Blog Tour Review: Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things

Title: Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things
Author: Jacqueline Firkins
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: December 17, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In this charming debut about first love and second chances, a young girl gets caught between the boy next door and a playboy. Perfect for fans of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Mansfield, Massachusetts is the last place seventeen-year-old Edie Price wants to spend her final summer before college. It’s the home of wealthy suburbanites and prima donnas like Edie’s cousins, who are determined to distract her from her mother’s death with cute boys and Cinderella-style makeovers. Edie has her own plans, and they don’t include a prince charming.

But as Edie dives into schoolwork and applying for college scholarships, she finds herself drawn to two Mansfield boys who start vying for her attention. First there’s Sebastian, Edie’s childhood friend and first love. He’s sweet and smart and . . . already has a girlfriend. Then there’s Henry, the local bad boy and all-around player. He’s totally off limits, even if his kisses are chemically addictive.

Both boys are trouble. Edie can’t help but get caught between them. Someone’s heart is going to break. Now she just has to make sure it isn’t hers. 

Review:

I just started reading Mansfield Park for the first time a couple of weeks ago, so I was so excited when I discovered that this book was a retelling. I’ve only read the first couple chapters of Mansfield Park so far, so I didn’t know how the story ends. I’m even more excited to read the whole story now, to see how this story was adapted from the original. There were many things in this one, such as high school, teen parties, and sex, which I know weren’t in the original story by Jane Austen.

I loved this story! The romance was great. There was lots of drama in the many relationships, between all the different characters. I didn’t really agree with Edie’s final decision, but that was just my personal choice.

I wished there was more of Edie’s aunt, Norah, in the story. The aunt, Mrs. Norris, in Mansfield Park was hilarious. She was very opinionated. Her aunt Norah was in this story a little bit, but she seemed more cruel by denying Edie from money, rather than exaggerated like in the original novel.

This was a great story!

Thank you HMH Books for Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid

Author Info:

Jacqueline’s a writer, costume designer, and lover of beautiful things. She’s on the fulltime faculty in the Department of Theatre & Film at the University of British Columbia where she also takes any writing class they’ll let her into. When not obsessing about where to put the buttons or the commas, she can be found running by the ocean, eating excessive amounts of gluten, listening to earnest love songs, and pretending her dog understands every word she says.

Giveaway:

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👫 G I V E A W A Y 💔 . . Happy Wednesday, Beautiful Bookish People! Have you visited any Christmas Markets? What is your favourite drink during winter time? . Today, we have a very cute and special book to share with you: #HeartsStringsAndOtherBreakableThings by Jacqueline Firkins. I say special, because I love summer romances, and this book is perfect for this winter because it makes me start daydreaming about summer and my favourite stories! In this novel, we meet Edie about to spend her last summer before colleague in a place she would rather not be while dealing with her mother's passing. While she keeps trying to stay focused on colleague, 2 distractions in the form of a bad-boy and her old-time crush come knocking on her door, leading to heartbreak and romance. Edie just needs to make sure she's not the one getting her heart broken! . I LOVE stories like this one and today we have partnered with Jacqueline (@jfkillsdarlings) to give you not only the chance to win a hardcopy of #HSAOBT but also a book-inspired dress! 3 designs available. 3 prizes! Swipe left to see pics (⬅️). . . ENTRIES FOR THE GIVEAWAY: ▪︎Follow @theffbc & @whatmakespatri ▪︎Follow the author @jfkillsdarlings ▪︎Follow the publishing house @hmhteen ▪︎Comment (to let us know you are participating!): Which dress do you like the most (& why)? . EXTRA ENTRIES FOR THE GIVEAWAY: ▪︎Tag a friend (each friend will be an extra entry). ▪︎Share on your stories about the giveaway (remember to tag me @whatmakespatri and @theffbc) ▪︎Follow @michellesulk & @artsyreadergirl . ▪︎Follow any other FFBC team member participating in the tour (let us know on the comment section who did you follow). Check everyone's Instagram handles below: @wishfulendings @l.m.durand @BookBriefs @stars.brite @booknerdanonymous @shelflifechronicles @agingerlyreview @lauren.bodiford . Also, stop by my site to read an interview with Jacqueline and learn more about #HSAOBT! . . #bookshimmy #giveaway #bookstagram #bookblogger #bookstagramming #bookgram #yabookstagram #ireadya #booksatgrammer #bibliophile #bookphotography #booknerd #booklover #amreading #yalit #booksofinstagram #bookgiveaway #booksbooksbooks #bookcommunity #bookworm

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Have you read Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – December 16

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 Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading The Fever King (Feverwake #1) by Victoria Lee.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.

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

Blog Tour Review: A Wedding in December

Title: A Wedding in December
Author: Sarah Morgan
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Publisher: HQN Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Christmas Sisters comes this funny, charming and heartwarming all new original Christmas novel. This is Sarah Morgan at her festive best!

In the snowy perfection of Aspen, the White family gathers for youngest daughter Rosie’s whirlwind Christmas wedding. First to arrive are the bride’s parents, Maggie and Nick. Their daughter’s marriage is a milestone they are determined to celebrate wholeheartedly, but they are hiding a huge secret of their own: they are on the brink of divorce. After living apart for the last six months, the last thing they need is to be trapped together in an irresistibly romantic winter wonderland.

Rosie’s older sister, Katie, is also dreading the wedding. Worried that impulsive, sweet-hearted Rosie is making a mistake, Katie is determined to save her sister from herself! If only the irritatingly good-looking best man, Jordan, would stop interfering with her plans…

Bride-to-be Rosie loves her fiancé but is having serious second thoughts. Except everyone has arrived—how can she tell them she’s not sure? As the big day gets closer, and emotions run even higher, this is one White family Christmas none of them will ever forget! 

Review:

This story was a heartwarming holiday romance!

The story followed three narratives: Maggie and her daughters, Rosie and Katie. I liked to see an older woman have her own narrative in the romance. I’ve heard complaints that contemporary romances are usually about younger girls in their 20s or 30s. Though two of the narratives were about girls of that age, one also told the story about their mother who was at a different place in life.

The story was set in December, but it wasn’t completely Christmas themed. I think it could be read throughout the winter, not just at Christmas. There were some Christmasy parts, but mostly it was about winter in Aspen. I loved reading about the snowy activities they were doing, while I was warm indoors. I liked reading about the snowball fights and sleigh rides, but I’d rather stay inside and read about it instead.

I really enjoyed this book!

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

What to read next:

An Alaskan Christmas by Jennifer Snow

Christmas from the Heart by Sheila Roberts

Author Info:

USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes hot, happy, contemporary romance and women’s fiction, and her trademark humor and sensuality have gained her fans across the globe. Described as “a magician with words” by RT Book Reviews, she has sold more than eleven million copies of her books. She was nominated three years in succession for the prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America and won the award three times: once in 2012 for Doukakis’s Apprentice, in 2013 for A Night of No Return and in 2017 for Miracle on 5th Avenue. She also won the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award in 2012 and has made numerous appearances in their Top Pick slot. As a child, Sarah dreamed of being a writer, and although she took a few interesting detours along the way, she is now living that dream. Sarah lives near London, England, with her husband and children, and when she isn’t reading or writing, she loves being outdoors, preferably on vacation so she can forget the house needs tidying.

Buy Links:

Have you read A Wedding in December? What did you think of it?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – December 15

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… Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things

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 Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this charming debut about first love and second chances, a young girl gets caught between the boy next door and a playboy. Perfect for fans of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Mansfield, Massachusetts is the last place seventeen-year-old Edie Price wants to spend her final summer before college. It’s the home of wealthy suburbanites and prima donnas like Edie’s cousins, who are determined to distract her from her mother’s death with cute boys and Cinderella-style makeovers. Edie has her own plans, and they don’t include a prince charming.

But as Edie dives into schoolwork and applying for college scholarships, she finds herself drawn to two Mansfield boys who start vying for her attention. First there’s Sebastian, Edie’s childhood friend and first love. He’s sweet and smart and . . . already has a girlfriend. Then there’s Henry, the local bad boy and all-around player. He’s totally off limits, even if his kisses are chemically addictive.

Both boys are trouble. Edie can’t help but get caught between them. Someone’s heart is going to break. Now she just has to make sure it isn’t hers.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Books with Fireplaces on the Cover

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 Fireside Reads, so I decided to do Books with Fireplaces on the Cover. Here’s my list:

1. Snow in Love by Melissa de la Cruz, Nic Stone, Aimee Friedman, Kasie West

2. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd

3. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley

4. Yule be Dead by Lorraine Bartlett with Gayle Leeson

5. Death of a Chimney Sweep by M.C. Beaton

6. Spinning in Her Grave by Molly MacRae

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Fireside Reads?

Review: The Black Mage

Title: The Black Mage
Author: Daniel Barnes, D.J. Kirkland
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Oni Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 29, 2019
Rating: ★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The School for Good and Evil meets Dread Nation in this subversive original graphic novel where race, history and magic collide. 

When St. Ivory Academy, a historically white wizarding school, opens its doors to its first-ever black student, everyone believes that the wizarding community is finally taking its first crucial steps toward inclusivity. Or is it? When Tom Token, the beneficiary of the school’s “Magical Minority Initiative,” begins uncovering weird clues and receiving creepy texts on his phone, he and his friend, Lindsay, stumble into a conspiracy that dates all the way back to the American Civil War, and could cost Tom his very soul.

Review:

Tom was the first black student admitted to the magical academy, St. Ivory. He discovers that there was another black student who went there before, which sends him on a search to find out what happened to her.

There was a lot of racism in this book. The school was completely run and attended by white students, and the teachers all wore white hoods like the Ku Klux Klan. That was really disturbing to see.

The racism in the story made me really uncomfortable. I understand that the story was meant to show how extreme racism is, but it was disturbing to see illustrated in this book. Even though it isn’t the intention of the book, I worry that this could normalize the racism, rather than point out how wrong it is.

I liked the idea for the plot, but I think it should have had less racism.

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

What to read next:

Mooncakes by Wendy Xu, Suzanne Walker

Have you read The Black Mage? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – December 14

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 was approved for a book on NetGalley from Page Street Publishing:

Night Spinner (Night Spinner #1) by Addie Thorley

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Simon and Schuster Canada:

Rival Magic by Deva Fagan

I received three books from Simon and Schuster Canada:

The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham

To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters

Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen

I received six books from Penguin Random House Canada:

Influence by Sara Shepard and Lilia Buckingham

Half Life by Lillian Clark

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #1) by Holly Jackson

Unravel the Dusk (The Blood of Stars #2) by Elizabeth Lim

Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye

Say Yes Summer by Lindsey Roth Culli

Thank you Page Street Publishing, Simon and Schuster Canada, and Penguin Random House Canada for these books!

What books did you get this week?

Review: She-Hulk, Volume 2: Let Them Eat Cake

Title: She-Hulk, Volume 2: Let Them Eat Cake
Author: Mariko Tamaki, Georges Duarte, Julian Lopez, Pierfrancesco Gaston
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Marvel
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 23, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Let them eat cake! Jennifer Walters is only just getting used to her new Hulk alter ego when an internet-famous cooking show host transforms into a hideous monster – on camera! Now, Jen must come to terms with her own monstrous side in time to help. Can she find an antidote for the host before the drug that caused it hits the streets – and its horrific effects start to spread? Maybe with a little help from Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat!

Review:

In this volume, Jennifer Walters AKA She-Hulk has to figure out what is causing a man to turn into a monster. He was given a drug that turned him into a giant green creature. The incident of him consuming the drug and changing was caught on his cooking vlog. She-Hulk investigates the problem through her job as a lawyer.

Most of the volume was about the man who turned into the creature. There wasn’t as much stuff for She-Hulk to do, with most of the story focusing on him. The story jumped around to many different settings every couple of pages so it was hard to focus on one plot.

I liked the final comic, which was a story about Jennifer going on a date. It didn’t work out too well for either of them, but it was entertaining because she kept interrupting the narrator of the comic.

I liked this graphic novel, but I hope the next volume has more about She-Hulk.

What to read next:

She-Hulk, Volume 3: Jen Walters Must Die by Mariko Tamaki

Other Books in the Series:

Have you read She-Hulk, Volume 2: Let Them Eat Cake? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – December 13

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:

“By the time Alex managed to get the blood out of her good wool coat, it was too warm to wear it. Spring had come on grudgingly; pale blue mornings failed to deepen, turning instead to moist, sullen afternoons, and stubborn frost lined the road in high, dirty meringues.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo.

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Goodreads synopsis:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

Have you read Ninth House? What did you think of it?