Stacking The Shelves #83

This feature is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

Well, this is what happens when I move this feature to once a month and in that month Harper does multiple e-galley drops onto Edelweiss.

I end up with just about 50 books.

Granted, not all of them were review books, but 27 of them were. 23 from Edelweiss, 4 from NetGalley, I got an e-galley of a book for a blog tour, I got an e-galley of a book for an upcoming Sunday Street Team event. 12 were library books. I bought 5 books. One was a trade & three were from my Secret Sister.

Bought


Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas
Far From You by Tess Sharpe
The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen
Nearly Gone (Nearly Gone #1) by Elle Cosimano
The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Received for Review
-Edelweiss-








Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird #2) by Claudia Gray
Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson
Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor
The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude
Flamecaster (The Shattered Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima
The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
Dreamology by Lucy Keating
Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan
Assassin’s Heart by Sarah Ahiers
The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1) by C. J. Redwine
Harmony House by Nic Sheff
Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace
The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins
The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen #2) by Jodi Meadows
Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto
Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr (No cover yet)
The Leaving Season by Cat Jordan
Other Broken Things by Christa Desir
Consent by Nancy Ohlin
Shade Me (Nikki Kill #1) by Jennifer Brown
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
This Is Where the World Ends by Amy Zhang
Thicker Than Water by Kelly Fiore

-NetGalley-


Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
Menagerie (Menagerie #1) by Rachel Vincent
These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
Placebo Junkies by J. C. Carleson

Blog Tour

The Body Institute by Carol Riggs

Sunday Street Team

Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith

Library




Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky
When We Wake (When We Wake #1) by Karen Healey
When We Run (When We Wake #2) by Karen Healey
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Joyride by Anna Banks
Return to the Dark House (Welcome to the Dark House #2) by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Our Brothers at the Bottom of the Bottom of the Sea by Johnathan David Kranz
The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick
The Accident Season by Maria Fowley Doyle
Rebel Mechanics (Rebel Mechanics #1) by Shanna Swendson
Time After Time (Time Between Us #2) by Tamara Ireland Stone

Gifted

Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally
Biggest Flirts (Superlatives #1) by Jennifer Echols
Eve (Eve #1) by Anna Carey

Received via trade

The Secret Diamond Sisters (The Secret Diamond Sisters #1)

Thank you to everyone who helped make this haul so big. If you’ve read any of these books or if you plan to, please let me know.

Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession

This feature is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I have added several books to my shelves recently. I added a few library books to my shelves as well, so those will hang around for only a few weeks.

Go forth and check out the books I added this week!

Library Books


Becoming Jinn (Becoming Jinn #1) by Lori Goldstein
-I’ve heard both good and bad things about this book, but I’m head over heels in love with the cover-
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
-I’ve heard mostly good things about this book, and it definitely looks like something I’ll love-
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
-My FAVORITE Sarah Dessen book. So, so, SO good!-
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
-I had my eye on this book before, but it was Corey Ann Haydu’s vehement insistence that I read this book, that won me over-

Review Books

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jan Bennett
-I’m very hopeful for this book. It looks like something I’ll enjoy-
The Sister Pact by Stacie Ramey
-Suicide pact + sister books! Eeeeeep! Things that I love. I have high hopes for this book-

Gifted

The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno
-One of my FAVORITE books of 2014. A million thank yous to my Secret Sister for sending it to me-

Bought

Under the Lights (Daylight Falls #2) by Dahlia Adler
-I am so excited to read this book. I’m in LOVE with that cover-
Paperweight by Meg Haston
-One of my favorite books of 2015. It was utterly gorgeous & I needed a finished copy-
The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles #2) by Mary E. Pearson
-I fell in love with The Kiss of Deception and I knew I needed to pre-order The Heart of Betrayal-

Let me know if you added any of the same books on your list this week. Also don’t forget to leave the links to your post in the comments below.

Review: Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold (Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend #2) by Katie Finn

Book Title: Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold

Author: Katie Finn

Published Date: May 5th, 2015

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Genre: YA Contemporary

Series: Book Two in Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The war rages on between Gemma and Hallie in the second installment of the Broken Hearts and Revenge series.

After the humiliating events on the 4th of July, Gemma’s trying to handle the fact that Hallie knew who she was all along, and she was the one who stole Teddy from her. Gemma vows revenge, but things get more complicated than she planned. Ford, Gemma’s long-time crush, has arrived in the Hamptons cuter than ever. Josh is refusing to speak to her after she lied to him, and Teddy is playing champion to his beloved Marsh Warbler (in Gemma’s backyard, no less).

Gemma and Hallie find themselves locked in an escalating revenge cycle. Just when Gemma thinks she has the upper hand, the biggest bombshell of all is dropped. And it’s one that threatens to change her life forever. This exciting sequel to Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things To Mend will leave you begging for the third installment.

Disclaimer: I borrowed this ARC from a fellow blogger.

Review:

I needed something fluffy and summery after finishing a book full of feels right before this. And fluffy and summery was exactly what I got. I was surprised how much I liked the first book in this trilogy, Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend as it’s not normally my thing. I go for the “dark YA Contemporaries” I don’t usually go for the fluffy ones. Since I enjoyed the first book so much, I was eager to get my hands on the second book. 

Thanks to a fellow book blogger, I got my hands on it!

The second book of a series usually has the sophomore slump issue. It’s hard to write or read a book that has no real beginning or ending. Thankfully, this book did not suffer from that problem. We finally got to meet Ford and Gwynneth. I had been very curious about those two since book one and we finally got to meet them and they both had significant parts in the book. 

I ship Ford & Gemma by the way. You may not remember how much I didn’t like Josh & Gemma together. I mean Josh was a gentleman and he was kind and sweet, but I didn’t feel a true romantic connection between him and Gemma. Now Gemma & Ford on the other hand, they have chemistry and it sizzles. Please make them happen, Finn. Pretty please?

The drama was definitely amped up in this one. From cheese to shoplifting to betrayals, it was all in there. There was romance, there was friendship and there was a lot of scheming. Now did I always agree with what Gemma was doing? Nope, sometimes I just wanted her to stop and think about what she was doing. Then shit would hit the fan again and I would be pulled right back into this crazy ride.

This book was even better than the first book. Maybe because I loved Gemma and Ford together. Maybe because the drama was ramped up a degree. I’m not sure, but I loved this book. It was exactly what I needed to read at this time. 5 stars to this drama filled, summery book with a cliffhanger that you won’t see coming.

Stacking the Shelves #66

This feature is brought to you by Tynga’s Reviews

I have no excuses for the lack of posts recently. I’ve been going through a lot of personal things, and I’ve been struggling with them. I’ve kept no secrets about them, but I think I may be crawling out of the well, metaphorically speaking.

I went to Barnes & Noble last week and did some book shopping. Usually that makes me feel better, but at the time I was still struggling. My pre-order of Emery Lord’s newest book arrived on release day.

My blogger friend, Mary is letting me borrow Katie Finn’s second book in her series. So thank you so much Mary!

Jessica Verdi generously sent me an ARC of her newest book. I am a superfan of her books and I’m pretty sure she knows that.

I stopped by the library and picked up some books. Hoping that one of them ends my massive reading slump. I could use a win right about now.

I also received a belated birthday & Christmas package from Meredith, one of my blogging besties. Thank you so much Meredith! And finally I got a book from my Secret Sister. It was a book I had already read, but I loved it and wanted a finished copy.

Bought

Ensnared (Splintered #3) by A.G. Howard

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1) by Danielle Paige

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

Borrowed

Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold (Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things To Mend #2) by Katie Finn

Received for Review

What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi

Library Books

A Darker Shade of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic #1) by V. E. Schwab
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Poison Study (Poison Study #1) by Maria V. Synder
The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne

Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Gifted

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1) by Katie McGarry
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Bloggers mentioned
Meredith of Pandora’s Books
Mary of Mary Had A Little Book Blog

Stacking the Shelves #64

This feature is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

So this haul is from the last few weeks, I didn’t do a post last week because I totally forgot to. This week, I just added to it every time I got something so I didn’t have to put it all together Saturday night.

I got a fair amount of review books in the past few weeks. I got five books from Edelweiss & three books from NetGalley. I am definitely going to be busy reading over the next few weeks.

Received for Review

-Edelweiss-

Rebound (Boomerang #2) by Noelle August

The Remedy (The Program #0.5) by Suzanne Young

The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy
The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz

-NetGalley-

Lola Caryle’s 12-Step Romance by Danielle Younge-Ullman
The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguire

The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver

Be sure to let me know if you’ve read any of these or if you are planning to read any of them. Also, leave the links to your posts & vlogs.

Stacking the Shelves #63

This feature is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

Yeah, this week was also not quite as quiet as I was hoping. Most of the reason for this was the massive e-ARC drop by Harper on Edelweiss. I tried to rein myself in, but it just wasn’t possible.
Then I picked up more books at the library, including two that I could just never get into when they were e-ARCs on my Kindle. Hoping to have better luck with them as physical books. I also got a book from a blogger friend that I am very excited about, so thank you Alyssa.

Let’s see what landed on my shelves.

Received for Review

-Edelweiss-

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

 

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak by Brian Katcher

Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby
Making Pretty by Corey Ann Haydu

 

Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer
The Fog Diver Joel Ross

Vanished by E. E. Cooper

-NetGalley-

Dead to Me by Mary McCoy

Library

The Stepsister’s Tale by Tracy Barrett
My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

Loop (Loop #1) by Karen Akins
Lailah (The Styclar Saga #1) by Nikki Kelly

Exquisite Captive (Dark Caravan Cycle #1) by Heather Demetrios
Talon (Talon #1) by Julie Kagawa

Gifted

Zodiac (Zodiac #1) by Romina Rusell

Be sure to let me know if you’ve read any of these and what you thought of them. Also, leave me the links to your book haul posts & vlogs so I can see what you got this week.

Bloggers Mentioned

Alyssa

Review: Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Book Title: Rain Reign

Author: Ann M. Martin

Publish Date: October 7th, 2014

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Genre: MG

Standalone

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In her most powerful novel yet, Newbery Honor author Ann M. Martin tells the story of girl with mental/emotional challenges and the dog she loves.

Rose Howard has OCD, Asperger’s syndrome, and an obsession with homonyms (even her name is a homonym). She gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose’s rules of homonyms, is very special. Rain was a lost dog Rose’s father brought home. Rose and Rain are practically inseparable. And they are often home alone, as Rose’s father spends most evenings at a bar, and doesn’t have much patience for his special-needs daughter.

Just as a storm hits town, Rain goes missing. Rose’s father shouldn’t have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search. Rose will find Rain, but so will Rain’s original owners.

Hearts will break and spirits will soar for this powerful story, brilliantly told from Rose’s point of view.

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

Normally I stay far away from Middle Grade books, mostly because I can’t really get into then. But, even from the synopsis, I could tell that this book was special. I was hoping that my hunch was right and that I could manage my expectations about this book because it was so different from what I normally read.

It was a very short book, but it took a long time for me to really get into it. I’m not exactly sure why it took 60% of the book for me to really enjoy it. Maybe it was because I couldn’t connect with Rose for the longest time. It wasn’t until she lost her dog, that I really started to connect with her.  I’ve always been an animal lover, especially as a ten year old. So, while I didn’t understand the OCD or the Asperger’s, I did understand the panic that ten year old Rose was experiencing when Rain got lost and my heart ached for her. 

Her father was truly awful. I was so angry with him for pretty much the entire book. He clearly struggled with having a special needs daughter, but he didn’t even try to understand her. That really upset me a lot. The only adult she could really truly count on was her uncle. That was heartbreaking. She had her teacher, she had her aide, but at home, she only had Rain. Her loyal, loving dog.

This book brought the feels at the end of the book. I was full on bawling, which was not something I was expecting given that it was a middle grade book. I did end up enjoying it, so I’m giving it 4 stars. I would totally recommend this book to younger readers.

Stacking the Shelves #51

This feature is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

This week was AWESOME! I got 4 packages. On Monday I got 3 books from my bookish friend Tammy as well as my OTSP Secret Sister package which included the top book on my wishlist. On Tuesday I got an ARC of Emery Lord’s newest book, so thank you so much Bloomsbury Children’s. And finally, my friend Andi sent me her extra copy of a book that she’s been begging me to read. I also got a NetGalley book and an Edelweiss book.

Let’s see what arrived in my mailbox and on my Kindle this week.

Bought

–

Received for Review

-Edelweiss-

The Fall by Bethany Griffin

-NetGalley-

Vision by Lisa Amowitz

-From the Publisher-

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

Gifted

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

Cinders & Sapphires  (At Somerton #1) by Leila Rasheed

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins

Won
–

Let me know if you have read any of these or if you are planning to at some point. Also leave me the links to your Stacking the Shelves posts or vlogs so I can stop by and see what you got.

Book Friends Mentioned

Andi of Andi’s ABC’s

Tammy

Review: Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend (Broken Hearts & Revenge #1) by Katie Finn

Book Title:  Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend

Author: Katie Finn

Published Date: May 13th, 2014

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Genre: YA Contemporary

Series: Book One in Broken Hearts & Revenge trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Hot sun. Blue waves. New romances. Old secrets.

Gemma had her summer all planned out, but it takes a sharp turn when she gets dumped and finds herself back in the Hamptons after a five-year absence.

Being there puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friends (that is, before Gemma ruined her life). But people don’t hold grudges forever. Do they?

Gemma intends on making amends, but a small case of mistaken identity causes the people she knew years ago—including Hallie and her dreamy brother, Josh—to believe she’s someone else. As though the summer wasn’t complicated enough already.

Filled with summer sun, boys, and friendships gone sour, Katie Finn’s first novel in the Broken Hearts and Revenge series sizzles and delights.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Macmillan via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

Okay, so I have a lot of feelings about this book. Mostly good feelings as I really did enjoy the book a lot. Gemma gets dumped by the school’s do-gooder right off the bat. I detested Teddy. I really could not understand how Gemma could have gotten so wrapped up in him that she had forgotten all of her own dreams, goals, interests et cetera.

Suddenly, newly single Gemma is heading out to the Hamptons to stay with her father for the summer. She’s scared she’s going to run into the girl whose life she made hell 5 years ago. She knows she has a lot to atone for and she knows that she was in the wrong, but she wants to make it right.

A lot of people had varying opinions on both Gemma and Hallie and I am no exception. I’m one of the people who actually liked Gemma more than Hallie. I thought Hallie had held onto a grudge for far too long. I mean come ON, it’s been 5 years for goodness sakes! Time to move on Hallie and stop punishing people for mistakes they made in their past. 

I know bullying is not cool, of course I do. I was bullied for many years as a teenager, but even I had to say enough was enough and it infuriated me that Hallie was still holding a grudge. Eleven year olds make mistakes. So I really didn’t have any sympathy for Hallie because I felt she needed to let it go and I was aggravated that she hadn’t yet. 

Gemma! Oh my goodness, sometimes I wanted to slap her, but usually, I just wanted to hug her. She was putting so much pressure on herself to fix things with Hallie. That pressure sometimes made her do stupid things, but she always had one goal in mind and that was, to fix things with Hallie. Should she have just apologized from the get go? Yeah probably, but she didn’t. I think Gemma still carried around a lot of guilt from what she did to Hallie 5 years ago and like with Hallie, I wanted Gemma to let it go. To forgive herself. I think the idea of forgiving herself was foreign and not something she was really familiar with.

I didn’t love the romance between Josh & Gemma. He was cute, sweet and an all around gentleman, but I didn’t feel the spark between him and Gemma which really bummed me out. Even their first kiss didn’t do anything for me. I am hoping for more character development for Josh in book 2.

Overall, this book was great and I really liked it a lot. I don’t know how I am going to be able to wait for the next book, but wait I must. I am giving this book 4 stars. It was the perfect summery, beachy read and it was very drama filled which was exactly what I was looking for.

Stacking the Shelves #45

This feature is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Suddenly, Disney Hyperion is granting me access to more titles via NetGalley. I requested a book on a whim, but honestly didn’t think I’d get approved. Surprise, surprise, I was approved! A friend of mine saw on Twitter that I was talking about wanting to read a series that I had the first book for. I got the 2nd book in the series from her. So thank you Tammy.

This was a busy library week as well. I picked up several books from the library. Some I hadn’t read before and some of them I had as e-books and couldn’t get into them, so I decided to borrow the physical book to see if it helps.  

Bought

–

Received for Review

-NetGalley-

Midnight Thief (Midnight Thief #1) by Livia Blackburne

Gifted

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Won
–
Library Books

Tease by Amanda Maciel

Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman’s Daughter #2) by Megan Shepherd

Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano

Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Secret Diamond Sisters (The Secret Diamond Sisters #1) by Michelle Madow

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian

45 Pounds (More or Less) by K.A. Barson

Mind Games (Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White

Perfect Lies (Mind Games #2) by Kiersten White

Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Fault Line by C. Desir

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

So let me know if you have read any of these books or if you are planning to read any of them.