Review: The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Title: The Cheerleaders
Author: Kara Thomas
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: YA Mystery
Published By: Delacorte (July 31, 2018)
Source: ARC Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review.)
My Rating: 4 Stars!


Book Description:
There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.


There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.

*Amazon*B&N*

I read a lot of mysteries and I also happen to read a fair amount of young adult and when you combine the two, I'll be honest, it doesn't always work. But once in a while it does and in the case of The Cheerleaders, I think it's safe to say that is did, indeed work. 

It kept me on edge constantly guessing how all these girls died and if they were murdered, ever single one of them, all in different horrible ways. And if they were, they why, and most importantly, who was responsible?

This is one of those reads where you never quite know what is happening. Not as in, where is the plot going but more as in, where they murdered? Was it a tragic accident, or was it something more? Who is the bad guy here if there even is one?

Back and forth I would flip between if they were or weren't and I loved it. I love that I didn't guess every single thing (like I normally do) after only the first few chapters. I like that this kept me on edge and wondering. That doesn't always happen, in fact it happens very little, even in adult mysteries. 

Definitely a page turner that I enjoyed right up until the very twisty end.

*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Release Day Review: Endless Water, Starless Sky by Rosamund Hodge

Title: Endless Water, Starless Sky
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Series: Book Two in the Bright Smoke, Cold Fire Series
Genre: Fantasy/Re-imagining
Published By: Balzer + Bray (July 24, 2018)
Source: ARC Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
My Rating: 4 Stars


Book Description:
In the last days of the world, the walls of Viyara are still falling, and the dead are rising faster than ever.

Juliet is trapped—ordered by Lord Ineo of the Mahyanai to sacrifice the remaining members of her family, the Catresou, to stave off the end of the world. Though they’re certain his plan is useless, Juliet and her former friend Runajo must comply with Lord Ineo’s wishes—unless they can discover a different, darker path to protecting Viyara.

Romeo is tortured: finally aware that his true love is alive, he is at once elated and devastated, for his actions led directly to the destruction of her clan. The only way to redemption is to offer his life to the Catresou to protect and support them . . . even if it means dying to do so.


When Romeo’s and Juliet’s paths converge once again, only a journey into Death will offer answers and the key to saving them all—but is it a journey either of them will survive?

*Amazon*B&N*

Top Five Reasons Endless Water, Starless Sky is For You:

1. You love a good YA fantasy riddled with treachery and darkness

2. You love a retelling with so many twists it is almost unrecognizable

3. Zombies! Or are they?

4. Beautiful almost lyrical writing that will suck you in

5. You love to expect the unexpected

*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Blog Tour Review: All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

I will always be a fan of Colleen's writing because regardless of what she writes, I know it will always kick me right in the feels and I will love it because of it. Her latest release does just that. 

If you haven't grabbed a copy yet you are in for a treat, if you have already read it, then you know exactly what I mean, this one, will take your breath away. 

Title: All Your Perfects
Author: Colleen Hoover
Release Date: July 17, 2018 by Atria Books
Series: Stand Alone

Description:
Colleen Hoover delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.

Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.


All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?

*Amazon*B&N*Books-a-million*IndieBound*Apple*Kobo*

About the Author:

I detest bios, but this is what Wikipedia has to say about me.

Colleen Hoover is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven novels and five novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories.

Hoover published her first novel, Slammed, in January 2012. Since then, all her eligible works have become New York Times best sellers.

Colleen Hoover is published by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. Colleen also has several self-published titles.

In 2013, Colleen’s third novel, Hopeless, was the first self-published novel to reach #1 on The New York Times, where it remained for several weeks. Hopeless went on to become one of the top 20 bestselling ebooks of 2013.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance.

Her novel CONFESS has been filmed as a series by Awestruck and is due to release this spring on go90. Katie Leclerc and Ryan Cooper star in the series.

Ugly Love is slated to begin filming in late 2017.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $850,000 to help those in need.

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THE ALL YOUR PERFECTS tour



07/17: Denver, CO

07:00 PM

TATTERED COVER BOOKSTORE

Tickets


07/23: Portland, OR

07:00 PM

POWELL'S BOOKS

Call Store for details: 503-228-4651 or pre-order


07/24: Seattle, WA

07:00 PM

THIRD PLACE BOOKS

Tickets


07/25: San Francisco, CA

07:00 PM

BOOK PASSAGE

Tickets

07/26: San Diego, CA

07:30 PM

WARWICK'S

Tickets

07/27: Phoenix, AZ

07:00 PM

CHANGING HANDS BOOKSTORE

Tickets

07/28: Los Angeles, CA

04:00 PM

THE RIPPED BODICE

Tickets



07/29: Dallas, TX

06:00 PM

HALF PRICE BOOKS

Information


08/02: Atlanta, GA

07:00 PM

EAGLE EYE BOOKS

Tickets


08/03: Asheville, NC

06:00 PM

MALAPROP'S BOOKSTORE/CAFE

Tickets

08/04: Cincinnati, OH

05:00 PM

JOSEPH-BETH BOOKSELLERS

Tickets 


08/05: Chicago, IL

03:00 PM

ANDERSON'S BOOKSHOP

Tickets


08/06: Detroit, MI

06:30 PM

SCHULER BOOKS & MUSIC, Okemos

Tickets


08/07: Minneapolis, MN

07:00 PM

BARNES AND NOBLE/Edina

Call for more details: 952-920-2124


08/08: Kansas City, KS

07:00 PM

RAINY DAY BOOKS

Tickets


08/09: Austin, TX

07:00 PM

BOOK PEOPLE

Tickets 

09/17: New York, NY (just added!)

07:00 PM

THE STRAND BOOKSTORE


Tickets

Colleen Hoover never ceases to amaze me with her ability to write subject matters that anyone and everyone can relate to. Whether it is because they are going through it themselves, know someone who is or simply because the characters she creates are so lifelike and real feeling that you can't help but relate and feel for them and want to be a part of their lives.

There is always something that speaks to me in her stories. She has a way of bleeding emotion onto the pages so that you can't help but touch and experience them. And even though some of those emotions tear you up and you feel like you might explode from all the feels by the end, you still want to thank her for putting you through the ringer because somehow, the experience changed you.

All Your Perfects truly touched me. I connected to the story in a way that I didn't even know  I could considering I thought I would have nothing in common with it, and yet, once again, CoHo knocked me on my butt and made me feel and think and dream. 


Truly a beautiful story about not just surviving but living, falling in love, staying in love, and making it work and most importantly trying to make the most out of those curve balls that life likes to throw us every now and then. 

Review: Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty

Title: Willa of the Wood
Author: Robert Beatty
Series: Book One in the Willa Series
Genre: MG Fantasy
Published By: Disney-Hyperion (July 10, 2018)
Source: ARC Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
My Rating: 4 Stars!


Book Description:
Escape into the story of a brave and unusual girl brimming with the ancient powers of the forest. From Robert Beatty, the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Serafina books, comes a thrilling new series filled with the history, mystery, and magic of the Great Smoky Mountains. Kirkus Reviews described WILLA OF THE WOOD as "A moving, atmospheric journey of hope."

Move without a sound. Steal without a trace.

Willa, a young night-spirit, is her clan's best thief. She creeps into the cabins of the day-folk under cover of darkness and takes what they won't miss. It's dangerous work--the day-folk kill whatever they don't understand--but Willa will do anything to win the approval of the padaran, the charismatic leader of the Faeran people.

When Willa's curiosity leaves her hurt and stranded in the day-folk world, she calls upon the old powers of her beloved grandmother, and the unbreakable bonds of her forest allies, to escape. Only then does she begin to discover the shocking truth: that not all of her day-folk enemies are the same, and that the foundations of her own Faeran society are crumbling. What do you do when you realize that the society you were born and raised in is rife with evil? Do you raise your voice? Do you stand up against it?


As forces of unfathomable destruction encroach on her forest home, Willa must decide who she truly is, facing deadly force with warmest compassion, sinister corruption with trusted alliance, and finding a home for her longing heart.

*Amazon*B&N*

Not having been familiar with this author's other novels, I had zero expectations going into this, other than to have a great time. With the cute cover and fun sounding synopsis, I was sure, if nothing else, that was exactly what I was going to get. 

Can I just say that I love all the heart in this book?

It was so much fun but it was so much more than just a good read. It has meaning and feeling. I loved the unexpected depth of Willa's love for her people and her woods. The setting was perfect and so picturesque that it felt like you were transported right into the very heart of Willa's story. 

I loved Willa's adventurous heart and her strong spirit. The twists were a nice surprise, in fact the whole story was a delightful surprise and one I'm so very glad I took the time to read. It truly makes me want to pick up the author's other work and check it out as well. 

*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Review: The Serpent by Sarah Fine

Title: The Serpent
Author: Sarah Fine
Series: Book One in the Immortal Dealers Series
Genre: Fantasy
Published By: 47North (July 24, 2018)
Source: ARC Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
My Rating: 3 Stars



Book Description:
One woman is in a world of otherworldly trouble—and she’s going to have to bet her life to save humankind.

Ernestine “Ernie” Terwilliger has put her dreams aside to look after her eccentric mother. Case in point: saving her from a mysterious stranger who’s just stormed the terrified woman’s antique store wearing a rattlesnake tattoo, leveling threats, and brandishing the weirdest deck of cards Ernie’s ever seen.

When Ernie grabs some of the cards and runs, she’s launched into a world she never knew existed—one her mother may know more about than she’s revealing. With a handful of stolen cards, Ernie has just been made an unwilling player in a game of good versus evil. But she’s not even playing with a full deck, and its original owner is more than happy to kill to get his cards back.


Suddenly Ernie’s matching wits and plays with the supernatural Immortal Dealers, who can raise empires, damn souls, and shape the world’s destiny. It’s up to Ernie to defeat the most brutal member of their order. And if her roguish new ally isn’t bluffing, he can help. The mystery is all in the cards, and to save her life—and humanity—Ernie had better learn how to deal.

*Amazon*B&N*

Sarah Fine is known for creating unusual premises for almost all of her books and series. She is someone you can count on for a bit of the different and sometimes, in some case, even a bit of the dark.

Which is why whenever I see she has something new out, I'm all over it.

Her latest is definitely in the realm of different and new. Something that will suck you in with it's interesting storyline and complex game of cards, mystery, and danger.

And while this was captivating in premises, it sadly lacked any real character connection for me. I found that while I was intrigued by the weird and original world she had created in Dealers and cards, I sadly cared little for the characters or felt anything for them. But it was okay because the world certainly kept me turning the pages wanting to see what direction the author was going to take with it all and by the end, I was left wanting to read the second book.

Overall a daring new series with an exciting new premises that I think those looking for something original and unique will enjoy. 

*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*