Blog Tour: Breakable by Aimee L. Salter- Five Favorite Quotes

Today the YA Sisterhood is excited to host a stop on the blog tour for Aimee L. Salter's Breakable. This was one of those books that gripped hold of my heart, and stayed with me until long after I'd put it down. As a former high school teacher, I thought this book was so authentic and realistic. The voice was excellent, the plot in turns was unpredictable and heart-breaking. 

I recommend it for fans of John Green, Jandy Nelson, and Lauren Oliver. All in all, I can only say that this is one of my favorite books I've EVER read. The best compliment I can give it to say is that this book is going on my Harry Potter shelf. 

Here's the book blurb: 

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

When seventeen-year-old Stacy looks in the mirror she can see and talk to her future self. “Older Me” has been Stacy's secret support through the ongoing battle with their neurotic mother, relentless bullying at school, and dealing with her hopeless love for her best friend, Mark.
Then Stacy discovers Older Me is a liar.
Still reeling from that betrayal, Stacy is targeted again by her most persistent tormentor. Only this time, he's used her own artwork to humiliate her - and threaten her last chance with Mark.
She’s reached breaking point.
Literally.
"Original. Authentic. Heart-breaking. BREAKABLE has officially become one of my favorites!" -New York Times Bestselling Author of Losing It, Cora Carmack

What a cool cover, too! It fits so perfectly with the book, which is predominantly about art and self-image. 

The author was kind enough to stop by today, and give us a sneak peek at the book with look at her favorite quotes! This book was one of those where I could have easily highlight a favorite line on every page, so I was super excited to get to see Aimee's favorite.

Here they are!

Five Favorite BREAKABLE Quotes

As a novelist, every book is a story from the heart. There’s a connection with every word you write. But when Brittany asked me to offer up my favorite quotes from Breakable, I couldn’t pass up the chance.

See, even though I love the whole story, there are definitely moments – moments that make me laugh, or make me feel – where I have to stop and savor when I’m reading back through the manuscript.

I hope you’ll read the book and enjoy these moments as much as I do!

FAVORITE QUOTE #5: Stacy’s mother is, unfortunately, one of the people in Stacy’s life who contribute to her eroding sense of self-worth. I love this moment, because in it, Stacy shows her dry-side as an internal self-defense:

I met Older Me’s gaze, trying not to be obvious about my questions, while Mom prattled on about how to walk into a room like you owned it. Strange, I’d always thought she was born walking around as if her farts were gold-plated. I hadn’t realized she’d cultivated the talent.

FAVORITE QUOTE #4: Stacy is an artist, struggling for inspiration for a major competition. There’s a moment when she considers painting the people who make life hardest for her. I always enjoyed that passage because it felt like she took her pain and turned it into something productive:

I flipped back to the image of Finn and imagined turning the idea into a painting – using a spatula for hard lines to depict the sharpness of his features, heavy thick paint for his rhinoceros skin, fat brush strokes for his eyebrows, like caterpillars over his eyes, his long mouth a venomous slash of red and purple.

For Karyn I’d use glossy pastels – waxy crayons that shone on the paper. They’d do justice to her hair. I could layer red and white and beige and cream to make her cheeks blush. Then, when everything was done, use a tool to scrape her eyes out of the heavy wax so they cut through the viewer like they did through me. Her dimples would be hard to get right. I’d need to cut them into the acrylic, like her eyes. Holes in a poisonous blanket.

As her face came to life in my mind, I sniggered and pulled out the crayons to give it a shot. My hand moved quickly, inspired. A snapshot of possibilities sprang up on the paper in minutes – a shiny, waxy, plastic face that hid the darkness beneath.

I’d run a candle flame along the edge of her paper so it burned unevenly. The sooty remains would leave a dark stain on anyone who touched it.

My imagination ran away with me…

FAVORITE QUOTE #3: In this scene, Stacy’s adult self (called “Older Me”) offers her some insight. I don’t usually go in for “moral of the story” stuff, but this was a lesson I learned that it seemed like Stacy needed to learn too. And Older Me was just the person to teach it to her…

Older Me kept talking. “You think the way these people treat you is the end of the world. But I can tell you, it isn’t what happens to you in your life that destroys you. It’s what you do about it.”

“Are you trying to say it’s my fault everyone–?”

“No. I’m saying that you’ve had crap thrown at you. You can either clean yourself up and keep going and prove everyone wrong -- show them you didn’t deserve to get it in the first place. Or you can roll around in it and think you deserve it, and start acting like you do.”

Oh. “Is that what you did?”

She nodded. “Crappy things happened to me and I gave up. And believe me, when you give up, the crap just piles on thicker until pretty soon you don’t even realize it’s crap anymore.” She inched closer to me, her eyes piercing mine. “Stacy, if I had the chance to go back and live it again – to be in your shoes – I’d do it in a heartbeat. Because you’re going to walk away from this and figure out it wasn’t your fault.

“One day you’ll look back and realize that everyone you grew up with didn’t get it right. They didn’t actually know you. They didn’t really hear you. They were just so messed up, they threw all their own crap on you.

“But the thing is, if you can understand that it’s their problem, you’ll brush it all off and walk away clean. While they’ll still be looking for someone to dump on. You’ll win. It’ll be worth it.”

I couldn’t look away from her. “I don’t know…” Her words seemed so right. But I didn’t want to believe them because it meant I had to fight. And I was so tired of fighting.

FAVORITE QUOTE #2: There’s one line that always make me giggle. Something Stacy thinks to herself during her session with the Psychiatrist:

Doc raises his hands. “We’ll move on in a moment. But let me ask you one more question: If you walked out of here today and someone you admired – say, someone like Mark – were to ask you to get involved in a secret relationship now. Would you do it?”

Totally. But I say, “No.”  I’d have hair implants and call myself a cat if it meant Mark would stroke me one more time.

FAVORITE QUOTE #1: My very favorite quote in the book, though it covers an incredibly painful moment in the story, is Stacy’s analysis of her physical ordeal. I can’t tell you how she got to this point, or what happens afterwards, without ruining the story. But for me (and for Stacy) this moment always stands alone, crystallized:

There’s a special kind of pain reserved for dancing with shattered glass. It comes in stages:

The initial assault is fear; you see the glass coming and you know it’s going to hurt.

Then there’s the moment everything explodes and the glass tears at your skin, catching, peeling, shaving you away and you think, I might die.

Then the pieces fall and break into new pieces. You’re heading to the floor too, but they beat you there and all the tattered parts of you land on all the splintered parts of it. They are needles in open wounds. Knives on raw flesh.

And then the fire arrives – hot, burning flames that lick the wounds. And every time you move, the tiny pieces that stuck with you cut a little deeper and the flames roar higher.

In short, it sucks.

If only it ended there.

So there you have it! Thanks for taking a peek inside Breakable. If you decide to read the whole book, I’d love to hear from you at www.aimeelsalter.com or on Twitter (@AimeeLSalter) with your favorite quote!

This is one book that you guys don't want to miss! Everyone that I've pushed this book on has come back calling it one of their favorites. So pick up your copy (Available now from Amazon and Barnes and Noble), and prepare for THE FEELS.

Waiting on Wednesday: Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is WILD AWAKE by Hilary T. Smith.  WILD AWAKE releases on May 28, 2013 from Katherine Tegen Books (Harper).

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Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you ar...moreThings you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

Both exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.

 

 

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The first thing that drew me to this book was the title, WILD AWAKE.  I don't know what it is about it, but it just seems so hopeful and alive, but with a spark of true emotion.  Then I read the blurb and I knew this was one I needed to read.  I'm always looking for a contemporary that has sadness, but not so much that you want to lock yourself away and cry.  This seems like one of those contemporaries.  Also...I'm thinking this will definitely have some laugh out loud moments.  The cover?  I'm kind of one a line with the cover, not exactly sure if I like it yet.

Waiting on Wednesday: Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is SUCH A RUSH by Jennifer Echols.  SUCH A RUSH releases on July 10th from MTV Books. 

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A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.    

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business — until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers — and the consequences could be deadly

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Ahhh! Jennifer Echols! We love Jennifer Echols! Typically-- we sisters prefer the unrealistic side of YA fiction (Paranormal, Fantasy, Dystopian), but we've read a few contemporary books that we've really enjoyed, and one of those was GOING TOO FAR by Jennifer Echols. I think this latest work sounds awesome. Who doesn't think pilots are hot?

Because of Low Blog Tour: Willow's POV

We, at the YA Sisterhood, love us some Abbi Glines. You might recall our review of her first book Breathe or her next book The Vincent Boys or her next book Existence. Did we mention we love how prolific she is too! And her latest book actually features a character we already know and love-- Marcus Hardy from Breathe! BECAUSE OF LOW is told in alternating POV between Marcus and the girl who catches his eye, Willow or Low. If you liked Breathe, you'll definitely like this one! And if you enjoyed the way Vincent Boys was aimed at a slightly older audience, you'll like it even more! Without further ado... here's a sneak peak at Willow from BECAUSE OF LOW. Be sure to check out the bottom of this post for more info about the tour and how you can win a copy of all of Abbi's books!

Marcus Hardy had hoped to enjoy a year away at college while he put the summer he’d rather forget behind him. But instead, he’s jerked right back to the coastal town of Sea Breeze, Alabama due to a family crisis. His dear ol' dad found himself a girlfriend only a few years older than Marcus. So now his sister needs help dealing with their mother who is mentally falling apart. The only bright spot to returning is the fascinating red head who sleeps over several times a week. The problem is she's sleeping in bed with his new roommate, Cage Watson.

Willow “Low” Foster needs a place to live. Running to Cage’s apartment every time her sister kicks her out isn’t exactly a long term solution. Juggling her courses at the local community college and a part time job doesn’t produce excess income. But Cage has a new roommate and suddenly sleeping over at her best friend’s apartment isn’t such a bad thing. Not when she gets to see those sexy green eyes of Marcus Hardy’s twinkle when he smiles at her like he wants her there.
Even though Cage seems a little territorial where Low is concerned, Marcus finds time to spend with Low without upsetting his roommate. Cage may use his small college baseball star persona to sleep with every hot female in his path but he’s still under the disillusion that when he’s through sowing his wild oats, he’s going to marry Low. Marcus intends to change that assumption for both Cage and Low. Until his carefully laid plans come crashing down with a revelation he never expected. He’ll have to choose between Low or his family. Because once the truth comes out.... there’s no other choice.

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Willow's POV

 I took the quilt off the bed as I stood up and gently covered Cage’s half naked body. He’d stripped down to his boxers last night in his attempt to get rid of his smoke, whiskey, and cheap women infested clothing. Didn’t matter he still smelled like all those things. The ridiculously chiseled body of his was always a golden brown. His mother had been one hundred percent Indian and it was obvious in his features. The pale blue eyes of his had to be the only thing his dad gave him genetically and physically. That was one of the many bonds Cage and I shared, absent fathers. 

  My suitcase held the only three clean outfits I currently had. My dirty clothes were piled up over in the corner of Cage’s room in a plastic laundry basket. I really needed to make time to do the laundry. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a “Hurricane’s Baseball” t-shirt Cage had given me from my meager supply of clothing, I dressed quickly and quietly. After I’d brushed my hair, I closed my suitcase and threw my clothing from last night into the dirty clothes basket. 

  Gently closing the bedroom door behind me so I didn’t wake him, I turned and headed for the fridge. I needed some coffee and I wanted to leave some ready for Cage when he woke up. Lord knows he’d need it after his late night. 

“I thought you left last night.”

I spun around to see Marcus Hardy sitting at the kitchen table with a newspaper and a cup of coffee already in his hands. I really wish he wasn’t so dang gorgeous. Marcus Hardy wasn’t in my league or even my atmosphere. How Cage had landed a Hardy for a roommate, I had no idea. Preston must be really tight with Marcus which seemed odd since Preston grew up much like Cage and me. 

“Um, no, that was Cage that left last night.” 

Marcus frowned that disapproving frown I’d seen last night again. He really didn’t get Cage and me at all. I wasn’t sure if he was judging me or Cage but it annoyed me. Even though he had the prettiest green eyes I’d ever seen on a guy in my life. 

“Cage isn’t here?”

I shook my head, “No, he’s back. He had a um, call last night and he went out. He got back a few hours ago.”

“So he left you here while he went... out”

I sighed and reached for a coffee cup. 

“Yep”

“I was going to make me some eggs and toast. You want some?” 

That hadn’t been the response I’d expected. I was sure he was going to beat this thing with Cage and me into the ground. Instead, he was offering to fix me breakfast. 

“No thanks, I’ve got to go keep my niece today.” I held up the coffee mug in my hand, “I take mugs full of coffee with me when I leave but I always bring them back.” 

Marcus shrugged, “No worries. They aren’t mine anyway.”

“I know. I bought them for Cage when he got this place.”
Marcus stood up and walked over to the fridge and began getting eggs and butter out. If I was honest with myself I really wanted to stand here and watch him cook. Then eat breakfast with him and see if I could make him smile. I felt sure he had a really nice smile. Those green eyes would probably twinkle. 

“If you’re sure you can’t stay. My cooking is pretty damn impressive.” 

Marcus reached over to open the drawer beside me. The clean soap smell mixed with coffee and something else that reminded me of warm summer days met my nose. I fought the urge to grab his shirt and take a deeper whiff. He’d think I was crazy. I’d always thought the way Cage smelled when he came home from celebrating a victory game was the best smell in the world. But Cage’s sweat, beer, and cigarettes couldn’t compete with clean Marcus Hardy. 

Okay, I needed to go. 

“Um, okay, I gotta run. Thanks again and I’ll take you up on breakfast another time. I’ve got to get to my sister’s place before she comes over here with my niece in tow.”

Marcus glanced up and a small frown puckered his brow. He seemed concerned. If the guy only knew this was the least of my problems. I wondered what he would think if he knew I actually had nowhere to live. My sister’s couch and Cage’s bed were the only options I had for now. Somehow I knew he’d want to fix that and it warmed me. Shaking my head from my illusions of Marcus, I stepped around him and his yummy goodness then headed for the door. 

“You gonna be okay?” he called as my hand touched the handle. A smile tugged at my lips. I was right. He did care. But then guys like Marcus wanted to save the world. 

“Yep,” I replied glancing back over my shoulder to flash him a smile before stepping outside and heading to my reality.

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Giveaway: 

Abbi is supplying each blog on the tour an ebook copy of Because of Low and a signed bookmark to giveaway.

To enter all you have to do is comment below. You can get more entries by tweeting about this post and adding a link back. If you tweet about it be sure to add @abbiglines to the post so Abbi can keep up with how many entires you have. 

Grand Prize:

1. Signed copy of Breathe by Abbi Glines
2. Signed copy of The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines
3. Signed copy of Existence by Abbi Glines
4. ebook copy of Because of Low

ONE person will win all three copies of Abbi’s other books that are now in print signed by the author along with an ebook copy of Because of Low. To enter for the grand prize be sure to leave a comment at a minimum of five of the blog tour stops. 

Don't forget to check out more stops on the BECAUSE OF LOW Blog Tour by clicking the banner below: 

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Reviewed by: Baby Sister Brittany

The Sisters say: Remarkable, Rewarding, READ IT!!!!

Summary (from goodreads):

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break. 

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape. 

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present. 

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart.

You must give me a second to collect my thoughts, friends. I have so many feelings about this book that are honestly inexpressible.

Do you know that feeling you get when you read a book so fantastic and so moving that it makes you want to do something crazy or amazing and just experience life to it’s fullest? Or for those of you who are writers—a story that is so captivating that the desire to find a similar story that is your own is completely overpowering.

The first time I read Revolution, I simultaneously wanted to read it again, write non-stop until I was done with a book of my own, and drop everything and move to Paris.

The second time I read it—I felt all the same things. That to me is the mark of a truly great book. There are books that are just okay, others that are entertaining, some that are addicting, and a few that stay with you constantly like an imprint on your heart. This is one of those books!

Andi might put some readers off at first. She’s been through a lot—she’s disillusioned, abrasive, and reckless. I tend to be a bit pessimistic and bitter (what can I say—it’s my own brand of humor), and I latched on to Andi like a kindred spirit. But if she’s not your type of character—PLEASE, PLEASE STICK WITH HER!

Jennifer Donnelly’s writing is superb—truly beautiful, imaginative, and humorous. When I read the book the second time—I marked all of my favorite lines. Let’s just say it looks like a five year old tried to cover all the pages in my book.

The setting was gorgeous. I mean, it’s Paris!!! But more than that… it’s a very realistic Paris. It doesn’t feel like a tourist visit. You’ll see Paris—good, bad, high, and low. Virgil, Andi’s love interest, is from a really rough neighborhood, and his frustration, sadness, anger, desperation, and hope are almost palpable. This is very much so a book about music, and Virgil’s raps were one of my favorite parts. I’m dying for someone to actually record the original music in this book because I WANT IT!!!! The romance, while not the center focus of this book, was addicting. I adore Virgil. He was just so different than most YA boys. He was mature and driven and stuck in a terrible situation. Please—I need some fanfiction writer out there to write me some Virgil/Andi fanfic because one book just wasn’t enough.

This novel is really set in two times—present day and the French Revolution. The story of Alexandrine set in the past was so fascinating. She’s just a girl who wants to be an actress, but she finds herself at the center of one of the bloodiest periods in history.

Most of the time when I read a book with more than one narrator, I tend to prefer one narrator over the other, and I find myself flipping forward in the book to see how much I have to read until I get back to the “good story.” I know you all have done this—don’t lie! But with Revolution—I LOVE BOTH STORIES. I was excited to read them both, and I can’t imagine the story without either of them.

I loved the character, the romance, the history, the setting, the language. I loved it all.

I’m not even sure this review is coherent. This book just makes me feel so much, that I have trouble putting it into words. It’s one of those books that I would honestly call life-changing. I’m sure I will continue to read it for much of my life. It is engraved on my memory (and it’s quotes are tacked on my wall).

I will end with a final, bold comparison. If you’ve read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and you loved it—read this book. They both have a slight historical setting, but other than that there is no real resemblance other than the feelings they inspired in me. I finished both of those books and thought, “I’m going to write a book that good some day, or I will die trying.”

I hope you read this book, and love it. If you do, please come back and comment and tell me what you think! And if this review hasn’t convinced you—come back tomorrow for another post entitled “Book in Quotes: Revolution!” Where I’ll be posting some of my favorite quotes from the book!

Breathe by Abbi Glines

Breathe by Abbi Glines

Reviewed by: Baby Sister Brittany

The Sisters say: Fun and Flirty

Sadie White's summer job isn't going to be on the beach life-guarding or working at rental booths like most kids her age. With her single mother's increasing pregnancy and refusal to work, Sadie has to take over her mother's job as a domestic servant for one of the wealthy summer families on a nearby island.

When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie hadn't spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house she might have been normal enough to be excited about working for a rock star.

Even though Sadie isn't impressed by Jax's fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax but he fights his attraction. Relationship's never work in his world and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. By the end of the summer, Jax discovers he can't breathe without Sadie.

But can their love overcome the disparity in their lifestyles? Or will they have to learn how to without each other breathe again?

Before I start this review, I must sing the praises of its author, Abbi Glines. She is an unbelievably awesome person who went above and beyond to make sure we got to read her book! I would have gladly taken the time to read any book (even if it was awful) if the author was a nice as Abbi.  BUT… as it so happens, this book was awesome! So it was a double win for us!

This is our first contemporary book here on YA Sisterhood, and I, for one, enjoyed the break from all things paranormal and supernatural. Normally, I throw a contemporary book in my reading list every once and while to break things up, though it usually ends up being something sad and heartbreaking a la The Book Thief or Revolution. I dove into this book looking for a fun summer escape read, but I found that and so much more! 

This book is over 400 pages, and I devoured it all in one night (and well, early morning)! It was a fun read that took me back to high school, only throw in a cool rockstar. It makes for the perfect sizzling summer read.

HOWEVER…

It also has a lot of depth that I wasn’t expecting. Sadie has a rough home life with an irresponsible mother that makes Sadie take care of everything. And Sadie does it all—she cooks, cleans, makes the money, even takes care of her mother’s new born baby—without ever complaining. She’s got a strong soul, and it really makes you champion her story. You want her to have every happiness because she hasn’t had a whole lot up until now.

As a teacher, I have a couple students who are in similar situations—students who are infinitely more mature at 16 than I ever was. In real life, I offer these students what I can—advice, hope, friendship—but it gets disheartening when I can do little more than encourage these students to survive. Perhaps that’s why I had such a strong emotional connection with this book. Sadie is a survivor, and her actions and emotions were so realistic and true to life that I saw my students in her. And I wanted her to succeed, to do more than survive. I wanted her to live.

I loved this story! And I look forward to seeing what Abbi Glines writes next!

P.S. Guess what? The Nook and/or Kindle Editions of BREATHE are only $5.99!!!