Giveaway: Happy Birthday to Me!

GUESS WHAT?

Giveaway: The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig

A while back I participated in a tour, and the publisher was very generous and sent me an ARC and two finished copies. Since I don't need three copies of a book, I am giving away the two finished copies. Sorry this is US only, because I am poor. I will be doing another international giveaway for the winter holidays.

If you missed my review, you can check it out here.

Giveaway: Happy Birthday to Me!

Guess what?

Blogiversary - Look Who's 5!!

Today is a special day here at WLABB. It's our 5th Blogiversary! In honor of this special day, the WLABBers want to share their thoughts on how their lives have changed since the birth of this blog.

Blog Tour: Say You'll Remember Me - Katie McGarry

Say You'll Remember Me
Katie McGarry
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Rating: out of 5 stars
Goodreads

When Drix was convicted of a crime--one he didn't commit--he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the new Second Chance Program, the governor's newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.

Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor's daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn't may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.

When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle's parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix's messy life.

But sometimes love can breach all barriers.

Fighting against a society that can't imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves--Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence--and each other to finally get what they deserve.

Blog Tour: Breaking the Ice - Julie Cross

Breaking the Ice
Julie Cross
Series: Juniper Falls, #2
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

The second book in the Juniper Falls series from NY Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Cross, perfect for fans of Miranda Kennealy and Abbi Glines.

Haley Stevenson seems like she’s got it all together: cheer captain, “Princess” of Juniper Falls, and voted Most Likely to Get Things Done. But below the surface, she’s struggling with a less-than-stellar GPA and still reeling from the loss of her first love. Repeating her Civics class during summer school is her chance to Get Things Done, not angst over boys. In fact, she’s sworn them off completely until college.

Fletcher Scott is happy to keep a low profile around Juniper Falls. He’s always been the invisible guy, warming the bench on the hockey team and moonlighting at a job that would make his grandma blush. Suddenly, though, he’s finding he wants more: more time on the ice, and more time with his infuriatingly perfect summer-school study partner.

But leave it to a girl who requires perfection to shake up a boy who’s ready to break all the rules.

Giveaway: The First to Know by Abigail Johnson

The First to Know
Abigail Johnson
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Dana Fields's father never knew his parents. When Dana secretly does a DNA test for her dad, hoping to find him some distant relatives for his birthday, her entire world implodes. Instead of a few third cousins, Dana discovers a half brother her age whose very existence means her parents' happy marriage is a lie.

Dana's desire to know her half brother, Brandon, and the extent of her dad's deception, clashes with her wish not to destroy her family. When she sees the opportunity to get to know Brandon through his cousin, the intense yet kind Chase, she takes it. But the more she finds out about Brandon, her father's past and the irresistible guy who'll never forgive her if he discovers the truth, the more she sees the inevitable fallout from her own lies. With her family crumbling around her, Dana must own up to her actions and find a way to heal the breach—for everyone—before they're torn apart for good.

Blog Tour: Not Now, Not Ever

Not Now, Not Ever
Lily Anderson
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

The sequel to The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest.

Elliot Gabaroche is very clear on what she isn't going to do this summer.

1. She isn't going to stay home in Sacramento, where she'd have to sit through her stepmother's sixth community theater production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
2. She isn't going to mock trial camp at UCLA.
3. And she certainly isn't going to the Air Force summer program on her mother's base in Colorado Springs. As cool as it would be to live-action-role-play Ender's Game, Ellie's seen three generations of her family go through USAF boot camp up close, and she knows that it's much less Luke/Yoda/"feel the force," and much more one hundred push-ups on three days of no sleep. And that just isn't appealing, no matter how many Xenomorphs from Alien she'd be able to defeat afterwards.

What she is going to do is pack up her attitude, her favorite Octavia Butler novels, and her Jordans, and go to summer camp. Specifically, a cutthroat academic-decathlon-like competition for a full scholarship to Rayevich College, the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program. And she's going to start over as Ever Lawrence, on her own terms, without the shadow of all her family’s expectations. Because why do what’s expected of you when you can fight other genius nerds to the death for a shot at the dream you’re sure your family will consider a complete waste of time?

This summer's going to be great.

Giveaway: A Short History of the Girl Next Door - Jared Reck

A Short History of the Girl Next Door
Jared Reck
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

The unrequited love of the girl next door is the centerpiece of this fiercely funny, yet heart-breaking debut novel.

Fifteen-year-old Matt Wainwright is in turmoil. He can’t tell his lifelong best friend, Tabby, how he really feels about her; his promising basketball skills are being overshadowed by his attitude on the court, and the only place he feels normal is in English class, where he can express his inner thoughts in quirky poems and essays. Matt is desperately hoping that Tabby will reciprocate his feelings; but then Tabby starts dating Liam Branson, senior basketball star and all-around great guy. Losing Tabby to Branson is bad enough; but, as Matt soon discovers, he’s close to losing everything that matters most to him.

Humorous and heart-wrenching, A Short History of the Girl Next Door is perfect for readers who fell in love with All the Bright Places' Finch or Stargirl’s Leo.

I finished this book back in September, but I still don't think I will be able to properly articulate how wonderful and painful this book was. This book was such a gut punch, I actually suggested that the book was written by Jared WReck, because he wrecked my heart! My feelings about this book in a gif:

This ARC had an introductory letter written by an editor from Knopf, and she dead on nailed my reactions during this book when she said, "I became a puddle - wiping away tears of laughter on my subway commute, and weeping into my mug of tea at the office as I read the final pages." It was a very emotional read for me, but it was funny and beautiful too.

Seriously, take a look at my updates:

I would like to start with Matt, because this was his story to tell. I loved Matt. He was such a guy, but he would also play Candy Land with his little brother, while doing voices for all the characters. His voice was authentic and real to me, and his emotions were, at times, quite raw. He made me laugh, and he broke my heart. I liked that he loved so fiercely, and could recognize when he might have wrong. As Tabby's relationship with Branson grew, I could feel Matt's heartache and pain through the pages as he counting down to his friendship with Tabby changing forever. I just wanted to give him the biggest, longest hug I could.

Matt and Tabby shared such a long history. She may not have been a blood-related member of his family, but she was theirs. I thought it was such a special touch that so many of their childhood memories are shared with us. From their first sleepover to when Matt first fell for Tabby. It just amplified how painful the changes in their friendship were, but also solidified how special their friendship was.

Another really special thing about this book was Matt's family. From his mom, the "arts-and-crafts Jedi" to his big hearted grandfather, I adored just about every interaction he had with them. The love they felt for each other was so obvious, and so was the pain they felt for Matt as he was dealing with his out of control emotions. There was this part in the book, where Matt was spending time with his grandparents, an intervention of sorts, and the conversations they shared were so heartfelt and lovely. I was happy Matt had them to help him sort himself out.

One of my favorite parts was when Matt was trying to tell Tabby how special she was to him. He talks about sorting his candy after trick-or-treating. How there was a clear hierarchy, where candy bars ranked the highest, and raisins were the lowest. However, Nerds were outside the hierarchy, because their love for Nerds was so vast and no other candy could quite measure up to the greatness that was Nerds. He goes on to say:

 

"You're the Nerds, Tabby."

Yeah, I sort of sobbed after that. Terribly sweet.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster. I still cry when I talk about it, so I was obviously deeply affected by the story of first love, first heartbreak, love, and loss. I found this to be a solid debut and I look forward to reading more stories from Reck.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.

GIVEAWAY

Because I want to share the heartbreak, I am raffling off an ARC of this wonderful book. All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is open US only, unless you are willing to pay the shipping, and is open through October 30th. You must be 13 or older to enter or have a parent enter for you. The winner will be selected shortly after and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected.

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Do you have a candy hierarchy?

Let us know in the comments!

Blogtour: The Unlikelies - Carrie Firestone

The Unlikelies
Carrie Firestone
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Five teens embark on a summer of vigilante good samaritanism in a novel that's part The Breakfast Club, part The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, and utterly captivating.

Rising high school senior Sadie is bracing herself for a long, lonely, and boring summer. But things take an unexpected turn when she steps in to help rescue a baby in distress and a video of her good deed goes viral.

Suddenly internet-famous, Sadie's summer changes for the better when she's introduced to other "hometown heroes." These five very different teens form an unlikely alliance to secretly right local wrongs, but when they try to help a heroin-using friend, they get in over their heads and discover that there might be truth in the saying "no good deed goes unpunished." Can Sadie and her new friends make it through the summer with their friendships--and anonymity--intact?

This rich and thought-provoking novel takes on timely issues and timeless experiences with a winning combination of romance, humor, and wisdom.

After saying goodbye to all her graduating friends, Sadie expects her pre-senior summer to be long and lonely. Then, she is catapulted to a new status, when she performs a heroic act, and is honored for her actions. At the recognition luncheon, Sadie forms an unlikely friendship with four of the other "homegrown heroes". Together these five teens embark on a revolution of kindness, trying to covertly right some wrongs.

This book was in the right place at the right time, because I really needed some kindness warriors to erase some of the week's events for me. This may be a work of fiction, but I hope it inspires the use of  social media for good instead of evil. I was totally in love with all the positive messages, and because of that, I was able to forgive other things that were not perfect in this book.

I really liked getting to know all the characters in this book. The cast was very diverse with some quality that set them apart, but each also had a personal issue they were dealing with. Firestone painted an overall positive picture of these teens, but she did give them flaws, which I thought made them more real.

• Sadie had an Irish ex-cop dad and a Muslim Iranian mother. She was recovering from a traumatic event, and also feeling the loss of her best friend.
• Jean was an immigrant and gifted artist, who dedicated his time to teaching young artists, while he was recovering from the horrors he witnessed following the earthquake in Haiti. 
• Val was an immigrant from El Salvador, who collected school supplies for the children of migrant workers. She had a boyfriends with Lupus, who was often unkind and controlling. 
• Alice used her gift for photography to help get homeless animals adopted. She also was trying to save her best friend from her spiral into heroine addiction. 
• Gordie dedicated his time to assisting at a center for developmentally disabled adults.   

Their bond formed quickly, but because it was based on mutual respect and a common cause, it was strong. Watching their friendships develop and change was quite wonderful. When one was in trouble, they came to their aid. When one had a mission, they were there to support them. That's the most you can ask for in a friend. Firestone did not make it all ice cream and rainbows, there were bumps in the road, and many apologies had to be made, but they worked through their problems, showed grace, and forgave each other. 

I am not going to lie, there were some plot points that were unrealistic, but this was a work of fiction, and when we talk about a means to an end, I forgive the OTT plot lines, because the overall message was so positive and made me feel good. At the same time, Firestone made an effort to keep it real. She showed the upside and the downside to dispensing random acts of kindness. She showed how good it could feel, when things go exactly as intended, but also how disheartening it could be when things do not go according to plan.

You know if there is romance in a book, I will find it, latch onto it, and hold it tight. This book did have a bit of romance. It was quite sweet and adorable, and I had no problem shipping these two. I liked that they had some history, and there was something there prior to becoming the Unlikelies.

This book was amusing, dramatic, even inspiring. It was a lovely story of friendship and the power of kindness, and a story I enjoyed reading. 

"There's nothing I can say to do justice to this care package, so I'm just going to hug you"

"You're the baby saver. Well done," she said.

"Thanks. Some prefer to call me the damn fool."

"It felt like the start of a whirlwind five-person romance, like we were running into something deep and exciting, something magnetic and abnormally comfortable."

"I think it's better to be a most-unlikely," Alice said. "Then when you do something awesome, everyone will be surprised.."

"We should aspire to be unlikelies."

"It's weird, Sadie."

"Perfect, Alice. It's the summer of weird."

"Oh, so you're not afraid of anything?" Val said, shoving a three-ring binder into an already full box.

"Being obsolete, maybe," Gordie said."

"If you choose kindness, we'll let you in. -- The Unlikelies." 

**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.

• 3 Finished Copies of The Unlikelies by Carrie Firestone
• US only
• No P.O. boxes
• Follow the tour for more chances to win
• Runs through June 6
• Please read Rules & Regulations in Rafflecopter

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PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | IBOOKS | BOOK DEPOSITORY | KOBO

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carrie Firestone has lived in rural, urban, and suburban places, and, while she currently lives in the suburbs, she is decidedly a CITY person. She loves parties, and all kinds of music, and books about random people doing random things in random places. She loves to travel with her husband, and two daughters, Lauren and Emily. When she isn’t writing, you might find her reluctantly sharing her popcorn at the movies, trying to get people (or dogs) to do a conga line, or adding items to her loose ends list.


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May 28 

The Unofficial Book Addict Fan Club & Pink Polka Dot Books - Welcome Post

May 29

YA Obsessed- Review

When Curiosity Killed the Cat- Q&A

Book Munchies- Promotional Post

May 30

Never Too Many To Read- Review & Favorite Quotes

Go Read a Book- Review

Susan Heim on Writing- Promotional Post

May 31

We Live and Breathe Books- Review & Favorite Quotes

Reads and Thoughts- Review & Favorite Quotes

Buried Under Books- Review

June 1

Super Space Chick- Guest Post

The Mind of a Book Dragon- Review & Playlist

Her Book Thoughts- Review

June 2

Bookmark Lit- Review

Reading to Unwind- Review & Fave Quotes

A Thousand Words a Million Books- Q&A

June 3

Here's to Happy Endings- Review

Wishful Endings- Review

A Lovelorn Virgo- Review & Dreamcast

June 4

The Book Return- Guest Post

Dream Within a Dream- Promotional Post

What would you do with a large anonymous donation?

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Review: Daughter of the Pirate King - Tricia Levenseller

Daughter of the Pirate King 
Tricia Levenseller
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Reading Challenges: #DebutAuthorChallenge2017, #NGEW2017, #PopSugarChallenge2017

I don't read a lot of fantasy. I have no idea why I don't, because every time I read a fantasy book, I always have such an enthusiastic response. Daughter of the Pirate King was yet another fantasy book which won a huge response from me.

The daughter of the pirate king, Alosa, is sent by her father to retrieve a map. This requires Alosa to be captured and imprisoned by the enemy pirates. While aboard the Night Farer, she is challenged by the Night Farer's crew, but most of the crew is really no match for Alosa, that is except for Riden.

"Lass, you've the face of an angel but the tongue of a snake."

Alosa had me on her team from page one. She was the total package. A fierce woman, who was smart and snarky, and not afraid to slit a few throats if necessary. She was also loyal to her crew, and would go above and beyond to protect them. But don't let that fool you, she still liked to be clean, groomed, and well-dressed even if she was not a "lady". Her wit and candor kept me amused, and I just thought she was a stellar example of what a great heroine is: strong, but a little soft too. Still, so much girl power. The twist with her lineage really pulled me in. I thought it was an imaginative addition to an already great character. Aside from Alosa, she had an almost all female crew filled with fiery, intense, and bold women.

"Submissiveness. I try not to cringe as the word enters my mind. Horrid word, that one."

"Because pirates aren't supposed to look like you look and talk like you talk and do what you do. You're confusing, and it's messing with my head."

There were many supporting characters who added to the fun, but I would be remiss if I did not talk about Riden. All I am going to say is, every time Riden was on the page, I had heart eyes. Levenseller gave us a great heroine AND a great hero. It was interesting of her to create this anti-pirate. Yes, he could fight, but he had a lot of compassion and cared a lot for his brother, his crew, and after a short time, Alosa. The verbal and physical sparring between these two was fantastic. The chemistry was perfect. And the tender moments were full on swoony. I just adored every minute of them together.

"His brown eyes are alight with merriment. I think he enjoys our little spats."

Me every time Riden is mentioned

Overall: A fun and fantastic pirating adventure filled with action, romance, and witty banter. I am eagerly awaiting book 2!

GIVEAWAY

Because I was so blessed and received both a DRC and a finished copy of this book, I am giving away the finished copy.

All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is open US only, unless you are willing to pay the shipping, and is open through March 21st. You must be 13 or older to enter or have a parent enter for you. The winner will be selected shortly after and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. I would also liked to thank GoodReads and Fierce Reads for the finished copy I won through a GoodReads giveaway.

Do you have a favorite pirate book, TV show, or movie?

Let us know in the comments!

Blog Tour + Cover Cosmetics + Giveaway: Nemesis - Anna Banks

About Nemesis

The princess didn't expect to fall in love--with her nemesis.

Princess Sepora of Serubel is the last Forger in all the five kingdoms. The spectorium she creates provides energy for all, but now her father has found a way to weaponize it, and his intentions to incite war force her to flee from his grasp. She escapes across enemy lines into the kingdom of Theoria, but her plans to hide are thwarted when she is captured and placed in the young king's servitude.

Tarik has just taken over rulership of Theoria, and must now face a new plague sweeping through his kingdom and killing his citizens. The last thing he needs is a troublesome servant vying for his attention. But mistress Sepora will not be ignored. When the two finally meet face-to-face, they form an unlikely bond that complicates life in ways neither of them could have imagined.

Sepora's gift could save Tarik's kingdom from the Quiet Plague. But should she trust her growing feelings for her nemesis, or should she hide her gifts at all costs?

Makeup Look Inspired by Sepora

For my makeup look, I wanted to incorporate the Egyptian influence on this book as well as the fact that Sepora is a Forger. The spectorium she forges is used for energy and can be used as a weapon. When I think of energy, I think of electricity, so I fused a lightning-like zig zag to the side of the eye with what ancient Egyptian eyeliner would look like. I kept with metal tones because of the cover as well as the fact that she can be used as a weapon.

In terms of how this look was accomplished, I used my all time favorite liquid eyeliner: Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner. It's a brush tip pen-style eyeliner, and I love how it allows me to use liquid liner without having to dip the brush back into the pot. I also used pointed q-tips with Urban Decay's Primer Potion to clean up the edges if I over drew one of the lines. Both of the eyeshadows I used are from the Too Faced Pretty Rebel palette.

Giveaway

As part of the blog tour, Anna Banks is giving away a finished copy of Nemesis and $25 Ulta gift card at each stop. All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below! This giveaway is US only, and is open through October 10th. You must be 13 or older to enter or have a parent enter for you. The winner will be selected shortly after and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Additionally, one person will be selected to be entered to win a tour wide grand prize of an Egyptian bib collar necklace or silver Serpen armband. Best of luck to all who enter!

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Series Review + Giveaway: The Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles Series

Marissa Meyer

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Retelling, Romance

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Overall Series Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads: Cinder | Scarlet | Cress | Fairest | Winter

I apologize in advance for how long this is, but it does encompass a review for five books, so bear with me :)

When I first heard about The Lunar Chronicles, I'll admit that I wasn't particularly interested - a cyborg Cinderella story? It just seemed a little too sci-fi for me at the time - I was expecting all these robots and things, and it didn't appeal to me. As the buzz was building around this series, I decided to give it a shot and ended up getting a few of the books as Kindle Daily Deals. I'm glad that I eventually gave this series a chance because it was absolutely incredible!

I read the first three books in the series last summer and finally read Fairest and Winter this summer, so the review will probably lean towards those two books; however, this review will be spoiler free for the entire series!

Starting with Cinder, I was pleasantly surprised that this series was nothing like I expected. Yes, it has a cyborg main character and it's set in a futuristic world, but it's also infused with a lot of feeling and a dystopian feel at times. Cinder was the first fairytale retelling that I read, and I really enjoyed the way Marissa Meyer brought the sci-fi elements into the classic fairytale.

Before I read Cinder, I thought all the books in this series were just companions - different fairytales told in the same world - but I was so wrong. Going into Scarlet, I wasn't sure how much of the characters of Cinder there would be, but it ended up being a fusion of both of the stories! While Cinder's plot line was continuing, we were also introduced to Scarlet and a Little Red Riding Hood retelling. As Scarlet progressed, I realized that this series was so much more than I had initially expected - there were MANY THINGS happening and HUGE REVELATIONS on what to expect in the rest of the series.

Next in the series is Cress, and I think that this book is where things really start to happen in terms of the overall story arc of the series. Throughout Cress, the remaining main characters of the series are introduced, and we finally see where things will be going in terms of the ultimate end of the series. I liked how Marissa Meyer incorporated elements of the Rapunzel story in Cress, but I'd say this book was the farthest from the traditional story (at least the story of Rapunzel that I know). Nonetheless, the great thing about this book was how much perspective readers gained about The Lunar Chronicles world. In Cinder and Scarlet we get a glimpse of the countries where they live, but in Cress we get to see another country as well as more information on Luna, the civilization on the moon.

At this point, a year passed before I finally read Fairest and then Winter. Fairest is a short, prequel novel to The Lunar Chronicles, and it's the main villain Levana's origin story. At first, after having waited a year to finally read Fairest, I had trouble getting into it, especially since it was from Levana's point of view; however, as I got into it I really liked it. I've seen people often talk about the nature of human beings and whether they are inherently good or evil. In my opinion, I've always felt like people were inherently righteous - doing what they think is right, which they would typically think is good or would benefit the greater good. Fairest is a great example of this. It's clear through the story that Levana has done everything she has because she thinks it's the right thing to do for her country. Reading Fairest really humanized Levana but did not dismiss how misguided and wrong her actions were. Overall, I think that Marissa Meyer was so successful in the way she wrote Fairest.

Besides just giving insight on Levana, Fairest also allowed even more insight into Luna's culture. Having this information before going into Winter was really helpful in understanding and anticipating what would happen in the series finale, so I highly recommend reading the prequel before finishing the series.

Winter is a Snow White retelling, and it shows us where Levana really fits in as the evil queen in this story. I didn't realize how long Winter was until I started reading it, but the pacing in this book, as well as for the entire series, continues on at a good pace, mixing action and heartfelt moments to create a vivid representation of the characters and the situation they've been thrown into.

One thing that Marissa Meyer does so brilliantly in all the books in this series is the way she structures the book. Within each book, there are "books" of chapters that she heads with big plot points from the original fairytale. Using these dividers, she foreshadows what will happen next, which adds to the excitement when continuing to read. It's really fun to see the juxtaposition between the original story and how Marissa Meyer modifies it to fit into her world.

Like I said when talking about Scarlet, as each book and set of new characters were added to the series, the plot lines became more and more complex. I'm honestly in awe over how complex this entire series became. I never expected all the different stories to intertwine so fluidly, ending up all fitting together like a big puzzle. The way Marissa Meyer found a way to tie all these stories together was just so cool, and I really loved it.

Besides the plot being so epic and complex, the characters are also equally interesting and complex. Not only do we get strong female characters and charming princes, but all the characters are so much more than they seem on the surface. From different prejudices that some of the characters face, to mental illness, to having to be fully submissive to a leader you don't believe in, all the characters have so many layers of complexity, coming so much farther than the characters they are based on.

Overall, I must say that The Lunar Chronicles was so much more than I ever expected. I didn't know how complex and immersive this world would be, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. If you have reservations about this series because of the sci-fi element, I'd definitely say to give it a chance because you might be surprised by how much you like it like I was. The series as a whole was so satisfying, and I highly recommend it!

- Kiersten

Giveaway

I happened to have picked up a signed copy of Cress at a Fierce Reads tour a long time ago to do a giveaway with but I never got around to it - until now!

All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is open US only, unless you are willing to pay the shipping, and is open through August 1st. You must be 13 or older to enter or have a parent enter for you. The winner will be selected shortly after and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected.

Good luck! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's one series you're glad you gave a shot?

Let us know in the comments!

3rd Blogiversary Giveaway!!

If you couldn't tell from the title, today is We Live and Breathe Books' 3rd Blogiversary!!




Woooo!!! And, in even better news, we're celebrating with a giveaway! (Which you probably already figured out because of the title. Basically most of this post is just a reiteration of the title with gifs.)


Since it's our 3rd Blogiversary, we'll be giving away three of the awesomest (in my opinion) ARCs that Kiersten picked up at BookExpo America this year! (BEA recap post to come sometime this month.) The books are...

The Sun is Also a Star - Nicola Yoon

Replica - Lauren Oliver

Gemina - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff 

Three lucky winners will get their choice from above, in the order in which they are drawn (first chooses, then second, then third). All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is open US only, unless you are willing to pay the shipping, and is open through June 8th. You must be 13 or older to enter or have a parent enter for you. The winners will be selected shortly after and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected.


But before we get to the Rafflecopter, the WLABBers just want to say thank you so much to every one of our wonderful followers. You guys are the real MVPs! Here's to another awesome year!!



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2nd BEA Clean Out Giveaway

Last year, after attending BookExpo America and getting a ton of new books, the bloggers of We Live and Breathe Books decided to give away some old books for our BEA Clean Out Giveaway. It was our way of giving back for our rookie mistake of grabbing all of the books our first time at BEA. Now, a year later, we've realized that maybe we're still susceptible to the grab-everything craziness of BEA. As a result, we've decided to hold another BEA Clean Out Giveaway!

Most of the books we're giving away are ARCs, but there are some finished copies. We've also decided to throw in some ARCs we received at BEA this year, either because we won't get to read and review them or because we ended up with extras. Speaking again of rookie mistakes that we made, last year at BEA we thought it was cool and great to get every book personalized. As a result, some of the books in these boxes are personalized to us. We hope that even with our names in them you'll still enjoy reading the books! (Or you can totally cross the names out and write your own name or rip out the page and burn it or put cute unicorn stickers over our names if you want.) Noor would like to apologize for her books that may have a bit of poster tack on them.

While we only had two boxes to give away last year, we have an enormous FOUR boxes to give away this year! Yay! Here are the boxes up for grabs:

Box #1

Play On - Michelle Smith

Sunny Side Up - Jennifer L. Holme & Matthew Holme

Swoon Reads Sampler

Last Night at the Circle Cinema - Emily Franklin

Treasure Hunters: Secret of the Forbidden City - James Patterson

Hoodoo - Ronald L. Smith

Missing Reels - Farran Smith Nehme

The 7th of London - Beau Schemery

Flying Shoes - Lisa Howorth

Come Rain or Come Shine - Jan Karon

The Traitor Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson

The More You Do the Better You Feel - David Parker 

Box #2

Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon

Stone Rider - David Hofmeyr

The Keeper - David Baldacci

Black Dove, White Raven - Elizabeth Wein

The Ring and the Crown - Melissa de la Cruz

The Black Butterfly - Shirley Reva Vernick

Skink No Surrender - Carl Hiaasen

Compost City - Rebecca Louie

Electrico W - Hervé Le Tellier

Center of Gravity - Laura McNeill

Twain & Stanley Enter Paradise - Oscar Hijuelos

Box #3

Reawakened - Colleen Houck

Running on Empty - Colette Ballard

The Ring and the Crown - Melissa de la Cruz

Silent Starsong - T.J. Wooldridge

Treasure Hunters - James Patterson

Treasure Hunters: Secret of the Forbidden City - James Patterson

Black Ice - Becca Fitzpatrick

Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist - Sunil Yapa

The Girl from the Train - Irma Joubert

Mo Said She Was Quirky - James Kelman

Everlasting Lane - Andrew Lovett

Box #4

Another Day - David Levithan

Black Dove, White Raven - Elizabeth Wein 

Daughter unto Devils - Amy Lukavics

Black Ice - Becca Fitzpatrick

Cinderland - Amy Jo Burns

The Goddess of Small Victories - Yannick Grannec

Hollow Man - Mark Pryor

Legacy of the Claw - C.R. Grey & Jim Madsen

Knockout Games - G. Neri

Alistair Grim's Odditorium - Gregory Funaro

The Water Knife - Paolo Bacigalupi

How to Enter

All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is open US only and is open until July 19th. (We are open to sending the prizes internationally if you'd like to cover the shipping; however, since we are sending these in USPS medium flat rate boxes, the international shipping prize is really high. We'll definitely be having an international giveaway soon though!) You must be 13 or older to enter or have a parent enter for you. The winners will get to choose which box they receive in the order they are drawn. Each winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. We are not responsible for any prizes that are lost in the mail. Best of luck to all who enter!

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Save the Date + Giveaway: Another Day - David Levithan

Often times, the bloggers of We Live and Breathe Books read ARCs of books a long time before they are released. While we like to post our reviews relatively close to the release date, sometimes we get really excited and want to share some of our thoughts right away. As a result, we've decided to start doing Save the Date, an awesome feature created by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner. Even though the book doesn't come out for a while, it's never too early to save the (release) date!

Another Day
David Levithan
Series: Every Day, #2
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: August 25th, 2015
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

What Another Day is about

The eagerly anticipated companion to David Levithan’s New York Times bestseller Every Day.

In this enthralling companion to his New York Times bestseller Every Day, David Levithan (co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson with John Green) tells Rhiannon’s side of the story as she seeks to discover the truth about love and how it can change you.

Every day is the same for Rhiannon. She has accepted her life, convinced herself that she deserves her distant, temperamental boyfriend, Justin, even established guidelines by which to live: Don’t be too needy. Avoid upsetting him. Never get your hopes up.

Until the morning everything changes. Justin seems to see her, to want to be with her for the first time, and they share a perfect day—a perfect day Justin doesn’t remember the next morning. Confused, depressed, and desperate for another day as great as that one, Rhiannon starts questioning everything. Then, one day, a stranger tells her that the Justin she spent that day with, the one who made her feel like a real person . . . wasn’t Justin at all.

Five Reasons to Save the Date for Another Day

1. It gives a fresh, new perspective on the story in Every Day. Note: Even though, this is a companion novel and not a sequel, I definitely recommend reading Every Day first (in general I just personally like to read the book that came out first, first). Anyway, reading Rhiannon's thoughts on what went down was refreshing.

2. You get to see the side to Rhiannon and Justin you missed in Every Day and learn about how it's not as simple as picking one person over another and how even Justin has depth.

3. David Levithan explores themes of how if you're emotionally attracted and invested in someone, physical manifestations of that person's body can change feelings you have -- a "Beyonce body" intimidated Rhiannon; she kissed the cute redheaded boy; that she wasn't holding A's hand when A was a "pudgy Indian girl." Rhiannon goes through this internal conflict where she wishes A was just always a boy or she could think of A as such and then gets angry with herself for not being able to reconcile her life experiences with the fact that A is "both and neither, and it's not A's fault our language can' deal with that." Rhiannon wants "to undo this. [She] understand[s] it's the wrong way to feel. But it doesn't feel like a knot [she] can actually untie." So it's interesting to see the way she struggles with the different bodies and fighting all the beliefs she's internalized in the 16 years of her life.

4. Both A and Rhiannon hate The Giving Tree. I have very very strong feelings about The Giving Tree and why I hate it (it's led to twitter rants and real life rants alike) so to find characters who vocalize this shared hatred in a book is wonderful.

5. Whether you like the ending or not, I guarantee you will have an opinion about it and I think that's a great reason to save the date. Saying as much as I can without being spoiler, the like/dislike question stems from an issue of ambiguity and I'm sure anyone reading will have their own thoughts on it.

Who Should Save the Date

Fans of David Levithan, people who have read (and liked) Every Day, character-based readers

A Sneak Peek

Here's a quote I really liked:
"Most of the time when we think we're looking for death, we're really looking for love."
Also, another, short line I liked is a thought Rhiannon had in response to a question she asked A:
"I cannot wear that answer. It can't possibly fit."

That's all for now, keep reading to learn about our giveaway and watch for a review closer to the release date!

- Noor

Giveaway

Since this is our very first Save the Date, and, more importantly, because we picked up an extra copy at BEA, we've decided to giveaway an ARC or Another Day to one lucky reader!

To enter, all you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is open US only, unless you are willing to pay the shipping, and is open through July 2nd. You must be 13 or older to enter or have a parent enter for you. The winner will be selected shortly after and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. We are not responsible for any prizes that are lost in the mail.

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We hope you're lucky enough that you won't need to save the date for this one!

Giveaway: 2nd Blogiversary!

If you couldn't tell from the title... 

IT'S WE LIVE AND BREATHE BOOKS' 2ND BLOGIVERSARY! 

WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!

We awkwardly forgot to celebrate last year, so this year I made a point of marking my calendar and planning for this occasion. Obviously we wouldn't be where we are without all the people reading this post right now, so this one goes out to you.

As a thank you to all our amazing readers, followers, etc., we're having an extra special blogiversary giveaway!!!

You see this stack of books right below?

From top to bottom: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne, The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski, The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh O'Brien, Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre, Lailah by Nikki Kelly, Cress by Marissa Meyer, Unremembered by Jessica Brody, and Unraveled by Gennifer Albin.

Looks nice, doesn't it? Well, every single book in this pile is autographed by the author (a result of going to Fierce Reads tours and never actually getting around to posting giveaways for them), and three lucky winners will get their choice from above, in the order in which they are drawn (first chooses, then second, then third).

All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is open US only, unless you are willing to pay the shipping, and is open through June 8th. You must be 13 or older to enter or have a parent enter for you. The winner will be selected shortly after and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected.

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I hope the winners are as happy as this baby when they receive their prizes.

- Kiersten

I'm sorry about all the gifs.

I almost never use gifs in my posts.

Ok, maybe I'm not sorry.