Month: April 2020

Blog Tour Review: Gotham High

Title: Gotham High
Author: Melissa de la Cruz and Thomas Pitilli (illustrator)
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 7, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Alex and Eliza and The Witches of East End comes a reimagining of Gotham for a new generation of readers. Before they became Batman, Catwoman, and The Joker, Bruce, Selina, and Jack were high schoolers who would do whatever it took–even destroy the ones they love–to satisfy their own motives.

After being kicked out of his boarding school, 16-year-old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to find that nothing is as he left it. What once was his family home is now an empty husk, lonely but haunted by the memory of his parents’ murder. Selina Kyle, once the innocent girl next door, now rules over Gotham High School with a dangerous flair, aided by the class clown, Jack Napier.

When a kidnapping rattles the school, Bruce seeks answers as the dark and troubled knight–but is he actually the pawn? Nothing is ever as it seems, especially at Gotham High, where the parties and romances are of the highest stakes … and where everyone is a suspect. 

With enchanting art by Thomas Pitilli, this new graphic novel is just as intoxicating as it is chilling, in which dearest friends turn into greatest enemies–all within the hallways of Gotham High!

Review:

Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City after getting kicked out of his boarding school. He meets his old friend Selina, who is dealing with looking after her sick father. Jack Napier is Selina’s sometimes boyfriend and Bruce’s frenemy. One day, a boy named Harvey Dent is kidnapped from school while he’s wearing Bruce’s jacket. Bruce has to investigate who is targeting him and kidnapping students from Gotham High.

I love these new DC graphic novels. The story is about DC characters as real people, before they become superheroes. These include Bruce Wayne (Batman), Selina Kyle (Cat Woman), and Jack Napier (The Joker). I loved seeing these characters as regular people. It makes them so much more relateable.

There was more diversity in this graphic novel than in the original DC comics. Bruce Wayne was from Hong Kong. His uncle Alfred was in a same-sex marriage. Barbara Gordon and her mother Principal Gordon were black. It was great to see cultural diversity in these characters.

The ending of the story was a surprise to me. It was open ended for a sequel, which I hope will be written! I loved this graphic novel!

Thank you DC Comics and FFBC for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu, Stuart Moore, Christian Wildgoose (illustrator)

Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale by Lauren Myracle, Isaac Goodhart (illustrator)

Author Info:

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Have you read Gotham High? What did you think of it?

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‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – April 8

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 Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon. The expected publication date is May 26, 2020.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Beauty. Wealth. Success.

She’s got it all.

And it all should’ve been mine. 

When Eleanor Hardwicke’s beloved father dies, her world is further shattered by a gut-wrenching secret: the man she’s grieving isn’t really her dad. Eleanor was the product of an affair and her biological father is still out there, living blissfully with the family he chose. With her personal life spiraling, a desperate Eleanor seeks him out, leading her to uncover another branch on her family tree—an infuriatingly enviable half sister.

Perfectly perfect Victoria has everything Eleanor could ever dream of. Loving childhood, luxury home, devoted husband. All of it stolen from Eleanor, who plans to take it back. After all, good sisters are supposed to share. And quiet little Eleanor has been waiting far too long for her turn to play. 

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: See Me: Becoming Your Authentic Self

Title: See Me: Becoming Your Authentic Self
Author: Hailey Rodgers
Genre: Nonfiction, Self-Help
Publisher: New Degree Press
Source: Author
Format: Ebook
Release Date: December 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A study by Collage Group found that the number one trait that young adults value in living an ideal life is happiness. So why is it that so many young adults identify themselves as unsatisfied or unhappy with their lives? There is a misconception that in order to be happy you must first be successful. In fact, the opposite is true: you must be happy first in order to be successful. This raises the question: How do I become happy? The answer: Discover your authentic self. 

See Me is about the importance of living authentically as a young adult. While young adults tend to talk about authenticity, it can actually be the hardest time in your life to feel confident in yourself. This book is a tool to help you stay true to who you are amidst the pressure to conform to societal norms. It aims to inspire young adults through guiding principles and the incredible stories of others who comprehend the value non-conformity and consistently work to live an authentic life. 

Review:

In See Me, Hailey Rodgers gives tips on how to live a happy life and be successful. The book is divided into thirty different principles. Each principle includes an example from someone’s actual life experience, either Hailey’s or someone else. Each chapter also ends with a recap of what important points to take away from the principle and how to apply it to your life.

This book is targeted towards young adult readers. Many of the examples are about people graduating high school or in university or college. This book is about figuring out your place in life, so it makes sense that it is aimed toward readers who are starting their adult lives.

There were some sensitive subjects addressed in this book, such as abuse. I don’t think these examples always pertained to the subject. There were also some generalizations that I don’t think everyone could relate to. For example, one chapter talks about doing what you want that will make you happy, rather than following what your guardians and elders tell you. She says they will be happy for you even if you don’t do what they want you to do. I think this is an idealistic way to view things. Many people don’t have the luxury of choosing to do what they love by going against the wishes of their guardians.

This is a really good book about learning to find your happiness for young adults.

Thank you Hailey Rodgers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live an Intentional Life by Neil Pasricha

Have you read See Me: Becoming Your Authentic Self? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Read Because of a Review

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Books I Bought Because… (fill in the blank). I made a list of books I read because of a review. Here’s my list:

1. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks (illustrator)

2. Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner

3. The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe by Angela Kelly

4. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell

5. Mending the Mind (Pillow Thoughts #3) by Courtney Peppernell

6. I’ll Be There For You: The One about Friends by Kelsey Miller

7. The Gown by Jennifer Robson

8. Serpent and Dove (Serpent and Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin

9. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

10. Royals (Royals #1) by Rachel Hawkins

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?

Happy Pub Day – April 7

Happy Pub day to all of these new books!

A Hundred Suns: A Novel by Karin Tanabe

Ruthless Gods (Something Dark and Holy #2) by Emily A. Duncan

The Queen of Paris: A Novel of Coco Chanel by Pamela Binnings Ewen

We Didn’t Ask for This by Adi Alsaid

What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter

Megabat is a Fraidybat (Megabat #3) by Anna Humphrey, Kass Reich (illustrator)

To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters

Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno

Dewdrop by Katie O’Neill

One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak

The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls

Gotham High by Melissa de la Cruz

They Went Left by Monica Hesse

What books are you most excited for this week?

Blog Tour Review: We Didn’t Ask for This

Title: We Didn’t Ask for This
Author: Adi Alsaid
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 7, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Central International School’s annual lock-in is legendary. Bonds are made. Contests are fought. Stories are forged that will be passed down from student to student for years to come.

This year’s lock-in begins normally enough. Then a group of students led by Marisa Cuevas stage an ecoprotest and chain themselves to the doors, vowing to keep everyone trapped inside until their list of demands is met.

Some students rally to their cause…but others are aggrieved to watch their own plans fall apart.

Amira has trained all year to compete in the school decathlon on her own terms. Peejay intended to honor his brother by throwing the greatest party CIS has ever seen. Kenji was looking forward to making a splash at his improv showcase. Omar wanted to spend a little time with the boy he’s been crushing on. Celeste, adrift in a new country, was hoping to connect with someone—anyone. And Marisa, once so certain of her goals, must now decide how far she’ll go to attain them.

Every year, lock-in night changes lives. This year, it might just change the world.

Review:

At the Central International School, they have a lock in every year where the high school students spend the night together at the school. This year, one student, Marisa, plans a protest. She gets a few students to join her in chaining themselves to the doors, and literally locking everyone in the school. She does this to get a list of demands completed by the school, which involve preserving the environment and stopping the destruction of the oceans. Throughout the protest, students and teachers have to find a way to either comply with Marisa’s demands or find a way to escape the school.

This story was quite intense at times. There were some dangerous moments for the students locked in the school. Marisa had made provisions to make sure they would have food and supplies, and she had also removed all tools from the school so no one could break through the chains.

I was reminded of lockdowns at my former school while I was reading this book. Though the students weren’t dealing with an active dangerous threat like a shooter, they had to adjust to being held hostage by one of their peers. They were relatively safe, but there is always an element of fear in the unknown, when you don’t know how someone will react to certain things or any kind of accidents. There was loads of this kind of tension in this story.

I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak by Adi Alsaid

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

Author Info:

Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He’s now back in Mexico City, where he writes, coaches basketball, and makes every dish he eats as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he’s lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas and Monterey, California. His books include Let’s Get Lost, Never Always Sometimes, and North of Happy. Visit Adi online at http://www.SomewhereOverTheSun.com, or on Twitter: @AdiAlsaid.

Have you read We Didn’t Ask for This? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – April 6

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished We Didn’t Ask for This by Adi Alsaid.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Gotham High by Melissa de la Crus and Thomas Pitilli (illustrator).

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – April 5

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 8 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… We Didn’t Ask for This

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading We Didn’t Ask for This by Adi Alsaid.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Central International School’s annual lock-in is legendary. Bonds are made. Contests are fought. Stories are forged that will be passed down from student to student for years to come.

This year’s lock-in begins normally enough. Then a group of students led by Marisa Cuevas stage an ecoprotest and chain themselves to the doors, vowing to keep everyone trapped inside until their list of demands is met.

Some students rally to their cause…but others are aggrieved to watch their own plans fall apart.

Amira has trained all year to compete in the school decathlon on her own terms. Peejay intended to honor his brother by throwing the greatest party CIS has ever seen. Kenji was looking forward to making a splash at his improv showcase. Omar wanted to spend a little time with the boy he’s been crushing on. Celeste, adrift in a new country, was hoping to connect with someone—anyone. And Marisa, once so certain of her goals, must now decide how far she’ll go to attain them.

Every year, lock-in night changes lives. This year, it might just change the world. 

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Books That Have Been on My TBR Forever

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Books That Have Been on My TBR Forever. Here’s my list:

1. Carry On (Simon Snow #1) by Rainbow Rowell

2. Poison Study (Poison Study #1) by Maria V. Snyder

3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

4. Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber

5. Heartless by Marissa Meyer

6. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Did you make a Six for Sunday list?