Cover Reveal: Before Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn

Freitag, 16. September 2016

   I am beyond excited today because I am bringing you the absolutely gorgeous, stunning and incredible cover for the Forget Tomorrow novella called Before Tomorrow, which is told from Logan's POV (Color me even more excited!). As you guys know, I absolutely LOVED Forget Tomorrow last year (review here) and I'm currently making my way through the sequel, Remember Yesterday (loving it so far!), so when I heard about this novella and the cover reveal, I had to jump right on it!
   Without further ado, here is the beautiful cover of Before Tomorrow:


Before Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn
Expected Publication: October 31st 2016 by Entangled TEEN
Series: Yes, #0.5 of the Forget Tomorrow Trilogy

   In a world where all seventeen-year-olds receive a memory from their future selves, Logan Russell's vision is exactly as he expects—and exactly not. He sees himself achieving his greatest wish of becoming a gold-star swimmer, but strangely enough, the vision also shows him locking eyes with a girl from his past, Callie Stone, and experiencing an overwhelming sense of love and belonging.

   Logan’s not sure what the memory means, but soon enough, he learns that his old friend Callie is in trouble. She’s received an atypical memory, one where she commits a crime in the future. According to the law, she must be imprisoned, even though she's done nothing wrong. Now, Logan must decide if he'll give up his future as a gold-star swimmer and rescue the literal girl of his dreams. All he'll have to do is defy Fate.

   Add Before Tomorrow on Goodreads!
   But what if you don't want to wait until Oct. 31?
   No problem. Pre-order REMEMBER YESTERDAY, book 2 in the FORGET TOMORROW series, and register your receipt hereand you'll receive a copy of BEFORE TOMORROW to read before anyone else! Plus, U.S. residents will also get a bookplate and bookmark!

   Want to learn more about FORGET TOMORROW and REMEMBER YESTERDAY? Click here.


   REMEMBER YESTERDAY buy links:


Amazon // Barnes & Noble // iBooks // Kobo 

About Pintip

   Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers HouseHer debut novel, FORGET TOMORROW, won the RWA RITA® for Best First Book. Her other novels include THE DARKEST LIE and the forthcoming REMEMBER YESTERDAY.

   She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com

Review: Going Geek by Charlotte Huang

Dienstag, 13. September 2016

Going Geek by Charlotte Huang
Published: September 13th 2016 by Delacorte Press
Number of Pages: 304 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: No

   A girl forced out of her comfort zone finds that being true to herself is the best way to live her life, in this second novel from the author of For the Record.
   It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Skylar Hoffman’s senior year at her preppy East Coast boarding school should have been perfect:
   amazing boyfriend
   the coolest friends
   the most desirable dorm
   But it’s far from it. To her dismay, Skylar’s not going to rule senior year because she’s stuck in Abbot House, a tiny dorm known for, well, nothing. Living with a group of strangers everyone thinks is lame is bad enough. Worse is that Skylar wasn’t exactly truthful about how she spent summer break in Los Angeles—and her little white lie is causing her once rock-solid romance to crumble fast. And when it turns out that Skylar’s best friend is the one responsible for having her booted from Lincoln? It’s an all-out war.
   Stepping out of her comfort zone never felt so scary—or necessary. But everything is different now. Including, maybe, Skylar herself . . . (goodreads.com)

* Thank you to Random House and Delacorte for sending me an ARC 
in exchange for my honest opinion *

   I absolutely loved For the Record last year, so when I heard about Charlotte's next book, I knew I had to read it. Thankfully, I was one of the very lucky people who got ARCs of it, even though shipping took 2 months for unknown reasons.
   Going Geek is set at a boarding school and is all about Skylar who, upon arriving, finds out that she won't be sharing a dorm building with her popular friends but that she's been transferred into the least popular dorm of all. On top of that Skylar's family is struggling financially and she gets booted out of everything she used to be part of. On top of that she looses her friendship with her popular best friend and the relationship with her boyfriend, solely because everyone finds out that she lied about what she did over the summer, alas that in reality she spent it working.
   Across the novel we follow her as she tries to figure out her new life and also the fact that maybe the traditional and typical high school way of thinking of the "cool" and "popular" people isn't the only one.

   It took me a while to warm up to Skylar since she isn't necessarily your typical likable narrator, but once I did, I got really pulled into the story and started to root for her. Her arc is really interesting and different, especially since, for once, we don't read about the typical wallflower grey mouse type girl, but someone who used to belong to the popular crowd, who has strong opinions and doesn't fear to speak her mind, even though it doesn't always work in her favor.
   Another thing I really liked about Going Geek was the diverse cast of characters and the fact that even the secondary ones seemed fleshed out and fun, not just like shadows that were needed to push the plot along. I really liked the girls Skylar shared her dorm with!

   Just like in For the Record, Charlotte's writing was amazing. The descriptions interesting and fun, her characters full of layers and dimensions, quirks and weirdness that made them unique and realistic. But, even though I really enjoyed Going Geek, I still have to admit I preferred For the Record, maybe even only because it was about music and it was the first book I ever read from Charlotte. Still, Going Geek was a fun read I can definitely recommend!
I give Going Geek by Charlotte Huang 4 stars.

Blog Tour: Interview: Kristin Bartley Lenz (The Art of Holding On and Letting Go)

Donnerstag, 8. September 2016

   Hello and welcome to my stop of the blog tour for The Art of Holding On and Letting Go by Kristin Bartley Lenz.
   When I was presented with the opportunity to read and review this book, I was immediately intrigued and said yes. Said review can be found here. Then I also got the opportunity to be part of this blog tour, to which I obviously said yes, too, because you guys know I love debut authors and interviewing them about their books, so how could I not say yes? 
   So below you can find all about the book and Kristin's As to my Qs:

The Art of Holding On and Letting Go by Kristin Bartley Lenz
Expected publication: September 12th 2016 by Elephant Rock Productions, Inc.
Number of Pages: 307 Pages (Paperback)
Series: No

   A Junior Library Guild Fall 2016 Selection
   “When every piece falls into place, it’s like a dance, a delicate but powerful balancing act. The art of holding on and letting go at the same time.”
   Competitive climber Cara Jenkins feels most at home high off the ground, clinging to a rock wall by her fingertips. She’s enjoyed a roaming life with her mountaineering parents, making the natural world her jungle gym, the writings of Annie Dillard and Henry David Thoreau her textbooks. But when tragedy strikes on an Ecuadoran mountaintop, Cara’s nomadic lifestyle comes to an abrupt halt.
   Starting over at her grandparents’ home in suburban Detroit, Cara embarks on a year of discovery, uncovering unknown strengths, friendships, and first love. Cara’s journey illustrates the transformative power of nature, love and loss, and discovering that home can be far from where you started. (goodreads.com)

Interview with Kristin Bartley Lenz


   1 - Describe The Art of Holding On and Letting Go with a haiku (or twitter pitch).
   Climb, explore the world
   Family, friendship, love, loss
   Nature heals your soul

   2 - What was the first initial thought or thing that sparked the idea of The Art of Holding On and Letting Go?
   My husband and I became immersed in rock climbing when we moved from Michigan to Georgia, and then to California. We followed the careers of well-known mountaineers, and one by one, each of these climbers died attempting epic summits, leaving their spouses and children behind. I began to wonder what it would be like to be the child of a famous mountaineer. How would that child’s upbringing be different? And what if both of her parents were extreme mountaineers, not just one? How would this shape her world?

   3 - What do you like most about your protagonist Cara?
   I like that she has grit and tenacity and a big heart.

   4 - What was the most challenging about writing The Art of Holding On and Letting Go and which scene was the most fun to write?
   It was challenging to describe rock climbing without being too technical. My favorite scene to write was when Cara climbs at the viaduct by her grandparents’ house. It was fun to play with the language, and it was in that scene that I found the book’s title – The Art of Holding On and Letting Go.

   5 - How long did it take you from first thought until publishing deal?
   Ten, very long years! I worked as a social worker and wrote other stories during those years, but TAOHOALG was revised, submitted, shelved, and revised again every few years until I connected with the right editor who shared my vision.

   6 - How do you feel about the fact that in a couple of weeks, hundreds of people will be able to read your book?
   It’s nerve-wracking! This manuscript has received a lot of praise and support from agents, editors, and fellow writers over the years. I’ve grown as a writer through this process and I’m confident that I’ve produced a work of quality literature, but I know it won’t be for everyone. Very rarely has my book club ever unanimously loved a book; we’re all drawn to different aspects of stories. But it’s been so fun to correspond with some of the early readers who have really connected with my book.

   7 - In retrospective, is there anything that you’d change about the story or are you happy with the way it turned out in the end?
   The more time I spent in Cara’s world, the more details I wanted to add. I could revise endlessly, but at some point I needed to stop and trust that I’d shared enough of her story for readers to understand and make it their own. I’m happy with the book, and ready to move on to a new manuscript.

   8 - While writing the story did you ever imagine how a cover might look like and what do you think about the absolutely gorgeous final version?
   It is gorgeous, isn’t it?! Amanda Schwarz designed the cover, and I was so impressed with her vision. I thought the cover should incorporate mountains in some way, and I knew what I didn’t want (an overly romantic cover with a couple kissing), but I didn’t have a clear picture beyond that. I shared some of Amanda’s cover creation process on the SCBWI-MI blog. You can read that post here: http://scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-making-of-book-cover-3-stories_22.html

   9 - Did you listen to any particular songs or artists while writing The Art of Holding On and Letting Go? If so, could you give us an example?
   I love when writers share their music influences, but my answer is pretty boring - I have to write in silence. But once I’m done writing, I head to the kitchen to make dinner, and that’s when the music comes on. Cooking requires music, and Eminem is the best for chopping veggies. ;)

   10 – What advice could you give aspiring authors?
   Connect with other writers in your area or online to share resources, give and receive feedback, and encourage each other to persevere along the bumpy path to publishing. SCBWI is a really supportive organization if you’re writing for children and/or teens.

   11 – If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
   Invisibility. There are so many times that I want to be a fly on the wall and just observe. I love watching and listening much more than talking.

About the Author


   Kristin Lenz is a writer and social worker from metro-Detroit who fell in love with the mountains when she moved to Georgia and California. Now she’s back in Detroit where she plots wilderness escapes and manages the Michigan Chapter blog for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Her writing has been published by online literary journals, including Hunger Mountain and Great Lakes Review. The Art of Holding On and Letting Go is her first novel.



   Links for purchase:
   Amazon
   Goodreads
   Kobo

   Link to publisher’s website:

Mon., Aug. 22 – Kristin makes a guest post on Making Connections
Fri., Aug. 26 – Kristin interviewed on Fiction Over Reality
Tues., Aug. 30 – Kristin interviewed on A Leisure Moment
Thurs., Sept. 1 – Kristin interviewed on Crazy Book Obsessions!
Sunday, Sept. 4 – Kristin makes an appearance on black plume
Tues., Sept. 6 – Kristin makes a guest post on Books Are Love
Thurs., Sept. 8 – Kristin interviewed on Alice Reeds
Mon., Sept. 12 – Release day post on Making Connections
Mon., Sept. 12 – Kristin makes a guest post on Books & Tea
Mon., Sept. 12 – Kristin is interviewed by her agent, Carrie Pestritto, on Literary Carrie
Thurs., Sept. 15 – Kristin interviewed on Books Are Love
Tues., Sept. 20 – Kristin makes a guest post on The Reading Date
Friday, Sept. 23 – Kristin makes a guest post on Twenty Three Pages
Mon., Sept. 26 – Kristin interviewed on Literary Rambles
Wed., Sept. 28 – Kristin interviewed on Wandering Educators
Wed., Oct. 5 – Kristin interviewed on Operation Awesome 

Review: The Art of Holding On and Letting Gn by Kristin Bartley Lenz

Freitag, 2. September 2016

The Art of Holding On and Letting Go by Kristin Bartley Lenz
Expected Publication: September 12th 2016 by Elephant Rock Productions, Inc.
Pages: 307 Pages (Paperback)
Series: No

   A Junior Library Guild Fall 2016 Selection
   “When every piece falls into place, it’s like a dance, a delicate but powerful balancing act. The art of holding on and letting go at the same time.”
   Competitive climber Cara Jenkins feels most at home high off the ground, clinging to a rock wall by her fingertips. She’s enjoyed a roaming life with her mountaineering parents, making the natural world her jungle gym, the writings of Annie Dillard and Henry David Thoreau her textbooks. But when tragedy strikes on an Ecuadoran mountaintop, Cara’s nomadic lifestyle comes to an abrupt halt.
   Starting over at her grandparents’ home in suburban Detroit, Cara embarks on a year of discovery, uncovering unknown strengths, friendships, and first love. Cara’s journey illustrates the transformative power of nature, love and loss, and discovering that home can be far from where you started. (goodreads.com)

* Thank you to Elephant Rock Books for providing me with an 
eARC in exchange for my honest review *

   When the publisher contacted me regarding this book and I checked out the synopsis I was definitely intrigued. I've never read a book about a competitive climber before, or even seen climbing being mentioned in any other YA book I've read so far, so I was eager to dive into it. Thanks to a massive reading slump it took me way longer then it usually would, which is a shame, but I made my way through it and I can tell you that I was not disappointed by it.

   In this story we follow Cara's story that starts off in Ecuador during a climbing competition (which is described really, really well and with just the perfect amount of details) during which tragedy strikes Cara's family. Following Cara as she holds on to hope that maybe everything will be okay, and then having to accept that it won't and that her entire life is about to change, was heartbreaking and brilliantly written. Seeing her navigate a her new surroundings, making new friends and falling in love was amazing, especially because it was such a contrast to the way the book started off.
   What stuck out for me about this book was the way Kristin described the climbing aspect and Cara's emotional landscape, how it was changing and evolving along the way. You could really feel what she was feeling and understand why she felt that way and why she made certain choices. Cara is a fascinating character that I very much enjoyed reading about.

   I really enjoyed Kristin's writing style, the way she created likable and relatable characters that seemed realistic and three dimensional. The story definitely lived up to my hopes and to that really pretty cover.

   All in all, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go is a intriguing story that brings something new to the table, something we've not seen before, and it does it incredibly well. I can definitely recommend it if you're in the mood for a contemporary with lots of emotions and a looking into the life of a competitive climber.
I give The Art of Holding On and Letting Go by Kristin Bartley Lenz 5 out of 5 stars.


   Purchase links:
   Amazon
   IndieBound
   Books-A-Million
   Barnes & Noble
   Goodreads
   Kobo

   Also, if you want, you can totally check out the blog tour for The Art of Holding On and Letting Go (which I'm totally part of):

·      Mon., Aug. 22 – Kristin makes a guest post on Making Connections
·      Fri., Aug. 26 – Kristin interviewed on Fiction Over Reality
·      Tues., Aug. 30 – Kristin interviewed on A Leisure Moment
·      Thurs., Sept. 1 – Kristin interviewed on Crazy Book Obsessions!
·      Sunday, Sept. 4 – Kristin makes an appearance on blackplume
·      Tues., Sept. 6 – Kristin makes a guest post on Books Are Love
·      Thurs., Sept. 8 – Kristin interviewed on Alice Reeds
·      Mon., Sept. 12 – Release day post on Making Connections
·      Mon., Sept. 12 – Kristin makes a guest post on Books & Tea
·      Mon., Sept. 12 – Kristin is interviewed by her agent, Carrie Pestritto, on Literary Carrie
·      Thurs., Sept. 15 – Kristin interviewed on Books Are Love
·      Tues., Sept. 20 – Kristin makes a guest post on The Reading Date
·      Friday, Sept. 23 – Kristin makes a guest post on Twenty Three Pages
·      Mon., Sept. 26 – Kristin interviewed on Literary Rambles
·      Wed., Sept. 28 – Kristin interviewed on Wandering Educators

·      Wed., Oct. 5 – Kristin interviewed on Operation Awesome