Book Review: Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios

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Bad Romance
Author: Heather Demetrios 
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: June 13th 2017
Review Source: Henry Holt and Co.

Grace wants out. Out of her house, where her stepfather wields fear like a weapon and her mother makes her scrub imaginary dirt off the floors. Out of her California town, too small to contain her big city dreams. Out of her life, and into the role of Parisian artist, New York director—anything but scared and alone.

Enter Gavin: charming, talented, adored. Controlling. Dangerous. When Grace and Gavin fall in love, Grace is sure it's too good to be true. She has no idea their relationship will become a prison she's unable to escape.

Deeply affecting and unflinchingly honest, this is a story about spiraling into darkness—and emerging into the light again.

(Trigger warnings: Mental and physical abuse.)

I knew going into Bad Romance that this was going to crush me. Many people write about abuse just to use it as a plot device but when someone really takes the time or has experienced abuse then they know that this is a very sensitive matter and should be handled with care.

Bad Romance is about a girl who wants to graduate school and leave her life behind to start her career in theater. She has these awesome plans but when she meets Gavin, everything falls apart.

It's hard to get out of a bad relationship and sometimes you don't even know you're in one. Grace didn't know she was in a toxic relationship until Gavin started showing signs of jealousy and stalking her and telling her to stop talking to guys. It was hard for Grace because not only did she love him but Gavin was like a savior to her when things at home weren't good. So at first Grace would forgive Gavin but when it became too much she stood her ground.

Bad Romance tells the story of a girl falling in love, it shows us the signs of how that love can turn hateful, and how when you're at your lowest you can slowly rise up and be the best you that you can be with the support of friends and mainly with the courage and bravery you have in yourself.

Audiobook Review: Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

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Beauty of Darkness
The Remnant Chronicles #3
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Narrator: Emily Rankin
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: August 2 2016
Review Source: Listening Library, Penguin Random House Audio

Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and the path before them is winding and dangerous - what will happen now? This third and final book in The Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed.

Bestselling author Mary E. Pearson's combination of intrigue, suspense, romance and action make this a riveting page turner for teens.

Lia and Rafe have escaped the Vendans, but this doesn't mean that the path that lay ahead is an easy one. Kaden has lost his trust in Lia, but he still needs to be the one to find her.

I'm going to do this review as spoiler free as possible. So instead I might just throw in some awesome gifs to explain how I'm feeling about certain things.

I'm going to start off with a simple fact - this is the last book in the series. This always brings with it a sense of dread. Once you've invested yourself into a story so fully you don't want to see it go away. This was me with The Remnant Chronicles. I have loved this series since I picked it up. And I haven't wanted to see it come to an end, while I've always wanted to have the book within my hands. So it was a bittersweet moment when I was finally able to listen to this beautiful story.

This was the first time I've ever actually listened to a book as well. I mean I've had my kindle read to me sometimes - but the book was always there for me to follow along with. This time it was just the audiobook. And honestly I loved it. I feel like listening to an audiobook makes things a little bit more vivid for listeners. I had never realized this, but having someone else talk and you just listen - it allows your mind to create a more vibrant world. And with Pearson's writing it teleports you into this amazing world.

Pearson's writing makes you wish with all your heart that you were Lia. I am partial to Rafe, so I'm always wanting to be close to him - so maybe I would want to be Sven or one of his colleagues. But her writing then also makes you feel as though you are a bystander, right in the middle of all the action, therefore you are a part of the story. And to feel as though you're a part of someone's writing is one of my favorite feelings in the whole world.

The ending was just:

I'll let you figure out what I mean by these gifs.

Book Review: The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray

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The Gilded Cage
Author: Lucinda Gray
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Released: August 2, 2016
Review Source: Henry Holt and Co.

After growing up on a farm in Virginia, Walthingham Hall in England seems like another world to sixteen-year-old Katherine Randolph. Her new life, filled with the splendor of upper-class England in the 1820s, is shattered when her brother mysteriously drowns. Katherine is expected to observe the mourning customs and get on with her life, but she can't accept that her brother's death was an accident.

A bitter poacher prowls the estate, and strange visitors threaten the occupants of the house. There's a rumor, too, that a wild animal stalks the woods of Walthingham. Can Katherine retain her sanity long enough to find out the truth? Or will her brother's killer claim her life, too?

Katherine's world is about to change from a farmland regular to a woman of wealth. And from there her world just keeps on turning. Her brother - her last known living family relative - mysteriously dies and rather than following the mourning customs Katherine takes it upon herself to figure out the truth.

This book was intriguing. It started and reminded me of Pocahontas 2. When Pocahontas decides to go to England to see what life is really like in the town. This changing of venue shocks the characters. It puts them in a transition period that is intriguing to everyone. Katherine is use to being the kind of girl who gets her hands dirty and therefore when she is forced to be the proper woman of wealth it becomes a difficult task.

When her brother drowns things start to change for Katherine. We see a girl torn up by a relative passing, and no one wants to let her find out what really happened. This puts Katherine in a place of growth - one that shows what her true character is. Mysterious characters enter her life and she handles them as readers would expect.

Gray does a good job at transporting you into the world of the 1820's and she keeps you riveted by an engrossing story.

Waiting on Wednesday: It Ends with Us & The Beauty of Darkness

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

It Ends with Us

Author: Colleen Hoover

Release Date: August 2nd 2016

Publisher: Atria Books

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up. She graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant and has a total soft spot for Lily; and the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his no dating rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan, her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all too human characters, “It Ends with Us” is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

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The Beauty of Darkness

The Remnant Chronicles #3

Author: Mary E. Pearson

Release Date: August 2nd 2016

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and the path before them is winding and dangerous - what will happen now? This third and final book in The Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed.

Bestselling author Mary E. Pearson's combination of intrigue, suspense, romance and action make this a riveting page turner for teens.

Trailer Thursday: The Girl in the Tower by Lisa Schroeder

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The Girl in the Tower

Author: Lisa Schroeder
Illustrator: Nicoletta Ceccoli

Published: March 29th 2016

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) 

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Ever since she could remember, Violet and her mother have been locked away in a tower by the evil Queen Bogdana, who has the kingdom under her spell. The queen has all she wants except one thing-beauty. Violet possesses this beauty. She also has a secret: though she is very small, both her spirit and her heart are mighty.
When Violet is summoned by Bogdana to start training to become a real princess, it seems like her life might be taking a turn for the better. But hope quickly fades when Violet's mother is expelled from the castle and they're forbidden to see each other ever again. With everyone's lives in the balance, it's up to Violet to break the spell and reunite her family.

Blog Tour: The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry | Excerpt | Giveaway

Welcome to our stop on The Girl I Used to Be tour for April Henry. This tour is hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club Tours.

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The Girl I Used to Be
Author: April Henry
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: May 3rd 2016
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Fourteen years ago, a three-year-old girl was the only survivor at a horrific murder scene. Now she’s determined to search for the truth—and the killer is even more determined to stop her.

When Olivia’s mother was murdered and her father disappeared, everyone suspected her father had done it. Fast-forward fourteen years. New evidence now proves Olivia’s father was actually murdered on the same fateful day her mother died. That means there’s a killer still at large. Can Olivia uncover the truth before the killer tracks her down?

EXCERPT - CHAPTER 1

SCATTER MY BONES

The only sound I can hear is my own panicked breathing. I’m running flat out through the forest. Then my toe catches a root, and suddenly I’m flying.

Until I’m not. I come down hard. With my hands cuffed in front of me, I can’t even really break my fall. Despite the plastic boot on my left leg, I’m up again in a crazy scrambling second, spitting out dirt and pine needles as I start sprinting again.

Running like my life depends on it. Because it does.

Three weeks ago, I was living in Portland. Working in a supermarket deli. Slicing turkey breast and handing out cheese samples on toothpicks.

Now I’m hurtling through the Southern Oregon woods, being chased by a killer. And no one knows I’m here.

Because of the handcuffs, I can’t pump my fists. Instead, I have to swing them in tandem. Trying to avoid another fall, I lift my knees higher as the ground rises. I can’t hear my pursuer, just my own panting breath.

If I don’t come back, will Duncan ever know what happened to me? These woods can hide things for years. Will animals scatter my bones, plants twine around my remains?

When I reach the top of the hill, I don’t slow down. Instead, I try to lengthen my stride. It’s impossible to maintain a rhythm. I leap over a log, splash through the silver thread of a creek. My mouth is so dry. It tastes of dirt and the bitterness of fear.

A Steller’s jay startles up from a branch, squawking. If only I could take wing and fly. But I’m stuck here on earth, legs churning, staggering over this uneven ground.

I can’t stop or I’ll die.

The reality is that I’m probably going to die anyway. And if that’s so, I’m going to go down fighting.

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I write mysteries and thrillers. I live in Portland, Oregon with my family.

If you've read one of my books, I would love to hear from you. Hearing from readers makes me eager to keep writing.

When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children's magazine.

My dream of writing went dormant until I was in my 30s, working at a corporate job, and started writing books on the side. Those first few years are now thankfully a blur. Now I'm very lucky to make a living doing what I love. I have written 13 novels for adults and teens, with more on the way. My books have gotten starred reviews, been picked for Booksense, translated into six languages, been named to state reading lists, and short-listed for the Oregon Book Award.

I also review YA literature and mysteries and thrillers for the Oregonian, and have written articles for both The Writer and Writers Digest.

Prize: Win (1) finished copy of THE GIRL I USED TO BE by April Henry (US/CAN Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

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The Beauty of Darkness
(The Remnant Chronicles #3)
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and the path before them is winding and dangerous - what will happen now? This third and final book in The Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed.

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Mary E. Pearson is the award-winning author of The Jenna Fox Chronicles, The Miles Between, A Room on Lorelei, and Scribbler of Dreams. She writes full-time from her home office in California where she lives with her husband and two golden retrievers.