Science Comics Dinosaurs: Fossils & Feathers Blog Tour -- Babies Read Too

Science Comics Dinosaurs: Fossils & Feathers

Author + Illustrator: MK Reed | Joe Flood

Release Date: March. 29th, 2016 | First Second 

Genre(s): Middle Grade, Science

Pages: 128

Edition: Paperback

Source: Publisher

Rating:  

Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic--dinosaurs, coral reefs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, flying machines, and more. These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these books are for you!

This volume: in Dinosaurs learn all about the history of paleontology! This fascinating look at dinosaur science covers the last 150 years of dinosaur hunting and illuminates how our ideas about dinosaurs have changed--and continue to change.

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REVIEW

Toddler Takeover!

I teamed up with my future Paleontologist to uncover the history of Dinosaurs. 
I may have been harmed in the process.

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As any parent that loves to read, it's the best feeling in the world when your children share that passion as well. Just last year, I started noticing that my son was picking up a knack for reading. He'd often reach for a book before he would a toy, so that was my cue to encourage reading with him as much as possible. We read together all of the time, covering his favorite topics, animals, nature, or cars, but nothing beats his absolutely favorite . . . DINOSAURS. When I say my son is obsessed with dinos, I mean OBSESSED. We started a dinosaur collection on his 3rd birthday, and now just short of a year later, my house is swarmed with these extinct creatures, to the point where I'm tripping over a triceratops one moment, and a Velicoraptor the next. (I could've broken my neck) Natgeo, Animal Planet, and Dino documentaries are constantly watched in my household, so when I got wind from Nori that First Second was putting together a blog tour for this MG series, I hopped on as fast as I could!

You know mama gotta look out for her baby  

What Tihamer and I loved the most about this graphic novel, was the amount of history the author managed to pack into such a tiny book. As I noticed from the beginning, we're given a " timeline " of events and information, starting with tid bits about how dinosaurs walked the earth 165 million years ago, all the way to how fossils are formed and discovered. 

Did You Know:  
Dinosaur poop can be fossilized, allowing Paleontologists to determine a dinosaur's last meal and what they ate? Super gross, but definitely cool right?

It was also nice to discover more dinosaurs Tihamer and I weren't familiar with. He's extra bossy and thinks he knows everything, (something he gets from his Nina, not me lol) so seeing how shocked and excited he was about, " doing more research on these new dinos " made me realize just how much he enjoys learning about them. We were schooled on different scientists, and even found out that animals living amongst us today, birds, frogs, and some mammals, have an ancestry of dinosaurs in their family! If a cat becomes a Catasaurus I'd lose it lol. 

Ever thought about naming a dinosaur? Here's how!

1. Become a Paleontologist. Discover a new species and write about it!

2. Win a contest!

Did You Know:

 In 2005, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis held a contest to name what became " Dracorex Hogwartsia " which means, " Dragon King of Hogwarts? "

In other words, someone cool nerd referenced the hell out of Harry Potter. They will forever my idols. 

Speaking of names, let's listen to my little monster point out a few of his favorite dinosaurs we spotted in this book!

So as you can see Tihamer really enjoyed his very first graphic novel, and you know what? I did too! 

Side Note: The text throught the GN is a bit tiny, even for me. Good thing my son has eyes like a bug haha

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The Decent Proposal Blog Tour | Netflix & Chill For Half A Million?

The Decent Proposal | Kemper Donovan

Released: April 5, 2016 | Harper Collins

Genre(s): Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 305

Edition: ARC Paperback

Source: TLC Book Tours 

Rating:

An addictively readable debut romantic comedy, drama, and mystery rolled into one, about two very different strangers whose lives become intertwined when they receive an unusual proposition. This is a funny, tender, and enchanting story about love, attraction, and friendship: Jane Austen in Los Angeles.

A struggling Hollywood producer, Richard Baumbach is twenty-nine, hung-over, and broke. Ridiculously handsome with an innate charm and an air of invincibility, he still believes good things will come his way. For now he contents himself with days at the Coffee Bean and nights with his best friend Mike (that’s a woman, by the way).

At thirty-three, Elizabeth Santiago is on track to make partner at her law firm. Known as “La Máquina” The Machine—to her colleagues, she’s grown used to avoiding anything that might derail her quiet, orderly life. And yet recently she befriended a homeless man in her Venice neighborhood, surprised to find how much she enjoys their early-morning chats.

Richard and Elizabeth’s paths collide when they receive a proposal from a mysterious, anonymous benefactor. They’ll split a million dollars if they agree to spend at least two hours together—just talking—every week for a year. Astonished and more than a little suspicious, they each nevertheless say yes. Richard needs the money and likes the adventure of it. Elizabeth embraces the challenge of shaking up her life a little more. Both agree the idea is ridiculous, but why not?

What ensues is a delightful journey full of twists, revelations, hamburgers, classic literature, poppy music, and above all love, in its multitude of forms. The Decent Proposal is a heartfelt and often hilarious look at the ties that bind not just a guy and a girl but an entire, diverse cast of characters situated within a modern-day Los Angeles brought to full and irrepressible life.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.

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REVIEW

Absurd Situations Always Lead To Great Things.

2 strangers + an unbelievable offer + other interesting things I won't spoil = a book worth a read.

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You want to know the beauty of reading a book you've never heard of before? The element of surprise! You're going in completely blind, most certainly oblivious to what the story has in store, but that's what makes it exciting right? Not knowing what's going to happen -- if you're actually going to like the book or not. Often times, these types of situations result in one of two endings: horribly fucking bad, or incredibly fucking good. (There are definitely in betweens) The Decent Proposal written by the oh-so-handsome Kemper, (isn't his name so cute?) Donovan not only surprised me, but impressed me enough that I read it (almost) in one sitting.

And no it's not because I'm crushing on the author's face . . okay I'm lying but whatever. 

I'd Take That Offer For 500 Bob. 
If someone, an anonymous someone might I add, asks you to spend time with a complete stranger every week for an entire year, would you do it? How about for half a million dollars? I don't know about you guys, but for that amount of money, you damn skippy I'll Netflix & Chill with this catfish. Of course I need him to be my type, and he MUST submit to a background and psychological check because you know, I don't do the crazies. I liked Joe from YOU by Caroline Kepnes, not sure I can handle him in real life. Anywho, that is the exact proposal our two main characters, Richard and Elizabeth receive from a mysterious person. At first I expected the book to be cheesy, because come on, how absurd is this situation, but as I mentioned before, I was surprised to see that I not only enjoyed the concept, but the characters, the LA scene, the easy-going writing . . almost everything Kemper had to deliver.

So Opposites Really Do Attract, Eh?
I'm a hard-on-characters type of reader. Sometimes when I read a book, I'd end up liking one character but hating the other, especially in YA relationships. (Thank goodness this is Adult huh?) However, Richard and Elizabeth were a match made in heaven. Before I dive into the duo, thank you cute author man, for sliding diversity into your novel without A. Shoving it down my throat, and B. Waving a " my book is incredibly diverse " flag in my face. I had zero clue Elizabeth would be a Latina from South Central, or that Mike (bestfriend of Richard) was actually a girl . . a Korean girl at that. Nice touch man, nice touch.

What I liked the most about our main characters, is that they were so freaking different. Richard reminded me of someone I could chill with on a daily. He's a social drinker, ratchet texter, (yes his text messages are full of slang and abbrievations, my type of texting buddy) just an all around cool, easy-going guy. Now Elizabeth is definitely the moon to Rich's sun, and even though she's more reserved and was a bit stiff in the beginning, I absolutely adored her. While Richard was into movies, (he was a producer BTW, a struggling one but still.) Elizabeth was an avid reader. Her favorites are classics, EW and she likes re-reading books, DOUBLE EW, but you can definitely see how their personalities fit together like one nerdy ass puzzle.

Stradling The Fence
After finishing this novel, I had no clue what I wanted to rate it. I enjoyed it enough for it to warrant atleast 4 stars, but then I had a bit of an issue with " the reveal " being a bit underwhelming. I felt that caused a ping-pong effect with my thoughts, in other words, I just couldn't freaking decide. I do however, think The Decent Proposal is a solid read. This is one of the few times I've enjoyed a book told in the third perspective, and even though others had a problem with the writing being " info-dumpy " it didn't bother me not one bit.

I actually liked that Kemper decided to not only show but tell. Whenever you think of world-building in a novel, your mind automatically jumps to the genres fantasy, science fiction, or dystopian. Contemporaries rarely come to mind. So the fact that I was taken through the streets of LA as if I was right there, front and center, was fascinating. Do you know how obsessed I am with In-N-Out? We don't have one in my area, so I have to resort to looking up the #Innoutburger tag on Instagram. (Yes I'm that pathetic.) But see, cute author man actually took me inside of an In-N-Out restaurant! He gave me a vivid picture of the red and white 50's style decor, made me think I could order a double-double with extra cheese and a milkshake right through the freaking book. With all of the places and people he described, I felt as if I was touring the city through his writing, he painted THAT perfect of picture, and you know what? I thought that was pretty fucking cool.

Look, all I'm trying to say is that this cute author man, referenced one of my favorite movies from my teenage years, (Blue Crush) and gave me a Latina from South Central that likes to read and surf. Um Michelle Rodriguez anyone? My teenage hero people. So technically, he deserves not only a read, but a freaking hug.

I like you Kempster, cute author face guy. Oh and your book too.

P.S: If you're reading this, think you can mail me a double-double? Extra cheese & mayo. No pickles. (On the side is acceptable.) 

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Tika's Epic Guide To Navigating New Adult & Adult Like A Boss Bitch.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.

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REVIEW

* Cue Info-Commerical Here *

this guide includes: rule book + mini reviews for an additional $17.89! Pay with cash, credit, bacon, or books.

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Do you ever have those moments where you come up with a great idea, but have zero motivation to execute it? This is me 100% of the time. Being a mother takes time, dedication, and a whole lot of patience, and after trying to recover from the blogging slump that slayed my entire bookish life last month, there was no way I could muster up enough strength to create any type of post other than a review. In Feb, I came up with an idea to do a list on all of my favorite new adult/adult novels. I posted one a hundred and two years ago, and because our reading tastes are constantly changing, I thought an updated list would be cool to showcase along with some recommendations from other smut lovers. But then came another idea. I'm always getting asked HOW I find good NA/Adult titles, (yall know I'm queen at this) so I came up with the idea to create an epically ridiculous guide to find great reads within the genre. But wait. How can I possibly achieve any of this when I still have quite a few books to review? Well . . .

You mash these shits together Tika DUH!

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Rule #1: Become A Cover Whore.

Joining the cover whore association definitely has it perks and advantages. The most important being the ability to judge a cover, giving you complete whore-ish eyesight to discover what themes the book will consist of. For example, have you ever seen those weird covers with the overly sexy couples on the front? The guy is usually all muscular, tatted, and sweaty, the girl half naked with her head thrown back in some orgasmic ecstasy, both clad in leather or ripped jeans? Or what about those covers with the suited guy that looks like he smells strongly of a french courtesan? Think Fifty Shades of Shitty Grey people. Sexy guy with dark past, girl seduced by his enchanting manhood, Erotica, BDSM. Everything that involves a freaky romance. Paying attention to covers while using your upgraded eyesight will definitely help to determine themes if the synopsis is too vague.  

Rating:
By the covers alone, I knew that the YOU dualogy would give me something new, refreshing, and all types of effed up, which is exactly what I needed at the time. I was searching for a title that would pull me out of my slump, and since nothing in YA was making the cut, I decided to jump into the sea of Adult to then be rescued by Caroline Kepnes. Both YOU and Hidden Bodies are unlike anything I've ever read. Our main character Joe is hands down one of my favorite characters. He's a bookworm that makes cool references between books and movies, he's cute, he stalks women . . and men . . and sometimes kills people, but he's HILARIOUS! I mean guys, try not to be so judgemental okay? Yes, he's a psychopath, but he's so damn cool and is such boyfriend material. Told brilliantly from the first and second perspective, we're given a dark and compelling plot, mangled with bat-shit crazy characters that add a repulsive, yet humorous light to the story. Kepnes's ability to romanticize a novel so effing twisted is probably the best thing I've ever witnessed. If you haven't read these books, you're truly missing out. #TEAMJOE. 

Rule #2: Dig Deep Baby Pup. 

Never, ever skim the surface when looking for NA and Adult titles. You'll end up with only the most popular books, (which are never all that great to be honest) missing out on the hidden gems that are buried beneath all of the BS. Dig deep my friends. Go to the ends of the bookish earth, and I swear you'll find your next favorite read that almost flew completely under your radar. 

Rating:

I'm what you call a " late fan " of K.A Tucker. She's a known author in the NA/Adult community, but in my bubble she was hardly talked about, causing me to overlook her titles. I remember going on a hunt via Goodreads for some good NA to read, but nothing recommended caught my eye. It took about 4 pages of scrolling until finally I landed on Burying Water, the title that started my obsession with Tucker's work. From there I jumped right into an arc of her recent release He Will Be My Ruin, which was every bit of what I expected it to be. While it wasn't on the level of her BW series, (in my opinion) her suspenseful take on the " who-dun-it " aspect kept me on edge, reminding me of why I fell in love with her writing in the first place. A mix of unreliable characters, with the dead POV of one living a double life, she was able to deliver a story that made you question everything you thought you knew, and everyone you believed you could trust. Like I said, DIG. 

Rule #3: Make Nancy Drew Your Spirit Animal. 

This rule is a little similar to " Becoming A Cover Whore " but still a lot different. Okay maybe only slightly, but whatever we're rolling with it. Do any of you remember Nancy Drew? Back in the day, she was our badass teen detective, the sleuth we all wanted to be. Well changing your spirit animal from that useless unicorn, (seriously wtf does a unicorn even do? You can't get anything done shitting rainbows) to a clue gathering detective, will keep you from falling into common traps found in the synopsis of titles. For example, if you're reading a blurb to a book, and it sounds like a big ball of cliche, nine times out of ten it is. But don't just stop there, search for clues (keywords or phrases) as to why! 

Rating:
After I devoured Ugly Love, I told myself that my next CoHo read would be Maybe Someday a.k.a everyone's favorite, but I was a little nervous. The cover SCREAMS cutesy, (and you guys know I avoid anything cute, corny, or cheesy like the plague) which almost made me put it onto my hell-no pile. Thank goodness I used rule #3 to search for keywords that might intrigue me, (cheating, mysterious, passionate, and betrayal) or I would've missed out on a pretty good read. Maybe Someday isn't my favorite CoHo title, but it's still high on my recommendation list. The relationship created between Sidney & Ridge was incredibly realistic. I adored how their connection wasn't just a physical foundation, instead it was intense and emotionally charged, especially due to Ridge's disability. Colleen's flare for the dramatic resulted in a few eye rolls for me, but she definitely made up for it with the relatable characters, angsty plot, and the super cool soundtrack. If you're looking for a light, fast read, Maybe Someday should be your top choice. 

Rule #4: Show Love To The Underdogs.

As I mentioned in Rule #2, if you dig deep within these genres, you are sure to uncover some hidden gems you never knew existed, from authors you've never even heard of. Self-pub and indie authors are a force to reckoned with! After doing a comparison of titles I've read from traditional/popular authors, vs SP&I, the majority of my favorite titles come from the former squad. I call them " the underdogs, " and if you're looking for some original, well-executed work in NA/Adult, head straight for the UD's. Trust me on this one. 

Rating:

I didn't necessarily have to dig to find Tarryn Fisher's work, but I definitely was surprised to find out that she was a self-published author. She has a slew of titles, three co-written with her best friend Colleen Hoover, but for some strange reason, I never bothered to pick them up. After stumbling across her recent release F*ck Love, (sheesh I love that cover!) I finally decided to give her a go and I'm so freaking glad that I did! First of all, if you're into controversial topics like myself, then you'll be screaming for joy when it comes to FK. Here we have a love triangle straight off a Jerry Springer show, involving our MC Helena, her best friend Della, and Della's boyfriend Kit. Oh how deliciously scandalous this story turned out to be! Although quite strange, I loved the originality of the concept, not to mention the Harry Potter references, and her full of personality writing style added such a great touch 
to this novel. I had a great time living vicariously through these characters, and if it wasn't for an issue I had with one of the supporting characters, (I'm still trying to figure out why Muslim Black was relevant to the story) F*ck Love would've easily been a 5 star read for me!

Disclaimer: No money back guarantee. Dislike these books at your own risk.  

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Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend -- Blog Tour Spotlight + Giveaway

Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend | Alan Cumyn
Release Date: April 7th. 2016
Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, (Fantasy?)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Irish Banana Tours

Prepare to be blown away—or rather, carried away on huge muscular wings—by this blissfully outlandish, bracingly-smart, tour de force about a teen who has to come to terms with relinquishing control for the first time as she falls for the hot new…pterodactyl…at school. After all, everybody wants him!

Sheils is very pleased with her perfectly controlled life (controlling others while she’s at it). She’s smart, powerful, the Student Body Chair, and she even has a loving boyfriend. What more could a girl ask for?

But everything changes when the first-ever interspecies transfer student, a pterodactyl named Pyke, enrolls at her school. There’s something about him—something primal—that causes the students to lose control whenever he’s around. Even Sheils, the seemingly perfect self-confident girl that she is, can’t keep her mind off of him, despite her doting boyfriend and despite the fact that Pyke immediately starts dating Jocelyn, the school’s fastest runner who Sheils has always discounted as a nobody.

Pyke, hugely popular in a school whose motto is to embrace differences, is asked to join a band, and when his band plays at the Autumn Whirl dance, his preternatural shrieking music sends everyone into a literal frenzy. No one can remember what happened the next day, but Shiels learns that she danced far too long with Pyke, her nose has turned purple, and she may have done something with her boyfriend that she shouldn’t have. Who’s in control now?

Hilarious and relatable (despite the dinosaur), Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend is about a teen who must come to terms with not being in control of all things at all times, break free of her mundane life, discover who her true self is, and, oh, finding out that going primal isn’t always a bad thing

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PROMO

Half Dino, Half Hot Teen Boy

Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend takes humor to a whole new level.

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This is definitely the first time I have EVER seen anything like this within the YA genre. Of course I've read some Urban Fantasy novels where the characters shift into vampires, wolves, (hello Twilight) and other questionable creatures, but NEVER have I encountered a story where one of the characters is actually a dinosaur. I don't know if I should be excited, or if this is my cue to run for the hills, either way Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend definitely has me intrigued!

If you're dying to find out what the HPB has to offer, enter Hannah's giveaway for a chance to win one of three hardcovers!

GIVEAWAY

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The Girl Who Fell ARC Review -- Damnnn Tika, Back At It Again . . .

The Girl Who Fell | Shannon M Parker
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 320
Edition: E-ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating:

High school senior Zephyr Doyle is swept off her feet—and into an intense and volatile relationship—by the new boy in school.

His obsession.
Her fall.

Zephyr is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and leaving her small town for her dream school, Boston College.

But love has a way of changing things.

Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team’s starting goaltender, Alec. He’s cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn’t judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities—he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can’t control, something she doesn’t want to control.

Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, and overwhelming, and … terrifying?

But love shouldn’t make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn’t make you feel guilty—or worse, ashamed.

So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it’s time to take back control of her life.

If she waits any longer, it may be too late.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.

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REVIEW

She Fell & I Didn't Bother To Help Her Up

when trying to deliver an important message goes terribly, horribly, wrong.

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If I told you that for the first time ever I was nervous to share my thoughts on a title, would you believe me?  I mean come on, this is ME we're talking about right? Tika the review slayer, the black sheep, the infamous DNF Queen who enjoys writing negative reviews. No way should I have such feelings towards posting this right? But I do . . . well, I did. I first picked up The Girl Who Fell last year in December. I was on a promotional tour for it, and because I ended up disliking the story, I was asked to postpone my rating and review until after the tour was over. When I finally decided to review it, I just couldn't. I felt not only disconnected from the story, (as if I wasn't already) and because the subject matter is important, I felt my thoughts might rub someone the wrong way.

But who am I kidding? This is my blog, my thoughts, and if I hate a book, then I just hate it. 

Feel free to walk away, shit is about to get real.

Strike One: The Opener.
Not Another Teen Movie.

When the opening scene is a page ripped straight from teen horror movies such as, Friday The 13th, Scream, and I Know What You Did Last Summer, it's extremely hard to take the story seriously. Was this a tactic used to set the tone of the book? Were we supposed to be trembling under our covers, flashlight in hand, awaiting the crazed boyfriend's arrival? My guess is yes, this was the nail-biting build-up before the story started. Was I shaking in my mixed matched Spiderman socks? No, but I was surely peeing in my pajamas from laughing. I mean come on, the MC is alone in her house, the lights go out, and wait for it . . she runs to use the phone but the line is DEAD! THE HORROR! Yeah, beyond ridiculous. The last time I enjoyed such a cheap version of a lifetime drama I was like . . . I don't know . . . TWELVE? Let's just leave these cheesy scenes to the Neve Campbell's and the Jennifer Love Hewitt's of the world . . please. I'm begging at this point.

Strike Two: The Characters.
Ten Things I Hate About You.

I don't want to sound like an asshole, or be accused of victim-blaming with my following words, but I found Zephyr to be incredibly stupid, Alec to be a complete joke, and the few supporting characters to be irrelevant. First of all, Zephyr and Alec were unconvincing as hell. We're literally 2.5 seconds into the story when we're hit with the makings of insta-love. How does one become smitten with a person they haven't even made eye contact with? HOW? But oh, it gets worse. After chatting like twice around 16%, they become a couple.

Would you go out with me?

 He can't even know how his words paralyze, They tie and bind with a commitment I can't give after living with the aftermath of my father bailing. Or the mess with Gregg and his kiss. I can't do complicated. " Alec, I . . . " Alec's face waits on my words, patient and forgiving even though he appears to sense what I'm going to say. A small boy scrambles into the swing near us, reprimanding his mother's offer to help. " I do it! " He shouts at her. Alec smiles at the boy's independence, his fierceness, and that is when the word slips out of me. " Yes "

What in the actual fuck?

So pacing just gets thrown out of the window? Did a strong development between these two characters get tossed out too? What about chemistry, an emotional connection? These are things that relationships consist of. Zephyr started making dumb, selfish decisions before Alec even had the chance to fully turn on his creeper switch. She was surprisingly quick to turn on her friends and family, (which wasn't quite realistic IMO) so it wasn't that he was this smooth talking, cunning, charming, manipulative mastermind, (not completely anyway) she just liked him . .  and a little too soon. I understand the author wanted to get to the " toxic " part pretty quickly, but when your main characters aren't believable, especially in this type of scenario, well . . . nothing else really matters.

Strike Three: The Everything.
Cruel Intentions. 

Since this book covers the tough topics of obsession, manipulation, and domestic abuse, it's automatically labeled as " an important, powerful read, " but honestly, it wasn't . . .  at least not for me. Were the topics important? Of course! I've been wanting to read a YA novel that covered these aspects for quite some time, but is this a reason to give The Girl Who Fell a pass for its poor execution? No. After speaking with numerous of readers who loved the book, about 90% of them actually agreed with just about everything that I mentioned in our conversation. The lack of a connection between not only the characters but the reader, the characters themselves being undeveloped, the story lacking emotion, the pacing being far too quick, the unrealistic/ridiculous nature of the some of the scenes, the unnecessary triangle, the incredibly strange sex scenes, Zephyr and her odd behavior, I mean the list goes on. But even though we were all on the same page, they also replied with, " I agree with most of what you said, but it's important, the story was needed. " I can't say that these readers were overlooking these issues, but can we honestly say that another less " important " title with the same flaws would be slapped with as many 5 star ratings as well? I'm not too sure it would.

So what do you guys think? Do we as readers give books high ratings because of their important messages or controversial topics in spite of its execution? Are we more willing to give " passes " for subject matter? 

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Borderline Blog Tour + Playlist -- Turn Up The Volume.

Borderline | Mishell Baker
Release Date: March. 1, 2016
Genre(s): New Adult, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Saga Press
Pages: 400
Source: Irish Banana Blog Tours
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A year ago, Millie lost her legs and her filmmaking career in a failed suicide attempt. Just when she's sure the credits have rolled on her life story, she gets a second chance with the Arcadia Project: a secret organization that polices the traffic to and from a parallel reality filled with creatures straight out of myth and fairy tales.

For her first assignment, Millie is tasked with tracking down a missing movie star who also happens to be a nobleman of the Seelie Court. To find him, she'll have to smooth-talk Hollywood power players and uncover the surreal and sometimes terrifying truth behind the glamour of Tinseltown. But stronger forces than just her inner demons are sabotaging her progress, and if she fails to unravel the conspiracy behind the noble's disappearance, not only will she be out on the streets, but the shattering of a centuries-old peace could spark an all-out war between worlds.

No pressure.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.

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PROMO

Mishell Baker's Kick Ass UF Playlist

because every urban fantasy title deserves a soundtrack like Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

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Isn't that cover just amazing. (Yes the cover whore in me is drooling, get over it!) Anywho, to celebrate the release of Borderline, (March 1st) I'm showcasing five songs that Mishell (she spells her name so cool btw) believes fully captures the book, scenes, and characters. Feel free to add these jam worthy songs to your itunes, spotify, youtube watch later list . . you know whatever you use, so we can rock out together!

Oh, and stay tuned for my review. It may or may not be coming soon. Just kidding Hannah.  

Millie's Theme "Strong Enough" - Sheryl Crow

Residence Four: "God's Away on Business" - Tom Waits

Pacific Coast Highway: "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley

Gotham Hall Interview: "#1 Crush" - Garbage 

Final Confrontation: "Don't Drink the Water" - Dave Matthews Band 

Last Scene: "Crazy" - Shawn Colvin

Is this cover screaming read me? Are these songs singing to your soul, making you want to pick this up? Well shit hello, this giveaway will give you a chance to win. Enter now!

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In Real Life Review -- What Happens In Vegas . . YA Edition

In Real Life | Jessica Love
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Genre(s): Young Adult, Contempoary
Publisher: St.Martins Griffin
Pages: 240
Edition: EARC
Source: Publisher
Rating:

Hannah Cho and Nick Cooper have been best friends since 8th grade. They talk for hours on the phone, regularly shower each other with presents, and know everything there is to know about one another.

There's just one problem: Hannah and Nick have never actually met.

Hannah has spent her entire life doing what she's supposed to, but when her senior year spring break plans get ruined by a rule-breaker, she decides to break a rule or two herself. She impulsively decides to road trip to Las Vegas, her older sister and BFF in tow, to surprise Nick and finally declare her more-than-friend feelings for him.

Hannah's surprise romantic gesture backfires when she gets to Vegas and finds out that Nick has been keeping some major secrets. Hannah knows the real Nick can't be that different from the online Nick she knows and loves, but now she only has night in Sin City to figure out what her feelings for Nick really are, all while discovering how life can change when you break the rules every now and then.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.

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REVIEW

Road Trip. Vegas. Hot Boy Band. Big Boobs. Vegas

In Real Life definitely had the concept to be a 5 star read, but does it deliver?

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The beauty of not reading a book's synopsis is that you have absolutely NO clue what you're getting yourself into. It's almost as if you're going in completely blind -- left to discover the plot and whatever else the author has laid out for you on your own. I went in knowing next to nothing about In Real Life, and I was quite pleased to find out the concept surrounds one of my favorite things, road trips! So our MC hits the road to visit her best friend, a boy she's known online for 4 years. It should've been exciting, I mean it was exciting . . 

so how come I'm not feeling all that impressed?

Hey, hey
You, you
I don't like your girlfriend
No way, no way
I think you need a new one

If you don't know this song, you've lost major cool points. Okay? 

Anywho, if I had to create a playlist that would paint the perfect picture of what this book was about, Avril Lavigne's Girlfriend would be the only song playing. While I was hoping In Real Life was going to be more about the road trip, (which didn't even feel like a road trip, sad face) self-discovery, young dopey love, and all of that good YA jazz, it actually ended up revolving around one thing: the-big-boobed-redhaired-vegassocialite-bloggerextraordinaire-girlfriend. Okay, let me rewind just a bit.

We've All Been There.
Hannah is a straight A student. Hannah doesn't break rules. Hannah does the right thing. Hannah isn't that girl. Well isn't Hannah a freaking peach? (Sarcasm people) If there was anything we got out of our main character, it's that she does everything by the book. She's never broken a rule or disappointed her parents, but when the parentals go out of town, leaving her to spend the spring break with her rebellious older sis and bestie, an opportunity arises for her to finally see her online boo best friend Nick, and surprisingly she runs for it. One of my favorite aspects of this story was Hannah's and Nick's friendship. Since he lives in Vegas, (which is 4 hours from her residence in Orange County) they've never seen each other in person, causing them to rely on phone calls, texts, video chatting, you know that sort of thing. I can definitely relate to this. Through blogging, I've met some amazing girls and a few boys, and because we all live in different states, countries even, we have to resort to other means of communication. This never ruined our friendship, though. I feel closer to some of them, even more so than my friends outside of the book community. Tons of teens, and adults have online friendships/relationships, and I felt the author executed their connection realistically, making this aspect super relatable.

Ghost-Buster.
After popping up on oblivious Nick in Vegas, things get a bit interesting and a whole lot of annoying. We find out that Nick has a girlfriend hence the big-boobed-redhaired-vegassocialite-blogger extraordinaire thing I mentioned earlier. Problem was, Hannah was just so damn angry about this, and while I get it, it was technically her fault. So okay, he didn't tell his best friend he had a girlfriend, whoopy do, he's also been dropping a thousand and one hints that he liked Han (for 4 YEARS) who kept shooting him down. What's a boy to do? Wait around for her to finally admit that she's in love with him? Yeah, in her dreams. I just felt she was being a bit selfish. Not only was she pissed-then-not-pissed-then-pissed again at Nick like the entire time, she also took her frustrations out on her sister and best friend. By this time, I was pretty much done with her constant whining that I almost gave up, but her jealously towards Frankie (the girlfriend) and a bunch of other entertaining things, (like trying to make Nick jealous) is what kept me going. I enjoy reality TV like drama okay, don't judge. 

To be honest, I expected more. I felt the story could've covered more ground than just following the plot line of Hannah pinning after Nick, but I guess I get it. He was her bestfriend, and she wanted him. Do what you gotta do to get what you want . . . not my advice btw.

If you're looking for an easy read full of drama, vegas attractions, and cute boys, then this is a book for you. If not, still read it.

I was guiltily entertained.

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Brightside by Kim Holden Review -- I Want A Refund.

Brightside | Kim Holden

Genre(s): New Adult, Contemporary

Released: July 4, 2014 

Publisher: Do Epic LLC

Pages: 423

Source: Amazon

Rating:

Secrets. 

Everyone has one. 

Some are bigger than others. 

And when secrets are revealed, 

Some will heal you ... 

And some will end you. 

Kate Sedgwick’s life has been anything but typical. She’s endured hardship and tragedy, but throughout it all she remains happy and optimistic (there’s a reason her best friend Gus calls her Bright Side). Kate is strong-willed, funny, smart, and musically gifted. She’s also never believed in love. So when Kate leaves San Diego to attend college in the small town of Grant, Minnesota, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with Keller Banks. 

They both feel it. 

But they each have a reason to fight it. 

They each have a secret. 

And when secrets are revealed, 

Some will heal you … 

And some will end you.

AW guys, don't hug me all at once, I know you've missed me!

Okay but no, all jokes aside, it feels so freaking good to be talking to you all again. As I'm sure you've noticed, it's been pretty quiet here at fangirlconfessions, (in other words: I've been MIA) and I promise I have a legit explanation . . Meet Sir Blogging Slump. That's right, I've suffered from a blogging and an extremely fickle reading slump for the ENTIRE month of February. I don't even know what caused it. I just remember waking up one day not really wanting to do anything. I didn't want to tweet about books, post pictures about books, talk about books, think about books, write reviews, read arcs, blog hop, NOTHING. Anything pertaining to blogging I wanted no parts of. It freaked me out of course because I absolutely love blogging, but . . I just felt so tired you know? Burnt out even. On the other hand, It was the break I needed and now I'm back. I'm not sure if it's " better than ever, " but it's a start and we're rolling with it. 

Now, let's get down to business

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REVIEW

A Complete Waste Of Time & Precious Brain Cells 

never trust a book that has a near perfect rating on Goodreads. It'll kill you . .

No seriously.

.

When I was little I used to have this Barbie. She came with this ugly ass plaid outfit, and I knew I didn't want her, but hey, mama ain't raise no ungrateful babies. Anywho, she had a button you could press on her back, and every time you did she would say, " Hey, I'm Barbie, something, something, something, " and OMG yall, it was the most annoying thing ever! I got so tired of hearing her say the same thing over and over again, I ended up bashing her head against the edge of my dresser until finally, she no longer had a damn thing to say. (RIP Barbie). Brightside reminded me ALOT of this Barbie. Could I bash it's head against something to make it STFU -- to make it go away? Nope, and that was the problem.

She Puts The "Ass" In Massive.
Kate Sedgwick, surfer chick from California. We know very little about her, but what we do know is that she's perfect. She moves to Minnesota to attend college, bringing her outdated slang and DIY t-shirts with her. After skimming a ton of reviews, I've noticed that I'm the only reader who thought she was original. No one seemed to like the fact that she was 19 but read like she was 12, (which was super adorable) or that her vocabulary only seemed to consist of " dude, righteous, or stoked. " I mean hello guys she's a California native! Don't they all speak like they're stoners from the early 90's? It was pretty clear why everyone put her on such a high pedestal. When she wasn't talking about her love for black coffee every five seconds, (no sugar, no cream that's not original) she was busy being the perfect friend, the perfect role model, the perfect person who had all of this positivity to spread in the world. She was an, I'll-drown-you in-cotton-candy-rainbows-and cute-puppies type of asshole and incredibly judgemental, but hey I loved her for that!

I'm obviously spreading on the sarcasm pretty thick here.

Dude Three's So Not A Crowd.
Don't we all love unintentional love triangles? I most certainly do, (rolls eyes) and Kate's three-way was like watching a throwback episode of Laguna Beach, full of unnecessary drama and other not-so-awesome thangs. For one, her friend/relationship with her bestfriend Gus, was by far the weirdest shit I've ever witnessed in my life. From page one, it was pretty clear they were sickeningly in love with each other, but I guess playing the we-had-sex-but-bro-you're-still-my-bro game, was something the author wanted to achieve. It was just so . . strange. Keller, Kate's unimportant love interest, didn't make things any better. When he wasn't busy going into Cardiac Arrest when he seen her . . well, that's pretty much all he ever did. Their infatuation with each other kicked off pretty quickly, and with no real connection built between the two, it basically ended up being insta-love. Everyone worshiped the ground Kate walked on, so yep, no surprise there.

The Grand Canyon.
You know things have gone to shit when you can tap an author on their shoulder and say, " umm, did you forget what you said in the beginning of the story orrrr? " In other words, this book had MAJOR plot holes and inconsistencies. I think Kim spent so much time throwing everything from the kitchen sink into this novel, that she forgot to tie up a few loose ends causing the entire plot to be all over the place. It was bad enough the story had sooo much unnecessary shit going on, and to add things that didn't make any sense was enough to make me walk straight off a cliff.

It honestly baffles me that this story is praised so highly, especially since I viewed it as a complete shitshow. I was bothered by so many things, the immature writing, the inauthentic connections between any of the characters, the lack of research and poor depiction of Cancer and Bulimia, I mean my list goes on and on and on and on . . you get the point.

Brightside lowered my IQ and ended up being a bright pain in my ass. 
I'm going back to binge watching The Walking Dead. 

Screw this. 

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