Category: blogging

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I’M IN MY BATHING SUIT by Justin A. Reynolds Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I’M IN MY BATHING SUIT

Author: Justin A. Reynolds

Pub. Date: April 5, 2022

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 304

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

Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid
chores… especially the dreaded L-A-U-N-D-R-Y. If he can wear all the clothes he owns, he’ll only have to do the laundry once during his school break.

On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie’s monstrous pile of dirty laundry is found by his mom. And Eddie’s day has just taken a turn for the worst. Now he’s stuck at home by himself, missing the bash, and doing his whole pile of laundry. But mid-cycle, the power goes out!

With his first load of laundry wet and the rest of his stuff still filthy, he sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood in his glow-in-the-dark swim trunks, flip-flops, and a beach towel. He soon meets up with other neighborhood kids: newcomer Xavier (who was mid-haircut and has half his head shaved), Eddie’s former friend Sonia (who has spent her entire break trying to beat a video game and was mid-battle with the final boss), and siblings Trey and Sage (who are dealing with major sibling drama).

As they group up to cover more ground and find out what happened, they realize that their families aren’t coming back anytime soon. And as night falls, the crew realizes that they aren’t just the only people left in the neighborhood, they might be the only people left… anywhere.

Book Trailer:

Before I begin my review I quickly have to say thank you to Rockstar Book Tours for allowing me to be a part of this book tour and to Scholastics for graciously providing me an eArc of the book to read for my review stop today.

This was definitely a fun and funny read and one that I highly recommend if you have a middle-grade boy as I am sure they would appreciate the humor in this.

The main character is a twelve-year-old boy named Eddie and he is starting summer vacation. Eddie has made a deal with his mom and stepdad to be more responsible this summer with keeping up with doing his laundry if they promise to give him a little more freedom. Eddie has a plan that each day he will wear his clothes once and hid them so that they think he is doing laundry with the hopes of doing it once.

Well yes, that sounds like a good plan, but you must know that all good plans don’t go according to plan, and that’s exactly what happens to Eddie. He gets busted by his mom. The worse part is that he gets busted on the eve of the summer bash and she gives him two choices of you either do the laundry or you can’t go to the summer bash. Eddie wants to go so he decides to try and butter up his stepdad in hopes he will go against his mom because he really doesn’t want to spend the night washing/drying his clothes, but stepdad stands his ground. So Eddie has no choice but to haul all his clothes to the basement and wash them. Although he does realize he can speed up the process.

Now we all know that this might be a quick and easy solution to the problem but the karma Gods will come and bite you in the butt just like they did Eddie because no sooner is he in the process of washing and drying his clothes the power goes out. This is not good so when it doesn’t come back on Eddie goes to investigate what is happening. He bumps into his friends on the street and they soon realize they are the only ones out. What is going on? Where is everyone?

Definitely excited to see where this will go.

About Justin A. Reynolds:

JUSTIN A. REYNOLDS has always wanted to be a writer. Opposite of Always, his
debut novel, was an Indies Introduce selection, a School Library Journal Best
Book, has been translated in 17 languages, and is being developed for film with
Paramount Players. He hangs out in northeast Ohio with his family and likes it,
and is probably somewhere, right now, dancing terribly. His second novel, Early
Departures, published September 2020. In spring 2021, he teamed up with
Marvel and Graphix to release his debut graphic novel, Miles Morales: Shock
Waves. You can find him at justinareynolds.com.

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

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner
will receive a finished copy of IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I’M IN MY BATHING SUIT, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Princess No Knots by Deborah Dillon
Target Age: Children (4-10 years)
Genre: Picture BooK
Publication Date: November 2021
Purchase Link: – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Princess-No-Knots-Deborah-Dillon/dp/1399905589/

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Princess No Knots LOVES her long golden hair as much as she LOVES her bath time, but she does NOT love having it brushed. When her flowing locks end up in knots, the King tells her they will have to be cut and takes away her crown. Enter a world of determination, sprinkled with a small dose of magic, to find out if the strong-willed Princess finds a way to get back her crown, keep her name and save the hair she so loves. A must read rhyming picture book for any parent who struggles with the dreaded ‘hair wash’ night!

Before I begin my review today I quickly have to thank Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for sending me a copy of the book to read and for allowing me to be on the blog tour for this super cute children’s picture book. I highly recommend picking this up.

The illustrations were eye-catching and gorgeous from start to finish. The rhyming is perfect for this. It’s such a cute picture book. Princess No Knots loves having her bath but hates having her hair brushed. Her father the King has had enough and tells his daughter that she is no longer Miss No Knots and tells her, her hair must be cut because it’s one big knot. Then proceeds to take her crown and tells her that once her hair is knot-free she will have it back.  This of course upsets the little princess because to her that is her name. She tried to brush out her hair but to no avail. The knots would not come out.

Then out of the blue comes a little fairy who offers the princess a way to get back her crown and the knots out of her hair. Will the princess get her crown and name back? Will the king have to cut his daughter’s hair?

Author Bio –

Deborah Dillon’s love of books, poems, and storytelling stems from her Granddad Jim who always used to make up stories at bedtime when she was young. Every story would take her to a crazy world of adventure and friendship, each story sprinkled with a tiny bit of determination.

Since having children of her own Deborah has continued this family tradition but rather than keeping all the stories in her head, she decided to write them down. As her children were growing up she was inspired to write about whatever obstacles or challenges they, or their friends, faced then overcame. Deborah is a firm believer that something magical happens when you read a book together.

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.