Thursday, May 7, 2015

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Joyride by Anna Banks


Hey guys!! Today I am participating in the Blog Tour for Joyride by Anna Banks!!
Scroll down to check out more information about the book and the author, check out my review, and also read the Q&A I had with Anna!
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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22718685-joyride
Joyride
by Anna Banks
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Publication Date: June 2nd 2015
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781250039613
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Publisher

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

A popular guy and a shy girl with a secret become unlikely accomplices for midnight pranking, and are soon in over their heads—with the law and with each other—in this sparkling standalone from NYT-bestselling author Anna Banks.

It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.

Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.

All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh. (Goodreads)
When I heard that Anna Banks was writing a contemporary novel, I was super excited! I read her Syrena Legacy series last year, and really enjoyed it. I was super excited to see what she had come up with in her newest book, Joyride. I definitely was not disappointed!

I loved the main characters in this book the moment I first met them.  Carly lives with her older brother Julio, and works every day while going to school so that they can save up enough money to have their parents and siblings smuggled back into the states. She keeps her head down and keeps out of trouble the best she can, because if you aren’t noticed, then no one knows your business. Arden is from a wealthy family, has had everything handed to him on a silver platter, but he wants none of it. After the death of his sister, who suffered from mental illness, he gave up all the things he used to love, including football, girls, and most importantly, pulling pranks. His main goal these days is doing whatever he can do to tick off his father, who happens to the town sheriff. When Arden and Carly’s paths finally cross, Arden realizes that Carly would make the perfect partner in crime. But what starts out as a fun adventure, turns into something much more. Arden are Carly really were the perfect team, and I enjoyed watching the relationship grow between these two characters.

As a mom, I cannot imagine being in Carly’s shoes, or even putting one of my kids in Carly’s shoes. Having as much pressure put on her shoulders by her mother and brother is unthinkable, and what’s worse, is knowing that this actually happens in real life. And while we are on the subject of parents, I must say that Arden’s dad is completely awful as well. So awful.

Joyride is a book that touches on so many different issues, important issues that I’m sure a lot of young adults deal with on a daily basis, including immigration, racism, mental illness, and more. I love seeing this included in more and more young adult novels lately. I really loved the diversity in the book as well, and that’s something we are starting to see a lot more of also. Even though this is a contemporary novel, which I love and have read a lot of, there were still so many things different from the norm in this book, and I enjoyed that so much.

I can’t end this review without talking about all the practical pranks in the story. Oh my goodness, some of these pranks had me rolling in my seat, they were so funny. And if you read my Q&A with Anna below, you will see that she actually pulled ALL the pranks that were in Joyride!! Haha!

Overall; I really enjoyed reading Joyride. Anna Banks did a wonderful job with this book. I enjoyed the characters, the storyline, and the setting so much. I hope you all enjoy the book as well, and I can’t wait to see what Anna has in store for us next!

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About the Author:

NYT Bestselling YA author of The Syrena Legacy series: OF POSEIDON (2012) OF TRITON (2013) OF NEPTUNE (2014). Repped by rockstar Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency. I live with my husband and daughter in the Florida Panhandle. I have a southern accent compared to New Yorkers, and I enjoy food cooked with real fat. I can't walk in high heels, but I'm very good at holding still in them. If you put chocolate in front of me, you must not have wanted it in the first place.

Visit Anna’s website and follow her on Twitter!



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*Q&A with Anna!!*

For part of the Joyride Blog Tour, I got the chance to ask Anna some interesting questions! I love her answers, so keep reading and check them out!!


1. What inspired you to write Joyride?

I’ve always loved the movie Pretty In Pink. I think it’s romantic that two teens from opposite sides of society are strong enough to stand up to deeply entrenched social rules and make their relationship work against all the odds. But I didn’t want the division between Carly and Arden to just be about money; I wanted it to be much, much more difficult to overcome, something that applies in our day and time. I couldn’t decide on only one aspect of society, so I chose to divide them with race, culture, and even the law. Since that’s a lot to deal with, I also gave the book a Bonnie & Clyde aspect, because these characters need the chance to blow off some steam—and if you’ve read any of my other books you know I’m a fan of comedy!


2. There are some really serious topics discussed in the novel; immigration, racism and mental illness being a few. Explain the significance of including these topics in books today.

There are a lot of people who think any of these topics are too serious for a YA novel and to put all of them in one book could have these folks screaming “Overload!” But my intent isn’t to drown the reader in so many social issues, so much as it is to invite the reader to take a good look at them, to really dig in and examine what these issues could mean for any one of us. Maybe some of us would normally shy away from these subjects in everyday life, as they are pretty controversial.

But here’s the thing: Reading is such a personal experience, and such a private one, that this is your chance to decide who you are in relation to these characters and their issues. I want the reader to have an emotional attachment to not only Carly, but who Carly represents among us. For not only Arden, but for who he represents. JOYRIDE is an invitation, nothing more.

Truthfully, I have a hope that soon, no one will have to explain the significance of these topics, that their significance will speak for itself. Until then, these topics deserve a voice—not one but many—and I’m volunteering as tribute. 


3. How different was the experience writing this book, compared to your Syrena Legacy series?

If I compared writing JOYRIDE to writing OF POSEIDON, the difference would be day and night. There are similarities, sure, like the sarcasm and the humor and the romance. These are things that will always be in my books. But while I created a new society in the Syrena Legacy books, I was forced to explore sides of an already existing one with JOYRIDE, and sometimes those sides could be unpleasant—and downright heartbreaking. Writing Emma was easy, because she just came naturally to me. I was like Emma in a lot of ways. But writing Carly was different. I didn’t grow up like Carly. I didn’t know the hardships Carly suffered. I had to figure out who Carly was before I could write her—and it took several drafts to pin that down. The hardest part was making sure she couldn’t be categorized or stereotyped. She is just Carly. Strengths, weaknesses, hopes, dreams, fears, and regrets. She’s a little bit of me, a little bit of you, and little bit of all of us. At least, that’s what I was going for.


4. What is your most favorite things about Carly and Arden?

I love the push and pull between Carly and Arden. It’s not insta-love with these two, and it’s not even insta-attraction. What these two have is a need for each other that they come to realize in unexpected ways. It’s like that Billy Joel song, For the Longest Time, where he says, “Oh how I need you, and how you needed me to. That hasn’t happened for the longest time.”

They’re both strong and independent, and perfectly capable on their own, but together they are a force to reckon with. Individually, I adore Carly’s work ethic and her imperviousness to BS. For Arden, his easy-peasy attitude, and his tendency toward BS.


5. What is the biggest prank you've ever played??

God, there are hundreds. Seriously, it’s just my thing. I’ve pulled all of the pranks in JOYRIDE, but the car I stole wasn’t a cop car. But I digress…I once convinced the head cheerleader that I was a witch and that I cast a spell on her (I had my niece help me pull off the execution of this which, among other things, involved moving her stuff around in the locker room while we were in PE and putting red food dye in her water bottle). I actually got into her head, so much so that she told on me, and I had to see the school counselor twice a week for an entire semester, and was subsequently asked by the principal to please remove the spell.

Me: What spell?
Principal: It’s a violation of school policy to cast a spell on school grounds.
Me: There’s a policy for that??
Principal: I’m going to call your parents.
Me: I’ll remove it. *grumbles*

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Don't forget to check out the other bloggers on the tour as well!

5/7 - The Reader Bee 5/16 - Green Bean Teen Queen 5/25 - Love At First Page
5/8 - A Perfection Called Books 5/17 - Gone With The Words 5/26 - Adventures of a Book Junkie
5/9 - The Young Folks 5/18 - Bumbles and Fairytales 5/27 - Dana Square
5/10 - Love Is Not a Triangle 5/19 - Fiktshun 5/28 - Rather Be Reading
5/11 - The Eater of Books 5/20 - Curling Up With A Good Book 5/29 - Paper Riot
5/12 - Xpresso Reads 5/21 - Swoony Boys Podcast 5/30 - Mundie Moms
5/13 - WhoRU Blog 5/22 - A Reader’s Adventure 5/31 - Mary Had A Little Book Blog
5/14 - Bewitched Bookworms 5/23 - The Irish Banana 6/1 - Alice Marvels
5/15 - A Book and A Latte 5/24 - Exlibris Kate 6/2 - MacTeenBooks Blog



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Giveaway Rules:

One winner will receive a copy of Joyride by Anna Banks!
US/Canada only
Must be 13 or older to enter.

Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

4 comments:

  1. Hi guys, Anna Banks here! Thanks so much to The Reader Bee for hosting me today. I wanted to stop by and thank you all as well for visiting and checking out JOYRIDE. If you'd like a signed bookmark and bookplate, feel free to email me at byannabanks@gmail.com. Happy Thursday! :)

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  2. The closest thing I have ever done that has come close to a prank was playing ding dong ditch when I was a kid! Hahah

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  3. I've never really played a prank on anyone, to be honest. *hides* But I definitely should since it sounds like it would be fun! Suggestions anyone?

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  4. Gee I don't think I really pulled a big prank on a family member or friend. I'd say whenever there was a sleepover, the first person who fell asleep was drawn on! haha
    Thank you for this amazing chance! :)

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Thanks for stopping by! :)