoint' and read 60 pages before I passed out. It's the second in the series of these mystery/romance books and I'm definitely enjoying it. It's got a lot of humor, but there is also murder. So, you know, it balances. Hopefully, now that I'm well rested, I should be able to fly through the rest of this in a couple of hours and pick up my next book!<br />
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* It's 12:27 pm. I just finished 'Matchpoint' and I forgot how funny this series is. It's been ages since I read the first one and this one was just as good. I took a break for food (Kodiak Cakes, those things are the best!) and such for a little bit this morning. As much as I love reading, it seems my attention span for just sitting and reading constantly, is not very long. I had to walk around and find people to talk to. It helped. Only 4 1/2 hours left in my 24 hours, so I'll be picking something else up and depending on length I might be able to finish it :0)<br />
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* 5 pm on Saturday, I made it! I read a 'Spell on Wheels' (which I loved), 'Throwing My Life Away' (this was super cute and I adored it), and 'Matchpoint' (funny and I will likely pick up the next one in the future). I finished the audiobook of 'Talking as Fast as I Can' (and it was amazing!) and read almost halfway into 'The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue' (which I'm not sure when I'll actually get to finishing). Total page count is 913 pages.<br />
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This was really fun, but also tested my patience. Apparently I am not good at doing things consistently for many hours at a time, but I'm pretty proud of what I did end up reading and I think I am up to doing one of these again in the future!Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com139tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-3187297528334948252017-07-01T21:49:00.000-04:002017-07-01T21:49:23.518-04:00June Book Haul + July TBR :0)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Consolas; font-size: 45.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text2;">What I Got</span></b><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 40.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text2;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">June Book Haul:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067503-shuffle-repeat">Shuffle, Repeat</a> by Jen Klein [<a href="http://www.thebooklife.com/2017/06/shuffle-repeat-by-jen-klein.html">Review</a>]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28815474-the-couple-next-door">The Couple Next Door</a> by Shari Lapena</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27821486-don-t-you-cry">Don't You Cry</a> by Mary Kubica</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28449250-the-unfortunate-decisions-of-dahlia-moss">The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss</a> by Max Wirestone [<a href="http://www.thebooklife.com/2017/06/the-unfortunate-decisions-of-dahlia.html">Review</a>]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28962995-the-astonishing-mistakes-of-dahlia-moss">The Astonishing Mistakes of Dahlia</a> Moss by Max Wirestone</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11553867-altar-of-bones-philip-carter">Altar of Bones</a> by Philip Carter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28245707-queens-of-geek">Queens of Geek</a> by Jen Wilde</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">July TBR:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2168860.One_Foot_in_the_Grave">One Foot in the Grave</a> by Jeaniene Frost</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12823329-god-save-the-queen">God Save the Queen</a> by Kate Locke</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32183095-throwing-my-life-away">Throwing my Life Away</a> by Liz Czukas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28815474-the-couple-next-door">The Couple Next Door</a> by Shari Lapena</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28226486-perfect-ten">Perfect Ten</a> by L. Philips</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12180581-switched">Switched</a> by Amanda Hocking</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405594-it-happened-one-doomsday">It Happened One Doomsday</a> by Laurence MacNaughton</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What books did everyone else pick up in June? What's everyone planning to read this month?</span></div>
<br />Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-20852351424037241202017-06-30T17:30:00.000-04:002017-06-30T17:30:01.067-04:00Mid Year Book Freak Out<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've been seeing this tag all over booktube and was really into it. I don't have a booktube channel, but I DO have a book blog, so I figured I could work with that. Technically it is a tag, and technically no one has actually tagged me for this, but I really like it and want to do it anyway. With the internet anything is achievable :0)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So far in 2017 I have read 40 books, which has already surpassed my Goodreads goal for the year and, at the rate I've been reading, I think I might be able to hit 80 before the year is up! This is my first attempt at a tag, though it's not my first go at a book round up sort of thing, so I think we'll be okay. Here goes nothing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2017?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had so much trepidation going into this book and I don't really know why, but in the end it didn't matter, because this book knocked it out of the park for me. I loved the characters, I loved the story, and I LOVED the circus!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. BEST SEQUEL OF 2017 SO FAR?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've only read three sequels this year and none of them really wowed me, but of the three <i>P.S. I Still Love You</i> was definitely the front runner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET, BUT WANT TO?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This one may be cheating a little bit, since I already have this on my kindle and have read the first couple of chapters, but of the June releases this is the one I am most excited about!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF THE SECOND HALF OF 2017?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Adorable title, adorable cover, and a premise that is totally up my alley. I cannot wait to get into this one!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I picked this one up almost immediately after reading and enjoying the heck out of the first book in the series, but this one just didn't work for me. It didn't really hold my interest and I almost didn't even finish it. The series had such a strong start for me, but after reading this one I'm not so eager to read through the rest right away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. BIGGEST SURPRISE?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had an audiobook credit I needed to use and this popped up on my recommended list. I decided to give it a go, but I wasn't really expecting much. Well I was very pleasantly surprised. I loved the crap out of this book and promptly purchased the adorable paperback copy as well as the sequel, which I plan to read very soon!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR (DEBUT OR NEW TO YOU) ?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This book was awesome! I had never read anything by C.B. Lee before, but I am such a fan now and I can't wait for the second book to come out!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">8. NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oliver Flagg, be still my heart!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">9. NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Coco Chanel Jones, hands down! I dare anyone to read this book and not fall in love with Coco Chanel Jones. She is sassy, fierce, and fabulous. I think she needs her own book!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">10. BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think this one is kind of a no brainer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">11. BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know I said Oliver was my newest crush, but I kind of have two, and Lincoln is the other one. He wasn't the only thing I loved about this book, though. Anise, her best friends, her dad, and her cousins all made this such a wonderful book and I was all smiles when I turned that last page!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">12. FAVORITE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION YOU’VE SEEN THIS YEAR?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've seen a couple of adaptations this year, but this was definitely my favorite so far!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">13. FAVORITE REVIEW YOU’VE WRITTEN THIS YEAR?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I loved this book and in turn I loved writing a review for it. Spies, lies, and guys loving guys (what could be better? Or rhymed in a more delightfully cheesy way?)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">14. MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU BOUGHT OR RECEIVED SO FAR THIS YEAR?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For obvious reasons... *swoon*</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">15. WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR?</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLt0F46nLyoti9d5FHcO3FTsjPxaa2CwuawE1vGpOq9byZyoTewdEEUFxro3DziRkOZ9S26p-MjWhUOHeOXSH9SS3ai5wqWosDMTn3lbbG15LRUB1dTRCafILHE6LvZ-CQs4-QnN50Qr7Q/s1600/22299763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLt0F46nLyoti9d5FHcO3FTsjPxaa2CwuawE1vGpOq9byZyoTewdEEUFxro3DziRkOZ9S26p-MjWhUOHeOXSH9SS3ai5wqWosDMTn3lbbG15LRUB1dTRCafILHE6LvZ-CQs4-QnN50Qr7Q/s320/22299763.jpg" width="210" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfy4SNaE3ft5MpQ87oMRZmXj63Ieg0M3aL384ELnpHnpcQkf9Vn86e1FEmlN1nuLgqItbUZaDL_dLl7wTdvweX8MyJJrT4BXWzc_8pbHeqwdKEdTQovR8DJRuQYoRNA2e-9gdENhabojeA/s1600/23437156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfy4SNaE3ft5MpQ87oMRZmXj63Ieg0M3aL384ELnpHnpcQkf9Vn86e1FEmlN1nuLgqItbUZaDL_dLl7wTdvweX8MyJJrT4BXWzc_8pbHeqwdKEdTQovR8DJRuQYoRNA2e-9gdENhabojeA/s320/23437156.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And <i>The Magicians</i> series by Lev Grossman!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A lot of great books so far this year, so not so much, but I can't wait to see what's to come the rest of this year :0)</span></div>
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Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-54935738352850495412017-06-30T09:30:00.000-04:002017-06-30T09:30:05.560-04:00Coming Up For Air by Miranda Kenneally<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-iGPBLuk7g_hJgW640YrLvmYJtIELJX-yl3ePAkEHElZxs7GsT-OhxmYz64XJuA2QLcma4HBVsqUY1h9nQlfY-MHxDkeHlT2crcdvRYDWCilZOsPEv9TE5r2V_kDikAwPD8KgY72ZZ3-/s1600/32470593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-iGPBLuk7g_hJgW640YrLvmYJtIELJX-yl3ePAkEHElZxs7GsT-OhxmYz64XJuA2QLcma4HBVsqUY1h9nQlfY-MHxDkeHlT2crcdvRYDWCilZOsPEv9TE5r2V_kDikAwPD8KgY72ZZ3-/s400/32470593.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32470593-coming-up-for-air"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Coming Up for Air</span></a> by Miranda Kenneally</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Release Date: July 4th, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*eGalley provided by publisher for honest opinion*</span></div>
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<span id="freeText12238236024128733328"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swim. Swim. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.<br /><br />All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic try out, so she feels even more pressure to succeed. And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.<br /><br />Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to lose to win?</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Miranda Kenneally has been a favorite of mine since I read Catching Jordan years ago. To this day, Catching Jordan is my favorite of her books, but Coming Up for Air is a close second for me. I loved how this story, which I heard is the last one in the Hundred Oaks series, kind of mirrors Jordan's story. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once I turned the last page it definitely felt like we came full circle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm such a fan of best friends to more romances, and even before they started the more stuff, I loved the relationship between Maggie and Levi. They were so fun and adorable together. Everyone should be so lucky to have such an awesome best friend. This one revolves around the sport of swimming, and I know next to nothing about competitive swimming, so it was cool to learn a little bit while I was reading. I had no idea it was so intense. Competitive swimmers have some serious dedication.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was another Miranda Kenneally win for me. Loved the whole story and the epilogue at the end!</span>Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com112tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-13338407272739193742017-06-12T09:30:00.000-04:002017-06-12T09:30:36.161-04:00The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0hdaDNe5XVlQ_AcATr-iaOXkV-jv5t4AlUSyCCf5kr3O4gv1HqIp2vMol3NrWDQyo5hvLXrsb9nhxdo2tAV_HrT3mK841iBgpb40jq72OKvA7O_1SSatGFrNI0vv5HGkO6d6xkIOG7lI/s1600/28449250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0hdaDNe5XVlQ_AcATr-iaOXkV-jv5t4AlUSyCCf5kr3O4gv1HqIp2vMol3NrWDQyo5hvLXrsb9nhxdo2tAV_HrT3mK841iBgpb40jq72OKvA7O_1SSatGFrNI0vv5HGkO6d6xkIOG7lI/s400/28449250.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28449250-the-unfortunate-decisions-of-dahlia-moss"><span style="color: #38761d;">The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss</span></a></b> by Max Wirestone</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Publisher: Redhook</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Release Date: October 20th, 2015</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>If it were up to me this book would be called Hilarious Things That Happened That Were Not At All Dahlia's Fault -- or HTTHTWNAADF, for short.<br /><br /><br />OK, I probably shouldn't have taken money from a mysterious eccentric to solve a theft, given that I'm not a detective, and that I am sometimes outwitted by puzzles in children's video games. I probably shouldn't have stolen bags of trash from a potential murder suspect. Arguably-- just arguably, mind you-- it may have been unwise to cos-play at an event where I was likely to be shot at.<br /><br /><br />But sometimes you just have to take some chances, right? And maybe things do get a little unfortunate. What of it? If you ask me, an unfortunate decision here or there can change your life. In a positive way, just so long you don't killed in the process. Admittedly, that's the tricky bit.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I picked this one up on a whim. I've been taken with mysteries as of late and this one had the added draw of geekiness and laughs, so I decided to give it a go and I loved it. Dahlia Moss is hilarious. I genuinely laughed out loud throughout the story and was thoroughly charmed by Dahlia and the other characters that popped up all over her world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't personally have any experience playing an MMORPG,because of this, and the fact that a large part of this story revolves around such a game, I was a little concerned it would affect my enjoyment of the story. It did not. In fact, I particularly enjoyed hearing about the world of Zoth and how these games unfold. Dahlia comes across a lot of people during her time playing detective and they were all so darn entertaining. I was especially charmed by Dahlia's roommate Charice. I never knew what she was going to come up with next, but it was always hilarious and oftentimes very helpful. And she had some of the best lines. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know if I'm completely sold on the romantic direction this series seems to be taking, but that may also have something to do with the fact that I was hoping for an endlessly awkward law enforcement office to get his moment in the sun. I refuse to give up hope. There is still time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I actually listened to this one on audio book and it was a phenomenal listen. The narrator did a fantastic job with all of the characters and I'm sure her delivery contributed in large part to all of those times I laughed out loud. I haven't decided if I'm going listen to book two or read it, but I did order physical copies of both books, because I need to have them around for subsequent re-reads. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Go forth and follow along as Dahlia tries to uncover the 'Bejeweled Spear of Inifinite Piercing'!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Cover image and synopsis from Goodreads</span></div>
Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com66tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-49512030999374830512017-06-10T23:17:00.000-04:002017-06-10T23:17:33.312-04:00Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rKYZ_ai7HkkG_39QAWRzlhbajcWsWc8Og45YMNkJPPK83E-w2F8WtiFdJjDsWLyvGp-11Oa2SrOTbTnshJzvem82MJzt6r_RtNKy_DREZ3GFZunbD-iAxxb2_w2I8J94qv2mZm9OS9xb/s1600/29640839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rKYZ_ai7HkkG_39QAWRzlhbajcWsWc8Og45YMNkJPPK83E-w2F8WtiFdJjDsWLyvGp-11Oa2SrOTbTnshJzvem82MJzt6r_RtNKy_DREZ3GFZunbD-iAxxb2_w2I8J94qv2mZm9OS9xb/s400/29640839.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29640839-girl-out-of-water"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Girl Out of Water</span></a> by Laura Silverman</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Release Date: May 2nd, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*I received an e-copy via Netgalley for an honest opinion</span></div>
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<span id="freeText15606046495247214208"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Anise Sawyer plans to spend every minute of summer with her friends: surfing, chowing down on fish tacos drizzled with wasabi balsamic vinegar, and throwing bonfires that blaze until dawn. But when a serious car wreck leaves her aunt, a single mother of three, with two broken legs, it forces Anise to say goodbye for the first time to Santa Cruz, the waves, her friends, and even a kindling romance, and fly with her dad to Nebraska for the entire summer. Living in Nebraska isn’t easy. Anise spends her days caring for her three younger cousins in the childhood home of her runaway mom, a wild figure who’s been flickering in and out of her life since birth, appearing for weeks at a time and then disappearing again for months, or even years, without a word. <br /><br />Complicating matters is Lincoln, a one-armed, charismatic skater who pushes Anise to trade her surfboard for a skateboard. As Anise draws closer to Lincoln and takes on the full burden and joy of her cousins, she loses touch with her friends back home – leading her to one terrifying question: will she turn out just like her mom and spend her life leaving behind the ones she loves</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I loved that this book was, at it's heart, about family and what it means. Anise could be completely bratty and self-centered at times, but when it really came down to it she was there for her family. She came to learn that everything isn't just about her, but that there are other people whose feelings and needs matter. Since she has always lived in the same place, I think it was really great to see her plopped in the middle of somewhere completely foreign to her and watch her figure out a little more about herself and about life. I also really appreciated the fact that her mom never showed up in the book. I think that would have been too cliché and unrealistic, but even though she never came, I like that we got to see Anise sort out her relationship with her mother and come to terms with it in some ways. I loved the attention shown to the importance of friendships and being there for people, even when it's not the easiest choice to make. There were definitely times that Anise didn't always make the right choice, at least initially, but she did a lot of growing up during this story and it was an awesome thing to read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The romance in this was absolutely adorable and Lincoln is one of the best characters I have read in a contemporary YA novel. I loved his attitude and the way he took on life despite the curve balls it has thrown him along the way. He is just an all around nice guy, but not in that boring way nice guys can sometimes be portrayed in books and movies. He is funny and spontaneous and here to take on life. Anise definitely grew from the short time she knew him in this novel, and I feel like she will grow to become an even better person for having him in her life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Contemporaries are a favorite of mine, but even so, I can still get pretty critical. Especially when stories just start sounding like different shades of the same basic premise. That was not a problem with <i>Girl Out of Water</i>. It felt new and exciting, and I had so much fun reading it. Definitely recommend!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Cover image and synopsis from Goodreads</span></div>
Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com130tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-65715780476898014642017-06-02T09:30:00.000-04:002017-06-02T09:30:24.358-04:00Shuffle, Repeat by Jen Klein<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067503-shuffle-repeat"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Shuffle, Repeat</span></a> by Jen Klein</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Publisher: Random House</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Release Date: May 3rd, 2016</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*I was sent a copy of the book by the author for review*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>June wants high school to end and real life to begin. Oliver is soaking up senior year’s glory days. They could have coasted through high school, knowing about—but not really knowing—each other.<br /> <br /> Except that their moms have arranged for Oliver to drive June to school. Every. Single. Day.<br /> <br /> Suddenly these two opposites are fighting about music, life . . . pretty much everything. But love is unpredictable. When promises—and hearts—get broken, Oliver and June must figure out what really matters. And then fight for it.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I loved how Oliver would keep bringing his ideas for a senior prank to June, and how she would keep explaining to him how it wasn't a good idea because it could harm someone or something. The two of them had the cutest banter and conversations on their rides to school. Oh man, the prank that the senior class finally decided on, so damn cool! I don't even remember if my senior class pulled a prank, but if we didn't it was nowhere near as awesome as this one, because something this cool I would have remembered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sure, it could be considered cliche, and sure, it's a pivotal moment in a lot of teen stories, but I love that everything kind of came to a head at prom. I am a sucker for proms. If it was socially acceptable to crash them as an adult, I might do it. I love the cheesy decorations, requesting favorite songs from the DJ, and putting on the pretty clothes. So the fact that we got to see prom and a little prom drama, I was all over that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't have anything but nice things to say about Shuffle, Repeat. I loved so many characters and loved to hate some others. It felt like real kids in a real high school and I could totally see myself hanging out with any of them. Oliver and June left me with a smile on my face and the urge to hit repeat on this one sometime soon.</span></div>
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<br />Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-51364142518975720012017-05-22T09:30:00.000-04:002017-06-01T22:11:47.578-04:00The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31145148-the-love-interest">The Love Interest</a> by Cale Dietrich</b></div>
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Publisher: Feiwel & Friends</div>
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Release Date: May 16th, 2017</div>
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<i>There is a secret organization that cultivates teenage spies. The agents are called Love Interests because getting close to people destined for great power means getting valuable secrets.</i></div>
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<span id="freeText12640278967602164809"><i>Caden is a Nice: The boy next door, sculpted to physical perfection. Dylan is a Bad: The brooding, dark-souled guy, and dangerously handsome. The girl they are competing for is important to the organization, and each boy will pursue her. Will she choose a Nice or the Bad?</i></span></div>
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<i>Both Caden and Dylan are living in the outside world for the first time. They are well-trained and at the top of their games. They have to be – whoever the girl doesn’t choose will die.</i></div>
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<i>What the boys don’t expect are feelings that are outside of their training. Feelings that could kill them both.</i></div>
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I love romance and I love spies, so present me with a book about two male spies tasked to win the heart of one very special girl, or die, and I am there. Hint at the possibility of the two males, competing for this one girls love, falling for each other and I am living for that story. The Love Interest had me at the book blurb and getting my hands on it became my top priority and it delivered one heck of a fun story.</div>
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Going into the book I knew what I wanted to happen and I knew what the rules of the situation the characters were in dictated, unfortunately, those two things were not interchangeable. So through the entire story I really had no idea what was going to happen in the end. Of course, this made the story that much more enjoyable, because not being able to predict everything that was going to happen made it that much more excited when it finally occurred.<br />
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I really liked the way this story poked fun at some of the most common stereotypes and tropes in romance novels. Calling them out, in the way that it did, was so much fun. You could acknowledge that, yes, this is so ridiculous and yet this character is going to fall for it anyway, but at the same time still appreciate that it's what we love about these stories.<br />
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I adore Caden. He's so naive sometimes, but he's also pretty self aware. He knows how he feels and he's pretty sure who he is as a person, even though it goes against his very purpose, but he also knows what he has to do to survive. I have to admit, Dylan took me a ride of emotions, because I kept flipping back and forth on whether or not he was trustworthy. This definitely affected how I felt about his character, but ultimately I ended up respecting him and his choices.<br />
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I am eagerly awaiting what Cale Dietrich has in store for us next and if you like spies, romance, action, satire, and having your emotions played with, I urge you to check out <i>The Love Interest.</i> I don't think you'll regret it!<br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">*Cover photo and synopsis from Goodreads*</span></div>
</span>Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-58303128835958433812017-01-19T10:00:00.000-05:002017-01-19T10:00:03.545-05:00By Your Side by Kasie West<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucoojvMdl9GMzMPpjG0JO6GqBcReqjNKzPdNBcN7CkrRn5oOeY-D55VQHKg8uBZxU6OKJuAr4mMUKuOPwml1aXCvi_sOEZv8wOpb318WuMZ7tueWorj1zc9pEUPHr_4iuuNpDVMPwLY4D/s1600/30256248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucoojvMdl9GMzMPpjG0JO6GqBcReqjNKzPdNBcN7CkrRn5oOeY-D55VQHKg8uBZxU6OKJuAr4mMUKuOPwml1aXCvi_sOEZv8wOpb318WuMZ7tueWorj1zc9pEUPHr_4iuuNpDVMPwLY4D/s400/30256248.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30256248-by-your-side">By Your Side</a> </b>by Kasie West</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Release Date: January 31st, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I don't know about everybody else, but being trapped in a library, for a long weekend, sounds like the a dream come true. I'm pretty sure I'd be perfectly fine all alone in that library, with all of those books, but if you want to throw in a cute and broody boy, I'm good with that, too! I'm fairly new to Kasie West books, but I've had fun reading the few that I have, and this one was another fun one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really liked that even though this was mostly a cute, fluffy read, it also had some real issues woven into the story. Autumn is a go-getter and a rule lover, but she also suffers from pretty serious anxiety. Being trapped anywhere isn't great for a person who suffers from anxiety, and it's made worse for Autumn because she only ran back into the library to use the restroom, so all of her stuff is in her friends trunk on the way to a party. Oh, and it's winter, so a big empty library is not exactly cozy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Enter the mysterious Dax, who lives in a foster home and for reasons he isn't really up to sharing, was planning to stay in the library for the weekend. Autumn doesn't know much about Dax, but considering they only have each other for the time they are stuck in there, they do get to know one another a little and start to realize maybe surface judgements don't really mean anything. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I kind of thought, okay hoped, that the whole book would be them stuck in the library, but I'm glad we got to see Autumn and Dax outside of those walls. We got to see how their lives really were so different and it was no surprise they hadn't really known each other before, but it was also nice to see how their time trapped together played into their lives after. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was cute, fun, and fluffy, but also had some substance and I had a great time reading it. My favorite Kasie West book is still P.S. I Like You, but this one is absolutely worth a read :0)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Cover Photo and Synopsis from Goodreads*</span></div>
</span>Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-4310310043767195472017-01-12T09:30:00.000-05:002017-01-18T21:23:29.539-05:00The Pants Project by Cat Clarke<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30095473-the-pants-project">The Pants Project</a> by Cat Clarke</b></div>
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<b>Release Date: March 7th, 2017</b></div>
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<b>Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky</b></div>
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<i>"My name is Liv (Not Olivia)... I'm not technically a girl.</i></div>
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<i>I'm Transgender. Which is a bit like being a transformer. Only not quite as cool as cool because I probably won't get to save the world one day."</i></div>
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<i>A Transformer is a robot in disguise. Liv is a boy in disguise. It's that simple. Liv knows he was always meant to be a boy, but with his new school's terrible dress code, he can't even wear pants. Only skirts.</i></div>
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<i>Operation: Pants Project begins! The only way for Liv to get what he wants is to go after it himself. But to Liv, this isn't just a mission to change the policy- it's a mission to change his life. And that's a pretty big deal.</i></div>
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I adored all of the scenes with Liv's family and thought it was really great that we got to see how big of a role they played in his life, and how much they just wanted Liv to be happy. Whether you have two moms, two dads, or a mom and a dad, parents are parents and Liv's were really fantastic. They love their kids for exactly who they are and that's really the best any kid can ask for in their lives. And don't get me started on Liv's little brother, Enzo, that kid cracked me up. </div>
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I think my favorite thing in the book, though, was the friendship between Liv and Jacob. At first Jacob seems like your typical popular kid, but that is so far from the truth. Jacob didn't have time for mean kids or their games and he was just so good at letting it all roll off. Once we really get to know him, I don't think there was any point in the story that made me doubt how good of a person Jacob truly is. <br /><br />This is definitely a worthwhile read. And I'm not going to lie, it made me cry a couple of times, but it was good crying :0) <a data-text-id="review1870916010" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30095473-the-pants-project#"></a></div>
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</span>Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-60393416309255371652017-01-05T11:00:00.000-05:002017-01-05T11:00:01.573-05:002016 End of Year Book Survey :0)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This wonderful survey was created by Jamie at <a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/">The Perpetual Page Turner</a> and I thought it might be fun to give it a go this year :0)</div>
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Number Of Books You Read: 75<br /> Number of Re-Reads: 1<br /> Genre You Read The Most From: It was a pretty even split between Romance and YA</h3>
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<strong>1. Best Book You Read In 2016?</strong></h3>
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I'm going to do two books, but they are from different genres. One is romance, which I read all the time, and the other is a thriller, which I barely ever read.</div>
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'You' by Caroline Kepnes</div>
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'When Joss Met Matt' by Ellie Cahill</div>
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I absolutely loved both of these! 'You' took me completely by surprise and it's a little love/hate, because I felt pretty terrible about loving a character that is actually such a horrible person...haha. 'When Joss Met Matt' was just adorable and funny and so wonderful!</div>
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<strong> 2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?</strong></h3>
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'Every Heart a Doorway' by Seanan McGuire. The premise on this was absolutely amazing and there were things about the actual story that lived up to some of my expectations, but over all I was very underwhelmed by this story. I may still pick up the next installment, but I probably won't rush to it.</div>
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<strong>4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?</strong></h3>
I've actually got two here, as well. I read both 'Illuminae' and 'Simon vs. the Homosapien's Agenda' in 2015 and spent a large part of 2016 bugging people to read them both, because I absolutely adored each of them.<br />
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<strong> 5. Best series you started in 2016? Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016?</strong></h3>
I started 'The Bone Season' by Samantha Shannon in 2016 and I am pumped to read the next books in the series. It was such an interesting world and I am so curious to see where it goes. The best series ender I read in 2016 was 'Sweet Reckoning' by Wendy Higgins. That books worked for me 100%, I don't think I had any complaints about how this series wrapped up.<br />
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<strong> 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016?</strong></h3>
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<strong>Ellie Cahill (aka Liz Czukas)! I've actually got a couple of her books on my shelves, but I never read her until this year. If all of her books are as adorable as the first one I read, sign me up!</strong></div>
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<strong>7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?</strong></h3>
I don't love historical fiction and I rarely read anything that is even the slightest bit historical. However, I have found that if I listen to historical fiction novels I seem to enjoy them more. That said, I listened to 'The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August' and really enjoyed it.<br />
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<strong> 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?</strong></h3>
Hands down 'You' by Caroline Kepnes. This book made me feel weird things about myself and gave me all kind of crazy emotions, but I loved it and *cringe* I loved Joe.<br />
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<strong> 9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?</strong></h3>
This one is a tie between a couple of 2017 releases and 'When Joss Met Matt' by Ellie Cahill.<br />
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<strong>10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?</strong></h3>
I was kind of underwhelmed by the book itself, but I LOVED the cover for 'Carry On' by Rainbow Rowell.<br />
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<strong>11. Most memorable character of 2016?</strong></h3>
Broken record, thy name is Sarah, but my most memorable character is definitely Joe Goldberg from 'You' by Caroline Kepnes.<br />
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<strong> 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016?</strong></h3>
'The Wall of Winnipeg and Me' by Mariana Zapata. This sucker is huge, but I could not stop reading and never got bored.<br />
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<strong>13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016?</strong></h3>
'Wrecked' by Maria Padian was such a thought provoking book. It gave such an interesting take on perspective and packed some pretty powerful insights.<br />
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<strong>16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2016?</strong></h3>
Shortest was 'Fortunately, the Milk...' by Neil Gaiman (160 pages)<br />
Longest was 'The Wall of Winnipeg and Me' by Mariana Zapata (673 pages)<br />
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<strong> 17. Book That Shocked You The Most</strong></h3>
I may be the only one who was surprised by this, and perhaps it was because I listened to the audio instead of reading, but I did not see the plot twist coming in 'Everything, Everything' by Nicola Yoon.<br />
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<strong>18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)</strong></h3>
Garrett and Wellsy from 'The Deal' by Elle Kennedy. This was my one re-read for this year and I still love them. They are my favorite couple of the Off Campus series.<br />
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19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year</h3>
Devon and Foster from 'First & Then' by Emma Mills, in fact, toss in Foster and Ezra from the same book. This all comes down to Foster. That kid was all kinds of amazing. I love him!<br />
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<strong>20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously</strong></h3>
'The Upside of Unrequited' by Becky Albertalli. This one doesn't come out for quite some time, but her debut last year was one of my favorites and this sophomore novel did not disappoint.<br />
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<strong>21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:</strong></h3>
'Spontaneous' by Aaron Starmer. The person who recommended this to me was actually a publicist at ALA Annual. I had not previously even heard about this book and they had a shelf of them sitting in their booth and I basically was all 'Holy yellow cover, batman' to my best friend and the publicist heard me and kindly came over to explain it was a YA about spontaneous combustion and that it was awesome. She had me at spontaneous combustion.<br />
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22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016?</h3>
Porter Roth from 'Alex, Approximately' by Jenn Bennett. I still just really want to snuggle him.<br />
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23. Best 2016 debut you read?</h3>
Umm...I don't think I actually read any 2016 debuts in 2016...shame on me.<br />
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24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?</h3>
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25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?</h3>
'P.S. I Like You' by Kasie West. Secret pen pals for the win!<br />
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26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016?</h3>
'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes<br />
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27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?</h3>
'Mothership' by Martin Leicht & Elsa Neal. This was a completely random read for me this year, but it was so silly and charming.<br />
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28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?</h3>
'Catch a Tiger by the Tail' by Charlie Cochet. That ending, oh my heart!<br />
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29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016?</h3>
I'll say 'Nimona' by Noelle Stephenson, because it was the only graphic novel I read this year.<br />
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30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?</h3>
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'Dark Matter' by Blake Crouch. Not because I didn't enjoy the book, but because in the end what I wanted to happen isn't what was in the book...</div>
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<strong>1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2016 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017?</strong></h3>
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'Six of Crows' by Leigh Bardugo. I actually started this one (barely) in 2016, but for all kinds of reasons, I didn't finish it. I am actually planning to read it and the sequel 'Crooked Kingdom' this year.</div>
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<strong>2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)?</strong></h3>
'By Your Side' by Kasie West, because I only read her for the first time in 2016, but she makes my contemporary loving heart so happy.<br />
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3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?</h3>
I cannot only pick one, but I could answer this question with huge list, so I will choose two from all the ones I am eagerly awaiting.<br />
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'The Love Interest' by Cale Dietrich and 'My Fairy Godmother is a Drag Queen' by David Clawson. Eeeep!!<br />
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4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017?</h3>
'Thick & Thin' by Charlie Cochet<br />
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<strong>5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017?</strong></h3>
Get more active in blogging, start participating in some weekly features again, and more consistenly reviewing all of those books I'm reading.<br />
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6. A 2017 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:</h3>
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'Geekerella' by Ashley Poston. This book spoke to my geeky little heart so, so much. I adored it and want to live in it, and it has inspired me to get my butt back to MegaCon again this year :0)</div>
Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-49617563777205960412017-01-03T19:00:00.000-05:002017-01-04T22:32:20.913-05:00Top Ten 2017 Debuts I am So Stoked to Read!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOa37W86pYhfcSAPimKtYeCKq162V-K8Az8TxFmNrh9WJcyqvZDCc__EbsgPpgm6Vy-mULk9tb56Zo-TuAHqZ5bj_Dp60lMQ_1_DoQY4K-yo2JRA2LjUWK3tYQ7TPwivjZRo68Fi9bbj_g/s1600/toptentuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOa37W86pYhfcSAPimKtYeCKq162V-K8Az8TxFmNrh9WJcyqvZDCc__EbsgPpgm6Vy-mULk9tb56Zo-TuAHqZ5bj_Dp60lMQ_1_DoQY4K-yo2JRA2LjUWK3tYQ7TPwivjZRo68Fi9bbj_g/s1600/toptentuesday.jpg" /></a></div>
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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/">The Broke and the Bookish</a>!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This week's topic: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "century gothic", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Top Ten 2017 Debuts I'm Excited For</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">And Now for the Books.....</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWzKQ-gpFFuydYw8Bb53lre1QYA9nYxSDoi7-6ECSL7mEkp-edp8Ys85sqzZWXMGGNrBEEHTueIdRlFfe3DhRWen9xmjjjYYeTBxf-K-wCRqYFVWlUTxj7HaS9zjPeLilprkxS44usm7q/s1600/31145148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWzKQ-gpFFuydYw8Bb53lre1QYA9nYxSDoi7-6ECSL7mEkp-edp8Ys85sqzZWXMGGNrBEEHTueIdRlFfe3DhRWen9xmjjjYYeTBxf-K-wCRqYFVWlUTxj7HaS9zjPeLilprkxS44usm7q/s200/31145148.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">1. </span></span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31145148-the-love-interest">The Love Interest</a> by Cale Dietrich</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> This is essentially everything I could possibly imagine wanting in a book. At least from what I can gather with the synopsis. I cannot wait to get my hands on this beauty!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29613832-my-fairy-godmother-is-a-drag-queen">My Fairy Godmother is a Drag Queen</a> by David Clawson </b>This book. It sounds quirky and fantastic. I am all in for some fairy godmother wisdom!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28226486-perfect-ten">Perfect Ten</a> by L. Phillips </b>I will admit, I was initially drawn to this book because of the unicorn on the cover, but once I read the synopsis I knew this was absolutely my type of book. I absolutely adore quirky m/m romance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4.<b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25752041-royal-bastards">Royal Bastards</a> by Andrew Shvarts </b>Quite different from my previous picks, but I have found myself drawn to fantasy more and more each year and I love the idea of a story following the bastard children of royals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5. <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29640839-girl-out-of-water">Girl Out of Water</a> by Laura Silverman</b> Real talk, I've actually already read this one, but it was one of my most anticipated and it didn't let me down. I can't wait for my finished copy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6. <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25613472-a-list-of-cages">A List of Cages</a> by Robin Roe</b> I have heard so many amazing things about this book and I am always on board for a good family focused story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">7. <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32796253-final-girls">Final Girls</a> by Riley Sager</b> I don't read a lot of horror/thriller novels, but something about this one just spoke to me. I will likely be reading in the daytime with all the lights one...just saying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8. <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25669098-shadow-run">Shadow Run</a> by Adrianne Strickland</b> They had me at 'Firefly'. I dig a good sci-fi and this one promises lots of action.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">9. <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30279514-dreadnought">Dreadnought</a> by April Daniels</b> I only just found out about this book and I have already pre-ordered it. Thank goodness it comes out at the end of this month. I am so here for a story about a girl who gets super powers after she sees a super hero die. So cool!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">10. <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28133718-city-of-saints-and-thieves">City of Saints & Thieves</a> by Natalie C. Anderson</b> This book sounds so unique. I like the vengeance angle and I'm curious to see how it all plays out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am really feeling so many of these LGBTQ+ debuts we've got coming our way this year. I only really got into this genre within the last year or so. I never read it because in a lot of ways I wasn't really exposed to much of it, but it also felt a little out of my comfort zone. A friend urged me to read one of their favorites a couple of years back and now LGBTQ+ are some of my favorite reads. I am so glad we've got so many wonderful sounding options coming out this year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What is everyone else looking forward to in debuts for this year?!?</span></div>
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<br />Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-33289210801871627422016-10-26T10:00:00.000-04:002016-10-26T10:00:03.448-04:00Waiting on Wednesday #2: This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.9063px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>, spotlighting eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijO_LEnYKHeSFUGU_DGIeDuBmtdTQ3mAJBjYqafMtWgnUoBK0n_e8sdWkI2Q9J5rLKLnlBVnWEGGcXZEqYImrHBLUK_T2o-GZZUxzLq2smbet27QxA2-BRpOxvy47LHnYnP2r_oEYB1gAf/s1600/23341252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijO_LEnYKHeSFUGU_DGIeDuBmtdTQ3mAJBjYqafMtWgnUoBK0n_e8sdWkI2Q9J5rLKLnlBVnWEGGcXZEqYImrHBLUK_T2o-GZZUxzLq2smbet27QxA2-BRpOxvy47LHnYnP2r_oEYB1gAf/s320/23341252.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.9063px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23341252-this-is-our-story"><b>This Is Our Story</b></a> by Ashley Elston</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.9063px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Release Date: November 15th, 2016</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>No one knows what happened that morning at River Point. Five boys went hunting. Four came back. The boys won’t say who fired the shot that killed their friend; the evidence shows it could have been any one of them. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Kate Marino’s senior year internship at the District Attorney’s Office isn’t exactly glamorous—more like an excuse to leave school early that looks good on college applications. Then the DA hands her boss, Mr. Stone, the biggest case her small town of Belle Terre has ever seen. The River Point Boys are all anyone can talk about. Despite their damning toxicology reports the morning of the accident, the DA wants the boys’ case swept under the rug. He owes his political office to their powerful families.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Kate won’t let that happen. Digging up secrets without revealing her own is a dangerous line to walk; Kate has her own reasons for seeking justice for Grant. As she and Stone investigate—the ageing prosecutor relying on Kate to see and hear what he cannot—she realizes that nothing about the case—or the boys—is what it seems. Grant wasn’t who she thought he was, and neither is Stone’s prime suspect. As Kate gets dangerously close to the truth, it becomes clear that the early morning accident might not have been an accident at all—and if Kate doesn’t uncover the true killer, more than one life could be on the line…including her own.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Waiting on because...</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I love a good mystery and this one sounds like it will offer all kinds secrets and thrills. I am definitely a fan of tenacious heroines just trying to do the right thing and making sure justice is served. I also love a good cover and boy does this one deliver. Love it!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/This-Our-Story-Ashley-Elston/dp/1484730895/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476321707&sr=8-1&keywords=this+is+our+story">Amazon</a> l <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-is-our-story-ashley-elston/1123502575?ean=9781484730898">Barnes & Noble</a> l <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781484730898">IndieBound</a></span></div>
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Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-91629075346990691582016-10-20T09:47:00.000-04:002016-10-20T09:47:13.967-04:00First & Then by Emma Mills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23310751-first-then">First & Then</a> by Emma Mills</span></div>
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Release Date: October 13th, 2015</div>
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Publisher: Henry Holt & Co</div>
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<span id="freeText13443786504340255016"><i>Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them: first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.</i></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First I just want to say how beautiful the covers for Emma Mills books are. I know this has no bearing on the quality of the story, but boy are they pretty up on the bookshelf. They are pretty naked, too!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm so late to the Emma Mills party. I bought this book all the way back in last October when it was released, then it proceeded to sit oh, so sadly on my bookshelf. Pretty, but sad. I was fortunate enough to acquire an ARC of her second book <i>This Adventure Ends</i> at ALA, but then my conscience got the better of me and I decided I had to read this one first. Order and all that. So here we are in early October and Hurricane Matthew is barreling down on us. With no power and piles of books, I decided that I needed something not about death and destruction, and this little gem is what I chose. And then I got mad at myself for not reading it sooner, followed closely with sadness, because I could never read it for the first time again. Ramble, ramble, ramble...let's get to the point of this thing, shall we?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh, right, that's probably not sufficient enough for anyone to make an informed decision on whether or not this would be a story for them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Devon, our main character, has had quite the interesting summer. You see, she's quite good at being an only child, but her younger cousin has now come to live with them and it's a little like having a sibling. She likes her cousin, but she gets a little annoyed with him always being around. Foster is kind of an odd kid, and while sometimes Devon really just wants to get rid of him, she's never really outright cruel to him. I loved how we got to see their relationship evolve through the book and how they helped each other evolve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are boys in this book, of course. Boys that are not related to Devon. Boys that are cute, talented, and infuriating in their own ways. I don't really want to say too much about said boys, because I don't want to ruin the way the story unfolds in regards to them. I will say that things turned out differently than I expected them to, but definitely in a good way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Devon loves Jane Austen, and while <i>Pride & Prejudice</i> is the only Jane Austen book I've read, I thoroughly enjoyed the talk of her throughout the book. Devon speaks about her as if they are real life friends and I thought that was pretty cool, because I know we've all done that a time or two with an author or character we truly love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was definitely a quick read, but an oh, so wonderful one. I highly recommend it to any contemporary fan and even those who may be a little hesitant to jump into the contemporary pool. Love, love love!</span></div>
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<br />Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-41651187613618461552016-10-19T09:30:00.000-04:002016-10-19T09:30:00.940-04:00Waiting on Wednesday #1: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.9063px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>, spotlighting eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true? </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Waiting on because...</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I read, or rather, listened to Nicola Yoon's debut <i>Everything, Everything</i> earlier this year and I was so charmed. It was such a unique story and I absolutely adored the characters. So of course, when I found out that she had another book coming out this year I was absolutely on board.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love that this new title not only promises another unique story, but it also promises some wonderful diversity and I cannot wait to dive right in!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Also-Star-Nicola-Yoon/dp/0553496689/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476319808&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sun+is+also+a+star">Amazon</a> l <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sun-is-also-a-star-nicola-yoon/1123596765?ean=9780553496680">Barnes & Noble</a> l <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780553496680">IndieBound</a></span></div>
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Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-77611321074009822892016-09-01T09:17:00.000-04:002016-09-01T09:17:00.195-04:00Furious Rush Blog Tour! S.C. Stephens Top 5 List and Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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ABOUT THE BOOK</div>
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Title: FURIOUS RUSH</div>
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Author: S.C. Stephens</div>
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On Sale: August 23, 2016</div>
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Publisher: Forever</div>
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Format: Trade Paperback & eBook</div>
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Price: $12.99 USD (TP) / $4.99 USD (eBook)</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26097165-furious-rush">Add to Goodreads</a></div>
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The first in an emotion-fueled, New Adult series from the #1 bestselling author of the Thoughtless novels!</div>
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Too fast, too furious—and way too hot to handle… </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mackenzie Cox has a lot to prove. Daughter of a racing legend, she is eager to show the world that she has inherited her father's talent in the male-dominated sport of professional motorcycle racing. The last thing Kenzie needs is to be antagonized by her rival team's newest rider, Hayden Hayes. Plucked from the world of illegal street racing, Hayden immediately gets under Kenzie's skin. His insinuations that Kenzie is a spoiled princess who was handed her career fuels her desire to win, and much to her surprise, Kenzie soon learns she performs better when she's racing against Hayden.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftfdcbZBbTRFlPWiCwTZZFoTYwiiP_Zi5CrA_y4S4jBLOSBSldW-7vzw-5C0gWQbuaeUkblz4hpq-c6avEbymlHc-hUEFslZ2-ZUxHx7BFQ7F7Lcu5zsZOb_9riZz3bbtuqYkU-fGerGZ/s1600/Furious-Rush-Quote-Graphic-%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftfdcbZBbTRFlPWiCwTZZFoTYwiiP_Zi5CrA_y4S4jBLOSBSldW-7vzw-5C0gWQbuaeUkblz4hpq-c6avEbymlHc-hUEFslZ2-ZUxHx7BFQ7F7Lcu5zsZOb_9riZz3bbtuqYkU-fGerGZ/s320/Furious-Rush-Quote-Graphic-%25232.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Kenzie and Hayden push each other on the track, the electric energy between them off the track shifts into an intense—and strictly forbidden—attraction. The only rule between their two ultra-competitive teams is zero contact. Kenzie always does her best to play by the rules, but when her team slips into a financial crisis, she has no choice but to turn to Hayden for help. The tension simmers during their secret, late-night rendezvous, but Kenzie has too much to lose to give in to her desires. Especially when she begins to doubt that Hayden has completely left his street life behind...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For today's stop on the tour we have author S.C. Stephens list of Top 5 Favorite Songs or Artists!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #7030a0; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> 1) </span></span></span><span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="font-size: large;">Imagine Dragons. I
love <i>all</i> their songs, but when I saw
them in concert, I was blown away. The lead singer performs exactly how I
picture Kellan performing. It was a surreal experience.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #7030a0; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> 2)<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="font-size: large;">Linkin Park. The
sound of this band (on a lot of their songs) is exactly how I imagine the
D-Bags sounding. LP will always hold a special place in my heart. Plus their
concerts are amazing! They sound just as good live.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #7030a0; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> 3) </span></span><span style="color: #7030a0; text-indent: -0.25in;">OneRepublic. These
guys were on constant repeat while I was writing the Thoughtless trilogy. I
love them with all my heart. And I got to stand thisclose to Ryan Tedder during
a meet and greet. Awe-some.</span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #7030a0; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> 4)<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #7030a0;">Old Dominion. My honey-boo has been slowly getting me into
country music. I just picked up their album, and I love every song! I also love
the fact that the scratch and sniff bacon sticker on the cover smells like
cotton candy (the album is called Meat and Candy—haha!).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> 5)<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Every Avenue. I
cried the day this band broke up, and I did an all-day Twitter celebration on
the day of their last concert. A fan turned me on to the band after Thoughtless
was released, and I was amazed by how well their lyrics fit the story—its
uncanny! These guys are also the only band I have gotten autographs from.
Thanks to a reader, I was able to get a copy of Effortless signed by every
single member. Best. Gift. Ever.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">S. C. Stephens is a #1
bestselling author who spends her every free moment creating stories that are
packed with emotion and heavy on romance. In addition to writing, she enjoys
spending lazy afternoons in the sun reading, listening to music, watching
movies, and spending time with her friends and family. She and her two children
reside in the Pacific Northwest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">YOU’RE INVITED!<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It's a virtual-party!!! Please
join S.C. Stephens (and some pretty awesome authors) on Facebook for a
pre-release celebration of Furious Rush on August 22<sup>nd</sup>! There will
be prizes! There will be fun!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">FOLLOW FOREVER ONLINE<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<br />Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-53536061134548478352016-08-27T12:00:00.001-04:002016-08-27T12:00:49.443-04:00Pasadena by Sherri L. Smith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28251385-pasadena">Pasadena</a> by Sherri L. Smith</div>
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Release Date: September 13th, 2016</div>
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Publisher: Putnam</div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">*ARC received by publisher for honest opinions*</span></div>
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<span id="freeText4718977301822145302"><i>Bad things happen everywhere. Even in the land of sun and roses. <br /><br />When Jude's best friend is found dead in a swimming pool, her family calls it an accident. Her friends call it suicide. But Jude calls it what it is: murder. And someone has to pay.<br /><br />Now everyone is a suspect--family and friends alike. And Jude is digging up the past like bones from a shallow grave. Anything to get closer to the truth. But that's the thing about secrets. Once they start turning up, nothing is sacred. And Jude's got a few skeletons of her own.</i></span></div>
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I'm not really sure what to think about this one. I finished it, in one sitting, so I didn't hate it. It was actually a really quick read and I think it was well written, but I didn't have any "Whoa!" moments while reading it. I guess it was just a quiet kind of story. I will say that I was a bit surprised by the end, which is definitely good in a mystery novel. </div>
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The main character wasn't particularly likable, but I think that was kind of the point. It was more about how the best friend kept their group of friends together. They were just a bunch of teenagers who didn't really have anything in common, except Maggie, and once she was out of the picture all of the reasons they weren't really friends becomes obvious. Jude is certain that Maggie didn't kill herself, she is convinced she was murdered, and now that she realizes how little she knows about her other friends she is very suspicious of all of them.</div>
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Sometimes while I was reading I had to remind myself that these were high school students that I was reading about. So many of them acted more like adults. There was the main, over-arcing mystery about Maggie's death, but there was also a secondary "mystery" surrounding Jude. Right from the start you get a pretty good idea of what the secret she is hiding is, but it all stays pretty vague through the whole book. And once she finally revealed the full truth about it, it was slightly anti-climactic. I guess that is the theme for me with this book. It was all just very anti-climactic. I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. It was well written and I breezed through it, but all in all I don't feel like it was all that memorable. </div>
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If you are in the mood for a quiet mystery that flies under the radar, this one just might be for you.</div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">*Cover photo and synopsis from Goodreads*</span></div>
<br />Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-6536466221581578482016-08-20T10:30:00.000-04:002016-08-20T10:30:16.529-04:00Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23587115-spontaneous">Spontaneous</a> by Aaron Starmer</b></div>
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<b>Release Date: August 23rd</b></div>
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<b>Publisher: Dutton</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">*ARC received by publisher for honest feedback*</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText17519480043999892810"><i>Mara Carlyle’s senior year at Covington High in suburban New Jersey is going on as normally as could be expected, until the day—wa-bam!—fellow senior Katelyn Ogden explodes during third period pre-calc. Katelyn is the first, but she won’t be the last senior to spontaneously combust without warning or explanation. The body count grows and the search is on for a reason—Terrorism! Drugs! Homosexuality! Government conspiracy!—while the seniors continue to pop like balloons.<br /><br />Mara narrates the end of their world as she knows it with tell-it-like-it-is insight as she tries to make it to graduation in one piece through an explosive year punctuated by romance, quarantine, lifelong friendship, hallucinogenic mushrooms, bloggers, ice cream trucks, “Snooze Button™,” Bon Jovi, and the filthiest language you’ve ever heard the President of the United States use over Skype.</i></span></div>
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<span>As soon as I was told that this book was about a high school where teens start spontaneously combusting, I knew I was going to read it. I didn't need to know anything else to be convinced this should be added to my TBR. I've never read a book about spontaneous combustion, but having some basic knowledge about what it is I figured this book could either be really great or really terrible. It definitely falls into the realm of great for me. </span></div>
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<span>Our narrator is Mara. Mara tells it like it is, or at least she tells it like she sees it. And Mara has seen things, a lot of them being her exploding classmates. Let me just say, there are a lot of exploding teens in this book. Of course, given the plot of this story, this isn't really all that shocking. I'll be honest, the exploding teens aren't even the most interesting part of this book. I'd even venture to say, they are the least interesting part. What I found most interesting, and what kept me turning pages, were the reactions to what was happening in this little New Jersey town. The reactions of the students, the parents, the government, our country, and even the world. The people outside of Covington, and even some of the people inside, had the strongest reactions. We all know that humanity as a whole doesn't really know how to handle it when something they don't understand happens. In this book, and I imagine if it started happening in real life, they ultimately react how you would expect. Keep them contained! Don't let it spread! Do whatever you must to figure out what is wrong with them!</span></div>
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<span>I think what I liked most, though, was after all that initial panic and mayhem. Once the rest of the world started to forget about them, once other tragedies overshadowed this one and they were left to their own devices we got to see this kids trying to get their lives back. To make the most out of their new reality. And I think this is where the true message lies. We never know when our time is up, and while most of us probably won't meet our end by exploding, you have to take charge of your life and get as much out of it as you can while you can. Don't get me wrong, some of them went about it in all the wrong ways, but that seems pretty realistic to me. Mara was one of the worst offenders, hanging out near the rockiest of rock bottoms, but she gets her fight back and while the end is left pretty wide open, there is hope. And really isn't that all we need in life? Hope and a little perseverance?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">*Image and synopsis provided by Goodreads</span></div>
Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-47031588042129176502016-08-04T00:34:00.001-04:002016-08-04T00:38:16.991-04:00Furious Rush by S.C. Stephens Teaser Blitz w/ Excerpt and Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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ABOUT THE BOOK</div>
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Title: FURIOUS RUSH</div>
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Author: S.C. Stephens</div>
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On Sale: August 23, 2016</div>
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Publisher: Forever</div>
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Format: Trade Paperback & eBook</div>
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Price: $12.99 USD (TP) / $4.99 USD (eBook)</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26097165-furious-rush">Add to Goodreads</a></div>
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The first in an emotion-fueled, New Adult series from the #1 bestselling author of the Thoughtless novels!</div>
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Too fast, too furious—and way too hot to handle… </div>
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Mackenzie Cox has a lot to prove. Daughter of a racing legend, she is eager to show the world that she has inherited her father's talent in the male-dominated sport of professional motorcycle racing. The last thing Kenzie needs is to be antagonized by her rival team's newest rider, Hayden Hayes. Plucked from the world of illegal street racing, Hayden immediately gets under Kenzie's skin. His insinuations that Kenzie is a spoiled princess who was handed her career fuels her desire to win, and much to her surprise, Kenzie soon learns she performs better when she's racing against Hayden.</div>
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As Kenzie and Hayden push each other on the track, the electric energy between them off the track shifts into an intense—and strictly forbidden—attraction. The only rule between their two ultra-competitive teams is zero contact. Kenzie always does her best to play by the rules, but when her team slips into a financial crisis, she has no choice but to turn to Hayden for help. The tension simmers during their secret, late-night rendezvous, but Kenzie has too much to lose to give in to her desires. Especially when she begins to doubt that Hayden has completely left his street life behind...</div>
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<i>Honda Boy was holding his helmet
under an arm while he flirted with the girls surrounding him. He was blond,
with a short, shaggy hairstyle that probably took a lot more effort to create
than it looked like. I could tell from the way the girls around him were
tittering like teenagers that he was charming; with seemingly little effort on
his part, he had all of them eating out of his hand. When a break in the crowd
gave me a clear view of his face, I realized another thing: He was smokin’,
someone-hold-on-to-my-ovaries- before-they-explode hot.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>There was a perfect symmetry to his
rugged features that made it seem unreal that he was standing just a few feet
away from me. He should be plastered on a billboard somewhere, half-naked,
selling overpriced cologne to men who wanted just a fraction of his sex appeal.
As if he could feel my eyes on him, he turned his gaze my way. Our eyes met and
locked, and I was helpless to turn away. There was something carnal about him,
primal and dangerous. Exotic. I was instantly captivated, and I hated that I
was. This guy was neck-deep in a world that twisted my stomach, a world that
spat in the face of my sport. My career.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>As his light-colored eyes bored
holes into mine, one edge of his lip curved up in a devilish crooked grin that
was both playful and promising. He was practically shouting, with just that one
deadly smile, that he would satisfy my every desire, satiate every craving I
could possibly have. My heart started thudding in my chest as sensations that
had been dormant for far too long swirled to life in- side me. Luckily for me,
the big man taking the guy’s bets clapped him on the shoulder, breaking our stare
down. Once I was free of his steamy gaze, I instantly turned around so my back
was to him. Jesus, was I breathing
harder? Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. I was twenty-two, not twelve.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Damn,” I heard Nikki say. “You
were right. I should have bet on him from the get-go. I didn’t really get a
good look at him before, but he is freaking hot!”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Inhaling a deep breath, I attempted
to force my body back in line with my brain. “This guy is undefeated?” I asked Nikki. “Really?” She nodded in
answer and I had to close my eyes for a second. A face like that with racing
skills to boot? Jesus.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Clearing my throat, I nonchalantly
asked, “What did you say his name was again?” I could at least label the guy in
the fantasy I was surely going to have later.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Hayden... something. He’s been around for a while, from
what I gathered.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I risked a glance over my shoulder
at... Hayden. He’d slipped his helmet on, thankfully, although his visor was
popped up. The big guy taking bets had been joined by a skinny Hispanic guy who
seemed to be giving Hayden instructions. Or maybe a pep talk. The little guy
was acting out the race that was about to happen with his hands, complete with
swerving and explosions. God, I hoped there weren’t going to be explosions.
While he was going through his dramatic highlights, the big guy looped a camera
over Hayden’s helmet.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>When the two competitors were
ready, they backed their motor- cycles onto the street. A cheer ripped up and
down the sidewalk as the hopeful gamblers prepared for another round of racing.
I didn’t want to feel anything but contempt for what I was witnessing, yet the
energy of the spectators, the roar of the bikes—I couldn’t help the zing of
excitement that raced up my spine. Against my will, my mouth twisted into a
wide grin, and a yell of encouragement left my lips. Hayden’s helmet swiveled
my way as he revved his engine. My pulse quickened as our eyes met. Then he
winked at me and slammed his visor shut.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>As the riders moved into position,
Nikki grabbed my arm. “Come on. We can watch the action from the van.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I had no idea what she was talking
about. Before I could ask her, though, she yanked me toward a black van parked
on the sidewalk. The back doors were open, and a giant monitor attached to a
swinging metal arm was sticking out above the hovering crowd. The screen was
split in two, each half showing the footage from one racer’s helmet cam. Hayden
and his opponent were both looking straight ahead, and the dual feeds showed
similar stretches of barren road. Looking down the street, I saw that the pair
were stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Returning my eyes to the monitor, I
found myself holding my breath as I waited for the signal to change colors.
When it turned green and the bikes surged forward, I stepped closer to the van,
like that would somehow release my pent-up energy. In unison, the crowd around
me started hooting and hollering. Swept up in the moment, I bounced on my toes
and prayed for speed. But after watching the screen for just a few seconds, I
was struck with the harsh reality of the situation I was watching. This was no
closed-off track with well-defined paths. This was down and dirty, anything
goes, just get to the finish line first racing.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>The bikes blew through red lights
like they meant absolutely nothing. The streets were fairly empty at this early
hour, but they blurred past the few vehicles on the road like they were
standing still; they had to be going 100 miles per hour, easy. They dodged
obstacles by hopping onto the sidewalk, they fishtailed around slick corners,
and they came close to colliding with oncoming traffic more than once.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I turned to Nikki with shock clear
on my face. “This is insane! Someone’s going to get hurt. Maybe killed!”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Nikki’s face was pure elation as
she watched the screens. Her expression changed as my words sunk in, then she
looked at me like I had a foot sticking out of my head. I supposed it was odd
to hear that type of statement coming from someone who routinely hovered around
the 150 mark on the speedometer while riding, but that was a completely
different kind of environment. Believe it or not, what I did was safe,
relatively speaking. Millions of dollars were spent to make it that way. This was not safe. At all.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“They’re breaking every traffic law
there is,” I added, feeling like a giant stick in the mud. Someone needed to be
the voice of reason here, though, because everyone was clearly out of their
ever loving minds.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBiM9oEcnNHYon49udhfggXod9-EOi3B8SbjpOb1xtDkIx4qGMLhprqjTWJrUn7QDlgzyL6T3QmznHx3Z615W17wGHEQVNfVnk3ma0oISkvGYXhlwQ7__OlbS_wTR-cROeG2Z_LOmzAQv/s1600/Hayden-Hayes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBiM9oEcnNHYon49udhfggXod9-EOi3B8SbjpOb1xtDkIx4qGMLhprqjTWJrUn7QDlgzyL6T3QmznHx3Z615W17wGHEQVNfVnk3ma0oISkvGYXhlwQ7__OlbS_wTR-cROeG2Z_LOmzAQv/s320/Hayden-Hayes2.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
<i>Nikki smirked at my comment. “It’s
a race, Kenzie. They can’t exactly drive cautiously. Why do you think this
happens so late at night?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Because it’s illegal,” I
deadpanned. I got a couple of odd looks from the crowd after saying that,
including a particularly nasty glare from Hayden’s bet collector. Maybe this
wasn’t the best place to be talking about the law. Shutting my mouth, I quickly
refocused on the screen.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Just as I noticed a familiar
section of street come into view on the monitor, one side of the screen started
wobbling, then the camera showed asphalt, sparks, spinning scenery, and a
rapidly approaching telephone pole. The crowd around me hushed as it became
clear that Hayden’s competition wasn’t going to finish this race. I heard
Hayden’s bike rounding the corner seconds later, then Nikki was once again
pulling me along like a rag doll. She shoved us into a good position to see the
finish line right as Hayden’s Honda whizzed past. He was alone. Cheers erupted
mixed with a few groans from the people who’d bet on the other guy.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Just as I was wondering if anyone
was going to go check on the Ninja rider, Nikki grabbed my shoulders and
started shaking me with uncontainable joy. “We won, Kenzie! We frickin’ won!”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Great,” I said, clenching my teeth
so I wouldn’t bite my tongue. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Releasing me, Nikki let out a
squeal of excitement. “I just made enough money to pay you back and cover my loss. See, aren’t you glad
you came?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I narrowed my eyes into poisonous
daggers that would hopefully drill some sense into her. “I hate you,” I
murmured. Nikki held a hand over her
heart. “I know by hate you mean love, and I love you too, Kenzie. Now let’s
collect my winnings and go home so you can rest up. Big year this year!”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I opened my mouth to scold her with
some biting remark about how I’d wanted to leave ages ago, but she turned on
her heel and left me there, gaping. Just as I was forcing the muscles in my jaw
to relax enough to contract, Hayden pulled up next to where I was standing on
the sidewalk. It felt like the world suddenly shifted into slow motion as I
turned my head to look at him.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>He was still hunched over his bike,
hands on the grip and throttle; the only indication that he was looking at me
was the direction of his dark helmet. Then, like some freaking Prince Charming
in a fairy tale, he slowly removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. I
swear the air around me condensed as his tilted smile came into view. Jesus
Christ, this guy was sex on a stick.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Reaching up, he roughly ran a hand
through his sweaty dirty- blond hair. The short, sexy shag he’d had going on
earlier was destroyed from the helmet, but somehow after just a few scruffs of
his hand, the carefree style was back to utter perfection. I kind of wanted to
mess it up again, run my hands through the strands, grab a handful and clench
it tight while I outlined those incredibly kissable lips with my tongue.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<i>Whoa. No. I didn’t want that.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>His penetrating gaze studied my
face for a moment. There was something there in his eyes that I couldn’t quite
grasp. Interest, sure, but almost... sadness too. Then he smiled, and the look
vanished so fast, I was sure I’d imagined it. “Haven’t seen you here before,”
he said, his voice low and easy, like he hadn’t just risked his life. “I hope
you bet on me. It would be a shame to see someone as beautiful as you... lose.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>His grin turned suggestive, and
warning signs started flashing in front of my eyes. Danger! Do not proceed! Rocky road ahead! Turn back now! The
warnings flared even brighter when he stood from his motorcycle and began
approaching me.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<i>When he was directly in front of
me, so close that I could smell the subtle spicy aroma of his cologne, my heart
was hammering so hard, I was positive he could hear it, positive he could see
my T-shirt lifting and releasing like a frantic hummingbird was hiding under
the fabric. What the hell was he doing to me? Was I nervous or excited? Because
the sensation was so similar to both, I honestly couldn’t tell.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Extending a hand, he smoothly said,
“Name’s Hayden. Hayden Hayes.” I was just about to lift my hand and touch
him—my fingers even twitched in response—when he added, “And what should I call
you, sweetheart?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Sweetheart?
With those two simple syllables he had just dumped a bucket of ice water over
my head and killed any fantasy I might have had about him. I lived, worked, and
breathed in a world where men looked at me like I was a second-class citizen.
To prove my worth, I had to work harder, longer, and with everything I had
inside me, all the fucking time. I felt like he’d just tried to take all of
that hard work away from me with that one demeaning word.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Leaving,” I said, walking away.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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reside in the Pacific Northwest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It's a virtual-party!!! Please
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<br />Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-41461404929576213692016-07-28T11:00:00.000-04:002016-07-28T11:00:04.495-04:00A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody</div>
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Release Date: August 2nd, 2016</div>
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Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux</div>
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<strong><em>When I made the wish, I just wanted a do-over. Another chance to make things right. I never, in a million years, thought it might actually come true... </em> </strong> </div>
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<i>Sixteen-year-old Ellison Sparks is having a serious case of the Mondays. She gets a ticket for running a red light, she manages to take the world’s worst school picture, she bombs softball try-outs and her class election speech (note to self: never trust a cheerleader when she swears there are no nuts in her bake-sale banana bread), and to top it all off, Tristan, her gorgeous rocker boyfriend suddenly dumps her. For no good reason!</i></div>
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<i>As far as Mondays go, it doesn’t get much worse than this. And Ellie is positive that if she could just do it all over again, she would get it right. So when she wakes up the next morning to find she’s reliving the exact same day, she knows what she has to do: stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her. But it seems no matter how many do-overs she gets or how hard Ellie tries to repair her relationship, Tristan always seems bent set on ending it. Will Ellie ever figure out how to fix this broken day? Or will she be stuck in this nightmare of a Monday forever?</i></div>
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<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel like I've been on a roll with YA contemporaries lately. I've read a</span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> few in a row </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">and I've really enjoyed all of them. A Week of Mondays is no </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">exception. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It started out a little rocky for me, because I intially pegged </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ellie as unlikeable </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">and whiny. As I got further into the story and Ellie </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">got further into her </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">predicament, I started to feel for her and genuinely </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">cared about what </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">was going to happen </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">to her. </span></pre>
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</span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I knew where I wanted things to end up, and I could see the potential for it </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">there, but </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">honestly I wasn't sure if it was going to go that way in the end. </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ellie was so dead </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">set on her endgame and while I admired her tenacity, </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wasn't sure she was going to </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"wake up and smell the roses" so to speak. </span></pre>
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</span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And can we just take a moment to discuss the fact that having the day that </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">reoccurs over and </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">over be a Monday really sucks. I mean, come on! Once </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">things go back to normal, if they </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">go back to normal, you will still have </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">a full week to go through. On top of all of those </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mondays. Ick!</span></pre>
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</span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, and shout out to her best friend Owen! What a cool kid. He's the kind of </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">guy I would </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">have absolutely been friends with when I was her age. </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You know what, I'd probably be friends </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">with him now, too! </span></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And he was the best kind of best friend, truly there for Ellie.</span></pre>
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A Week of Mondays was really fun and SO cute! At first I wasn't sure if </div>
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I was going to like Ellie but as the Mondays went on I got to like her more </div>
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and more. I liked how she learned new things each Monday, and how these things </div>
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gave her more insight into the people around her. It was a fun, quick read </div>
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and really pretty funny.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Definitely a solid YA contemporary!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-61524231575929272932016-07-21T11:00:00.000-04:002016-07-21T11:00:17.483-04:00P.S. I Like You by Kasie West<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25486998-p-s-i-like-you">P.S. I Like You</a> by Kasie West</span></div>
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Release Date: July 26th, 2016</div>
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Publisher: Point</div>
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<span id="freeText1322006802931575847"><i>What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?<br /><br />While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she's flustered -- and kind of feels like she's falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer -- but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart?</i></span></div>
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I absolutely love the idea of a mystery pen pal romance. So I decided to make P.S. I Like You my first Kasie West book. And I was not disappointed. This book was overflowing with cute and had so much wonderful snark. Our main gal Lily liked to stay under the radar. She loves good music, playing guitar, and dreams of being a successful songwriter. Of course, she's got to actually finish a song first.</div>
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She jots down a line to her favorite song on her desk in chemistry and the next day, whoever sits at her desk in a different chem class, wrote the next lyric to the song in response. Thus begins the pen pal relationship that is central to our story. Lily and her mystery pen pal find it easy to confide in each other and they start to grow closer without knowing who either of them are. </div>
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It was fun reading their back in forth, especially because it was pretty obvious early on who the mystery pen pal was, but even though I had it guessed it didn't ruin the story. I think it actually made it better, because I was so curious how it was all going to come out and how they were going to handle it when they found out the truth. </div>
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This book was chock full of good banter, awesome friendships, and crazy family that come through in the end. I will definitely be picking up other Kasie West novels, because I am hoping for more adorable and solid contemporaries just like this one!</div>
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*Advanced copy provided by the publisher for honest feedback*</div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: x-small;">*Cover and blurb from Goodreads</span></div>
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<br />Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-80339924565768860002016-07-18T11:00:00.000-04:002016-07-18T11:00:15.406-04:00More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19542841-more-happy-than-not">More Happy Than Not</a> by Adam Silvera</span></div>
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Release Date: June 2nd, 2015</div>
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Publisher: Soho Teen</div>
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<i>In the months after his father's suicide, it's been tough for 16-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness again--but he's still gunning for it. With the support of his girlfriend Genevieve and his overworked mom, he's slowly remembering what that might feel like. But grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist prevent him from forgetting completely. </i></div>
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<i>When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron spends all his time hanging out with this new guy, Thomas. Aaron's crew notices, and they're not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can't deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself, despite the tensions their friendship is stirring with his girlfriend and friends. Since Aaron can't stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is. </i></div>
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<i>Why does happiness have to be so hard?</i></div>
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Aaron is just a regular kid who hangs out with his friends from the neighborhood, spends time at the comic book store, and hangs out with his girlfriend. Of course, Aaron has been through some pretty intense stuff in his relatively short life and somedays are harder than others. His best friend acts weird around him lately and he's starting to question whether his girlfriend is really the one he wants to be with. Once Thomas comes into Aaron's life, his discontent seems to lessen, things start to feel like they are falling into place for him, and he just genuinely seems happier. I just really wanted Aaron to come out on top.</div>
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So when things with Thomas take a turn, I was really bummed that Aaron wanted to turn to the Leteo Institute. Sometimes life sucks and you just really wish you could forget all of the pain, but that's also the stuff that makes us who we are. I guess I understand to some extent, especially because there were so many people that behaved so horribly in reaction to the things going on with Aaron, but the people who truly mattered loved him anyway and that's why I had a hard time agreeing with the decision Aaron was making.</div>
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<span id="freeTextContainerreview1410356024">This book had me all over the place trying to decide what was really going on. And I never could have guessed how it would actually end. It definitely got me teared up on a couple of occasions and in the end just left me wanting to give Aaron a hug.<br /><br />I thought this was a great story and even though I'm a little behind on reading it, I'm glad I finally did. I'm really looking forward to what Adam Silvera has to offer next.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: x-small;">*Cover photo and blurb from Goodreads</span></div>
Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-30410891112752486082016-07-09T11:42:00.000-04:002016-07-09T11:42:51.884-04:00My Weekend at ALA Annual 2016!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JJywhZIVNJQaXF1RzVf7-dFy9mnhGyU1d80LuLooGvyh_HBz5M0DI1tBuDE5cfnoJ49Fz-j9M78D_T-D5SPEcVe3lXLXqAg74IaxQiDjcMMQlDRI3vzpBs-8YnRhNS9F08L4qQPh0SAn/s1600/AC16_VendorLOGO_CMYK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JJywhZIVNJQaXF1RzVf7-dFy9mnhGyU1d80LuLooGvyh_HBz5M0DI1tBuDE5cfnoJ49Fz-j9M78D_T-D5SPEcVe3lXLXqAg74IaxQiDjcMMQlDRI3vzpBs-8YnRhNS9F08L4qQPh0SAn/s640/AC16_VendorLOGO_CMYK.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have been wanting to attend a book event like ALA or BEA for years, but for many reasons I have never been able to attend one. This year, though, ALA came to Orlando, which is just a short road trip from where I live. So I got my best friend Shanon on board and we made our way to Orlando!<br />
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It was held in the West Concourse of the Orange County Convention Center, which prior to MegaCon in May, I had never been to. Having just been there the previous month, though, I felt a little more comfortable making my way around the area. Let me just say, the OCCC is really nice and the area is so pretty. We were so excited we neglected to actually take any pictures of the convention center, the exhibit hall, or any of the awesome posters and advertisements that were all over the place. The picture of the convention building is actually from their website...</div>
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So we got ourselves parked and made our way into the building. Having never been to anything like this, we had no idea what to expect. We got our badges, programs, and tote bags and headed over to the exhibit hall. There was so much to see along the way. There were signs and posters everywhere and they even had images covering the staircases. Very cool. When first walked in it was totally overwhelming and we honestly didn't know where to go first. We ended up at the HarperCollins booth first and it was kind of a whirlwind from there.</div>
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It was honestly a little like living in a dream, because there were books everywhere and there was always someone there eager to tell you about what books they were excited for. It felt really strange to pick up a book to read the description and then have someone tell you to please feel free to take one. I mean, don't all of us as book lovers dream of places where there are endless amounts of books and people are just giving them to you?</div>
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I guess it stayed pretty overwhelming for about the first half of the day. Amidst all of that, though, we stumbled across some really awesome books that we might have never known about otherwise. While in the Penguin Random House booth, one of the lovely ladies working there started telling me about a book called Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer. It wasn't one that I had known about previously, but once she told us it was about a high school where kids start to spontaneously combust, I knew it was something I had to read. It is one of the books I got that I am most excited about reading and I'm so grateful to have discovered it at ALA!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23587115-spontaneous">Spontaneous</a> by Aaron Starmer</td></tr>
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Later in the day we had a few signings that we wanted to attend. We met up with a few other YA contemporary fans and started the line for the Emery Lord signing at the Bloomsbury booth. Then we headed over to Simon & Schuster to have books signed by Morgan Matson and Siobhan Vivian. They were all so incredibly sweet and charming, and Morgan Matson is one of my absolute favorite contemporary YA authors, so getting to meet her was really cool!</div>
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There was one book that was at the top of our list to try and get while we were at ALA, Caraval by Stephanie Garber, and it was even more exciting because she was there to sign copies. Unfortunately, when we went to get in line for the signing, we were told that it was for librarians only. We were seriously bummed, but we were having so much fun anyway, we didn't let it get us down for too long. We went by the Macmillan booth a little while later, just to see if they had an ARCs left of Caraval, and they did! We weren't able to get it signed, but we were so excited and grateful. Our ALA trip was made.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27883214-caraval">Caraval</a> by Stephanie Garber!</td></tr>
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I'll admit, I'm a little embarrassed by how many books I ended up bringing home with me. I came home with way less than I could have, but quite a few more than I had planned on. This is the reason we ultimately decided not to go back on Sunday. While we know it would have been another amazing day, and there were a couple of signings we wouldn't have minded attending, we knew the allure of books and book excitement would have been in full force and we already felt greedy. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a long, very warm, day in Orlando! This was the only pic we remembered to take of ourselves :0)</td></tr>
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We are so grateful to generosity of all of the publishers and authors at ALA Annual this year! It was so much fun hanging out with all of the bookish folks and their excitement for stories. If we get the chance to make it to Midwinter in Atlanta next year, we'll look forward to seeing everyone again!</div>
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<br />Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-13634679256724784172016-06-21T11:00:00.000-04:002016-06-21T11:00:08.945-04:00When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21411112-when-joss-met-matt">When Joss Met Matt</a> by Ellie Cahill</span></div>
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Publisher: Ballantine Books</div>
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<span id="freeText12787412511203053705"><i>Dating can be fun, but it can leave a nasty taste in your mouth. For Joss, ever since her longtime boyfriend cheated on her, she doesn’t want her last memory of a guy to be that jerk. Enter her college friend, Matt. They come up with a theory: after a bad break-up, a person needs to cleanse the palate with a little sorbet sex. Lovers for a night, but always back to being friends in the morning. The two can handle it because they have a contract: rules they wrote, rules they follow and rules they can sometimes bend. The arrangement works: everyone needs a little sorbet now and again … until it starts to be the only thing you want. And then Joss breaks the one rule they never wrote down: don’t fall in love.</i></span> <a data-text-id="12787412511203053705" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21411112-when-joss-met-matt#"></a></div>
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<tr><th valign="top"></th><td colspan="1"><span class="readable reviewText">This book is the CUTEST! And seriously funny. I want every book I read, from now on, to be this charming and adorable :0)<br /><br />Joss and Matt live in the same dorm their Freshman year of college and meet one night at a party. Matt is a nice guy and he seems to take an interest in Joss, but she has a boyfriend, so they decide to become friends. The two of them together was so wonderfully banter filled and it was very clear how much they really liked each other. After one of them has a particular horrible break-up, the two of them stumble into a friends with benefits scenario, that they charmingly refer to as "sexual sorbet".<br /><br />We get to see their friendship over the course of the next seven years. Through college, new apartments, grown-up jobs, plenty of dates, lots of relationships and their subsequent ends. Joss and Matt's friendship, minus the sorbet, reminded me of some of my best friendships when I was younger and I certainly hope that we were as funny as the two of them were. Romance aside, I really loved seeing these two together. They have such a stellar friendship and if it weren't for the fact that I desperately wanted this to end up with them realizing they were absolutely in lurrrve...I would be totally cool with this just being an awesome friendship story.<br /><br />Basically I just want to gush and squeal, because I just loved this book so much. The only downside I can see here, is that now I'm a little afraid to read another Ellie Cahill book, because what if it is not as perfect as this little gem? Seriously, though, I recommend this to everyone!<br /><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: x-small;">*Cover photo and description from Goodreads</span></span></td></tr>
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Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054588101016966423.post-63327003413960281582016-06-14T20:08:00.002-04:002016-06-14T20:08:55.382-04:00Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23480844-firsts">Firsts</a> by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn</span></div>
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Release Date: January 5th, 2016</div>
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Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin</div>
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<i>Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time- the kind Mercedes never had herself.</i></div>
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<i>Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.</i></div>
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<i>When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process.</i></div>
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It is evident pretty quickly into the book that Mercy is lost. She doesn't really know who she is or who she wants to be, but she thinks she's in control and she does some pretty extreme things to keep a handle on her "control". I felt sad for Mercy a lot throughout this story, because she went about so many things in all the wrong ways and didn't trust people enough to let them get close and be there for her. Obviously, as an outside observer, you knew everything was going to go wrong eventually, but that was really the only way it could ever go. </div>
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<span id="freeTextreview1639052498">There was a lot I liked about this book. I was definitely a fan of the message about double standards and learning to appreciate the people in your life who want to be there. I was a little bothered by Mercy at points in the book. The way she treated herself and other people just got under my skin. Which I guess was probably the point, at least to some extent, but in the end I felt like she could have done more to earn things back. I won't say more, because I don't want to spoil things.<br /><br />All in all, I enjoyed Mercy's story and I think it says a lot of good things.</span></div>
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<span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: x-small;">*Cover photo and description from Goodreads</span></span></div>
</span>Sarah (The Book Life)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09337232061798651120noreply@blogger.com1