Review: Hotel Dare

Title: Hotel Dare
Author: Terry Blas, Claudia Aguirre
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Graphic Novel
Publisher: KaBOOM!
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: June 11, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s not your typical family vacation when Olive, and her adopted siblings Darwin and Charlotte find themselves falling into other worlds as they explore Grandma Lupé’s strange hotel.

OPEN THE DOOR. ADVENTURE AWAITS. 

Olive and her adopted siblings Charlotte and Darwin are spending the summer with their estranged grandma at her creepy hotel and it’s all work and no play. They’re stuck inside doing boring chores but they soon stumble upon an incredible secret… Behind each room door of the hotel lies a portal to a different strange and mysterious place. The simple turn of a knob transports them to a distant magical world filled with space pirates. Behind the next door are bearded wizards. Down the hall is a doorway to a cotton-candied kingdom. But once the doors are opened, worlds start colliding, and only one family can save them before they tear themselves apart. 

Written by Terry Blas (The Amazing World of Gumball) and illustrated by the talented Claudia Aguirre (Kim & Kim), this world-hopping fantasy tale breaks down the door to imagination and dares you to embrace the idea that family is everything. 

Review:

This was a great graphic novel!

Within a few minutes of starting this book, I was hooked! The mysterious elements were introduced slowly, as the kids discovered secret portals to other worlds in the hotel. The story developed at a fast pace, which made me want to keep reading.

The one thing that I would have liked is more background on the characters. I think there is an interesting story that has brought Charlotte, their adoptive sister, into their family that I’m curious to learn. The ending of the story hinted at a sequel that’s about the rest of the family, so I hope it is written!

I loved this story!

Thank you BOOM! Studios for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Dead Weight: Murder at Camp Bloom by Terry Blas, Molly Muldoon, Matthew Seely

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

Have you read Hotel Dare? What did you think of it?

Giveaway: The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and Fierce

Today is the release day for the amazing new anthology The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and Fierce! I’m so excited about this book. It is a great read! You can find my review of this book here.

Here are the details for this book:

Synopsis:

The definitive collection of art, poetry, and prose, celebrating fat acceptance

Chubby. Curvy. Fluffy. Plus-size. Thick. Fat. The time has come for fat people to tell their own stories. The (Other) F Word combines personal essays, prose, poetry, fashion tips, and art to create a relatable and attractive guide about body image and body positivity. This YA crossover anthology is meant for people of all sizes who desire to be seen and heard in a culture consumed by a narrow definition of beauty. By combining the talents of renowned fat YA and middle-grade authors, as well as fat influencers and creators, The (Other) F Word offers teen readers and activists of all ages a guide for navigating our world with confidence and courage.

The publisher, Abrams Books, has provided me with a copy of this book to giveaway to one lucky reader!

This contest is open to US and Canada residents.

To enter this giveaway, go on this rafflecopter link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6da9378f3/?

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The contest is open until 12:00 AM on October 1, 2019.

Good luck!!

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on My Fall 2019 TBR

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 on Your Fall 2019 TBR. Here’s my list:

1. When You Ask Me Where I’m Going by Jamin Kaur

2. Crier’s War (Crier’s War #1) by Nina Varela

3. Jackpot by Nic Stone

4. Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao

5. Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

6. Gravemaidens (Gravemaidens #1) by Kelly Coon

7. Coral by Sara Ella

8. Day Zero (Day Zero Duology #1) by Kelly Devos

9. The Good Luck Girls (The Good Luck Girls #1) by Charlotte Nicole Davis

10. Cold Falling White (The Nahx Invasions #2) by G.S. Prendergast

What books are on your list of Books on Your Fall 2019 TBR?

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Review: Six Goodbyes We Never Said

Title: Six Goodbyes We Never Said
Author: Candace Ganger
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Two teens meet after tragedy and learn about love, loss, and letting go

Naima Rodriguez doesn’t want your patronizing sympathy as she grieves her father, her hero—a fallen Marine. She’ll hate you forever if you ask her to open up and remember him “as he was,” though that’s all her loving family wants her to do in order to manage her complex OCD and GAD. She’d rather everyone back the-eff off while she separates her Lucky Charms marshmallows into six, always six, Ziploc bags, while she avoids friends and people and living the life her father so desperately wanted for her. 

Dew respectfully requests a little more time to process the sudden loss of his parents. It’s causing an avalanche of secret anxieties, so he counts on his trusty voice recorder to convey the things he can’t otherwise say aloud. He could really use a friend to navigate a life swimming with pain and loss and all the lovely moments in between. And then he meets Naima and everything’s changed—just not in the way he, or she, expects. 

Candace Ganger’s Six Goodbyes We Never Said is no love story. If you ask Naima, it’s not even a like story. But it is a story about love and fear and how sometimes you need a little help to be brave enough to say goodbye. 

Review:

This was a beautiful story about grieving.

There was some great representation of mental health in this book. Dew has anxiety and panic attacks. Naima has anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. I really liked the way her OCD was represented in the repetition of words and sentences. It showed the way she repeated actions and words right on the page.

Though both Dew and Naima were orphans, they had very different experiences. Dew had been adopted by his foster parents, and had a new family. Naima had just lost her father and couldn’t reconcile her final goodbye to him, when she ignored him. They had some things in common, but they dealt with their problems differently.

I loved this book!

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

What to read next:

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

The Inevitable Collision of Birdie and Bash by Candace Ganger

Have you read Six Goodbyes We Never Said? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – September 23

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 Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading The Grey Sisters by Jo Treggiari.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading SLAY by Brittney Morris.

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

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – September 22

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 9 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… Six Goodbyes We Never Said

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 Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Two teens meet after tragedy and learn about love, loss, and letting go

Naima Rodriguez doesn’t want your patronizing sympathy as she grieves her father, her hero—a fallen Marine. She’ll hate you forever if you ask her to open up and remember him “as he was,” though that’s all her loving family wants her to do in order to manage her complex OCD and GAD. She’d rather everyone back the-eff off while she separates her Lucky Charms marshmallows into six, always six, Ziploc bags, while she avoids friends and people and living the life her father so desperately wanted for her. 

Dew respectfully requests a little more time to process the sudden loss of his parents. It’s causing an avalanche of secret anxieties, so he counts on his trusty voice recorder to convey the things he can’t otherwise say aloud. He could really use a friend to navigate a life swimming with pain and loss and all the lovely moments in between. And then he meets Naima and everything’s changed—just not in the way he, or she, expects. 

Candace Ganger’s Six Goodbyes We Never Said is no love story. If you ask Naima, it’s not even a like story. But it is a story about love and fear and how sometimes you need a little help to be brave enough to say goodbye. 

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Characters I’d Love to be Friends With

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 Characters I’d Love to be Friends With. Here’s my list:

1. Harley Quinn (DC Comics)

2. Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles)

3. Mia Thermopolis (The Princess Diaries)

4. Kenji Kishimoto (Shatter Me series)

5. Felicity Montague (Montague Siblings)

6. Gert Yorkes (Runaways)

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Characters You’d Love to be Friends With?

(All images from Goodreads)

Review: The Secret of Shadow Lake (Creature Campers #1)

Title: The Secret of Shadow Lake (Creature Campers #1)
Author: Joe McGee, Bea Tormo
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 1, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Being the new kid at camp is never easy, especially for a bigfoot, a hyperactive jackalope, a fairy who can barely fly, and the only human boy! A series about the unlikely friendships forged at Camp Moonlight—“where being different isn’t unusual…it’s FUNusual!”

Norm is worried about fitting in at camp. Literally. He’s not just tall for a kid. He’s tall even for a bigfoot. Oliver, the only human at camp, has the opposite problem: he’s small enough that a strong wind might knock him over. With the help of their new friends, Hazel (a hyperactive jackalope) and Wisp (a boy fairy who has trouble flying), they’ll have to work together to earn their canoeing certification without disturbing the resident lake monster—or Barnaby Snoop, who will stop at nothing to capture Norm for his personal rare creature collection.

Review:

This is a fun story about going to camp.

Norm is nervous about going to camp for the first time. That’s because he is a Big Foot and he doesn’t know what to expect there. The camp accepts all different kinds of creatures, including big foots, jackalopes, and humans. Norm and his new friends end up having fun, and discovering a secret in the lake at camp. There was also a classic villain who wanted to catch Norm. He was an old man who kept foiling his own plot.

This story reminded me of the Lumberjanes because of the different camp creatures. It also reminded me of the Christmas series by Matt Haig because of how Norm learned to fit in with other creatures who were not like him.

I really enjoyed this cute camp story.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Beware the Kitten Holy (Lumberjanes #1) by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen, Shannon Watters

A Boy Called Christmas (Christmas #1) by Matt Haig

Have you read The Secret of Shadow Lake? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – September 21

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 ECW Press:

The Forest City Killer: A Serial Murderer, a Cold-Case Sleuth, and a Search for Justice by Vanessa Brown

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Hachette Books:

The Witches are Coming by Lindy West

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Harlequin TEEN:

Day Zero by Kelly Devos

I was had two wishes granted on NetGalley from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books:

Mary Shelley (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Zaha Hadid (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

I was approved for four books on NetGalley from Simon and Schuster Canada:

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw

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

Cold Falling White (The Nahx Invasions #2) by G.S. Prendergast

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Thank you ECW Press, Hachette Books, Harlequin TEEN, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, and Simon and Schuster Canada for these books!

What books did you get this week?