ARC Book Review | Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Rubin

Format: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 14, 2015
My Rating: 3 Stars

Fans of John Green and Matthew Quick: Get ready to die laughing.

Denton Little's Deathdate takes place in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day they will die. For 17-year-old Denton Little, that's tomorrow, the day of his senior prom.

Despite his early deathdate, Denton has always wanted to live a normal life, but his final days are filled with dramatic firsts. First hangover. First sex. First love triangle (as the first sex seems to have happened not with his adoring girlfriend, but with his best friend's hostile sister. Though he's not totally sure. See: first hangover.) His anxiety builds when he discovers a strange purple rash making its way up his body. Is this what will kill him? And then a strange man shows up at his funeral, claiming to have known Denton's long-deceased mother, and warning him to beware of suspicious government characters…. Suddenly Denton's life is filled with mysterious questions and precious little time to find the answers.

Debut author Lance Rubin takes us on a fast, furious, and outrageously funny ride through the last hours of a teenager's life as he searches for love, meaning, answers, and (just maybe) a way to live on.

My Review

Something to Note: I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Why Did I Want To Read Denton Little's Deathdate: When I first saw this book, it seemed like it would be a really fun read.  You know, despite the whole death stuff.

The Characters: The characters were actually my favorite part of this book.  They all had such a fun sense of humor (except for Phil), and I was constantly laughing. 

 

I liked Denton, he seemed like a really good guy, but I didn't understand some of the things he did, especially regarding the purple rash that it mentions in the summary.  You would think that if you had a strange purple rash covering your lower half, you would be a little more careful regarding some things, but no one seemed to pay it much mind, and of course, there are always consequences. 

 

And Paolo, oh my gosh, I LOVED him.  Whenever he was around, he really stole the limelight, at least for me.  He was quirky and hilarious, and I just adored him. 

 

I also really liked Denton's family, I loved laughing at his stepmom's texts, as this is exactly how my mom texts me, and his father and brother, although seemingly distant at the beginning of the book, really grew on me.

Willis Ellis deserves a paragraph all to himself.  I don't even know what to say about him.  He was always there at the wrong time, but he made me laugh.  Not necessarily because he was trying or funny, but...oh hell, I can't even explain him.  I'll just say...he's something else.

 

 

My Overall Thoughts: In all honesty, I was expecting to be blown away by this book.  However, that wasn't the case.  Now, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it.  It was hilarious and with the plot line, it had the potential to be amazing, but ultimately it fell short. 
 

In the end I was left with so many questions, and not enough answers.  With that ending, I'm assuming that there will be a second book, actually I'm hoping for a second book so that all of my lingering questions will hopefully be answered.
 

However, I really did love trying to figure out what Denton and his friends would get into next, and I loved the fact that this book made me laugh out loud several times.  Overall, this was an extremely funny book, but instead of being completely invested in the story line, I fell more for the characters. 

 

One Line Wrap Up: A hilariously funny book that will have you laughing out loud and wondering what crazy scenarios Denton will find himself in next.


I Would Recommend For Fans Of: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

ARC Book Review | I Am Her Revenge by Meredith Moore

Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: April 7, 2015
My Rating: 4 Stars

She can be anyone you want her to be.
Vivian was raised with one purpose in life: to exact revenge on behalf of her mother. Manipulative and cruel, Mother has deprived Vivian not only of a childhood, but of an original identity. With an endless arsenal of enticing personalities at her disposal, Vivian is a veritable weapon of deception.

And she can destroy anyone.
When it’s time to strike, she enrolls in a boarding school on the English moors, where she will zero in on her target: sweet and innocent Ben, the son of the man who broke Mother’s heart twenty years ago.

Anyone… except for the woman who created her.
With every secret she uncovers, Vivian comes one step closer to learning who she really is. But the more she learns about herself, the more dangerous this cat and mouse game becomes. Because Mother will stop at nothing to make sure the truth dies with her.

Review

I Am Her Revenge was one of my most anticipated April reads, so you can imagine my excitement when I finally got my hands on it.  To say that I was ecstatic is a bit of understatement, I may or may not have been jumping up and down.  I love me a good revenge story and I couldn't wait to dive into Vivian's world. 

 

Vivian Foster is a bit of a chameleon, she can be anything that she needs to be in order to get what she wants.  Which I admit, sounds kind of awesome.  I would love to be able to change my personality to suit the task at hand.  However, this isn't something that Vivian learned herself because she wanted to.  This is something that her Mother taught her, in order to get the ultimate revenge.  You see, Mother had her heart broken 20 years ago and she's out to ruin that man's heart...by having her daughter break his son's heart.  Eye for an eye, right?  But everything isn't as simple as Mother says, and Vivian will uncover some things that will make her question everything she's even been told.

 

While I'd liked to say that I liked Vivian from the start, that really isn't the case.  But with this kind of plot, I was expecting it.  Mother has made her into a shell of a human, she has controlled every aspect of Vivian's life and pushed it into her head that you can't let anyone close, or worst of all, fall in love.  So as you can imagine, it's hard to get to know the person underneath Mother's teachings.  But like the summary says, with every secret Vivian uncovers, we get to see a little more of HER, and I actually liked that Vivian.

 

Ben, on the other hand, I liked from the start.  From the moment we meet him, we see that he's popular, but he isn't like the others in the popular crowd.  He's caring and sweet, and seemingly an easy target to Vivian. 

 

I really liked the fact that the whole revenge aspect was so well planned, it really made the story flow really well and it kept me interested and guessing.  I didn't expect the whole mystery aspect in this book though, but I loved it.  I didn't put the puzzle pieces together and I didn't see it coming, so when everything was revealed, I got that shock factor, which was great.

 

Overall, I Am Her Revenge is an intriguing read that will give you so much more than a revenge story. 

 

Interview with Angela V. Cook ++ Giveaway

Interview w/ Angela V. Cook
I just want to say thank you to Angela for doing this interview with me :) I hope you guys enjoy the questions...make sure to check out the giveaway once the interview is over.

1. What inspired you to write this novel?

During the summer of 2010, there was a short-lived TV show called The Gates. It was about a gated community where the residents were of the supernatural persuasion (werewolves, vampires, witches, etc.).  One of the residents was a teenage succubus. Every time this girl kissed her boyfriend, she absorbed some of his life energy, which in turn weakened him. I had never heard of a succubus, but I loved the idea of a teenage girl who was in love, but couldn’t so much as kiss her boyfriend without harming him. It was then the wheels of creativity started turning. 

2. Which character do you find to be most like you?

Definitely Allison (my main character). First of all, she has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor (like moi). Second, she’s a bit of a loner (*ahem* me, again). Last, she’s very protective of her loved ones (just call me momma bear).

3. Is this a stand-alone novel or should we get all excited for another?

I’m actually working on a sequel, and I’m SOOOO excited about it! A sequel wasn’t necessary, and I even debated whether or not to write one (technically, the book could stand alone as is), but I just don’t feel like Allison’s story is over. I have questions I want answered, and to be honest, writing about a teenage succubus is FUN! I really enjoyed writing IaMP, and I feel that same excitement as I continue Allison’s story.

4. If you could recommend three books, what would they be?

Eeps! This is a tough one, but I’m going to do my best. 1) THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald, because it introduced me to classic, American (and amazing) literature. It was the first book I remember falling absolutely in love with. 2) BELOVED by Toni Morrison, because it opened my eyes to the true beauty of words and all the magical and powerful things that could be done with them. 3) ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins, because it inspired me to embrace my own unique writing style and voice.

5. Are you currently working on anything, if so, what? Lately, I’ve been busy promoting IaMP, but prior to its release, I was working on a sequel (see question number three J ). I also have two other projects that I wrote after IaMP, which are in various stages of revision.

6. If you could meet any person, who would it be?

Gah! This question always throws me for a loop. Umm… maybe Toni Morrison? She’s one of my all-time favorite authors. Her work just absolutely blows me away. She’s, like, writer royalty in my opinion. Of course if I really did meet her, I’d probably just be all hives and nervous laughter.

7. Do you have any quirky habits that you do while reading/writing?

As far as reading, not really. I can read anywhere, anytime—as long as the book is holding my interest. For writing, I have to have my ear buds in and my Spotify on (usually classical for drafting) before I start. Oh, and I can’t write with other people in the room, so no coffee houses for this writer!

8. Was there anything while writing this book that was a struggle?

There were definitely parts of the book where I struggled. For me, the plot was easy. I knew what I wanted to accomplish with the story, but I had a hard time describing the emotional struggles my main character (Allison) goes through. I don’t want to give anything away, but Allison experiences some pretty intense situations, and describing her emotional state was sometimes difficult, because those situations were something I’d never experienced. I really had to put myself in her shoes and try to imagine what it would be like to go through those events and what impact they would have on me.

9. If you weren’t an author, you’d be a(n)…?

Unfortunately at this point in my career, being an author doesn’t pay the bills, so I do have a day job as a records clerk at a local police department. I wouldn’t say it’s my dream job, but I do like it. It’s an interesting place to work—I never know what to expect, and I get to read about cases that are stranger than fiction. I also like being able to help people, which is what I went to college for (I have a degree in sociology), so if I have to have a job in addition to writing, it’s a pretty good one to have.

Giveaway

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Blog Tour: Into a Million Pieces by Angel V. Cook

Format: e-ARC
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Publication: January 27, 2015
Pages: 206
Genre: Paranormal, YA
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple | Google

Allison McKready is a succubus. So is her twin sister. But while Allison spends her summer break hiding in the library behind her Goth makeup, Jade fools around as often as she can. Allison can’t believe Jade would ignore their mother’s fatal example so recklessly, but concealing a cursed bloodline and its dangerous effects is far from Allison’s only problem. Mean girl Julie’s snob mob is determined to ruin her summer, and Aunt Sarah’s Bible thumping is getting louder. Only her new friend, Ren Fisher, offers safe haven from the chaos of her life.

When one of Jade’s risky dates leads to humiliation and sudden tragedy, Allison reels, and Ren catches her. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her fear that she’ll hurt him—or worse—in an unguarded moment. The choice is coming—love him or save him—but Allison might not live to make it. One way or another, the curse will have its due.

My Review

This book caught my attention instantly, which was so surprising to me. I usually don't read paranormal books, but this synopsis just swiped me up. If there are some of you that are hesitant to pick it up because it is a paranormal, don't be scared...it's much more than "ghouls and ghostly" stuff.

Throughout this book I had a hard time liking anyone other than Allison. She has such a hard time throughout this book and I just completely feel for her. It breaks my heart how badly she is treated and how much of an outsider she is. Allison has a twin and when people usually think of twins you think of the word "same." No, Allison and her twin sister Jade are polar opposites and its definitely eye opening. 

Ren is a character that I enjoyed - definitely sweeping Allison off her feet. You could tell how much Allison changed when he came into the picture and that was something so awesome. I was happy for her. But, it didn't last very long though...go figure right? How can a book pick up and you feel happy for the character and the author just shoots you down! BOOM. The feels.

This book takes you on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. You can be smiling one minute and have tears rolling down your face from laughing and feeling happy for the character, then right around the corner...you're grabbing more tissues so you can wipe the tears of sorrow away. I would definitely recommend to pick this book up!

About the Author: 

Angela V. Cook lives a very unexciting, but never boring, life with her husband and two children just outside of Detroit. Like most writers, she’s been making up stories for as long as she can remember and can’t imagine a life that doesn’t involve creating worlds.

Angela loves to write novels for teens because it’s the best outlet for her sarcastic personality, immature sense of humor, and love of romantic firsts. Her idea of the perfect day involves a quiet house, a good book, and a piece of cheesecake. Or two.

Stacking the Shelves (73)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that allows us to show the books that we received the previous week.

Booking Into Spring Read-A-Thon Sign Ups

 

 

 

Erica & I are teaming up with the amazing Genesis from GenGen's Book Blog for the Booking Into Spring Read-A-Thon and we have some awesome Mini-Challenges, Twitter Chats and GIVEAWAYS planned!

 

  This idea came from the other Readathons out there like, Love for Books hosted by Novel Heartbeat, Bout of Books Readathon, The Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Wonderfully Wicked Readathon hosted by My Shelf Confessions.

 

How it Works:

• The Booking Into Spring Read-A-Thon will run from Sunday, April 26th at 12:01 AM through Friday, May 1st at 11:59 PM.
• We will be having mini challenges everyday, you can choose to participate or not. It’s totally up to you!
• We will also be doing a few Twitter chats using hashtag #BiSReadathon
• Details on the mini-challenges and Twitter chats will be posted on our Kick-off post on April 26th!
• There will also be one BIG giveaway, the winner will come from those participating, and we will also have smaller giveaways for the mini-challenges and chats.
• Sign up at GenGen’s Book Blog or Novel Ink. You may join whenever you like, but to be eligible for our grand prize giveaway, you must sign up by April 28th.
• Make a sign-up post and add your post URL to the linky below! You can put your goals and progress (will be required for the final giveaway) in your sign-up post. You can also go back to this original goals post and update what you have read. Here’s an example.
• Follow along on Twitter and tweet your progress with the #BiSReadathon hashtag!
• To enter for the grand prize, you must have a post to keep track of your progress so we can see that you participated.

 

Feel free to grab the button for your blog!

 



<a href="http://gengenbookblog.com/booking-into-spring-read-a-thon-sign-ups/"><img alt="" src="http://gengenbookblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Booking-Into-SpringRead-A-Thon.png" width="300" /></a>

 

 

 

Any Questions?  You can leave a comment below or ask us on Twitter!  (@c_bookaddiction, @_ericalyn9 or @gengenbookblog)

INKED | Karen from Kissin Blue Karen

 

 

Please welcome our guest, Karen!

 

 

Name: Karen Blue

Website: http://kissinbluekaren.com

Tell us a little about yourself: I have been blogging since 2009. I have 4 kids. I am a nurse and I live in the frozen north. I love reading,and I love blogging. I run the round up sites hedovibes.com and readthis.us. I started the round ups to help my fellow bloggers get more traffic and exposure. I keep doing them because I want to have a finger one the pulse of what is happening across the review scene. I love blogs and subscribe to a ton of them.

 

 

Novel Finds (1)

Novel Finds is kind of like my old Deal Discovery posts, only with a name that fits the new blog name.  But unlike the Deal Discoveries posts, I want Novel Finds to incorporate more than bookish deals that I find on Amazon.  So while we will be posting kindle deals that we think you all may be interested in, I also want to use this feature to post books or bookish things that we've just discovered or upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. 

 

 

For today's post though, I found some amazing Kindle deals to share.  These all were on sale at the time I wrote this post.

As always, clicking on the book will take you to Amazon. 

 

Trivia Tuesday (18)

Reminder:

We are going to do a giveaway connected with this feature!! This is how it's going to work. Please be sure to read all of the below rules!

• The first person to guess ALL 3 answers correctly will be entered to win a surprise book off of their wishlist
• Their will be 2 giveaways a year, one at the end of June and one at the end of December
• This will be INT (as long as The Book Depository ships to you)
• Everyone is welcome to play each week, no matter if you've won the week before.  However, since this is the case, the winner will no longer be able to generate a question for the next week, but they will receive a shout out on Social Media
• The entries are simple, the first person to guess all three answers correctly will get their name in the drawing TWICE.  The 2nd person to guess all three answers correctly will get their name in the drawing ONCE.  This will happen each week.
• At the end of June and then again at the end of December, Erica and I will add up all the entries and draw randomly.  The winner will then need to provide us a link to their wishlist (on Goodreads, Amazon, etc) along with their address and we will surprise them with one book from their list.
• If you have any questions please let us know!

ARC Book Review | The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver

Format: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

A girl takes over her twin sister's identity in this emotionally charged page-turner about the complicated bond between sisters.

Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins. Ella has spent her high school years living in popular Maddy's shadows, but she has never been envious of Maddy. In fact, she's chosen the quiet, safe confines of her sketchbook over the constant battle for attention that has defined Maddy's world.

When—after a heated argument—Maddy and Ella get into a tragic accident that leaves her sister dead, Ella wakes up in the hospital surrounded by loved ones who believe she is Maddy. Feeling responsible for Maddy's death and everyone's grief, Ella makes a split-second decision to pretend to be Maddy. Soon, Ella realizes that Maddy's life was full of secrets. Caught in a web of lies, Ella is faced with two options—confess her deception or live her sister's life.

My Thoughts:

The Secrets We Keep is such a thought provoking and heartbreaking story. The writing is so flawless and the story flows so perfectly that it's impossible not to get sucked into Ella and Maddy's story. You feel everything from the gut wrenching pain, to the all consuming guilt, and that's what makes this book so amazing.

Ella and Maddy may be twins, but they are the furthest thing from similar. Ella is the quiet one who is always drawing, and Maddy is the popular one. It hasn't always been that way though, they used to be inseperable, and even though Maddy isn't the best sister to Ella, Ella would still do anything for her. But when tragedy strikes, and Ella wakes up to everyone calling her Maddy, and she realizes that her sister is dead, she makes a split second decision to make sure that Maddy has the life that she should have had. But it isn't long until Ella realizes that Maddy's life isn't what she thought and Maddy has been keeping secrets.

It was so easy to form a connection with Ella, her grief was so raw and real that I felt like I was right there with her (as evidenced by all my tears). Ella and Maddy's parents were wonderful, even though they were grieving for one of the daughters, they still made an effort to try and be there for the other, and I can't imagine how hard that would be.

I really didn't like Maddy's set of friends, especially Jenna. She was so deceiving, back stabbing, and flat out mean. I know everyone tried to make excuses for the way she was, but I wasn't buying it. There is no good reason to treat people, specifically one you call your best friend, the way she did.

The Secrets We Keep is an emotional, gripping and gut wrenching story about grief, loss, guilt and finding yourself.