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!

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!  

Review: Timepiece by Myra McEntire

Publication Date: 6-12-12

Publisher: Egmont USA

Pages: 336
Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Challenge: 2012 eBook Challenge

Goodreads | Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

A threat from the past could destroy the future. And the clock is ticking...

Kaleb Ballard's relentless flirting is interrupted when Jack Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, timeslips in and attacks before disappearing just as quickly. But Kaleb has never before been able to see time travelers, unlike many of his friends associated with the mysterious Hourglass organization. Are Kaleb's powers expanding, or is something very wrong?

Then the Hourglass is issued an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the time gene, or time will be altered with devastating results.

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Jack. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough...

The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.

This book was great! I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was written in Kaleb's POV instead of Emerson's.  I fully expected Emerson to once again narrate this story as she did the first, but the change of pace was interesting and fit very well in the story!

I don't want to give too much away in case you haven't had a chance to read Hourglass.  Basically this book continues from Hourglass and delves deeper into the world that Myra McEntire created.  We learn more about each of the characters, as well as more about the entire world.  The bit of romance included in this book is so fitting.  There isn't too much romance to be overbearing, but hearing about the brewing romances among characters just made it so much better.  Each character contains the spark of something that makes you want to love them.

I love the mystery this book contains, as well as the paranormal aspects.  It's a mix of everything I love all bundled up into a pretty little bow! I can't get enough of these characters.  Emerson and Michael are amazing together.  Kaleb is such a gentlemen and a person I wouldn't mind knowing myself.  

The once aspect of this book I did NOT like was the ending!  How could she leave us hanging like that?! I don't know if I can wait until book number three comes out to find out what happens.  I have so many questions going through my head I just can't take it!  In all seriousness, you must read this book.  I loved it.  I loved it to pieces, and I will likely be reading it again soon because I can't get enough!

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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Review: Dancing in My Nuddy Pants by Louise Rennison

Publication Date: 5-25-2004

Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 240

Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Challenge: TBR Challenge

Goodreads | Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

Once more I am beyond the Valley of the Confused and treading lightly in the Universe of the Huge Red Bottom. What is the matter with me? I love the Sex God and he is my one and only, but try telling that to my lips.

Georgia has finally put her red-bottomosity to rest and chosen Robbie the Sex God over Dave the Laugh. After all, with the Sex God she'll be a pop-star girlfriend and go on tour Besides, Dave the Laugh is now dating her friend Ellen (although that didn't stop Georgia from snogging him at a party ... ).

But when the Sex God is never around and Dave the Laugh breaks up with Ellen, Georgia doesn't know what to think Is she doomed to be a pop-star widow, or will she take her own bottom firmly in hand and blow her cosmic horn? And will her cat, Angus (the size of a small Labrador, only mad), ever get over the shame of having his trouser snake addendums snipped? As always, in Georgia's life, nothing ever turns out as planned.

Alright, by now you know how funny I find this series to be, and if you don’t, well you’re missing out.  This series greatly compares to the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty.  They are fun reads told in the style of a diary.  We read about the daily happenings of Georgia.  Including her so-called cat, boy troubles, best-friend troubles, family issues, and everything in between.  There is nothing in this book that isn’t funny.  They are short quick reads that tell a fun little teenage story.  Of course, the first book I read was a little tough to understand because there are British words that didn’t make any sense to me.

I don’t want to give anything away since this is book number four in this series, but I really recommend you give it a shot.  These books are so much different than the normal books we come across these days.  Most YA books I come across either have supernatural beings in them or they’re focused on the world-ending.  These are nice uplifting books to read in between.  Something to give you a great laugh before going back to the dreariness!

Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Publication Date: 1-11-2011

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover

Source: Purchased
Challenge: TBR Challenge

Goodreads / Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Amy is a 17-year old girl who has been frozen aboard a spaceship.  She is considered one of the “expendables”.  She isn’t necessary for a government or military of the future.  Amy is on the ship because her parents were important to the cause.  Amy learns a lot about herself when she is awakened too soon from her chamber.  Someone was trying to kill her, and is now trying to kill others who have been frozen too.  Amy is concerned her parents could be next, and doesn’t quite understand the dynamics of the ship.  Amy learns more about this ship than she ever expected to know.

One person is in charge, Eldest, and the rest of the ship follows.  After all of this time the people on the ship have the same features.  There is not a difference in race anymore.  Amy looks entirely out of place on this spaceship.  This was a great sci-fi/dystopian novel that had so many twists and turns I was captivated! I couldn’t put it down. Revis did an amazing job of telling a fresh new story.  This isn’t one that we’ve heard before.  Sure, it has a little bit of a love story, but ultimately it is thrilling and original novel. 

Beth Revis takes us out of our comfort zone and puts us in an entirely new situation.  We are learning more about this ship and the reason behind it, which of course, is money.  I don’t know exactly what I expected from this novel, but I didn’t expect Earth to be okay.  I thought there would be a world-ending reason as to why these people would be leaving.  This 300 year trip to a new planet is thrilling and mysterious.  I don’t think you could even begin to guess who the murderer would be.