Book Review of Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember

May 4, 2016September 8, 2020 Olivia Chanel1 Comment

Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember

Publication Date: April 21, 2016.

Publisher: Harmony Ink Press.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, and LGBT.

Rating:

Selling points: Magical creatures such as unicorns and mermaids, girls loving other girls and girls saving the day.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis: After a savage attack drives her from her home, sixteen-year-old Mnemba finds a place in her cousin Tumelo’s successful safari business, where she quickly excels as a guide. Surrounding herself with nature and the mystical animals inhabiting the savannah not only allows Mnemba’s tracking skills to shine, it helps her to hide from the terrible memories that haunt her.

Mnemba is employed to guide Mr. Harving and his daughter, Kara, through the wilderness as they study unicorns. The young women are drawn to each other, despite that fact that Kara is betrothed. During their research, they discover a conspiracy by a group of poachers to capture the Unicorns and exploit their supernatural strength to build a railway. Together, they must find a way to protect the creatures Kara adores while resisting the love they know they can never indulge.

Thank you Julia Ember for my review copy of Unicorn Tracks. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember, I mean what do I even say? I’m absolutely in love with this piece of literature. It is a story rich in culture, magical creatures and girls. There is so much to appreciate and love about Unicorn Tracks, but most of all I love how it is a story about two girls who come from two very different places in the world with very different experiences. We have the main character Mnemba, a girl who has been through so much and who has so much depth. She is an amazing person with a huge heart. Then we have Kara Harving, a girl with a sparkling personality and wonder in her eyes.

ARC Review of Claire by Abigail Strom

April 26, 2016September 8, 2020 Olivia ChanelLeave a comment

Claire by Abigail Strom

Publication Date: April 26, 2016.

Publisher: Smashwords Edition.

Genres: New Adult, College, and Romance.

Rating:

Selling points: Character growth, amazing romance, and the best friendships.

Purchase here: Amazon

Synopsis: It’s sophomore year, and Claire Stone has sworn off romance. She’s just gone through a breakup and she wants some time to find out who she is on her own. The only flaw in her plan is her friend (and hot quarterback) Will McKenna, who’s a walking temptation to forget all about her singlehood pledge.

Will has had a thing for Claire since freshman year. Now that they’re both single, he wants more from her than friendship. But Claire doesn’t want to be anyone’s girlfriend right now, and with football season underway, Will’s got issues of his own to deal with.

When an injury on the field changes everything, Will and Claire are driven apart. But when the two of them end up trapped together in a snowstorm, they’re forced to deal with each other again. Can they confront their feelings without ruining their friendship? Or will their friendship turn into something more?

Thank you Abigail Strom for my eARC of Claire. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Claire by Abigail Strom is a book I thoroughly enjoyed. It was sweet, it was honest and it was more than just a plain and simple college romance. Why you may ask? Because the focus of this story isn’t romance, even if it is a love story. The story is about friendship and knowing who you are without having a guy (and a relationship) define you. It’s such a strong and powerful message. Yes, we feel lust, attraction, and love. However, we are so much more than that, women shouldn’t be defined by their men and I think it’s so great that Strom really puts this in the center of her story.

ARC Review of Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw

April 19, 2016September 8, 2020 Olivia ChanelLeave a comment

Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw

Publication Date: April 19, 2016.

Publisher: Razorbill.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, and Humor.

Rating:

Selling points: An amazing main character who is a fangirl, super hilarious, coming of age story.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis: Meet Scarlett Epstein, BNF (Big Name Fan) in her online community of fanfiction writers, world-class nobody at Melville High. Her best (read: only) IRL friends are Avery, a painfully shy and annoyingly attractive bookworm, and Ruth, her pot-smoking, possibly insane seventy-three-year-old neighbor.

When Scarlett’s beloved TV show is canceled and her longtime crush, Gideon, is sucked out of her orbit and into the dark and distant world of Populars, Scarlett turns to the fanfic message boards for comfort. This time, though, her subjects aren’t the swoon-worthy stars of her fave series—they’re the real-life kids from her high school. Scarlett never considers what might happen if they were to find out what she truly thinks about them…until a dramatic series of events exposes a very different reality than Scarlett’s stories, forever transforming her approach to relationships—both online and off.

Thank you Razorbill for my advanced review copy of Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw is funny, witty and a book I think a lot of us can relate to. Scarlett is a fangirl and a fanfiction writer of her favorite TV show Lycanthrope but when the show gets canceled Scarlett becomes devastated. When her old friend and crush Gideon starts becoming popular on top of it all she decides to write fanfiction based on her fellow classmates.

ARC Review of Crazy, Stupid, Fauxmance by Shellee Roberts

April 18, 2016September 8, 2020 Olivia Chanel2 Comments

Crazy, Stupid, Fauxmance by Shellee Roberts

Publication Date: April 18, 2016.

Publisher: Entangled: Crush.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, and Contemporary.

Rating:

Selling points: Strong and vulnerable main character, fake dating, charming scenes.

Purchase here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains a kickass heroine, a boy so hot he’ll make you shiver, and a falling-in-love story fit for the big screen. You’ll want to settle in and have the popcorn ready.

After Mariely Hinojosa and Cabot Wheeler both break up with their significant others at the same party, Mariely sees a way to get even with both of their exes. Everyone knows that the best way to get over a breakup is a hookup—a fake hookup, that is. Three weeks, all fun, no strings, and definitely no heartbreak at the end.

But somewhere between the sweet hand-holding and melt-your-mind kisses, their fake relationship starts to feel less like an act and more like the real thing…but Mariely’s a free-spirited girl from the other side of the tracks, and Cabot’s the hot trust-fund guy from the Hills.

They’d never work for real…

Thank you Entangled Publishing for my advanced review copy of Crazy, Stupid, Fauxmance. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

One (fake) hookup with a totally hot guy, no strings, all fun, here I come.

Crazy, Stupid, Fauxmance is a young adult contemporary romance featuring Mariely Hinojosa and Cabot Wheeler. After a boathouse party, two breakups and heartbreak both Mariely and Cabot are the talks of their artistic high school Austin NextGen Academy. The solution to their problem is a hookup, a fake one, a fauxmance.

I enjoyed reading Crazy, Stupid, Fauxmance by Shellee Roberts. It’s charming, witty and funny. It’s a perfect example of a good young adult novel. There are a lot of clichés in this book, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Actually, it’s what I really like. It has the typical fake dating trope where the characters slowly but surely start to fall in love with each other and the lines between what is fake and what is real, start to get blurry. It’s a delight to read about how Mariely and Cabot navigate through this journey and see what it is that makes them believe the other is still faking their feelings when they are so clearly not.

ARC Review of Catch You by M. H. Soars

April 12, 2016September 8, 2020 Olivia ChanelLeave a comment

Catch You by M. H. Soars

Publication Date: April 12, 2016.

Publisher: Infinite Sky Publishing.

Genres: New Adult, Romance, and Contemporary.

Rating:

Selling points: Quality banter, amazing romance and crime solving.

Purchase here: Amazon

Synopsis: Pride and Prejudice meets Veronica Mars in this new Love Me, I’m Famous novella.

Kimberly
I had always thought Owen Whitfield fit the mold of the brainless jock perfectly. Group of idiot friends? Check. Vapid girlfriend? Check. Ego bigger than the moon? Check. As long as he stayed out of my way, coexisting with his kind was doable. Until one day our worlds collided, changing everything. He pissed me off so badly that I had no choice but to give him a taste of his own medicine. Little did I know that my act of revenge would come back to bite me in the ass. How was I supposed to know Owen would turn out to be the best partner in crime I could hope for?

Owen
I never paid much attention to Kimberly Dawson, but I knew who she was. Ice Queen was what we called her. She was gorgeous, no one could deny that. But she was also a condescending bitch which was enough reason for me to stay the hell away from her. She thought I was a dumb jock and that was okay until she came crashing into my life. Against my better judgment, I let her embroil me in her shenanigans, forcing us to spend too much time together. It was my doom. She got under my skin, she was all I could think about. I never thought I would be the knight in shining armor to anyone, not until she came along.

Author’s Note: Due to mature content, this novella is recommended to readers 18+.

Thank you Infinite Sky Publishing for my eARC of Catch You. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Catch You by M. H. Soars reminded me of why I love to read books. I’m sure people have a thousand different reasons but one of the things I value the most is when a book makes me feel something. A good plot and well-built characters are of course also very important to me but often these come hand in hand. Catch You made me laugh, squeal and truly enjoy myself. There might even have come a moment where I was literally screaming at the book because of some very exciting scenes. It was just that good.

Book Review of More Than Fashion by Elizabeth Briggs

April 11, 2016September 8, 2020 Olivia Chanel2 Comments

More Than Fashion by Elizabeth Briggs

Publication Date: July 30, 2015.

Publisher: Elizabeth Briggs Books.

Genres: New Adult, Romance, and Contemporary.

Rating:

Selling points: A reality show like Project Runway, super steamy romance, witty and strong main character.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis: They’re enemies who will do anything to win…including each other.

When Julie Hong wins a spot on a fashion design reality TV show, she celebrates by picking up a hot English guy in a hotel bar. But too many drinks leads to a night of embarrassment and a major hangover, and wow is she glad she’ll never see him again. Until the show starts, and he’s on it too.

Julie quickly realizes she’s out of her league among the other designers, and Gavin Bennett, with his cocky grin and sexy accent, is her biggest competition. Julie can’t decide if she wants to kiss him or kill him. Or both.

After she’s almost kicked off, Julie convinces Gavin to pretend they’re sleeping together for the camera. The ploy works, but as they get closer to the show’s finale their fake relationship starts to become too real. But only one of them can win the show—and they might both end up heartbroken.

Thank you Victory Editing for my review copy of More Than Fashion. I received this review copy in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion.

“Even though they were my competition, I felt a kinship with them. We were creators chasing after a shared dream. We all wanted the same thing: to win.”

More Than Fashion is a fun, light and entertaining new adult book. The book is a reality show in the form of a contest between a bunch of people who all want to be a successful fashion designer. The construction of the show is very much like Project Runway, and I absolutely love this concept. I personally love fashion, even if I’m not very good at it, so imagining the dresses and outfits was really an extra bonus for me as to why I enjoyed More Than Fashion so much. What I also really liked was how the main character, Julie, was somehow a part of this show even if she had a lot of stuff working against her and how this contest gave her a real chance to fulfill her dream. If only she can win.

Book Review of Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

April 8, 2016September 8, 2020 Olivia ChanelLeave a comment

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Publication Date: February 2, 2016.

Publisher: Philomel Books.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, World War II, and Survival.

Rating:

Selling points: Remarkable characters, important and relevant story, a book that will stay with you once you finish it.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis: Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets.

Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies…and war.

As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom.

Yet not all promises can be kept.

Inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, bestselling and award-winning author Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray) lifts the veil on a shockingly little-known casualty of World War II. An illuminating and life-affirming tale of heart and hope.

Salt to the Sea is a remarkable book, one I will recommend to friends and family for years to come. The story is about four teenagers who meet on the run searching for an escape from the brutality of World War II. They are all haunted by the horror, tragedy, lies, and secrets that follow them and the war they are all in the middle of.

These four characters – Joana, Florian, Emilia, and Alfred – are all hunted by their own secrets, and their very first line in their own chapters tells us what torments them the most. It gives you an insight to how burdened a young man or woman could be because of the choices, mistakes, and sacrifices they made because of the horrible circumstances brought to them by evil men and war.