Unite Blog Tour - Excerpt!

Title: Unite (Project Integrate #1)
Author: Jamie Campbell
Date of Publication: December 3, 2013

Blurb:

United They Stand.

Seventeen years ago an entire generation of aliens were sent to Earth
in order to save their home planet and integrate into the human
population. Now, those aliens are being hunted.

Amery Jones is your typical teenager, except for the fact she is an
alien and a member of the government's secret Project Integrate.

When Amery's best friend Lola is kidnapped in order to get to her,
there is only one person that can help - the exceedingly annoying and
charming Lochie Mercury.

Together, Amery and Lochie must put aside their differences and
attraction in order to rescue Lola before it's too late.

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18591009-unite

Purchase links

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Unite-Project-Integrate-Jamie-Campbell-ebook/dp/B00GXU5JHU

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unite-jamie-campbell/1117351954?ean=2940045373357
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/372465

About Jamie Campbell

Amazon #1 Bestselling Author Jamie Campbell was born into a big, crazy
family of 6 children. Being the youngest, she always got away with
anything and would never shut up. Constantly letting her imagination
run wild, her teachers were often frustrated when her 'What I did on
the weekend' stories contained bunyips and princesses.

Spending quality time with her laptop named Lily, Jamie has written
several novels and screenplays. Spanning a number of genres and
mediums, Jamie writes whatever inspires her from ghost stories to
teenage love stories to tantalizing murder mysteries. Nothing is off
limits.

A self-confessed television addict, dog lover, Taylor Swift fan, and
ghost hunter, Jamie loves nothing more than the thrill of sharing her
stories.

Website: http://www.jamiecampbell.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/jamiecampbell#!/pages/Jamie-Campbell/501949313166685
Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/a007z
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Miss_Little_Jay
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jamiecampbell

Excerpt

"I know a real alien. From, like outer space. There aren't cameras here, right? You're not punking me?"

Lola looked around the room, trying to find the hidden cameras that didn't exist.

I laughed, I couldn't help it. Perhaps my life wasn't about to fall apart after all.

Merch Girl Tour - Review, Excerpt and Giveaway!!!

Title: Merch Girl

Author: Rebecca Lewis

Date of Publication: May 1, 2013

Genre: Contemporary YA romance; Music

Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Lacey Kind doesn’t have the guts to talk to cute boys, isn’t a size two, and would rather stay home and listen to music than go to a party. But in the summer before her first year of college, she ends up thousands of miles away from home, in the back of a tour bus, underneath the half-naked body of the hottest teen rock star in the country.

When Lacey and her best friend Trina sneak into a Boston nightclub to see their favorite band, they not only get to watch their rock gods perform for the first time, but score a chance to meet the band too. Lacey’s heart races as she comes face-to-face with her idol, nineteen-year-old lead singer, Logan Shire.

The girls charm their way into being hired to sell merchandise on Lansdowne’s first summer tour. As “merch girls” Lacey and Trina quickly find themselves transported from their ordinary, suburban life to an exhilarating few months on the road. But they soon realize that life on the road isn’t always a smooth ride...

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17703969-merch-girl

Purchase links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | Kobo | iBooks

About Rebecca Lewis

Rebecca Lewis is the author of the Young Adult novel, Merch Girl, and a lover of all things music! She's been writing stories since middle school and penned her first fanfic about a semi-popular boyband in 1997. Her passion for music and writing brought her to Boston University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Communication. During her college career, she interned for various record labels in Boston and New York City, sold merch for local bands, worked at record stores, and did a whole lot of grassroots marketing. She currently resides in Florida with her husband and puppy.

Blog: http://rebeccajlewis.wordpress.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rebecca_Writes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rebecca-Lewis-Author/408824785861600

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/RebeccaLewis

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rebeccalauthor

Excerpt

I rubbed my hand soothingly against my throbbing forehead. I’d never experienced a hangover before, but I guessed this was what it felt like. I opened my eyes slowly and saw the low ceiling above me  and the curtain hanging by my side. Strange, I had no recollection of getting into a bunk. I cautiously pulled the curtain back and poked my head out to find an empty hallway. I maneuvered my way out of the bunk and realized I was only wearing Logan’s t-shirt and my underwear. His soft cotton tee felt nice against my skin, and still smelled like him. I breathed in the scent, which brought a rush of memories from last night back into my mind. Good memories, really, really good memories. 

Review

     I absolutely love reading anything to do with music, rock stars or the entertainment industry.  I'm actually a bit of a freak about it sometimes, to be quite honest!  So I was pretty excited to read another book about regular girls touring with their favorite rock band (it didn't hurt that this is the first one I've seen from the merch girl angle of things).  Do we ever really think of the people behind the merch tables when we're at venues, big or small?  If you're honest with yourself, the answer is not really - bordering on never.  Lacey and Trina are BFFs who just graduated high school and are ready to spend their last summer together before college.  Lacey is quiet, shy and unsure of herself.  Trina is boisterous, brimming with confidence and never shy about leading the charge on anything.  When they get the unforseen opportunity to meet up and coming band Lansdowne (their favorite, over which they're complete fangirls) things spiral from there.  The girls end up becoming friends with the guys and getting hired to be merch girls on their first tour.  With sparks flying between Griffin and Trina & Lacey and Logan, the summer is heating up.  But can secrets on the part of the girls and the guys, plus scheming from mean girl Jenna stop things before they even start?

     Maybe it's just because I've never really been a crazy, balls to the wall fan of any particular band in my life.  I kind of missed the window for boy band crazy, fangirl shenanigans by being too young during the NKOTB, Backstreet Boys, and N'Sync era.  And I'm not really into the newer boy bands, like One Direction.  I was kind of in-between.  Yes, I had posters on my wall.  But I didn't go to concerts, cry, scream and overall lose my mind over my favorite bands.  That said, Lacey and Trina are better characterized better than your average, screaming fangirls from the crowd.  We get to see into their brains and learn that they really do like the guys for who they are.  Also, though the relationships are a little too I love him just-because, instalove for my taste I appreciated the tumult of both relationships.  Neither of them was perfect and we are constantly reminded that all of them are just immature teens/twenty-somethings, who are still finding their way.  I don't want to give any real spoilers, so all I will say is that there were a couple of twists involving Trina & Gabe's relationship and Lacey's interactions with fangirl Devin that were unexpected.  Overall, a cute fluffy and slightly angsty rock 'n roll romance, definitely more suited for actual teenagers (or more naieve/less jaded adults).  I could barely suspend my disbelief sometimes.  A fun romp, but I am definitely NOT the target audience.  

VERDICT:  3/5 Stars

*I received an ARC from the author and tour host for the purpose of this blog tour. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published May 1st, 2013.*

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY BELOW, FOR A CHANCE TO WIN AN EBOOK OF MERCH GIRL!!!!!!!!

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You Ain't Got No Alibi

 

Published:  July 29th, 2013

Friday Night Alibi

By: Cassie Mae

Flirt

ISBN-13:  9780345548818

 

 

Rising star Cassie Mae introduces New Adult readers to a practical soon-to-be college freshman who seems to have everything—until a special guy shows her what she’s been missing.

In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.

Chase isn’t like the preppy, privileged guys Kelli usually meets in Sundale. For starters, he’s twentysomething, always wears black., and he shoots back one-liners as fast as she can dish them out. But Kelli’s attempts to drive Chase away falter when she realizes that he treats her like he really knows her, like he cares about knowing her. When Kelli finally gives in to the delicious kiss she’s been fighting for so long, she faces a tough decision: make Chase a real-life boyfriend and risk her heart . . . or keep her clients and lose her first true love.

 

Review

 

     Kelli Pinkins is the stereotypical good girl and in a town full of rich, uptight, religious families it pays off to be good.  At least for Kelli, who has started her own 'alibi' business to help out her classmates and make cash for college.  In exchange for a set fee, Kelli gives an alibi packet that the person memorizes and keeps them from losing their trust funds, etc.  But when she meets Chase Maroney at the bowling alley bar one night when she's supposed to be home as someone's alibi, things come crashing down.  He's completely different from anyone she knows, obnoxious and is suddenly everywhere that Kelli is!  But the more she gets to know Chase, the more she realizes that he's not what she thought he was.  Chase is something more important and could be worth diving into a relationship for.  Kelli would have to give up her alibi business to have a real chance and make Chase her boyfriend.  Can she do it, or will Kelli stick with her safety net instead of taking a risk?

     I was interested to read this, mostly because it sounded a lot different than the normal angsty fare that New Adult has offered up so far to me as a reader.  It was about a girl who hires her services as an alibi for chrissakes!  But with that said, Kelli had some major issues with her parents and Chase had some with his family as well.  The romance between the two of them started off in a way that reminded me of twelve year olds harassing each other with rude comments and juvenile pranks/actions.  He calls her 'Stinky' and she tricks him into a full body wax after he causes her to lose her hair in a gum incident.  They are constantly antagonizing each other and it didn't really make me swoon or want them together.  Mostly I started to feel annoyed.  Kelli as a narrator was kind of condescending and I feel like she used her alibi business as a way to feel like she was so much better than everyone else.  She wasn't your average girl, but I feel like the whole inexperienced, good girl trope is used in every New Adult book under the Sun (unless she happens to be the complete and extreme opposite of good).

     I was okay with the majority of this book, but I knew pretty much everything that was going to happen before it actually did.  There were some cute scenes, especially when Chase takes care of Kelli when she's sick and their bonding over oranges.  For the most part I can take or leave this novel though.  I didn't love any of the characters and they tended to get on my nerves.  I did appreciate the author not resorting to sex scenes to carry the plot and it was a fun, fluffy read.  I think that as long as you can deal with the major immaturity of both the leads, this is a good beach read/time waster.  Not something I would really recommend all that effusively though.

 

VERDICT:  2.75/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book was published on July 29th, 2013.*



Sorry, I Can't LARP With You...

Published:  May 7th, 2013

The Summer I Became A Nerd

By: Leah Rae Miller

Entangled Teen

ISBN-13:  9781620612392

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blonde cheerleader - perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback.  But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad.  That she's a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn't just unknown, it's anti-known.  And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop's counter uncovers her secret, she's busted.  Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie's whisked into Logan's world  of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games.  And she loves it.  But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become...and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

Review

     I generally tend to like/love most of the books I read published by Entangled Teen.  They always manage to find either really off-the-cuff, odd but loveable stories or ones that are just so fluffy they are a great break from all the heavy fic out in the world.  This book is some combinations of the two.  After a humiliation that Maddie suffered in middle school when she let her freak flag fly, she has done her absolute best to make everyone forget that it ever happened.  On her quest to achieve this, Maddie has gained mega-popularity by denying the things that really interest her and pretending to be someone she's not.  Most of the time Maddie has is spent doing things she hates, she doesn't even really like her boyfriend, and is desparate not to lose her best friend, who is the only one she really loves in her fake life.  Only during the summer does she have a break from all the lying.  Nerdy t.v. show marathons, comic books and not having to shop 'for fun.'  But she goes to the local comic store so she won't have to wait for the last issue of her favorite comic for months before it can be shipped offline to her.  Of course the boy behind the counter is Logan, a nerd from school who has the power to blow her cover.  Hilarity ensues and romance blooms.  But can Maddie finally learn that to really be happy she has to be true to herself?  Or will she continue with her fake life and lose any chance she really has with Logan?

     I have to say that while I understand the appeal this book held with all the people who recommended it to me, I really wasn't really all that pleased with it.  I spent the majority of the book disliking Maddie and thinking she was pretty damn stupid.  I got past my popularity woes when I left middle school and entered into high school, so maybe that's why I couldn't really relate to her.  In the synopsis it sounds like a bearable plot, but it practice the obsession that Maddie has with popularity (at the cost of her own happiness) was extremely obnoxious.  She treats going to the comic book store like a secret spy mission for chrissakes!  Everything she does in regards to her nerdy obsessions was over the top and I wasn't always able to suspend my disbelief.  And the absolutely low opinion she obviously has for a girl who has been her best friend for years now, is disgusting to me.  She spends the whole friendship lying to her on the pretext that she won't like Maddie if she knows the truth.  Well guess what, that's not a real friendship then is it?  I thought not!  The crushy flirting and escapades with Logan were adorable and I love when he takes her LARPing (live-action-role-playing for those who don't know the acronym).  Watch Role Models (with Paul Rudd) and you'll get kind of an idea of what it is, only not as detailed or nerdy as it appears in this book!  Near the end of the book when everything hits the fan, the plot started to drag for me.  Yes, by the conclusion girl gets boy and finally removes her head from her ass.  There were a lot of cute scenes in this book, but I guess I need to just avoid books with popularity as a main issue from now on.  I just won't really care enough to empathize and will probably end up being a mean old lady, like I was just now.  Not for me anymore! :)  But I think a younger teen, probably about 12-16 would like this book.  They could probably relate a lot better!

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book was published on May 7th, 2013.*

Never Getting Back Together...My Brain Would Explode

Expected Publication:  May 21st, 2013
All I Need
By: Susane Colasanti
Viking Juvenile
ISBN-13:  9780670014231

The last night of summer is only the beginning.

Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it’s obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did—and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?

Review

 

     Skye just wants to meet the boy of her dreams, but the bonfire is the same every year - no one interesting ever comes to it.  Seth wants to get over his ex-girlfriend and meet a girl he can learn to give his heart to again.  When they meet each other at the bonfire, it's love at first sight.  Spending the next 24 hours together, they make plans to meet the next morning and exchange contact information.  But then something comes up and Seth is unable to make it.  He heads off to college and Skye heads home from the beach, both wondering about the other and longing for them over the course of the year - even while dating other people.  The next summer when they both return to the beach, Skye and Seth begin a romance for the ages, but can it survive ex-drama, school issues, friendship problems and each of them holding back one last part of themselves from the other?  Can they let go and be transformed by love and begin a brave new future together?

     This book made me nauseated within the first 10 pages.  That is a very unfortunate record to hold and I was highly disappointed.  I should have known from the summary that it was going to be a completely NOT my kind of romance book.  I expected for it to be starry-eyed in the beginning, but also that the main characters would develop and mature over the course of the book.  Instead Skye spends the whole book fixating on how perfect Seth is and how much she loves him, how they're meant to be together.  Until they have a big fight (because he's keeping things from her) and she acts like a spoiled brat, and Seth acts like a complete dick.  They both get into relationships with other people, but spend their time comparing them to their supposed 'soulmate' and basically just using them.  The better parts of the book are during Seth's first year of college, when he's not yet with Skye.  She is just as immature before the relationship as during it, honestly speaking.  When things begin to sour in their relationship Seth applies for an art internship and Skye applies to good colleges, not necessarily really close to Seth.  She's accepted to NYU and really considers going.  But then she and Seth make up from their fight and Skye goes to the not so great college really close to his.  And of course he gives her a promise ring, promising to love her forever.  Gag me now please!  No seriously, GAG ME.

     Not much really happens through the course of this book, other than a really superficial and unhealthily obsessed relationship between two very selfish teenagers.  Never once does Seth really acknowledged that he's keeping things from Skye to 'protect' her, but in the process is enacting a parent-child type of relationship rather than an equal, romantic one.  Oh yeah, and there's some sex and they talk about how great that is a lot for the middle third of the book.  Except when Skye starts acting like a princess, expecting hotel rooms every time (even though Seth is painfully poor and she is a privileged girl, who takes it for granted) and being disgusted by his dorm room.  I did like the depiction of Seth's parents and their fight to have a real relationship and stay together, even in the face of his Mom's illness and his Dad's business failing (an 80s themed roller rink that he started in honor of his romance with his wife).  It was painful, beautiful and true - everything Skye and Seth's 'romance' was not.  Sometimes their friends are amusing, but mostly Skye's BFFs Jocelyn and Kara who are just as shallow as her, are more annoying than anything else.  Seth's roommate Grant is just a self-righteous douchebag most of the book.  And when he does change it doesn't really matter.  Overall, this is a book that reads like it's for twelve year olds.  But the subject matter is inappropriate for anyone under 15 or 16 (unless they don't mind sex and college talk that they won't relate to at all).  This book was a disappointing mess, with a message to girls that seemed to be that it's okay to give up everything for a guy as long as it's 'true lurrrvvveee."  Spare me, please.  Not recommended to anyone who has a brain not made of bubbles, and any sense of feminine romantic equality/pride.

 

VERDICT:  0.75/5  Stars (For Seth's awesome parents and their roller rink only)

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is May 21st, 2013.*