Review: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

Release Date: 18 September 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

Get a copy! Amazon

Goodreads description:

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

My Thoughts...

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley

Release Date: 19 March 2013

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

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Goodreads description:

Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she's returned home…only to find that it's three years later and she's sixteen-or at least that's what everyone tells her.

What happened to the past three years of her life?

Angie doesn't know.

But there are people who do — people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren't locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage, Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality, otherwise known as her "alters." As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of yourself that are responsible?

My Thoughts...

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Release Date: 26 March 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: ARC

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Goodreads description:

When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List:

1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous

But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club presient–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

My Thoughts...

When Love Comes to Town by Tom Lennon

Release Date: 1 March 2013
Publisher: Albert Whitman Teen
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Goodreads description:

The year is 1990, and in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, Neil Byrne plays rugby, keeps up with the in-crowd at his school, and is just a regular guy. A guy who's gay. It's a secret he keeps from the wider world as he explores the city at night and struggles to figure out how to reveal his real self--and to whom.

My Thoughts...

Fab {Indie} Friday: Thomas & January by Fisher Amelie

Release Date: 15 June 2012

Publisher: Self-pub
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased from B&N

Get a copy! Amazon | B&N
(It's only $2.99 and totally worth it.)

Goodreads description:

Thomas Eriksson thinks he has it all figured out.
"People crossed the street when they saw me. I’m not really sure why that was. I mean, okay, I might have looked a bit intimidating if I was being truthful with you. I’d changed since New York. New York represented a life that wasn’t real, not truthfully, anyway. No, New York was the “young, immature, in love, idiot" side of Tom. The “Tie-Dye Tom of New York City” didn’t exist anymore. Tie-Dye Tom was dead."

January Mac Lochlainn thinks she’s her own worst enemy.

"I quit Berkeley. Threw away a full scholarship. Plans, you ask? What plans?"

But they’re both wrong.

My Thoughts...

Fab {Indie} Friday: Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie

Release Date: 24 December 2011

Publisher: Self-pub
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased from B&N

Get a copy! Amazon | B&N
(It's only $2.99 and totally worth it.)

Goodreads description:

Life sucks for orphans Callum Tate and Harper Bailey.

Kicked out of their foster homes because they suffer the 'eighteen disease' with nothing but a hundred dollar check from the government and a pat on the back, they're forced to rely on a system that failed them miserably.

So they sit. They sit inside Social Services, waiting for their social workers to call their names and offer them the miracle they know will never come but they sit anyway because they have nowhere else to go, no other options on their very literal and figurative empty plates.

But as they sit, they notice the other. Although captivated, they each come to the conclusion that life is complicated enough without throwing in a boiling tension that can't ever be acted upon because they're both too busy thinking about where their next meal will come from but when their names are called and both are placed on a year long waiting list for permanent housing, suddenly relying on each other seems like a very viable plan B.

And, oh, how lovely Plan B's can be.

Well, except for the psycho from Harper's past that haunts her and, oh, yeah, there's the little issue that neither of them knows they're in love with the other.

Needless to say, Callum & Harper's life just got a bit more complicated.

My Thoughts...

YA Book Review: The One The I Want by Jennifer Echols

Release Date: 6 December 2011 (eBook version only)

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased from B&N

Get a copy! Amazon | B&N

Goodreads description:

Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken.

Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend

My Thoughts...

Look! Another contemporary read that I enjoyed! *gasp* Are you getting the feeling that I might actually *like* contemporary YA sometimes? You're probably right and someday I will stop thinking and espousing that I don't.

Gemma is a really interesting chracter and I liked her, but I'm not sure that I ever *loved* her.  I connected with her in a lot of ways and she is clearly really looking for where she fits in. From the start, I found myself disliking both of her supposed best friends, Robert and Addison. Neither seemed to really fit the bill, and I thought that Gemma was really more friends with them because she was "supposed" to be?  Either way, I felt like Gemma realized that those friendships weren't what she really needed.  I was disappointed at her actions a couple of times because I guess I expected more for her and really wanted her to stand up for herself...but at the same time she felt authentic. Does that make sense? High school is confusing in so many ways and Gemma was a perfect exemplar of that.

Max is a totally swoon-worthy male lead and really difficult not to like! There were points when I seriously wanted him to slap some sense into Gemma and tell her she was awesome and being stupid.  I had a sneaking suspicion about what Addison had done when it came to that first date and I kept hoping that Max would set the record straight.  In the end, he does get Gemma to see some sense and I liked that he pushed her a little.

The One that I Want is a fun, quick read that fans of contemporary YA will love.  It's endearing story of friendship and "love" is enjoyable if not just a little predictable.  The romance is well-done and the characters are relateable but I think readers will see the end coming from the moment you meet the boys. Despite that, I really did think that it was an endearing story and a VERY quick read.

(ARC) YA Book Review: A Girl Named Digit by Annabelle Monaghan

Release Date: 5 June 2012

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Format: ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours

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Goodreads description:

Farrah "Digit" Higgins may be going to MIT in the fall, but this L.A. high school genius has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year. But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group's number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting. Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping-- all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously. So much for blending in . . .

My Thoughts...

YA Book Review: Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

Release Date: 13 March 2012

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Goodreads description:

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”-known to everyone as the Glitterati-without them suspecting a thing, is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her-evening the social playing field between the have and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.

But when the cops start investigating the string of burglaries at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could he wind up being the person that Willa trusts most

My Thoughts...

(ARC) YA Book Review: Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John

Release Date: 12 April 2012

Publisher: Dial Books
Format: ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours

Goodreads description:

When sixteen-year-old Luke's book, Hallelujah, becomes a national best seller, his publisher sends him on a cross-country tour with his unpredictable older brother, Matt, as chauffeur. But when Matt offers to drive Luke's ex-crush, Fran, across the country too, things get a little crazy. Luke thinks he's enlightened, but he really needs to loosen up if he's going to discover what it truly means to have faith, and do what it takes to get the girl he loves.

My Thoughts...

(ARC) YA Book Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Release Date: 14 February 2012

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Get a copy! Amazon | B&N

Goodreads description:

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

My Thoughts...

(ARC) YA Book Review: Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick

Release Date: 31 January 2012

Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Goodreads description:

There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord's first sixteen years were not exactly a fairytale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Afghanistan. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire.

There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and we all shed tears for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain...magnetism.

And there are stories where it's hard to be sure who's a prince and who's a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

My Thoughts...

Fab {Indie} Friday Mini-Review: Between the Lines by Tammara Webber

Fab {Indie} Friday is a new feature that I'm starting here on Reading in the Corner to spotlight some of the indie reads that I pick up and really enjoy. It's my way of shedding some light on indie picks you shouldn't miss! (This was previously called Friday Fling, but I wanted to change the focus just slightly.)

Release Date: 19 May 2011

Publisher: Self Published

Source: Purchased

Buy It! Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Goodreads description:

When Hollywood It Boy, Reid Alexander, arrives on location to shoot his next movie, his goals are the same as always—film another blockbuster hit and enjoy his celebrity status to the fullest while doing so. His costar is a virtual unknown with whom he had blazing hot chemistry during her auditions...

Emma Pierce just got her big break after more than a decade of filming commercials for grape juice, department stores and tampons, and more recently, bit parts in made-for-TV movies. Nailing the lead role in a wide-release film sent her agent, father and stepmother into raptures, and should have done the same for her. The Problem? Emma is experiencing a building desire to be normal...

Graham Douglas doesn’t fear playing the part of a nerdy dimwit; when it comes to choosing film roles, if it pays, he’ll do it. Besides, his friend Brooke Cameron snatched up the role of the bitchy hot girl and could use his help as a buffer, because her ex is the star. Graham has no problem keeping a handle on the situation, until he finds himself attracted to Reid’s costar, Emma, the girl Reid is pursuing full-throttle with his standard arsenal of charm, good looks and arrogance.

My Thoughts...

YA Book Review: If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

Release Date: 1 October 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Goodreads description:

Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever?

My Thoughts...

As someone who is generally wary of contemporary YA reads, simply because it's not a genre that I widely enjoy, I was incredibly intrigued by this story and began rather cautiously.  What I discovered: Ms. Gurtler's writing is phenomenal.  Her skill with words creates a realistic image of a teenager struggling through a crisis and pulls you along for the ride.  I noted early on that this book had the "train wreck" effect--you know that something terrible is going to happen yet you can't make yourself look away.  I found myself so incredibly immersed in the story that this was definitely true--I couldn't look away and I had to keep turning the pages.

Jasmine is a more complex character than I expected from the book's description and throughout the course of the story, she is dealing with a lot more than "just" seeing her mom's boyfriend kissing her best friend. She perpetually engaged in a sort-of inner battle about what it really means to be half-black, half-white in a very white school/town.  This search for a self-identity really comes to a head throughout the book and is compounded by the event she witnessed because until then Simon, the boyfriend, was there for her, helping her come to terms with her identity.

One of the things that bothered me a little was the way that Jasmine treated her friends, and I'm not talking about the friend who made out with her mom's boyfriend.  I'm talking about Ashley and Jackson.  Ashley, IMO, is Jaz's REAL best friend. She's a tough chick and I found myself wishing that she would just up and b*tch slap Jaz for me--more than once.  Jaz doesn't treat her like the awesome friend that she is, so I was definitely happy to see their friendship take more of a forefront as the story came to a close and Jaz left behind a dysfunctional friendship with Lucie.  Jackson is a majorly cute love-interest with a history all his own. I was cheering for him from basically the second that I met him.  He goes to such great lengths to really connect with Jaz and he's simply fabulous.  Yet here again we have Jaz pushing away a good friend.  She goes so far as to completley tear into him at one point and says some incredibly hurtful things.  I was so hurt for Jackson.

What really shines in this story, for me, is the emotions that Ms. Gurtler drags you through.  You'll experience hurt, hatred, confusion, empathy, sympathy, love--you name it and I bet this story can make you feel it.  These intensely real emotions combined with the well-craft, highly engaging story will keep you turning the pages with a real sense of urgency.

YA Book Review: Between Here and Forever

Between Here and Forever
By Elizabeth Scott

Release Date: 24 May 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: S&S Galley Grab

Buy It!
B&N | Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Description:

Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible. Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her. She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen. Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

Thoughts, Musings, Ramblings...

Before I get into my thoughts on this one, I have to say upfront that I have quite the love affair with angst-ridden teenagers working through some difficult things, falling in love for the first time, and finding some semblance of self-worth.  I (apparently) have a thing about story involved dead/dying girls as well, as I would rank The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and If I Stay by Gayle Forman among my absolute favorite books.   This was my first Elizabeth Scott book and I was excited to read it as a break from the paranormal reading that I've been doing.  I was looking for a breath of fresh air and hoping for a Gayle Forman style story that would sweep me away--make me laugh, cry, love, and live with the characters.  I wouldn't say that I was disappointed but I don't think that it quite lived up to my expectations.

Abby is a fairly typical self-deprecating younger sister living in the shadow of her "amazing" older sister.  Throughout the story, I honestly wanted to slap her more times than I can count and tell her to open her eyes.  Her insecurity is pounded into your head throughout the entire book, and honestly, it made me almost completely unable to get behind her as an MC.

Tess is, in Abby's mind, the girl who everyone likes and I have to admit that I felt like I got to know her more through the story that I did Abby.  As Abby learned about the Tess she didn't know, I did too and I really liked her.  She was a teenager dealing with a lot of emotional difficulties and tough choices.  I loved how Tess was unveiled slowly throughout the story.

Eli....oh Eli.  Eli was such a real, fabulous love interest and friend.  His character was beyond well-developed and I loved the dynamic that he brought to the story.  Again, I don't want to give too much away, but suffice it to say that Eli is awesome.  You will fall in love with him.

What this book does fantastically is bring in diversity and sexuality in such a seamless way that it doesn't come across as preachy or forced or any of the things that often happen when an author tries too hard to do those things.  I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave it at that but be prepared for a well-rounded cast of characters.

Overall, I might recommend this to contemporary fans who can hack the self-deprecating MC.  It's a quick read and it definitely has its redeeming qualities.

YA Book Review: Shine by Lauren Myracle

Shine by Lauren Myracle

© 1 May 2011 by Amulet Books

Goodreads description:

When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.

Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

Thoughts, Ramblings, Musings...

I've actually been struggling quite a bit to write this review--not because I didn't enjoy the book but because I liked it SO MUCH that I'm worried I won't be able to convey that love. This is so different from much of what I've read lately and it was an engrossing, thrilling, and much-needed change of pace.  (Also, a disclaimer before you begin reading--this reviews is kind of long!)


From the moment I read the opening newspaper article to when I read the final page, Lauren Myracle's Shine pulled me in. It was a truly spell-binding read--one that I put off for far to long. I know I won't be the first to say that some of Myracle's other popular novels don't hold a lot of appeal to me--not that they're not probably fantastic reads, just not my type. I guess it just goes to show Myracle's diversity as a writer because Shine was my "type" of book.


From the start, I felt completely sucked into the atmosphere the author creates. The bigotry was so indicative of the small-mindedness that is often engendered in that setting. I could connect so well to the characters that I felt stifled right along with them - stuck in a world where my ideas didn't fit in.


The main character, Cat, was incredibly relatedable in all her flaws. She's far from a perfect character, but I fell in love with her more and more every page. She became my best friend. I wanted to know on a personal level why she had separated herself from all her friends. I wanted to understand and I wanted to be there for her as she worked through years of pain and separation. When the description calls this a coming-of-age story, it's spot on. Watching Cat essentially grow up in the span of just over a week is harrowing and beautiful all at the same time--watching her open back up to people in her life and even the possibility of a new friend/love.


All the characters in this novel were really well-done. They were so dynamic and did things that you didn't expect. It was truly refreshing. It made every turn of the page a new adventure because the characters could turn out to be or do something different than you expected at every turn. The mystery is, of course, the plot focus, but I really felt that the atmosphere and character were the driving force. They created the mystery and moved it along and created the twists that made the story unpredictable and kept me turning page after page.


This is truly a fabulous read. I want nothing more than to own a finished copy of this one so I can read it over and over again. I bet your library has it--you should go borrow it.


Disclosure: I received this book as an eGalley via NetGalley from Amulet Books for my honest opinion.  The source has in no way affected my review.

**Be sure to check out the Graveminder giveaway while you're here!**