Contemporary

Dream Factory

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Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler (2007)

dream factory

Teen Fiction | Contemporary | Romance4.5 starsBlurb:

“When the Disney World character actors go on strike, teens are hired as replacements. Ella is assigned the role of Cinderella simply because the shoes fit. And every afternoon at three o’clock she gets married to Prince Charming. A perfect dream come true, except Ella doesn’t believe in dreams anymore. Meanwhile, Luke is one of the fur characters (Dale, the chipmunk), and his girlfriend, Cassie, plays his counterpart, Chip. Cassie is perfect in every way, so why does Luke want to be with Cinderella? Then Luke and Ella are brought together during a scavenger hunt, and as they uncover the Magic Kingdom’s hidden treasures, they discover an undeniable magic between them. Perhaps dreams really can come true after all?”
–Goodreads  Continue reading →

The Last One

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The Last One by Alexandra Oliva (2016)
-eARC Review-

27245997
Fiction | Psychological Thriller
4.5 stars
Blurb:

“She wanted an adventure. She never imagined it would go this far.

It begins with a reality TV show. Twelve contestants are sent into the woods to face challenges that will test the limits of their endurance. While they are out there, something terrible happens—but how widespread is the destruction, and has it occurred naturally or is it man-made? Cut off from society, the contestants know nothing of it. When one of them—a young woman the show’s producers call Zoo—stumbles across the devastation, she can imagine only that it is part of the game. Continue reading →

The Way to Game the Walk of Shame

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The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen (2016)
-eARC Review-

the way to game the walk of shame

YA Fiction | Contemporary Romance | Rom-Com4.5 starsBlurb:

“Taylor Simmons is screwed.

Things were hard enough when her single-minded dedication to her studies earned her the reputation of being an Ice Queen, but after getting drunk at a party and waking up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seems intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip.

Desperate to salvage her reputation, Taylor persuades Evan to pretend they’re in a serious romantic relationship. After all, it’s better to be the girl who tames the wild surfer than just another notch on his surfboard.”
–Goodreads

Expected Publication Date: June 7, 2016  Continue reading →

100 Days of Cake

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100 Days of Cake by Shari Goldhagen (2016)
-eARC Review-

100 days of cake

YA Fiction | Teen | Contemporary4 StarsBlurb:

“Get well soon isn’t going to cut it in this quirky and poignant debut novel about a girl, her depression, an aggressive amount of baked goods, and the struggle to simply stay afloat in an unpredictable, bittersweet life.

There are only three things that can get seventeen-year-old Molly Byrne out of bed these days: her job at FishTopia, the promise of endless episodes of Golden Girls, and some delicious lo mien. You see, for the past two years, Molly’s been struggling with something more than your usual teenage angst. Her shrink, Dr. Brooks isn’t helping much, and neither is her mom who is convinced that baking the perfect cake will cure Molly of her depression—as if cake can magically make her rejoin the swim team, get along with her promiscuous sister, or care about the SATs.  Continue reading →

Rainbows and Raindrops

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Rainbows and Raindrops (A Rainbowland Novel) by Kelley Lynn & Jenny S. Morris (2016)
-eARC Review-

Rainbows and Raindrops

YA Fiction | Contemporary | Loss4.5 starsBlurb:

“Before… They are the Musketeers–one for all and all for Rain, or however that saying goes.

Now that Rain’s sixteen, freedom is at her fingertips. Cliff jumping at the lake. Rain’s first tattoo. Spence finally asking her out. With her friends by her side, there’s no reason Rain can’t be happy in a world that constantly tries to extinguish her addictive, carefree spirit.

After… It’s just Rain. No misfits and no Musketeers. Continue reading →

Devil and the Bluebird

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Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason-Black (2016)
-eARC Review-

devil and the bluebird

YA Fiction | Contemporary | Paranormal | Folk4 StarsBlurb:

“Devil-at-the-crossroads” folklore finds its way to YA via this moody, magical tale.

Blue Riley has wrestled with her own demons ever since the loss of her mother to cancer. But when she encounters a beautiful devil at her town crossroads, it’s her runaway sister’s soul she fights to save. The devil steals Blue’s voice—inherited from her musically gifted mother—in exchange for a single shot at finding Cass.  Continue reading →

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

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Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (2009)

Mr. Penumbra

Fiction | Mystery | Modern Day Quest4.5 starsBlurb:

“The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The bookstore’s secrets extend far beyond its walls.”
–Goodreads  Continue reading →

Nice Girls Endure

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Nice Girls Endure by Chris Struyk-Bonn (2016)
-eARC Review-

nice girls endure

Teen Fiction | Contemporary | Bullying3.5 StarsBlurb:

“Chelsea Duvay is so many things. She’s an avid musical lover, she’s a gifted singer, and she has the most perfect, beautiful feet. But no one ever notices that. All they notice is Chelsea’s weight. Daily, Chelsea endures endless comments about her appearance from well-meaning adults and cruel classmates. So she keeps to herself and just tries to make it through. Don’t make waves. Don’t draw attention. That’s how life is for Chelsea until a special class project pushes the energetic and incessantly social Melody into Chelsea’s world. Continue reading →

Nora & Kettle

~ Angela ~ 4 Comments

Nora & Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor (2016)
-eARC Review-

Nora & Kettle

YA Fiction | Historical | Light Romance4.5 starsBlurb:

“What if Peter Pan was a homeless kid just trying to survive, and Wendy flew away for a really good reason?”

Seventeen-year-old Kettle has had his share of adversity. As an orphaned Japanese American struggling to make a life in the aftermath of an event in history not often referred to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the removal of children from orphanages for having “one drop of Japanese blood in them” things are finally looking up. He has his hideout in an abandoned subway tunnel, a job, and his gang of Lost Boys.

Desperate to run away, the world outside her oppressive brownstone calls to naive, eighteen-year-old Nora the privileged daughter of a Continue reading →

Bookishly Ever After

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Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira (2016)
-eARC Review-

Bookishly Ever After
Teen Fiction | Contemporary Romance | Rom-Com
4 Stars
Blurb:

“In a perfect world, sixteen-year-old Phoebe Martins’ life would be a book. Preferably a YA novel with magic and a hot paranormal love interest. Unfortunately, her life probably wouldn’t even qualify for a quiet contemporary. But when Phoebe finds out that Dev, the hottest guy in the clarinet section, might actually have a crush on her, she turns to her favorite books for advice. Phoebe overhauls her personality to become as awesome as her favorite heroines and win Dev’s heart. But if her plan fails, can she go back to her happy world of fictional boys after falling for the real thing?”
–Goodreads

Expected Publication Date: January 12, 2016  Continue reading →