WoW [30]

Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

One Tiny Lie [Ten Tiny Breathes #2]

Expected Publication: June 11, 2013 [Ebook] /January 14, 2014 [paperback]

Publisher: Atria Books
a

Summary via Goodreads...

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

Why I Can’t Wait....

Great story can’t wait to read what happens next. Plus I love a great cover.

That’s what I’m waiting for…please share yours.

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week is a freebie week so I picked to spotlight…
Summer Reads…
Summer is here! Being in the South the temps are quickly rising, so here a few books I’ve read and a few that will be soon be thrown into my beach bag to be read in the sun relaxing. Regardless all these scream summer to me.
* Just want to plug my FAVE summer book so far this year... A Hundred Summers. It's a great read and has a awesome love story. Plus how can you resist that gorgeous cover?

That’s my Top Ten…what’s yours?

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

Gain new followers and make new friends! Or just check out the weekly questions and see what others respond.

Q: The #FF is 150 weeks old! And we want to hear from you! What would you change about the hop? What do you like about it? Or just suggest a question to be used for next week!

A: I LOVE the hop! I think it’s a great way for bloggers to get to know each other. I like meeting new friends and seeing what others are reading.

Please feel free to share. You can follow via GFC, email, or bloglovin’. Also feel free to friend me on Goodreads. Thanks!

Review: Talking to Girls about Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield

Talking to Girls about Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield

Published: June 15, 2010
Format: purchased paperback
Publisher: Dutton
Rating: 3/5

Summary via Goodreads

In Talking to Girls about Duran Duran, Sheffield shares the soundtrack to his eighties adolescence. When he turned 13 in 1980, Rob Sheffield had a lot to learn about women, love, music and himself, and in Talking to Girls About Duran Duran we get a glimpse into his transformation from pasty, geeky "hermit boy" into a young man with his first girlfriend, his first apartment, and a sense of the world. These were the years of MTV and John Hughes movies; the era of big dreams and bigger shoulder pads; and, like any all-American boy, this one was searching for true love and maybe a cooler haircut. It's all here: Inept flirtations. Dumb crushes. Deplorable fashion choices. Members Only jackets. Girls, every last one of whom seems to be madly in love with the bassist of Duran Duran. Sheffield's coming-of-age story is one that we all know, with a playlist that any child of the eighties or anyone who just loves music will sing along with. These songs-and Sheffield's writing-will remind readers of that first kiss, that first car, and the moments that shaped their lives.

My Thoughts

I must admit I was a tad disappointed with this after reading the wonderfully written Love is a Mix Tape. While his first novel was more of a love story this book focuses more of him growing up in the 80’s. Being a child of the 80’s I can totally relate every pop culture references and music that he talked about. It was definitely like traveling back in time. Rob Sheffield takes us back basically to the beginning of his love for music. I love how he can identify moments in his life with a simple song. I mean, can’t we all do that? I know I can hear a certain song and be instantly transmitted to single point in my life. I love that about music, it's the soundtrack to our lives.

That's why my favorite parts about his books are the playlists. While I knew most of the songs, it was a nice surprise to see some songs I didn’t know or completely forgot about. I love researching and tracking down new songs. So I love that he puts all these “mix tapes” together for us to search out.

While I didn’t have that emotional pull like I did to his first novel, this one was good nevertheless. It’s funny and has stories that we can relate to. It will surely make you think about your past for good or bad. It shows us that coming of age we all go through the heartaches, embarrassments, and the “firsts”. While it may seems like no one “understands” us we are more alike that we can ever imagine.

WoW [29]

Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

The Secrets She Carried by Barbara Davis

Expected Publication: October 1, 2013
Publisher: NAL Trade

Summary via Goodreads...

When a young woman returns to North Carolina after a thirty-year absence, she finds that the once grand tobacco plantation she called home holds more secrets than she ever imagined.

Though Peak Plantation has been in her family for generations, Leslie Nichols can’t wait to rid herself of the farm left to her by her estranged grandmother Maggie—and with it the disturbing memories of her mother’s death, her father’s disgrace, and her unhappy childhood. But Leslie isn’t the only one with a claim to Peak.

Jay Davenport, Peak’s reclusive caretaker, has his own reasons for holding onto the land bequeathed to him by Leslie’s grandmother. Before she died, Maggie hinted at a terrible secret surrounding Adele Laveau, a lady’s maid who came to Peak during the 1930s and died under mysterious circumstances. Jay is haunted by Maggie’s story, yet the truth eludes him—until Leslie uncovers a cryptically marked grave on the property.

As they delve into the mystery of Adele’s death, Leslie and Jay discover shocking secrets that extend deep into the roots of Leslie’s family tree—secrets that have the power to alter her life forever.

Why I Can’t Wait....

I can’t help myself when it comes to stories about secrets. Maybe it’s the busy body in me but it usually makes for a great and interesting read. Plus I loved a good Southern story.

That’s what I’m waiting for…please share yours.

Review: A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

Expected Publication: May 30, 2013
Format: ARC in exchange for an honest review
Publisher: Putnum
Rating: 5/5

Summary via Goodreads

Memorial Day, 1938: New York socialite Lily Dane has just returned with her family to the idyllic oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island, expecting another placid summer season among the familiar traditions and friendships that sustained her after heartbreak.

That is, until Greenwalds decide to take up residence in Seaview.

Nick and Budgie Greenwald are an unwelcome specter from Lily’s past: her former best friend and her former fiancé, now recently married—an event that set off a wildfire of gossip among the elite of Seaview, who have summered together for generations. Budgie’s arrival to restore her family’s old house puts her once more in the center of the community’s social scene, and she insinuates herself back into Lily's friendship with an overpowering talent for seduction...and an alluring acquaintance from their college days, Yankees pitcher Graham Pendleton. But the ties that bind Lily to Nick are too strong and intricate to ignore, and the two are drawn back into long-buried dreams, despite their uneasy secrets and many emotional obligations.

Under the scorching summer sun, the unexpected truth of Budgie and Nick’s marriage bubbles to the surface, and as a cataclysmic hurricane barrels unseen up the Atlantic and into New England, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional cyclone of their own, which will change their worlds forever.

My Thoughts

Where do I start? I can’t find the right words to describe how I feel about this book. In my opinion, simply put…it’s PERFECTION!

It’s an epic love story that spans the decade. I loved how the chapters alternated between how Nick and Lily meet and what was happening at the moment. You get to know and know these characters and you feel like you’re falling in love with them as they are with each other. It has rich characters, those you root for and those you despise, mainly for me that meanie Budgie. I swear there were times I wanted to jump into the pages and just smack her! For me it’s the true test of the author’s writing when they can make me love or truly hate a character. When they make them feel so real I can’t help but invest in them emotionally. It has drama, betrayal, romance and it keeps you interested and glued to the very end…literally! I won’t spoil anything but my emotions were nearly a wreck by the very last page. UGH!

After a decade of lies the truth all comes to ahead in the awake of a hurricane. You will be surprised, never quite guessing what’s in store. This book is a fine example of why I love to read. It’s one of those rare books that will stay with you way after you turn the final page. It has everything you could want in a story and more. Trust me you won’t be disappointed at all. Do yourself a favor and get it! It’s one of the best books I read...EVER…HANDS DOWN!

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

Gain new followers and make new friends! Or just check out the weekly questions and see what others respond.

Q: What is your favorite summer reading book?

A: Wow too many to name. I just love a good beach read. I look forward to them every year. I just love something light and funny with a splash of romance. Isn’t that what summer is all about?

Oh btw I'm currently reading A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams. It's so good! It's set in the 30's, has betrayal, secrets and a great love story. Definitely a great beach read! Pick it up when it comes out May 30th.

Please feel free to share. You can follow via GFC, email, or bloglovin’. Also feel free to friend me on Goodreads. Thanks!

Review: All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue

All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue

Expected Publication: May 21, 2013
Format: E-ARC provided via Edelweiss
Publisher: William Morrow & Co.
Rating: 2.5/5

Summary via Goodreads

In Philadelphia, good girl Kate is dumped by her fiancé the day she learns she is pregnant with his child. In New York City, beautiful stay-at-home mom Vanessa is obsessively searching the Internet for news of an old flame. And in San Francisco, Dani, the aspiring writer who can't seem to put down a book--or a cocktail--long enough to open her laptop, has just been fired...again.

In an effort to regroup, Kate, Vanessa, and Dani retreat to the New Jersey beach town where they once spent their summers. Emboldened by the seductive cadences of the shore, the women being to realize how much their lives, and friendships, have been shaped by the choices they made one fateful night on the beach eight years earlier--and the secrets that only now threaten to surface.

My Thoughts

Let’s start off by saying that although I gave this book 2.5 stars, it’s not a bad book. I just had high hopes for this book and it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. I thought it would be a light fluffy beach read. Instead I personally felt it kind of heavy.

Three friends who come together to reconnect after a few years, to the one place where they disconnected in the first place. All with their own problems in their current lives, they come to place where Kate’s brother died. All thinking they had something to do with it.

For some reason I just couldn’t connect with some of these characters. I just didn’t feel like I wanted to invest anytime with them. I liked Kate and I just wished her story with her fiancé was explored more. I would’ve loved to know more of Dani’s story. Exploring her personal life and why she’s so cut off emotionally and to see if she could finally find true love.

All in all it was an okay read in my opinion. I far from dislike it but not the summer beach read I was expecting.

Top Ten Tuesday: Tough Subjects

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week topic…

Books Dealing with Tough Subjects

These books whether its grief, sexual abuse, sexuality, suicide or just teens coming of age all are tough subjects to write much less deal with. However these authors wrote some amazing stories dealing with them.

Live Through This – Mindi Scott

Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson

The Fault in Our Stars – John Green

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

The Miseducation of Cameron Post – Emily M. Danforth

My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult

The Virgin Suicides – Jeffrey Eugenides

We Were the Mulvaneys – Joyce Carol Oates

White Oleander – Janet Fitch

Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher

That’s my Top Ten…what’s yours?

Review: Live Through This by Mindi Scott

Live Through This by Mindi Scott

Published: October 2, 2012
Format: Purchased
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Challenge: TRB Pile
Rating: 4/5

Summary via Goodreads

From the outside, Coley Sterling’s life seems pretty normal . . . whatever that means. It’s not perfect—her best friend is seriously mad at her and her dance team captains keep giving her a hard time—but Coley’s adorable, sweet crush Reece helps distract her. Plus, she has a great family to fall back on—with a mom and stepdad who would stop at nothing to keep her siblings and her happy.

But Coley has a lot of secrets. She won’t admit—not even to herself—that her almost-perfect life is her own carefully-crafted façade. That for years she’s been burying the shame and guilt over a relationship that crossed the line. Now that Coley has the chance at her first real boyfriend, a decade’s worth of lies are on the verge of unraveling.

In this unforgettable powerhouse of a novel, Mindi Scott offers an absorbing, layered glimpse into the life of an every girl living a nightmare that no one would suspect.

My Thoughts

Wow. This is one amazing story. It’s a story of bravery, hope and courage. When Coley’s secret is revealed all you want is for her to stand up for herself and get help. It’s a tough subject matter but one that I know can and will hopefully help someone out there. Coley’s courage to finally say something and admit to others and even herself about what has been happening breaks your heart. No one deserves to be taken advantage of and no one deserves to ever feel that pain…ever.

Mindi Scott takes a tough subject matter and writes a great book. Never over or under playing a single thing. I will say I was surprised when it was revealed who was hurting Coley. I must admit I never saw that one coming. I recommend reading and passing on this book to everyone. If this book can help at least one person than it’s all worth it. Abuse tends to make people feel ashamed when really it’s never the victims fault. I feel this wonderful book gives these victims a voice and speaks for those who can’t or won’t speak for themselves.

WoW [28]

Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

How to Love by Katie Cotugno

Expected Publication: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Balzer+Bray

Summary via Goodreads...

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

Why I Can’t Wait....

I love a good love story! Not to mention I’m dying to know why Sawyer left and to see how this story all plays out. Seems like this could be a really good, maybe even sappy love story.

That’s what I’m waiting for…please share yours.

Review: The Glass Wives by Amy Sue Nathan

The Glass Wives by Amy Sue Nathan

Expected Publication: May 14, 2013
Source: Finished copy provided by publisher
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Rating: 4/5

Summary via Goodreads

Evie and Nicole Glass share a last name. They also shared a husband.

When a tragic car accident ends the life of Richard Glass, it also upends the lives of Evie and Nicole, and their children. There’s no love lost between the widow and the ex. In fact, Evie sees a silver lining in all this heartache—the chance to rid herself of Nicole once and for all. But Evie wasn’t counting on her children’s bond with their baby half-brother, and she wasn’t counting on Nicole’s desperate need to hang on to the threads of family, no matter how frayed. Strapped for cash, Evie cautiously agrees to share living expenses—and her home—with Nicole and the baby. But when Evie suspects that Nicole is determined to rearrange more than her kitchen, Evie must decide who she can trust. More than that, she must ask: what makes a family?

My Thoughts

First and foremost I truly enjoyed this book. I read it in almost one sitting; I haven’t done that in a while. I loved this storyline of an unconventional family and how they come together after a tragedy. It’s a different twist on a subject we’ve seen before. What would happen to a broken family after a family member passes. How does the ex and once mistress now “wife” co-exist? Would they really have to? Or do they simply move on with each other’s respective lives?

These are some of the questions answered in Amy Sue Nathan's new book.  Never been married or having children I wondered if I could even relate. Needless to say I could and did. I could come into this fresh and seeing and understanding both Evie and Nicole’s sides and opinions.

Even though Evie questions having Nicole in their lives she’s a big enough person to do what’s best for her children in spite of her past feelings. Honestly I don’t know if I could do that if I were in her shoes. Then I thought back to the title. It's not only their last names. I see it as a reflection of each woman. How they see themselves in each other. Even though the situation may not be “normal” for some it works for them and the kids. However what is “normal” these days? The definition of family is changing every day and I for one am a believer in doing what works best for YOU. One shouldn’t care what others think or say. At the end of the day no one’s opinions should matter but your own.

Amy Sue Nathan wrote a wonderfully written book showing us family isn’t always merely by blood sometimes it’s friends, ex’s, neighbors or even strangers. It’s what you make out of it that truly counts.

IMM [20]

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, it is all about sharing what goodies you received during the week. This post features about 2 weeks of books.

Actual mailbox: [Thank you St. Martin’s Press!]

The Glass Wives by Amy Sue Nathan [currently reading...it's really good]

Love Me Anyway by Tiffany Hawk

Mystic by Alyson Noel

Chosen at Nightfall by C.C. Hunter

Lullaby by Amanda Hocking

Wake by Amanda Hocking

For Review via Edelweiss

Turn Around Bright Eyes by Rob Sheffield

Expected Publication: August 6, 2013

It Books

 

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu

Expected Publication: July 23, 2013

Simon Pulse

 

Lie Still by Julia Heaberlin

Expected Publication: July 9, 2013

Bantam

 

Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Expected Publication: September 3, 2013

Simon and Schuster BYR

The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank

Expected Publication: June 11, 2013

William Morrow & Co.

For Review via NetGalley

The Whole Golden World by Kristina Riggle

Expected Publication: November 5, 2013

William Morrow & Co.

 

The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard

Expected Publication: June 25, 2013

Harlequin MIRA

Bought [Hardcopy]

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
*found a hardcover copy for 4bucks at Thriftbooks.com couldn’t pass it up. Now my hardcover series is complete!

 Bought [Kindle]

Bossypants by Tina Fey

*.99 how could I not get it? Love her!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

That’s my haul. Link me to yours.

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

Gain new followers and make new friends! Or just check out the weekly questions and see what others respond.

Q: Give us a sneak peek! What are you reading? Tell us about a fun or fail scene in your current read.

A: I’m currently reading Bossypants by Tina Fey and The Glass Wives by Amy Sue Nathan. I’m more than half way through with Bossypants and its hilarious! I adore Tina Fey and I love her funny take on everything.
The Glass Wives is a how an ex-wife and new wife will co-exist after the man they had in common. If they can come together to form some sort of family for the sake of the kids left behind. I’m only about 30 pages in but it’s really good so far.

Please feel free to share. You can follow via GFC, email, or bloglovin’. Also feel free to friend me on Goodreads. Thanks!

Review: The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Expected Publication: May 14, 2013
Format: ARC provided by publisher
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Rating: 4/5

Summary via Goodreads

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

My Thoughts

I’ll be honest I didn’t know if I would like or even get into the whole “Witness Protection” thing. Boy was I wrong. I was pleasantly surprised by this wonderful novel. It has action and a real interesting storyline. It has you guessing and questioning any and everyone involved.

I also enjoyed the sub-plot of her friendship and eventual romance with Ethan. What can I say I love me a southern boy. What I liked was how his character never pushed Meg but at the same time knew there was something that wasn’t quite right. I loved how Meg finally realized she knew nothing would change if she didn’t at least try and trust people to some level. However the ending is what totally caught me off guard! I’m not one for posting spoilers on my reviews- but I never really saw it coming.

I can’t wait to see what author Ashley Elston has in store for us next. I enjoyed her storytelling and the twist and turns that she led me on. If I’m not mistaken I think I saw somewhere there is going to a sequel. I hope so I can’t wait to see how it all pans out.