Month: March 2022

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE RUMOR GAME by Dhonielle Clayton & Sona Charaipotra Blog Tour
hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: THE RUMOR GAME

Author: Dhonielle Clayton & Sona
Charaipotra

Pub. Date: March 1, 2022

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 480

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks(audiobook), Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

All it takes is one spark to start a blaze.

At Foxham Prep, a posh private school for the children of DC’s elite, a single rumor has the power to ruin a life.

Nobody knows that better than Bryn. She used to have it all—the perfect boyfriend, a bright future in politics, and even popularity, thanks to her best friend, cheer captain Cora. Then one mistake sparked a scandal that burned it all to the ground.

Now it’s the start of a new school year and the spotlight has shifted: It’s geeky Georgie, newly hot after a summer makeover, whose name is on everyone’s lips. When a rumor ignites, Georgie rockets up the school’s social hierarchy, pitting her and Cora against each other. It grants her Foxham stardom . . . but it also makes her a target.

As the rumors grow and morph, blazing like wildfire through the school’s social media, all three girls’ lives begin to unravel. But one person close to the drama has the power to stop the gossip in its tracks. The question is—do they even want to?

From Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra, authors of the Tiny Pretty Things duology (now a Netflix series), comes the edge-of-your-seat social thriller everyone will be talking about.

Review:

“A juicy, elegant, absolutely flawless thriller with a twist. It’s the diverse Gossip Girl we’ve been waiting for!”―Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times best-selling author of Grown and White Smoke

When I was in high school we didn’t have any social media (so you know that I am not the target market for this book) but all rumors start the same way by word of mouth. Thankfully people quickly forgot and we moved along except for the person who was affected by the rumor. Fast forward to the days of social media and I am sure those rumors don’t get forgotten as quickly. I am so happy I grew up in a time before social media. I don’t think I could handle being a teen now.

I might have been lucky back then not to be a target of a rumor because I basically tried to fly under the radar throughout my school days. I do know that my son was a target of a rumor. It was a few years ago and my son came home from hockey practice saying that someone was going around saying he had a concussion. Fellow teammates were asking if he was okay and he was like ya why? They told them what they heard and even the coaches asked if he was okay. Why a stupid rumor like that was going around is beyond me. Maybe it was a jealous teammate and they figured if they spread that then he would sit out games, I don’t know.

Anyways back to my review.

The Rumor Game is told from three points of view, Bryn, Cora, and Georgie. Each of them is telling their story in their points of view and how this rumor got started and has affected them. There is also a few side characters that add to the story as well.

I should mention right away that there are several trigger warnings in the book such as self-harm, bullying, abuse, assault, just to name a few.

We might think that private schools are the best for our kids but in reality, they have the same problems as public schools do for racism, bullying, making fun of people, being perfect, and being on top of that social ladder.

The Rumor Game takes place at Foxham Prep which is an elite private school in Washington, DC.

One of the main characters is Bryn and she was the Queen Bee so to speak. Bryn had it all. But just as quickly as she got it she lost it.  She just wants everyone to forget her and move along. But can everyone forget what she did?

Her best friend was Cora and she is the new Queen Bee of the school. When you look at Cora you can see she has it all but behind close doors its a whole other situation.

Georgie is the new girl at school. She lives next door and spent the summer away at camp to lose weight because her Indian parents wanted the perfect daughter. She was once a wallflower but now wants to be seen although I think after this she would prefer to be invisible again.

Who started the rumor and why? As the girls tell the story you begin to discover who it is and why they did it.

The internet has made it possible for anyone to hide behind a screen and be mean. You can make up a fake name and write horrible things to people that you know very well you wouldn’t have the balls to say to their face. Just remember what you post is out there forever and once you say it you can’t take it back.

I liked how the book was fast-paced (even though it was a chunky book at almost 500 pages) and you wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. This was one time I was happy that I was reading an eArc of a book. I also have to say that I loved how the author’s incorporated social media posts, comments, articles, emails etc to add to the storyline.

I highly recommend this book. You won’t be disappointed.

I often worry that when you have two authors writing a book if the storyline will mesh and I can say that this did not disappoint. I have to admit at times I forgot that it was two authors writing this. Everything blended in smoothly.

About Dhonielle Clayton:

Dhonielle Clayton is the New York Times best-selling author of the
Belles series, The Mirror: Shattered Midnight, and the coauthor of Blackout
and the Tiny Pretty Things duology, now a Netflix original series. She
hails from the Washington, DC, suburbs on the Maryland side. She taught
secondary school for several years, and is a former elementary and
middle school librarian. She is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse
Books, and president of Cake Creative, an IP story kitchen dedicated to diverse
representation. She’s an avid traveler, and always on the hunt for magic
and mischief. Up next: The Marvellers, her middle grade fantasy debut.
You can find her on social media @brownbookworm.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

About Sona Charaipotra:

Sona Charaipotra is the author of Symptoms of a Heartbreak and How
Maya Got Fierce, and coauthor of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, now a
Netflix original series. She earned her master’s in screenwriting from NYU and
an MFA in creative writing from the New School. A working journalist, Sona has
held editorial roles at People, TeenPeople, ABCNews.com, MSN, and
most recently, the Barnes & Noble Teen Blog (RIP), and contributed to
publications from the New York Times to TeenVogue. She is a
former We Need Diverse Books board member, and co-founder of CAKE Literary, a
boutique book packager focused on high-concept diverse titles. Find her on the
web talking about books, Bollywood movies, and chai.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Pinterest | Goodreads
| BookBub

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE RUMOR GAME, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wedding Wobbles by Amanda Paull
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Publication Date: December 2021
Standalone Fifth Novella in The Scott Family Series
Estimated Page Count: 134

Laura and Ben have survived all manner of family mayhem. They are, against the odds, still together. A perfect wedding and happily ever after are on the horizon.

Or are they?

​After no end of spokes in their wheels, our favorite lovebirds have named the day. A small do in a lovely venue, with a handful of family and friends to help them celebrate.

​So where does the ungrateful pasty-loving woman come in? And when Laura and Ben are wrestling with scraggy flowers and rum-soaked fruit cake, where are Maureen and Fenella?

​If you enjoyed the first four stories in the Scott Family series of romantic mayhem, you’ll love Wedding Wobbles, the final installment.

Purchase Links
US – https://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Wobbles-hilarious-heartwarming-conclusion-ebook/dp/B09NYBN7JJ
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wedding-Wobbles-hilarious-heartwarming-conclusion-ebook/dp/B09NYBN7JJ

About Amanda Paull
​
Amanda Paull grew up in the North East of England and couldn’t wait to move away. However, after studying and then living both in England and abroad, she returned to the North East and now wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else.
​​
After a short career in teaching, she retrained as a nurse. She recently retired from her post as a Sleep Nurse Specialist and now spends her time writing Women’s Fiction novels and Romantic Comedy short stories and novellas.
​
Follow Amanda Paull
Website: http://www.amandapaull.co.uk

Social Media Links –
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandapaullfiction
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Apaullfiction

​

Before I begin my review I quickly have to thank Rachel’s Random Resources for letting me hop on to this blog tour and for graciously providing me with an ebook so that I could read and review it for my stop today.

This is the fifth and final book in the Scott  Family series. The previous books in this series are, Let’s Dance, A Christmas Day Kerfuffle, Fenella’s Fabulous Fountain Fondue, and Pedalo Pandemonium. I should say that I didn’t read the previous books before this so not quite sure if you can fully get the experience of the series but this can be read as a standalone. Since reading this I have picked up the other books via Kindle Unlimited to read as I would love to know the whole story and they all seem like pretty quick reads. Hoping to read them this weekend.

Anyways back to my review which I will be keeping short since its part of a series.

Wedding Wobbles was a really quick and easy read that I read in one sitting while sipping my morning coffee.

If you have ever planned a wedding you know how stressful it can be with trying to do what you want and trying to do what your family wants. I could relate to Laura and Ben. Weddings can be a stressful process.

As you read you wonder if Laura and Ben will make it down the aisle or will family interference stop them. I know I kept saying just run away and elope save yourself the headache of this family drama.

I think Laura’s family was the best I read in a while. They were so down-to-earth and loving. The family came off very realistic and genuine to me. I could relate to them. They are good people who deserve good things but it’s like nothing ever good happens. Meanwhile, Ben’s family was the complete opposite of them. They are that posh family. Fenella, Ben’s mom just kept rubbing me the wrong way.

I definitely would read future books by Amanda. I really enjoyed this light fun read. Check back because I plan on reading and reviewing the previous books shortly.

Forward March by Skye Quinlan
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publishing date: February 1st, 2022

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound

Synopsis:

What’s worse? Someone using your face for catfishing or realizing you actually do have a crush on the catfished girl?

Harper “Band Geek” McKinley just wants to make it through her senior year of marching band—and her Republican father’s presidential campaign. That was a tall order to start, but everything was going well enough until someone made a fake gay dating profile posing as Harper. The real Harper can’t afford for anyone to find out about the Tinder profile for three very important reasons:

1. Her mom is the school dean and dating profiles for students are strictly forbidden.
2. Harper doesn’t even know if she likes anyone like that—let alone if she likes other girls.
3. If this secret gets out, her father could lose the election, one she’s not sure she even wants him to win.

But upon meeting Margot Blanchard, the drumline leader who swiped right, Harper thinks it might be worth the trouble to let Margot get to know the real her.

With her dad’s campaign on the line, Harper’s relationship with her family at stake, and no idea who made that fake dating profile, Harper has to decide what’s more important to her: living her truth or becoming the First Daughter of America.

Before I begin my review I quickly have to thank TBR and Beyond Tours for allowing me to be a part of this book tour and to Page Street Publishing for sending me an eArc of Forward March for my review today.

I should mention that there are some trigger warnings in the book.

I have to say that young adult fiction definitely has come a long way since I was a young adult and it’s all for the better. There definitely needs to be more books like this.

This is Skye’s debut novel and if her future books are anything like this then I will definitely be reading them. I loved Skye’s writing style. I was instantly hooked and wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen. I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to read this in one day. I really hope that Skye will continue with another book because after I finished it I couldn’t stop thinking about Harper, Margot ( I loved how her dad is a Canadian Ambassador), and pretty much everyone else in the book.

Our main character is Harper and she just wants to make it through the year with no glitches because all eyes are on her because her mom is the strict school dean and her father is running in the presidential election. Then if that is not enough she discovers someone has made a fake dating profile using her photo.

This catfish is sending messages to a fellow bandmate Margot. She confronts Harper about this. Harper needs to keep this quiet while she figures out who did this and why because if this out gets it’s not going to look good. There is too much on the line for her. She just wants to blend in and not draw attention to herself. Will they be able to figure out who is doing this and why?

I loved reading how Harper and Margot went from basically being bandmates to friendship to possibly more. This was a slow burn which I was all for. Margot turned out to be the right person for Harper especially when her so-called friends started to turn their backs on Harper.

I don’t want to say much more because I feel like I will give the book away so if you are curious then I suggest picking this up to read. You won’t be disappointed.

If you have been here for a while you know I rarely buy finished copies of books and that’s mainly because I don’t tend to reread a lot of my books once I am done with them, but this is the exception to the rule. I definitely plan on purchasing this book to reread.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Skye Quinlan (she/her) was born in California during an earthquake and raised in the Midwest, where cornstalks outnumber people. She studied physical and cultural anthropology at Oregon State University, with a focus on ancient civilizations and a minor in creative writing. Forward March (Page Street Kids, February 1st, 2022) is her debut novel. When she’s not writing, you can catch her at the nearest metaphysics or craft store, dressed up in cosplay at the nearest convention, or ruining antique furniture with epoxy resin and paint. Skye still lives in the Midwest with her wife, their two dogs, several lizards, a snake, and the occasional little human (their niece). She is represented by Moe Ferrara at BookEnds Literary Agency.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | TikTok

TOUR SCHEDULE:

March 7th
Kait Plus Books – Review & Favorite Quotes
Midsummer Night’s Read – Review

March 8th
Birdie’s booktopia – Review
Rainbows and Sunshine – Review & Favorite Quotes

March 9th
Books Are Magic Too – Review
Ms. G in the Library – Review, Playlist & Top 5 Reasons to Read Forward March, Promotional Post

March 10th
Nine Bookish Lives – Promotional Post
Popthebutterfly Reads – Review

March 11th
Cindy’s Love of Books – Review
The Book Dutchesses – Promotional Post

March 12th
Twirling Book Princess – Promotional Post
Rampant Reading Reviews – Review

March 13th
Stuck in Fiction – Promotional Post
Althea Is Reading – Review & Mood Board

To see the Instagram schedule please click HERE.

Falling For The Competition
By Jen Smith
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: 6th December 2021
Standalone Novel
Estimated Page Count – 285

About the book:
It’s going to be the best summer ever for ambitious, overachieving Quinn. A huge history buff, not only has she landed her dream job interning in the archives department of the local castle, but her best friend will be working there too.

However, Quinn isn’t the only one to be working in Archives this summer; Quinn’s academic rival, Patrick, is sharing her office in Muniments. They’re competing for the Letter of Recommendation (singular) from the research historian that Quinn needs to get her dream future placement.

Their emotionally-loaded and competitive rivalry turns into a reluctant friendship, as they spend every day working together in silence (and sharing the occasional Twix). Until the Re-Enactors arrive. Between Patrick and Harry – the Golden Knight of the jousting team – Quinn’s carefully planned summer is thrown into complete disarray. Meanwhile, her best friend’s relationship may look perfect on the outside, but Quinn is starting to realise that there’s more going on than there seems.

Although Quinn is determined and single minded about planning every detail of her sparkling future, she comes to discover that the best things in life are the spontaneous ones – and that some people are more important than any Letter of Recommendation (singular) could ever be.

Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Falling-Competition-changing-ambitious-people-ebook/dp/B09N6YKZM7
US – https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Competition-changing-ambitious-people-ebook/dp/B09N6YKZM7

– Jen lives in the Midlands with her husband and two children. With a Masters Degree in Medieval History, Jen loves castles and King John a little too much. Strangely un-British, she does not like tea, oranges or marzipan, but adores French cheese, guava juice and Chinese food (not together).
When not writing, Jen can often be found pointing out historical inaccuracies in period dramas, being a Lady that Lunches with close friends and playing board games with her family. Note: her handbags are always heavy due to multiple books (just in case she needs them).

Social Media Links –
@jensmith950 Twitter

Before I begin my review I quickly have to thank Rachel’s Random Resources for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour and for graciously sending me the ebook to read for my review today.

This was another hard-to-put-down book for me that I might have stayed up a little longer than I should have to finish it. The pacing of the book was perfect. I definitely wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Our main character is Quinn and she is a history buff who has just landed her dream summer job working in the Archives along with her best friend, Frankie, who will be working in the gift shop. This was a dream come true for Quinn because she is a huge history buff. Quinn has her life planned out for the summer and there is no room for errors because she needs that letter of recommendation to secure her future placement.

The only thing is now she has competition from her rival Patrick. Patrick is also a huge history buff who also feels the same way and is determined to get that letter as well. Quinn is not happy when she discovers that they will be spending time together in the office all summer. You definitely can feel the tension between the two of them. This is one of my favorite tropes enemies to lovers.

This perfectly planned summer that Quinn has planned is about to get turned upside down. How will she manage it all?

I love the cover. You definitely get that it takes place at a castle and that love is involved. I love simple covers like this.

This was Jen’s debut novel and if her future books are anything like this then I will definitely be reading them.

This is my post during the book blitz for Harrowing Roses by Barbara Cooper. In this suspenseful paranormal thriller book, Dana tries to save a missing girl, but her own life is in danger too.

This book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 7 till 13 March. See the tour schedule here.

Harrowing Roses
By Barbara Cooper
Genre: Paranormal Suspense Thriller
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 16 December 2021

Blurb:
Lyrical novella, set in surreal marshes.
Illustrations by author.

Can our heroine save the missing girl’s life … and her own?

Dana feels the atmosphere of the marsh seeping into her skin with each day she spends in the cold unwelcoming mansion of her father’s estranged family.

When her young cousin, Debra Lee, mysteriously vanishes, Dana turns to Henry – an attractive neighbor in the isolated cabin nearby, to help her search for her.

Is her cousin dead? What are these strange visions and dreams that her new friend is having … could they be connected to the missing girl?

Despite the hint of something unnatural and strange, Dana is inexplicably drawn to the surrounding woods and to Henry himself.

Does he know more about Debra Lee’s disappearance than he’s revealing… and is it the right time for Dana to start being afraid?

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon

Before I begin my review I quickly want to thank Lola’s Blog Tour and Barbara Cooper who graciously sent me a copy of her book to read for my stop today. It was a nice surprise getting it in the mail so quickly.

I was instantly hooked and read this in one sitting. I have to admit that I never read the synopsis before I begin a book because I want to go into the book blindly.

Our main character Dana and her mother have returned to her father’s family home because her father has run off and left them with nothing. They are trying to get into the family’s good books so to speak. The family does open the doors to them but it’s not very welcoming, to say the least.

While they are there Dana’s cousin goes missing without a trace. This was the point I was curious as to why she would leave? Dana is determined to find her cousin because she knows if anything will bring her closer to her family hopefully. But will she find her in time?

She enlists the help of Henry who lives very close to her because he is supposedly a clairvoyant. If anyone can help it would be him.  Dana is taken in by the supernatural aspects of the book. There is something about the woods that draws her in. You can also see that she is interested in Henry. They have interesting chemistry.

Will they be able to find her cousin alive or is she already dead?

This definitely was filled with mystery and one you wanted to know the ending to. I know I wasn’t expecting that ending or even the last 1/4 of the book to happen. I definitely want to read more of Barbara’s work moving forward.

I just found out that there is a new cover for the book. What do you think of it? I think I actually like the new cover more.

You can watch the book trailer here on Youtube

Illustrations
Harrowing Roses contains 10 illustrations by the author.

About the Author:
Barbara Cooper believes there is more to life — and to love —than meets the eye.

A lifelong fan of beautiful writing, she educated herself in law at university, earning a doctorate degree, and making a name with her works on legal history.

Yet she could not escape the siren song of her imagination. When Harrowing Roses came to her in a dream, she picked up her pen and got to work. Barbara lives in a lake-house surrounded by a landscape imbued with history and magic. She often walks along the nearby water, accompanied by her cats, when they are in the mood.

She enjoys contemplating the unknown through the medium of stories.

Author links:
– Website
– Goodreads
– Instagram
– Youtube

Turning by Joy L. Smith

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publishing date: March 1st, 2022

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound

Synopsis:

In this raw, searingly honest debut young adult novel, a former aspiring ballerina must confront her past in order to move forward from a devastating fall that leaves her without the use of her legs.

Genie used to fouetté across the stage. Now the only thing she’s turning are the wheels to her wheelchair. Genie was the star pupil at her exclusive New York dance school, with a bright future and endless possibilities before her. Now that the future she’s spent years building toward has been snatched away, she can’t stand to be reminded of it—even if it means isolating herself from her best friends and her mother. The only wish this Genie has is to be left alone.

But then she meets Kyle, who also has a “used to be.” Kyle used to tumble and flip on a gymnastics mat, but a traumatic brain injury has sent him to the same physical therapist that Genie sees. With Kyle’s support, along with her best friend’s insistence that Genie’s time at the barre isn’t over yet, Genie starts to see a new path—one where she doesn’t have to be alone and she finally has the strength to heal from the past.

But healing also means confronting. Confronting the booze her mother, a recovering alcoholic, has been hiding under the kitchen sink; the ex-boyfriend who was there the night of the fall and won’t leave her alone; and Genie’s biggest, most terrifying secret: the fact that the accident may not have been so accidental after all.

Content warnings: Being newly paralyzed from an accident, parental alcoholism, abortion.

Before I begin my review I quickly have to thank TBR and Beyond Tours for allowing me to be a part of this book tour and for graciously sending an eArc of the book so that I could read and review it for my tour stop today.

This is Joy L. Smith’s debut novel. I read this fairly quickly because once I started I couldn’t stop reading. There are definitely some heavy trigger warnings in the book but I think it’s a very powerful book that we should all read.

The main character is Genie and she is a young inspiring ballerina who has had her dreams are cut short after a tragic accident. She is angry and frustrated because is now in a wheelchair and is paralyzed. Genie takes out her anger and frustrations on everyone around her. She knows she is hurting the people around her but she is struggling to deal with everything including the many secrets she is keeping from her mother. I don’t know if it was out of fear that she would disappoint her mother or in fear her mother would start drinking again.

I have to state right off the bad that I disliked Nolan. He rubbed me the wrong way throughout the book. He was jealous, possessive, controlling, demanding, and so much more. So many times as I was reading I just wanted to shake Genie to wake up and finally leave the guy alone. He is bad news. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was the reason she had fallen and hurt herself. It’s very rare that I have this much dislike for a character like Nolan.

Another important character in the book is Kyle who she meets at physical therapy. He was also involved in an accident that he is struggling to come to terms with. I liked Kyle and I thought he was good for Genie. At times I thought he was a little too perfect but as the story progressed I kept hoping he would show Genie that not all guys are like Nolan and that she deserves better. Will she realize how important her mom and friends are to her really?

It was nice to see Genie grow in the book. I think she realized that she needed to grieve the accident and the abortion. She needed to get back to what she was passionate about even if she couldn’t physically dance again.

Just a warning when you get to the last 1/4 of the book make sure you have kleenex on hand because more than likely you will cry as I did. I definitely would read other books by Joy in the future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joy L. Smith is a childcare professional and lives in Queens, New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, she has a bachelor’s degree in human development and differences, with a specialization in communication disorders. She’s been writing since she was a teenager and has been mentored by Ibi Zoboi, Radha Blank, and Emma Straub through the Girls Write Now program. Turning is her debut novel.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

TOUR SCHEDULE:

February 28th
Whispering Stories – Review & Favorite Quotes
Melancholic Blithe – Mood Board & Playlist

March 1st
Kait Plus Books – Interview
Artfully Bookish – Review & Mood Board

March 2nd
Nine Bookish Lives – Promotional Post
Cocoa With Books – Review

March 3rd
The Book Dutchesses – Interview
Books-N-Bullsh!t – Mood Board

March 4th
Lily’s Cozy Blog – Review & Favorite Quotes
Justice For Readers – Review & Mood Board

March 5th
Stuck in Fiction – Interview
Love, Paola – Journal Spread

March 6th
the nutty bookworm reads alot – Review
Cindy’s Love of Books – Review

To view the Instagram schedule please click HERE.