{WOW} Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood

"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: Wild Swans
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Series: n/a
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: May 3, 2016

The summer before Ivy’s senior year is going to be golden; all bonfires, barbeques, and spending time with her best friends. For once, she will just get to be. No summer classes, none of Granddad’s intense expectations to live up to the family name. For generations, the Milbourn women have lead extraordinary lives—and died young and tragically. Granddad calls it a legacy, but Ivy considers it a curse. Why else would her mother have run off and abandoned her as a child?

But when her mother unexpectedly returns home with two young daughters in tow, all of the stories Ivy wove to protect her heart start to unravel. The very people she once trusted now speak in lies. And all of Ivy’s ambition and determination cannot defend her against the secrets of the Milbourn past…

What is it about the first Tuesday of May that makes it the primo new release day of Spring? I mean, do you know how many books I'm anticipating that release on that day, this book included? Too many to name right now. Also, I'm feeling lazy.

But in all seriousness, I am very intrigued by this book. I really enjoyed the first book in her Cahill Witch series, and though I've yet to pick up the second book, I own it and very much plan to continue that series. After only one book, I know that I like the author's writing style, and I can't wait to see what she does with this story of family curses and obligations and wayward mothers.


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: contemporary, jessica spotswood, sourcebooks, waiting on wednesday (wow), wild swans

{Blog Tour} Reading at the Kids Table: Max the Brave by Ed Vere + Giveaway

Two of Katie's favorite things are her kitty cat and reading. So, when I was approached to take part in a blog tour for Max the Brave including her, I couldn't say no. Especially once we had the book in our hands and Katie was running around the house in that adorable red cape.

For our stop, Katie and I both share our thoughts on the book below. We've read the book several times together already, and I swear each and every time, Katie couldn't help but say, "Awwwwww!!! He's so cute!"

But before we get to her actual thoughts on the story, here's a little about the book:


Title: Max the Brave
Author: Ed Vere
Series: Max
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publication Date: September 8, 2015
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Max is a fearless kitten. Max is a brave kitten. Max is a kitten who chases mice. There’s only one problem—Max doesn’t know what a mouse looks like! With a little bit of bad advice, Max finds himself facing a much bigger challenge. Maybe Max doesn’t have to be Max the Brave all the time…

Join this adventurous black cat as he very politely asks a variety of animals for help in finding a mouse. Young readers will delight in Max’s mistakes, while adults will love the subtle, tongue-in-cheek humor of this new children’s classic.

Katie's thoughts:  Max was such a cute kitty and it was soooo funny that he didn't know what a mouse was! Especially when he thought a monster was a mouse and the mouse was a monster! The pictures were so cute and Max was funny and reminded me of my silly kitty. She doesn't like to wear bows or collars either!

Jen's thoughts:  Max the Brave was absolutely adorable. The story and illustrations were simple and appealing, with vibrant colors that were very eye-catching and pictures that just popped on the page. It was a bit on the younger side for my little reader -- who's 7 and reading at twice the level as her classmates -- but we both enjoyed it all the same. I love that it's a story about a kitty trying to be big and brave, only to discover that sometimes life is more about knowing who and when to trust rather than simply being brave. It had a very Are You My Mother? vibe, but I have to admit, I much preferred this book and it's simplistic illustrations, besides the fact that it focused on an adorable kitty who dislikes bows. =) We'll definitely be checking out the rest of Ed Vere's work!

About the author:

Ed Vere is an author, artist and illustrator with a long track record of success in the picture book category. Max the Brave was named one of The Sunday Times’s 100 Modern Children’s Classics. His book Bedtime for Monsters was shortlisted for the 2011 Roald Dahl Funny Prize and Mr Big was chosen by Booktrust as the official Booktime book for 2009 (and was distributed to 750,000 British schoolchildren making it the largest single print run of a picture book). Vere was the World Book Day illustrator for 2009.

Find Ed:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you and your little one are brave like Max and take on this adorable little adventure! Here are some other resources for you and your little reader:

Max the Brave website
Max the Brave activity kit
Max the Brave educator kit

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Labels: blog tour, children's books, ed vere, funfunfun, kids, max the brave, reviews, sourcebooks

Review: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Title: This Is Where It Ends
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Series: n/a
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: January 5th, 2016
Source: For Review via NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

This cover is amazing. It's what grabbed my eye when I saw it floating around Netgalley. I know that I probably should have waited a while to read/review this one.... shame on me. But I have been wanting to read this kind of book for ages. I picked up a book a couple years ago, thinking for sure based on the description, that it was about a school shooting but nope. It wasn't even close.

I probably sound morbid right now, because who really wants to read about that kind of stuff? It's not that I condone school shootings. I certainly don't, but when one happens on the news I'm glued to the story. Because it's such a terrible thing, I can't imagine why anyone would ever want to do something like that.

In This Is Where It Ends, you get those answers because you are there in the thick of the story. Granted, I'll admit that some aspects were not all that realistic. School shootings happen all the time, but I've never heard of one happening on this level.

There is death galore, and I appreciated that. It reminds you throughout the story that while this is fiction, it could happen and the results are devastating. It's told from a few different point of views. I really liked this, because you get a view of what's going on from inside and outside the thick of things.

I think I read this whole book with my hand on my heart. No kidding. It's a super fast read and it will break your heart. I am so glad I read This Is Where It Ends. It's will go down and one of my faves this year.

About the author:

Marieke is a storyteller, dreamer, globe-trotter, and diversity advocate. She holds degrees
in philosophy, history, and medieval studies, and wants to grow up to be a time traveler.

In the midnight hours of the day, Marieke writes stories full of hope and heartbreak. Her debut YA novel THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS will be out from Sourcebooks Fire in 2016.

NOTE: While I love Goodreads, I don't spend a lot of time here, so I'm dreadfully slow in responding to questions or requests. You're always welcome to tweet or email me though!

NOTE, PART TWO: I so appreciate everyone taking the time to read and discuss my book! I do not respond to reviews, but whether you love or hate my book, thank you for sharing your thoughts! <3

Find Marieke:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Labels: heartbreaking, Marieke Nijkamp, reviews, school shootings, sourcebooks, This is Where it ends

Waiting on Wednesday: Nothing Left To Burn & Dreamstrider

"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 selections are...








's Pick:

Title: Nothing Left To Burn
Author: Patty Blount
Series: n/a
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: August 4th, 2015

Reece’s father hasn’t spoken to him since the car wreck that killed Reece’s brother. Desperate for forgiveness, Reece joins the Junior Cadet program at his dad’s firehouse. But the program is grueling, and Reece isn’t sure he can make it through. Then he meets Amanda.

Amanda understands wanting to belong. As a foster kid, the firehouse is the only place that feels like home. She agrees to help Reece, but falling for him wasn’t part of the deal. And when a string of arsons suddenly point to Amanda, their relationship could go up in flames.

Last Summer I read Some Boys by Patty Blount and I really enjoyed it.. Looking forward to read a new one by her. :)





's Pick:

Title: Dreamstrider
Author: Lindsay Smith
Series: n/a
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: October 6, 2015

A high-concept, fantastical espionage novel set in a world where dreams are the ultimate form of political intelligence.

Livia is a dreamstrider. She can inhabit a subject's body while they are sleeping and, for a short time, move around in their skin. She uses her talent to work as a spy for the Barstadt Empire. But her partner, Brandt, has lately become distant, and when Marez comes to join their team from a neighborhing kingdom, he offers Livia the option of a life she had never dared to imagine. Livia knows of no other dreamstriders who have survived the pull of Nightmare. So only she understands the stakes when a plot against the Empire emerges that threatens to consume both the dreaming world and the waking one with misery and rage.

A richly conceived world full of political intrigue and fantastical dream sequences, at its heart Dreamstrider is about a girl who is struggling to live up to the potential before her.

Of course, I was drawn to that cover first, but then I read that amazing synopsis and I am sold. I must have this book! I just love the idea of being able to walk in dreams, though I think I would loathe the idea of someone walking in my dreams and using my body. o_O I own the author's previous series, but I must admit that I haven't made the time to read it yet. I have some time to do that before this book comes out, though. ;0)


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: beautiful covers, dreamstrider, fantasy, lindsay smith, macmillan, Nothing left to burn, patty blount, sourcebooks, waiting on wednesday (wow)

Judging a Book By Its Cover: The Summer After You + Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

We so borrowed this idea from Sara at Forever 17 Books, who got the idea from an article on Babble called Judging a Book by Its Cover: A 6-year-old Guesses What Classic Novels Are All About. Basically, it's about getting a child's perspective on the story inside the book based on just the cover art. It can be hilarious, but it can also be enlightening.









This week, the girls are working on the following book:

Title: The Summer After You + Me
Author: Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sunbathing, surfing, eating funnel cake on the boardwalk—Lucy loves living on the Jersey Shore. For her, it's not just the perfect summer escape, it is home. And as a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in over Memorial Day weekend, crowding the shore and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Lucy wants more from love than a fleeting romance, even if that means keeping her distance from her summertime neighbor and crush, Connor.

Then Superstorm Sandy tears apart her barrier island, briefly bringing together a local girl like herself and a vacationer like Connor. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm. And day after day, week after week, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and broken home. Now with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, will it be a summer of fresh starts or second chances?

Behold, the girls' attempts at recreating The Summer After You + Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski...

Aubrey's masterpiece & guess:

Aubrey says:

"I think it's about a girl who goes to the beach, but she is sad and doesn't want to swim because the birds pooped on her."

Yup, she's my child... through and through. lol  We then had a long discussion about how before she was born, I went to the Jersey shore and got pooped on by a seagull. Since this book actually takes place there, I thought her description was perfect. lol.

I have not read this one yet, but I hope to get to it soon. We haven't been to the shore since Sandy hit, but we plan to head over there this Summer for at least a weekend. Seaside will never be quite the same though. :(


Katie's artwork & thoughts:

Katie says:

"I think it's about a girl going to the beach. There was another person with the girl, and I think they went to the beach in summer."

I love that Katie decided to empty her entire marker box on the paper for her interpretation of that sunset on the beach. =) She was so proud of her ability to write the title in cursive, too. (Why is that still taught in school?!?)

I like that this third novel from Doktorski doesn't sound like your typical summer romance but more a story of loss. Having read How My Summer Went Up in Flames and also having an ARC of the second book on my shelves to read, I had to add this book to my TBR. I can't wait to read it.


Have you read this book or do you plan to? What do you think of the girls' artwork and their thoughts on the story's premise?

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Labels: aubrey, beautiful covers, contemporary, cover art, jennifer salvato doktorksi, judging a book by its cover, katiebug, sourcebooks, summer

Review: Some Boys by Patty Blount

Title: Some Boys
Author: Patty Blount
Series: n/a
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: August 5th, 2014
Source: From Publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Some boys go too far. Some boys will break your heart. But one boy can make you whole.

When Grace meets Ian she's afraid. Afraid he'll reject her like the rest of the school, like her own family. After she accuses the town golden boy of rape, everyone turns against Grace. They call her a slut and a liar. But...Ian doesn't. He's funny and kind with secrets of his own.

But how do you trust the best friend of the boy who raped you? How do you believe in love?

A gut-wrenching, powerful love story told from alternating points of view by the acclaimed author of Send.

Some Boys is a great little book. I really liked it! I wasn’t sure if I was going to, but then I saw CAIT read and liked it, so that made me more excited to see it moving up my pile.

I don’t normally read reviews before writing my own. But I saw CAITS on goodreads because it was on my top friend reviews and now I’m not sure I can write my review. Lol. She pretty much says everything I felt about it. Admittedly it was her frozen gif that drew in. Damn those gifs.

One thing she mentioned that I have to mirror, is that there are parents in this book! That’s awesome. So many books conveniently leave the parents out of the story, and I can’t stand that shit. I just read and reviewed a book where the parents didn’t even make an appearance. Like at all. So major props to Blount for that. I absolutely loved Ian’s dad.

Some boys is written in Duel point of view. It’s no secret I love books written that way. I also like how the rape and bullying was handled. It’s hard because I haven’t been in HS for a long time, but the bullying was rough. Part of me thought, no way could it be that bad, but then I remember how mean kids were back when I was in school. I hear it’s worse these days. I’m glad to be an adult, I’ll tell you that.

The rape… well for as hard a subject that is, I think Blount did a good job with that. It was light enough that it wasn’t too hard to read about, but the seriousness of the offense wasn’t lost on me. Does that make sense? Lol probably not.

Anyway, my only complaint with this one was the way it wrapped up. It was a little fast, and too easy.

 Other than that, I really enjoyed this one.

About the author:


Technical writer by day, fiction writer by night, Patty mines her day job for ideas to use in her
novels. Her debut YA "Send" was born after a manager suggested she research social networks. Patty adores chocolate, her boys, and books, though not necessarily in that order.

Find Patty:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: bullying, patty blount, rape, reviews, some boys, sourcebooks

Review: Boys Like You by Juliana Stone

Title: Boys Like You
Author: Juliana Stone
Series: n/a
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: May 6th, 2014
Source: received from publisher via NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

One mistake.

And everything changes.

For Monroe Blackwell, one small mistake has torn her family apart –leaving her empty and broken. There’s a hole in her heart that nothing can fill. That no one can fill. And a summer in Louisiana with her Grandma isn’t going to change that…

Nathan Everets knows heartache first-hand when a car accident leaves his best friend in a coma. And it’s his fault. He should be the one lying in the hospital. The one who will never play guitar again. He doesn’t deserve forgiveness, and a court-appointed job at the Blackwell B&B isn’t going to change that…

Captivating and hopeful, this achingly poignant novel brings together two lost souls struggling with grief and guilt – looking for acceptance, so they can find forgiveness.

Boys Like You is a shorty. It’s not a very long book and it’s a pretty fast read. I liked it. I wasn’t blown away, but I did like it.

Monroe is visiting her grandmother for the summer in Louisiana. I kinda loved the setting. She’s been through something tragic in the past, and this is her parents last ditch effort to help her come out of it. Nathan is local around these parts and he’s has some issues as well. He’s made a huge mistake and his best friend is paying for it.

These two cross paths and sparks fly. They are just what the other needs to help heal. I was a little surprised at what Monroe’s issue actually was. I expected it to be something else, but what it was, was much worse.

There honestly isn’t much to say about Boys Like You. It’s just a sweet story about two people hurting and finding themselves again through each other. I’m really glad I requested this one. It was a nice short read. Perfect for summer I think.

About the author:



Juliana Stone’s love of the written word and 80s rock, have inspired her in more ways than one. She writes contemporary romance, paranormal romance and will debut a young adult novel in 2014. She spends her days navigating a busy life that includes, a husband, kids, a dog and a cat.


Find Juliana:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: boys like you, contemporary, juliana stone, reviews, sourcebooks