Blog Tour: Change Places With Me by Lois Metzger (Review + Giveaway!)

Hi Guys! It's Rin here and today it's my tour stop on the Change Places With Me (by Lois Metzler) Blog Tour! I am going to be reviewing her new book Change Places With Me. At the end of this blog tour there will be a giveaway, so don't forget to enter in for a chance to win. This tour was hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. Click here to follow this tour!

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Change Places With Me 
by Lois Metzger
Publisher: Balzer + Bray 
Series: None 
Genres: YA, Science Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary

Rating: 

Rose has changed. She still lives in the same neighborhood and goes to the same high school with the same group of kids, but when she woke up today, something was a little different. Her clothes and hair don’t suit her anymore. The dogs who live upstairs are no longer a terror. She wants to throw a party—this from a girl who hardly ever spoke to her classmates before. There’s no more sadness in her life; she’s bursting with happiness.

But something still feels wrong to Rose. Because until very recently, she was an entirely different person—a person who’s still there inside her, just beneath the thinnest layer of skin.

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"But I know exactly who she is, the girl thought, as the door closed. It was clear as day. She's the girl I could've been, if life was fair." (quote)

Fellow book lovers, don't turn away! There isn't much of a straight giveaway as to what this book is about that's given in the synopsis, but I'll tell you that this is book is about so much more than you might think.

For starters, it was about a young troubled teen, who needed an escape, but was tired of the life that she was living. It's about replacing yourself, losing yourself, and finding a way to regain what you lost and might never back again. It's about two different people...who are the same person.

Change Places With Me is a compelling novel with a plot full of mystery and wonder. I was amazed that there was so much more to this book than what I assumed based on the surface. It was actually a really great read with a somewhat connection to the story of Snow White, but with the author's own twist.

Rose was an interesting character to be reading about. We get introduced to her as Rose from the very beginning and we learn her personality and we meet Evelyn (her stepmother). Overall, I thought that Rose was a mystery. Her movements throughout the book only caused more suspicion and added to mystery of the entire book.

This is a story about self discovery, figuring out how to live life with every stone that gets thrown into it.

I recommend this book and I hope that you choose to read Change Places With Me, I promise that you will not regret it one bit!

Sunday Street Team: The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn Nguyen (Review + Giveaway!)

Hey guy! It's Rin here and on this Sunday it's my review for The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn Nguyen! Don't forget to enter in the giveaway at the end of this post! The Sunday Street Team is hosted by Nori @ReadWriteLove28!

I hope you enjoy!

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pub. 6/07/16
find this book on:
goodreads / amazon

The Way to Game the Walk of Shame

by Jenn Nguyen

Publisher: Macmillan/Swoon Reads

Series: None
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Rating:

Taylor Simmons is screwed.

Things were hard enough when her single-minded dedication to her studies earned her the reputation of being an Ice Queen, but after getting drunk at a party and waking up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seems intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip.

Desperate to salvage her reputation, Taylor persuades Evan to pretend they’re in a serious romantic relationship. After all, it’s better to be the girl who tames the wild surfer than just another notch on his surfboard.

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Five words to describe this book: Fun. Heart-stopping. Funny. Happy. Lovely. 

The Way to Game the Walk of Shame has to be one of the most fun and cute books that I've read so far. It was just so funny, it made me smile, laugh, and crinkle my eyes. 

I fell in love with both Taylor and Evan. Both of them are such great characters with a lovely sense of humor and a chemistry that left me oh so happy and full of giddiness. Their relationship was just a work of art. It's not perfect, but it has all the perfect aspects in it. While I don't usually pick up books with a "contracted relationship" I found myself really enjoying this particular one. 

I found myself connecting well with who Taylor is and finding out that I related a lot with who she is, what she does, and how well she plans her future. I loved her small quirks, her stubbornness, and her bossiness, and everything about her. 

Evan is by all mean the complete opposite of Taylor. Evan is a handsome, girl-loving, funny, carefree guy who changes in the best way because of Taylor and her quest to save her "reputation". 

I loved the journey throughout the book. I loved the transition between both of these characters and how well everything blends together. From the first page where they meet to the start of their contract, to the end. 

Of course, with all romance novels, there will always be that splash of drama. Sometimes that drama is annoying, but in this case, there was the perfect balance of drama to romance. This story was mostly rom-com. There was a small itty bitty case of a love triangle. Though, it wasn't a huge deal. 

This book was truly wonderful and it was a very fun read! I recommend this to all romance lovers, because this book is something that belongs on your to-be-read list! 

Blog Tour: Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh (Interview + Giveaway!)

Hello, Lovelies! It's Rin and welcome to my stop on the Ivory and Bone (by Julie Eshbaugh) Blog Tour! Today, the wonderful Julie Eshbaugh is stopping by for an interview.  This is a very exciting post for her new book and I'm very anxious to get my hands on this book *punches air in happiness*. Make sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post! This blog tour was hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. 

I hope you enjoy!

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pub. 6/7/16
find this book on: 
goodreads | amazon

Ivory and Bone 

by Julie Eshbaugh

Publisher: HarperTeen

Series: Ivory and Bone #1

Genres: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance

A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.

Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.

As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along.

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1. Hi Julie! Welcome to Under Covers, thank you so much for being here with us! Let’s start with introductions: Favorite book? 

I have lots of favorites! Wuthering Heights is one of my all-time favorites. For YA, The Hunger Games is a book I will read again and again. My favorite book from childhood would probably be A Wrinkle in Time. Favorite Ice cream flavor? Coffee! Or banana! (Or even better—a scoop of coffee with a scoop of banana… yum.) What do you like to do when you are not reading? I love to go to the movies, and I’ll go see just about anything (except horror… I’ll have nightmares!) If it’s summer, it’s hard to convince me that anything will beat a trip to the beach.

2. Did you map out the plot of this book or did you “go with the flow”?
I’m definitely an outliner. I knew how the book would end from the very beginning.

3. Did you like writing or editing Ivory and Bone?
I enjoy drafting far more than I enjoy editing and revising. Still, revising with my editor was pretty exciting because I could see the book improving.

4. Without spoilers, what is your favorite part about Ivory and Bone? (i.e. characters, places, etc.)
My favorite part of the book is probably the relationships between the characters. Not just the romance, (though I love that aspect!) but also the family relationships. There are a lot of sibling dynamics, and I hope readers see a little bit of themselves reflected in the relationships in the book.

5. Thank you so much for being here! My final question is: What came to you first about this book- The setting, character, or plot? 

The setting came first! I’m very interested in prehistory, and the original idea for the book came to me while I was at a museum. I also read a lot about the first people to cross the Bering Land Bridge and settle in the Americas. I was fascinated by the challenges they faced—scarcity of food, the elements, the need to stay in touch with other clans to survive—and all of those things influenced the story of IVORY AND BONE.

Thank you!
Thank you so much for having me!

Sunday Street Team: Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider (Review + Giveaway!)

Hey Guys! It's Rin here and welcome to this very exciting post! Today we have a spring debut, Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider. I have so much love for this book and I'm so happy to be posting this. Sunday Street Team is hosted by ReadWriteLove28, Nori!

I hope you enjoy! 

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find this book on

goodreads | amazon

Summer of Sloane 

by Erin L. Schneider 

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Series: None

Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 

Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.

These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.

Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.

But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.

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"There will be no letting others control how I feel. And there will definitely be no drama. None of that.

Because this time, it's all about me. It's all about the summer of Sloane." (quote)  

Summer of Sloane was by far one of the best books I have ever read and one of my all time favorites. I laughed, I cried, I laughed again, and I smiled.

This book, this beautifully written piece of literature is one of the best things I have ever read in my entire life! This book was filled with such fun, but also raw emotions that were both painful and unforgettable. It was told in the point of view of Sloane McIntyre who just found out that her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend, who is now pregnant. By this point, she's already on her way to Hawaii when she meets a boy named Finn and learns more about herself throughout the summer.

Sloane's point of view was emotional and while I was basically informationally blind that has anything to do with Mick, I was enjoying living in this brand new world where the chemistry between Sloane and Finn was soooo strong. I loved how I started off with the "big news" and then we get whisked off into this island where Sloane is ignoring her problems and is trying her hardest to (for the moment) forget about everything that just happened to her. I met Finn (*squeals*), I smiled a hell of a lot, and then we get thrown back into reality. I liked how the author wrote this is a way where it's neutral because we're clueless, and then it's happy, and then we get all the sad tornadoes in one full blown hit to the heart and gut.

Blog Tour: Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake (Review + Giveaway)

Hey guys, It's Rin here! Welcome to my tour stop on the Suffer Love (by Ashley Herring Blake) Blog Tour! If you want to follow the rest of the tour, click here! This tour is hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. 

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Suffer Love 

by Ashley Herring Blake 

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Series: None

Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction

find this book on

goodreads | amazon 

Rating: 

Hadley St. Clair's life changed the day she came home to a front door covered in slips of paper, each of them revealing the ugly truth about her father. Now as her family falls apart in the wake of his year-long affair, Hadley wants everyone-her dad most of all-to leave her alone.

Then she meets Sam Bennett, a cute new boy who inexplicably "feels like home" to Hadley. Hadley and Sam's connection is undeniable, but Sam has a secret about his family that could ruin everything.

Funny and passionate, Suffer Love is a story about first love, family dysfunction, and the fickle hand of fate.

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I really wanted to read an book filled with angsty romance and Suffer Love was just that. I could feel my heart breaking throughout the entire story and felt the atmosphere around me change as I got more well acquainted with the characters.

This book was painful. In a good way of course. Hadley is a troubled teen. It starts that way from the beginning. Her family is broken, she feels betrayed, and she feels alone. There comes in Sam Bennett. Reading from Sam's point of view felt like watching a visual of it in my mind and imagining how this would turn out. Every word every time I read from Sam's point of view, all I could feel was internal pain. 

(I will be using this gif a lot)

It left something heavy in my chest, because I was silently dying in agony. 

The romance between Hadley and Sam was sincere. I liked how it was a relationship built on trust and experience. It is a growing relationship that fits the plot very well as their relationship turns into the light inside of a dark tunnel and it focused more on their feelings than their physical feelings *cough* *cough*. 

THAT ENDING. The ending practically ruined me! It teared my heart open and threw it into the trash can. It was an ending that fit the book left many promises and endings. 

I recommend this book for all the strong at heart readers who are looking for an angsty book that they will enjoy! 

Blog Tour: Dreamology by Lucy Keating (Review + Giveaway!)

Hello guys! It's Rin here! Welcome to my stop on the Dreamology (by Lucy Keating) Blog Tour! I've been really excited for the release of this book ever since I've discovered it! If you want to follow more of the tour, click here! This blog tour was hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. 

Hope you enjoy!

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Dreamology 
by Lucy Keating
Publisher: Harper Teen
Series: None
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Fantasy

find this book on
goodreads | amazon

Rating:

For as long as Alice can remember, she has dreamed of Max. Together they have traveled the world and fallen deliriously, hopelessly in love. Max is the boy of her dreams—and only her dreams. Because he doesn’t exist.

But when Alice walks into class on her first day at a new school, there he is. It turns out, though, that Real Max is nothing like Dream Max, and getting to know each other in reality isn’t as perfect as Alice always hoped.

When their dreams start to bleed dangerously into their waking hours, the pair realize that they might have to put an end to a lifetime of dreaming about each other. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough?

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"There is something very primal about it, like we are prehistoric people and he went out and killed the bagel and brought it home to me." (quote)

The concept (dreams) was fantastic, the writing was superb, the characters were great, and the overall story foundation was beautifully written and well put together. Dreamology was just one of those books. The books that caught my attention right away and as soon as I laid my eyes on the title and the first few words of the blurb. No questions asked, no second thoughts, just "I HAVE TO HAVE THIS BOOK IN MY HANDS !!"

Alice was a very very unique individual and was very relatable. I actually really liked her a lot.  I liked reading from her point of view. Maybe because she understood when she had to back down or when she needed to stand up and make a point. Her thoughts just reminded me a lot of myself and I saw myself smiling multiple times throughout the book. 

Max on the other hand. I mean, who knows why Max does what he does most of the time? Yeah, I still liked him very much even though he was confusing and I still have some unanswered questions about what he really, in depth wants with his life. I just wanted to get to know him more from my point of view. 

This book is mostly romance. Very cute, very adorable, and very feel-y. Mostly in dreams, but it gave  a sense to make a point that real life isn't as easy as dreams. Their dream world was so different from their real life. But this doesn't mean that they couldn't/didn't make their real life just as cute, adorable, and feel-y as their dreams. Alice and Max were a fun couple to read about mostly because they were so different from other couples. I mean, they saw each other in their dreams for christ sake! They different circumstances than other people and it was interesting to read them learn and try to get past all of their differences that are holding them back from everything. 

There was a lot of character growth in this story and I really appreciated that. 

This was a quick read. Every page made me want more. It didn't take long before the whole book was done which is a very good thing.  Not many books make me feel this way. This book made me very happy and I was smiling throughout the whole thing. I definitely recommend this book and if you ever read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Blog Tour: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (Review + Giveaway!)

Hello Guys! It's Rin Here and welcome to my tour stop on A Study in Charlotte (by Brittany Cavallaro) Blog Tour. Make sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post to win 1 of 10 finished copies of A Study in Charlotte! For more information about this tour, visit the tour page right here. This tour is hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. Hope you enjoy!

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A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) 
by Brittany Cavallaro
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Series: Charlotte Holmes #1
Genres: YA, Mystery, Contemporary, Retelling, Fiction, Romance, Thriller

goodreads | amazon

Rating:

The last thing sixteen-year-old Jamie Watson–writer and great-great-grandson of the John Watson–wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s enigmatic, fiercely independent great-great-granddaughter, who’s inherited not just his genius but also his vices, volatile temperament, and expertly hidden vulnerability. Charlotte has been the object of his fascination for as long as he can remember–but from the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else.

Then a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Holmes stories, and Jamie and Charlotte become the prime suspects. Convinced they’re being framed, they must race against the police to conduct their own investigation. As danger mounts, it becomes clear that nowhere is safe and the only people they can trust are each other.

Equal parts tender, thrilling, and hilarious, A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy brimming with wit and edge-of-the-seat suspense.

"Just this morning, she'd chased me from her lab, wielding her violin like a weapon. Tomorrow night we might be sharing a cell. Tonight? Tonight, I was getting punch."

I had a lot of fun with this book. I had a few good laughs and never-ending smiles as I read on about these two. A Study in Charlotte is a retelling of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as their descendants Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson  try to solve a murder that they are being framed for. 

Both Holmes (Charlotte) and Watson (Jamie) are both great characters. I couldn't help, but love their skills at solving crimes and how great they both are at doing it--though not perfect. 

Charlotte is a very complex character with so many personality traits. James had already caught my attention from the first page. Together, they are a fantastic crime solving duo as thick as thieves. In this book, we get these two unique characters who will definitely bite back with twice the intensity.  

This plot had an edge to it that I really liked. It had wonderful concepts, a bit of fluff and a bit of aghast here and there. Some parts really hit a spot in my heart. The pacing wasn't too slow and moments did speed up more than others. 

Charlotte's drug usage was very emphasized. It was everywhere. She had problems and as I got deeper into the book, I liked that I actually got to know her more and that she wan't just a hardcore drug user who looks a bit goth and is very antisocial. She had personality. 

I am rating this book a total of 4 stars out of 5 stars, because the plot was well thought through and mysterious, the characters were snarky, and the writing flowed well creating a wonderful debut.

Blog Tour: After the Woods by Kim Savage (Review + Dream Cast)

Hey guys! :D It's Rin Here! Today.... *drumroll please* ... is my stop on the After the Woods (by Kim Savage) Blog Tour, hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club.

To follow this tour click here. 

I've been really excited to read and review this book, soo here we go!

After the Woods

by Kim Savage  

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: February 23, 2016

Genres: YA, Mystery, Contemporary, Thriller, Realistic Fiction, Suspense, Horror

find this book on

goodreads | amazon | barnes&noble

Rating:  

Would you risk your life to save your best friend?

Julia did. When a paroled predator attacked Liv in the woods, Julia fought back and got caught. Liv ran, leaving Julia in the woods for a terrifying 48 hours that she remembers only in flashbacks. One year later, Liv seems bent on self-destruction, starving herself, doing drugs, and hooking up with a violent new boyfriend. A dead girl turns up in those same woods, and Julia’s memories resurface alongside clues unearthed by an ambitious reporter that link the girl to Julia’s abductor. As the devastating truth becomes clear, Julia realizes that after the woods was just the beginning.

After the Woods was interesting and a great read. It was this mystery/suspense/thriller story involving these two best friends, Julia and Liv, and their experience after the woods. 

First of all, I loved the very plot of the woods and what lurks within them. 

Julia's character is very likable and she is very easy to care for. I loved her strong, tough, personality as she is introduced. She has a lot to say to people about her living nightmare and more to say to the shrinks that her mom makes her go to. I love how much she doesn't want to give up --refuses to give up and seems to be one of the only people willing to fight back. 

Liv was closed off as one of the characters. She deals with her controlling mother, but she's breaking.  

The book was written in a way where there was more to think about even with all the events happening page after page. There was always something more to learn and to think about whether it be something that I never even thought about or something that I've never heard of before. 

The world is so dark. There was a lot of darkness surrounding this book and the characters in it. Everybody had a dark side and that's one of the reasons why I like this book. 

This story follows a plot of mysteriousness where Julia tries to learn more about what happened in the woods and more about her abductor. She meets friends, builds relationships, and finds out the truth about those 48 hours and what really happened. It's entrapping, mystifying, and something that I won't forget.