Taste Test by Kelly Fiore

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore
"If you can grill it, smoke it, or fry it, Nora Henderson knows all about it. She’s been basting baby back ribs and pulling pork at her father’s barbeque joint since she was tall enough to reach the counter. When she’s accepted to Taste Test, a reality-television teen cooking competition, Nora can’t wait to leave her humble hometown behind, even if it means saying good-bye to her dad and her best friend, Billy.

Once she’s on set, run-ins with her high-society roommate and the maddeningly handsome—not to mention talented—son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, mean Nora must work even harder to prove herself. But as mysterious accidents plague the kitchen arena, protecting her heart from one annoyingly charming fellow contestant in particular becomes the least of her concerns. Someone is conducting real-life eliminations, and if Nora doesn’t figure out who, she could be next to get chopped for good."- summary from Amazon

Gah, I love books about TV shows!! So when I came across this on Netgalley, I knew I had to get it and fit it into my reading pile somehow. I breezed through the book and absolutely loved it. It's a fun contemporary read and I loved the cooking reality show aspect of it (the book even includes a bunch of recipes!).

What makes this book even more fun, aside from Nora's wonderful voice, is the sections in between chapters where the producers chat with the contestants. These provide a better look into the side characters (and the sexy romantic interest) and is a clever way of incorporating more of the reality competition show genre into the book itself.

I did feel as if the whole "real life eliminations" aspect was tacked on; it felt out of place in this book that's mostly light-hearted and kind of comes out of nowhere. Reflecting on it a bit more, I can see it fitting but I think there should have been more of a tonal shift to really bring the two sides together (humor/romance and the accidents). It can be done, like with Meg Cabot's Heather Wells books and Gemma Halliday's High Heels mysteries but the accident scenes just felt a little weird in this book.

Overall though, it is a good, fun contemporary read with a little twist and I look forward to reading more from Fiore!

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

To Be Perfectly Honest by Sonya Sones

To Be Perfectly Honest by Sonya Sones
"Her friends
have a joke about her:
How can you tell if Colette is lying?

Her mouth is open.

Fifteen-year-old Colette is addicted to lying. Her shrink says this is because she’s got a very bad case of Daughter-of-a-famous-movie-star Disorder—so she lies to escape out from under her mother’s massive shadow. But Colette doesn’t see it that way. She says she lies because it’s the most fun she can have with her clothes on. Not that she’s had that much fun with her clothes off. At least not yet, anyway…

When her mother drags her away from Hollywood to spend the entire summer on location in a boring little town in the middle of nowhere, Colette is less than thrilled. But then she meets a sexy biker named Connor. He’s older, gorgeous, funny, and totally into her. So what if she lies to him about her age, and about who her mother is? I mean, she has to keep her mother’s identity a secret from him. If he finds out who she really is, he’ll forget all about Colette, and start panting and drooling and asking her for her mother’s autograph. Just like everyone always does.

But what Colette doesn’t know is that Connor is keeping a secret of his own…"- summary from Amazon

Sonya Sones is one of my favorite authors. She writes in verse, but these are funny books! Or at least there's more humor in them than most of the other verse novels I read, like from Ellen Hopkins and Lisa Schroeder. To Be Perfectly Honest is no exception. It's a riveting book and I loved trying to pinpoint when Colette was lying throughout the book. Colette is an intriguing main character and I really enjoyed reading her journey through this book.

Sones does a really good job of fleshing out all the characters and making the reader empathize with them even though we're spending less word count time with them than we might in a prose novel. There's a great relationship between Colette and her little brother, who says the most adorable and hilarious things. I also liked the emotional arc dealing with the strained interactions between Colette and her mother; it's nice to see that sort of relationship spotlighted a bit in a YA novel. The romance is a little too insta-love but it's cute and hits some rocky patches throughout the book so I forgive it a bit.

Overall, please check out this book and Sones' others. You won't be disappointed!

FTC: Bought book myself and got it signed by Sonya! Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Insomnia by J.R. Johansson

Insomnia by J.R. Johansson
"It's been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.

Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he's had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people's fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets--and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia's eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he's gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it's Parker.

Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?"- summary from Amazon

I really liked the concept of this book. It's very similar to Wake by Lisa McMann, but is way darker and more scary. Parker is an interesting character and following him through this novel is a fascinating journey. There's a real question of uncertainty- is he the stalker? Is he going crazy? What is really going on? All the answers aren't included and I'm sure more will be explored in the sequel.

Johansson does a good job with all the relationships in this book. Parker has a good relationship with his mom and I loved seeing him with his friends, especially after he told them all about his secret. There's some great interactions and real depth to their friendships.

Overall, Johansson has a great debut and I'm excited to see where the story goes from here. It leaves off with a bit of a cliffhanger so I'm eagerly looking forward to the next book.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Author Interview- Julie Halpern

1) How did you get the idea for The F--- It List?

I have a friend who had cancer, and I only found out by doing an internet search on her. We were semi-estranged at the time. It was weird how the cancer brought us back together, and how we both changed as people, in a good way, over time. That was the original premise of the book, but then my publisher suggested a bucket list book. I read a beautiful and tragic bucket list book about a teen with cancer called “Before I Die” by Jenny Downham, so I didn’t want to do the same thing. But I thought if I combined the ideas- a best friend who has cancer and her bucket list- that could actually be different. And funny. I’m always looking for funny.


2) What are you working on now? Can you tell us anything about it?

Is it bad to say I’m not working on anything? I have a five month-old and five year old [as of the date the book comes out] at home, so I can barely piece together a coherent sentence! When it’s time to write another book, I will be more than ready. Hopefully once my daughter goes to kindergarten next year, and my baby starts napping regularly I’ll have a chunk of time everyday to write again.


3) What's your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor(s)? Or, if you don't like those, a favorite snack to have while writing or as a reward for writing?

I love Jelly Bellys! There’s a Jelly Belly warehouse that gives tours only fifteen minutes from my house, and I go there about once a month. They sell the best socks. I like a lot of the flavors, but I particularly like their ice cream blend. However, I don’t usually eat while I write. I chew 700 pieces of gum instead.


4) You're married to an illustrator, who you've written a book with (Toby and the Snowflakes). What was that process like, and is it easier to be in a relationship with someone who understands more personally the publishing world?

It’s been so long since we worked on anything together! He’s so busy with putting out a million books a year, and I work solo on my novels. I would love one day to have another book together. The best part about it is that we get to do book events together. And many of our vacations are tax write-offs!


5) You love to travel. Where has been your favorite place to visit, and what place are you still dying to go to?

I lived in Australia and traveled around most of the Eastern half of the continent. I would love to go back and move my family there for a while. That’s one of my “if I become a rich author” dreams. With having two young kids and having quit my job as a librarian, I’m really just dying to travel anywhere. I miss having a steady paycheck and traveling every summer!


6) What book(s) are you reading now, or are about to start?

I’ve been on a non-fiction kick. I loved “You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation,” and “A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert ‘Believe It or Not!’ Ripley.” I have nothing lined up. I haven’t read fiction in a while because I’m so tired at night that I only manage to read one page at a time. By the time I get to the next page I can’t remember what I’ve read! Babies and no sleep will do that to a person.

The F- It List by Julie Halpern

The F- It List by Julie Halpern
"Alex and Becca have always been best friends. But when Becca does something nearly unforgivable at Alex’s dad’s funeral, Alex cuts ties with her and focuses on her grieving family.

Time passes, and Alex finally decides to forgive Becca. Then she’s hit with another shocker: Becca has cancer. It also turns out Becca has a bucket list, one she doesn’t know she’ll be able to finish now. That’s where Alex comes in, along with a mysterious and guarded boy who just may help Alex check a few items off her own bucket list."- summary from Amazon

What's really funny about this book is that I started reading this shortly after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is what Becca is diagnosed with. I had no idea picking up the book about the cancer plot at all; I just love Halpern's books so I don't care what she writes. It was a pleasant surprise and it helped prepare myself for my own journey, though my experience so far is very different from what Becca goes through during the course of the book. Halpern infuses humor into this book very well (yes, there are cancer jokes) and it helps lighten the mood so much.

Alex is a great main character and I loved reading her journey throughout the book (especially the emotional arc she goes through, dealing with the loss of her father), following her along on the bucket list adventure. The romance is really sweet and Halpern gives it a nice, slow burn throughout the book, which to me made it much more realistic. Leo's a wonderful love interest and just an all-around great guy.

Overall, this is another hit for Halpern and she continues to be one of my favorite authors. Cannot wait to see what she does next!

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.