SST REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: All The Feels by Danika Stone

College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life… So, when her favorite character, Captain Matt Spartan, is killed off at the end of the last movie, Liv Just. Can’t. Deal.

Tired of sitting in her room sobbing, Liv decides to launch an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. With the help of her best friend, Xander, actor and steampunk cosplayer extraordinaire, she creates #SpartanSurvived, a campaign to ignite the fandom. But as her online life succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, Liv is forced to balance that with the pressures of school, her mother’s disapproval, and her (mostly nonexistent and entirely traumatic) romantic life. A trip to DragonCon with Xander might be exactly what she needs to figure out what she really wants. 

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

MY THOUGHTS
To Liv, the Starveil movies are her life. She loves the movies and she's deeply immersed in the fandom, making online vids and online friends who share her deep love of Starveil. She can't wait to see the new Starveil movie, only to find out that her favorite character, Spartan, is killed off. Liv refuses to believe that Spartan is dead, so she decides to prove that he is not dead. She starts an online campaign that shoots across the fandom.

Okay, so when I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it! I've been in this position before, every fangirl (or boy) has. While with me it was books, not movies, and all I did was kill the author off in my own story, I can relate to Liz. Still, fandoms are such a big part of the world now, so it's exciting to see a book that fully explores it.

I enjoyed the characters in this book. As I mentioned, Liz is relatable. She's also a normal girl. She's not one of those redhead and skinny MCs that are unaware of how beautiful they are (this sums up the MCs of a whole lot of YA). She's a normal girl, just starting college, who spends a majority of her time online. I did think she was a bit whiny and dramatic at times, but other than that, I liked her.

As for supporting characters, I really liked Xander. He's the best. Xander is in a completely different fandom than Liz, and doesn't really understand Starveil, but they are such great friends. Xander actually helps Liz out with #StarveilSurvived and even takes her to DragonCon. I seriously love their friendship. I also liked other various characters, but I love Xander. Though, I will say that Liz's mom annoyed me, because of the things she said about fandoms. I understand why Liz's mom is against fandoms, but she did say some horrible things.

As for romance, there is a very slow romance in the book, so you'll be shipping it for a while. But I actually really liked the romance. It never took over the plot!



IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book! It's a fun book about fandoms, friendship, and more. Also, Xander is awesome! So, pick up this book if you want a fun contemporary featuring fandoms!

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: It was amazing!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both adults (The Intaglio Series and Ctrl Z) and teens (All the Feels). When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.
Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.

GIVEAWAY:

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SST: Interview With Jeff Garvin, Author of Symptoms of Being Human

ABOUT THE BOOK

The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?
Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is . . . Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.
On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender-fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

INTERVIEW

Describe your book 5 words.

Gender-fluid teen’s blog goes viral.

Or

Feels, laughs, angry, witty, love.

Most asked author question but... what made you want to write this book?

There was a news story in my county about a transgender teen who sued the school district for the right to use the bathroom that aligned with their gender identity rather than their birth-assigned sex. I was deeply moved by their story and woke up three days in a row thinking about it. What would it be like to go to school the day after that story broke? I was inspired by the teen’s bravery and knew I had to write about it.

Do you have any odd writing habits?

Odd? No. I mean, I say an incantation (which I wrote) each morning before I sit down to write, and then I wave the wand that chose me at the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, and say, “Expecto Patronum!” But I wouldn’t call that “odd.”

Are are you are Plotter or Pantser?

A pantser. I sit down with an idea of what I’m going to write, and then the characters show up and change it. It’s exhilarating and horrifying.

What character(s) did you have the most fun writing about?

Solo was so much fun! Writing the beginning of Symptoms of Being Human was very sad--and then Solo came along and informed me that the book was going to be funny, too. It was a great relief.

What was your favorite scene to write?

The one I can tell you about without spoiling? Probably the scene between Solo and Riley at the vintage 80s video arcade. I love the way those two relate to one another. I had friendships like that in high school, and they saved me.

Random Questions:

Cats or dogs? Yes!

Unicorns or zombies? Zombies.

Favorite color? Black. Or Blue. No, black.

Favorite movie/TV show? Almost Famous/House of Cards

If you had one superpower, what would it be? Invisibility.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Before becoming a novelist, Jeff Garvin acted on TV and toured as the lead singer of a rock band. He has a BFA in Film from Chapman University and lives in Southern California, surrounded by adorable, shedding beasts.

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