This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
I bought two books from Indigo:
The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
Shades of Magic, Vol. 1: The Steel Prince by V.E. Schwab
I was approved for two books on NetGalley from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books:
Work It, Girl: Boss the Bestseller List Like J.K. Rowling by Caroline Moss
Work It, Girl: Run The Show Like CEO Oprah Winfrey by Caroline Moss
I was approved for one book on NetGalley from Disney Book Group:
Mirror, Mirror (Twisted Tales #6) by Jen Calonita
I was approved for one book on NetGalley from Skyscape:
The Fever King by Victoria Lee
Thank you Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, Disney Book Group, and Skyscape for these books!
Title: All Summer Long Author: Hope Larson Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: May 1, 2018 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel about summer and friendships, written and illustrated by the Eisner Award–winning and New York Times–bestselling Hope Larson. Thirteen-year-old Bina has a long summer ahead of her. She and her best friend, Austin, usually do everything together, but he’s off to soccer camp for a month, and he’s been acting kind of weird lately anyway. So it’s up to Bina to see how much fun she can have on her own. At first it’s a lot of guitar playing, boredom, and bad TV, but things look up when she finds an unlikely companion in Austin’s older sister, who enjoys music just as much as Bina. But then Austin comes home from camp, and he’s acting even weirder than when he left. How Bina and Austin rise above their growing pains and reestablish their friendship and respect for their differences makes for a touching and funny coming-of-age story.
Review:
There are a lot of middle grade graphic novels set in the summer. The summer is a funny time in childhood because you’re in between grades at school, and you don’t get to see your friends. I can see why this is a setting in so many kids books.
The main character, Bina, is going through a difficult time. She is often pushed to the side at home because her older brother is adopting a baby with his husband. Her best friend, Austin, has gone away to soccer camp. She hangs out with Austin’s sister, but she only spends time with Bina when it’s convenient for her. These are difficult things to deal with, but they go along with growing up.
There was also some diverse representation in the story. Bina is mixed race. Her brother has a male partner. Austin’s sister dates an Asian boy. It’s nice to see some subtle representation in this story, where it is just a natural part of life.
I really enjoyed this middle grade novel.
What to read next:
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Goldie Vance Vol. 1 by Hope Larson, Brittney Williams, and Sarah Stern
Have you read All Summer Long? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.
Here are my first lines:
“Riverdale is known as ‘the town with pep!’ But stick around here long enough, and you start to realize just how many of those pasted-on smiles are really only covering up a Narnia-sized closet full of skeletons.”
Do you recognize these first lines?
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And the book is… Riverdale: The Day Before by Micol Ostow.
Goodreads synopsis:
Based on the massively successful CW show, Riverdale, this prequel novel explores what the gang was doing before Season One.
Why did Jughead and Archie have a falling out? What did Veronica’s life look like in the Big Apple? And how long has Betty really been in love with Archie?
Told from multiple POVs, your favorite characters tell their story their way.
Have you read Riverdale: The Day Before? What did you think of it?
Title: The Perfect Girlfriend Author: Karen Hamilton Genre: Thriller Publisher: Graydon House Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: March 26, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
YOU’VE NEVER READ A LOVE STORY AS TWISTED AS THIS.
Juliette loves Nate.
She will follow him anywhere. She’s even become a flight attendant for his airline so she can keep a closer eye on him.
They are meant to be.
The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing. Because Juliette has a plan to win him back.
She is the perfect girlfriend. And she’ll make sure no one stops her from getting exactly what she wants.
True love hurts, but Juliette knows it’s worth all the pain…
Review:
This was a creepy thriller.
The main character, Juliette, stalks her former boyfriend in this story. Some of the things she did, like bring her friends to his apartment while he was away, were so creepy. I can’t imagine doing the things she did. She had some help with technology and social media, but she also followed him around a lot too.
I had a lot of questions right at the start of the story because it begins in the middle of things. It took a while for some things to be explained, such as relationships between characters, but this increased the suspense. However, I would have liked it if things were laid out a little more clearly earlier in the story.
The story ended abruptly, and I was left wondering what happens next. I enjoyed this suspenseful thriller.
What to read next:
You by Caroline Kepnes
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Have you read The Perfect Girlfriend? What did you think of it?
TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.
My pick this week is 96 Words for Love by Rachel Roy and Ava Dash.
Goodreads Synopsis:
A modern retelling of a classic Indian legend, 96 Words for Love is a coming-of-age story.
Ever since her acceptance to UCLA, 17-year-old Raya Liston has been quietly freaking out. She feels simultaneously lost and trapped by a future already mapped out for her.
Then her beloved grandmother dies, and Raya jumps at the chance to spend her last free summer at the ashram in India where her grandmother met and fell in love with her grandfather. Raya hopes to find her center and her true path. But she didn’t expect to fall in love… with a country of beautiful contradictions, her fiercely loyal cousin, a local girl with a passion for reading, and a boy who teaches her that in Sanskrit, there are 96 different ways to say the word “love.”
A modern retelling of the classic Indian legend of Shakuntala and Dushyanta.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: Killing November Author: Adriana Mather Genre: Young Adult Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers Source: Publisher Format: Paperback Release Date: March 26, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
It’s a school completely off the grid, hidden by dense forest and surrounded by traps. There’s no electricity, no internet, and an eye-for-an-eye punishment system. Classes include everything from Knife-Throwing and Poisons to the Art of Deception and Historical Analysis. And all of the students are children of the world’s most elite strategists—training to become assassins, counselors, spies, and master impersonators. Into this world walks November Adley, who quickly discovers that friends are few in a school where personal revelations are discouraged and competition is everything. When another student is murdered, all eyes turn to November, who must figure out exactly how she fits into the school’s bizarre strategy games before she is found guilty of the crime…or becomes the killer’s next victim.
Review:
This story was intense with a complicated list of characters, but I really enjoyed it.
A boarding school is a great setting for a thriller. This school was very isolated and hidden from the world. No one even knows where it was located.
The connections between the characters and their families was complex. It took a while to figure out who everyone was, and what side they were on. The main character, November, was thrown into the situation with as much information as the reader, so we learned along with her.
The only thing that disappointed me was that the story didn’t really start until halfway through the book. I was kind of lost up until then. The different families and their histories weren’t clearly laid out until that point and that was an important part to the story. I wish it was made clear closer to the beginning, so it wasn’t as confusing.
The ending was open to a sequel, so I hope the story will continue!
What to read next:
S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett
How to Hang a Witch (How to Hang a Witch #1) by Adriana Mather
Have you read Killing November? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.
The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is At the Mountain’s Edge by Genevieve Graham. The release date is April 2, 2019.
Goodreads Synopsis:
From bestselling author Genevieve Graham comes a sweeping new historical novel of love, tragedy, and redemption set during the height of the Klondike Gold Rush.
In 1897, the discovery of gold in the desolate reaches of the Yukon has the world abuzz with excitement, and thousands of prospectors swarm to the north seeking riches the likes of which have never been seen before.
For Liza Peterson and her family, the gold rush is a chance for them to make a fortune by moving their general store business from Vancouver to Dawson City, the only established town in the Yukon. For Constable Ben Turner, a recent recruit of the North-West Mounted Police, upholding the law in a place overrun with guns, liquor, prostitutes, and thieves is an opportunity to escape a dark past and become the man of integrity he has always wanted to be. But the long, difficult journey over icy mountain passes and whitewater rapids is much more treacherous than Liza or Ben imagined, and neither is completely prepared for the forbidding north.
As Liza’s family nears the mountain’s peak, a catastrophe strikes with fatal consequences, and not even the NWMP can help. Alone and desperate, Liza finally reaches Dawson City, only to find herself in a different kind of peril. Meanwhile, Ben, wracked with guilt over the accident on the trail, sees the chance to make things right. But just as love begins to grow, new dangers arise, threatening to separate the couple forever.
Inspired by history as rich as the Klondike’s gold, At the Mountain’s Edge is an epic tale of romance and adventure about two people who must let go of the past not only to be together, but also to survive.
Title: Bad Hair Day (Whatever After #5) Author: Sarah Mlynowski Genre: Middle Grade Publisher: Scholastic Source: Borrowed from a friend Format: Paperback Release Date: April 29, 2014 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
After a tough day at school, I am NOT in a good mood. The perfect pick-me-up? A trip through our magic mirror! When my brother and I — plus our new dog — end up in the story of Rapunzel, we can’t resist climbing her hair. Oh no! Her smooth locks suddenly look like they’ve been attacked by a cheese grater. Maybe a trim will help…Snip, snip. SNIP. Oops. Now Rapunzel’s hair is too short and we’re trapped!
So we have to: -Find the tower’s secret door -Avoid getting swallowed by a giant spider -Locate Pickles (aka the prince) -Reunite Rapunzel with her parents
If we don’t untangle this knotty tale soon, we could be stuck in this mess for good!
Review:
This is another great story in the Whatever After series.
In this book, Abby and Jonah visit Rapunzel. They explore some of the problems with the fairytale, and learn new things. For example, Rapunzel is always illustrated as a girl with blonde hair, but in this story her hair was brown. They also investigate the idea that Rapunzel was trapped in the tower with no other way for people to get in and out than climbing her hair. The witch had to get her into the tower some how, so the kids look for a hidden staircase that leads up the tower. I loved the way they searched for answers to the plot holes in the story.
They also give a little more background to the characters. In the last story, one of Abby’s friends accidentally joins them on their trip. This story begins with Abby being upset about losing the spelling bee at school. I love this insight into their regular lives because most of the stories are spent in the fairy tale world.
I’m in love with this series! It’s so much fun!
What to read next:
Cold as Ice (Whatever After #6) by Sarah Mlynowski
Have you read Bad Hair Day? What did you think of it?
Jill's Book Blog 