Well, That Was Awkward by Rachel Vail {blog tour spotlight + giveaway}

Hey all. Um, hi. Today, this really cool book tour is stopping by Stories & Sweeties. I'll try not to be too awkward about it, but, you know. That's just me sometimes. :) 

Here's more about the book..:

Well, That Was Awkward
by Rachel Vail
♦publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
♦release date: February 28th, 2017
♦hardcover, 320 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone

Gracie has never felt like this before. One day, she suddenly can't breathe, can't walk, can't anything and the reason is standing right there in front of her, all tall and weirdly good-looking: A.J.
It turns out A.J. likes not Gracie but Gracie's beautiful best friend, Sienna. Obviously Gracie is happy for Sienna. Super happy! She helps Sienna compose the best texts, responding to A.J. s surprisingly funny and appealing texts, just as if she were Sienna. Because Gracie is fine. Always! She's had lots of practice being the sidekick, second-best.
It s all good. Well, almost all. She's trying.

...and, now here's more about the author..:

Rachel Vail is the award-winning author of more than 30 books for young people. As a theater lover, Rachel sees and reads as many plays as she can. Well, That Was Awkward was in part inspired by her love of the play Cyrano – another tale of secrets, wit, self-confidence, self-loathing, friendship, identity-hiding, and romance that blossoms between all the wrong people. Or does it? 

Rachel lives in New York City with her husband, their two sons, and (like Gracie) a tortoise named Lightning.

Website  •  Twitter  •  Goodreads 

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon 

...and lastly, here's how you can get your hands on one:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

US mailing addresses only. Sorry 😔

Okay, not lastly. One more thing. Here's the rest of the tour stops. Please stop by them all. 😏 

Week One

2/27 – Here’s to Happy Endings – Bookish Recipe

2/28 – YA Book Central – Excerpt

3/1 – Margie’s Must Reads – Author Guest Post

3/2 – Crafty Moms Share – Review

3/3 – Once Upon a Twilight – Guest Post

Week Two

3/6 – The Reading Nook Reviews – Author Guest Post

3/7 – ButterMyBooks – Quote Graphics

3/8 – Stories & Sweeties – Spotlight

3/9 – Brittany’s Book Rambles – Author Guest Post

3/10 – My Friends Are Fiction – Spotlight

Um. Okay bye.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton {review}

Rebel of the Sands 
by Alwyn Hamilton
♦publisher: Viking Juvenile
♦release date: March 8th, 2016
♦hardcover, 320 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Rebel of the Sands, book 1
♦source: ARC from publisher for honest review

She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from. 

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

Review: With this awesome debut, a smart mix of middle eastern folklore and sharpshooting western-style adventure, Rebel of the Sands quickly became one of my favorite books of this year and Alwyn Hamilton took her place on my list of authors to pine for more books from. The writing immediately pulled me in as we get dropped right into the action and it just keeps that same exciting pace the entire way through. The second we meet Amani, she is showing her gutsy nature and when we find out why she is so determined (escaping a life of no choices, a cruel family, and an arranged marriage), there was no stopping my cheering this character on.

The plot bullets along, twisting and turning, with no shortage on surprises. I loved the stark desert setting mixed with the wild array of mythological creatures, both good and evil. There is daring escape on a horse made of sand, a high speed train heist, and a battle that plays out with of deception and magic.

 Both Amani and Jin are fun and fiery characters and I was endlessly entertained by what can best be described as their verbal sparring. She had a sassy mouth and Jin matched her in wit every time. While it doesn’t happen too suddenly, you know the spark between them is growing, and watching the slow-burn of it is half the fun! (Of course the other half is the payoff of a few swoony moments!)  The author took as much care fleshing out so many of the side characters, even those that show late in the story---each of them had their strengths and quirks and such distinct personalities.

This is going to be a fantastic series and this debut left me absolutely craving book two!

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

Alwyn Hamilton was born in Toronto and spent her childhood bouncing between Europe and Canada until her parents settled in France. She grew up in a small town there, which might have compelled her to burst randomly into the opening song from Beauty and the Beast were it not for her total tone-deafness. She instead attempted to read and write her way to new places and developed a weakness for fantasy and cross-dressing heroines. She left France for Cambridge University to study History of Art at King’s College, and then to London where she became indentured to an auction house. She has a bad habit of acquiring more hardcovers than is smart for someone who moves house quite so often.

Twitter  ♦  Goodreads  ♦  Tumblr  ♦  Instagram

Purchase Rebel of the Sands:
 Indiebound  ♦  BookDepository  ♦  Amazon

Waiting on...

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle

by Janet Fox

hitting shelves March 15th,  2016

from Viking Juvenile

Something is not right at Rookskill Castle, a rundown Scottish manor shrouded in mystery. The castle is a temporary boarding school for children escaping the Blitz, but soon it’s clear there is something terribly wrong. There are clues hinting that a spy is in the house, and there are undeniable signs of a sinister magic. When the children in the castle’s temporary boarding school begin disappearing one by one, it’s a race against the clock for twelve-year-old Kat Bateson, her two younger siblings, and their new best friend.

From author's website: "In THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE you’ll find ghosts, spies, a steampunk witch, an immortal wizard, new-found friends, a creepy castle, an enigma machine, teachers-who-are-not-what-they-seem (aren’t they all?), missing children, the Scottish Highlands…and tons of fun."

My thoughts: Set in the 40s, magic and spies, creepy castle in Scotland..and a steampunk witch?? This sounds like an incredibly fun and dark MG,..just how I like them! :D

Waiting on...

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Today I've got a Penguin two-fer! I just couldn't decide between them.  

Wink Poppy Midnight

by April Genevieve Tucholke

hitting shelves March 22nd,  2016 

from Dial Books

The intrigue of The Virgin Suicides and the "supernatural or not" question of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer coalesce in this young adult mystery, where nothing is quite as it seems, no one is quite who you think, and everything can change on a dime.

Every story needs a hero.
Every story needs a villain.
Every story needs a secret.

Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous.

What really happened?
Someone knows.
Someone is lying.

For fans of Holly Black, We Were Liars, and The Raven Boys, this mysterious tale full of intrigue, dread, beauty, and a whiff of something strange will leave you utterly entranced.

My thoughts: Okay, so, aside from the Virgin Suicides comparison (we'll just ignore that, not a fan), this book looks absolutely amazing. Plus its April Tucholke and her writing is the most gorgeous, perfectly haunting thing ever. And this cover!! Will there be posters? Please let there be posters. 

The Dark Days Club

by Alison Goodman

hitting shelves January 26th,  2016 

from Viking Books for Young Readers

New York Times bestseller Alison Goodman’s eagerly awaited new project: a Regency adventure starring a stylish and intrepid demon-hunter!

London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?

My thoughts: I've heard awesome things about this author's work. Plus the moment a synopsis mentions a "stylish and intrepid demon hunter"  and the "shadows of Regency London", you've pretty much got my attention! Also, I was so glad to see this cover for the US release---no offense to anyone, but the other cover shown on goodreads is a bit of a pink nightmare! 

What are you excited for this week? 

Waiting on...

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for. 

The Forbidden Orchid

by Sharon Biggs Waller

hitting shelves February 2nd, 2016

from Viking Juvenile

Staid, responsible Elodie Buchanan is the eldest of ten sisters living in a small English market town in 1861. The girls' father is a plant hunter, usually off adventuring through the jungles of China.

Then disaster strikes: Mr. Buchanan fails to collect an extremely rare and valuable orchid, meaning that he will be thrown into debtors' prison and the girls will be sent to the orphanage or the poorhouse. Elodie's father has one last chance to return to China, find the orchid, and save the family--and this time, thanks to an unforeseen twist of fate, Elodie is going with him. Elodie has never before left her village, but what starts as fear turns to wonder as she adapts to seafaring life aboard the tea clipper The Osprey, and later to the new sights, dangers, and romance of China.

But even if she can find the orchid, how can she find herself now that staid, responsible Elodie has seen how much the world has to offer?

My thoughts: I never did get around to reading Waller's Mad Wicked Folly, but I heard great things about it! And this one---another historical setting, a sister story, sea voyages, and exotic China. This sounds amazing.  

What are you excited for this week?

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Blythewood
by Carol Goodman

hitting shelves October 7th, 2013 from Viking Juvenile

description:  
Welcome to Blythewood.

At seventeen, Avaline Hall has already buried her mother, survived a horrific factory fire, and escaped from an insane asylum. Now she’s on her way to Blythewood Academy, the elite boarding school in New York’s mist-shrouded Hudson Valley that her mother attended—and was expelled from. Though she’s afraid her high society classmates won’t accept a factory girl in their midst, Ava is desperate to unravel her family’s murky past, discover the identity of the father she’s never known, and perhaps finally understand her mother’s abrupt suicide. She’s also on the hunt for the identity of the mysterious boy who rescued her from the fire. And she suspects the answers she seeks lie at Blythewood.   

But nothing could have prepared her for the dark secret of what Blythewood is, and what its students are being trained to do. Haunted by dreams of a winged boy and pursued by visions of a sinister man who breathes smoke, Ava isn’t sure if she’s losing her mind or getting closer to the truth. And the more rigorously Ava digs into the past, the more dangerous her present becomes.   

Vivid and atmospheric, full of mystery and magic, this romantic page-turner by bestselling author Carol Goodman tells the story of a world on the brink of change and the girl who is the catalyst for it all.

My thoughts: Love the sound of this one---boarding school setting, magic and mystery, and a family with a "murky past".  Sounds like my kind of book. :)