Review: Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

3521484 Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publicatio Date: December 23rd 2008
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, High School

BLURB:

When “Perfect” Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter’s High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher’s pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn’t want to talk about it. She’d just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there’s a nice guy falling in love with her and he’s making her feel things again when she’d really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she’d turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault. Continue reading →

Review: Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

22297294 Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Edelweiss
Publicatio Date: May 17th, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Mental Illness, Contemporary, Romance, High School, Sports, Family

BLURB:

Maguire is bad luck.

No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the rollercoaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.

It’s safest for Maguire to hide out in her room, where she can cause less damage and avoid meeting new people who she could hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star. Jordy is confident, talented, and lucky, and he’s convinced he can help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away. But it turns out staying away is harder than she thought.

From author Paula Stokes comes a funny and poignant novel about accepting the past, embracing the future, and learning to make your own luck. Continue reading →

This or That Book Tag ft. Captain Jack Sparrow!

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

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Dear folks, I am here to do the THIS OR THAT book tag, created by Ayunda @ Tea and Paperbacks. It has come to my attention that the last time I did a tag, I was a minor. I am now doing a tag as an adult. Thank you for thinking of me, Shanayah @ The Scarlet Bookkeeper.

I shall apologize in advance for the bad humour that will follow. You see, I am currently watching the whole PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN series. Indeed, I am contaminated with Jack’s wicked humour!

Again, apologies. Let’s proceed to the tag now. There are some rules involved, but Captain Jack Sparrow takes no orders! Continue reading →

Review: Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

15821260 Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publicatio Date: March 26th 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 11+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, High School, Sports, Friendship

BLURB:

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren’t the most popular girls in school, they aren’t too worried. After all, real life will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. But when an unexpected event proves they’re missing out on the full high-school experience, it’s time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. The trio makes a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge and totally rock it.

Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she’ll have to get over her fear of public speaking—and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed; it could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but has always stayed behind the scenes—until now.

These friends are determined to show the world that smart girls really can get what they want—but that might mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for. . . . Continue reading →

Author Interview: Roshani Chokshi (The Star-Touched Queen)

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

The Star-Touched Queen Interview

Having absolutely adored The Star-Touched Queen (see my review HERE), I was extremely excited when Miss Chokshi agreed to do this interview. It’s one of my favorite 2016 releases.

BLURB:

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only

Roshani Chokshi

the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself. Continue reading →

Review: Red Queen (The Chronicles of Alice, #2) by Christina Henry

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

27246122 Red Queen by Christina Henry

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Received: NetGalley
Publicatio Date: July 12th 2016
Publisher: Ace
Point of View: 3rd Person
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings, Dark, Magic, Romance

BLURB:

The author of Alice takes readers back down the rabbit hole to a dark, twisted, and fascinating world based on the works of Lewis Carroll…

The land outside of the Old City was supposed to be green, lush, hopeful. A place where Alice could finally rest, no longer the plaything of the Rabbit, the pawn of Cheshire, or the prey of the Jabberwocky. But the verdant fields are nothing but ash—and hope is nowhere to be found.

Still, Alice and Hatcher are on a mission to find his daughter, a quest they will not forsake even as it takes them deep into the clutches of the mad White Queen and her goblin or into the realm of the twisted and cruel Black King.

The pieces are set and the game has already begun. Each move brings Alice closer to her destiny. But, to win, she will need to harness her newfound abilities and ally herself with someone even more powerful—the mysterious and vengeful Red Queen… Continue reading →

Negative Review: Frannie and Tru by Karen Hattrup

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

23587107 Frannie and Tru by Karen Hattrup

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Received: Edelweiss
Publicatio Date: May 31st 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 1st Person Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult Contemporary, LGBT

BLURB:

When Frannie Little eavesdrops on her parents fighting she discovers that her cousin Truman is gay, and his parents are so upset they are sending him to live with her family for the summer. At least, that’s what she thinks the story is. . . When he arrives, shy Frannie befriends this older boy, who is everything that she’s not–rich, confident, cynical, sophisticated. Together, they embark on a magical summer marked by slowly unraveling secrets. Continue reading →

Waiting on Wednesday (#11)

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post created by Breaking the Spine that features our most anticipated books to be released.

Having read Adam Silvera’s first novel – More Happy Than Not (see review here) – I’m extremely excited for his next novel to be published which will be LGBT themed also!

Continue reading →

Review: Also Known As (Also Known As, #1) by Robin Benway

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

13132661 Also Known As by Robin Benway

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publicatio Date: February 26th 2013
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Point of View: 1st Person Feminine
Recommended Age: 11+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, High School, Espionage

BLURB:

Which is more dangerous: being an international spy… or surviving high school?

Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world’s premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it’s three digits, why bother locking it at all?)

But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she’s attending a private school with hundreds of “mean girl” wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school’s elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat… all while trying not to blow her cover. Continue reading →

Best of the Saddest Young Adult Books

Posted on May 7, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Best of the Saddest Young Adult Books

Dear readers, having recently experienced some drama in my personal life – the sad kind – I felt inspired to make a list of the best of the saddest young adult books that I have read.

Let’s get to it!

10 – The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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This book’s atmosphere in general made me sad. It’s an extremely beautifully-written story focusing on Charlie’s emotional responses to diverse situations and his overall thoughts about the world around him. Continue reading →