Bloomsbury

Going Vintage | Lindsey Leavitt | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Don’t you just love those reliable sorts of authors where you know what to expect when you go into their books? I love it when I know I’m just going to gobble up every single book an author writes and go to myself ‘well that was pleasant’ after reading. Lindsey Leavitt is totally one of those authors for me. I know that her books are going to be adorable, compulsively readable, have strong family ties AND quirky characters. Thankfully, I was not disappointed in Going Vintage and ended up reading about 50% on my phone and then finishing the rest at home while working out on the bike. Y’all, it’s nice to have a solid and fun contemporary read to bike to.

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt | Good Books And Good Wine

Mallory has been dating Jeremy for over a year. She’s set her limits with him, but that doesn’t mean they don’t engage in hot and heavy make out sessions. She thinks the relationship is going great. UNTIL. Y’all, there’s always an ‘UNTIL’. Upon helping Jeremy with a philosophy paper, Mallory opens up his internet browser to discover that he has some Second Life-esque game up. Curious she sees that he is married, upon more digging Mallory discovers tons of messages from some BubbleYum girl in Jeremy’s inbox. Y’all, turns out he has been emotionally cheating on Mallory. While I don’t think it’s ever okay to go through your partner’s personal things — phone, email, Facebook messages, whatever — it totally sucks that he was talking to this other girl on the low. So, Mallory reacts by cutting all technology out of her life and decides she needs to accomplish everything on this list of her grandma’s that she found while cleaning through her house. The result? Fun vintage outfits, new clubs and YAY! a new potential love interest in the form of Jeremy’s cousin Oliver Kimball. And that’s basically Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt in a nutshell.

Mallory should be one of those characters who annoys me because she’s very self involved, but I liked her. She reminded me a lot of myself when I was her age. You see, she loses herself in her relationship and thus uses the time she is single to truly discover her self. I really could have used a book like this as a teenager, especially because it doesn’t beat you over the head like an ‘Afterschool Special’ with it’s awesome message. I love that Mallory comes to find she does have some ‘pep’. I love that Mallory has a witty sense of humor and you know that she finds weird things funny — because I am like that too! I especially loved the relationship between Mallory and her sister Ginnie.

Y’all, the sibling relationship in Going Vintage reminded me a lot of my younger sister. Ginnie is super cool. She’s also younger than Mallory but really has her shit together. Sort of like how my younger sister really has herself together, ha ha. Anyways, Ginnie and Mallory are close and they really get along. You can see that Mallory really cares about Ginnie and doesn’t see her as the annoying younger sibling. That’s really wonderful to me, and I wish more books showed the sibling relationship because hey, if you’re a teen and you have siblings close to your age group, chances are that’s something you can relate to. So yah, Ginnie is totally a bonus feature in Leavitt’s awesome book.

Beyond Ginnie, I really liked how Lindsey Leavitt chose to show Mallory’s disconnection from technology and modern life as a way to get past her anger and hurt over Jeremy’s actions. I am an old and did not really grow up with the internet at home — we didn’t get it until I was in 10th grade. I did have a cellphone in 9th grade, but that was only to call my parents to pick me up for cheerleading — and lol was for that year only because my phone went through the wash and my parents never replaced it. After that, I did not have a cellphone until college. SO, I kind of know what life is like without modern technology and yes, when I was in high school none of my friends really had cellphones, so we’d converse over the actual house phone and over AOL Instant Messenger. And you know, thinking back to those days I totally get the appeal of disconnecting. It’s nice not to know what everyone is doing 24/7. It’s nice to not worry about being tagged in unflattering pictures. I also liked how Going Vintage doesn’t exactly show going without technology through rose tinted lenses. We also get to see that it’s kind of a pain in the ass — especially when it comes to doing homework. So, good on Leavitt for making it realistic.

I mentioned above that I like how Leavitt includes family in her books. Going Vintage is no different in that respect. Mallory really cares a lot about her parents who are very present in her life. Sure, they get on her nerves from time to time, but she still loves them. ALSO! There’s appearances of Mallory’s grandma who is freakin awesome – she can sew like a boss and was a total radical in the 70s. I basically loved her grandma. And yeah, of course you know my feelings about Ginnie.

The romance in Going Vintage is fairly chaste. Like, this is one of those books where there isn’t sex and where boundaries are discussed and maintained. So, it could definitely be appropriate for those kids who like reading about romance and love but maybe aren’t ready to read about sex. Speaking of which, I love the connection between Mallory and Oliver. Oliver likes Mallory because she’s funny and interesting — not because he thinks he can get into her pants. It’s super adorable. It’s also adorable how Oliver is totally his own person and doesn’t really care what other people think about him. So swoon worthy my friends, I love confidence.

Going Vintage is a fast read that provided me with a nice breather between heavier sorts of books. It’s what I like in a lighter contemporary: humor, kissing, and quirks. If you’re looking for a pleasant books before you dive into a super serious tome, definitely check out Leavitt’s Going Vintage.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley

Other reviews of Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt:

Chick Loves Lit – “I really, really love Mallory’s voice.”
Quinn’s Book Nook – “I definitely thought Going Vintagewas a fun book, but I can’t say that it blew me away or anything”
Rather Be Reading – “Maybe, like Mallory, if we minimized our lives, we’d grow and be challenged, too.”

Hysteria | Megan Miranda | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Who doesn’t love a creepy story of murderer girlfriends? This blogger LOVES those sort of stories — especially when there is a lot of information to unravel AND a mystery and CIRCUMSTANCES. You guys, I just love circumstances. So, technically, Hysteria by Megan Miranda should have been a no-brainer fall head over heels in love sort of book for me. Yet, I just feel so lukewarm toward the book. I’m actually still trying to work out whether my feelings are just me and my circumstances or if it was the book.

Hysteria by Megan Miranda | Good Books And Good WIne

Hysteria starts out with a bang. Main character Mallory has murdered her boyfriend with a knife. Mallory doesn’t really remember much of the night — she can’t quite remember the whole event except that she stabbed Brian to death in her kitchen instead of running out the door. As Mallory’s family is super worried for her, and because she wasn’t charged and got off on it being self defense, her parents decide to send her to Monroe school in New Hampshire, a boarding school that her dad went to. Mallory resists because she wants to stay home with her best friend Colleen. Alas, it is not meant to be. While at school she reconnects with this guy Reid, who shot her down years and years ago when she tried to kiss him… on the night of his dad’s funeral. Anyways, Mallory is pretty convinced that she’s being haunted by Brian’s ghost, or at least that someone has it in for her.

I never connected with Mallory. Like there was never a point during reading Hysteria where I thought to myself, hey I could be friends with this person. I am sure stabbing her boyfriend has something to do with it. It’s not that she’s whiny or weak or annoying — she isn’t. I did like Mallory’s friendship with Colleen and how those two would do anything for each other. Yet, I don’t know, I just felt so detached from Mallory. And also, I just couldn’t get into her whole romance with Reid, like her ex boyfriend hasn’t been cold in the ground for too long. Granted, there are reasons — but still. I think that had to do with some of my indifference towards Mallory.

Unfortunately this book took me forever to read. I am not sure if it’s because my week was insanely busy or if it was my general lack of interest in what happened to Mallory. What I can say is that I seemed to read This Is What Happy Looks Like much faster, and that book is way longer. I was in no way hooked by the story, and that sucks because I came in totally wanting to love the book. ALSO. I should say, one of the things that frustrated me was how long it took to find out the whole circumstances of Mallory’s killing her boyfriend. It just seemed to drag on and on, and I was all JUST TELL US ALREADY.

I will say, although Hysteria was a dud for me, I will still try Megan Miranda’s other book, Fracture. You guys, the whole reason I didn’t connect could have been either my stress or the book and it’s really up in the air at this point. So what I am really trying to say is — don’t discount Hysteria because of me. Chances are you might really like it and connect with Mallory. Personally, I didn’t but I would still recommend this book to people who like books that are subtly chilling with a hint of a ghost story.

Disclosure: Received for review, but I also purchased a copy yesterday.

Other reviews of Hysteria by Megan Miranda:

Chick Loves Lit – “HYSTERIA certainly delivers”
Pure Imagination – “it was exhausting”
The Nocturnal Library – “This book was a lot of things, but mysterious it wasn’t”

Also Known As | Robin Benway | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I am solidly in the camp that as an author, Robin Benway can do no wrong. Also Known As was the third book I’ve read by Benway, and like her previous two it was an absolute hit with me. Also? Holy moly I was clicking the pages so fast (I read this on my Kindle on the bike). Benway brings her trade mark humor and sass to her latest story of spies, espionage and boo, high school with Also Known As. Seriously, if you aren’t already on the bandwagon of RB love, you will be after reading this book, it is MAR-VEL-LOUS!

Also Known As by Robin Benway | Good Books And Good Wine

Maggie’s parents are spies AND SO IS SHE. Her family works for this shadowy agency called The Collective that takes them all over the world where they basically bust human trafficking rings and even take down dictators. Pretty much her family has the best job ever. Of course, Maggie isn’t a useless lump content to ride on her parents’ coattails. Instead, she brings her own talent of safecracking to the table — and what that means is she’s kind of a master lock picker. Girl can work a bobby pin, yo. Anyways, Maggie is about to get her first assignment, and so her family packs up from Iceland and heads to Manhattan. Maggie must get close to this boy, Jesse Oliver and somehow prevent his dad, Armand, from running a story in his newspaper that he owns that would dox members of the Collective. OH? And? Maggie still has to do calculus homework while trying to save the world. What a life, eh?

Even though Maggie is very new at the whole school and friendship thing, I think that for the most part I’d totally give her a friendship bracelet. She’s got this crazy awesome sense of humor. Further, when it really matters she is there for her first friend ever ROUX and I love that. Y’all, Maggie was so compelling to read about. First off, she is not at all angsty like other teenagers that I usually end up reading about. Secondly, she actually has an interesting backstory. Third, omg Maggie is FUN. You guys, fun. And hahaha I am dorky but I feel I could read about her safecracking all day.

Are you all about the contemporary books that have different types of relationships, each POSITIVE? Then friend, Also Known As should totally be on your to be read list (and also Benway’s other books). Seriously, okay as with Audrey, Wait! there’s a fantastic best friend. You see, Maggie makes friends with this social outcast named Roux on her first day of school. Roux is sarcastic and loud and my spirit animal. LOL, at one point Maggie is feeling down, so Roux offers her this clear drink and Maggie is like, oh thanks for the water. BUT IT IS VODKA. ROUX, I LOVE YOU. Of course, there aren’t just friend relationships, but also romantic relationships. Y’all, yes Jesse Oliver is the mark, but of course, Maggie develops feelings for him. I can’t blame her. Like other Benway dudes, Jesse is NICE and sweet and kind. ALSO, he banters with Maggie like constantly. Seriously, I just loved reading the conversations between the two and was like, please please banter for the whole book AND THEN have a three way banter session with Roux.

One trademark that you can usually count on with Benway’s books are that she usually does not portray her adults as bumbling idiots. Instead, Maggie’s parents are portrayed as quite realistic but without much dysfunction. Her parents are slightly goofy and weird, but what parents aren’t? Further, Maggie’s mom and dad actually really do give a crap about her and are protective of her but still give her room to grow. Also Known As might not have typical parents, in that they are spies, yet, Benway does a great job portraying a healthy relationship between Maggie and her parents. ALSO? There’s this other adult character named Angelo who rocks a lot of suits like Barney from How I Met Your Mother only he’s totally not a womanizer, but awesome, regardless. He was one of my favorite side characters.

The pacing is aces. Seriously, there is not a single dull moment in Also Known As where I was like urgh this book is going nowhere. Of course, yes there are suspenseful moments where I worried about Maggie, but that’s different and good. If you’re looking for a quick read that’s great for working out, then Robin Benway’s Also Known As is a great choice. It has humor, heart and strongly drawn characters. I could not recommend this book more. I also would suggest checking out Benway’s other two books.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley, however I will be purchasing a signed copy on March 2nd.

Other reviews of Also Known As by Robin Benway:

Great Imaginations – “I recommend the book to someone looking for fun and a few good laughs”

Quinn’s Book Nook – “a hilarious book with an amazing main character, fabulous, well-developed secondary characters”

Rather Be Reading – “Benway brought more comedy to this story than I expected”

Books by Robin Benway:

Audrey, Wait!
The Extraordinary Secrets Of April, May And June

BONUS: You can order a signed copies of Robin Benway’s books through Oblong Books. HOWEVER, I think that you have to order by 3/1/13 if you want them personalized.

Dark Lord: The Early Years by Jamie Thomson Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

While I absolutely love and don’t discount middle grade as a whole, sometimes books can skew a little young for me and thus I end up not really being a fan. Unfortunately, this was the case with Dark Lord: The Early Years by Jamie Thomson. It’s not an awful book by any means, but it’s not one I would go about recommending to people whose tastes are extremely similar to mine. I guess if I really had to boil down my opinion of Dark Lord: The Early Years, I’d say, on the whole the main character was a little MUCH for me.

Dark Lord: The Early Years opens with the main character, Dark Lord, waking up in the parking lot of a grocery store in the body of a young boy, missing all of his evil powers. He is taken to the hospital and has like zero concept of how humans work. Then he is sent to a foster home where one parent is a doctor, the other a pastor and they already have a son. From there we see Dark Lord, whom everyone else calls Dirk Lloyd adjust to life on Earth. He keeps scheming to go back to his universe and if that doesn’t work, enslave humanity. Along the way important lessons are learned.

Straight up, as a grown up, I found Dirk Lloyd, the Dark Lord, whatever kind of annoying. I imagine some people will be charmed and amused by him, but I don’t know he just seemed like the type of person who takes Dungeons and Dragons and Warhammer a little TOO seriously. It’s kind of a bit much to read long rambling bits about how in his universe lots of creatures suffer under his evil dominion and he would have magical powers, blah blah blah. And then all the weird evil laughing. I don’t know? What I do know is reading and thinking I am way too old for this, which I do not often think while reading middle grade speculative/science fiction/fantasy.

On the upside, Dark Lord: The Early Years was a pretty quick read. It’s kind of a short book and besides all of Dirk’s rambling about his home universe, gets right to the point. So, on the whole I wasn’t too upset about wasted time while reading Dark Lord: The Early Years.

Look, obviously Dark Lord: The Early Years did not work for me, but honestly I could really see a set of young middle school male readers LOVING this book. I think a lot of kids would get a kick out of Dirk. In all honesty, this is one of those times where a book didn’t click with me but that is absolutely not to say that it would not click with other people and judging by goodreads and the people I am friends with, plenty of people actually enjoyed Dark Lord: The Early Years but I am not among those people.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley

Other reviews of Dark Lord: The Early Years by Jamie Thomson:

Mundie Kids – “I feel like my review needs to start off with an evil laugh”

Evergreen Library – “I think that this book is a SPOT ON choice for middle school boys”

The Fake Steph – “an imaginative story with characters that are easy to root for”

Freaks Like Us Susan Vaught Book Review

by Allison L

This is an Allison review!

I was first introduced to the concept of Freaks Like Us by Susan Vaught at BEA when I stopped at the Bloomsbury booth. They were really excited about it, and as they described it to me, I became excited too. I knew that this book was going to be right up my alleyway because I have a strong background in psychology. Granted, I kind of stepped away from the psychological aspect of things after I received my bachelor’s degree but, my interest in the subject and stigma of mental illness is still as strong as ever. Thus, I was really excited to see a YA book dealing with a young man with schizophrenia, and his trials and tribulations within society.

Freaks Like Us is told in a first person point of view from the viewpoint of the main character Jason, who often refers to himself as Freak. Jason’s internal monologue is a little confusing at first because he has a tendency to go back and forth between his own thoughts and the thoughts that are being caused by the voices inside his head. There are also times when he simply just has difficulty verbalizing his thoughts and separating them from the voices. It’s a little complicated but once I got into the groove of his thought process, and begin to understand him; I quickly realized that Jason is a truly remarkable character. He is actually very intelligent, and although he isn’t able to express himself very well, he often times knows exactly what is going on. Even when people are trying to lie to him, trick him, or convince him other wise.

How are people trying to lie to him, trick him, or convince him other wise? Well, it all starts when his best friend Sunshine disappears one night after school. Sunshine and Jason along with their other best friend Derrick, who Jason often refers to as Drip, are alphabets. That is not an official description of them but rather the description that they have given themselves and others like them who have some form of mental disability with shortened description. Jason has schizophrenia (SCZI), Derrick has attention deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD), and Sunshine is a selective mute (SM) to almost everyone except Jason and Derrick. The three of them have all learned to handle their disorders with proper medication and therapy but the biggest way in which they handle things is by being together. They have been best friends since childhood and now they are in their final year of high school together. Their senior year appears to be going as smoothly as possible for three teenagers with disabilities. They put up with the tormenting and the teasing because they always have each other to fall back on. However that all changes the night when Sunshine goes missing. She never made it home from the corner that Jason, Derrick and her parted ways at after the bus ride home. Since Sunshine is a disabled minor, the local authorities decided to call in the FBI for assistance, and everyone becomes a suspect including Jason. Jason is positive that he didn’t do anything to Sunshine, but the voices in his head make everything so confusing he is unsure about his own innocence or how to convince anyone else of his innocence either.

One of the reasons that Jason struggles so much with his own innocence is because he and Sunshine share a secret. Two days prior to her disappearance Sunshine asked Jason to do something for her and to keep it a secret. Since Sunshine is his best friend Jason does not hesitate to keep this secret but unfortunately after a bit of time has pass his schizophrenia makes it difficult to determine what reality is and what is fake. Did she really ask? Did he really do it? This confusion causes issues once the FBI becomes involved with the case as Jason is unable to truly answer their questions, and that of course makes him look guilty in their eyes. Jason is completely aware of this fact, and often directly calls them out on it. Like I said before, he’s a very intelligent young man, who doesn’t let his disorder hold him back. He is very determined to find his best friend whom he cares for more than anything else.

It was interesting to read about Jason’s interactions with the FBI and the people around him who automatically thought the worst of him because of his mental disorder. One of the things that I loved most of Freaks Like Us was the way that attention was brought to the serious issues that those who have mental disorders often experience but are often ignored by society. Things that were discussed within the pages includes but were not limited to pre-conceived judgments, medication and treatment, lack of funding for school systems, the stress parents experience when raising a child with a mental disorder, bullying, perversion, abuse, and the stigma of a mental disorder. Susan Vaught does not hesitate to be realistic and gritty when it comes to her story, and I respect that so much. It is so nice to see an author who isn’t afraid to take a chance and speak the truth when it comes to the issue of the treatment and stigma of mental illness within society. She also has an excellent way to crafting a story around such a heavy topic.

Honestly, for me Freaks Like Us pulled me in right from the first chapter and didn’t let me go. I truly feel that it is a compelling and unique approach to discussing and revealing the agony of being different in a society where being different is looked upon as being wrong. Jason’s voice is pitch perfect and honest and true. He’ll make you laugh and he’ll make you cry. The mystery is also so gripping you won’t want to put this book down until you know what happened to Sunshine. I truthfully can’t say enough good things about this book. It just hit all the right spots for me and I HIGHLY recommend that everyone checks it out.

Disclosure: Received an advance copy at BEA

Other Reviews of Freaks Like Us:

A Good Addiction — “Freaks Like Us had me unable to put it down, and stayed on my mind for weeks after I finished…”

Novel Novice — “Vaught cleverly combines the mystery-thriller genre with a psychologic al bender...”

Chick Loves Lit – “The mystery elements of Freaks Like Us will keep a reader flipping the pages, and the camaraderie and friendship between Jason and his two friends invests you in the story…”

Throne Of Glass Sarah J. Maas Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Whenever a book is compared to A Game Of Thrones, I get really excited, because HELLO Game Of Thrones is such a badass book. When Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas was being touted as A Game Of Thrones for a YA audience, I was totally pumped to read it. However, I think the comparison does the book a diservice. It’s similar to Martin’s series in that it’s a fantasy, set in a fantasy world. Other than that, I personally think as someone who has read Game Of Thrones that Throne Of Glass is nothing like it. That’s not to say Throne Of Glass is bad, just don’t walk into it expecting direwolves and characters, even the safe ones, dying right and left.

Celaena Sardothien was once the most famous assassin in Adarland. THEN someone sells her out so she’s sent to prison camp to be a slave in the salt mines of Endovier. Most people don’t make it a month in Endovier, but Celaena makes it for like six months. When all hope seems to be lost, she is plucked out by Prince Dorian and Chaol who is captain of the royal guard. You see, Prince Dorian is going to put Celaena fourth as his champion in a competition to serve as the king’s champion. Y’all, the king is totally a BAD GUY. Anyways, Celaena competes and makes friends and has a little competition in her heart between Dorian and Chaol.

I wish my ARC of Throne Of Glass included a map. I’m not entirely sure if there is a map in the final copy, but I really think it would enhance the reading experience. Anyways, the entire land the characters live on is called Erilea and the country or city they are in is called Adarland. The king of Adarland has basically annexed a bunch of kingdoms including the one Celaena is originally from. PLUS there’s a visiting princess at court who becomes close with Celaena who is from an area that is super sunny. Also silent assassins from the desert are mentioned and I just think a map would really have been effective for me. I did like reading about a certain ancestor queen named Elena though and some of the legends of Erilea, which made the setting seem fascinating.

As for Celaena, she makes a passable main character. She is very kick ass and not at all modest about it. I appreciate a bit of arrogance in the characters I read. What I really liked about her is that not only does she like fighting and being a total boss, but she also likes to be pretty. I mean, yes it’s fun when girls dress like boys in books, but sometimes I just really like it when a character enjoys having long hair and being dolled up. It shows me that it is okay to be feminine but also tough. PLUS YOU GUYS! She is a huge reader. How cool is that?

How do you guys feel about love triangles? If you hate them, you probably won’t enjoy Throne Of Glass. If you are like me and have grudgingly come to accept them as a norm in YA literature, you probably won’t mind the love triangle. I know I didn’t mind it. Prince Dorian has pretty eyes and is kind of a cad, but he finds himself really attracted to Celaena and plus they like the same books. He sees her as his equal. Chaol really fights his attraction to her and totally thinks she’s going to kill them all in the night at one point. YOU GUYS! At this point I have no idea which of the suitors Sarah J. Maas created that I want to win Celaena’s heart.

Straight up though, I have to admit to you all, it took me forever to get into Throne Of Glass. I thought the beginning was not very well written. There’s a ton of exclamation marks, at least in my copy, and overuse of EXCLAIMING! in books turns me off. I know, I know, hypocritical of me to say. The pacing of the beginning is super slow though. For me, the ball really started rolling once the competition started and we got some romance in the air. Then I tore through Throne Of Glass.

Given the mixed reviews, I am a little tiny bit embarrassed to say that I throughly enjoyed Throne Of Glass once I got past the clunky beginning. However, because my blog is totally a safe place, I will freely admit that I was so torn on the love triangle. I wanted to be friends with Caelaena. ALSO! A dog appears and does not die. In all, for me, Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas was an enjoyable read and I am dying to get my hands on the sequel.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.

Other reviews of Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas:

Anna Reads Books – “Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to my favorite book so far this year: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.”

I Swim For Oceans – “delivers heart-pounding suspense and theatrics page after page, wheeling and dealing as it spins you into its suspenseful web”

Girls In The Stacks – “ boasts a female heroine that is smart, strong and super fierce”

Between You And Me Marisa Calin Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

What I love about YA is the risks that authors are willing to take with their stories — the way that a few are willing to challenge assumptions and norms. Debut author Marisa Calin challenged all of my assumptions in Between You And Me, a unique first novel with a fantastic premise, but unfortunately one I was unable to connect with.

Between You And Me

Between You And Me by Marisa Calin is told in screenplay format. It stars Phyre, a teenage girl with aspirations of being an actress. There’s a new teacher in town named Mia who runs the acting class elective. Sophisticated and charming, Mia becomes the subject of a crush for Phyre. This subverts the norm because usually it is a hetero crush, I thought that bit was kind of cool, actually. Yet, feelings for a character simply known as you complicate the whole situation.

I think the very best thing about Between You And Me is that it makes one examine their heteronormative assumptions. A lot of the time I tend to assume couples are heterosexual, because of my cisgendered privilege. Of course, this isn’t ideal at all. So, I guess the more and more one gets to examine and check their privilege, the, the better for creating an atmosphere of acceptance.

Yet, all awesome concept aside, I found myself at a distance from Phyre. She’s the sort of person I don’t like in real life. She’s very overdramatic and doesn’t seem to notice or care about You until her not-noticing affects their relationship. That’s very irritating to me. I’m just saying, I don’t see myself giving her a BFF charm or anything.

For me personally, character connection is tantamount to my reading experience. Thus, I found Between You And Me by Marisa Calin to be simply an okay read, rather than exceptional. The concept is fantastic, but perhaps my blase feeling is just a personal quirk and based on my personal quirks, so I guess I would recommend Between You And Me to readers who don’t have my hang-ups.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.

Other reviews of Between You & Me by Marissa Calin:

Alexa Loves Books – “so… refreshing. And that’s because it was different”

Rather Be Reading – “has easily become one of my top reads of 2012”

Hobbitsies – “a beautifully written contemporary that touched on important issues”

The Unquiet Jeannine Garsee Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

It’s been a long time since I have been creeped the hell out by a book. Hats off to Jeannine Garsee for writing what I see as the YA version of a Stephen King book with The Unquiet. Y’all, that is a huge compliment coming from me. Also, while it is a little bit early to recommend Halloween books, I’m pretty sure this is one tale that definitely has the approval of the midnight society.

The Unquiet

Rinn Jacobs, 16, moves suddenly from California to her mom’s hometown in Ohio. The change of scenery is rather huge. Rinn is not only dealing with being the new girl, but also with being bipolar and having been involved with a tragedy that happened when she was off her meds. Rinn quickly falls into the popular crowd at school and manages to catch the attention of Nate Brenner, the nice boy next door. Unfortunately, there’s a ghost named Annaliese who is dead set on vengeance and attacking and possessing Rinn and her friends.

I thought Garsee was sensitive in her portrayal of a person who is bipolar. She didn’t really sensationalize the illness. Plus, she made Rinn more than her diagnosis. At first I was worried I wouldn’t like or be able to relate to Rinn, but was proved wrong. Honestly, though, she has a good heart and it comes across in her character and her reactions to the Annaliese situation.

The romance in The Unquiet is sweet and well-developed. There’s no instalove here, but friendship which becomes something more. Plus the two, Nate and Rinn actually have chemistry and get this: JOKE AROUND. It’s not entirely all doom and gloom or sitting there staring at each other discussing who is hotter. I have to say, it’s a very refreshing relationship.

Despite being long for a YA book, The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee is fast-paced. I was clicking the next button on my Kindle pretty quickly while reading and was unable to set this book down. But y’all, fair warning, parts of this book are put it in your freezer scary. If you want to read a book that will scare the ever loving heck out of you, this is absolutely THE ONE to pick.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.

Other reviews of The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee:

The Reading Geek – “a creepy story that I just couldn’t put down”

My Shelf Confessions – “definitely creeptastic”

The Flyleaf Review – “as far an spine-tingling books go, this one has definitely got that”

Dead Reckoning Mercedes Lackey Rosemary Edghill Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Zombies and steampunk and post Civil War Reconstruction era Wild West should be the most awesome combination ever, right? Alas, while the concept for Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill was excellent, I found the overall execution to be quite lacking.

Dead Reckoning

Dead Reckoning specifically focuses on three main characters. Jett Gallatin is a bit of a young gunslinger – rough and tough, also? Jett is a girl dressed as a boy on the search for her missing brother. Honoria Gibbons is a bluestocking, she’s the daughter of a very rich man and is conducting research debunking the unnatural. Then there is White Fox, who is this white guy who was raised by Native Americans. The three characters meet near Also, Texas while Jett is on the run on her fantastic horse Nightingale from a hoard of zombies. The three team up to investigate the disappearances in Alsop and throughout the region.

I really enjoyed reading the parts pertaining to Jerusalem’s Wall, a nearby commune/cult. I felt those bits were gripping as they discovered the zombie origins. Perhaps it was the fact that there was an actual sense of danger which drove the narrative during those parts. As for all the in-between parts, like when the characters are hanging out around Alsop or when Gibbons is deducing something, I felt bored. Like, I never felt immediately compelled to read on at these points. Instead, I would set Dead Reckoning aside for better, more exciting books.

In all, Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill feels like a very uneven book – some bits are fast and exciting and others are very slow and boring. I bet zombie fans will be into this book, but Dead Reckoning was not the best book for me, personally. There was just not enough to draw my attention and no unputdownable feeling.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.

Other reviews of Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill:

Mindful Musings – “I was a little disappointed, but it was still an entertaining read ”

The Book Smugglers – “a great protagonist and a diverting storyline”

Bunbury In The Stacks – “did not disappoint, but it didn’t impress either”

Something Like Normal Trish Doller Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Y’all, I am thrilled that I got to read Something Like Normal by Trish Doller early because I think it’s about to become my next PUSH ON PEOPLE book. I want to get loud about Something Like Normal. I want Trish Doller’s debut to get the sort of attention that paranormal debuts normally get, because you guys? It is a DAMN good read.

Something Like Normal

Something Like Normal is about Travis, a marine home in Florida on leave from Afghanistan. He is dealing with PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder which manifests in these hallucinations of his dead friend Charlie. Told in Travis’s first person perspective, I fell in love despite his numerous flaws. Travis is definitely not perfect, but he’s real ya know? He cusses, has meaningless sex and can’t seem to live up to his ex-Green Bay Packer father’s expectations.

I loved the voice that Trish Doller gave Travis. He feels authentic and raw. Never once did I think to myself: this feels contrived or this guy feels like wish fulfillment on the author’s part. Instead, I rooted for Travis and wanted him to get with the right girl and also to get some desperately needed mental health counseling.

Travis’s love interest, Harper, was a character I really liked. She and Travis have a past and she kind of really dislikes him. BUT OMG YOU GUYS he has it sooo bad for her. She’s also not perfect and feels real. I love that there is more reality to the characters of Something Like Normal’s 224 pages than for some characters of 300 page or more books. I love that Harper and Travis feel like people I could have a beer and shoot the breeze with.

If you are looking for a contemporary book to knock your socks off, a book that could fall under the new adult category, you NEED to read Something Like Normal. It’s real, has some very steamy scenes and is absolutely full of heart. I applaud Trish Doller for something that some of our young people in the military don’t always come back whole, emotionally. It’s not always easy reading Travis’s memories of his friend Charlie and his PTSD episodes, but it is worth it. I wholeheartedly recommend Something Like Normal and actually have a few people in mind who will be receiving it as a birthday gift.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.

Other reviews of Something Like Normal by Trish Doller:

Chick Loves Lit – “extraordinarily realistic”

See Michelle Read – “strikes an incredible balance”

The Crooked Shelf – “It’s in your head and it’s in your heart and it’s under your skin.”

Reclusive Bibliophile – “packed with love, loss, and redemption”