BFF Breakup by Taylor Morris

BFF Breakup by Taylor Morris
"Best friends forever? Well...

Brooke and Madeline have been best friends since they first met. Nothing could possibly change that, right?

Except maybe middle school. As Brooke and Madeline encounter new challenges, suddenly their friendship isn't looking so solid. And when the cracks in their relationship become chasms, they must decide if there's anything worth salvaging--or if their dreams of "best friends forever" were mere fantasy."- summary from Taylor's website

I love Taylor Morris' books and this most recent one is no different. She really nails the middle-grade voice and the situations that arise at that crucial moment when you start junior high and things start to change. The book is told in alternating perspectives and it was nice to see both sides of the friendship breakup.

Morris also throws in the divorce issue and how it affects everyone involved, especially the children. It's handled really well and realistically and I think it can help tweens going through that.

Navigating the friendship waters at a new school is hard and Morris really did a good job making that come to life. Brooke and Madeline are wonderful characters, and the friend groups they fall in with as they drift apart are written well too. It was fun spending time in this world and the book just flew by.

The only thing that confused me was the timeline. The first three chapters are marked "After" and then the rest of the book is "Before" and the ending doesn't seem to go with the "After" chapters. Maybe I just missed something and am the only one not understanding it, but it bothered me a tiny bit.

Overall, I absolutely loved this new book from Morris and if you're looking for a fun middle-grade book, this is it. And be sure to check out Morris' other MG books too!

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

Dead Is... series Books 3-5 by Marlene Perez

Dead is So Last Year by Marlene Perez
"Something very strange starts happening in Nightshade the summer that the eldest Giordano sister, Rose, gets a job working at Dr. Franken's research laboratory. People are starting to see double. Doppelgängers of Nightshade residents are popping up all over town. Daisy, Rose and Poppy think it's a coincidence, until the rumors start that their father, who disappeared several years ago, has been spotted in town. Meanwhile, Daisy's beau, Ryan is spending all of his time training for football, and like the other guys on the team, he's grown enormous almost overnight. Samantha Devereux's boyfriend's neck has doubled in size since school ended. Could the football players be resorting to extreme measures to win? Between summer jobs, sugar rushes, and beach parties, the Giordano girls get to the bottom of these mysteries and more."

Dead is Just a Rumor by Marlene Perez
"As the creepy little town of Nightshade prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary—on Halloween, of course—many of its paranormal residents are receiving mysterious blackmail letters. Psychic teen Daisy Giordano and her sisters set out to find out who is behind the threats. But launching an investigation isn’t easy for Daisy with her overprotective father watching her every move. Though she’s is happy to have him back after the years he spent being held captive by an anti-paranormal group called the Scourge, Dad is having difficult time adjusting to home life—and the fact that his little girl is now a senior in high school. He even disapproves of Daisy’s boyfriend, Ryan. Can their relationship take the strain?

And Daisy’s got even more on her plate: A talented amateur chef, she has won cooking lessons with celebrity chef Circe Silvertongue. After nosing around (with a little help from Circe’s pet pig), Daisy begins to suspect the temperamental chef’s secrets aren’t only in her ingredients. . . ."

Dead is Not an Option by Marlene Perez
"It’s springtime of senior year, and psychic sleuth Daisy Giordano is preparing to say goodbye to Nightshade High. But no college acceptance letters have arrived yet, and she’s beginning to worry about where she’ll end up come fall—and if it will be anywhere near her boyfriend, Ryan. But that’s not the only uncertainty Daisy’s dealing with. There’s a vamps-versus-shifters war going on in Nightshade, and things are so tense that there is talk of canceling the prom. The conflict is carrying over to the Giordano home, since Rose and Daisy are both dating werewolves and Poppy’s new boyfriend is a vampire.

Can the paranormal community in Nightshade finally find peace? And will Daisy and her friends survive graduation?"- all summaries from Amazon

I absolutely love these books. They're fun, quick, paranormal reads that are just really interesting. I enjoy how Perez crafts this world and includes so many different paranormal creatures. The stories as well as the characters are really engaging.

Daisy is a wonderful character and I love her romance with Ryan. She's a great sleuth and following along on her mysteries is a lot of fun. All the other characters are great too and it's just a good time coming back into the town of Nightshade with every book.

I don't really know what else to say about these books. I know it's a short review, but if you're looking for some funny, quick paranormal reads, these are for you.

FTC: Received 3rd book from publisher, 4th book from BEA, and 5th book from NetGalley. Links above are Amazon Associate links; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
"Abby accepted that she can't measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby's life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.

She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she'd never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could..."- summary from Amazon

I've read a couple reviews already and I think this book may not be for everyone. Some people are saying that no one can hate themselves as much as Abby hates herself, and I would tend to agree, BUT thinking about it more, I think that there are people who do hate themselves this much. It's why suicides happen, depression, etc. Scott does a wonderful job of presenting Abby in a realistic light and so that you understand her self-hatred. I mean, why are the people in her town still focusing on Tess three years after the accident? If she wakes up, you will know. There's no need to badger the little sister and be like "Isn't Tess so amazing?" It just doesn't help.

This book flows really well, as do most of Scott's novels. Her prose is just so sparse and compelling that the pages fly by. I also really liked the revealed secrets toward the end of the novel and didn't see them coming but it did make sense. I also really liked the romance and interaction between Abby and Eli; Scott really has a way of writing good teen romance.

Overall, this is just another great book from Elizabeth Scott, though readers may need to up their empathy before reading.

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

Book Giveaway- The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

In celebration of the paperback release of The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard, the author has decided to give away a copy to one of my readers! Here's a little information about the book:


"Colt and Julia were secretly together for a year, and no one ever knew, not even Julia's boyfriend. Why would they-they were from two different crowds. Julia lived in her country club world and Colt . . . didn't. Then Julia dies in a car accident. Colt is devastated but can't mourn openly, and he's tormented that he may have played a part in her death. And when Julia's journal ends up in his hands, he is forced to relive their year together-just when he is trying to forget. The problem is, how do you get over someone who was never really yours to begin with?"- summary from Amazon


You can also read my review of it here. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post! The contest is only open to US and Canada. It will end on Monday, May 30 at 9pm EST. Good luck to all!

In My Mailbox- Week of May 15 + Retrospective

I did a vlog this week and unfortunately, there won't be one next week as I'll be coming back from BEA. In regards to posts this week, I will have some and hopefully I'll be able to do one or two from Casa de Blogger. Be sure to check out our Twitter for all the fun goings-on.



Books Shown:

TTYL by Lauren Myracle
Displacement by Thalia Chaltas
Crush Control by Jennifer Jabaley
As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott
All You Desire by Kirsten Miller
Following Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan
Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Not Shown: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin (plus chocolate covered espresso beans) and My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

and here's my retrospective:

Sunday- I reviewed Mercy by Rebecca Lim, which is now out in stores.

Monday- I did a recap of Lauren Myracle's book signing that I went to.

Tuesday- I interviewed Lauren Myracle, whose most recent book Shine is out.

Wednesday- I participated in a blog tour for Tempest Rising by Tracey Deebs, where I reviewed the book and interviewed the author.

Thursday- I posted my plans for BEA this coming week. If you're around, keep an eye out for me and say hi!

Friday- I interviewed Holly Schindler, whose most recent book Playing Hurt is out in stores now.

Saturday- I reviewed What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen, which is out in stores now.