Read ALL THE BOOKS Update: February/March

If you don't know what this post is about, you can read this introduction post. Basically, I realised I have way too many unread books on my physical shelves, and so I'm going to try read as many of them as possible in the coming months. I'll probably continue this feature until I finish them all...but I don't know whether that will actually happen seeing as though I keep buying books. And borrowing books from the library. And requesting eARCs. Tis a problem.

My definition for "unread" either means that I haven't read the book at all, or that I haven't read that particular copy of the book (might have read it before as an eARC or something)

Well, it's now Week 10 of hospital placements, and I'm now at a hospital closer to my house woo! No more (too) early mornings. The past nine weeks of my clinical placements were at a hospital which is freaking far away (in Adelaide terms, anyway), and we had to come it at 7am some days, which is gross. And had resulted in me doing a lot of napping, which is something I don't normally really do. The whole getting up early and then going home and napping situation meant that I haven't really read as much as I normally do on weekdays, but I do set aside some reading time on the weekend, so I've still been reading a fair bit.

Oh, and I also discovered that SARAH J MAAS IS FREAKING COMING TO ADELAIDE MY GOD SO EXCITED I CAN'T EVEN. The good thing about Adelaide bookish events is that there usually aren't that many people lol. More one on one time with Sarah J Maas! I'll probably just be standing there in silent awe of her beauty though, let's be honest.

Review: Endangered by Lamar Giles

Title: Endangered
Author: Lamar Giles
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads

Endangered is a thrilling page-turner perfect for fans of Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers.

The one secret she cares about keeping—her identity—is about to be exposed. Unless Lauren "Panda" Daniels—an anonymous photoblogger who specializes in busting classmates and teachers in compromising positions—plays along with her blackmailer's little game of Dare or . . . Dare.

But when the game turns deadly, Panda doesn't know what to do. And she may need to step out of the shadows to save herself . . . and everyone else on the Admirer's hit list.

Review by Nara

Review: Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes

Title: Liars, Inc
Author: Paula Stokes
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: 24 March, 2015
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads

For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder.

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.

Review by Nara

Under the Radar Recommendations

This post is a part of Contemporary Conversations, hosted by The Thousand Lives and Talking Bookworm.

Evident from the title, this post will be featuring those underrated books that everyone should read! In general, I feel like there are actually a lot of books that are hyped up around the blogosphere that haven't quite been a hit with the general public readership- books like Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas and Golden by Jessi Kirby. This post won't be talking about those books. This post will feature those books that haven't even really been seen too much around the blogosphere- true under the radar recommendations.

Review: Every Last Promise by Kristin Halbrook

Title: Every Last Promise
Author: Kristin Halbrook
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: 21 April, 2015
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads

Perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson and Gayle Forman, Every Last Promise is a provocative and emotional novel about a girl who must decide between keeping quiet and speaking up after witnessing a classmate's sexual assault.

Kayla saw something at the party that she wasn't supposed to. But she hasn't told anyone. No one knows the real story about what happened that night--about why Kayla was driving the car that ran into a ditch after the party, about what she saw in the hours leading up to the accident, and about the promise she made to her friend Bean before she left for the summer.

Now Kayla's coming home for her senior year. If Kayla keeps quiet, she might be able to get her old life back. If she tells the truth, she risks losing everything--and everyone--she ever cared about.

Review by Nara

Contemporary Conversations Challenges 1 & 2

This post is a part of Contemporary Conversations, hosted by The Thousand Lives and Talking Bookworm.

Challenge 1:
Book Spine Poetry- Pretty self explanatory

Since you've been gone: Confess. Attachments?

On the fence.

Second chance summer?

Maybe someday.

I'll give you the sun?

The beginning of everything

Challenge 2:
In a Gif- Use a single gif to describe a book!

Confess by Colleen Hoover

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a new novel about risking everything for love—and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies.

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go.

Review: Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan

Title: Not in the Script (If Only... #3)
Author: Amy Finnegan
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Bloomsbury Australia
Goodreads

Millions of people witnessed Emma Taylor’s first kiss—a kiss that needed twelve takes and four camera angles to get right. After spending nearly all of her teen years performing on cue, Emma wonders if any part of her life is real anymore . . . particularly her relationships.

Jake Elliott’s face is on magazine ads around the world, but his lucrative modeling deals were a poor substitute for what he had to leave behind. Now acting is offering Jake everything he wants: close proximity to home; an opportunity to finally start school; and plenty of time with the smart and irresistible Emma Taylor . . . if she would just give him a chance.

When Jake takes Emma behind the scenes of his real life, she begins to see how genuine he is, but on-set relationships always end badly. Don’t they? Toss in Hollywood’s most notorious heartthrob and a resident diva who may or may not be as evil as she seems, and the production of Coyote Hills heats up in unexpected—and romantic—ways.

This novel in the deliciously fun If Only romance line proves that the best kinds of love stories don’t follow a script.

Review by Nara

Don't Dismiss the Fluff

This post is a part of Contemporary Conversations, hosted by The Thousand Lives and Talking Bookworm.

The fluffy contemporary.

It's a subgenre that many a YA reader may scorn. Oh, it's mindless, oh, it's too simple, oh, it's just not epic enough.

Well, let me convince you otherwise!

Booktalk: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Title: The Sea of Tranquility
Author: Katja Millay
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Goodreads

I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

Review: Everything That Makes You by Moriah McStay

Title: Everything That Makes You
Author: Moriah McStay
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: 17 March, 2015
Source: Katherine Tegen via Edelweiss
Goodreads

One girl. Two stories. Meet Fiona Doyle. The thick ridges of scar tissue on her face are from an accident twelve years ago. Fiona has notebooks full of songs she’s written about her frustrations, her dreams, and about her massive crush on beautiful uber-jock Trent McKinnon. If she can’t even find the courage to look Trent straight in his beautiful blue eyes, she sure isn’t brave enough to play or sing any of her songs in public. But something’s changing in Fiona. She can’t be defined by her scars anymore.

And what if there hadn’t been an accident? Meet Fi Doyle. Fi is the top-rated female high school lacrosse player in the state, heading straight to Northwestern on a full ride. She’s got more important things to deal with than her best friend Trent McKinnon, who’s been different ever since the kiss. When her luck goes south, even lacrosse can’t define her anymore. When you’ve always been the best at something, one dumb move can screw everything up. Can Fi fight back?

Hasn’t everyone wondered what if? In this daring debut novel, Moriah McStay gives us the rare opportunity to see what might have happened if things were different. Maybe luck determines our paths. But maybe it’s who we are that determines our luck.

Review by Nara

Contemporary with a Touch of Magic

This post is a part of Contemporary Conversations, hosted by The Thousand Lives and Talking Bookworm. (Okay, so technically this discussion is not strictly within the bounds of an event celebrating contemporary books, but whatever. My blog, my rules haha.)

Today, we're going to be talking about books with just that little touch of magic: books within the genre of Magical Realism.

Review: Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby

Title: Things We Know By Heart
Author: Jessi Kirby
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: 21 April, 2015
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads

When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.

After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all.

Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake.

Review by Nara

Review: The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

Title: The Last Time We Say Goodbye
Author: Cynthia Hand
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go.

Review by Nara

Where Are All the Male Protagonists?

This post is a part of Contemporary Conversations, hosted by The Thousand Lives and Talking Bookworm.

You know what there isn't enough of in Contemporary YA? Male protagonists.
I know there are a lot of people complaining about diversity in YA, and I feel like that can even apply to gender. There are way too many white, female protagonists.

Review: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Title: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Author: Becky Albertalli
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: Balzer + Bray via Edelweiss
Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Review by Nara

Blog Tour: Interview with Gayle Forman

As part of an exciting opportunity with Simon & Schuster Australia, some of us Aussie bloggers were given the chance to interview the fabulous Gayle Forman, author of If I Stay, Just One Day, and most recently I Was Here.

I Was Here was a book that I enjoyed very much, in fact, it has been my favourite book of Forman's so far, and I was pretty excited about being able to interview the author of such a gem!

We all got to ask Gayle one question; these questions will be revealed throughout the week and the full interview with all the questions will be posted on the Aussie YA Bloggers blog on March 8th (link to that will be below).

Without further ado, here's my question! Thanks to Kelly @ Diva Booknerd for making all the lovely graphics!

Review: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Title: Since You've Been Gone
Author: Morgan Matson
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Goodreads

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.

But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just… disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try… unless they could lead back to her best friend.

Apple Picking at Night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a Stranger? Wait… what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um…

Review by Nara

Reading Compatibility Test 2: Contemporary Edition

Basically, I'm going to give you a list of statements that you have to agree or disagree with. If you have any idea what book/series they're referring to, it means that you've probably read some of the books that I've read, i.e. our reading tastes are somewhat compatible. I thought it'd be more interesting doing this in quiz form than me just listing off some of the books that I enjoy. Really, this feature is going to be a series of disguised recommendation posts!

In honour of Contemporary Conversations, this edition of the Reading Compatibility Test will be on some my favourite contemporary novels!

It's Time for Contemporary Conversations

I can't believe it's already March! The start of the year went by ridiculously quickly...
But since it is March, it's the start of a new bookish event: Contemporary Conversations. Basically this is an event hosted by Kayla @ The Thousand Lives (a.k.a. beloved book twinnie) and Veronica @ Talking Bookworm that lasts for the entire month of March and is to celebrate the contemporary genre.

I'm actually a massive fan of contemporary novels, especially in the way that they can really make you empathise with the characters. Often your main characters are in situations where you can easily imagine yourself being in. They're not in some fantasy world, they're not trying to take down a government. They could be the girl who lives down the street or the boy who works at your nearby grocery store, or your sibling, or your best friend. There's just something very real about the contemporary protagonist.