The Mall by Megan McCafferty- Book Tour

Hey hi everyone!

I hope everyone's summer has been going really well even though we're still under quarantine and as we're learning how to navigate it... 

Several months ago, we were asked by the wonderful people at Wednesday Books if we wanted to review The Mall by Megan McCafferty.  I haven't read anything by Megan McCafferty before but I have wanted to read her Jessica Darling series. So maybe let's say that that counts for something? 

You're not here to read about me rambling about that series, you are here to read about The Mall!

The Mall was released last week on July 22nd, which means that if you find yourself interested in reading this book you are able to snag yourself a copy by clicking here.

The Mall takes us to 1991 to a mall in South Jersey! But it's probably technically Central Jersey.  Cassie Worthy had finished up her senior year of high school.  She's going to be going to college in NYC in the fall.  She has her first job lined up at the Parkway City Mall at American's Best Cookie with her boyfriend, Troy.  Cassie is going to be living up her last summer before college. 

That is... until she gets mono and her summer gets turned upside down. 

She can't work with Troy anymore. Heck, she can't even be seen near America's Best Cookie and she certainly can't tell her parents what happened.  

Over the very short course of the summer of 1991, we get to see how Cassie navigates her newly single summer, while she makes an unexpected friend in Drea along the way. 

McCafferty writes the story in such a way that leaves you as the reader, laughing out loud at the antics that happen between Cassie and everyone that she encounters.  You can feel her frustrations with her situation, the heartache and wishes she has towards her parents and everything in between.  

I had no problem finishing this book in one day. It was so worth the read!  Definitely 5 coffee beans out of 5. I hope that you all like it to (: 

Let me know what you think by rather commenting down below OR following me and tweeting me on Twitter @blondewithabook !

See you guys soon with many more reviews now that classes are done for the next 6 weeks!

- Jillian

Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner- Book Tour

Hi all!

Book Cover is from Amazon Posting

I hope this finds you all well.  It's like day 23 (I think) of quarantine and I think I've been busier during the last 23 days then I have every before- not that I'm complaining.  I've had to work my reading for fun into my required reading for school and my work projects.  

The post is part of a book tour for Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner.  It was sent to us in exchange for an honest review. 

You guys, I can't say enough about this book.  I LOVED IT.  I stayed up way late to finish it two weeks ago (not that there is a thing as a bedtime during quarantine?).  

At just 15 years old, "JL" (Jean Louise) is dealing without on her plate.  Not only is she in that tough spot where she's going apart from her best friend Aubrey, she's dating a guy who's 19 and her mother is in a downward spiral... And did I mention that JL hasn't seen her dad in almost 2 years? 

Yeah.  The poor girl is going through a lot. 

The book is set-up as JL is writing to Aubrey and telling her her side of the story.  The only that she's been able to share.  The letters are from both the present time and what's happened in the past.  

This book was heartbreaking and you were rooting and sympathizing for and with JL the entire time.  You were able to connect with her and feel her pains.  As the reader, you understood her struggles and you understood why she was making her decisions as she was navigating her world by herself.  I would have to say that this is one of the best realistic fiction books that I've read in a very long time.  

Not to mention, at the end, there was a pretty bombshell that JK discovered.  Which, at first I didn't think that I could see coming but as JL is piecing it together, you can see how it was leading up to happen.  (Truth be told, I didn't care for Max after that).

I would totally recommend this book for anyone who's looking for a good story.  I give it 5 coffee beans out of 5 for sure!

Happy Reading!

Stay safe,
Jillian

Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh- Book Tour

Hi ya everyone!

I hope everyone is doing okay.  Social distancing is definitely something that's not easy to adapt to but it is absolutely necessary. 

We NEED to #flattenthecurve for sure. 

That being said...

Welcome to this new review!  

A few months back, we were asked if we would like to be a part of the Book Tour for Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh.  The obvious answer was "Yes!" and thus how this review came to light.  

It's a been a long time since I've read a true mystery novel.  I think the last mystery novel I read was back in 2013 and it was a Women's Murder Club mystery by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.  (Which I don't know if I would count as a mystery?)

Needless to say that this was the first mystery I've read in a while.  I don't really count those new fade psychological thrillers/suspense reads as true mysteries.  I've read my fair share of those and I was never really truly impressed.  

Bree Taggert is a 35 year old detective with the Philadelphia Police Department.  At the young age if 8, Bree and her younger sister and brother lost her mother in tragedy and her father not to soon after.  Never expecting for the unimaginable to happen: the loss of one of her siblings.  Bree returns home to Grey Hollow to find her sister, Erin but she quickly learns that her sister who she just thought was missing, has actually been murdered.  

As the reader, we learn that a man named Matt, discovered Erin's body.  Erin was at ex-husband's Justin's house.  Matt was there to take Justin to his NA meeting.  (Imagine the horror and surprise that Matt faced when he found that scene?? YIKES)

With someone dead and another person missing, there's quite a mystery surrounding the town of Grey's Hollow. 

Leigh tells the story of loss, while also showing the reader how Bree was able to overcome her past and make herself into the strong woman that she is today.  With the help of Matt, Bree is able to uncover the recent twists and turns in Erin's life. 

I liked this book.  It was a good introduction back into the mystery genre for me.  I found myself guessing through the book who the killer could be (I thought it was going to be someone entirely different than who it was!).

I was surprised by who Erin's killer was and I was surprised with Justin's outcome.  But I liked it the overall outcome of the story. 

Something else that I liked was that the story didn't turn into a romance between Bree and Matt.  I feel like as readers, we've all been there when two people are working together in a story and then all of a sudden, they end up romantically linked and sometimes, that can ruin the story.  It could shift the prescriptive of the story and the whole thing goes to crap.  

I'm happy to report that you're able to still purchase books and have them shipped via Amazon! Which is exactly where you'll find this one.  If you're not so sure about ordering a physical copy of the book, you're in luck because it's available as an e-book through Kindle.  :)  Definitely 4 coffee beans out of 5 in my book. 

And with that my friends, I leave you!  I hope everyone is staying safe and keeping their distances when having to go outside for those short periods of time.

Feel free to let me know what you think of the book down below if you snag a copy for yourself. 

Happy reading!
- Jillian

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord- Book Tour

Hi all!

I hope everyone is having a great 2020 thus far. 

Book Cover provided by Book Tour Packet

A few months ago, we were asked if we would like to participate in the book tour for Tweet Cute by Emma Lord. 

*A huge shout out to Jennifer for reaching out to us to be a spot on the Tweet Cute Book Tour*

Tweet Cute follows the two teenager, Pepper and Jack; who get caught up in a crazy situation: their parents happen to be rivals in the fast food business.  Pepper and Jack both run their families' business twitter accounts.  All the while, going to school together and having swim practice together.  

As Pepper and Jack grow closer, they don't realize that they have a two things working in their favor and out of their favor...

An app that allows them to chat to each other while staying anonymous. 
A rivalry between their parents. 

There's all of this stuff going around in the background while Jack and Pepper are working on their friendship and falling for each other.

It was a (no pun intended) cute story! 

I liked how Pepper and Jack changed their views on each other and how the reader got to watch their friendship blossom into this little romance. 

One thing that I liked about the story was how Weazel didn't tear apart Jack and Pepper.  Bluebird and Wolf were going strong! (Well, strong when they were talking to one another on the app...)

I guess that the app didn't tear them apart because of everything else that was going on and what they had went through in the beginning of the book. 

There isn't anything about this book that I would change.  When I think back to it, there wasn't anything that was left out or anything that you wanted to question.  Nothing felt like it was missing. 

Tweet Cute is definitely worth the read.  It's available now!

- Jillian

Nome-o Seeks Juliet by Katy Regnery- Reshelved Books

Thank you to Amzaon for the cover art.

Hi hi everyone. 

I'm back! 

This time, I have a review on Katy Regnery's newest book Nome-o Seeks Juliet (this is book #2 in the An Odds- Are-Good Standalone series). Just like before, this book was sent to us in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

As some of you may be aware, I reviewed the first book, Single in Sitka last month (you can find that review here).  This series are standalones which all take place in different parts of Alaska but it seems that all of the men we're meeting have ads posted in the fictional The Odds Are Good periodical (after typing that out, I understand *why* this is the Odd-Are-Good series...).  This time, we're leaving Sitka and we're traveling to Nome. 
I didn't think it was possible to love two characters in a book more.  I really didn't.  But it happened.
I also thought that I really liked Single in Sitka... But I gotta say Nome-o Seeks Juliet is just a thousand times better to me!

When I first started reading this book, I felt like it bore striking resemblance to the first book in the series. I got serious vibes that Juliet was a little like Amanda and that Silvia was a little like Leigh.  Which had me feeling like I had been doped...

I am happy to say that I was wrong.  

Juliet is a 24 year old vet student.  She won a grant for her fellowship and sadly, she was about to have to give her grant up due to lack of a mentor.  Silvia found what she thought to be a way for Juliet to keep her funding for her fellowship: a classified ad looking for a female musher for a co-ed dog sledding team; a "Juliet". 

Though, I can't say that I blame Juliet's character for being leery toward this "classified ad" - it did seem to be too good to be true.  However, the title of the ad was totally adorable!

One thing that I wasn't expecting when I started this book, was for there to be a student/professor relationship.  You know, those types of things that could get someone jammed up.  

Making a split second decision, Juliet decides that she IS going to Alaska!  That she will be able to keep the funding for her fellowship because she IS going to be mushing with this Nome-o!  This means that she'll have to answer his ad and hope for the best. 

Juliet arrives in Nome and meets a very attractive man named Cody.  Cody happens to be 10 years her senior,  retired from the Military and an amateur musher.

As the reader, we learn that Cody looks like a young Brad Pitt but Cody doesn't feel like he looks like Brad Pitt.  During his tour, Cody suffered a devastating injury and lost 5 of his fingers, leaving him with a severe injury and an honorable discharge from the service. 

I don't think I've ever felt more compassion from a character before EVER.  It was very easy to fall in love with Cody's character.  He was strong, yet sensitive and I commend Juliet's character for waiting so long. 

I felt like this story moved a little faster than the book in the series but that's okay!  (Heck, that’s even something that Juliet felt).  There was something so genuine about their relationship. It had factor to it that made it believable. 

What will happen between Juliet and Cody, you ask?  I don't know.  Y'all are just going to hope onto the great interwebs, snag a copy and find out for yourself!

I give this book 10 coffee beans out of 5!  Realistically, it gets 5 coffee beans out of 5. 

~ Jillian

Floating in the Neversink: A Novel-In-Stories by Andrea Simon- Reshleved Books

Hi all!

We were asked to be part of the book tour for Andrea Simon's new book Floating the Neversink.  As part of this review, we will be giving away a copy of Floating in the Neversink!  Check out our IG post for more information on that. 

Floating in the Neversink tells the story of Amanda "Mandy" Gerber over the course of 6 years.  The reader is introduced to Amanda at the tender age of 9.  She's leaving Brooklyn with her family, to spend the summer away at her grandmother's summer house in upstate New York. 

Pay no mind to this book being a thinner. It's able to pack a huge punch and boy, it does! This book is told in an interesting way; each chapter is it's own story.  I found this to be a fun take on the telling of a story.  

 The book also flips between Mandy's time spent in Brooklyn and her time spent in the Catskills.

The way that Simon writes allows for you as the reader to feel Mandy's emotions. Which, is something I find not all authors can do.  The book tells the pivotal stories of Mandy's life and which each story, you can get a sense of what she's feeling. 
Not only was Simon able to make you feel such strong emotions, but she was also able to paint intense imagery.  Reading each story made you feel like you were there, next to Mandy as everything unfolded. 

Simon doesn't shy away from much when she's telling Mandy's story either.  As the reader, you get to see the struggles that Mandy faces with her friendships and at home.  (Mandy's character went through some uncomfortable scenarios going up)

I really enjoyed Floating in the Neversink.  If you're looking for a good book to cozy up with, I would definitely recommend this one. 

I give this book 4 coffee beans out of 5.  

~ Jillian

Single in Sitka by Katy Regnery - Reshelved Books

Raise your hand if you're ready for a new review!
Raise your other hand if you're ready for a new review on a book that's newly released!

Now wave those arms if you're ready to read about Katy Regnery's new book Single in Sitka!!

Single in Sitka is the first book in her Odds-Are-Good Romance series.  It seems that all of the books that are in this series, will be standalone books.  The common theme, from what I've gathered based on the cover art and the titles, would be that these books all take place in Alaska. 

Singe in Sitka was featured in the anthology One Hot Summer (You can find my review of that book here).  Which is how I got to read the first 10 chapters of the book.  My plan was to buy the book when it came out earlier this week.  Lucky for me! I was able to snag a ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

It's no secret that I've enjoyed every one of the Katy Regnery books that I have read to date.  (I actually am working on a review of After We Break).

As I digress. 

Single in Sitka tells the story of Alaskan State Trooper Luke Kingston and Seattle Sentinel columnist Amanda McKendrick.  Amanda has just broken up with her long term boyfriend, Bryce and Luke tragically lost his wife, Wendy, in an accident a couple years prior.  Amanda found Luke's dating profile in a singles website.  In a bold move, Amanda and her best friend Leigh, decide that Amanda needs to go to Sitka, Alaska to meet with Luke. 

Little does she know that this meet up is going to change her life forever.  But maybe the change will be in a good way. 

What I liked about this book was that it was more than just romance.  There was another part to this story.  Luke is a widower and he has 3 children; who are between the ages of 13 and 5.

Regnery makes sure to tell a story that is more than just being about Amanda and Luke; it's a story that brings to light her relationship with Chad and Gillian and Meghan.  I liked this and felt like it was an important thing.

I honestly enjoyed this book.  I'm excited to see what of this series holds. 

My rating: 5 coffee beans out of 5. 

~ Jillian

"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