A Double Serving of ARC Reviews #4 - The Best Friend Romance Version

Hi Guys! I have with me today two ARC's that I was approved to read, both containing BEST FRIEND ROMANCES! If you don't know yet, there are pretty much my Achilles heel of ALL PLOT POINTS and while both books had aspects I didn't like, the chemistry was SIZZLING and undeniable!


Title: The Museum of Heartbreak
Author: Meg Leder
Publication Date: June 7th 2016
Publisher: Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuester)
Part of a Series?: No, Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: NetGalley
Buy Links: 
Blurb Description: In this ode to all the things we gain and lose and gain again, seventeen-year-old Penelope Marx curates her own mini-museum to deal with all the heartbreaks of love, friendship, and growing up.
Welcome to the Museum of Heartbreak.
Well, actually, to Penelope Marx’s personal museum. The one she creates after coming face to face with the devastating, lonely-making butt-kicking phenomenon known as heartbreak.
Heartbreak comes in all forms: There’s Keats, the charmingly handsome new guy who couldn’t be more perfect for her. There’s possibly the worst person in the world, Cherisse, whose mission in life is to make Penelope miserable. There’s Penelope’s increasingly distant best friend Audrey. And then there’s Penelope’s other best friend, the equal-parts-infuriating-and-yet-somehow-amazing Eph, who has been all kinds of confusing lately.
But sometimes the biggest heartbreak of all is learning to let go of that wondrous time before you ever knew things could be broken

“It happened like this:She fell in love.Everything changed.And just like the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, heartbreak came hurtling at Penelope Marx with the fury of one thousand meteors.”
Let’s be honest, okay?

This book had CHEMISTRY.

This book had CRAZY YET PREFECT CHARACTERS, BOATLOADS OF BAD DECISIONS, INSECURITIES, FLAWED EVERYTHING. 

Not to mention, this had my Achilles Heel plot in all books, ever: The Best Friend Romance. 

And I would have been on Twitter, freaking out, doing a dance, demanding more, if it was not for that ending. That ending KILLED it for me. It was random, abrupt, and most of all, if the book is TITLED The Museum of Heartbreak, and after EVERY CHAPTER started (just a description about one item) with something about the Museum, GIVE ME MORE THAN A FIVE PAGE ENDING, and a TWO PAGE EXPLANATION, because it. Was. Not. Enough.

This book pulls you write in, with all the heartbreak/ dinosaur talk, and it all seems so real, because getting your heart broken sometimes does feel like a meteor is ending your world, and that unquenchable black hole is the worst. 

Apart from the chemistry, and the characters, I loved that "heartbreak" wasn't used in a purely romantic form, but it was heartbreak from fighting with your friends, from fighting with your family, from growing up, and that's so true. How many times have you felt that your best friend was slipping away, or that she likes another friend more than you? How many times have your parents suffocated you? How many times does just life seem to get to you? Because it's always hitting me.  

I’m really disappointed that this otherwise perfect book ended in such an unfulfilling manner, but it really was a GREAT read! Eph and Audrey and Grace and Miles and Pen were GREAT characters, with great stories, and I just wish they were given the ending they deserve.

Points For: EPH+ PEN, Audrey, Grace, Miles, Dinosaurs, Insecurities that define my life, Family, Brilliant Narration, oh and BEST FRIEND ROMANCE!

Points Against: That ending. *dies*

4 stars.

********
Title: We Own The Night (Radiohearts #2)
Author: Ashley Poston
Publication Date: June 28th 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Part of a Series?: Yes, but can be read as a stand-alone!
I Got A Copy Through: NetGalley

Buy Links: 
Blurb Description: "Happy midnight, my fellow Niteowls..."
As a candy store employee by day, and mysterious deejay "Niteowl" by night, eighteen-year-old Ingrid North is stuck between rock 'n roll and a hard place. She can't wait to get out of her tiny hometown of Steadfast, Nebraska (population three hundred and forty-seven) to chase her dreams, but small-town troubles keep getting in the way. She can't abandon her grandmother with Alzheimer's, or her best friend Micah--who she may or may not be in love with.
But for one hour each Saturday, she escapes all of that. On air, she isn't timid, ugly-sweater-wearing Ingrid North. She's the funny and daring Niteowl. Every boy's manic pixie dream girl. Fearless. And there is one caller in particular-- Dark and Brooding--whose raspy laugh and snarky humor is just sexy enough to take her mind off Micah. Not that she's in love with Micah or anything. Cause she's not. 
As her grandmother slips further away and Micah begins dating a Mean-Girls-worthy nightmare, Ingrid runs to the mysterious Dark and Brooding as a disembodied voice to lean on, only to fall down a rabbit hole of punk rockstars, tabloid headlines, and kisses that taste like bubble tea. But the man behind the voice could be surprising in all the right, and wrong, ways.
And she just might find that her real life begins when Niteowl goes off the air.

“Sometimes people are just too big for the places that keep them.”
I read this book in a matter of hours, (Read Fine Print: I read this book in two hours, at 1 a.m. in the night) and while I sped read this fast paced book, I loved some parts and had issues with others.

What I Loved about We Own The Night: 

1. BEST FRIEND ROMANCE: Y’ALL KNOW THIS IS MY ACHILLES HEEL IN ALL COMTEMPORARY PLOTS. I cannot resist it, and I automatically get pulled in. It seemed like Micah and Ingrid really had chemistry, and well, despite the twist ending, it all worked out well.

2. THE RADIO SHOW: The last book I read where a radio show was involved was Sarah Dessen’s Just Listen, and I LOVED HOW DIFFERENT THIS WAS. I loved the random snippets of the show we got, it seemed fast paced to read, but if it was an actual show, I’m not sure I could like it that much. Still, I was reading it. 

3. THE FRIEND GROUP: I LOVE A GREAT FRIEND GROUP, OKAY? It just makes things fun, but I also had problems with this one.

What annoyed me about We Own The Night: 

1. THE DRAMA: I get drama, okay? I REALLY DO. For heaven’s sake, though, stop with all the angst and hating the girlfriend on principle and not talking to you BEST FRIENDS for months over NOTHING. It doesn’t work that way, it was over the top, and felt ridiculously unrealistic.

2. Falling in Love over a Radio Show? We’ve had about seven to ten REALLY SHORT Conversations with the aforementioned blurb – Dark and Brooding – and I get it, okay, there was radio chemistry, BUT HOW DO YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE LIKE THAT. Also, where I’m from, the Radio Jockey DOES NOT SPEND AN HOUR RANTING ABOUT HER OWN PROBLEMS. Like what? It’s the ENTERTAINMENT business, right?! 

3. The Convenient Characters: I love secondary characters, okay? They’re what make a good story great, and We Own The Night’s characters felt so story convenient, you know? They were only there as background for when the MC needed them, or to give the story an extra boost and I SUCKED. 

All in all, quite a fast paced book that had a few issues. Good for a one time read.
3 stars. 
I received an ARCs from Simon and Schuester/ Bloomsbury Childrens via NetGalley. Quotes are subject to my ARC. All thoughts are entirely my own 

What do you think of best friend romances? What is the best kind of romance, according to you? Bad Boys and Geeks? The troubled girl and the happy boy?

What one item would you put in your museum of heartbreak? Would you ever do your own radio show?

I'd have to put in my Seventh Grade Journal, which is filled with ridiculous thoughts on my at-the-time crush and other such CRINGE WORTHY things. HEY. I WAS 12, OKAY?

Review: Eliza Rose by Lucy Worsley

Title: Eliza Rose
Author: Lucy Worsley
Publication Date: April 17th 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Part of a Series?: No, Standalone!
I Got A Copy Through: Bloomsbury India (THANK YOU!)
Genres: Historical, YA, Comtemporary
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK
Blurb Description: Eliza Rose Camperdowne is young and headstrong, but she knows her duty well. As the only daughter of a noble family, she must one day marry a man who is very grand and very rich.
But Fate has other plans. When Eliza becomes a maid of honour, she's drawn into the thrilling, treacherous court of Henry the Eighth . . .
Is her glamorous cousin Katherine Howard a friend or a rival?
And can a girl choose her own destiny in a world ruled by men?

As soon as I read the synopsis of Lucy Worsley’s Eliza Rose, it sounded AMAZING.

Truth be told, I didn’t know who Lucy Worsley was, until a kind Twitter soul whose name escapes my silly old mind enlightened me, and that simply got me more excited. An actual glimpse into the 14th century court life? BRING IT ON.

Unfortunately, as I sit now, all done and dusted with Eliza Rose’s story, I find myself with no strong emotions or opinions about the book, either good or bad. And, to be honest, I prefer being mad with a book over feeling next to nothing.

Which is not to say that I don’t like and dislike things about the book, but that my end result as I stare at that pretty cover is zilch. More aptly, I’m Switzerland about this book.

Eliza Rose is a coming of age (quite literally) and going beyond “the age” story about a girl called Eliza whose family is almost in ruin and the only thing that will save them is if she does her “duty”, marries rich and GETS ALL THE MONEY. Somehow, she gets called in to a glorified maid to the new queen of the British Empire and this is her story of life at court, growing up and love.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT ELIZA ROSE:
1.      
The Accuracy: Whatever said and done, this book maintained its historical and social accuracy throughout, and that was wonderful. I hate that sometimes historical books (like Ivory and Bone, an Ice Ag Era book had words like tents) but Eliza Rose maintained it beautifully.

2.       Eliza and Her Friends: I absolutely loved how Eliza had this honest rapport with her friends, and for about half the book loved this fearless girl with her fearless thoughts and her daredevil attitude in the constraints of the 16th century. WONDERFUL.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT ELIZA ROSE:

1.       Eliza’s Voice: In the book, Eliza grows from 12 to over 20. I get having a child-like narration at twelve, I really do. I even have a journal from when I was 12 and I know what I sound like *cringe* but as I grew up, my voice in writing and telling stories got more mature, while even after she was older than 20, her voice still sounded like the same twelve year old, and that REALLY ANNOYED ME.

2.       The Drama Problem: There was this point in the middle of the book when absolutely nothing was happening except Eliza saying that court wasn’t at all the glamourous thing she expected it to be, that ruined it all, and even ALL THE DRAMA that happened later couldn’t pull me out of the funk of a middle that had nothing to it.

3.       Lack of Chemistry: Eliza and her love interest had ZERO CHEMISTRY to me. Every supposed interaction of theirs was just mentioned in passing, and while I could see what it was turning into, THERE WERE NO FEELINGS BEING FELT.


In summary, I’m Switzerland. No feelings at all. 3 stars.


What was the last historical fiction book you read? Any recommendation in YA? I don't come across much ACCURATE historical YA, and I would LOVE recommendations!

How much does chemistry way into your review rating? I've recently read books with little chemistry, and I can't give them more than a three stars. 

Top Ten Reasons Why Rhysand Needs To Be A "REAL" Life Boyfriend ft. Rhysand (Top Ten Tuesday #9)

If you haven't read my review of A Court of Mist and Fury, or seen me on Twitter going completely mental with Sierra Abrams (@yearningtoread) and Rhea D'Souza (@Rhea_Dsouza_) , which is more accurately summed up in Rhea's review here, or seen my MANY MANY Snapchat and Instagram posts, you should know that

*drumroll*

A COURT OF MIST AND FURY IS SOMETHING THAT I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT (Think read it thrice, continuously, kept it beside me at all times in case the NEED hit me again, and put myself to sleep re-reading an amazing, badass scene that only Queen Maas can pull off.

Alright, so, MY TOP TEN REASONS WHY IT'S UNFAIR THAT WE DON'T GET TO HAVE RHYSAND EXCEPT IN BOOKS. (also, spoilers for you crazy folks that haven't read ACOMAF)

DISCLAIMER: All of this fan art is NOT my own, and a HUGE round of applause (and credit) to these artistes.
1. Rhysand Is A Bad Boy:
I have a THING for bad boys, okay. Well, fictional ones. The real ones just make me roll my eyes in disgust, but BOOKISH BAD BOYS ARE LIFE. And he's not JUST a bad boy, he's a bad boy with ink blue-black hair, POWER, EMOTIONS and most of all, a SOUL.

Someone please gift me one of these.

2. Rhysand Is A Dreamer:
There. That Quote SHATTERED MY LIFE.

Rhys, the most powerful High Lord in Prythian, wants High Fae and Lesser Fae to be treated equally, and for everyone to just live peacefully and for him to live his life without the stupid arrogant nobility and HE WILL KILL ANYONE THAT HARMS THE PEOPLE HE CARES ABOUT.

3. Rhysand Is A Feminist:
I swear, HE IS. Both his Second and Third in command and BADASS females, he doesn't believe in the positively Victorian ideal that women need to be "protected" but instead that they are EQUALS and deserve to be treated like that.

#TamlinSaidNoHighLadies #RhysRulesAll

4. Rhysand Is SO FUCKING POWERFUL:
HE IS THE MOST POWERFUL HIGH LORD EVER. He can break into minds, control them, chain them up or even free them. RHYS IS WONDERFUL.

Not to mention, he is DARKNESS. There is this line:
"The room exploded in darkness." ALL THE FEELS.

5. Rhysand CARES:
Rhys cares about the people, he cares about happiness, he cares about the humans, who everyone else would right off in a matter of seconds, he cares about peace and happiness and EVERYTHING.

There is nothing sexier than a bad boy that cares. And is Rhys.

6. Rhysand and the Inner Circle:
Rhy's family is FUCKING AWESOME. I loved the banter, the informality, and the fact that THEY CARED SO DEEPLY ABOUT EACH OTHER (even while leveling towns in grudge matched against each other and having power battles)

Mor and Azriel and Cassian and Amren and Rhys together are AWESOME, and I'm dying to get more of them. SO SO PERFECT.

7. Rhysand and Velaris:
When I heard my poor baby's REAL reasons for staying with Amarantha for 50 years and being her whore, just so that he could keep his precious, beautiful city and all the people he loves safe, MY ICE COLD HEART MELTED. *cue bucketloads of tears*

8. Rhysand Is SEXY AS FUCK:
If you don't find him sexy, you're not alive. HE IS. LOOK AT THE FAN ART.

9. (ACCORDING TO RHYSAND, BUT I AGREE) 
Rhys is the most handsome/ delightful/ cunning High Lord Ever:
I was smiling/ laughing/ crying (yes, the end product did not look very appealing) when I went back and read these parts. HE IS THE MOST HANDSOME, DELIGHTFUL, CUNNING, GORGEOUS, WONDERFUL High Lord EVER.

10. Rhysand and Feyre:
MUST I EVEN? I loved EVERYTHING about these two. Their friendship was amazing, their constant teasing, their story at the end, the chemistry, the notes, the sex, the power, the admiration, the love. OH, THE LOVE.

They are my OTP. GOD SAVE MY SOUL.


HAVE YOU READ A COURT OF MIST AND FURY? ARE YOU IN LOOOOOVE WITH RHYS LIKE I AM? 

Who is the swooniest book boyfriend/ girlfriend you've ever read about? What would you do to get them Off The Pages and Into The Real World?

BLOG TOUR: What Happens Now by Jennifer Castle - Playlist + Giveaway




Title: What Happens Now
Author: Jennifer Castle
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 7th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Mental Illness
Synopsis: "I know what it is to want something so badly, you feel like your cells aren’t properly bonded together without it.
I also know what it’s like to get that something.
And honestly, I’m still not sure which is worse..."
Ari Logan is battling to win her war against depression and the dark night she hurt herself on purpose. It’s not easy: her best friend is drifting away, her mom’s emotionally checked out, and she spends her days playing caregiver to her handful of a half-sister, Danielle. But it’s summer, and anything is possible...
That’s when Camden Armstrong steps onto the beach of Ari’s local swimming lake.
At first, Ari quietly longs for Camden from afar, seeing in him everything she wants to be. When the two discover a true connection the following summer, Ari lets herself fall not just for the quirky and self-assured Camden but also his friends, tumbling into their world of independence, adventure, and shared sci-fi fandom. As Ari’s romantic dreams come true, she must unlock the mysteries of the very real and troubled boy behind her infatuation, while also struggling with her own demons, obligations, and loyalties.
From the award-winning author of "The Beginning of After" and "You Look Different in Real Life," "What Happens Now" is a touching, insightful novel about learning to heal, learning to love, and what happens when fantasy becomes reality,
I "collected" these songs during the time I was writing What Happens Now. Each one of them inspired me or evoked the characters and story in some way.



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Follow the What Happens Now by Jennifer Castle Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.






Jennifer Castle received her B.A. in Creative Writing at Brown University and worked as a celebrity publicist’s assistant, an advertising copywriter, and a struggling screenwriter (yes, that’s an actual job) before falling into a niche producing websites for kids and teens. Her debut, THE BEGINNING OF AFTER, was a 2012 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection as well as a Chicago Public Library "Best of the Best" book. YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE and its companion digital novella, PLAYING KEIRA, were published by HarperTeen in June 2013. Her next novel, WHAT HAPPENS NOW, is forthcoming from Harper in June 2016. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley with her husband and daughters.





Prize: Win (1) signed hardcopy of WHAT HAPPENS NOW by Jennifer Castle & some swag (INT)
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Stacking The Shelves #12 - The One Where I Have No More Money

HELLO! Well, I passed out of school! And college has started. And in two days, it is TAKING OVER MY LIFE. I have a freshman orientation party to get to in just a bit, so I need to start getting ready!

*throws self a party with CONFETTI*
*party = sitting in room with all the books and all the TV Shows*

And so, I BOUGHT MYSELF A LOT OF BOOKS. AND OTHER THINGS. Not to mention REVIEW COPIES!

And now I might be broke, but WHO CARES, RIGHT? Welcome to my Stacking The Shelves:

FOR REVIEW:

From Bloomsbury India:

1. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah Maas: 
I HAVE READ THIS AND I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO THINK.
GOD SAVE MY SOUL.

2. Urban Outlaws: Counterstrike:
This was a part of my surprise mail and Bloomsbury is AWESOME like this! I love love love unexpected parcels and I can't wait to give this one a try.


From NetGalley:

1. All We Have Left by Wendy Mills: (Thanks Bloomsbury USA)
Apart from the gorgeous cover, this is about a boy and a girl that met in the Twin Towers in 9/11, and the brother's sister. This is haunting and gorgeous and I can't wait to begin.

2. Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog: (Thanks Sourcebook Fire)
A BAD BOY? SIGN ME UP, THANKS VERY MUCH!

3. Fate of Flames by Sara Raughley: (Thanks Simon and Schuester!)
An elemental team that can't function together anymore? YAY!


4. The Movie Version by Emma Wunsch (Thanks ABRAMS Kids!)
Pitched as a brother/sister book for fans of Jandy Nelson, I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS ONE!

5. Secrets, Lies and Scandal by Amanda K Morgan (Thanks Simon and Schuester!)
Pitched as a book berfect for fans of How To Get Away With Murder, I didn't read much else. I got approved for this as a part of the FFBC Blog Tour!

6. Poppy by Mary Hooper (Thanks Bloomsbury USA!)
A World War One Setting, where a girl volunteers as a nurse and learns about the world. YES, PLEASE!


From Guardian Children's Books:
I should probably mention that I've been reviewing here for three years and now that they're closing down, it feels like a huge part of me has gone away. I have loved writing for them, not to mention the super cool ARC's I happen to receive from time to time. But seriously, a HUGE salute to them, and everything they do for Children and Children's Books.

1. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken: 
FINALLY! I was so happy this was releasing in India, but I got the opportunity to read an ARC, and now my life is made!

2. Riverkeep by Martin Stewart:
THIS WAS A COVER REQUEST. I ADMIT IT. Also, there is magic?

BOUGHT: 

1. Liars Inc by Paula Stokes
2. The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows
3. The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
4. Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Anie Kauffman
5. The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
6. We Are All Made of Molecules by Susie Neilson
7. The Crown by Keira Cass
8. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
9. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
10. Hidden Huntress by Danielle Jensen
11. Warrior Witch by Danielle Jensen
12. Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch


GIFTED: 

1. Mirror In The Sky by Aditi Khorana (Thanks to the author for this GORGEOUS GORGEOUS ARC!)

What books did you get this week? Any recommendation on what I should read first?

I'm sorry I haven't been replying to your AWESOME comments, but my large Indian family was in town and I simply didn't have time. I will be getting to it ASAP!

Link me up, and I would love to check out your hauls!