The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson -- Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

Have you heard of The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson?  If you haven't grab a pen and write down the title ASAP!

I borrowed this book from Jillian and it is an absolute adorable read.  Ginny and Charlotte are twins.  Charlotte is a librarian.  She loves books, loves staying home to read, and isn't big into make up.  (She's basically me.)  Ginny is a pageant queen.  Charlotte goes to visit Ginny and watch her compete, when one night while the two are eating dinner, Ginny has a terrible allergic reaction that swells her entire face!  This is the last year that Ginny can compete before she turns 30.  Under normal circumstances it might not be a big deal, but it was Ginny's dream to win just like their mother did before she passed away from cancer.  So, Charlotte does something crazy, she pretends to be her sister. 

I loved this book and blew right through it.  I feel like I am on a roll- I've been loving all the books that I have been reading.  I leave you with a rating of 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  Until the next read!

~Jessica 

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass- Tween Nook

Welcome everyone to our new Tween Nook tag!

Today's first official review for the Tween Nook is 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass.

This was a really cute book. 

The premise of the book was that Amanda was waking up everyday and re-living her birthday.  In the beginning, she was repeating the same actions and she was getting the same outcomes. Until the fifth day, there was a change - Amanda noticed that Leo had acted differently then he had in the days before!  Thus, their communication started and they were able to mend their relationship. I’m not entirely sure that this is the word I’m looking for, but I would say that there is a sense of “whimsy” in this book for sure. It's up to you, if you want to call this book a fantasy. But it adds an element that would pull in any dream driven tween. 

After 11 days, there is no change and Amanda and Leo are still re-living their birthdays.  Through some simple investigation, Amanda and Leo are able to speak with the woman who happened to have united them on the day of their birth. (Imagine living the same day over and over again and not having anything change?! Ugh. Talk about uncomfortable and not a whole lot of fun). 

That’s where the whimsy comes in! This woman, Angela has been around for a looooong time.  There is family history between Leo and Amanda’s family. Something that has to be explained to them by Angela. 

Leo and Amanda fought over an understandable reason: Leo made fun of his friendship with Amanda. When you’re almost 11, it might not always be the coolest to be best friends with a girl (but who knows now in 2019! This book might be a little dated?). 

That’s pretty relatable. As is leaving your lunch at home and not having enough lunch money. Feeling let down by your friends and feeling that you’re letting friends down too. I also thought it was important that no matter how hard she tried, Amanda’s mom still lost her job. Some things can’t be controlled and sadly, that’s one of them. 

For my first tween book review, I would give this book 4 coffee beans out of 5! I don’t have anything to go off of but I thought that it was well written and the whimsy of the song was adorable. 

- Jillian

                                         

The Shortest Distance Between Love and Hate by Sandy Hall - Reshevled Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

Have you read Sandy Hall's latest young adult romance novel, The Shortest Distance Between Love and Hate yet?

If you haven't you definitely should.  Paisley and Carter are both starting their first year of college, where they meet at a party and end up kissing.  The two are just smitten with each other, only Paisley thinks that Carter's name is Bart. The problem?  Paisley soon finds out that Bart is really Carter, her arch-nemesis  and the boy who bullied her best friend in grade school.  

The romance is called off.  Friendship? Forget about it.  Now it is war.  The two begin to all pranks on each other, leading towards a slippery slope of pure trouble on both ends.  Will they be able to come to a truce and put the past behind them for good?

This novel is not only adorable and funny, but it also teaches a valuable lesson about revenge and forgiveness. I would give it all the coffee beans in the world if I could, but will settle for 5 out of 5, since that's what our rating scale is.  

Until the next read!
~Jessica  

"Writing Realistic Teen Romances" by Haleigh Wenger- Guest Blogger

Writing Realistic Teen Romances

One criticism I hear a lot when referring to teenage romance novels is that it’s not realistic for love interests to always end up together and have a happily ever after. 

Here’s what I think: It’s absolutely realistic. Because when you’re a teenager, and when you’re in love in general, it feels like forever. I can so clearly remember being sixteen and in love, writing in my Live Journal about my intense feelings while waiting around for someone special’s name to pop up on my AIM. Even as a happily married adult, I still get butterflies thinking about those first crushes and how life changing they were.

Let’s give teenagers more credit. I think they understand that not all sixteen-year-olds have a happily ever after, the end, that’s it. But we should trust them enough to know for themselves what they’re feeling and how serious those feelings are. Teens should see healthy romantic relationships in the books they read. For some of them, it might be the only place they see that a happy ending is possible. 

In April a hashtag started by the #Novel19s made the rounds on Twitter. Young Adult writers shared pictures of their prom, with and without their dates under the tag #YAGoesToProm. What was interesting was the amount of people that are currently married to their prom date. But, even if teen love doesn’t turn out to be forever love, it’s still okay to write it like it could be. When we do this, we’re validating teenager reader’s relationships and telling them that, yes, your romantic feelings are real and big and important. We’re preparing them for future relationships that will last, and showing them positive relationship role models. 

If you are a reader of Young Adult fiction who supports happy endings, check out THE ART OF FALLING IN LOVE, out August 13 from Literary Crush Publishing.

- Haleigh Wenger, author of The Art of Falling in Love

The Art of Falling in Love by Haleigh Wenger - Book Tour

Hi guys, 

I'm excited to tell you about The Art of Falling in Love by Haleigh Wenger.  Haleigh reach out to us and asked us if we would in interested in reviewing her debut novel The Art of Falling in Love, which will be released on August 13th by Literary Crush Publishing.

We asked to participate in the book tour for this release and we couldn't have been more excited!  Part of the book tour involves a guest blog post that Haleigh wrote!  You'll be able to find that here.  As always, we were asked to read this book for an honest review. 


First things first, the cover of this book is adorable!  You will note that there is a sandcastle on the front of the cover.  The sandcastle is somewhat the main focus of the book. 

Claire is spending her summer in Florida like she does every year. Except is year is different because her Opa has passed away. Upon finding a filled registration form that he completed, for her to participate in a sand building contest. 
Claire is an artist, yes but she does her art in the form of sketching.  Sand is a new medium for her and it's taking her through uncharted territory. 

Soon after finding out about the contest, Claire meets Foster.  Claire doesn't know this right away but her and Foster are more alike than just sharing their love for art.  They know what it's like to lose someone who's close to them.  Foster lost his mother a couple years before.  While 
With the help of her new friend, Foster, Claire is determined to fulfill her Opa's wishes. When Foster's past and his present come to light, Claire learns that it's going to alter not only her present but their future.  

Foster is homeless. He’s hiding from his older brother, Johnny and from CPS. Foster and Johnny have a complicated and virile relationship; one that drives Foster to stay away. (Who could blame him??)

Filled with many up and downs, the reader gets to see Claire learn to live this summer without her Opa. We also get to see the now challenging relationship Claire has with her sister, Livvy. Livvy is a few years younger than Claire but up until this summer, they had always gotten along. 

That being said, Haleigh wrote a book dealt with realistic topics. Everyone at one time or another had lost someone close to them and had to navigate grieving.  Anyone with who's close to someone, has siblings, etc; knows what it’s like to hit a rough patch and feel distant from them and like something has changed.  Even homelessness is something that's ever present in today's society; individuals and families are struggling everyday.  Even the topic of falling in love.  Sometimes that becomes all consuming and the emotions that the reader saw Haleigh have toward Foster were relatable. 

The way that The Art of Falling in Love ended, at least to me, felt like it too was realistic.  Not every relationship is meant to last.  Sometimes they hurt but you come out stronger in the end and you end up finding yourself. 

The Art of Falling in Love gives you major feels and for that, I happily give this book 4 coffee beans out of 5.  Why, you may ask?  Well.  I actually didn't like Claire's character! (I saw some of myself in Claire with how she felt toward Foster and I think that's what got to me.  Mind you, this is me knowing what I know now at 29 and not what I knew at 18).

~ Jillian

July Book Haul

Hello everybody!!

August is here! Do you know what that means? It means new books to review for a new month! 

I went on to title this post: “July Book Haul” because these are the books I got this month to read and post reviews for for August. (Bear with me, I’m new at this whole haul thing). 

All of these books are YA. One of them is juvenile fiction- I am trying a new idea here (more on that later). One of these books were sent to us for reviewing; the others I either bought myself or I borrowed from the library (summer reading is still here!)

Ready? Let’s get started! 

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett (YA) 
I’m not gonna lie, the cover art on this book totally pulled me in. I wanted to get Bennett’s newest book but it wasn’t available in paperback. I settled for this one. The premise of the story sounds super cute. 
It’s the start of summer vacation for Zorie, she’s working a few shifts at her parents’ acupuncture clinic; which happens to be right next door to an adult shop. Which happens to be opened by her neighbors. Who happen to the moms to her former best friend, Lennon. Who, Zorie HAPPENED to casually date briefly. 

Much to Zorie's dismay, her mother encourages and arranges for Zorie to go on a camping trip with friends.  Unknown to Zorie, Lennon is also going to be on this trip.  How do these two feuding friends handle their camping trip?  After a fight with Reagan, Zorie and Lennon are left to fend for themselves for a week in the woods.  How will they cope? 

The Art of Falling in Love by Haleigh Wenger (YA) *Review Request* 
Haleigh reaches out to us to review her debut release! Claire is spending her summer in Florida like she does every year. This is Year is different because her Opa has passed away. Afer finding a filled-out registration form that he completed, for her to participate in a sand building contest, Claire is forced to enter uncharted territory.   With the help of her new friend, Foster, Claire is determined to fulfill her Opa's wishes. When Foster's past and his present come to light, Claire learns that it's going to alter not only her present but their future.  Can she learn how to navigate this summer without Opa and how to help Foster without hurting herself in the process?

Maybe This Time by Kasie West (YA)
As we know, I am quite the fan of Kasie West.  I've read several of her books and I've enjoyed them all.  This is her newest release. 
Sophie is from a small town in Alabama, she's working to save money for college.  While working an event with her friend, Micah; Sophie meets Andrew Hart, the son of a famous TV chef.  For the next year, Sophie will be running into a lot of Andrew; much to her dismay. During this year, Andrew and Sophie will have 9 encounters to become friends or even something more.

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett (YA)
Yes, this is the second book that I will be reading by one author in 1 month.  What is going on? Especially considering that I didn't care too much for her debut novel Alex, Approximately.  But I loooooved "Starry Eyes" enough to want to read this one.  I just reading it and I can tell you that I'm already digging it.  Birdie is 18, having been sheltered by her grandparents for the last 8 years; she convinced her grandfather to let her get her first real job.  As a lover of mystery (including Agatha Christie, Midsomer Murders, old episodes of Columbo and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries); Birdie was excited to get an overnight job working at the front desk of the Cascadia Hotel. Prior to starting her new job, Birdie had an encounter with a mystery magician. There is an element of mystery in this book, not only because Birdie learns of the identity of her mystery man but also because he helps her solve a mystery.

11 Birthdays: A Wish Novel by Wendy Mass (Juvenile Fiction)
Now, this might be a crazy pipe dream that I have but last week, I thought that it would be a cute idea to have a tween section to the blog.  I review enough YA and Jessica reviews enough Adult fiction; that a tween section would make us more well rounded.  I know that this title is a high circulating one within the library where I work.  The synopsis of the book sounds cute enough. At 10, Amanda can't wait to turn 11 but this year, her birthday will be different from past years because she won't be sharing it with her best friend, Leo.  Leo and Amanda aren't talking to each other.  When she goes to bed on her 11th birthday, she wakes up the next day to find out it's her birthday again! Will repeating her birthday, help Amanda fix her friendship with Leo? Well, I won't know until I read this tween book. 

I'll be posting reviews soon!

~ Jillian

Surfside Sisters by Nancy Thayer - Reshevled Books

Is it even summer without a novel by Nancy Thayer?  Let me tell you, Thayer's latest novel Surfside Sisters is just what summer reading is made of-- a beach coming of age adult read that tells the story of two girls who were best friends from when they were children and dreamed of being writers. 

Just like all lives and friendships both fictional and real, there was jealousy, the shattering of dreams, illness in their respective families, and money that caused problems, separation, and turmoil within the girl's lives.  But unlike many works of fiction, this novel is a a complete page turner.  I could not put it down and devoured every single word, every twist, and the turn of every page.  This novel made me yearn for a ability to sit home, be with my family, and focus on writing the great novel that I never had the time to actually commit to writing (or if we're honest to even really think about).  Also, while reading this novel I started wondering when the heck did Jillian and I become the age of the main characters in these adult fiction novels, and when did our parents become the ages of the grandparents??  Why are we both still living at home?  

Toss this novel in your beach bag this summer.  You won't be disappointed.  I leave you with a rating of 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  

Until the next read!
~Jessica 

P.S.  While I may not be writing a novel, I am working on a book of poetry.  You can check it out on my separate Instagram account @JessicaBielenPoetry.  

Introducing the... Tween Nook

Hi Deweys!

In an effort to change up the blog and to add to what we post, For The Love of Dewey will have a tab especially for tweens.  

The "Tween Nook" as I am calling it, will feature book reviews for those who are between the ages of 10 and 13. 

Between Jessica and I, we review a lot of adult and YA fiction (respectively).  The Tween component, brings us full circle. 

The first book up to be featured will be 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass!

Let me know what ya think!

~ Jillian