Boldly Bookish Blog Tour Featuring LETTERS TO THE LOST - Excerpt & Giveaway

Thanks to the fabulous publicity team at Bloomsbury, I have an excerpt from one of my top reads so far this year...plus a chance to win all of the books being featured on the Boldly Bookish Blog Tour this June! First, here's a bit more about the book I'm featuring:


Title: Letters to the Lost
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: n/a
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication Date: April 4, 2017
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

I legit loved Letters to the Lost when I read it earlier this year. I loved the pen pal aspect but also the depth of the story and the characters' grief. It really was just an all-around great novel...no wonder it's on my list of favorites for 2017.

Behold, a snippet from Letters to the Lost...and yet another reason you should pick up this book ASAP:

The hallways are empty, which seems impossible. Where are the rest of the slackers? Why am I always the only late one?

Besides, it’s not like I wasn’t here. I’m physically in the building. It’s not like I’m going to turn into a model student once a teacher starts doing the Charlie Brown at the blackboard.

By the time we reach the language arts wing, we’re half running, skidding through turns. I grab hold of the corner to help propel me down the last hall.

I feel the burn before I feel the collision. Hot liquid sears my skin, and I cry out. A cup of coffee has exploded across my chest. I slam into something solid, and I’m skidding, slipping, falling.

Someone solid.

I’m on the ground, eyes level with scuffed black work boots.

In a rom-com, this would be the “meet-cute.” The boy would be movie-star hot, first-string quarterback, and class valedictorian. He’d offer me his hand, and he’d coincidentally have an extra T-shirt in his backpack. I’d change into it in the restroom, and somehow my boobs would be bigger, my hips would be smaller, and he’d walk me to class and ask me to prom.

In reality, the guy is Declan Murphy, and he’s practically snarling. His shirt and jacket are soaked with coffee, too, and he’s pulling material away from his chest.

If the rom-com guy was the star quarterback, Declan is the senior-class reject. He’s got a criminal record and a frequent seat in detention. He’s big and mean, and while reddish-brown hair and a sharp jaw might turn some girls on, the dark look in his eyes is enough to keep them away. A scar bisects one eyebrow, and it’s probably not his only one. Most people are afraid of him, and they have a reason to be. Rowan is simultaneously trying to help me up and pull me away from him.

He looks at me with absolute derision. His voice is rough and low. “What is wrong with you?”

I jerk away from Rowan. My shirt is plastered to my chest, and I can guarantee he’s getting a great view of my purple bra through my pastel-green shirt. For as hot as the coffee was, now I’m wet and freezing. This is humiliating and horrible, and I can’t decide if I want to cry or I want to yell at him.

My breath actually hitches, but I suck it up. I’m not afraid of him. “You ran into me.”

His eyes are fierce. “I wasn’t the one running.”

Then he moves forward sharply. I shrink away before I can help it.

Okay, maybe I am afraid of him.

I don’t know what I thought he was going to do. He’s just so intense. He stops short and scowls at my reaction, then finishes his motion to lean down and grab his backpack where it fell.

Oh.

There probably is something wrong with me. I want to yell at him all over again, even though all this was my fault. My jaw tightens.

Temper, Juliet.

The memory of my mother hits me so hard and fast and sudden that it’s a miracle I don’t burst into tears right here. There’s nothing holding me together, and one wrong word is going to send me straight off an edge.

Declan is straightening, and that scowl is still on his face, and I know he’s going to say something truly despicable. This, after the chastising letter, might be enough to turn me into a sopping me.

But then his eyes find mine, and something he sees there steals the dark expression from his face.

A tinny voice speaks from beside us. “Declan Murphy. Late again, I see.”

Mr. Bellicaro, my freshman year biology teacher, is standing beside Rowan. Her cheeks are flushed and she looks almost panicked. She must have sensed trouble and gone running for a teacher. It’s something she would do. I’m not sure whether I’m annoyed or relieved. A classroom door hangs open behind him, and kids are peering into the hallway.

Declan swipes at drops of coffee clinging to his jacket. “I wasn’t late. She ran into me.”

Mr. Bellicaro purses his lips. He’s short and has a round gut that’s accentuated by a pink sweater-vest. He’s not what you’d consider well-liked. “No food is allowed outside the cafeteria—”

“Coffee isn’t food,” says Declan.

“Mr. Murphy, I believe you know the way to the principal’s office.”

“Yeah, I could draw you a map.” His voice sharpens, and he leans in, glowering. “This isn’t my fault.”

Rowan flinches back from his tone. Her hands are almost wringing. I don’t blame her. For an instant, I wonder if this guy is going to hit a teacher.

Mr. Bellicaro draws himself up. “Am I going to have to call security?”

“No.” Declan puts his hands up, his voice bitter. His eyes are dark and furious. “No. I’m walking.” And he is, cursing under his breath. He crumples his paper cup and flings it at a trash can.

So many emotions ricochet around my skull that I can barely settle on one. Shame, because it really was my fault, and I’m standing here, letting him take the blame. Indignation, for the way he spoke. Fear, for the way he acted.

Intrigue, for the way the darkness fell off his face when his eyes met mine.

I wish I had a photograph of his face at precisely that moment. Or now, capturing his walk down the shadowed hallway. Light flashes on his hair and turns it gold when he passes each window, but shadows cling to his broad shoulders and dark jeans. I haven’t wanted to touch my camera since Mom died, but all of a sudden I wish I had it in my hands. My fingers itch for it.

“For you, Miss Young.”

I turn, and Mr. Bellicaro is holding out a white slip of paper.

Detention. Again.

Well, after reading that unfortunate meeting again, I kind of want need to re-read this book...like yesterday. Think I'll try out the audiobook next. ;0)

About the author:

BRIGID KEMMERER is author of LETTERS TO THE LOST (Bloomsbury; April 4, 2017), a dark, contemporary Young Adult romance; THICKER THAN WATER (Kensington, December 29, 2015), a New Adult paranormal mystery with elements of romance; and the YALSA-nominated Elemental series of five Young Adult novels and three e-novellas which Kirkus Reviews calls “refreshingly human paranormal romance” and School Library Journal describes as “a new take on the supernatural genre.” She lives in the Baltimore area with her husband and four sons.

Find Brigid:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Open to US/Canada ONLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out the rest of the Boldly Bookish tour! (Links to each blog are below the graphic.)

The Starry-Eyed Revue | Serial Bibliophile | It Starts at Midnight | Tales of the Ravenous Reader

Adventures of a Book Junkie | A Page with a View | Book Briefs | PaperTrail YA | What Sarah Read

The Eater of Books | Mary Had a Little Book Blog | Pink Polka Dot Books

Enjoy the rest of the tour! Happy reading! =D

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Labels: blog tours, bloomsbury, brigid kemmerer, contemporary, excerpts, favorites, giveaways, letters to the lost, promotions

Right in the Feels: LETTERS TO THE LOST by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Letters to the Lost
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: n/a
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication Date: April 4, 2017
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

I can't believe how long it's been since I read something new from Brigid Kemmerer. I loved her Elementals series. It was fun and romantic and action-packed. This book is nothing like that series and yet it is still just as amazing.

Wait, I lied. They are similar in that the brothers in the Elementals series have a world of hurt thrust upon them and the hits just keep coming throughout the series. The same could be said of both Juliet and Declan: they've both had something tragic occur to their families, something that seems impossible to overcome. And just when it looks like they might not be able to, they find each other.

This is the second book in as many weeks that I've read featuring the secret pen pal aspect, and I must admit, I really like this method of getting to know the characters...and them getting acquainted, as well. I'm not usually super interested in books focused on grief because I'm not very good at dealing with it myself, but the letter-writing aspect had me intrigued. Plus, I know that Brigid made even elemental powers seem realistic, so I knew she would be able to portray the characters' grief genuinely but without leaving me a sobbing mess.

I loved the connection these two characters shared, in their correspondence and outside of it, even if they weren't aware it was that same connection they were drawing on. I liked that Declan wasn't your typical bad boy, that there was more to him than just acting out. And that people finally started to see beyond that brusk exterior to the boy hurting beneath. I also like that Juliet was one of the first people to do so, even if she was one of those making assumptions about what kind of person Declan was based on rumors and heresay. Both characters showed so much growth and changed so much, just in the short span of time they'd started writing to each other, and I really appreciated that that relied more on their connection than their growing attraction, though I enjoyed that aspect, as well.

Also, the friendships in this book were life-affirming. Friendship should be about support but not being a pushover, and I liked that despite the many tragedies inflicted on these characters, they still managed to be there for each other. (I'm also very glad to see that Rev is getting his own book because there was obviously so much more to his story than what we get in this book.) It was also refreshing to see so much family involvement, especially as the story progressed.

Considering that I'm not a huge fan of this type of story normally, I could not put this book down. In fact, I found myself sneaking it in at work or any other chance I could get. I don't think you can help but be invested in these characters. That connection they share is nearly palpable, and you'll need to see how it plays out.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

BRIGID KEMMERER is author of LETTERS TO THE LOST (Bloomsbury; April 4, 2017), a dark, contemporary Young Adult romance; THICKER THAN WATER (Kensington, December 29, 2015), a New Adult paranormal mystery with elements of romance; and the YALSA-nominated Elemental series of five Young Adult novels and three e-novellas which Kirkus Reviews calls “refreshingly human paranormal romance” and School Library Journal describes as “a new take on the supernatural genre.” She lives in the Baltimore area with her husband and four sons.

Find Brigid:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: bloomsbury, brigid kemmerer, contemporary, favorites, letters to the lost, reviews, tough subject

I Am Heartbroken Over This Story But Not for the Reason I Expected

Title: When We Collided
Author: Emery Lord
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Meet Vivi and Jonah: A girl and a boy whose love has the power save or destroy them.

Vivi and Jonah couldn't be more different. Vivi craves anything joyful or beautiful that life can offer. Jonah has been burdened by responsibility for his family ever since his father died. As summer begins, Jonah resigns himself to another season of getting by. Then Vivi arrives, and suddenly life seems brighter and better. Jonah is the perfect project for Vivi, and things finally feel right for Jonah. Their love is the answer to everything. But soon Vivi's zest for life falters, as her adventurousness becomes true danger-seeking. Jonah tries to keep her safe, but there's something important Vivi hasn't told him.

It's been a couple of days since I finished this book, and I'm still a bit at a loss for words. I mean, obviously I have words, but I don't know if they're enough to convey how I really felt about this story. On the one hand, I found the depiction of mental illness to be entirely believable and realistic, the story of loss and grief to be completely heartbreaking. Separately, I very much enjoyed both Vivi and Jonah's narratives. But when combined to make a love story? I'm still not sure how I feel about that.

In the beginning of the novel, I was just as swept away by the heady rush of falling in love as the characters, even if it did seem...not immediate, but all-encompassing from the very start. As in, they met and then they were together. No quiet flirtations or shy brushes of the hand. Vivi barged into Jonah's life and she wasn't going anywhere. Which was fine because he -- and his family -- needed a force like Vivi to help escape the grief, if only for a little while.

And Vivi -- lovely, endearing, unstable Vivi -- needed a project to keep her busy and her mind occupied. Not that that's the only reason she took an interest in Jonah, but it was initially her goal to make Jonah exactly that project. Falling in love was just a bonus. And also a side effect. Watching Vivi go off her meds and try to control her mental illness was like watching a train wreck...incredibly scary and so hard to look away from. I don't read many novels that feature mental illness because they do tend to end badly or don't feel true to life, but When We Collided really resonated a genuine understanding of bipolar disorder. I've only read one other book that really made me feel like I was on the downward spiral with the character experiencing it, and that was Wild Awake, which I definitely recommend if you enjoyed this novel.

Whereas I've only suffered mild bouts of depression and could never begin to fully understand what someone suffering from bipolar disorder deals with, I have lost a close loved one and know that sense of loss. I understand the grief, that everyone grieves differently, and that you never truly stop grieving. But it wasn't his grief that drew me more to Jonah's character. It was the crazy, adorable things he said in his head where no one could hear him. I marked so many passages from his point-of-view as favorites. While Vivi was bubbly and spunky and vivacious, Jonah was just real. Their voices were so different, and Jonah's just appealed to me more because it reminded me of my own stream of consciousness. Also, his large family reminded me a bit of the Garretts and their situation a bit, and my heart couldn't help falling for him.

These characters were both well-drawn and full of life, but as I said, I much preferred them separately than together, especially knowing as much as I do now. I thought I needed one thing from this book but the story proved that I needed something else entirely from it. This novel was poignant and messy and altogether beautiful, and I still have a knot in my throat from it. I knew to expect tears from a story like this, but I'm glad that the thing that made me cry was not the thing I expected to make me cry.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

I'm Emery, and I write books about flawed girls who are really trying, complicated families, friends who show up even when everything's going down in flames, the boy who Gets You even when you don't expect it, and the summer that changed everything.

Open Road Summer and The Start of Me and You are out now, and When We Collided releases April 5, 2016.

Find Emory:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr

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Labels: beautiful covers, bloomsbury, contemporary, emery lord, reviews, tough subject, when we collided

{WOW} A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selection is...








's Pick:



Title: A Court of Mist and Fury
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, book #2
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: May 3, 2016

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

I've been salivating for this second book since I finished up the first one, and since I had an ARC, that was a very long time ago. To say that I have been anticipating this sequel would be a gross understatement. But now we have a cover and that means it's that much closer to release date -- just in time for my birthday, woohoo! -- and I am in love! The Night Court in the background, the black markings on Feyre's hand, the description of what's to come...where's a Delorean when you need one?!?


What are you desperately waiting for this Wednesday? Let us know in the comments or share a link to your own WoW post!

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Labels: a court of thorns and roses, beautiful covers, bloomsbury, fantasy, favorite authors, favorites, grabby hands, must-read, sarah j. maas, waiting on wednesday (wow)

{Mini Reviews} Lion Heart, Invasion of the Tearling, Magonia & Extraordinary Means

Because sometimes you just want to read ALL the books but you don't have the time -- or the energy -- to review them all. Or, sometimes it's been months since you read the book, but you still have something to say about it. So, here are some short and sweet reviews that are long overdue...


Title: Lion Heart
Author: A.C. Gaughen
Narrator(s): Helen Stern
Series: Scarlet, book #3
Length: 8 hrs 7 mins
Publisher: Audible Studios
Publication Date: July 31, 2015
Source: ARC received from publisher, purchased audiobook
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

The eagerly-awaited conclusion to the Scarlet trilogy delivers another action-packed and romance-filled adventure.

Scarlet has captured the hearts of readers as well as the heart of Robin Hood, and after ceaseless obstacles and countless threats, readers will finally find out the fate of the Lady Thief.

Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince's clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?

Read in August.

I had an ARC of this final book in the Scarlet series, but I was still kind of devastated by what transpired at the end of Lady Thief. And it didn't help that I thought I'd do myself a favor by re-listening to the first two books prior to picking up the finale. That only broke my soul more. So, it's safe to say that I went into this book with some trepidation.

My fears weren't unreasonable. But that's what I've loved so much about this series. The author isn't afraid to test her characters...to test their loyalty, their love, and their unfailing sense of right. In the beginning, I thought our heroine might have reached her limits, but she proved to be as resilient -- and obstinate! -- as ever.

I never feared for the romance because the love between Robin Hood and Maid Marion has been tested over time. But I must admit, I did not expect the direction it took, though I'm not unhappy about it. :)

As always, Helen Stern portrayed Scarlet beautifully, both as the thief and as the lady. In fact, it wasn't just the fear of how things would end for our merry band of thieves that kept me from reading this sooner. I also just really enjoy Stern's narration, and having begun the series via audiobook, I felt it only fitting to end the same way.

All in all, Lion Heart was a fine ending to one of my favorite retellings. It may have taken me awhile to begin the series -- and awhile to finish it -- but Scarlet and company will always have a place on my shelf and in my heart.

GIF it to me straight:

If you haven't started this series yet...

Title: The Invasion of the Tearling
Author: Erika Johansen
Narrator(s): Davina Porter
Series: The Queen of the Tearling, book #2
Length: 18 hrs 4 mins
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication Date: June 9, 2015
Source: received from publisher via Edelweiss, audio borrowed from library
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

With each passing day, Kelsea Glynn is growing into her new responsibilities as Queen of the Tearling. By stopping the shipments of slaves to the neighboring kingdom of Mortmesne, she crossed the Red Queen, a brutal ruler whose power derives from dark magic, who is sending her fearsome army into the Tearling to take what is hers. And nothing can stop the invasion.

But as the Mort army draws ever closer, Kelsea develops a mysterious connection to a time before the Crossing, and she finds herself relying on a strange and possibly dangerous ally: a woman named Lily, fighting for her life in a world where being female can feel like a crime. The fate of the Tearling —and that of Kelsea’s own soul—may rest with Lily and her story, but Kelsea may not have enough time to find out.

Read in August.

I re-listened to Queen of the Tearling prior to picking up this audiobook, and not gonna lie, it helped immensely. I really enjoyed the first book -- and I might have been one of the only ones, if peer reviews are any indication -- but it was long and there was a lot I'd forgotten in a year's time. It also didn't help that part of the way in, I thought I was listening to an altogether different book because the narrative no longer seemed to be focused on Kelsea and the Tearling.

That being said, I think I still managed to like this sequel better, if only because we're starting to see Kelsea come into her own as Queen. She's no longer content with being the young, naive new queen, and it shows. But she's also got the Red Queen to contend with, which is no easy feat.

It's her connection to Lily that really fuels her, though. Well, that and her desire to know more about the past, about the Red Queen and the deal that was made. This book kind of brings things full circle, and though it wasn't effortless, it made sense in a roundabout way.

This series really brings past and present together. I still don't really know how to catalog it because it's got hints of fantasy that are somehow sown into our future and bits of our present that are made to feel like the past. I'm really looking forward to the next installment to discover more about this world

GIF it to me straight:

I love the combined efforts of the past and present and how they come together in this book.

Title: Magonia
Author: Maria Dahvana Headley
Narrator(s): Therese Plummer & Micheal Crouch
Series: Magonia, book #1
Length: 9 hrs 22 mins
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
Source: received from publisher via Edelweiss, audio borrowed from library
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Aza Ray is drowning in thin air.

Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live.

So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

Read in August.

This book was not at all what I was expecting, mostly because it starts with a very contemporary story about a sick girl and then morphs into fantasy along the way. And it does it rather seamlessly. Or kind of explosively. Or maybe both at the same time, but it changes courses pretty well.

Magonia is the story of "the one". You know, the special girl who'll right the wrongs that have been done to her people and save their race or something along those lines. But Aza is rather clueless about it all when the Magonians discover rescue kidnap her, so she must become this powerful being she was fated to be, all the while wishing she could just go back to her beloved friend Jason, who she was on the cusp of beginning something sweet with just moments before the feathers hit the fan.

So, obviously, that means there's someone meant for her among the Magonian people birds bird-people. Yep, there's a love triangle of sorts, and though it seems to have somewhat resolved itself in this book, I wouldn't look for it to be completely gone yet. Aza is a part of two different worlds, and it will continue to be difficult for her to reconcile that, making it that much harder for her to know where her place is, let alone her heart.

I wanted a little more from both Magonia the book and Magonia the world. It was a quick listen -- and an enjoyable one, considering the narrator for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was the voice of Jason -- but it just didn't have that oomph I was hoping for.

GIF it to me straight:

Birds and bird-people seem to be big this year, but so far, none of the books featuring them have wowed me.

Title: Extraordinary Means
Author: Robyn Schneider
Narrator(s): Khristine Hvam & James Fouhey
Series: stand-alone
Length: 7 hrs 41 mins
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Source: received from publisher via Edelweiss, audio borrowed from library
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

From the author of The Beginning of Everything: two teens with a deadly disease fall in love on the brink of a cure.

At seventeen, overachieving Lane finds himself at Latham House, a sanatorium for teens suffering from an incurable strain of tuberculosis. Part hospital and part boarding school, Latham is a place of endless rules and confusing rituals, where it's easier to fail breakfast than it is to flunk French.

There, Lane encounters a girl he knew years ago. Instead of the shy loner he remembers, Sadie has transformed. At Latham, she is sarcastic, fearless, and utterly compelling. Her friends, a group of eccentric troublemakers, fascinate Lane, who has never stepped out of bounds his whole life. And as he gradually becomes one of them, Sadie shows him their secrets: how to steal internet, how to sneak into town, and how to disable the med sensors they must wear at all times.

But there are consequences to having secrets, particularly at Latham House. And as Lane and Sadie begin to fall in love and their group begins to fall sicker, their insular world threatens to come crashing down.

Told in alternating points of view, Extraordinary Means is a darkly funny story about doomed friendships, first love, and the rare miracle of second chances.

Read in August.

I loved Robyn Schneider's The Beginning of Everything, but once I really read the premise for this book, I have to admit that I avoided reading my review copy. I'm more than over the sick kid trend in YA. Kid deaths kinda wreck me, and I don't need that emotional suckitude in my life right now.

Or so I thought. When my library uploaded all of their Harper Audio titles, I was drawn once again to this one. I like Schneider's writing style. It's smart and clever without being pretentious. Read: it doesn't come off like a John Green. I actually think one of the main characters -- Lane -- said about the same thing regarding Sadie's group of friends.

I don't really think the fact that Lane and Sadie went to summer camp together years before factors into this story all that much because they get to know each other in the here and now, albeit reluctantly at first, at least on Sadie's part. But it's cute to know that they have that past and see how far they've come along since then.

I understand the limitations put on sick kids are there for a reason, but I also understand that they might only have this once chance...or rather, less of a chance than a non-sick person has at seeing their dreams realized. So, yeah, it bothered me that these kids were hiding things from the doctors and being altogether careless with their welfare at times, but from their point-of-view, I get it.

Which makes it all the harder when the kids do start showing signs that they're not getting any better. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, considering that they are in a special home for kids with their disease, but I was still caught off-guard. I really, really think I'm done with this type of book. My heart just can't handle it, even when the ending is tinged with hope.

GIF it to me straight:

I need some tender, loving care after a book like this. :(

Huh. I thought these were all from months earlier, but it looks like the month I was big on reading/listening but not so much for the reviews was actually just August. Figures...ITSHOTASHELLIDONTWANTTODOANYTHING is kind of my mantra at that time of year. :P

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Labels: a.c. gaughen, audiobooks, bloomsbury, erika johansen, harper-collins, maria dahvana headley, mini reviews, reviews, robyn schneider