Arianne's Fifteen Must-Reads for 2015!

2015 looks like it’s going to be an amazing year for books, and particularly in YA. There are just so many great reads to look forward to!

1. The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson: The Kiss of Deception was my favourite book of 2014, so it’s no surprise that The Heart of Betrayal is at the very top of my 2015 wishlist. Thrilling, evocative and stunningly well-written, this is a series you should all be reading.

2. The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick: the long-awaited follow-up to the phenomenal My Life Next Door, this book should probably be renamed The Book Most Likely to Make Me Fangirl Over An Entire Fictional Family. Sprawling, hilarious and heart-warming, I love that Huntley Fitzpatrick is returning to the chaotic Garrett household. I’m so glad Alice and Tim are getting a book of their own – and maybe we’ll even get a glimpse of old favourites Samantha and Jase, too!

3. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab:  I’ve already read 130 pages of this book thanks to early-look ARCs, and I’ve fallen absolutely head over heels for it. Complex and captivating, it’s gritty urban-historical fantasy with great characters, brilliant world-building and incredible writing. 

4. The Wanderers by Kate Ormand:  for fans of Laura Lam and George R. R. Martin, The Wanderers — about a sixteen-year-old traveling with a shapeshifter circus and a betrayal in camp that threatens the lives of them all – sounds ridiculously cool. It’s everything I never even knew I needed from UKYA!

5. The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon: originally scheduled for release in October 2014, this sequel to The Bone Season will finally be with us in January 2015 and I for one cannot wait! I really enjoyed The Bone Season, and I can’t wait to return to Paige Mahoney’s world.

6. This Is Not a Love Story by Keren David: one contemporary novel I’ll definitely be clearing my schedule for is This Is Not a Love Story. Keren David is a fantastic storyteller and a great ambassador for UKYA. Her books are utterly enthralling, and most of all, they don’t hold back.

7. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman: I haven’t seen much hype for The Invisible Library, but the moment I read the description “an adventure featuring stolen books, secret agents and forbidden societies - think Doctor Who with librarian spies!” I knew I’d want to read it.

8. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard: Set in a world where three empires rule, defined by a type of magic known as witchery, Truthwitch is a breath-taking, breakneck-speed story about love, adventure, war, consequences, and above all, friendship — and I’ve wanted to read it since the moment I first heard about it.

9. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: I’ve heard so much praise for this book, I couldn’t resist adding it to the list. Sarah J. Maas is one of my favourite high fantasy authors and with this new series, she’s bringing her incredible talent to a slightly older audience, promising more danger, romance, magic and intrigue than ever before.

10. The Next Together by Lauren James:  there aren’t many debut authors on this list, but The Next Together is an epic love story spanning not just years but centuries, so I just had to include it. Walker Books have made an absolute coup in signing such a skilled young author, and although it doesn’t release until September next year, I’m certain this is one debut to watch. 

11. Kalahari by Jessica Khoury: there’s always one book on my most anticipated list that stands out as completely different from the others, and this year, it’s Kalahari. Part science fiction, part survival story, it’s set against a glorious African backdrop — and what’s more, Jessica Khoury’s already released the first chapters online!

12. Kissing Ted Callahan (And Other Guys) by Amy Spalding: every to-read list needs a cute, light-hearted, fun contemporary to balance out all those epic fantasy sagas! More than that, however, Kissing Ted Callahan strikes a balance between humour and sophistication, which sets it apart from other books of its genre. I’ve been asking for intelligent yet relatable romantic comedies in YA for a long time, so I’m hoping this book will do the trick.

13. Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith: I will read anything Jennifer E. Smith writes, but this book literally had me at hello. It centres around two characters named Aidan and Clare, set over a single night but exploring the entirety of their relationship, and if it lives up to expectations, it could be my favourite Jen E. Smith book since The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.

14. Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein: another new release from the queen of YA historical fiction? Count me in! Black Dove, White Raven has such an original premise — though I’m certain I’ll need to stock up Kleenex while reading!

15. The Almost King by Lucy Saxon: Take Back the Skies was one of the most memorable books I read in 2014, so when I heard it was the first in a six-book series, I was over the moon. Each book focuses on a different character in a vast alternate universe known as Tellus, and while I’ll miss the characters from the first book, I’m excited to see where Aleks’ tale takes us.

*****

Read All About It: News, Deals and Cover Reveals from Jennifer E. Smith, Ann Brashares, Samantha Young, Lauren Kate & More!

Here's a round up of the latest book news, deals and some cover reveals that I've discovered over the past few weeks!  It's also basically a digest of all the exciting news stories that come my way and which I've mostly already posted on my twitter and Facebook feeds, so if you want up-to-the-minute book news and you don't want to have to wait around for me to type this up, you can follow me on those sites!

 Like DaisyChainBookReviews on Facebook  ||   Follow  @daisychainbooks on Twitter and then you'll never miss a thing!

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The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith || Release date: April 2014

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

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Book Deals, Book Deals, Book Deals....

 

New Two-Book Deal for Huntley Fitzpatrick

Jessica Garrison at Dial has bought two more contemporary teen romances by former romance editor Huntley Fitzpatrick, whose debut novel My Life Next Door was published by Dial in summer 2012. Dial is releasing Fitzpatrick's sophomore novel, What I Thought Was True, in April 2014; the first title in the new deal will be a sequel to My Life Next Door. Christina Hogrebe at the Jane Rotrosen Agency sold world rights. 

Rhiannon by David Levithan 

Nancy Hinkel at Knopf has acquired David Levithan's Rhiannon, the companion to Every Day, his recent novel about A, the character who changes bodies on a daily basis. The new book is told from the perspective of A's love interest, Rhiannon. Publication is set for spring 2015; Bill Clegg at WME brokered the deal for North American rights. 

The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy

Navah Wolfe at Simon & Schuster has bought world rights to The Creeping by debut author Alexandra Sirowy in a two-book pre-empt. It's a YA thriller in which a girl vanished with her friend when they were both five, and was the only one who returned. Now, years later, she is beginning to recover memories from that time amid a wave of creepy events. Publication is set for summer 2015; Brianne Johnson at Writers House brokered the deal. 

Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul

 Sara Sargent at Balzer + Bray has acquired world English rights to Underneath Everything, a YA debut by Marcy Beller Paul. It's a contemporary psychological thriller about two girls bound by an obsessive friendship. When Mattie decides to take back the boyfriend, friends, and life she thinks Jolene stole from her years ago, she's drawn into an intoxicating – and toxic – relationship that blurs the boundary between friendship and love. Publication is scheduled for fall 2015; Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management did the deal.

Love, Lucy by April Lindner

 Pamela Garfinkel at Little, Brown's Poppy imprint has bought Love, Lucy by April Lindner, author of Jane and Catherine. It centers on 17-year-old Lucy Sommersworth, who, after falling for a street musician while backpacking in Florence, faces the realities of her freshman year of college; it was inspired by A Room with a View. Publication is set for fall 2014; Amy Williams at McCormick & Williams Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights. 

The 100 Society by Carla Spradbery

Hodder Children's Books has bought two novels from debut author Carla Spradbery, acquiring world rights from Stephanie Thwaites at Curtis Brown.

Spradbery's debut The 100 Society is described as a "suspenseful" standalone YA thriller about six sixth-form students at an elite boarding school who form a society, The 100 Society, based around a dangerous game. When a menacing stalker, the Reaper, becomes involved, the game takes a darker turn.

Pottesman called Spradbery "a brilliant storyteller whose manuscript gripped, thrilled and teased me until the last page."

The book will be published in September 2014, to be followed by a further standalone novel in 2015.

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More Book Covers of Awesome...

 Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg || Release date: February 2014

 

 WHEN HARRY MET SALLY . . . for teens, from romantic comedy star Elizabeth Eulberg.

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can't be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan's friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they're best friends -- which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't keep getting in each other's way. Guys won't ask Macallan out because they think she's with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can't help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again -- and one kiss away from true love?

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 The Here and Now by Ann Brashares || Release date: April 2014

Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

Thrilling, exhilarating, haunting, and heartbreaking, The Here and Now is a twenty-first-century take on an impossible romance. Ann Brashares’ first novel for teens since The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.

Meet seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. But everything changes when she falls for Ethan Jarves.

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Out of the Shallows by Samantha Young || Release date: January 2014 

 Live young. Live hard. Love deep.

Jake and Charley’s story concludes in Out of the Shallows…

Somehow, after everything they’ve been through, Jake Caplin and Charley Redford have made their way back to one another. But finding each other and staying together are two completely different things. As Charley fights for the future she wants for herself and with Jake, parents, exes, friends, and her own distrust, are resolved to yank her back into the real world.

While Jake is determined how deeply they feel for one another will get them through their issues, Charley has to wonder… is love alone really ever enough?

Click to read my review of Into The Deep

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 Love and Chaos (Brooklyn Girls #2) by Gemma Burgess  || Release date: Feb. 2014

Wild child and secret romantic Angie wakes up in a hotel room with $3,000 and no memories of the night before. Her best friends aren’t talking to her, she can’t get a job in fashion, her parents are divorcing, and she’s about to turn twenty-three. And life is about to get much worse.

Brooklyn Girls: Love and Chaos continues the story of our five favorite grads sharing a brownstone and starting out in New York City through Angie’s eyes. On a journey from private jets and yacht parties to dirty subways and hipster bars via crazy storms, flash floods, and retail jobs from hell, Angie discovers who she is, what she wants, how she’s going to get it —and a crazy little thing called true love.

Meanwhile, her roommates lives are imploding, too. Coco’s self-medicating and self-loathing, Pia’s breaking up and cracking up, Madeleine’s finding her voice and Julia might—just might—have met someone she can actually date.

Brooklyn Girls is the hilarious, inspiring Gemma Burgess series every twenty-something has been waiting for that tells you that whatever you do, whatever mistakes you make, everything is going to be okay. All you need is a little luck, a little work, and your best friends. 

US Cover

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 From Book to Screen....

Leads Cast in Movie Adaptation of Lauren Kate's Fallen  

Presenting Addison Timlin as Lucinda Price and Jeremy Irvine as Daniel Grigori.

What do you think of the Fallen cast so far? I haven't seen either actor in anything before, but I guess both of them look the part, at least. (Luke Mitchell was my dream pick for Daniel - that's how I pictured him while reading Fallen. I think I also pictured him as Hayden Christensen at one point).

 You might like to take a look at Lauren Kate's dream movie cast for Fallen which she wrote as a guest post for the blog a while back. Check it out here.  I think Lauren got it so right when she chose Ed Westwick as Cam - I would love to see that happen! 

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Please note that book covers may not be final and may be subject to change.  Additional sources:  PW Children's Bookshelf, The Bookseller, Goodreads, Amazon UK. 

Reviewed by Arianne: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith.

Product details:
Publisher: Headline.
Hardcover, 416 pages.
Release date: April 4th 2013.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 13+
Source: Purchased.
Reviewed by: Arianne.

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names.

Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles.

When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Just as they did in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the hands of fate intervene in wondrous ways in this YA novel that delivers on high concept romance in lush and thoughtful prose.

I'm not going to deny it. I adore The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the book which catapulted Jennifer E. Smith into the stratosphere of the contemporary young adult scene. I get all misty-eyed and hazy-brained when I think about it because all I want to do is delve in and experience it all over again. And the moment I saw This Is What Happy Looks Like at the bookshop, I just knew it had to bring it home with me. It was worth the hefty price tag of high expectation; it was worth the rearranging of my entire shelf to accommodate its chunky size. It had to be.

The premise of This Is What Happy Looks Like is perfect rom-com material. An accidental email flung halfway across a continent brings two very different people together. Graham’s a movie star out of his depth in Hollywood, fighting to be the good guy amid all the perils of fame, and the anonymity of email is a lifeline for him. Ellie has reasons for staying out of the spotlight, tucked away in a seaside corner of Maine, but when Graham starts shooting his latest film in her hometown of Henley, she’s forced to make a choice. Save herself from slow suffocation in the safest place she’s ever known, or really strive to achieve dreams which are more than what the little town has to offer her.

Unfortunately, it seems as if Jennifer E. Smith has failed to replicate in this book the incredible balance of pace and character she managed in her last one. There’s still real warmth and even a flash of brilliance or two, but I was simply left feeling as if I needed something more.

The book opens with the infamous accidental email and this was a great start for me. I love the use of email as a plot device and I always have. The characters were established immediately, without preamble, fuss or extraneous explanation. Ellie was strong and smart and so easy to relate to. I didn't fall head over heels for Graham the way I'm used to with stories like this, but his genuine personality really suited the book and he was really very sweet.

There’s surprising depth to the book’s sub-plots, too. Readers wondering where Ellie’s father is will more than get their answer. There’s a typical case of the wanton ex involved when it comes to the many obstacles blocking Ellie and Graham’s path to each other but I was more interested in the absence of parents in his life. Several of these sub-plots are really put on the back burner for most of the book, but I found myself eagerly awaiting their outcome as I read on.

Even without falling for the hero, there’s a lot to love about this book. I loved the setting, which was perfectly pitched as a kitsch seaside town without the usual stereotypes. It could have easily been generic and unappetizing but there’s detail galore and I really felt for Ellie as she contemplated leaving in order to attend the poetry course she’s been aspiring to since she was barely a teenager.

In particular, I loved Jennifer E. Smith's prose. I've always enjoyed her writing and it was great to see her trademark style return. It’s clean, crisp and immediate, never vague but always tactful. I couldn't fault the storytelling; it was the story that let me down.

The main problem I had with this book was that nothing really happened. There was a lack of confrontation, an ease with which Smith glossed over some of the more important aspects of the novel and a gradual slowing of pace which just didn't appeal to me. The supporting characters were vivid, but I didn't connect with them – especially Quinn, Ellie's supposed best friend.

In short: Placed alongside her last book, Jennifer E. Smith’s This Is What Happy Looks Like is the literary equivalent of marshmallow; thick and sugary but liable to leave you feeling just a little queasy. A solid four-star rating, however, because I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet summer read with depth this year.

-Arianne

Cover Candy #22 - Recent Swoonworthy Cover Reveals!

So much pretty! Here are some of my latest cover crushes!Admittedly, I wasn't the biggest fan of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, but I just love the sound of This is What Happy Looks Like. I have high hopes for this one! I also can't wait to get my hands on Blink Once, Shadowlands and so many others.  How amazing does Uses for Boys sound?!

I think my wishlist just exploded!

Let me know what you think of the featured books. Are you loving the covers? Which book is your most wanted?

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This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher: Little, Brown.

Release date: April 2013

Ages:  13+

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

 
When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Shadowlands by Kate Brian
Publisher: Hyperion
Release date:  January 2013
Ages:  YA

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

Blink Once by Cylin Busby 
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release date: October 2012
Ages: 14+

West is a high school senior who has everything going for him – until an accident leaves him paralysed. Strapped down in his hospital bed, moving in and out of consciousness, West is isolated and alone. Until he meets Olivia.

Olivia is the girl next door – though not the typical girl next door. She is in the hospital room next to his, and before long, she’s sneaking into his room to talk with him. Only Olivia seems to know what he’s thinking, and even dreaming about. Yet certain questions haunt him: Why is Olivia in the hospital? And how is she connected to the terrible dreams he’s been having? But the biggest shock of all comes when West must face the possibility that the girl he’s fallen in love with – and who’s done more to aid his recovery than anyone else – may not even be alive.

Premeditated by Josin L. McQuein
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release date: October 2013
Ages:   YA

A week ago, Dinah’s cousin Claire cut her wrists.

Five days ago, Dinah found Claire’s diary and discovered why.

Three days ago, Dinah stopped crying and came up with a plan.

Two days ago, she ditched her piercings and bleached the black dye from her hair.

Yesterday, knee socks and uniform plaid became a predator’s camouflage.

Today, she’ll find the boy who broke Claire.

By tomorrow, he’ll wish he were dead.

Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Release date: January 2013
Ages:   13+

From an extraordinary new YA talent comes a debut novel about a girl who turns to boys—until she finally learns to lean on herself.

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.
Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux
Release date: October 2012
Ages:  12+

Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. She has never really belonged anywhere—but she couldn’t have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn’t happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population.

Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. But Conn’s interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her.

As if she were his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything—not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades’ latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever . . .

In this smart, compulsively readable novel, master storyteller Marie Rutkoski has crafted an utterly original world, characters you won’t soon forget, and a tale full of intrigue and suspense. 

-- At the time of writing, both Blink Once and The Shadow Society are available to request on Netgalley.


* Please note: These covers may not be final and may be subject to change. Images sourced from publishers websites, Goodreads & Amazon. 

Read All About It #4 - Recent Exciting Book News & Deals!

I just took a look at my 'Book Deals etc.' folder and saw that it was bursting at the seams, so I reckon it's high time I did another 'Read All About It' post. So much book news to get through!

You can see previous Read All About It posts: here.

Strange Chemistry Reveals First Acquisitions!

Strange Chemistry the new YA imprint from Angry Robot books, launches in September 2012 and has just announced two exciting additions to its launch list!

Shift by Kim Curran

About the book:

When your average, 16-year old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he’s not quite so average after all. He’s a ‘Shifter’. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he’s ever made. At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world quickly starts to unravel around him he realises that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands.

Find out more about about Kim on her website

 Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

 About the Book: 

Julie is an apprentice witch – or so she believes. When a dark power comes stalking out of the past to haunt her and her mother, Julie learns that she is far more than just a witch. With the help of her best friend Marcus and a rather unusual Great Dane, Julie has to race against time to ensure she can defeat the bad guy, save her mother and avoid being grounded – again!

Find out more about Sean on his website

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

A contemporary fantasy described as Paranormalcy meet Hex Hall this is one book I can't wait to get my hands on. The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett releases Winter 2013

About the book:

16-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Dusty is a magical being who feeds on human dreams.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. The setting is Arkwell.

And then it comes true.

Now the Dusty has to follow the clues--both within Eli’s dreams and out of them--to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target. 

Find out more about Mindee: 

Blog: Musingly Mindee

Twitter: @Mindeearnett

Add The Nightmare Affair on Goodreads

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

About the book:

Headline Review has acquired a new title by the author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.

Headline senior commissioning editor Hannah Sheppard bought This is What Happy Looks Like, the fifth novel by YA author Jennifer E Smith, for publication in spring 2013.

The title begins with a misdirected email which sparks an "unlikely and irresistible romance" between two 17-year-olds on opposite sides of the US.

What the publishers are saying:

"It has been fantastic to watch the love pour in from readers of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight so I'm thrilled that Jennifer is writing another gorgeous contemporary romance. Jennifer's skill at developing the romantic relationship through dialogue and banter make her books an absolute joy and a luxury to read. I know her fans will love This is What Happy Looks Like."  - Hannah Sheppard, Senior Commissioning Editor, Headline.

Dead Blue by Elle Cosimano

About the book:

DEAD BLUE is a rollercoaster ride of a novel, guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seat, and stars a wonderful protagonist called Nearly Boswell, a math-genius from a suburban Washington DC trailer park. With the body count rising, Nearly realizes that she is the only student able to decipher the complex clues left for her by a serial killer who has every intention of framing her for murder. With mysterious blue-inked symbols turning up on every body, can Nearly find the real perp in time to save her own life? 

Publishing Fall 2013 from Dial, an imprint of  Penguin USA.

Find out more about Elle:

Blog:  Elle Cosimano

Facebook: ellecosimano

Add Dead Blue on Goodreads

Grotesque by Page Morgan

OK, so there's not a whole lot of info about this one yet, but guys!! A gothic thriller...set in PARIS!! Sign me up for that! We have a wait though. Grotesque, the first in a trilogy isn't out until Spring 2013 (Delacorte). I want it NOW!!!!

OK, so....

About the book:

Page Morgan’s GROTESQUE, a new gothic thriller series set in Paris at the turn of the twentieth century, about two sisters on a search for their missing brother and the deadly and otherworldly truths that they discover.

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Additional info & quotes: 

booktrade.info, The Bookseller, Publishers Lunch

Please note:  Release dates and book titles may not be final and may be subject to change.

Book Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith.

Product details:
Publisher: Headline.
Hardcover, 224 pages.
Release date: January 5th 2012.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Ages: 13+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

Ever since I read and fell in love with Stephanie Perkin’s Anna and the French Kiss last year I’ve been on the lookout for another contemporary novel to make me swoon. I actively seek them out, these swoon making books, and when The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight popped through my mailbox, I thought, Bingo! This is it. This is the book to make me swoon like I swooned for Etienne St. Clair. Better still, almost all the early reviews of this book were positively glowing. Everyone was swooning! So, I was all ready to settle down with a heart-warming, feel good, romantic read and while The Statistical Probability of Love at First sight is all of those to a certain degree, it didn’t really make a lasting impression on me. And it didn’t make me swoon.

Hadley is running late. She’s running late for the plane that will take her to her father’s wedding on the other side of the Atlantic. She doesn’t want to see her father, and to say that she’s not happy about the fact that he’s remarrying, is an understatement.  So she doesn’t care if she’s late for her flight, doesn’t care if she misses it. But when she does miss her flight by just four minutes little does she know that this will set in motion a chain of events that will change her life forever.  While she’s waiting on the next flight out to London, she meets Oliver, a British boy who is waiting for the same flight. Hadley is immediately drawn to Oliver, and when by another stroke of luck they find themselves sitting next to each other on the Heathrow flight, good things start to happen.

I love the premise of this one. I love chance meetings that lead to something more. I believe in instant connections and instant chemistry that can quickly turn into love. One of my all time favourite movies is Before Sunrise, which is all about fate and falling in love and is set over a similar time period as this book. But while I wanted to love The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, I just didn’t. For me it was a forgettable read.  Mostly this was due to the fact that I didn’t connect with the main character. I always find character connections difficult when books are told in third person point-of –view like this one is, and here I immediately felt distanced from Hadley. She’s got a lot going on in her life.  She’s angry and bitter, and not the easiest character to grow to like at first. Oliver is a different matter. There is nothing not to like about the guy. He’s smart, handsome and his charming behaviour made me smile. He’s a consistent character, too, with such a likeable personality that I immediately loved his presence in the book.

Hadley, though, changes a lot from when we first meet her. Since the book is such a quick read, I found the changes in her character a little inconsistent, contrived even, at times.  Hadley’s quick change in attitude towards her father and his new life didn’t sit too well with me.  I don’t even want to start on what I didn’t like about Hadley’s dad, because I might never stop.  Everything about him irked me. From the way he treated Hadley and her mom, to the Briticisms he constantly dropped into his speech. Seriously, dude, you’ve only been living in England for a couple years. It’s still a diaper! Ugh!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight didn’t pull at my heart strings and it didn’t make me swoon, but it did make me smile from time time to time. It’s one for total romantics, believers in love at first sight, and a fun way to while away a few hours.