The Next Big Thing

by Sadie Hayes
3.5/5 stars
St. Martin's Griffin, 2013
344 pages
NA Contemporary Tech
Scheduled to release November 26

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Despite my general reluctance to embrace the New Adult category, I have dabbled in it and found myself unexpectedly charmed and engaged by Sadie Hayes' The Social Code looking at a group of college students and adults searching for the next technological wonder to make it big with twins Amelia and Adam at the core. She's got the know-how, he's got big ambitions and no one is free from backstabbing. This sequel had to follow up on the abrupt ending of the first book and further develop the various plot lines already introduced.

To be honest, I didn't quite remember everything from book one but soon I was up to speed on the main players. The setting is Stanford in the heart of Silicon Valley. Amelia is a coding genius with a strong moral code; her twin brother does not have such talents but does have outsized ambition. The third member of their group is TJ Bristol who bristles under his powerful father's aggressiveness. Also interweaving is Amelia's first-year roommate Patty and a whole host of other secondary characters with their own agendas.

This book continues to ratchet up the tension while keeping my feelings all knotted up. In so many ways, I dislike the characters and yet I cannot stop myself from reading! Adam has such a chip on his shoulder and he acts like a stupid jerk for almost all of the book. I sometimes wanted to punch this guy and yet I also applaud Hayes for eliciting such a strong reaction. TJ also draws strong largely negative reactions from me. On the one hand, I feel like this book was deepening his character by showing his ex-girlfriend as well as complicating his relationship with his father. But on the other hand, I pretty much still hate the guy. I mentioned Patty in the synopsis above though she doesn't play the largest role just because I think she ended up being my favorite. She takes her own stab at creating a business with humiliating but kind of hilarious results and she comes through for Amelia in a big way toward the end. And Amelia continues to be brilliant and naive yet more able to see how this can be a weakness, bringing in someone to compensate for that.

It's difficult to go to much in to this book as it is a sequel and everything moves so fast. There are all sorts of salacious details but I feel like the focus is mostly on the tech and the relationships so it's definitely a read for anyone who found the first book captivating.

SPOILER referencing the ending:

I so hate the budding Amelia/TJ romance. I cannot believe she has a crush on that guy! I mean, I even like Adam more than I like TJ and Adam did so many boneheaded things. But I simply refuse to be won over by TJ. What am I missing? I would like to get on board the Amelia/TJ train if only because I assume the third book will move them forward positively even if they don't end up getting married.

Isn't She Lovely

by Lauren Layne
4/5 stars
Flirt, 2013
240 pages
NA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I grabbed this book on Netgalley after seeing that it was a contemporary retelling of the Pygmalion tale and I always have a soft spot for that. See My Fair Lady, Pretty Woman, and She's All That for examples. The clincher though ended up being the discovery that the main female character's name is Stephanie! I always lament that I don't see my name much in books despite its popularity in the late 80s.

And I'm so glad I gave this a shot because it was just what I wanted to read this weekend. I found the writing engaging, the humor spot-on, and the sexual tension sizzling. My main complaint would have to be some editing and formatting errors, all of which can be expected when reading an e-ARC; I'm sure they were rectified before release.

What we have is a pretty basic story. Stephanie appears as an angry Goth girl who's really into films. Ethan is a preppy rich jock. They meet, they clash, they get partnered for a film project, which turns into their own Pygmalion experience. Ethan's cash will help transform Stephanie into the perfect preppy girlfriend to get his mom off his back while also providing fodder for their script. But what happens when the participants fall in love for real?

So yeah, it's not like this book is super original in its plotting or character archetypes as you could tell everything that was coming but it was just so satisfying. The characters are very quippy and as the book progresses, some real depth is revealed. Stephanie and Ethan both have pain in their pasts that helps them to bond and to help each other with healing.

How about the love aspect though as that is the main focus? There is only the tiniest of nods to a possible love triangle but that is quickly squelched. As expected both try to deny their feelings and soon think they feel more for the other than is reciprocated but the short length of the book ensures that those moments are not unbearably dragged out.

Overall: A fun and flirty NA title that looks closely at two characters entangled in a contrived situation; perfect for fans of romance (and the name Stephanie :)

Other Opinions:
Ash Wednesday
Ivy Book Bindings
Lisa Jayne~Addicted to Pages
The Random Transliterator

Blog Tour: The Art of Letting Go + #Giveaway

Today I am pleased to be a stop on the blog tour for The Art of Letting Go by Anna Bloom, a NA contemporary; I heard about this via CBB Book promotions.

The Art of Letting Go by Anna Bloom
3.5/5 stars
Soul Mate Publishing, 2013
393 pages
NA Romance Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC from author via blog tour.

One year. One woman. One Diary. One question: can you ever stop history from repeating itself and if you could what would you do to stop it?

When Lilah McCannon realises at the age of twenty-five that history is going to repeat itself and she is going to become her mother—bored, drunk and wearing a twinset—there is only one thing to do: take drastic action.

Turning her back on her old life, Lilah’s plan is to enrol at university, get a degree and prove she is a grown-up.

As plans go, it is a good one. There are rules to follow: no alcohol, no cigarettes, no boys and no going home. But when Lilah meets the lead singer of a local band and finds herself unexpectedly falling in love, she realises her rules are not going to be the only things hard to keep.

With the academic year slipping by too quickly, Lilah faces a barrage of new challenges: will she ever make it up the Library stairs without having a heart attack? Can she handle a day on campus without drinking vodka? Will she ever manage to read a history book without falling asleep? And most importantly, can she become the grown-up that she desperately wants to be.

With her head and her heart pulling her in different directions can Lilah learn the hardest lesson that her first year of university has to teach her: The Art of Letting Go? 

I haven't really read much NA, generally not being much interested in their plot lines but something about the British setting at uni really spoke to me. And it sounded really cute and funny so I was excited to be a part of this tour. Having now read this book, I have to separate my feelings into two categories: the one that really loved the book and the other that conflicts with me as a person and reader. We'll start with the latter to explain why *I* don't unreservedly love the book.

Did you notice how this book is set in England? Are you very familiar with some of the cultural differences between Brits and Americans? For example, attitudes toward alcohol? Personally I'm a teetotaler because I loathe the taste of alcohol, not because I have strong feelings about temperance. But man do these characters drink a lot! I feel like there was more drinking than studying in this book. My understanding in general is that Brits (and Europeans) have a more relaxed, less uptight attitude toward alcohol, which would explain why it's treated so casually when I was cringing. Also the two main characters smoke, something I find absolutely disgusting (I consider myself very lucky to live in a state that no longer allows cigarette smoking in restaurants as the smell makes me gag). My friend was in London this summer and said her husband, who is also very sensitive to secondhand smoke, hated being around so many smokers. So that's another cultural difference there that affected my reading of the book.

The other part I didn't like so much is just my preference for comedy of which there is a lot but there is also a lot of back and forth on Lilah's part. I just wanted her to pull it together and get with hot musician Ben. Instead she angsts so much and I just wanted to jump in the book and boss her around (gosh I'm bossy!) When they were together, the book just sizzled. So I'm not really a reader who's good at the tension between the main couple-I just want them together. But I know a lot of readers love that and you'll get some good moments here.

Something that left me pleasantly surprised was the romance, in fact. I anticipated some seriously steamy scenes as that is my understanding of what NA promises but it's actually pretty tame. There's off the charts chemistry but it's not as graphic as I expected, which I think is all to the good. The couple spend rather a lot of time talking and getting to know each other as they are in each other's lives through the whole year of uni.

As for the characters...Lilah was very brave. She starts the book at a lucrative but unfulfilling job, giving it up to return to uni much to her father's dismay. By making that decision, she shakes up her whole family, forging new relationships with her parents and twin Tristan, making new friendships, pursuing a course in history, and of course meeting musician Ben who believes so strongly in the pair. I also love that he can cook and his sensitivity to his family but his most attractive quality is really his belief in their relationship-he thinks they can go the distance. Lilah's most relatable quality, to me, was her fondness for Taylor Swift songs-I'll confess sometimes Taylor is the soundtrack to my life though I don't have near the love life of either woman.

The plot has a lot going on as we cover an up and down year in the life of Lilah told through journal entries. I found it compulsively readable and sped through it in the course of just one day. I feel like it's a bit like Bridget Jones' Diary though I never read all of that book-something about the British humor and romantic adventures.

Overall: A very British story about love, finding yourself, and learning to let go-super fun and readable; especially recommended for New Adult fans and those who don't necessarily want a steamy story.

And now as part of the tour, there's a giveaway opportunity-I hope you'll enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Anna Bloom is a contemporary romance writer who writes about life as it happens. Combining a busy schedule of looking after two small children whilst working in a local school and completing The Uni Files series she also spends a lot of time imagining kissing hot guys – all in the name of her art.

The Heiresses

The Heiresses by Allison Rushby
4/5 stars
St. Martin's Griffin, 2013
344 pages
YA/NA Historical

Source: Bought

This book attracted me for several (rather shallow) reasons. For starters, the cover is super pretty. I love the color of her dress and her lipstick and it just screams historical elegance to me. Once I read the summary, I was pulled in by the mention of sisters (triplets to be specific) and 1920s London, a time of elegance for those wealthy enough to be a part, which these girls most certainly are. So I bought a copy and then it sat and sat and sat while I worked through review books before finally settling down with it this past weekend.

Well I could just kick myself for waiting so long to pick up this book. Though it had some flaws that nagged at me, I was mostly just swept away and I really enjoyed it. Best of all, I believe it is supposed to be a standalone so each story is pretty much wrapped up. I think this is partly because it seems to have been originally published as six e-books with a cliffhanger to end each section but designed just to be those six parts and nothing more. I appreciate a conclusive ending with the most important plot points addressed but with room for the reader to speculate about the ultimate end for the characters as they age and continue moving through their lives.

However I was nervous at the start because it begins with the birth of the triplets to a dying mother and a cruel father with an indifferent doctor in attendance. Only aunt Hestia's determination and the ministrations of a kind nursemaid aid the girls in their first days. Soon each is farmed out to a different family with their origins concealed until they reach the age of eighteen and their father is dead. Aunt Hestia brings the three girls together to share the news and lets them at London. Eldest Thalia is thrilled to escape her horrible upbringing and eagerly partakes in everything offered: parties, boys, alcohol, drugs, etc. anything to battle her demons. Middle Erato is of a more intellectual bent and is excited for the opportunity to attend university but is derailed by a young man. Youngest Clio had the idyllic pastoral childhood and is concerned with her mother's lungs as she observes her sisters' embrace of decadence. Additionally the girls have to battle their half-brother for their mother's fortune and investigate the mystery of why Clio looks so different.

There is so much packed into this novel so there is really something for everyone. Family drama, romance, childhood traumas galore, class issues, eugenics makes an appearance, religion, contemporary birth control: what have you is probably there (and I'm not even mentioning everything!) Personally I found myself most drawn to Clio, being rather appalled by Thalia's casual disregard for her person and never quite clicking with Erato though I had anticipated being most connected with her. Instead Clio's faith and confidence in herself was what I loved. That's not to say that I didn't like the other characters, just that Clio had that something special that intrigued me.

I also must mention the names. The older generation are sisters Demeter and Hestia with next generation being Thalia, Erato, and Clio. As a lover of Greek mythology, I recognized the source but I do wonder about its likelihood. It just seemed so out-there and I would have expected names more like Margaret, Mary, and Elizabeth. I never got used to seeing them in print even with acquaintances like Venetia appearing next to them.

Overall: An enchanting breakneck romp through 1920s London stuffed to the brim with drama that kept me breathlessly flipping through the pages especially as I reached the conclusion.

Other Opinions:
Books Live Forever
The Best Books Ever

ARC Review: Fangirl

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
5/5 stars
St. Martin's Press, 2013
433 pages
YA/NA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After adoring Rowell's Eleanor and Park and Attachments, I was both thrilled and nervous to hear about her third novel. Thrilled because of course I crave more of Rowell's writing; nervous because this is the last Rowell novel until she has another one published-how am I going to handle the wait???

I guess I could embark on some fanfiction as the protagonist of this book does. Cather is writing one of the most popular Simon Snow (kind of like HP) fanfics around and finds solace in this world even to the exclusion of our real world. Her first year at college challenges that safety, with her twin sister Wren deciding that they shouldn't be roommates, an intimidating upperclassman and her awfully friendly ever present guy friend, and a writing professor who encourages Cath to come up with her own characters, in addition to parental difficulties like their father's maniac episodes and their estranged mother's attempts to reenter their lives.

There is so much going on in this book and it would be impossible for me to cover everything so you should probably plan on reading this for yourself. What really stood out for me was the examination of fan culture particularly through fanfiction (I wrote a few chapters of Wicked fic years ago-never finished it and I read a lot of musical fanfiction around that time too) and the writing process. Cath is filled with words and has a distinct style with an especially keen eye for characterization. I wonder if authors would have a richer experience in this book. While I think of myself as a writer thanks to the writing I do for this blog, I don't aspire to write a novel nor do I write the way Cath is compelled.

But the element I loved most was the romance, which begins very slowly and progresses fitfully with each making their share of mistakes and Cath especially loath to reveal her vulnerabilities. I think Rowell writes amazing non-cliche love scenes and there are more great examples in this novel to prove my point :)

Also as a sister who totally wanted an identical twin as an adolescent, I was fascinated with the sister-sister relationship, which gets very splintered over their first semester as Wren parties with a vengeance and Cath withdraws within herself. Luckily the sisters move toward patching up their relationship and Cath's roommate Reagan is hilariously bold and blunt, being an excellent secondary character.

Saying that, this was my least favorite of Rowell's novels. I don't know if it was that my expectations were higher or if Cather was a bit more on the difficult side (I love her I do and I identified in a lot of ways with her personality quirks but I think some characters you can easily instantly fall in love with and Cather was not one of those for me.) I also thought the style was a bit clunky, possibly because of the integration of sections from the Simon Snow books and Cath's fanfiction.

Overall: Definitely a must-read, though I admitted it wasn't completely to my taste. I still devoured it in less than 24 hours, alternating it with the dark Rose Under Fire to help me keep my equilibrium.

Other Opinions:
Book Labyrinth 
Ladybug Storytime
Supernatural Snark
The Midnight Garden
Young Adult Book Haven

ARC Review: The Social Code

The Social Code by Sadie Hayes
4/5 stars
St. Martin's Griffin, 2013
308 pages
YA/NA Contemporary
Scheduled to release September 3

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I believe this is one of my first New Adult reads and I actually really enjoyed it. I haven't been very interested in New Adult because it seems to be mostly presented as Young Adult with steam and that's not really the kind of story I liked. But this one followed college students battling it out in the rough and tumble Silicon Valley world with only a hint of romantic entanglements and I found it all deliciously juicy!

Adam and Amelia Dory grew up in the foster care system, sometimes lacking even basic necessities  but now they're at Stanford and the world is their oyster, particularly with Adam's ambition and Amelia's brilliant coding abilities. Soon they're working on their first start-up interacting with others of various intentions and navigating the wild and heady days of being young

Yesterday I reviewed Tumble and Fall and found myself dismayed with how the third person narration left me feeling disconnected from the characters. While this is also narrated from the third person perspective and I can't say that I feel very connected to anyone (maybe a little bit to Amelia despite us sharing very little in common beyond gender), it didn't bother me. I loved the constant shifting from character to character and getting just a peek into their ambitions and how they were pursuing them. Funny how that works, eh?

Part of the reason I didn't click with the characters is that they're really revealed at their core, with their basic petty natures coming to the fore. Basically only Amelia has a real moral integrity while the other characters compromise ethics in pursuit of their larger goal. I think I liked that Amelia has deeply held principles but I didn't mind that the others didn't. I found them all enthralling and the easy writing style helped me go through this book fast.

I'm not going to go very in-depth on the twists and turns but it looks like this book is a consolidation of three previously published e-novellas by Hayes so they may already be familiar to you. I can share that this book ends abruptly and may leave you wanting more as it certainly did for me. I certainly hope there will be at least one sequel and I know I will return for it.

Other Opinions:
Books Live Forever
Jen's Book Closet
Mind Reading?
Taking It One Page at a Time