Six Ways to Write a Love Letter by Jackson Pearce [Book Review]

 

Six Ways to Write a Love Letter 

By Jackson Pearce 

 This one is for all of my fellow T. Swift fans! 

I loved pretty much everything about this book! It has everything, rock and roll, celebrity relationships, forced proximity, and the sweetest love story! 

I’m not going to lie and say the references to T. Swift aren’t everywhere. Vivi is fictional… but she is highly Taylor-Esque right down to her cherry red lipstick. I loved her character and I loved the way Jackson Pearce showed the lonely side of celebrity, especially from the view of Vivi’s super celebrity. In fact, my one complaint is that I would have liked to have had alternating chapters with Vivi’s POV as I would have loved to see her world through her eyes. 

This story is told by Remy, our drummer/producer/good guy who goes on tour at last minute and ends up falling for the star. 

The slow build to their relationship felt believable and I was so invested to watching their feelings develop that I couldn’t stop reading. 

This book had no spice, it was closed door, but the relationship was so sweet and well done I loved it anyway. ❤️

If you’re a Swifty, get this book ASAP. If you’re not a Swifty you’ll still love it. 

I recommend this one to anyone who loves the celebrity relationship trope, sweet romances, and Taylor Swift. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! 

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews! 

For Review: 

Bounce by Noelle August 

Sit! Stay! Speak: A Novel by Annie England Noblin

I LOVE the Boomerang series by Noelle August, so receiving BOUNCE was a very happy moment! 

I hadn't heard of Sit! Stay! Speak! until I received it, though now I know I have to read it soon. I have a pup of my own who has his own issues... so this book will come close to home. 

Meet Bishop! 

Those who follow me on Instagram have probably seen him a few times. This dog has taught me more about myself than any other. He suffers from fear induced anxiety and it has been a struggle since he was a wee one.  Something as simple as taking a walk leaves him shaking with fear... but he is the sweetest though!

For dog lovers (and cat lovers!) like me, Sit! Stay! Speak! might should be on your watch list! 

Bought: 

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I did it! Now I have to read it and join you all in the fandom. Watching all of you rave became just too much to take! 

Also, did you guys notice the girl on the cover? Because I did not. 

What stacked your shelves this week? 

Top Ten Tuesday Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Retellings

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! 

A little late this week, but this was a topic I had to be a part of. You all have seen my blog design - Fairy Tales and castles are my thing. 

As I have studied what makes a "fairy story" I am using a broad spectrum. These are not just the classics, but anything involving mysticism or fantastic elements. 

Here are my favorite stories of wonder. 

1.) Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

2.) The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

3.) Cinder by Marissa Meyer

4.) Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris

5.) The Princess Bride

6.) Dorothy Must Die

Classic Fairy Tales

7.) Beauty and the Beast

8.) Sleeping Beauty

9.) Rapunzel 

Favorite Classic Book

Which means I love... 

And... 

What Fairy Tales do you guys love?

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's reviews! 

This week I received some great looking books that I am super excited for! 

 All of these are out NOW so you can have them too! 

Everything is going according to story for CeCi (Cinderella), Bianca (Snow White), and Rory (Sleeping Beauty)—until the day that Zell (Rapunzel) decides to leave Grimmland and pursue her life. Now, Zell’s best friends are left to wonder whether their own passions are worth risking their predetermined “happily ever afters,” regardless of the consequences. CeCi wonders whether she should become a professional chef, sharp-tongued and quick-witted Bianca wants to escape an engagement to her platonic friend, and Rory will do anything to make her boorish husband love her. But as Bianca’s wedding approaches, can they escape their fates—and is there enough wine in all of the Realm to help them?
In this hilarious modern interpretation of the fairy-tale stories we all know and love, Letters to Zell explores what happens when women abandon the stories they didn’t write for themselves and go completely off script to follow their dreams.

We all know that I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings, so Letters to Zell sounded like something I needed to check out.  

“I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you.”
In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled.
As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth — meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.
Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.
Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.
But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?
Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

I was very interested to hear about this series which somehow escaped my notice. It has a dark feel to it which interests me, and I can't wait to check it out. 

"I thrust my hand toward the sky as my voice begs the Elemental inside me to waken and rise. But it's no use. The curse I've spent my entire life abhorring—the thing I trained so hard to control—no longer exists."
Nym has saved Faelen only to discover that Draewulf stole everything she valued. Now he’s destroyed her Elemental storm-summoning ability as well.
When Nym sneaks off with a host of delegates to Bron, Lord Myles offers her the chance for a new kind of power and the whispered hope that it may do more than simply defeat the monster she loathes. But the secrets the Bron people have kept concealed, along with the horrors Draewulf has developed, may require more than simply harnessing a darker ability.
They may require who she is.
Set against the stark metallic backdrop of the Bron kingdom, Nym is faced with the chance to change the future.
Or was that Draewulf’s plan for her all along?

Thanks so much HarperCollins, Wunderkind, and Amazon!  

What did you guys get this week? 

Top [Five] Books I've Read in 2015 So Far!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish! 

I'm feeling pretty picky this week, so here are the top 5 books from 2015 so far! 

I haven't posted the review for E&O yet, but it was incredible. I loved it and I'm still trying to formulate my love into words. Review will be up later this week! 

I loved 99 Days, I found it positively swoon-worthy and I loved this girl's perspective. Slut shaming is a thing, and this book brought it to light and I loved every second! 

Were there any doubts? You can't have a list and not put Sarah Dessen on it. She's my favorite, and this book was heart breakingly wonderful. It was darker than her other books (except perhaps Dreamland), but it is so good. And so worth it! 

The Sin Eater's Daughter was the perfect mix of fantasy and love story. Once I became indebted I couldn't flip the pages fast enough. Don't miss this one! 

The Revenge Playbook was a fun summer read. There was just enough sass and girl-power to make it a very entertaining ride. 

What were some of your favorite books this year? 

Top Ten Tuesday: The Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish! 

There are so many fantastic books that are coming out over the next few Summer and Fall months that I can't wait to get my hands on them so I can READ ALL THE THINGS! 

I even found this meme so I could express my emotions in color. 

The list of mythical summer wonders is... 

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.
Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.
With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine— Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

When the glass slipper just doesn’t fit…
The tale of Cinderella has been retold countless times. But what you know is not the true story.
Pin has no recollection of who she is or how she got to the Godmother’s fortress. She only knows that she is a Seamstress, working day in and out to make ball gowns fit for fairy tales. But she longs to forsake her backbreaking servitude and dares to escape with the brave young Shoemaker.
Pin isn’t free for long before she’s captured again and forced to live the new life the Godmother chooses for her—a fairy tale story, complete with a charming prince—instead of finding her own happily ever after.
Sarah Prineas’s bold fairy tale retelling is a dark and captivating world where swords are more fitting than slippers, young shoemakers are just as striking as princes, and a heroine is more than ready to rescue herself before the clock strikes midnight.

Laia is a slave. 
Elias is a soldier. 
Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. 

I know I'm behind on these, but... I WILL get to them this summer. I am determined!

 Winning what you want may cost you everything you love... 
As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 
One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 
But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 
Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart. 

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.  

And, the Fall books that I am most eager for... 

What books do you guys need yesterday?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Recently Added to My To Be Read List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about books that have recently been added to my To Be Read pile... as if that wasn't already large enough. 

Here they are, some new, some old. 

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

Rook by Sharon Cameron

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

City Love by Susane Colasanti

99 Days by Katie Cotugna

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

The Luck Uglies: Fork Tongue Charmers by Paul Durham

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

Finding Mr. Brightside by Jay Clark

What are some of your recent additions? 

Let's Talk: Are you a Reader or a Blogger?

Hello All! 

I haven't done a "Let's Talk" post in a while, but I've been thinking recently about Blogger relations across all subsets between publishers, authors, etc...

What I must ask you all is what are you foremost, a reader or a blogger?

 I know for myself personally I still consider myself a reader primarily, but the way I read books has changed immensely since I first began reviewing back in 2009. I read books thinking about specifics; How is the character development? Is this storyline overdone? Does this plot make sense? WHY did this just happen? etc...  

I know that part of this has been hounded into me by school as well, but does any one else notice their reading style change do to reviewing? 

I still definitely fall into stories that are fantastic and get overcome by plots and emotions, but there is always a part of me which is formulating the review I will write and thinking about things I MUST say and point out. 

Any one else do things like this? Has your reading style changed from blogging? 

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

This weeks Waiting on Wednesday features a book I somehow just found out about! Feast your eyes on this...

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend— two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.
The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party — three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.
Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

I LOVED On the Fence so I need this book yesterday.

Look for it on May 5th!

What are you guys waiting on this week?  

Top Ten Books For Those Who Love Contemporaries!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! 

While fantasy is probably my favorite genre, contemporary is my go to read. I love contemporary fiction, it is light, fun, and normally all issues get resolved by the end in one nice little bow. 

Fantasy often times takes commitment, there are intense storylines and new worlds to learn which cause dedication on your part as the reader. Contemporary is what I read the most, I love them, I love when they are important and beautiful. They even make me like to cry. 

Contemporaries do odd things to me. 

Here is a list of my best of the best in the contemporary world! 

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

We all know that Sarah Dessen's books are my Spirit Animal, and this one is still probably the greatest book I've ever read. It is perfect, or at least that is how it feels to me. The characters all feel real by the time you complete it, and it is this fact which makes me feel the importance of TTAF the most. This is the book I go to when I need to visit old friends. So often in contemporaries characters feel stagnant, bland, and they don't make an impression, but this group leaves an impression and I miss them if I'm away for too long. 

On the Fence by Kasie West

This is a read which actually surprised me last year. It was simple, sweet and I couldn't stop reading it. I think I began it on a Wednesday and finished on Friday - which is a big deal for me because my life is full of busy. I love the friendship between the two main characters and the self discovery they each go through. It is great, you should read it. 

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

I read this one years ago and it made me ravenous for another Jennifer Echols book. This one was special, the boy was a police officer, the girl just needed that someone special and full on feels ensued. It is a truly great contemporary with a fantastic storyline and characters I still think about. Often with contemporaries the storylines become blurred when you read so many, but this is one of the books I look back on and can still remember every moment. Definitely check it out! 

Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison 

This book is the first to ever make me cry. Seriously, I didn't think that was possible until this book came into my life. It is fantastic, and it is totally better then The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Just sayin. This book deserves more love, though be prepared for waterworks. The story is so sweet, and so perfect that the ride is completely worth it.

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

This book is a great book that showcases a different type of diversity. The story of a girl suffering from external/physical disabilities and a boy suffering from OCD, an inner disability really sets the scene for a great story full of memorable moments. This book is definitely worth reading as both subject matters complement each other and each individual lives with their inner troubles in very, very different ways.

17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen

This book also was one which really took me by surprise last year! The characters are fantastic, the story memorable and I loved the way it was told, reflecting on different "kisses" as time went on. It was fantastic, and I just recently finished Rachael Allen's second novel, The Revenge Playbook, which definitely deserves a look at when it comes out this June! Review for that one is coming soon!

The Duff by Kody Keplinger

This book has been getting a lot of attention due to the recent movie. I have not seen the movie yet (AHHHH) but I have heard great things! The book side of the spectrum blew me away back in 2010, and during a recent re-read it was still fantastic! The book does contain some adult material (nothing graphic, teen stuff) which is really the only thing I've heard people be not too fond of. I think The Duff has fantastic character development, great badass characters, and Bianca is pretty much the person I wish I'd had the guts to be in High School. READ IT! 

The Pursuit of Happiness by Tara Altebrando

This book is one which definitely does not have the recognition that it deserves. This book centers around a boy and a girl who work for a historic colonial tourist site, and dress the part daily. All of this while also centering around a tragdey. It is beautiful and each character deals with intense and real emotions in a way which really blew me away. This book deserves to be read, and treasured, and reread again. If you haven't read it, check it out. Now. 

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And here are my EIGHT favorite contemporaries! I limited myself to one per author, which means that some of these authors have some other fantastic contemporary reads... so you should just check out all of them. 

What is on your list this week? 

Top Ten Things I Dislike and Like in Romances

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! 

Dislikes

1. Love Triangles. Well, sorta. I have a love/hate relationship with love triangles because while I feel they are overdone - they do add an extra dimension at times that I think is truly valuable.  I don't like love triangles for the sake of love triangles. If they don't bring anything to the table it needs to pass on by. 
2. Damsels in Distress. This is something that I don't see as much as I once did *bravo* but there are times when this is still a true problem. I want strong female characters that DON'T need saving. They don't need a man to help, they got this. Strong female characters are essential and I think at times we've missed out on them. 
   

I want more of... 

1. Historical Fiction. I know what you're thinking, "But Christina we have more historical fiction." I DON'T CARE I NEED MORE! I want another YA regency like Sarah McLean's The Season because it was awesome. I want a Civil War era YA. I want some more Tudor YA. I want a freaking awesome Renaissance YA. I just want MORE. 

2. Epic Fantasy. I know, we have more of this than we once did but there's a difference between epic fantasy and fantasy elements. I want a wonderful YA (which I may have just not read yet) that reads like an epic that would make the Anglo Saxons proud. I have high hopes for Red Queen but Graceling by Kristin Cashore was really the last YA fantasy that I would call epic in fashion. I want epic quests! And sword fights! And dashing young warriors! 

Likes

1. Tension. There has to be tension for me to get into a story. There needs to be something/someone for me to instantly root for or I lose interest and force myself to finish. This is something I love about romantic books because if they are written correctly they will have this very early on. I want passion, and glances from across the room, secret notes, and an element that makes the love/romance feel impossible. This is the classic recipe for something swoonworthy. 
2. Fairy Tales. I know we have seen a lot of fairy tale retellings, but I can't help but really love the concept. I'm a huge fan of the series Once Upon a Time so I love when classic tales are retold from different cool angles. The idea of bringing something classic back to life by reimagining it is one I really enjoy. I love that this is in YA lit so much recently. Keep up the good work! 

These books are some of my favorite that fit the best of these categories...