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Friday, 26 June 2015
Jamie Forta from The Confessions Series by Louise Rozett ~ Character Interview + Excerpt + Giveaways
This week Paperback Princess has dedicated the week to the Confessions Series by Louise Rozett. These are the posts thus far...
Day 2 Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend Review
Day 3 Interview with Rose Zarelli
Today we've got the Jamie Forta here to do a short Character Interview with the same questions that Rose answered in her Character Interview yesterday. Now as most of you would know, Jamie can be a bit difficult in the whole communication thing, so Louise was kind enough to sit in at our Interview to prompt him a bit, I suppose that's what's fantastic about being an Author, you can coach your book characters :) !
For the next 3 days I will also be sharing a chapter a day of No More Confessions, just to get you all a little bit more excited Furthermore we've got not one but TWO giveaways at the end, enter for your chance to win a copy of Confessions of an Angry Girl, book 1 in the series, this giveaway is hosted by yours truly to complement this feature. YA Bound is hosting the other giveaway to accompany No More Confession's tour.
YA Bound is hosting a tour for No More Confessions which is book 3 and the last book in The Confessions series, click on the banner below for the complete tour schedule and check out the stops for this tour.
~ Character Interview with Jamie Forta ~
Hi! This is Louise, author of the Confessions series. Today the lovely Angelica of Paperback Princess is asking Jamie the same questions she asked Rose yesterday. Let’s see if Jamie is up for communicating today...
Jeremy Sumpter dream casted by Louise Rozett
Source MTG Reviews
Describe yourself and your life in a tweet
A tweet? I don’t do that stuff.
Louise: Jamie, this is Louise. It’s just a sentence or two that’s 140 characters or less.
Like I said. I don’t do that stuff.
Louise: Are you willing to give it a try? For Angelica?
Uh...okay. 140 characters seems like a lot but I’ll give it a shot, Angelica.
"Don’t talk much. Can draw some. Bartender. Probably time to find a different job. Thinking about leaving Union. Might go out west. Someday."
Cool. What are your aspirations for the future?
Rose thinks I’m some kind of “artist.” I don’t know—I don’t know what that means, really. I got some stuff I gotta work out before I can do anything like think about a future. That isn’t something I ever did before. But, uh, it’s nice that Rose thinks I’m a...that I can draw.
What traits are "must haves" for future partners...Rose maybe?
It’s day-by-day right now. One day a time, if you know what I mean. I still gotta figure out what I got to offer. If I offer anything. I can’t think about anyone else right now. Which sucks for Rose, I know. But she gets it. She’s...Rose is cool.
What’s your greatest fear?
Uh...that I won’t be anything. Or that I’m not anything.
Louise: Can you expand on that?
Do I have to?
Louise: No, but if you can, I think Angelica’s readers would like it.
Angelica, you’re killing me here. Uh...my greatest fear is that I’m...already the best version of myself. That this is it. That would be...
Louise: Bad?
Yup.
Louise: Anything else?
That covers it. Are we done?
Louise: One more question.
One more. That’s it, okay?
Who do you most admire?
Easy. Rose. She, uh, she sees the future. She sees her future. And she sees one for me too, I guess. I admire that.
Louise: You know what she said when Angelica asked her that question?
No.
Louise: She said she admires you the most.
Yeah, well. I don’t know why she’d say that but...that’s nice. That’s Rose for ya.
Louise: Does that mean something to you?
I said one more, and that was one more. I’m out. Thanks.
Louise: All right, you heard the man. :-) Thanks for hosting us on your blog, Angelica!
My pleasure Louise, and I am so glad to have been able to have this chat with both you and Jamie, and Rose yesterday. Please do let Jamie know that I greatly appreciated his efforts in answering the questions so truthfully, it couldn't have been easy.
~ Chapter 1 ~
“Shake It Out,” Ceremonials, Florence + The Machine
The girl in front of me with the pink eye shadow is way drunk. Mascara tears slash down her face and onto her white eyelet halter top as she begs the smirking bouncer at Dizzy’s to let her in because her boyfriend is in there with some other girl and she just has to see him, she has to make sure he knows what a whore that other girl is.
It’s lovely the way girls talk about each other.
“I need to see him, I need...him!” she wails, her friend holding her up by her tanned shoulders, her drunk jelly legs making her wobble on her white cork wedges.
I look away, disgusted, embarrassed for girls everywhere.
The wailing girl is probably a student here in New Haven, at freakin’ Yale, which means she has a serious brain in her head. She should know that girls do not need guys. The Romance Industrial Complex just tells us we do in order to drive us into the arms of the Beauty Industrial Complex, where we waste our brainpower and our money on lipstick and skinny jeans. If we’re obsessing about all that crap, then we’re not thinking about what we want to do, who we want to be, what we want to contribute.
Yeah, okay, I read a book this summer written by the shrink my mother and I have been going to together. It’s called Killing Cinderella: How to Undo the Damage We’ve Done to Our Girls. So I’m a little hopped up on gender theory—sue me.
I scoff out loud at the wailing girl and the girl’s friend looks over her shoulder at me, her eyes accusing, as if to say, What, like you’re not here to see some guy who dumped your sorry ass, Underage Townie?
Please. My situation is totally different, and here’s why. First of all, I’m not making a scene by bawling and begging. Second, I’m willing to bet Drunkie here did not just find out that there’s video online—actual f’ingvideo—of her father getting killed in Iraq two years ago.
So yeah, if I am here to see some guy who “dumped my sorry ass”—which, I guess, technically I am—I think I get a pass. I’m not here to make him my boyfriend, because I don’t need a boyfriend. But he’s the only person I know—besides my mother and my brother—who can even begin to imagine what this feels like. He’s the only person I want next to me when I watch the thing, and I need to know if he’ll do that for me.
Drunkie’s friend—let’s call her Judgie—turns back around just as Drunkie throws up down the front of her halter. Apparently she’s been drinking pink cocktails this evening.
“Go sleep it off, girls,” the bouncer commands, dismissing them with a wave of his meaty hand. I crush the heel of my Doc Marten against the pavement, unsympathetic, annoyed, anxious for my shot at the door. The bouncer gives himself a nice long moment to finish enjoying the Drunkie & Judgie Show before his eyes land on me.
He studies my face before his gaze travels down to my chest, then to my hips, giving me a once-over that I can feel as if he were touching me. Eventually, his eyes make their way back up to mine. He cocks a brow and beckons, crooking his finger like a
cartoon villain. I step forward and hand him my fake ID. I’ve never used it before and I force myself to breathe steadily as he squints down at it and then back up at me. I let my long bangs fall over half my face and give him as hard a stare as I can.
“I’m here to see Jamie?”
I hear the upward inflection but I can’t do anything about it now. I basically just announced that I’m 16—not 21—and that my ID is not real, but I hold his gaze, unblinking. He stares back, doing some kind of mental calculus that I can’t unlock. Just when I think he’s going to send me away, he chuckles and mutters, “Forta’s gonna get us shut down with all this underage pussy.” Then he cracks a condescending smile as he hands back my ID. “Go on. Good luck, baby.”
Obviously it’s not only girls who talk about girls in a less-than-respectful way.
In my mind, I spit at him. In reality, I step inside the bar as calmly as I can—I don’t want to give him any satisfaction of any kind. Once I’m in, my hands start to shake, but it doesn’t matter now—I’m here, I made it. I’m in a bar for the first time, only half an hour after learning about my own personal IED ticking away online, waiting to blow up my life whenever I’m ready.
My phone pings and I look down to see a text from Holly. Yr Mom called me. Whr r u?
I can’t answer her now. I have to figure out how to...be in a bar.
I look around like I’m supposed to be meeting someone. I didn’t exactly pick out an outfit before I came down here. At best, what I’m wearing is non-descript; at worst, it’s what a high school junior who sings in a band would wear—ripped jeans, a holey Neko Case T-shirt, Doc Martens. The bar is crowded, loud and hot—we’re having a mid-
September heat wave, and I guess Mr. Dizzy would rather let humidity in through the open windows than pay for air conditioning.
The place is a disaster, or a testament to longevity—it depends on your point of view. People have carved and scratched their initials onto every available surface, from the dark paneling on the walls to the hardwood booths and tables. The ceiling has mysterious grease stains on it, and the finish on the floor has been worn away to nothing. It’s a place frequented by all sorts of people, from old guys with long, scraggly hair and biker gear on one side of the bar to college students on the other. It’s a cool but weird vibe.
Not that I have any idea what a bar vibe should be.
My fake ID sticks to my sweaty palm. My best friend Tracy got it for me this summer while she was living with her aunt in New York and interning at Marlien. Trace didn’t exactly make friends at the fashion mag. As the only high school intern, she spent most of her time getting people coffee, and no one—except for Marlien herself—cared that her blog had been mentioned in the Times once. She was never invited to go out after work but she got a fake ID “just in case,” and she got one for me, too.
This is my “just in case” moment.
If someone had told me half an hour ago that I’d be using my fake ID to get into Dizzy’s to see Jamie tonight, I would have laughed. But of course, I wouldn’t have heard the panic in Vicky’s voice at that point.
She didn’t even say hello when I answered the phone after dinner—just “Lemme talk to your momma.” Vicky and my mother had never spoken to each other before—my mother isn’t a big fan of the woman I befriended online when I discovered that her son
and my father had died in the same explosion. But I knew enough from the tone of Vicky’s voice not to ask any questions. I just handed my phone over and watched my mother’s face go pale.
I was out the door with her keys before she finished telling me why Vicky had called. I heard “video” and “online” in the context of the panicked phone call from Vicky, and I pretty much had the whole picture.
I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror above the bar—the last inch of my long brown hair cobalt blue, my bangs hanging way past my eyes—and that’s when I notice that Jamie isn’t bussing tables here like I’d heard. He’s behind the bar, filling glasses from a tap. There’s something sharp about him—something new. I don’t know what it is.
I wonder if he’ll talk to me.
Jamie’s not the type to yell in public—the worst that will happen is he ignores me. Still, I am rooted to the spot, hoping he’ll see me without my having to do anything. He’s busy, moving fast to serve everyone. He grabs some dollars off the bar and jams them into the tip jar that is already full, even though it’s still early for a Thursday night in a college town.
A gruff voice behind me mutters something creepy about jailbait. I quickly choose a seat near the Yalies, my mother’s keys in my back pocket digging into me, reminding me that I took her car without permission.
I wait. It only takes a minute.
Before his eyes go dark at the sight of me, there’s a flash of heat in his gaze that makes my stomach drop out. I remember exactly what it’s like to feel Jamie Forta’s hands on my bare skin, though I tried not to let myself think about it all summer. Not
after the way he shut me down without letting me explain. I believe his exact words in the parking lot after the fight with Anthony Parrina were, “I don’t know you.”
His loss.
Jamie takes his time pouring beers for the college girls next to me. As he hands them over, he smiles. The Jamie I used to know didn’t smile without good reason—people on the receiving end had to earn it. But here he is, giving his smile to these girls like it’s free.
One of them smiles back before turning to her friends, who aren’t paying Jamie any attention. Why would they? Jamie’s a townie, as far as they’re concerned. They go to Yale.
So? So what? That makes them special? They had high SAT scores and lots of extracurriculars in high school. Big deal.
Another college girl shows up and Smiling Girl wraps her arms around the newcomer. “Jamie, one for Skye?” she calls over her shoulder.
Did she just...
Why the hell does this girl know his name?
Jamie pours another beer and this time, he gives it to her with a wink. She laughs, takes the beer and drops a dollar in the tip jar. Just when I think he’s going to ignore me, he leans back against the bar and crosses his arms.
“How’d you get in?” He raises his eyebrows, waiting for an answer. I hold up my sweaty ID. He glances at it. “Dizzy let you in with that?”
“That was Dizzy?” I say.
“Underage kids aren’t allowed in here.”
Anger makes my face hot instantly. “What about underage bartenders?”
“What do you want?” he demands.
Smiling Girl senses turbulence and turns to see what’s going on. She’s curious about me, which means that she likes him. I take her in before she goes back to her conversation with her friends.
She’s got bright green eyes, long brown hair, cargo pants, a perfectly torn T-shirt with a thin gold necklace that disappears into her v-neck. She’s telling a story about a piece of art she’s working on, holding everyone’s attention easily, gesturing with the delicate but strong hands that I’ve always been envious of on other girls. There’s a slash of paint on her forearm.
She’s hot.
Well, lucky her.
I shift my attention back to Jamie. “Can I talk to you?”
“I don’t have time.”
I ignore the sting of his words. “Can you make time?”
“Does it look like I can?”
Part of me wants to tell him about the video just to shock him and make him feel guilty for how he’s treating me right now. But I’ve had enough therapy to know I wouldn’t feel good about that in the long run. Plus, if I say anything about it, he’ll ask me questions and then figure out that I ran straight to him without even looking at it.
Although who could blame me? So what if it takes me some time to get up the nerve to watch a video of my dad getting blown up?
In a way, it surprises me that it took two years for a video to surface. Everyone is a cinematographer now. But what surprises me even more is that the person I immediately wanted to talk to after finding out about it—even though we just spent another summer not talking to each other—was Jamie.
Now I see just how dumb that was. The fact that we’ve both lost a parent isn’t enough to overcome everything else.
Fuck it. I don’t need him.
I push back from the bar and slide off the stool. As I look over at Ms. Cargo Pants, I have three thoughts in rapid succession: she’s a fraud; I wish I were as cool as she is; I don’t want to be the kind of girl who thinks another girl is a fraud just because I’m jealous of her.
While I’m thinking all of this, Jamie goes back to work without a word. I stand there for another few seconds, watching as he shifts back into his role as the hot young bartender who exists only to give these future movers-and-shakers what they want. Then I stride out of the bar as confidently as I can for someone who just got so thoroughly shut down. I’m moving so fast that I nearly fall backward when Dizzy’s meaty hand lands on my shoulder.
“How’s our pal?”
I turn around, extracting myself from his oily grasp as subtly as I can. “Busy.”
“He always is, honey, he always is. The ladies love Jamie. And some of the boys, too. Heh-heh,” he chuckles. He checks out my breasts one more time for good measure, then holds out his hand. “ID, please.”
Puzzled, I show it to him again.
“Thanks, Girly,” he says as he takes it and crushes it in his fist. “Now don’t come back.”
Come back tomorrow for Chapter 2 and No More Confessions Review
Buy The Entire Series
Book Blogger Hop + Feature & Follow Friday #40
Book Blogger Hop hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer
Do others come to you for book recommendations?
(Suggested by Elizabeth from Silver's Reviews)
Wednesday, 24 June 2015
Guardian by Katy Newton Naas ~ Cover Reveal + Giveaway
~ Cover Reveal ~
Guardian
by Katy Newton Naas
Published: July 7, 2015
Publisher: Clean Reads
Genre: MG Contemporary
 |
When Kinsey Lydell enters seventh grade, the only thing she wants is to fit in. But being like everyone else isn’t easy when you have epilepsy. Especially when that means a dog has to follow you around everywhere you go.
Drake, Kinsey’s assistance dog, has been her best friend since the day she met him. They have a special connection – he can sense her seizures before they occur. The other students have always loved having Drake in the classroom, making Kinsey feel special, not strange. But just a short time in a new middle school changes all of that.
Kinsey can’t help but admire Taylor Thompson. The boys like her and the girls want to be like her. But from the first day of school, it’s clear that Taylor is determined to make Kinsey feel like an outsider. Suddenly, her best friend – the one who lives his whole life just to protect her – becomes her source of humiliation.
About The Author
Katy Newton Naas
From the time she was old enough to talk, Katy Newton Naas has been creating characters and telling stories. As a child, they sometimes got her into trouble. She knew she wanted to write books when she won a Young Author's competition as a second-grader for her short story titled, "The Grape Pie." (Don't let its tasty title fool you - it was actually a sad little tale!)Katy devoured books as a child and young adult, always doing chores and odd jobs in order to make enough money to buy more of them. Though she continues to age, her true literature love is and has always been children's and young adult fiction.Katy currently teaches middle school reading and high school English in southern Illinois, as well as children's church. She graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale with a bachelor's degree in English Education and a master's degree in Reading and Language Studies. She enjoys her life out in the country with her husband, her sweet and rowdy young son (soon to be SONS - her second little boy is due any day!), and all her four-legged kids: Shakespeare, Poe, Morgi, Cappy, Ana, and Gray.She loves creating both realistic and futuristic stories about kids, tweens, and teens, and feels so fortunate to get to work with them every day as a teacher.
~ Giveaway ~
This event is brought to you by
Character Interview with Rose Zarelli from The Confessions Series by Louise Rozett {Giveaways}
This week we're celebrating the Confessions series by Louise Rozett. Day 1 was my Confessions of an Angry Girl review, Day 2 was my review of Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend. Today we have the wonderful Rose Zarelli here to answer a few questions.
YA Bound is hosting a tour for No More Confessions which is book 3 and the last book in The Confessions series, click on the banner below for the complete tour schedule and check out the stops for this tour.
Please don't forget to enter the TWO giveaways, one is hosted by me for Paperback Princess' feature and the other is hosted by YA Bound which is the tour wide giveaway for No More Confessions. So enter for your chance to win book 1 AND 3 of this awesome series!
~ Character Interview with Rose Zarelli ~
Hi! This is Louise, author of the Confessions series. The lovely Angelica of Paperback Princess has some questions for Rose. So without further ado, take it away, Angelica and Rose!
Chloe Grace Moretz dream casted by Louise Rozett
Describe yourself and your life in a tweet.
Ooh, I like a Twitter challenge. Okay, let’s see...ummmm....
"I know who I want to be and how I want to live but I’m not there yet. Love is
important but it’s only one part of life. It’s NOT everything."
How’s that? I think that’s 140 exactly! That makes me totally happy for some
weird reason I can’t explain...
What are your aspirations for the future?
I want to write music and sing and play guitar...I want to be in a rock musical, or
maybe I just want to write it...I want to go to college and study English...I want to
be a good person, but I’m sort of only just figuring out what that means...I want to
learn how to put myself first and still look out for other people...I want to be okay
with not knowing what’s going to happen next.
What traits are "must haves" for future partners?
Girls think about this stuff too much. I mean, maybe not everyone is supposed to
pair up in life, you know? Maybe I want to spend my life working on music and
being totally independent and not thinking about a guy. It’s not that I don’t think
romantic love is good. But I think girls still get told somehow that being in love is
more important than anything else.
Even though it’s 2015 and girls kick ass in
books and on TV and in movies, the message is still sort of Prince Charming-ish
(Rose, this is Louise. Can you just answer the question, please?)
Fine. I’ll tell you what my big “must have NOT” is: any future partner I have
definitely won’t be into drugs or alcohol!
What’s your greatest fear?
It’s weird, when the worst thing you can imagine happening has happened to
you. When I was little, I used to have nightmares about my mom or dad dying.
And now that it happened in real life, I feel sort of...free, I guess. It happened,
and I survived. More bad things are going to happen, but I think I can survive
those too.
I guess my greatest fear is losing that feeling. I don’t want to be scared
Who do you most admire?
Jamie.
He’s the strongest person I know. I’ve learned a lot from him, from
watching him go through everything, from the advice he’s given me, from loving
him. I know he can make it through everything that’s happening now. I’m sure of
it.
I want to be there for him but you know what? He has to do it on his own.
And I
Come back tomorrow, when Angelica asks Jamie the same questions. Hopefully
he’ll answer at least one or two. But you never know with him. :-)
Thanks so much Rose for participating in this short interview here today. I know that some of these questions must be confronting for you, but like the strong character you are, you got through it. Thank you and if you can have a word with Jamie, to sorta convince him to answer as many questions as he can, that'd be much appreciated ;)
Buy The Entire Series
Book Blitz: The Witches of BlackBrook by Tish Thawer ~ Author Interview + Kindle Fire Giveaway!
The Book Blitz for
The Witches of BlackBrook by Tish Thawer
I don't think there's enough awesome witchy books in the New Adult genre, so I'm excited to be participating in the promotion of this book as it seriously sounds amazing! Check it out for yourself...we've got Tish Thawer here today giving us an insight into how this book was created. Don't forget to read to the end as you'll have a chance to #WIN a KINDLE FIRE and it's open INT'L! Excited yet?
~ Author Interview ~
When and why did you begin writing?
In 2010 I woke up from a dream and had the title of my first book running through my head.
Minutes later, I knew the other two titles, and had the entire story-line of The Rose Trilogy all
worked out.
Who encouraged you or what made you decide to write a novel and seek
publication?
I’ve been a member of Shelfari since 2007, and was asked to become a Librarian for them after
putting in countless hours of editing. Being so emerged in books and seeing all the wonderful
series on a daily basis while working in the backend of the site, to say that books had become my
life, was an understatement. I’m now one of 13 Librarians for the hundreds of thousands of
members, as well as one of it’s top 50 editors.
What drew you to write Paranormal Romance?
I always go back to the phrase, “Write what you know.” And while my genre is
considered paranormal for the unrealistic and fantastical elements, it’s what I
know. It’s what I prefer to read and what I’ve studied in my actual life. (Psstt...in
case you’re wondering, yes, I’m a witch.)
Of all your characters, who’s your favorite, and why?
Raven. She’s tough but sensitive, sexy but tom-boyish, and has a wicked sense of
humor and a sharp tongue.
What would you love to write someday but haven’t yet?
I started a contemporary romance trilogy that I’d love to return to. I just have to
figure out how to write it without someone getting bitten and turning into a
vampire or werewolf. LOL
Were books a big part of your life growing up? If so, what books would you say
influenced you most as a child?
Actually...no. My mother was the reader in the family and to this day, she teases
me about how it took thirty some years for me to finally catch on.
What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?
I’m 44, have 16 tattoos, and cuss like a sailor. (Sorry, Grandma.)
I started teaching dance when I was 15 years old.
When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?
Watching TV and movies, and playing games with my family.
Three things always found in your refrigerator:
Stuffed olives, Soda, Cheese
Writing is often a sedentary profession.
Is there anything you do to beat stress and
keep in shape?
I hike and exercise in my home, and dance as often as possible.
You’re in line at Starbucks.
What are you ordering?
Java Chip Frap with Whip or a Caramel Apple Spice
Where do you go when you need to recharge?
Sedona, AZ or back home to Colorado.
About The Author
Tish Thawer
Tish Thawer writes paranormal romances for all ages. Her magickal elements and detailed world-building are a welcome constant in every novel.Before becoming a writer she worked as a computer consultant, a photographer and a graphic designer. She also operates a custom glass etching business, in addition to being a wife and the mother of three wonderful children.She's been a fan of the paranormal for as long as she can remember. Anything to do with superpowers, myth and magic has always held a special place in her heart. From her first paranormal cartoon, Isis, to the phenomenon that is Twilight, this genre has always been a part of her life.
About The Book
The Witches of BlackBrook
by Tish Thawer
Series: The Witches of BlackBrook #1
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Publisher: Amber Leaf Publishing
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Through space and time, sisters entwined. Lost then found, souls remain bound.Three sisters escape the Salem witch trials when the eldest casts a spell that hurdles their souls forward through time. After centuries separated, fate has finally reunited them in the present day.One the healer, one the teacher, and one the deceiver.Will their reunion return their full powers, or end their souls journey forever?
~ Giveaway ~
This event is presented to you by
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend ~ Review + Giveaway
This week we're celebrating the Confessions series by Louise Rozett. If you missed the first post for this feature, which was my review for book 1, Confessions of an Angry Girl click here.
YA Bound is hosting a tour for No More Confessions which is book 3 and the last book in The Confessions series, click on the banner below for the complete tour schedule and check out the stops for this tour.
Please don't forget to enter the TWO giveaways, one is hosted by me for Paperback Princess' feature and the other is hosted by YA Bound which is the tour wide giveaway for No More Confessions. So enter for your chance to win book 1 AND 3 of this awesome series!
Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend
by Louise Rozett
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | TwitterSeries: Confessions #2
Released: June 25, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA Contemporary
Buy It Now: Amazon
| Book Depository
Rose Zarelli has big plans for sophomore year—everything is going to be different. This year, she’s going to be the talented singer with the killer voice, the fabulous girl with the fashionista best friend, the brainiac who refuses to let Jamie Forta jerk her around...
...but if she’s not careful, she’s also going to be the sister who misses the signals, the daughter who can only think about her own pain, the “good girl” who finds herself in mid-scandal again (because no good deed goes unpunished) and possibly worst of all...the almost-girlfriend.
When all else fails, stop looking for love and go find yourself.
~ Review ~
If my ratings could do 1/2 I would have given Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend 4.5, it still had the same rawness, realism and depth in this book, but everything was just better! It totally goes with the concept of Rose Zarelli reinventing herself, creating a Rose 2.0. Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend is just that, Confessions of an Angry Girl 2.0.
Rose Zarelli is starting her Sophomore year as Rose 2.0 a reinvented Rose, one that can control her anger, stay out of other people's problems and concentrate on her and her future, but it wasn't as easy as she had hoped when the first chapter of the book her "saviour complex" gets the better of her as she tries to save Conrad, from a swim-team "initiation" that turned nasty.
"Go help your saviour-complex girlfriend," Conrad says. "Leave me the hell alone."
I absolutely love the characters in this series, and each book I see the tremendous growth that they go through. Rose is less of a 'stand by the sidelines and allow people to treat you like crap', she became more verbal and even sarcastic at times. Rose had the most character growth in this book, and whilst I didn't love her in book 1, I still "enjoyed her company", but this time, I wanted to be one of Rose's "friends".
Louise Rozett creating Rose 2.0 really did it for me, she was fantastic, strong, and more confident with herself, and this is really what I liked so much about Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend, she became more of her own person, she wasn't so whiny and unsure of what to do.
"I'll call you," he says.
"I'll believe it when I see it," 2.0 answers. I feel all sassy as I walk past him, even though what I said doesn't exactly make sense - you don't really see someone call you. But I don't care. I look over my shoulder and Jamie's still smiling, looking at me like he's seeing me in a different way. A new way. A way he likes.
Jamie Forta I have a love and hate relationship with him, he's gorgeous, older guy who seems to have a heart of gold, but why can't he just spit it out? Why does it need to always be a damn mystery with him, does he like her or not? Does he want to be with her or not? The whole back and forth between them just drove me crazy and I think this may have been the reason why I didn't really 'love' their relationship, it was torturous to say the least...yes, not just for Rose but for the readers! This quote below reiterates what I'm saying, she's stronger, different and even though she's crazy about Jamie she's seeing things a bit more clearer.
Once upon a time, I would have loved having weak, swoony limbs, but right here and now, in this moment, it pisses 2.0 off.
Jamie doesn't get to do this to me again. He doesn't get to just show up and take over my body for the time it takes to kiss me and then disappear.
Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend also dealt with very serious themes; bullying and homophobia and I liked how Louise was able to weave this into Rose's story without seeming preachy and moral of the story kind of book.
There are two standout original things that Louise Rozett does in Confessions of an Angry Girl and Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend, firstly, she divided chapters into seasons e.g. Spring, Summer etc. so this brought me back to it feeling like I'm reading diary entries more so than being told a story. It also gave me the timeline that each book captures a year of Rose's life.
The second fantastic and original thing she does is the word and definition and how it affects the chapter or Rose's story. I know that these concepts may not seem large, but it showed me a few things, for starters Alfonso Zarelli, Rose's father was big on expanding her vocabulary, so I think this was her way of staying connected to her Father, it also gives the readers an insight on what Rose's thinking and why that was the word she chose for that particular chapter. I really like it when Authors do something this simple, but somehow it makes the story, character and book more stand out.
homophobic (noun): scared of homosexuality (see also: the Swim Thugs, and half of Union High)
The reason why I enjoyed Louise Rozett's Confession series so much is because it's so real, it's probably the most real story I've ever read and I really enjoyed that. It didn't seem to be a story at all, it felt like we're reading Rose's diary entries from the past, and I loved that. This story doesn't have the bad guys staying bad, the good guys getting everything they want at the end, this is a realistic story of life, the imperfect, rawness of it all.
Buy The Entire Series
Teaser + Top Ten Tuesday #27 ~ Favourite Top Ten topics
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke & The Bookish
Happy 5th Birthday to "Top Ten Tuesday"!!!
My Favourite Top Ten topics in the last 5 years
The first 6 are linked to my posts, the remaining 4 are linked to The Broke & The Bookish post for these topics as I haven't done a post for these yet.
I was going to do a Top 5 to honour the 5th birthday of this great meme, but I couldn't cut the list down to 5 as there are so many fantastic topics! Looking forward to reading everyone else's favourites, and of course if there are topics that you'd think would be great but isn't listed as yet, suggest away by emailing The Broke and The Bookish team at brokeandbookish@gmail.com.
- Favourite Book Covers
- Bookish Memories
- Bookish Goals
- Books I just HAD to buy but are still unread
- Freebie Topics ~ Wild & Wacky Bookish-things
- Favourite Authors
- Favourite Book Blogs
- Bookish Websites/Organisations/Apps
- Tips for new book bloggers
- All Time Favourite Books
Next week @ Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Books I've Read so far in 2015
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| Source: Beckoned by Books |
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along, just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
- Be careful not to include spoilers (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away. You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the book info so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like the teasers.
~ Teaser ~
"So, you're allergic to eye contact."
"I'm allergic to everything contact."
"No you're not," he says at once. "You're not allergic to brain contact. I mean, you write notes. You talk. You still want to talk to people, you just can't. So your body needs to catch up with your brain."
I'm silent for awhile. No one's put it like that before.
Sophie Kinsella is one of my all-time favourite Authors before I started blogging, not saying she is no longer on my Fave Author list, but she was there when that list was very very short. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw that one of my fave Authors wrote a YA novel which is my fave genre...so I was not about to pass up the chance to review Finding Audrey, and I am certainly not disappointed. It is slightly different from her normal tone, but I'm still loving it. Review is soon to come, so stay tuned.
About The Book
Finding Audrey
by Sophie Kinsella
Publication Date: June 9, 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers
Genre: YA Contemporary
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a terrific blend of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery in a contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and entertain.
An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.
Dream of You by Jennifer L. Armentrout ~ Release Day Blast + Excerpt
I am so excited to be part of the Release Day Blast for
Jennifer Armentrout's Dream of You,
a Wait For You Novella
About the Book
Dream of You
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Wait for you # 4.5
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Abby Erickson isn't looking for a one-night stand, a relationship, or anything that involves any one-on-one time, but when she witnesses a shocking crime, she's thrust into the hands of the sexiest man she's ever seen - Colton Anders. His job is to protect her, but with every look, every touch, and every simmering kiss, she's in danger of not only losing her life but her heart also.
~ Excerpt ~
Detective Hart asked a few more questions. Did I notice if they had gotten in a car? No. Was a name even spoken? Not that I recalled. Did they say anything to the man they shot? I wasn’t sure. Eventually, he got up and left the room to retrieve some photos they wanted me to look at.
I was alone with Colton.
Any other time I probably would’ve been beside myself with nervousness, but at this point, I barely registered his presence. All I wanted to do was go home and forget this night.
“Abby?”
My gaze slowly lifted at the sound of my name. His voice was deep and gruff—a morning voice.
He leaned toward me, placing his arms on the table. Short dark hairs dusted powerful forearms. The few times I’d seen him over the years, I hadn’t been in close proximity to him, but now I could see the tiny differences between the Colton I’d admired from afar in high school and the one sitting in front of me, some ten years later. Fine lines had formed around the corners of his eyes. His jaw seemed harder, and the five-o’clock shadow was something new.
I really needed to stop thinking in general.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Abby?” he asked, and real concern filled his voice.
I shook my head slowly as a shiver raced down my spine. “Yes. No? I’m sorry. I’m so tired.”
“I can imagine.” He glanced at the door as he moved his shoulders, as if working out a kink. “We’ll get you home soon.”
Slouching in the metal chair, I sighed. “Is this…the start of your shift or…?”
Colton’s cobalt gaze tracked back to me. “I usually get off around eight, but we work in cycles for homicide calls. It was our weekend.”
“Sorry,” I whispered, and then frowned. “I don’t even know why I apologized. It’s got to be hard working those kinds of hours, having to be on call.”
“I imagine it is for some, especially those with a family.” One side of his lips quirked up, and despite the dire situation, my stomach dipped a bit. He lifted his left hand. “Obviously, I’m not married. I wouldn’t know.”
About The Author
Jennifer L. Armentrout
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
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