Review: You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour

You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publication date: 7th June 2016

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other — and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour, the award-winning author of Hold Still and The Disenchantments, and David Levithan, the best-selling author of Every Day and co-author of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (with Rachel Cohn) and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with John Green), You Know Me Well is a deeply honest story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time.

Disclaimer: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t really know where to start with this review, so here goes…

You Know Me Well is a story told over the background of Pride Week, told in the alternating views of Kate and Mark. Kate and Mark happen to have sat next to each other in calculus for an entire year, until one night, at Pride, when Mark loses his inhibitions and dances in his underwear on a bar, and Kate spots him, while she hides from the girl she can’t stop thinking about – but has never met.

The characters, especially Kate and Mark, are realistic, and both dealing with their own issues. Mark, in love with his best friend Ryan, deals with his unrequited love and Ryan’s new boyfriend, the older, tattooed Taylor. Kate, enamoured with her best friend’s cousin Violet, shies away from the girl she loves, despite having never met. When Kate and Mark run away from their problems to a party, they are photographer and Kate’s artwork is thrust into the limelight.

I loved the other themes in the book – the juxtaposition of Ryan, still closeted, and Mark, openly gay, proud and accepted was one – and Kate’s worries about going to university, despite already having accepted a place, were reminiscent of the wonderful Radio Silence by Alice Oseman.

There are a lot of pop culture references throughout the book, but I liked the musical references – they didn’t feel dated, and they added to the atmosphere of the book.

At first, this book reminded me a lot of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, also by David Levithan, and both books take place over a short period of time. There’s perhaps a little insta-friendship between Kate and Mark, but I think we all find friends we feel like we’ve known for years.

A realistic, relatable tale of friendship, love and embracing not only both, but accepting yourself in the process.

I’m also looking forward to seeing both authors at YALC, where there’ll be a You Know Me Well poetry slam!

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Have you read You Know Me Well? Are you planning to? Let me know by commenting below or tweeting me at @annalisebooks!

Annalise x

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London – but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her ‘proper adventure’.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — trickier than they hoped.

I picked up ADSOM because I have heard so many amazing things, and the hype around the sequel, A Gathering of Shadows (AGOS), was, errr, a lot. This is one book I picked up at Foyles Charing Cross in regular Grey London.

A Darker Shade of Magic is a really original novel, following Kell, a ‘Traveler’ who can move between parallel universes. In Grey London (our universe), he meet Lila, a thief looking for adventure. Both Lila and Kell are fresh, quirky characters, in an interesting magical world with its own rich politics and rules. I like London, and magic, and the marriage of the two was really cool.

It’s been a while since I read this book, but it took me a while to read – I was in a bit of a reading slump after Heir of Fire. I liked the style of the book – it’s separated into lots of parts, with short chapters within, so it’s easy to read a little bit, often.

I also loved how there wasn’t really a romance, at all, which is something I’m really enjoying in novels at the moment – romance doesn’t have to feature in every single novel ever, and it should only really feature if it feels natural to do so.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would (it’s been very hyped up), but I did enjoy it enough to desperately want to read the sequel, A Gathering of Shadows, which sounds actually amazing.

This book is not necessarily YA – I found it in the Sci-Fi section of Foyles, so I’d say it’s being marketed as more Adult, but there’s nothing in here that should put a YA reader off picking this up.

Overall, a good start to a new trilogy, and I will be looking to pick up the sequel in the near future. (Also, the cover is pretty awesome.)

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Have you read ADSOM? What did you think? Comment or tweet me at @annalisebooks!

Annalise x

Amazon Woes.

Today I bring you… not a rant, but some woes.

I have always loved Amazon. One huge bookshop full of all the books you could ever dream of – delivered right to your door in a few short days. Who could ask for more? (except maybe free books?)

When I first got into YA way way back in 2008, the first books I delved into (some of which were YA, some of which were adult) were books that were acclaimed, but were not published in the UK yet. One of them was Stray by Rachel Vincent, which I don’t believe has ever been picked up by a UK publisher. The point is, I could get books online that I couldn’t from a bookstore, and they were cheap. They were actual bargains.

The first book I bought on my own account was apparently The Immortals: Shadowland by Alyson Noel. I purchased it in 2010 for £3.48. The same book today costs £6.99 on Amazon UK.

In 2011, I bought a lot of books. Almost all of these books cost in the range of £3.49 to £5, and they all now cost their full jacket price – often £6.99, but sometimes £7.99, £8.99.

I understand that authors get paid a pittance, but from a consumer point of view, I’m now getting maybe a third of the books I could have bought in 2010. The same exact books.

This week, a lot of us UK readers have had a problem with a book. The Rose and the Dagger is the final (and second) installment in Renee Ahdieh’s The Wrath and the Dawn duology. I, like many, pre-ordered a copy, and expected delivery on release date.

Release date came and my order was still pending. Delivery date pending. I checked the order page, and delivery estimate was 3-5 WEEKS.

Now, my order has been dispatched today (the day after release date) and should be with me tomorrow, but I also have Prime, and expect release date delivery.

So, Amazon is in my bad books for a few reasons. One, prices have gone up massively (and I’m not sure if this is good for the authors – maybe it is?). Two, regular shipping now takes days. Three, books don’t ship on their release date!

I’d LOVE if eBooks and physical copies of books were bundled together. Then I could start reading at midnight on release day, and have a beautiful book for my shelf.

I think it’s time for other bookstores to be given a chance.

Annalise x

Fairyloot April Unboxing!

This month I decided to try out Fairyloot, a new YA Fantasy subscription box, that promises one new hardback novel each month. Fairyloot is available to purchase on subscription or as a standalone box, and is based in the UK. After seeing some amazing March boxes, I decided to buy the April box as a treat.

Purchasing

Fairyloot is a UK-based box, and I decided to purchase a box from the UK to avoid import fees. The box costs £24.50 with shipping and tax on top, bringing the actual cost of the box to around £30. I found a 10% off code in the Fairyloot newsletter, so actually paid £28.40. Honestly, I was surprised to pay shipping and tax in the UK, so be aware.

Delivery

So, I messed up big time on delivery. I accidentally put my home postcode with my university address and so my box was delivered late. However, a note on delivery – Fairyloot use Yodel, who here were very good, but are notorious for late deliveries or non-deliveries. I’ve had parcels delivered by them in the past which have arrived late, and read hundreds of horror stories of broken, or worse, missing parcels. This time my box arrived in 6 days, which involved a trip up and down the country and to lost property, so actually arrived quite quickly considering!

Spoilers

Please, if you’re thinking of doing an unboxing of any box, heed this advice.

Just because you received your box, doesn’t mean everyone has. Waiting for this box led to me being spoiled on Twitter several times by people posting the title of the book, and pictures of their boxes. Please don’t do this – it ruins the surprise for those waiting for their boxes!

On the topic of spoilers… if you don’t want to be spoiled, click away now!

The Box!

The box is super cool, it has the Fairyloot logo on the top (here, obscured by the delivery label) and a Neil Gaiman quote on the side of the box.

On top, was a Hunger Games Funko Pop! – I got Katniss, but others got President Snow, Effie Trinket and Peeta Mellark. I love this so much – I have a small (for now) Funko Pop! collection of inspirational female characters, and so Katniss is a great addition.

Then, wrapped in a purple bow, is a poster from BehindThePages. It features a Glittering Court quote.

I loved the Vanilla Bean Scented Candle which comes in a metal tin wrapped with twine.

Also included is a sample of the book I was reading when I opened the box, The Wrath and the Dawn, which is an amazing book and the sampler is really cute.

Wrapped in tissue paper with confetti was the book of the month, The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead, with temporary tattoos and a themed bookmark.

Thoughts

I have a worry with these boxes and that is – to read YA is not to subscribe to all of the YA fandoms. There are plenty of YA readers who haven’t ventured into popular book series such as Harry Potter and the Hunger Games, and I’m sure there are those who have but just haven’t enjoyed them. There’s nothing wrong with not liking a certain series, but a lot of these boxes assume you like them all – it’s difficult to put these boxes together without fandom-related items but I’m not sure how I’d feel to receive something from a series I wasn’t familiar with.

The Glittering Court is a book I was considering pre-ordering but didn’t, as the reviews haven’t been brilliant. Richelle Mead is an established author (of the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series, to name a few), and I’d be disappointed in this box if I’d already bought the book – I’d like to see more debut authors featured as these books are less likely to have already been bought and discovering new authors is always fun!

I love the hashtag – each month, two boxes come with the same hashtag, and so each person has a box buddy with who to discuss and read the book!

Final Thoughts

Fairyloot has to be one of the best subscription boxes out there, and is definitely worth it! With great themes each month – May’s theme is High Fantasy – these boxes make a great treat. I might not be purchasing every month, but seeing some amazing unboxings, it’ll be difficult not to.

Annalise x

YALC Reading List: What To Read for YALC16

A ridiculously amazing selection of authors will be attending YALC in Hammersmith, London on 28-31 July. Now, there are some amazing authors attending, who have written amazing and inspiring novels – but there’s one problem. There’s so many of my favourite authors attending, how am I going to carry all the books?!

Obviously, the solution here is to buy more books, so I thought I’d write a series with the authors who will be attending and which book I will be/would be getting signed by each author.

1. Malorie Blackman

Book to read: Noughts & Crosses

The pioneer of YALC will be returning for a third year – and admittedly, I still haven’t read any of her books! There was a time in high school when EVERYONE was reading this series (everyone except me, apparently) but I just never picked it up (I was either reading Harry Potter, dark romance or errrr…. Vanity Fair (the magazine)). I think I am well overdue a Malorie Blackman novel so I’ll either be diving into Noughts & Crosses or her brand new novel, Chasing The Stars (Out 21 April, 2016).

2. Melvin Burgess

Book to read: Junk

Junk is constantly referred to as one of many Young Adult authors’ favourite books. Junk was released in 1996, before the advent of the YA genre, and follows two teenage runaways, as they squat, become addicted to heroin and embrace anarchism. A real YA classic, I’ll be sure to pick up a copy of this before YALC. This book won the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.

3. Alwyn Hamilton

Book to read: Rebel of the Sands

Rebel of the Sands has been one of the most talked-about novels this year – not only because of its frankly stunning cover. A retelling of Arabian Nights, every scene in this novel could be a direct scene from a movie. I’m sure there’s going to be a long queue to get this one signed! Read my review here.

4. Frances Hardinge

Book to read: The Lie Tree

The Lie Tree has to be one of the hottest books of the year – it won the Costa Book of the Year Award 2015 (a HUGE achievement, especially for a children’s novel). The Lie Tree has also been shortlisted for the Young Adult Book Prize 2016. Definitely the book of the moment, I’ll be trying to squeeze this one in before July.

5. Nina LaCour and 6. David Levithan

Book to read: You Know Me Well

Coming this June, You Know Me Well is a dual perspective novel (think Will Grayson, Will Grayson that David Levithan with John Green – which I’m about halfway through). This one is about first love, and at 256 pages, should be a quick read!

7. Melinda Salisbury

Book to read: The Sin Eater’s Daughter/The Sleeping Prince

The recipient of some of the most glowing Twitter praise ever seen, Melinda Salisbury is one of my favourite people-I-follow-on-Twitter. I won both The Sin Eater’s Daughter and The Sleeping Prince in a Twitter competition, but haven’t picked them up yet – but I absolutely will have to before July.

8. Maggie Stiefvater

Book to read: The Raven Boys series

I currently own one Maggie Stiefvater book and that is Shiver (the first book in The Wolves of Mercy Fall series), which I read years ago (probably around 2009). The Raven Boys series has been making waves in the book blogger community, especially recently as the final book in the series, The Raven King, was released in April. This is one series I don’t think I can hold out purchasing for much longer.

9. Lisa Williamson

Book to read: The Art of Being Normal

Nominated for the 2016 YA book prize, The Art of Being Normal is an absolutely brilliant stand-alone debut novel, following a transgender teen, David, as he prepares to tell his family that he wishes to transition, and would like to be called Kate. One of the most important books of the year, TAOBN is a novel I genuinely enjoyed, and I can’t wait to read Lisa’s future novels.

That’s it for the first installment of ‘What to Read for YALC’ – I will be posting more blog posts with the rest of the authors who will be in attendance so keep a look out for that!

Which authors are you most excited about seeing? Which books are you picking up for YALC and/or hoping to get signed?

Comment below or tweet me at @annalisebooks!

Annalise x

Review: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home… forever.

Disclaimer: Review copy received from netgalley.com in return for an honest review.

This book took me a week to read – and a little longer to get round to reading. It took me a while to get into Passenger – but once I was in, I was in hard. I read during my lunchbreaks, I read at work in the middle of running experiments, I read in the evenings curled up with a duvet by the window. I genuinely loved this book and the world it created.

I felt like this book was set into two parts – the setting, when Etta meets Nicholas and discovers about her abilities, etc. and the quest, where Etta and Nicholas jump from time to time, city to city, looking for the astrolabe, a magical object that Etta’s mother, Rose, has hidden somewhere in time and space. The setting up was a little slow, but enjoyable, but woah, the quest. I loved the places we visited (some of them ones I have visited myself), and the whole book is so interesting.

The concept – time travel, with passages between certain times and places – is so cool – like Doctor Who but with more rules, higher stakes. This book is definitely world-driven, rather than character-driven, but I still liked the characters.

Nicholas is African-American, and (unfortunately) interracial relationships are still rare in fiction and YA. Etta battles with feminist ideas and the status of African Americans and women in the different time periods and places that they visit. I think this is the future of YA – more diversity, more discussion of prejudices and discrimination. In Passenger, diversity and feminism never feel forced, they are a welcome and interesting addition to the conversation.

Treating this book as the start of a trilogy, I’m going to give it five stars because I really enjoyed it. If I went into Passenger expecting a stand-alone novel, the ending is a cliffhanger, with some unresolved issues, and I may have been disappointed. Now, I’m just excited for Wayfarer (out Jan 2017) – which has an equally beautiful cover as Passenger does.

This book gave me deep The Mortal Instruments vibes – the start of a beautiful series, with memorable characters and an interesting lore and world.

View all my reviews

Annalise x

Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters Super Fan Event!

Today, Saturday 16 April, I boarded a very early morning train to London, traversed the Tube that was pretty much shut so had to go the long way round, and ended up in Leicester Square for a Super Fan Event. I wasn’t sure quite where the Leicester Square Theatre was, so I followed a trail of girls in all-black leather jackets and found it easily enough (the invite said Shadowhunter wear appreciated).

When I got there (around 45 minutes early) there was already a bit of a queue, yet the live feed had already been running for 30 mins. As the queue got longer and longer (and it was VERY long), Maximum Pop! Books filmed us, which was a little awkward. Everyone in the queue was Shadowhunter-ed up – so my leather boots, jacket and little lace dress combo fit right in! (The other jacket that seemed to be popular is the khaki parker!)

Before 11am, we were let in to the Leicester Square Theatre and those of us who had purchased the book received a copy (with the blue pages!). This event had designated seating but (and I think this is my fault), I’d booked a seat right at the back, thinking that it would be the front! Despite this, I had a really good view and didn’t struggle to hear anything. I was also sat to a girl who had come on her own, so we got to chat about the books and not just sit there on our phones!

After a brief wait, Anna James came on stage to read some ‘thank you’s and to confirm the plan of the event. Then she introduced Cassandra to the stage for a Q&A session and the crowd went a bit wild. The Q&A was interesting but touching on spoiler-y. There was an expectation that the crowd would have already read the book, when many fans buy the book at the event and don’t read it beforehand. I think it’s difficult to have a Q&A that doesn’t have a spoiler element, but talking about the book at a book launch is risky – and I, as well as many other fans, don’t like being spoiled when we’re there to appreciate the books.

Halfway through the Q&A, Special Guest Dominic Sherwood (Jace in the Shadowhunters TV Series) came on stage to join – I think he may have meant to be a secret guest but advertising gave him equal billing with Cassandra. Together, they made a good team and there was definitely interest in both the book and the TV show. I have also luckily finished the TV series and there weren’t many spoilers for the next season – but there will be more of Clace (Clary & Jace), Malec (Magnus and Alec) and the Seelie Queen will make an appearance – so the second season should be loosely based on City of Ashes. Dom also doesn’t try to read ahead – even though he really wants to.

The Q&A was about 35-45 minutes long, and questions weren’t opened out to the floor, which was a little surprising although understandable at an event in a theatre – at the last Cassie event two years ago for City of Heavenly Fire, there was a Q&A session but it was difficult to get to those in the middle rows. After the Q&A, Cassie signed copies of Lady Midnight, which took a long time as I was sat at the back. During the signing, make-up artists came round drawing runes and doing glittery lips and eyes (although I didn’t want either!).

At the signing, I spoke to Cassie quickly and had my picture taken with Dom!

Leaving the venue, goody-bags were handed out to everyone (regardless of which ticket they’d purchased) – the bag says ‘Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters on it, and contained a Lady Midnight poster and postcard, and a Hashtag Reads bookmark and badge.

Overall, a fun day although a tiny bit disappointing. I can’t wait to start reading Lady Midnight, though!

Annalise x

Review: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

Frances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside.

But when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken.

Caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’ dreams come crashing down. Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past…
She has to confess why Carys disappeared…

Meanwhile at uni, Aled is alone, fighting even darker secrets.

It’s only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. And it’s only by being your true self that you can find happiness.

Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has.

First off, a huge thank you to Jim (@yayayeah) for the copy of Radio Silence – it genuinely has been one of the best books I’ve read this year (and I’ve read some brilliant books!)

Radio Silence is an important, well-needed book in the YA genre, touching on topics that have never been touched on before – or if they have, only fleetingly. I’m 100% sure this book will be up for some big awards next year, and I’ve genuinely heard nothing but praise for this book. I’ve already given the award of ‘If you have to read one book this year, this is it’ to Louise O’Neill’s Asking For It (review here), but this is a well-deserving close second place.

Radio Silence is a tale of friendship (and yes, platonic friendship between a male and female character, because that is so unheard of!), fandom and the fear of not being perfect.

The characters are well-developed and diverse, with a range of different sexualities and ethnicities featured, never feeling forced or out of place. The parental figures, in particular, are developed and have their own motivations and feelings, something rarely seen in YA fiction.

The main topic that spoke out to me, the reader, were the themes of having to be perfect, the pressure to go to university, and also the pressure to enjoy university. I particularly liked the characters of Frances and Aled, and their differing perspectives brought on by their (small) age gap. Carys also was refreshing and interesting.

About halfway through the book, I started noting down the quotes that really spoke out to me, so here are a few:

‘…obviously not everyone enjoyed university. I knew I would though… I was study machine Frances Janvier. I was going to Cambridge and I was going to get a good job and earn lots of money and I was going to be happy.’

‘“How about we go to the cinema this weekend?” she said. “Just a little break from all this Cambridge stuff.”
“I don’t have time. Maybe after my interviews.”’

‘I loaded up an episode of Universe City to listen to but couldn’t bring myself to press play, because I had work to do, and that was more important.’

‘“But now… I’m just… when you get to this age, you realise you’re not anyone special after all.”’

There are some others, but they’re a bit spoiler-ific, so I’ll leave them out – but Alice Oseman may well have written this book whilst peering into my soul. A lot of the points she makes on the topic of university and the pressure to be successful are valid and relatable, and the idea that even if you are bright, you can hate university and it may not be the path for you, is one that isn’t talked about enough.

A truly brilliant second novel, that should be read and discussed by prospective university applicants (and everyone, ever). (Also the cover is bloody brilliant and looks fab on my bookshelf).

View all my reviews

How did you find Radio Silence? Comment below or tweet me at @annalisebooks!

Annalise x

Cover Reveal: Tuned Into You by Cindy Dorminy

Today, I’m stoked to be hosting Cindy Dorminy for the cover reveal of her young adult romance Tuned Into You! Stay tuned for your chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

About the Author

Cindy Dorminy grew up on a steady diet of popcorn (the kind you pop in a sauce pan), Tab (pre-Diet Coke), and movies for teenagers. She can’t let a day go by without quoting a line from one of her favorite films, so quirky dialogue is a must in her stories. When she’s not at her research coordinator day job, Cindy is writing funny love stories, walking her dog, or slinging iron the old-fashioned way. She shares her house with her musician husband, her awesome daughter, and a cool, four-footed child that would eat all the cheese if she could figure out how to open the refrigerator. Cindy is a member of Romance Writers of America and Music City Romance Writers. She resides in Nashville, TN where live music can be heard everywhere, even at the grocery store.

Find her online!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindyD-Writes-870161859757429/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/48430676

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cindydorminy

Website: www.cindydwrites.com

About Tuned Into You

A summer party is the last place Lydia Flowers wants to be. Beer pong? Stupid, foot-wrecking shoes? Random hookups? No thanks. Lydia would rather be in her cleats practicing her bat handling skills.

Enter Abe Fischer, the Nashville Teen Idol superstar. He’s a lip-syncing party animal with a short fuse; or at least that’s what the tabloids say. Except, Abe turns out to be nothing like the guy Lydia’s read about online. He’s sweet, and the way he talks to his horse…sigh.

Then life throws Lydia and Abe a curveball. They are wrongfully arrested for destruction of property. Their choices? Either work on the Fischer Farm for the summer earning nothing more than blisters and a sunburn, or have the arrest go on their records, which would ruin Lydia’s shot at a softball scholarship. It’s a no-brainer. Lydia picks up a pitchfork, pulls out the SPF 40, and prepares for the worst two months of her life.

When the press gets wind of a big secret Abe’s family has been keeping, things become even more complicated. Now Lydia has another choice to make: stick around for Abe’s messed-up life in the spotlight, or go for the scholarship of her dreams.

Add Tuned Into You to your Goodreads TBR list!

And now…

The Cover!

Isn’t it gorgeous? Anita at Race-point did the artwork, and she’s one of the best in the business!

Pre-Order Tuned Into You

…and here’s the giveaway

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope you’re as excited for this YA novel as I am!

Annalise x