If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say by Leila Sales // I Don't Understand the Problems

If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say, by Leila Sales
Publication: May 1, 2018, by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

We all want to be seen. We all want to be heard. But what happens when we’re seen and heard saying or doing the wrong things? What then?
When Winter Halperin—former spelling bee champion, aspiring writer, and daughter of a parenting expert—gets caught saying the wrong thing online, her life explodes. All across the world, people knows what she’s done, and none of them will forgive her.

With her friends gone, her future plans cut short, and her identity in shambles, Winter is just trying to pick up the pieces without hurting anyone else. She knows she messed up, but does that mean it’s okay for people to send her hate mail and death threats? Does she deserve to lose all that she’s lost? And is “I’m sorry” ever good enough?

First and foremost a novel about public shaming in the internet age, If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say is also an exploration of the power of words, the cumulative destructiveness of microaggressions, and the pressing need for empathy.

My Thoughts:

When I picked this book up, I was extremely hesitant because it seems that the entire bookish community is not really rooting for this book by Leila Sales. I am a HUGE Leila Sales, having read every book by her except for one, and when given the opportunity to read this new release, I was ecstatic. I was not aware that she would be releasing a new, heartwarming story in 2018, and discovering this was the best news. Then, I read some of the early reviews and I was afraid but skeptical. Leila Sales chose to write this book based on what is happening in our world today on social media and on the Internet. The topic of this book is very unique, however, it appears in reality everyday and affects all of our lives. Nevertheless, I completely support Leila Sales' decision to write about this, and we deserve to read a story about this topic. About racism and not realizing the consequences that our actions and words have. 

I obviously am not standing up for the comments that the protagonist, Winter Halperin, used. It was wrong for her to type that out (we obviously see the wrongness of the situation when Winter begins to lose everything she has ever had), however, this does not mean that Winter is an evil individual who deserves to be punished. In MY opinion, I see that Winter's character felt sorry for what she did, and, by the end of the novel, understood why her actions were wrong. I personally did not feel sorry for her (I don't think we were meant to feel that way — Leila Sales usually creates these kinds of characters), but just because I didn't feel sorry doesn't mean that this book is unacceptable. I just don't understand why some people are hating on this story for its theme and topic. It is about time that an author addresses this topic in a story, as it seems as if everyone has been ignoring it in the literary world. I personally enjoyed the topics explored in the writing.

For the first half of the story, I was intrigued and fascinated with the storyline and plot. The story is so unique that I'm pretty sure it cannot be compared to anything else. 2018 is the best time for this book to have been released, so I definitely think it's time for you to pick it up. When I got through to the second half, especially the part involving Winter's entrance to rehab and the relationship (which I don't think was necessary; let the girl focus on her emotions!) it fell short as I wasn't able to see where the story was really going. From the first half, I became aware of the fact that the story was about Winter learning how to deal with her mistakes, though I found that the plot dragged. Nonetheless, I totally recommend every bit of the story for a fresh read.

If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say was a great read to start off my summer vacation, and it truly is an important one. Go see that for yourself.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What are some other controversial YA novels?

Factory Girl by Josanne La Valley // Not My Kind of Read

Factory Girl, by Josanne La Valley
Publication: January 10, 2017, by Clarion Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 256
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

In order to save her family’s farm, Roshen, sixteen, must leave her rural home to work in a factory in the south of China. There she finds arduous and degrading conditions and contempt for her minority (Uyghur) background. Sustained by her bond with other Uyghur girls, Roshen is resolved to endure all to help her family and ultimately her people. A workplace survival story, this gritty, poignant account focuses on a courageous teen and illuminates the value—and cost—of freedom.

My Thoughts:

Josanne LaValley’s Factory Girl seemed like a kind of read I needed to get my hands on. I’m usually reading mysteries, thrillers or contemporary romances, so this was actually a new kind of story for me that I was quite interested in. It has a new setting — the mountains of China — that no other author has really wrote about before in the Young Adult genre, so I was quite excited to request this from the publishers. Although it originally seemed to be something I might be interested in, this was a disappointing read that is making me regret picking it up.

Factory Girl almost put me in a reading slump. I don’t think I need to say more — that’s quite negative. I decided to pick this up during the school year, and I couldn’t find myself getting into it because it is a heavy, deep read that needs time to get through. When the school year ended, I decided that I would pick this up once again and see how good it really is.

I was disappointed yet again. This book is extremely boring and I couldn’t find any emotion in the writing. LaValley is a great writer, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that I felt that the premise was the main focus of the story, including the setting, but the deep messages and characters were just another aspect that needed to be written about.

“The taste of a few peas and nuts leaves a gnawing hunger in my stomach. For food. For home. For my life as it was” (32).

I kind of wish that I DNFed this because I expected that the ending would be phenomenal. But instead, it was extremely predictable and nothing special. I wanted this book to be a new favourite, a new outlook on the way contemporary stories, but I just felt that this was SO slow-paced. Agh.

In conclusion, Factory Girl featured a promising story about a girl named Roshen who is forced into slavery due to her social status. She has a life set for her, wanting to be with a man who she loves, however, everything changes when her family is unable to purchase her freedom. It’s a sad story, but something was definitely missing from this being a great story. I wish it was more interesting and unpredictable. I felt like I knew of all the answers and solutions.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is a contemporary story similar to this?

Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall // Absolutely Astonishing.

Under Rose-Tainted Skies, by Louise Gornall
Publication: January 3, 2017, by Clarion Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

At seventeen, Norah has accepted that the four walls of her house delineate her life. She knows that fearing everything from inland tsunamis to odd numbers is irrational, but her mind insists the world outside is too big, too dangerous. So she stays safe inside, watching others’ lives through her windows and social media feed.
But when Luke arrives on her doorstep, he doesn’t see a girl defined by medical terms and mental health. Instead, he sees a girl who is funny, smart, and brave. And Norah likes what he sees.
Their friendship turns deeper, but Norah knows Luke deserves a normal girl. One who can walk beneath the open sky. One who is unafraid of kissing. One who isn’t so screwed up. Can she let him go for his own good—or can Norah learn to see herself through Luke’s eyes?

My Thoughts: 

I was fortunate to read Under Rose-Tainted Skies during a vacation, and I must say that the book itself is like a vacation from the typical books we read. Louise Gornall has created a book quite similar to Nicola Yoon's Everything, Everything, which stood as a flaw for me, but it had its own unique ideas - like its main concept surrounding a girl's agoraphobia—her fear of leaving her own house—and OCD. It's a real look at mental illness and how we all have the potential to find things in our lives that make us feel better or different about a specific fear we may have. In the main character—Norah's—case, we found that love and opening up were the best ways for her to succeed in life and realize that we cannot go through life solely in fear. This was amazingly written, poetically-inclined, and precious. I cannot help but FREAK OUT over everything Louise Gornall writes - or, in other words, I WILL FREAK OUT OVER THIS.

My first instance of love for this story began when I saw the cover. It screams out "beauty and poetic writing," and that's what it truly provided me with. It gave me a new, RAW (most important thing) look at love that other contemporary romance or chick-lit novels seem to fail at. Gornall proves that love is not perfect; every picture-perfect moment may not be picture-perfect because something goes wrong. Occasionally, couples have these moments where they fail to understand each other or what they are trying to get at in their relationship. I loved that about Luke and Norah's relationship - they somehow made love feel, you know: achievable. Under Rose-Tainted Skies had a direct reference to each reader's heart because honestly? We're all looking for a beautiful story like this.

"I want to be her. I don't care how much it costs; I would pay it to have her tan and high cheekbones," (195).

Things definitely took a turn towards the end of the book where I got so confused and anxious to the point that I couldn't put it down. The whole book revolves around Norah's issues of opening up to her new neighbour, Luke, who begins to appreciate Norah for who she is, even though she is afraid to kiss, to make contact with him. But hey - they find things that they can do, like freak out over the same fandoms and watch horror films together. That is my idea of a perfect relationship. The imperfectness of the characters is what made this story SO SO SO lovely and memorable. It's been a few months since I read the last few words of Under Rose-Tainted Skies, but it feels like it was yesterday, just because the characters kind of, you know... live with you forever.

Even though there weren't many characters in this whole story - because the fact that Norah couldn't leave her house, there was so much complexity all over the place. We get to see a struggling personality in Norah's mother, whose life also had to take a halt because of her own daughter's fear of experiencing things. But, as Norah gains strength, so do the people around her. I would really like to see a film come out of this with A+ actors who have the capability of mastering the emotional aspect of the characters and novel.

"I want to tell him I'm sorry. I want to tell him I'm insecure. I want to tell him that I am hard work, that my head is a mess, that my sickness was making even the smallest thought explore that night. I want to tell him the kiss scared me but I can't stop wanting a second one," (302).

Gornall's writing was raw and addictive. Once I began reading, I couldn't stop, but even if I had to, I kept reminding myself that it's worth the wait because I eventually will not be able to experience this story the same way anymore - the first time. YOU ALL NEED TO PICK THIS BEAUTY UP AND EXPERIENCE.

Under Rose-Tainted Skies is going to be one of the best books you will read this year. It features issues we all need to talk about more, like phobias and mental illness. This is absolutely beautiful and deserves a try from everyone.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

Are there any other YA books about phobias? What about OCD? Do you think this needs to be addressed WAY more in YA?

Piper Perish by Kayla Cagan // I Have Never Appreciated Art More.

Piper Perish, by Kayla Cagan
Publication: March 8, 2017, by Chronicle Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

Piper Perish inhales air and exhales art. The sooner she and her best friends can get out of Houston and into art school in New York City, the better. It's been Piper's dream her whole life, and now that senior year is halfway over, she's never felt more ready. But in the final months before graduation, things are weird with her friends and stressful with three different guys, and Piper's sister's tyrannical mental state seems to thwart every attempt at happiness for the close-knit Perish family. Piper's art just might be enough to get her out. But is she brave enough to seize that power, even if it means giving up what she's always known? Debut author Kayla Cagan breathes new life into fiction in this ridiculously compelling, utterly authentic work featuring interior art from Rookie magazine illustrator Maria Ines Gul. Piper will have readers asking big questions along with her. What is love? What is friendship? What is family? What is home? And who is a person when she's missing any one of these things?

My Thoughts:

If you have never seen Piper Perish before (by seen, I mean its GORGEOUS cover), YOU ARE CRAZY. If you have never heard of this masterpiece of a novel, YOU ARE CRAZY. You, we, I am crazy for all sorts of reasons, but Piper Perish by the phenomenal Kayla Cagan has literally made me rethink of a definition of crazy. YOU NEED TO HEAR/SEE/READ THIS BOOK. When I first read the synopsis, I knew it would be a keeper. Little did I know that it would become a total jewel/gem of a story that I will remember forever. It kind of reminds me of the point of my life that I am currently in: that point of your life where you're just starting to get everything together. Where you're pulling/pushing the pieces, wondering what you really want to do in the future, what's worth keeping. This lovely novel has such a huge focus on art and friends: two brilliant things that I myself am so lucky to have an abundance of in my life. This will become everyone's favourite 2017 novel, I feel it.

It has been a wwwwhhhhhiiiiillllleeeeee since I read a book that was this raw, this intriguing. Yeah, you know, we constantly read contemporary romances or chick-lit novels about girls/guys finding themselves, figuring out their purposes in life. In this case, our protagonist Piper was the one finding herself. But this story was different. I think it's because it wasn't just about the romance. It was a 75% focus on the contemporary part, the more realistic beautiful part. Kayla Cagan just mastered that. I felt myself melting into the story and it's rare for me to feel this way, especially in the midst of a horrifying reading slump. Now that I look back at this, I think it definitely brought me out of this treacherous slump that's been active for a year probably. 

Piper Perish is a story you can ramble about forever. There was just so much that happened in this big chunky story. (IT'S A HUGE STORY SO YOUR MONEY IS WORTH IT IN EVERY WAY. BUY YOURSELF A BEAUTIFUL HARDCOVER.) It begins off with us getting to know Piper, who is dumped by her boyfriend who literally streaks in the middle of a dance floor on New Year's Eve. It's quite messed up. We learn about how much she loves art and how she wants it to become a big part of her future as she applies to a New York art school. I LITERALLY FEEL THE SAME WAY SHE DOES. (Minus the art part and boyfriend part... it's all about university my friends.)

SO the best part of this book is that it's relatable. Any teenager can find something in this gorgeous story that they could relate to. Whether it is the problem Kit (Piper's best friend) and Piper had surrounding their friendship, or even the problem with just liking something (art) that others do not find interest in, this is a coming of age novel that will hit you. It has all of the elements we are seeking, like LGBTQ characters (Enzo!!)!! The only reason why I did not feel that this was perfect was because it lacked a fast pace. It was intriguing, but at points I felt that it wasn't really moving anywhere. ANYWHO, we must get back to the positives.

This is a happy, feel-good story that will just make you smile. That's the final result. A MASS OF EMOTIONS HIT ME SO HARD that I decided that the best way to write about this book is to just ramble about how much we can all relate to it and find beauty in it. There: it's your turn to explore it. ENJOY AND GRAB THIS INSTANTLY. No one will be disappointed.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

~~~~~~~

HI. I was VERY VERY VERY fortunate to be a part of Raincoast Books' blog tour for Piper Perish, and I was also fortunate to ask the author, Kayla Cagan a question! Here it is and her response:

Hi Kayla! Piper Perish has a big focus on art, so what inspired you to write about it? 

My inspiration came in four parts, throughout my life. One, I am an avid reader of biographies and watcher of biopics of great writers and influential artists. These are my creativity teachers - How did they persevere in times of failure and success? How did they have and hold on to relationships? Why were they the ones who specifically came up with a way of writing/creating/making, surpassing others? I just wanted to read what was in the mind of a young Picasso or a young Warhol or young Dickinson or young Plath. I wanted to see who they were before the world had an idea of who they were and should be, how they should act etc… 

Two, I grew up in my mother’s ceramic shop. She was a professional ceramist and potter. She has always continued to create in several ways, most recently in mosaic tiles. But growing up in a storefront introduced me into a world much bigger than my own school and neighborhood. I felt like a grown up in her tiny shop. The one thing that united people there, besides my mom, was art. They built beautiful pieces, they painted and glazed and watched their pieces become toasted and strong in mom’s kilns. They made gifts for their families, they made gifts to celebrate successes, they made emblems of themselves. They broke and smashed pieces there, too. They were all creators, and I felt creative there, though I was more prone to theater and writing. I still did my fair share of ceramics. Art was such an early part of my life, and always encouraged, and I never knew you couldn’t have a way of life. I knew I would be in the arts one way or the other since I was a kid. My biggest heroes have always been and continue to be artists. So, I guess you could say I wanted to write Piper as my up and coming super hero. I wanted to give Piper a superhero origin story.

Three, my best friend in high school, Amy, was an art kid. She was so talented she left “regular” high school and was accepted into HSPVA, my dream school at the time. HSPVA - The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. Part of Piper is part of Amy. It took my mom pointing that out to me to realize I had written a small tribute to her. Another close friend of mine, Paul, is now a teacher there. And it’s still one of the best schools in Houston. 

Fourth, I love journaling. I’ve been doing it since I was 10 and haven’t stopped. I wanted to write a book like a journal. I love fiction that reads like a diary or journal. I’m a sucker for that structure. So, I allowed myself to write one.

Thank you so much Kayla and Raincoast Books for putting this lovely blog tour together! What is another beautiful YA book that features art? (Or a big focus on art?)

Blog Tour: Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter // A Fantasy Novel That Many YA Readers Will Adore

Vassa in the Night, by Sarah Porter
Publication: September 20, 2016, by Tor Teen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they’ve arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now—but not Vassa’s working-class neighborhood.
In Vassa’s neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling out again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa’s stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission.
But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won’t be playing fair. . . .
Inspired by the Russian folktale Vassilissa the Beautiful and Sarah Porter’s years of experience teaching creative writing to New York City students.

My Thoughts:

Sarah Porter’s Vassa in the Night is one of the books that many of us book bloggers, especially us YA ones, would adore. It’s unique, carries a plot in a setting rarely explored—a city that we all love and find enchanting beyond its billboards, New York City. In fact, Porter explores the city of Brooklyn, a city that still holds the glitz and glamour beyond Times Square. I ached to purchase this one—I ached to buy it and fall in love with it after BookExpo America this year. I was one of the unfortunate ones who wasn't able to grab a copy, but I was so happy to have been offered a spot on this blog tour. Vassa in the Night originally seemed that it would stun us readers so incredibly that it would pop up on many Top 10 lists this December. I was a little bummed, expecting a five star read, though, nevertheless, I would definitely recommend it.

We immediately are thrown into this day-and-night imagery cycle, really reminding me of something that Shakespeare would write about. Sarah Porter uses Night as the most enchanting part of the day in the world we’re reading about. The characters, especially Vassa, seem so much more intriguing when they are described side by side in accordance with Night. We never hear much about “Day,” which could be some kind of religious reference or allusion, but we usually read about Night. Everything, everything that was written about in the story has meaning to it. No matter if you look at this book as a page, or as a chapter, everything had extreme imagery and meaning. Thank you, Sarah Porter, for that. 

One of the issues I had with this all was the pacing and concept. Fantasy is a hit or miss for me, as I constantly mention, and I do have to say that this was more of a miss from my perspective. Something that bothered me was the fact that I got constantly bored with the story. I didn’t get some of the plot points and all of that. I did get extremely emotionally attached to the characters, if I do say so myself.

ERG. VASSA. EVERYONE. Can I just cry right now? (I feel like I need them in my life and I do not want to spoil anything about them because they’re mine. Okay? *giggles*) Is there romance? Heck, yes. THE SHIPS ARE REAL. 

I just adored reading the story and it was so enjoyable. I don't know if I would a hundred percent want to go ahead and read a sequel, but I must say that Porter is a talented author who keeps on impressing readers again and again. I have read the first book of her Lost Voices trilogy, which hadn't gone well for me, but many have adored it so… *twiddles eyebrows* This definitely can go perfectly well for many people. I was somewhere in the middle.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

EXCERPT TIME!

  I pick her up between my thumb and forefinger and wrap her in a hand towel. She’s a pretty thing with her swooping violet eyelids and tiny ruby mouth, her thin arched black brows and perfect curls. She has a carved wooden dress, sky blue with white painted loops standing in for lace at the collar and cuffs. Her exposed skin is just varnished pale wood, then her legs end in white socks with more of that curly trim and black Mary Janes, all painted. Her knees, elbows, and waist are jointed and she can pivot her head. Nice workmanship. Too bad they didn’t spend more time on her personality.In spite of myself, I kiss the top of her shiny head. She tries to bite my lip, but I yank her back in time and her little wooden jaws snap on empty air. 

  When I said that magical things in Brooklyn should be shunned like the plague? I’m sorry to say that’s not always an option. I was leaving Erg out of the equation although, with her being a talking doll and everything, she’d be magic by anyone’s standards. I don’t have much chance of avoiding her, since we’re bound to each other for life. And no, I didn’t name her that. It’s what she calls herself. When I was younger I tried to get her to accept names like Jasmine or Clarissa but she wasn’t having it. 

  I plonk Erg down on my lap and get out the bottle of lemon oil from under the sink. It’s her favorite and I always try to keep some around. Dab the oil on some toilet paper and give her a nice rubdown, working it up and down her limbs while she makes little purring sounds. Getting oiled makes her sleepy and she rolls on my black flannel pajamas and rubs her face against me like a kitten. She can be cute sometimes. She’d better be cute, really, considering all the trouble she causes.

What is your newest favourite fantasy read? What are some good books featured in NYC?

Raincoast Winter/Spring Preview Recap

So a couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to spend an entire afternoon with bloggers. This is honestly a dream of mine and it became fantastic a week after school began at a gorgeous library in downtown Toronto, where I met some familiar faces and some new ones! What do you call this strange, eerie, new event, you say? RAINCOAST BOOKS' EPIC TEENS WINTER/SPRING PREVIEW!

So not only am I going to ramble and blab about how I met awesome people and got to eat brownies (that was a plus, I must say), but I'll let you all know about some of these amazing books that are being released very very soon! (And I'll squeal over them too, I promise.)

I'm in love with bookish events, and I'd love to give a huge THANK YOU to the wonderful people who set this event up! Raincoast Books and the awesome people from Toronto and Vancouver, you all rule!

Le bookish squad!

What was cool was that I got to meet Nova and Jessica IRL! I wish we had a longer time so that I could've "connected" with others!

The Books:

Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1), by Susan Dennard

Publication: January 5, 2016, by Tor Teen

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy

Pages: 416

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.
In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.
Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.
Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.
Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

This is actually the book that I was lucky to receive in my swag bag! I WANTED THIS FOR THE LONGEST TIME. For those BEA NYC 2015 peeps, you must remember the Truthwitch incident. I missed a chance to get it because of fans... and my life was over. So excited for this, everyone!

Firsts, by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

Publication: January 5, 2016, by St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time- the kind Mercedes never had herself.
Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.
When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, FIRSTS is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.

Interestingly, the author, Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, used to be a model, went to school for journalism and volunteered in Africa. A huge journey throughout her life like that certainly takes a part in writing an enchanting story like this. It is compared to Easy A, and is all about love, sex and friendship, and especially about being a teenager, because things are definitely hard for us! I love this cover as well!

Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers #1), by Brenda Drake

Publication: January 5, 2016, by Entangled Teen

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy

Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, suddenly disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels—magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books—rescue them from a demonic hound.
Jumping into some of the world's most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds. Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard, and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik's world and her own, before both are destroyed.

I love when books cross between middle grade and YA... and this is a perfect example of it! Entangled Teen will be releasing this soon, which is the first in a magical series that is very promising!

This Song is (Not) For You, by Laura Nowlin

Publication: January 15, 2016, by Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

Bandmate, best friend or boyfriend? For Ramona, one choice could mean losing them all.

Ramona and Sam are best friends. She fell for him the moment they met, but their friendship is just too important for her to mess up. Sam loves April, but he would never expect her to feel the same way--she's too quirky and cool for someone like him. Together, they have a band, and put all of their feelings for each other into music.
Then Ramona and Sam meet Tom. He's their band's missing piece, and before Ramona knows it, she's falling for him. But she hasn't fallen out of love with Sam either.
How can she be true to her feelings without breaking up the band?

This actually reminds me of Leila Sales' concepts! The main character is in love with her best friend, Sam, but doesn't want to tell him. She then meets Tom and realizes that she has feelings for both, and this whole fiasco continues with music, which also helps Ramona out in a ton of ways!

I See Reality, by Twelve Great Authors
Publication: January 26, 2016, by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary

Twelve original stories by top MCPG authors explore real issues for real teens.
Through prose and comics alike, these heart-pounding short stories ask hard questions about a range of topics from sexuality and addiction to violence and immigration. Here is the perfect tool for starting tough discussions or simply as an introduction to realistic literary fiction. In turns funny, thought-provoking, and heartbreaking, I See Reality will resonate with today's teens long after the last page has been turned.
Contributing authors include Jay Clark, Kristin Clark, Heather Demetrios, Stephen Emond, Patrick Flores-Scott, Faith Hicks, Trisha Leaver, Kekla Magoon, Marcella Pixley, James Preller, Jason Schmidt, and Jordan Sonnenblick.

This is a contemporary anthology filled with immigration, addiction and sexuality stories by Canadian authors! They're short stories and this is the other novel I also received from the awesome publisher!

Gena/Finn, by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson
Publication: April 5, 2016, by Chronicle Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Gena (short for Genevieve) and Finn (short for Stephanie) have little in common. Book-smart Gena is preparing to leave her posh boarding school for college; down-to-earth Finn is a twenty-something struggling to make ends meet in the big city. Gena’s romantic life is a series of reluctant one-night-stands; Finn is making a go of it with long-term boyfriend Charlie. But they share a passion for Up Below, a buddy cop TV show with a cult fan following. Gena is a darling of the fangirl scene, keeping a popular blog and writing fan fiction. Finn’s online life is a secret, even from Charlie. The pair spark an unlikely online friendship that deepens quickly (so quickly it scares them both), and as their individual “real” lives begin to fall apart, they increasingly seek shelter online, and with each other.

 This is one of my most anticipated reads of next year! It's a LGBTQ romance taken place in texts, message boards and blogs! The two characters met talking about their favourite television show and Gena spends time online talking about it. Hannah also wrote A History of Blood and Glitter!

Flawed (Flawed #1), by Cecelia Ahern
Publication: April 5, 2016, by Feiwel and Friends
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.
But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule. And now faces life-changing repercussions.
She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.
In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where obedience is paramount and rebellion is punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her-everything.

This is all about someone breaking society's rules, written by the author of Love Rosie! (I love that movie, by the way.) The main character was found flawed where her society runs on obedience and punished rebellion. The sequel is expected to be out in 2017 and I NEED THIS. NOW.

No Love Allowed, by Kate Evangelista
Publication: April 19, 2016, by Swoon Reads
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Caleb desperately needs a new fake girlfriend. Either he attends a series of parties with a pretty girl on his arm to schmooze for his father’s law firm, or he gets shipped off to Yale to start a future he’s not ready for and isn’t sure he wants. And sadly the last unattached girl in his social circle has just made the grievous mistake of falling in love with him. Fortunately, Didi, the waitress at the Country Club — who just lost her job due to Caleb’s too-public breakup — is open to new experiences (and art supplies are expensive!). It’s the perfect setup for them both. Caleb has only one rule for the arrangement: Didi mustn’t fall in love with him.

I NEED THIS TOO. So—a rich boy is in a high society who hires a fake girlfriend. Didi can't fall in love with him but she obviously does and it's a Great Gatsby retelling that MAY HAVE A SEQUEL! A new book would be released from the perspective of another side character.

The Square Root of Summer, by Harriet Reuter-Hapgood
Publication: May 3, 2016, by Roaring Brook Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Time Travel

Connie Hsu at Roaring Brook has acquired at auction The Square Root of Summer by debut author Harriet Reuter Hapgood. The novel follows 17-year-old physics prodigy Gottie Oppenheimer as she navigates a summer of grief and rips in the space-time continuum, all while trying to reconcile heartbreak.

This is a contemporary about a teenage physics prodigy who time travels and goes through an amazing summer. The author's grandfather was actually a mathematician who helped her write the book. SO, I'M READY FOR EQUATIONS AND CUTE STUFF!

Thanks for a great event! I can't wait to do it again sometime! What are your most anticipated reads of next year?