Waiting on Wednesday (#53) - My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal

 

Waiting on Wednesday is Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

 

 

Goodreads Summary: What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy?

Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss—the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died—is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn’t a suicide as everyone assumes. She can’t remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she’s worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend.

If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she’ll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made—good and bad—that led to her last kiss.

Why I'm Waiting For It: I honestly want to pick this one badly! I love the concept and the girl proving her death wasn't a suicide! Ahh! And the cover is intriguing also..so big raves on this already from me :)

My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal will be hitting shelves on June 10, 2014 from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux


Find My Last Kiss On:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Fresh Off The Press #9 (Jan 26 - Feb 2)

Welcome to Fresh Off The Press! It’s where I'll showcase all the great books hitting shelves in a week. These are all YA titles and hope you get to pick them up soon! These books are releasing from Jan 26 - Feb 2.

 

Hardcover:

 

 

 

 

Paperback:

 

 

 

 

That is all the amazing books releasing this week! I hope you pick them up. I definitely want to read Nobody and Heart Beat soon.



 

Happy Reading!

 



Donations for my Birthday & Blogaversary Bash!

 

 

I'm turning 16 in Feb of this year! I am really excited and I cannot wait for that day! As as big thank you to all my amazing readers and follows I wanted to celebrate with a giveaway! You guys are what really made this blog grow and I'm so grateful! But this time...

 

I'm asking if anyone is willing to donate for my Birthday AND Blogaversary Bash! I will also be contributing to the giveaway and THANK YOU!

 

 

 

If you plan to donate to the giveaways, shoot me an email at: patrickreads@hotmail.com I will get back to you as soon as possible and THANKS SO MUCH!

 

 

 

Racing & Crooked: Heist Society by Ally Carter

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Date Released: February 9, 2010
Publisher: Disney - Hyperion 
Pages: 287 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: Won @ My local Library
Rating: Loved It
Series: (Heist Society #1) 

Goodreads Synopsis: When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way. 

From Goodreads

 

Heist Society is what I would call a great mixed of "Ocean's Eleven" along with some James Bond influence. You have kick ass characters, a great hook, and it's a book about spies and thieving, of course this one will be amazing. I had some many times where I tried to attempt this book, but this time around I got around it and finished it completely and I am happy to say I really fully liked it a lot!

 

We meet kick ass character, Kat Bishop, and in her whole life she knows how to steal and get away with it. Her family also has been in the business of stealing and thieving and it's in Kat's blood to steal. Plus she does it well :) Along with being kick out from a private academy, her father is in deep water and it's her time to step in and do it right. I honeslty love Kat in the books! She was such a character and complex character and seeing her managing her situation was great. She had that mix of a "James Bond attitude" with a "I don't care, I'm going to do it" Katniss Everdeen attitude which I completely loved!

 

 

One thing that didn't appeal to me in Heist Society was the third perspective and the way the story flowed. It was honestly a great book but I just couldn't get passed the third POV! I know right! I'm the only one who cannot do third POV and I found myself thinking of something else in the middle of the sentence. I didn't hooked me and kept me reading constantly, but I did still like the book! The story needed a better flow in terms of how Kat and Hale tried to find a solution to Kat's situation.

 

 

 

The characters in Heist Society is one thing that completely stood out. I love it when an author achieves that perfect balance of characters. You have the kick ass character: Kat, the romance: Nick and Hale, and the suspense: Arturo Taccone. Along with a bunch of minor characters that really brought the plot together despite it's flow. I would definitely recommend Heist Society to any reader! It was a great book that I liked and I'm sure everyone will like the characters and the plot!

 

 

 

 

Find Heist Society On:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday (#52) - Hexed by Michelle Krys

Waiting on Wednesday is Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

Goodreads Summary: If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

Why I'm Waiting For It: First off we got an..

-Protagonist named Indigo Blackwood (How great?)

-Bishop and Indigo? (Sounds amazing already) 

-Magic and dark secrets? (YES YES YES!) 

I cannot wait to pick this one up! I do hope I get my ARC copy and I'll be having an interview with Michelle as soon as Hexed is closer to it's release date. This one looks killer!

Find Hexed On:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Fresh Off The Press #8 (Jan 20 - Jan 26)

Welcome to Fresh Off The Press! It's where I'll showcase all the great books hitting shelves in a week. These are all YA titles and hope you get to pick them up soon! These books are releasing from Jan 20 - Jan 26!

Hardcover:

Paperback:

And those are the book releasing this week! Hope you can pick them up and start on some amazing series or a perfect standalone!

A Mixed Up Read: Conjured - Sarah Beth Durst

Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst 
Date Released: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Walker Children 
Pages:368 Pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Rating: Liked
Series: Standalone

Goodreads Synopsis: Eve has a new home, a new face, and a new name—but no memories of her past. She’s been told that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous magic-wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the people hiding her want to access—and there is nothing they won’t say—or do—to her to get her to remember.

At night she dreams of a tattered carnival tent and buttons being sewn into her skin. But during the day, she shelves books at the local library, trying to not let anyone know that she can do things—things like change the color of her eyes or walk through walls. When she does use her strange powers, she blacks out and is drawn into terrifying visions, returning to find that days or weeks have passed—and she’s lost all short-term memories. Eve must find out who and what she really is before the killer finds her—but the truth may be more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.

From Goodreads

Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst is what I would called a "mix bag of emotions" not in a good way or bad way. I had such high expectations for this novel, but it ended delivering some of them but not fully dazzling the reader. It was a VERY unique book and I think it is one everyone should try and you might not know how you will end up liking it. 

Eve has a completely new life. She doesn't a a recollection of memories of her past and she is slowly learning to adapt to her environment. I think most reader would find this cliche off the bat it does but Sarah brings in her own take on it and a bonus, she doesn't focus mainly on the memories part. Conjured was a definite surprising read and I can't see what is next for Sarah. 

This book had:

-A protagonist suffering from amnesia

-Witness Protection Program
-Magic

I mean these are the things that absolutely hooked me into the book but when I look back it wasn't as perfectly weaved together than I wanted to. It suffered than "big expectation syndrome" and I'm still happy to say there are some well-written scenes with Eve. I LOVED how easy with was to pick up this book and not be clogged down with heavy writing or scenes where you don't remember what happened. There's a slight ease to her writing anyone will greatly like. 

Conjured is a great book if you love smooth writing integrated with magic, witness protection program, and even a protagonist undergoing that amnesia syndrome. I love how it was a very unique read! I can definitely see myself picking up any of Sarah's books soon!

Find Conjured On:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday (#51) - Side Effect May Vary by Julie Murphy

Waiting on Wednesday is Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

Goodreads Summary: What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you? 

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most? 

Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality.

Why I'm Waiting For It: Realistic Fiction? (Check), Facing her consequences? (Check), and Realistic Fiction? (Check). COUNT ME IN! There are litte reviews on Side Effect May Very but seriously it sounds like my book here! The reviews are raving over them and I'm dying to see what really gets the reader to love it. I am excited for it and cannot wait to pick it even more.

Side Effect May Vary is releasing on March 18, 2014 by Balzer + Brey 

Find Side Effects May Vary On:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Fresh Off The Press #7 (Jan 13 - Jan 19)

Welcome to Fresh Off The Press! It's where I'll showcase all the great books hitting shelves in a week. These are all YA titles and hope you get to pick them up soon! These books are releasing from Jan 13 - Jan 19.

Hardcover:

Paperback:

And those are the book releasing this week! Hope you can pick them up and start on some amazing series or a perfect standalone!

2014 Dystopia Challenge!

Here we go! It's the 2014 Dystopia Challenge Hosted @ Blog of Erised! It's about tackling all those amazing dystopias this year and I cannot express how much how I love dystopias! 

Levels

Level 1: Recruit (1 to 6 books)

Level 2: Rebel (7 to 12 books)

Level 3: Revolutionist (13 to 18 books)

Level 4: Leader (19+ books)

I am definitely aiming for Level 2: Rebel (7 to 12 books)! Even though I get through dystopia books like bread and water I'm setting realistic goals and I hope I get through all of my books!

I will be updating this posts along with my other challenges posts with the books I read to keep track. Feel free to suggest my some amazing dystopias this year and your challenges!

Discussion Post: Bookish Resolutions!

This week's topic:

"Bookish Resolutions"

This week is all about those bookish resolutions! The ones that every reader, blogger, author, person has each year. Here are my "bookish resolutions" and feel fee to drop by your link!

1.) Reach my goal of 60 Book in 2014! - I did reach 50 this year and I am super happy! I am definitely aiming for a 60 this year and hope I make it. Plus there's a bunch of great books releasing, it's going to be amazing :) And those series too!

2.) Try branching out into other genres! - This year I really want to move past a bit from YA, even though I love it, I want to expand my horizons. I looking to the "New Adult" fiction books, such as Hopeless by Colleen Hoover, etc. 

3.) Blogging harder and better than last year! - I really want to make this year's blogging the best. I will strive harder for daily posts, talk on twitter, be on Goodreads, etc. I want to interact with more readers and find new bloggers besides my favs. Let's make this our blogging year!

4.) Get reviews up on Amazon and Goodreads - I always knocked out review after review, but I never stop to realize to put them up on Amazon or Goodreads. Now this is the year for that!! I will definitely try to go back to my reviews and spend time adding them there. Does anyone know if this helps your blogging image?

Those are my bookish resolutions! Feel free to drop by with a link to your or a comment about your resolutions! 

Waiting on Wednesday (#50) - A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller

Waiting on Wednesday is Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

Goodreads Summary: Welcome to the world of the fabulously wealthy in London, 1909,where dresses and houses are overwhelmingly opulent, social class means everything, and women are taught to be nothing more than wives and mothers. Into this world comes seventeen-year-old Victoria Darling, who wants only to be an artist—a nearly impossible dream for a girl.
            
After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams?

Why I'm Waiting For It: London? Illicit art class? Royal College of Art? Count me in! I love how historical/romance fiction is slowly moving its way in YA and I love this genre a lot. I hope this one is a great read and I cannot wait to pick it up!

A Mad, Wicked Folly is releasing on January 23, 2014 by Viking Juvenile

Find A Mad, Wicked Folly On:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Fresh Off The Press #6 (Jan 6 - Jan 12)

Here are the amazing release of YA books from Jan 6 - Jan 12. Be sure to pick any of them up and comment if I missed any! I am definitely excited for these!

Hardcover:

Paperback:

Amazing books right?! And we are just in the month of January! I am definitely excited for the new books and I'm dying to pick them up!