Saturday, September 28, 2013

Blog Tour (Excerpt + Giveaway): Not Pretty Enough by Jaimie Admans


Hey guys! It's been a while since I joined a blog tour. For now, I have a contemporary young adult novel for you! Check out Not Pretty Enough, the excerpt and giveaway!


Not Pretty Enough
by Jaimie Admans

Published August 1st 2013

Blurb (Goodreads):
“New Year’s Resolutions:
1. Lloyd Layton will know I exist. He once said three whole words to me, so this is obviously progress. If I don’t get a proper conversation out of him soon, then I’ll take my top off and streak through the cafeteria, because nobody could fail to notice these boobs.
2. I will not get expelled for streaking through the cafeteria.”

Those are the words that begin her mission.
Chessie is fourteen, not pretty enough, and very much in love. Lloyd Layton is hot, popular, and unaware of Chessie’s existence.
Her goal is clear: to get Lloyd to love her as much as she loves him, and she has exactly one year to do it.
As Chessie’s obsession with Lloyd reaches boiling point and she starts to spin a web of lies that spiral out of control, Lloyd turns out to be not quite the prince she thought he was. Can Chessie avoid the gathering storm before things go too far?

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Not Pretty Enough is a contemporary young adult comedy suitable for ages thirteen and over.

Book two in the series will be released early 2014.
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Excerpt:

     I stare at the back of Lloyd’s shaggy brown hair as I follow him across the yard. He doesn’t know I’m following him, of course. I’m not even following him, not really. Not this time, anyway. Debs and I are just casually strolling across the yard towards the buses and he happens to be in front of us. 
     “Chessie!” Debs shouts at me just a second too late as I walk smack bang into the side of a bus. Ouch. 
     Lloyd turns around at the sound of the clattering thunk I make. 
     Usually I like the sound of Lloyd’s laugh, but not today. Not when he’s laughing at me. 
     “You couldn’t have told me just a second earlier?” I ask Debs. 
     “Sorry,” she says. “I was talking to you and didn’t realise you weren’t listening until it was too late.” 
     Luckily the bus I’ve just walked into happens to be our bus, and I throw myself onto it with such force that I nearly come out the other side. 
     “You all right, love?” The driver asks. I ignore him and heave myself down into my seat with a huff. 
     I am all right. My boobs are so large they hit the bus before the rest of me did, otherwise I’d probably have a bruised face as well as the bruised ego. Once, just once, couldn’t these things happen to me when Lloyd isn’t watching? It’s not too much to ask, is it? 
     “Maybe if you spent more time watching where you were going and less time watching  Lloyd, these things wouldn’t happen in front of him,” Debs says. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. 
     “But he’s just so… watchable.” 
     “I’m pretty sure he’s talkable to as well, you know, if you tried.” 
     The thing is, I have tried. Lloyd brings out the worst in me. He brings out the most nervous, clumsiest, downright embarrassing side of me that doesn’t even exist unless he’s in the immediate vicinity. Well, maybe it exists but it doesn’t show half as much if Lloyd’s not there.

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GIVEAWAY!
- $10 Amazon GC
- International





P.S Thank you so much lovely Dianne @ Oops! I Read A Book Again for letting me publish this post even if the tour supposed to end yesterday! I was really busy. Anyway, thanks and I hope you guys will enjoy this. :)





Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday (46): Side Effects May Vary

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on.


Side Effects May Vary
by Julie Murphy

Expected publication: March 18th 2014 by HarperCollins/ Balzer + Bray

Blurb (Goodreads):
What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you? 

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most? 

Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality.
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I gotta have this book on 2014!!!! 



Which book/s are you waiting at this week? Share your list/link below! Happy Wednesday! :)





Monday, September 16, 2013

Music Monday (12): Current Favorites

Music Monday is a weekly meme created by yours truly. Let's talk about music!

Hey everyone! I missed you! So I bet you already have an idea why I barely update my blog [again]. So sorry--it will end soon, don't worry. :)
Maybe thesis is killing my group but at least I have these songs so brighten up my day. Take a peak on my Current Favorites playlist (random order)!
As you can see, I'm not really picky when it comes to fresh or old songs. I listen to whatever songs released today or years ago--as long as it make my heart sing. ;)


  • Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Maroon 5



  • Made in the USA by Demi Lovato



  • Nothin' On You by Bruno Mars (this particular version!)



  • My Heart by Paramore



  • Proof by Paramore



  • The Way I Loved You by Taylor Swift



  • Now by Paramore




Some songs on my Current Favorites playlist are OPM (Original Pinoy Music). But in case you wanna hear it, here they are! I'm sure you'll like the melody, even if some of you won't understand the lyrics. :)

  • Ikaw Lang Ang Aking Mahal by Brownman Revival



  • Ewan by Imago



  • Truth by Bamboo



  • Magkabilang Mundo by Jireh Lim



  • Hinahanap-Hanap Kita by Daniel Padilla




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Now tell me about your current favorites!
Happy new week! :)






Wednesday, September 11, 2013

WWW Wednesdays (44) / Waiting on Wednesday (46): Perfect Lies

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?







Currently Reading:

Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi (Under The Never Sky #2)


Finished Reading:

American Girl on Saturn by Nikki Godwin
All I can say is... #IWantToBeABransonSister! Full review on October 2nd for the blog tour. ;)


Read Next:

Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum (Revolution 19 #1)








Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on.


Perfect Lies
(Mind Games #2)
by Kiersten White

Expected publication: February 18th 2014 by HarperTeen

Blurb (Goodreads):
Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.


The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.

But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them.
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I have surprisingly liked the first book despite the mixed reviews so yeah, I'm so looking forward to the sequel! Can't wait to peek inside.. ;D


How about you, what are your books this week? Share them with me below along with your thoughts about mine! :)





Sunday, September 8, 2013

Book Review: Taken by Erin Bowman



Taken
by Erin Bowman

Series: Taken #1
Genre: YA, dystopian, sci-fi
Published April 16th 2013 by HarperTeen
Source: Publisher

Blurb (Goodreads):
There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?
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My Thoughts:

Taken took my eyes when I first read the blurb. The all-boys-turning-eighteen-disappears things is the reason why I really want to read this book. Apart from that, Taken sounds interesting because it was told on a guy's POV. I mean, it's not like everyday there's a cool-sounding dystopian novel being published with a guy's POV, so I should really try this.

The first few chapters proved me that this book is interesting. I liked how it started and how I'm eager to find out the mystery behind the boys' disappearance. I didn't like, however, how the romance developed--I think it was too fast. Plus, I think it's predictable. I didn't predict, though, that there'll be a love triangle. I didn't liked that part as well, along with some boring parts of this book. There were also several scenes that are predictable.

Taken has a very interesting plot. I have to applaud to the author for a wonderful idea made. This book has strong (fresh theme, fast-pace) and weak points (predictability, [wrong] love triangle) but a dystopian lover would definitely want to read this novel.


*Thanks to Sarah and HarperCollins for providing me a print copy of this book in exchange of honest review!

Rating:









Wednesday, September 4, 2013

WWW Wednesdys (43) / Waiting on Wednesday (45): World After

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?






Currently Reading:

American Girl on Saturn by Nikki Godwin


Finished Reading:

Not Pretty Enough by Jaimie Admans


Read Next:

Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi (Under The Never Sky #1)







Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on.


World After
(Penryn & the End of Days #2)
by Susan Ee

Expected publication: November 19th 2013 by Skyscape

Blurb (Goodreads):
In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?
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Would you explain to me why I didn't know about this?? I've been waiting for this book all my life and now it's due in two months! *dies*


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Tell me about your  book for this week below!
Happy Wednesday! :)