Showing posts with label Huntley Fitzpatrick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Huntley Fitzpatrick. Show all posts

Friday, April 29, 2016

Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge: Top Ten Romances

The 2016 Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge is hosted by Jess at Gone With the Words and Danielle at Love First Page. Every month, they have a weekly topic related to contemporary romance and this month the topic is Top Ten Contemporary Romances.

Contemporary romance is my favourite genre so it was torture to whittle down this list. I’m sticking to YA and NA because if I added in Adult, I’d never be able to cut it back to ten.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpactrick

Upside Down by Lia Riley
Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson
Swimming to Tokyo by Brenda St John Brown
The Boys of Summer by CJ Duggan
I Do by AJ Pine

What are your favourite contemporary romances? See any of your favourites on my list? If you're participating in the Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge and you did this month's topic (or a wrap-up) feel free to leave a link in the comments so I can visit you in return!
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Book Covers

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Favourite Book Covers of Books I've Read

This one was hard for me because I'm such a cover whore. I made a list of about 20 and then basically had to randomly narrow it down to 10. And these are all ones I've read within the lifespan of my blog - I didn't even touch ones I read pre-blogging because then it would have been impossible. So here are 10 of my many, many favourite book covers of books I've read in the last two years.


1. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson {my review}. This is the UK cover - I love the North American cover as well, but this one is so evocative of the story. All the little bits and pieces that make the story so unique and so special are right there for the reader to see. I've spent a lot of time admiring this cover, and when I finally bought the book just recently (I borrowed the book from the library about two years ago), I purposely got the UK cover. 

2. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick {my review}. This cover is so simple but I love it. It's beautiful and sweet and really fits the story. 

3. Splintered by AG Howard {my review}. I love the colours and the details and the font of the cover. It's all really eye-catching and piques your interest.

4. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson {my review}. I don't really know what to say about this one other than it's simple but beautiful.

5. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard {my review}. I love the girl's dress (and necklace and gloves and hairstyle) and the gear details in the background.

6. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock {my review}. What can I say, I like pretty dresses. I also love the vine details and the girl's pose - it's fitting to the overall mood of the story.

7. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi {my review}. I love the colours, the way the title's done, and the attitude emanating from the girl.

8. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood {my review}. I love the vintage feel of this one, plus the girl is gorgeous. I love her dress and the flowers in her hair. I was really bummed when this cover got a mid-series makeover; even though I like the new cover, I was looking forward to seeing how they'd match the next book to this one. Instead they redid this one and made the second book match the new cover. Why must publishers do that?

9. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake {my review}. I love the creepy feel of this one. Why is she covered in blood? What's the deal with the spooky house in the background? Plus I love the little details around the author's name.

10. Venom by Fiona Paul {my review}. I love masquerade masks, and purple's my favourite colour, so this one was a double win. Also, the inside of this book is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen - the pages have designs along the crease and each chapter has a black page with fancy writing and details. It's gorgeous.

Did any of these make your list? What are some of your favourite book covers? If you're participating in this week's TTT, be sure to link me up so I can see your favourite covers!


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Recommend The Most


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I Spend a Lot of Time Pimping
 
The Harry Potter series
The Harry Potter books are pretty much my favourite books ever. I talk about them a lot and I’m always stunned when I find out there are people left in the world who haven’t read them. My ten-year-old nephew loves the movies but doesn’t like to read, but I’m thinking of trying him on Harry Potter and seeing if I can make a bibliophile out of him yet!

I’m not a die hard fan of post-apocalyptic books (I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read but they’re not usually my first choice), but Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night are not just my favorite post-apocalyptic books, they’re among my favourite books ever.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
An incredible, beautiful, swoonworthy contemporary YA. Books like this are the reason YA contemp is my favourite genre.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Another example of YA contemporary at its finest.

Scarlet by AC Gaughen
Robin Hood. Need I say more? This is told from the perspective of Robin’s friend Will Scarlet, except that Scarlet is a girl. Full of twists and turns, romance, and action, this book is just plain amazing.

Splintered by AG Howard
A brilliant spin on Alice in Wonderland. This is up there with my favourite books ever.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Do I really need to say why this book is worth recommending? There’s just something magical about it - maybe it’s Paris, maybe it’s Etienne St. Clair, maybe it’s the fact that Stephanie Perkins has the ability to make me giggle harder than my 3-year-old nephew. It’s just amazing. AND if you haven’t read it yet or if you’ve read it and want to reread it, my friend Molli from Once Upon a Prologue is co-hosting an ANNA Read-Along starting April 1st!

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
This is a classic for a reason. Funny, charming, quirky - Anne of Green Gables is a Canadian staple, and I grew up with her. To me this is one of those books that everyone should read at least once in their life.

This is a series I discovered before I started book blogging. It’s cozy mystery and it satisfies both my funny bone and my travel bug since each book is set in a different country. This is a series that, unfortunately, most of the people I know haven’t even heard of, let alone read, so I’m always trying to pimp it.

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Another example of why contemporary YA is my favourite genre. Road trip + music + cute boy + relatable girl + amazing secondary characters + surprisingly emotional = one of the best books ever.

Honourable mentions
Most of the time I have trouble coming up with 10 but this time I had trouble narrowing it down, so I'm cheating a little. A few other books I’m constantly telling people they should read: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, and Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally. 

And of course I spend quite a bit of time pimping my own books. Does that count? *cough* WAITING FOR THE STORM comes out two weeks from today *cough*

What are some of the books you recommend the most? Tell me below or leave a comment to your TTT and I'll come visit!

Friday, December 28, 2012

2012 End of Year Book Survey

The End of Year Book Survey is brought to us by Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner


1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

Contemporary (YA): Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Post-apocalyptic (YA): Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Paranormal (YA): Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Historical Fiction (YA): Scarlet by AC Gaughen

Fairytale retelling (YA): Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Fantasy (YA): Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Contemporary romance (Adult): A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Everyone was raving about this one but I gave up after 115 pages because I was almost bored to tears. I might attempt to go back to it someday, but it’s not high on my list of priorities. 

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?
The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes and Don’t You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire. I was expecting light, maybe kinda fluffy reads, but they both had surprising depth, and quickly grabbed hold of my heart.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick - I feel like I’ve talked endlessly about these three books.

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?
By this point I doubt anyone will be surprised to hear me say the Under the Never Sky trilogy (I’ve read books 1 and 2, plus the novella).

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?
Veronica Rossi, Katie McGarry, Huntley Fitzpatrick, AG Howard, Miranda Kenneally, Abbi Glines, AC Gaughen, Laini Taylor

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers. I’m still not exactly comfortable with post-apocalyptic books, and I’d never read a zombie book before (and really had no desire to), but I’d heard such good things about it (plus Courtney is Canadian, and I just found out recently that we’re actually from the same town, which is crazy awesome), but I loved it. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, and it shattered my heart into a million pieces. 

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?
Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Splintered by AG Howard

9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:
Splintered by AG Howard. I loved this book so much I wanted to reread it as soon as I was finished and that hasn’t happened to me for years (I think it’s only ever happened with Harry Potter, and if you know me at all, you’ll know that’s saying A LOT). I got an egalley of it but I’ve preordered it (another first) because I know I’ll read it again.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, Splintered by AG Howard, Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood, Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock, Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard, Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

11. Most memorable character in 2012?
This is probably the only no-brainer question for me: Roar from Under the Never Sky, Roar and Liv, and Through the Ever Night. I’ve never loved a secondary character so much. Without a doubt, he’s one of my favourite characters EVER. Complex, loyal, funny, sweet, sexy - I absolutely adore him.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab, and Splintered by AG Howard

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?
There were quite a few books this year that shattered my heart and made me think about life, family, love, etc. The first that comes to mind is Tiger Lily - it gave me such a bittersweet feeling between the unique POV, the behaviour of the characters, and the things that happened...it was beautiful and heartbreaking and haunting. 

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. It came out in 2009 and I’d heard of it before but just read it this year. It was amazing...another book that shattered my heart (that seemed to be a theme this year).

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?
"To love someone was not what she had expected. It was like falling from somewhere high up and breaking in half, and only one person having the secret to the puzzle of putting her back together." ~ Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, page 169

"She knew how to put one foot in front of the other even when every step hurt. And she knew there was pain in the journey, but there was also great beauty." ~ Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, page 350
  
"I knew my heart weren't never too sure 'bout many things, but if I ever could, I wanted it to be sure for Rob. That way when his heart stumbled, I could be sure for both of us." ~ Scarlet by AC Gaughen, page 113

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?
Shortest: Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi (62 pages)
Longest: 50 Shades of Grey by EL James (514 pages)

7. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!
Scarlet by AC Gaughen. I literally gasped, then started to laugh and cry at the same time. Thank god I was reading the book as part of a read-along and could email my co-host/one of my best online friends and talk to her about it!
 
18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).
Aria and Perry (romance), Aria and Roar (friendship), and Perry and Roar (friendship/bromance) from Under the Never Sky, Roar and Liv, and Through the Ever Night. They are three of my favourite characters ever, and the interactions between them made me laugh, cry, swoon, fall in love, etc. 

Runners-up: Jase and Samantha from My Life Next Door and Noah and Echo from Pushing the Limits. AMAZING romances. *swoons*

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - I just read this one and I can’t believe I waited so long (although I explain why I did wait so long in my review).

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:
Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard, recommended to me by my awesome friend Molli from Once Upon a Prologue

~Looking Ahead...

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor - I had to have it as soon as it came out, but it’s so huge I knew I wouldn’t have time to read it if I wanted to complete my GoodReads challenge!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, Hemlock #2 by Kathleen Peacock (these first two don't have covers yet), The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen, Dare You To by Katie McGarry,  A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard, and This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?
I hope to have even more fun than I did in 2012 (hard to believe that’s possible!). I want to keep reading great books, discovering new authors, talking about those books and authors with all of you, meeting fantastic people, and interacting with authors and publishers. I want to come up with fun, fresh content, new features, and lots of reviews, and hopefully keep people coming back for more. I'm really, really excited about 2013! :-)

Thank you all for making 2012 such an awesome year! <3
What are some of your favourite books of 2012? If you did this survey or any sort of wrap-up post, feel free to leave links in the comments, and I'll be sure to visit you back! 


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Book Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Series: Standalone
Published: June 14th, 2012
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
395 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Contemporary young adult romance
Acquired this book: Won from Amy at Book Goonie
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Purchase this book: Book Depository || Amazon}

GoodReads Synopsis: A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.


My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick is one of many amazing debut novels of 2012, and in my opinion, one of the best YA contemporaries of the year. This book made me feel so much - I fell in love, I laughed, I cried, I swooned, it made my heart ache, and it made me happy and angry and everything in between. It was sweet, funny, sexy, romantic, and real.

I really connected with Samantha. I felt everything she felt - the disappointment, uncertainty, love, hurt, anger. She was such a great character - so genuine and relatable. And I absolutely adored Jase. He was so calm and unflappable and he really saw Samantha when so many other people - including her own family - overlooked her and took her for granted. I admired his love and loyalty to his family, and his willingness to do anything for them. The Garretts were the best thing to ever happen to Samantha - she fit in with them, and they loved her, accepted her, and needed her.

Besides Samantha and Jase - who are easily two of my favourite characters ever - the secondary characters really made this book, whether you loved them or they made your blood boil. Jase’s siblings were great, especially George and Patsy, the youngest two. They were absolutely hilarious, and whenever they were in a scene, I was laughing out loud. Although Nan, Samantha’s ‘best friend’ made me really angry, I loved Nan's brother Tim. He was proof that sometimes screwed up people just need a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) chance to get things right. I loved that he really came through for not only Samantha, but also for Jase and the Garretts after a rocky beginning, and a stretch of being a not-so-great friend. He’s someone I’d love to see more of…maybe in a companion novel? *hint hint Ms Fitzpatrick!* ;-)

I disliked Sam’s mother from the beginning - she was such a hypocrite, claiming in her political campaign that family was the most important thing, and yet she neglected and mistreated her own family. I literally felt my blood pressure rising through the last quarter or so of the book when things got really bad with her mom. I’m a slow reader, but I was zooming through the pages, hardly able to turn them fast enough to see what happened next. I couldn’t imagine how it was going to resolve, and I loved that added tension and depth.

My Life Next Door isn’t just about romance. It’s about friendship, family, loyalty, second chances, truth, and life. Lovable characters, a great plot and subplots, a swoonworthy romance, and excellent writing make this book a must-read for fans of contemporary young adult fiction.

On a side note, my mum - who’s 72, by the way - doesn’t normally read YA. I’ve been trying to get her to for years, and she read Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock during the summer, and I convinced her to read My Life Next Door, and she loved it! We're actually still talking about it. I may make a convert of her yet!


Have you read My Life Next Door? What did you think? What's your favourite contemporary YA book(s)?

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Book Haul - September 16th, 2012



Hi guys! I hope you've all had a fantastic week. I haven't had a chance to post a book haul for awhile so this is the last three or so weeks' worth of books.


WON/GIFTS
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick {GoodReads}
In Honor by Jessi Kirby {GoodReads}
Kobo cover from my friend Laura
Signed Defiance bookmark from CJ Redwine

BOUGHT
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (ebook) {GoodReads}
Defiance by CJ Redwine {GoodReads}

LIBRARY
The Bungalow by Sarah Jio {GoodReads}
Glass Houses by Rachel Caine {GoodReads}
Wake by Amanda Hocking {GoodReads}
So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti {GoodReads}
Chocolat by Joann Harris {GoodReads}

NETGALLEY
Dante’s Girl by Courtney Cole {GoodReads}
Splintered by AG Howard {GoodReads}

Huge thank you to Amy from Book Goonie, Elemillia from Gone Bookserk, Laura, CJ Redwine, Lakehouse Press, Abrams, and NetGalley. 

What books did you get this week? Tell me in the comments below or post a link to your Book Haul/In My Mailbox, Showcase Sunday, Stacking the Shelves, etc. 


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