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.

Don't forget to check out the other tour stops by going HERE to find out more information!

Audiobook Review: Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Publication Date: 3-27-2007

Publisher: Listening Library (Audio)

Pages: N/A

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

Challenge: N/A

Goodreads | Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.

In Twisted, the acclaimed Laurie Halse Anderson tackles a very controversial subject: what it means to be a man today. Fans and new readers alike will be captured by Tyler’s pitch perfect, funny voice, the surprising narrative arc, and the thoughtful moral dilemmas that are at the heart of all of the author’s award-winning, widely read work.

Tyler Miller had made some bad choices in the past, but is determined to find himself now that he’s made changes in his life.  An event at a party leaves those in school wondering what Tyler is really like, and leaves Tyler trying to find himself and discover what it means to be a man.  Tyler’s mother is a pet photographer and an alcoholic, his father excessively works and has anger issues and his sister as whiny and often cares only about herself.  Tyler is constantly living in fear of disappointing those around him and causing more harm than necessary.

Tyler experiences situations that no one should have to experience.  He is accused of horrible things that end up pushing him away from people even further than before.  His father blames him for everything that goes wrong in life and Tyler can feel himself sinking further.  He becomes depressed and makes the ultimate choice to stand-up for what he believes in and become a man like he believes he should be.

This book was riveting.  I loved that there was a male protagonist because the typical books seems to have a female main character.  I picked this one up because I enjoyed other books by the same author and because it was on the Banned Books list.  I was a little surprised by that after listening to it.  The narrator was great and portrayed Tyler exactly how I felt he should be portrayed.  I felt like I could connect with him and feel his emotions.  Tyler made me laugh with him at times and want to cry with him too.  I would recommend picking this book up on audio as I did.  It’s a great listen.

Waiting on Wednesday: Falling for You

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  This week, my waiting on Wednesday is:

Title: Falling for You
Author: Lisa Schroeder
Publication Date: 1/1/2013
Purchase: Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

Goodreads Summary:

Rae's always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants of her time, of her love, of her...and the less she wants to give.

As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive Nathan becomes jealous.

Then a tragedy lands Rae in the ICU. Now, hovering between life and death, Rae must find the light amid the darkness…and the strength to fight for life and the love she deserves.

 

 

Lisa Schroeder is an amazing author, and this next book sounds really good! Definitely going to be a page-turner.

 

 

What your "Waiting on Wednesday"?

Reading Road Trip: Wisconsin Style! + Giveaway

It's time to spotlight Wisconsin on the Reading Road Trip 2012.  Reading Road Trip is hosted by Britta from I Like These Books and Hafsah from Icey Books.  I'm so excited to be a part of this! This is the first year that Reading Road Trip is taking place, and basically for the month of July various blogs will be posting a giveaway for a different state.

I chose Wisconsin because that's where I'm from!

This was so much more difficult than I thought.  So, I ended up choosing a book that took place in Wisconsin.  I'm excited because this also happens to be a newly released novel.  It sounds very interesting, and I'll be picking up a copy for myself as well.

On to the details...the giveaway is US only (sorry peeps, this girl is broke!).  I will be giving away one copy of....

Goodreads Summary:

There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord’s first sixteen years were not exactly a fairytale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Afghanistan. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire.

There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and we all shed tears for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain... magnetism.

And there are stories where it’s hard to be sure who’s a prince and who’s a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds—and the rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: Burning Blue

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  This week, my waiting on Wednesday is:

Title: Burning Blue
Author: Paul Griffin
Publication Date: 10/25/2012
Purchase: Amazon

 

 

 

Goodreads Summary:

How far would you go for love, beauty, and jealousy?
When Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school, is splashed with acid on the left side of her perfect face, the whole world takes notice. But quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than that--he decides to find out who did it. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he also has a secret: He's a brilliant hacker. But the deeper he digs, the more danger he's in--and the more he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a suspect, including Nicole herself.
Award-winning author Paul Griffin has written a high-stakes, soulful mystery about the meaning--and dangers--of love and beauty.

 

 

This one sounds pretty good to me! I actually just found out about it last week.  I can't wait to get my hands on it.

 

 

What your "Waiting on Wednesday"?

New On My TBR List

Check out what I got this week! What did you get recently? Let me know in the comments!

I'm pretty excited to read both of these! Now I just have to find a way to get through my large TBR list.

Top Ten Tuesday - TBR Edition!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week the topic is (freebie!)...

Top Ten Books on my TBR List

I know this was a topic a couple of weeks ago, but I obviously missed out on it.  Since this week is a freebie, I decided to go ahead and list the top ten on my TBR list! My TBR list contains a LOT of books.  I don't even want to begin to count them.  Of course, there are some that I'm hoping to get to VERY soon.  I'm not going to go into the details of why I want to read them, because that would take too long.  Basically, a couple of them are firsts in series that I have sitting on my shelf (possibly with the second as well) and I feel like I need to get to them ASAP! I don't know why I've let them sit for so long.  Others are ones I've wanted to read in a while or second books in a series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What books are you hoping to read in the upcoming months? How long have they been on your TBR shelf?  Let me know in the comments below!

New On My TBR List

Hi All! I haven't posted on here in quite some time (sorry about that!), but I promise I'll be better at it.

Anyway, I thought I would go ahead and share with you some of the books I received in the last couple of weeks.  I wasn't sure what to call this post, but for now this will have to do.

On to the books:

Thank you so much to Lethea (@Luvdaylilies) for giving me Everneath for RAK in June! I can't wait to get started. What have you purchased recently? Let me know in the comments!

One Moment by Kristina McBride

Publication Date: 6-26-2012

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Pages: 272

Format: eBook

Source: Netgalley

Challenge: eBook Challenge

Goodreads | Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

"This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie's life. Now it's the one she'd do anything to forget.
"
Maggie remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party. She remembers climbing the trail with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can't she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below-dead?
As Maggie's memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?
The latest novel from the author of "The Tension of Opposites," "One Moment" is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.

I was excited to read this book because the synopsis made it sound really interesting.  I thought it would make a great summer read and I love the cover.  Thankfully I wasn't disappointed! McBride had me hooked on this book from the very beginning.  The plot line was thrilling and mysterious.  I couldn't wait to find out more.  However, I will admit this book is slightly depressing.

Maggie is an amazing character.  She is well-rounded, sweet and believable.  The grief she experiences from the loss of her boyfriend is expected and not over exaggerated.` She has her ups and downs and is just a very lovable character.  I found myself attached to her and hoping for the best.  

I literally couldn't put this book down.  This was probably the fastest I finished a book in a long time!  Like I said, the storyline was catching and the mystery surrounding the death of Joey was something I couldn't help but try to figure out.  As more details arise, I began to feel a little differently.  Some characters didn't have a single good aspect to them.  I almost didn't want to know what happened.  I thought it would ruin the book.  Of course, I was wrong.  The ending of this book is the best part.  I was thrilled to have everything seemingly worked out. 

Although this book is a bit of a downer in the beginning, I suggest picking it up.  I think it's a great read for this summer.

Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Publication Date: 6-12-2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Pages: 320

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Challenge: 2012 eBook Challenge

Goodreads | Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

I don't know why, but lately I've been picking up books and finding out they are NOTHING like I think they are going to be.  I suppose it would help if I read the synopsis instead of just looking at pretty covers. 

Anyway, even though this wasn't what I expected, it was a very interesting book.  Mermaids are murderers.  Who would have thought that?  They are definitely not friendly creatures as one may think.  At least, as I thought.  Calder White is a mermaid who is choosing to attempt to live without feeding on humans (as his sisters do).  He goes long periods of times without feeding, because he feels bad about it.  This summer, Calder and his family are planning revenge for their mother's death.  The plan is to take one person from the Hancock family as a sacrifice, in a way, to make up for their mother's death.  Their plan takes a turn when Calder decides he cares deeply for one of the family members, Lily.  

Lily is a strange character to me.  I feel like she doesn't react in a way that a normal person would react.  It was strange to see her feelings towards mermaids and animals of the lake.  She seemed to have more understanding than most people.  This would be an aspect of the book that was a little frustrating to me.  She didn't seem real.

Calder's character was a little strange too, but he was easy to like.  He had a side to him that made you want to like him.  I wanted the best for him, even with the mistakes he made.  He tries to make the right decisions, but having a deep connection with his sisters makes his decisions more difficult.  

Overall, there was a lot of excitement in this book.  I enjoyed the story, even if some aspects of it seemed unlikely.  The writing was good and the author kept me entertained.  I especially liked the ending of this book, which of course I won't tell you about.  I would say this is a book to pick up from the library or borrow from someone before adding it to your bookshelf. Either you will like it or you wont'.  Personally, I don't think there is much of an in-between for this one!