Blitz: Next Door To A Star by Krysten Lindsay Hager

NEXT DOOR TO A STAR by Krysten Lindsay Hager

Genre: Young Adult

★ SYNOPSIS ★

Hadley Daniels is tired of feeling invisible.

After Hadley’s best friend moves away and she gets on the bad side of some girls at school, she goes to spend the summer with her grandparents in the Lake Michigan resort town of Grand Haven. Her next door neighbor is none other than teen TV star Simone Hendrickson, who is everything Hadley longs to be—pretty, popular, and famous—and she’s thrilled when Simone treats her like a friend.

Being popular is a lot harder than it looks.

It’s fun and flattering when Simone includes her in her circle, though Hadley is puzzled about why her new friend refuses to discuss her former Hollywood life. Caught up with Simone, Hadley finds herself ignoring her quiet, steadfast friend, Charlotte.

To make things even more complicated, along comes Nick Jenkins…

He’s sweet, good-looking, and Hadley can be herself around him without all the fake drama. However, the mean girls have other ideas and they fill Nick’s head with lies about Hadley, sending him running back to his ex-girlfriend and leaving Hadley heartbroken.

So when her parents decide to relocate to Grand Haven, Hadley hopes things will change when school starts…only to be disappointed once again.

Cliques. Back-stabbing. Love gone bad.

Is this really what it’s like to live…Next Door To A Star?

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnLXsu2c43k

About the author:
Bio: Krysten Lindsay Hager is an obsessive reader and has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and humor essayist, and writes for teens, tweens, and adults. She is the author of the Landry’s True Colors Series and the new Star Series and her work has been featured in USA Today and named as Amazon’s #1 Hot New Releases in Teen & Young Adult Values and Virtues Fiction and Amazon’s #1 Hot New Releases in Children’s Books on Values. 

Krysten writes about  friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image in True Colors and Best Friends…Forever? as well as in, Next Door to a Star. 

The sequel to Next Door to a Star (Competing with the Star: Star Series: Book 2) will be out March 22nd and the 3rd book in the Landry’s True Colors Series (Landry in Like: Book 3) will be out January 12th.

She is originally from Michigan and has lived in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in southwestern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite shows. She received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint.

WEBSITE: http://www.krystenlindsay.com/

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8298036.Krysten_Lindsay_Hager

INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/krystenlindsay/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/KrystenLindsay

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/KrystenLindsayHagerAuthor

Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Next-Door-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0149HTAK0/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/next-door-to-a-star-krysten-lindsay-hager/1122588304?ean=9781680582697

Books-a-million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Next-Door-Star/Krysten-Lindsay-Hager/9781680582697?id=6130980443153

itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/next-door-to-a-star/id1038643741?mt=11

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/next-door-to-a-star

Excerpt from Next Door to a Star

“Hadley, did you see the new Celebrity Snooper blog today?” Aunt Faith asked. “Simone is in it with

Lauren Gere.”

“What? She didn’t say anything about that. Werethese super old pictures?”

“Here,” she said. “I’ll pull it up on my phone. It’s Simone and Lauren walking along the boardwalk with some blonde girl and a boy.”

“Does it say when that happened?” I asked. I couldn’t believe Simone wouldn’t have mentioned

Lauren had already been here.

Faith found the site on her phone and stared at it. “I’m not sure, but I guess it was pretty recent. Here,

look.”

Simone was on the phone in the picture and the blonde girl with them was Morgan. But what was worse  was that the boy was Nick and Lauren had her hand on his arm. Great, it was probably the same night I called Simone and she was too busy to talk. Maybe I was the one on the other end of the phone in the stupid picture. I had missed my chance to meet Lauren, and Simone never even told me when she was in town. I guess I wasn’t cool enough for her to admit she was friends with me to somebody like Lauren. Who was I kidding? A TV star wanting to hang out with me? We weren’t friends at all. I was somebody she ran to when she needed something. And Nick was probably humoring me until his new celebrity girlfriend called him back. I wanted to throw up all over the table.

Excerpt #2

Charlotte called later and asked if I wanted to go with her to the party tomorrow .I went to put on my fake tan and imagined myself walking into the party looking all tan and gorgeous, and everyone would be wondering who I was and why they hadn’t asked me to hang out with them before. Connor and Lucas would want my phone number, Nick would be begging me to go out with him, Simone would realize I was cool, and Morgan would want to be my friend.

Then reality set in. First, the fake tan squirted out of the bottle all gooey. I rubbed the cold cream all over my arms and legs and put a little on my face. Simone had said you had to wash your hands well or it would stain your palms. I wasn’t sure how to put the tanning stuff on the back of my hands without getting it on my palms and drying, so I decided not to put any on my hands at all. I sat on some paper towels so I wouldn’t get any brown stuff on my bed, but it seemed to dry fast.

I woke up the next morning and I was definitely darker. My face was kind of orange, but my arms and legs had streaks on them. It was like somebody had burned me with a curling iron. Plus, my hands looked like I had white gloves on compared to the rest of me. I couldn’t go to the party all streaky.

People would make fun of me. I thought about putting the tanning stuff on all the lighter places on my body, but then it might look like I had a disease.

I ended up wearing a long sleeved shirt and jeans to the party. Charlotte had on a t-shirt and shorts when she came to pick me up.

“Aren’t you hot wearing all that?” she asked.

“I want to be covered for the mosquitoes,” I said. “Malaria is nothing to mess around with.”

I wasn’t the only one wearing jeans at the party, but I felt like I was dressed for a winter carnival when I saw Morgan and Pilar. Pilar had a deep pink halter top on with tiny jean shorts, and she had put some shimmery stuff all over her arms and legs. Morgan was wearing a blue crocheted tank top, and she would have passed for at least seventeen. She had her curly blonde hair down for a change, and all the guys were sitting around her.

“She’s so fake-looking,” Charlotte said as we watched Morgan and Lucas dance.

Morgan seemed so confident as she moved her hips. I wouldn’t be able to dance so free even if I was alone in my own bedroom. I was glad I had worn jeans because I would have seemed like a skinny kid next to Morgan’s muscular legs.

Facts About Next Door to a Star

The idea for the book came from situations I observed back in my school days. I couldn’t understand why some girls let their “friends” treat them the way they did. Hadley isn’t based on me, but rather on a lot of things I witnessed that made an impression on me.

The Pilar character is a mix of both a mean girl and a victim of a mean girl. In the next book, Competing with the Star, you’ll learn more about Pilar and why she acts the way she does.

The first time I saw the show, “Girl Meets World,” I thought that Lucas (Peyton Meyer) looked exactly like how I pictured Nick Jenkins in my mind.

When I saw my cover, I just gasped because the cover model is the perfect Hadley. Hats off to Ashley Byland of Redbird Designs for getting that so right.

I went to Grand Haven almost every summer as a kid and teen and made several research trips, too. There’s nothing like walking the pier imagining the characters with you. I have tons of pictures—I even have the picture of the alley where Asia and Hadley see their rock star crush, Jack Brogger.

There’s a scene where Nick walks Hadley and her friends home early from a party even though it means he has to leave himself. It’s based on something that happened when I was in high school and a guy left a football game early to walk me and my friend to her brother’s car which was parked far away. I thought it was the sweetest thing and never forgot that.

When I was writing the book, I pictured Grace Kelly as Aunt Faith.

People ask me who Charlotte’s grandpa was based on and honestly I imagine a comic book strip character when I write his scenes—he looks like Ralph from Crankshaft. Oddly, I got to meet the creator of Crankshaft last spring at a writing event. I hadn’t signed the contract for Next Door to a Star at that point though, but we did talk about Ralph because I liked the storyline he did with Ralph and his wife’s dementia.

The idea for Hadley’s rock star crush came from my decades long crush on George Michael. I used the last name “Brogger” for him because that was a nickname my grandpa’s coworkers gave him.

Simone and Hadley do movie marathons of Josh Haven, but who was my Josh Haven? Well, when I was in grade school it was…Charlie Sheen. Yup, my cousin Anne and I did a movie marathon of Charlie Sheen films. Her mom even rented, “Heidi,” for us and we fast-forwarded through every scene Charlie wasn’t in. You might be thinking about the “Two and a Half Men” show right now, but let me just say, “Wall Street.” Google it, see Charlie’s beauty, and then ask yourself why my uncle would think that was an appropriate movie for a 10 year old to watch.

BLOG TOUR: Wind Catcher by Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef

Welcome to the Brink of Dawn Tour

Authors Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef

My review:
This book was 'ok' for me. In the beginning, I was actually quite into the story, but I couldn't relate to the main character Jules and I couldn't find myself really liking her character even after reading the whole thing.
It got a little frustrating and confusing for me when Jules says she doesn't want to stay with her grandfather in the beginning and then suddenly she likes him and then hates him again. I just didn't really get that part.
Other than that, I really liked Troy. He was an interesting character to read. One thing I'm not quite sure though, I don't think there should be a future romantic relationship between him and Jules. I just can't imagine it and I don't ship them together.
 There were some scenes I wanted to read more about and some I wanted to end right away. Sometimes, it seems like this was just a contemporary book. I wish the paranormal aspect was more present because this just didn't bring me to really imagine the world the characters in this book live in.
Overall, this book was not bad, but it wasn't really something that blew me away. I know a lot of people enjoyed it considering its high rating on Goodreads and if you're intrigued by the synopsis, go ahead and read this book, you might enjoy it more than I did.
I gave this book a 3/5 stars.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

About the Book

Evolved Publishing presents the first thrilling installment in "Chosen" by award-winning author Jeff Altabef, and his daughter Erynn Altabef. This fantasy adventure series is steeped in American Indian culture and so much more.

SUMMARY

Juliet Wildfire Stone hears voices and sees visions, but she can't make out what they mean. Her eccentric grandfather tells her stories about the Great Wind Spirit and Coyote, but he might as well be speaking another language. None of it makes any sense.

When she stumbles upon a series of murders, she can't help but worry her grandfather might be involved. To discover the truth, Juliet must choose between her new life at an elite private school and her Native American heritage. Once she uncovers an ancient secret society formed over two hundred years ago to keep her safe, she starts to wonder whether there's some truth to those old stories her grandfather has been telling her.

All she wants is to be an average sixteen-year-old girl, but she has never been average-could never be average.

Betrayed by those she loves, she must decide whether to run or risk everything by fulfilling her destiny as the Chosen.

"Wind Catcher is a suspenseful, wonderfully written story that will capture your attention and hold it prisoner. A book that you won't want to escape from. Brava!" - Stephen Fisher, Readers' Favorite Book Reviews

About the Authors:
Jeff Altabef is an award winning author who lives in New York with his wife, two daughters, and Charlie the dog. He spends time volunteering at the writing center in the local community college. After years of being accused of "telling stories," he thought he would make it official. He writes in both the thriller and young adult genres. Fourteenth Colony, a political thriller, was his debut novel. Evolved Publishing has published Jeff’s second thriller, Shatter Point, which won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Fall 2014 in the category of Best Thriller.

Jeff's first young adult novel, Wind Catcher: A Chosen Novel will be published in March by Evolved Publishing. He's extremely excited that his daughter, Erynn Altabef, is his co-author on the Chosen Series. As an avid Knicks fan, Jeff is prone to long periods of melancholy during hoops season. Jeff has a column on The Examiner focused on writing and a blog designed to encourage writing by those that like telling stories.

As an avid Knicks fan, Jeff is prone to long periods of melancholy during hoops season. Jeff has a column on The Examiner focused on writing and a blog designed to encourage writing by those who like telling stories.

About the Prizes We've got great prizes for this tour including signed paperbacks AND a 6 month subscription to Kindle Unlimited! You can enter multiple times & every day if you want! Rafflecoter embed code: a Rafflecopter giveaway //widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Crystal Kingdom (Kanin Chronicles #3) by Amanda Hocking

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Publication date: August 4th, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 432

Rating: 5/5

Summary:

The kingdom she loves has turned against her. Can she save it before it’s too late?

Bryn Aven—unjustly charged with murder and treason—is on the run. The one person who can help is her greatest enemy, the gorgeous and enigmatic Konstantin Black. Konstantin is her only ally against those who have taken over her kingdom and threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. But can she trust him?

As Bryn fights to clear her name, the Kanin rulers’ darkest secrets are coming to light…and now the entire troll world is on the brink of war. Will it tear Bryn from Ridley Dresden, the only guy she’s ever loved? And can she join forces with Finn Holmes and the Trylle kingdom? Nothing is as it seems, but one thing is certain: an epic battle is under way—and when it’s over, nothing will ever be the same…

My review:

It's sad to write this final review of this incredible trilogy. If you didn't know already, Crystal Kingdom is the third and final book of the Kanin Chronicles series. I'm really going to miss this world. I know I could just reread the books, but it just won't the same. 

Crystal Kingdom is an action-packed and fast-paced book. Just like all the other Amanda Hocking books I've read so far, almost every end of each chapter is a cliffhanger, so you basically can't stop reading! 

If you read (obviously) Book II, you know that Bryn encounters Konstantin at this restaurant after running away from her kingdom at the end of the second book. AND THAT CLIFFHANGER JUST SUCK ASS. But anyway, the third book starts where the previous book ended. Konstantin offers Bryn his help, but she just isn't sure she can trust him. 

I honestly kind of knew that Konstantin wasn't really that bad of a guy. He was just like Loki Staad (If you read the Trylle Trilogy, you know what I mean). I really liked his personality and how his relationship with Bryn changes throughout the trilogy. Ridley, Bryn and Konstantin remind me a lot of Finn, Wendy and Loki, but this time I don't't really mind whether Bryn ends up with Ridley or Konstantin because I love both men equally. 

There are some things that really broke my heart in this book, but I don't want to give too much informations. (wouldn't want to spoil you :P)

Amanda Hocking's writing is amazing and I can't wait to read more of her works. I'm wishing that she writes another series in the Trylle world. I'm kind of hoping it would be Liam Holmes' story ahah. You never know, right? ;D

Review: Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) by Abbi Glines

Genre: Mature YA Contemporary
Publication date: August 25th, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 352
Rating: 2/5

Summary:
To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…

My review:

Disclaimer: I might spoil a little tiny bit...

     First, I want to say that I'm a huge fan of Abbi Glines. I consider her as one of my favourite authors. Whenever she writes a book, I buy it, but... 
     I'm kind of tired of her writing nowadays. I feel like the last few books she wrote were the same old story I already read from her. 
    It started with the last two books published in the Rosemary Beach series. That's when I got bored and annoyed with her writing. 
    When I heard she was going to start a new series and after I saw the cover of Until Friday Night, I was really excited to read it. I wanted to read this book because I was expecting something different from her. Something that I will love and that will make me forget about the last two books of the Rosemary Beach series. 

But this just didn't do any of that. 

I'm just even more disappointed. 

The first hundred pages weren't too bad. I was actually enjoying the story and it gave me hope that this won't be the same as the other books she wrote, but after those hundred pages, it just went downhill for me. 

My first issue is the romance. I just can't help but hate all the cheesiness going on between the two main characters. It was just so unrealistic. I don't remember how many times I rolled my eyes and grimaced in this book, but I did enough to completely hate the two main characters. 

Okay... maybe hate is too big of a word. Let's say, they weren't relatable. I wasn't a big fan. I wasn't crazy about West. He was too overprotective and such a jealous freak. I just couldn't love him. 

Maggie was fine until she starts getting close with West. I mean come on, she doesn't talk, but because of one hot guy, she starts talking? I mean really? I do NOT ship Maggie and West. At all.

It was sad to read about Maggie's past and West's father, but other than that... this book isn't for me.

ok this is really going to spoil you... so stop reading if you're planning to read this book...

Then, Maggie's nightmare scene happened and got me so pissed. Like, she gets nightmares and when West hugs her and whispers in her ear, she relaxes. I mean, that scene was just so Della and Woods  And the fact that West gets pissed and jealous that Brady made Maggie laugh. I mean come on! She's her freaking COUSIN! 

I know Maggie kind of broke up with him because of his overprotectiveness, but they obviously ended up being together in the end. I know it was bound to happen, but I still hated it and hoped she wouldn't go back to him. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wrap up...

I feel really bad writing this review because I know Abbi Glines worked really hard to write this book and that she enjoyed and loved every moment she had writing this story. I'm still planning to buy and read her other books because I love her. I'm still willing to give her more chances... I just hope she doesn't write 10 books like this.

Divine Vices by Melissa Parkin

Genre:YA Paranormal Romance

Publication date: September 29th, 2015 (Originally published on November 2nd, 2013)

Pages: 415 (Kindle Edition)

Rating: 4/5 

Summary:

     The last thing sixteen-year-old Cassie Foster needs is trouble, but that doesn’t stop him from finding her. 

     Nine months after the tragic accident that killed her mother and sister, this high school junior just wants a fresh start. Settling down in the quiet town of New Haven, Maine, she’s found peace at last…until the new resident bad boy, Jackson Matthews, comes into the picture. Arrogant, sarcastic, and devastatingly sexy, he’s the very last thing Cassie wants to entertain. Romance was never part of the plan. But when terrifying circumstances drive these two together, she finds herself further in over her head than thought possible. As local girls begin disappearing, Cassie can’t help but wonder if it’s just a coincidence that everything started when this blue-eyed Casanova strolled into town. Will falling into Jackson’s arms mean she’ll be falling victim to a real lady-killer…or worse?

     The answer will open the door to a world she never thought possible.

My review:

     This is about a girl named Cassie who just moved into a new town to start a new life after her mother and sister's death. Not long after, a new boy named Jackson enrols in the same school as her and since his arrival, things in town starts to change as many girls disappear. 

     I read this not knowing too much about it. I read the summary once and the moment I started reading it, I already forgot what the book was about. I was amazed by the writing style of the author. It was easy to read and there weren't so many long descriptions. 

     For about the first hundred pages, nothing supernatural really happened, maybe there were a few mentions here and there, but I felt like I was just reading a YA contemporary romance book. I didn't mind though, I was entertained with Cassie's best friends and the arrival of Jackson. I've always loved love/hate relationships. There's enough romance in it, I was glad it wasn't cheesy because gosh, I'm just tired and annoyed of cheesy romance couples!

     I also loved Cassie's best friends Gwen and Ian. The author made those two seem like they're important characters and not just side characters that readers won't care about. I somewhat felt connected with those characters and learned to love the both of them. The author did a really good job on making the readers admire the characters in this book.

I always thought I knew what was going to happen next after each chapter, but I was wrong a couple of times. One of the great things about this book is that you never really know what to expect because of all the plot twists. I know most of the readers LOVE and ENJOY the book more when it surprises them and this book definitely has that aspect.

I'm not surprised this book has a high rating on GR. It truly deserves it and I recommend it to all the YA readers out there who enjoys paranormal romance. Trust me, you won't regret picking up this book. (;

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

About the author:
Melissa Parkin is a Chicagoland native who feels weird referring to herself in the third person. When she's not binge reading, taking photographs, breaking the first rule of Fight Club, or playing music too loud, she's writing young adult paranormal romances.

Mini Review: Off The Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publication date: May 19th, 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 356
Rating: 5/5

My review: 

I never heard about this book until I watched one of Christine's videos (polandbananasbooks) on Booktube. The plot got me really interested and I told myself I would read it one day. So, when I saw it at the library, I immediately grabbed it. I am so HAPPY I did. 

This book talks about a girl who's dating his fictional crush who just became an actual human being. Obviously, there are some supernatural/unrealistic elements in this book, but I really enjoyed them. There is a lot of kissing in this book which gets a little weird at some point, but the rest is still worth reading. This is actually a companion to Between The Lines, but I never read that book and in my opinion, it's no big deal. You can read this as a stand-alone, or read this and then read Between The Lines. You don't need to know more than what I just said to you. The best way to enjoy a book is to not know much about the story and so, if this interests you, read it and comment on this posts and share your thoughts. (: 

This week's TBR!

These are the books I'm planning on reading this week:

Weekly Wrap-Up!

Hello readers,
First of all, I apologize for not posting this past week's wrap-up yesterday. Second, I wanted to tell you guys that I just became a total FAN of the Mortal Instruments series! I'm so ashamed of myself for not reading the books earlier when everyone was talking about it! #shameonmebigtime 

Here are the books I 've read this past week:



1. Monday and Tuesday, I finished reading the first book of the Mortal Instruments series and I LOVED IT! I did start reading this book in french last year, but I wasn't really into it, so I didn't bother finishing the book. (Yes, I regret it now)

It was probably because I wasn't really in the mood to read Fantasy/paranormal books or maybe not...

Anyways, this book was awesome! If you haven't read it yet, I recommend you to do so because you're definitely missing an awesome story. 



2. Wednesday, I started reading this beauty and finished reading it around one in the morning on Thursday. This is the book of the month of July in the Bookish Beauties Book Club on Goodreads.

This was entertaining and I really like the cover especially the colors. Although, I liked the beginning of this book, I felt really bad and guilty for Gemma. At the end, I didn't like her character at all as well as her 'ex' best friend Hallie. They were cruel and childish for doing such things to each other. However, I really like the other characters like Sophie and Josh. If you like reading about characters taking revenge, then you should read this one.

3. On Thursday, after I finished reading Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things To Mend, I started reading Pride and Prejudice. I read about 65 pages that day and I was actually enjoying it. The reason why I put it down is because I started reading City Of Ashes, the second book of the Mortal Instruments series. 

I will continue on reading this classic tomorrow and hopefully finish it before Wednesday because this book is actually part of my #monthlongreadathon Week II and the second week ends on Wednesday, so I will need to finish this book by then. 

4. On Friday, Saturday and today, I continued and finished reading City Of Ashes. I gave this book a 5/5 stars rating on Goodreads because I enjoyed it so much besides the fact that Clary's decisions pissed me off. I still have so many questions and I hope to find answers in the third book of the series called City Of Glass that I started reading today. I'm only 10 pages in but I will continue on reading it later.






***P.S.
For the second week of the #monthlongreadathon, I changed my tbr pile again in case you were wondering. ***

That's it for this wrap-up, let me know if you're planning on reading one of the books I've mentioned in this book or what you think  about them. 

Thanks for reading (:

Rochelle

This week's TBR & #readathons

Hello everyone,
I hope you are all doing well. This week will be a very busy one since I will be participating in two readathons and I will also be reading two books from two book clubs that I'm part of. So without further a due, let me show you all the books that I'm planning on reading this upcoming week. 

I'm participating in the #monthlongreadathon hosted by @alibraryforaries as you might already know. Week 1 ends on Tuesday since week 2 will be starting on Wednesday. I also decided to participate in the #bookskayjulyreadathon hosted by @bookskay which starts tomorrow July 6th to July 12th. There are seven challenges in this read-a-thon and I will cheat a little, but I'm going to try my best to read seven books this week. 

1. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
This book is actually part of my tbr in the #monthlongreadathon week 1 that I haven't finished yet. I will finish it before Wednesday HOPEFULLY!

#Monthlongreadathon week 1 challenge: Movie Adaptation ✓
#bookskayjulyreadathon challenge: Read a book that is being made into a movie/tv show ✓






2. The Conspiracy Of Us by Maggie Hall
This is also part of my tbr in the first week of the #monthlongreadathon that I will probably won't be able to finish before the end of week 1. So, I've decided to read it for the #bookskayjulyreadathon challenge "Read a book that has been given/gifted to you". This book was actually gifted to me on my 18th birthday.


#bookskayjulyreadathon: Read a book that has been given/gifted to you ✓





3. World After (Penryn & The End Of Days #2) by Susan Ee
I'm still currently reading this and I put  it down a couple of times because of my busy schedule. I really want to finish it asap so I can purchase the third book. So yeahhhhhh...

#bookskayjulyreadathon: Read a book that has been spoilt for you & a book with a "W" in the title✓







4. Broken Hearts, Fences And Other Things To Mend by Katie Finn
This is the book of the month of July in the Bookish Beauties Book Club on Goodreads. I can't wait to get into it.

#monthlongreadathon: Intriguing ✓








5. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
This is the book of the month in my book club. I don't think I'll be able to finish it this week, but one thing is for sure, this book will be read by the end of the month.

#monthlongreadathon: Classic ✓
#bookskayjulyreadathon: Read a book that has been on your tbr since last year ✓







6. Crossing The Lines (Heat Wave #3) by Alannah Lynne
This is an ebook from Netgalley that I have to review.

#monthlongreadathon: Eye Candy✓
#bookskayjulyreadathon: Read a book you know nothing about✓








7. Throne Of Glass (Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas
I don't know if I'll be able to start this book with all the books I have to read this week, but we'll seeeeee.

#bookskayjulyreadathon: Read a book recommended by your favorite booktuber✓

Weekly Wrap-Up!

1. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

I gave this book a 5/5 stars!!!!!!
It was really good. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the first book (To All The Boys I've Loved Before)  If you want to read my review on the first book click here --> REVIEW

I couldn't ask for a better ending of this duology. I'm not entirely sure if it's a two books series, but if Ms. Jenny Han decides to write another book, I would be delighted to read it.

Totally recommend it to everyone who loved the first book and to all readers who love YA contemporary romances.

2. When You're Back by Abbi Glines

I gave this book a 2/5 stars.

This is the first Abbi Glines book that I didn't enjoy reading. I've always loved her books, but this one annoyed the crap out of me. *sorry for the language*

I felt like it's always the same pattern in her last couple of books in this series and I'm a little annoyed because I wanted to read something different and not always the same things all over and over again.

I really hope her next book will be better and different from the others.

If you want to read my review on Reese and Mase's first book click here --> REVIEW

3. Breaking A Legend by Sarah Robinson

I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed it, it was good. I gave it a 3.75/5 stars. My review is now on Goodreads. If you want to check it out click here
--> REVIEW

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: YA CONTEMPORARY

If you haven't read any of these books, you totally need to pick them up if you love Contemporary Romance.

1. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

It talks about a girl who is popular at school, who has a perfect family, perfect group of friends and a perfect boyfriend. She gets paired up with the school's latino bad boy Alex Fuentes in her chemistry lab class.

They both don't like each other, but as they spend more time together, she realizes he's not as bad as she thought he was and he realizes she's not as perfect as he thought she was.

This book was a really cute and funny love story. There is a love/hate relationship which I realy enjoyed reading. It was very entertaining and I totally recommend it to all you YA lovers.

2. Rules Of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

This book is about Alex Fuentes' younger brother Carlos who gets in trouble and has to live with his brother's former professor. There, he meets the professor's daughter Kiara. Kiara is a good girl and definitely not Carlos' type. As Carlos spends more time with Kiara's family, he begins to think more about what he wants to do with his life. He, then falls in love with Kiara, but is she worth all the sacrifices he has to make?

I loved this book as much as I did with the first one in the series. I loved the main characters, especially Kiara. She's different from all the other female protagonist I've read in the contemporary romance genre. I love Simone Elkeles' writing and I recommend you read her books!

3. Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Now this one, I don't really hear much about it which is a shame because it's a really good book. It talks about a girl named Cricket who has a best friend named Jules. Every summer, Jules and her family goes to Nantucket. One summer, they invited Cricket to go with them until they heard the bad news.
Since then, Jules has been different and Cricket is no longer invited to join them in Nantucket. Then, Cricket ends up actually going there since she was offered a summer job. On her journey in Nantucket, she falls in love with someone she never expected to have feelings for and she tries to fix her friendship with Jules.

I honestly bought this book because of its cover. I mean it's gorgeous! I'm so glad the story was good though or this would be a waste even though the cover is pretty. I recommend it to readers who enjoyed Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler and other YA readers of course.

Review: Keep Holding On by Susanne Colasanti

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought this book was good. It talks about a girl who is bullied at school. The chapters are short and fast-paced. This will truly inspire people out there who are being bullied. I also want to tell those people to never give up. Someday, they will find the light at the end of the tunnel. They should avoid suicidal thoughts. Life will get better, they shouldn't let mean people affect who they are.

If you're reading this, just know that...

YOU. ARE. AMAZING!

:)

View all my reviews

Descent (Kissed by Death #3) by Tara A. Fuller

Descent by Tara A. Fuller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was given to me by Entangled in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book of the Kissed by Death series. However, I haven't read the first two books. In the beginning, I was a little confused, but after a couple of chapters I couldn't stop reading. So, you can read this book as a stand alone.

This was a fast-paced book and that's one of the reasons why I really like it. I loved the characters and the love story. I really enjoyed reading about this new world and I'd like to know more about it in the other books of this series.

The author's writing style was amazing. I love how simple but rich her sentences were. Like I said, I love the world she created and the characters as well.

I recommend it to all the readers who love paranormal romance and fast-paced books.

View all my reviews

Ice Kissed (Kanin Chronicles #2) by Amanda Hocking

Genre: Paranormal YA Romance
Publication date: May 5th, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Read: May 2015
Pages: 288
Rating: 5/5 STARS!!!

Summary:
In the majestic halls of a crystal palace lies a secret that could destroy an entire kingdom…

Bryn Aven refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves. It’s a dream that brings her to a whole new realm…and the glittering palace of the Skojare.

The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal enemy that’s been threatening the Kanin, and Bryn is there to help. Being half Skojare herself, it’s also a chance for her to learn more about her lost heritage. Her boss, Ridley Dresden, is overseeing her mission, but as their undeniable attraction heats up, their relationship is about to reach a whole new level—one neither of them is prepared for.

As they delve deeper into the Skojare world, they begin to unravel a long-hidden secret. The dark truth about her own beloved Kanin kingdom is about to come to light, and it will change her place in it forever…and threaten everyone she loves.

My review:

I just finished this book and I started it late last night. O.M.G! It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! 

Ice Kissed is definitely way better than the first book Frostfire which is a pretty big deal if you ask me considering I found the first book really good too. Amanda Hocking's writing is an absolute beauty. I love her to death. The Trylle series made me the bookworm I am now and I thank Amanda Hocking for writing such beautiful stories like this one. 

"It was over, the way it should've been a long time ago, and the only thing I could do was push past it and hope that eventually the pain would get more bearable."

In the first book, I was a little frustrated with the romance. Bryn didn't want to sacrifice her job for love, like FINN EFFIN HOLMES (A guy from the first three books of the Trylle Series). In this book, I'm so happy with how things are with Bryn and Ridley. Oh man, they made me swooooooon, laugh and I just wanted to hug them both and say FINALLY! But obviously, there were still some parts where I was just like, 'what is wrong with you two? just be together already.' 

Other than Bryn and Ridley's 'relationship', I really found Tilda and Kasper's love for each other really sweet. Their characters were so strong and I really felt like they were important. This book wouldn't be as good without them. They bring something in the story that readers would definitely enjoy.

Ice Kissed and even Frostfire were both fast paced and at the end of each chapter you always want to keep reading, that's how good it is. It's also very mysterious, I was dying to know who was the bad guy. There are so many suspects that in the end you don't know who to trust anymore. 

I totally recommend readers who love paranormal romance to start reading this series if you haven't already. I also recommend Amanda Hocking's other series such as the Watersong Series and the Trylle Series. Her writing style is amazing, fast paced, entertaining and so on. 

My review on Frostfire (Book 1 of the Kanin Chronicles series by Amanda Hocking)

Florence (Florence Waverly #1) by Ciye Cho

Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication date: July 1st, 2012
Read: March 2015
Pages: 336
Rating: 4/5

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.

Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

My review:

I was intrigued just by reading the summary of Florence. I haven’t read any mermaid books ever since the Watersong series by Amanda Hocking which I’ve read  a year ago, so when  I received a copy of Florence in exchange for an honest review, I was really excited to read it.

I was really hoping I’d enjoy this book because I’m really busy at this time of the year with exams and didn’t want to waste my time reading a book that was boring. 

From the start, I was really impressed with the author's writing style. I loved how he described everything, the places, the characters, etc. The author's writing is very important when you're writing a book because it makes reading way easier for the reader. Who would want to read a book with a weak vocabulary, short descriptions and boring dialogues right? 

Another thing I loved was the characters and the romance. Ahhh! I don't usually like love triangles, but having two princes love you, you feel somewhat special. Florence wasn't that character that I'd consider "great" at the beginning. She was ok, but as the book progressed, she slowly changed and became a much better person. T

There were a lot of actions going on. You always want to keep reading after each chapter. After reading, I felt like I just experienced a whole lot of adventure in this new world that I'd love to learn more about in the next books. It started a bit slow for me but if you're reading this book, don't give up, keep reading and you won't regret it. 

I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, mermaids and romance. 

About the author:
Ciye Cho lives in Australia and works as a graphic designer. He writes YA novels in his free time--and his head is often lost in the clouds or some place far from reality...

Website: http://florence-books.com/