New Releases in YA! (May 15th-21st)

Every week I list all (or almost all) of the YA books (and the occasional MG) that are coming out within that week!

Here's what you get to look forward to this week:

P.S. Click on the book's cover for the Goodreads page!

What books, if any, do you plan to buy?

Waiting on Wednesday: Replica by Lauren Oliver

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, where you talk about whatever book you are IMPATIENTLY WAITING for!

This week I am waiting for...

Gemma has been in and out of hospitals since she was born. 'A sickly child', her lonely life to date has revolved around her home, school and one best friend, Alice. But when she discovers her father's connection to the top secret Haven research facility, currently hitting the headlines and under siege by religious fanatics, Gemma decides to leave the sanctuary she's always known to find the institute and determine what is going on there and why her father's name seems inextricably linked to it.

Amidst the frenzy outside the institute's walls, Lyra - or number 24 as she is known as at Haven - and a fellow experimental subject known only as 72, manage to escape. Encountering a world they never knew existed outside the walls of their secluded upbringing , they meet Gemma and, as they try to understand Haven's purpose together, they uncover some earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls forever...

REPLICA envisions a world much like our own in which a small set of human clones are being used by the military to test the effects of neurotoxicity in the search for a potential universal vaccine.

Release Date: October 4th 2016

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Why am I waiting?

I don't even need to know what this book is about, it's by Lauren Oliver. It shall be amazing!
What book are you waiting for this week?

New Releases in YA! (May 8th-14th)

Every week I list all (or almost all) of the YA books (and the occasional MG) that are coming out within that week!

Here's what you get to look forward to this week:

P.S. Click on the book's cover for the Goodreads page!

What books, if any, do you plan to buy?

REVIEW: Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

Maguire is bad luck.

No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the rollercoaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.

It’s safest for Maguire to hide out in her room, where she can cause less damage and avoid meeting new people who she could hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star. Jordy is confident, talented, and lucky, and he’s convinced he can help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away. But it turns out staying away is harder than she thought.

From author Paula Stokes comes a funny and poignant novel about accepting the past, embracing the future, and learning to make your own luck.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes&Noble

MY THOUGHTS
I've been wanting to read this book for awhile, since the book had no cover and was titled "Bad Luck Charm". The idea behind this book sounding so interesting and I was so curious to read Maguire's story! This story was not what I expected, it was much different than what I imagined, but that's not a bad thing. I like how this book surprised my and how it handled the subject matter.

Ever since her brother, father, and uncle died in a car accident, that Maguire survived, Maguire has considered herself to be bad luck. Bad things happen around her. Maguire prefer to stay at home, away from people that can be potentially hurt by just being around her. But her grandmother is having a little memorial for Maguire's father, the problem is that Maguire has to go on a plane to get there. How can Maguire go on a plane worrying that everyone on the plane will die just because she's there? So her therapist gives Maguire a homework assignment, to create a list of things that will slowly reach her goal. She starts out by playing tennis again. It's there that she makes new friends and one friend, Jordy, is a aspiring tennis star that is determined to help Maguire.

For some reason I was expecting a fun contemporary (I've been in a fun contemporary mood lately), but I new I was wrong about that when the book starts off talking about the car accident. I knew this would not be a fun, chipper read. But this book did give me the feels and I did leave happy.

This book touches on mental illness, a subject that has been popping up in YA recently and I hope it keeps popping up. Mental illness is a subject that needs to be talked about. Maguire believes that she's a bad luck charm that simply being around her will harm others. It made me so sad seeing how afraid Maguire was of hurting others, but at the same time you could understand what brought Maguire into thinking this. I felt like Maguire's character was very realistic, and this book didn't romanticize her mental illness.

What I really like about this book was how helpful her friends were. Some people would have called Maguire crazy for having her thoughts, but her friends, which she only knows for a short while, help her. They want her to feel comfortable and they want her to be happy. They also don't rush her and make sure she okay with everything they are doing. Jordy, the love interest, also helps her so much. Jordy is also struggling with his own problems and Maguire also helps him. And, yes, I did like the romance. It's very hard to get me to like a romance, but I thought they were cute.


IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I enjoyed this book! It wasn't at all what I expected, but this book was able to surprise me and it gave me a wonderful read! I really liked Maguire and I loved her friends! I think this book dealt with the subject matter well and, despite the sad topics within this book, it left me with a good feeling.

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: It was amazing!

RT Booklovers Convention 2016 Recap! (+GIVEAWAY)

A few weeks ago I traveled to Las Vegas for the 2016 RT Booklovers Convention! This was my fourth year attending and I had a blast!

My day started at around 8 am. I stayed in the hotel where the convention was being held, with my parents, and I decided to scope out where all the panels would be before the convention started. But when my mom and I went downstairs, we realized that the book fair line already started, so we went back and got my books and got in line.

The line for the early crowd. And my mom is on the left.

The book fair didn't start until 10:30 and went for 3 hours. Basically, the book fair is where you get all your books signed. There were hundreds of authors and you went to their tables to get your books signed. You were only supposed to bring 10 books at a time. I brought over 100 books with me to Vegas, so we had to keep going back to get more (thankfully my dad was sitting with all my books outside the book fair). I got all but I think 5 of my books signed, so it was successful! And fun! I got to see so many authors!

Entering the Book Fair!

After the mad rush to get books signed, we went to the Fierce Reads Sugar Rush Party. When we walked in the door, we were given Fierce Reads bags. In the bags were books (of course) including Nemesis, Been Here All Along, Flawed, as well as some other books.We also got to spin a wheel to get another free book. I got a copy of Kiss Cam. After getting my new books signed, we heading off to the Hogwarts Trivia.

Not my own picture, but these are the bags that were handed out.

I didn't do so well in Harry Potter Trivia, because I have a horrible memory, but I had fun! My mom and I were in Ravenclaw and Brendan Reichs was our table's prefect. By the way, Brendan Reichs is hilarious!

After that we went to Family Feud, which Brendan Reichs was moderating. (Although, before family feud there was a fire alarm scare...). I'm sure you know the gist of family feud, add authors and book related questions, and you got the idea of what the panel was about.

After that we went to the Match Game. The Match Game was moderated by Gretchen McNeil and was disappointing. The game basically had the same questions asked as last year, so it wasn't as fun.

It was even moderated by Gretchen McNeil last year

Then it was time for the party, basically what I look forward to the most at RT! When we entered in the Teen Day Party, we found a table and sat down to find trivia sheets on the table. Colleen Houck hosted a trivia game. Authors were asked to pick a question, then we all answered on the sheet.

Once the trivia game finished, each table was called to go into the goody room, pretty much the highlight of the night. Each person got a pink bag filled with books and swag. The good room had tables stacked with books, mostly ARCs, and swag. Each person got to take two the first round, but there were enough books and enough swag that every got to go in line more than once. 

The bags given out (not my picture)

All of the authors!

Now, the loot!

Here are all of the books I got! I'm too lazy to link and list them all (if you really want to know what books are pictured, here's my Goodreads shelf), but some I'm really really excited about are: Girl Against the Universe, Wanderlost, The Forgetting, My Lady Jane, and Recreated.

Overall, I had a fabulous time! I love RT and look forward to it every year! Of course, my parents were super nice to me during RT and helped me with my books, so I'm so thankful to have such amazing parents! I hope I can go again, but it's the weekend before finals, so that may not be the best time. Anyway, if you you're thinking about going to RT next year, I recommend it!

GIVEAWAY!

Most of you probably skipped down to this section, which is okay. I picked up some extra copies for you guys! I'm giving away...

-ARC of Places No One Knows

-ARC The Lovely Reckless

-HC The Sin Eater's Daughter

-ARC Flamecaster

and a whole lot of swag! Including Snow Like Ashes buttons, Glittering Court preview, Epic Read magazine, Swoon Reads post its, an a whole lot of bookmarks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway