Tag: High-school

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West

February 7, 2019 3 Comments Regina

There’s just something about Kasie West’s writing-style that makes an otherwise silly plot and shallow romance into something sophisticated and poignant. Her stories are addictive, entertaining, and just plain fun–in the truest sense of the word. The majority of the action unfolds on a zombie-romance movie set and in the on-set trailer of 17 year-old Lacey Barnes (FUN, right!?). Lacey is an ambitious and talented teen on the verge of stardom now that she is […]

Picture Us In The Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert

April 17, 2018 1 Comment Regina

First, I would like to thank Disney Hyperion for the chance to read this story pre-publication. My review is based off an uncorrected ARC. This is definitely one of those books that you HAVE to HAVE because of the brilliant cover. The author’s way with words is brilliant as well. I loved the lyrical prose and syntax that threaded this story together. The characters are vibrant and intense; they were complex and saturated with emotional […]

Haven by Mary Lindsey + Giveaway!!!

January 5, 2018 6 Comments Regina

For all of us who have been going through paranormal/fantasy withdrawal ever since superheros took over our television sets and movie screens, Haven is the perfect paranormal fix. In case you haven’t figured it out from the synopsis (or from other reviews), Haven is a story about werewolves, and I am so ready for supernatural creatures to be back in the YA book-world spotlight. This is the super sexy paranormal YA story that we’ve all been waiting […]

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee

December 29, 2017 2 Comments Regina

Why did I read this book? Well, I was drawn to the contrast of the hot-pink hearts and grayscale image of Tolstoy’s face on the cover, in addition to the idea of young adult fiction intersecting with high-culture literary fiction. I checked out this book because I liked the packaging, so I want to give props to all of the people who had a hand in creating the finished version of this product. Sometimes being […]

Slammed (Slammed, #1) by Colleen Hoover

November 20, 2017 1 Comment Regina

If you enjoyed Colleen Hoover’s Slammed series, you will obsess over Georgina Guthrie’s Words series. From Power Poetry (dot) com: Slam Poetry is a type of competition where people read their poems without props, costumes, or music. After performing, they receive scores (0-10) from 5 randomly selected judges. … Scores are awarded based on how much each judge likes a poem. I never thought that I would end up reading a Colleen Hoover book. I am not sure why, […]

Haunting the Deep (How to Hang A Witch #2) by Adriana Mather

November 15, 2017 0 Comments Regina

You can check out my review of Adriana Mather’s fantastic debut novel, How to Hang a Witch HERE. Here is the super awesome book trailer for Haunting the Deep: Sam and The Descendents are back in another spine-tingling, atmospheric adventure. Adriana Mather’s stories appeal to the side of me that wants to suspend reality and languish in a world of magic, ghosts, romance, high-school, and haunted histories. Haunting the Deep was every bit as fun […]

The Suffering Tree by Elle Cosimano: The Review, the Controversy

October 15, 2017 2 Comments Regina

“It’s Dark Magic Brings Him Back.” The name and the cover of this book were not appealing to me. I did, however, think that the dark synopsis was original, therefore intriguing. I did not want to be lame and judge a book by its cover, so I started reading it. Long story short, I could not put this book down. This novel was a refreshing departure from the market-driven YA books that I have been […]

New Release Review: A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor

August 26, 2017 0 Comments Regina

I thought a setting like this was going to be boring. Beautiful, yes, but ultimately dull. I was sooo wrong. I’ll be blunt. I do not have a sister and reading about drama between sisters is the LAST THING I want to do with my precious reading time. But throwing in the male character tipped the boat in favor of reading this novel for me. I know this is an unpopular position, but I am […]

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas

August 10, 2017 0 Comments Regina

PLEASE DO NOT GO INTO THIS BOOK THINKING IT IS COMPARABLE TO PRETTY LITTLE LIARS LIKE THE BLURB SUGGESTS. IT IS SOOOO NOT. I had a love/hate relationship with PLL, mostly after things started to get old and predictable, after the fourth season. But I still watched it, and I was still highly entertained until the last episode. I read The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas, and I liked it. I was intrigued by it, […]

Blog Tour: The Takedown by Corrie Wang + GIVEAWAY!!!

April 19, 2017 1 Comment Regina

THE TAKEDOWN, Blog Tour Digital Assets Title: THE TAKEDOWN Author: Corrie Wang Pub. Date: April 11, 2017 Publisher: Freeform Pages: 384 Formats: Hardcover, eBook Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads Kyla Cheng doesn’t expect you to like her. For the record, she doesn’t need you to. On track to be valedictorian, she’s president of her community club, a debate team champ, plus the yummy Mackenzie Rodriguez has firmly attached himself to her hip. She and her three high-powered best friends don’t just […]

How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather

February 24, 2017 2 Comments Regina

Ummmm….An actual relative of COTTON FRIGGIN’ MATHER wrote a book about witches. How am I not going to read and like this book?!?! When I started Adriana Mather’s debut novel, How to Hang a Witch, I knew I was in for a spooky-good time. My anticipation was met, and then some, by the end of the novel. Besides being historically on point, this book was a magical mash-up of some of my favorite 90s and […]

Hurricane Kiss by Deborah Blumenthal

July 18, 2016 0 Comments Regina

And all anyone will remember is that there were unanswered questions about the two kids who thought they could get out of a car in the middle of the freeway and survive a hurricane by running directly into it instead of getting the hell away. Two stupid kids who thought they were smarter than everyone else. Hurricane season is upon us, and for those who live in coastal […]

Blog Tour: With Malice by Eileen Cook + GIVEAWAY!!!

May 31, 2016 5 Comments Regina

A read about a teenage girl who wakes up in a hospital bed and cannot remember the last six weeks of her life, including the accident that killed her best friend– only what if the accident wasn’t an accident? (REMEMBER TO SCROLL TO THE END FOR THE AWESOME GIVEAWAY! US ONLY.) About the Book Title: WITH MALICE Author: Eileen Cook Pub. Date: June 7, 2016 Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads Eighteen-year- old […]

Wish You Were Italian (If Only… #2) by Kristin Rae + ARC Giveaway

June 19, 2015 0 Comments Regina

It’s Summer time and when I’m sitting at my desk in the most air-conditioned city in the country, I close my eyes and imagine that I’m lounging on the Spanish steps, my face raised towards the Sun, my skin turning as golden as freshly pressed olive oil while pistachio gelato drips off the waffle cone in my hand and down my toasty decolletage… *Snaps out of it* Okay. I’ll continue to my book review before […]

Bad Girls Don’t Die (Bad Girls Don’t Die #1) by Katie Alender

March 12, 2015 1 Comment Regina

A fresh and funny take on the classic possessed-doll-poltergeist story. I love Katie Alender. Her writing is clever and carries that kind of quick-wit charm you see on the big screen or current television shows aimed at teens. I really enjoy Katie’s writing and her simple yet effective characterization. I first fell in love with Katie’s writing in her book, Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer. You can check out my review of that one, here. Alexis […]

Blog Tour: When My Heart Was Wicked Review+Giveaway!!!

March 3, 2015 0 Comments Regina

Check out the other stops on this Rockin’ Blog Tour: Week Two: 3/2/2015- Two Chicks on Books– Guest Post 3/3/2015-MEREADALOT-Review 3/4/2015- paranormal book club (PBC)– Interview 3/5/2015- Bittersweet Enchantment-Review 3/6/2015- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads – Guest Post Lyrical, dark, and beautifully twisted- I couldn’t put this book down. It was a refreshing piece of word-art among a market crowded with by-the-book wordsmiths. I can’t wait to read more of Tricia Stirling’s work. What a dark and magical treat this book was. […]

The Hunt (Project Paper Doll #2) by Stacey Kade

February 16, 2015 0 Comments Regina

You can check out my review of the first book in this series, The Rules, here. I’m just going to address Zane’s character first because he is so epic-ally SWOON WORTHY. Honestly, I couldn’t say if I preferred reading from his POV over Ariane’s because it was wonderful being inside both of their heads, but Zane just melts me. Every.Single.Time. The complexity of his thoughts and the candidness of his steam of consciousness is so […]

Every Breath (Every #1) by Ellie Marney

February 3, 2015 3 Comments Regina

This book was gifted to me from my lovely friend, Kristen over at My Friends Are Fiction. I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book on my own or even heard about it if it weren’t for her. That being said, the experience of reading this book was like a mental tug of war. There were parts of it that I was in love with, and then aspects of the story that left me a […]

Blog Tour: Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander+GIVEAWAY!!!

October 10, 2014 4 Comments Regina

Hello, Friends! Today is my stop on the LaOUV Blog Tour and I want to thank YA Bound Book Tours for including me! A few hours of your life, plus the pages of this book, equals TIME WELL SPENT. Summary from Goodreads: Charlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he’ ll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover […]

Crank (Crank #1) by Ellen Hopkins

August 4, 2014 0 Comments Regina

I had ulterior motives for reading this book. I was doing research on the correlation between drug addiction and sexual promiscuity among adolescent girls who grew up with an absentee or poor father figure.(Don’t ask.) I really wanted to read something that was structured like a novel after scouring statistical research articles about the topic, and that’s how I stumbled upon Ellen Hopkins’ work. I would not call this book enjoyable but it’s definitely worth […]

The Rules (Project Paper Doll #1) by Stacey Kade

July 20, 2014 2 Comments Regina

I think The Rules is secretly dedicated to all those Smallville Clark+Chole fans out there. Judging by the cover of this book, I would have never guessed it was a Sci-Fi novel with an Alien- hybrid protagonist. Good thing I actually read the back blurb after my bestie lent me a stack of books because I was ready to pass on it. But, as any regular reader of this blog knows, I LOVE me […]