TBR buys of August

This months buys include:

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

Tease by Amanda Maciel

All three reads have been on my TBR list for a while and I look forward to diving into them soon. I was able to find an ARC of Tease at my local independent bookstore, so I'm hoping that the story didn't change much from the ARC to publication. The other two I was able to pick up on Amazon for a good deal. 

I haven't purchased physical books in a while because I'm trying to get into the eBook thing so this is a low count for me this month. However, I try to at least buy a couple a month to put on my bookshelves :)

Have you read any of these books? If so, what the verdict? Any of them I should jump right into?

Until next time!

Wildlife- REVIEW (kind of)

Wildlife

By Fiona Wood

Expected publication: September 16th 2014 by Little, Brown and Company 

Ebook, 294 pages

ISBN:0316242063

Publisher Description:
During a semester in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sib expects the tough outdoor education program and the horrors of dorm life, but friendship drama and an unexpected romance with popular Ben Capaldi? That will take some navigating.

New girl Lou has zero interest in fitting in, or joining in. Still reeling from a loss that occurred almost a year ago, she just wants to be left alone. But as she witnesses a betrayal unfolding around Sib and her best friend Holly, Lou can't help but be drawn back into the land of the living.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was only three chapters into this book and I could not continue. I actually read those chapters 4 times TRYING, TRYING to get into this book and failed miserably. I don't even know what to say about it honestly. Not even going to bother rating it because I barely got into it. 

On to better things (hopefully!)

Mr. Entertainment Dude Reviews

Two new reviews have been posted on Mr. Entertainment Dude's page. Please read the reviews for Diablo 3 and the Last of Us at this link.

September Read-Along

September Read-Along
with Penguin Loves YA Book Club

I was recently browsing the groups within Goodreads and ran across the Penguin Loves YA Book Club (You can visit their group by clicking on their name above.)

They have a new read-along month and this coming month the book they are reading is
All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry. 

Paperback, 288 pages

Published August 19th 2014 by Speak

With that in mind I made a trip to my local independent book store today and was surprised to find this additional along with a few hardcover final copies. I'm a fan of paperback books therefore, I picked up this one. I'm looking forward to digging into this. Feel free to join us! 

Book Description:

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who's owned her heart as long as she can remember--even if he doesn't know it--her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

New ARCS Received- 8.23-8.26

New ARCS Received

I have received the following books to review this week.

Goodreads links connected to titles.

Rethinking Normal: A Memoir of Transition

From: Edelweiss

By: Katie Rain Hill

Expected publication: September 30th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Love & Profanity

From: NetGalley

By: Nick Healy

Expected publication: March 1st 2015 by Switch Press

Wildlife

From: NetGalley

By: Fiona Wood

Expected publication: September 16th 2014 by Little, Brown and Company

Melt- REVIEW

MELT
By Selene Castrovilla
Expected publication November 6th 2014 by Last Syllable Books
paperback, 328 pages
ISBN: 9780991626106

Publisher Description:
MELT is a brutal love story, set against the backdrop of The Wizard of Oz. Sixteen year old “good girl” Dorothy just blew into the small town of Highland Park – where the social headquarters is Munchkinland (Dunkin’ Donuts.) There, she meets Joey – a “bad boy” who tells no one about the catastrophic domestic violence he witnesses at home. Can these two lovers survive peer pressure, Joey’s reputation, and his alcoholism? And then there’s his family's secret – about to be unleashed.

Told in dual first person, Joey's words are scattered on the page - reflecting his broken state. Dorothy is the voice of reason - until something so shattering happens that she, too, may lose her grip. Can their love endure, or will it melt away?

MELT is based on true events. It is both a chilling tale of abuse, and a timeless romance. It will hit you like a punch in the face, and also seep through the cracks in your soul.

                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My thoughts: 

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC to review.

Girl meets boy. 

Girl is warned about boy. 

Girl falls for boy anyway.

Dorothy and Joey seem to fall in love instantly. The epitome of love at first sight. 

Joey's story is told as if he is speaking directly to you. His words are scattered and repeated. He is super hard on himself and appears to blame himself for the torture that his family is being put through due to his father (Pops).

Dorothy is the person for him to lean on. They come from completely different ends of the spectrum living opposite lives when they meet that fateful day in Dunkin Donuts. She tries her best to understand him and the reason he's an alcoholic.

The character description portrayed through Selene's writing is soul shattering. There were a number of moments I had to put my Kindle down to take a breath and thinking about the pages I just finished. Sometimes I literally felt like the breathe was knocked out of me.

Stunning. Heartbreaking. Intense. Highly recommended to those who can handle it.

5 Coffee Cup Stars
Finished August 24, 2014

Selene Castrovilla's MELT Book Trailer

Fellow blogger Prone to Crushes on Boys in Books has posted the cover reveal and book trailer winner for the upcoming book MELT by Selene Castrovilla. 

Visit the following link to view the fan trailer and enter the giveaway she has posted. 

Expected publication: November 6th 2014 by Last Syllable Books

Rabbit Ears- REVIEW

Rabbit Ears
By Maggie de Vries
Published March 18th 2014 by HarperCollins
ebook, 158 pages
ISBN: 1443416649

Publisher Description:
Kaya is adopted, multiracial, grieving the death of her father—and carrying a painful secret. Feeling ill at ease with her family and in her own skin, she runs away repeatedly, gradually disappearing into a life of addiction and sex work. Meanwhile, her sister, Beth, escapes her own troubles with food and a rediscovered talent for magic tricks. Though both girls struggle through darkness and pain, they eventually find their way to a moment of illumination and healing.                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My thoughts:

Right from the start of this story you can tell that Kaya is very troubled and essentially lost. Her story is told in second person and it makes me read a little more carefully to ensure that I truly understand why she is making the decision she is making at all times.

Kaya's older sister Beth is a second narrator in the story and her parts are told in first person. Beth clearly cares about Kaya and wants to protect her but is unsure of how to do that because she doesn't understand what's going on in her head. Both sisters are dealing with the death of their father and are handling it in entirely different ways.

Kaya meets Sarah while walking away from a bad situation in Vancouver's Eastside. Sarah warns Kaya to stay away from that area. Unfortunately, this just intrigues her more and entices her to return again. Constantly waging a war within herself whether to stay or jump on the bus and go home.

Battling with addiction(in many forms)from prior abuse, Kaya has a hard time walking away and being a normal 13 year old. However, you continue to root for her to make the right decisions and to grieve properly. 

This book is an incredibly powerful read. I highly recommend it.

4 Coffee Cup Stars
Finished August 23, 2014

First Time APPROVED for eARCS !

This is an exciting day for me! It is the FIRST time that I've been approved for an eARC(that I requested) on both NetGalley and Edelweiss! I know that before long this will be nothing new but it's exciting as a brand new blogger/reviewer. 

I received Portraits of Celina from NetGalley.

Expected publication: April 1st 2015 by Switch Press

Book Description:

Make him pay, Bayley. Make him pay.
It’s as if the wooden chest is luring me, urging me to open it – daring me almost. Open me up. Look inside. Come on, just for a second; it won’t hurt.
Celina O’Malley was sixteen years old when she disappeared. Now, almost forty years later, Bayley is sleeping in Celina’s room, wearing her clothes, hearing her voice. What does Celina want? And who will suffer because of it? A ghost story. A love story. A story of revenge.

I received Rabbit Ears from Edelweiss.

Published March 18th 2014 by HarperCollins

Book Description:

Kaya is adopted, multiracial, grieving the death of her father—and carrying a painful secret. Feeling ill at ease with her family and in her own skin, she runs away repeatedly, gradually disappearing into a life of addiction and sex work. Meanwhile, her sister, Beth, escapes her own troubles with food and a rediscovered talent for magic tricks. Though both girls struggle through darkness and pain, they eventually find their way to a moment of illumination and healing.

Reviews to be posted soon! :)