Review: The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman

The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal

[Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets We Were Liars in this thought-provoking and brilliantly written debut that is part love story, part mystery, part high-stakes drama.

What would you pay to cure your heartbreak? Banish your sadness? Transform your looks? The right spell can fix anything…. When Ari's boyfriend Win dies, she gets a spell to erase all memory of him. But spells come at a cost, and this one sets off a chain of events that reveal the hidden—and sometimes dangerous—connections between Ari, her friends, and the boyfriend she can no longer remember.

Told from four different points of view, this original and affecting novel weaves past and present in a suspenseful narrative that unveils the truth behind a terrible tragedy.

  The Cost of All Things was confusing. By YA standards, this was a long book. And I somehow managed to still feel confused about everything happening in this book. It's written in alternative points of view, and I struggled at first with keeping everyone straight. I think that led to my inability to ever break the cycle of disorientation with this book.

  Character driven novels are usually a big hit with me. But I really struggled with the characters in this book. There are just terrible people. Brilliantly written, but so terrible! And the readily availability of life and mind altering spells only complicated my feelings toward the characters. I could understand the desperation behind the choices made to seek out spells, but I couldn't get past the disregard of the consequences for themselves and others.

  Speaking of the spells, I loved that aspect of this novel. I've never read anything like this book before. It was very interesting to learn about hekamists, the creators of the spells. I wish that I could have learned more about their culture and world.

  The Cost of All Things explores a lot of themes. The main lesson it left me with was to examine the true cost of your actions and what you seek out. Easier isn't always the better choice. This novel is one that will strike a cord with readers because of it's depth and honesty.

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Review: The Secrets of Attraction by Robin Constantine

The Secrets of Attraction by Robin Constantine

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

[Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound]

Madison Pryce thinks she's got everything figured out—she's working on a portfolio for a summer art program and hanging with her friends. Plus she has her hot boyfriend, Zach. But then a visit from a family friend turns Maddie's life upside down.

Jesse McMann is still reeling from a breakup that shattered his heart and his band. Then pride (and some goading from his bass player and fellow barista) forces him to find a new drummer—and the inspiration to write music again.

Kismet arrives in the unlikely form of Grayson Barrett, who tries out for Jesse's band, and whose girlfriend is BFFs with the cute girl who orders a chai latte after yoga every Thursday: Maddie. What Jesse and Maddie thought they knew about the secrets of attraction and the rules of romance changes once they start falling for each other.

   If I had to describe this book with one word, it'd be cheesy. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely made the book less than good. It reminded me a lot of The Promise of Amazing, but as I read more and more I realized that I just didn't care much for the characters in The Secrets of Attraction.

  Characters are a biggie for me, so maybe that's the root of my issues with this book. Brooding can be a good thing, but it soured on Jesse for me. I didn't enjoy rehashing his ex-girlfriend drama repeatedly. Madison also bugged me. I don't know. Maybe I just liked Wren and Grayson from the first book more? I enjoyed the snippets of them in this book more than I did the main characters.

  All in all, The Secrets of Attraction is a decent contemporary romance. It fits the bill for some former relationship baggage laden drama with a broody barista. If that's your type of thing, you'll love it. If not, well... There are plenty of other books to be read!

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Tour + Review + #Giveaway: Summer Confessions by Lynn Vroman

Summer Confessions by Lynn Vroman

Release Date: 03/10/15

YA Contemporary

Untold Press

162 pages

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Macy Diaz has managed childhood friend Jeb Porter’s
crush for years. However, his infatuation turns to
obsession, even putting a kid in the hospital just for hitting on her. In the past, Macy brushed it off, explained his bizarre acts away. But now she harbors a secret. She’s in love…with Jeb’s sister, Rachel.
By some miracle, Rachel loves Macy back, and despite the small minds polluting their sleepy southern town, they’re sticking together. Unfortunately, making sure Jeb never grows suspicious proves harder every day—until everything falls apart.

As a sick, unstable Jeb starts to threaten all Macy values, she is reminded of what has always been perfectly clear. Macy belongs to him, only him, and he won’t let her go. Ever.

If only Macy could’ve loved Jeb, she wouldn’t have to worry about surviving him now.

  I was really excited whenever I started this book because it's set in the town next to mine. It's somewhere I go often and consider my home. I've never read a book set here before, so my expectations soared immediately. But it became very clear from early on that the version of Gatlinburg in Summer Confessions was very much fictional. This weighed really heavily on me while I was reading and played a huge part in my enjoyment of this book, I think.

  The main character, Macy, is Hispanic. Many times it's pointed out how the "locals" gave her family a hard time for being Hispanic. But that could be farther from the truth for Gatlinburg and the surrounding area. We're farmers around here and have TONS of migrant workers whom we respect SO MUCH. It made me a little upset to read the same old recycled trope of closed minded hillbillies. Some of us have weird ways, sure. But the one thing you have to know about the south is that we respect hard work and integrity regardless of your heritage.

  Less soap box, more review. Macy, the main character, really struggled with her identity as a lesbian. I get that. Been there, done that. (Less lesbian, more pansexual.) But I hate how her struggle was simplified. It's a gut and heart wrenching thing to discover yourself and grow into your sexual identity. This book revolved more around the close minded nature of the locals and their acceptance instead of Macy growing into her own skin. It bummed me out a bit. But I recognize Macy's struggle and I'm glad she had her papaw to support her. I loved him dearly like my own papaw, and I was so happy to see his parts of the story.

  The romance between Macy and Rachel is a forbidden love, slow burn type of story. I enjoyed it. I didn't always believe it, but by the end I was rooting for them. The overbearing presence of Rachel's brother, Jeb, who's obsessed with Macy was frightening. The author did an excellent job of putting me on the edge of my seat in suspense of what he would do next.

  All in all, Summer Confessions was enjoyable. In the moments I was able to separate reality from fiction, I loved the story of Macy and her relationship with Rachel. The setting lends it a very different tone than most contemporaries out there, and I think it'll be an enjoyable break from the norm for YA fans.

**I received this  book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Born in Pennsylvania, Lynn spent most of her childhood, especially during math class, daydreaming. Today, she spends an obscene amount of time in her head, only now she writes down all the cool stuff.

With a degree in English Literature, Lynn used college as an excuse to read for four years straight. She lives in the Pocono Mountains with her husband, raising the four most incredible human beings on the planet. She writes young adult novels, both fantasy and contemporary.

[Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook]

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Tour + Review + #Giveaway: Love, Lucy by April Lindner

Love, Lucy by April Lindner

Publisher: Poppy

Release Date: January 27th 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

[Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | TBD]

While backpacking through Florence, Italy, during the
summer before she heads off to college, Lucy
Sommersworth finds herself falling in love with the culture, the architecture, the food...and Jesse Palladino, a handsome street musician. After a whirlwind romance, Lucy returns home, determined to move on from her "vacation flirtation." But just because summer is over doesn't mean Lucy and Jesse are over, too.

In this coming-of-age romance, April Lindner perfectly captures the highs and lows of a summer love that might just be meant to last beyond the season.

  I'm so hot and cold with this book! I LOVED the part that's set in Italy. It was magical. I truly felt like I was with Lucy on the streets of Florence and Rome. This book was a quick read, so that part wrapped up far too soon for me. The second part, set at Lucy's college during her freshman year, was where I struggled.

  I think if I was younger, I would have had a different reaction to Lucy. Her careless nature and the way she danced with danger so willingly while travelling abroad made my heart skip a few beats. I think younger fans will overlook that aspect, though. The bickering between Charlene and Lucy left me perplexed. Both had valid points, but I couldn't help but want to shake some sense into both of the girls!

  The romance between Lucy and Jesse is very much a whirlwind, and I admit that I got caught up in it. I was rooting for them from the get-go. It's an understatement to say I was devastated whenever Lucy got into a relationship with someone else at her college. And whenever that snowballed into Lucy cheating on her new-found beau when Jesse turns up out of the blue, I had a bad taste in my mouth. I feel like this is one of those situations where if everyone involved would have actually TALKED, things wouldn't have spiraled the way that they did.

  All in all, Love, Lucy was a fun and quick read. It definitely struck me with the travel bug, and I scrambled to find other novels set abroad to read this year. I had some issues with Lucy, but overall I still enjoyed Love, Lucy a lot. Contemporary fans with wanderlust will enjoy getting lost in the pages of this book!

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

April Lindner is the author of three novels: Catherine, a modernization of Wuthering Heights; Jane, an update of Jane Eyre; and Love, Lucy, due out in January, 2015. She also has published two poetry collections, Skin and This Bed Our Bodies Shaped. She plays acoustic guitar badly, sees more rock concerts than she’d care to admit, travels whenever she can, cooks Italian food, and lavishes attention on her pets—two Labrador retriever mixes and two excitable guinea pigs. A professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University, April lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons.

[Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Google+]

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Quick Reviews: The Adventures of Monkey Girl and Tiger Kite & Living in Sin

The Adventures of Monkey Girl and Tiger Kite

by Kai Schalk

[Goodreads | Amazon]

High school would be a lot easier to deal with if Sunny
Wong did not have to balance schoolwork with
superhero shenanigans. But superhero she is, gifted the powers of Chinese folk hero Monkey, and when zombies start appearing it's up to her and her sidekick, Delia, to figure out who's responsible for raising the dead and why…

The Adventures of Monkey Girl and Tiger Kite is a short story of 11,000 words in length and contains no explicit content. The Adventures of Monkey Girl and Tiger Kite is part of LT3's Damsels in Distress collection, a group of books featuring strong LGBTQIA women who can find their own way out of trouble.

  I loved this story so much. The world needs more QUILTBAG super heroes, and Kai Schalk answered that call. Even though it was short, I really enjoyed Sunny and Delia's story. I truly wish that the author would write a full length novel about these two. I'd be the first in line to read it! The writing is solid, the characters are amazing, and the story is epic!

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Living in Sin by Anastasia Vitsky

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Come out to your family, or we're through!

Sick of playing "roommate" for the sake of her girlfriend's religious, tight-knit family, Audra issues an ultimatum: Tell your family, or I move out. After all, Audra's family supports her and loves Ciara as a second daughter. Why would Ciara’s family be any different? Audra's tired of hiding the reality of their lives. She puts Ciara first, so why can't Ciara do the same?

Caught between her family and her girlfriend, Ciara resents being forced to choose. She tries to keep the peace by accepting her aunt’s endless blind dates and comforting her mother who care for Ciara’s dying grandmother. How can Ciara shatter her family by forcing the truth on them? How can she face life without Audra if she does not?

Agonized and at her wit's end, Ciara receives an unexpected spirit visit that asks her hard questions. Does love require self-sacrifice? How much can she give up without losing herself?

Living in Sin is a short story of 11,000 words in length and contains no explicit content. Living in Sin is part of LT3's Damsels in Distress collection, a group of books featuring strong LGBTQIA women who can find their own way out of trouble.

  Living in Sin could have been such an amazing story. It deals with an issue every QUILTBAG person deals with; coming out. Everyone's story is different and powerful. But I feel like the author took the easy way out in the end, and I was so disappointed. Ciara doesn't need to come out only for her relationship; she needed to come out for herself. The author's writing style was good, but I was just so disappointed in the ending that it didn't matter.

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Review: My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

[Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble]

You say it was all meant to be. You and me. The way
we met. Our secrets in the woods. Even the way it all
exploded. It was simply a matter of fate.

Maybe if you were here to tell me again, to explain it one more time, then maybe I wouldn’t feel so uncertain. But I’m going back to the beginning on my own. To see what happened and why.

Luisa “Lulu” Mendez has just finished her final year of high school in a small Virginia town, determined to move on and leave her job at the local junkyard behind. So when her father loses her college tuition money, Lulu needs a new ticket out.

Desperate for funds, she cooks up the (definitely illegal) plan to make and sell moonshine with her friends, Roni and Bucky. Quickly realizing they’re out of their depth, Lulu turns to Mason: a local boy who’s always seemed like a dead end. As Mason guides Lulu through the secret world of moonshine, it looks like her plan might actually work. But can she leave town before she loses everything – including her heart?

The summer walks the line between toxic and intoxicating. My Best Everything is Lulu’s letter to Mason – though is it an apology, a good-bye, or a love letter?

  I tried to love this book. I really, really tried. As soon as I heard about My Best Everything, I thought it'd be for me. Appalachians, moonshine, and a romance? Yes, please! But My Best Everything quickly became a letdown for me.

  My biggest complaint with this one is that it seemed so damn long. It became such a chore to finish this book. I felt like I'd read for an hour and only get through 5% of it on my Kindle. For me, the writing style is what slowed this book down. It's written as a letter from the main character, Lulu, to the love interest, Mason. For the first few chapters, it was quirky and cute. I liked it. But after 15% of the awkward writing, I was completely over it. It would have been better to post a paragraph or two in letter form at the beginning of the chapters or something. Anything but the way it was written would be an improvement.

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  Aside from my issues with the writing style, I did find myself enjoying parts of My Best Everything. As a fellow Appalachian small town girl, I understood where Lulu was coming from and her desire need to spread her wings. There was a connection between us because of that. But what I couldn't understand were her decisions. Lulu was able to plot up a devious and lucrative plan to rake in money illegally. But she lacked so much common sense.

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  I know it sounds like I disliked this book so much. But I really didn't; I promise! My hopes were just a bit too high, I think. Teenagers will enjoy My Best Everything. It's got a slow burn romance that I enjoyed, a bit of finding yourself through illegal means, and the bittersweet feeling of being on the brink of adulthood. Overall, My Best Everything was an enjoyable read. I just wish that a more complete story had been told without the letter!

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Review: Down from the Mountain by Elizabeth Fixmer

Down from the Mountain 
by Elizabeth Fixmer

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

[Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble]

Eva sees her religious compound in a different light
after getting a glimpse of life on the outside.

  What a strange book! I really loved the premise before I even started this book. Religious cults?! Sign me up. But I was let down with the delivery of this book. For starters, I was really confused by the inclusion of The Chronicles of Narnia. I know what it's like to have a deep love for a piece of literature. Yet the way that the author included Narnia was really strange. It didn't fit into the story. It didn't read like the rest of the story. It stuck out like a sore thumb and really slowed down the book.

  The characters were really interesting. The author has a way with descriptions that made me feel like I was on the compound and getting to know the members. Reading about the leader, Ezekiel, was chilling. The author knew exactly how to portray him as the sociopath that he is. Eva was a strong character. I enjoyed her curiosity about the world outside of the compound and her spirit.

  Down from the Mountain was a good read, but ultimately it left me wanting more. The book seemed really short, and I wasn't ready to let go by the time it ended. It seemed like Eva's story wasn't finished and the ending was rushed. If you have an interest in cults, you'll definitely find an interesting read with this one, though!

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Review: Manifest by Alden Lila Reedy

Manifest by Alden Lila Reedy

Genres: QLTBG, Contemporary Romance

[Goodreads | Publisher | Anthology]

The very last thing Chris expects when he's forced to
take sewing lessons is to enjoy them. Or for sewing to
lead him into the world of cosplay, and a friend with whom he begins to cosplay in earnest—and who convinces him to try dressing up as female characters.

He certainly doesn't anticipate the realizations that cosplaying stirs—realization that could cost Christ not just his best friend, but his family as well.

This story is part of an anthology from Less Than Three Press called Geek Out. It's a collection of trans and genderqueer romances.

  I enjoyed Manifest. The beginning was rocky for me. It read more like an essay than a novel. But once I pushed past the first part, the author definitely changed it up and really pulled me in. This author is promising with some practice and attention to detail.

  The romance in this book isn't the highlight of it. It's there, but the real focus is Chris' journey. I enjoyed that a lot. I became really invested in Chris and his struggles. I wish that the author would have written it more as a story, though. I feel like I would have enjoyed it so much more!

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Review: Get Happy by Mary Amato

Get Happy by Mary Amato

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

[Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo]

In this poignant, realistic, contemporary YA by a state
master list star, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and
Gayle Forman, a young songwriter builds a substitute family with her friends in place of the broken family she grew up with.

A hip high school girl who loves music, writes songs, and is desperate for a ukelele, learns to her shock that her father did not abandon her years ago and has been trying to keep in touch. She begins to investigate him, only to discover that he has a new life with a new family, including the perfect stepdaughter, a girl who Minerva despises.

The Good
The characters.
I felt like the characters were the most developed part of this book. They were likable, and I found myself laughing out loud multiple times because of their interactions.

The Bad
The plot.
Okay. It isn't that the plot is bad. It just isn't there. There are several hints at one, but I felt that it was underdeveloped that it didn't count.

The In-between
The potential.
On one hand, all of the potential that this book had going for it made me rally and keep reading. I hoped some of it would finally shine through. But it didn't for me. All of that potential was lost.

The romance.
There could really be a sweet YA romance lurking in this book. A few scenes even fuel that assumption. But I felt like it was underdeveloped just like that plot. It left me wanting more.

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Review: The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson

The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson

Genre: Chick Lit

[Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo]

A heartfelt, funny, and all-together human novel about
the best mistakes a person can make.

Jonathan and Rosie have been together so long they finish each other’s sentences—so when he (finally) proposes and asks her to move across the country with him, everyone is happily surprised.

But when things suddenly unravel, Rosie sends Jonathan packing and moves back home with Soapie, the irascible, opinionated grandmother who raised her. Only now she has to figure out how to fire Soapie’s very unsuitable caregiver, a gardener named Tony who lets her drink martinis, smoke, and cheat at Scrabble.

It’s a temporary break, of course—until Rosie realizes she’s accidentally pregnant at 44, completely unequipped for motherhood, and worse, may be falling in love with the sentimental, troubled Tony, whose life is even more muddled than hers. It’s not until Rosie learns the truth about her mother’s tragic story that she wonders if sometimes you have to let go of your fears, trusting that the big-hearted, messy life that awaits you may just be the one you were meant to live.

   I am simply not the target audience for this book and that weighed heavily on my enjoyment of this book. Generally, I can enjoy books from different genres than my usual favorites. But that was not the case with The Opposite of Maybe. It wasn't able to draw me in like most chick lit titles. Everything seemed to happen because it needed to for the book and not organically for the characters. If I had to describe The Opposite of Maybe in one word, it'd be predictable.

  The characters weren't particularly likable. They were flawed in all of the right places, but something about this set of characters just grated on my nerves. Maybe I am too used to my beloved Young Adult genre characters to appreciate Rosie, Jonathan, and Co. There was too much back and forth for the love triangle. Yes, a love triangle. Maybe that's why I just couldn't sympathize or connect with Rosie.

  I could see this book being in someone's beach bag or stowed away in a carry-on for a light vacation read. That's really what I think The Opposite of Maybe will succeed at. It fits well in the Chick Lit genre and I think readers of that genre will enjoy it loads more than I have.

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Review: Scratch by Rhonda Helms

Scratch by Rhonda Helms

Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

[Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble]

The most painful scars are the ones you never see.

In her DJ booth at a Cleveland dance club, Casey feels a sense of connection that's the closest she ever gets to normal. On her college campus, she's reserved, practical-all too aware of the disaster that can result when you trust the wrong person. But inexplicably, Daniel refuses to pay attention to the walls she's put up. Like Casey, he's a senior. In every other way, he's her opposite.

Sexy, open, effortlessly charming, Daniel is willing to take chances and show his feelings. For some reason Casey can't fathom, he's intent on drawing her out of her bubble and back into a world that's messy and unpredictable. He doesn't know about the deep scars that pucker her stomach - or the deeper secret behind them. Since the violent night when everything changed, Casey has never let anyone get close enough to hurt her again. Now, she might be tempted to try.

source.

The romance.

Sometimes the romance in the New Adult genre bugs me. This wasn't the case with Scratch. I felt like the romance was sweet and well thought out. It made sense for the characters.

The character development.

I'll admit it; I gave Casey the stink eye so much in the beginning. She was all about some slut shaming and judging. But Rhonda Helms was able to show some true character development with her. She outgrew those tendencies and turned into someone that I really liked.

The slow parts.

There were times whenever I wanted to give up because this book definitely drags. There's no fluid pace to the writing, and it shows. At times, it felt like a task to keep pushing on.

Recycled.

This could go both ways. On one hand, I was bored that this book was the same New Adult story dressed up with different names. A troubled girl with a dark past meets a sexy man who will save the day and her. We've seen it before. But that's what works for some people. It just didn't for me.