Review: Hannah Both Ways - Rosie Greenway

 

A devastating Twitter prank yanks Hannah out of the popular crowd and turns her into the high school’s best bad joke. Determined to finish the year and graduate, Hannah must keep the humiliating details from her impulsive mother—who just might pack up their belongings and move. Again.

Hannah hovers below the radar by submersing herself in a new routine. Post-it notes, Dewey Decimal numbers and carefully planned trips to the library are her refuge. That is, until a persistent new student invades her space. Lucas has complete disregard for Hannah’s cynicism and snark, and he seems to know the bullies who targeted her. Can Hannah trust him, or is he part of another ploy to torment her?

Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27218824-hannah-both-ways

Purchase Links:

BAM | Chapters | Amazon | B&N | TBD ~*~

Oh Hannah Both Ways, I am so, so very glad I pushed past the slowish start to get to the meat of you!  I adore this book.  It’s such a wonderful, and true to life portrayal of the ups and downs of modern day high school.  As horrible as it sounds, I found Greenway’s skill with using social media, and it’s wildfire rumor mill, fantastic; because she took into mind, exactly how devastating it can be.

Further, I found not only Hannah and Lucas to be superbly wrought characters, each with very distinctive mannerisms; from Hannah’s grounding technique using the dewey decimal system, to Lucas’ ‘wise beyond his years’ feel - but, also, all of the secondary characters Greenway populated the novel with equally as well fleshed out.

While I feel that Hannah Both Ways and Greenways writing will appeal to not only fans of John Green and XX, and the contemporary side of today’s YA world, I do worry that the slower pacing and start to the story might lose a few readers.  That being said, I highly recommend Hannah Both Ways, both for its take of how social media influences our world, and for the sweet romance.  I cannot wait to get my hands on Greenway’s next book!

-Physical copy provided by publisher, in exchange for review during blog tour

~*~

About the Author

Rosie Greenway grew up on the outskirts of Toronto, and continues to live and work in the GTA with her husband and family. After spending her formative years public-school hopping, Rosie attended the University of Toronto, specializing in English literature.  A former English teacher, Rosie now finds herself putting into practice the many lessons she used to impart to the students in her class room. While she has often turned to writing as a way to relax and unwind, Hannah Both Ways is her first foray into the world of Young Adult publishing.

When she isn’t writing, Rosie is an avid traveler, armchair film critic, enthusiastic foodie and voracious reader.  She is a passionate literacy advocate and one of her greatest achievements is instilling in her daughter the joy of reading.

You can connect with Rosie on Twitter @Rosie_Greenway.

Connect with the Author:   Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads Giveaway!!

• Two (2) winners will received a physical copy of Hannah Both Ways by Rosie Greenway (US/Canada)
• Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of Hannah Both Ways by Rosie Greenway (INT)

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Review: Breath to Breath - Craig Lew

Title: Breath to Breath

Author: Craig Lew

ISBN: 9781939775085

Publication Date: November 17, 2015

Publisher: Relish Media

Source: publisher

Uprooted from his home and sent to live with his estranged father, seventeen-year-old William's world is feeling tenuous at best. When he's unexpectedly dragged into a situation in which he has no choice but to help an abused four-year-old boy, William’s world is rocked to the core as he discovers the truth behind the mysterious young boy’s stories of extreme sexual abuse. He and this boy are connected in ways William can't even imagine and as horrible memories begin to flood his consciousness, William’s rage drives him to steal a neighbor's guns, convinced he must kill those responsible for causing a boy so much pain and betrayal. How William finds the love and compassion he needs to make the right choices is the heart and pulse of this riveting verse novel. Inspired by a true story, BREATH TO BREATH explores what hurt and healing really mean: to survive you hold your breath, but to live you must exhale.

LINKS: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | The Book Depository | Goodreads

~*~

As a long time fan of Ellen Hopkins' wonderful, gut wrenching novels written in free verse poetry, I was more than willing to take on the challenge of reading Craig Lew's Breath to Breath; especially after I found that Hopkins had read it and given it a glowing review.  That being said, Breath to Breath is definitely a tough read, because like Hopkins' work, Lew doesn't sugar coat the darker aspects of life, even when telling the story from the perspective of teen narrator William.

Lew's skill with verse makes this novel sing with emotion.  Each word on the page is necessary, no fluff words added to dull the message of growth and healing woven throughout the novel.

I found William an easy narrator to sink into, and empathize with - even when his soul searching and anguish was strong enough to bring me to tears.  William is so true to life, and real, that it was difficult for me to divorce myself from him when I put the book down for a breather.  I found, as I went about my day, that he was haunting me, and I absolutely felt driven to return to him to find out how his story would be resolved.

Breath to Breath is a difficult read, yes; however, it is a book I feel needs to be read, lest we behave like ostriches, burying our heads in the sand to pretend that such evils aren't found around us.  I have already added Breath to Breath to my shelves, where it shares pride of place with my Hopkins collection, Ilsa Bich's Drowning Instinct, and Tabitha Suzuma's Forbidden. 

~Digital ARC, and physical copy, provided by publisher, in exchange for an honest review

~*~

ENTER TO WIN A FINISHED COPY OF BREATH TO BREATH

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~*~

About Craig Lew:

Craig Lew’s storytelling career began even before he had learned to write. As a child, he used his father’s tape recorder to capture tales about strange planets and scary creatures. His favorite story openings at that time were, “Once upon a junk yard heap …” or “It was a dark and stormy night.”

A movie producer, director, award winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter, Craig still favors a Hitchcockian thriller over a broad teen comedy. Regardless of the genre, he believes the best stories involve a hero who is either seeking love or giving love. At heart he’s a big, mushy romantic.

Craig spends his days with his fiancé in a house on a hill with the corgi land seals Yobo and Zeekie, a three-footed Boston Terrier named Moogie, and Smittens, the kitten with the marshmallow mittens.

I strive to spread good karma. Artistically, I enjoy pushing the envelope because I believe this makes more room in the middle. I believe the keys to success are dreaming big, working hard, and being nice.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

Waiting for Wednesday #7 - Hannah Both Ways

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is:

Review: Perfected - Kate Jarvich Birch

“All that mattered was how things looked on the outside.”

Title: Perfected

Author: Kate Jarvich Birch

ISBN: 9781622662685

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Source: publisher

As soon as the government passed legislation allowing humans to be genetically engineered and sold as pets, the rich and powerful rushed to own beautiful girls like Ella. Trained from birth to be graceful, demure, and above all, perfect, these “family companions” enter their masters’ homes prepared to live a life of idle luxury.

Ella is happy with her new role as playmate for a congressman’s bubbly young daughter, but she doesn’t expect Penn, the congressman’s handsome and rebellious son. He’s the only person who sees beyond the perfect exterior to the girl within. Falling for him goes against every rule she knows… and the freedom she finds with him is intoxicating.

~*~

I’m a total sucker for dystopian reads, be they YA, Middle Grade, or Adult.  I love being moved and disturbed by the often times believable glimpses into what could be our future.  Especially when the stories take a turn towards the dangerous realm of human slavery, and the different facets of said slavery.

Perfected begins with a group of perfectly poised, posed young ladies with no names waiting to be purchased and taken to their forever homes.  Birch immediately draws you into the world she’s created, your heartstrings being tugged at from page one.  The concept she brings to page is one which I have to admit is a favorite of mine, even as it worries me that the thought of specially bred, or raised humans being considered less human than everyone else.

Ella very quickly wormed her way into my list of well crafted characters.  She’s just so naive and innocent, and yet sure of herself and her place in the grand scheme of things; until she starts developing feelings and emotions she’s not ‘supposed’ to have.

Without exception, I found Birch’s characters to be solid throughout the entirety of Perfected.  Even when I didn’t, personally, like the character they still fit the personas they were meant to.  From the anti-Pet ‘nut’ to the disturbing Congressman, every one was believable and added to the overall story.

If I had a complaint with Perfected it was that there were so many questions left unanswered.  Like, what event in history led to people thinking ‘oh hey, let’s genetically engineer girls affluent people can own to raise their status’?  How did Ella’s ‘childhood’ in the kennels go?  And, why aren’t there male pets?  I’m really hoping that some of my questions are answered in Tarnished, otherwise I may have to hunt Birch down to politely demand answers. ;)

-Digital ARC provided by publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Spinning Starlight - R.C. Lewis

"Clever girl."

Title: Spinning Starlight

Author: R.C. Lewis

ISBN: 9781423185154

Publication Date: October 6, 2015

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Source: NetGalley

Sixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in the galaxy, it's hard to escape it. So when a group of men show up at her house uninvited, she assumes it's just the usual media-grubs. That is, until shots are fired.

Liddi escapes, only to be pulled into an interplanetary conspiracy more complex than she ever could have imagined. Her older brothers have been caught as well, trapped in the conduits between the planets. And when their captor implants a device in Liddi's vocal cords to monitor her speech, their lives are in her hands: One word and her brothers are dead.

~*~

One of my favorite fairy tales is Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans, so I was beyond excited when I read the above synopsis for Spinning Starlight.  And I must say, I was not disappointed with Lewis' retelling of my favorite.

I really like Liddi's character.  She was both a really strong character, and so very insecure about her own self worth, making her feel true to life and three dimensional.  Liddi felt like someone I could relate to.  Someone I could see myself being friends with, if she lived in the same world I do.  Lewis does a fantastic job of portraying her struggle of coming into her own, while trying to come to terms with what the public world was constantly demanding of her.

And even though she spends the majority of the novel forced into silence, lest she kill her brothers, Liddi still manages to be a very complex character.  Watching Liddi try to navigate a foreign world without the ability to speak was both humorous and frustrating because Lewis wrote it in such a way as to make you want to reach out and help her.

I did find Tiav a bit flat in comparison to Liddi, but loved him just as much.  He was such a human character, that the gut wrenching misunderstanding in the latter half of the novel was completely believable in its drama.

Further, I adored the strong familial ties Lewis crafted between Liddi and her eight brothers, and Tiav and his mother.  It gave this retelling a true sense of the backbone of the fairy tale, which to me is the relationship between the siblings.  I loved the strength of Liddi's brothers, and the sense of self they gave to her, even when they weren't present.

My only complaint is about the amount of science speak that's interspersed throughout the novel.  I found it to be a bit distracting as a whole; however, I'm not much a science type gal, so that may be a personal preference coming into play.

Spinning Starlight was a wonderful retelling of a classic, lesser known fairy tale, and I look forward to not only adding it to my library, but also gobbling up Stitching Snow.

-Digital ARC provided by NetGalley, in exchange for a review.

Review: Illuminae - Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

"Am I not merciful?"

"Don't look at me!"

Title: Illuminae: The Illuminae Files_01

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

ISBN: 9780553499117

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Source: NetGalley

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Waiting on Wednesday #6 - Seven Black Diamonds

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is:

Review: Awake - Natasha Preston

‘I wanted to roll my eyes.’

Title: Awake

Author: Natasha Preston

ISBN: 9781492618522

Publication Date: August 4, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: NetGalley

Scarlett Garner doesn’t remember anything before the age of four—but a car accident changes everything. She starts to remember pieces of a past that frighten her. A past her parents hid from her…and a secret that could get her killed.

Review: Carry On - Rainbow Rowell

“At Watford, Magic is just the air we breathe. It's not what separates us from each other; it's what keeps us together.”

Title: Carry On

Author: Rainbow Rowell

ISBN: 9781250049551

Publisher: St Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: October 6, 2015

Source: Purchased

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

Review: Touching Fate - Brenda Drake

Title: Touching Fate

Author: Brenda Drake

ISBN: 9781633754041

Publication Date: October 12, 2015

Publisher: Entangled Teen Crave

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:

Aster Layne believes in physics, not psychics. A tarot card reading on the Ocean City Boardwalk should have been a ridiculous, just-for-fun thing. It wasn’t. Aster discovers she has a very unscientific gift—with a simple touch of the cards, she can change a person’s fate.

Reese Van Buren is cursed. Like the kind of old-school, centuries-old curse that runs in royal families. Every firstborn son is doomed to die on his eighteenth birthday—and Reese’s is coming up fast. Bummer. He tries to distract himself from his inevitable death…only to find the one person who can save him.

Aster doesn’t know that the hot Dutch guy she’s just met needs her help–or that he’s about to die.

But worst of all…she doesn’t know that her new gift comes with dark, dark consequences that can harm everyone she loves. 

Review: Cinderella's Shoes - Shonna Slayton

"You're right.  The tags distracted me.  I need to stay with my original plan.  I'm here to find Cinderella's shoes and see if they can lead me to my dad."

Title: Cinderella's Shoes

Author: Shonna Slayton

ISBN: 9781633751231

Publication Date: October 6, 2015

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Source: NetGalley

The war may be over, but Kate Allen’s life is still in upheaval. Not only has she discovered that Cinderella was real, but now she's been made Keeper of the Wardrobe, her sole responsibility to protect Cinderella’s mystical dresses from the greed of the evil stepsisters’ modern descendants.

But Cinderella’s dresses are just the beginning. It turns out that the priceless glass slippers might actually exist, too, and they could hold the power to reunite lost loved ones like her father—missing in action since World War II ended. As Kate and her boyfriend, Johnny, embark on an adventure from New York to Italy and Poland in search of the mysterious slippers, they will be tested in ways they never imagined.

Because when you harness Cinderella's magic, danger and evil are sure to follow...

Review: Illusion - Lea Nolan

"Don't you see?  We're connected, you and me.  We always have been.  And always will be.  So as long as this thing keeps buzzing, I'm going to be here for you."

Title: Illusion

Author: Lea Nolan

ISBN: 9781622664030

Publication Date: October 5, 2015

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Source: NetGalley invitation

New school. Cross-country move. Broken heart. If only these were Emma Guthrie’s worst problems as the first day of her sophomore year dawns. Instead, she must battle a trio of enemies—human and spectral—who may or may not have joined forces against her. All while pretending to be over Cooper Beaumont, her ex-boyfriend and true love, to shield him from her arch-nemesis’s revenge.

Worse, when the fight escalates, Emma is tempted to use the black magic she’s always fought against, endangering her own soul. As her enemies close in, join forces, and fight with new and dark magic she’s never seen before, Emma must finally harness the power within her to fulfill an ancient prophecy, defeat a centuries-old evil, save her family, and reclaim the only boy she’s ever loved.

Waiting on Wednesday #4 - Shade Me

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is:

Title: Shade Me
Author: Jennifer Brown
ISBN: 9780062324436
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: January 19, 2016

From Goodreads:

Nikki Kill does not see the world like everyone else. In her eyes, happiness is pink, sadness is a mixture of brown and green, and lies are gray. Thanks to a rare phenomenon called synesthesia, Nikki’s senses overlap, in a way that both comforts and overwhelms her.

Always an outsider, just one ‘D’ shy of flunking out, Nikki’s life is on the fast track to nowhere until the night a mysterious call lights her phone up bright orange—the color of emergencies. It’s the local hospital. They need Nikki to identify a Jane Doe who is barely hanging on to life after a horrible attack.

The victim is Peyton Hollis, a popular girl from Nikki’s school who Nikki hardly knows. One thing is clear: Someone wants Peyton dead. But why? And why was Nikki’s cell the only number in Peyton’s phone?

As she tries to decipher the strange kaleidoscope of clues, Nikki finds herself thrust into the dark, glittering world of the ultra-rich Hollis family, and drawn towards Peyton’s handsome, never-do-well older brother Dru. While Nikki’s colors seem to help her unravel the puzzle, what she can’t see is that she may be falling into a trap. The only truth she can be sure of is that death is a deep, pulsing crimson.

Shade Me is award-winning author Jennifer Brown’s first book in a thrilling suspense series about Nikki Kill.

~*~

Why this is on my list:

I am super, super excited about this book!  Everything I've read by Jennifer Brown has been amazing.  And I love books where characters have unique skills, and synesthesia is nothing if not unique.  Add to that the fact that this is a thriller?  I am so sold on this book and I want it in my greedy book loving hands like yesterday!


What are you waiting on?

Review: Ward Against Destruction - Melanie Card

'No.  Save the man.  Be a physician, not a monster.'

Title: Ward Against Destruction

Author: Melanie Card

ISBN: 9781633754522

Publication Date: October 5, 2015

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:

Ward de’Ath used to think that nothing could be more terrible than death. Now he realizes there are worse things. Like his never-ending hunger for blood. Even if he conquers the unbearable cravings that drive him headlong toward destruction, he’s a wanted man with a bleak future.

Assassin Celia Carlyle learns she is the only one who can protect Ward from disaster. She loves him–she wants to help him, but no one can tell her how to save him from himself. And the confusing voices in her head scream to let him go.

But Ward's dark trials keep mounting. A malevolent evil is rising in the land, threatening to unleash horror upon the world. The only way Ward can defeat it, and have the chance to marry Celia, is by accepting his fate and becoming the one thing he swore he would never become... 

Review: Never Said - Carol Lynch WIlliams

'None of us are who we say we are.'

Title: Never Said

Author: Carol Lynch Williams

ISBN: 9780310746614

Publication Date: August 25, 2015

Publisher: Blink

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:

For as long as she can remember, Sarah’s family life has revolved around her twin sister, Annie—the pretty one, the social one, the girl who can do anything. The person everyone seems to wish Sarah—with her crippling shyness—could simply become.

When Annie suddenly chops off her hair, quits beauty pageants, and gains weight, the focus changes—Annie is still the star of the family, but for all the wrong reasons. Sarah knows something has happened, but she too is caught in her own spiral after her boyfriend breaks up with her and starts hanging out with one of Annie’s old friends.

Annie is intent on keeping her painful secret safe. But when she and Sarah start spending time together again for the first time in years, walls start to break on both sides … and words that had been left unsaid could change everything.

To Be Read Pile: October

Since my TBR pile isn't getting any smaller, here are the books I want to get through this month:

Picture Books

Middle Grade

Review: Firsts - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

"Tonight, I'm doing Evan Brown's girlfriend a favour.  An awkward, sweaty, fumbling favour."

Title: Firsts

Author: Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

ISBN: 9781250075963

Publication Date: January 5, 2016

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:

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.

Waiting on Wednesday #2 - Carry On

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is:

Title: Carry On
Author: Rainbow Rowell
ISBN: 9781250049551
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: October 6, 2015

From Goodreads:

Rainbow Rowell continues to break boundaries with Carry On, an epic fantasy following the triumphs and heartaches of Simon and Baz from her beloved bestseller Fangirl.

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

~*~

Why this is on my list:

Holy cats, this book.  Ever since Rainbow announced she was writing a Simon and Baz novel, I've been chomping at the bit to get my hands on it.  I loved Fangirl, especially the Simon/Baz addition that played to my adoring little fangirl heart (no pun intended).  I am soooooo excited for this book's release that I had to babble about it on Wednesday, even though I only have to wait another two weeks for it to hit shelves.


What are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday #1 - This is Where it Ends

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is:

 Title: This is Where it Ends
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
ISBN: 9781492622468
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: January 5, 2016

From Barnes and Noble:

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

~*~

Why this is on my list:

As depressing, and weird as it is, I have an unending want to read every book I can find which deals with school shootings.  Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes and Dave Cullen's Columbine are two books I can, and have, reread multiple times.  So, when I first heard about Nijkamp's This is Where it Ends, I knew it had to be added to my TBR list.

I'll balance out this week's pick by sharing a super fluffy, feel good novel I'm eager to read. :P

Review: Dumplin' - Julie Murphy

"I'm fat.  It's not a cuss word.  It's not an insult.  At least it's not when I say it."

Title: Dumplin'

Author: Julie Murphy

ISBN: 9780062327185

Publication Date: September 15, 2015

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Source: edelweiss

From Goodreads:

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed "Dumplin'" by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American-beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy's, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn't surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she'll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.