Fangirl

Ever since Rainbow Rowell came onto my radar, I have been dying to read Fangirl. The very title screams HALEY YOU MUST READ ME!

But, for one reason or another, this book has eluded me. The library holds are always astronomical, no surprise there. And of course it is NEVER on a used book store shelf. I mean, who in their right mind would ever give this one up?

No, my only option was to buy new. So when Rowell announced the Special Edition preorders 6 months ago…oh yes. I am pretty sure I ordered my copy that same day.

And a few weeks ago, I received my very own bubblegum pink copy. This was one of those moments when my husband just looked at me like “Why the hell is she screaming?”

This is the same man who gets excited over socks.

But I digress.

WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS WAS DRARRY FANFICTION?!?!?!

I mean, I should have expected it. I do follow Rainbow Rowell on Twitter. But, YES. Now I understand why everyone is so excited for Carry On to come out!

If you can’t tell by all the capitals in this post…I loved this book. You know…just in case. I figured I’d tell ya. Cath–she’s me, circa 2005. Completely introverted, no social skills outside of my small town universe, and a new roommate. I am not sure I was never not anxious in the dorm diners, and parties? Those were terrifying. So yep, I get Cath 100%. I’m pretty sure she even looks like me, with her glasses and her hair always pulled up.

When I write these reviews I’m always overanalyzing the plots and characters…but there’s nothing for me to criticize here really. I am going to have a major book hangover after this one. It’s the kind of book that you’re rereading in your head while you’re cutting melon in the kitchen. I know that, because that happened earlier this evening. I was CRAVING this story after my walk, but I had to get the melon breakdown out of the way first. (Damn dieting.)

I’m sure this is considered New Adult Romance, maybe Young Adult Romance, something along those lines. But it also deals with bipolar disorder, depression, alcoholism, divorce, anxiety. I’m sure I’m missing some important theme on the list. My point is, this is not fluff, though it is a book that is “easy” to read. By that I mean you will be immediately transported into Nebraska and Cath’s world, and you’ll forget about everything else.

Yes yes, yes yes, yes yes yes.

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Under the Lights

As promised, I HAD to continue the Daylight Falls saga. There was just no way I could continue with anything else knowing I had that book sitting on my Kindle waiting to be read.

8 hours later, done. Like I told you yesterday, these are quick, fun reads. For me, I consider them brain candy. However, this second book had a fantastic twist that I definitely didn’t see coming–and I wish more books had.

In Behind the Scenes, there are basically four main characters:  Ally, her best friend Vanessa, Vanessa’s co-star Liam, and his best friend Josh. Ally and Liam hook up in that book, so it would make logical sense that the second book would be the other two getting together right? And, at first, it totally seems like that. To be honest, I was rolling my eyes a bit, and settling in for a boring book. I really didn’t like them together–I though they were pretty shallow characters in the first one.

But, oh nay nay!

I won’t go into a whole lot of detail here about the plot, because I want you to go pick this series up (Under the Lights is due out June 30, so you have a month to read Behind the Scenes!). However, I will tell you that this one includes not only POC characters, but also Gay and Bi characters as well. It talks a lot about how important representation is in the media and on screen, and how hard it is to come out to friends and family.

I was expecting just another New Adult romance novel, but I got so much more than that. I hope Dahlia Adler continues to write these kinds of characters and stories, because they are so important! Go get your hands on book #1, so you can read #2 at the end of the month!

 

NetGalley provided this ARC for an unbiased review.

Behind the Scenes

When I look for ARCs to request, I usually look for new authors or first books in a series. Sometimes it is painful–because I often get hooked on a run that won’t release the second book for a long time! But, it is worth it to discover the next big thing that I wouldn’t ordinarily pick up, or be way behind in a trend (which I always seem to be).

But…guys, I goofed. I accidentally picked one that was the second in a series. OOPS! Easy fix though–my library had the first book in stock, so I picked it up and took it to town. (Oh darn, I had to read just one more book, right? LOL!)

Behind the Scenes was a quick read, too. This New Adult fiction novel was instantly addictive, just like the gossip columns that Ally so desperately tries to avoid. She just wants a “normal” life. Go to prom, graduate, fulfill her dream of a Columbia education. But that is impossible with a best friend who just got a leading role in the next big TV drama, and a dad with terminal cancer. Not only that, but the very HOT male co-star is paying a lot of attention to her off camera.

This book is so fun. It’s definitely not something I would normally pick up, but honestly, I loved it. I will say that some parts did frustrate me about Ally’s character. She would be hurting, upset jealous. She’d be thinking about her dying father–and then Liam would say “Come take your pants off,” and she’d come running, no matter what was going on at home or what he’d done to upset her. It made me what to scream at her to stand up for herself and trust her gut.

So, my Mama Bear instincts came out a bit, but that just means I really got sucked in. I am super looking forward to book #2, so I may jump right in to that next! Watch for the review soon!

 

All the Rage

My brain is screaming right now.

I should have been prepared for it. I should have.

I’ve been hearing people talk about this book for a week. And I’ve been watching Courtney Summers tweet about it for longer than that.

But I wasn’t ready. Not for this.

Holy Jesus this was a damn good book. Think New Adult Gone Girl. That kind of heart racing suspense thriller. The entire time my brain was going “Is she killing them?” “Who is Kellan?” “Wait, what is going on?” “No, I’m wrong…this is happening…not that other thing….wait, what?!?!?!”

You are reading this on a Tuesday, but it’s Sunday afternoon when I’m writing this afternoon, and I started the book this morning. I’ve spent the last 4 hours with my Kindle glued to my hands. Once you pick this book up, you will not put it down.

I do have some bad news for you. All the Rage doesn’t get released until April 14. I KNOW! I’m so sorry. I was one of the lucky ones to get an ARC for this.

But, I do also have some good news. Courtney has been tweeting THIS LINK all week. She’s giving away a free copy of one of her previous books with any preorder. And trust me, you will want to order this book. DO IT.

 

Disclaimer:  I got a free ARC from NetGalley for this review.

Fulfills PopSugar #17:  A book a friend recommended

Getting over Garrett Delaney

Because a lot of the bloggers I follow are much younger than I am, a lot of the reviews I see tend to be YA or NA. Which is fantastic for me, because those are not genres that would otherwise make it on to my radar otherwise. I have so many classic and “adult” lit stacked up and listed for me to read, I would never get around to reading books written for the younger generations.

Now, there are a lot of people out there who think that because a book is classified as Young Adult, anyone over 20 has no business reading it. I just shake my head at all those naysayers. I am reading more and more from this group as I see the reviews pop up, mixing it in with the “regular” books I read. They are just as well written, thought out, etc. as any adult fiction. The characters are just younger. Every once in awhile I will come across one I don’t relate to, or that is awkward, but I find that in adult fiction too. And sometimes I will shake my head at how the teens talk. But that’s real life, lol…

Comes with being 27 on Tumblr!

Anyway, I should probably talk about this book huh?

This was definitely brain candy for me, it only took a few hours to read. But I really liked the premise. I saw a review for it a week or so ago, and while I can’t remember who wrote it, I remember the blogger saying that she was expecting it to be just another girl drama where she trails after the boy. I kind of knew what to expect from that review, and I won’t spoil it too much for you. Just know that this isn’t your typical teen romance. I did get a little frustrated with how she handles her friends, and how some of the situations went down….but again, I’m a 27 year old looking in on a 17 year old. So….hindsight is 20/20 kind of thing I guess. I am no longer in high school, dealing with girl drama. (THANK GOD FOR THAT.)

Really just a great, quick YA/NA read.

Favorite New Adult

Today I am supposed to write about my Favorite New Adult book. However, prior to this challenge, I did not even know this genre existed. I even had to ask Tee what “NA” was!

Since this is a new genre, and I am on the older end of it, I missed the boat it seems. However, in the spirit of the May challenge, I didn’t want to just not do a post.

So:

I obviously do not have a favorite, but I want to hear yours! What books in this genre do you recommend? Send me a few suggestions and maybe I’ll read a few and review them.