Today I thought that I'd share my favorite reads from 2015. I've been posting these on a Goodreads shelf all year long, but some of them are books I'd also marked as favorites in 2014: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma, The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski, and The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon. Those I read in 2014, though they were officially published in 2015 -- would still recommend reading those! Last year I only made a video as a means of recommending books to people who didn't like YA much, but this year I wanted to make a full list!

Great contemporary reads --

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed, Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn, and Black Iris by Leah Raeder

Written in the Stars is a heartfelt exploration of an arranged marriage in Pakistan, written simply to maximize its impact and our identification with the main character on her horrific journey. Dumplin' is a romantic coming-of-age about a fat girl who competes in a beauty pageant to regain her confidence and self-love. About a girl trying to break into a men-only secret society, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is another great read from E. Lockhart. And what happens when you take three self-destructive, morally grey people and force them to interact with each other? A high stakes psychological thriller from Stephanie Kuehn, potentially her best work yet in Delicate Monsters. Black Iris is Leah Raeder's heart book, sexy, romantic suspense layered with questions about gender identity and sexuality. All are wonderful explorations of growing up in a patriarchal world.

You can read my reviews of: Black Iris, Delicate Monsters, and Dumplin'. I nominated Dumplin' and Delicate Monsters in theEpic Reads Book Shimmy Awards, and encouraged others to be excited for the release of Dumplin'.

Magical realism that takes risks in its narrative --

Chime by Franny Billingsley, Bone Gap by Laura Ruby, and The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

YA magical realism is a wonderful expanding genre that's pushing the boundaries of the typical YA narrative. All three of these stories are told in their own cyclical, winding ways, and all three have absolutely gorgeous writing. Chime tells the story of a girl regaining her confidence as she discovers the truth; Bone Gap tells a story about perception and beauty; and The Accident Season tells the story of a family broken by a tragic past. Highly recommended, and can't wait for more magical realism to crop up.

I discussed Bone Gap and The Accident Season here. I nominated Bone Gap in the Epic Reads Book Shimmy Awards.

Female-led historical journeys --

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson, Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, and Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Elizabeth Wein is a reigning queen of YA historical fiction, and Rose Under Fire was a gorgeous tale of female friendship tested under terrible circumstances. Walk on Earth a Stranger is about a girl with a fantastical ability to discover gold on an Oregon Trail-like, self-discovery journey to California, and it's as fantastic as that sounds.Daughter of the Forest is loosely based on the legend of the Children of Lir and "The Six Swans," a fairy tale told by the Grimms and many more. It's gorgeous and I absolutely adore the commingling of tender romance, Celtic atmosphere, and fantastical curses.

You can read my review of Walk on Earth a Stranger. Because of my love for Daughter of the Forest, I wrote a recommendation list of adult fiction for YA readers. I nominated Walk on Earth a Stranger in theEpic Reads Book Shimmy Awards, and encouraged others to be excited for its release.

Er, the only Urban Fantasy recommendation I have is Burned by Karen Marie Moning. A few years ago, I got caught up in adult urban fantasy, which is often sexy and led by kickass heroines. At this point, I'm not reading much adult UF (though feel free to recommend me some books!); only the Fever series remains on my tbr list.

Fantasy! Fantasy! Fantasy!

The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove, Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman, Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge, Serpentine by Cindy Pon, Eon by Alison Goodman, Poison Study by Maria Snyder, and A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Goodness, where to start? The Golden Specific is a part of the MG trilogy I said was most inventive MG fantasy I've read since Harry Potter. Shadow Scale is the much anticipated sequel to Seraphina, and is, like its predecessor, a wonderfully written masterpiece. Crown Duel is the most fun I've had with fantasy in a while. As Small Review said: "It's like a fantasy Pride and Prejudice with an imperfect main character who grows throughout the book, a swoony slow burn hate-turned-love romance, and lots and lots of political intrigue." Uprooted has a side plot of slow burning hate-to-love romance, a determined, spirited heroine who learns to wield magic with skill, plenty of plot twists and an absolutely wonderful main female friendship. Plus, of course, a creative fairy tale world, with a cinematically creepy evil Wood. Crimson Bound is very much of the same ilk as Uprooted; enjoyed one, and well, you should read the other. At its core, Serpentine features a wonderful main female friendship which runs well alongside a sweet romance, lush setting inspired by Chinese folklore, and an innately discussable premise about a girl with a power that makes her feel Other. Eon is an epic fantasy inspired by Japanese and Chinese mythology, full of daring adventure and heartbreaking action and romance, and layered with questions on gender identity. I'd definitely recommend Poison Study to fans of Throne of Glass; Poison Study is about the food taster to the Commander of a military regime, and the political intrigue, magic, and romance she unexpectedly finds. A Thousand Nights is a loose epic fantasy retelling of 1001 Nights, and features a heroine who defies the odds in not only surviving the threat of murder from her husband but also in becoming a stronger leader and a goddess in her own right. ALL FANTASTIC FANTASY READS!

You can read my reviews of: A Thousand Nights, Eon, Serpentine, Crimson Bound, Uprooted, Shadow Scale, and the Mapmakers trilogy. I discussed Crown Duel and Poison Study here. I nominated Serpentine and A Thousand Nights in theEpic Reads Book Shimmy Awards.

Science Fiction for your Star Wars craving --

Stone in the Sky by Cecil Castellucci

Hey everyone, so today I thought that I would do something similar to my previous “books you should anticipate” post and talk about books I’ve recently read that I think you should anticipate + books that I am anticipating and/or are on my immediate radar.

• Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, May 19th release | Review HERE + Interview HERE

• Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn, June 9th release | Review HERE
  
  What happens when you take three self-destructive, morally grey people and force them to interact with each other? A high stakes psychological thriller from Stephanie Kuehn, potentially her best work yet.

Books that are not coming out soon but that are SUPER GOOD and look for ARCs or PRE-ORDER NOW!

• Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, September 15th release
  
  So, when I was in high school and saw the title "The Designated Ugly Fat Friend" while browsing my local Borders, I was reluctantly curious. I didn't know what the book was about and yet I had a feeling that I would just click with it. When I read The DUFF, I had the sense that Kody Keplinger had seen all my insecurities and I had read a book that put a name to something I hadn't always realized that I was feeling. Yes, I had felt like the DUFF multiple times. That sort of realization -- a book making you more aware of societal norms/constrictions -- is exactly the sort of feeling I got from Dumplin'. Julie Murphy not only understands female friendship particularly well but she also excels at portraying how we treat female bodies and socialize females to look at their own bodies. If you're a fan of the DUFF, definitely check out Dumplin' this fall.
  
  Also not in video but: I just read a fairly popular YA contemporary romance that essentially does what this book is fighting: fat-shaming. So, yeah, Dumplin’ is a really important read to have on your radar.

• Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson, September 22nd release
  
  This book is like Oregon Trail meets In a Handful of Dust (California is the Promised Land; road trip with girls carrying guns and being self-sufficient; harsh land and evocative writing styles about these dystopic atmospheres; water is a hugely valuable resource, etc.), with a large character cast. Rae Carson writes with as much historical detail as someone like Diana Gabaldon, and her story is reminiscent, to me at least, of the older fantasy tales where daily actions made for a large part of the narrative, which gives us a distinct sense of atmosphere (and the danger inherent to the terrain and other outlaws). Her world very much comes to life. There's less romance than I expected (and a little less fantastical elements too - I think that'll get expanded on in the future), but strong, well developed heroine, wonderful sense of the world and atmosphere, a fully developed cast of characters to root for and hate: I’m definitely returning for more!

Both are September releases, back to back weeks. The 15th & the 22nd so keep them marked on your calendars!

Books That I Recently Read and Loved:

• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart
  
  I think that it’s fairly easy to tell whether or not you’d like this book. I saw the premise and knew that I would love it, as it reminds me of one of my favorite personal essays (“Your Life as a Girl” by Curtis Sittenfeld). But, as she did with We Were Liars and The Boyfriend List, E. Lockhart changes narrative styles, so that might not jive with other readers as it did with me. My advice: read an excerpt. Does the premise appeal to you? Are you okay with the narrative style? Then I think that you’ll be good.

• Black Iris by Leah Raeder | Review HERE
  
  Leah Raeder is an auto buy author. Sometime in this video I mention that & mention my excitement for her upcoming new title this November 3rd, CAM GIRL.

Books That I'm Anticipating:

They’re on my radar. Either they’ll be the first ones I’ll look for BEA or the ones I’ll pre-order or somewhere in between those options. TBR PILE!!!

• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, October 20th release!
  
  I now have an ARC of this thanks to my good friend, Ameriie, at the YT channel, Books Beauty Ameriie. Y’all should definitely follow her; she’s an EXCELLENT booktuber.

All of the below books may or may not be at BEA. I officially suck at looking up which ones will be there along with the authors but oh well! If they’re not there, they’re definitely on my radar for later!

• Definitely not at BEA: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, September 1st release!
• Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan, May 26 release!
• The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater, February 23rd, 2016 release :( :(
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, September 29th release!
• Court of Fives by Kate Elliott, August 18th release! 
• The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove, July 14th release!
• Slasher Girls and Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke, August 18th release!
• The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick, August 18th release!
• Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, January 5th, 2016 release!
• Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, August 25th release!
• The Rose Society by Marie Lu, October 6th release!
• Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, January 5th, 2016 release!
• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera, June 2nd release! 
• The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker, June 2nd release!
• Soundless by Richelle Mead, November 10th release!

Also books that I've recently requested:

• Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith, October 6th release!
• Tonight The Streets are Ours by Leila Sales, September 15th release!

Books that I forgot to mention in the video but am still anticipating:

• Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman, September 1st release!
• Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett, September 22nd release!
• A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston, October 6th release!
• Serpentine by Cindy Pon, September 8th release!
• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, September 1st release!
• Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti, September 29th release!

(The summer/fall is really aiming to steal all our monies, no??! WHY SO MANY BOOKS!)

The reason why I’m awful at reading lists is because lists like these are always updating and I’m always forgetting about titles.My TBR books - hahaahahah, I'm doing such a good job with those (NOT). My most anticipated debuts titles, I’ve read a few more on; my most anticipated 2015 books, I’ve also read some more on… and in the end, still most of the above titles were not on those lists. ALWAYS UPDATES. ARGH TBR WHY YOU ALWAYS EXPANDING??

Which titles are you most anticipating? Are you going to read any of the ones I recommended above? Have you read any of these books? Let me know!

P.S. - if you're looking for bookish rounds... they're coming... hopefully... it's hard to catch up on 3 weeks (and 3 weeks because of internet issues + lots of work!).

Release Date: April 28, 2015
Published by: Atria

WARNING: This is a New Adult book, which means that it features scenes that may be considered too much for younger readers.

Black Iris - Leah Raeder | Goodreads

The next dark and sexy romantic suspense novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Unteachable.

It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for.

If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.

She's not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.

But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it's time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.

Which was the plan all along.

Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.

She's going to show them all.

So about a week ago, a friend of mine asked me what I was reading. She missed talking to me about books. I told her BLACK IRIS and soon A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES, and she ordered both immediately. Now that I've finished BLACK IRIS, I asked her how far in she is and where she thinks the book is going. She said 20% and "she has no idea where it's going, just that it's not anywhere sunny."

Here's the thing about BLACK IRIS: It's dark. Really dark. Challenging. Radical. With any book that points out less palatable genre conventions(e.g. "magic dick lit"), and makes you aware that it is doing so (e.g. the fourth wall is down), and features questionable ethics and/or young people acting out when all the adults want them to conform to standards, you can expect some sort of polarized reaction. That's why, when scrolling through Goodreads, you'll see lovers and haters and people in between who just haven't decided where they lie on that spectrum.

Here's another thing to consider: This reads like Leah Raeder's heart book. Some books feel dry, stale; you wonder why the author even wrote the book if he/she wasn't passionate about it, or was just passionate about the topic and not the characters. But, every once in a while, you'll read a book that brims with sincerity and passion, and even if you don't have a character who says that the fourth wall is down, you already know that the fourth wall is down because here is the author, in every page. Those are always my favorites to read because there's a good chance the author has considered every word and action, and your emotions are going to get tangled in the words. The book will evoke some sort of reaction in you (rather than being another "meh" read).

There are a lot of things I could say about BLACK IRIS. As a suspense novel, it does its job well. The unreliable narrator? Very well established and definitely made it harder to predict where things were going and what would happen next. As a romance novel, it does its job well. The sex scenes are… wow. And in Leah’s poetic voice? They feel ALIVE. As a new adult novel, it does its job well. The characters are balancing college classes and deeper issues (e.g. their pasts & futures) amid the main plot. Plus contemporary romance, y’know.

But what I most want to say doesn’t really have to do with the actual plot or the very well developed characters. It has to do with the lovely moments of realization and deeper issues being tackled in BLACK IRIS.

It’s rare to find a book that handles mental illness, gender and sexual identity among other issues so well, so boldly, and so fearlessly. Especially a book with younger characters. When I was in college, one of the labs I was in, its main purpose was to “unbox science.” We were researching the queer community and one of the questionnaires asked participants to rate themselves on a sliding scale for how they viewed their gender and sexual identity, and if that scale didn’t fit, there was another area where participants could explain. If they wanted to label themselves, they could. It was meant to give participants their voices back in the science community and to allow them the chance to define themselves, but the irony was that once it came to analysis, we had to find a way to compress the scales and numbers and labels. Maybe it was too ambitious of a project, but maybe this is where art like BLACK IRIS comes in to bridge that gap. And BLACK IRIS addresses this in many beautiful moments.

“If I was gay, I wouldn't need an asterisk beside my name. I could stop worrying if the girl I like will bounce when she finds out I also like dick. I could have a coming-out party without people thinking I just want attention. I wouldn't have to explain that I fall in love with minds, not genders or body parts. People wouldn't say I'm 'just a slut' or 'faking it' or 'undecided' or 'confused.' I'm not confused. I don't categorize people by who I'm allowed to like and who I'm allowed to love. Love doesn't fit into boxes like that. It's blurry, slippery, quantum. It's only limited by our perceptions and before we slap a label on it and cram it into some category, everything is possible.”

As for how BLACK IRIS handled mental illness, my god. I cried. Actual tears. I'm emphasizing that because it is SO rare for me to actually cry while reading. Let's see... North of Beautiful by Justina Chen; Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling; The Bridge of Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. These are the novels that I can name off the top of my head which have made me cry. I don’t have the book with me right now, but there’s a moment when Laney talks about feeling all the pressure build up and just cracking. That's it. That's what I became in that moment too.

But you know, it’s not even how BLACK IRIS handles social issues that should make it really popular. It’s the beautiful writing at the moments on characters and character realizations.

“Girls love each other like animals. There is something ferocious and unself-conscious about it. We don't guard ourselves like we do with boys. No one trains us to shield our hearts from each other. With girls, it's total vulnerability from the beginning. Our skin is bare and soft. We love with claws and teeth and the blood is just proof of how much. It's feral. 

And it's relentless.”

This quote is tagged as an example of Laney and Blythe together, but whenever Laney talked about the relationships between girls, I found myself nodding. Whenever Laney talked about love and forgiveness and gender expectations – and so, so many other things – I found myself nodding. Leah Raeder has a beautiful writing style and one of the things I most appreciate in novels – these little observations about life – was done perfectly by her hand. Even if I don’t necessarily agree with what the characters do, it doesn’t matter. This book captivated me from start to finish.

So, I mean, what am I really saying here? We have a book that's thought-provoking and likely to manipulate your emotions, beautiful writing, wonderful moments of life truths. In short, even if you don't like revenge or suspense stories, or you don't want to read something that's very dark, or you don't tend to like "the typical NA" novel, you should still read BLACK IRIS. At the very least you know you'll have read something interesting.

Hey, everyone! Since I already posted my March / half of April recap, I figured that I'd post a book haul covering what I received for the last half of April and discuss what I've been reading in this latter half. I've received a bunch of books, and I know that I won't be able to read them anytime soon, so I'm passing them onto anyone who's interested in this giveaway.

So my book haul for the latter half of April!

The Orphan Queen - Jodi Meadows | Goodreads
Release Date: March 10, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

• Really enjoyed reading this! I see now why all the reviews mentioned an evil cliffhanger, though I figure the cliffhanger will be less evil than otherwise currently deemed. It's got a nice blend of adventure + spirited heroine + mysterious magic + love/hate romance. I like that they're doing that whole novella prior to sequel marketing thing (was this first introduced with Sarah J. Maas, or is it that I only remember the trend as far as Maas?). I'm interested in knowing more about the character highlighted in the novella, and Jodi Meadows plotted the book so that there's never a moment spent waiting. The very first chapter enables the plotline described in the summary and from there, it's all action. So, it doesn't surprise me that this book is super popular, though I may still like Incarnate more thanThe Orphan Queen because of the philosophical components of Meadows's debut.

City Love - Susane Colasanti | Goodreads
Release Date: April 21, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

Sadie, Darcy, and Rosanna are living together in New York City the summer before their freshman year of college begins. With no parents, no rules, and an entire city to explore, these three girls are on the verge of the best summer of their lives.

Sadie is a native New Yorker. She is hopeful, romantic, and an eternal optimist who is ready to find her soul mate. Then she meets her dream boy: cute, funny, and quirky in all the right ways. The chemistry between them is unreal. Could he be the one?

Darcy is a free spirit from SoCal with rebellious tendencies and unlimited financial resources. Moving to New York City is just another adventure for her. Darcy wants this summer to be all about boy adventures—nothing serious. But how much fun is too much?

Rosanna leaves Chicago for NYC so she can put her past behind her and reinvent herself. The only thing standing in her way is the grand total of seventy-three cents she has saved. Then she meets a guy who wants to show her the glamorous side of New York—a side that she would never get to experience on her own. If Rosanna doesn't resist, she may find herself in city love.

Told from alternating points of view, City Love captures the moments in each girl's life when everything is thrilling, amazing, and terrifying all at once . . . in a way it will never be again.

*Pretty sure I kept mispronouncing her name during this video. Whoops, sorry!

Etherworld - Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam | Goodreads
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

In this sequel to Elusion, three teens fight a virtual reality program that threatens to destroy their minds. Dangerous secrets and lies add up to a thrilling futuristic fantasy with an Inception-inspired twist.

Elusion was hailed as an exciting leap in technology—until users began to disappear amid rumors of addiction. Regan’s search for the truth led her and her new love interest, Josh, to Etherworld. Etherworld is a dimension hidden deep beyond Elusion's firewall, where players can hide, and ultimately fight back. Regan's father and others are here working to destroy Etherworld, but the longer they stay the less likely they'll be able to return to the real world alive.

Escape means attacking Elusion from within the program. It's dangerous and it’s a puzzle. And even if they manage it, how will they be able to stop Orexis from distributing Elusion to the masses when the people who run it are corrupt?

Invincible - Amy Reed | Goodreads
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

The Fault in Our Stars meets Go Ask Alice in this dramatic romance about a teenage girl who survives a terminal cancer diagnosis, only to get trapped in the deadly spiral of addiction. Fans of Gayle Forman and Sara Zarr will be swept away by this gritty romance, the first in a duology.

Evie is living on borrowed time. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer several months ago and told that by now she'd be dead. Evie is grateful for every extra day she gets, but she knows that soon this disease will kill her. Until, miraculously, she may have a second chance to live.

All Evie had wanted was her life back, but now that she has it, she feels like there's no place for her in it--at least, not for the girl she is now. Her friends and her parents still see her as Cancer Girl, and her boyfriend's constant, doting attention is suddenly nothing short of suffocating.

Then Evie meets Marcus. She knows that he's trouble, but she can't help falling for him. Being near him makes her feel truly, fully alive. It's better than a drug. His kiss makes her feel invincible--but she may be at the beginning of the biggest free fall of her life.

Wrong about the Guy - Claire LaZebnik | Goodreads
Release Date: April 21, 2015
Published by: Harper Teen

Claire LaZebnik's latest twist on a beloved classic asks the age old question: Could the girl who knows everything be wrong about the guy?

As the stepdaughter of a TV star, Ellie Withers has it all: an amazing house in LA, a devoted friend who loved her before she even knew who Ellie’s stepfather was, and a burgeoning romance with handsome Aaron Marquand. But Ellie isn't the kind of person who’s content with simply having it all—the people in her life have to be equally happy. And, of course, she knows exactly what they need.

When Ellie’s plans for her family, her friends, and even her love life don’t turn out the way she imagined, she begins to wonder if maybe she could stand to learn a thing or two after all. Most surprising, though, is that the perfect person to teach her is the last person she'd expect.

With her signature witty narration and swoon-worthy romance, Claire LaZebnik (the author of fan favorites Epic Fail, The Trouble with Flirting, and The Last Best Kiss) once again breathes new life into a perennially popular love story: Jane Austen’s Emma.

Everything That Makes You - Moriah McStay | Goodreads
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

One girl. Two stories. Meet Fiona Doyle. The thick ridges of scar tissue on her face are from an accident twelve years ago. Fiona has notebooks full of songs she’s written about her frustrations, her dreams, and about her massive crush on beautiful uber-jock Trent McKinnon. If she can’t even find the courage to look Trent straight in his beautiful blue eyes, she sure isn’t brave enough to play or sing any of her songs in public. But something’s changing in Fiona. She can’t be defined by her scars anymore.

And what if there hadn’t been an accident? Meet Fi Doyle. Fi is the top-rated female high school lacrosse player in the state, heading straight to Northwestern on a full ride. She’s got more important things to deal with than her best friend Trent McKinnon, who’s been different ever since the kiss. When her luck goes south, even lacrosse can’t define her anymore. When you’ve always been the best at something, one dumb move can screw everything up. Can Fi fight back?

Hasn’t everyone wondered what if? In this daring debut novel, Moriah McStay gives us the rare opportunity to see what might have happened if things were different. Maybe luck determines our paths. But maybe it’s who we are that determines our luck.

Encore to an Empty Room - Kevin Emerson | Goodreads
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

Summer always wanted Dangerheart—the band of talented exiles she manages—to find success. Now that they've become an overnight sensation, her hard work is really starting to pay off.

So how come her life seems to be snapping like an old guitar string?

Maybe it's because part of her knows that college applications are due soon, but another part of her can't imagine leaving her life behind—especially when the band is on the verge of a record deal and her relationship is becoming something more than she ever dreamed of. And especially when there's a chance of finding another missing song written by the famous dead rocker who is also Caleb's father.

But are Caleb, the band's future, and the lost songs more important than college? Summer will have to decide. It's time to choose who she wants to be, even if that might mean kissing Caleb good-bye.

Filled with infectious music, mystery, and romance, this electrifying sequel to Kevin Emerson's Exile doesn't miss a beat.

Drive Me Crazy - Terra Elan McVoy | Goodreads
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

Buckle up…

Lana and Cassie have met only once before, at the wedding of Lana’s Grandpa Howe and Cassie’s Grandma Tess two months ago. They didn’t exactly hit it off—in fact, depending on who you ask, that first meeting was either an embarrassment or a disaster—but they’re about to spend an entire week together, just the two of them and their honeymooning grandparents, road-tripping in Cassie’s grandmother’s Subaru.

Lana thinks a summer road trip sounds like fun, but the backseat is a crowded place for two tween girls with two huge secrets to hide, and this bumpy road to friendship is full of unexpected twists and turns. Like it or not, they’re in this together, full speed ahead on the adventure of a lifetime.

And I'm currently reading:

BLACK IRIS - Leah Raeder | Goodreads
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Published by: Atria

The next dark and sexy romantic suspense novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Unteachable.

It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for.

If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.

She's not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.

But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it's time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.

Which was the plan all along.

Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.

She's going to show them all.

If you're at all interested in BLACK IRIS, you should definitely watch the above video! In it, I read the first chapter -- and hey maybe I'm not the best reader, but you can definitely see what a beautiful writer Leah Raeder is even within those first six pages. If you're not hooked, I don't know what to tell you. I'm about 80 pages in and generally very much in awe of Leah Raeder's talent.

But anyway, as to the HarperCollins books, I won't have that much time to read this month :(. Aside from Black Iris, and the other two books I've pre-ordered, I don't think that I can read and review those titles. Even if I could, I still feel that they should be in the hands of someone who's anticipating them more than I am... so giveaway time!

All the above titles -- except for Black Iris and The Orphan Queen -- are up for grabs. INT, ends 05/31. I think that this time, I'm going to only choose one winner and try and shove all those books into one box rather than individually selecting a winner per book. If I can't fit all the books in one box, then I'll do two winners and randomly put books in each box. Sounds fair? Cool!

a Rafflecopter giveaway