Guess what?
I've been blogging for about four years now.
WHAAAAAAAT.
Okay, so I don't know the exact date because I remember deleting some of my very first posts (I mean, c'mon, who doesn't get embarrassed by their earlier work?)... buuuut I know that I started blogging in March and we're here to celebrate!
First I'd like to thank all of you for being so wonderful <3. Readers, friends. There's no doubt that I would not have continued all these years were it not for the community and you wonderful, wonderful people. Thanks!
Second let's hope it's "four years and counting." I have no plans to quit any time soon, but I do wonder whether I'll be able to keep up with blogging if I get accepted into graduate school.
Third let's not dwell on those sad things. Let's celebrate!
I posted about the February YA Buzz Books from HarperCollins in my February Recap.
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Published by: HarperTeen
In this thrilling sequel to All That Glows, the worlds of magic and mortal are colliding as London celebrates its new king, marking an era of unity between the Faery realm and the human one. Emrys, the Faery guard to the British royal family, sacrificed her powers to be with King Richard, choosing love over immortality. But now, as Emrys struggles to navigate her place between the Faery queen’s court and London’s lavish galas, danger looms beyond the Thames.When a prisoner with dark, strange magic breaks out of Queen Titania’s labyrinthine prison, endangering Emrys's king and sparking an uprising, Emrys must make the hardest decision of all.
Will she reclaim her magic to save Richard’s life and lose him forever? Or stay powerless as the kingdom goes down in flames?
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Published by: HarperTeen
Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect.
Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.
Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself.
No Parking at the End Times by Bryan Bliss |
Goodreads
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Published by: Greenwillow Books
Abigail’s parents have made mistake after mistake, and now they've lost everything. She’s left to decide: Does she still believe in them? Or is it time to believe in herself? Fans of Sara Zarr, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell will connect with this moving debut.
Abigail doesn't know how her dad found Brother John. Maybe it was the billboards. Or the radio. What she does know is that he never should have made that first donation. Or the next, or the next. Her parents shouldn't have sold their house. Or packed Abigail and her twin brother, Aaron, into their old van to drive across the country to San Francisco, to be there with Brother John for the "end of the world." Because of course the end didn't come. And now they're living in their van. And Aaron’s disappearing to who-knows-where every night. Their family is falling apart. All Abigail wants is to hold them together, to get them back to the place where things were right. But maybe it’s too big a task for one teenage girl. Bryan Bliss’s thoughtful, literary debut novel is about losing everything—and about what you will do for the people you love.
Better than Perfect by Melissa Kantor |
Goodreads
Release Date: February 17, 2015
Published by: HarperTeen
Juliet Newman has it all. A picture-perfect family; a handsome, loving boyfriend; and a foolproof life plan: ace her SATs, get accepted into Harvard early decision, and live happily ever after.
But when her dad moves out and her mom loses it, Juliet begins questioning the rules she’s always lived by. And to make everything even more complicated there’s Declan, the gorgeous boy who makes her feel alive and spontaneous—and who’s totally off-limits. Torn between the life she always thought she wanted and one she never knew was possible, Juliet begins to wonder: What if perfect isn't all it’s cracked up to be?
Melissa Kantor once again delivers a tale that is equal parts surprising, humorous, heartbreaking, and romantic. Powerful and honest, Juliet’s story brilliantly portrays the highs and lows of life in high school and will resonate with any reader who has experienced either.
This is for US readers only.
Sorry, but with the amount of shipping I'll be doing in this post, I need to cut back somewhere.
Ends 04/15.
[RAFFLECOPTER FORM HERE, follow link to blog!]
And we have some other ARCs.
So, funny story. In the summer or fall of 2014 (? don't remember - it was a WHILE ago), Francesca Zappia, author of
Made You Up, asked me whether I wanted to be put on her ARC spreadsheet. I said sure. I was definitely going to read and purchase MYU no matter what, so why not read the ARC and post a review to help promote her novel? But the time passed and passed. I saw some other people with Chessie's physical ARCs. So I downloaded MYU from Edelweiss, read the e-ARC, and posted
my very lengthy Goodreads review. I basically assumed that I wasn't going to get an ARC, and then the first week of March, this arrives.
Wait... what??? Now I'm wondering whether me being on Chessie's list was the reason why I'd received the YA Buzz Books from HarperCollins. No idea but now I've got some other ARCs to give away to y'all as well.
And yes.
You really, really, really want to read Made You Up. It's fantastic.
Which is why I'm posting about Made You Up but withholding a giveaway for that ARC until my interview with Chessie later this month :).
Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman |
Goodreads
Release Date: April 21, 2015
Published by: Balzer + Bray
The girl known as Gretchen Whitestone has a secret: She used to be part of Adolf Hitler’s inner circle. More than a year after she made an enemy of her old family friend and fled Munich, she lives with a kindly English family, posing as an ordinary German immigrant, and is preparing to graduate from high school. Her love, Daniel Cohen, is a reporter in town. For the first time in her life, Gretchen is content.
But then, Daniel gets a telegram that sends him back to Germany, and Gretchen’s world turns upside-down. And when she receives word that Daniel is wanted for murder, she has to face the danger she thought she’d escaped-and return to her homeland.
Gretchen must do everything she can to avoid capture and recognition, even though saving Daniel will mean consorting with her former friends, the Nazi elite. And as they work to clear Daniel’s name, Gretchen and Daniel discover a deadly conspiracy stretching from the slums of Berlin to the Reichstag itself. Can they dig up the explosive truth and get out in time-or will Hitler discover them first?
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Published by: Greenwillow Books
Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.
Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.
Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Published by: HarperTeen
What if, after spending a lifetime deceiving everyone around you, you discovered the biggest lies were the ones you've told yourself?
Grace Fontaine has everything: beauty, money, confidence, and the perfect family.
But it’s all a lie.
Grace has been adopted into a family of thieves who con affluent people out of money, jewelry, art, and anything else of value. Grace has never had any difficulty pulling off a job, but when things start to go wrong on the Fontaines' biggest heist yet, Grace finds herself breaking more and more of the rules designed to keep her from getting caught...including the most important one of all: never fall for your mark.
Perfect for fans of Ally Carter, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Gail Carriger, this thrilling, high-stakes novel deftly explores the roles of identity and loyalty while offering a window into the world of the rich and fabulous.
Encore to an Empty Room by 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.
This giveaway is for US & INT readers.
Help spread the word for these yet-to-be-released books!
Ends 04/15.
[RAFFLECOPTER FORM HERE, follow link to blog!]