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

Follow the Tour!

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]: No Filter and Other Lies

Follow the Tour – Click Here!

Title: No Filter and Other Lies
Author: Crystal Maldonado
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication Date: February 8th, 2022
Genres: Young Adult contemporary romance

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

Thank you Colored Pages tours and Holiday House for the review copy and the opportunity to be a part of this tour!

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis

You should know, right now, that I’m a liar.

They’re usually little lies. Tiny lies. Baby lies. Not so much lies as lie adjacent.

But they’re still lies.

Twenty one-year-old Max Monroe has it all: beauty, friends, and a glittering life filled with adventure. With tons of followers on Instagram, her picture-perfect existence seems eminently enviable.

Except it’s all fake.

Max is actually 16-year-old Kat Sanchez, a quiet and sarcastic teenager living in drab Bakersfield, California. Nothing glamorous in her existence–just sprawl, bad house parties, a crap school year, and the awkwardness of dealing with her best friend Hari’s unrequited love. But while Kat’s life is far from perfect, she thrives as Max: doling out advice, sharing beautiful photos, networking with famous influencers, even making a real friend in a follower named Elena. The closer Elena and “Max” get–texting, Snapping, and even calling–the more Kat feels she has to keep up the facade.

But when one of Max’s posts goes ultra-viral and gets back to the very person she’s been stealing photos from, her entire world – real and fake — comes crashing down around her. She has to figure out a way to get herself out of the huge web of lies she’s created without hurting the people she loves.

But it might already be too late.

Review

Imagine a full novel from the POV of the catfish. Now imagine understanding that catfish and still wishing they have as happy as an ending as they could given everything that has happened. Put those two ideas together and you get No Filter and other Lies. We follow Kat Sanchez as she create the heartthrob Max Monroe and navigates keeping one of the biggest lies yet as secret as possible. As the lies become bigger and the boy behind the photos becomes viral, making it harder to hide, Kat has to figure out how to get out of this bed of lies without losing everything.

No Filter and Other Lies focuses on some real themes that both teens and adults face today. You see how social media can be both a curse and an escape. How portraying someone else can feel refreshing. The themes are so relevant because we see them in our everyday lives. From shows, like Catfish, catfishing in many forms is something we just know is a part of navigating social media. Crystal writes into these themes so well that it almost makes it feel like a story many people can relate two, whether they were the catfish or not. Crystal is able to show how impactful social media can have on how one view’s themselves and how anxiety inducing clicking to check likes can be. In short, this story was so good. Crystal makes you like Kat even though she is doing some pretty hurtful things. She roots for Kat to give it up and see just how awesome she is and hope that she can repair the parts of her life that are not perfect. The story also notes the darker side of catfishing and how for the catfisher- it can be a mode of escape that they become addicted to when their reality is far from the perfect vision they want to see.

What I enjoyed most about Kat’s character was how creative she was. Yes, she may have created lies but I tihnk for Kat the lies she made outside of the Max Monroe profile were understandable. When you live in a society where your upbringing or who you are isn’t the ideal type, sometimes lying to fit in more eases some of the pressures and anxieties for wanting to be authentic but also wanting friends. Kat’s character hit what a teen exploring so much of herself can be. We see it in shows and other forms of media now where tens are figuring out their identity and their sexuality. Kat realizing that she may be bisexual and may have a huge crush on her friend Elena is an experience many teens are experiencing now. Although I couldn’t relate to that experience, I can appreciate seeing a character becoming more confident in who she is. Speaking of Elena, I honestly enjoyed how she was the friend who would call it as it is and let Kat know that her lies would get back to her. We see Kat face the consequences of her actions and then see Kat trying to build those pieces back up again to replenish the relationships her lies have tarnished but not completely break.

Overall, Crystal knows how to write a good story, so I wasn’t surprised when I read through this in one sitting. Crystal is spinning stories of teen experiences that are happening to the present. Teen readers will be able to relate to Kat in some for of way and understand how impactful the strive to reach that social media aesthetic can make you do things you will not be okay with in the future. It’s a quick read, it’s a fun read and really hones into important themes while still providing an entertaining story.

About The Author

Crystal Maldonado is a young adult author with a lot of feelings. Her debut novel, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, is a 2021 New England Book Award winner, a Cosmopolitan Best New Book, and a POPSUGAR Best New YA Novel. Her next novel, No Filter and Other Lies, explores teenage life in the social media age—and the lies we tell to ourselves and others. By day, Crystal works in higher ed marketing, and by night, a writer who loves Beyoncé, shopping, spending too much time on her phone, and being extra. Her work has also been published in Latina, BuzzFeed, and the Hartford Courant.

She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter

February 2021 Ya Releases I’m Excited About!

Happy Monday everyone! We are now heading into the second month of 2021 and I am super excited for a couple of YA releases coming out this month. Here are a few I can’t to read and enjoy in no particular order:

1.

Title: Music of the Night
Author: Angela J. Ford
Release Date: February 15, 2021
Genre: Gothic Romance
Why I’m excited: I am a sucker for stories inspired by Phantom of the Opera so I couldn’t help but add this to my TBR.

2.

Title: The Gilded Ones
Author: Namina Forna
Release Date: February 9, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Why I’m excited: Possible cursed genetics, A girl fighting to stay alive and change the narrative while dismantling a dysfunctional society. It sounds so good!

3.

Title: A Pho Love Story
Author: Loan Le
Release Date: February 9, 2021
Genre: Young adult Fiction
Why I’m excited: A budding romance, children of competing restaurants falling for each other, and feuding families were the themes that piqued my interest.

4.

Title: Muse
Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Release Date: February 2 2021
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fantasy
Why I’m excited: Alternative history backdrop, war driven society, some magical elements, and a fight to survive. All in all, I am willing to give historical fiction a try again and read Muse.

5.

Title: Love is a Revolution
Author: Renee Watson
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Why I’m excited: Plus size rep, self discovery journey, navigating a new relationship and feelings, Flipping societal norms [fat is beautiful]

6.

Title: Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
Author: Crystal Maldonado
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Why I’m excited: Pus size rep, Latinx rep [Mc is Puerto Rican!], Body acceptance journey. Something about this story feels relatable to me and I want to read it!

7.

Title: The Afterlife of the Party
Author: Marlene Perez
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Why I’m excited: Party gone wrong, Vampires!, Vampire navigating high school. Overall, it has vampires and I will read it.

8.

Title: Muted
Author: Tami Charles
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Why I’m excited: Story written in verse, music centered story, finding and keeping your voice in a space that wants to silence it.

9.

Title: the Project
Author: Courtney Summers
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Thriller
Why I’m excited: I really enjoyed reading Sadie and want to give this one a try. Plus, I’ve never really read stories centering cults so I’m intrigued.

10.

Title: Like Home
Author: Louisa Onome
Release Date: February 23, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Why I’m excited: I read it would be great for fans of On My Block and Elizabeth’s Acevedo’s work. I am a fan of both and also was intrigued with what the main character will have to go through after an incident changes her world around.

There are many more books that I am excited for, including some conclusions to a series and some sequels. But, I wanted to share some I’m super excited to read.

What are some of your February 2021 anticipated releases?

Blog Tour [Review]: The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss

Click the link to follow the Blog Tour: https://www.thebookterminal.com/post/quantumweirdnesstour

Author: Amy Noelle Parks
Imprint: Amulet Books
Publication Date: January 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3972-9
Page Count: 368

Where to Buy: Barnes & Noble| Amazon | IndieBound

Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Evie Beckham has always been too occupied with her love of math and frequent battles with anxiety to want to date. Besides, she’s always found the idea of kissing to be kind of weird. But by senior year, thanks to therapy and her friends, she’s feeling braver than before. Maybe even brave enough to enter the national math and physics competition or flirt back with the new boy. Meanwhile, Evie’s best friend, Caleb Covic, has always been a little in love with her. So he’s horrified when he is forced to witness Evie’s meet-cute with the new guy. Desperate, Caleb uses an online forum to capture Evie’s interest—and it goes a little too well. Now Evie wonders how she went from avoiding romance to having to choose between two—or is it three?—boys.

Review

I was glad that The Quantum Weirdness of the First Kiss was the first book I’ve read and finished in 2021. It is such a warm and sweet Young Adult Contemporary stories about two friends and the discovery of each others feelings. Evie and Caleb have been friends since they were children and they are inseparable. Caleb, in love with Evie has recounted all the almost kisses that occurred between him and Evie. The one time a kiss resulted, Evie was not ready to dive into those feelings and that moment was put in the back in her mind. From that moment, we are brought into the life of Evie, Caleb as they navigate school, feelings and the anticipation of finally doing something worthy for the Frontier conference.

Different from many of the books I’ve read before, Caleb is actually the first to proclaim his feelings for Evie. He is in love with her and wants to be with her but also wants to be with only if she also wants that kind of relationships. We learn early on that Evie’s hesitation is mainly due to her anxiety towards losing her friendship with Caleb. As she mentions, she doesn’t know herself without Caleb. Her eye has also caught the attention of new kid Leo who is equal parts handsome and insanely intelligent. While I enjoyed her growing relationship with Leo because it became vital in her discovering her reciprocated feelings towards Caleb, I still wanted to see more of their relationship. We get snippets here and there because the story is more focus on Caleb and Evie, but would have benefitted a bit of understanding the relationship she had with Leo. However, the growing relationship between Evie and Caleb, felt organic, unrushed and satisfactory. It wasn’t love at first sight, it was a love that took years to develop and blossomed.

Speaking of Caleb, I thought his pining over Evie was sweet. He had bouts of jealousy when seeing Evie with Leo, as many teens boys may experience, but it didn’t feel aggressive or worrying which I enjoyed. I also love how Evie described Caleb as her center, her home. She values him so much and I think that really made their friendship as strong and long lasting as it was.

When thinking about the supporting character, I was particularly fond of Bex’s personality. She is the definition of a great girl friend who will call out what needs to be called out and will be the most loyal friend you know. Bex reminded me often of my best friend from high school whom I am still very best friends with almost 15 years later.

As a whole, the story is similar to a light spring day, calm, slowly building and ending with a pretty wrapped up ending. Aside from the characters, I enjoyed how the characters were very STEM focused because we do not have many stories like this. I enjoyed the intellectual conversations the characters had surrounding their majors and passions. You could tell, especially with Evie, how passionate she was when talking about adinkras, equations, graphs and anything math/computer related. This story gave strong relationships/friendships, exploration of feelings, coping with anxieties, and discovering oneself beyond what they originally believed they were.

About the Author

Amy Noelle Parks is an associate professor at Michigan State University. When she’s not using One Direction lyrics as a writing prompt, she’s helping future teachers recover from the trauma of years of school mathematics. She lives in Michigan with her husband and two daughters.

Book Tour: Historically Inaccurate by Shay Bravo

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Title: Historically Inaccurate
Author: Shay Bravo
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Publication Date: September 29th, 2020
Genres: Young Adult Contemporary

*Thank you Wattpad Books and Colored Pages Bookish Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this tour!*

Where to Buy: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Synopsis

After her mother’s deportation last year, all Soledad “Sol” Gutierrez wants is for her life to go back to normal. Everything’s changed―new apartment, new school, new family dynamic―and Sol desperately wants to fit in. When she joins her community college’s history club, it comes with an odd initiation process: break into Westray’s oldest house and steal . . . a fork?

There’s just one problem: while the owners of the house aren’t home, their grandson Ethan is, and when he catches Sol with her hand in the kitchen drawer, she barely escapes with the fork intact. This one chance encounter irrevocably alters her life, and Sol soon learns that sometimes fitting in isn’t as important as being yourself―even if that’s the hardest thing she’s ever had to do

Review

I have been immersed in Latinx reads this week and this was another. I wasn’t sure what to expect because I’ve never read a book from a Wattpad author, but overall, it was okay. The synopsis sounded promising o I was ready to dive in. It was a pleasant coming of age read. We see Sol, the main character, go through so many small and big changes in a small period of time after her mom is deported.

I was surprised that this was set in college because I did get more of a private high school kind of feel from it. Setting that aside I did enjoy seeing the character development of Sol. Her awkward, sarcastic nature reminded me a lot of who I was as a teenager. However, it was the only thing I could relate to. Sol is not perfect, and I appreciated that. She doesn’t always say the right things, may make some decisions and is willing to jump into a challenge. Although these are redeeming qualities, there were parts of the story where Sol seem a bit insensitive to some of her friends concerns. Hearing the story through Sol’s perspective was an interesting approach and I was intrigued to hear some of the shenanigans the history club got into.

Speaking of history club, this was vastly different than any club I have been a part of. Was I mad about this, no. It was a unique approach that gave ways to some daring, dangerous and odd adventures. It was a bit refreshing to have that different approach of a club in a story you were expecting it to be in. Now, in regard to the supportive characters, Sol’s father and Anna had the most layers to their stories. Through their dialogue we were able to see just how close the family was and how they were working together to deal with their life being turned upside down. We were able to get some bit of the other supporting characters, but I did want to see more development to them since they helped bring together Sol’s story. I also wanted more of the romance because I saw so much potential with that story line, but I settled for cute contemporary romance I received.

Overall, it was an okay read. The pacing was a bit off and the writing style took some adjusting too, but the author has potential to create a good story with some tweaking and fine tuning. Did I enjoy the read?  Yes. It was quick and easy read with a simplistic feel.  

Shay Bravo

About the Author

Shay Bravo is a Mexican born author who has now lived half of her life in the USA. She began sharing her work online through Wattpad when she was fifteen years old and has connected with over 114,000 followers. Historically Inaccurate won the 2019 Watty Awards and is her first novel. Shay currently resides in Houston, Texas.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram