Review: Surviving Adam Meade by Shannon Klare

Surviving Adam Meade by Shannon Klare
Genre: YA Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Sports Contemporary
Publication: August 14th 2018 by Swoon Reads
Series: None. Standalone.
Length: 256pages
Format: ARC from publisher
Rating: ★★★★

Amazon || Book Depository

Seventeen-year-old Claire Collins has a plan: get into college and leave North Carolina behind. What she doesn’t have is an idea for how to get rid of the local football star and womanizer extraordinaire — Adam Meade, who she can’t even avoid (despite many efforts), because Claire’s dad is the high school football coach.

Seventeen-year-old Adam Meade never fails. He always gets what he wants… until he meets Claire, the new girl who leaves him unnerved, pissed off, and confused. But there’s something about her that he just can’t resist…

With the bite of lemon meringue pie and the sugar of sweet tea, Surviving Adam Meade is a sexy and compelling young adult novel about two strong-willed people who think they know what they want but have no idea what they need.

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Review: Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Mirage by Somaiya Daud
Series: Mirage #1

Genre: YA Fantasy, Science Fiction

Publication: August 28th 2018 by Flatiron Books
Format: ARC (thank you, Flatiron!)

Goodreads

In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.

But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.

As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection…because one wrong move could lead to her death.

Review: Wild Blue Wonder by Carlie Sorosiak

Wild Blue Wonder by Carlie Sorosiak
Series: n/a

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publication: June 26th 2018 by HarperTeen
Format: ARC (thank you, Harper!)

Goodreads

There are two monsters in this story. One of them is me.

Ask anyone in Winship, Maine, and they’ll tell you the summer camp Quinn’s family owns is a magical place. Paper wishes hang from the ceiling. Blueberries grow in the dead of winter. According to local legend, a sea monster even lurks off the coast. Mostly, there’s just a feeling that something extraordinary could happen there.

Like Quinn falling in love with her best friend, Dylan.

After the accident, the magic drained from Quinn’s life. Now Dylan is gone, the camp is a lonely place, and Quinn knows it’s her fault.

But the new boy in town, Alexander, doesn’t see her as the monster she believes herself to be. As Quinn lets herself open up again, she begins to understand the truth about love, loss, and monsters—real and imagined.

Review: Fresh Ink edited by Lamar Giles

Fresh Ink edited by Lamar Giles
Genre: YA Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQIA+, #ownvoices, Short Stories
Publication: August 14th 2018 by Crown Books for Young Readers
Series: None. Standalone.
Length: 208 pages
Format: ARC from publisher
Rating: ★★★.5

Amazon || Book Depository

In partnership with We Need Diverse Books, thirteen of the most recognizable, diverse authors come together in this remarkable YA anthology featuring ten short stories, a graphic short story, and a one-act play from Walter Dean Myers never before in-print.

Careful–you are holding fresh ink. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink. Instead, you are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written–whose next chapters are up to you.

Because these stories are meant to be read. And shared.

Thirteen of the most accomplished YA authors deliver a label-defying anthology that includes ten short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play. This collection will inspire you to break conventions, bend the rules, and color outside the lines. All you need is fresh ink.

Review: The Leading Edge of Now by Marci Lyn Curtis

The Leading Edge of Now by Marci Lyn Curtis
Series: n/a

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publication: September 4th 2018 by Kids Can Press
Format: ARC

Goodreads

Just when Grace is beginning to get used to being an orphan, her estranged uncle suddenly comes forward to claim her. That might have been okay if he’d spoken to her even once since her father died. Or if moving in with Uncle Rusty didn’t mean returning to New Harbor.

Grace once spent the best summers of her life in New Harbor. Now the place just reminds her of all she’s lost: her best friend, her boyfriend and any memory of the night that changed her forever.

People say the truth will set you free, but Grace isn’t sure about that. Once she starts looking for it, the truth about that night is hard to find — and what happens when her healing hurts the people she cares about the most?

Review: Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #4

Genre: YA Fantasy, Dystopia

Publication: March 6th 2018 by HarperCollins
Format: HC

Goodreads

Juliette Ferrars thought she’d won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she’s still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she’s got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?

Review: The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby

The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby
Series: n/a

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publication: August 7th 2018 by HarperTeen
Format: ARC

Goodreads

Girl Online meets Wild in this emotionally charged story of girl who takes to the wilderness to rediscover herself and escape the superficial persona she created on social media.

Mari Turner’s life is perfect. That is, at least to her thousands of followers who have helped her become an internet starlet. But when she breaks down and posts a video confessing she’s been living a lie—that she isn’t the happy, in-love, inspirational online personality she’s been trying so hard to portray—it goes viral and she receives major backlash. To get away from it all, she makes an impulsive decision: to hike the entire John Muir trail. Mari and her late cousin, Bri, were supposed to do it together, to celebrate their shared eighteenth birthday. But that was before Mari got so wrapped up in her online world that she shut anyone out who questioned its worth—like Bri.

With Bri’s boots and trail diary, a heart full of regret, and a group of strangers that she meets along the way, Mari tries to navigate the difficult terrain of the hike. But the true challenge lies within, as she searches for the way back to the girl she fears may be too lost to find: herself.

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson Moodboard (Blog Tour)

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
Series: Dance of Thieves #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication: August 7th 2018 by Henry Holt & Company
Goodreads

A new novel in the New York Times–bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty’s resentment and anger.

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.

Collaborative Review: Sometime After Midnight by L. Philips

Sometime After Midnight by L. Philips
Genre: YA Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, LGBTQIA+
Publication: August 7th 2018 by Viking Books for Young Readers
Series: None. Standalone.
Length: 385 pages
Format: Hardcover
Rating: ★★★.5

Amazon || Book Depository

#AlexFromTarget meets queer Prince Charming in this glittering romcom following a teen music prodigy and the handsome socialite who unwittingly turns him into an internet sensation.

In a dingy Los Angeles club late one night, Cameron and Nate meet and find they have much more in common than their love of an obscure indie band. But when Nate learns that Cameron is the heir to a record label, the very one that destroyed his father’s life, he runs away as fast as he can. The only evidence of their brief but intense connection is a blurry photo Cameron snaps of Nate’s Sharpie-decorated Chuck Taylors as he flees.

Considering that Cameron is a real life Prince Charming–he’s handsome, famous, and rich–it’s only fitting that he sets out to find the owner of the Sharpied shoes. Cameron’s twin sister, a model and socialite, posts the picture of Nate’s shoes on Instagram to her legions of fans with the caption, “Anyone know the gorgeous owner of these shoes? My hottie brother is looking for him.” The internet just about breaks with the news of a modern fairy tale and the two become entwined in each other’s lives in this sparkling story about the power of music, the demons that haunt us, and the flutterings of first real love.

Arctic Books Turns 3! & Blogoversary Giveaway

Three years ago, I opened up WordPress and started up a blog. At first, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted my blog to be about – I started with a clothes / personal blog but that didn’t last very long at all so I eventually changed my whole blog mindset to revolve around books. Up until last year, I wanted to open up my blog a little bit.

I ended up welcoming some amazing co-bloggers to Arctic Books – Jesse @jessenicholas3 (who has since left, but I appreciate all he’s done), JM @bookfreakrevelations, and Liv @curlyhairbibliophile. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share my little piece of the Internet to the world but I’m so so so happy that I opened up my blog for co-bloggers!

I also decided to open Arctic Books to not only focus on books but also lifestyle and other ideas – clothes, television, personal things. I feel so much more freedom with this as my co-bloggers and I can basically talk about anything we want.