Review/ Always With You

Review/ Always With YouAlways With You by Hannah Ellis
on September 30th 2017
Pages: 376
Goodreads

A secret kept for more than twenty years. A daughter intent on finding the truth...

In 1994, twenty-one-year-old Evelyn Taylor left England to backpack around Australia. When she stopped off in the dusty outback town of Kununurra, she never expected to fall in love with the place—and the people. But Joe Sullivan captured her heart, and when her fun-filled year in Australia came to an end, saying goodbye to him was the hardest thing she’d ever done.

In 2017, Evelyn’s daughter, Libby, embarks on her own Australian adventure. Grief-stricken following her mother’s death, she’s determined to find the father she never met.

Little does she know that digging up the past will be more complicated than she ever imagined.

Always With You banner

Before beginning my review I quickly just want to thank Lola’s Blog Tours for allowing me to be a part of the blog tour for Always With You and for sending me a copy of the book to read for the tour stop.

One of the best things about taking part in blog tours is getting to read books you have never heard about before until seeing it in your email and this was the case this time around. This is a new book for me and the same with the author. I have to say that after reading this I am curious to check out other books from Hannah.

This was a fairly quick read for me and I managed to finish it within two days. Perhaps being a little under the weather helped a bit with that or just my need to have a me day after a long and stressful hockey evaluation session.

One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was the vivid description because it literally felt like you were a part of the book and were with Libby as she was going on this adventure.

The book is basically divided up into two parts one is Evelyn’s trip in 1994 and Libby’s trip in 2017. Evelyn is Libby’s mother and she has kept a deep dark secret from her daughter, Libby. As  her mother is dying she finally reveals to Libby what it was, Libby is grief stricken after her death and decides to basically relive her mother’s year long trip in Australia in the hopes of finding her father that she never got to know.

I have never been to Australia and its on my bucket list of things to hopefully one day do and after reading this I really have to make this goal happen.

Its been a while since a book has actually tugged at my emotions and this one certainly did. I could feel my heart breaking when Libby was going through Evelyn’s death. My mom passed away two years ago and that emotion is still raw so I could completely relate to Libby.

Will Libby finally find the father she went looking for? Is she just going to make things complicated if she does? Or is it better to just leave things unsaid?

I highly recommend this book. It was a fantastic read and I am definitely going to check out her other books.

Sundays In Bed With…

Welcome to our Sundays In Bed With… Meme! The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This is being hosted by two of the sweetest people I have to privilege of knowing in real life Kate and Kim. Sadly we don’t talk like we use to because you know real life happens but there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of them both. If you click on the banner it will take you right to the Midnight Book Girl blog.

Good Sunday Morning everyone. I hope you all had a great week and weekend too. Its a long weekend here in Canada because its our Thanksgiving. It was a busy hockey weekend as well with two practices and we found out since last week that Michael has made the Bantam A team and he got his favorite number 4 this year. I am a co-manager so it will be different this year stepping back.

I hope you are curled up in bed reading this morning. Sadly I am not because I needed to be up early to hit the grocery store for 8am to do groceries for the week plus the last few things for our turkey dinner on Monday.

Alright now to get into the books I read this past week, which sadly isn’t much for some reason:

There's Someone Inside Your House

The Uncrossing

This week I am reading:

Always With You

Sublime Karma

What do you have planned for this week?

Review/ There’s Someone Inside Your House

Review/ There’s Someone Inside Your HouseThere's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
Format: Hardcover
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers on September 26th 2017
Pages: 289
Goodreads

Scream meets YA in this hotly-anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss.

One-by-one, the students of Osborne High are dying in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, the dark secrets among them must finally be confronted.

International bestselling author Stephanie Perkins returns with a fresh take on the classic teen slasher story that’s fun, quick-witted, and completely impossible to put down.

I had to admit before getting into my review that I have not read Stephanie Perkins first books and I am not quite sure why because I have them sitting on my tbr but after reading this I really think I want to haul them off and binge read. I know those first books are a completely different genre but still I am now  curious to read them.

I really enjoyed reading this one, I was hooked right away and had a hard time putting the book down at times.

This is completely outside my normal reading genre as you may notice and the reason I don’t read horror is because I have an over active imagination so these kinds of books I don’t usually gravity towards because I am up half the night being paranoid and worried. I do have to say that this isn’t a really horrifying book, I mean yes there was blood and killings but it wasn’t like watching Scream.

I am going to try and be careful with my review because I don’t want to give too much away but if you read the description you get a good feel for what the book is about.

Our main character, Makani, has moved from Hawaii to live with her grandmother in a small Nebraska town. She has no real relationship her parents and I was always wondering why and why did she move to live with her grandmother and that is slowly revealed as you read the book because you know there is a secret there. This secret still haunts her to this day and she has kept in guarded.

We are introduced to quite a few characters such as Alex, Darby, Ollie, Haley, Caleb, Rosemarie and a few others. At first I thought it was going to be too much to keep track of but it was easy to keep track of who was who and the part they play in the story. With the kids that are killed it would have been nice if they had a little more of a story line apart from when they were being killed if that makes sense. It was almost like characters were quickly introduced then killed. I think I might have enjoyed it a lot more had this been the case and they had a stronger storyline.

As for the killer I liked how it was built up because you didn’t really have an idea who it was (I had no idea who it was as there was no introduction of this character before hand) and I wish it would have lasted a bit longer or at least offered a few clues as to who it could be before hand. As for the reason why the killer killed was a bit of a let down. ‘

Over all it was a good book and I had no idea what to expect when I started to read it and I did enjoy reading it and its actually made me think about hauling her other books off my TBR to read.

Have you read this? What did you think?

 

 

Blog Tour/ The Uncrossing

 

 

About the book:

The Uncrossing by Melissa Eastlake

Publication Date:  October 2, 2017

Publisher:  Entangled Teen

Luke can uncross almost any curse—they unravel themselves for him like no one else. So working for the Kovrovs, one of the families controlling all the magic in New York, is exciting and dangerous, especially when he encounters the first curse he can’t break. And it involves Jeremy, the beloved, sheltered prince of the Kovrov family—the one boy he absolutely shouldn’t be falling for.

Jeremy’s been in love with cocky, talented Luke since they were kids. But from their first kiss, something’s missing. Jeremy’s family keeps generations of deadly secrets, forcing him to choose between love and loyalty. As Luke fights to break the curse, a magical, citywide war starts crackling, and it’s tied to Jeremy.

This might be the one curse Luke can’t uncross. If true love’s kiss fails, what’s left for him and Jeremy?

Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34328217-the-uncrossing

Purchase Links:

Amazon | Amazon Australia | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

Link to Tour Schedule:

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-the-uncrossing-by-melissa-eastlake-presented-by-entangled-teen/

 About the Author:

Melissa Eastlake’s debut novel, The Uncrossing, is coming in 2017 from Entangled Teen. She lives in Athens, Georgia with her partner and their dog.

Website | Twitter

Giveaway Details:

A Prize Pack + a $20 B&N Gift Card (US)*
* A $30 Amazon Gift Card will be substituted for an International winner

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Book Spotlight/ Night Shift

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About the book:

Title: Night Shift
Author: Debi Gliori
Pub Date: September 5, 2017
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Pages: 32

From beloved author and illustrator Debi Gliori (No Matter What) comes Night Shift, a groundbreaking lushly illustrated picture book based on Gliori’s own personal history with depression.

Fighting dragons is one way of fighting depression. This book is another.

Through stunning black and white illustration and deceptively simple text, author and illustrator Debi Gliori provides a fascinating and absorbing portrait of depression and hope in Night Shift, a moving picture book about a young girl haunted by dragons. The young girl battles the dragons using ‘night skills’: skills that give her both the ability to survive inside her own darkness and the knowledge that nothing—not even long, dark nights filled with monsters—will last forever.

Drawn from Gliori’s own experiences and struggles with depression, the book concludes with a moving author’s note explaining how depression has affected her and how she continues to cope. Gliori hopes that by sharing her own experience she can help others who suffer from depression, and to find that subtle shift that will show the way out.

A brave and powerful book, give Night Shift to dragon fighters young and old, and any reader who needs to know they’re not alone.

About the author:

Debi Gliori (www.debiglioribooks.com) is well known for both her picture books and her novels for children and has been shortlisted for all the major prizes, including the Kate Greenaway Award (twice) and the Scottish Arts Council Award. Debi was the Shetland Islands’ first Children’s Writer-in Residence. She has written and illustrated No Matter What,  The Trouble With Dragons, Stormy Weather, The Scariest Thing of All, What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?, Dragon Loves Penguin and, most recently, Alfie in the Bath and Alfie in the Garden as well as the popular Pure Dead fiction series for older readers.

Ways to connect with the author:

Website Twitter  

Blog Tour/ A Messy Beautiful Life

About the book:

A Messy, Beautiful Life by Sara Jade Alan

Publication Date: October 2, 2017

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Life is funny sometimes.

And not always the ha, ha kind. Like that one time where a hot guy tried to kiss me and I fell. Down. Hard. And then found out I had cancer.

I’m trying to be strong for my friends and my mom.

And I’m trying so hard to be “just friends” with that hot guy, even though he seems to want so much more. But I won’t do that to him. He’s been through this before with his family, and I’m not going to let him watch me die.

So, I tell myself: Smile Ellie. Be funny Ellie. Don’t cry Ellie, because once I start, I might not stop.

Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36103768-a-messy-beautiful-life

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon | Amazon Australia | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Entangled

About The Author:

Sara Jade Alan wrote her first comedy sketch during second grade recess, then cast it, directed it, and made costumes out of garbage bags. Since then, she has performed in over a thousand improvised and scripted shows all over the country. When she lived in New York City with her college improv group, she worked as an assistant to a best-selling author of young adult novels featuring strong female heroes and was completely inspired by her books and the awesomeness of her teen fans. Spending a year on crutches, Sara turned to writing her own young adult stories and was hooked. Currently, she is one-half of the comedy duo, The Novelistas, who perform about writing and teach performance to writers. Hailing from a suburb of Chicago, Sara now lives in Colorado with her husband—who she met in that college improv group—and daughter, who they waited a bunch of years to make. She is a member of and guest instructor at Lighthouse Writers Workshop.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Link to Tour Schedule:
http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-a-messy-beautiful-life-by-sara-jade-alan-presented-by-entangled-teen/

Giveaway Details:

• A Messy, Beautiful Life Prize Pack, which includes A Messy, Beautiful Life tote bag, DVD of the anime rom-com Ranma 1/2, Disco ball keychain, Bag of Marshmallow Mateys cereal

Code:
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Book Blitz/ COCO: MIGUEL AND THE GRAND HARMONY

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About the Book:
Title: COCO: MIGUEL AND THE GRAND HARMONY
Author: Matt de la Pena & Ana Ramírez
Pub. Date: October 10, 2017
Publisher: Disney Press
Pages: 48
Formats: Hardcover in English & Spanish Editions
Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Goodreads

This jacketed picture book pairs Newbery Winner Matt de la Pe a and Pixar artist Ana Ram rez with the highly anticipated Pixar Studios film, Coco. Featuring a beautiful original story based on the characters of the film, as well as vibrant stylized artwork, this title is sure to appeal to readers of all ages.

Disney*Pixar’s Coco is the celebration of a lifetime, where the discovery of a generations-old mystery leads to a most extraordinary and surprising family reunion.
Directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and produced by Darla K. Anderson (Toy Story 3), Disney*Pixar’s Coco opens in U.S. theaters November 22, 2017.

Movie Trailer:

About Matt:
Matt de la Peña is the New York Times Bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning author of six young adult novels: Ball Don’t Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here, I Will Save You, The Living and The Hunted. He’s also the author of the critically-acclaimed picture books A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) and Last Stop on Market Street (illustrated by Christian Robinson). Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific where he attended school on a full basketball scholarship. de la Peña currently lives in Brooklyn NY. He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of COCO: MIGUEL AND THE GRAND HARMONY, US Only.

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Rafflecopter link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2643/?

Tour Schedule:

Week One:
10/2/2017- BookHounds YA– Interview
10/3/2017- Cindy’s Love of Books- Spotlight
10/4/2017- Mama Reads Blog– Spotlight
10/5/2017- Mom with a Reading Problem– Excerpt
10/6/2017- Nerdophiles– Spotlight

Week Two:
10/9/2017- Texan Girl Reads– Spotlight
10/10/2017- For the Love of KidLit– Interview
10/11/2017- Novel Novice– Spotlight
10/12/2017- Wonder Struck– Spotlight
10/13/2017- Wandering Bark Books– Spotlight