The Spy Who (Kind of) Liked Me by Andrea Portes

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

32051722 Liberty: The Spy Who (Kind of) Liked Me by Andrea Portes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: June 6th, 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Spies, Action, Humor, Russia

BLURB:

What is a hero? Paige Nolan knows.

Edward Raynes, the young man who exposed America’s unconstitutional spying techniques, is a hero, even if half the dum-dums in the country think he’s a traitor. Or her parents, journalists who were captured by terrorists while telling stories of the endangered and oppressed. They were heroes, too. Were. . . or are—no one has ever told Paige if they’re still alive, or dead.

Not heroes? Anyone in the government who abandoned her parents, letting them rot somewhere halfway across the world. And certainly not Paige herself, who despite her fluency in five languages and mastery of several obscure martial arts (thanks, Mom!) could do nothing to save them.

Couldn’t, that is, until she’s approached by Madden Carter, an undercover operative who gives her a mission—fly to Russia, find Raynes, and discover what other government secrets he’s stockpiled. In exchange, he’ll reopen the case on her missing parents. She’s given a code name and a cover as a foreign exchange student.

Who is a hero? Not Paige Nolan, but maybe, just maybe, Liberty is. Continue reading →

Review: Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

24485589 Hunted by Meagan Spooner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: March 14th 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 3rd Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 11+
Pacing: Slow
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Fairytale Retellings, Beauty and the Beast

BLURB:

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast? Continue reading →

Review: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

30628062 Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: HarperCollins Canada
Publication Date: March 28th, 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, LGBT, Contemporary, Friendship

BLURB:

What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

Frances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside.

But when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken.

Caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’ dreams come crashing down. Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past…
She has to confess why Carys disappeared…

Meanwhile at uni, Aled is alone, fighting even darker secrets.

It’s only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. And it’s only by being your true self that you can find happiness.

Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has. Continue reading →

Waiting on Wednesday (#17)

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

waiting on Wednesday

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

I just LOVE the premise for this one. It looks badass intriguing and I bet there are going to be some kickass twists and turns!

Continue reading →

Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

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

15283043

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publication Date: July 2nd 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Past
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Rich Vs. Poor, Coming-of-Age, Family

BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she’s beginning to enjoy his company. 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 →

Review: Winning by Lara Deloza

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

26869849 Winning by Lara Deloza

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Edelweiss
Publicatio Date: June 28th 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 1st Person Feminine & Alternative
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, High School, Revenge, Anti-Hero, LGBT

BLURB:

House of Cards meets Election in this wickedly entertaining story about an uber-ambitious high school junior.

Whoever said being nice would get you to the top?

Certainly not Alexandra Miles. She isn’t nice, but she’s more than skilled at playing the part. She floats through the halls of Spencer High, effortlessly orchestrating the actions of everyone around her, making people bend to her whim without even noticing they’re doing it. She is the queen of Spencer High—and it’s time to make it official.

Alexandra has a goal, you see—Homecoming Queen. Her ambitions are far grander than her small town will allow, but homecoming is just the first step to achieving total domination. So when peppy, popular Erin Hewett moves to town and seems to have a real shot at the crown, Alexandra has to take action. Continue reading →

Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

18660447 The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publication Date: May 5th 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, High School, Teen Drama, Media, Friendship, Humor

BLURB:

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. Continue reading →

Review: The Siren by Kiera Cass

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

25817407 The Siren by Kiera Cass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: January 26th, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Mermaids, Sacrifice, Soul Mates, Sisterhood

BLURB:

Love is a risk worth taking.

Years ago, Kahlen was rescued from drowning by the Ocean. To repay her debt, she has served as a Siren ever since, using her voice to lure countless strangers to their deaths. Though a single word from Kahlen can kill, she can’t resist spending her days on land, watching ordinary people and longing for the day when she will be able to speak and laugh and live freely among them again.

Kahlen is resigned to finishing her sentence in solitude…until she meets Akinli. Handsome, caring, and kind, Akinli is everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. And though she can’t talk to him, they soon forge a connection neither of them can deny…and Kahlen doesn’t want to.

Falling in love with a human breaks all the Ocean’s rules, and if the Ocean discovers Kahlen’s feelings, she’ll be forced to leave Akinli for good. But for the first time in a lifetime of following the rules, Kahlen is determined to follow her heart. Continue reading →

Review: Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

16090645 Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: March 11th 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 11+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Prom, Love

BLURB:

Despite what her name might suggest, Heart has zero interest in complicated romance. So when her brilliant plan to go to prom with a group of friends is disrupted by two surprise invites, Heart knows there’s only one drama-free solution: flip a coin.

Heads: The jock. He might spend all night staring at his ex or throw up in the limo, but how bad can her brother’s best friend really be?

Tails: The theater geek…with a secret. What could be better than a guy who shares all Heart’s interests–even if he wants to share all his feelings?

Heart’s simple coin flip has somehow given her the chance to live out both dates. But where her prom night ends up might be the most surprising thing of all… Continue reading →