Review: THE RULES by Stacey Kade

Title: The Rules (Project Paper Doll #1)

Author: Stacey Kade

Publication date: April 23, 2013

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Source: an ARC from the publisher for an honest review and for interviewing the author

1. Never trust anyone.

2. Remember they are always searching.

3. Don’t get involved.

4. Keep your head down.

5. Don’t fall in love.

Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”

But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

Review: 

Back in February, I interviewed Stacey Kade after I read the last book in her series The Ghost and the Goth. At the end, we talked a little bit about her coming soon book: The Rules which is the first in a series. I knew I had to read it because not only do I love Stacey's writing, but I also thought the synopsis sounded great. Well, during my basketball tournament, guess what landed on my doorstep? This ARC! I unfortunately didn't have time to dive right into it, but when I did, I finished it in two days.

Basically, for me, I could describe The Rules as this: A The Host and A Walk to Remember baby that sucks you in and won't let go.

The Rules is actually told in a dual character POV, between main Ariane Tucker and Zane Bradshaw. I should have expected the multiple POV considering her other series, but I was still surprised to see Zane had a perspective. At first, I wasn't crazy for it. I soon began to love it though, interested to see what both of their thoughts were. 

Ariane is half alien, half human. She has powers (dangerous powers, that I might add) and an ability to read snippets of people's minds. For the first six years of her life, she was kept in a lab with cultural classes and training. After a traumatic event and a big night, she was whisked away by a security guard and pretended to be his daughter (who was now dead thanks to cancer). She has always lived by five simple rules, as stated in the synopsis, so that GTX, the lab, couldn't find her in their own backyard. Ariane has to analyze every choice she makes and wears a simple disguise so that she can blend in. And fortunately for us, she goes back to explain what happened in those years in the lab and it gives us more depth with her story and character.

The trouble then starts with Ariane's one and only friend Jenna. Jenna is obsessed with being popular, pressured by her mother. I even liked her in the beginning, not finding her to be annoying (oh, how I was wrong). When Rachel Jacobs, the school mean girl and granddaughter of the GTX owner, publicly humiliates Jenna, Ariane's powers unexpectedly come back. She hasn't been able to use them since she built an inner wall around them, fearing to become what Dr. Jacobs wanted her to be. 

Enter in Zane Bradshaw. He has family issues and has the common fictional boy disease called Stupid Spineless Syndrome where they think their friends are idiots, but stupidly have no spine and whine about it. When we were first introduced to him, I didn't like Zane. I thought his POV wasn't my taste since I felt it was too crass. However, if you at all feel like me, keep reading! He gets so much better, believe me. When Ariane and Zane devise a plan to get back at Rachel, we all know what will happen. There's some chemistry and looooove in the air, people...also some curiosity. 

How quickly they start to like each other made me a little peeved considering that I'm not a big fan of when characters go too fast. But the plot was sucking me in so much that I simply did not care. The only thing I started to worry about when it came to the plot was that at one point, it felt like it started to become a high school drama story. Thankfully, Stacey started steering it back into control. Unfortunately, I can't say what I really loved due to spoilers. 

Seriously. For me, there were two scenes in particular that were shocking and so...twisty. 

The thing is, though, that it doesn't end there. Lately, I have been reading series where an author will reveal something and just cut it off there or leave a huge cliffhanger with lots of questions. Stacey reveals...then keeps writing! I had time to process everything before we were suddenly left with the dreaded feeling of "I WANT THE SEQUEL!" I felt that the story was well-developed along with Ariane's character. Ariane was strong, determined, and someone that strikes your curiosity. As for Zane, you felt bad for him and soon became to love him too. 

So here's the recap: 

The parts I disliked: 

• The beginning of Zane and his Stupid Spineless Syndrome.
• The later Jenna...but we're supposed to. 
• The seemingly rapid pace of Zane and Ariane's relationship. 

The parts I liked:

• The loops Stacey gave us. Oh my gosh, I felt like I was a cat that was failing to land on my feet. 
• I personally liked the sort-of flashbacks to GTX, it provided more depth. 
• Later Zane minus his behavior with Rachel. 
• Ariane in general because I loved how tough she was. 
• The plot...and the ending. 

Verdict: A wonderfully engaging story that left me with a book hangover. 

Do you think you'll read this one? YOU SHOULD! 

Comment below :)

Cover Love #10

Hosted by Bookshelvers Anonymous

Title: Tumble & Fall

Author: Alexandra Coutts

Publication date: September 17, 2013

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

A novel about the end of days full of surprising beginnings 
 
The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand. 
 
Alexandra Coutts's TUMBLE & FALL is a powerful story of courage, love, and hope at the end of the world. 

Why I love: 

I first saw this at Cover Snark and it was actually not one they snarked on! While twinkling lights are a big rage in YA covers, I still love them in this cover. I'm also a fan of how the "&" is placed in the middle and how they are laying in the grass. It feels very whimsical.

What cover are you loving this week?

The Themes in YA Contemporary

The contemporary genre hits or misses for people. Some people hate it, some people love it. I have heard bloggers and readers say that it's either "too boring and has too many issues involved" or "I live in this time period already!" Then there are others, like myself, who get wrapped up in it. Whether it be for the connectable characters or relatable storyline or for the writing styles, we adore contemporary. When I was thinking about this genre the other day, I realized there are a lot of subgenres/themes in contemporary. Here are some of the common ones and my favorites: 

Summer

 Listed: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Sleepaway Girls, any Sarah Dessen

With summer approaching, I thought this was the most fitting. I don't know about you, but when I'm at the beach or enjoying the summer (even if I just want to imagine the summer during another season), I like to pick up a contemporary novel set in the summer. Camps, relationships, friendships, family, "finding yourself." All of these can be focused on during a great summer book.

Fame

Listed: Secrets of My Hollywood Life, The Princess Diaries, All American Girl

Haven't you ever imagined what would happen if you were suddenly thrown in the spotlight? I love reading about people going out of their comfort zone and dealing with outside pressure of the spotlight. While the first book is listed is about a celebrity who is used to the attention, the other two are great Meg Cabot novels focused on a girl being thrown into a whirlwind. 

Road Trips

 Listed: Reunited, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, An Abundance of Katherines

Road trips. I know how many people love road trips nowadays. I have only read the one in the middle, but really, road trips are a wonderful experience. "Magical" things can happen in a contemporary novel when a road trip takes place.

Undercover

Listed: Also Known As, Heist Society, I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Spies, criminals...undercover business. Who says you can't have fun when you're trying to take down a powerful opponent? Or can't fall in love with a normal boy? 

BONUS: I am having a giveaway of the last book pictured along with its sequel. It ends this weekend! Go here to enter.

Humour

Listed: Audrey, Wait!, Epic Fail, The Boyfriend List 

While you can have humour in any genre, you can easily find it in the contemporary field. I like to laugh. I like to smile. Humour is a big factor in keeping me entertained and it's a great emotion to possess. It's also a great themed book if you want a fun, light read.

Serious

 Listed: The Sky Is Everywhere, Bruised, If I Stay

Some people think of serious contemporary books as "issue books." You may be right. But if you turn your nose up at the thought of reading one, you will miss such great emotion. Overcoming death, issues, drama...it's a great way to bring your emotions and feelings out.

Transformation

Listed: Going Vintage, How Not to Be Popular, What Happened to Goodbye 

 "Transformation books" are also usually really light reads. It can range from changing your whole lifestyle like in Going Vintage or changing your looks like in the hilarious How Not to Be Popular or changing your name like in the more serious What Happened to Goodbye. Either way, the character goes on a journey. It might sound cheesy, but usually they have a self-discovery on the way.

~*~

So there you have it. Not only are these the major themes that I see (and love), but they can also serve as some book suggestions. 

Happy Reading!

Wait! First...what are some of your favorite contemporary plots? Are you pro or anti contemporary?

Review: GOING VINTAGE by Lindsey Leavitt

Title: Going Vintage

Author: Lindsey Leavitt

Publication date: March 26, 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Source: an ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review

When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List:
1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous
But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

Review: 

Do you see where I got this book? The publisher! This is my first official ARC that has been provided by the publisher after I have requested it. I got an ARC before via NetGalley. I have even gotten an ARC from the very nice people at Disney-Hyperion after I interviewed the author. But I requested this one (and have been pining for it) and it has appeared! 

On to the novel now. It is clear from page one that Mallory and her boyfriend, Jeremy, do not belong together because the only thing going for them is physical attraction and even that is slightly going down the drain because of his nagging persistence. Then he wants her to do his paper for him and I was all, "What a tool." And even though I knew he was going to cheat on her because of the Goodreads synopsis, I was pretty smug that "tool" was basically the synonym of Jeremy throughout the whole book that was used by everyone.

I am so impatient to get on with my opinions with aspects of this book that I'm going to skip over the recap because you can basically get the gist from the synopsis above. Girl gets heartbroken. Girl finds life-changing list. Girl follows list to get over boyfriend. Girl discovers new things. Girl gets love interest. Girl has an entertaining story. 

Reasons why I love Going Vintage:

1. The lists. The book starts out with a list and every chapter start that way as well. I'm always curious to see what list will come up next because it is usually a clue as to what will happen in the chapter. Also, I am my mother's child and live by lists. Packing lists, to-do lists, order of importance lists, my favorite movies/books/authors/animals/fill-in-the-blank...lists are what keep me sane. I also think they can be quite entertaining and amusing like the ones in Going Vintage or in Top Ten Tuesday.

2. The fact that this is placed around being vintage. I love vintage. I see a clothing item that looks "vintage" and it makes me love it more. Decorative items, clothes, hairstyles...anything vintage and I'm interested. So the first thing that made me want to read this book was the fact that it was, yes, vintage. I loved the way that, while there were other conflicts in the story, we had to see Mallory live in the 21st century without a cell phone or any other item that didn't exist around her grandmother's time.

3. The characters. With this point, I will be having subpoints.

• Mallory. The leading lady and the source of most of my smiles. She has a strong voice from the beginning and entertained me the whole way. She's hurt and confused, but tries to be strong. She sticks with her beliefs and while like any girl, she has her soft moments where she thinks she might want to get back with Jeremy, she still holds on strong. I loved that about her. She's firm, tough, and has flaws like any other regular human being. 
• Ginnie. By far, the other best character in the story. Instead of a non-relative best friend, Mallory has her freshman, younger sister. Ginnie was charming, witty, and was *thisclose* to stealing the show.
• Oliver. He didn't take lead role or become certifiable swoon-worthy, but he did fiddle with my heartstrings. I liked him. He was sensitive, humorous, caring, and didn't try to place the romance in the spotlight. 

4. The humour. Lindsey Leavitt did a wonderful job at making me smile and laugh. I felt as if I was doing it the whole time. Mallory had a distinctively witty voice and Ginnie made me laugh as well. Basically, see #3.

5. The cover. I personally love the colors on the front. The pink and green stand out which makes it look so different from the rest of my books. I'm not a fan of how her leg looks, but bonus points for adding the records in there!

Now that I went over the positive, let me mention the negative.

There is not much that I can say negatively in this novel since it was such a fun read, but I was not fond of the ending. It felt wrapped up too nicely. The dance scene at the end? How was that realistic? Maybe that is just my evil thinking, but I wouldn't have behaved that nicely. I was a bit confused on why the grandma's subplot was added as well because I didn't see a need for it. However, the parental conflict added some mystery and provided a great subplot for me so I personally liked that part.

Verdict: Great narrative voice, fun plot, and excellent lists.

Are you going to read Going Vintage? What do you think?

**Ally Carter SIGNED giveaway ends this week! Go enter!**

Q&A with Ally Carter + a Signed Giveaway!

If any of you know me, you know that I love Ally Carter. Not to sound creepy (although I tend to come off that way), but I have said before that I would read the woman's grocery lists à la Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars just to read something she has written. I cannot exactly remember when I discovered her and started gobbling up her series, but I do know that it was a while ago. I have always had a fascination with spies (Who hasn't played the game of "spies" where you use walkie-talkies? People without true childhoods, that's who.) and boarding schools were right up there on the list of Things "Sunny" Thinks It Would Be AWESOME to Do/Be. 

**"Sunny" is in quotes because just like Shelver, I am anonymous and that is not my real name.

Anyways, this year, I got to meet my absolute, all-time favorite author. I cannot say exactly when because my sister Shelver wants to keep our location anonymous as well and you can easily figure out where Ally Carter was on a specific day. With all the bookishly great things happening and even a SIGNING, Ally talked to us and did a lengthy Q&A session that I thoroughly enjoyed. She is not only hilarious, but super nice. 

Thanks to recording it on my phone, below is what happened: 

Q: Will we ever find out what the "W" stands for [in W.W. Hale the Fifth]? 

A: W.W. Hale refuses to tell Kat his first name. She can steal anything, but can't find out her boyfriend's first name. So it kind of drives her crazy. The answer is yes, you will find out, but I'm not saying when.  *evil laughs* Eventually though.

Q: Will you write anymore books like Double Crossed?

A: I hear from readers that say I'm a Gallagher Girls fan, why do we have to sit through Heist Society and vice versa. I'm like, "Can't we all just get along?" I think my evil plan is working though because I hear from people who say they got interested the other series because of Double Crossed. (So she really doesn't answer this question, but yes, I think she might.) 

Q: How do you come up with the names for the characters?

A: All different kinds of ways. Cammie was for alliteration and I knew I wanted her to be known as the Chameleon. For the first 4 or 5 drafts, I called him [Preston] Prez Son because he's the presidential candidate's son and I couldn't think of a name for him. Then my friend Jennifer Lynn Barnes read it and she said "Yeah, I just kept calling him Preston." So I was like, "Okay, his name is Preston." So sometimes I totally, completely don't care and sometimes I spend hours researching geneology sites for names of people. It really just varies. (she did care about Nayhaw who appeared in short story for Barnes and Noble for Cross My Heart and appears in Gallagher Girls 6 and is modeled after Jennifer's college roomate) 

Q: Are you going to write another series?

A: Probably! 

Q: How do you come up with the cons in Heist Society?

A: It's usually whatever the book needs to have happen. I've read a lot of con books and movies. But most of them are made up, especially the ones you never find what it's about, like "How can we do the Princess Bride? We can never find a sixth fingered man that quickly!" I have no idea what the Princess Bride is, I just want a funny joke. 

It's a great movie.

Q: Do you have any advice for people who want to be an author?

A: First thing is write. And that's it. No, okay, but that honestly could be it. Don't get the cart before the horse.

Q: How do you come up with a title?

A: I honestly don't know the answer to that question! I wish I knew. I'd Tell You I Love You was a gift from heaven. I spent a lot of time looking up idioms on the internet [for Gallagher Girls]. For Heist Society, it was a little bit harder. I fought against it since it's a little bit hard to say and a bit of a tongue twister. But I kept coming back to it. The second title came from a line from the first book: "Kat herself was a highly uncommon criminal." My editor that I was working with at the time came up with Perfect Scoundrels so I was like "Score! I don't have to come up with one!" For Gallagher Girls 6, all of them have been worse than the one before it.

Q: How did you decide to be an author?

A: The idea first came to me when I was about twelve or thirteen years old and I was reading The Outsiders for the first time. I'm from Oklahoma and Outsiders is set in Tulsa. Tulsa was the "big city" that we went to. It kind of blew my mind that the Outsiders was written by a woman who lived in the city that I kind of knew. Then when I found out she had written it when she was sixteen years old and I was a teenager myself, I was like, "Oh my gosh, that is what girls do from Oklahoma. They write books!" The lightbulb went off and I knew it was the career I wanted to do. I realized that books were written by other people besides dead Europeans. but also, people like me wrote books. 

Q: Will there be any character spin-offs? 

A: Possibly! I learned many things from Double Crossed, but I realized that I really liked the synergy from the characters meeting each other. So who knows, maybe Macey becomes a permanent part of Kat's crew or Gabrielle does her own spin-off with someone totally new. The amazing thing is that I don't know what will happen next and that kind of excites me. Again, like I said in the beginning, what excites me as a writer, hopefully will excite you as a reader. I will not rule anything out. At this point, I don't have any plans to do a true-blue Gallagher Girls spinoff. 

She then goes on to say something about Gallagher Girls 6: I will say there is a fairly excellent scene [in GG6] with Mr. Solomon with his shirt off. There is also a scene with Zach with his shirt off frying bacon so two of my favorite things: shirtless Zach and bacon! So basically when you're writing the last book in a series, you want to put everything you possibly want to happen in a book, you feel like you gotta put it in THIS book. 

Q: Is there any kind of movie in the works in this time and are there certain actresses you would like to be in those movies?

A: Right now, there are no movies in the works for either series. Both series have been under option at various places before. But the thing with Hollywood is that it's crazy. You never ever know what's going to happen. Trust me, the one thing I want on this earth most is to have a movie made on one of these series. I love movies. I would love that very very much. Her picks for actresses: Probably Emma Stone (the first picture) or Anna Kendrick (the second picture). These actors come and go and age out of this stuff, but characters stay the same, Ally Carter also adds.

I like gifs better than pictures so...yeah.

Q: If you were to pick another genre to write in, what would that be? 

A: I think I would always write this. I have kind of toyed with a western of all things because I love westerns. I could totally write a western, don't get me wrong. Would that be career suicide? PROBABLY. But I have this theory that dystopians are basically westerns. Think about it. Katniss out on the praire, searching and killing dinner with a bow and an arrow. Tell me that's not a western, people. The government is corrupt and people basically have to govern themselves. WESTERN. So there are a lot more overlap than people realize. It's what people realize that counts. But I'm a contemporary writer, I don't think I could ever write paranormal or fantasy because other people do that better than I would do that and so I think you should go where your strengths are. And my strength is unrealistic realistic fiction. I am a genre of one. 

Q: Do you think either series would be better suited for a TV show? 

A: I think either of them would be good for a TV show.

Q: Do you have a happy dance you do when you finish a book? 

A: I do have a happy dance I do! I call it the dance of the finished book. If you go on to YouTube and you search "Emma Stone Dance Dare," she did an appearance on the Ellen show where they actually did a dance dare where she had to do a dance behind people without them knowing it. It is the funniest three minute dance footage ever and so whenever I finish a book, I turn that on and dance. Yet another reason why Emma Stone is my spirit animal. 

My input: I have previously seen this dance dare before Ally Carter talked about it and shouted YES! when she mentioned it. It is quite entertaining. I love Ellen...and Emma Stone.

Q: Do you have any input on covers and if so, will we see a shirtless Zach on the next cover? 

A: I do have a little bit of influence on the covers, not like approval or anything, but I can say things like, "You know, I don't know if that's the right color." (She mentions a dark red, so maybe that's a hint?) I have seen the cover for Gallagher Girls 6, but it does not have a title on it yet. It is a girl in a graduation gown so it very much looks like the end of a series. It's very fitting. 

Q: Do we get a little history on Abby and Townsend? 

A: *hesitates and thinks* NOT what you're thinking. Like we do not get to hear their misadventures, but I think if I ever did another Double Crossed, it would be The Abby and Townsend Chronicles because they just kind of crack me up, they are the weirdest, little couple ever. But we do find some things about Townsend before we met him in the Gallagher Academy. He is the one who has been chasing the Circle the longest, so he has some valuable information. 

What I thought of as the "duh" question: (since it is ALWAYS on her website)

Q: Would you ever want an undiscovered actress have the lead or major role? 

A: That would be awesome! Unfortunately, I would have no role in the casting process whatsoever. But if they were to come to me and say "We found this awesome unknown girl who's going to be Cammie!" That would be great for me. 

Q: Do you read any other YA book series? 

A: Absolutely! I almost read exclusively YA. The last YA I just finished was David Levithan's Every Day. My friend Jennifer Lynn Barnes has a new YA series coming out next fall which I think is going to be a really great read-a-like for people who are finishing up Gallagher Girls, it's called the Naturals. It is kind of like the TV show Criminal Minds. It is a teen Criminal Minds. It's teens criminal profilers living in a house together. Because Jennifer is my best friend, I got to read the first book a few weeks ago and it was awesome. So I begged her for the second book so hopefully that will be coming my way very, very soon. I love YA. 

Q: If you were an animal, what would you be? 

A: My gosh, I don't know. Probably a sloth. All I want to do is lie on the grass and have people bring me brownies. 

Another Ellen video relating to the topic: 

It officially starts at 1:58, but the whole thing is hilarious.

Keep watching until after the clip! 

Q: Where is your favorite place that you have ever been to visit? 

A: I have not traveled as much I would like to. Now granted, as an author, you do travel but sadly, you don't get to see many places. I have been to San Francisco a half a dozen times, but I have never been to Fishermen's Warf. You are there and you go to the airport to the hotel to the bookstore...to the airport. I did reserve extra time for when I went to Italy because I knew I would want to sightsee. So probably Italy!

Q: Did you use that time to write the information from Heist Society? 

A: Yes. I didn't know exactly how I would use it, but I took enough notes to know that I would eventually use it. Whenever I am in a cool place like that, I always take notes just in case. For example, there is a big scene in Gallagher Girls 6 that takes place just outside of the United Nations in New York. So that last time I was in New York, I went to the UN and took a lot of the pictures and walked around the area. 

My input: She mentions how the thing she needed to have happened, happens outside anyways which are where protests happen, in the park area. So will there be a big scene with protests in GG6? Eeep!

Q: How long does it take to write a new book? 

A: I would work on a book as long as I humanly, possibly could if my editor didn't rip it out of my hands. That usually happens every nine months, for me. For some people, it takes three years while it takes others three weeks. But as of late, it takes about nine months for me. 

Q: How many Heist Society books are you planning to write? 

A: I don't know! 

Q: What is your writing process like? 

A: Really, really crappy first draft, heavy lifting in the second draft, and with the third and fourth drafts, just getting narrower and narrower and focusing on smaller things every time. 

Q: Will we ever figure out who Sicily Romani is? 

A: Yes! 

She also says one more thing about Gallagher Girls 6: " People say, "Promise me there will be a happy ending." I cannot promise there will be a happy ending. My job is to deliver a satisfying ending. Does that not make anyone else get really nervous? She then went on and joked about Zach's funeral, which nearly everyone started freaking out about before she started laughing. 

~*~

Now to celebrate this monumentous event in my life, I was able to not only get my own books signed, but I also had a friend's mother get Ally Carter to sign two other books for me to GIVE AWAY. Yay! Giveaway time! 

The rules: 
-Must not cheat. (go look back up at the DUH gif) 
-Must be in USA (sorry, guys, but the shipping costs!)
-Must be...awesome? Already completed!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But really, this bookish event? Too great to even put into words! I went with Shelver and my best friend and I really didn't care if my feet hurt at the end of it all. We also got a free book from the table so I snatched up Asunder. The day was a BIG win.

I can finally scratch "Go to an author signing" off my bucket list and Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013. 

Also, my sister Shelver posted her recap and own giveaway of it yesterday if you want to check it out. Along with some slightly embarrassing quotes of me :)

Wishlist Wednesday #14

Hosted by Pen to Paper

Title: How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True

Author: Sarah Strohmeyer

Publication date: April 23, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

From Sarah Strohmeyer, author of Smart Girls Get What They Want, comes this romantic comedy about one girl's summer job from hell. Think The Devil Wears Prada set in Disney World.

When cousins Zoe and Jess land summer internships at the Fairyland Kingdom theme park, they are sure they've hit the jackpot. With perks like hot Abercrombie-like Prince Charmings and a chance to win the coveted $25,000 Dream & Do grant, what more could a girl want?

Once Zoe arrives, however, she's assigned to serve "The Queen"-Fairyland's boss from hell. From spoon-feeding her evil lapdog caviar, to fetching midnight sleeping tonics, Zoe fears she might not have what it takes to survive the summer, much less win the money.

Soon backstabbing interns, a runaway Cinderella, and cutthroat competition make Zoe's job more like a nightmare than a fairy tale. What will happen when Zoe is forced to choose between serving The Queen and saving the prince of her dreams?

Why I'm wishing: 

I have been in a really big contemporary phase lately and not only that it is contemporary, but the cover screams that too with all the colors. Then of course, it is about Disney, summer internships, and cousins (instead of sisters or best friends, hey, I like something different). Although I have never seen The Devil Wears Prada, this book sounds so interesting, I would be perfectly thrilled fine if this was on my doorstep.

What are you wishing for this week?  

Announcing Tomorrow's Post...on Another Blog

Once Upon a Prologue

For all of March, Molli from Once Upon a Prologue has been highlight contemporary and certain contemporary books and authors. When I heard her say that on Twitter and she wanted people to do guest posts, I was like, "No way! Contemporary? I love contemporary!"

So TOMORROW, on March 20th, my guest post will be up on her amazing blog. While I hope you check it out, I also hope that you check out the other posts there as well. I see a Going Vintage giveaway there along with just really good posts on contemporary novels. You definitely need it to check it out. Did I also mention that this is my first-ever guest post? Well, it is.

Just for you and because it's a great announcement, here's a GIF party.

End of GIF party.

Me without gifs after the gif party.

Hope to see you at Once Upon a Prologue tomorrow!