A couple of years ago my critique partner Kip Wilson told me about this sweet romance by Jen Malone that I would love–because she’d read it in advance. So when an opportunity arose to enter for an ARC of WANDERLOST, I was all in. Imagine my joy when I won and got to read this…
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YA Review: WINTER by Marissa Meyer
Anyone who was following me on Twitter last week was probably expecting this review. For that matter, if you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, it won’t surprise you either, considering I reviewed the first three books in The Lunar Chronicles series and CINDER, SCARLET and CRESS made it onto my favorite…
YA Review: THIS MONSTROUS THING by Mackenzi Lee
A couple of weeks ago my critique partner Kip Wilson sent me the lovely gift of a signed copy of THIS MONSTROUS THING by Mackenzi Lee. I’d been hearing a lot about this book already from another writer friend of mine, Anna-Marie McLemore (if you haven’t read THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS yet, do it!), so…
YA Review: THE SECRETS WE KEEP by Trisha Leaver
Although I didn’t win this book through PitchWars like the last couple I reviewed, I did pick it up after learning about it from Trisha Leaver’s PitchWars mentor bio. As soon as I read the blurb, I was dying to read the whole book. Check it out. Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins. Ella…
YA Review: DOWN WITH THE SHINE by Kate Karyus Quinn
Today I’m excited to share a review of another advanced copy I was privileged to read as a result of PitchWars–DOWN WITH THE SHINE by Kate Karyus Quinn. It’s another dark one, but it also surprised me by making me laugh out loud. I’ll get to that in the review, but first, here’s the description……
YA Review: A MADNESS SO DISCREET by Mindy McGinnis
Remember that ARC I mentioned I was reading last week? It was A MADNESS SO DISCREET by Mindy McGinnis, and it’s sooo good. It doesn’t release until Oct. 6, but you should pre-order it right now because I’m not passing this one along. It’s staying right here on my gorgeous shelves. Anyway, let me tell…
MMGM Interview & Giveaway: DON’T VOTE FOR ME by Krista Van Dolzer
Hey, my second MMGM in less than a month and two giveaways in a row! I’m on a roll! Really, though, I’ve just been reading some amazing books lately. I’m in the middle of an ARC I expect I’ll review as well, possibly next week. But this post is about DON’T VOTE FOR ME by…
That Magical Moment When Feedback Clicks
Don’t you hate it when you know something’s wrong with your manuscript–maybe it’s even been pointed out to you by multiple sources–but you can’t figure out how to fix it? Or, even worse, when you think you’ve fixed it and then you receive comments from agents after you start querying that reveal the issue was…
MMGM: YOU’RE INVITED by Jen Malone & Gail Nall
I love it when I win a book and then I absolutely adore it. Of course, I’d already read a book by Jen Malone, so I had high expectations for YOU’RE INVITED, the first in a new series she’s co-writing with Gail Nall. In any case, it didn’t disappoint. Here are the details about the…
6 Reasons You Should Critique for Others While Revising
Did you miss me? I know I threw that four years of querying post out there and then deserted the blog for a couple of weeks. My family went to the Lake of the Ozarks, and then I had a week of craziness catching up with some deadlines. But I’m back! So, I’m in the…
On Balancing the Urge to Slap a Character or Root for Them
I read a number of frustrating books over my vacation, but before you think that means I didn’t like them, I’ll point out that I wrote a review about one of them earlier this week :). Why was that particular book frustrating? Because the girl kept missing out on opportunities where she could have fixed…
YA Review: THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND by Kasie West
I’m back from Alaska! Well, I actually returned last week, but I spent most of that catching up. So, Alaska. Disney is amazing at everything, so the cruise was fantastic. I basically stayed inside as much as possible due to the cold, but when I did venture out, the scenery was breathtaking. Best way to…
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