Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

Releases: 9/30/14

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (Penguin Imprint) 
Format: Print ARC 

If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be  at home in New Jersey with her sweet British  boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching  old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing  him in the library stacks.

She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.

But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead.

Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.

From New York Times bestselling author Meg Wolitzer comes a breathtaking and surprising story about first love, deep sorrow, and the power of acceptance.

Thoughts:

Going into Belzhar I honestly wasn't sure what I expected but the story ended up being so much more than I thought. All the characters were truly intriguing and had these really interesting pasts. I really like Jam, the main character, and her journey was the most interesting of all. The entire reason why she is at The Wooden Barn is kept very vague for a while in the book, besides knowing that she lost her boyfriend, so it really had me intrigued and caught up in trying to figure out what happened. I did start to put a theory together about halfway through (which turned out to be right) but the story still kept me thinking maybe I was wrong, which I really liked. 

The concept of Belzhar itself was so unique. I really liked how Wolitzer took THE BELL JAR (which I have never read but want to now) and made it part of the story by doing such a unique thing with it. It was one of my favorite things about this book. I'm also really into books that touch on emotional or psychological issues in general so this was right up my alley, and what initially made me want to pick it up. It also has quite a twist towards the ending that I think a lot of people won't be expecting, it was something that made it even better in my opinion.

While I really enjoyed most of everything in this book there were a few cons I had that just couldn't be ignored. One was the way Jam puts things together about Belzhar. Here she is with pretty much no information about it and she guesses things and just decides they are correct. I really would have liked her to have something more solid than just assumptions. Another problem I had, and I'm just really picky with this type of stuff in general, were the relationships between some of the characters. I'm talking friendships and romantic relationships. I feel there was a lot of telling and just making things a certain way, but lack of build up or showing. It made some of it feel kind of forced to me. Examples of those relationships that I was mainly bothered with were- Griffin and Jam, and then the friendship between Sierra and Jam.

Overall I really did enjoy this book, I think it will one that most people enjoy. It has the angst factor, deep issues, a lot of unique twists, and interesting characters. This is definitely one I would recommend to any YA reader! 

Rating:

♥♥♥♥

Books I Have Been OBSESSING Over + Giveaway

Okay, I've been having the toughest time writing reviews lately, specifically for these books. What's crazy is I'm OBSESSED and IN LOVE with these specific titles. I'm just having a hard time putting into words how much I truly love them without it all being an incoherent mess. My lovely friend, Jenna, did a post this week that I really liked and so I decided to do something similar! Thanks Jenna for the inspiration. 

Released: 7/22/14

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Format: eARC
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

This book was absolutely beautiful. I was really nervous starting out because parallel universes and I don't mesh well the majority of the time, but this story line was written so well. I absolutely loved the characters. Sabine was realistic and I was able to by sympathetic to her throughout everything she went through in the book. There is also some major romance in the book and it was done perfectly. It was believable and felt so real. I absolutely adored Ethan, and I love how they grew together. While this book was beautiful, it was also HEART BREAKING. I literally ended up in the fetal position, clutching a pillow, and ugly-crying on my Kindle. It really wasn't a pretty sight. This book really BROKE me. Now I want all of you to go out and read this book and be heartbroken and ruined right along with me. ;D 

(Thanks to Bloomsbury Kids for providing me with this eARC via Netgalley)

Released: 9/9/14

Publisher: Harper Teen 
Format: eARC
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Okay, if you follow me on Twitter most of you already know I'm addicted to this book and that I absolutely LOVE it. Seriously it's an amazing thriller and has an amazing group of characters to boot. Sam is a really kick butt girl who goes in a male dominated world and shows every single one of them up. She goes into a situation where she knows she will be pushed around, looked down on, and she grits her teeth and pushes through every little thing they throw at her. She is someone that I rooted for the entire way through and I know everyone else will too. Drill, oh what all can I say about Drill?! He is fantastic. He is there for Sam in a way no one else could ever be. There is an amazing romance told BUT at the same time it doesn't over shadow this story, AND the female lead DOES NOT, I REPEAT DOES NOT, become weak because of the romance. This does not turn into a story where the guy she falls for is what makes her become strong/stronger, and she doesn't instantly become weak because he is around. This is something I absolutely love. It shows that you can have that romance, but you can be completely strong on your own also. All around this book is absolutely fantastic and I can not recommend it enough! 

(Thanks to Harper Teen for providing me with this eARC via Edelweiss)

Releases: 9/16/14

Publisher: Dial (Penguin Imprint) 
Format: Print ARC 
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

This book is seriously one of the, if not THE, most beautiful and touching book I have EVER read. I don't recall ever reading a book and the ending touching my heart and soul so much that it brought me to tears. This is a book that you will read and it will never leave you. The writing is insanely beautiful. It's eccentric, quirky, poetic, and fun. There are also so many amazing things this book deals with from family issues, sexual orientation, finding yourself, death, and love. It was amazing to have all this deep issues woven together so beautifully and then throwing art into the mix. I've never been much into art but this seriously made me want to go to museum and read up on things just because of how beautiful it is all made out to be. I'm extremely attached to all the characters in the book, though I have to admit Noah is my absolute favorite. He is so quirky and strange, but bright, bold, and beautiful. I love Jude and watching her find herself again. This is a book I would encourage anyone and everyone to pick up. I think it would have an amazing impact on everyone and touch them in some way. I will keep I'll Give You the Sun in my heart and soul forever. 
And, Jandy Nelson- I would give all my fingers, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the sky up for this book, every single time. ♥

Released: 9/9/14

Publisher: Harper Teen 
Format: Print ARC
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥


HISTORICAL FANTASY!! Do I even have to say more?? Yes? Well fine. First of all, the time period was amazing. Then the world itself was phenomenal. I could vividly see everything and never had any problem imagining this world that Jessamin lives in. I felt like I was there the whole time and had no trouble believing in any of the mysterious, or magical things that happened. I really love Jessamin. She is a really spunky, tough girl and always wants to meet her problems head on. I love how she wasn't trying to depend on anyone else when things got tough for her, and how much she wants to keep her friends safe even if it made things harder for her. I adore Finn. Jessamin and him work so well together, and it was interesting the way the storyline played out for those two. I found the magic and the way it worked fascinating. This is definitely one of those books that will be on my favorites shelf, that I will get out and read again and again. 

(Thanks to Harper Teen for providing me with this ARC)

So are you guys OBSESSING over any specific books right now? I just can't quit talking about and recommending these books to people!!! Also I ended up with two finished copies of Illusions of Fate, SO I'm giving away a copy!! 

Giveaway Policy




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Blog Tour: Scan by Sarah Fine and Walter Jury

Tate and his father don’t exactly get along. As Tate sees it, his father has unreasonably high expectations for Tate to be the best—at everything. Tate finally learns what he’s being prepared for when he steals one of his dad’s odd tech inventions and mercenaries ambush his school, killing his father and sending Tate on the run from aliens who look just like humans.

All Tate knows—like how to make weapons out of oranges and lighter fluid—may not be enough to save him as he’s plunged into a secret interspecies conflict that’s been going on for centuries. Aided only by his girlfriend and his estranged mother, with powerful enemies closing in on all sides, Tate races to puzzle out the secret behind his father’s invention and why so many are willing to kill for it.

Guest Post

Walter Jury talks about the main character’s intense relationship with his father:   

SCAN, at its core, is the coming of age story for Tate Archer.  Tate’s journey is heavily influenced by the pressures, lessons and knowledge passed down from his father, Fred.  When we were writing the story, the influence of parents on their children and the extent to which discipline affects a child weighed on how Tate's coming of age would play out. 

Fred was extremely hard on Tate—he really drove him hard to pull the best out of him in every aspect of his childhood.  In addition to previously discussing radio host Colin Cowherd’s influence on the story, two short anecdotes influenced us as writers when we were writing this story:

A)  The great football family, the Mannings, have had three members chosen first in the NFL Draft: father Archie Manning and his two sons, Peyton & Eli.  When asked what Archie did to raise such wunderkind children, Archie responded (to paraphrase), "I just wanted them to finish what they started." 

B)  The autobiography of Bo Jackson with Dick Schaap, BO KNOWS BO, has a small section about why Bo Jackson strived to become a professional athlete.  Bo said he grew up with a number of other athletes who were every bit as talented as himself, but he had to make it out of their town because the lack of a father's influence and discipline drove him to find a proxy for that support system he never had.

I called upon these thoughts as well as my own upbringing to create a father-son dynamic that asked the question, "How much discipline is too much?"  When is a father too tough on his child and when does it become counterproductive to put children through such rigorous hurdles that they fail to enjoy their youth? 

While these questions were being posed as metaphors during Tate's journey, it was important to us to remember that Tate felt loved by his father and that the events that occur in the book are explosively revealing.  They bring out the best of Tate and hopefully our readers will see both sides of the coin.

About co-authors Walter Jury and Sarah Fine:

Walter Jury was born in London and has a background in the film industry. He is a big enthusiast of Jamba Juice’s Protein Berry Workout smoothie, only with soy, never whey. Sarah Fine was born on the West Coast, raised in the Midwest, and is now firmly entrenched on the East Coast, where she lives with her husband and two children. She is the author of several young adult books, and when she's not writing, she’s working as a child psychologist.

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

**Thank you Penguin for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review 

A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.
 
Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

My Thoughts:

Let me say one word about this book that is the best description for it...BEAUTIFUL. From the writing to the scenes everything was beautiful. 

This is my first LaCour book and one of the main things that drew me in was that it had diversity in it. This is essentially a love story between two girls, Emi and Ava, and as I read also found that Emi is a mixed race. I find these tidbits refreshing and I hope to see a lot more diversity in YA like this.

Even though this book was overall about Emi and Ava the part I most enjoyed was Emi's job. I loved seeing these behind the scenes of filming and how Emi made a set come to life. It was all so intriguing and it actually helped me learn so much about Emi and really connect with her. She really loves what she does and her inner voice really shows that and it was just beautiful (told you this was the best word for everything). 

I really liked the dynamic between Emi and Charlotte, her best friend. Charlotte was such a good friend to Emi and was really there for her the entire way through the story. I wasn't a huge fan of Morgan but I think she made me learn more about Emi along the way. I really wish there had been more Jamal in the story and that I had even learned a little bit more background about him. I also enjoyed meeting Lenny (even though it was brief) and it made me wish there had been an epilogue to see what happens in the future with that story line. 

One main thing in this book was the mystery of Ava and her family, while I found that to be an interesting plot it wasn't my favorite. It was entertaining but kind of seemed quite pointless for the most part. Things were found out pretty easily, almost too easily at times, and then the one part that I really wanted to know I never got closure on, and that was things with Tracey. I feel like whatever her deal was I'm still in the dark about and I really wanted to know what the problem was. There was a lot of speculation on Ava's part but never any solid answers. But I guess it's just one of those things I will never know. If anyone read between the lines and figured that out please enlighten me because I want solid answers, not speculation.

Overall this is definitely one of the better YA Contemporaries I have read and you guys know I'm SUPER picky when it comes to this genre. I would definitely give her other books a try because I really do adore her writing. I would recommend this book to everyone and just to let you know majority of my blogger friends who LOVE contemporary gave this a 5 star, so it is very possible that the things that bothered me are just because I'm knit picky when it comes to this genre. 

Rating:

♥♥♥♥

Between the Spark and the Burn GIVEAWAY

So Penguin is AWESOME and sent me this frickin kick butt package this week!

Behold the pretties ♥

And as you can see I ended up with two ARCs of BETWEEN THE SPARK AND THE BURN, which means you guys have a chance to win a copy!!! This will be a US only giveaway for the ARC, UNLESS if you are INTL you are wiling to pay the difference in shipping costs. Completely up to you. :)

GOOD LUCK! 

Giveaway:

US only

INTL can enter if willing to pay difference in shipping 

13+ to enter

Cheating will result in disqualification 

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