Cover Alert: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson || Release date: May 2014

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn’t go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn’t do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just… disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try… unless they could lead back to her best friend.Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not?Kiss a Stranger? Wait… what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um…

*******

A special Friday cover alert because as you all know if you've read Amy & Roger's Epic Detour and Second Chance Summer NOTHING is more exciting than a new book from Morgan Matson. Right?!

Let me know what you think of the cover in comments. I know this will be at the top of my Summer 2014 Wish List!

Reviewed by Emily: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez.

Product details:  

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK.

Paperback, 292 pages

Release date: October 27th 2011 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Age: 14+

Source: Received from publisher for review.

Reviewed by: Emily

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....

Virtuosity has lots of elements that I typically enjoy reading about in contemporary YA: complex family relationships; a nuanced love interest; snap-crackle-pop dialogue; a smart, talented main character. So it was no surprise that I enjoyed this book, but I didn't realise just how much I would love it.
 

When Carmen’s story begins, she’s two weeks away from a career-defining competition. Her dependency on anti-anxiety medication is increasing and her passion for violin is all but lost. Martinez does an excellent job of portraying Carmen’s downward spiral and I felt the intensity of her situation right from the beginning, even though I didn’t know much about Carmen at that point. When Jeremy entered the scene, I worried it would become just another cheesy love story but that’s definitely not the case. It is a love story – and a great one at that – but it’s also so much more. It’s the story of how Carmen takes control of her life and figures out what kind of person she wants to be.
 

Martinez's beautiful writing style made it easy for me to get swept up in Carmen’s story. From the vivid descriptions of Chicago to the witty banter between the characters, I loved every minute of it. I found that my attitude toward the characters mimicked Carmen's as the story progressed - my growing dislike of Diana and never knowing if Jeremy was trustworthy. I became so invested in the outcome of the story that I finished the last 150 pages in one sitting. I was sad as I turned the final page because I wanted to keep spending time with these characters. I would LOVE a sequel, but at the same time I liked the open ending and thought it worked really well in this book.
 

The pacing is amazing. I did feel the romance was a little rushed in the beginning, but I can't say I was ever bored. Martinez keeps things interesting by constantly changing the tone: flirty when Carmen is with Jeremy, tense when the topic of their competition comes up, panic-ridden when Carmen feels she needs her medication, warm and fuzzy when she's hanging out with her tutor/friend Heidi. There were also some poignant scenes with Carmen and her violin instructor, Yuri, which made me shed a tear or two.
 

This is the second YA novel about music that I've read and loved this year (the first being The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr), and I'm interested in reading more. If you have any recommendations, please let me know! Hopefully I'll find more that I love just as much as Virtuosity.
 

All in all, I highly recommend Virtuosity. A must-read for contemporary fans. 


--Emily.

Book Review: Undeniable by Liz Bankes.

Product details:
Publisher: Piccadilly Press.
Paperback, 192 pages.
Release date: August 1st 2013.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 15+
Source: Received from Publisher for review.

Frank, funny and fabulous the new romantic novel from Liz Bankes. Gabi is so excited she's spending the summer working as a runner on her favourite TV show. It's a dream come true! Plus it's perfect for for distracting her from The Break-Up especially with all those gorgeous actors around. And then there's Spencer Black: student, extra, expert flirt. Everything with him is fun, intoxicating and uncertain. Things between them are hotting up when he lands a minor role on the show. So is it make or break for them? Is Spencer undeniably the one for Gabi?

Gabi can’t wait to embark on a summer full of adventure and distraction in London, working as a runner on her favourite TV show, The Halls – think the O.C. set on a university campus but with even more drama and even hotter guys. Newly single after a very-long term relationship, Gabi is more than ready for a not-so-serious summer romance, and it might just be that Spencer Black, a sexy extra on The Halls is the one to sweep her off her feet.

But is Gabi open to love, or does her heart belong to someone else – and is Spencer really all that he seems? Gabi’s life is about to take a turn for the dramatic; it’s like she stepped right into one of her favourite storylines from The Halls. But will Gabi’s story have a happy ever after, or is her summer of fun about to turn into a case of broken hearts all round?

Irresistible, the debut novel from Liz Bankes was a fun read with drama, friendship, deceit and one very hot bad boy in the shape of Jamie Elliot-Fox (who I totally crushed on). If anything though, Undeniable is a step up from Irresistible. I really enjoyed reading about Gabi’s adventures in London, her flirtation with sexy Spencer and the mystery of what led to her break-up with first love Max. On the surface Gabi is a (loud) fun-time party girl, and truth be told, when the story began I thought she might annoy me quite a bit. She didn’t though – I grew to love Gabi. Sure, she wears her heart on her sleeve and she can be a little dramatic and in your face at times, but she has a heart of gold. Gabi is all about family and friends. She puts others first and we soon learn that while she puts on a brave front, Gabi has a whole lot more going on in her life than first meets the eye.

Undeniable, just like Irresistiblebefore it, is categorized as a ‘steamy’ New Adult novel, but just like its predecessor I think this one fits firmly into the Young Adult category.   After all, the protagonist here is seventeen, and while there are some steamy scenes, there is nothing in here that I haven’t read in YA before; certainly most of the NA books I’ve read, especially those coming from the US, are steamier than this. So, if you’re a teenager who’s thinking about reading this book, or a parent of a teenager who is concerned about the content, then rest assured, the 15+ age recommendation on the back of the book is pretty much spot on.

Now, onto the steamy stuff: the romance. Oh, I should mention that Mia and the aforementioned Jamie from Irresistible make a couple of appearances here. As you’ll know if you’ve read Irresistible Mia and Gabi are best friends for life and even though she’s on holiday in France, Mia is very much a part of Gabi’s summer. I loved catching up with Mia and Jamie; especially after all the drama of Irresistible.  Spencer, it has to be said, is a nicer guy than Jamie. I mean, when we first met Jamie, he was a total ass. And when we left Jamie he was still kind of an ass, but I digress. Spencer is an aspiring actor who sets his sights on Gabi from her first day in London, and little by little, though she is still nursing her heartache, Gabi embarks on a summer romance with Spencer. It’s not all plain sailing, though. Spencer is ambitious, and soon earns himself a promotion on The Halls – he’s the sexy bad boy with a dark secret, don’t you know. Gabi is happy for Spencer’s success, but with success comes press intrusion, and that’s when things start getting really complicated for Gabi.

Undeniable is a fabulously fun coming-of-age read with some great characters (I loved Gabi’s granny!) and a hot summer romance – those are always the best kind! I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in this series which features Mia and Gabi’s friend Rosie and Jamie’s ex Cleo (you might remember her from Irresistible). Now that should be an interesting read!

 

The DIVERGENT Movie Trailer has arrived!

And it looks G.O.O.D with lots of action and a healthy dose of SWOON, just as I had hoped! This one looks like its sticking pretty faithfully to the book, and I, for one, cannot wait to see it. 

 Vampire Academy is a series that I will LOVE forever but as far YA book to movie adaptations go, Divergent is winning the trailer wars...

What do you think?

Also, what's the verdict on Four? I haven't seen this actor in anything else, so it's pretty hard to judge from the trailer, but I can say I think he's a good choice for Four looks wise, at least.

Undeniable Blog Tour: Liz Bankes Talks Top Book Couples!

Undeniable by Liz Bankes || Release date: August 1st 2013.

Frank, funny and fabulous the new romantic novel from Liz Bankes.

Gabi is so excited she's spending the summer working as a runner on her favourite TV show. It's a dream come true! Plus it's perfect for for distracting her from The Break-Up especially with all those gorgeous actors around. And then there's Spencer Black: student, extra, expert flirt. Everything with him is fun, intoxicating and uncertain. Things between them are hotting up when he lands a minor role on the show. So is it make or break for them? Is Spencer undeniably the one for Gabi?

********

 Guest Post: Liz Bankes picks her top five book couples. 

Pretty much the main reason I write romantic comedy is because that’s what I love reading. I love spending the whole of a book getting increasingly desperate for a couple to get together, to the point I get confused and forget they’re not real. (I’m the same with TV couples – I almost broke a chair watching The Office Christmas special, I continually reassure myself that Tim and Daisy from Spaced ended up married and please don’t talk to me about Emily and Naomi in Skins.)

 When I am writing my characters I think about these couple and what made me love them so much. If I can incorporate even just tiny hints of these things into my couples then I will be very happy. The only thing that would make me happier would be if these couples all came to life and decided to be my friends.

1. Georgia Nicolson and Dave the Laugh

From his first appearance as a red herring, through the clown-nosed love declaration and the wet bottom incident, Dave was ALWAYS the one for Georgia. No amount of sex gods and lurve gods would persuade me otherwise. He’s always there for her as a mate and the only one of the boys who could match her in the humour department. They are proof that, whatever else happens, being in love should be a laugh.

2. Lizzie and Darcy

Grumpy frowny man meets woman who dearly loves a laugh. Sound likes an absolute disaster. I bet he will be the last person she would ever marry. 

But WAIT! Maybe under all that chat about finding each other annoying, they actually fancy each other?? Yep, you are right. Despite first impressions, this is in fact the beginning of the best love story ever. (Did you know First Impressions was the original title of Pride and Prejudice?) 

I love this idea of wearing down someone’s grumpiness – or the gradual realisation that you are actually quite enjoying the sparring matches with the person you claim to dislike. Plus he has a big house and walks around in a wet shirt sometimes.

3. Noah and Allie from the Notebook

It is possible that I haven’t read the book and am basing this all on Ryan Gosling’s face the film. But the fact remains that HE BUILT HER A HOUSE. I won’t say much for fear of spoilers, only that this couple made me cry FOR TWO HOURS.

4. Kim and Sugar from Sugar Rush

Again this one is based a bit on the TV series, but I have read the book as well. Through both you see just why Kim falls for her best friend Sugar and, despite Sugar’s wild, destructive and unreliable ways, you are willing them to get together. What this couple shows is the attraction of someone who just doesn’t care and it also makes you think about what it would be like to fall for your best friend – someone who is at once so close to you, but at the same time out of reach.

5. Viola and Orsino from Twelfth Night

You may have noticed that I like a bit of unrequited love. Viola is shipwrecked and dresses up as a boy so that she can work in Orsino’s court. She becomes his confidant and he sends her to woo local widow Olivia on his behalf. I love the way that these two fall in love through chats and getting to know each other, in complete contrast to the over the top way he talks about Olivia. And the bit where they talk about love and she talks about this guy that her ‘sister’ secretly loves, who happens to look just like Orsino is just brilliant. It makes me want to jump up and shout ‘It’s YOU, Orsino, you twit!’ But that doesn’t go down well in the theatre, apparently. 

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Follow Liz on Twitter: @LizBankesAuthor

Competition Winners: Summer Spotlight// YA Summer Prize Pack// Impostor// Penguin Chats // Angelfall // Summer Arc Giveaway //Amazon Voucher +++ A brief blog break!

Here are the latest competition winners on the blog!

  Summer Spotlight Mega Giveaway

Chenise J.

YA Summer Prize Pack

Anita Y.

Impostor by Susanne Winnacker

Thanks to Media Masters

Tamara A.

Penguin Chats Prize Pack

Thanks to Penguin Books

Justine

Faridah B.

Kulsuma

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Thanks to Think Jam

Zoe 

Jade 

Hollie S.

Summer ARC Giveaway

Mary P.

£50 Amazon Voucher

Lovely J.

If you haven't received your prize within 28 days of sending me your details, please let me know.

Brief Hiatus: Thanks to a recurring migraine I haven't been able to do much (any) reading or reviewing over the past week or so. Thanks to my wonderful guest reviewers who kept the blog ticking over in my absence! I'll be taking a week (or maybe two) off to catch up on some reading! 

Blog tours will be scheduled as normal.

Reviewed by Liz: Sister Assassin by Kiersten White.

Product details:
Publisher: Harper Collins.
Paperback, 241 pages.
Release date: February 19th 2013.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 13+
Source: Received from publisher for review.
Reviewed by: Liz from Planet Print.

She never chose her deadly gift but now she’s forced to use it. How far would you go to protect the only family you have left?

Annie is beset by fleeting strange visions and a guilty conscience. Blind and orphaned, she struggles to care for her feisty younger sister Fia, but things look up when both sisters are offered a place at Kessler School for Exceptional Girls.

Born with flawless intuition, Fia immediately knows that something’s wrong, but bites her tongue… until it’s too late. For Fia is the perfect weapon to carry out criminal plans and there are those at Kessler who will do anything to ensure her co-operation.

With Annie trapped in Kessler’s sinister clutches, instincts keep Fia from killing an innocent guy and everything unravels. Is manipulative James the key to the sisters’ freedom or an even darker prison? And how can Fia atone for the blood on her hands?

Fia and Annie are sisters. Annie is blind, but she is also a Seer, and catches glimpses of the future. Fia has spent most of her life looking out for Annie, and she is willing to do anything to save her. Even if that means doing terrible things – and Fia has done terrible things. However when she fails her next assignment and ends up saving her target instead of killing him, Annie is no longer safe. If anyone were to find out what Fia did, years of lying and cheating and killing would be for nothing. Annie hates what this life does to Fia, but is powerless to free herself and her sister from the clutches of the Keane Foundation, which uses girls with abilities like Annie’s for sinister purposes. But Annie is all Fia cares about, and she will stop at nothing to protect her.

Kiersten White’s Sister Assassin is a strange book. I loved the premise (I’m partial to books about assassins and/or similar) but not much actually happened. It was an odd reading experience. Fia was a pretty messed up character, but I liked reading about her. She was very broken and just about toeing the line between sanity and insanity – quite clearly racked with guilt over the things she was forced to do to keep her sister safe. She was also quite understandably angry and frustrated that she was basically just a puppet for Keane, and was never free to make her own choices. However, while I liked Fia’s characterisation, I felt that after the failed assignment at the start, pretty much nothing else happened until the last few chapters. Most of it was flashbacks, which were actually quite interesting and gave insight into the sisters’ backstories, but they couldn’t make up for the almost complete lack of plot. Honestly, I just read this book and I am struggling to remember anything that happened in Annie or Fia’s chapters.

Annie was an okay character, but was a little dull in my opinion, and a lot about her wasn’t explained – like how exactly her visions worked, when she started to get them, what her life was like before her parents died, etc. She was protective over Fia, and clearly worried about her sister and yet she often made bad choices (ironically, as Fia’s “ability” was apparently perfect instincts – which confused me greatly because if she had perfect instincts, would she be in this mess to start with?). Annie also hated James, the son of the head of the Keane Foundation, and constantly warned him to stay away from Fia. I think Annie had the right intentions, but the way she did things was wrong. She was terrible at preventing Fia from endangering herself and ended up doing the opposite. I could sort of admire her for what she did at the end of the book, but apart from that, she didn’t have much of a role, which was a shame as there was so much potential for her character.

James and Adam, who were the potential love interests, were not favourites of mine, but I think I preferred James just because Adam was only in it for a bit and seemed to have absolutely no personality. He was just boring. James was very shady, had ulterior motives, was using Fia against his father and would be an awful boyfriend, but I think he did, under all those lies, actually care for Fia. He was an idiot at times and I’m not saying I actually liked him, but he was a lot like Fia – broken, torn, in too deep to ever fathom going back to a normal way of life. It’s like they could only be with each other because no-one else could possibly understand them as well they did each other.

The writing, especially for Fia’s chapters, was...unusual? I get that it was meant to be all disjointed and unstructured to reflect Fia’s state of mind, and it was okay to an extent, but after a while, certain things got on my nerves. The darker tone of the book was done well, and I would probably read the sequel, but there was just something lacking. On top of that, I think too many things were left unexplained. I know this is book one, so hopefully we’ll get more answers in the future, but I was really confused about a lot of things, like how exactly the girls ended up at the school Keane was involved with, Keane’s true purposes, the relevance of the group Adam was involved with and why his research even mattered that much – to name a few. 

Overall, Sister Assassin was a good read but with several issues. Pick it up if the premise intrigued you and you want a quick read.

 

Sister Assassin is published as Mind Games in the US.

Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters Trailer - What's Your Verdict?

 So, the trailer for Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters is finally here. What do you think, VA fans? From what I can see, reactions are very mixed on this one. And I can see why, but I'm not passing final judgement until I see the movie. I will say that it's not what I was expecting. It's a little more CW than I thought it would be, and the fangs are a little, um, comedy, maybe. 

Still, I'm holding judgement. I love the Vampire Academy books and I'm crossing my fingers that the movie will be a good one!

What do you think?

Also, I've already had this conversation on Twitter, but who else thinks that the trailer is Lissa overkill?(I never was her biggest fan!)  I'd like to see more of Dimitri. I know a lot of people weren't sold on his casting, so it'd be good find out more!

Reviewed by Arianne: Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon &Schuster UK.
Paperback, 288 pages.
Release date: August 15th 2013.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Ages: 13+
Source: Received from publisher for review.
Reviewed by: Arianne.

After witnessing his girlfriend in a “very friendly” position with a guy who is definitely not him, closely followed by a catastrophic car accident that shatters his leg along with his pro Tennis hopes, Ezra Faulkner returns to school for senior year, cast into social oblivion, a shadow of his former self. Ezra believes that everyone suffers a defining tragedy: it appears that his has just occurred.

But this new tragic self might have its own appeal, especially after he meets the clever, oddly sexy Cassidy Thorpe, a girl who launches him into a series of transformative adventures that help Ezra learn the truth about tragedy: unlike lightning, it can and will strike the same place twice.

Filled with wit and humour, Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider is a brilliant reinvention of everything we think we know about the young adult contemporary genre. One part frank, two parts funny, it's a stunning display of how to get a character-driven plot just right. 

Ezra Faulkner thought he was happy. He was the school's tennis star, a real king of the court. He was the boyfriend of one of the most popular girls in school and anyone who was anyone knew his name. But after a car accident forcibly removes his golden boy halo, he has to take a look around him without the help of its tinted glow. None of his so-called friends visited him when he was in hospital wondering if he'd ever walk again. None of them understands that the car accident didn't just change the direction of his summer - swapping parties for surgeries and dates for therapy sessions - it's changed him for life.

An unlikely band of new friends come to his rescue - led by the hilarious Toby. He and Ezra were inseparable before their friendship was swallowed up by the divide between the popular and the rejected. I loved Toby, who was the most fleshed out of the debate club rebels, but I would have really liked to have seen more of Phoebe, too.

Another newcomer in Ezra's life is Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy embodies so much of what Ezra missed during his days at the jocks' table: she's passionate, she's carefree and she seems real. The more Ezra gets to know her, however, the more he falls in love with her wildness, the more he begins to understand that if there's anything Cassidy is not, it's real. She's the shadow of a person she used to be.

The romance between Cassidy and Ezra was what made this book for me. It had the spontaneity of teenage love as well as the slow-burn feel of a very powerful relationship; it was more than the sum of its parts. It was cute and physical and beautiful and enigmatic all at the same time.

I expected a lot from this book and it didn't disappoint. Given its premise it could easily have become preachy, but the poetic artistry of the plot structure is pitch-perfect. Foreshadowing is key and eagle-eyed readers will eat up the trail of clues which eventually lead to what is, to say the least, a heart-wrenching conclusion. A few early brand-littered pages aside, the writing style flows well and comes into its own as time goes on and philosophy begins to influence Ezra's narrative more and more. Ezra's a smart guy and he knows it - I loved that! He never allows himself to be pushed into a stereotype and that, I think, is one of this book's strongest messages of all. 

In short: Severed Heads, Broken Hearts is easy to follow and hard to put down. It has one of the best female writer/male protagonist partnerships I've ever seen and it reads like an off-the-beaten-track indie movie; it's original and radiant, with a great cast and a philosophical flourish that will please any reader. 

(On another note, I will mention that this book is being published as The Beginning of Everything in the US, a title which I think fits the contemporary category more. Believe it or not, but I thought Severed Heads, Broken Hearts was a zombie novel akin to Warm Bodiesbefore I looked into it further! For anyone hesitating for reasons like this, don't - this really is a brilliant book - worthy of a one-sitting read.)

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts is published as The Beginning of Everything in the US.

 

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts Blog Tour: Robyn Schneider on being published in the UK.

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider || Release date: August 15th 2013.

After witnessing his girlfriend in a “very friendly” position with a guy who is definitely not him, closely followed by a catastrophic car accident that shatters his leg along with his pro Tennis hopes, Ezra Faulkner returns to school for senior year, cast into social oblivion, a shadow of his former self. Ezra believes that everyone suffers a defining tragedy: it appears that his has just occurred.

But this new tragic self might have its own appeal, especially after he meets the clever, oddly sexy Cassidy Thorpe, a girl who launches him into a series of transformative adventures that help Ezra learn the truth about tragedy: unlike lightning, it can and will strike the same place twice.

******

Guest Post: Robyn Schneider on being published in the UK 

When I was twenty-two, I lived in London, in a house in Primrose Hill with five other girls. We went down to the pub for pad thai, and walked along the canal to buy groceries, and swapped clothes, and had jobs that sounded more aspirational than true. 

I moved there from New York City, intending to live abroad for a year and write novels, but what I was really doing was running away. I’d deferred graduate school, where I planned to study medicine and I suppose grow up.

I had a secret identity that year. I wrote books, but no one knew about it, because they were children’s books, and I wrote them under a pen name. There is something peculiarly disorienting about being a novelist in one country and then moving to another. I was not published in the UK. The bookstores and libraries there had never heard of me and would not carry me. The book I was writing was not for them. It was something I would take back home to my American publisher, like a souvenir of my time abroad. 

It’s very strange now, four years later, that I survived graduate school and somehow managed to write a novel while I was there. But it is even stranger and more lovely still that this book is making its way back across the pond, to the bookstores and libraries I visited years ago and sadly knew were not mine. It's fitting then that the UK, a place which has become a story I tell, is getting a story I told. A care package from a broad, of a piece of me that will never have to grow up and go back home. 

********

Follow Robyn on Twitter: @robynschneider

Check back on Wednesday to read Arianne's Five-Star review of Severed Heads, Broken Hearts.

Win a £50 Amazon Voucher - open to UK/US/Canada.

Want to win a £50 voucher to spend on anything you'd like from Amazon?

Thanks to UK based appliance company ao.com one lucky reader will win just that! I know I always have a ton of books, CD's and DVD's on my Amazon wish list and £50 goes a long way - especially where books are concerned! 

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To be in with a chance to win, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. 

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Winners will be contacted via email and will have 72 hours to reply. If I don't hear back from the winner by then, I will pick an alternate winner.

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Book Review: Cruel Summer by James Dawson.

Product details:
Publisher: Indigo.
Paperback, 324 pages.
Release date: August 1st 2013.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Competition win.

A year after Janey’s suicide, her friends reunite at a remote Spanish villa, desperate to put the past behind them. However, an unwelcome guest arrives claiming to have evidence that Jane was murdered. When she is found floating in the pool, it becomes clear one of them is a killer. Only one thing is for certain, surviving this holiday is going to be murder…

A compelling and psychological thriller - with a dash of romance.

I grew up on horror. Christopher Pike, R.L. Stine, and, latterly, Stephen King, were the heroes of my teenage years. I love horror movies too. None of the gore thank you very much. I’m all for old school creep factor. Oh yeah, and I have a real soft spot for nineties slasher flicks featuring young hot Hollywood.  I knew then, that with my tastes, I couldn’t go wrong with Cruel Summer by James Dawson. This book has it all. I was hooked right from the get-go. Seriously. Go visit your bookstore and read the prologue of this book. I can guarantee you won’t leave the store without it.  You’ll have to know what happens next.  Cruel Summer is Christopher Pike meets I Know What You Did Last Summer, and there’s a whole lot here too for anyone who loved Gretchen McNeil’s Ten last year and has been looking for more of the same.  Damn, this book is good.

Who Killed Janey Bradshaw?

That’s the question that’s been plaguing Ryan ever since last year’s killer cliffhanger (pun totally intended) series finale when Janey met her death on the rocks beneath Telscombe Cliffs. Janey’s death was ruled suicide, but Ryan has questions and he’s determined to find out the truth now that the gang minus Janey (R.I.P) is about to be united at his BFF Katie’s villa in Spain. Actually, the villa is Katie’s dads and it is ah-mazing. It has a pool and everything…Oh, I should clarify that Janey’s death was very real. It’s just that aspiring actor Ryan likes to think of everything in terms of the long-running TV drama series that constantly plays in his head (with him as the star- naturally). The High School Years ended with Janey’s death, but now the gang is back for a Summer Special in Spain. Whatever could go wrong?

James Dawson obviously knows his (Point) Horror and here he has a whole lot of fun with that knowledge as he takes the familiar tropes of horror and twists and turns them into something new and different. This makes for a very exciting page-turning read indeed.  All the characters of those nineties horrors I loved are in this book with updates for the noughties: along with Ryan (a gay guy with a flair for gossip and drama) there’s Katie (the good girl), Ben (the heart-throb, also Katie’s ex), Alisha (the bad girl trying to be good), Greg (the Jock, also Alisha’s brother), and Erin (Greg’s tagalong WAG-alike girlfriend). So, who will die first? That’s what you should be asking yourself right now. Because this is a summer sizzler with a body count. Everybody has their secrets, and before you know it, heads will roll. Especially when an unwanted visitor turns up with some secrets of their own. Dun, dun, dun….

You want to read this, don’t you?

I can’t recommend Cruel Summer highly enough. I thoroughly enjoyed Dawson’s debut Hollow Pike when I read it last year, but in my opinion, Cruel Summer is even better. I literally did not put this book down once I picked it up, and I know a lot of my blogger friends had a similar experience with it.  I give Cruel Summer ALL THE STARS and I’m already excited for Dawson’s next book Say Her Name (inspired by the myth of Bloody Mary – how freaking cool!) which releases in May 2014.

 

Reviewed by Arianne: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith.

Product details:
Publisher: Headline.
Hardcover, 416 pages.
Release date: April 4th 2013.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 13+
Source: Purchased.
Reviewed by: Arianne.

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names.

Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles.

When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Just as they did in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the hands of fate intervene in wondrous ways in this YA novel that delivers on high concept romance in lush and thoughtful prose.

I'm not going to deny it. I adore The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the book which catapulted Jennifer E. Smith into the stratosphere of the contemporary young adult scene. I get all misty-eyed and hazy-brained when I think about it because all I want to do is delve in and experience it all over again. And the moment I saw This Is What Happy Looks Like at the bookshop, I just knew it had to bring it home with me. It was worth the hefty price tag of high expectation; it was worth the rearranging of my entire shelf to accommodate its chunky size. It had to be.

The premise of This Is What Happy Looks Like is perfect rom-com material. An accidental email flung halfway across a continent brings two very different people together. Graham’s a movie star out of his depth in Hollywood, fighting to be the good guy amid all the perils of fame, and the anonymity of email is a lifeline for him. Ellie has reasons for staying out of the spotlight, tucked away in a seaside corner of Maine, but when Graham starts shooting his latest film in her hometown of Henley, she’s forced to make a choice. Save herself from slow suffocation in the safest place she’s ever known, or really strive to achieve dreams which are more than what the little town has to offer her.

Unfortunately, it seems as if Jennifer E. Smith has failed to replicate in this book the incredible balance of pace and character she managed in her last one. There’s still real warmth and even a flash of brilliance or two, but I was simply left feeling as if I needed something more.

The book opens with the infamous accidental email and this was a great start for me. I love the use of email as a plot device and I always have. The characters were established immediately, without preamble, fuss or extraneous explanation. Ellie was strong and smart and so easy to relate to. I didn't fall head over heels for Graham the way I'm used to with stories like this, but his genuine personality really suited the book and he was really very sweet.

There’s surprising depth to the book’s sub-plots, too. Readers wondering where Ellie’s father is will more than get their answer. There’s a typical case of the wanton ex involved when it comes to the many obstacles blocking Ellie and Graham’s path to each other but I was more interested in the absence of parents in his life. Several of these sub-plots are really put on the back burner for most of the book, but I found myself eagerly awaiting their outcome as I read on.

Even without falling for the hero, there’s a lot to love about this book. I loved the setting, which was perfectly pitched as a kitsch seaside town without the usual stereotypes. It could have easily been generic and unappetizing but there’s detail galore and I really felt for Ellie as she contemplated leaving in order to attend the poetry course she’s been aspiring to since she was barely a teenager.

In particular, I loved Jennifer E. Smith's prose. I've always enjoyed her writing and it was great to see her trademark style return. It’s clean, crisp and immediate, never vague but always tactful. I couldn't fault the storytelling; it was the story that let me down.

The main problem I had with this book was that nothing really happened. There was a lack of confrontation, an ease with which Smith glossed over some of the more important aspects of the novel and a gradual slowing of pace which just didn't appeal to me. The supporting characters were vivid, but I didn't connect with them – especially Quinn, Ellie's supposed best friend.

In short: Placed alongside her last book, Jennifer E. Smith’s This Is What Happy Looks Like is the literary equivalent of marshmallow; thick and sugary but liable to leave you feeling just a little queasy. A solid four-star rating, however, because I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet summer read with depth this year.

-Arianne

Read All About It: News, Deals and Cover Reveals from Lauren Oliver, Michelle Krys, Gemma Burgess, Holly Black & More!

Here's a round up of the latest book news, deals and some cover reveals that I've discovered over the past few weeks!  It's also basically a digest of all the exciting news stories that come my way and which I've mostly already posted on my twitter and Facebook feeds, so if you want up-to-the-minute book news and you don't want to have to wait around for me to type this up, you can follow me on those sites!

 Like DaisyChainBookReviews on Facebook  ||   Follow  @daisychainbooks on Twitter and then you'll never miss a thing!

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Panic by Lauren Oliver || Release date: March 2014

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

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Book Deals, Book Deals, Book Deals....

Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten

Liesa Abrams at Simon Pulse has acquired Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten (Wherever Nina Lies) in a two-book, six-figure auction. In this YA suspense novel, pitched as Gone Girl meets Thirteen Reasons Why, June has barely had time to mourn the death of her best friend, Delia, before Delia's ex-boyfriend convinces her Delia was murdered, and June is swept into a tangle of lies, deceit, and conspiracy. Publication is scheduled for spring 2015; Jenny Bent of the Bent Agency brokered the deal. 

Those Girls by Lauren Saft 
Farrin Jacobs at Little, Brown's Poppy imprint has acquired Those Girls, a debut novel by Lauren Saft, plus an untitled novel. Those Girls tells the story of three friends at an all-girls prep school and their junior year filled with secret crushes, best-friend rivalry, lying, cheating, sex, and betrayal. Publication is planned for spring 2015. Kirby Kim at WME did the deal for North American rights. 

The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman 

Donna Bray at HarperCollins's Balzer + Bray imprint has acquired The Cost of All Things, the debut novel of Abrams senior editor Maggie Lehrman, in a two-bookdeal. In the story, when her boyfriend dies, grief-stricken Ari buys a spell to erase all memory of him – which has disastrous consequences for her dance career. And she's not the only one looking for shortcuts. A publication date has not yet been set; Tina Wexler at ICM sold world English rights at auction. 

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Pam Gruber at Little, Brown has bought world English rights to a debut novel by Virginia Boecker called The Witch Hunter, set in an alternative 16th-century London. In the story, pitched as Shadow and Bone meets The Tudors, the only girl in the king's elite group of witch hunters is framed for being a witch herself, finding freedom at the hands of the world's most wanted wizard. Publication is set for spring 2015; Kathleen Ortiz at New Leaf Literary & Media held the auction for the three-book deal.

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More Book Covers of Awesome in YA....

Hexed by Michelle Krys || Release date: June 2014

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

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Fates by Lanie Bross || Release date: February 2014

What if your destiny was to kill the one you love?

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people’s fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she’s falling all over again—this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die.

In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

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 When The World Was Flat... by Ingrid Jonach || Release date: Sept. 2013

Looking back, I wonder if I had an inkling that my life was about to go from ordinary to extraordinary.

When sixteen-year-old Lillie Hart meets the gorgeous and mysterious Tom Windsor-Smith for the first time, it’s like fireworks — for her, anyway. Tom looks as if he would be more interested in watching paint dry; as if he is bored by her and by her small Nebraskan town in general.

But as Lillie begins to break down the walls of his seemingly impenetrable exterior, she starts to suspect that he holds the answers to her reoccurring nightmares and to the impossible memories which keep bubbling to the surface of her mind — memories of the two of them, together and in love.

When she at last learns the truth about their connection, Lillie discovers that Tom has been hiding an earth-shattering secret; a secret that is bigger — and much more terrifying and beautiful — than the both of them. She also discovers that once you finally understand that the world is round, there is no way to make it flat again.

An epic and deeply original sci-fi romance, taking inspiration from Albert Einstein’s theories and the world-bending wonder of true love itself.

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Vivian Versus the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle || Release date: Sept. 2013

A chilling vision of a contemporary USA where the sinister Church of America is destroying lives. Our cynical protagonist, seventeen-­year-­old Vivian Apple, is awaiting the fated 'Rapture' -­ or rather the lack of it. Her evangelical parents have been in the Church's thrall for too long, and she's looking forward to getting them back. Except that when Vivian arrives home the day after the supposed 'Rapture', her parents are gone. All that is left are two holes in the ceiling...

Viv is determined to carry on as normal, but when she starts to suspect that her parents might still be alive, she realises she must uncover the truth. Joined by Peter, a boy claiming to know the real whereabouts of the Church, and Edie, a heavily pregnant Believer who has been 'left behind', they embark on a road trip across America. Encountering freak weather, roving 'Believer' gangs and a strange teenage group calling themselves the 'New Orphans', Viv soon begins to realise that the Rapture was just the beginning.

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A Little NA Cover Love... 

Love and Chaos (Brooklyn Girls #2) by Gemma Burgess

*Synopsis not Available* 

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Undeniable by Liz Bankes || Release date: August 2013

 Frank, funny and fabulous the new romantic novel from Liz Bankes Gabi is so excited she's spending the summer working as a runner on her favourite TV show. It's a dream come true! Plus it's perfect for for distracting her from The Break-Up especially with all those gorgeous actors around. And then there's Spencer Black: student, extra, expert flirt. Everything with him is fun, intoxicating and uncertain. Things between them are hotting up when he lands a minor role on the show. So is it make or break for them? Is Spencer undeniably the one for Gabi?

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And an Awesome Book Trailer...

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Isn't that an AWESOME book trailer?! And what about the covers in this edition of the round-up? Amazing! I can't wait to read Panic by Lauren Oliver and I'm in cover love with Hexed by Michelle Krys.  The second book in the Brooklyn Girls series also looks great. There are some great book deals to check out this time round too!

 

Please note that book covers may not be final and may be subject to change.  Additional sources:  PW Children's Bookshelf, Goodreads, Amazon UK.