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 The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison. The expected publication date is July 13, 2021.
Goodreads Synopsis:
He’s never met a rule he didn’t break… She’s followed the rules her whole life… When they meet, one golden rule is established: stay away. Sparks fly in this edgy own voices novel, perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon, S. K. Ali, and Kristina Forest.
They were supposed to ignore each other and respect that fine line between them…
Guillermo Lozano is getting a fresh start. New town, new school, and no more reckless behavior. He’s done his time, and now he needs to right his wrongs. But when his work at the local community center throws him into the path of the one girl who is off-limits, friendship sparks…and maybe more.
Regan London needs a fresh perspective. The pressure to stay in her “perfect” relationship and be the good girl all the time has worn her down. But when the walls start to cave in and she finds unexpected understanding from the boy her parents warned about, she can’t ignore her feelings anymore.
The disapproval is instant. Being together might just get Guillermo sent away. But when it comes to the heart, sometimes you have to break the rules and be a little bit reckless…
Title: Pantomime Author: Christopher Sebela Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel Publisher: Mad Cave Studios Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: July 20, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Haley and her brother, Max, are alone after their mother’s death and are sent to Wayfair Academy, a special needs boarding school. Eventually, they find family amongst other deaf children. One night the group decides to dip their toes into crime… the thrill is too much to leave behind. They soon find out that stealing from the wrong person, has its consequences. With no one to turn to but each other, they must make a choice, one where no one comes out the same.
Review:
After Haley and Max’s mother died, they were sent to Wayfair Academy, a boarding school for deaf students. One night, after Max’s devices are taken by a teacher, they decide to steal everything the teacher has taken from students. Since that crime was a success, they decide to do some more thefts with their friends. However, they soon rob the wrong man, and end up spending years paying back for those crimes.
I love boarding school stories. This was a special boarding school for deaf children. It was the perfect setting for these kids to plan their crimes, since they all lived together without parental supervision.
This is the first book I’ve read where all of the characters are deaf. It worked well in graphic novel format because the movement of their hands was illustrated. Their speech bubbles led away from their hands, instead of their mouths. The children were underestimated because of their deafness. They were able to use the perception that others had of them being weak to their advantage.
Pantomime is a great crime graphic novel!
Thank you Mad Cave Studios for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Crowded by Christopher Sebela
Stargazer by Anthony Cleveland
Have you read Pantomime? What did you think of it?
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 Loved That Made Me Want More Like Them. Here’s my list:
1. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders
3. The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon
4. The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George
5. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
6. Poison Priestess by Lana Popović
7. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
8. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
9. Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
10. The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
(All book covers from Goodreads)
What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?
Title: Malibu Rising Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller Publisher: Ballantine Books Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: June 1, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over–especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.
The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud–because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.
Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.
And Kit has a couple secrets of her own–including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.
By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.
Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.
Review:
Malibu 1983: Nina Riva always has a big end-of-summer party with her younger siblings. The four of them: Nina, Jay, Hudson, and Kit, are the children of singer Mick Riva, who abandoned them and their mother. All of Malibu is fascinated by the Rivas, and are drawn to the Riva party every year. This party is going to be life changing for each of the Riva siblings. Nina doesn’t want to be in the spotlight anymore after her professional tennis player husband left her for another tennis player. Jay is waiting for the girl of his dreams to show up. Hudson has important news that he must confess to his brother before it’s too late. Kit decides she wants to grow up at this party and finally kiss a boy. The party gets out of control, with alcohol and drugs flowing everywhere. By the next morning, the house will go up in flames. The four siblings must decide what’s most important in their lives and what can be left behind.
This was a tragic story about a tragic family. Though the four children had a famous singer for a father, he wasn’t there to look after them. They didn’t have enough money and had to look after themselves. There was a lot of generational trauma, with problems from their parents’ generation passing onto the children.
Even though the ending of the story is given in the synopsis, I had no idea how they would get there. Though I could figure out things that would happen before they happened, I got chills when I read the words. This story had a unique omniscient narrator, who knew everything that was happening in each character’s mind. The characters’ motives couldn’t be hidden from this narrator, but when the ending of the story is given away in the synopsis, this type of narration works well.
There are some trigger warnings such as alcohol and drug abuse, accidental drowning, abandonment, and adultery. Death at childbirth was mentioned but not part of the present story.
I was shocked and pleasantly surprised at the ending. It wasn’t what I expected at all.
Malibu Rising is a beautiful, tragic story that is perfect for the summer.
Thank you Penguin Random House for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Have you read Malibu Rising? What did you think of it?
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 Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
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 Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over–especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.
The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud–because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.
Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.
And Kit has a couple secrets of her own–including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.
By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.
Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.
Title: The Road Trip Author: Beth O’Leary Genre: Romance, Contemporary Publisher: Berkley Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: June 1, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Two exes reach a new level of awkward when forced to take a road trip together in this endearing and humorous novel by the author of the international bestseller The Flatshare.
What if the end of the road is just the beginning?
Four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Wealthy Oxford student Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry’s enormous French villa; wild child Addie was spending her summer as the on-site caretaker. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven’t spoken since.
Today, Dylan’s and Addie’s lives collide again. It’s the day before Cherry’s wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there. The car Dylan was driving is wrecked, and the wedding is in rural Scotland–he’ll never get there on time by public transport.
So, along with Dylan’s best friend, Addie’s sister, and a random guy on Facebook who needed a ride, they squeeze into a space-challenged Mini and set off across Britain. Cramped into the same space, Dylan and Addie are forced to confront the choices they made that tore them apart–and ask themselves whether that final decision was the right one after all.
Review:
Addie and Dylan met four years ago while staying at a friend’s villa in Provence. They had an instant connection and a whirlwind romance filled with miscommunication. Now, they have been broken up for a year and a half. While on the way to a mutual friend’s wedding, they end up having a car accident, totaling Dylan’s car. Dylan and his friend Marcus don’t have any other way to get to the wedding, which is an eight hour drive to Scotland. Addie and her sister Deb end up offering to drive Dylan and Marcus, along with Rodney, who is another guest who needs a ride to the wedding. As Dylan and Addie are forced to spend this road trip together, they must re-examine their relationship and figure out what went wrong.
This is another wonderful romance by Beth O’Leary. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Addie and Dylan. They’re both such passionate people in their own ways. Addie loves fiercely and Dylan is a hopeless romantic. Deb and Marcus were great contrasts to Addie and Dylan, both ready to shut the other down if they think they’re making the wrong choice. Rodney was also a hilarious random addition to the road trip.
This story alternated between Addie’s and Dylan’s perspectives, and between the timelines of their past relationship and the road trip happening now. I found the road trip to be a hilarious comedy of errors. Things kept going wrong in the best ways. These kinds of road trips are only funny in hindsight or when they aren’t happening to you, but they are fun to read about. The other narrative of their past relationship had a much more serious tone. There were lots of heavy feelings, like when they fell in love and when they broke up. There were also some tougher storylines, such as alcohol abuse and sexual assault. I kept finding myself waiting to get to the present narrative because it was more comedic. With the serious tone balanced with the funny moments, this story has something for everyone.
The Road Trip is the perfect summer read!
Thank you Berkley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley
Have you read The Road Trip? What did you think of it?
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