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Mon, April 29, 2013

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith Review

Wild Awake
By Hilary T. Smith
Publication date: May 28, 2013
Katherine Tegen Books, 400 pages
Source: Publisher

Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

Both exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.

— Goodreads.com description

If you haven’t heard all of the amazing things people are saying about Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith, well, no worries because you’re about to hear a TON of good things from me.

Wild Awake is a stunning, riveting debut that made me feel like I was experiencing everything right alongside of the main character — from soaking in the highs of new love to teetering on the edge of despair.

If you’re not open to it, the writing style might take you a bit off guard — it comes so close to stream-of-consciousness that is really thrusts you in to Kiri’s brain. But I actually really loved that. When Kiri feels manic, you feel manic. When she’s lusty, you’re…well, lusty too. I felt like Smith’s writing style so perfectly captured the way someone in Kiri’s unique position would think, and as hard as it was at times, I enjoyed taking what felt like a really realistic a peek into her inner workings.

For fans of serious contemporaries (I can see why Gayle Forman gave the quote on the front of the book!), I can’t recommend this highly enough. There’s a love story, there’s a lot of psychological issues, they’s a mystery…it’s just all-encompassingly good. Can’t wait to read more from this lovely new author!

Mon, January 14, 2013

Happy Almost Book Birthday, Lenore!

AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PICTURE ABOVE, I AM SO EXCITED.

Why? It’s my friend Lenore’s book birthday tomorrow! OMG. Her book Level 2 hits stores tomorrow and you must check it out. Why again? 1) It’s really good. 2) Lenore is the sweetest, nicest person and I’m so happy to have her as a friend. (That’s her holding her book up top.)

Congrats, Lenore! Now, go read this book!

Level 2
By Lenore Appelhans
Publication date: Jan. 15, 2013
PUBLISHER, 288 pages

Three levels. Two loves. One choice. Debut novelist, Lenore Appelhans has written a thrilling otherworldly young adult novel about a place that exists between our world (Level 1) and what comes after life (Level 2).

‘I pause to look around the hive – all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories … I’ve wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me. There has to be more to death than this.’

Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in a stark white afterlife limbo, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend … and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her.

Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing, and it seems she is the key. Suspended between heaven and earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves.

— Goodreads.com description

Tue, January 8, 2013

What We Saw at Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard Review

What We Saw at Night
By Jacquelyn Mitchard
Publication date: January 8, 2013
Soho Teen, 272 pages
Source: Publisher

Allie Kim suffers from Xeroderma Pigmentosum: a fatal allergy to sunlight that confines her and her two best friends, Rob and Juliet, to the night. When freewheeling Juliet takes up Parkour—the stunt-sport of scaling and leaping off tall buildings—Allie and Rob have no choice but to join her, if only to protect her. Though potentially deadly, Parkour after dark makes Allie feel truly alive, and for the first time equal to the “daytimers.”

On a random summer night, the trio catches a glimpse of what appears to be murder. Allie alone takes it upon herself to investigate, and the truth comes at an unthinkable price. Navigating the shadowy world of specialized XP care, extreme sports, and forbidden love, Allie ultimately uncovers a secret that upends everything she believes about the people she trusts the most.

— Goodreads.com description

I’m very excited about today combo review/guest post. Why? 1) It’s for What We Saw at Night, the first book from the new imprint Soho Teen. Yay new imprints! 2) It’s by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Hello! Deep End of the Ocean! SO GOOD!*

Anyway, I was definitely pleasantly surprised by What We Saw at Night. The slower pace, combined with the cray set up — kids who are allergic to the sun start to practice parkour in the middle of the night — made me a bit hesitant and made it bit hard to get into. But once the mystery starts to unfold…holy crud.

Do any of you watch Pretty Little Liars? If so, you can probably relate to the sense of dread I felt while reading this book. As Allie gets more entrenched in the mystery, the more things spin out of control. I could not turn the page fast enough, filled with the sick feeling that Allie was trapped, in too deep to ever get out, through no real fault of her own.

AHHH! I’m dying to know what happens next, and thankfully the author’s note at the end said Mitchard is working on the sequel. If you like mysteries, this one’s for you.

I’m also completely thrilled that Jacquelyn Mitchard — who has written books for teens for a while now — agreed to share her favorite YA reads with me. I love getting recommendations, especially from authors:

· The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
· Tighter by Adele Griffin
· Exposure by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
· The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
· A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Love it! Thank you!

*Because it was the first Oprah’s Book Club pick and you know Oprah and I are likethis. HA. Okay, obviously exaggerating. But also because I read and loved that book in the ’90s and had a big crush on Jonathan Jackson when the movie came out.

Thu, January 3, 2013

Freefall by Mindi Scott Review

Freefall
By Mindi Scott
Publication date: Oct. 5, 2010
Simon Pulse, 315 pages
Source: Borrowed from Ginger

How do you come back from the point of no return?

Seth McCoy was the last person to see his best friend Isaac alive, and the first to find him dead. It was just another night, just another party, just another time where Isaac drank too much and passed out on the lawn. Only this time, Isaac didn’t wake up.

Convinced that his own actions led to his friend’s death, Seth is torn between turning his life around . . . or losing himself completely.

Then he meets Rosetta: so beautiful and so different from everything and everyone he’s ever known. But Rosetta has secrets of her own, and Seth will soon realize he isn’t the only one who needs saving . . .

— Goodreads.com description

Mindi Scott! MINDI SCOTT! WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ YOUR BOOKS?!

Okay, phew, calm down, Anna. The point is, Freefall was awesome and I will read anything she writes from here on out. In fact, I plan on starting Live Through This in just a few days. You can see why she made it onto my Top 10 New-to-Me in 2012 list, yeah?

Well, Mindi’s a lady, obviously, but I was stunned by how authentically “teenage boy” the voice of this novel seemed. So, for starters, kudos to her there. Seth seemed so real as he worked through his struggles. I laughed with him and ached for him.

And the kudos keep on coming. Simply put, this was a beautiful story that was wonderfully written. Keeping this short and sweet: Read this book!

Thu, October 25, 2012

Slammed by Colleen Hoover Review

Slammed
By Colleen Hoover
Publication date: Jan. 5, 2012
Self-published, 314 pages
Source: Purchased for my Kindle

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she’s losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

— Goodreads.com description

Oh, goodness me, I love some drama, and boy does Colleen Hoover bring it in Slammed. Reading this book felt like watching General Hospital, and — as someone who LOVED soaps when she was a teen — that’s a good thing.

There’s so many highs and lows in Will and Layken’s relationship that it’s sort of unbelievable, but the ride is so gosh-darned passionate and emotional that you just can’t help but hang on tight and go along with it.

I just stopped writing this review and started laughing for like two minutes, just remembering the plot of this book. I’m not kidding, looking back it’s sort of insane, but it’s also like this TORNADO OF EMOTION and I was just so swept away that I cried and I swooned and oh goodness gracious it’s HOTT.

I’m not even making any sense, am I? Gah.

Let’s just say: If you like books that are jam-packed with emotion and are all sorts of dramatic, this one is going to be a must for you. Same goes for the sequel, Point of Retreat.

PS: A focal point of these books is slam poetry. It’s very well done in the books, but I just HAVE to share this video mocking it…it’s too funny not to!