Book Blitz + Giveaway: Breaking the Rules by Katie McGarry

Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits #1.5) by Katie McGarry 

Release Date: December 8, 2014

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

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Pre-Order Links: Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books│iBooks│Google Play│The Book Depository

Goodreads links for the series:

Pushing the Limits│Dare You To│Crash Into You│Take Me On

Summary from Goodreads

A summer road trip changes everything in this unforgettable new tale from acclaimed author Katie McGarry.

For new high school graduate Echo Emerson, a summer road trip out west with her boyfriend means getting away and forgetting what makes her so... different. It means seeing cool sights while selling her art at galleries along the way. And most of all, it means almost three months alone with Noah Hutchins, the hot, smart, soul-battered guy who’s never judged her. Echo and Noah share everything — except the one thing Echo’s just not ready for.

But when the source of Echo’s constant nightmares comes back into her life, she has to make some tough decisions about what she really wants — even as foster kid Noah’s search for his last remaining relatives forces them both to confront some serious truths about life, love, and themselves.

Now, with one week left before college orientation, jobs and real life, Echo must decide if Noah's more than the bad-boy fling everyone warned her he'd be. And the last leg of an amazing road trip will turn... seriously epic.

EXCERPT

From Echo’s Point of View

I smile, amazed by the roses, by his faith in me and by the fact that he’s absolutely fantastic. “Thanks.”

Noah gently pulls one of the curls. “Damn, baby, don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you want me to kiss you.”

But I do want him to kiss me. Instead, I shove at his wall of a chest, and he winks at me before he grabs the keys to the car and walks out the door. The air conditioner kicks off, and I lean against the headboard, staring at Noah’s roses on the bedside table. I pick one up, inhale the sweet scent and wonder, when it comes to it, why I’m waiting.

From Noah’s Point of View

I crouch by the edge and watch as Echo kicks up from the bottom. Her red hair wildly fans out in the water, and as she breaks through to the surface, it slicks back against her head. She coughs, then drags in her first gulp of air. Damn if my siren doesn’t look sexy all wet and disheveled.

From Echo’s Point of View

Noah leans into my touch, and I love that I have that effect on him. I lick my lips, half hoping he kisses me—half wondering what would happen if he did.

About the Author

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

**GIVEAWAY**

Blitz wide Giveaway

Signed paperbacks of Pushing the Limits, Dare to You, Crash into You and Hardcover of Take on Me

Click HERE to Enter

Book Blitz Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Release Date: July 29, 2014

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

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Summary from Goodreads:

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Early Praise:

“Reminiscent of John Green’s Paper Towns and road trip novels that feature a teen paving the way to adulthood, Alsaid’s debut is a gem among contemporary YA novels.” – School Library Journal

“Five love stories, beautifully woven together by a special girl in search of adventure, hope, and full appreciation of life’s simple pleasures. A do-not-miss.  ” – Justine Magazine

“Moving and poignant.”  - Glitter Magazine

“An entertaining and romantic road-trip debut.” – Kirkus

"Leila's quest to find the Northern Lights takes readers on a captivating cross-country journey, where four strangers' adventures collide into one riveting tale of finding yourself." ―YABooksCentral.com

“This will likely be a popular summer hit, especially for older teen about to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery.” –Booklist

Pre-Order Today!

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Indie Bound * Harlequin.com

Top 5 Travel-Themed Reads/Books to Read on the Road

With Friends like These by Danny Wallace- A very funny man—the author of Yes Man—decides to revisit long lost friends across the globe. A touching and entertaining read about the things worth traveling for.

Timbuktu by Paul Auster- A canine protagonist will teach you more about loneliness and how to be okay with it than any other book I’ve read. A great companion to the inevitable lonesome lulls while traveling. Plus it’s nice and light, so easy to carry with you.

101 Summertime Knock-Knock Jokes- Just kidding.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams- To vicariously go where no man has before, and to find the answer to the universe.

Best American Travel Series- I usually go for the Best Shorts collections, but I picked up one of the travel collections once and it immediately made me want to hit the road. The pieces range from touching to insightful to just plain entertaining. With contributors like Anthony Bourdain and Gary Shteyngart, there’s something in it to please everyone, and plenty of ideas for not just where to go next, but how.

Tales from Nowhere edited by Don George- Another collection of short pieces, all sent from different nowheres. From the back copy: “Nowhere is a setting, a situation and a state of mind. It's not on any map, but you know it when you're there.” A great non-fiction companion to Let’s Get Lost.

Things to pack

5. Books

4. Notebook/pen

3. My “I wish I could fly” penguin t-shirt for airplane days.

2. If it’s a road trip, snacks.

1.  Not much else. I prefer to keep it light.

About the Author

Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City, then studied at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While in class, he mostly read fiction and continuously failed to fill out crossword puzzles, so it's no surprise that after graduating, he did not go into business world but rather packed up his apartment into his car and escaped to the California coastline to become a writer. He's now back in his hometown, where he writes, coaches high school and elementary basketball, and has perfected the art of making every dish he eats or cooks as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he's lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas, and Monterey, California. A tingly feeling in his feet tells him more places will eventually be added to the list. Let's Get Lost is his YA debut.

Author Links:

http://www.letsgetlostbook.com/

http://www.somewhereoverthesun.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4505164.Adi_Alsaid

http://www.twitter.com/AdiAlsaid

https://www.facebook.com/adialsaidauthor

GIVEAWAY: Click here to enter

1 signed hard cover copy of Let’s Get Lost

1 Let’s Get Lost luggage tag

1 Harlequin TEEN notebook

1 Let’s Get Lost sachel

1 Harlequin TEEN tote bag

Review: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Expected Publication: July 29, 2014

Format: via Edelweiss

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Challenge: NetGalley/Edelweiss

Rating 4/5

Synopsis

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

My Thoughts

Four people all on a journey trying to find themselves, all different yet all of their lives connect and run through one person Leila. This story is told in five voices and each story we learn who these people are and where they are in life and where they want to be.

I won’t go through each story since I don’t like to spoil things for those of you who might want to read it but I highly enjoyed each tale. While each story is different they all have one thing in common a drifter named Leila who is on the ultimate road trip. She is a mystery yet she comes into each of these people lives for a reason. It seems that she arrives just when they are in need.

We slowly come to see who Leila is and what her backstory, and while we think she was brought to these people for whatever reason we realize that they give her more than she gives them. She is the one who is looking for something that in the end was always there from the very beginning. This is a story of truly finding yourself. Sometimes we have to get away and free ourselves from everything so that we can refocus and deal with things head on. In finding these individuals Leila came to see who she really was and realizing that running away from things isn’t always the solution. Maybe you can’t force things to happen, sometimes we have to just relax and things will come to us in the end.

Let’s Get Lost definitely one of the best road trip books around. Great characters, it’s funny yet very touching, this book is one truly worth getting lost in.

WoW [64]

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

Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Expected Publication: July 29, 2014

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Synopsis...

Five strangers. Countless adventures.One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Why I Can’t Wait….

ROAD TRIP!!! I love this! Nothing is better yet any and everything can happen…good or bad. Looks like a great summer read no doubt.

Feel free to link me to yours, I love to see what’s the next big read.

Review: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Expected Publication: January 28, 2014

Format: via NetGalley

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Challenges: 2014 NetGalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Life. Death. And...Love?

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with. But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge. Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

My Thoughts

Heartbeat is the tale of Emma and how she hates and blames everyone for her mother’s death. Like anyone in that situation she is devastated and can’t come to terms with her step father since she blames him for not letting her mom go. While her step dad is keeping her alive for the sake of their unborn child, Emma must see her every day and is torn mentally with her mom’s death. Who can blame her? Physically her mom is there but by all means she isn’t alive. All she has left is her best friend Olivia who is her saving grace. While at the hospital she seems Caleb, the bad boy from school. Although everyone tells her Caleb is no good is he really? Or is he just misunderstood? We later learn that Caleb has his own issues that he is dealing with, and we see why he and Emma are so  drawn to each other.

While I’ll admit the storyline can be a tad creepy it does make you wonder. I mean how would I feel? You can’t blame Emma for thinking what she does but at the same time she finds out she doesn’t know the whole story. She only saw what she wanted to and comes to terms with what has happened. I like the characters they were well written and each had their own attitudes that I could relate to. My favorite though was her best friend Olivia. I loved how she was quirky and had an old school vibe to her. I loved how she was so against technology since her parents were so consumed by it.

This book has heart and shows us how to accept things for what they are. That even the bad things can eventually bring out the good things without you even knowing. We all must experience things that we don’t want, these are the things that make us stronger in the end. I think that’s what Emma finally realizes in the end.