Cover: Red by Alison Cherry

 

The cover for this book was revealed recently, and it looks like a very interesting and unique book.  It is going to be released on October 8th, 2013.

Here's the description:

Felicity St. John has it all—loyal best friends, a hot guy, and artistic talent. And she’s right on track to win the Miss Scarlet pageant. Her perfect life is possible because of just one thing: her long, wavy, coppery red hair.

Having red hair is all that matters in Scarletville. Redheads hold all the power—and everybody knows it. That’s why Felicity is scared down to her roots when she receives an anonymous note:

I know your secret.

Because Felicity is a big fake. Her hair color comes straight out of a bottle. And if anyone discovered the truth, she’d be a social outcast faster than she could say "strawberry blond." Her mother would disown her, her friends would shun her, and her boyfriend would dump her. And forget about winning that pageant crown and the prize money that comes with it—money that would allow her to fulfill her dream of going to art school.

Felicity isn’t about to let someone blackmail her life away. But just how far is she willing to go to protect her red cred?

Katie 

Waiting on Wednesday #30: Canary

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

My pick for this week is:

Staying quiet will destroy her, but speaking up will destroy everyone.

Kate Franklin’s life changes for the better when her dad lands a job at Beacon Prep, an elite private school with one of the best basketball teams in the state. She begins to date a player on the team and quickly gets caught up in a world of idolatry and entitlement, learning that there are perks to being an athlete.

But those perks also come with a price. Another player takes his power too far and Kate is assaulted at a party. She knows she should speak out, but her dad tries to silence her in order to protect the team. The world that Kate was once welcomed into is now her worst enemy, and she must decide whether to stay silent or expose the corruption, destroying her father’s career and bringing down a town’s heroes.

Canary is told in a mix of prose and verse.

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This sounds like a great story that will deal with some tough issues.  I look forward to seeing how Kate handles the aftermath of her assault, and whether or not she tells anyone when her dad tells her to keep it quiet.  I can't wait to read this once it is released on August 28th.

What are you Waiting On this Wednesday?

Katie

Review: Live Through This by Mindi Scott

From the outside, Coley Sterling’s life seems pretty normal . . . whatever that means. It’s not perfect—her best friend is seriously mad at her and her dance team captains keep giving her a hard time—but Coley’s adorable, sweet crush Reece helps distract her. Plus, she has a great family to fall back on—with a mom and stepdad who would stop at nothing to keep her siblings and her happy.

But Coley has a lot of secrets. She won’t admit—not even to herself—that her almost-perfect life is her own carefully-crafted façade. That for years she’s been burying the shame and guilt over a relationship that crossed the line. Now that Coley has the chance at her first real boyfriend, a decade’s worth of lies are on the verge of unraveling.

In this unforgettable powerhouse of a novel, Mindi Scott offers an absorbing, layered glimpse into the life of an everygirl living a nightmare that no one would suspect.

My Review:

After reading Freefall and loving it, Live Through This immediately went on my TBR list.  Last weekend, I went out and bought a copy of the book, and read it, loving it just as much as I loved Freefall.  Live Through This is a quick read, and it keeps you engaged in the story the entire time.  The book contains the perfect mix of lighter and darker elements, and the issues in the book are covered so well.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Coley is an amazing character.  She's hiding a huge secret from everyone around her because she just wants to have a normal life.  She wants to have fun on dance team, and date Reece.  She is strong, despite the fact that she sometimes feels broken by the abuse she is receiving.  She is ashamed because of this abuse, and the book does a good job showcasing her feelings.  She's a character that you can immediately root for and sympathize with.

Coley's family is woven into the story well.  Coley, her brother, and her mom lived with a man named Patrick who was physically abusive until they left him.  Coley was too young then to actually remember him.  Her mom remarried a man named Tony, and had triplets with him - Zach, Jacob, and Emma.  In the story, you can tell that Tony cares about Coley and her brother Bryan, though they aren't his children.  Coley's half-siblings are good characters as well.  I wasn't a fan of Bryan at all, for spoilery reasons that I'm not going to explain here.  If you read the book, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

The other secondary characters are well-developed and interwoven into Coley's story.  Reece is Coley's crush.  He's a sweet guy who plays the sax in band.  The relationship between Reece and Coley is well done, slow, and realistic.  They make a good couple.  Alejandra is Coley's former best friend.  There is a rift between the two for reasons that are unclear at first.  Near the end, there is a great scene with just Coley and Alejandra that is emotional and well written.

If you like contemporary YA, read this book.

Katie  

Review: If I Lie by Corrine Jackson

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.

Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

My Review:

If I Lie is an amazingly written, emotional book with well-developed characters and plot.  I couldn't put this book down, and I breezed through it quickly. 

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Sophie Topper Quinn is a great character.  The reason I put her full name is because she is called multiple names in the book.  Some people call her Sophie, and some call her by her last name, Quinn.   She is brave, and she never wavered in her resolve to keep Carey's secret.  Even when she was bullied and shunned and her reputation was in tatters, she still kept his secret, despite the fact that he had hurt her.

Carey and Blake are both good characters.  They both care about Quinn, though in different ways.  Carey had been her boyfriend for years, though he wasn't actually attracted to her since he was gay.  Though he should have told her this secret earlier instead of letting her believe he was attracted to her, it is hard for the reader to not feel sympathy for him, since he is going into the military and has to live a life of secrets.  Blake is a good guy, though he lets Quinn take everything on her own.  He was the boy who Quinn kissed, but no one recognized him in the picture.  He didn't stand up for her right away, and he didn't let on to anyone that he was the boy in the picture. 

The other secondary characters are well done too.  Nikki, Angel, and Jamie are all characters who bully Quinn, making it hard to like them.  Jamie never has liked Quinn since she liked Carey, and Carey was dating Quinn.  There are some good moments between Quinn and Angel when you think Angel might be more understanding since she used to be friends with Quinn, and then she says something to make you realize their friendship is definitely over.  Both of Quinn's parents play important roles in the story.  Her mother left her and her father to be with her uncle, and her father thinks Quinn is just like her mother since she cheated on her boyfriend.  He is angry at her because of this, but he does love her.

If you like YA contemporary, read this book.

Katie  

Waiting on Wednesday #29: Me, Him, Them, and It

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

My pick for this week is:

 

When Evelyn decided to piss off her parents with a bad reputation, she wasn't planning to ruin her valedictorian status. She also wasn't planning to fall for Todd-the guy she was just using for sex. And she definitely wasn't planning on getting pregnant. When Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn's not sure where to go. Can a distant mother, a cheating father, an angry best friend, and a (thankfully) loving aunt with adopted daughters of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow? With the popularity of Juno, Teen Mom, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, this novel has a built-in audience. Gripping, heartfelt, and responsible, Me, Him, Them, and It is not to be missed!

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This sounds like a great teen pregnancy book that will deal with family, friendship, and love.  I can't wait to read this book and find out what decisions Evelyn makes.  I'll be reading this once it releases on February 5th.

What are you Waiting On this Wednesday?

Katie