July Wrap-Up and August TBR

Sorry for the lack of posts over a majority of this month!  I've just been tying to enjoy my summer.  Although I haven't been blogging much, I've continued reading.

The books I managed to read in July:

-99 Days by Katie Cotugno

-Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid

-Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula by Andi Watson

-Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally

-This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

-Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block

-Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa

-Another Day by David Levithan

The books I plan to read in August:

There are so many books coming out this September, so I thought I'd try and get an early start on some of them.  I'm trying to ease off of contemporary a little, so I tried picking a couple books from other genres.  Eight seems to be my average number, so I'll have room to choose a couple more from my TBR over the month.

Waiting on Wednesday #99

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on! 

Title: Reawakened

Author: Colleen Houck

Release Date: August 11th, 2015

Publisher: Delacorte Press

When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification. 

And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind. 

But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

Admittedly, I have never read Colleen Houck's Tiger Curse series. The premise of this one really caught my interest, though.  I can't say I've read any books similar to Reawakened, so I'm excited to try something new!

What awesome title are you waiting for this Wednesday?

P.S. I'm currently holding a giveaway for a signed copy of Renee Ahdieh's The Wrath & The Dawn.  INTL- Ends 8/3  

Review: Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales

Title: Tonight the Streets Are Ours
Author: Leila Sales
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary
Release date: September 15th, 2015
Pages: 342 (ARC)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Publisher
Goodreads | Amazon | Author 

Seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley is recklessly loyal. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But she's tired of being loyal to people who don't appreciate her—including her needy best friend and her absent mom. 

Arden finds comfort in a blog she stumbles upon called "Tonight the Streets Are Ours," the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter. When Peter is dumped by the girlfriend he blogs about, Arden decides to take a road trip to see him. 

During one crazy night out in NYC filled with parties, dancing, and music—the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does—Arden discovers that Peter isn't exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn't exactly who she thought she was, either.

Arden is the kind of friend that everyone wishes they had.  She constantly sacrifices her own happiness for the happiness of others, but when it starts to catch up with her, she decides that enough is enough.  Feeling alone and unloved, she takes to the internet to find someone who understands her.  Eventually, she comes across a blog written by a teenage boy whose voice could very well be hers.  Everything he writes about seems familiar, and the story of his life draws her in so she can escape her own for a little while.

I liked Arden a lot.  I could see so much of myself in her, because I've always been the loyal, caring friend.  She's dealing with a lot, especially when her mom leaves one afternoon and never returns home.  Arden is the one who has to hold everything together, because without her mom, everyone is a little lost.  Once she finds Peter's blog, she begins to feel close to him, although he's merely a stranger writing about his life.  She needs to get away and once Peter blogs about being broken up with, she decides to take an impromptu trip to New York City.  They both need a friend, why not each other?

This is where the story gets a little hard to swallow.  Arden knows nothing about Peter except for the parts of his life he writes about, which is mostly the fact that he works in a bookstore and he was absolutely head over heels for his ex girlfriend.  With a little digging and the help of her best friend, Lindsey, they find which bookstore he works for.  Surprisingly, Peter doesn't seem uncomfortable once they approach him.  He's actually elated to meet a reader, so the three of them spend the night getting to know each other.  What Arden didn't take into consideration is that there's more than one side to every story, and Peter was only leaving in the parts that make him look good.

Despite the completely creepy stalker parts of this story and the fact that Arden could have put herself and Lindsey in a dangerous situation by running away to meet someone she knows virtually nothing about, I enjoyed the story.  Although it doesn't seem like it at first, the focus of this story was so much more than the possible connection between Arden and Peter.  In fact, Arden chooses to find love within herself, her friends and her family over a boy she barely knows.

Review: 99 Days by Katie Cotugno

Title: 99 Days
Author: Katie Cotugno
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary Romance
Release date: April 21st, 2015
Pages: 384 (eGalley)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon | Author 

Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything—how I destroyed my relationship with Patrick the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. How I wrecked their whole family. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done. 

Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.” 

Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.

99 Days begins with a welcome home in the shape of a splattered egg.  It's not a secret that our main character, Molly, is one of the most disliked people in her small town.  She did something regrettable, and instead of facing her problems head-on, she ran away from them.  Now, thanks to her mother's book, all of her secrets have been released.  Although it's a work of fiction, it's very obvious to anyone who knows Molly that the lying, cheating main character is based off of her and the family she destroyed.

There are plenty of people who will hate this book.   There are plenty who will love it.  I loved it, despite all of the sneaking around, the betrayal, the cliche love triangle, and the fact that Molly seems to have more flaws than good qualities.  Aside from all of the things people might hate about this book, I must say that the story is pretty honest and realistic.  I could see myself knowing someone like Molly in real life.  She doesn't get everything she wants, but she learns a lot about herself in the process.

What Molly's mother did by turning Molly's biggest mistake into a bestseller was so completely wrong, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.   I can't imagine coming back home to face everyone's judgement after spending her senior year at a boarding school, but Molly handled it the best she could.  The romance in this book was tricky, but you get so involved.  On one hand, there's Gabe, who is almost as hated as she is.  He understands her, he doesn't judge her.  It was just as much his decision to cheat on his brother as it was hers.   On the other hand, there's Patrick, her first love.  They say that first loves never truly go away, and as the story goes on, we see how true that is.

Katie Cotugno's writing style is so easy to read and she knows how to keep readers hooked.  Not everyone makes the best choices, but what matters is how you learn from them.  While everything and everyone Molly knew has changed, over this last summer before college, she gets a reminder of what once was.

July Book Haul

Won

-One Thing Stolen by Beth Kephart

(signed, from Lisseth @ Read-A-holicZ)

Review

-Rome in Love by Anita Hughes

(finished copy from St. Martin's Griffin)

-Devil's Pocket by John Dixon

(unsolicited copy from Gallery Books)

Bought

-Moleskine journals and Staedtler triplus fineliner pens

-Harry Potter and Severus Snape Funko Pop figures

NetGalley

-A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

-A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

-This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nukamp

(eGalleys from Disney Hyperion and Sourcebooks Fire)

-This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

-The Trouble With Destiny by Lauren Morrill

-The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow

(eGalleys from HMH, Delacorte, and Margaret K. McElderry)

Edelweiss

-Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

-Has to Be Love by Jolene Perry

-We'll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean 

(eGalleys from Balzer + Bray, AW Teen, and HMH) 

Review: Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Jesse's Girl
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary Romance
Release date: July 7th, 2015
Pages: 304 (eGalley)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads | Amazon| Author 

Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol. 

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He’s as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he’s accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya’s lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse’s pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya’s playing back up to other people’s dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart—and go solo?

Maya has always loved music.  It isn't just a career choice for her, it's who she is.  When the principal of her school introduces her to his nephew, a popular country music star known as Jesse Scott, her preteen dreams come true.  Shadowing him would have been an exciting experience, if only he wasn't a jerk in real life.  Over the span of the time they spend together, Maya learns a lot more about Jesse than she intended to and he helps her find what's been missing from her life.

Like every other Miranda Kenneally book I've read so far, I enjoyed every second of this.  Watching a relationship develop is my favorite part of any contemporary romance, but I especially loved seeing everything unfold between Jesse and Maya.  Jesse keeps to himself, but Maya sees that he really needs someone that he can trust.  While she offers him friendship, he helps her realize her full potential.  They both learn to trust and believe in each other, which only strengthens their bond.

The day they share isn't the typical planned shadow day.  When left to their own devices, they pull a Ferris Bueller and ditch the rules.  The paparazzi has a field day trying to keep up with the two teenagers as they run around town unaccompanied by security, much to Jesse's manager's dismay.  Though the day is filled with excitement, every time Jesse is recognized, Maya realizes that she may never live this life once her time with Jesse is over.

Jesse's Girl is a charming read.  Although it starts with Maya questioning her talent and future, being kicked out of the band she created, and losing trust in those who were closest to her, the most unexpected person is the one who makes everything better.  Jesse helps Maya find her confidence.  He gives her singing lessons and pushes her to try going solo.  Both characters grew exponentially throughout the story, and it was both because of their trust in each other.

Waiting on Wednesday #98

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on! 

Title: First & Then

Author: Emma Mills

Release Date: October 13th, 2015

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

This book is being marketed as Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights, which is a very interesting combination.  Of course, since it's a contemporary novel, I was all over it.  When I found out that Emma Mills is also Elmify on Youtube, someone I used to watch regularly a few years back, I became even more excited to read this one!

What awesome title are you waiting for this Wednesday?

P.S. I'm currently holding a giveaway for a signed copy of Renee Ahdieh's The Wrath & The Dawn.  INTL- Ends 8/3  

The Wrath & The Dawn Giveaway

In May, I was lucky enough to meet the wonderful and incredibly talented Renee Ahdieh.  I was able to pick up an extra signed copy of her debut novel and two beautiful Wrath & The Dawn themed scarves to give away to one of you!  I'm also adding a tiger ring because it's gold and red, matching both the cover and the main character's love interest.  It fit the story too perfectly not to!

It's been a while since I hosted a giveaway, so I'm making this one international.  Anyone can enter! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway