Waiting on Wednesday #30

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

My Pick

Goodreads

Synopsis
“Beautiful and passionate . . . [Kletter is] a writer of great distinction and infinite promise.” —Pat Conroy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Prince of Tides and South of Broad

“A keep-you-up-all-night heart-wrencher that is both beautiful and raw, painful and uplifting. An incredible read. Be warned though—you will want to read Cassie’s story, start to finish, in one sitting. And then you will want to race to put it in the hands (and hearts) of everyone you know and love.” —Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places

Cassie O’Malley has spent her whole life trying to keep her head above water—literally and metaphorically. It’s been two-and-a-half years since her mother dumped Cassie in a mental institution against her will for something Cassie claims she didn’t do. Now, at eighteen, Cassie enrolls in college, ready to reclaim her life and enter the world on her own terms.

But as she struggles to find her way forward, the startling truths she uncovers about her own family narrative make it impossible to cut the tethers of a tumultuous past. And when the unhealthy mother-daughter relationship that defined Cassie’s childhood and adolescence threatens to pull her under once again, Cassie must decide: whose version of history is the truth? And more important, whose life must she save?

A bold, literary story about the fragile complexities of mothers and daughters and learning to love oneself, The First Time She Drowned reminds us that we must dive deep into our pasts if we are ever to move forward.

My Thoughts
First of all, that cover is utterly stunning. It’s gorgeous and drool-worthy. I need this book for the cover alone. As for the rest of it, I love books that feature mental institutions & mental health issues. I love the “tough stuff,” so this book is totally up my alley and I cannot wait to get a copy of this book.

What book are you most looking forward to?

Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Book Title: Out of the Easy

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Published Date: February 12th, 2013

Publisher: Philomel Books

Genre: YA Historical

Standalone

Book Link: Goodreads

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. 

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

Disclaimer: Library book.

Review:

Normally I shy away from these books because historical books are not really my thing. However my blogging friend, Bekka pretty much forced this book on me. I trust her opinion, so I decided to give this book a try. This book really surprised me in a lot of ways. I ended up really liking it more than I expected to.

I loved Josie as a main character. She knew what she wanted as well as what she didn’t want. She didn’t allow herself to fall into the same habits her mother had adopted. Unlike her mother, Josie had dreams that had nothing to do with breaking the law. She wanted to go to college, to make something of herself. She was under a lot of pressure from her mother to put out in order to make a boatload of money.

Josie had many people who were extremely supportive of her desire to not become anything like her mother. From Willie Woodley, the madam on Conti Street, to Charlie and his son Patrick. Even the other girls in the house ran by Willie. Sweety, Evangeline, Sadie. Cokie was also an integral part of the story. 

There was a bit of a love triangle between Josie, Patrick and another boy, called Jesse Thierry. The triangle was resolved exactly the way I was hoping it would be. I was even happier to see an opposite sex friendship in this book. Opposite sex friendships are seen so infrequently in YA, so whenever I do see one, I get excited and happy. It’s even more rare to see one in a historical YA book.

I was not expecting the feels with this book, but I was given them with two separate character subplots. I loved Charlie so much, and at times, he stole the book for me. I wish he had gotten a bit more book time, but I loved what I did see in him. I loved his devotion & love towards his son, Patrick. It was really awesome to see.

I have a weird fascination with brothels & prostitutes during this time in history, I honestly don’t know where it came from. I am so glad I decided to read this book. I will be giving this book 4 stars and I will read other things that Sepetys’ writes. 

Stacking the Shelves #62

This feature is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

 Hi guys! This week was very unexpected in terms of books. I got two books from Edelweiss, one from NetGalley, and one from the author and a stack of library books. Now some of these library books I had as e-ARCs but for some reason, I could not get into them. So I decided to try and read the physical copies. Hopefully that helps.

On Wednesday, I got a package from my Secret Sister, and man did she outdo herself this month. If you are reading this, Secret Sister, thank you so much for being awesome and making my week.

Let’s see what’s on my shelf this week.

Books for Review

-From the Author-

Death By Autopsy: A Toni Day Mystery by Jane Bennett Munro

-Edelweiss-

The Bargaining by Carly Anne West
Dancing With Molly by Lena Horowitz

-NetGalley-

The Forgetting by Nicole Maggi

Library

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman

Dissonance (Dissonance #1) by Erica O’Rourke

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Diamonds in the Rough (The Secret Diamond Sisters #2) by Michelle Madow

Welcome to the Dark House (Welcome to the Dark House #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Gifted

The Devil You Know by Trish Doller
(Personalized!)

As always, don’t forget to let me know if you’ve read any of these and what you thought of them. Leave me the links to your haul posts if you did one this week. Hope you all have a great book-filled week!