Month: July 2014

Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore | Book Review

Posted July 31, 2014 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 4 Comments

Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore | Book ReviewJust Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore
Published by Walker Children's on July 22, 2014
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 300
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Mail)
Add to Goodreads
Buy on Amazon

Pretty and popular track star Marijke Monti is confident about almost everything – she’s got great friends, a great family, and she’s on her way to the State Track Championship. In fact, the only thing Marijke isn’t confident about is her relationship with Tommy Lawson.

Lily Spencer has spent her entire high school career preparing for the future – she’s participated in every extracurricular activity and volunteer committee she could. But, at home, she watches her mother go on date after date with dud-dudes, still searching for “the one.” Lily realizes that she’s about to graduate and still hasn’t even had a boyfriend.

While they live on each other’s periphery at school, Lily and Marijke never seemed to have much in common; but, after a coincidental meeting at the movie theater, Lily gets an idea – why can’t life be like a movie? Why can’t they set up their perfect romantic situations, just in time for their senior prom, using movie techniques?

Once the girls come up with the perfect plans, they commit themselves to being secret cohorts and, just like in the movies, drama ensues.

Just Like the Movies is a darling breath of fresh summer air, and it could not have come into my life at a better time! I’ve always been a hopeless romantic, and I spend the months leading up to my birthday and Christmas scouring the Internet for any and all romantical movies that have not been added to my collection. I knew from the get-go that this was a book for me, and it was. As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. Right off the bat, I loved all the mentions of some of my favorite romantic comedies. Kelly has great taste in swoony movies, and I even got some recommendations for my Christmas list! After reading Kelly’s take on a particularly romantic boombox scene from Say Anything, I know I need to go watch that movie!

2. I SO identify with Lily, to the point where I almost forgot I was reading about someone other than myself! Lily is high school me. She’s a bookish, organized, intellectual wallflower with a long list of things she wants to accomplish and her future all planned out. She wants a love story like the movies, but doesn’t think anyone even notices her. She’s crushing on a guy she thinks is WAY out of her league. On the flip side, she has this snarky sarcasm thing going on that I just loved. She is so me. I was a studious, shy, choir girl who was actually told by one of her best friends that she should be a bank robber because nobody would notice her come and go.I wasn’t weird, I was pretty, and I had a lot to offer. And I always wondered why I was overlooked the popular guys (side note – Now that I am old and wise, I’m actually glad I was overlooked). I wish I’d had a friend like Lily to commiserate with.

3. Marijke is the popular girl that’s actually likeable, and it was so refreshing to read about her. The star athletes in high school are almost never nice (and if you were a nice star athlete in highschool, high five!), but Marijke really proves herself. She’s got her insecurities and her frustrations and her home drama. She’s a normal girl. I liked her a lot, even though I probably would have avoided her in high school.

4. I have a huge crush on Joe Lombardi.

5. I loved the focus on friendship. Lily and Marijke have the most amazing friendship that spans high school social groups in a way that feels so real. And I loved watching them bond over their love of romance and their desires to have it in their own lives.

6. Probably my favorite thing about Just Like the Movies is the focus on growth and coming of age. Kelly and I touched on this in our interview last week. As the story moves on, these girls both get stronger and stronger. They figure out who they are, what they want, and that they deserve more than they are getting. I loved watching them both discover their individuality and their amazingness. And what I loved even more is that things work out for these girls once they discover themselves. There’s a huge message of loving yourself enough to demand a certain kind of respect from others. If only we could all learn to do this.

All in all, Just Like the Movies is a very sweet romance with tons of references to well-loved romantic movies, a beautiful friendship, swoony boys, girl power, and an important message to readers young and old. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves romantic contemporary stories with a little meat on their bones,.


Author Kelly Fiore on Just Like the Movies | Interview + Giveaway

Posted July 25, 2014 by Jana in Author Interview, Giveaway / 7 Comments

I’m so excited to have Kelly on the blog today to talk about her new book, Just Like the Movies, as part of the official blog tour hosted by Bloomsbury Children’s! This book is absolutely adorable (keep an eye out for my raving review next week!), and so is the author. I had so much fun learning more about her and her book. Before we jump in to the interview, let me give you some info on the book. And make sure you get to the very bottom of the post so you can enter the giveaway for a finished copy of Just Like the Movies!


just like the moviesJust Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore
Published by Walker Books for young Readers on July 22, 2014
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 300
Format: ARC
Source: From the Publisher
Buy the BookAdd to Goodreads

Pretty and popular track star Marijke Monti is confident about almost everything – she’s got great friends, a great family, and she’s on her way to the State Track Championship. In fact, the only thing Marijke isn’t confident about is her relationship with Tommy Lawson.

Lily Spencer has spent her entire high school career preparing for the future – she’s participated in every extracurricular activity and volunteer committee she could. But, at home, she watches her mother go on date after date with dud-dudes, still searching for “the one.” Lily realizes that she’s about to graduate and still hasn’t even had a boyfriend.

While they live on each other’s periphery at school, Lily and Marijke never seemed to have much in common; but, after a coincidental meeting at the movie theater, Lily gets an idea – why can’t life be like a movie? Why can’t they set up their perfect romantic situations, just in time for their senior prom, using movie techniques?

Once the girls come up with the perfect plans, they commit themselves to being secret cohorts and, just like in the movies, drama ensues.


Author Interview

TARG: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions today, Kelly!

KF: Thanks so much for having me, Jana.

TARG: If you only had five words (or less) to sell your book to a potential reader, how would you describe it to them?

KF: Friendship’s it’s own happy ending.

TARG: Oh, I absolutely love that! I love books with a strong friendship element, and Just Like the Movies definitely has that.

One can only assume you had specific movies in mind while you were writing. You mention quite a few throughout the book itself, but which movie(s) made you go: “I’ve got to write this book.”

KF: I think Say Anything is the biggest reason – that boombox scene is iconic – but also a lot of movies that didn’t make the cut were movies I loved and wanted to “live” in. Movies like French Kiss or Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion were movies that I saw during high school and thought, “Oh, that could never happen.” Adult Kelly thought, “Wait… what if it could…?”

TARG: I’ve actually never seen Say Anything, but you’ve got me wanting to! It sounds super sweet and romantic.

Just Like the Movies features two girls who are very different from one another, but bond over their love of romantic movies. You’ve got Marijke, an outgoing track star with a sexy boyfriend and Lily, a shy, studious wallflower. Which one of these girls do you see yourself in?

KF: Lily. So much of Lily is me. Which is funny, because I wasn’t exactly quiet or anything in high school. But the sarcastic snark, the biting wit – that’s me to a fault. Like Lily, I’ve used that to keep people entertained, but at a distance.

TARG: I also identified a lot with Lily as I was reading. I’ve always been the quiet, organized type, but I can whip out a little one-liner or a sarcastic comment every now and then and make people laugh. I was also the girl in school people looked over, or even through. I loved Lily a lot because I saw her living my life.

Anyone who follows your blog knows you’re a total foodie (and your debut novel, Taste Test, definitely confirms it.) Lily mentions that she loves the Saturday morning tradition of peanut butter pancakes with bananas for breakfast. Does a recipe for these exist? She also says she loves to cook for her family. What other kinds of things does Lily cook?

KF: I’m sure a recipe exists! I don’t have one, but they sound way too delicious not to be a real thing. ☺ I don’t know if Lily is much of a cook besides the basics – she’s pretty great at ordering pizza, though! (Joe Lombardi, on the other hand? He’s one of those guys I can imagine has some great date night staple recipes under his belt to impress the ladies – like Pasta Carbonara or Shrimp Scampi.)

TARG: Ahh, Joe. I love Joe a lot! And I can totally see him whipping up some yummy Italian.

Which Just Like the Movies scene was your favorite one to write? Why?

KF: I love writing climactic scenes in most cases, although I really loved writing the preface/beginning part of JLTM when the girls are in Tommy’s yard. It was the very first thing I wrote for the book and I felt their friendship starting to root in that section. Oh, and I loved writing Marijke’s running scenes. Chapter One specifically.

TARG: What’s your favorite quote from Just Like the Movies? Why?

KF: From page 269 – the last Marijke section:
“And there it is – the last aspect of the perfect movie romance: chemistry. It’s the one thing that the movies capture that real life has in common. It’s the one thing you can’t fake, because it’s as certain as science.”

TARG: I highlighted that quote! It’s definitely one of my favorites as well.

Just Like the Movies comes off as being a light contemporary romance, but there are some heavier issues and a lot of feelings. What do you hope readers take away from this story?

KF: This is a great question. In the end, this story is about relationships with other people and how we value ourselves in our relationships – romantic and friend-oriented. Marjike and Lily both make choices based on what other people – boys, in particular – might think of them. By the end of the book, both of them have learned that their opinions of themselves are the ones that matter the most. If I could hope for anything of my readers, it would be that they recognize and appreciate that growth.

TARG: Mission accomplished, Kelly! I loved watching these girls grow in their relationships with each other, as well as with the boys. And I particularly loved watching them stand up for themselves, because that’s something high school girls (and even adult women!) just don’t do enough of.

By nature, writers are extremely passionate about their craft. What has becoming an author done for you as a person?

KF: Becoming an author, specifically, has made me far more thick-skinned. And a little more patient. It’s given me the opportunity to leave something behind and it’s made me stronger. It’s made me both exceedingly happy and extremely miserable – sometimes at the same time.

TARG: I love that. I know I’ve done things in my life that have made me a strong version of who I was, and they are some of my most rewarding experiences.

Finally, do you have a love story worthy of the movies?

KF: I think every love story is worthy of a movie – it’s love, man. It’s the exception. It’s the reason to get out of bed. I met my husband when we were basically kids. Thirteen years later, he still makes me laugh until I snort coffee and makes me so mad that I want to punch holes in everything we own. He’s given me the most beautiful little boy and the most beautiful life. And almost none of our story would fit within the parameters of a romantic comedy. But, you know what? Every single second of it has been love. We are the lucky ones. And I wish everyone – everyone – that kind of imperfect, infuriating, frustrating, intoxicating, endless love. It’s why those movies are made in the first place.

TARG: *swoon* I don’t even know how to respond to that statement! I hope I find your kind of love one day for myself.

Thanks so much, again, Kelly! It has been a lot of fun getting to know you today. I absolutely adored Just Like the Movies, and can’t wait for your next book, The People vs. Cecelia Price!


Meet the Author

Kelly Fiore has a BA in English from Salisbury University and an MFA in Poetry from West Virginia University. She received an Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council in 2005 and 2009. Kelly’s poetry has appeared in Small Spiral Notebook, Samzidada, Mid Atlantic Review, Connotation Press, and the Grolier Annual Review. Her first young adult novel, Taste Test, was released in August 2013 from Bloomsbury USA. Forthcoming books include Just Like the Movies, again from Bloomsbury, in 2014 and The People Vs. Cecelia Price from HarperTeen in 2015.

Kelly teaches college composition in Maryland, where she lives with her husband and son.

Connect with Kelly!
Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook | Goodreads


Giveaway

The wonderful people of Bloomsbury Children’s have a great giveaway for you! Enter below for a chance to win a finished copy of Just Like the Movies! USA only, please.
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Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more awesome content!

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7/23 Anna Reads
7/24 Dream Within a Dream
7/25 That Artsy Reader Girl
7/28 Alexa Loves Books
7/29 Jenuine Cupcakes
7/30 The Lifelong Bookworm


Top Ten Characters I’d Enjoy Being Stranded With

Posted July 21, 2014 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 10 Comments

 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at the other blog I write for, The Broke and the Bookish.

I feel like it has been forever since I participated in a Top Ten Tuesday! This is a list of characters that I would be just fine being stranded on a deserted island with. Some are for friendship, some for protection, some for romance, and some for comedic relief!

 

Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
I would not go hungry if Katniss were around to hunt!

Bennett from the Time Between Us duology by Tamara Ireland Stone
Bennett is a time traveler, plus he can travel AYWHERE. So I would have him around for when I needed a break from the island and wanted to go to a concert in Chicago in 1970.

Mal from the Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
Mal is SO swoony, not to mention devoted to those he cares about. He’s a great tracker, navigator, and friend. I know he would keep me alive.

Cinder from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Cinder would be my island sister! We’d talk boys and she’d fix my Kindle every time it broke so I would never be without reading material.

Ethan Vance from Boomerang by Noelle August
Because seriously. This guy is sexy and athletic, plus he’s tender and caring. He’d be my island boyfriend.

St. Claire from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
I love this guy, plus he’d teach me French in our spare time.

Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
This guy is hilariously cocky and snarky, plus his one-liners are amazing. I’d love to sit and talk with him forever.

Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth
He’s sweet, plus eye candy. Come on.

Celaena Sardothien from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
I’m pretty sure she could strangle a shark. So I need her to protect me. Plus, she’s girly and loves sweets and books. So we’d be besties.

Sean O’Neil from Suddenly Last Summer by Sarah Morgan
He’s a sexy doctor! Everyone needs one of these on a deserted island, right? Think Jack from LOST, only better. Much better, because I loved Sawyer a lot more. Anyway.


 So! Who would you want on a deserted island with you? Do you agree with my choices? Am I missing someone?


A Weird Paradox: Library Books Scare Me

Posted July 18, 2014 by Jana in About Me, Discussion / 20 Comments

Ok, this is going to sound really weird, considering I’m going to school to become a librarian… but library books scare me. A lot. I can’t really help it! Each time I go into the library and rummage through books, I leave feeling this strong urge to wash my hands. I have always hated the idea of taking a library book to bed with me because of all the germs! I’ve told you before how I can’t read when I’m sick, but I know so many of you who get your best reading done when you’re cooped up in bed for a week! What if you’re reading a library book while you’re sick, sneeze or cough on it, return it, I check it out, I scratch my eyelid while reading, and BAM!!! I’ve got a nasty cold. It’s a scary, scary thing to think about! What about those people who read on the toilet? *shudders* Or what if someone’s cat coughed up a hairball on the shiny plastic cover and the cat’s owner cleaned the book off with a tissue and returned it? I’m seriously grossing myself out here.

I guess this comes from my plain old fear of germs. I do have OCD, and have struggled with a fear of germs since I was 14. I used to wash my hands until they cracked and bled in 40-50 places (I’ve counted). I remember in my high school PE class I had to wear gloves during volleyball because my hands were so dry and cracked that I did not want to bleed on the ball. I’m much better now (it happens when you decide holding hands with and kissing boys is just too much fun) and do not wash my hands all the time or irrationally freak out when someone is sick. I’m just sensible and wash my hands at the normal times as dictated by social convention. Even though I have “cured” myself of this irrational fear, though, I do struggle with resisting the urge to slip back into my old ways.

Anywho, you’ll be very proud to know that I checked out my very first library book for pleasure reading (not research books or books for school) last month and even read it in bed! And I did not get sick and/or die! So I’m making progress. :)

How do you feel about library books? Have you ever worried about their cleanliness, or is that just something you’re not concerned with?


The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson | Book Review + Giveaway

Posted July 15, 2014 by Jana in Blog Tour, Book Review, Giveaway, Young Adult Fiction / 28 Comments

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson | Book Review + Giveaway

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson | Book Review + GiveawayThe Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Series: The Remnant Chronicles #1
Also in this series: The Heart of Betrayal, The Beauty of Darkness
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on July 15, 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 496
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Mail)
Add to Goodreads
Buy on Amazon

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assasin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

People. I do not know what to do! I have no idea how to review this book, because I really, really loved it. There were a few slow moments, but I became so enthralled and excited about it as the story went on. By the end, I was just dying to get my hands on the second book! As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. This book grabbed me from the first sentence, which does not happen. Ever. “Today was the day a thousand dreams would die, and a single dream would be born.” How great is that? Don’t you want to read more?

2. The Kiss of Deception has a really complex plot that I totally was not expecting. It was a pleasant surprise, because this book is LONG and we need that complexity to keep us going.

3. I think my absolute favorite part of the story is Pearson’s ability to weave things together in a way that keeps you guessing and/or questioning everything you think you know. When two men show up in Lia’s new hometown, she has no idea that one of the men is the prince she was supposed to marry and the other one is the assassin who was sent by her father to kill her. And the best part? The reader is not entirely sure which man is which either! And as Lia begins to feel things for one of the men, the reader agonizes over whether she fell for the prince or the assassin. It does not get better than this.

4. I love it when an author can blow my mind. She DID. I mean, I might have screamed.

5. Lia is a wonderfully spunky character. I love that she fled an arranged marriage, and I love that she cared more about finding the right man and falling in love than marrying the wrong one for wealth, recognition, and prosperity. She knew betraying her father would have extreme consequences, but she did it anyway. She’s also amazing at standing up for herself. I wish I could tell people off like she can!

6. The assassin and the prince, even though we do not always know which is which, have very unique and separate personalities. I found this to be incredibly important because these men HAD to not blend in to one person, or Pearson’s story would not have worked. Pearson did a wonderful job painting a mysterious pair of characters.

7. There’s a hint of a love triangle, but mainly because you don’t know which man is which. Again, this was done so well! I loved the mystery of trying to figure out which man she fell for!

8. In addition to the main story of Lia’s fleeing her kingdom, two men vying for her attention, and tons of deception… there’s side stories of Lia figuring herself out, kingdom politics, treks across barren lands, gypsies, adventure, and supporting characters you’ll fall for. AND it all takes place in a world you can’t wait to learn more about. It’s the total package.

9. I love the writing. It’s beautiful and funny and I loved immersing myself in it.

You know an author has done a wonderful job with their book when it takes me over FOUR MONTHS to write a review. I was so spellbound and captivated by The Kiss of Deception that I was seriously rendered speechless. I’ve already decided that I need to go read Pearson’s Jenna Fox trilogy, not to mention I’ll be moving mountains and slaying dragons to get my hands on The Heart of Betrayal, which comes out next year!


Thanks to Macmillan for providing a giveaway for the readers of That Artsy Reader Girl! Make sure you enter for the chance to win a hardback copy of The Kiss of Deception. This giveaway is open to residents of the USA and Canada.

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