Review: The Promise of Amazing

The Promise of Amazing By Robin Constantine

Available 12/31/13

Reviewed by Honorary Sis Sarah P.

The Sisters Say: read it for the love story

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how. 

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

Talk about “meeting cute!” Barfing on a girl’s service Reeboks isn’t the best way to make a first impression. It’s a heck of a beginning. After that, however, the fact that Wren saved Grayson’s life is not at all integral to the plot of the story.

In fact, the book stalls a bit after this dramatic beginning. It takes Wren and Grayson a few chapters to get going as friends, and then something more. The saving grace of the book is the colorful cast which accompanies them. Wren’s older brother and sister are true characters, and their life in eastern New Jersey is well drawn. The Catholic school angle is also entertaining and different from anything I’ve read recently. In much the same way, Grayson’s messier family life is also fully realized—you just cringe along with him over Thanksgiving dinner.

As the book rolls forward, Grayson becomes a credibly complicated and ultimately likable character. The pity is that this takes so long. Grayson is truly ensnared by past mistakes, and they raise the stakes for the plot to an exciting level. Did you ever notice the way the best stories are those which make you pause to ask, “how in the heck could this ever turn out okay?” This book brings you there eventually, but I’d argue that it holds its cards too tightly for the first half.

And here’s a pet peeve which I feel I should mention for the good of humanity. YA authors of the world, please stop naming all your characters Wren and Grayson! This is the third Wren book I’ve read in the past two months, and I’ve lost count of the Graysons. It’s not just me, right?

At the end of the day, The Promise of Amazing is a sexy love story between two people who need one another. Read it for the colorful New Jersey Catholic school catering hall world and amped up, angsty plot line.

A Gift from the Publisher of Racing Savannah by Miranda Kennealy

Happy Tuesday! Sourcebooks has a new title coming soon, and with it a special offer. Read on about the pre-order gift for Racing Savannah.

They’re from two different worlds, but Savannah isn’t exactly one to follow the rules. . . get the next contemporary novel from blockbuster YA novelist Miranda Kenneally: RACING SAVANNAH!

Right before her senior year, Savannah’s father whisks the family off to Tennessee to work as head groom at fancy Cedar Hill Farms. Savannah finally sees it as the perfect opportunity to earn extra money as an exercise rider—no matter how many others don’t want a girl around the barn.  But she’s also caught the eye of Jack Goodwin, the owner’s son. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries. With her dream of becoming a jockey, Savannah is not going to let someone tell her a girl isn’t tough enough to race. Sure, it’s dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack.

Sourcebooks Says:

We’ve put together a fun campaign to thank readers for pre-ordering: send us your proof of pre-order and we’ll send you this fabulous horseshoe key chain!

A Gift for You, for Pre-Ordering RACING SAVANNAH by Miranda Kenneally

We have a special offer for U.S. and Canada YA fans for the release of RACING SAVANNAH by Miranda Kenneally in stores in a little over three weeks! If you pre-order the book, we will send you an exclusive horseshoe key chain—perfect for any busy teen on the go! You have until December 2 or until quantities run out.

Here’s how to get your charm:
1. Pre-order the book (print or eBook) through any retailer (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, your local independent bookseller/Indiebound, Books-A-Million, Hastings, etc.)

2. Email your proof of purchase (receipt or picture of the receipt) to teenfire@sourcebooks.com. Put “Racing Savannah Pre-Order” in the subject line. Don’t forget to include your home address (US & Canada only please) so we can send you the horseshoe key chain! If you’ve already pre-ordered this book—not a problem! Send us your receipt!

3. You will get an email back confirming when the items have been sent out. 

4. Enjoy Racing Savannah when it comes out in December!

Optional: take a pic of you and your horseshoe key chain and share it with Miranda Kenneally or Sourcebooks Fire on Twitter! You can find Miranda @mirandakennealy and Sourcebooks Fire @sourcebooksfire.

Review: Period 8 by Christopher Crutcher

Period 8 by Chris Crutcher

Available Now

Reviewed by: Honorary Sis Sarah P.

The Sisters Say: A quirky, well drawn high school and characters which left us craving a more fully resolved plot.

Period 8. An hour a day. You can hang out. You can eat your lunch. You can talk. Or listen. Or neither. Or both. Nothing is off-limits. The only rule is that you keep it real; that you tell the truth.

Heller High senior Paul Baum--aka Paulie Bomb--tells the truth. Not the "Wow, that's an ugly sweater" variety of truth, but the other kind. The truth that matters. It might be hard. It often hurts. But Paulie doesn't know how not to tell it. When he tells his girlfriend Hannah the life-altering, messed-up, awful truth, his life falls apart. The truth can get complicated, fast.

But someone in Period 8 is lying. And Paulie, Hannah, and just about everyone else who stops by the safe haven of the P-8 room daily are deceived. And when a classmate goes missing and the mystery of her disappearance seeps beyond P-8 and into every hour of the day, all hell breaks loose.

Author Chris Crutcher began his amazing YA career thirty years ago. In fact, when I read my first John Green novel, I was reminded of Crutcher’s hard hitting individualist characters. My favorite Crutcher novels are Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (you have to read it to understand the title) and Deadline. Both are moving books and should not be missed. His other two most frequently mentioned books are Whale Talk and Stotan.

Crutcher often writes about male athletes—solid people with real world problems. His swim teams, his runners and his basketball players frequently use physical exertion to beat the stupid out of themselves after an emotional upset. Even if you’re deeply uninterested in sports (raises hand!) there’s something very appealing about listening to the inner workings of a guy as he plunges himself into 50 degree water for a two hour swim after breaking up with his girlfriend. Or getting sweaty out on the court, looking for the meaning of life while shooting hoops with his best buds. (Yum!)

In Period 8 (Greenwillow 2013) there are plenty of comfortably familiar Crutcheresque touches. Paulie “Bomb” Baum is a long distance swimmer with a big problem. One recent, crazy night, a female classmate, behaving well outside of her usual character, convinced him to cheat on his girlfriend. In the first chapter, Paulie confesses and is promptly dumped. Hard.

Unfortunately, it’s all aired out during Period 8, which is a lunchtime confessional hosted by a favorite teacher, Mr. “Logs” Logsdon. (Warning: everyone in Period 8 has a nickname. Everyone. Even the principal. And there’s a big cast of characters, too.) To paraphrase Fight Club, the first rule of Period 8 is that you never talk about Period 8 outside its walls.

Logs is another Crutcheresque device—each of his books features a brave teacher (or coach) who is both unusual in his or her approach, and unusually close to the students. The teachers in Crutcher’s books are powerful, human voices—you won’t find any of the “mwa mwa, mwa mwap” teacher voices of the Peanuts cartoons here. They’re willing to wade into the thorniest ethical questions even after 3pm has come and gone, with messy and varying results.

In fact, Crutcher is at his best breaking down the myth that high school factions are inviolable. Even outside of the unique bubble of Period 8, our man Paulie has cordial relations with everyone from the nerds to the “thumpers,” aka the Christian youth organization. Crutcher's cliques never feel cliched, even as Paulie gives the “thumpers” the gentle brush off: “As much time as I spend trying to haul myself through the water, I’m suspicious of guys who walk on it.” Their reply? “See you in school, man.”

It’s a quirky, unique high school environment. There’s not a cardboard cutout of a cheerleader or a stoner in sight.

Unfortunately, the plot and premise of Period 8 are nowhere near as taut as Crutcher’s earlier works. Instead of the tight psychological dramas he usually delivers, this one devolves into a sort of thriller. But the bad guys (and there are many) have motivations which feel underexplained at best, and murkily realized at the worst.

Worse, the most vulnerable characters aren't given due resolution. Poor Star, and poor Kylie. After the dramatic climax, the reader is left to wonder about their outcomes. By the end of the book, when the main characters sum up with: “you gotta hate yourself for not getting to know them better,” it feels like a bit of a cop out. As a reader, I would have loved to know them better.

Waiting on Wednesdsay: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

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 MEANT TO BE by Lauren Morrill.  MEANT TO BE releases on November 13, 2012 from Delacorte BFYR.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Doesn't this just sound so cute?  I was such a goody-two-shoes in high school, so this book is right up my alley.  Plus, every girl daydreams about that perfect guy!  And, most of the time, we end up falling for the complete opposite.  I love that this book is set in London, and I just know that we are going to be in for some laughs as Julia starts to break out of her mold.  Less than a month until this one is released!!!

Home Run Blog Tour: Stealing Parker Review and Giveaway

Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

eARC received by Sourcebooks

Release Date:  October 1^st—On Shelves Now!

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  A poignant story about heartbreak, forgiveness, and first love
 

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

After her family's scandal rocks their conservative small town, 17-year-old Parker Shelton goes overboard trying to prove that she won't turn out like her mother: a lesbian. The all-star third-baseman quits the softball team, drops 20 pounds and starts making out with guys--a lot. But hitting on the hot new assistant baseball coach might be taking it a step too far...especially when he starts flirting back.

Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter at the end of this review!

This is my first book by Miranda, and I had no idea what to expect.  Just from reading the blurb, I thought it sounded interesting, but I didn’t know how I would like the sports aspect of the story.  Don’t get me wrong---I love sports, but I’m more of a watch ‘em, not read ‘em type of girl.  Surprisingly, the sports part was one of my favorite parts of the story.  It wasn’t overly boyish and I didn’t find myself saying, “Go on…get on with it.”  Their sports world was like an entirely new setting within the high school life, and I enjoyed being opened up to a YA book that touched on sports.

The best part of the book was the growing friendship between Parker and Corndog.  It was sweet and innocent, and it just felt right.  I found myself laughing at loud at some of Corndog’s jokes, but at other times, he was a real jerk.  Just like a high school guy!  It was endearing to see him struggle with his own problems and then take them out on Parker—a realistic and heartbreaking truth about high school relationships.  I found myself waiting for Parker’s next encounter with Corndog, just to see what would happen next.

I also really liked Drew, Parker’s best friend.  He is the type of guy that you just automatically like.  He sticks by Parker when her mother comes out as a lesbian and the entire town turns on her family.   It’s a very religious town, so this caused quite a scandal.  While everyone else looked at Parker like she was the plague, Drew stood up for her and stood by her.  Such a sweetie!

I was really surprised by the mature content level of this book—it didn’t bother me at all, but I think I was expecting the fade to black type of love scenes.  At first, I enjoyed these small scenes between Parker and Brian (the coach).  It wasn’t really creepy, and I felt like they really liked each other.  However, as their physical relationship progressed, I found myself getting really annoyed by Parker and the way she discussed their relationship.  She seemed very crude to me, and by the end unfortunately, I was really wishing she would just zip her mouth.

What bugged me?

The entire book was preachy to the extent of annoyance.  I’m from a small town, and I understand the role religion plays in the lives of people there, but I just don’t believe that an entire town would turn against someone instead of trying to save or help them.  But instead of doing that, they hurled accusatory glares and Bible verses.  It just became too much for me, and I think it took away from the book.

Most of the reviews I have read said they really enjoyed Parker as the main character, but I was on the other side of the fence with her.  She seemed very vain and immature to me, and I found her very annoying.  There were times she was so self-involved that I ended up rooting against her, hoping things would fall apart so she would look around, wake up and quit her self-loathing.

Overall, there were some very cute parts to this tale of discovery, and I think that many people will enjoy this book.  I liked that Miranda ventured into an area that many other authors might be afraid to write about, and I liked that she did it in a non-creepy way.  However, I thought that Parker and Brian (both major characters) were too wishy-washy, and this wavering made them unrealistic and frustrating to me. 

Final Judgment: While this book was not my favorite, I do plan to read more of Miranda’s books in the future. 

Content Warning:  I would rate this for mature teens for somewhat explicit sexual situations.  (Riding the line somewhere between YA and NA).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry Review, Q & A and Giveaway

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Harlequin Teen
On shelves now!
Reviewed by: AmyG (big sis)
Sisters Say: A Perfectly, Poignant Piece
Received from Harlequin Teen for an honest review.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

I honestly do not read a whole lot of YA contemporary books.  I do not mind contemporary romance, but honestly the YA variety usually ends with me ugly crying in the corner.  I'm a busy mom of 3 kids, and my kids attend a school in which they go to school 2 days a week and we homeschool the others.  So, needless to say, I have very little time, and the books I want to read are usually for happy, escapism purposes.   However, when people ask me for suggestions, I find myself recommending contemporary YA books especially if they are looking for something meaningful.  And, meaningful is something that Pushing the Limits definitely is!

Noah and Echo have both been dealt a tragic hand at life.  Honestly, I don't know how anyone would come back from either circumstance, and at times through the novel, Noah and Echo think the same. Both characters go on a journey and where that took them left me reeling.  Reeling from the the fear, anger, joy, and pride I felt for both Echo and Noah.  I think everyone that has a love for teenagers hopes and prays that all young adults would be able to defy the odds and defeat their circumstances just like Noah and Echo.

Pushing the Limits really does take you through the entire gamut of emotions.  Ms. McGarry perfectly portrays the fickleness of teenage friendships and relationships.  I could indentify with every person in the novel one way or another.  She captures the raw emotions of those teenage years perfectly, and I think anyone that has been a teen once upon a time or is currently in throes of those years will relate and enjoy this book.  I felt so much for Echo and Noah that I wanted to step inside the book and just fix everything for them, so they wouldn't have to suffer anymore pain!  However, I trusted Katie McGarry to take me to the end of the rollercoaster, and I was not disappointed when the ride was finished.

Pushing the Limits is a story of hope.  Hope that no matter what happens, everyone's life is important.  We have no idea what the person next to us is facing, and life would be much more true and admirable if we were all more willing to love one another.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A Q&A With Katie McGarry

Q: What was your inspiration for writing Pushing the Limits?

A: I had two main inspirations: One, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to write a story in which my characters felt strong enough to leave their pasts behind and create new futures for themselves. The first scene I ever saw in my mind was Echo and Noah leaving town after graduation. Two, I wanted to write two characters who were facing over- whelming issues and who, through battling these issues, found hope at the end of their journey.

Q: How did you come up with Echo’s name?

A: Echo went through several name changes as I wrote the man- uscript. For a while, she had a very normal name, but it alwaysfelt off. It wasn’t until I looked at Echo from her mother’s point of view that I found her name. Echo’s mother loved Greek my- thology so it made perfect sense that she would name her chil- dren after the myths. I read several Greek myths and the mo- ment I found Echo’s, I fell in love. Echo, to me, was the girl who lost her voice. Thankfully, she finds it by the end.

Q: Which character is the most “like” you?

A: All of them. I gave each character a piece of me (though some have larger slices of me than others). Overall, I’d say I’m a strange combination of Echo, Lila and Beth. Echo has my need to please, Lila has my unfailing loyalty to my friends and Beth encompasses my insecurities.

Q: Did you experience friendships with Grace types when you were in high school?

A: Yes. And the more people have read this story, the more this question comes up. Grace has struck a stronger nerve in people than I ever would have imagined. It seems most of us have un- fortunately experienced a relationship where a person wants to “like” you and wants “be your friend,” but only if it serves their needs. In case anyone is wondering, that isn’t friendship.

Q: Are there any parts of the story you feel particularly close to?

A: Yes. The relationship between Noah, Isaiah and Beth. Beyond my parents and sister, my nearest family members were over fourteen hours away. My friends became my family. The peopleI grew up with were more than people I watched movies with or talked to occasionally on the phone. These were people with whom I shared life’s most devastating moments, but also my hardest laughs. These were people who I would have willing- ly died for and I know they would have done the same for me. They shared my triumphs with smiles on their faces and con- gratulatory hugs. They held me when I cried and offered to beat up whoever hurt my feelings. These were also the same people who were more than happy to get in my face if they thought I was making a wrong decision.

Q: Did anything that happens to Echo happen to you?

A: Sort of. I was bitten by a dog when I was in second grade and repressed the memory. It felt very strange to have no memory of an incident that other people knew about. It was even strang- er to have injuries and not have an inkling where they came from. In college, I finally remembered the incident when a dog lunged at me. I relived the horrible event and sort of “woke up” a few minutes later to find myself surrounded by people I loved. Even though I “remember” the incident, I still don’t remember the whole thing. I only see still frames in my mind and there is no blood in any of the memories.

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and she remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Writing has given Katie an excuse to pursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazing opportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car at ninety-six miles per hour and experience boxing and mixed martial arts. Katie loves to visit schools and talk to teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach.

a Rafflecopter giveaway