Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

“Hold on. You’re not an androgynous bookworm?” she asks, 

and pulls out her phone. “Shit. I need to update my files.”

ASK THE PASSENGERS

by A.S. King
Published October 2012 by Little, Brown
YA Contemporary - Hardcover, 304p.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions--like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl.

As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better.

In this truly original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything--and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking real love.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK:

A few years ago, I read Please Ignore Vera Dietz and said it was one of the best books I've ever read and I stand by that. A.S. King is an auto-buy author for me, and ASK THE PASSENGERS only re-confirms that. When I want contemporary YA that will make me think, and struggle with emotions, and latch onto and love a flawed character, I pick up an A.S. King book.

In ASK THE PASSENGERS, Astrid struggles with her identity, being true to what she feels, and how to share herself with the world. She's coming to terms with her sexuality and dealing with a dysfunctional family on top of the usual teenaged high school troubles. She spends a lot of time lying on the picnic table in her backyard sending her love to the passengers of planes as they fly by overhead. The book jumps into the planes for a quick glimpse into different passengers' lives, which sounds like it might be distracting and pull the reader out of the story, but it's actually done really well. The connections made between Astrid and her struggles, and the passengers to whom she sends her love, are interesting, sometimes poignant, and add an extra dimension to the story.

Astrid's family is odd, and yet it's basically reflective of how every family has its own issues and ways of dealing with things. Her mom talks at her, her dad is pretty checked out, and her younger sister is reputation-obsessed. She struggles to find anyone to confide in and uses her time sending love up to the passengers above as a way to cope with what she's going through.

ASK THE PASSENGERS is as fantastically written as one expects an A.S. King novel to be and will take you through feeling both hopeless and hopeful, and wishing you could help Astrid out. The only problem with the book is it makes you remember you'll have to wait a while before the author's next is available (Glory O'Brien's History of the Future -- October 2014).

GET THE BOOK: Goodreads | Amazon | IndieBound

The Fault in Our Stars - Wallpaper!

In addition to using this quote on the free art printable, I popped it onto a desktop wallpaper (and phone wallpaper & Facebook cover). It's available for download by clicking the size links below the image... There are a bunch, so hopefully one works for you.

1280x800 | 1440x900 | 1680x1050 | 1920x1080 | 1920x1200 | 2560x1400

iPhone (320x480) | iPhone4 (640x960) | iPhone5 (640x1136)
Google Nexus 4 (768x1280) | Google Nexus 5 (1080x1920)
Google Nexus 7 (800x1280) | iPad (2048x2048) | Facebook Cover

If you're unable to save the wallpaper using the links above, tell me your email address and which one(s) you want in the comments, via email, or on Twitter and I'll email the file(s) directly.

Enjoy! And DFTBA -- Download as much as you want, but don't claim it as your own or sell the file or image anywhere. If your friends want a copy, link them here & share the love.

The Fault in Our Stars - Free Printable!

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once."

I gave a friend a framed quote from The Fault in Our Stars a while back, and since the TFIOS movie is coming out soon, I figured I'd remind you that it exists.

The print is available to download as a PDF in 5x7" and 8x10" sizes and is made to easily print on standard letter sized paper (8.5x11").

Download the 5x7" here.

Download the 8x10" here.

If you have any trouble downloading, send me your email address feel free to contact me in the comments, via email, or on Twitter & I'll help you out. (If you provide an email address, I can send you the files that way.)

Happy printing! And DFTBA -- Download as much as you want, but don't claim it as your own or sell the file or image anywhere. If your friends want a copy, link them here & share the love.

PS: I've got a desktop wallpaper made from the same quote and will be posting updated download links for it within the next few days.

Waiting On: Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae

WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN

by Kristin Rae

YA Contemporary
Expected Publication: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Pippa is in Italy for the summer and, despite her parents’ wishes, she has no intention of just studying the local art! She has a list of things of her own to do: from swimming in the Mediterranean Sea to getting a makeover – and falling for an Italian boy! As Pippa explores the dramatic ruins of Rome and Pompeii, she is swept into her own drama with two guys: an irresistible local she knows is nothing but trouble and a cute American archaeology student . . . Will she find her true love?

WHY I'M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK:

Kristin is a fellow Texan and I met her waiting in a signing line at a book event a while back (2011? 2012?). She was with her mom and they were both super nice, and we talked about her sending chapters to her crit partners... and now LOOK! A BOOK!

Also, Italy! And adventure! And boys! (I've pre-ordered a copy, obviously.)

GET THE BOOK: Goodreads | Amazon | IndieBound | Book Depository

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and is a weekly event to highlight books we're anticipating.

Waiting on: Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

FAN ART by Sarah Tregay

Expected Publication: June 17, 2014
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books / HarperCollins

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.

As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?

This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most.

WHY I'M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK:

First, the cover! It's eye-catching, and I love the colors. Also, Jamie's predicament sounds believable and I'd like to get to know Mason to see what the fuss is all about. Plus, I liked Sarah Tregay's book, Love and Leftovers, enough to give anything she writes a try.

GET THE BOOK: Goodreads | Amazon | IndieBound | Book Depository

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and is a weekly event to highlight books we're anticipating.

BEING SLOANE JACOBS by Lauren Morrill

BEING SLOANE JACOBS 

by Lauren Morrill

Published: January 7, 2014 by Delacorte Press

YA Contemporary

It's out on my half birthday and I'm mentioned in the acknowledgements! Perfect present for being 31.5! Haha.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.

Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.

When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.

FIVE REASONS TO READ BEING SLOANE JACOBS:

1. The cover! Because: duh. Just like Meant To Be, it's a great one. Colorful & cute, skyline perfection. 
2. It's sort of like the Parent Trap with the swap & social class differences, except the swap is more about escape and the girls themselves. 
3. The POV swap is done really well. I rarely read a book that rotates between characters' voices without being confused about which person I'm reading at some point. Not so in BSJ. 
4. I don't know a lot about hockey or figure skating beyond the basics, but it sure seems like Lauren Morrill does! The sports were easy to follow and interesting, without taking over the whole story. 
5. The ending won't leave you hanging. If that's your thing, you'll be happy. :) 

Unofficial #6: The author, Lauren, is awesome, so you should support her by buying her book.

And it's out today! Find it here: Amazon, B&N, IndieBound, Goodreads.

Eleanor & Park

“I want everyone to meet you. You're my favorite person of all time.”

ELEANOR & PARK

by Rainbow Rowell
Published February 2013 by St. Martin's Press
YA - Hardcover, 325p.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Two misfits. One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK: 

Set over a school year in 1986 and featuring two outsiders who meet and start a relationship, Eleanor & Park is interesting, engaging, and unexpected. The author, Rainbow Rowell, beautifully depicts Eleanor's struggles at home, and her body issues, both of which teen-me can easily relate to. Rowell also shares Park's life, who has a more palatable home life but still his own variation of being an outsider, with equal expertise. I can't recommend this book enough. It's a read, and re-read, and then force all of your friends to read kind of book.

GET THE BOOK: Goodreads | IndieBound | Amazon 

%&$

I attended ForeverYA's book club in DFW for the first time this month and Eleanor & Park was the pick. Our group unanimously loved the book, and was about equally divided in choosing which of the two main characters we more identified with. If you've got a FYA book club chapter in your area, GO! I waited and waited, and now I know I should've been going all year. Can't wait until next month!

Game. Set. Match.

Game. Set. Match. (Outerbanks Tennis Academy #1)

by Jennifer Iacopelli

YA / New Adult - ebook

Published May 2013 by Coliloquy

Goodreads / Nook / Kindle

Nestled along the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the world's most elite training facility. In this pressure-cooker environment, futures are forged in blood and sweat, and dreams are shattered in an instant.

Penny Harrison, a rising female star, is determined to win the French Open and beat her archrival, Zina Lutrova. But when her coach imports British bad boy Alex Russell as her new training partner, will Penny be able to keep her laser-like focus?

Tennis is all Jasmine Randazzo has ever known. The daughter of two Grand Slam champions, she's hell-bent on extending her family’s legacy and writing her own happily-ever-after...until her chosen Prince Charming gives her the just-friends speech right before the biggest junior tournament of the year, the Outer Banks Classic.

With a powerful serve and killer forehand, newcomer Indiana Gaffney is turning heads. She’s thrilled by all of the attention, especially from Jack Harrison, Penny’s agent and hot older brother, except he keeps backing off every time things start heating up.

With so much at stake, dreams—and hearts—are bound to break. Welcome to OBX: Where LOVE is a four-letter word, on and off the court.

There is something about sports books, shows, and movies that reel me in. I don't pay all that much attention to real live sports, but put it in a story and I'm hooked. Game. Set. Match. takes place at  OBX. It's part boarding school, part training facility for young, elite tennis players. Indy's the new girl with serious skills, Penny's the reigning champion, and Jasmine is the famous players' daughter with tennis goals of her own. And there's an equally intriguing guy in the story for each of them.

Game. Set. Match. is a great summer read... three potential romances and tons of drama, all while you're hoping your favorite tennis player will win the match. The characters range in age from 17 to 20-something and are in a pretty grown up world of competitive sports, so the story feels more New Adult than YA. When you reach the end, you'll turn the page looking for more... both because you want to keep reading and because there is so much left open-ended (for the next book, I presume). There is plenty of story to entertain though... Big wins, stolen kisses, and drama, drama, drama.

* Thanks to Coliloquy for providing the book in exchange for an honest review. *

Giveaway! Two Books!

Thanks to TLA's April conference and HarperTeen, I have an ARC of You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle to giveaway. I'm pairing it with Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown, which came out last year. (Two Jennifers. Covers with large title text. A perfect match!)

So! Here's your chance to win two books...

The premise was simple: five kids living their real lives, with a new movie about them every five years.

But the six-year-olds who shared the same table in kindergarten have become teenagers who hardly know each other. And Justine, whose edgy sense of humor made her the surprise star of the first two films, now feels like a disappointment.

Still. They've all shared the painful details of their lives with countless viewers. They all know how it feels to have fans as well as friends. So when the latest movie gives them the chance to reunite, Justine and her costars are going to take it. Because sometimes, the only way to see yourself is through someone else's eyes.

Kendra has always felt overshadowed by her older brother, Grayson, whose OCD forces him to live a life of carefully coordinated routines. The only way Kendra can stand out next to Grayson is to be perfect, and she has perfection down to an art -- until a cheating scandal threatens her flawless reputation.

Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her, Kendra decides to drive away from it all -- with enough distance, maybe she'll be able to figure everything out. But eventually, Kendra must stop running and come to terms with herself, her brother, and her past.

The Rules: One entry per person. Open until 10am CST on Monday, May 20, 2013. Winner will be contacted on May 20 and will have 24 hours to respond with a U.S. mailing address, or a new winner will be selected. 

Fill out the form below for a chance to win!

Ends Monday, May 20 at 10am CST.

Good luck! 

Interview: Authors of Georgetown Academy

Earlier this year, I posted a review of the first Georgetown Academy book. As a politics-junky, the series is just my thing. It's Gossip Girl meets The West Wing (if they'd followed Zoey to high school).

Today the authors, Jessica Koosed Etting & Alyssa Embree Schwartz, stopped by to answer a few questions I just had to ask:

Are you fans of D.C. politics? How did Georgetown Academy come about? 

Fan probably isn’t the right word since D.C. politics have been so polarizing lately, but we definitely have a huge interest in it and follow everything very closely. We’re especially invested in women’s roles in politics, which is something we tried to incorporate in the Georgetown Academy series. We love the idea that our younger female readers might be inspired to take an interest in that world, as well.

What initially sparked our idea for the series was hearing the stories of a few of our friends who went to prep schools in D.C. similar to Georgetown Academy where they were surrounded by children of high-ranking politicians (including the President and Vice President’s kids). Their high school stories were so unique and interesting (and entertaining!) and we realized it was an untapped setting and the perfect world for a YA series. The story we heard that really made the light bulb go off for both of us is how everyone at these schools throws parties at the homes of the students whose parents are foreign ambassadors and diplomats because their properties have diplomatic immunity (so the cops can’t legally break the party up). When the foreign heads of state signed that law into effect, they probably weren’t thinking a bunch of high schoolers would figure out a way to exploit it for partying purposes.

Your earlier work is in TV and film. Has writing books been a longtime goal or did it evolve from your script work? 

From an early age we were both voracious readers and harbored fantasies of writing novels. We grew up on different coasts, but we both wrote our own book series in elementary school, filling up several of those black and white notebooks (we still have them by the way and they’re hilarious). We love writing television shows and films, but when we came up with the concept for Georgetown Academy we both knew it was the perfect opportunity for our first YA series, something we had been toying with for years, but kept getting sidetracked from because of other jobs. Halfway into writing it, though, we realized it would make a great TV show, too! But we’re so glad we wrote it in this form first because it’s given us a chance to really get inside our characters’ heads to the point where we feel like we know them inside and out (and sort of want to be them!).

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers, whether in TV, film, or books? 

Our best creative tip is to keep a notebook handy for when ideas and inspiration come your way and always write them down immediately! We get our best ideas in the middle of the night and in the shower! We don’t just jot down big conceptual ideas in these notebooks, but character traits, interesting dialogue we’ve overheard from the table next to us at dinner and whatever’s making us laugh.

Our best business tip is to not be afraid to market yourself. When we were first starting out, we would send our material to anyone and everyone we thought could help us eventually get it across the desk of the right person, from assistants to family friends. It can be excruciating to put yourself out there like that, but you have to hold on to your belief in your work. In our case, our self-promotion led to us getting out first literary agent and selling our first television show.

Who's your favorite club member in The Baby-sitters Club? 

Amazing question!! We love them all, but if we had to pick we’d go with Stacey. First, her look was very trendy (though now we question why we ever thought a blonde perm sounded like the coolest hair-do ever). Second, she was from New York City, which made her super-glam, especially when she would digress into stories about the apartment she lived in there near Central Park. (Her NYC BF Laine both intrigued and intimidated us!) Sure, Stacey would get flaky sometimes, like when she’d go to Sea City with the Pike family and invariably leave Mary Anne with all the babysitting duties so she could go chase guys, but her dating tension with Kristy’s older brother Sam was a favorite story point for us, though it never really panned out for them. (By the way, Claudia is a close second. We definitely hid candy in our room so we could be like her and were annoyed with her older sister Janine on her behalf).

%&# 

Um, is anyone else obsessed with how detailed their answer to the BSC question is? LOVE. IT. I'd say that enthusiasm paired with Georgetown Academy's interesting take on D.C. politics is enough to give this series a try!

2013 Sarah Dessen Read/Reread Challenge

After years reading The Baby-Sitters Club and thrillers by Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine, came Sarah Dessen. You may remember (from my many previous mentions) that I started reading Sarah Dessen way back in 1996 when her first book came out and I was in my first year of high school. Her books introduced me to what we now call YA and solidified my forever-fan status of contemporary.

So, I'm super excited to tell you about the Sarah Dessen Read/Reread Challenge being hosted by I Eat Words throughout 2013. From February to November, there's a different Dessen novel to read & chat about each month, including The Moon and More in June when it gets released!

February - Just Listen

March - This Lullaby

April - Dreamland

May - The Truth About Forever

June - The Moon and More

July - That Summer

August - Along for the Ride

September - Someone Like You

October - Keeping the Moon

November - What Happened to Goodbye

(But where's Lock and Key?! Maybe I'll read that one in December all by myself.)

Edited to add: December - Lock and Key
(Leaving Lock and Key out was an oversight, so it's been added for December now!)

If you haven't read all of them or want to reread (like me), join in during whatever months apply. Head over to I Eat Words to sign up in the comments. (It's casual, so no pressure, even if you join in.) And I'll post about the book of the month here as we go! (Follow the blog or tweets to be alerted with each post.)

Happy reading!

Waiting On... THE MOON AND MORE

THE MOON AND MORE
by Sarah Dessen

Release: June 4, 2013 (Viking Juvenile)

Goodreads / IndieBound / Book Depository / B&N / Amazon

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

#$%

A quick search for "Dessen" on the blog would show you that I'm a longtime Sarah Dessen fan. I started reading her books with the very first one (waaaaay back when I was a teen & YA was not quite a real thing). I can always count on her books to be summer vacation on the beach with a twist. I'm sure this one will be just as comforting as her books always are for me. (And I love the new covers!)

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

MEANT TO BE by Lauren Morrill

“I don't use airplane bathrooms. As a rule. And I really don't like breaking rules. (It's kind of one of my rules.) I mean, if I'm going to plummet to my death, it's notgoing to be with my pants around my ankles.” 

MEANT TO BE by Lauren Morrill

YA - Hardcover, 304 pages

Published November 13, 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Goodreads / IndieBound / The Book Depository / B&N / Amazon

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

MEANT TO BE is out TOMORROW! (Yay, Lauren!) 

Lauren was super awesome and sent me an ARC months & months ago. I read it one night, and then sent it on a little mini-tour to the houses of my most-trusted book blogging friends (since I wanted it back in fantastic condition, of course). It's her first book and you should definitely snag a copy so she gets to keep writing more! (There's a second book on deck called Being Sloane Jacobs, and you can mark it to-read on Goodreads already!)

So, what's the book like? Well... if you're a fan of cute, quick-paced, funny, set-in-London contemporary, it's for you! As I was reading, slightly nerdy Julia and the dialogue gave me a total Gilmore Girls feeling, which is always welcome -- love the banter!

Meant To Be comes complete with the quirky girl you'll root for, a boy you'll wonder about, and a setting you'll love -- LONDON! A class trip that gets the feeling of the city right (at least from this visitor's perspective), a few female classmates that will make you want to roll your eyes or punch them in the face, and Julia's transformation while she's far away from home? Yes, please! 

And, oh, there is THE AWKWARD. Julia's got a crush & she's sort of like this around him...

(Except he's doing less "sexy" dancing.)

Meant To Be is fun, cute with serious moments, and takes you outside of the States. Julia is a girl you'll relate to or remember from high school, and Jason is... I'm not telling. Read it!

FYI: I'M GIVING AWAY A COPY OF THE BOOK! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

See what other bloggers are saying about the book:

Elizziebooks

GReads!
I Eat Words

Rather Be Reading

“Oh God, unattractive and pompous. A winning combination. My inner control panel is screaming ABORT! ABORT!” 

For fans of The Fault in Our Stars

I made a print and framed it for Ginger's birthday and now I'm offering a free download of it over on my other blog. Since it's book-related and some people reading this MUST love The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, I thought I should mention it over here...

Click here to head over to my personal blog for more details and a download link. Happy printing!

cover crush: reunited

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham

I'm in love with this cover. I'm a total nerd for maps, and the yellow is perfect. I don't know if the girls match up with how they are in the story, but I like how their different personalities are shown. Also: this book is OUT TODAY!

Waiting On...

MY LIFE NEXT DOOR
by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Expected Release Date: June 14, 2012

Goodreads / IndieBound / The Book Depository / B&N / Amazon

“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

I've wanted to read this book forever based on the cover alone. I love the light, the sky, the fence, and the yellow font is just perfect. Then I read Ginger's review and now I'm anxiously awaiting my pre-order!

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.

WHY I LOVE TO READ CONTEMPORARY YA

I’ve always been a big reader. Back when I was a teen, it was hard to come across books that were specifically meant for teens. I didn’t have the luxury of Google or Goodreads, and the teen section in bookstores was mostly nonexistent. My first foray into YA was Sarah Dessen. Her first book, That Summer, came out in 1996, when I was 14, and I was instantly hooked on YA. Especially contemporary. When I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower as an angsty 16-year-old, it was like finding a book that someone wrote just for me. Something about Charlie’s story spoke to me. I’m not usually someone that who writes in books, but my original copy is full of notes and highlighted lines that I couldn’t resist marking for later enjoyment.

Years later, I’m twenty-nine and my love for YA, especially contemporary, has probably never been stronger. When I’m in a bookstore and I see a teenager (or a parent of one) struggling to pick out a book, I can’t help but start recommending a few of my favorites in their chosen genre. I’m convinced that (almost) every person who normally doesn’t read books is only one fantastic novel away from realizing how great reading can be. I love real stories set in our world with honest moments. I prefer teen books because I have an undying love of the “coming of age” story. I don’t want to read about sad, middle aged people getting divorced or having an affair, but I can follow the story of a teenager’s struggle to fit in at a new school or love triangle problem any day. Contemporary YA is often quiet and thoughtful and leaves a lingering impact on me in a way no other stories ever have.

This post was originally guest posted on Candace's Book Blog as a part of last November's Just Contemporary month. 

THE LIST by Siobhan Vivian

THE LIST by Siobhan Vivian

YA - Hardcover, 332 pages

Published April 2012 by Push
Goodreads / IndieBound / The Book Depository / Amazon

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.

After meeting Siobhan Vivian earlier this year, I was even more excited to read THE LIST. At the every-high-school where the story takes place, a list with the ugliest and prettiest girls is posted anonymously each year. The book switches between each of the listed girls, and I found myself flipping to The List to verify I was getting their positions right. I eventually learned the girls well enough that I didn't need to flip back anymore, so I wouldn't worry about being confused throughout the whole book (which is what I thought might happen at first).

As for the girls, you might assume the ones listed prettiest are having a great time, but that's not always the case. There's the girl who thinks she should've been prettiest, but isn't, and the girl who doesn't know what to do with her new popularity. Those alone were hard enough to read, so when you factor in the girls labeled ugliest, THE LIST becomes a seriously thought-provoking book.

The best (or worst?) part of the book is that it feels so real. It's the school you went to and the girls are you and your friends.

[Psst... follow the twitter or check back for a chance to win an ARC of The List!]

cover crush! Meant To Be

Please excuse me while I flip out over how much I love this cover. The city, the colors, the placement of the text, the couple. Love, love, love, love, love.

Also, I finished reading it yesterday -- in bed, before I even got up for the day, because I couldn't resist! -- and it is just as lovely inside as out. Fans of Gilmore Girls, LOOK OUT. (Full review closer to the release date, but I'm sure I'll mention it here, on Twitter, and anywhere else I can think of a zillion times before then.

MEANT TO BE releases in November. Add it to your Goodreads list, so you don't forget!

GUEST POST: Just Contemporary Week Five

For the final week of #JustContemporary, I swapped posts with Bonnie from A Backwards Story. Big thanks to Chick Loves Lit & Basically Amazing Books for hosting an entire month dedicated to my favorite type of YA! Be sure to swing by A Backwards Story today to check out my post on the same topic.

Now I'll hand this post off to Bonnie...

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What I’d like to see in contemporary fiction…

I find that I’m drawn more to contemporary titles when the content is memorable, unique, something outside the ordinary. If the book deals with an issue I’ve seen multiple times in other books or has a straight-forward cookie-cutter plot, I’m less likely to remember the details later on.

Even if a book isn’t the most brilliant one I’ve ever read, as long as it has a powerful message, I’m more likely to remember that message looking back. Strong characterization is another way to make one book stand apart from the rest. If readers truly connect with the characters, they become invested, which leads to an emotional attachment long after the last page is turned.

That’s pretty broad, isn’t it? I don’t have any one theme/idea I’d like to see more of (and if I did, I’d be sick of it after a couple of entries, I’m sure). I just want that FEELING. You know the one. That “can’t eat, can’t sleep, must finish reading” feeling. That “can’t read another book for a few days because this one was so incredible” feeling. That “how did I ever live without you in my life?” feeling. Books you want to recommend to people again and again, or ones that were recommended to you that you’ve since passed on to others. 

For example, last year, a co-worker read OUT OF MY MIND by Sharon Draper, then read it and recommended it to another co-worker, who read it and recommended it to me. I’ve since gone on to share my love of this amazing middle-grade contemporary with so many people who might not have otherwise HEARD of the book, let alone read it. And now I’m telling all of you: Absolute must-read. It will finally be in paperback in 2012. Read it. Love it. Share it with your kids. Every kid should read this book!

The top three contemporary novels I read in 2011 that still remain with me now are:

FORBIDDEN by Tabitha Suzuma This is a book I never thought I’d read, let alone love so much. Tabitha Suzuma’s writing is incredibly powerful. She makes you root for the characters as she drags them through hell and back. She knows how to rip your heart into shreds and piece it back together like an incomplete puzzle. I will absolutely be reading her work again as more of her titles make their way (hopefully) Stateside.

DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS by C.J. Omololu I loved the inside look at the way a family member’s disorder can destroy an entire family. I feel honored to have been chosen to judge this book in the first round of Nerds Heart YA’s annual awards earlier this year despite it not making it on to the third round. Sure, there are parts of the book that aren’t perfect and the title made me not want to read this in the first place, but my heart went out to Lucy’s plight. She goes through things over the course of a day that no teenager should EVER have to face alone. If she hadn’t been hiding such a devastating family life, she never would have had to.

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins Another book I never thought I’d read or enjoy! That title! That COVER!! It looks like straight-forward rot-in-your-teeth romance. And while it does have its share of fluff, it’s also so much more. The relationship between the two main characters is well-developed and readers fall into friendship, then love, as the events unfurl in the book. I also loved the ambiance brought on by the Paris setting. There’s so much to love in this debut novel! In fact, ANNA is one of the very few books I’ve actually sat down and re-read this year…which is saying something since I read it for the first time this past spring…

In 2012, I’m sure there will be more books to add to this list. For example, I have yet to get around to reading FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB by Antony John, but every time I see a new review, I want to read it even more. Or every time Daisy Whitney talks a little bit more about recently-sold novel WHEN YOU WERE HERE, publishing in early 2013, I covet it to a greater extent than I already do.

What contemporary novels have impacted your life in ways you never thought to be possible?

Bonnie is a book blogger over at A Backwards Story. You can also find her on Twitter and Goodreads. Be sure to swing my her blog today to read my answer to the same question. (It's posted right here.) Thanks again for swapping posts, Bonnie!