Top Ten Tuesday: Book Recommendations If You're New to Contemporaries

August 15:  Ten book recommendations for ______________:

Good morning, Bookworms!! I'm often asked to recommend books to people who are new to contemporary novels, so I chose to share a few of my picks for today's Top Ten Tuesday!!


1. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - This book is one of the first books that I always recommend to someone that is new to contemporaries! I love the everything about this book. If you haven't read it yet, do it! Also, it's going to be a movie soon!

2. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen - Sarah is another go-to author that I recommend to someone looking for a great contemporary! It's hard to choose just one favorite of hers, but I really love The Truth About Forever!


3. Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy - I have had the pleasure of reading all of Julie Murphy's books the books that Julie Murphy has released so far, and they are all so good! Dumplin' is being made into a movie, and I bet it's going to be great as well!

4. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli - Becky has two awesome books out so far, and they are both SO GOOD. If you've not yet read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda or The Upside of Unrequited, add them to your TBR ASAP! And, yes... SIMON IS GOING TO BE A MOVIE TOO!!


5. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon - This is the only book that I've read so far by Nicola Yoon, but I loved it, and I can't wait to get started on The Sun is Also a Star! (Yep, Everything, Everything is ALREADY a movie! I still need to watch it!)

6. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I've read almost all of Rainbow Rowell's books, and they are all great! Fangirl is a particular favorite of mine. I need to reread it soon so that I can FINALLY read Carry On!


7. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson - I've only read about half of Morgan Matson's books so far, but I've really enjoyed all the ones I have read, including The Unexpected Everything!!

8. The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord - I have read all of Emery Lord's books, and they just get better and better with every new one she comes out with. Definitely check out her books!


9. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - This book is probably one of the very first YA contemporaries that I read, and I instantly fell in love with the genre. I really need to reread the series soon!

10. P.S. I Like You by Kasie West - If you've recently check out my last few Waiting on Wednesday picks, you'll know how much I really love Kasie West! I've read all of her contemporary novels, and she has quite a few out now! All her books are quick, fun reads. Do check them out!

That's my list for this week!!

What did you choose for your Top Ten Recommendations for today??
Leave a link so I can check out your post!!
And have a great Tuesday, all!

   

Week in Review • Week 32

Good Sunday morning, Bookworms!!
Did you guys have a great week??
Mine was busy, but I did manage to accomplish a few things!!

This week I finished reading not one but TWO books, and I DNFed another book, which I *still* haven't gotten used to doing, but have done a few times already this year. My thoughts for Lucky in Love by Kasie West are on the blog already, and The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby will be up this coming week!

I'm currently reading three books and listening to two audiobooks at the moment, so hopefully I'll have a much better book update next week. :)

I only had time to watch one movie this week, and of course it's a fave that I've seen about a MILLION times already, but Three Men and a Baby never gets old. *grin*

I *really* need to spend some time working on my movie watching goal for the year. Like with books, I set a goal to watch 100 movies again this year, and I've only managed 40 so far. I must fix that soon!

School has officially started back in our area, but we all survived the first two days back, so that's great for us. Next week will be their first full week back, and hopefully it will continue to go well. Though being back to school means less reading time for me, as I'm usually spending most of my time in the car waiting for people or carpooling people around. I'm hoping that I can manage my time better this year though. We shall see!!

That's about all for me this week!

My Thoughts: Lucky in Love by Kasie West (Audiobook)

Lucky in Love 
by Kasie West
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: July 25th 2017
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 333
ISBN: 9781338058017
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Audiobook

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Can’t buy me love…

Maddie’s not impulsive. She’s all about hard work and planning ahead. But one night, on a whim, she buys a lottery ticket. And then, to her astonishment—

She wins!

In a flash, Maddie’s life is unrecognizable. No more stressing about college scholarships. Suddenly, she’s talking about renting a yacht. And being in the spotlight at school is fun…until rumors start flying, and random people ask her for loans. Now Maddie isn’t sure who she can trust.

Except for Seth Nguyen, her funny, charming coworker at the local zoo. Seth doesn’t seem aware of Maddie’s big news. And, for some reason, she doesn’t want to tell him. But what will happen if he learns her secret? (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
I was really looking forward to reading Lucky in Love by Kasie West, as I’ve pretty much adored all of her previous books, and I was super curious to see how this one would compare. Needless to say, I loved it, just as I knew I would, and it’s definitely going on my list of books to re-read again soon!

There are a lot of characters to like in this book, including Maddie, the main character. I found myself relating to her in more than one way, except for the winning the lottery parts. (I would LOVE to know how that feels though!) I love her determination throughout the story, and am definitely envious that she knew what she wanted from her future, and was willing to do what she had to to get it. She has some great friends, though they do go through some trials throughout the story. I have to say that Seth was my favorite character in the story though. While others seemed fake, he didn’t, and I definitely appreciated that.

The storyline for the book revolves around Maddie winning the lottery, and the effects of that. This is the second book I’ve read this year that’s about a character winning the lottery, and I have to say that it really is fascinating to see how different viewpoints on the storyline. I can only imagine what people who win the lottery go through, so seeing it from someone else’s point of view is interesting. And, of course, the romance in the book is sweet, as it is in all of Kasie’s books that I’ve read so far. I think I enjoy that the most.  *grin*.

Also, I listened to the audiobook for Lucky in Love, and I think the narrator, Laurence Bouvard, did a great job with the voices! I will definitely be checking out more audiobooks narrated by her soon.

Overall; Lucky in Love is another great addition to Kasie West’s growing collection!! I can never get enough of her books, so it’s probably a good thing that she’s a writing machine. I just picked another of her upcoming releases for my *Waiting on Wednesday* pick recently, and I’m super excited to check it out as well!

My Thoughts: Who's That Girl by Blair Thornburgh

Who's That Girl
by Blair Thornburgh
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Publication Date: July 11th 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780062447777
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary | Glbt
Source: Review Copy

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This laugh-out-loud debut is filled with hilarious awkward encounters, a supportive LGBTQ organization, and too many cheesy lyrics to count—all with the compulsive readability of Audrey, Wait! and Boy Meets Boy.

Junior Nattie McCullough has always been that under-the-radar straight girl who hangs out in the cafeteria with her gay-straight alliance friends. She’s never been the girl that gets the guy, let alone the girl that gets a hit song named after her. But when last summer’s crush, smoking-hot musician Sebastian Delacroix—who has recently hit the mainstream big-time—returns home to play a local show, that’s just what she gets. He and his band, the Young Lungs, have written a chart-topping single—“Natalie”—which instantly makes Nattie second guess everything she thought about their awkward non-kiss at that June pool party. That it was horrific. That it meant nothing. That Sebastian never gave her another thought.

To help keep her mind off of Sebastian and his maybe-about-her, maybe-not-about-her song, Nattie throws herself into planning the school’s LGBTQIA dance. That proves problematic, too, when Nattie begins to develop feelings for her good friend Zach. With the song getting major airplay and her once-normal life starting to resemble the cover of a gossip magazine, Nattie is determined to figure out once and for all if her brief moment with Sebastian was the stuff love songs are made of—or just a one-hit wonder. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
I was super curious to start reading Who’s That Girl, as the summary for the book sounded really interesting, and I couldn’t wait to see what it was about. I started reading the book in July, but unfortunately didn’t have a chance to finish it until this week. But, I’m not too far behind, and I did finish the book, so, go me!!

Who’s That Girl is full of interesting characters, including the main character, Nattie, who is nerdy and awkward, and totally relatable in so many different ways. She has so interesting friends in her bestie, Tess, two guys named Zach, one who is apparently Tall Zach, and the other is Zach the Anarchist, who Nattie ends up having lots of adorably, as well as painfully, awkward interactions with. Her mom and dad are pretty cool also, and I love her foreign exchange student-brother Sam as well. As I said, lots of interesting characters to get to know in this story!

The storyline for the books revolves around Nattie discovering that her crush from the previous year has wrote a song about her, a song with the same title as her name, and one that is topping the music charts at an alarming pace. It was interesting to see Nattie’s reaction to all this, although I do think that she was a little over-dramatic at times, but then again, I’ve never had a song written about me before, so what do I know? It’s also about the group planning an LGBTQIA dance at their local high school, which was not at all as easy as they expected. I actually enjoyed this part of the book much more than I did about the pop song, but maybe that’s just me. *grin*

Overall; Who’s That Girl is a quick, fun read, one that I would have normally probably read in one sitting if my schedule had not been messed up this month. It was definitely the characters that made the story for me, especially Nattie and Zach, as I appreciated their adorably awkward interactions so much. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by Blair Thornburgh in the future!

Waiting on Wednesday #286 - Hamilton and Peggy by L.M. Elliott

Hamilton and Peggy: A Revolutionary Friendship
by L.M. Elliott
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Publication Date: February 18th 2018
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN: 9780062671301

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For fans of the extraordinary Broadway musical Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author L. M. Elliott delivers a richly detailed historical novel about the lively Peggy Schuyler and her devoted friendship to Alexander Hamilton during the drama of the American Revolution.

Revolutionary. Friend. Lover. Sister.

Peggy Schuyler has always felt like she’s existed in the shadows of her beloved sisters: the fiery, intelligent Angelica and the beautiful, sweet Eliza. The three of them have a magnetic pull—they are stronger together than they are alone. But it’s in the throes of a chaotic war that Peggy finds herself a central figure amid Loyalists and Patriots, spies and traitors, and friends and family. Charming, quick-witted, and clever beyond compare, Peggy is determined to use her talents to make her own mark on the Revolutionary War.

When a flirtatious aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, writes an eloquent letter to Peggy asking for her help in wooing the earnest Eliza, Peggy finds herself unable to deny such an impassioned plea. A fast friendship forms between the two, but Alexander is caught in the same war as her father, General Philip Schuyler, and the danger to all their lives is real. Everything is a battlefield—from the front lines to their carefully coded letters—and Peggy must put herself in harm’s way to protect the people she loves. But will her bravery and intelligence be enough to keep them all safe? (Goodreads)

Did you know that I love all things Hamilton??
So, of course I want to check out this book!!
You have to admit, it does sound pretty cool.
I can't wait to check it out!!

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

My Thoughts: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

The Son of Neptune
(The Heroes of Olympus #2)
by Rick Riordan
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Publication Date: October 4th 2011
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Books
Pages: 521
ISBN: 9781423140597
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Mythology
Source: Own

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Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem — when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery — although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely — enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
Can I tell you how excited I was to start The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan?? SO EXCITED! I did not expect to enjoy The Heroes of Olympus series as much as I am, but after reading The Lost Hero last month, I couldn’t wait to get started on The Son of Neptune. I did not at all think it would be possible to enjoy this series just as much as the Percy Jackson series, but I am, and I can’t wait to continue along.

As I mentioned above, I didn’t expect to enjoy this book more than I did The Lost Hero, but I did. Probably because the first book was missing the one character that I love the most in the series, and we finally get to see him here, along with an all new cast as well. (Which is another thing I love about this spin-off series; we get to meet a lot of interesting new characters, but some of our faves are still around as well.) There were a lot of great characters in the story, but I really love both Hazel and Frank, who were both completely fascinating and totally adorable as well. I’m super curious to see what’s going to happen next for this group of Heroes.

The storyline for the book follows the same line as The Lost Hero, though while the previous book was set in around the familiar Camp Half-Blood, in this book it was set around Camp Jupiter, which is the camp for Roman demi-gods. You’d think this would get confusing, but it really doesn’t, although I do have to stop myself once in a while to remember the Roman names of the Greek Gods, but that’s just me. I’m really enjoying the storyline for this series, and I can’t wait to read the next three books in it to see where exactly this story is going!

Overall; As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed The Son of Neptune! It was a great sequel to The Lost Hero, and I am now super excited to be starting The Mark of Athena, which is the third book in the series. Also, I am SO glad that this whole series has already been published, as I think I would go a little insane if I had to wait a year or more to see what’s going to happen next. *grin*. If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, you definitely need to check out The Heroes of Olympus!!

My Thoughts: Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

Once and For All
by Sarah Dessen
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: June 6th 2017
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Pages: 358
ISBN: 9780425290330
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Own

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As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, Sarah Dessen's thirteenth novel, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine.

Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that's why she's cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm's length. But Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged, now that he's met the one girl he really wants.

Sarah Dessen’s many, many fans will adore her latest, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story that has everything—humor, romance, and an ending both happy and imperfect, just like life itself. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
Once and For All by Sarah Dessen was one of my most anticipated reads for 2017, and I’m thrilled to have finally read the book. Earlier this Summer I decided to start my very own Sarah Dessen Readathon, as a way to read all of Sarah’s previous books before starting this new one, as most of the books are connected in some small way, and there were a few of her books that I hadn’t yet read before. I enjoyed reading/rereading these books so much, and I’m thrilled that I have now read ALL of Sarah’s books! Once and For All was definitely a great addition to my much loved Sarah Dessen collection.

There are so many characters in this book to love, and like with a lot of Sarah’s previous main characters, I was able to relate to Louna in SO many ways. I really loved Louna, and her story was both sigh-inducing and heartbreaking as well. All she basically has for her family is her mom, who is awesome, and her mom’s best friend, William, who is practically her father figure. I loved them as well. But it was definitely Ambrose that stole the story for me. How could you not love Ambrose?! His incident with the tape dispenser was one of the most hilarious parts of the story, but there’s so much about him to love. Read the book and meet these characters for yourself, and I know you will love them as well.

I was super excited about the storyline of the book. I love a good wedding story, and with this being about wedding planners, I knew I would enjoy it. And I did! Yeah, the book was a little predictable, but maybe that’s just because I’ve read so many of Sarah’s books this year, I could see in advance where she was going with the story. But, that didn’t make me love it any less, as I was hooked as I turned the pages. This book made me laugh so many times, and had quite a few swoon-worthy moments, and even broke my heart in some places, but I loved it nonetheless. I can’t wait to read it again.

Overall; Once and For All is a most perfect summer read, and I’m so glad to have finally had a chance to read it. It definitely gave me all the feels. And, now that I’ve marked it off my TBR, I can officially say that I’ve read ALL of Sarah Dessen’s books! I’m really looking forward to rereading a few of them again soon.

Week in Review • Week 31

Happy Sunday morning, Bookworms!!

I'm going to warn you in advance that there's not much to see here this week.
The last few weeks of summer before the kids go back to school is always insane.
But I did get a little bit done!!

This week I only finished one book, Who's That Girl by Blair Thornburgh. This is actually a review book that I started reading last month, but I'm happy to have finally finished it. I'm hoping to have my thoughts for it up on the blog this week!!

No tv or movies this week...
Though I did notice that my DVR is almost completely full,
so I guess I better fix that soon. *grin*

As I mentioned above, things are a little crazy right now with school starting back soon, and Cheer season just started as well. There goes a lot of my free time. Haha! But hopefully I can get in some reading time when I'm waiting on the car or in the bleachers, which is where I usually do a bulk of my reading in the Fall/Winter season. I am SO behind on reading right  now, and of course, I would just happen to be in a reading slump as well. I'm hoping I can pull myself out of it soon!

That's all for me this week! Here's hoping for a better update next week!

Waiting on Wednesday #285 - The Traitor Prince by C.J. Redwine

The Traitor Prince
(Ravenspire #3)
by C.J. Redwine
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: February 13th 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
ISBN: 9780062653000

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Javan Najafai, crown prince of Akram, has spent the last ten years at an elite boarding school, far away from his kingdom. But his eagerly awaited return home is cut short when a mysterious imposter takes his place—and no one believes Javan is the true prince.

After barely escaping the imposter’s assassins, Javan is thrown into Maqbara, the kingdom’s most dangerous prison. The only way to gain an audience with the king — and reveal Javan’s identity — is to fight in Maqbara’s yearly tournament. But winning is much harder than acing competitions at school, and soon Javan finds himself beset not just by the terrifying creatures in the arena, but also a band of prisoners allied against him, and even the warden herself.

The only person who can help him is Sajda, who has been enslaved by Maqbara’s warden since she was a child, and whose guarded demeanor and powerful right hook keep the prisoners in check. Working with Sajda might be the only way Javan can escape alive — but she has dangerous secrets.

Together, Javan and Sajda have to outwit the vicious warden, outfight the deadly creatures, and outlast the murderous prisoners intent on killing Javan. If they fail, they’ll be trapped in Maqbara for good—and the secret Sajda’s been hiding will bury them both. (Goodreads)

Does this book sound great, or what??
I REALLY love retellings, even though this is a retelling I've not heard of before,
being from Arabian tale called The False Prince.
I'm super excited to check it out though!

I'm really behind on this series, having read the first book, The Shadow Queen
and loving it, but I *still* haven't read The Wish Granter, 

which I Must get to soon.
I can't wait to check out this new book!!

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

My August 2017 TBR & Most Anticipated Releases!!

Hellooooooo, August!!

August has officially arrived, and with it comes a really awesome TBR

that I absolutely can't wait to start!!

The past few months I've been taking on less review books,
choosing instead to spend more time reading books I've bought but haven't read yet, 

and also re-reading some of my faves!
(Harry Potter. *wink*)
I am enjoying doing this SO much,
and I definitely think I'm going to keep this trend up for a while.

My August TBR has two re-reads on it,
the first being Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,

and the second being The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.
My plan is to re-read one book in the series a month until
The Becoming of Noah Shaw is released in November,
so that the story will be super fresh in my brain.
Sounds like fun, yeah?

I'm also hoping to FINALLY get started on Always and Forever, Lara Jean,
which I meant to read last month at the beach, but didn't get to.

I'm also SUPER EXCITED to start Lord of Shadows, especially after
finally reading Lady Midnight last month,
and I really can't wait to read The Mark of Athena as well!
I'm enjoying these series so much.

I'm rounding out my TBR with a few review books,
(Just Friends by Tiffany Pitcock and In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody),
and a few eArcs as well. Add it all up, and you got my really awesome August TBR.

I can't wait to get started on it!!

August Pre-Orders:

Believe it or not I only have one book pre-ordered for August,
and that would be Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo,
because, it's Wonder Woman, y'all,
I can't wait to read it!

I'll end this super rambly post here, and if you made it this far, Thanks!
But before you leave, tell me...

What's on your August TBR??