Blog Tour: The Way I Used To Be by Amber Smith | Playlist + Giveaway

Hi everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Way I Used To Be by Amber Smith. I’m so thrilled to be part of this event and share with you a playlist made by the amazing Amber! Don’t forget to read all the way to end because there’s going to be a giveaway!

The Way I Used To Be by Amber Smith

Genre: YA Contemporary, Drama

Publication: March 22nd 2016 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Series: n/a

Length: 384 pages

Goodreads

In the tradition of Speak, this extraordinary debut novel shares the unforgettable story of a young woman as she struggles to find strength in the aftermath of an assault.

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.

What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year—this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.

Trigger warning: rape, profane language

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | iBooks | The Book Depository

Amber Smith was awesome enough to provide a playlist, consisting of a few songs, that she thought really encapsulated her book. Amber says:

I always create massive playlists for each project I’m working on, so here are a few songs from my “TheWay I Used to Be Playlist.” Mostly, these songs just seemed help me get in the right frame of mind to be writing from Eden’s headspace, but also reminded me of some of the situations or emotions she faces throughout the story.

• “Cynical” – Chris Pureka
• “I Am Japan” – Gretel
• “You” – Toshi Reagon
• “Elephants” – Rachael Yamagata
• “Grey” – Ani DiFranco
• “Lifetime” – Beth Hart
• “Changer” – Anais Mitchell

Amber Smith grew up in Buffalo, NY and now lives in Charlotte, NC with her two dogs. After graduating from art school with a BFA in Painting, she earned her MA in Art History. When she’s not writing, she is working as a curator and art consultant. She has also written on the topics of art history and modern and contemporary art. The Way I Used to Be is her first novel.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

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3 Finished Copies of THE WAY I USED TO BE (US Only)

Tour Schedule:

Week 1:

3/21: Once Upon A Twilight – Review

3/22: Addicted 2 Novels – Guest Post

3/23: Pretty Deadly Reviews – Review

3/24: The Irish Banana Review – Q&A

3/25: A Leisure Moment – Review

 

Week 2:

3/28: The Hardcover Lover – Top 10

3/29: I Turn the Pages – Review

3/30: Such A Novel Idea – Q&A

3/31: Take Me Away to a Great Read – Review

4/1: Arctic Books – Playlist

Have you read this book? If so, what were your thoughts? If not, are you planning to? Let me know in the comments!