Waiting on Wednesday: Vicarious by Paula Stokes

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

I Can't wait for:

Vicarious by Paula Stokes 
August 6th 2016

                 

Winter Kim and her sister, Rose, have always been inseparable. Together, the two of them survived growing up in a Korean orphanage and being trafficked into the United States. 

Now they work as digital stunt girls for Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Gideon, engaging in dangerous and enticing activities while recording their neural impulses for his Vicarious Sensory Experiences, or ViSEs. Whether it’s bungee jumping, shark diving, or grinding up against celebrities at the city’s hottest dance clubs, Gideon can make it happen for you, for a price.

When Rose disappears and a ViSE recording of her murder is delivered to Gideon, Winter won’t rest until she finds her sister’s killer. But when the clues she uncovers conflict with the neural recordings her sister made, Winter isn’t sure what to believe. To find out what happened to Rose, she’ll have to untangle what’s real from what only seems real, risking her life in the process.

This sounds so good and so different from what is out there. I am very excited. I loved Liars Inc. and so I think I will enjoy another book by this author.

Review: Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider

Title: Summer of Sloane

Author:  Erin L. Schneider
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Publishing Date: May 3rd 2016

Pages: 291
Genre: YA Contemporary Chic Lit

Series:  Stand Alone
Source: ARC 

 

Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.

These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.

Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.

But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.

I am going to be honest. The cover drew me in and the cover is what made me read this book. The title is pretty cool too. I am not always in the mood for contemporary and it's prbably what I read the least but I just had to read this one. Look at that cover. I loved loved loved this book. It was so much more than I had anticipated and I could just gush all over it for a very long time. Its a story full of betrayal, hurt, loss, forgiveness, inner growth, redemption, and moving on. It was so so good. Really it was guys. So good. 

Sloane had a pretty good life until her forever best friend told her she was pregnant, and the father was Sloane's boyfriend. This throws Sloane's life into an upheavel. She lost both her best friend and her boyfriend... all in one night. This was right before heading to Hawaii to visit her mother for the Summer. Once in Hawaii, Sloane decides this will be her summer. All about her and moving on. She finds frienship, family loyalty, family secrets, love, and in all of it her way in life and of course forgiveness. 

This was such a great book. I wil admit that I generally really stay away from books that have the subject of cheating. I just don't like it and I hate that it's in books. I mean I hate that it happens so it's talked about in books. Its always such a hard thing to go through and get over. Its a strong betrayal and it casuses so many different feelings. It's never just one sided and it's always deeper than it seems. It's a very sensitive subject. So I went into this book thinking I will see how it goes. It got tons of good reviews and I just love the cover. So  I had to read it. 

I must say this book handled the subject surpremely. What I loved... this book was about the after effects, the hurt involved, and how bitterness can take over if you allow it too. Mistakes are made and no matter who is right or wrong...everyone involved is hurt. The issue isn't the cheating in this book, the issue at hand is how you choose to deal with it once it happens. I liked that becuase it wasn't dwelled on. The actual affair... the feelings and moving on is what it was about. 

Sloane was a character I connected to and fell for right away. I felt bad for her. It was hard. In this siutation I just couldn't see how she could have done anything to encourage or prevent or even have a clue it was an issue. It was crazy. She was so devestated and angry. She chose to move on and found it, it's not as easy to do as to say. She has to discover herself and what loyalty and real love is in order to forgive and move on. What is more important your loved ones mistakes or how they feel and admit to those mistakes afterwards. Sloane was sensitive but strong. She amazed me. 

The romance in the book was okay. It wasn't the focus and I felt that. I felt it was a bit out of place at times but it was still sweet and nice. I did like the love interest, Finn. He felt real and geninue and I enjoyed his story too. He was also troubled and had some devestating things in his past.... not to mention a very cold father. So he was good for Sloane but I think Sloane was better for him.  

I enjoyed the friendship, the family, and the inner growth of this book. It had so much to offer. I felt moved, I cried, I wanted to just hug Sloane one moment and yell at her the next for making the wrong choices. She did make some bad choices but they never felt unwarranted. She was young and hurt and needed to heal. In the healing time she couldn't see beyond the anger and hurt.. so her decisions were understandble. 

The pacing and the writing were just perfect. Fast but not too fast pacing, everything fell into place beautfully. The writing was stunning and I just couldn't get enough of this read. 

It really was a very moving read. 

I really loved this read. It had so much deep and overcoming to it. Can't wait to see what more this author does.

Erin L. Schneider is native to the Pacific Northwest, attended college in Honolulu, and - although Hawaiian - should never be allowed on a surfboard. With more than twenty years in corporate merchandising, she’s now a full-time writer living in Seattle with her husband, Neal; their baby boy, Kellan; a rowdy German shepherd named Ronin; and two crazy cats, Ono and Poke. She’s a member of both the Pacific Northwest Writers Association and SCBWI, and is also co-founder of the YA Buccaneers. 
SUMMER OF SLOANE is her debut novel, out May 3, 2016 from Disney-Hyperion. Visit Erin online at Erin L Schneider or on Twitter: @ErinLSchneider1.
Erin is represented by literary agent Lisa Grubka of Fletcher & Company.

Teaser Tuesday: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Books and a Beat. Bloggers choose two

sentences out of our current read to peak others' curiosity.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

Teaser:
It now didn't seem to bother her I'd found a murdered man, so long as I created pretty violets and swirling vines to make up for breaking social taboos. 


Ashlea's Thoughts: I haven't started this book yet, so finding a teaser was hard when I didn't wan to find a spoiler for myself. I did find this one and it represents the book great. I don't have any idea what it means but it catches my eye, makes my mind real, and gives an ominous feal to the read. Can't wait to start this. 

Answer Me This: What Do you Like to See in a Book Blog

Answer Me This. We are hoping this will help our friends get to know us a just a tad bit better. 

A question will be asked and answers will be given by both Ash and Jenn. We hope you enjoy getting to know us outside of the bookshelves.

Jenn: 

We decided to this question today due to the upcoming Bloggy Buddies Feature we want to do. All the details are not worked out yet but it did get me thinking. What do I like to see when I visit book blogs. What draws me in? What makes me stay? 

I look for many things when I visit a book blog. I have to admit that the layout and the colors are a big thing. I like it clean, easy to navigate, and not hard on the eyes. I have seen some blogs with so many bright colors it hurts my eyes and I can't seem to find what I am looking for. So a clean, soft, easy to navigate blog.  I also like good sepeartion in posts with easy to find comment section. I don't always have something intersting and important to say but when I decide I must leave a comment. I don't want to search it down. I also hate trying to find the end of a post and the beginning of the next.  I don't like to be confused or lost on a blog. 

For content. I read so many books but my focus is YA. So yes I like blogs with the focus of ya..for reviews. If I find a good loving, funny, intersting book blogger who reads adult books, I will read almost everything on their blog...even the adult book reviews. I do like reviews. Lots of reviews. I wish I did more. I like upcoming, new release, and older reviews. I like to read reviews of books I have not read and I have read. I just like reviews. 

I also like discussion posts....even though I suck at them.... I love to read them and the interesting things that bloggers have to say. Opinions, rules, statuses... I like it all. I also like blog posts that have to do with life obsessions other than books... television shows, clothes, activities. I do love to know what you like. I have not started anything like this...not sure if I ever will, but I do love to read them.  Any new and unusal feature. I like. 

I really love extreme voices... Either really funny, lyrical, musing, thoughtful. I like to see personality. Unfortunately this is another I lack in but I do try. I just feel that I know the person better if I see their personality come out. I love gifs in posts. They make me laugh. I do love photos too. I love unquiness in all the posts. 

One more thing. I do like commenters. I don't mind as much if my comments don't get a response...even though I must admit here lately... I get a bit excited when I see a reply in my inbox. But I love those bloggy friends who comment on my blog and I comment on theirs. It's just fun. 

I hope this does not sound like I am a blog snob... I will check out any blog and try to keep up on most. Especially if you are on bloglovin.. makes it easy. I do have a ton I follow so it's hard to keep up on them all. Bottom line.. if you want to my blogger buddy... sure thing. I am here. I love visititing blogs. 

I hope once I start Bloggy Buddies I will meet some more amazing bloggers out there. 

Ash:

Yikes. Well, I like pictures. Any time a book blog, or any blog for that matter, has photos, I instantly love it. That's why I use bookstagram, because I love seeing the photos. 

I also love blogs that post other things book related, like tags, memes, quizzes, whatever. 

Other wise that, I love finding blogs that have a ton of personality to them. Something that shows what that person loves, and is into, and who that person is. The quirkier and geekier the better! 

You can usually tell a lot about a person by what their blog looks like, and what they post. Are they friendly and comment on a lot of blogs? Are they boring and dry? So I want the blog to show who they are. 

What do you look for in book blogs?

Review: Fallout by Gwenda Bond

Title: Fallout
Author:  Gwenda Bond
Publisher: Switch Press

Publishing Date: May 1st 2015

Pages: 304
Genre: YA Retellings

Series:  Lois Lane #1
Source: Hardcover

 

Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis. An Army brat, Lois has lived all over—and seen all kinds of things. (Some of them defy explanation, like the near-disaster she witnessed in Kansas in the middle of one night.) But now her family is putting down roots in the big city, and Lois is determined to fit in. Stay quiet. Fly straight. As soon as she steps into her new high school, though, she can see it won’t be that easy. A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for another girl at school. They’re messing with her mind, somehow, via the high-tech immersive videogame they all play. Not cool. Armed with her wit and her new snazzy job as a reporter, Lois has her sights set on solving this mystery. But sometimes it’s all a bit much. Thank goodness for her maybe-more-than-a friend, a guy she knows only by his screenname, SmallvilleGuy.

So I love retellings, I love superheroes, I love old comics. So this was a given read for me. I was super excited when I recieved it as a gift and I read it as soon as I had the chance. I really enjoyed this read. It had a ton of creativity and lots of action, friendship, and good ole mystery. It kept me interested til the very last page. I am ready for the second book. 

Lois Lane has had a hard time in school. She keeps getting herself in trouble becuase of her dang curiousity. She has had to move another time. Change schools, lose friends, and start over. This time she vows to keep her nose clean, ignore the weirdness that always gets her snoopy but things change when school kids are getting turned into robot followers of a bully in school. She can't help it, she has to uncover the truth. It only makes it hard to resist when she was offered a place with the students that work for the local newspaper. She has all the tools, new friends willing to sneak around with her, and of course her trusted online friend, smallville guy, cheering her on. Of course this is Lois Lane and she always ends up in trouble. 

I truly enjoyed this read. I did have a few small issues. One was the pacing, the other was character connection was kind of slow for me. Now the pacing did speed up in the end and I did connect in with Lois and her friends close to the end. I was left with wanting more. So in  my world, I loved this read. The beginning was slow but the end was so good. 

Lois Lane was a busy body, nosy, always wanting the truth. She didn't mean to step on toes, get in trouble, or cause any problems but she always did. She had a natural curiousity and sense of justice for the world. So this led to many investigations and story writing. Her father was military and he was hard. Stict. Always trying to make her behave. Really behaving wasn't her issue. She wanted to be good. She had a great heart. She just loved juicy newsworthy stories. 

Lois was a lonely soul. She moved all the time. If it wasn't becuase her dad was in the military it was because of the trouble she caused. She wasn't good at making friends. One friend though was true to her. Smallville guy. Of course we all know who this is. And I am a huge Clark Kent fan so it made me giddy anything these two interacted. I do wish there was more of him in the book. Smallville guy was her voice of reason. Well he tried but sometimes he just encouraged instead. Their relationship was sweet but just building. SO it wasn't huge in the books. Kind of wish it had more of an appearance. 

This book was not about Superman and Lois Lane and their romace. It was more about how Lois Lane came to who she was in the future. Before she worked as a journalist. This book outlined her personality and home life. Her struggles and her strengths. 

There was a good mystery, some supernatural aspect, so fantasy of course, and at last some fighting and escaping. It kept me on my toes. It was a good mystery and although it was more of a Veronica Mars meshing with Scooby Doo instead of superhero type action. I enjoyed the story very much. 

I also want to talk about the covers to this series. I don't usually mention covers but I just love this cover and the cover to the next book. They are so perfect for the book, great contrast, wonderful colors. They do a great job on pulling me towards these books. 

This book was filled with lots of great chracters, some growing pains among the characters, and some action with a teeny bit of romance. I look forward to the next book. 

Not really what I expected but I did love it. 

I’m an author of young adult books. My latest are Lois Lane: Fallout, which brings the iconic comic book character front and center in her own YA novel, and Girl on a Wire, about a daredevil heroine who discovers magic and mystery lurking beneath the big top. Coming in 2016 are Lois Lane: Double Down and Girl in the Shadows, a new novel of the Cirque American. It’s possible that I escaped from a classic screwball comedy.
I live in a hundred-year-old house in Lexington, Kentucky, with my husband author Christopher Rowe, and our menagerie.