TTT: Top Ten (Or More) Auto Buy Authors

This weekly feature is hosted by the ladies of The Broke and the Bookish

This week we’re talking about the authors that we consider our auto buy authors. This list was pretty easy for me. I don’t think most of you will be surprised by the authors on my list.

Emery Lord

Brandy Colbert

Tess Sharpe

Stephanie Kuehn

Courtney C. Stevens

Jessica Verdi

Kate Karyus Quinn

Trish Doller

Suzanne Young

Corey Ann Haydu

Rachael Allen

So do we share any of the same auto buy authors? Be sure to let me know in the comments!

Review: What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi

Book Title: What You Left Behind

Author: Jessica Verdi

Published Date: August 4th, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: YA Contemporary

Standalone

Book Link: Goodreads

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
It’s all Ryden’s fault. If he hadn’t gotten Meg pregnant, she would have never stopped her chemo treatments and would still be alive. Instead, he’s failing fatherhood one dirty diaper at a time. And it’s not like he’s had time to grieve while struggling to care for their infant daughter, start his senior year, and earn the soccer scholarship he needs to go to college.The one person who makes Ryden feel like his old self is Joni. She’s fun and energetic—and doesn’t know he has a baby. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep his two worlds separate. Finding one of Meg’s journals only stirs up old emotions, and Ryden’s convinced Meg left other notebooks for him to find, some message to help his new life make sense. But how is he going to have a future if he can’t let go of the past?

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the author.

 Review:

I legitimately don’t know how Jessica Verdi does it. She creates compelling stories with interesting characters. Tosses in a lot of feelsy moments and voila, she’s got a story that I will fall in love with. What You Left Behind was definitely different than her previous books, but it followed her formula to a T.

 

Interesting plot. Check

Captivating characters. Check

Tons of feels. Check

 

It took me a bit of time to warm up to Ryden to be totally honest. He seemed to be struggling with everything and trying to do it all. He didn’t want his life to change at all and he relied heavily on his mom to care for Hope, his baby. I know it’s probably tough to assume so much responsibility so quickly, but his actions at the beginning of the book were a bit maddening. 

 

He was baffled that his daughter seemed to hate him, but babies at her age form attachments to the people who care for them the most. In this case, that was Ryden’s mom. Ryden is still in school, playing soccer and working. It doesn’t feel like his schedule was really changed at all and to be honest, he seemed selfish at times. It was probably his age, but it was definitely something that I noticed. 

 

Finally things started to change, Ryden had to make some decisions about Hope and his mom couldn’t make the decisions because she was not the baby’s next of kin.

 

Most of the reviews will probably focus on Ryden’s growing romance with Joni, and I will talk about her later, but right now I want to talk about Ryden’s relationship with his mother. We don’t usually get to see mother/son relationships in YA. In fact, I think this book may be the first one I’ve read with such a positive mother/son relationship. In fact, I think it was my favorite part of this book. She was just so supportive and kind to her son and to her granddaughter.

 

I really liked Joni. She was quirky, fun and she had a healthy self respect for herself. She was good for Ryden. I was excited for them to get together, and I rooted for them. They made sense as a couple. I wish we had seen more of Joni because I feel like we didn’t get to know as much about her as I would have liked.

 

The journals told a story. A story that we learned about right alongside Ryden. It showed that this whole situation was not as black and white as we all initially thought. I am a very black & white thinker, so this made me do a lot of thinking. I  didn’t love Meg, but her journals helped me understand certain things that she did.

 

Jessica Verdi had already earned herself on my auto-read & auto-buy author lists, and this one was certainly no exception. I really enjoyed this book and will be giving it 4.5 stars. I do recommend this book because not only was it unique, but it also had some diverse and interesting characters.

TTT: Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward To In 2015

This feature is hosted by the ladies of The Broke and the Bookish

This list was one of the easiest & hardest lists I’ve ever had to compile. I definitely went over ten books with this list, and probably could have gone up to 20 if I hadn’t stopped myself.

Proceed to the list I’ve created for today!

 Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

-Yes, yes, YES. I am so excited about this book. I ended up really enjoying Cruel Beauty and was super excited to hear about this book as well. Glad I have an e-ARC-

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke (Prisoner of Night & Fog #2) by Anne Blankman

-I loved, LOVED Prisoner of Night and Fog so when I got an e-ARC of the sequel I was so excited and happy. I cannot wait to go back into this world that Blankman created-

 Return to the Dark House (Welcome to the Dark House #2) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

-This book ended up surprising me in a really great way, so I’m excited to see where the author takes the story in book 2-

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

-Cannot wait for this book. I’ve loved the first two books of this trilogy and given how book 2 ended, I cannot wait to see what happens next!-

 The Devil You Know by Trish Doller

-I am forever grateful to my Secret Sister who managed to nab an ARC of this book for me. Not only do I have it in my possession, it’s personalized by Doller for me. I have enjoyed Doller’s previous books and am excited to see what this book holds-

A Court of Thorns and Roses by S. J. Maas

-Um, just LOOK at that cover. Absolutely stunning. I haven’t read Maas’ previous books, but I definitely want to at some point in 2015. I am so excited about this book. I can only hope the inside matches the gorgeousness of the cover-

 Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby

-GIMMIE! Oh wait, I have an e-ARC of this one. I love books that have organ donation as a plot. It’s a personal thing as I have serious heart problems and may need a heart transplant someday-

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

-I got drawn in by the cover first, and then I read the synopsis. I love books that feature mental illness. I hope it depicts it accurately or I’ll be disappointed-

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

-Gorgeous cover alert! I am so excited about this book and I think I’m going to love this book. Cannot wait to get my hands on it-

Making Pretty by Corey Ann Haydu

-Whatever this woman writes, I’ll be excited to read it. Plus, that cover is really cool- 

What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi

-Yet another author whose book I’ll always read. This book sounds EXACTLY like something I’ll love. I cannot wait to get my hands on this one-

The Wicked Will Rise (Dorothy Must Die #2) by Danielle Paige

-I loved Dorothy Must Die and I am so excited to get my hands on this sequel. I can only hope it is as awesome as the first book was-

The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1) by Jodi Meadows
-This book looks amazing. I read the sample I got from Edelweiss and was obsessed with it. Now I need the full version. Plus, look at that cover, guys?-

So what books are you really looking forward to in 2015? If you did a TTT, leave me the links so I can go check out your list.

Waiting on Wednesday #7 What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi

This feature is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine. It’s a way to showcase upcoming releases that we’re excited about.

What You Left Behind is about a teen wrestling with the guilt that if he hadn’t gotten his girlfriend pregnant, she wouldn’t have postponed her chemo treatments – and would still be alive. But as Ryden struggles to be a good father and grieve his girlfriend’s death, he uncovers secrets that will make him reconsider every relationship in his life.

Book Information

Book Title: What You Left Behind

Author: Jessica Verdi

Publication Date: August 1st, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: YA Contemporary

Book Link: Goodreads

My Reaction

Oh my goodness, I want this book in my hands right now. How am I going to wait for August? I adore Jessica Verdi’s books and I’m quite sure waiting for this one will kill me. I will definitely be adding this book to my shelves.

What books are you eagerly anticipating?

Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far This Year

This feature is hosted by the ladies of The Broke and the Bookish

This was a fun list. I didn’t have any problems coming up with the Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far This Year. My list is overwhelmingly filled with contemporaries, which really shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Unhinged (Splintered #2) by A.G. Howard

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

Pointe by Brandy Colbert

The Summer I Wasn’t Me by Jessica Verdi

Prisoner of Night and Fog (Prisoner of Night and Fog #1) by Anne Blankman

The Taking (The Taking #1) by Kimberly Derting

Where The Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

My Life Next Door (My Life Next Door #1) by Huntley Fitzpatrick

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

So let me know if you’ve read any of these or if you want to. Also, if you did a TTT this week, be sure to leave the link to your post in the comments.

I Love YA

Why do some people think it’s okay to judge others?  Why do people feel the need to tell others what they should or should not read? If you’re confused right now, that’s good because I too, am confused. Slate.com posted an article yesterday on how adults should be ashamed if they’re reading Young Adult books. I have not read the article, but mostly because I like my blood pressure the way it is thank you. I know enough about the article to get me fuming.

Newsflash morons, I’m 28 years old and I LOVE YA.

Many of the YA books I’ve read in the past year have been beautifully written with characters that are wonderfully real. A year ago, I didn’t know what YA was or anything else about it. But I never would have told anyone “they shouldn’t read it”

If people want to read historical fiction, good. If people want to read erotica, good for them. Just read something. And DON’T judge others for what they want to read.

After Slate posted that article, all of my book buddies decided to promote YA instead. We wanted to be positive & uplifting instead of negative and judgmental. So, for the next several hours we talked YA up. We talked about our favorite YA books and why they were our favorites. I wanted to share my list of books that I talked up.

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens
Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi
OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor
Pointe by Brandy Colbert

All of these books are YA Contemporaries, and all of them are beautiful. They deal with tough things. They deal with friendship and love and heartbreak. Each of these books has touched me in some way. These are the books that reminded me most that life isn’t perfect. Life isn’t always rainbows and kittens. Life is messy. Life is complicated.

So I want everyone to tell me one book you loved. Let’s spread the positivity.

Review: The Summer I Wasn’t Me by Jessica Verdi

Book Title: The Summer I Wasn’t Me

Author: Jessica Verdi

Release Date: April 1st, 2014

Publisher: SourceBooks Fire

Genre: YA/LGBT

Standalone 

Book Link: Goodreads

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Lexi has a secret…
Ever since her mom found out she was in love with a girl, seventeen-year-old Lexi’s afraid that what’s left of her family is going to fall apart for good. 

You are on the road to truth. Help is on the way.

The road signs leading to New Horizons summer camp promise a new life for Lexi—she swears she can change. She can learn to like boys. But denying her feelings is harder than she thinks. And when she falls heads over heels for one of her fellow campers, Lexi will have to risk her mother’s approval for the one person who might love her no matter what.

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

Review:

Wow, with this book being Jessica Verdi’s second book ever and second book that I have really enjoyed of hers, she has earned herself a spot on my auto-buy list. I’ll read anything this woman writes. She’s that awesome. She doesn’t shy away from the more difficult topics which I applaud her for. She goes for it 100%

I wasn’t sure if I’d get this but I decided to request it anyway and boy am I glad I did. I read it in one night and even after a decent night of sleep, I still don’t know how I am going to review this book, but I’ll give it a shot.

When we first meet Lexi she is being driven up to New Horizons by her mother. New Horizons  is a de-gayification place. Yup, totally cringe-worthy already. Seriously not cool at all but I know these things exist and that super conservative families place a lot of value in this type of thing.

You’d expect Lexi to be defiant and refuse to go along with this. But she’s resigned to her fate for the next 8 weeks. She’s doing it for her mom. She desperately wants her mom back. Her mom hasn’t been the same since Lexi’s father died and things only got worse when she found out that Lexi was in love with another girl. Yet ever since she agreed to come to New Horizons, her mom has perked up and she’s more like the mom that Lexi remembers.

Within hours of being there, Lexi learns that she will be required to wear a uniform complete with a cross necklace so that “Jesus will be with you on your journey” As an atheist, this line made me cringe big time but then I had to remember that this camp was a highly religious camp. She meets campers, David, Matthew, Carolyn as well as others

The director or leader or whatever you want to call him, Mr. Martin is kind & understanding. He has been where Lexi was and he claims that SSA or Same Sex Attraction was cured by him choosing to shut it down and recommitting to God. So Lexi looks up to him. There is also Kaylee and Brianna, both who were campers a decade ago and Lexi wants so desperately to be like them.

Yet as the days go on, they are forced to participate in an activity called Father Wounds. This is where Mr. Martin attempts to find a reason for the sickness that he calls being gay. At this point, I had to put the book down and walk away for a bit. I was SO flipping ANGRY. For Lexi, he says she’s gay because her mother worked out of the home and her father was more her friend than a father. So her gender roles were all messed up. 

Seriously? I swear he’d have a field day with me. My mom worked and I was cared for by my grandma and uncle and my father was nowhere to be found. Mr. Martin was an absolute lunatic.We don’t realize exactly how much of a lunatic he is until much later in the book. This book doesn’t shy away from some of the most extreme lengths that these places go to in order to “pray away the gay”

Lexi becomes really close to Matthew. Matthew clearly does not believe that this will work and the counselors and Mr. Martin have a field day with him. He’s been with the same guy for a long time and his feelings for the boyfriend don’t shift one iota.I won’t hand out any spoilers but just know that Matthew is funny and sweet and awesome and he is put through the wringer.

Oh Carolyn, I really liked how she and Lexi became friends and how they bonded over The Great Gatsby. Totally made me want to reread that book.How they would leave little notes for each other was absolutely adorable. So darn CUTE. Their first kiss was sweet and I absolutely loved it. Unlike the other teenagers, Carolyn was the one who wanted to come to New Horizons and de-gayify herself.

Watching Lexi go through the summer was awesome. She totally changed her opinion on this whole thing. She began to realize that it was a total crock and that being gay is okay and nothing to be ashamed of. She wasn’t ready to fight for Zoe, but near the end of this book, she realizes that she wants to fight for Carolyn. That is, if Carolyn will allow her to.

This book was so awesome and heartbreaking and full of hope. The only issue I had was with the ending. I wanted more resolution to a few things and was bummed that we didn’t get that I hate being vague but it involves some major spoilers so I will not say anything about why I wanted more resolution and for what. However the book itself was awesome and well worth the 4.5 stars I am going to give it. I definitely plan on ordering a hard copy for myself.

The Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry

So normally I would have done this on Tuesday with everyone else but I had something else scheduled for that day. However this feature is still hosted by the ladies of The Broke & The Bookish no matter when I post this.

This week’s topic was The Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry. This post was both easy and hard for me as I cry a lot when I’m reading. So I may or may not be able to keep it to ten books. We shall see. I’ll try to keep them in order but no promises.
1.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K.Rowling.

This book destroyed me. I cried so much and so hard that I was essentially hyperventilating on the floor of my (ex) best friend’s bedroom floor. I seriously considered sending JKR my therapy bill after this one. I mean…really Jo. Why kill them. Yes I’m being vague for the few people who haven’t finished the series yet.Chapters 32 & 33 did serious emotional damage.

2.

The Program (The Program #1) by Suzanne Young

This book had me basically locked in a fetal position for pretty much the entire book. I loved it, I adored it and I repeatedly told people that it was my favorite read of 2013. I pushed this book so many times but also told people to load up on kleenex.

3.

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

It’s been no secret that I loved this book. I’ve basically told everyone what an amazingly beautiful and heartbreaking book this is. It’s beautifully written and it made me cry so much. To the point of having to catch my breath between the sobs.

4. 

If You Leave (Beautifully Broken #2)

Okay first of all Courtney Cole is a goddess. She knows how to write wonderfully real characters that people can relate to. I loved this story as I could relate so well to Madison and what she experienced as a child. I understood why her childhood experiences made her tentative about love.Watching her realize that she was not going to be her mom and that she deserved love was beautiful and it filled me with a lot of hope.

5. 

Where The Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Beautiful book about family and how you can overcome things. That just because you experienced things that no child should ever experience, does not mean you are “tainted” or “dirty” or unlovable. Watching Callie evolve from being fiercely loyal to her mom and suspicious of her dad and stepmom to realizing that her dad wanted only the best for her and her mom wasn’t it, was beautiful and at the same time, heart wrenching.

6.

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

There were two parts that I cried over but they were major parts that involved major characters. I remember finishing the book and just being heartbroken at some of the things that happened. It involved killing off my favorite male character (which I STILL haven’t forgiven Suzanne for) I am not looking forward to those parts in the book.

7.

Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor

This book was more than just another one of those “cancer books” It was a book about loyalty, family and friendship. I remember vividly, finishing my e-ARC of this and just sobbing so hard I was sure I was going to puke. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and gosh just so wonderful.

8.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

So I cried in this book as did many MANY other people. Yet it was funny too which I didn’t expect from a “cancer book” However the last 75 or so pages, I sobbed. It was so heartbreaking and at times I couldn’t believe that this was happening. At this point, I ran out of kleenex so I had to use paper towels.

9.

Pushing The Limits (Pushing The Limits #1) by Katie McGarry

I probably could have put this one further up on the list but I had forgotten about some of the others on the list. Or maybe my brain helped me forget how much I cried over this one. Not sure. Anyway, this book was beautiful and both Noah’s and Echo’s back stories were heartbreaking and pretty much caused a flood of tears through a good chunk of the book.

10.

The Summer I Wasn’t Me by Jessica Verdi

Now this one doesn’t come out until April but I read it and loved it. I cried through a lot of it. The journey that Lexi goes through is inspiring that alone was enough to make me cry. Not to mention the crap that one of her friends’ goes through.

-Honorable Mentions-

Dare You To (Pushing The Limits #3) by Katie McGarry

I love Beth and reading her story was heartbreaking. She is so fiercely loyal to her mom which I understand because I am the same way. Yet she knows that her mom is an adult and she insists on making bad choices. My heart ached for Beth.

The Sea Of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Beautiful writing and beautiful characters. I had managed not to cry until the very end and that’s when the tears started falling. These characters were great characters and I found myself rooting for the couple but also liking Josh’s best friend.

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu

Yet another amazing debut. Corey Ann Haydu managed to be raw and honest about OCD and the various forms it takes while giving us characters to root for, to smile with and to laugh with. OCD Love Story made me cry mostly because I know what it’s like to deal with OCD on a daily basis and Corey Ann Haydu portrayed it wonderfully. 

So there ya go. What books were on your TTT this week? Put your links in the comments and I’ll do my best to stop by.

Top Ten Books I read in 2013

This feature is hosted by the ladies of The Broke and the Bookish

This was an interesting year for me. I started this blog in April and since then, I’ve found some simply amazing books of all different genres. Books that I probably wouldn’t have found if I wasn’t blogging.

So here goes my list…

It should shock no one that I am putting The Program by Suzanne Young on here. Every single time I’ve been asked for my favorite book of the year, The Program has been my immediate answer. The feels are all there and the character development is amazing. Go read it right now if you haven’t already.

Splintered by A.G. Howard quickly became a new favorite of mine. I had never read retellings before but it looked amazing. So when I got it as a Christmas present, I dove right in. And I loved it. It was absolute perfection.

My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi was a surprise to me. I had no idea how much I would like and yes even love this one.This one was an unexpected and happy surprise.

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu had the power to be amazing or be terrible and it was amazing. It was awesome to see the characterization of OCD done right and not understated or overstated.

If You Find Me was an amazing debut and it had me pondering my own life and being thankful for the people in it. It also had me pondering the idea of sending Emily Murdoch my therapy bill.It broke me in the best possible way.

Oh how I love books about cults. Gated by Amy Christine Parker was awesome and I loved it big time.It brought out the feels in me a lot towards the end. Yet I totally understand that it’s not a book for everyone.

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry actually came out in 2012, but since this is a list of books I’ve read in 2013, I figured it’s okay to put Pushing the Limits on this list. Um, this book was amazing, beautiful and full of feels. Go read this one if you haven’t already.

The Sea Of Tranquility also came out in 2012, but I just recently read it so it made it’s way onto the list.Amazing book, yet another one that broke me into teeny tiny pieces by the time it was the end of the book. I teased the lovely Katja Millay that I was going to send her my therapy bill. I am stunned that it took me this long to read this book.

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan doesn’t come out until the beginning of 2014, but I did read it this year so it also gets to be on this list.It was awesome and different and heartbreaking. Go pre-order this book right now.

Pivot Point by Kasie West was awesome and beautiful and amazing. After only reading one of Kasie West’s books, she has cemented herself on my list of auto-buy authors.Pivot Point was beautifully written and it had one of the best friendships I’ve ever seen in Addie & Laila.Go read this book right now and get ready for Split Second.

All of these authors were actually new to me. That’s been another perk of book blogging. I’ve been introduced to hordes of new authors.Looking at my list, over half of them were contemporaries.Of the other 4, one was fantasy,one was paranormal,one was science fiction and one was dystopian.

So let me know if you’ve read any of these and if you did a Top Ten list this week, link me to that as well. See you guys next year!

Happy New Year!

Top Picks of 2013

So I know I already took part in this for another blog, but I also wanted to make a best of post for my own blog. So look at my choices for books that were published & that I read this year. In the comment section, let me know what you think of my choices.

Best debut novel(s)

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu was in my opinion one of the best debut novels. It was written wonderfully and the characterization of OCD and it’s variables was quite accurate.Splintered was also one of the best debut novels. It was definitely a “dark” book but so, SO good.

Best start of series

The Program by Suzanne Young. I adored this book more than I ever expected to. It was beautifully written and the characters were amazing.

Best series finale/ Continuation.

So I haven’t read any series finales this year so I decided to pick the best 2^nd book in a series. For that, I go with Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi. It was amazing and left me desperate for the final book in the trilogy.

Best standalone

There are not enough words in my vocabulary to accurately describe my love for If You Find Me. It was beautifully written and the characters were wonderful and enjoyable. It had all of those feelings that are so important to the enjoyment of the book.

Best unexpected favorite

My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi. It was one of my favorite YA contemporaries of the year. I bought this one after a friend recommended it to me. I had no clue how much I would love it.

Best all around

The Program by Suzanne Young. I had heard some iffy things about it prior to purchasing it but I went ahead in purchased it anyway. It had romance, action and all the feels that a reader could ever want.

Most anticipated 2014 book

My most anticipated 2014 book is definitely Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi. I am dying to see what happens to all of the characters.

Cover Love

The cover of Splintered is absolutely gorgeous. I drooled over the cover for ages after I unwrapped it on Christmas morning. The pictures absolutely do not do it justice.