Take A Boy by Elizabeth Eulberg
Release Date: April 1, 2012
Publisher: Point
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 278
Format: ARC
Source: Own
Challenges: 2012 Goodreads Reading Challenge, 2012 YA Contemporary Challenge
Buy The Book: Amazon

From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admit that he'd rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.

I have always been secretly fascinated by the world of the performing arts. Those that can't perform, watch? Or something like that... Anyways a performing arts Young Adult book? I am totally in!

I honestly loved this book! I think even if I weren't such a fan of the performing arts scene, I'd still fall head over heels in love with it. It's such a captivating book you can't help but get totally sucked into the story and all of the character's. The story is told from the point of view of Emme, her best friend Sophie, Sophie's boyfriend and child actor star Carter and Emme's best guy friend Ethan. You'd think between their four stories as well as those of the other character's in the book you'd get totally flipped around. But each character had such a distinct story and style that it was never an issue.

I loved the main character Emme. She was someone I could totally identify with and she reminded me so much of myself! She's the kind of person you feel honored to know and proud to call your best friend. She will go to the moon and back for those she loves and puts everyone before herself and her own happiness. Sophie was the total opposite, but then again, what bestie's aren't? She is self centered, spoiled, and completely selfish. I often wondered what these two ever saw in each other. Then there's Carter, the heart throb actor who is dating Sophie, of course! He was breathtakingly fresh and totally unlike what you'd expect of a child star. He had soul, heart and depth and I loved finding out what made him tick as his layers were peeled away. Ethan was brooding, quiet, supportive and totally unexpected.

I loved the cast of character's and how they fed off of one another and supported each other. I loved the details of their day to day lives and routines. It was expressed so vividly I felt like I was there walking the halls of CPA and warming up my vocal chords. This book was seriously amazing! I couldn't put it down until I was finished and it literally took my breath away. It's about love, friendship, and finding yourself. The story of friendship and love was so beautiful and it had one of the most epic confessions of love I've ever read! It left me in tears, in a totally good way!

This book was fast paced, heartfelt and flawless from beginning to end. I think Elizabeth deserves a standing ovation for this one!

Review: 7 Clues To Winning You

7 Clues To Winning You by Kristina Walker
Release Date: April 26, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 317
Format: ARC
Source: arc Tour
Challenges: 2012 Goodreads Reading Challenge, 2012 YA Contemporary Challenge
Buy The Book: Amazon

When a humiliating picture of Blythe goes viral, she's instantly the target of ridicule at her new school. To salvage her reputation, Blythe teams up with Luke to win the Senior Scramble scavenger hunt. But Luke is an unlikely ally and potentially can't be trusted.

Perhaps it's his Shakespearean witticisms that reel Blythe in despite her better judgment . . . or maybe she just craves the thrill of the game. But as the hunt progresses, their relationship heats up. Soon their madcap mischief spirals out of control. Blythe is faced with arrest and expulsion, among other catastrophes - until Luke shows her what the Scramble (and love) is really about.

When I started reading this book I really didn't know what to expect. I thought the premise sounded really cute but I had no idea that I was going to love this book so much! This book is like, the perfect rom com! It reminded me in some ways of one of my fave movies, 10 Things I Hate About You. *sighs* ohhh that Heath Ledger. Anyways...enough drooling and back to the book! It's entertaining, laugh out loud funny, and the romance will make the tips of your toes curl up!

I really liked the main character Blythe. She suddenly feels like her whole world is changing, being moved to a new school, trying to make new friends. Even though it's not that far away, it's a world of a difference to her! I could totally identify with that. Because, when I was her age the exact same thing happened to me! Minus the embarassing nose picking picture. She starts to really resent her parents for it, especially her dad. And might I add, that if my dad were the principal at my new school, I'd have curled up and died on the spot! Okay, maybe not literally, but still! Blythe put on her very best "lady look" and kept going.

My favorite character's in the book were miss Franny and Miss Eulaili, those two old coots stole the show! They had me laughing so hard people stared at me like I was postal! I loved "the lady look". You know,  the one you put on when you don't want to let on how mad you are at the woman who just asked you if your pregnant when your not. You know what I'm talking about. Yeah, that one! Blythe and her mother are pro's at the "lady look" and I wish they'd teach me how to hone my lady look skills! I also really loved Luke, who gave Blythe a run for her money and quoted shakespeare. There was so much more to him than what meets the eye, and I loved finding out more as the layers were peeled away.

All in all I loved this book! It was the perfect escape that I needed. A wonderful blend of romance, comedy, high school hi-jinx's and so much  more!

Waiting On Wednesday (17)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you hurdle down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong. 

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

This sounds like an action packed, blow-your-mind amazing debut novel that I can't wait to read! Is it too early to pre-order?

Look for this one to hit shelves on June 5th

What books are you waiting for? 

Frost Launch Party

Hey Guys!

Welcome to the Launch Party for Frost by Kate Avery Ellison. I'm really excited about this book! It sounds amazing and the cover is to die for! 

In the icy, monster-plagued world of the Frost, one wrong move and a person might end up dead—and Lia Weaver knows this better than anyone. After monsters kill her parents, she must keep the family farm running despite the freezing weather and threat of monster attacks, or risk losing her siblings to reassignment by the village Elders. With dangers on all sides and treachery just one wrong step away, she can’t afford to let her emotions lead her astray. So when her sister finds a fugitive bleeding to death in the forest, a young man from beyond the Frost named Gabe, Lia surprises herself and does the unthinkable.

She saves his life.

Giving shelter to the fugitive could get her in serious trouble. The Elders have always described the advanced society of people beyond the Frost, the “Farthers,” as ruthless and cruel, and her village has nothing to do with them. But Lia is startled to find that Gabe is empathetic and intelligent…and handsome. She might even be falling in love with him.

But time is running out. The monsters from the forest circle her farm at night. The village leader is starting to ask questions. Farther soldiers are searching for Gabe. Lia must locate a secret organization called the Thorns to help Gabe escape to safety, but each move she makes puts her in greater danger. Is compassion—and love—worth the risk?

My guest post topic is. . .

Creating chemistry in your novel especially in a dystopian setting 

Dystopian novels often involve a great deal of danger, secrets, and taboos. Whether it’s forbidden books, forbidden speech, or forbidden association between certain groups of people, there are lines that aren’t supposed to be crossed and rules that aren’t supposed to be broken.

Two characters who fall in love in a dystopian setting often experience serious obstacles that are beyond their control. Their feelings for each other might be against the rules of their society, or their love might be impossible due to circumstances of their world or situation (like with Lia and Gabe). This helps heighten the chemistry between them, I think, as often things that we cannot have become all the more intriguing and irresistible. Also, the elements of fear and danger can add extra sizzle to the love story as a tale of love becomes all the more urgent and tragic when lives are at stake.

Wrong expectations due to fear or misinformation can create conflict and heighten character chemistry, too. For instance, in Frost, the main character Lia is afraid of Gabe at first because she’s been told her whole life that all Farthers are ruthless and cruel. Yet Gabe is intelligent, sensitive, and unwilling to harm her even when he thinks she is the enemy. He’s everything but what she’s been told, so her ideas about the world and the Farthers are challenged, and she is intrigued. Lia’s also attracted to him anyway, but in this setting she isn’t free to simply pursue that attraction—not without consequences. Loving the enemy is a dangerous path to take.

Adding extra conflicts like forbidden elements, secrets, and a sense of danger to the equation is a great way to add spark to a novel (and a love story) in a dystopian setting.
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Thanks so much for stopping by my blog Kate! I hope ya'll enjoyed it, and don't forget to stop by other stops on the Launch Party Tour, where you will be able to enter to win a copy of the book! You can find the entire schedule for it HERE

And while your at it, don't forget to follow the author on Twitter , and stop by her blog HERE

March 2012 Wrap-Up

Hello Lovelies~

I can't believe it's time for another monthly wrap up post! It seems like March just started and I was eyeing spring/summer titles. Not April is here and I'm drooling over the fall titles! So many books, so little time..

Some of my goals for 2012 have been to read more, be more diligent about visiting other blogs and commenting. And of course, to try to make my blog better! I've worked really hard on all of these this month, and hopefully I'm doing better!

Health wise, March was a MUCH better month for me! I had to buckle down and be more strict with myself, and develop a routine, but the results have been amazing! Half way through the month I finally found my footing. Better health has also allowed me more time to read and I've read some truly incredible books this month! I've becoming even closer to my blogger friends and gotten to know many of my readers better!

I was very disappointed in myself last month, and how little I read. So as I began feeling better I did everything I could to fit in time to read. It was hard, there were a lot of things to catch up on! Cleaning, laundry ( oh.. that laundry pile!) and of course work. But I did manage to increase my reading and I am very happy about that!

For the month of March I read a total of 7 books. Just shy of my personal monthly goal of 8. I had a total of 24 posts, which included 5 reviews ( I plan on making that better next month!) a few ebook steals and deals, and a Trends in Ya post. 

Thank you to everyone who supports my blog, stops by to read my posts, and for your awesome comments which I adore! I have some fun and exciting things planned for April and I hope you'll stop by to enjoy it!

The Books

Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne

The Girl In The Park by Mariah Fredericks

Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

The Challenges

• I read 7 books towards my goal of 100 for the 2012 Goodreads Reading Challenge. Bringing me up to a total of 21 books for the year. I am 3 books behind and I plan on catching up in April!
• I also read 2 books towards my goal for the 2012 YA Contempoary Challenge. Bringing my total to 10 books towards my goal of 15
• I read 2 books towards my 2012 TBR Pile Challenge bringing me to a total of 5 books towards my goal of 24. I definitely need to step it up on the TBR books! But these review books are sooo distracting!
• Last but not least, I read 3 books towards my 2012 Debut Author Challenge bring me to a total of 10 for the year!

Random Act's of Kindness

This month so many people were incredibly sweet to me! My friend Amber sent me an arc of Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont that I'd been dying to read!

Loretta from Between the Pages bought me kindle books of Half Blood and Obsedian by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Thanks girl! You rock my socks!

Kevin Emerson sent me a letter and a signed arc of his debut novel, The Lost Code.

And I also got some really awesome books from publishers. So thank you to everyone! You helped make March an incredible month!!!

So what are your goals for April? I'd love to know, so leave me a comment and let me know!

Happy Reading!

XoXo

Prom Theme Giveaway!

Hello Lovelies!

I am so excited about this giveaway! I can hardly contain my excitement! Squee!!!

Prom season is officially upon us, so to help get teens ( and the rest of us too! ) ready for the big night, the awesome folks at HMH have a provided an awesome prize pack of books for one lucky reader! *cheers and throws confetti* It's totally amazing right?!?!?

For my giveaway HMH will be giving away copies of the following books

This will be open to US residents only, and you are not required to be a blog follower to enter this contest, although it is appreciated! Just fill out the raffle copter to enter!

Make sure you follow HMH on Twitter @HMHTeen for more awesome prom theme'd stuff! They will be giving away a package of books, a gift card for prom accessories (eeek!!!) and more! So add them as a buddy on twitter and keep your eyes peeled for more awesome giveaways coming up!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In My Mailbox (22)

Hello Lovelies!

In My Mailbox is a weekly Meme hosted by Kristi the Story Siren. This is where us bloggers get a chance to show you what we got this week! Bookish related of course!

Traded

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Storm (#1 in the Elemental Sereis) by Brigid Kemmerer

Fury by Elizabeth Miles ( signed! )

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

For Review

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Just Flirt by Laura Bowers

Monument 14 by Emily Laybourne

Thank you to Amanda, Kelsey and Vivienne for the great books! And a HUGE thanks to MacMillan for the review books. As well as HMH for the awesome Prom Themed Book Prize Pack giveaway. Eeek! I am so excited! You guys totally rock my socks!

I got some really awesome books this week that I can't wait to dive into. I hope you had a great week in books as well and are having a wonderful weekend. Don't forget to leave me a link to your IMM so I can come by and drool over all the awesome you got!

Happy Reading and I will see you next week!

XOXO