IMM (49): The Hunger Games & Amazing Amazon Birthday Edition

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. IMM is a meme in which I post the books and/or swag I won, received, for review, bought, borrowed, or ect. over the course of each week!

 
AMAZON BIRTHDAY GIFTS!:
(my choices on my birthday wish list from my dad!!!) 
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles (Hardback)
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway (Hardback)
Wanted by Sara Shepard (Hardback)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Hardback)
Plus by Veronica Chambers (Paperback)
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran (Paperback)
The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti (Paperback)
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Paperback)
The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti (Paperback)
Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder (Paperback) 
+ 2 DS games

 

BOUGHT FROM WALDENBOOKS: 
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Paperback only $6 with coupon) 
Hunger Games Mockingjay Keychain! ($4 with purchase of a HG book)

 

FOR REVIEW: 

Fixing Delilah Hannaford by Sarah Ockler (Paperback from Hip Scouts) 

Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love edited by Trisha Telep

(Paperback from Running Press Book Publishers)

Have you read any of these? What did you get this week?

Endless Summer: The Boys Next Door; Endless Summer Review

Title: Endless Summer: The Boys Next Door; 
Endless Summer

Author: Jennifer Echols

Number of Pages: 624
Genre: Romantic Comedy
 Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: May 25, 2010

My Edition: Signed Paperback

Reading Level: Young Adult

Received From: Jennifer Echols
Author's Website: jenniferechols.com 

Summary from Amazon:
Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer.

Lori can’t wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends--including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she's always been just one of the guys. Now that she’s turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that’s not going to happen--not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.

Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori’s romantic summer melt into one hot mess? 

Review: 
The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer were the perfect light summer, beachy reads, so I speed through them very quickly. I started and read about 20 pages when I had a couple free minutes to read, but after that I laid down and didn't stop reading until five hours later when I'd finished reading the entire two books. I don't know if I was just in a really good reading mood or if the books were just that amazing, either way they were highly enjoyable, fun reads! The main character Lori and the Vader boys were highly entertaining and very funny but could be very annoying at times because of their love triangle plus many dumb misunderstandings. Thank goodness the second book was already there in my hands after I finished the first, so I didn't even have to stop to get the other book or have to wait at all for it. 

The Boys Next Door was for sure my favorite of the two because I loved the chase between Lori and the boys in their multiple fake, jealous "relationships", how sweet Adam was, and how it ended. I definitely liked Endless Summer also but just not as much as the first though. The plot of the first book was a lot more fun and charming than the second though because I didn't like that Lori and Adam couldn't be together in Endless Summer causing lots of tension which wasn't the funniest to read about. I really liked that in the second book how every other chapter switched by going back and forth between Lori and Adam's perspectives. At first though, I didn't realize it was Adam's point-of-view, so I was pretty confused until I realized the POV switch. It was pretty interesting knowing Adam's thoughts for a change instead of just a  girl's, but of course he starts be a tad jealous and not trusting when Lori and him are forbidden from seeing each other making his thoughts a little irritating.

Overall, I loved the romance and comedy elements in the books and loved the wonderful characters even more! I was just totally engrossed in their story the entire time and felt like I was really in the book with them experiencing it all as it happened. I recommend these books to any girl or even guy who is in the mood for a fun, summer read with lots of romance, fun, love, and wakeboarding! So far I have really enjoyed every book I've read by Jennifer Echols, so I can't wait to read more books by her! I just purchased The Ex Games by Echols for my Kindle, so I just have to wait for my Kindle to arrive to read it...

Rating:

Unraveled The Hunt: Decipher the Code and Win $100!

Gena Showalter’s YA series, Intertwined, about sixteen-year-old Aden Stone, a paranormal magnet who has, well had, four souls trapped in his head, continues this fall with the release of UNRAVELED (Harlequin, September 2010). Now, Aden is down to three souls bossing him around, but along the way he’s picked up the title of Vampire King to add to his ever-growing list of worries (which includes a prophecy that says he’ll bite the dust after a knife through the heart). To celebrate UNRAVELED’s release, Gena and her YA buds are hosting a scavenger hunt on their blogs.

The all-star lineup of hunt participants includes authors Rachel Caine, PC Cast, Marley Gibson, Rosemary Clement-Moore and Tina Ferraro, as well as Gena, natch, and The Knight Agency blog. Three grand prize winners will each win a $100 Visa gift card, plus Gena's giving away signed copies of UNRAVELED to five lucky runner-ups. All you have to do is find all eight letters, unscramble them and email the word to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net. To find out where the letters are hiding in the great internet universe, click here for a contest road map and rules.

This contest runs from Monday, August 30^th to Thursday, September 2^nd. All entries must be received by Monday, September 6^th at midnight ET.

Waiting on Wednesday (48): Hush by Eishes Chayil

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for Hush by Eishes Chayil! The summary sounds very different and intriguing plus the cover is pretty neat looking. Looking forward to reading it this September 14, 2010! The summary and cover below is from Amazon!

Inside the closed community of Borough Park, where most Chassidim live, the rules of life are very clear, determined by an ancient script written thousands of years before down to the last detail—and abuse has never been a part of it. But when thirteen-year-old Gittel learns of the abuse her best friend has suffered at the hands of her own family member, the adults in her community try to persuade Gittel, and themselves, that nothing happened. Forced to remain silent, Gittel begins to question everything she was raised to believe.

A richly detailed and nuanced book, one of both humor and depth, understanding and horror, this story explains a complex world that remains an echo of its past, and illuminates the conflict between yesterday's traditions and today's reality.

Cracked Up to Be Review

Title: Cracked Up to Be

Author: Courtney Summers

Number of Pages: 224
Genre: Contemporary
 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: December 23, 2008

My Edition: Bargain Book Paperback

Reading Level: YA, Ages 14+

Bought From: Amazon
Author's Website: courtneysummers.ca

Summary from Goodreads: 
This year, Essie Green’s life is going to be different. She’s made the cheerleading squad and caught the eye of the captain of the football team
...more What's the worst thing you've ever done? When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her counselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth. Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year,...more  
Review: 
Cracked Up to Be was an amazingly witty, thought-provoking, and funny novel about a girl who's determined to shut everyone out and to let her her life spiral out of control because of the events of one drunken night. The book is relatively short, so I read it all in just a couple of hours because I just could not stop reading. After finding on Amazon that Cracked Up to Be was selling a really cheap Bargain Book version, I knew I had to buy it because of all the great things that I've heard about it and the author. Because of that, I did have a high expectation going in, so fortunately the story was so much better than I could have ever imagined.

The story definitely addressed many tough high school situations and problems along with a brutally, honest female main character. Parker is one of those unforgettable characters whose story will keep you thinking about it long after finishing and also a story you will never forget about. She was so easy to hate because of her brutal personality but also so hard not to love and to relate to her. If I ever meet a girl like her, I have no idea how I react to her personality and behavior. I truly fell in love with the sweet and forgiving new kid's character Jake. He never gave up on trying to befriend and be around Parker even though she could be a real bitch most of the time. Parker's exboyfriend Chris was also pretty lovable since he couldn't stop loving and protecting Parker.

At one point, I even cried because of an emotional part in the middle of the book. I really enjoyed the fast-paced plot and also trying to figure out what made Parker crack and to decide she wanted to lose everything she worked so hard to get. By the end, you will definitely feel so much emotion for her as you find out what actually happened that night to her best friend. I have no complaints or anything that I didn't like about the book because it was just that great!

Overall, Cracked Up to Be was an amazing story with several unique and great characters that will have you wondering all along what really happened that night that caused Parker's breakdown. I highly, highly recommend picking up a copy immediately if you haven't read it yet. I'm really looking forward to read Some Girls Are and then her new book coming out this winter!

Rating:

IMM (48)

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. IMM is a meme in which I post the books and/or swag I won, received for review, bought, borrowed, or ect. over the course of each week!

FOR REVIEW:

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent (Paperback from Harlequin Teen Panel)  
BIRTHDAY GIFTS!: 

Avatar 2011 Calendar (has the most gorgeous pics from the movie!)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Magnets
Harry Potter Wand and Sticker set
Animated dolphin bookmark
Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood (Paperback) 
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Paperback Boxed Set: Books 1-3 by Rick Riordan
 + some clothes & other stuff

It's My Birthday, Vampires Suck Movie Trailer, and New Kindle Wi-Fi!

Hey guys, today is my 17th birthday...yay!! Unfortunately, I do have to work even though I requested off but oh well I should get used to it : ) Anyways, I'm going to see Vampires Suck after work with my BFF and out to dinner then presents and cake! I'll post my presents on my 'in my mailbox' post this Sunday. 

Here's the trailer for the hilarious Vampire Sucks movie:

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My present from my mom is......the new Kindle Wi-Fi in graphite!!! I'm so excited to get it, but I have to wait to get it until at least August 27th which is the release date plus more since it's sold out. I probably wouldn't be getting until sometime in September. I also ordered the Amazon pink case, but it will be sad when that arrives and I wouldn't have my Kindle to put it in. I absolutely can't wait to start reading ebooks on my Kindle! Does anyone have any ebook suggestions for me?

Waiting on Wednesday (47): Wish by Joseph Monninger

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for Wish by Joseph Monninger! The summary sounds unique and intriguing plus I love to swim and be in the water, so it sounds like a perfect read. Also, the cover is really cute and fun! Can't wait to read it this fall on November 9, 2010! The summary and cover below is from Goodreads.

Bee’s brother, Tommy, knows everything there is to know about sharks. He also knows that his life will be cut short by cystic fibrosis. And so does Bee.

That’s why she wants to make his wish-foundation-sponsored trip to swim with a great white shark an unforgettable memory.

But wishes don’t always come true. At least, not as expected. Only when Bee takes Tommy to meet a famous shark attack survivor and hard-core surfer does Tommy have the chance to live one day to the fullest.

And in the sun-kissed ocean off a California beach, Bee discovers that she has a few secret wishes of her own. . . .

Swoon Review

Title: Swoon

Author: Nina Malkin

Pages: 425
 Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: May 4, 2010

My Edition: ARC Paperback

Reading Level: Young Adult

Recieved From: Nina Malkin
Author's Website: ninamalkin.com

Summary from Goodreads: 
This year, Essie Green’s life is going to be different. She’s made the cheerleading squad and caught the eye of the captain of the football team
...more Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intensely drawn to him -- but not at all crazy about the havoc he's wreaking. Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent -- and irresistible -- adversary, before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him. What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year,...more  
Review: 
Throughout Swoon, Nina Malkin described and wrote an interesting and a definite swoon-worthy paranormal story with many colorful and enjoyable characters. Right from the start, I was engaged in the story and then became instantly hooked because of the unique beginning. However after reading the first 200 pages or so, I suddenly became a tad bored and thought it just kept dragging on and on which explains why it took me about a week to finish. Despite the dragging, I highly enjoyed the story and the paranormal romance aspects. By the end, it did speed up and did wrap everything up which is why I finished the end pretty quickly.

Candice aka Dice and the girls of Swoon with their single syllable nicknames surely made the story of the town of Swoon highly amusing and intriguing. After moving from her hometown New York, Dice is accepted only because of her über popular cousin Pen because she isn't a perfect blond like all the other Swoon girls. When Pen falls from a tree causing a vengeful spirit from over 200 hundred years ago to possess and take over her mind and body, the whole town starts to dramatically change. Dice finds herself instantly falling for the spirit, Sin, after she realizes what he is and that he's in her cousin. Sin's spirit is then released after a failed exorcism and begins to wreck havoc on Swoon for revenge of the death of his former love on the family members of those responsible for his death. The story continues through the very complicated back story of Sin and the messy relationship between Dice, Pen, and of course Sin.

I thought the girls' single syllabled nicknames were pretty funny and cute and also loved the name Sin as the definition pretty much describes his character completely. The town name, cover, and tagline were all just perfect! I also loved Dice and Sin's relationship but wish Dice could have had the perfect relationship with Sin in the end because I really liked her character. The ending wrapped up the confusion of Sin's past and even resulted in the conclusion of his unrest over his death and the unsolved murder. The ending was definitely much faster paced and had some very surprising moments.

Overall, Swoon was a great story but could have been a little better if it wasn't as long and had moved along a little faster. If you want to swoon like me and the rest of the girls from Swoon, then I would pick up a copy of Swoon today!

Rating:

IMM (47)

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. IMM is where I post the books and/or swag I won, received for review, bought, borrowed, or ect.  

FOR REVIEW:

Werelove: Dusk Conspiracy Book 1 by Lakisha Spletzer (Paperback from author) 
Lockdown: Escape from Furnace Book 1 by Alexander Gordon Smith (Paperback from HH InGroup) 

WON: 

the cutest metal string bookmark with charms won from Nikola's Book Blog 
and made by Lark's Country Heart

Blog Survey: +5 Entries for August Celebration Giveaway

(I just had to add the adorable cookie monster cupcake again lol!)   

Since today is my blogoversary, I would love to have some honest feedback about my blog. The survey can be completed anonymously or if you want +5 entries in my August Celebration Giveaway then leave your name and email. If you have already entered my August Celebration Giveaway then I will add the +5 entries to your amount of entries myself. The survey is on Goggle Docs HERE! I can take any positive and negative feedback...so please honest. Thanks everyone!

It's My One Year Blogoversary!

On this day one year ago on August 13th 2009, I started this lovely little (kind of pathetic back then) blog An Addicted Book Reader! My blog has developed and come sooo far since then, and it couldn't have happened without the support of many fellow bloggers, my followers, and all the lovely authors, publishers, and bloggers that have sent me so many amazing books. Thank you everyone, and I <3 you all! 

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Here's some stats & firsts of An Addicted Book Reader over this amazing year:

# of reviews: 70

# of posts: 272

# of books read in 2010: 54

# of followers: 386

# of author interviews: 3

# of contests: 11

1st book reviewed: Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz 
1st ARC from blogger: Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

1st ARC request: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance: Candle Man Book 1 by Glenn Dakin

1st blog award: The Lemonade Award

1st blog contest win: box of 17 books from Elizabeth Scott

The Naughty List: A Debut Author Challenge Mini Review

Title: The Naughty List

Author: Suzanne Young

Pages: 272
 Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: February 4, 2010

My Edition: ARC Paperback

Reading Level: Young Adult
Challenge Read For: 2010 Debut Author Challenge

Won From: Story Siren - Feb DAC winner

Summary from Amazon: 
This year, Essie Green’s life is going to be different. She’s made the cheerleading squad and caught the eye of the captain of the football team
...more As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn’t enough responsibility! Tessa Crimson’s the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad–turned–spy society dedicated to bringing dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting wouldn’t be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List has been proven 100% guilty!

When Tessa’s own boyfriend shows up on the List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the rest, or will Tessa’s sneaky ways end in catastrophe?

The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year,...more  
Review: 
The Naughty List was a funny and unique debut book and such a pleasant surprise! The plot wasn't like anything that I have read before and since it was light and also funny, it made for the perfect book for my reading mood. Moving along quickly with several unexpected events, I bonded with the characters right from the start and just loved the premise of the story. Once I started reading, it was just so cute and good I didn't want to stop, so it didn't take me very long to finish. Despite how unique the plot was and it also very unrealistic that a cheerleading squad would form a society that catches boyfriend cheaters, but it was enjoyable so I didn't mind that it was unrealistic.

Overall, I highly enjoyed reading about the funny and charming SOS cheerleaders! I recommend The Naughty List to any girl who wants revenge for a former cheating boyfriend or just wants to read a story about girls catching the dirty cheaters. I can't wait to get my hands on the second book in the series, So Many Boys! 

Rating:

Losing Faith Cover Remake!

Princess Bookie is having another recreate a cover contest (yay!) and this time for Losing Faith by Denise Jaden. Here's the original cover and summary from Goodreads:

A terrible secret. A terrible fate.

When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don't know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but.

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don't line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith's final night...a secret that puts her own life in danger.

---------------------------------------------- 

Official Rules:
Open To US Only (unless you have a friend who will ship to you OR your willing to cover shipping via paypal and I will ship to you)
One Entry Per Person
Open Until August 14 unless we hit 50 before that!
First 50 participates In Mr Linky
We will be voting in rounds!
Your Image Must be savable, meaning I can right click on it and save it.
Denise will comment on top 5!

Prize:
Signed Copy of Losing Faith
Signed Bookmarks
Poetry Journal

Here's My Cover!

 

IMM (46)

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. IMM is where I post the books I won, received for review, bought, borrowed, or ect.  

I only received one book this week, but it's one I've been dying to read plus it's a Debut Author Challenge book! Thanks to the hundreds of Got Books contest events where I won this hardback copy of The Body Finder by Kimberley Derting. Here's the book description & cover from Goodreads:

   
Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

Queen of Secrets: A Debut Author Challenge Review

Title: Queen of Secrets

Author: Jenny Meyerhoff

Pages: 240
 Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publication Date: June 22, 2010

My Edition: Hardback

Reading Level: Young Adult
Challenge Read For: 2010 Debut Author Challenge

Received From: Henry Holt InGroup

Summary from Goodreads: 
This year, Essie Green’s life is going to be different. She’s made the cheerleading squad and caught the eye of the captain of the football team
...more This year, Essie Green’s life is going to be different. She’s made the cheerleading squad and caught the eye of the captain of the football team. However, she didn't expect her estranged cousin to join the football team. Micah is instantly branded a freak for praying during games, and Essie doesn’t want anything to do with him. As the football team’s teasing of Micah shifts into hazing, Essie is forced to make a choice between the boy she might love and the cousin she barely knows.
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year,...more  
Review: 

Queen of Secrets was a sweet and honest novel about a young teen torn between her best friends, her new boyfriend, her cousin and the popular crowd. The characters and storyline were a tad cliche but nonetheless very enjoyable to read about. I finished basically the entire book in a day while at work during breaks and was very sad when I finished, partly because I loved the characters and also because I didn't have anything else to read. The story moved along quickly through Essie's story and her many secrets and troubles. The ending ended a little too perfectly, but I liked that Essie, her friends, and her family were all happy and that she no longer had to keep any more secrets.

I liked Essie's character, but at some points I just didn't understand how she could be such a follower, naive, and secretive mainly about keeping that the weird, new kid is actually her cousin. She is a good girl but just makes several mistakes along the way of growing up. I liked the relationship between Austin and Essie a lot because Austin always was loyal and kind and also very different than the popular crowd. The back story of her family and dead parents was very troubled and sad, and I could never imagine going through both parents dying then growing up with my grandparents as my guardians.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading about all the great characters and story. I recommend Queen of Secrets to anyone looking for a fast paced, relatable, and fun story with some high school relationships and cliches. Meyerhoff's debut YA novel was a pleasant surprise, so I'm looking forward to hopefully more YA novels by her soon! 

Rating:

The Thirteenth Chime Cover Remake!

I'm entering another cover remake contest and this time for The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels! The original cover is already absolutely gorgeous, but I'm pretty happy how my cover remake turned out. Click the button below to go the original post and for all the details.

Original Cover & Description:

Destiny has finally found the life that she has always wanted. She is about to finish college, has a fiancé that loves her, and a great summer on the West Coast planned with her friend, Stephanie.

 

But her world is turned upside down when an antique clock mysteriously chimes thirteen times and someone attacks them, sending Stephanie and her mother to the hospital.
Alone, and without any help from the police, Destiny has no choice but to turn to the one man she had left behind a year ago - her ex-boyfriend, David.
 

Together, they must solve the riddle of the thirteenth chime before the clock strikes thirteen again. Yet as they face their own past and hearts, a trap over half a century old is waiting for them to become its prey.For revenge, fifty years is never too long…

My Cover:

Waiting on Wednesday (46): The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for The Lying Game by Shepard whose Pretty Little Liars series is just so addictive and good! It sounds just as scandalous and fun as PLL, so I'm definitely excited to read the new series. Can't wait to read it this winter on December 1, 2010!

 

The Lying Game

By: Sara Shepard

Description from Goodreads:
---------------------------------------------
New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard’s new series weaves a mystery of long-lost twins, mistaken identities, a duplicitous circle of friends, and cold-blooded murder. Combining juicy plot lines, to-die-for lifestyles, a tangled web of friendship and romance, magnetic characters, and sharp-witted narration from the afterlife, The Lying Game is an alluring cross between Pretty Little Liars and The Lovely Bones.

Foster kid Emma Paxton has only just discovered Sutton Mercer, the wealthy twin sister she never knew she had, when Sutton drops off the face of the earth, asking Emma to cover for her at home, school, and with her friends—just for a few days. At first Emma enjoys trying on her sister’s fabulous life: her fiercely loyal friends, her adoring boyfriend, her close-knit family. But as Emma is drawn deeper into Sutton’s world she finds the friends are not so fabulous, the boyfriend is not who she wants to be with, and the family is clinging to long-buried secrets and a veneer of functionality. And worst of all, Sutton may not be coming back. In fact, someone may have made sure she never could…and that someone knows Emma is not who she claims to be. Emma will need all her wits to survive The Lying Game.

Jane: A Debut Author Challenge Review

Title: Jane

Author: April Lindner

Pages: 384
 Publisher: Poppy

Publication Date: October 11, 2010

My Edition: ARC Paperback

Reading Level: Young Adult

Received From: Hip Scouts

Summary from Amazon: 
Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, a world-famous rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance.

But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?

An irresistible romance interwoven with a darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year,...more  
Review: 

April Lindner wrote a refreshingly sweet and enchanting debut novel about a young woman's experience through a loss, finding love, and discovery of beautiful self. Jane is a modern retelling of the classic Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and was so fantastic that by the end, I longed to start reading the classic Jane Eyre right away! The wonderful loveable characters and story were so great and very hard not to like, that to stop reading was virtually impossible. The reality of the plot ever happening is slim to none though, but besides that it was highly enjoyable to read.

Jane even though being a retelling of a classic was very unique and enjoyable. Jane knew her true self and her place in the world, but when suddenly both of her parents die leaving her with practically no money, she's forced to drop out of college and find a job as a nanny. Since Jane fit the criteria of level headed, non girly-girl, nor a obsessed fan of pop culture, she landed the job as being the nanny of a mega rock star's daughter Maddie. The story is all about Jane's experience at the Thornfield Park Mansion and the many new people she meets while there. All throughout the story were so many things I would have never expected but enjoyed them greatly! The romance in the story between Jane and her boss was sweet and irresistible, it made the story that much better.

Nico, Jane, and Maddie have made the list as some of my favorite characters from all the books I've read. They all had such unique personalities that made them much different than all the other literary characters but in a very good way. There were so many happy than sad moments but thankfully the end ended on a happy high note which I just adored. I loved Jane so much and definitely can't wait to read more from April Lindner in the future!

Rating: