Friday, April 28, 2017

Book Trailer Friday [@DisneyHyperion]

The Dark Prophecy the second book in the Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan will be out May 02, 2017 and published by Disney Hyperion here is the trailer for it:




about The Dark Prophecy:


Zeus has punished his son Apollo—god of the sun, music, archery, poetry, and more—by casting him down to earth in the form of a gawky, acne-covered sixteen-year-old mortal named Lester. The only way Apollo can reclaim his rightful place on Mount Olympus is by restoring several Oracles that have gone dark. What is affecting the Oracles, and how can Apollo do anything about them without his powers?

After experiencing a series of dangerous—and frankly, humiliating—trials at Camp Half-Blood, Apollo must now leave the relative safety of the demigod training ground and embark on a hair-raising journey across North America. Fortunately, what he lacks in godly graces he's gaining in new friendships—with heroes who will be very familiar to fans of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus series. Come along for what promises to be a harrowing, hilarious, and haiku-filled ride. . . .

pre-order from Amazon or Book Depository

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

The Wtichfinder's Sister ~ Beth Underdown (earc) review [@bethunderdown ‏@penguinrandom]

The Witchfinder's Sister
Ballantine Books
April 25, 2017
304 pages
add to Goodreadsf/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon


'VIVID AND TERRIFYING' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

The number of women my brother Matthew killed, so far as I can reckon it, is one hundred and six...

1645. When Alice Hopkins' husband dies in a tragic accident, she returns to the small Essex town of Manningtree, where her brother Matthew still lives.

But home is no longer a place of safety. Matthew has changed, and there are rumours spreading through the town: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book, in which he is gathering women's names.

To what lengths will Matthew's obsession drive him?
And what choice will Alice make, when she finds herself at the very heart of his plan?



'A richly told and utterly compelling tale, with shades of Hilary Mantel' Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat

'Anyone who liked Cecilia Ekback's Wolf Winter is going to love this' Natasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

'Beth Underdown grips us from the outset and won't let go...at once a feminist parable and an old-fashioned, check-twice-under-the-bed thriller' Patrick Gale, author of Notes from an Exhibition

'A tense, surprising and elegantly-crafted novel' Ian McGuire, author of The North Water

'Beth Underdown cleverly creates a compelling atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia... Even from the distance of nearly four hundred years, her Matthew Hopkins is a genuinely frightening monster' Kate Riordan

The Witchfinder's Sister is different than other novels about witch hunts or witch trials from the very beginning: rather than being about the accused or the accuser, it's character is the sister of the man to whom people take all of those accusations. It offers a different perspective than other books I have read focused on similar events and also allows readers and outside view of those who are accused or making the accusations. It's at once both more objective and that much more personal.

We see how Alice and Matthew's relationship was when they were children - how they were with each other, how other's treated him - and know that relationship is now very strained, without at first having a the full reason why. Knowing both how they were and how they are let's us infer more about both of them while also adding an element of uncertainty, maybe even danger, to Alice's tale.

This novel does an excellent job portraying of what little concern women - especially those who were not your mother or your wife - were to men at the time. Through the different accusations made against women, most especially when we learn what they're for and the circumstances around which they came to be - as well as how people react, what they'll believe, if they care even if they don't, etc we really get the bigger picture, too.

You can understand much more, after reading The Witchfinder's Sister, how so many women came to be accused of witchcraft, why other women were often their accusers and how things could spread so quickly. Having Matthew at the center of things, and viewed through his sister Alice, suggests some possible reasons (historically accurate or not) why someone would help fan these fears and doubts. You can see why people didn't try to calm things, why there was the hysteria.

I would not have assumed this was Beth Underdown's debut novel; it is well researched with fantastic characters. The characters and the historical setting work together to give us a tale both fitting within the period but with great modern day relevance. I am very much looking forward to more from this author.








digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

Waiting On Wednesday [@TaraGoedjen @DelacortePress]

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

My pick for this week:


THE BREATHLESS by Tara Goedjen

No one knows what really happened on the beach where Roxanne Cole’s body was found, but her boyfriend, Cage, took off that night and hasn’t been seen since. Until now. One year—almost to the day—from Ro’s death, when he knocks on the door of Blue Gate Manor and asks where she is.

Cage has no memory of the past twelve months. According to him, Ro was alive only the day before. Ro’s sister Mae wouldn’t believe him, except that something’s not right. Nothing’s been right in the house since Ro died.

And then Mae finds the little green book. The one hidden in Ro’s room. It’s filled with secrets—dangerous secrets—about her family, and about Ro. And if what it says is true, then maybe, just maybe, Ro isn’t lost forever.

And maybe there are secrets better left to the dead.


published October 10th by Delacorte Press

add to your Goodreads shelf // pre-order from Book Depo // or Amazon


Why?

I love that cover - the house, the trees, the shadows, the water - so much. I also really like books with characters who have memory problems/something weird with their memories, it makes things intriguing and (usually) mysterious and suspenseful. Adding in that the house has a name (all the best ones do, right?), that there's the question of magic, of life and death and I am really excited for this one.

Plus, it comes out in October and that is a great month for spooky, creepy, mysterious books of all sorts!



That's my pick for this week, what's yours? Tell me in the comments and/or link me to your own post!

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Stick Cat ~ Tom Watson review [@HarperChildrens]

Stick Cat: Cats in the City (Stick Cat #2)
Harper Collins
April 25, 2017
224 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

*The Kindle version of Stick Cat: A Tale of Two Kitties is currently (4/25) only $1.99

Join Stick Cat and his incomparable sidekick Edith on another dangerous, epic, and hilarious rescue mission in Tom Watson’s Stick Cat: Cats in the City!

With over-the-top fun and humor, this scrumptious story features Tom Watson’s trademark laughs, adventure, and hilarious stick-figure drawings, perfect for fans of the Stick Dog, Big Nate, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.

Stick Cat is going somewhere he’s never been before—his best friend Edith’s apartment. It’s got everything: donut crumbs in the sink, a fire escape, and a window with a great view of the big city. While admiring the view, Stick Cat sees trouble. Hazel, the bagel maker, is in serious danger in the building across the alley. Stick Cat will use his smarts—and Edith’s appetite—to devise a rescue plan. But can Hazel hang on long enough for this dynamic duo to save her?
I do not read a lot of children's books so Stick Cat: Cats in the City was not my usual read (it's for ages 8-12) but it looked cute. It is a fun read and it is cute. While it's the second Stick Cat book, there are only a few mentions of the first book - just enough to make you curious about that adventure but not spoil it if you haven't read it already.

Stick Cat and his friend Edith (who have an interesting way of visiting each other!) are two quite different cats. Stick Cat is more practical and accepting of things while Edith's a bit fussy and quite high maintenance. They're best friends, though, and have to work together if they want to save Hazel of Hazel's Bagels (which they do, but for different reasons).

The way they go about saving Hazel is pretty incredible (and not a little bit dangerous). The difference between Stick Cat's problem solving and planning and Hazel's confusion and focus on food makes for a humorous tale.

Stick Cat: Cats in the City is a book I would have enjoyed reading in elementary school and it is one that older readers can still enjoy if they're reading it to siblings, children, or kids they're babysitting.  (Tom Watson is also the author of the Stick Dog series books.)







finished copy received from publisher for review consideration

Monday, April 24, 2017

The Edge of the Abyss ~ Emily Skrutskie (earc) review [@skrutskie @Fluxbooks]

The Edge of the Abyss (The Abyss Surrounds Us #2)
Flux
April 18, 2017
281 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

Three weeks have passed since Cassandra Leung pledged her allegiance to the ruthless pirate-queen Santa Elena and set free Bao, the sea monster Reckoner she’d been forced to train. The days as a pirate trainee are long and grueling, but it’s not the physical pain that Cas dreads most. It’s being forced to work with Swift, the pirate girl who broke her heart.

But Cas has even bigger problems when she discovers that Bao is not the only monster swimming free. Other Reckoners illegally sold to pirates have escaped their captors and are taking the NeoPacific by storm, attacking ships at random and ruining the ocean ecosystem. As a Reckoner trainer, Cas might be the only one who can stop them. But how can she take up arms against creatures she used to care for and protect?

Will Cas embrace the murky morals that life as a pirate brings or perish in the dark waters of the NeoPacific?

The Edge of the Abyss is the sequel to 2016's The Abyss Surrounds Us (see my review here). The division of the two books was very smartly done. As only weeks have passed since the events of The Abyss Surrounds Us's ending not much time has passed, the big change is with (and in) Cas. Especially when comparing the beginning of the first book and the beginning of the second there's a marked difference in Cas's mindset: how she sees the pirates, how she sees the SRC and Reckoner training and, most importantly, her role with either/both.

This novel does a great job building on the world and relationships introduced in the first book. We now know about Reckoners, why they need training and what they can do. We know about Cas, her past and the decision she made to stay on the Minnow - and why. Now we get to see some of the repercussions of decisions made and things discovered in the first book. It's time for Cas to figure things out, to piece things together, and hopefully right some wrongs. Maybe even without dying in the process.

Things between Cas and Swift are not easy this second go round and the complications in their relationship help show us more of the pirate world, of how things operate and just how tricky things can be. I liked learning more about both of them and seeing how what they find out affected them.

Events of The Edge of the Abyss were not what I would have guessed would happen but were definitely the natural progression of things introduced in The Abyss Surrounds Us. It was a fun, exciting, sometimes frustrating, at times frustrating but always rewarding read. The development of the characters' relationships was wonderful. The ending was different than I thought it would be - even right up until it happened (and I love that!).

This was a great read and I look forward to more from author Emily Skrutskie.







digital copy received for review from publisher, via NetGalley

Friday, April 21, 2017

Book Trailer Friday [@simonteen @suzanne_young]

The Adjustment, the fifth book in The Program series by Suzanne Young was released on Tuesday, the 18th.



The Program Series books:
The Program [review]
The Treatment
The Recovery (#2.5)
The Remedy [review]
The Epidemic [review]
The Adjustment

The Remedy and The Epidemic are prequels to The Program, The Treatment, (The Recovery,) and The Adjustment but can be read after or before them.



How do you go back to a life you can’t remember? Find out in this follow up to the New York Times bestselling The Program and The Treatment.

Tatum Masterson never went through The Program. She never had her memory stripped, never had to fight to remain herself. But when Weston, her longtime boyfriend and love of her life, was taken by handlers, she hoped he’d remember her somehow—that their love would be strong enough.

It wasn’t.

Like all returners, Weston came back a blank canvas. The years he and Tatum spent together were forgotten, as well as the week when he mysteriously disappeared before The Program came for him.

Regardless of his memory loss, Tatum fights to get Weston to remember her. And just as they start to build a new love, they hear about the Adjustment—a new therapy that implants memories from a donor. Despite the risks, Tatum and Weston agree to go through the process. Tatum donates her memories from their time together.

But the problem with memories is that they are all a matter of perspective. So although Weston can now remember dating Tatum, his emotions don’t match the experiences. And this discrepancy is slowly starting to unravel him, worse than anything The Program could have done.

And as the truth of their life together becomes clear, Tatum will have to decide if she loves Weston enough to let him go, or to continue to live the lie they’d build together.

Prepare for your Adjustment.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Duels & Deception ~ Cindy Anstey (earc) review [@CindyAnstey @SwoonReads]

Duels and Deception
Swoon Reads
April 11, 2017
368 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon


Miss Lydia Whitfield, heiress to the family fortune, has her future entirely planned out. She will run the family estate until she marries the man of her late father's choosing, and then she will spend the rest of her days as a devoted wife. Confident in those arrangements, Lydia has tasked her young law clerk, Mr. Robert Newton, to begin drawing up the marriage contracts. Everything is going according to plan.

Until Lydia—and Robert along with her—is kidnapped. Someone is after her fortune and won't hesitate to destroy her reputation to get it. With Robert's help, Lydia strives to keep her family's good name intact and expose whoever is behind the devious plot. But as their investigation delves deeper and their affections for each other grow, Lydia starts to wonder whether her carefully planned future is in fact what she truly wants…
Duels and Deception is written by Cindy Anstey, author of last year's Love, Lies and Spies. Though the new novel is also a Regency romance, it does not overlap with the characters of Love, Lies and Spies or their lives. While I wouldn't have disliked seeing those characters again, I also liked that this was a wholly separate tale. It allows this to really be about Lydia, her family, Robert, his life and how it all intersects.

There is definitely still that wit, charm and humor that I loved in Anstey's first novel and I couldn't have been happier about that. There were whole passages I highlighted because the interaction between the characters, the way the societal norms were taken and (while still mattering greatly) spun on their heads a bit for humor. These characters absolutely felt the need to abide by what was expected, proper and decent but also managed to be completely not what you would expect from someone being proper decent or as expected.

At times it was a bit difficult to see that bigger picture that everything was a part of; it seemed like vents weren't always part of some larger plot but more just happening. It was all a part of some bigger, overall story, however. I liked that you could get so involved in what was currently happening that you forgot where it played in the grand scheme of things.

I enjoyed that details about Regency life, about what was expected of the different classes and genders, and how things worked were included and a part of the story. It not only lent a more realistic air to things but was great fun (and interesting).

The romance(s) in Duels and Deception are fantastic with the right amounts of chemistry, frustration (in regards to the era and how things must take place but also the different characters' involvements), humor and charm. It all makes for a superb read and I am absolutely, completely, one hundred percect looking forward to Cindy Anstey's next novel, 2018's Suitors and Sabotage.










digital copy received for review, from publisher, via NetGalley

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Xander & the Dream Thief ~ Margaret Dilloway (earc) review [@DisneyHyperion @mdilloway]

Xander and the Dream Thief (Momotaro #2)
Disney Hyperion
April 18, 2017
352 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

Xander Miyamoto should be feeling great. It's the beginning of summer vacation, his mother has returned from a long absence, and he has learned that he is a warrior with special powers. Xander never would have guessed that the old Japanese folktale about Momotaro, the hero who sprang from a peach pit, was real, much less part of his own heritage.

But instead of reveling in his recent victory against the oni, monsters bent on creating chaos, Xander is feeling resentful. What took his mother so long to come back? Why does his father insist on ruining the summer with study and training? And why is Xander plagued by nightmares every night? Maybe this whole Momotaro thing is overrated.

Xander's grandmother gives him a special baku charm to use to chase his nightmares away. He just has to be careful not to rely on it too much. If he does, the baku will not only take his dreams, but those of everyone in the house, forever. Without dreams, there is no hope, no motivation, no imagination, no Momotaro. And then it would be far too easy for Ozuno, king of the oni, to wreak havoc. . . .

On his second quest, Xander explores new surreal landscapes, encounters more strange and dangerous creatures, and faces even higher stakes as he learns whether or not he has what it takes to be Momotaro.

Margaret Dilloway's second Middle Grade novel, after last year's Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters is the second book in the Momotaro series. Xander knows about his special powers, about the threat of the oni, and has his mother back.  Add in that it's summer break and everything should be fantastic for the twelve-year-old, right?

Not so much. His mother was gone for most of his life and no one seems angry with her for her absence - no one but Xander. The threat of the oni is ever-present, his father insists on grueling training and, to top it all of, Xander's having nightmares.

When his grandmother gives him a charm to help, it seems like the perfect solution. Until Xander doesn't heed her warnings and things go very, very wrong. Now it's up to him to fix things and save everyone.

I really loved how Xander and the Dream Thief used Japanese folklore and ancient stories to create the magical world and beings that Xander encounters. Though they were from different tales, author Margaret Dilloway worked them all together very well. Each played a part in Xander's tale but also helped connect the elements of his quest and create a full, rich journey.

There are times that wiser characters give Xander bits of sage advice but how he reacts to them really made him feel his age. Yet, if/when those pieces of advice made sense to him or he realized their validity, he was willing to embrace them. His initial reaction paired with the later one made things feel more real. (And his needing to get to a place where he could accept the words and fully grasp them, gave them that much more weight.)

You can read Xander and the Dream Thief without first reading Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters (I did) because there is enough recap of what happened in that book to catch you up and to follow the new story. I would suggest reading the first book, though. You will have a better understanding of the characters, their relationships and what they experienced. Plus, if this book is anything to go by, it will be a fun, enjoyable read.

Xander and the Dream Thief is out today so go get yourself a copy!









thank you to the publisher for my copy to review

Monday, April 17, 2017

Famous In Love [#FamousInLove @FamousInLoveTV]

I missed Friday's book trailer post so here's a trailer(ish) that isn't for a book, but is for a TV show based on one!

Famous In Love will premiere on Freeform on April 18th (that's tomorrow, Tuesday) at 9/8c after Pretty Little Liars -- and all of the episodes will be streaming online after that.




The show's description (via IMDb): 

A college student's big break in a Hollywood blockbuster leaves her navigating through an undeniable chemistry, and uncovering the truth about a missing popstar.


and the Goodreads description for Famous In Love (#1) by Rebecca Serle:


The romantic story of a girl who gets plucked from obscurity to star in the next major feature film franchise based on a book and the ensuing love triangles she gets entangled in on—-and off screen.

Meet Paige Townsen, Rainer Devon, and Jordan Wilder…

When Paige Townsen, a young unknown, gets cast in the movie adaptation of a blockbuster book series, her life changes practically overnight. Within a month, Paige has traded the quiet streets of her hometown for a crowded movie set on the shores of Maui, and is spending quality time with her co-star Rainer Devon, one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive. But when troubled star Jordan Wilder lands the role of the other point in the movie’s famous love triangle, Paige’s crazy new life gets even crazier.

In this coming-of-age romance inspired by the kind of celeb hookups that get clever nicknames and a million page views, Paige must figure out who she is – and who she wants – while the whole world watches.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Perfect ~ Cecelia Ahern (earc) review {@FeiwelFriends @Cecelia_Ahern]

Perfect (Flawed #2)
Feiwel & Friends
April 04, 2017
352 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

** Review of Flawed #1 Flawed **

Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine's life has completely fractured--all her freedoms gone.

Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick--the only person she can trust.

But Celestine has a secret--one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing.

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save just herself or to risk her life to save all Flawed people.

And, most important of all, can she prove that to be human in itself is to be Flawed?

Perfect is a great conclusion to the story started in Flawed. Readers now know about the Guild, about being Flawed and what happened to Celestine . . . now it's time to find out what that will all mean and if things will continue on or if there will be change.

I had a hard time being certain of just how much time had passed from Flawed to Perfect (it's mentioned a few times but felt contradictory), but it has not been very long at all. Just weeks or months ago Celestine was the gifted math student who had everything all planned out and knew just what her future held. Until that day on the bus. Now, as the most Flawed person in history, Celestine's life is completely different.

The division of the story between the two books was really nicely done. We got Celestine's personal tale and introduced to the Flawed system in Flawed and now we can see the bigger picture and what the future might (or could) hold in Perfect.

Celestine lives in the fictional, but very real feeling country of Humming. Recent international political events/developments/elections give Perfect even more of a timely feel. They also make it even more thought provoking. From the way that Crevan feels about the Flawed, about the Guild and how the Vital party feel about the same things to how individual people react or don't, I could see more parallels to real life this time. (Whether it's because they were more present in the narrative or because of what's happening in the world, I don't know.)

I also found myself thinking about the larger implications of such a system, or such a society. What it would mean for a person in x situation or at x time in their lives. It definitely had me curious.

I loved that while the book takes on the whole Flawed system and what society has developed (or devolved) into, it was still very much about Celestine, her thoughts and feelings and decisions and her safety. She wasn't that One Girl Mysteriously Chosen For No Reason To Save Us All, but - for a very specific reason - was central to things and important on a grander scale.

Perfect does a great job giving us a deeper look at Celestine's character, her past and who she really is while also showing us more of society, of the Flawed and of the national mindset. It really manages to give us the 'big picture' and great characters.






review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

The Dead inside ~ Cyndy Drew Etler (earc) review [@SourcebooksFire @cdetler]

The Dead Inside
Sourcebooks Fire
April 04, 2017
288 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon



For readers of Girl Interrupted and Tweak, Cyndy Etler's gripping memoir gives readers a glimpse into the harrowing reality of her sixteen months in the notorious "tough love" program the ACLU called "a concentration camp for throwaway kids."

I never was a badass. Or a slut, a junkie, a stoner, like they told me I was. I was just a kid looking for something good, something that felt like love. I was a wannabe in a Levi's jean jacket. Anybody could see that. Except my mother. And the professionals at Straight.

From the outside, Straight Inc. was a drug rehab. But on the inside it was...well, it was something else.

All Cyndy wanted was to be loved and accepted. By age fourteen, she had escaped from her violent home, only to be reported as a runaway and sent to a "drug rehabilitation" facility that changed her world.

To the public, Straight Inc. was a place of recovery. But behind closed doors, the program used bizarre and intimidating methods to "treat" its patients. In her raw and fearless memoir, Cyndy Etler recounts her sixteen months in the living nightmare that Straight Inc. considered "healing."
The Dead Inside is one of those books that you want to pretend is fictional, but you know it is not. You want to believe it wouldn't be possible for that many people to act that wrongly, but, again, you know that they did.

The things the author describes as having happened at Straight are things I not only never would have imagined but had difficulty even imagining how they came to be. They weren't things where you (or I, at least) could see the good intentions they'd begun with and understand that they'd degraded or diverged into their present state. These were things that I couldn't interpret some other, more benign, not abusive and manipulative way.

I appreciated that the author gave us a look at her life prior to entering Straight, Inc at fourteen. We really got to see who she was, what she was facing at home, how she was dealing with it, and how it all affected her. It made it even more disheartening or, rather, heartbreaking, when you then read what she experienced at Straight. Even if it had been a 'proper' drug rehabilitation, it's hard to imagine she had any place there.

I loved that this memoir is presented in the present tense. Reading as if Cyndy is currently experiencing these things, rather than an adult recollecting them really gives it that much more impact. It also allows us to really understand her mindset and how Straight, their practices and her time spent there got into her head. (And how abuse had shaped her way of thinking and reacting even before she was sent there.)

It is a bit like if you took The Program, removed all of the nice or sanitized or logical pieces, then made it both worse and real . . . then you might have something almost close to Straight, Inc and what the author endured. Knowing this was all fact made for a troubling read but one I think you really do need to read.






digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

Monday, April 3, 2017

The Inconceivable Life of Quinn ~ Marianna Baer (earc) review

The Inconceivable Life of Quinn
Amulet Books
April 04, 2017
384 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

Quinn Cutler is sixteen and the daughter of a high-profile Brooklyn politician. She’s also pregnant, a crisis made infinitely more shocking by the fact that she has no memory of ever having sex. Before Quinn can solve this deeply troubling mystery, her story becomes public. Rumors spread, jeopardizing her reputation, her relationship with a boyfriend she adores, and her father’s campaign for Congress. Religious fanatics gather at the Cutlers’ home, believing Quinn is a virgin, pregnant with the next messiah. Quinn’s desperate search for answers uncovers lies and family secrets—strange, possibly supernatural ones. Might she, in fact, be a virgin?

What I really enjoyed about The Inconceivable Life of Quinn was that from the beginning we really did not know how her pregnancy came to be, but that the book really was about Quinn, her life and her family and not only the pregnancy.  In the beginning, the Cutlers seem pretty perfect, they have their home in Brooklyn, her father is running for Congress, Quinn's best friend is now her boyfriend, her sister's a cute, mad scientist . . . It all seems cozy and sweet and normal.

Then, when it is discovered that Quinn is pregnant, things go a bit sideways. Not only is she the pregnant sixteen-year-old daughter of a politician, she's claiming to be a virgin. The more decisions Quinn makes and the more she tries to convince others of the little she is sure of, the more frustrating it is for her.

Not knowing if Quinn's pregnancy was because of a night she didn't want to talk about, something she couldn't talk about, truly didn't remember or something else entirely opened some interesting avenues in the story. We see not only the distrust she has of herself and her mind/memory, but whether other's are willing to believe her and the steps they'll go to to find the truth. And what possible explanations people will come up with.

The deeper we got into the story, the more clear it became that Quinn's family was not quite the shinny-happy-perfect one they tried to portray. Both because of the stress they were under and because of secrets and lies from the past we begin to see more who they are. At times it's frustrating, confusing, heartbreaking or worrisome - or a combination of any/all of them. As a reader you really start to wonder what the truth is. Is it one of the more sorted possibilities being banded about? Is it something more ordinary and explainable? Or is it something you haven't even considered.

I really liked how the present day and the mystery surrounding Quinn's pregnancy (as well as the publicity) facilitated seeing glimpses of the past and, in the end, we really, finally understood who the family was and who Quinn was. It was an interesting and unique journey.







digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley



Book Trailer Friday [@RandomHouse @TransworldBooks]

Beth Dorey-Stein's From the Corner of the Oval  - a tale of being the White House stenographer during the Obama administration will be ...