Unrequited by Emma Grey

Unrequited
by Emma Grey
Release Date: 05/26/14
Series: No
Genrre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: Four Trees

Summary from Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Kat Hartland loathes Unrequited, the world's biggest boy band. Is she the only girl in Sydney who can't be bothered with perfect-looking Angus Marsden?

Give her 5 Seconds of Summer. Now.

Or maybe the seriously-hot med student who rescued her on a train—and who could be Douglas Booth's twin! Perfect formal partner, much?

But when Kat comes face to face with Angus Marsden himself, things start to get complicated. Very. Throw in a deranged female popstar, final exams, a part in the musical and a mum who just doesn't get it—and where is her best friend?

When did life get so crazy? Kat's just an ordinary schoolgirl.

Isn't she?

Add to Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

To start off this review, I feel like I should get this out of the way, the idea for the book is so crazy and unrealistic. I mean lets face it, this would never happen in real life, yet the author manages to completely convince me that it's possible and draw me into the Unrequited world. 

One of the things I enjoyed the most about the book was the fact that you really didn't know who Kat would end up with. Was it going to be the hot med student or would it be the world famous singer? I thought the author did a fantastic job at keeping the reader guessing.

Another aspect of the novel that I loved was the fact that Kat was just a regular student struggling through school. As a current senior in high school trying to balance a million other things I really related to her and thought she was a great example of a normal person (or as normal as you get knowing a superstar). I also liked Kat as a character. She knew who she was and didn't want to change it and conform to other people's ideas. I appreciated how she didn't care what people thought of her and loved her attitude about everything. Kat was a character that really made the book for me.

While the idea for Unrequited isn't new I truly enjoyed all the twists and turns the author employed that made her book really stick out.  I think that the author had several unique ideas that set her book apart from the other girl meets boy band books out there.

For me the book was a fast paced, fun novel that took my mind off school and the work that I was supposed to be doing. I would definitely check out anything else this author writes! 

MY RATING

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books

Read the first three chapters at: www.unrequited.com.au

Book Trailer:


About the Author
Emma Grey has two teenage girls, a three-year-old boy, a couple of businesses and another teen novel in the pipeline. Her first book, 'Wits' End Before Breakfast! Confessions of a Working Mum' was published in 2005.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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Rival Love by Natalie Decker

Title: Rival Love
Author: Natalie Decker
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Series: ? (I think so...)
Rating: Four Trees
THE PREMISE
Skylar Fletcher is a proud Harris Academy Bulldog! She has everything she’s ever wanted: a perfect boyfriend, great friends, and her dream college waiting for her in the fall. But nothing lasts forever. Skylar's world shatters when her mom decides it is time to move and drags Skylar, kicking and screaming, into Bobcat territory.

At Delmont High School, home of the Bobcats, Skylar has no friends and is often bullied. To make matters worse, her home life sucks thanks to all-star quarterback Caleb Morgan, nephew of her mom's live-in boyfriend.

At first Skylar and Caleb want nothing to do with one another. But they soon discover they're not that different after all--and each is harboring a secret attraction to the other. But can a Bulldog and a Bobcat ever really be more than friends? And are Skylar and Caleb willing to risk everything to find out? Rival Love is a debut young adult contemporary romance from Natalie Decker.


MY THOUGHTS
Rival Love is definitely one of those cute books that's a quick, fun read, perfect for when you need something on the fluffier side. 

The book starts out with our main character moving into her new home in the enemies territory.... *DUN, DUN, DUUUUNNNN*

As a teenager I can sympathize with Skylar and the fact that her mom is forcing her to move her SENIOR YEAR! I completely understand Skylar's point of view and why this would be such a traumatic experience for her. I'm pretty sure most people would have that problem. 

On the the hand, I completely didn't understand Skylar's mom. The fact that she moved in with her boyfriend and forced Skylar to switch schools and never understood why this was such a big deal bugged me. I didn't like how oblivious her mom was and it really brought the book down for me. 

The one other negative thing I have to say is the fact that the secondary characters are kind of unrealistic. Skylar loses all of her friends from her old school because they are so mad that she switched to the rival school, like huh?! That was waaaayyyy too extreme. I also thought the  bullying Skylar underwent was over the top. I've never known any school to be so competitive and mean especially when they could be gaining a huge asset to help out their own teams. 

I did really like Skylar's and Caleb's relationship. I love the whole enemies to friends trope and I love how it played out on this book. 

I also thought that the author did a fantastic job with the switching POV. I felt that the voices were recognizable and unique so I didn't feel confused when I was reading. 

I also loved the sports aspect and how Skylar was a swimmer. That was definitely fun to see how it played into the book. 

I did find the ending to be a bit rushed. All of a sudden all of this stuff is going down and it feels kind of like WHAT?! 

I will definitely be checking oh the next book because I am so curious as to what might happen next. 

I would recommend this book to people looking for something light and fun. It was definitely perfect for the mood I was in!
MY RATING:

Natalie Decker is the Author of Rival Love. She loves oceans, sunsets, sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going, which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn’t her favorite time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books. She’s a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and her awesome dog infinity times infinity. If she’s not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out with her family and friends, then she’s off having an adventure. Because Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it amazing!

Author Links:
http://adayintothewriter.blogspot.it/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7487891.Natalie_Decker
http://www.twitter.com/NatalieDecker07
https://www.facebook.com/natalie.decker.716




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Mafia Girl: Review

Title: Mafia Girl
Author: Deborah Blumenthal
Genre: YA, Crime, Contemporary, Romance
Series: None
Rating: 2 trees

THE PREMISE
Gia's father is the head of a powerful mob in New York City. Since Gia is the "don's daughter", as she feels the need to consistently remind the reader, she is living the high life. After Gia and her BEST FRIEND Ro get pulled over for speeding, being drunk, and potentially being high, Gia falls in love with the cop. *DUN, DUN, DUN*
Gia also has to deal with everyday matters like running for class president and being featured in Vogue! Yet she juggles it all using her awesome connections and friends.




MY THOUGHTS
I don't know if you can tell from the summary of the book that I wrote, but my thoughts on Mafia Girl are not all that positive.
I picked this up hoping it was going to be a light, fun read, maybe even something that could pull me out of my reading slump. Instead I got a book where I was forced to reread passages in order to understand what the heck was going on. There were several times when Gia was doing something and then BOOM something completely different was happening at a different place and I didn't even realize the setting changed. So then I would go back and reread the passsage two or three times trying to make sense of it all.
For example:

So when he grabs my hand, I follow him into the laundry room.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

The door to my room flings open and me dad x-rays me so hard I can practically feel the burn.

Do you see my point? At first s'hes in the laundry room and then BAM it's her bedroom. I was feeling so confused...

Another thing about this book that I hated was Gia 's need to label every single person in the entire school with some type of derogatory term.

...what I'll say to the a**holes at Morgan to get the to vote for me...

Man, I would totally vote for her if she was at my school she doesn't seem stuck up or nasty at all! Gia truly believes that she is better than every single person in her school... BUT then at the same time she hates herself a little bit. She was constantly calling herself a slut and her friends also referred to her as such.... (which confused me even more because she didn't seem the least bit slutty....)

Basically in Gia's perfect the world, EVERYTHING revolves around her. Her friends think she is so amazing! When she first tells them about running for class president the response she gets is is immediate. The tell her how freaking amazing she is and how she will win. Which I mean is cool and everthing, except for the fact that she's a  absolute jerk towards the entire school. How could you possibly win with that kind of reputation?

I would also like to point out that Gia is a stalker. After being puller over by a cop, who she refers to as Officer Hottie, she proceeds to have her friends hack things in order to find out where he lives, where he goes when he's off work, and even his entire back story. Because ya know, that's not creepy at all!!!

When she meets up with him at this bar (after sneaking out of her house) she proceeds to give him her number and tells him that he should call her... (Can we also please note that she went to a bar that was full of cops and managed to use her fake ID to buy beer and wasn't caught...)

It's been one week, sixteen hours, and thirty seven minutes or so since I've last seen Michael. I check my phone every time I inhale to see if he might have broken down and called.

So after he still hasn't called her she finds him again, where she once again completely freaks both him and the reader out.

I wake up at night thinking about you, Michael.

(There is one point where he calls her and they jusr sit there silently and listen to each other breath... How creepy can it get?)

 There were several other places where there were inconsistencies in the writing and with the characters. At one point Gia complains about not having Michael's number where only pages before he had just texted her asking to meet up and she had replied. Gia also kept talking about how Ro was her absolute best friend with Clive at a close second, yet I can barely remember any sections focusing on Ro. It was all about Clive and his terrible life where his parents don't love him. (I also found this hard to believe. I can't believe his parents would just leave him around like that and act as though he was inconsequential... The author tried to make a valid reason for there actions, but it didn't make much sense to me.)

I also completely don't understand how Gia can constantly talk about being a straight A student and then do what she does. I also thought her dream seemed a bit out of place... ***Highlight this next part to see a spoiler*** I don't get why she wants to go to law school. I completely don't see her motivations or why her dad would be so happy about it. I also don't understand how she'll be able to get into law school with her arrest record.... I don't understand her plan....

Mafia Girl had potential, yet I found it to be lacking in so many aspects. The characters were weak and the plot was basically about Gia and Michael's epic romance. There were other events (like Vogue and the school election along the way) but in the big picture it didn't really matter.

I really wish that before picking up the book I had read reviews for it so that I wasn't so surprised. Mafia Girl just wasn't the book for me.

MY RATING:

Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren

Title: Cascade
Author: Lisa T. Bergren 
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Time Travel, Adventure
Series: Rivers of Time #2
Rating: One Tree

The Premise

My Thoughts
Going into this book, I have to admit I was excited. I really enjoyed the first one, and while I never really thought it was beyond fabulous I still thought it was a decent book.

But then I started this one and I was not feeling it at all.

Like at all….

There were some major flaws that I found, flaws that only seemed to affect me as a reader. For this book I was the black sheep. After finishing I was messing around and I started to read some reviews. Most were glowing. Within a few minutes I realized the overwhelming number of reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads were EXTREMELY positive.

That’s not really the point of this review though. It’s more of a warning….

If you were one of those that enjoyed the book, then you should probably just close out of this page because I am not holding back any punches. I need to rant.

***This review will be composed of LOTS of quotes…. You have been warned…*** (I read it on my kindle from the library and forgot to write down the percentages and by now I returned it…)

"Medieval bug or medieval hottie?"

*Laughs so hard* In the 1300s hygiene was the pits. I don't think anyone was sanitary and did they even brush their teeth? Or bathe? That smell! Woah, total hottie, ALL THE WAY! (Did the author research this at all? Or did she just hope that maybe SOMEWHERE in the 1300s there would be a town of really hot, sanitary people?)

"Mom wouldn't like my hatred. She'd always taught us to love everyone,"

LOVE! YES! LOVE THINE ENEMY! I mean why not? It's not like their asking for your head or anything! Nope! Love them despite their faults!

"Freaks, I thought. Who keeps piles of dead petals anyway?"

*laughs to self, once again* Well, first there is this thing called potpourri, which smells good and I believe involves dried petals. Also, drying flowers, I'm pretty sure anyways, was a popular thing in the 1300s. They helped with the odors. (I believe I have already established the INCREDIBLE smell of the 1300ss...)

There is a part where Gabi suffers severe hydration. She can't even move or speak and it's just terrible. I don't think it was even two days before this occurred. Thankfully, the amazing Marcello came to save her and gave her a sip of water. Within minutes she was completely revived and totally okay with running and fighting and all. First please note that in The Hunger Games, Katniss managed to go far longer. And survived much better than our dear little Gabi. But Katniss had a far lower pain tolerance than Gabi.... How does this make any sense?

"I was hated here. Really hated for what? They didn't know me! All I had done was fall in love with a son of Siena! And also help my sister escape an evil lord. I hadn't really done anything that any of them might not have done in my pace, had the tables been turned..." 

Ahhh! I see now! So all those men you killed, you thought would have no ties? I understand so much more! You see Gabi is so privileged and special everything, even killing, is right, but when they do it, noooo! IT IS SO WRONG! HOW DARE THEY! This just screams hypocrite... I mean I'm not saying that if I had been in the same situation and my brother was in danger and likely to be killed, I would have done the same thing as her. But not understanding that there are two POV, bothered me. These people are angry because people they know and loved were killed and injured by her They have a right...

"So it is true," I said. "The men of Firenze must always resort to violence."

Didn't you have someone's ears cut off? That's not violence at all! *HYPOCRITE*

"Dude. This is SO Nancy Drew. And Harry Potter. Nancy Potter."

This quote doesn't seem too bad, right? But WAIT! Here's the context of it!

"I heard the dull sound of a metal latch unhooking, and a door opening behind a moth-eaten tapestry in front of me.

Dude. This is SO Nancy Drew. And Harry Potter. Nancy Potter.

I pulled aside the cloth and glanced at the small door in the wall beyond it, back to Marcello. "A hidden passageway."  

Even that doesn't sound monumentally bad, but first of all she never really addresses the thought again. It's kind of like the author went, hmmm... I should throw in some references to popular books that my readers might have enjoyed! They'll love this quote! And then she might have though and why not throw in a Dude! I mean it isn't like I've written the ENTIRE book and he book before that, using purely medieval language even in my characters thoughts! This won't seem random at all!

My problem with it, was just that it was so out of place!

""I raised a brow. "What's not to like? He's funny. You love funny guys. And handsome, in that California-dude (my bad... I guess they do use dude a couple other times... but still...) look you're into. And loyal.Not to mention clever and strong. He's way better than that guy in Boulder who always texts you."

"Well, yeah...but you can hardly compare them. Their lives are so different_"

"So are ours, with these guys. Marcello, Luca. They're men, Lia. Not boys. It takes guys at home another ten years to have the maturity that these guys have."" (I was having an extremely difficult time not laughing at this part... I mean smelly, unsanitary guys? That's so hot! Right.....)

So this is Gabi trying to convince Lia that she's in love and that they should stay in this time to forever be with those they love.... If I was Lia, I'm pretty sure there would have been a point when my fist connected with Gabi's face. Like, who is she to tell Lia who to love. And also lets take note that it was for Gabi's own selfish purposes. (Staying with her beloved Marcello, forever and ever and ever and ever and then ever again because most likely they'll go to heaven for all eternity and be there forever and ever ad ever....)

Also during the course of the story, the lovely Gabi manages to break a couple ribs, bruise a couple others, and then did something to her thigh (I forget what) and all through this because of her incredibly high pain tolerance she can go on and fight and run and do all that she could before and then every once in a while  say, oh, I am in so much pain. Darn. Because that's super believable!

"Let's look for some foxglove," she said. "Remember how last year Mom made us that tea every time we got a headache?"

Interesting fact. Foxglove is EXTREMELY poisonous. It can kill! (Remember that episode of Psych where the murder weapon was foxglove in someone's tea...) And I even looked it up. As far as I can tell there is no making Foxglove tea.... I might be wrong here, but I just don't think it's possible. And if it is, does someone want to let me know? =D

Can we also take note on how dependent Gabi was on Marcello? The entire book she doesn't want to leave this time period because her beloved Marcello is still here! (And she's known him for how long?) She wants to give up her entire life in the 21st century (i.e. normal clothes, good hygiene, education, a period where women weren't treated as inferior, a time where you'll live past 40, ect...) and live in the 1300s constantly in danger, with a bunch of idiots? Such a smart girl! She is trying to convince her mother and sister to stay, and never once considers taking Marcello back to their time where they would all be a whole lot happier and healthier...

Personally I think that I was the only rational person throughout the book.... I mean why should the oh, so, wonderful Marcello get everything?

At this point I’m kind of hoping that most people who loved this book have just stopped reading. But right now I just to rant a little and it could potentially offend some people….

Going into this book I did not realize that this was Christian fiction. And oversight on my part perhaps. I did after all read the first book and it did have that mega religion feel, but the books are set in the 1300s, so of course they should have that whole Christianity feeling. I get that and in no way did I hold it against the book and go into it thinking: “Since there is religion, I SHALL HATE IT!” Because no! I didn’t care.

And maybe since it was Christian fiction I have no right to be offended by this quote…. But I was.

"I knew a few agnostics and atheists, too, but most of them took the title to get attention."

It might not even have been so bad if it was someone from the 1300s saying it, but it was the main character. A girl from the 21^st century.

Repeatedly throughout the book I found slight… digs almost about religion. As if Christianity is the only possible religion. As if those of us that don’t believe in a god don’t have the right to believe that.

I also hate the fact that agnostics were included in this slight. Atheism is an extreme, I get that. I get that people might not respect it… But agnostic?! C’mon now….

Throughout the book it felt as though my beliefs were being trashed while the entire time I had nothing but respect for the beliefs shown throughout the book.

Religion in books doesn’t bother me. I respect what others believe, but I expect that same right and after reading this book…. I don’t think I’ll ever purposely pick up a Christian Fiction book again, just because I don’t want to be insulted.

In no way did the last part about religion effect my ENTIRE decision about the book. There were many other factors that contributed to a one star.

I hope that I didn’t offend anyone with my talking about religion. That was in no way my intention. I completely respect others opinions on that topic and no way does this book effect my opinion about religion as a whole.

The Rating

Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen

Title: Lady Thief

Author: A.C. Gaughen

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Retelling, Romance

Series: Scarlet #2

Rating: 5 trees

***Warning: This review might contain spoilers for Scarlet so consider yourselves forewarned....***

The Premise

Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.
(Summary via Goodreads)

My Thoughts
STORY TIME! Yesterday I was in Barnes and Noble and I was contemplating buying a few different books. Lady Thief was one of them. For me Scarlet was nearly perfect. I completely adored the book, but I wasn't sure about Lady Thief. I am not a person who likes series that much and as much as I was anticipating Lady Thief, I wasn't sure I was ready, as I was so sure I was about to be disappointed.

I really should have more faith in the author.

There is so much I could say about Lady Thief. So many extremely spoilerly things, like: OMG THAT ENDING?! But since I don't want to ruin it I shall refrain from saying anything that could potentially ruin it for you... (But on a side note: OMG THAT ENDING?!)

One of the things that I really enjoyed about the book was Robin and Scarlet. Robin and Scarlet are my OTP. I love the two of them together and watching their relationship grow and change throughout the book made me become an emotional mess. Robin was always there for Scar whenever she needed him. She went through so much and suffered so much more than anyone ever should. Rob was also suffering from some MAJOR PTSD from the Crusades. He slowly opened up to Scar about his fears and slowly began to get over his insane nightmares. 
The two of them would always run to each other when they needed comfort and help. The two of them have gone through so much and I desperately wanted them to just get that happy ending so that they could run off into the sunset together. 

I think that the fact that they were willing to put so much effort and risk their lives just so they could end up together was beyond amazing. In the first book, for all that I loved them and shipped them together, I never really saw that they trusted each other beyond all else. I mean they clearly loved each other a ton, and they trusted each other with their lies, but they never seemed to develop a strong emotional trust. I could see that they really loved each other, but in this book their devotion and growth as a couple was both believable and just... perfect.

The characters of Lady Thief made me remember one of the reasons why Scarlet happened to be one of my all tie favorite books. I loved Much and his devotion to the band. I love how he fought through so much even though he was at a disadvantage so often. I loved his devotion and love to Scar. I pretty much love everything about Much. And then there was John Little, his character growth and the change that the reader saw made me fall that much more in love with him. He made choices that I fully supported and I just adore him.And then there were all the people that Scar was forced to deal with in the castle. They each had their distinct personalities and I loved the layers and depth to each of them. 

Gaughen is the master of twists and turns. In Scarlet, I had guessed the twist pretty early on and was completely prepared, but in Lady Thief I figured it out the page before it was actually stated. Looking back it was completely obvious with all of Gaughen's subtly placed clues and hints, and personally it completely made the book for me. There is no doubt in my mind that Gaughen is a masterful author and I am so excited to see what she does with the last book.

I think the author has managed to stay remarkably close to the legend of Robin Hood, but at the same time has put her own twists and turns on the legend and made the story unique and completely her own. She has once again left the book at a complete cliff hanger, one that makes me desperately NEED the next book. The ending left me heartbroken and a complete emotional mess. What makes it worse is I finished it at 1:30 in the morning and I could not fall asleep for forever just because the entire thing was just TOO BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT. 

In Conclusion
Lady Thief was an emotional roller coaster. It was dark with bits of happiness shining through leaving you rooting for the success of Scar and Rob. Each page had happy and sad and hope and despair and it seem so... possible. You know when you read a book and it's just sunshine and daisies and everything works out and everyone gets a happy ending, but you know that it's not possible? Lady Thief is not that book. There is pain, but there is hope and it is all so beautifully interwoven that it gives you hope in the darkest of times. For me, I found no fault in Lady Thief. It was beautiful. It was a journey. It was perfect. And it gave me hope. 
At the end I cried.... I never ever, ever cry when I read books and even right now I'm tearing up a bit. Because this book was beautiful. I don't think there is anything more I can say to try and convince you that you need to read it even more. There was so much that I never even touched upon in this review, but for me this was the perfect next installment to one of my favorite series based on my all time favorite legend. I am highly anticipating the final book and I think that fans of Scarlet will be extremely pleased with this fast paced, gripping sequel.

Two of my favorite quotes:

He broke it off with a heavy sighing. "I love you Scarlet. Go on, now, before you steal my sanity too," he said.
"Too?" I questioned
His grin by the moon were wicked and handsome. "Thief of my heart." 

"Scarlet," he murmured. His hands squeezed my waist. "I've told you all along, I knew who you were from the first. I know your heart. Names, titles, hair, odd clothing choices, none of that changes who you are. And I am madly in love with who you are."

My Rating

Chasing Forever Down: Interview with Nikki Godwin

Title: Chasing Forever Down
Author: Nikki Godwin
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Series: Drenaline Surf #1
Blog tour Schedule

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Nikki Godwin about her book, Chasing Forever Down.
Not only is she beyong amazing, the book is too! And I was so happy to get to ask her some of my burning questions!

Below my questions are in black, while her answers are in blue, but first here's a bit about the book!

After seventeen-year-old Haley Sullivan meets a mysterious stranger who plays by his own rules, she's more than determined to learn every trick of the trade from the master himself. But her dream-chasing mentor disappears after that night, and according to the local newspapers, he's been dead for years. Knowing he's very much alive, Haley enlists best friend Linzi to join her on a scavenger-hunt-style road trip that ultimately lands them in the surf town of Crescent Cove, California. Mystery guy is no mystery here, though – he's Colby Taylor, the west coast's biggest professional surfer. 

If Haley wants to talk to the wave rider again, she'll have to get past his four intimidating bodyguards who are highly skilled in the business of sending starstruck fangirls back to where they belong. Haley is up for the challenge if it means chasing her dreams and escaping the perfectly corporate future that's been planned for her. But dealing with these bodyguards isn't exactly what Haley imagined it'd be. Sure, being thrown off a jet ski sucks, but falling in love with one of them might just be worse.

1.) What was it that made you want to write a book about surfing?Honestly, I'd never really read anything about surfing or set in surf towns around surf culture, and I knew it wasn't a big thing in YA books. I wasn't sure how it'd turn out, but I like to be different. I wanted to give it a try, and I fell in love with the sport/culture. Also, living in Mississippi, far away from any ocean or good waves, it really is a personal escape for me.

2.) So… This next question is extremely important. What made you decide to make lime green the color of Drenaline Surf as well as Haley’s favorite color? I've always seen Haley liking bright colors. Orange is my favorite, so I wanted her to have something different. Pink was more fitting for her BFF Linzi. Lime green just felt like a Haley color to me. Plus it's just a great color in general. It feels beachy.

3.) When writing Chasing Forever Down did you already know exactly how it was going to end and who Haley would end up with? Or did you come to it as you wrote it all?
Honestly, in the original outline, this was going to be a romance between Haley & Colby Taylor. Halfway through writing the book, I just wasn't feeling it. I absolutely hate forcing something in a book that doesn't feel natural, so I went back, deleted all romantic elements, revamped what I had written, and re-plotted. I'd always known in the back of my mind that she'd end up with who she ended up with, at least for book 1. ;)

4.) Out of every character in the book, who was your favorite to write? Was there any that stuck out for you? Or any that you would consider giving a spin off novel to?
A.J. Gonzalez was my favorite to write. He's a character who had been in my head for a very long time, and he was just waiting for the right book to work his way into. I was so crazy excited to get to his chapter and introduce him during the writing process. As far as spin offs go, I only have one spin off in my plans as of right now. It's technically a stand-alone NA novel, but it's set in the surf world, so obviously Drenaline Surf is part of it. Plus, the characters from it will be in the final DS book, but readers could read it or skip it - it won't make a difference to the DS plot line, aside from already knowing the characters when they show up.

5.) For the book, did you have to do a lot of research? Or did you have a lot of prior knowledge?

I knew absolutely nothing about surfing when I set out to write this book. I watched some YouTube clips, read up on surf lingo, and read about the history of surf culture. It never really felt like research because it was so fascinating. I didn't start following professional surfing until a few months after CFD was published.

6.) Chasing Forever Down was the first book you published, right? How did that feel? What was it like knowing that people were actually reading your book?
Yes, CFD was my debut, although a lot of people seem to think American Girl on Saturn was. CFD's release was a very different experience because I did zero promo (hence why I'm touring now). I was still learning the basics of formatting and uploading and all the technical stuff, so the book was pretty invisible to the world for a very long time. It was a bit disheartening to go through all that work and see the book just sit there, but after I got my first reader e-mail, I felt like it was worth it. Plus, sales have definitely increased since AGOS's release. I've had a lot of readers tell me they searched my name to see what else was out there and then loved CFD too, if not more.

7.) If you could be one character out of this book, who would it be and why?
Haley - We're a lot alike already. When my mom read CFD, she said that she could see a lot of my personality traits in Haley. I think it's hard not to let some of yourself into a character. BUT she is waaaay braver than me. I could've never pulled off the journey she did, and I definitely wouldn't have been brave enough to stand up to everyone like she did at that age. (And she gets to hang out with awesome people on the beach all the time - who wouldn't want to be her?)

8.) What was your favorite scene to write from Chasing Forever Down? Are there any that have really stuck with you?
My favorite scene is the "jet skiing with A.J." scene. I knew from the outline that this scene would be so much fun, and it definitely was. I love to reread chapter nine just because I love A.J.'s intro. The other scenes that stick with me are 1) the scene where Haley meets Miles and Topher for the first time and Topher pops up on the pool table, and 2) the scene where Haley says goodbye to A.J. and uses the line about The Wizard of Oz. That goodbye scene nearly killed me.

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Nikki Godwin is a Young Adult/New Adult author from the southern USA. She is a city girl who can't live without Mountain Dew, black eyeliner, Hawthorne Heights, and candles from Bath & Body Works. When not writing, she's not-so-secretly internet-stalking her favorite bands. She may or may not completely love One Direction.

Blog: http://nikkigodwin.blogspot.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NikGodwin 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NikkiGodwinWrites

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Merch Girl Review and Giveaway

Title: Merch Girl
Author: Rebecca Lewis
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Music
Source: I got this book as part of a review tour, which in no way affected my review
Rating: Bison

THE PREMISE

Seventeen-year-old Lacey Kind doesn’t have the guts to talk to cute boys, isn’t a size two, and would rather stay home and listen to music than go to a party. But in the summer before her first year of college, she ends up thousands of miles away from home, in the back of a tour bus, underneath the half-naked body of the hottest teen rock star in the country.

When Lacey and her best friend Trina sneak into a Boston nightclub to see their favorite band, they not only get to watch their rock gods perform for the first time, but score a chance to meet the band too. Lacey’s heart races as she comes face-to-face with her idol, nineteen-year-old lead singer, Logan Shire.

The girls charm their way into being hired to sell merchandise on Lansdowne’s first summer tour. As “merch girls” Lacey and Trina quickly find themselves transported from their ordinary, suburban life to an exhilarating few months on the road. But they soon realize that life on the road isn’t always a smooth ride...

MY THOUGHTS
Merch Girl was one of those books that I easily fell into and could not put down. It's one of those fluffy books that maybe if you have a hard time accepting events that would most likely never happen in real life, then you would probably have a hard time getting through it.
Personally I absolutely loved reading about Lacey and her adventures as she attempted to sell merchandise for her favorite band. I thought Lacey was a great character and watching her navigate her way through the mass amounts of fans and getting the guy she wanted was hilarious!

On a separate note though, I was not a fan of Trina... At all. To me she seemed like a terrible friend and I was so surprised when Lacey kept forgiving her for acting like a complete idiot. I get that maybe Lacey didn't want to just drop her like that, but the fact that Trina repeatedly made such stupid decisions got on my nerves. Maybe this is just me, but having a best friend like that would just annoy the heck out of me.
BUT... The good thing was that I absolutely adored Devin, a girl that Lacey met on the tour who helped her out so much selling the merch. Not only was she a great addition to the characters, I loved her humor and whenever she was there I thought the book was so much better. She was by far my favorite character from the book and I had such a great time reading about her quirks! (I mean come on, she's a fangirl blogger, who is following the band around because she loves them so much. It doesn't get much better than that!) I guess she's also the other reason why I disliked Trina so much. I mean, whenever possible Trina was nasty to her I just wanted to throw my kindle across the room. Devin really helped to make the book for me and I do think that without her I might not have enjoyed it nearly as much.

And now onto the love interest. Logan was adorable. I loved him and Lacey together and

watching their relationship progress was great. He clearly cared about Lacey and I loved that.

I also really liked the little problems that arose throughout the book. Clearly the book was meant to be a romance with some showing of the characters growing up throughout the summer. There was also little events spread throughout the book meant to entertain the reader. I really enjoyed reading about each problem as it came up.

I did think that things wrapped up a bit too easily, but I guess that I've been feeling that happen a lot more recently. So I guess that it's not really a bad thing, just not an amazing aspect of the book.

In all I felt that this book was an enjoyable read. I do believe that Trina should just go fall in the hole and even as I wrote this review and reread some parts with her being completely nasty, I just couldn't stop thinking that. She is definitely not my favorite character and I really don't think she underwent any character growth. I did really like Lacey and Devin, so that more than made up for it. I would definitely recommend this book to those in need a cute, fluffy, light read!

BISON=FOUR STARS

Purchase links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | Kobo | iBooks

Rebecca Lewis is the author of the Young Adult novel, Merch Girl, and a lover of all things music! She's been writing stories since middle school and penned her first fanfic about a semi-popular boyband in 1997. Her passion for music and writing brought her to Boston University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Communication. During her college career, she interned for various record labels in Boston and New York City, sold merch for local bands, worked at record stores, and did a whole lot of grassroots marketing. She currently resides in Florida with her husband and puppy.

Blog: http://rebeccajlewis.wordpress.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rebecca_Writes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rebecca-Lewis-Author/408824785861600

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/RebeccaLewis

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rebeccalauthor

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The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Series: Stand-alone
Content: Kissing
Rating: Bison

So I went into this book not expecting to like it. I mean really I just wanted a quick light read and this was the Amazon teen deal of the day. So then I was like why not, it's gotten some amazing reviews and I loved the title. Yeah I know a lot of people thought it was too long, but I thought it had a nice ring to it. So I read it and well I REALLY LIKED IT. So I don't believe at love at first sight. Well except for dogs, I can totally love a dog at first sight, but people, UMMMMM, nope, not possible. People are way to complex. So I was a bit skeptical when it was talking about love at first sight, well anyways here's my breakdown.
THE PREMISE
Hadley just missed her flight by FOUR minutes. And she's not too happy about. Well if she thought that maybe she could get out of her father's wedding this way, then that would be great, but she knows everyone will just get more upset. So then she meets Oliver, who goes to Yale and is from Great Britain, which makes everything a bit better. So they talk a lot and then the book sort of takes off from there.
THE PROS
1. I loved the characters. Hadley and Oliver were just awesome and all of the other characters were pretty cool too.
2. Character development. I love how even in the course of 24 hours people can change and develop. Normally I'd see this as a bad thing because how can someone change so dramatically in 24 hours, but this felt realistic.
3. The concept. I love the whole meeting in an airport thing; I mean that's just a great idea.
4. The writing. I loved this authors writing style. Like it is REALLY good!!
THE CONS
1. There was no solid ending. I am a big fan of solid endings, like epilogues, so unless there is another book planned, I WANT AN EPILOGUE!!!I really love epilogues, even if it's like a one paragraph thing.
OVERALL
I really liked this book and it was definitely worth my time and effort to read. I plan to read other books by this author, too.
WOULD I READ THIS BOOK: YES
WOULD I BUY THIS BOOK: YEP
WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: WITHOUT A DOUBT
WOULD I READ OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR: YES!!!(She has a book called This is What Happy Looks Like, and it sounds awesome.)

BISON=FOUR STARS

A Girl Named Digit

Title: A Girl Named Digit
Author: Annabel Managhan
Genre: YA, action, Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Recommended for 14 and up
Series: Digit #1
Rating: Owl


So this book has been on my TBR list for a while, but I'd never gotten to buying it.. So I finally bought it and OMG, this book was good. No, I'm lying. This book was so fanfreakingtastic, that I wanted to jump up and down and scream. So now that my total and complete love for this book has been established, let me break it down for you.
THE PREMISE
Farrah "Digit" Higgins may be going to MIT in the fall, but this L.A. high school genius has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year. But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group's number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting. Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping-- all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously. So much for blending in...
(Summary from Goodreads)
THE PROS
1. Awesome characters. I loved Digit and John and also Digits friends, even though you didn't hear much about them.
2. Digit's evolution. Since I don't want to give to much away, I think that a lot of times in a book you don't see the evolution of a character until it's over. In this book you see Digit gradually changing and becoming her own person instead of a mirror to others.
3. Digit's parents. Gotta love those supportive parents!!
4. The bad guys. So yeah I kinda did see that one coming, but still he had a good reason.
5. The danger. I love the whole pressure thing. Like everyone's gonna die if you can't do this. I thought it was unrealistic they would put it on Digit's shoulders to crack all those codes, I mean the FBI and CIA do have code breakers, but I totally get why the author would have Digit do the heavy lifting.
6. The Math. Who doesn't love math, Seriously!!
7. The ending. Who doesn't love the sweet ending!!
So yeah I do have more pros, but since listing them all would take forever I won't.
THE CONS
1. I normally feel like I have to list at least one con, but I am making an exception for this book.I guess the biggest thing would be is how they were always talking about how she wasn't 18 yet. That didn't really detract from how much I love the book, but it kinda... I don't know threw me off in some of the situations.
THE OVERALL
This book was epic! I loved it, as you can see above.This book was full of so much epicness I was shocked. So in all I loved the character interactions, the action, and the epic awesomeness!Thank You Annabel Monaghan and please keep writing!!
WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE IT IS TOTALLY AWESOME!!!
WOULD I BUY THIS BOOK: ALREADY DID AND I SURE WON'T BE RETURNING IT!!
AM I TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK: DUH
WOULD I READ THE NEXT BOOK: YES
WOULD I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR: EVEN IF IT WASN'T MY THING I WOULD STILL GIVE IT A GO!!
Fav quote: "For years I've gone to bed gazing up at the eternal question: WHAT IF THE HOCKEY POKEY IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT?"
Okay that is the end of my gushing, and I think YOU should read this book!!

OWL=FIVE STARS

Racing Savannah: A definite surprise (in a good way!)

Title: Racing Savannah
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Romance, Sports
Series: Hundred Oaks #4 (Can be read as stand-alone as I did)
Rating: Owl

THE PREMISE
They’re from two different worlds.

He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.

With her dream of becoming a horse jockey, Savannah isn’t exactly one to follow the rules either. She’s not going to let someone tell her a girl isn’t tough enough to race. Sure, it’s dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack…
(Summary from Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS
To tell you the truth I disliked Kenneally's first in this series, Catching Jordan and I realize I'm one of the odd ones out about this. Most people loved it. So to say I had fears about this book is a bit of an understatement, yet I still picked up because it sounded fantastic.

And fantastic it was. 

Kenneally has crafted a beautiful story about a girl struggling to find her place in the world. She doesn't really have any goals for herself (except to get a job that pays ABOVE minimum wage.) 

Savannah is a character that I can relate to so well. She's not quite sure about how the rest of her life will play out and she doesn't really fit into the world she's in with the gap between the rich and the poor. 

This difference between the rich and the poor was one of the main things I wanted to talk about. People say that that gap is exaggerated that people don't really care about whether your rich or poor. People say that it doesn't matter, but I beg to differ. I think that most of the time people can grow to overlook that gap, but there are times that there are difference in wealth and they effect people's perceptions.  

On a personal note I read this book right at a time when I've been dealing with some.... Let's say way more upper class people from upper class schools who just think they're better than everyone else because... Well... They're upper class. So reading this book I was far more sympathetic to Savannah's dilemma than others might be. (Literally though, I dealt with nasty people all day who wanted to have insanely high prices for this really stupid event that my family has to go to.... No... Just NO!) 

Also... HORSES! I loved the hot wracking aspect of this book! I'm not in any way and avid horse race watcher, but I always like to watch the Triple Crown and I love Secretariat! (Have you seen that movie? It's AMAZING!) Personally I loved reading about Savannah and her story. 

On that note: LOVE THAT COVER! I actually got a physical copy of the book and the cover is gorgeous. It's so simple and yet it fits the book precisely! The colors are phenomenal and it's so eye catching!  

On to the romance. I personally loved it! Jack was super sweet and I loved how he and Savannah were friends first. I also loved how he really pushed her to take control of her life and was always there to support her no matter what was happening between them. He had faith that she could make something of herself and that she could become a jockey. This book definitely had some of the best aspects of YA romance right now. 

The characters in this book were amazing. Vanessa and Rory were both great and added so much extra humor to the books! I absolutely loved Star and his influence on Savannah. (FYI Star is the horse) 

Kenneally managed to paint Savannah's character evolution in the best possible way. She started off extremely close minded but slowly began to accept different ideas. This was one of my favorite parts to see!

One more negative comment about the book was how I found Savannah's dad and his girlfriend so annoying. They just didn't seem to understand her and it made me really mad. Maybe this is just me but more and more recently I've been having major problems with parents in books and this book was just the most recent I've read so I wanted to vent. I don't think this really took away from the book but it sure was annoying! 

In all I am so happy that I gave this book a chance. After my bad experience with Catching Jordan I felt so unsure about whether these books were really for me. I'm so glad this book was able to make me fall in love with Kenneally's writing style and characters and I think I'll be giving more of her books the chance. (In Catching Jordan I think it was the love triangle thing that really annoyed the heck out of me.) Anyhow I would definitely recommend you reading this book!

WOULD I READ THIS BOOK: YESSS!!!!!
WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: YEP!
WOULD I BUY THIS BOOK: OF COURSE! (Especially the paperback! Love the colors!)
WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR: I'll leave it at maybe. It depends on what other topics her books are on! (I believe the next in this series is about a marathon runner! I am so THERE!)

OWL=FIVE STARS