Review: Only Ever Yours

Only Ever Yours
Author:  Louise O'Neill

Publication Date:  July 3rd 2014    
Publisher: Quercus
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

 

 

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In a world in which baby girls are no longer born naturally, women are bred in schools, trained in the arts of pleasing men until they are ready for the outside world. At graduation, the most highly rated girls become “companions”, permitted to live with their husbands and breed sons until they are no longer useful.

For the girls left behind, the future – as a concubine or a teacher – is grim.

Best friends Freida and Isabel are sure they’ll be chosen as companions – they are among the most highly rated girls in their year.

But as the intensity of final year takes hold, Isabel does the unthinkable and starts to put on weight. ..
And then, into this sealed female environment, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride.

Freida must fight for her future – even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known

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Once upon a time, there was a happy book. This is not one of them. Once upon a time, there was a clever book. This is one of them. It's funny because of course before you go into a book you never know what to expect, especially with synopsis's lately that sound amazing but turn out disappointing, again, this is not that book.

Stacking the Shelves (#50) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? It's been a good week, none for review but I've finished all my July books, with no DNF's. YESSS. So I've only bought one, and that's because I need to read it since I have #2 in my review pile.

Bought 

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff
 

 

Recap
 

• Monday I revealed the Cover Redesign for: The Mission (Boy Nobody #2)  by Allen Zadoff
• Tuesday: Release Day Blitz for The Rose Master by Valentina Cano
• Waiting on Wednesday: Trust Me, I'm Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer
• Thursday I reviewed: The Things You Kiss Goodbye  by Leslie Connor 
• Friday: I reviewed Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler 

Review: Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes
Author:  Dahlia Adler 

Publication Date:  June 24th 2014      
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

 

 

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High school senior Ally Duncan's best friend may be the Vanessa Park - star of TV's hottest new teen drama - but Ally's not interested in following in her BFF's Hollywood footsteps. In fact, the only thing Ally's ever really wanted is to go to Columbia and study abroad in Paris. But when her father's mounting medical bills threaten to stop her dream in its tracks, Ally nabs a position as Van's on-set assistant to get the cash she needs.

Spending the extra time with Van turns out to be fun, and getting to know her sexy co-star Liam is an added bonus. But when the actors' publicist arranges for Van and Liam to "date" for the tabloids just after he and Ally share their first kiss, Ally will have to decide exactly what role she's capable of playing in their world of make believe. If she can't play by Hollywood's rules, she may lose her best friend, her dream future, and her first shot at love.

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Behind the Scenes is what I thought Jennifer E Smith's This is What Happy Looks Like would be, not that I didn't like This is What Happy Looks Like, it was fun and light, and I did really enjoy it. But, Behind the Scenes is everything I wanted it to be. And the best part? It wasn't clichéd. Okay, it was at certain points but it never seemed like it.

Review: The Things You Kiss Goodbye

The Things You Kiss Goodbye
Author: Leslie Connor

Publication Date:  June 24th 2014      
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

 

 

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Bettina Vasilis can hardly believe it when basketball star Brady Cullen asks her out, and she just about faints when her strict father actually approves of him.

But when school starts up again, Brady changes. What happened to the sweet boy she fell in love with? Then she meets a smoldering guy in his twenties, and this “cowboy” is everything Brady is not—gentle, caring, and interested in getting to know the real Bettina.

Bettina knows that breaking up with Brady would mean giving up her freedom—and that it would be inappropriate for anything to happen between her and Cowboy. Still, she can’t help that she longs for the scent of his auto shop whenever she’s anywhere else.

When tragedy strikes, Bettina must tell her family the truth—and kiss goodbye the things she thought she knew about herself and the men in her life.

Leslie Connor has written a lyrical, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about family, romance, and the immense power of love.

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I got invested in The Things You Kiss Goodbye, I don't how or when, but somewhere along the way, I was in. So I looked at the ending at 60% in and didn't want to finish it. Because that means this thing happened, and I didn't want this thing to happen, so lesson. learned. My advice, DO NOT LOOK AT THE ENDING. Promise me? Good. Otherwise you'll miss out of this amazing concept centred around the title. I'm also just going to put this out there and we'll never talk about it again. I have a thing for cowboys. The end. Never. Again.

Waiting on Wednesday (#50)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Trust Me, I'm Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer
 

Expected publication: October 14th 2014 by Delacorte Press


 

 

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Fans of Ally Carter, especially her Heist Society readers, will love this teen mystery/thriller with sarcastic wit, a hint of romance, and Ocean’s Eleven–inspired action.

Julep Dupree tells lies. A lot of them. She’s a con artist, a master of disguise, and a sophomore at Chicago’s swanky St. Agatha High, where her father, an old-school grifter with a weakness for the ponies, sends her to so she can learn to mingle with the upper crust. For extra spending money Julep doesn’t rely on her dad—she runs petty scams for her classmates while dodging the dean of students and maintaining an A+ (okay, A-) average.

But when she comes home one day to a ransacked apartment and her father gone, Julep’s carefully laid plans for an expenses-paid golden ticket to Yale start to unravel. Even with help from St. Agatha’s resident Prince Charming, Tyler Richland, and her loyal hacker sidekick, Sam, Julep struggles to trace her dad’s trail of clues through a maze of creepy stalkers, hit attempts, family secrets, and worse, the threat of foster care. With everything she has at stake, Julep’s in way over her head . . . but that’s not going to stop her from using every trick in the book to find her dad before his mark finds her. Because that would be criminal.
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So I don't know about the Heist Society series, but I love the Gallagher Girls series. It's also getting some Veronica Mars comparisons, so YES.

 

 

What're you waiting on?

 

Release Day Blitz: The Rose Master & Giveaway

 

 

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The Rose Master

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The day Anne Tinning turns seventeen, birds fall from the sky. But that's hardly the most upsetting news. She's being dismissed from the home she's served at since she was a child, and shipped off to become the newly hired parlor maid for a place she's never heard of. And when she sees the run-down, isolated house, she instantly knows why:

There's something wrong with Rosewood Manor.

Staffed with only three other servants, all gripped by icy silence and inexplicable bruises, and inhabited by a young master who is as cold as the place itself, the house is shrouded in neglect and thick with fear. Her questions are met with hushed whispers, and she soon finds herself alone in the empty halls, left to tidy and clean rooms no one visits.

As the feeling of being watched grows, she begins to realize there is something else in the house with them--some creature that stalks the frozen halls and claws at her door. A creature that seems intent on harming her.

When a fire leaves Anne trapped in the manor with its Master, she finally demands to know why. But as she forces the truth about what haunts the grounds from Lord Grey, she learns secrets she isn't prepared for. The creature is very real, and she's the only one who can help him stop it.

Now, Anne must either risk her life for the young man she's grown to admire, or abandon her post while she still can.

REUTS - Goodreads

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About the Author:

 

 

 

Valentina Cano is a student of classical singing who spends whatever free time she has either reading or writing. She also watches over a veritable army of pets, including her five, very spoiled, snakes. Her works have appeared in numerous publications and her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Web. She lives in Miami, Florida.

 

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 Visit the Author:

 

 

 

Website – Twitter – Facebook - Goodreads

 

 

 

 

Cover Reveal: The Mission

Have you heard of BOY NOBODY, the amazing Jason Bourne YA thriller that came out last year?

The sequel, called THE MISSION, is publishing in September and BOY NOBODY will be re-released at the same time, re-titled as THE HIT, both with a rather sexy cover look!

 

Check out both covers below, along with what will be the third book, THE TRAITOR.

 

 

 

What do you think? Comment below! :)

 

 

You can also start start reading the first couple of chapters of THE HIT for free here.

 

You can also watch the trailer here.

Stacking the Shelves (#49) & Recap: The, I love Hachette Edition.

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? It's been a good week, I've finished my John Green collection, yay! Had some books in the mail, won some and bought some. I also did the Book Blogger Test his week, which was fun. :)

 

 

Review: The Long Fall

The Long Fall
Author: Julia Crouch

Publication Date:  June 19th 2014      
Publisher: Headline
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 

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How far would you go to protect your secrets?

Greece, 1980

Emma takes part in a shattering, violent event. An event to which she is anything but an innocent bystander.
She is only eighteen, but this marks her fall from innocence.
It will haunt her for the rest of her life.


London, now


Kate has the perfect existence: a glossy image, a glamorous home, a perfect family.
But there are cracks.
All is not what it seems.


And now the two worlds are about to collide.
Somebody's out for revenge.
Someone who has been waiting thirty years...

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I wish I could say that I liked The Long Fall, but I can't. There was a lot of issues- that I will talk about in the minute. I don't usually read Adult unless it's really something I can't pass up. Like Gretel in the Dark and The Three, but what drew me to The Long Fall is that it's a mystery and it sounded like a revenge based story, which I've loved since reading Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne. However...I didn't really get that in this novel.

Waiting on Wednesday (#49)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Famous Last Words by Katie Alender
 

Expected publication: September 30th 2014 by Point 


 

 

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Hollywood history, mystery, murder, mayhem, and delicious romance collide in this unputdownable thriller from master storyteller Katie Alender.Willa is freaking out. It seems like she's seeing things. Like a dead body in her swimming pool. Frantic messages on her walls. A reflection that is not her own. It's almost as if someone -- or something -- is trying to send her a message.

Meanwhile, a killer is stalking Los Angeles -- a killer who reenacts famous movie murder scenes. Could Willa's strange visions have to do with these unsolved murders? Or is she going crazy? And who can she confide in? There's Marnie, her new friend who may not be totally trustworthy. And there's Reed, who's ridiculously handsome and seems to get Willa. There's also Wyatt, who's super smart but unhealthily obsessed with the Hollywood Killer.

All Willa knows is, she has to confront the possible-ghost in her house, or she just might lose her mind . . . or her life.

Acclaimed author Katie Alender puts an unforgettable twist on this spine-chilling tale of murder, mystery, mayhem -- and the movies.
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I'll repeat. Hollywood. Mystery. Murder.  DON'T LOOK AT THE WATER.

 

 

What're you waiting on?

 

Teaser Tuesday (30)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

 

 

 

Title: Only Ever Yours

Author: Louise O'Neill

Release date:  July 3rd 2014        

Publisher: Quercus






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In a world in which baby girls are no longer born naturally, women are bred in schools, trained in the arts of pleasing men until they are ready for the outside world. At graduation, the most highly rated girls become “companions”, permitted to live with their husbands and breed sons until they are no longer useful.

For the girls left behind, the future – as a concubine or a teacher – is grim.

Best friends Freida and Isabel are sure they’ll be chosen as companions – they are among the most highly rated girls in their year.

But as the intensity of final year takes hold, Isabel does the unthinkable and starts to put on weight. ..
And then, into this sealed female environment, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride.

Freida must fight for her future – even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known…

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"But the thing about the monkey was-"

"I'm tired," Isabel cuts across me and the words fizzle in my throat. I always take it a step too far, chastity-Ruth says.

                                                       -Page 11 in ARC

We are wound up and wound down, like mechanical dolls. they turn the lamps on, they turn the lamps off. And another day is done.

                - Page 46 in ARC

What're you reading? :)

Review: Otherbound

Otherbound
Author: Corinne Duyvis

Publication Date:  June 17th 2014      
Publisher: Amulet (Abrams & Chronicle)
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~




 

 

 

 

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Amara is never alone. Not when she's protecting the cursed princess she unwillingly serves. Not when they're fleeing across dunes and islands and seas to stay alive. Not when she's punished, ordered around, or neglected.

She can't be alone, because a boy from another world experiences all that alongside her, looking through her eyes.

Nolan longs for a life uninterrupted. Every time he blinks, he's yanked from his Arizona town into Amara's mind, a world away, which makes even simple things like hobbies and homework impossible. He's spent years as a powerless observer of Amara's life. Amara has no idea . . . until he learns to control her, and they communicate for the first time. Amara is terrified. Then, she's furious.

All Amara and Nolan want is to be free of each other. But Nolan's breakthrough has dangerous consequences. Now, they'll have to work together to survive--and discover the truth about their connection.

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Oh Otherbound, you were almost freaking perfect.

There's a lot of things going on in Otherbound, we have multiple main characters and a lot going on behind the scenes, we have our world, a different world that might or might not be real, with different rules, magic, a cursed princess that if her blood is spilled their world will go to havoc and a few diverse relationships throughout with differently abled and POC characters. All in one book. So. Good.

Stacking the Shelves (#48) & Recap: The Dangerous Edition

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

How was everybody's week? It's been a good week here, I've actually made a dent in the review books, and finally read The Forever Song, which I've been waiting to read sine April, and it was perfect but ugh, so sad the series is over. :( I'm finally catching up on season 4 of Pretty Little Liars and my ships are going down. Mean, PLL, mean.
 

For Review

Netgalley:

 

 

 

 

 

Dangerous Boys 

(Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley )

 

Bought
Kindle

 

Dangerous Girls

What did you get this week? :)

   



 A recap of posts this week

• Monday I reviewed: (Don't You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn
• Tuesday I reviewed: Trust Games  by Simon Packham 
• Waiting on Wednesday: Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre
• Thursday: May DNF Round-Up
• Friday I reviewed: Dark Days by  Kate Ormand

DNF Review: Dark Days

Dark Days
Author:  Kate Ormand

Publication Date:  June 3rd 2014         
Publisher: Sky Pony Press 
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~





 

 

 

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The future world has been divided into sectors--each the same as the other. Surrounded by thick steel fences, there is no way in and no way out. Yet a cyborg army penetrates each sector, picking off its citizens one by one, until no one is left. Behind the sectors' thick walls, the citizens wait to die. Few will be chosen to survive what's coming; the rest will be left behind to suffer. A new world has been created, and its rulers are incredibly selective on who will become a citizen. They want only those with important roles in society to help create a more perfect future.

Sixteen-year-old Sia lives in one of the sectors as part of a family that is far too ordinary to be picked to live. According to the digital clock that towers high above her sector, she has only fifteen days to live. Sia has seen the reports and knows a horrific death is in store for her, but she is determined to make the most of her final days. Sia refuses to mourn her short life, instead promising herself that she'll stay strong, despite being suffocated by her depressed mother and her frightened best friend. Just when Sia feels more alone than ever, she meets Mace, a mysterious boy. There is something that draws Sia to him, despite his dangerousness, and together, they join a group of rebels and embark on an epic journey to destroy the new world and its machines, and to put an end to the slaughter of innocent people.

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You know those books that you just want to shake your head at? Congratulations Dark Days, you're it. Keep in mind I have DNF'D it at 50%, so all this ranting is for the first half. Doesn't mean it doesn't get better. Imagine the ranting for the other 50%.

DNF Round-Up: May

One DNF in May, I'm shocked, really I am. I had a really, really good reason for this one though, because there was a very real chance I'd murder some fictional characters if I carried on.

I was really looking forward to this one too, it sounded fun and flirty and just an overall good read. The reality? Stilted dialogue, adult characters that don't read like it and oh yeah, the insta-love kiss of death. Mwah.

04/06			17.0%	"20 Notes within the first 17%. Broke a record. Want to strangle the pretty much all the characters so far. Not a good thing."
04/07			25.0%	"Insta-love. Spoiled rich bitch. Spoiled rich dick. Nope. Can't do it."

 

 



 

 

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday (#48)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre

Expected publication: August 5th 2014 by Feiwel & Friends

 

 

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Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn't imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She's not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he's impossible to forget.

In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly... bad things are happening. It's a heady rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil's bargains, she isn't sure who—or what--she can trust. Not even her own mind...
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The first season of Revenge was almost finished when I decided to watch it...and got addicted. So I binged watched it, and then I got withdrawals. And found this book called Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne and it ripped my heart out and stabbed it and I loved it. It was the second time I cried over a book (the first being Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). So basically, a revenge based plot? Yes please.

 

 

What're you waiting on?