In My Mailbox + Retrospective

Short post this week as I didn't get much. I got a second copy of Chasing Brooklyn due to my first copy being defective. 30 pages (281-312) were repeated and took the place of pages 313-344, so I couldn't continue with my copy, but I just read those 30 pages at the bookstore and then finished my copy. And the other book I got this week was:


Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu
For sixteen years, Lucy has kept her mother's hoarding a secret. She's had to-nobody would understand the stacks of newspapers and mounds of garbage so high they touch the ceiling and the rotting smell that she's always worried would follow her out the house. After years of keeping people at a distance, she finally has a best friend and maybe even a boyfriend if she can play it right. As long as she can make them think she's normal.

When Lucy arrives home from a sleepover to find her mother dead under a stack of National Geographics, she starts to dial 911 in a panic, but pauses before she can connect. She barely notices the filth and trash anymore, but she knows the paramedics will. First the fire trucks, and then news cameras that will surely follow. No longer will they be remembered as the nice oncology nurse with the lovely children-they'll turn into that garbage-hoarding freak family on Collier Avenue.

With a normal life finally within reach, Lucy has only minutes to make a critical decision. How far will she go to keep the family secrets safe?

-- I'm reading it now so I can give it to my roommate afterward since she's really interested in reading this book too, and it's REALLY good though different than I expected.


And here's my small retrospective:

Monday- I reviewed Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder.

Friday- I reviewed Darklight by Lesley Livingston.

Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Darklight by Lesley Livingston
"Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was a Faerie princess, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved the mortal realm from the ravages of the Wild Hunt. Now Kelley is stuck in New York City, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet and missing Sonny more with every stage kiss, while Sonny has been forced back to the Otherworld and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the remaining Hunters and Queen Mabh herself.

When a terrifying encounter sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful but destined to be cut short. An ancient, hidden magick is stirring, and a dangerous new enemy is willing to risk everything to claim that power. Caught in a web of Faerie deception and shifting allegiances, Kelley and Sonny must tread carefully, for each next step could topple a kingdom . . . or tear them apart."- summary from Amazon

Darklight is a fantastic sequel to Wondrous Strange, the first title in this Faerie trilogy. It felt more action-packed and suspenseful than the previous book now that the stage has been set and everyone introduced. I still love Livingston's lyrical prose that just flows along easily and pulls me through the story quickly. Even during an action scene, the details and actions written about are very poetic and create an atmospheric feel to the story. Kelley's character is still as bold as she was before, and also just as stubborn. The romance between her and Sonny is still very sweet, but realistic as well; they have their tiffs and yet still love each other. I also really liked the interactions between all the characters, as I think we got some new insight into everyone based on their interactions with new people and created some wonderful layers to them. The ending was a shocker, though it does (unfortunately) make sense given what was revealed during the course of the novel. It also shows a little hint of the big blowout that will happen in the final book, which I so want to read right now. So I'm torn between telling you to go buy it now so you can learn all these new things, but also want to tell you to hold off so you don't suffer through the year until the final book comes out, lol. It's up to you, reader!

FTC: Recieved ARC from publisher. Amazon link is an Associate link; any profits from that go toward funding contests.

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
"Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams.

Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest."- summary from Amazon

Schroeder's latest verse offering is a companion novel of sorts to her debut I Heart You, You Haunt Me, set in the same high school, which has again been marred by two other tragedies. Instead of focusing on the romantic relationship like with Ava and Jackson, Schroder focuses on friendships and brotherhood; Brooklyn's ghost haunting her is not that of her former lover Lucca but her friend Gabe, who makes the book very creepy and nightmarish. I enjoyed the back and forth between Nico and Brooklyn's perspective, though in the beginning, it made it hard to connect with the characters since we only got a single poem from one before moving on to the other, and then back again. I got more used to it as the book went on. I think this might be my favorite of Schroder's three verse novels. The characterization was great and I loved seeing both perspectives of the story as Brooklyn and Nico's paths cross. It's a wonderful, emotional ride and very atmospheric; just a great book. I also really enjoyed Ava's brief appearance in the book too; it worked well and didn't feel like she was just put in for no real reason. Definitely give this one a shot, and you won't be disappointed.

FTC: Hardcover provided by publisher. Amazon link is an Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

In My Mailbox- Week of January 11 + Retrospective

No vlog again this week, mainly because of a lack of books I actually wanted, lol. So I'm only gonna put image and summary for like two books.

Books I Got This Week:


Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn
Very LeFreak has a problem: she’s a crazed technology addict. Very can’t get enough of her iPhone, laptop, IMs, text messages, whatever. If there’s any chance the incoming message, call, text, or photo might be from her supersecret online crush, she’s going to answer, no matter what. Nothing is too important: sleep, friends in mid-conversation, class, a meeting with the dean about academic probation. Soon enough, though, this obsession costs Very everything and everyone. Can she learn to block out the noise so she can finally hear her heart?



The Girl with the Mermaid Hair by Delia Ephron
Click. Sukie Jamieson takes a selfie after her tennis lesson. Click. She takes one before she has to give a presentation in class. Click. She takes one to be sure there's nothing in her teeth after eating pizza at Clementi's. And if she can't take a selfie, she checks her reflection in windows, spoons, car chrome—anything available, really. So when her mother gives her an exquisite full-length mirror that once belonged to her grandmother, Sukie is thrilled. So thrilled that she doesn't listen to her mother's warning: “This mirror will be your best friend and worst enemy.” Because mirrors, as Sukie discovers, show not only the faraway truth but the truth close up. And finding out that close-up truth changes people. Often forever.


The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott (recieved back from Alexa of Not Enough Bookshelves; also included a The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney bookmark- thanks Alexa!!)
Freefall by Ariela Anhalt
We Shall Overcome: A Song That Changed the World by Stuart Stotts and Terrance Cummings
Dream Life by Lauren Mechling (2nd copy- this one hardcover)
Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems about Love by Pat Mora

Also got Animal by Ke$ha (love it!!) and Kathy Griffin's stand up special out on DVD She'll Cut a B*tch. I loved it on TV and there's some bonus bits on the DVD which I watched earlier that are hysterical. I love Kathy!!! :D

As for a retrospective, not much happened on the blog this week:

Wednesday- I posted about Lisa McMann's contest with Simon and Schuster, which sounds really good and is so beneficial. I love it!

Friday- I reviewed Gorgeous by Rachel Vail, the second book in the Avery sisters trilogy.

This coming week, look for LOTS of reviews!! :)

Gorgeous by Rachel Vail

Gorgeous by Rachel Vail
"She's looking good . . . but Allison Avery can't believe it. Growing up with beautiful, blond sisters, Allison has always been the dark-haired, "interesting-looking" Avery. So when the devil shows up and offers to make her gorgeous, Allison jumps at the chance to finally get noticed. But there's one tiny catch, and it's not her soul: The devil wants her cell phone.

Though her deal with the devil seems like a good idea at the time, Allison soon realizes that being gorgeous isn't as easy as it looks. Are her new friends and boyfriend for real, or do they just like her pretty face? Allison can't trust anyone anymore, and her possessed phone and her family's financial crisis aren't making things any easier. Plus, when she finds out that she might be America's next teen model, all hell breaks loose. Allison may be losing control, but how far is she willing to go to stay gorgeous forever?"- summary from Amazon

I love this new trilogy by Rachel Vail, as it's really interesting reading about the lives of these three sisters and how, even though they're all under the same roof, there are still secrets and feelings kept that the others don't know about. It makes for a intriguing, original read since each book takes place over the same time period from each of the girls' perspective and so could be repetitive but it's not because of this particular angle. Gorgeous brings middle sister Allison to the forefront and gives us a (very) slight supernatural edge to the story. Reading this made me want to read the first book Lucky again and also I now can't wait to get my hands on Brilliant, the final book, coming out in May.

Allison is a great character and is realistically portrayed by Vail who makes sure the turmoil and insecurity of being a middle sibling is part of the characterization. I loved her sarcastic voice as well as her talk and portrayal of the slightly obscure historical figure Gouverneur Morris. The friendship dynamics between Allison and her old and new best friends were handled really well and it was an interesting aspect of the novel. I also really liked the romance- it was definitely written realistically and, while a bit cliche, still really cute.

Overall, a highly recommended read along with Lucky, and pretty much any other Rachel Vail book. I love her!


FTC: ARC recieved from publisher (way back when, lol). Amazon link is an Associate link. Any profit goes toward funding contests.