Simon And Schuster

Beautiful Bastard | Christina Lauren | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I am a firm believer in reading whatever the heck I want and in indulging my guilty pleasures. So, when I got a Netgalley email about Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren, all I knew was that it had been previously read by a lot of people and that there were sexytimes involved. And based on the cover, I immediately requested it as a connoisseur of sexytimes and all. I know there’s been comparisons of this book to 50 Shades Of Grey but I can’t quite speak to that because I haven’t read 50 Shades. Yet. Anyways, apparently this book is one of those pull to publish fan fictions, and well, I don’t really have an opinion about that SO, I went into the book with a totally open mind. Basically, I ended up reacting like Michael Scott in the Ben Franklin episode where he goes to the adult store with Ryan and doesn’t say anything but just is giggling the entire time. Yep.

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren | Good Books & Good Wine

Usually this is the paragraph where I describe the plot of whatever book I am reading. For Beautiful Bastard, basically the plot is as follows: Chloe works as an intern for Bennett Ryan’s company while getting her MBA. Bennett is very gruff and rude towards her. The two hate each other so much that they have sex. A LOT. Basically, that’s it. And there’s the whole your love, your love, your love is my drug thing — because sex with other people is nowhere as good as sex with each other. And really, yeah that’s all that happens. There’s no bigger framing story for the sex, which hey if that floats your boat you’ll probably love Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren.

I was not particularly in love with the two main characters,like I wasn’t all I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP while reading. However, it was sort of nice to read about a woman who is assertive, both at work and in the sack. I know a few reviews are all Chloe is such a bitch blah blah blah, but honestly? I didn’t mind her. I thought Bennett was a good match for her, although you guys, I still don’t get why he was such a douche to her, like it didn’t make sense to me. But, I do have to say, that I like how career minded Bennett was as well.I guess, it’s weird, but I think it’s great that people who are both very independent and work-oriented should relish getting down and dirty so much. And okay, I realize that’s going to sound totally weird to all of you reading this. Alas, if you are a regular reader of this blog chances are you already know how much of a weirdo I am.

If you are looking for brilliant writing and deep pondering on the meaning of intercourse and sexuality, Beautiful Bastard is probably not going to be the book for you. Honestly, it’s not very well written. A lot of the dialogue comes off as totally false and cheesy, like it just did not feel authentic to me. Also, certain things get repeated a lot and just become kind of boring. I guess the writing is very basic, like it’s nothing where I am all omg best sex book everrrrrr. Yet, I will say that it does read fast and certainly does not suffer from pacing problems, so there is that.

You guys. Would you like to hear how nuts I am when it comes to books? OKAY. So there are sexytimes aplenty in this book. I am totally okay with sexytimes all the time. I am definitely not a prude at all. SO. Okay, well anyways, pretty much every time Chloe and Bennett do it, he like rips her drawers which are this La Perla brand. So I looked that brand up. Holy fuck you guys, can I just say what the hell, rich people? Those things cost like 100 dollars and they have sex probably 10 times so, he ruins in essence, $1000 worth of underwear. I can’t get past that. And yeah, that makes me nuts, but really bro, really? Besides that, the sexytimes aren’t awful. Like I was never all, hmmmm that position exists?

OH OH and before I end this review, I do want to say that I picked up on something kind of cool with Beautiful Bastard. So, there’s a few parts where Chloe freaks out about sleeping with her boss because she doesn’t want to be seen as sleeping her way to the top. And it’s like this whole subtle jab at sexism and how if a woman has sex with her superior, she’s doing it to get favors or whatever. BUT if a man does it, it’s locker room fodder. Anyways, I was like right on sister, when that was being discussed in the book. Straight up, I look for positive things in the books I read and that was very, very positive for me.

In all, Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren is not the worst book I’ve ever read, far, far from it. Nor is it the best. I don’t exactly have a basis of comparison, so I can’t be all if you like 50 Shades of Grey, you will LOVE this. But, I didn’t hate it and I think that there’s really nothing wrong with reading a book that is nothing but the sexytimes. So, if you are interested in that, read Beautiful Bastard without shame. It is not totally awful.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.

Other reviews of Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren:

Red Hot Books – “kept my interest all the way until the end”
Dark Faerie Tales – “I wanted more, but I’m glad for the ending”
Once Upon A Twilight – “causes all sorts of emotional out burst of happiness”

Golden | Jessi Kirby | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Readers, you know how sometimes there are books that are absolutely perfect for a certain season? Like, books that just scream I AM SUMMER, READ ME? Well, I thought that Golden by Jessi Kirby is an utterly perfect spring book. Especially as, much like spring in upstate NY, there is snow when there should be sun and rain. Kirby’s latest book is a beautifully written story that examines the myth and legend of a person versus their reality. It’s succinct but contains a nice amount of depth without being overwhelming or too terribly heavy.

Golden by Jessi Kirby | Good Books And Good Wine

On the verge of graduation, Parker Frost is up for the prestigious Cruz-Farnetti scholarship which will pay for her entire Stanford tuition. Named for two teenagers who disappeared in a horrific car accident when Parker was a little kid, the Cruz-Farnetti scholarship is awarded at a dinner where contestants must make a speech every year. Parker is valedictorian of her class and should be a shoo in for the scholarship. Yet, she finds that many things are getting in the way of her speech writing. You see, when Parker looks back at her high school career she sees all kinds of awards and achievements, but she doesn’t see any risk taking. So, her best friend urges her to do something totally wild and out of the ordinary before their high school days end. Which brings me to the something wild. Parker’s a TA for one of those Dead Poet Society type of English teachers. Part of her duties are to mail out these journals to alumni who wrote down their hopes and dreams and really encapsulated who they were as seniors. What Parker finds in the batch is Julia Farnetti’s journal and she becomes obsessed. And really, I can’t tell you more than that because it would totally give spoilers for Golden and trust, you want an open mind going in.

I think that we’ve all read about characters like Parker Frost before. We’ve all experienced the tightly-wound, overachiever. We all have come across books about the girl who doesn’t take risks because she’s got so much pressure to be the best and be perfect. To me, there’s nothing wrong with well worn tropes so long as the author provides a unique spin and writes well enough that it seems like we’re treading new ground. Also, likability is important to me, as a reader. Thankfully, I actually sympathized with Parker even though her childhood and life experience is vastly different from mine. Jessi Kirby did a great job of illustrating Parker’s coming of age and character shift. There’s a moment where you can kind of see Parker change from this girl who meekly does whatever her mom asks of her to someone who wants to forge her own path in life. I love that Parker does not start out fiercely independent. I like that she’s given room to grow within the space of 288 pages. Further, her character growth and catalyst felt quite realistic to me.

Stylistically, I think that Golden does a wonderful job exploring the theme of myth versus reality. For one, there’s the use of Julia Farnetti’s journal where we see that she is not exactly the golden child that the town painted her to be. There’s this whole legend that surrounded Julia and her boyfriend Shane Cruz when they got into their car accident and ‘disappeared’. Yet, as we all know reality rarely matches the history the town has given the two. The contrast between journal Julia and billboard Julia is awesome. Like, if you’re into cool literary things like themes and motifs, you’ll dig that bit of Jessi Kirby’s new book. We also see this theme when it comes to Parker’s dad who got divorced from her mother. And again, with Parker’s love interest Travis.

Holla if you like books with ROMANCE and KISSING. Duh, you are reading my blog so I bet you are down with the kissy-times, as that’s half of what I usually talk about in EVERY REVIEW EVER. So, Golden has got you covered when it comes to romance. Seriously, I ship Parker and Travis so hard. Travis is this boy in Parker’s class who she has always had a crush on. Only, she’d never let herself take the risk with him because he has a reputation. Anyways, there’s all kinds of TENSION between them. And BANTER. And MEANINGFUL GLANCES. Basically, I just ate their whole romance up and enjoyed the whole ride. For reals, it’s so adorable and I couldn’t help but be like ‘kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss’ in my head. Trust. You’ll likely feel the same.

After finishing Golden, I realized that I am totally missing out on not having read In Honor yet, as Kirby really wowed me with both this book AND Moonglass. Golden is not a book that should be missed by contemporary fans, especially if you like your books short but packed with excellent writing, strong characters, kissing and deeper meaning. Before you hit up various graduation parties and start your BBQ-ing, be sure to get your hands on Jessi Kirby’s Golden, it will certainly help set the mood for the season.

Disclosure: Received for review via Edelweiss

Other reviews of Golden by Jessi Kirby:

Into The Hall Of Books – “I dare say – swoony and very sweet” (FYI, this is the review that convinced me to request the book)
Rather Be Reading – “a lovely breakthrough in her talent”
Chick Loves Lit – “she has started to truly master her craft”

Books by Jessi Kirby:
Moonglass

How My Summer Went Up In Flames | Jennifer Salvato Doktorski | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

That awkward moment where you desperately want to love a book but end up feeling indifferent towards it. I was totally psyched for How My Summer Went Up In Flames by debut young adult author Jennifer Salvato Doktorski. Yet, I ended up feeling super irritated during the first half. I enjoyed the end. But, I never really cared too much for the main character, instead Rosalita just grated on my nerves the whole time. However, this book mostly keeps it light and does make for a fun summer read, overall thanks to the secondary characters.

How My Summer Went Up In Flames Jennifer Salvato Doktorski Book Cover

Rosalita ‘Rosie’ Catalano is super impulsive. She doesn’t typically thing, but acts on her emotions and her passions. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however it can get her in trouble. Like, say for instance when she goes to a party and her cheating ex shows up with the girl he cheated on her with. Pissed off, Rosie goes to his house and lights a box of mementos from their relationship on fire. Unfortunately, Joey’s – the ex- car catches on fire. Under a restraining order and with a looming court date, Rosie’s parents decide it would be best if she gets out of town for a little while. With her next door neighbor Matty and his two friends Spencer and Logan, Rosie goes on a road trip to Arizona. Her itinerary is packed and she’s not a happy camper. Of course, with three teenage guys, you can probably guess some sort of romance will come of this trip.

I hate to say this but I just really could not stand Rosie. She was so over-entitled for the first part of How My Life Went Up In Flames. At one point she talks about how her dad’s lampshade factory isn’t doing too well and how her mom’s assistant bank manager salary doesn’t make up for it THEN SHE GOES ON A SHOPPING SPREE AT NEIMAN MARCUS. Like, dude if your family isn’t doing so hot financially, why don’t you try oh I don’t know JC Penney? Then she spends most of the road trip pissed off because the guys have interests that involve using your brain – they enjoy science and other nerdy, awesome things. Like, she gets all angry too because they want to do touristy things along the way and she just has no interest in those things. So, rather than you know open herself up to new experiences she just sulks. And, okay I get that being dumped sucks but at the same time she just completely aggravated me with her bratty behavior. Granted, she does improve, but I am not really going to be joining her fan club any time soon.

Yet, I did not dislike every character in How My Summer Went Up In Flames. First, there are female characters that Rosie is friends with (Lilliana and another girl but I won’t spoil you). These characters come across as friendly and unselfish and caring. There’s no backstabbing or anything and it is nice to read about females who have each other’s backs. I also really just loved Matty, Spencer and Logan. The whole road trip happens because Logan is driving to college (Arizona State) from New Jersey. Now, Matty is Rosie’s next door neighbor and they might as well be siblings. He’s very sweet and supportive. Spencer is Logan’s little brother and definitely a nerd, but again, a genuinely nice guy. Logan basically keeps Rosie on her toes and doesn’t put up with her pampered princess BS. Basically, Logan is the best and said a lot of things I was thinking out loud.

I did like Jennifer Salvato Doktorski’s writing style, for the most part. Seriously, there is no way that I would have been able to get through this book if the writing was atrocious, but luckily it was exactly what I look for in a breezy contemporary. How My Summer Went Up In Flames is told in first person, through Rosie’s point of view. It’s a very quick read. The pacing is on point. I’d say the book is cute overall, but as you saw above, some things irritated me.

In all, I think that mileage may vary for How My Summer Went Up In Flames. I think that if you are a YA road trip connoisseur, you will really like this book. I also think that if you are more of a plot person than a character person, you’ll love this book. For me, personally, I think that Amy And Roger’s Epic Detour did the whole road trip across the USA thing much better, but that’s just my opinion. Give this book a shot, you may like it much more than I did.

Disclosure: Received for review via Edelweiss

Other reviews of How My Summer Went Up In Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski:

The Bookaholic – “It was an entertaining ride-along of a read”
Book Blogger Mom – “It was a cute story.”

The Sea Of Tranquility | Katja Millay | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

You ever sit on writing a book review for months because you don’t want to use the wrong words in your review and you can’t quite find the best way to convey just how much a book means to you? I have that situation with The Sea Of Tranquility by Katja Millay, a book I read in December, but haven’t reviewed until just now, March. Y’all, I pretty much am in LOVE with The Sea Of Tranquility – so much so that I was pissed that when I finished it there would not be the possibility of getting a hard copy until June. You see, I wanted a hard copy so that I could flip through it whenever I wanted to revisit certain passages and certain pages — like most normal people, but friends, I don’t often get that MUST OWN FOR REVISIT PURPOSES feelings with a ton of books, at least not lately.

The Sea Of Tranquility by Katja Millay | Good Books And Good Wine

Urghhhh my heart hurts just thinking about the plot. Okay, so The Sea Of Tranquility opens on a totally mopey note. Nastya, one the of the main characters is totally angry and depressed and anxious. She’s also starting at a new school — and is living with her aunt instead of her parents. You see, something super traumatic has happened to Nastya — she used to be a piano playing tragedy, but now she can’t play piano because of what happened to her. At her new school, she dresses all in black, wears short skirts and doesn’t speak to anyone. Concurrent with Nastya’s storyline is that of Josh Bennett, the boy she meets who is kind of like an island of calm amid the high school crazy – but there is a reason for that. ANYWAYS, as you can start to guess, the two characters really begin to connect with each other and of course a relationship happens. And y’all I do not want to go into too much detail on the plot because it’s best left discovered for yourself so you can have an emotional reaction like I did — as you can see by my goodreads updates:

Goodreads Status Update The Sea Of Tranquility | Good Books And Good Wine

So, at first Nastya is super emo and frustrating and I am all come on girl. But then you know, I realized I was being a dick about how I viewed her. You see, when people have PTSD there are going to be certain triggers and certain behavior changes. So, of course I can’t just expect Nastya to be totally normal — and that would have undermined her growth. Oh man you guys, just thinking about how far she came in The Sea Of Tranquility puts a smile on my face. I thought her pain came across as very authentic, given the circumstances. I also really found myself rooting for her, once I realized I was being an asshole about her character. Y’all, I was beyond invested in Nastya. OH and she has a penchant for making dessert which lol, I liked reading about.

Which brings me to the other point of view character, Josh Bennett. Yo, this kid is tragedy city. You see, his mom and sister died in a tragic accident while he was young. His dad died. His grandma died. And his grandpa died. So, like, you can obviously guess why he does not let people close to him except for his best friend Drew. Anyways, he feels a certain connection with Nastya, when she shows up at his house out of the blue — because she’s going for a run and gets lost. Anyways, Josh is really into carpentry and you guys I never thought I would swoon for that but MMMM MMM girl it is good. Anyways, he does a few jerk moves, like a typical boy, BUT also grows as well.

So you would think a book where one of the main characters doesn’t speak would be bereft of dialogue, right? Wrong. Y’all, just because Nastya doesn’t speak doesn’t mean the other characters don’t. So, like the characters in this book do swear – a lot. But it’s okay because they are older teens and that’s what older teens do. I thought the dialogue seemed real. ALSO ALSO the pacing is perfect. Like, I thought The Sea Of Tranquility would take me forever to read because it’s very long. Yet, I totally could not set it down and read, legit 200 pages in one day. The pacing is utterly perfect. AND AND the imagery was also something I liked — I could perfectly picture Josh’s garage and Nastya’s jogging route. Finally, in regards to the writing style, I have to say that I loved how it all connects in Katja Millay’s story. Everything comes together so perfectly at the end that I just wanted my own paper copy so that I could flip back to the beginning to see how each thing connects back in and to re-read some of the foreshadowing. Sigh. OMG AND HOW COULD I FORGET! There are side characters and they are done to perfection — from best friend Drew and his amazing loving family

The romance in The Sea Of Tranquility totally deserves it’s own paragraph. I think this book is considered New Adult, because there is sex and it’s actually GOOD. Anyways, THIS BOOK IS WHAT I WANT NEW ADULT TO BE. Like, there are so many swoons. There is a slow burn between the two, there is no instalove, but a gradual building of trust between Nastya and Josh. It’s perfectly paced – their romance, with a lot of give and take. And omg, I just have to mention that there is intimacy between the two that isn’t based around sex and it’s very sweet to read. But yeah, there’s parts where you might need a cold shower. Seriously, the romance in this book was my favorite and I can’t even pretend that I did not love it.

I don’t know what else I can do to convince you that you need to read The Sea Of Tranquility by Katja Millay without getting all spoilery on you. Look there’s kissing. There’s emotions all over the place — in a good way. There’s well developed side characters. There’s so much I can say about the book months after reading it. I am passionate about The Sea Of Tranquility — I believe in this book and how invested I was in it – like I might as well have been breathing this book. So, seriously, if you want a new adult romance that’s quite serious, don’t let this book pass you up, I beseech you LOL (who says beseech). But seriously, just change your life for the better and check out Katja Millay’s book.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley

Other reviews of The Sea Of Tranquility by Katja Millay:

The Allure Of Books – “YOU GUYS THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD THAT I WANT TO WRITE THE WHOLE REVIEW IN CAPSLOCK.”
Anna Reads Books – “Oh, glory me, this book is good.”
For What It’s Worth – “The Sea of Tranquility is filled with moments.”

Allison Reviews Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

by Allison L

I should probably begin this review of Level 2 with the acknowledgement that I know the author, Lenore Appelhans, on a more personal level than just author. She is a fellow YA book blogger and someone that I have met in person and shared drinks and bookish conversation with. In fact our initial in person meeting during the BEA cocktail gathering with the Forever YA ladies went something like this:

“Hi. I’m Allison. I co-blog with April…”

“Yes, I know! I love your writing style!”

“Oh wow! I love yours too!”

And we hugged and so began a fun conversation of life and books. All of that being said I can honestly say as I am about to review Level 2 that my personal relationship with the author had no bearing on my opinion of the novel. My opinion has not been swayed in any way.

Now onto the book…

I’ll admit that I was a little nervous to read Level 2 based on the hype that was surrounding it both in the blogging world as well as the publishing world. I was afraid that it wasn’t going to live up to my expectations. Luckily, I had really nothing to fear. Although it did take me a little bit to get into this book, it was totally worth it!

For those of you who don’t know, Level 2 is about a girl named Felicia who is dead but who is trapped in a strange afterlife where she spends her days replaying her memories of her life. Day after day she spends mindless hours replying the memories of her family, friends, boyfriend … and of the boy who broke her heart. That is all that she does until said boy breaks into her afterlife to find her. Before she knows it, Felicia finds herself in the middle of a rebellion, and learns that she must make a choice as to which side she will actually fight for.

Level 2 is intense! At first it is a little confusing which I honestly think that it is supposed to be because you really don’t know what you are getting yourself into. The fun thing is that neither does Felicia! So you’re both on the same level playing field in that way. I loved learning about Felicia through her memories. Learning about the different things she had been through (both good and bad) was a fun way to get to know her character and start to admire her after you learn about what she had been through to get to where she was right now in Level 2. To me it also added a new emotional complexity to the character building as well. It was as if I able to delve into something that was deep and personal all with the complete permission of the character.

Another thing I absolutely loved delving into was the world building within this story. It is so well crafted and multi-dimensional. I really liked the way that faith was addressed in Level 2 because I didn’t feel like it got in the way of the storyline at all. I also felt that it wasn’t preachy or overbearing in anyway which was nice. It is a take on the afterlife that I have never really read about before. I love how the characters can access memories of their own life as well as other people’s memories. The whole concept of the hives and pods was so fun to picture in my mind. It was also relatively easy because of the descriptive details that were used to bring this afterlife to life. The quick pacing of the story also kept me intrigued and the tips of my toes wanting to know more.

I also though it was neat that the memories seem to be rated on some form of a scale, and that the worse memories are the ones that nobody seems to want to access unless they really want to. I thought that was an interesting play into the idea that we often want to forget the bad things that have happened in our lives even though it’s the usually the bad things that make us stronger or that can truly teach us a lesson. Not to say that good memories can also not teach us something but as Level 2 explains in its own unique way bad memories are important too. I LOVED the way that it made me think about this concept and other concepts as well.

I’m really excited to read the next book in the series Level 3 because I really want to know what is going to happen next on Felicia’s journey. Also, I have a few questions that I’m hoping will be answered because even though Level 2 did not end in a cliffhanger (thank goodness), it still left me feeling like there were a few things left unanswered. I’m allowed to have questions, right? I guess I just need a little clarification to sort out my feelings on things. I want to know what will happen to Felicia, Julian, and Neil! I’m also looking forward to seeing how Lenore Appelhans can further expand and build upon the world and the ideas which she has already created. I feel there is so much to work with here, and I can’t wait to read all about it!

Disclosure: Received ARC copy from April (who received it at the Simon & Schuster preview party).

Other reviews of Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans:

April’s Review: : “Y’all, this is one hell of a debut so get off your butt and check it out like right this second.”

VeganYANerds: “Level 2 is a unique story about a girl trying to accept her past mistakes, and find a way to save her afterlife. I’d recommend it to all fans of YA who are looking for something a little different.”

The Perpetual Page Turner: “Level 2 was a really strong debut — refreshing and unique with great characterization and an intricately built, imaginative world.”

The Book Cellar: “I basically just want to stand and shout from the rooftops my love for this book.”

Hobbitsies: “Level 2 is a debut that is certain to blow your mind with its phenomenal world-building and compelling concept.”

Falling For You Lisa Schroeder Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

In a departure from her usual verse books, Lisa Schroeder knocks it right out of the park with her prose book Falling For You. Reader friends why have you not forced me to read Lisa Schroeder’s books before, she’s absolutely excellent. I got all of the feels from her latest book and spent the last 35 pages thanking the powers that be that I was not wearing mascara and that I did not have to leave my house to go out into public because I’m pretty sure someone was chopping onions in my vicinity for those last few pages. Anyways after reading and falling head over heels for Falling For You, I am convinced that I need to read the rest of Schroeder’s books — kind of a given in that I LOVE free verse books.

Falling For You Lisa Schroeder Book Cover

Rae has a really hard time letting down her walls and actually getting into relationships. Usually she pushes guys away before they can get to close. This is because of her home life. You see, her mom married this controlling guy named Dean who is basically awful. He’s not quite physically abusive but he is very manipulative and treats Rae like she is a servant, plus he’s awful to Rae’s mom. And her mom always takes Dean’s side. Anyways there’s a hot new guy at school and he’s into Rae, his name is Nathan and basically his eyes are all blue steel. Anyways, they date and he gets close to Rae, but she starts to feel stifled by him and he won’t give her the space she needs and becomes more and more controlling. OH OH and Rae works at a flower shop and is good friends with homeschooled Leo who works at the coffee shop next door AND Rae writes poetry which plays an important role. PLUS lots of Falling For You alludes to an accident but we slowly find out what the accident consists of in the end. And yeah, that’s the most basic outline I can give you of the plot without getting into spoiler territory.

My heart cracks wide open for Rae. She has such a hard life and it always seemed like things were getting worse and worse. Yet, in Falling For You, she learns perspective. She learns to look for the good and for the sunny side of life, even when the circumstances are utterly awful. I also absolutely loved how Lisa Schroeder gave Rae a back bone. There’s so many books that portray the abused girlfriend as the type people can walk all over, which I suppose makes it easy for others to see why someone is a victim, but that’s not always the case and if you think oh that could never happen to me because I have a backbone, then you do yourself a disservice. I just loved that Rae wasn’t that typical. PLUS! I loved that she turned to poetry and expressing her emotions and also let herself be vulnerable. Rae’s got a great personality and despite her circumstances, I rooted for her. PLUS! It’s nice to read a book about a girl who isn’t economically privileged.

I did think the Nathan thing was a little bit over the top. But, it makes a good point. Like, I just never got the feeling that Nathan and Rae were a good couple and it seemed to move a little fast for me. However, I did like how the friendship with potential for more between Rae and Leo developed. Leo made a good contrast to Nathan and showed okay this is what a healthy, caring relationship looks like. ALSO! ALSO! There’s a point in the very beginning where Rae and Nathan exchange phone numbers and Nathan’s all, now you’re going to delete all the other guys in your phone right? And Rae is creeped out but she’s like oh maybe that’s normal and I couldn’t help but think so many of the teenagers I educate think like this and it’s so important that Schroeder portrayed that as NOT OKAY and unhealthy. Just, I’m glad an author is actually putting that out there instead of glorifying it as romantic.

Since I always go into educator teacher mode when I review books that have unhealthy relationship themes, I thought I would also do that here. I love the way Falling For You portrays an unhealthy relationship in a fairly realistic manner and also I got some interesting commentary out of it. Like, there’s a part where Nathan orders pizza with onions and Rae is all I don’t like onions and Nathan is like just pick them off and she’s like oh, okay. He effectively silences her and it got me thinking to how in society a lot of the time we expect women to not make waves, to sit down and shut up and accept what they’ve been dealt, and I don’t know I guess this book really got me thinking about that. It got me thinking about how he takes away her agency on the first date, and while she gets a bad vibe, she ignores it because that’s what ladies do and because she thinks it’s a one-off thing. It set an interesting sort of precedent. ALSO! I love love love that Schroeder shows that just because there isn’t physical abuse, doesn’t mean the relationship is healthy. An abusive relationship is all about power and control. And we get so many good examples of how Nathan uses control over Rae and tries to take her agency and power away and micromanage every little aspect of her life. Like, I just want to buy lots and lots of copies of Falling For You to pass out to the students I meet when I do my presentations.

In case you can’t tell, I absolutely loved Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder. It made me incredibly emotional. I was attached to the characters. I was invested in the outcome of the story and I loved the various plot lines and themes — from Rae’s family background to certain random acts of kindness to the interactions at Full Bloom. As February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, I think you should pick up Falling For You and get a bit more educated on why teenage dating violence is such a widespread issue. OH OH and before you go stop worrying that this is going to read like an afterschool special, it doesn’t.

Disclosure: Received for review

Other reviews of Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder:

Pure Imagination – “impossible to put the book down”

Clear Eyes, Full Shelves – “a gentle book that in the end left me feeling enveloped by a spirit of goodness.”

Rather Be Reading – “Full of charming imagery with awesome I-want-to-know-you-in-real-life-characters”

The Marriage Bargain Jennifer Probst Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Is it weird that I’m glad I snapped up The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst before it became $7? Maybe I’m just super cheap. Anyways, I bought The Marriage Bargain back when it was under $3 and it sat on my Kindle for months. At the end of 2012, I was going through a bit of a slump and was totally not feeling YA books and so, figured why not try some adult books and OF COURSE I kept looking at the cover of The Marriage Bargain and I saw that it was pretty short. It wasn’t too much of a time investment, and thus with an open mind I cracked it open on my Kindle and basically did not set it down until I finished it.

The Marriage Bargain Jennifer Probst Book Cover

Alexa’s family is on the brink of losing their home and so she takes matters into her own hands by casting a love spell. No worries though, The Marriage Bargain is not at all a paranormal sort of book with witches and what not. Anyways, her best friend Maggie calls her and is all oh hey my brother Nick is looking for a woman because of a clause in this will. You see, Nick was left all the shares in his uncle’s architecture firm however, he becomes a partial owner instead of a full owner if he does not get married for a year. And so, Alexa agrees to marry him for $150,000 which she uses to save the family home. FYI, Nick is all I don’t want this to be a real marriage it’s going to be a paper marriage. But of course, if you are a genius I can imagine you can take a crack at what happens and guess who gets together in the book. Like, it’s not rocket science.

You guys, Alexa is an awesome main character. Just like us, she loves books — she even runs a bookstore in upstate NY, hell yeah living the dream, girl. She also has a big huge heart and a soft spot for dogs. AND she writes poetry and it doesn’t actually suck. She’s pretty much my new best friend. Anyways, she’s smart and poised and doesn’t get intimidated when Nick brings her to fancy rich people events and I was all please be in more books because I love reading about you because you are neither simpering nor annoying.

Nicholas is an okay romance lead. Like, he’s all I AM SO GUARDED BECAUSE MY FAMILY SUCKS THEREFORE I CAN NEVER MARRY HAPPILY HULKSMASH. I liked that he was all passionate about architecture because I just don’t get how anyone could be that into designing buildings, but still having a passion for something outside of yourself and your lover is awesome and a trait I like to read about. Plus, he does act the douche from time to time, but I liked that Alexa kind of helped him get over that and was all listen, you deserve to be happy, you are not your parents.

SO! The romance! It has steam you guys! STEAM! Like, obviously there’s sex, actually a couple of sex scenes, so if you don’t know about the birds and the bees yet maybe The Marriage Bargain isn’t the book for you. I thought that the chemistry between Alexa and Nicholas felt real. Like, they’re obviously very different people who do share a past and are using each other BUT there’s a major attraction between them. AND OMG WHEN THEY ACT ON IT THERE ARE IMAGINARY FIREWORKS GOING BOOM BOOM BOOM IN MY BRAIN. And plus, the more romantic grovelly moments are so adorable that I had to set the book down and sigh a little bit.

In all, I whipped through The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst in like a single sitting and then was in my chair sobbing a little tiny bit because there’s a dog. No, the dog doesn’t die, but I am soft hearted about animals. Like, obviously this is one of those wish fulfillment sort of books, but it’s also touching with strong characterization and just a nice way to pass a Monday morning when you’re on vacation. I actually really liked The Marriage Bargain and think you’ll like it too if you’re into contemporary romances with characters who have to work at an HEA. (Happily ever after, FYI).

Disclosure: Purchased copy out of curiosity

Other reviews of The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst:

Giraffe Days – “The story is kept simple and uncluttered”

Narratively Speaking – “a quick, fun read and I really enjoyed it”

Muggle-Born – “This reader was very satisfied with how the romance played out.”

Level 2 Lenore Appelhans Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I will admit, I was totally terrified to read Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans. Not because the book is scary or horror or anything, but because I consider Lenore to be a friend. I’ve had alcoholic beverages in her company. Y’all, you know that omg what if I don’t like it trepidation? I HAD THAT. Then I had that nervous feeling of oh my god what if people call my review into question because of my friendship. THEN I was like, ah fuck it. I am going to read this book and let myself think and feel and react naturally. Luckily I kind of fell head over heels for Felicia and Julian and Neil and the world of Level 2.

Level 2 Lenore Appelhans Book Cover

I have not read very many books that take place in the afterlife, which is kind of a travesty because it’s a fascinating concept. Level 2 is definitely set in the afterlife and it’s sort of like Purgatory, I guess. I don’t know, my church didn’t do the whole purgatory thing. ANYWAYS. Okay, so Felicia is dead and lives on Level 2. She has two best friends. And pretty much what you do all day is you go in these pods and you get to access memories. Either your own memories or someone else’s and you do that with credits. OKAY SO. One day this pod malfunctions and bad things go down. THEN a blast from Felicia’s past, this guy named Jude shows up. OH and she discovers there are evil angels called Morati. Yeah buddy.

So, what I really completely loved is that we get to know Felicia through her memories on the pod. We learn about how she was pretty much living in Europe with her ambassador parents, then some bad things go down and then Felicia is sent off to Kansas where she meets the love of her life — because obviously it was cut short — Neil. Who oh my god you guys, is actually not one of those weird Left Behind religious types, despite being ya know, knee deep in it. OH and did I mention that Julian was a part of her European life. TANGLED WEBS BEING WEAVED Y’ALL! Anyways, there’s memories of the most adorable romance EVER and we get to gratuitously read them and IT IS AWESOME.

Straight up, Felicia is my kind of girl. She’s not boring. She’s kind of hesitant about things with Neil at first, but obviously girl has a past to get over. PLUS when they are all running away from the Morati, Felicia is a grade A bad ass. I love it. She’s not all wah wah, I am so scared let me scream and yell so we call all the bad guys to where we are. NOPE. Girl knows whats up. Although, she does put everyone at risk to save somebody, still. I just respect her as a character and was never like this person is wayyyy TSTL.

So, Appelhans has built an interesting world. There’s obviously a battle between the bad guy Morati angels and the other seraphim. I love what she’s done with purgatory, making a Level 2 where you get to access the memories of your life and other people’s memories. I love that the memories seem to be rated kind of like youtube videos. What I think I loved the most was that while reading, I forgot that it was someone I know who wrote the book, that’s kind of a hard thing for me to shake.

Level 2 is very fast paced. If you’re doing a 2013 book a day challenge or have a super insane reading list, then you should add this book to your list. Not only will you finish it quickly, but you’ll also enjoy it, I think. It’s very well written with a world that makes sense. It’s got very compelling characters and a curl your toes with swooning sort of romance.

ALSO OMG. Can we just chat for two seconds about the ending without totally spoiling you guys. Okay so the ending is NOT a cliffhanger. Like, yes there is another book but I can handle the wait because the ending is at a logical point where the book can be totally self contained. I never was like OHHHH CURSE YOU LENORE APPELHANS FOR LEAVING ME DYING IN SUSPENSE. Oh hell naw, this book actually has a legitimate GOOD ending. And then, I also got to read the final ending that’s going in the finished copy and that is legitimate too!

For reals, I loved so much about Level 2 but I read it back in like October and it’s January as I write this, so yay lazy reviewing. Anyways, I do hope you all check out and read Level 2. It’s very swoonworthy, breakneck paced, with an interesting concept of the afterlife. Plus, it delves into religion without feeling preachy or churchy.I actually really loved how faith was portrayed in Level 2. Y’all, this is one hell of a debut so get off your butt and check it out like right this second.

Disclosures: Received at Simon & Schuster Preview party. Also I am friendly with Lenore. She’s given me German chocolate before. I just want to be totally transparent, y’all.

Other reviews of Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans:

The Book Life – “Level 2 is such a unique story.”

A Foodie Bibliophile In Wanderlust – “an amazing job creating believable, complex, and interesting relationships among characters”

Serendipity Reviews – “I thought the plot was ingenious and well paced”

Live Through This Mindi Scott Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

You would think that in my line of work, I would be entirely desensitized to stories of sexual abuse and what not — thankfully I don’t bring my job home with me emotionally, but I still have the capacity to feel much emotion when I read books that pertain to things I encounter at my job. Y’all, Live Through This by Mindi Scott is a book that I have such a hard time reviewing because I’m not sure whether to put on my professional hat and go into depth with my work-knowledge or to put on my reader hat and pretend like I don’t have that sort of knowledge. However, I am both reader and professional and I think that those two things can meld quite well in a review. Regardless, Live Through This was a book that profoundly affected me and one that I was compelled to talk to my friends about while reading and then tweet the author post reading. Note: those are not my typical reading reactions.

Live Through This Mindi Scott Book Cover

From the outside, Coley Sterling leads a charmed life. She’s gorgeous. She’s on the dance team. Her family doesn’t suffer financially. She’s in the beginning of a sweet romance with a nice sax player. Her family is very close-knit. Yet, Coley is keeping a secret. You see Coley is the victim of what we call in the field ‘long term sexual abuse’ or incest. Now, Live Through This starts out where you don’t know who exactly is abusing Coley. And for me, personally, I got so anxious and upset and nervous that I had to cheat and flip ahead to see who it was. And the thing about Live Through This is that while it might not be a constant action sort of plot, it is the type of book where it’s constant emotion, constant GIRL I FEEL FOR YOU. Like, I wanted to take Coley aside and give her some rudimentary counseling and do some safety planning with her. I wanted her perpetrator to face some sort of consequence. Seriously, I was so invested in Mindi Scott’s Live Through This.

I thought Mindi Scott did a wonderful job with her characterization of Coley. She explores something that is not often mentioned in books about sexual abuse and that is the grooming process. You see, Coley exists in kind of this limbo where she feels a lot of revulsion and self-loathing because of how her body reacts to the abuse which is only natural and also because of the fact that she doesn’t hate the perpetrator. I just thought this was so well done. I loved that Coley was a character whom I actually really cared about. There were several pages where I’d find myself tearing up over what she was going through and her conflicting feelings. There’s an interesting dichotomy between Coley’s public popular girl facade and her nighttime secret. Mindi Scott accurately portrays the shame and the guilt Coley endears as well as a few of the psychological effects — like when Coley freaks out while getting hot and heavy with her current boyfriend.

I kind of want to go a little bit more in-depth on the long term sexual abuse theme. Grooming for those of you who maybe don’t know terminology is the process which the abuser uses to gain the trust of the victim. Typically rewards are involved. Sometimes the abuser will play on the loving feelings of the victim and say oh well this is just what people do when they love each other, etc etc. Then the abuser will use feelings of guilt to keep the victim silent. I thought that Mindi Scott showed this process quite well. She showed how Coley had a lot of trust and really cared for her abuser. She showed how Coley loved her abuser, but hated what he did. Also, she goes to dark places that I think a lot of us don’t think about or consider, places that if we were truly awful people we’d blame the victim for. Like, Live Through This has various parts where Coley has a physical reaction to her abuse. You guys that is natural. When you engage in sexual activity and certain parts are stimulated, you are going to feel something. That does not mean that the victim wanted it, just because they had a physical reaction. It’s how the body reacts, it’s not automatic consent. Unfortunately, victims will often blame themselves because of what their bodies do and that’s awful. And I mean, I’ve never really read a book that shows oh hey the victim might actually be physically stimulated while this is going on. I think that it helps to validate the feelings and experience of survivors, that Mindi Scott paints this conundrum in Live Through This. And maybe this paragraph is totally convoluted, but I just really wanted to put it out there that yes, victims do experience this and it’s totally not the victim asking for it.

Friends, if you are the victim of long term sexual abuse, please tell someone. Call your local rape crisis hotline if you aren’t ready to tell a friend or a family member. Trained people answer this hotline and they can hook you up with counseling resources and information. You do not deserve the abuse, even if your body reacts a certain way. It is not your fault. If you have a friend who is going through this, listen to them. Believe their story. Plenty of times, people are afraid to come forward because they are scared no one will believe what they say. Further, grooming is a bit like a mind game and yes it really does profoundly affect someone’s coming forward because they may actually believe telling will put them in danger. And whatever you do, do not blame the victim. If you think you can’t handle that, call a rape crisis hotline, again they can provide you with information on how to handle the situation and what to do.

Honestly, I didn’t mean to turn this review into a PSA on how to help people who are sexually victimized, but I’m not sorry. I think it’s so important to share this information because maybe someone reading this out there is going through something serious and this review could maybe help. Maybe Live Through This could provide some much needed bibliotherapy (reading about characters in situations similar to yours can be cathartic). Regardless, I absolutely recommend Live Through This by Mindi Scott with all my heart because it is emotional, it’s well written and it provides a much needed survivor perspective that absolutely does not blame the victim. Seriously, I ended up thanking Mindi Scott on the twitters for writing this book after I finished it.

Disclosure: Received for review

Other reviews of Live Through This by Mindi Scott:

Clear Eyes, Full Shelves – “I couldn’t set Live Through This Down once started reading.”

Fiction Folio – “I had to sit on my couch for a while when I was finished just to process it all.”

Rather Be Reading – “Here, folks, is the kind of writing I yearn for”

Late Late At Night Rick Springfield Book Review

by Allison L

Jessie is a friend. Yeah I know he’s been a good friend of mine…

For a large majority in society, “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield is a well known feel good karaoke song. From the first initial beats of the song, it gets the feet tapping and the heads bouncing along to the beat as he tells the story about a boy who wants to go with a girl who just so happens to be the girlfriend of his good friend Jessie. C’mon, you know what I’m talking about! But what about the man behind this classic perceived one-hit-wonder? What does he think and/or feel about the success of his song? What is his life story? What are his truths?

In Late, Late At Night, Rick Springfield reveals all of gritty details of his life so far. It is a very revealing memoir, which at times could be real slow at times but at other times a real eye opener, as he takes you from his youth in Australia to present day life in Malibu, California. He very candidly speaks of his self hatred, his depression, and his sexual trangressions. He discusses how his constant desire to feel wanted and accepted, his need for fulfillment, and his fear of disappointment impacted not only himself but also the people around him such as his wife and his children. He admits his mistakes, and his flaws, and expresses how he has always felt more accepted in the company of a dog than in the company of society. Rick Springfield really holds nothing back in this very honest and open memoir about his trials and tribulations inside and outside the music business.

What brought me to reading Late, Late At Night? Admittedly, I’ve always liked Rick Springfield’s music. Yes, he does actually have more than one song! In fact, he has had around twelve albums released, and his newest one will actually be released on October 9^th. Anyway, I’m not exactly sure how I came across it but I do know that from time to time I find myself feeling the need to listen to it, and I just crank it up. So being a fan of his music, when I came across his memoir at the library, I couldn’t resist picking it up, and giving it a shot. I’m actually really glad I did too. For some fans of Rick Springfield, a memoir like this may change ones opinion of him but not me. I mean, I’ve never really been a “die-hard” fan but I appreciated his music … and I still do. I also have gained an insight to the man behind the music.

The man behind the music is flawed but he isn’t asking for forgiveness or understanding in his story. Instead, he is putting his story on paper for all to see, and for all to read. He has plenty of transgressions but he is also unmistakably vulnerably human. Yes, his multiple infidelities are troublesome but honestly that is not something I can judge. Also as someone with a background in psychology, I know that having depression and a possibly sex addiction can truly be a double edged sword because the individual is always looking for some sort of fulfillment but never really thinks that they are good enough to achieve it. This is not an excuse for his actions but it also really does not help the situation at all. It is a sad situation, and his wife is truly a saint for having put up with him through all of it.

What did I take away from Late, Late At Night? Honestly, I think I took away an even greater appreciation for Rick Springfield’s music. It was interesting to read about how each album reflects where he was in his life. I think knowing more about his life will cause me to interpret his music in a different way. I also am taking away a better insight on the man behind the music who even with his flaws is also very humane and compassionate. This is shown through his love for his family, his love for dogs, his search for spirituality, and by his connection to a sweet little girl named Sahara, who sadly passed away from a brain-stem tumor at only thirteen years old. This memoir is NOT for the easily offended or the judgmental but it is heartbreakingly honest and I’m glad I decided to give it a shot.

Disclosure: Borrowed from library.

Other Reviews of Late, Late At Night by Rick Springfield:

Mom in a Million — “On a scale of one to ten, I’d give this book a 7. But I’ve for sure had “Jessie’s Girl” in my head ever since I finished it. So that’s kind of a win.”

Misbehavinlibrarian — “Beautifully honest and raw…”