Tag: book review

Friday YA: The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

Clara Shin is skimming through life having fun and playing practical jokes until one day at school one of those jokes goes a little too far. In order to get out of being suspended she is forced to work with her arch enemy Rose on her father’s food truck, the KoBra, for the summer, skipping her trip to Tulum with her mom. What starts off as torture turns into a summer of making new friends, discovering a lot about herself, and falling in love. She learns there is more to life than living on the surface. Life’s rewards come from caring deeply about the people around you even if you may run the risk of getting hurt.

At first Clara’s life with her single father dad, Adrian, didn’t seem to have any consequence. He was the cool parent, finding himself a father to a teenager while only 34 years old. Clara wasn’t the only person to grow in this book. Her father also saw that he wasn’t doing his daughter any favors by laughing at her antics. A little discipline, while hard for both of them, ended up proving to be the best thing for both of them, forcing them to deal with feelings that neither of them were comfortable sharing.

Clara’s friendship with Rose grows slowly and is really very sweet. Clara’s prior friends were two boys who egged her on in her unruly behavior. Rose was a very structured person and they ended up being the Yin to the others Yang. Perfect complements to each other. Hamlet, the boy Clara meets while working the food truck is totally different then the other boys she’s used to being around. While movie star handsome, he has an old school charm that makes his personality different than any one else. He is polite and her dad likes him for goodness sake! He pursues Clara and her shy uncertainty with this alien creature was very sweet. I enjoyed their growing relationship and was pleased that this author stayed true to the sweetness of their feelings by not advancing them into adulthood too quickly.

This was my first novel by Maurene Goo and I really liked it. It was so easy to read and I liked the growth all of the characters showed from beginning to end. She delivered her message in a way that didn’t preach, instead showed how Clara’s life improved by allowing herself to feel things. That’s a message that a person at any age can appreciate and understand. This was an Uppercase Box subscription book and was totally worth the money spent. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

The Way You

Click this link to purchase! The Way You Make Me Feel

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am an Amazon Associate and will receive a small stipend if you purchase through the above link.

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This Chick Read: Friends Without Benefits (Knitting in the City #2) by Penny Reid

Elizabeth Finney has come a long way since her shy, skinny days in high school. She’s now a well respected doctor in Chicago and her looks are decidedly different. As soon as she see’s Nico Manganiello in her emergency room she slides right back into old bad habits. The two of them grew up together and had always  antagonized each other. Nico was the best friend of the boy she had loved who had died tragically in high school. When she see’s him all of those old feelings come back, including the back and forth bickering. What she doesn’t realize is that Nico has always been in love with her and he’s determined to show he’s worth her love in return.

Most of the Penny Reid novels I’ve read are more relationship building than sex and this novel is no different. The chemistry between these two characters is off the charts and you almost feel like you’ve been reading sex scenes after finishing an emotional exchange between these two characters, it’s that sizzling. Nico is a famous underwear model turned talk show host. He’s hot with a capital H and makes Liz feel small by comparison. Seeing him again drums up old feelings, including Liz feeling bullied by Nico in her youth. His past behavior was the typical tease the girl you love behavior, but Liz never got the message. She is gobsmacked when he reveals he’s always been in love with Liz and reluctant to let him back into her life.

This was not my favorite Penny Reid novel. It did have all of the humor and relationship building I’ve come to expect, but that hint of childhood bullying threw me off Nico a little bit. When Liz finally realizes her love for Nico I went all in on my feelings for them as a couple because I liked her character so much. I just wish I had liked Nico just a little bit more! I still really enjoyed reading this novel and love Penny Reid’s quirky characters and fun dialog. Reading her novels are always worth my time.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Friends without Benefits

Click this link to purchase! Friends Without Benefits: An Unrequited Romance (Knitting in the City) (Volume 2)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am an Amazon Associate and receive a small stipend if you purchase through the above link.

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This Chick Read: Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews

I am thrilled to have gotten an ARC of Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews. I am a huge fan of  this series and have read, listened to, and dreamed about every novel. I’ll be honest though, if I hadn’t gotten this ARC I may have sat on this novel for a little while. It’s so hard to say goodbye to characters you love so much! As this book comes out on 8/28 I knew I’d have to buckle down and get over my emotional pain and read the novel. Without giving away the plot too much, here are my brief thoughts.

Kate- The reason why I love this heroine so much is because even though she has this incredible power and could do and be pretty much anything she wants, she remains true throughout this series. She wants to have friends, love, and have a home with Curran. A home, not a castle, not as ruler, just as a woman wanting to be with her man. Magic Triumphs stretches Kate further than she’s ever been. As we have seen in the Oracles visions in past novels, Kate knows she will battle her father, Roland, which may cause her son or her husband Curran’s death. She will do absolutely ANYTHING to keep their deaths from happening.

We found out at the end of Magic Binds that Kate is pregnant, so I’m not spoiling anything by saying that this novel starts off with the birth of their son and the majority of the novel takes place while her son is around 1 years old. He is such a fun presence in this novel and added something new and fresh to Kate’s character. MOM. I also loved seeing how proud Curran is of his son, and I think my favorite line in this book is Curran’s “He’s a prodigy.” Conlan, their little boy, is a little more than Kate had expected and his antics provide some much needed humor to what could have been a really darkly emotional novel.

The whole Kate Daniels series has been leading up to her battle with her father, Roland. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone when I say that yes, they battle. However, before that happens they have a couple of heart twanging moments that make you wish things had been different for Kate. It’s a shame she didn’t get the father she needed, but then we wouldn’t have had all of these wonderful stories to read! I feel like Roland paused for a moment reflecting on that same wish. That he’d have had the chance to just love his daughter. However, he is who he is and can’t change his megalomaniac ways…

Curran. I just love him. In Magic Triumphs he proves his worth as mate to Kate. They are now parents and we see them go through another evolution in their relationship, but Curran takes things even beyond where I saw his character going in order to keep his family safe. When I stop to think about it, it’s pretty jaw dropping, but my lips are sealed!

Magic Triumphs ends on a positive note. When I say that, I mean that we are given hope that more novels in this world will be written. We already know that Hugh and Elara have their own series, and they are actually an integral part of this book as well. We get a hint at the end that two more characters may have their own stories written. I can only hope!

I am going to end this review by copying what Ilona Andrews wrote on their blog. Paraphrasing, of course. ‘If this is the first time you have picked up a book in the Kate Daniels series. Put it down. Pick up Magic Bites. It’s our least favorite in the series, but the first and it needs to be read in order. It gets better, we promise.’ Boy does it!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I was given an ARC of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Magic Triumphs

Click this link to purchase!*Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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Friday YA: Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Amani, our 16 year old heroine receives facial tattoo’s that tell a story about her family’s history as well as attributes of her personality. When some robot type soldiers scan her face and take her hostage, I was intrigued. OK, this is a Moorish/Sci-fi book. Interesting! When Amani finds out why she has been taken, because she has features close enough to be their princesses body double I thought hmmm again. I’m not sure how this is all going to fit together. Even though at times I stopped to hmmm at the plot, I did think Samaiya Daud crafted a really interesting world.

As I read further the interesting bits seemed to fade away until I felt like I was reading another Alwyn Hamilton novel though not as exciting. A young woman finds herself in unfortunate circumstances and rises above her situation to take a stand against the evil empire and fall in love. Don’t get me wrong, it was an enjoyable story! It just felt kind of familiar. What wasn’t familiar was the science fiction aspect of it and I really wish that the feeling was more sci-fi than Moroccan? It was that that made this novel original, although I suppose a mash-up of the two hasn’t been done before.

Characters:

Amani was a nice solid heroine. Once she got past her circumstance she was determined to make a difference. I always like a heroine who doesn’t turn to mush when things get difficult. The Vathek is a conquering race who has subjugated the natives, slowly killing them off (sounds familiar to us Americans, doesn’t it?) and Amani wants to do her part to help stop them.

The evil Princess Maram, who’d had Amani kidnapped to be her stand in was the most interesting character. She was evil, anxious, and confused and her flaws made her interesting. As the story went on and we learned how sad her life was, she went from black and white 2D to full 3D technicolor. I wished that this book had been written from her POV instead of Amani’s.

Yes, there was also a love interest. Idris? Ilbis? I’ll be truthful, I couldn’t get Idris Elba out of my head and have smashed his name together in my head. Anyway, he was from one of the subjugated tribes, fated to be the sole survivor and marry the evil princess. Instead he hangs with her body double. You can guess what happens to that love triangle.

Did I love this book? No. Did I hate it? Definitely not! I just couldn’t get past some similarities to other novels I’d read and that kind of ruined it for me. If the pace had been a bit quicker, I might’ve enjoyed it a bit more. However, other readers have absolutely LOVED this novel. I say, read it and you be the judge!

❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

MIrage

Click this link to purchase!* Mirage: A Novel

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert

Sanna Lund lives on her family’s apple orchard with her father in Wisconsin. She tinkers all day with ingredients to make cider, seeing the flavors as vivid colors in her mind. Her father hires Isaac Banks and his ten year old son Sebastian to help out around the farm for the summer. Sanna isn’t excited to share her space with a child but her blunt straightforwardness and his childlike exuberance are the perfect pairing opening Sanna’s eyes to things outside the box of her farm. When her father has an accident, Isaac’s steadfast assurance and helpful hands enables them to keep the farm running while her father heals. When her brother comes home to help out, he tries to convince them to sell the land to developers and Sanna has to deal with more change in her little world.

Unlike the previous novel of Amy E. Reicherts that I have read, The Coincindence of Coconut Cake, there was a sad undertone to this story that held me back from giving it a 5 rating. Isaac was running away from troubles at home and keeping a huge secret from his son Bass. Their relationship had such a great father son dynamic that I really didn’t look forward to his secret being revealed which made me a little uncomfortable.

Sanna was a very blunt, straightforward young woman and when her world is threatened by developers she got more stubborn, missing some clues that someone was sabotaging her farm. I was a little frustrated that she stuck her head in the sand for so long! However, I also could identify with her need for her world not to change too fast or too much. Change is hard! When she and Isaac started to work together to help the farm move into this century it gave me hope that both of their characters would grow, and they did, but the pace of the novel remained pretty slow which confused me. Those contradictions of pace and plot made me a little hesitant to commit myself to the outcome of their relationship.

The best part of The Simplicity of Cider was how family was such a huge part of both plot points. Isaac’s relationship with his son meant the world to him. He knows the secret he is holding is going to destory his son, and it does, but they are able to overcome his actions through love. Sanna’s family too was at odds, but as the novel went on her family joined together to save their farm. Sanna, too had to forgive and move on, becoming healthier and more ready to accept the changes life may have for her.

If you are looking for a romance novel this may not be the right fit for you. Yes, there is a romance but it takes a back seat to the conflicts in both Isaac’s and Sanna’s families. I will say that after all was said and done I did go grab an apple out of my fruit bowl and relish taking that first bite. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Simplicity of Cider

Click this link to purchase! The Simplicity of Cider: A Novel

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am an Amazon Associate and will receive a small stipend if you purchase through the above link.

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Friday YA: Ruin of Stars (Mask of Shadows #2) by Linsey Miller

When Mask of Shadow ended Sal had won the elite position of Opal, one of the Queen’s assasins. This enabled them to legally bring down and kill those responsible for the demise of Sal’s own country. As Sal investigates, they reveal the truth behind the missing children and uncover a surprising betrayal.

What I liked: Just as in Mask of Shadows, I really enjoyed Sal, a gender fluid individual and his romance with Elise. The battle for their country almost seemed to be about not only equality but also for gender rights. There was one scene where Elise describes how another Elena helped her tell her father that she was attracted to both boys and girls and that her feelings were normal. Sal was offended because they don’t think they’re either boy or girl, and Elise was simplifying the issue. I think this is the first time I had read a POV quite like Sal’s and it was eye opening and interesting.

What I didn’t like: Everything else. I LOVED Mask of Shadows. It was new and fresh, the competition to become Opal kept the story moving forward and the action was exciting. Ruin of Stars is an intrigue filled gloom fest. Too much political machinations and not enough character building emotion. Sal felt really flat! Sal’s PTSD from the childhood horror of losing their family came off as depression, lacked emotional depth, and bogged down the story. There were very few highs for Sal and a ton of lows. I don’t know, this one was really difficult for me to get through and I so wanted to love it!

I know there were a LOT of people who did love Mask of Shadows as much as I did. I gave it a five rating! Unfortunately, I can’t do the same with this sequel. I can only give it a three rating and I may be a little generous with that number. ❤️❤️❤️

Did you read this book? Did you like it? Please let me know because I’m feeling really let down.

I was given an ARC of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

Ruin of Stars

Click this link to purchase!*Ruin of Stars (Mask of Shadows)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: Through the Fire (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit #4) by Katie Ruggle

Kit Jernigan is the newest member of the K9 Unit having arrived in town after the unit’s police department was blown to bits by the previous novel’s bad guy. Needless to say, her male counterparts are a little gun shy to trust the new girl in town. The day she arrives she is called to the scene of a fire with her bloodhound Justice to track a potential killer. When that trail points to a seemingly innocent person, Kit is the only one to believe that her story may not be true. Until Wes comes along. Wes, the local fire-spotter who works for the National Park, did his job and spotted the fire. When Kit goes to interview him, their chemistry sizzles and as they get to know each other, Wes is on hand to help her investigate her suspect.

This is the final book in the Rock Mountain K9 Unit series and it wraps up the series story arc very nicely. It was refreshing to have Kit’s perspective as the only female officer in town. Don’t let that book cover fool you, that should be Kit next to the dog not Wes, since she is the officer in the unit. (The guy on the cover is handsome, but Wes was described as a huge mountain man with a lot of hair and I’m not seeing it at all on that cover!) Kit was smart, and her inner dialog made me like her even more. I also liked how she was attracted to Wes’s personality. It is obvious that he is borderline autistic or at least severely uncomfortable with person to person contact of any sorts. Katie Ruggle wrote his character as if that was totally normal and didn’t explain his peculiarities at all, which was really refreshing in an age where “diverse” characters are celebrated. She didn’t draw attention to it, it was just who he was.

Wes was completely charming! He was a hot mountain man with a brain. He was also willing to face his fears of being around people socially to be a part of Kit’s life. That is romance! My only critique is that she wrote him a little too well? I liked his personality with Kit, but because of his awkwardness the reader may have had to work a little harder to connect with him.

If I had to classify this book’s genre, I would classify it as romantic suspense or an action novel. There was a lot going on and the mystery definitely took center stage. However, I really liked Kit and Wes and was happy with the romance sub plot. This series started off flat but slowly built up steam and I liked Through the Fire the best of the four novels. You definitely must read the other books before reading this one since there is an overlying plot that runs through all four novels, sorry! Reading a Katie Ruggle book isn’t a hardship so even with the slow start I’d recommend reading this series. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

Through the Fire

Click this link to purchase!* Through the Fire (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

While on her annual visit home to England Sarah meets Eddie and they immediately hit it off. A one day meeting at a pub turns into a magical seven days spent in his home falling in love. Or so Sarah thought. As she leaves at the end of those seven days, they exchange all information, including phone numbers and friending each other on Facebook, and Sarah never hears from him again.

Ghosted def

OK, let’s be honest here, we have all been Ghosted. Did I know there was actually a term for what has happened in the past? Nope! When it happens to you, it’s very easy for that worry to turn into an unhealthy anxiety. In Ghosted, the novel, Sarah knows this happens to people but she can’t help wonder if something had happened. After all, she knew their feelings were true and couldn’t be one-sided. 90% of this novel is from her POV, so we only feel what she’s feeling and even though she gets kind of crazy you just know there is more to Eddie’s story.

This novel was part love story, part mystery and every bit of it fascinating. As I learned more about Sarah’s life, I really wanted this happiness to be real. I wanted her to be allowed to have this one thing that was wonderful. Her restless energy imbued me as I was reading the novel making it hard for me to sit still and finish it. Two thirds of the way through the novel the author took a sharp turn that enabled us to FINALLY get Eddie’s POV. My feelings about him shifted dramatically when I got to see what was inside his head.

I really liked this story. I will admit that as a woman, it’s hard to read from Sarah’s POV because it brings back all of those moments of uncertainty from my single days, and that was before we had all of the technology we do today. Then it was just unreturned phone calls. Now there are so many other forms of torture available! I am so glad that I stuck with this novel to the end. The ending was fabulous, but more because by living through Sarah’s pain and uncertainty her resolution became the reader’s own. It was a great feeling! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

IMG_2562

Click this link to purchase!* Ghosted: A Novel

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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Blogger to Blogger Series: An Interview with Amanda @Cover2Covermom

The first thing I noticed about the Cover2Covermom blog is that it has so much diversity! Amanda writes great reviews, discussions, book events and even has time to do a few tags! How a mom with two small(ish) children has time to read, write, and blog is beyond me. I don’t have kids and it’s tough to find the time and energy. Kudos Amanda!  If you haven’t checked out Amanda’s blog, please click the link below. You will find pages and pages of great content!

Amanda @Cover2Covermom

I was really excited that she could find the time to answer my 10 questions. Thanks Amanda! Here is how she answered them:

Blogging is universal and even though we inhabit the same community, we don’t always live in the same country. What country do you live in?

I live in the United States, more specifically in Ohio.  As far as states go, we are nothing special. I’ve lived here my entire life.

What is the view outside your front door?  

The view outside my door changed this past December!  We bought a new house August of 2017, and after 5 months of renovations we moved in.  The view outside my front door is a typical neighborhood in the suburbs of Ohio.

You can see our front yard, which still needs landscaped – we are starting landscaping this fall – and you can see my sweet “Mom-ride” in the driveway.

If you look closely on the far right, you can see my Little Free Library that sits in my front yard.   It is fondly called the “Book Barn.”  Yes, I am THAT lady.  Since the view outside my front door is nothing special, I’ll share a picture of my cute front door.

Most blogs have a fun story of origin. Please share the story behind your blogs name and/or why you started blogging.

I started my blog back in February 2016.  I have always been a big reader, but unfortunately I didn’t have anyone in my life at that time to talk books with.  I thought a blog where I could share book reviews & talk about what I was reading would help me find more bookworms like myself.   I am also a stay-at-home parent, so I needed some type of creative outlet that would give me that sense of productivity. Maintaining my own blog has been a wonderful way to feel like I have achieved something on days where I don’t feel very accomplished.

I decided on the name Cover2CoverMom because I thought it would make it fairly obvious what the blog was about.  “Cover to cover” is referencing reading a book from start to finish. I added the “Mom” portion because I am a mother, but also because I wanted to have a portion of my blog dedicated to children’s book as well.

Describe where you write your blog. Include a picture if you’d like!

I have a beautiful desk in my home office, but I almost never work on my blog there.  Since my husband started working from home this year, I’ve been forced elsewhere. He spends a lot of time on the phone, which I find distracting, so it doesn’t work out well to share a space.  I typically work on my blog sitting at my kitchen peninsula or when the weather permits – in my 3 seasons room.

Most of us have a stack of books sitting next to our couch or bed waiting to be read. What books are in your stack?

I typically keep my library books & my upcoming TBR books on a stack next to my bed.  Currently those are…

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover *Contemporary/Romance

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate *Historical Fiction

The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth #2) by N.K. Jemisin *Fantasy

The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco *YA Fantasy

A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3) by Sabaa Tahir *YA Fantasy

The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicles #2) by Patrick Rothfuss *Fantasy

It Ends with Us & Before We Were Yours are book club selections for August.  The remaining books I will be reading in September when I do a “Series September” and work on catching up with a few of the series I need to continue.

If you have had a bad day and want to spend an hour reading a book, what is your go to genre or favorite book that will lift your mood?

When I am having a bad day, typically any reading will improve my mood.  My go-to genre used to be historical fiction, but lately I’ve been on a fantasy kick.  It switches back and forth. If I am feeling slump-ish, I’ll reach for a middle grade book every time.

When you aren’t blogging, how do you spend your time? Work, Play, School?

When I am not blogging, I am a stay-at-home parent to two kids.  I have a 11-year-old son, and a 4-year-old daughter. Throughout the school year my daughter goes to preschool for 2 hours in the morning, but is my sidekick the rest of the day.  Basically my life consists of housework, school activities, sports practices, grocery shopping, cooking, homework, studying, volunteering, and chauffeuring kids around.  It really isn’t a bad gig. I’ve done the working Mom thing too, so I can say that working Moms definitely have the tougher job!

My favorite blog post banner

What is your favorite blog post you’ve ever written? Please include the link!

This one is always a tough question to answer.  I’m going to go with my blog post sharing tips on how to get kids reading:Kids’ Corner: How to Get Your Kids to Read More. Children’s’ literacy is a big time passion of mine.  It is so important to foster the love of reading in children, but unfortunately it is harder than ever with all the technology available to them now.

Have you ever met one of your favorite authors? If so, what did you say to them? Looking back, what do you wish you had said instead?

I have been very fortunate in being able to attend so many wonderful author events.  I’ve met authors like R.L Stine, Cinda Williams Chima, Mackenzi Lee, V.E. Schwab, Sabaa Tahir, Leigh Bardugo, Celeste Ng, Patrick Rothfuss, Mary Kubica, Lisa Jewell, Kristy Cambron, Mary Doria Russell, Edith Pattou, Maggie Stiefvater, Jenny Lawson, Mindy McGinnis, and Christina Baker Kline.  I’ve also seen Stephen King and Neil Gaiman speak, but did not technically meet them.

I’d probably say that hearing Neil Gaiman speak was my favorite author event I’ve attended, and meeting V.E. Schwab was my favorite experience meeting an author.  I didn’t really say anything profound to V.E. Schwab.  I awkwardly told her I loved her and handed her a banana… There is a backstory to the banana, I’m not a total weirdo.  She had posted on social media that she loved the food gifts that were given to her by fans while on tour, but wondered why it was always junk food?  Why not fruit every once in a while?  Hence the banana 🙂 At the time, I wanted to ask her about all the unanswered questions in A Conjuring of Light but I chickened out.  I now know that these might be cleared up in her spin off series set in the Shades of Magic world, Threads of Power.

AConjuring

If you could sit down with an author for a slice of cake and a question,  who is the author, what kind of cake would you serve, and what is the first question you’d ask?

The easiest part of this question is the cake portion.  I would hands down serve my Mom’s famous carrot cake. Of course she would have had to make it because it never turns out like hers when I’ve tried to make it.  I have my doubts if she really shared the entire recipe or if she omitted something to sabotaging my attempts…

The author is the tough part to this question.  There are so many favorite authors I’d love to sit down and chat with.  I’m going to cheat and pick two authors: J.K Rowling and Nora Roberts.

J.K. Rowling is such a cliché answer I know, but I would love to sit down with her.  I’d ask her if she had ever considered in her wildest dreams that Harry Potter would have ever become the phenomenon it has been for the past 20+ years.   Knowing what she knows now, what would she have changed in the story in any way?  I would then proceed to thank her for creating something that has gotten children across the world so excited to read for the past 21 years.

Harry Potter

I have read a few Nora Roberts books and can say that I’ve never read one I haven’t enjoyed.  My favorite would probably be The Reef.  I am by no means a NR super fan, BUT I’d love to sit down with her and ask her how the hell she is able to write so many damn books?  And not just any books, books that are consistently good quality books across so many different genres. I couldn’t find an exact number, but the internet says she’s written over 225 published books… How is it possible?  Is she really human?

The Reef

There are so many things I want to comment about in this post! First, the Little Free Library. I have one too!  I love to promote reading and I’ll admit, it’s also a great way to pass along all of the books I get every year! I’m excited to share Librarian status with Amanda, even if it’s just our LFL’s. Second, I am totally jealous of your 3 season room. My room is one season and the view doesn’t really vary. LOL. Third, it is NOT cliche to pick J.K. Rowling. I think we all have a questions we’d like to ask her and my fourth comment is What??? You didn’t include the recipe for your mom’s carrot cake? That is one of my all time favorite cakes! Thanks Amanda, for participating!  I am again, amazed and thankful that you found the time.

Would YOU like to take part in my Blogger to Blogger series? Give me a shout!

OR would you like me to feature a blogger that you love? Let me know who and I’ll reach out to them.

Until Next Sunday,

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads5 Comments

Friday YA: The Art of French Kissing by Brianna R. Shrum

Carter’s whole future rely’s on her getting into and winning a cooking competition, a la Top Chef for high schoolers, and getting a full scholarship into cooking school. Carter grew up poor. She learned to cook out of desperation because her parents were just awful at it. Something that was kind of a burden became her joy and she wants to follow her dream to someday open her own restaurant. When she wins entrance into the competition she’s overjoyed and is determined to do anything to win. She meets cute fellow chef Reid Yamada on day one where he chooses to play unfairly in their first competition. They are immediate adversaries, but are they really?

The Art of French Kissing was a really fun, lighthearted novel. The author painted the landscape with diverse characters with varying personalities. I wasn’t sure how Carter and Reid were going to go from enemies to friends, but it seemed to take a natural course and through the pairing in the competitions they soon had to rely on each other to win instead of looking over their shoulder for sabotage. If I had one tiny bit of criticism, I’d say that I wish Carter had been a little more confident and less hateful? I felt like she was the reason they weren’t friends sooner and it irritated me a bit. That was a pretty minor point though and I did move past it.

I really need to mention that even though these are teenagers there are VERY adult topics and the two main characters do have sex. It is not graphic or anything but I was surprised because I didn’t think this story needed to go down that road. If they were in college I don’t think I would have thought twice. I am not the targeted age for YA and am not sure if this is ok or if my feelings are the norm…

I do love a good novel with food and this one definitely had me taking a trip to the kitchen for some snacks. The Art of French Kissing hit all my YA Contemporary buttons, food, fun and friendships so with the exception of that moment of “wha?” I liked this book. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

The Art

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On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments