Review: Never Apart by Romily Bernard

Author: Romily Bernard
Genre: YA, Sci-fi, Mystery
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Source: Netgalley

My Rating: 4.5 stars
Summary From Goodreads: 
How many times would you die for love?

What if you had to relive the same five days over and over?

And what if at the end of it, your boyfriend is killed…
And you have to watch. Every time.
You don’t know why you’re stuck in this nightmare.
But you do know that these are the rules you now live by:
Wake Up.
Run.
Die.
Repeat.
Now, the only way to escape this loop is to attempt something crazy. Something dangerous. Something completely unexpected. This time…you’re not going to run.

Combining heart-pounding romance and a thrilling mystery, Never Apart is a stunning story you won’t soon forget.

Waiting on Wednesday #48

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine, that highlights upcoming releases we're anticipating.

Author: Mindy McGinnis
Title: A Madness So Discreet
Series: None
Genre: YA, Historical, Mystery/Thriller, Horror
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Summary From Goodreads: 
Mindy McGinnis, the acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, combines murder, madness, and mystery in a beautifully twisted gothic historical thriller perfect for fans of novels such as Asylumand The Diviners as well as television's True Detective and American Horror Story.
When Grace Mae is sent to the insane asylum because of the bulge in her belly, she already knows about madness and family secrets. It is in the darkness that she may find a new lease on life when a visiting doctor interested in criminal psychology recognizes Grace's brilliant mind hiding beneath the fear and anger. Although the doctor insists that for Grace's safety she must continue to play insane while assisting him at crime scenes, she finds hope in a different, ethical asylum. But the gruesome nights when Grace and the doctor investigate a killer targeting young women bring Grace's shaky sanity, and the demons of her own past, dangerously close to the surface.

Review: Don't Look Back by Jennifer Armentrout

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: None
Genre: YA, Mystery/Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

My Rating: 4 Stars

Summary From Goodreads: 

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. 

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash. 

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

Waiting on Wednesday #37

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine, that highlights upcoming releases we're anticipating.

Author: Trish Doller

Series: None
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery
Release Date: June 2, 2015

Summary From Goodreads: 

Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it's just the risk she's been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions.

Why I'm Waiting

I'm not a huge fan of mystery/thriller novels, but I'm excited for this one because I love Trish Doller. Also, I really like the cover and its simplicity!   

Author Events Recap and Giveaway!

Maggie Hall and Jay Asher Recap

Two weeks ago, debut author Maggie Hall came to my local bookstore to celebrate the release of her book, The Conspiracy of Us. I got a seat in the very back (meaning no pictures for this post because they weren't good) because I arrived late. Luckily, the only thing I missed was the employee introducing Maggie.
After that, Maggie gave a brief intro of herself and her travels, along with some information about the awesome tattoos she was sporting. 

Then the Q & A and began. I won't go into detail for all the questions because there were a lot asked. Most of the them circulated around publishing, such as how long the whole process took, editing, etc. Along with that, they were questions about the book and characters like the inspiration behind the story, the origin of the cover, etc. Because I sat way in the back, I happened to be right by the check out counter, so I was first to snag a book for the signing following the Q & A. I got pretty near the front of the line, so I didn't have to wait too long. After I talked to Maggie, I found Dahlia Adler in the crowd and got a picture with her too.

                                 

   

Let me say that I'm super awkward around authors. I still remember the first time I went to an author event and just stood there mentally freaking out while the authors signed my books. I don't think I said anything more then my name and thank you. *cringes* Anyway, I've gotten a bit better at making small talk without full on fangirling, which brings me to my recap of Jay Asher's 50 States Against Bullying tour. 

My school was lucky enough to be chosen as part of Asher's tour, so of course I was extremely excited when I found out because it's Jay Asher! At the presentation, I discovered that Asher is a really chill and funny person. He briefly introduced himself and 13 Reasons Why and went on to discuss the inspiration behind it, the number of times it was rejected before published, and how readers have responded to the book. Asher did a wonderful job of balancing out the amount of humor and entertainment with the serious talk of bullying and suicide during his presentation.

While I was in line for the signing, I could hear students in front of me telling Asher about people they personally know who have been bullied or how they themselves suffer from depression, and more importantly, their feelings of gratefulness in knowing that they aren't alone. I was so nervous when talking to Jay Asher that I forgot to get a picture with him! Total fail on my part. These are the times when I wish I wasn't so introverted. Hahah. But overall, this has probably been one of my favorite author events not just of the way Asher presented the topic, but the fact that it served as a  reminder to people that everything affects everything.

          

So to celebrate reasons why you matter, I'm finally hosting the signed swag giveaway I promised a while back!

US Only; Ends February 14th (Visit my Policy page for all rules)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday #25

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine, that highlights upcoming releases we're anticipating.

Author: Maggie Hall
Series: None
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mystery/Thriller, Romance
Release Date: January 13, 2015

Summary From Goodreads: 

To fight her destiny as the missing heir to a powerful and dangerous secret society, sixteen-year-old Avery West must solve an ancient puzzle in a deadly race across Europe. Forbidden love and code-breaking, masked balls and explosions, destiny and dark secrets collide in this romantic thriller, in the vein of a YA DaVinci Code.
Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada at the Champs-Elysees when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war.
They are part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle of Twelve, and Avery is their missing heir. If they discover who she is, some of them will want to use her as a pawn. Some will want her dead.
To thwart their plans, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the landmarks of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul and through a web of ancient legends and lies. And unless she can stay one step ahead of beautiful, volatile Stellan, who knows she’s more than she seems, and can decide whether to trust mysterious, magnetic Jack, she may be doomed after all.

ARC August Wrap Up!

First of all, a huge thank you to Octavia for hosting ARC August! I had tons of fun! 

Waiting on Wednesday #10

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine, that highlights upcoming releases we're anticipating.

    Author: Claudia Gray
   Series: Firebird
   Genre: YA, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Thriller, Romance
   Release Date: November 4, 2014

Summary From Goodreads: 

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

Waiting on Wednesday #7

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine, that highlights upcoming releases we're anticipating.

    Author: Anna Carey
   Series: Blackbird #1
   Genre: YA, Mystery/Thriller, Contemporary
   Release Date: September 16, 2014

Summary From Goodreads: 

A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her. 

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.

Cover Reveal: Conspiracy Girl by Sarah Alderson

Today we have an exclusive look at the cover for Sarah Alderson's new YA novel coming out next year, Conspiracy Girl!

  
   Author: Sarah Alderson
   Genre: YA, Mystery/Thriller, Romance
   Release Date: February 19, 2015

Summary From Goodreads: 

Everybody knows about the Cooper Killings – the Bel Air home invasion that rocked the nation.
There was only one survivor - a sixteen year-old girl.
And though the killers were caught they walked free.

Now eighteen, Nic Preston - the girl who survived - is trying hard to rebuild her life. She’s security conscious to the point of paranoia and her only friend is a French Mastiff bulldog, but she’s making progress. She’s started college in New York and has even begun dating.

But then one night her apartment is broken into and the life Nic’s worked so hard to create is shattered in an instant. 

Finn Carter - hacker, rule breaker, player – is the last person Nic ever wants to see again. He’s the reason her mother’s killers walked free from court. But as the people hunting her close in, Nic has to accept that her best and possibly only chance of staying alive is by keeping close to Finn and learning to trust the person she’s sworn to hate.

Fleeing across a snowbound New England, frantically trying to uncover the motive behind the murders, Nic and Finn come to realize the conspiracy is bigger than they could ever have suspected. But the closer they get to the truth and the closer they get to each other, the greater the danger becomes.

To survive she has to stay close to him.
To keep her safe he has to keep his distance.