Waiting on Wednesday: Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Jenn's Pick :I Can't wait for:

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve TucholkeMarch 22rd  2016

                 

Every story needs a hero.

Every story needs a villain.

Every story needs a secret.

Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous.

What really happened?

Someone knows.

Someone is lying.

I like the sound of this one. The title, the cover, the blurb.... all caught my eye. 

Review: The Lies About the Truth by Courtney C. Stevens

Title: The Lies About the Truth 

Author:  Courtney C. Stevens
Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing Date: November 3rd 2015

Pages:  336
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Series:  Stand Alone
Source: E-ARC

 

Sadie Kingston, is a girl living in the aftermath. A year after surviving a car accident that killed her friend Trent and left her body and face scarred, she can’t move forward. The only person who seems to understand her is Trent’s brother, Max.

As Sadie begins to fall for Max, she's unsure if she is truly healed enough to be with him — even if Max is able to look at her scars and not shy away. But when the truth about the accident and subsequent events comes to light, Sadie has to decide if she can embrace the future or if she'll always be trapped in the past.

I am gong to admit... I thought this book sounded okay when I received it for review.. then thought I will get to it if I can... then I did get to it... and I was blown away. I felt all the feels, I cried, I felt warm fuzzies, I smiled, I giggled, I got angry. It was amazing and I had full blown book hangover from this read. 

Sadie has had a rough year. She was in a car accident, she lost one best friend in the crash and another in the aftermath.... along with her boyfriend. She is scarred- inside and out. The only good thing this year has been Max. Another survivor of the crash. With Max, her family, and her past, Sadie has to find a way wot accept her life, embrace who she is now, and move on.  

Very heartwarming, very heart wrenching, very heart worthy. This was one of my favorite reads of the year. I loved every word, every moment. I just loved loved loved it.

Sadie was a broken character. Broken, hurt, and feeling lost. What I loved about Sadie, she was broken yes, she was scarred yes, she was scared yes, but she was not bitter, she was not static. She wanted to move forward.. she just had to figure out the path to take. She both hated and loved herself , her friends, and her family. She was torn but she was determined. She did not whine, she did not give up. She put on a smile and took another step forward. She was really awesome and a great reason to love the book.

Another reason... Sadie's support system. Her family. They were loving, together, supportive, around. They gave her space but didn't let her get to far without guidance and a hand to help her through. Her friends.... Sadie wasn't talking to them but they didn't give up. They kept their distance for most part but always found a way to try to get back into her life. Max.... he was pretty special. He was also in the crash and lost his brother. He knows Sadie's pain, but doesn't dwell on it. He finds a way to push through then helps Sadie in the exact way she needs it. He accepts her.. scars, damage, and all. The community. It was a great community. They were understanding and supportive, Did what they could to for all those involved in the crash. One of the best support systems I have seen in a realistic fiction read.

The positive vibe.... There was no oh poor me... no life will never get better...no I want to stab my eye out because of the doom and gloom. The story had its sad and its hard to deal with stuff. But the book wasn't about what was lost it was about what can be gained. It was about strength and hope and acceptance. It was so full of positive I couldn't help but feel good and inspired.

The main reason I loved this book. The writing. It was all around well done. It had all that I needed to have a memorable and enjoyable read. Great story, lovable characters, and just all the feel good feels.

I can't sing the praises of this book enough. It just knocked my socks off and I will forever be telling of this book. I recommend it too... well everyone. 

So much raving!!!!! 

Courtney C. Stevens grew up in Kentucky and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is an adjunct professor and a former youth minister. Her other skills include playing hide-and-seek, climbing trees, and being an Olympic torch bearer. She is also the author of Faking Normal, which Kirkus Reviews called “a story that resonates” and Publishers Weekly called a “rich debut,” as well as the e-novella The Blue-Haired Boy, and the recently released The Lies About Truth.

Top Ten Tuesday: The BEST of 2015

Top Ten is an original feature/weekly meme created here at

The Broke and the Bookish that features a great bookish top ten every week.

Jenn's:

It's Monday What Are you Reading?

Last week I read 

Both of these books were so so good!

I am currently reading

This week coming up I have 

What have been your great reads this week?

Review: Thicker Than Water by Kelly Fiore

Title: Thicker Than Water 

Author:  Kelly Fiore
Publisher: Harper Teen

Publishing Date: January 5th 2016

Pages:  320
Genre: YA Psychological Drama

Series: Stand Alone
Source: E-ARC

 

Cecelia Price killed her brother. At least, that’s what the police and the district attorney are saying. And although Cecelia is now locked up and forced into treatment, she knows the real story is much more complicated.

Cyrus wasn’t always the drug-addled monster he’d become. He was a successful athlete, but when an injury forced him off the soccer field and onto pain medication, his life became a blur of anger, addiction, and violence. All CeCe could do was stand by and watch, until she realized one effective way to take away her brother’s drugs while earning the money she needed for college: selling the pills.

Soon, CeCe becomes part drug dealer, part honor student. But even when all she wants is to make things right, she learns that sometimes the best intentions lead to the worst possible outcome.

Thicker than Water is an unforgettable dark, harrowing look into the disturbing truth of drug addiction and the desperate love of a sister watching her brother deteriorate before her eyes. 

This was one of those books I knew nothing about until I saw it on Netgalley and thought hmmm looks interesting. I love me some good drama. SO I grabbed it and I read it and I loved it. It was good real good. It was an old story of drugs and family issues, and getting involved with the wrong people, but what made it good was the way it was told. I was grabbed quickly and then I was invested and just couldn't put the book down. 

Cecelia is sitting in a recovery house for teens... teens with issues from anorexia to drugs, to mental breakdowns of any kind. She has been charged for her brothers death. She knows she is responsible but her lawyer things otherwise. In the time she spends in this recovery house- her story comes out in bits and pieces and her current life.... gets a little bit better... but she needs to get her past before she can move forward. 

There was just something heart stomping about the way this story was told. It was haunting, it was tragic, it was memorable. I have read this story... or the story of family problems, drug addictions, and some messed up teens before, but this story was riveting. It grabbed me from the inside out and took me a bit to recover. I want to say the way the story unfolded, the authors writing and tone really set the book for me. 

The story unfolded in pieces. From the very beginning Cecelia says that her brothers death is her fault. How, its not told. We know she is going to trial, We know she has a lawyer. We know she is fully committed to pay for her brothers death. What we don't know are the details, the truth, and the ugliness of the entire mess of things. 

So we are told in memories. Slowly it comes out. In between we see Cecelia deal and start to heal just a tiny bit at a time. With the help of other. Others in the house with her, Her lawyer. Her Therapist. In the end can't say I was happy with the person Cecelia was or is at the moment, but I could see there were possibilities. 

This book held a lot of ugly and a lot of honesty. I have know addicts, dealers, and I have seen the ugly and the truth. It's a horrible life to be in or to watch someone else battle. It never starts off as a problem but always ends as a problem. I really liked how the author tackled all those responsible for Cecelia's brother. There wasn't just one person involved that led him into the struggle of his life. There were many. Some directly and some by just pretending it was all okay instead of getting him help. It was heart wrenching. 

I didn't care for Cecelia much. At first. I mean she did take responsibility for her actions or at least she wanted to but I was pissed at her. Mad she was stupid enough to do what she did in the first place. Angry she trusted the wrong people. Furious that she didn't think more of herself or that she could have made different choices. She was a smart girl. But she threw it all way. I didn't like her much. However when the truth came out. I didn't blame her for her brother's death. It was just a messed up line of bad choices that led to something horrible. She was dumb yes... but that was forgivable. 

When I started liking her was when I found she was healing by taking responsibility for her actions. Not guilt or blame but truly coming to terms with it and healing. She never shrugged it off or try to reason it out. She tool responsibility and she figured out how to move on. Mostly. That redeemed her for her stupidness for me. 

Really it was a great book. There were a few times I was frustrated with the flipping back and forth between past and present... because I was so into what was going on and I had to wait at least two more chapters to continue... but really that was my only gripe. 

Very Good Read. Emotional, Gripping, Heart Breaking. But Satisfying. 

Kelly (Edgeington) Fiore has a BA in English from Salisbury University and an MFA in Poetry from West Virginia University. She received an Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council in 2005 and 2009. Kelly’s poetry has appeared in Small Spiral Notebook, Samzidada, Mid Atlantic Review, Connotation Press, and the Grolier Annual Review. Her first young adult novel, Taste Test, was released in August 2013 from Bloomsbury USA, and her second, Just Like the Movies, again from Bloomsbury, was releasted in 2014. Forthcoming novels include Thicker Than Water from HarperTeen in 2015.

Kelly taught high school English for ten years and college composition for five. Now, she writes full time and lives in Virginia with three children, two dogs, one hedgehog, and a very patient and loving boyfriend. You can connect with Kelly at her website(www.kellyfiorewrites.com), on Twitter (@kellyannfiore), on Tumblr (kellyfiore.tumblr.com), or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KellyFioreYAAuthor).