Tag: books

Character, Giveaways, Interviews, Reading, Research, Review, Young Adult

YA Interview & Giveaway: ACROSS A BROKEN SHORE by Amy Trueblood

Michelle I. Mason

I’ve had a crazy month and so haven’t had time to post here on the blog, but I had to make time to shout about Amy Trueblood’s new book, ACROSS A BROKEN SHORE. It released on Nov. 5, and I’m going to give away a copy to one of you lucky readers, but if you don’t win, please please please go out and get it for yourself anyway!

I had the privilege of reading an early version of this book, and I loved it then, but when I read the final version–wow! Just like with NOTHING BUT SKY, Amy invested an incredible amount of time and energy into researching the historical time period for ACROSS A BROKEN SHORE, and she also delivers a powerful young woman who stands up for herself believably in that time. Here’s the cover and description, followed by the interview.

Across a Broken Shore by Amy TruebloodThe last thing eighteen-year-old Wilhelmina “Willa” MacCarthy wants is to be a nun. It’s 1936, and as the only daughter amongst four sons, her Irish-Catholic family is counting on her to take her vows—but Willa’s found another calling. Each day she sneaks away to help Doctor Katherine Winston in her medical clinic in San Francisco’s Richmond District.

Keeping secrets from her family only becomes more complicated when Willa agrees to help the doctor at a field hospital near the new bridge being built over the Golden Gate. Willa thinks she can handle her new chaotic life, but as she draws closer to a dashing young iron worker and risks grow at the bridge, she discovers that hiding from what she truly wants may be her biggest lie of all.

And here are Amy’s answers to my five questions!

1. I love how rich and nuanced Willa’s family is. Yes, they have a lot of expectations for her, but it’s obvious there are many layers behind those expectations, as well as past hurt that informs the views of each character. How did you ensure each family member was unique and contributed to the family dynamic in their own way? Do you have a favorite MacCarthy brother?

One of my big goals with the MacCarthy boys was to have their views evolve over time. The only way I felt I could do this coherently was to have each of them yearn for something more for their lives like Willa. This allowed me to not only share their struggles, but also allow them to identify with Willa in a way they never had before.

I started out loving Paddy (and I still do), but Nick became a favorite toward the end of the book. He loves Willa very much and he struggles the most with accepting the change he knew was coming.

2. I love how this book weaves a story into an interesting slice of history–the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. What is your favorite fact–or the most interesting–that you were able to include? On the flip side, what’s something you wanted to include but couldn’t fit in?

After doing so much research, I knew I wanted to include some reference to the “Halfway to Hell” club. This was what a group of 19 workers called themselves after each one had their own harrowing experience with falling into the safety net tethered below the bridge.

I do highlight some of the safety measures used on the bridge, but I would have loved to include more of them in the story. For example, one of the biggest safety issues developed early on in the construction. Men who worked inside the steel towers starting getting very sick. Their hair and teeth were falling out at alarming rates and people couldn’t figure out why. They brought in experts and discovered that the heat of the metal rivets against the lead paint they were using gave off toxic fumes, which caused the rampant sickness. After this was discovered, men working inside the towers were required to wear air respirators.

3. I loved the 1930s medical advice you shared on Instagram leading up to the book’s release. Out of that research, what medical practice/advice has stood the test of time?

This is a great question. I think one of the things that struck me most was the early discovery of issues with bacteria. Even in the 1930s textbooks I studied, there were many, many chapters devoted to keeping bacteria at bay not only in wounds but when cleaning instruments. One thing that still floors me though is that back in the early twentieth century doctors were still using their bare hands to treat patients. Gloves were only used for surgery. It wouldn’t be until 1964 that disposable gloves were introduced and used more regularly.

4. While the book focuses mainly on Willa deciding what she wants to do with her life, really there are several characters trying to figure out their place in the face of parental and societal obstacles. What do you want readers to take away from that?

There is the universal theme of following your dreams of course, but for me this book also challenges the role we play in our families. If you have several siblings it seems like each one is always cast in a certain role. The oldest becomes the pseudo-parent. The middle child is often overlooked, and the final child gets the moniker of being the “baby”. With this book, I wanted to question and challenge those familial roles. Force each sibling to see their brother or sister in a light outside what was the normal family order.

5. Is there anything you learned about the 1930s or San Francisco during that time that you wish you could have experienced firsthand?

I would have loved to have seen the Sutro Baths in its heyday. Even by 1936 it was in disrepair, but I think it would have been interesting to see how the water flowed into the pools from the Pacific Ocean just outside. To walk along the promenade overlooking the pools and see all the animals and birds housed in the glass exhibits scattered throughout the building. I imagine it was quite the experience!

Thank you, Amy!

If you can’t tell, I love this book, and I urge you all to go out and buy it yourselves! Or ask your library to order it. However, I will give away one copy here on the blog. North America only, please. Leave a comment below or click on the Rafflecopter for additional entries. Open until next Monday, Dec. 2. Whether you win the giveaway or not, definitely add ACROSS A BROKEN SHORE to your TBR list!

Instagram, Reading, Review, Young Adult

SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW and A Few Other Books You Should Read

Michelle I. Mason

It’s time for another mini-review roundup!

As a music lover, I was immediately intrigued by SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW by Maurene Goo, about a K-pop star, an industry I know absolutely nothing about. I loved Lucky’s character right from the beginning—a girl who was passionate about her music career but trying figure out how to regain her love for it within its current confines.

Jack, on the other hand, was both appealing and completely frustrating to me. I thought the fact that he was a tabloid photographer was completely unique. I spent much of the book wanting to reach into the pages to shake him for his intentions toward Lucky, but at the same time, I sort of understood his cynicism. Mostly, I was hoping he’d make the right decisions in the end.

I also really enjoyed traveling around Hong Kong with the characters. It’s not a place I’ve really thought much about visiting, but I’m definitely intrigued now! Also, this was the first Maurene Goo book I’ve read, but I’ll definitely be making her others a priority now.

After reading LISTEN TO YOUR HEART by Kasie West, I’m wondering if I should give podcasts a try. The premise is that Kate Bailey would rather be out on the lake than making connections with people, but when her best friend convinces her to join the school podcasting class, she ends up as the host, doling out advice to anyone who calls in. Further complicating things, her best friend’s crush, Diego, starts calling in, and she finds herself falling for him, both on the phone and in person.

What surprised me about this book is that I wasn’t totally sure where all the relationships were going, even up to the end. There was this niggling thought that maybe Kasie West was going to throw in a big twist. Did she? Well, I’m not going to tell you that! I also liked how working on the podcast caused Kate to consider that there might be other options for her life than she’d always thought—that at least she should explore them. As usual in Kasie West’s books, there was a great supporting family cast.

Although Brigid Kemmerer has had books out in the world for quite a while, the first one I picked up was A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY. I learned about it when I signed with Bloomsbury, and Brigid nicely reached out to me to welcome me as a fellow author. I loved that book, and so when this new YA contemporary came out, I moved it to the top of my TBR list as well.

In CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT, Rob is dealing with the fallout of his father committing fraud and stealing from everyone in town, then attempting suicide. Maegan is facing the consequences of cheating on the SATs and causing 100 kids’ scores to be invalidated, plus issues with her older sister at home. There are so many tough topics being addressed in this story, and I really wasn’t sure how it was all going to play out. There were a lot of gray areas for the characters to navigate through, and they didn’t always make the wisest decisions, but there was so much heartache behind them. I loved how these characters surprised me in ways I didn’t anticipate.

I was intrigued by PAST PERFECT LIFE by Elizabeth Eulberg from the first time I read a description: When Ally Smith applies to college, she discovers she’s not Allison Smith at all but has been missing for 15 years. I really don’t want to give too much away about who took her or who’s looking for her because the cover copy doesn’t say very much more than this. However, what I really love about this book—and what made me think and evaluate—was how conflicted and real Ally’s feelings were about everyone involved. I’d be very curious how a teen approaches this book, because as a mother, it was much more difficult for me to put myself in her shoes than normal.

I read this book in two days. It’s so gripping. In addition to the obviously emotional family dynamics going on, there are fantastic friendships and a sweet romance. Definitely pick this one up!

Royalty plus a European setting? PRINCE IN DISGUISE by Stephanie Kate Strohm already ticked off two of my favorite things in a book before I even started reading. It’s about Dylan, the younger sister of former Miss Mississippi Dusty, who fell in love with a “Prince in Disguise” on reality TV, and now they’re going to Scotland for her Christmas Eve wedding.

Here are five things I loved about the book:
1. The castle – I am so there for anything set in a castle, particularly if there are secret passages.
2. The Disney references – I love all things Disney, so the frequent nods to Disney movies and characters just made me smile, especially the scene involving Frozen.
3. Kit and Heaven – NOT a couple but the best friends of the groom and Dylan, respectively, these two are fun characters both individually and when they interact with each other.
4. The literary references – Not only is the book full of Disney references, the love interest, Jamie, is constantly quoting classic poets and writers. Be still my heart!
5. Jamie – He is so sweet! He quotes poetry and rides horses and maybe is a little too good to be true, but is just what Dylan needs.

Let me know if you’ve read any of these books or have suggestions based on them. I always love to discuss!

Character, Reading, Review, Young Adult

YA Review: SCARS LIKE WINGS by Erin Stewart

Michelle I. Mason

Back in May, I was supposed to go to New York and have lunch with my editor and agent. There were crazy storms going on around New York City, and my flight got cancelled three times in a row. Finally we had to give up on the trip. The next week, I received a surprise package from my editor–four ARCs she’d picked up at BEA along with a lovely note saying she hoped we’d get another chance to meet up. I have a trip scheduled in less than a month, so fingers crossed there are no weather events–or injuries ;)–in the meantime!

Anyway, one of the ARCs she sent me was SCARS LIKE WINGS by Erin Stewart, which releases on Oct. 1. from Delacorte/Random House. I admit I was a bit intimidated by the subject matter, afraid it would be a book that’d make me cry. Instead, this book surprised me in the best possible way. It’s not without sorrow and hardship, but it also has humor and is full of perhaps my favorite emotion of all–hope.

Scars Like Wings by Erin StewartAva Lee has lost everything there is to lose: Her parents. Her best friend. Her home. Even her face. She doesn’t need a mirror to know what she looks like–she can see her reflection in the eyes of everyone around her.

A year after the fire that destroyed her world, her aunt and uncle have decided she should go back to high school. Be “normal” again. Whatever that is. Ava knows better. There is no normal for someone like her. And forget making friends–no one wants to be seen with the Burned Girl, now or ever.

But when Ava meets a fellow survivor named Piper, she begins to feel like maybe she doesn’t have to face the nightmare alone. Sarcastic and blunt, Piper isn’t afraid to push Ava out of her comfort zone. Piper introduces Ava to Asad, a boy who loves theater just as much as she does, and slowly, Ava tries to create a life again. Yet Piper is fighting her own battle, and soon Ava must decide if she’s going to fade back into her scars . . . or let the people by her side help her fly.

Here are the five things I loved most about this book:

1. The first line – I could tell from the very first line that this book was going to be more than the tearjerker I’d feared.

One year after the fire, my doctor removes my mask and tells me to get a life.

This first line sets up the tone of the whole book. It clearly shows the reader this isn’t going to be an easy story, but at the same time, Ava hasn’t completely lost her sense of humor. Because obviously that isn’t exactly what the doctor said.

2. The premise – As I mentioned, this premise intimidated me at first. I expected the character’s life to be hard–and of course it is–but there is so much more to this story. I appreciated experiencing the viewpoint of a burn survivor, including not only the physical but emotional scars that come with it, as well as the hope for moving forward.

3. Musical theater – Wizard of Oz! Wicked! These two musicals play a big part in the story, but there are countless other musical theater references thrown into the book. I love how singing and acting play a part in Ava starting to accept who she is now.

4. Asad – Ava doesn’t know what to make of Asad when she first meets him, ultimately chalking up his demeanor to being clueless, but that’s what I loved about him. He didn’t fit into a set box, including the boxes Ava had created to explain how people usually reacted to her. He remains a great character throughout, never quite sticking to what you expect of him.

5. Ava’s family – Here’s one area where the story is quite heart-wrenching (although not the only one). Ava lives with her aunt and uncle, who took her in after Ava’s parents and cousin, their daughter, died in the fire. It’s a relationship fraught with anguish and missteps as they continue to figure out how their new family fits. As challenging as this part of the story was, I loved it too, because it felt real to me.

So, I said that this story surprised me because it wasn’t just a tearjerker, but I do still feel like I need to point out it tackles some tough subjects, such as bullying and depression. However, ultimately I left the story feeling hopeful for the characters, and for me, that made it a book I’d read again.

Definitely check out SCARS LIKE WINGS when it comes out in a couple of weeks!

 

 

Character, Instagram, Middle Grade, MMGM, Reading, Review, Young Adult

THE GIRL WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE and A Few Other Books You Should Read

Michelle I. Mason

It’s time for another roundup of my Instagram mini-reviews! I have a feeling my reviews are going to be trending this way more over the next year and a half as I approach publication, but I will still do some full reviews as I have time. If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me at www.instagram.com/michelleimason. Here we go!

I picked up THE GIRL WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE by April Henry at the Scholastic Warehouse Sale in December and finally got to it last week (I am sooo behind on my TBR pile I may not go to the sale this year). This book was a super-quick read, and it kept me guessing throughout, which is the perfect sort of suspense. The premise is that a girl wakes up in a cabin to hear one man tell another to finish her off. She has no memory of how she got there or who she is. The journey to figure all of that out is full of twists and turns that had me finishing the book in a day.

I kept seeing people post about AURORA RISING by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and while I’ve never read THE ILLUMINAE FILES (don’t worry, it’s on my TBR now), I was intrigued. I’m so glad I picked this book up! It reminded me of Star Wars (thus the costumes in the background), with its ragtag crew blasting through space. Basically, the night before he gets to choose his crew after graduation, star pupil Tyler goes out on his own and ends up rescuing Aurora, who’s been in a cryo chamber for 200 years. As a result, he ends up with the crew nobody wanted, and a crazy mission ensues involving Aurora and the mystery surrounding her.

I loved the adventure. I loved the romantic tension with multiple couples. I loved the snappy banter. I loved the unexpected twists. So, yes, I’ll be going back to read the other series by this author duo, and I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Halfway through PIE IN THE SKY by Remy Lai I was ready to pull out my baking supplies and start mixing cakes. Specifically, I wanted to bake both the Nutella cream cake and triple cookie cake the brothers make in the book. Also, check out the amazing illustrations!

But another thing I love about this book is the discussion I had with my son after *he* finished it—because he totally ran off and read it before me. There are many great themes in PIE IN THE SKY. It’s about a family that immigrates to Australia, and the older brother, Jingwen, really struggles learning English. He compares his experience to living on Mars, and baking the cakes helps him cope, even though it requires lying to their mom, who has forbidden them to bake while home alone. My son and I discussed the brothers’ decision to keep the cake-baking from their mom, as well as how Jingwen classifies different types of lies in the book. It’s a poignant story about dealing with grief but also includes humor and well-developed family dynamics.

Why, you might wonder, have I placed the book ROMANOV by Nadine Brandes among a tower of Dr. Pepper cans? Because Dr. Pepper is my comfort drink, and the truth is, this book is amazing, but I needed some comfort while I was reading. I love Anastasia retellings, but this book is nothing like the cartoon or even the Broadway musical, where the execution of the Romanov family takes place in the past. The first half of the book is dedicated to Nastya and her family’s captivity, leading up to the execution, and it’s hard to read, especially because it’s not just a fantasy. While ROMANOV is a work of fiction, it’s based on history, and if you read the accounts of what happened to the Romanov family (as I did to prepare myself), it’s truly horrific. Thus the Dr. Pepper.

That being said, ROMANOV is beautifully written, and I loved how Nadine Brandes wove magic, faith, and forgiveness into the story. As with any time I read historical fiction, it made me examine a time in history more closely. It made me think and discuss and grieve. Definitely worth the read!

I’m always up for a great contemporary YA, and JUST FOR CLICKS by Kara McDowell lived up to my hopes for a quick, fun read with some unexpected twists thrown in. The premise is that twins Claire and Poppy are social media stars thanks to their mom’s viral blog. Now they have to decide whether they want to continue in the spotlight. Throw in a new guy who’s lived off the grid and doesn’t know about the blog, a manufactured relationship, hidden family secrets, and all sorts of hijinks ensue. Family drama plus an adorable romance made this a great read for me.

Have you read any of these? What else have you been reading lately that I should check out?

Reading, Review, Young Adult

YA Review: LOVE & LUCK by Jenna Evans Welch

Michelle I. Mason

Hello, readers! Where did the summer go?

In my case, I have a very good answer. On July 12, the Friday after my last post, I didn’t see a set of steps, went down, and broke my foot in an inconvenient spot that ended up requiring surgery. Just this week I am allowed to start putting weight on it again (yay!). I was able to keep up with some work despite the circumstances, but the blog unfortunately was neglected. However, my kids are back to school today, and so despite the fact I usually post reviews on Mondays, you all get one today!

A couple of years ago I gushed over LOVE & GELATO by Jenna Evans Welch, and I’ve just gotten around to reading the companion novel, LOVE & LUCK. Just as the first book made me long for a trip to Italy, I’m now itching to drive around Ireland. If I do, I may have to use this book as my guide :). Anyway, here’s the cover and description.

Love & Luck by Jenna Evans WelchAddie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding, and hoping she can stop thinking about the one horrible thing she did that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once inseparable siblings. Miserable, Addie can’t wait to visit her friend in Italy and leave her brother—and her problems—behind.

So when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s able to finally escape her anxious mind and Ian’s criticism.

And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute, Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.

That is if they don’t get completely lost along the way.

Here are the five things I loved most:

1. Ireland for the Heartbroken – I loved how this guidebook sent the characters to actual tourist sites but put a spin on each one. I also loved how it was talking to the reader and calling the reader names like “turtledove” and “love muffin.” It was like a straight-talking auntie who didn’t let the reader get away with wallowing–unless that was part of the assignment.

2. The sibling relationship – So, having read LOVE & GELATO, I expected this book to be mainly a romance, especially considering it still has LOVE in the title to go along with the other book. (The characters from the first book are in it.) However, the main relationship was between Addie and her brother, Ian, and the potential romance was secondary. Even though I’m a total sucker for a romance, I loved that this story focused on these two, especially since she was getting over a relationship.

3. Rowan – Rowan was just as delightful of a character as Ren in the first book. I was completely on board with him as a potential love interest for Addie, especially since he wasn’t at all pursuing her in that way and their friendship grew during the story.

4. The tension – I looked back at my review of LOVE & GELATO and was reminded how frustrated I was that a particular subplot kept getting dragged out and yet it also made sense that it wasn’t revealed until later. The same thing happened in this book, where I just wanted to know already! And yet it still also made sense to me that Addie wasn’t spilling everything. That’s quite a writing skill, to both frustrate and satisfy a reader at the same time :).

5. The setting – Like I said, this book made me want to go to Ireland, and quite honestly, it’s never been super high on my list before. But the descriptions of the places put an itinerary in my head, and it’s now right after Italy for me (I’ve already checked off England, Scotland, France and Australia).

Have you read LOVE & LUCK? If so, let me know what you thought! If not, you should check it out :).

Giveaways, Interviews, Middle Grade, MMGM, PitchWars, Reading, Review

MMGM Interview & Giveaway: MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM by Rajani LaRocca

Michelle I. Mason

When I first read the description for Rajani LaRocca’s MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM during PitchWars in 2017, I was immediately intrigued–and so were an agent and editor. I mean, baking + Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; what’s not to love? The book released last month, and I picked it up right away, devouring it in a couple of days (yes, total food pun). Rajani graciously agreed to an interview here and has also offered up a copy of the book for one lucky winner (details at the bottom). But first, for those of you who haven’t heard about the book yet, here is the gorgeous cover and description.

Eleven-year-old Mimi dreams of winning a baking competition judged by her celebrity chef idol. But she loses her best helper when her food writer father returns from a business trip mysteriously unable to distinguish between delicious and disgusting. Mimi follows strangely familiar music into the woods behind her house, meets a golden-eyed boy, and bakes with him using exotic ingredients they find in the woods. Then everyone around her suddenly starts acting loopy.

Squabbling sisters, rhyming waitresses, and culinary saboteurs mix up a recipe for mayhem in this Indian-American mashup of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and competitive baking.

Here are Rajani’s answers to questions about the five things I loved most.

1. I love how you wove Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (my favorite of his plays!) into MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM, particularly how Mimi’s older brother was starring in the play so that explaining it to the reader was so seamless. When you first conceived the idea of mixing Shakespeare and baking, was it clear to you that incorporating the play within the story was the way to go, or did you have to work to get to this solution?

I figured that most young readers (and many adult readers!) wouldn’t be familiar with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, so I knew I’d have to explain the story in order to set the stage properly, so to speak. When I first conceived of my book, I knew that Mimi’s older brother would acting be in a production of the play and that Mimi would learn about it through him. The challenge for me was to keep the references relatively short and interesting while still giving readers a taste of Shakespeare’s humor and beautiful language, and to allow Mimi to learn about the most important components of the play at different times. One of my favorite scenes in MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM involves two characters hurling Shakespearean insults at each other; it was so much fun to write!

2. I also love Mimi’s family and how you implemented the story lines of A Midsummer Night’s Dream within the love lives of her siblings—although my favorite was probably Henry and how technology played a part in his, er, love story. Shakespeare would have loved it :). How did you go about modernizing Shakespeare for a middle grade audience?

One of the most appealing aspects of Shakespeare’s plays is how he captured universal emotions. The conflicts of A Midsummer Night’s Dream—between friends (two of whom are as close as sisters), between parent and child, and between men and women—are echoed in MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM, as is the idea of magic unintentionally gone awry. But my book, while it is inspired by Shakespeare’s play, isn’t a straight retelling. I envisioned MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM as more of what might happen after Shakespeare’s play was over. I wondered how the fairies would act now, and how they’d seem to a modern-day girl. That’s how I brought Shakespeare’s story into our world and made it relevant to kids today.

3. I’ve read a lot of books that include baking, but Mimi’s approach was  completely unique, with the use of herbs and spices you don’t usually think about for pastries. What was your inspiration for her creations?

I love using herbs and spices in cooking, and as I’ve become a more confident baker over the years, I’ve tried to introduce the same types of adventurous flavors into my baking, too. Like Mimi, my ultimate inspiration was to take other desserts, including some favorites from my own childhood, and turn them into baked treats.

4. I loved the two main friendship story lines–and I don’t want to spoil either of them–but it would be great if you could speak a little to how you approached writing realistic friendships for this age, when it’s often hard to find confidence in your friendships.

Middle grade readers are in that in between space where they are still really connected to their families, but they are also growing more independent and navigating friendships without the help of their parents. They are figuring out who they are and what they believe in and making their own decisions about right and wrong, but they are still at the mercy of the adults in their lives, and they often have no say in those adult decisions. In writing this story, I went back to how it felt as a kid to have a best friend, lose that friend, and go about the painful business of finding your way forward. There’s also a tension between being vulnerable to new friends and holding back out of fear of getting close to someone who might hurt you—and I also tried to portray that in MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM.

5. I loved the portrayal of Mimi’s family and how she felt a bit lost within their success and yet during the book she was finding her place with her siblings, and it was clear they loved her. What tips do you have on writing strong and nuanced family relationships?

I knew from the beginning that Mimi’s family was a happy family with a lot of love, so I started with that foundation. I also know that there is competition, misunderstanding, and strife in even the happiest relationships. I played that up as much as I could, with the parents and the older siblings being so preoccupied with their own pursuits that it was easy for Mimi to feel a bit forgotten, and to be the only one who notices that there is something really wrong with her dad.

Thank you so much, Rajani!

Definitely go pick this book up. Not only did I love the book, but my 11-year-old son read it within 24 hours, even choosing it over watching a movie. If that isn’t a glowing recommendation, I’m not sure what is :).

Rajani is also offering a copy of the book to one lucky winner. To enter, leave a comment below or click on the Rafflecopter for additional entries. The giveaway will close at 12 a.m. on Monday, July 15.

NOTE: THE GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED.

Reading, Review, Young Adult

YA Review: FAME, FATE, AND THE FIRST KISS by Kasie West

Michelle I. Mason

One of my goals for May was to really figure out Instagram, which obviously is an ongoing process, and so I’ve been participating in a challenge. (If you’d like, you can follow me there @michelleimason.) One of the prompts early in the month was to post about an author you admire, and I chose Kasie West because I’ve loved all of her books and often featured them in my favorite reads of the year. However, when I went over to my bookshelf, I realized I was actually behind on her latest. There was one I’d read from the library and just hadn’t added to my permanent shelf yet, but she had two more books out that I hadn’t read yet. My TBR list is crazy, folks. I keep an ever-growing wish list at my local library (currently at 135 books), plus I have a stack of physical books I’ve either purchased or were gifted to me (currently at 13), plus I like to mix in re-reads as I’ve been trying to weed books out of my shelves downstairs to make more room–and often I still end up keeping the books I re-read since there was a reason I kept them in the first place. It’s a good thing I read fast!

But on to the Kasie West book! I sped through FAME, FATE, AND THE FIRST KISS in two days. It’s a companion novel to LOVE, LIFE, AND THE LIST, which I also enjoyed, but that one made me cry, which is not my favorite thing, so I’m going to bump this one up higher on my Kasie West list 😀.

Lacey Barnes has dreamed of being an actress for as long as she can remember. So when she gets the opportunity to star in a movie alongside one of Hollywood’s hottest actors, she doesn’t hesitate to accept the part.

But Lacey quickly learns that life in the spotlight isn’t as picture perfect as she imagined. She’s having trouble bonding with her costars, her father has hired the definition of a choir boy, Donavan Lake, to tutor her, and somewhere along the way she’s lost her acting mojo. And just when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, it looks like someone on set is deliberately trying to sabotage her. 

As Lacey’s world spins out of control, it feels like the only person she can count on—whether it’s helping her try to unravel the mystery of who is out to get her or snap her out of her acting funk—is Donavan. But what she doesn’t count on is this straight-laced boy becoming another distraction.

With her entire future riding on this movie, Lacey knows she can’t afford to get sidetracked by a crush. But for the first time in her life Lacey wonders if it’s true that the best stories really do happen when you go off script.

Here are the five things I loved most:

1. The zombie movie – I love that throughout the book there are snippets of the script from the zombie movie they’re making and that it’s so campy. It’s also fun how Lacey’s zombie makeup is incorporated into multiple aspects of the story–the mystery, her acting, and the romance.

2. The dialogue – Kasie West is a master at dialogue. I always love the banter between her characters, and this book is no different. For example:

“I have to convince audiences everywhere that a zombie loves a zombie hunter. So far, it’s not happening. So far, the only thing future viewers care about is that I’m not someone else.”
“How do you know this?”
“The internet.”
“The internet?”
“Well, people on the internet. Mainly Grant’s fans.”
“You know what a wise philosopher once said?” he responded.
“What?”
“You have to shake it off. Shake, shake, shake it off.”
I smiled a little. He did know how to tell a joke. “Because the haters are gonna hate?”
3. The romance – I mean, what would a Kasie West book be without a swoony romance? And FAME, FATE, AND THE FIRST KISS didn’t disappoint me in this area either. I loved how the romance developed between Lacey and Donavan.

4. The mystery – This part surprised me, even though the description talked about there being someone disrupting the set, I’ve never seen this sort of element in a Kasie West book, and I really enjoyed it. It fit perfectly with the whole movie set, and I loved how it was all resolved at the end.

5. The family/friendships – Normally I’d separate these two things out, but I’m down to my last point, so here we go. Lacey’s complicated relationship with her dad, plus the changing relationship with her mom, were really well done. I also really enjoyed how she navigated the new friendship with Amanda, and it was fun to see Abby and Cooper from LOVE, LIFE, AND THE LIST again.

Have you read FAME, FATE, AND THE FIRST KISS? What did you think?