Book Tour [Review]: The Edge of Summer

Title: The Edge of Summer
Author: Erica George
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 14th, 2022
Genres: Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Where to buy: Amazon | BookDepository | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Indigo

Thank you TBR and Beyond Tour and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for a review copy and the opportunity to be on this tour.

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis

Fans of Sarah Dessen and Morgan Matson will be swept away by this big-hearted novel about one girl navigating first loss and first love during her summer on Cape Cod.

Saving the whales has been Coriander Cabot and her best friend Ella’s dream since elementary school. But when tragedy strikes, Cor is left to complete the list of things they wanted to accomplish before college alone, including a marine biology internship on Cape Cod.

Cor’s summer of healing and new beginnings turns complicated when she meets Mannix, a local lifeguard who completely takes her breath away. But she knows whatever she has with Mannix might not last, and that her focus should be on rescuing the humpback whales from entanglement. As the tide changes, Cor finds herself distracted and struggling with her priorities.

Can she follow her heart and keep her promise to the whales and her best friend?

Review

The Edge of Summer is such a good summer read. It is also a story that talk about loss and grief in a way that feels okay. Ericka’s writing style with this story was concise and easy to follow.

We are introduced to Coriander who is staying with her Uncle as she prepares for a cool marine internship. It is part of a bucket list she created with her friend Ella. She is now checking things off on her own while dealing with the loss of her friend Ella. Throughout the summer Cor starts a romance with lifeguard Mannix and navigate loss and new love. When thinking of Cor and Mannix, their relationship was messy but the chemistry was there. The feelings didn’t feel forced or too perfect and it was something that felt relatable even to an adult like myself. While Cor can be a hard character to warm up to with some of her actions such as not responding, placing her anger or sadness on the wrong people, I still appreciated how much of a teenager Cor was. Teens are not perfect, and we’ve all been in some situation where our emotions are just a lot sometimes. I appreciated how Cor was written while also acknowledging that some of her actions were hurtful, especially towards Mannix.  Speaking of Mannix, he was a cool, carefree kind of teen boy growing feelings for a girl he just met.

When thinking of the setting of Cape Cod and the focus of whales, I felt like I was reading on a beach hearing the ocean sounds. The one things I enjoyed was how the story intertwined advocacy for whales while also connecting that to the main story. It made me as the reader feel inspired to want to keep those majestic sea mammals safe while learning more about them. Overall, I was a fan of the whale talk because it was not forced talk. Overall, this was a quick and fun read. If you are a fan of summer contemporary young adult romances, this is a go to read.

About the Author

Erica George is a writer of young adult fiction. She is a graduate of The College of New Jersey with degrees in both English and education, and is currently an MFA student at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She resides in scenic northern New Jersey, but spends her summers soaking up the salty sea air on Cape Cod.
Many themes in Erica’s writing rotate around environmental activism and helping young people find their voice. When she’s not writing, you can find her exploring river towns, whale watching, or engrossed in quality British drama with her dog at her side.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter

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Book Tour

June 13th
The Book Dutchesses – Promotional Post
Jen Jen Reviews – Review

June 14th
Kait Plus Books – Interview
Sadie’s Spotlight – Promotional Post

June 15th
Stuck in Fiction – Promotional Post
A Bronx Latina Reads – Review

June 16th
Lost in Neverland – Review
One More Chapter – Review

June 17th
Melancholic Blithe – Interview
Book lover’s book reviews – Promotional Post & Tik Tok

June 18th
Nine Bookish Lives – Promotional Post
Phannie the ginger bookworm – Review & Playlist

June 19th
Whispering Stories – Interview
Justice For Readers – Promotional Post

Instagram Tour

June 13th
booking.with.janelle -Promotional Post
booksandsnapshots – Review
tinybooknest – Favorite Quotes

June 14th
writingrosereads – Promotional Post
sadiesspotlight – Blogger’s Choice

June 15th
feliciareads11 – Blogger’s Choice
belle.bookcorner – Review & Favorite Quotes

June 16th
tbrandbeyond – Promotional Post
katiereads23 – Review
_leahreads – Blogger’s Choice

June 17th
bhaneereads_ – Top 5 Reasons to Read The Edge of Summer
bookloversbookreviews – Blogger’s Choice

June 18th
ninebookishlives – Blogger’s Choice
musfira._ – Promotional Post

June 19th
fangirlpixiebooks – Promotional Post
GryffindorBookishNerd – Review
atrailofpages – Review

Blog Tour [Review]: Game of Strength and Storm

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Title: Game of Strength and Storm
Author: Rachel Menard
Publisher: Flux
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Genres: Young Adult Fantasy

Where to buy: Amazon | BookDepository | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Thank you TBR and Beyond Tour and Flux Books for a review copy and the opportunity to be on this tour.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars but rounded up to 4 stars

Synopsis

Victory is the only option.

Once a year, the Olympian Empresses grant the wishes of ten people selected by a lottery—for a price. Seventeen-year-old Gen, a former circus performer, wants the freedom of her father, who was sentenced to life in prison for murders she knows he didn’t commit. Castor plans to carry the island Arcadia into the future in place of her brother, Pollux, but only after the Empresses force a change in her island’s archaic laws that requires a male heir.

To get what they want, Gen and Castor must race to complete the better half of ten nearly impossible labors. They have to catch the fastest ship in the sea, slay the immortal Hydra, defeat a gangster called the Boar, and capture the flesh-eating Mares, among other deadly tasks.

Gen has her magic, her ability to speak to animals, her inhuman strength—and the help of Pollux, who’s been secretly pining for her for years. But Castor has her own gifts: the power of the storms, along with endless coin. Only one can win. The other walks away with nothing—if she walks away at all.

Review

I have to say – this was a pretty enjoyable read. I enjoyed the focus of Greek mythology in the plot and scenery. I am not well versed in the Hercules 12 labors so IK had to do a bit of research to under this was a genderbent retold version of it. However, not having this knowledge ahead of time did not hinder my ability to enjoy this story. Game of Strength and Storm has multiple points of views, which is always a selling point for me. I like to dive into a story and hear the perspective of the main characters. Rachel Menard was bale to write POV’s well and create a storyline that did not feel disconnected. It was a fast paced read that didn’t feel too predictable.

There are ten winners and those ten winners can receive a wish. But there’s a catch – they have to complete/win 6 of the 10 tasks needed to have their wish granted by the Empress. The competition aspect of the story sold me heavily and was one of the main reasons I continued reading on. It gave the nostalgic feeling form the books I read as a teen of competitions and survival.

When thinking of the characters, I enjoyed Gen, Castor and Pollux for very different reasons. Gen has the ability to speak to animals and has a wish to free her father from prison. Gen felt like the character with the moral compass. Her storyline was similar to Castor because their wish to rule could feed their other wishes. What I admired most about Gen was her love towards her family. She was truly fighting for them and it showed. Castor is also a very strong character, but may be going about things in an unpopular opinion kind of way. Pollux, her brother is next in line to rule their island of Arcadia – the very throne Castor wants. Her mission is to dismantle the misogyny by having her wish granted to become the next ruler. Sounds great right? Well when you have a teddy bear, sweetheart of a brother, it is hard to focus or root for someone who wants to see his lineage disrupted to become Queen. Regardless of Castor’s not so altruistic wish, her determination and strong will make her a force to be reckoned with.

There was a small romance brewing between Gen and Pollux but I felt that it wasn’t developed enough to know if it would be a developing relationship or just a crush. I’d be excited to see overall how the story along with the romance pans out in future books.

About the Author

Rachel Menard was born in New Jersey, raised in Arizona, and then relocated to Rhode Island. Throughout her life she has been a barista, college radio DJ, singer in an alt-country band, marketer, designer, and finally, a writer. Her short fiction has been featured on the Cast of Wonders podcast and her non-fiction has been seen in Writer’s Digest. Her debut novel, Game of Strength and Storm, is coming from Flux Books in 2022.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Tik Tok