Blog Tour: Review: The Jelly Bean Crisis by Jolene Stockman

Title: The Jelly Bean Crisis

Author: Jolene Stockman

Publication Date: 8-1-2012

Publisher: CreateSpace

Pages: 308

Format: eBook

Source: Blog Tour
Challenge: 2012 eBook Challenge

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Summary:

A total meltdown. The whole school watching. Now Poppy’s an ex-straight-A with no Plan B.

When Poppy Johnson throws away a full scholarship to Columbia, she can only blame the jelly beans. The yucky green ones? Midnight cram sessions and Saturday’s spent studying. The delicious red? The family legacy: Columbia, and a future in finance. Except now it’s starting to look like Poppy’s jelly bean theory is wrong. School has been her life until, but maybe it’s time to start living now.

Poppy has thirty days to try a new life. No school, no studying. Just jumping into every possible world. Thirty days to find her passion, her path, and maybe even love. The Jelly Bean Crisis is officially on.

Poppy is a young girl who is feeling the pressure of living up to the standards of those around her.  She has always done what people have expected her and is realizing that may not be exactly what she wants.  Poppy makes a decision to try different careers/jobs for 30 days to discover who she really is and where she wants her life to go.

I was so proud of Poppy in this book.  She is determined to do something she loves and something that makes her happy, no matter what those around her are saying.  The careers she tries are not what I expected of her.  They are way off base, but hilarious.  She finds out more about herself in these 30 days than she knew in the last 16 years of her life.  

At times she struggled with the relationships between her and her best friends.  They felt abandoned and Poppy thought they were growing apart, although with her determination she can make anything work.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  The writing was good and the author kept me hooked from the beginning.  I loved Poppy's character.  She is strong-willed, determined, fun-loving, and has a great heart.  The personal growth throughout this book is easily seen.  Her family isn't quite as willing to let her discover herself, but the overall impression these 30 days make on everyone around her is a breakthrough.  They all discover something they may not have known about themselves before.  

This is definitely an inspiring and uplifting novel.  One I can't help but recommend you pick up.

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Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway: Undertow by Callie Kingston

Title: Undertow

Author: Callie Kingston

Publication Date: 2/18/2012

Publisher: Carolwood Press

Pages: 230

Format: eBook

Source: Blog Tour

Challenge: 2012 eBook Challenge

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Summary:

While she sleeps beside a log on the wild Oregon coast, a rogue wave pulls Marissa into the sea. Now she dreams each night of a merman who rescues her. Obsessed with returning to this beautiful creature, she again risks her life in the frigid ocean.

Will Marissa remain lost forever in the eddies of her mind, or can real love save her from the abyss? Sometimes, the dangers which lie within are the deadliest.

Where to start with this one?  Marissa is an amazing young woman.  She has suffered a lot of traumatic experiences throughout her life, and at the beginning of the book, she suffers another one.  Marissa finds out her boyfriend Drew is cheating on her, and escapes to the beach to be alone and just think.  While there, she's whisked out to sea by the current and saved by what she believes to be a merman.  

Marissa experiences a lot of craziness in the book, including her own mental breakdown.  She goes through a lot of emotions and the author did a great job expressing those emotions to the reader with a lot of tact and sensitivity.  

There was a bit of a lull midway through the book in which I wasn't quite with it, but I'm glad that I stuck it out.  The ending sucked me in and made me devour the book so much quicker.  It was a great read overall and I really enjoyed it.  I fell in love with Marissa and her new boyfriend, Jim.  Marissa is a skeptical young woman who has a lot of emotions to deal with.  Jim is a great guy who is there for her and willing to help in any way that he possibly can.  

I don't want to say too much more, because I don't want to give anything away.  Basically, if you like contemporary fiction I suggest you pick up this book and give it a try.  Push your way through the middle because I believe you will REALLY enjoy it!

Callie Kingston's home is in the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with many furry creatures (including her husband). She holds a masters degree in psychology and has worked in schools for many years. When not writing, she likes to explore the outdoors, especially the forests and beaches along the Oregon coast. She also enjoys a great cup of cappuccino, which happily is easily found in her part of the world.

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AND without further ado...check out the e-book giveaway below, provided by the lovely author.  Don't forget, there is also a possibility of winning a SIGNED print copy and a $20 gift card from AToMR Blog Tours!


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Review: HERE by Denise Grover Swank

Title: Here

Author: Denise Grover Swank

Publication Date: 11-7-2011

Publisher: Bramagioia Enterprises
Pages: 352

Format: eBook

Source: Blog Tour

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Summary:

Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before. 

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.

 

Julia Phillips is an interesting character with a tragic story.  Her best friend died in a car accident that she truly believes is her fault.  She doesn't remember what happened, why it happened, or what they were doing, but she knows that it's her fault.  Her life takes an interesting turn when Evan Whittaker has started to pay attention to her.  He volunteers to be her tutor, seems to know strange things about her, and basically chooses her over the queen of popularity.  No one knows why.  No one understand it.  Although there is the strange feeling that everything is a little off.  

When the situation changes and the police come looking for Evan, Julia doesn't know what to think.  She isn't sure who to believe or what she should do, but she decides to trust Evan.  She decides to go with him even though she doesn't know where exactly that may be.

I'm not going to say much else, because it will give too much away!  However, there were some intense feelings throughout this book, and the connection between characters was insane.  I was hooked on this book from the first page.  I started reading it before leaving for work one day, and I was pleasantly surprised.  I didn't want to put it down, but I didn't have a choice.  When I finally picked it back up, I finished it in that one sitting.  Swank did a great job of keeping me fully entertained.  I really liked the characters, and the story line was really different from other books I've been reading.  I hadn't expected the ending to be what it was, but that made it even better!  I could tell something was off with everyone, but just couldn't quite place it.  I just wish I had the next one to read NOW!

Denise Grover Swank lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She has six children, three dogs, and an overactive imagination. She can be found dancing in her kitchen with her children, reading or writing her next book. You will rarely find her cleaning. Denise is represented by Amanda Luedeke of MacGregor Literary.

You can find out more about Denise and her other books at www.denisegroverswank.com or email her at denisegroverswank@gmail.com You can also follow her on Twitter: @DeniseMSwank or  friend her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deniseswank

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