I’ve already shared how much I loved Olivia RIvers’ Tone Deaf, so I’m really happy to help celebrate the release of this book! See below for an author interview and an official playlist… and, most importantly, check out Tone Deaf!
After kind of a crazy day at school and a long evening of running errands with two kids in tow, I came home to this amazing package from Entangled Teen:
In case you can’t tell from the picture, that’s actual magnetic poetry (magnetic “prophecy” for the sake of the book), and I was ridiculously excited by this. I started reading immediately and couldn’t have been happier with what I found within those pages.
Because it’s a unique premise, let’s start with the official blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Jules Verity knows exactly what’s in store at her new job at castle-turned-dinner-theater Tudor Times. Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool over the ever-so-tasty–and completely unavailable–Grayson Chandler. Except that it’s not quite what she imagined.
For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there’s the dead body she finds that just kind of…well, disappears. Oh, and there’s the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls “Psychic Tourette’s Syndrome”–spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.
The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson’s attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson’s interest might not be as courtly as she thought. In fact, it’s starting to look suspicious…
Now, a YA romantic comedy mystery? Count. Me. In.
The protagonist, Jules, is a fascinating, lovable, honest, and quirky character that I just couldn’t get enough of. Her seemingly random psychic blurting made me LOL more than once, and her love of Grayson Chandler’s abs created plenty of adorably awkward teenage crush moments.
I don’t remember reading anything with a premise quite like this before, but it reminded me of a fun, younger version of Psych, which was one of my favorite shows when it was on. The dead body finding and mystery solving kept the story moving at a good pace, along with the hope that Grayson and Jules would actually get together.
Holding Court is pleasantly clean, too – a few little cuss words, but nothing major, and an appreciation of Grayson in Tudor tights and a flowy shirt, but no actual sexual situations. I’m 100% comfortable with putting this in my school library, which is awesome.
I really, really look forward to more from K.C., and I’d love to see Jules (and her family and friends and, of course, Grayson) in a few more books. Definite series potential! Find it here on Amazon or at your favorite bookstore!
The following new releases have been preordered and will hit the library shelves this month!
I have all the love in the world for well-written YA books involving an American teen travelling to a place I’d love to go, and Love & Gelato absolutely did NOT disappoint.
When Lina’s mom dies as a result of a quick-moving cancer, she feels obligated to fulfill one of her mom’s final wishes: that Lina would go to Italy and spend some time getting to know the country and the man who Lina has been told is her father, though she’s never actually met him. Obviously, because she’s grieving her mom’s death and in a foreign country and surrounded by people she doesn’t really know, there’s a huge adjustment period for Lina.
But, of course, Italy works its magic (the architecture, the pizza, and the gelato) and Lina meets a cute foreign boy, Ren, and his group of friends that she starts to explore the country with. She’s also given a journal that belonged to her mom while she studied abroad in Italy, and as she gets into it she realizes it’s the story of her mom and dad’s romance. With the help of Ren, she tracks down and finds answers for the mysteries contained in her mom’s journal, including the truth about her dad.
Lina finds love and adventure along the way, and the story is really just beautiful. It also left me really, really wanting to go to Italy… But I had to settle for making some Italian food. Love & Gelato comes out next week, so make sure you check it out! Find it here on Amazon or at your favorite bookstore.
For this one, let me start with the official blurb:
Ali Collins was a child prodigy destined to become one of the greatest musicians of the twenty-first century—until she was diagnosed with a life-changing brain tumor. Now, at seventeen, Ali lives in a soundless world where she gets by with American Sign Language and lip-reading. She’s a constant disappointment to her father, a retired cop fighting his own demons, and the bruises are getting harder to hide.
When Ali accidentally wins a backstage tour with the chart-topping band Tone Deaf, she’s swept back into the world of music. Jace Beckett, the nineteen-year-old lead singer of the band, has a reputation. He’s a jerk and a player, and Ali wants nothing to do with him. But there’s more to Jace than the tabloids let on. When Jace notices Ali’s bruises and offers to help her escape to New York, Ali can’t turn down the chance at freedom and a fresh start. Soon she’s traveling cross-country, hidden away in Jace’s RV as the band finishes their nationwide tour. With the help of Jace, Ali sets out to reboot her life and rediscover the music she once loved.
I can’t say that I’ve ever read anything quite like this before, and I loved it. Ali and Jace and their experiences both with music and the Deaf culture were absolutely fascinating. I loved their connection with each other through music, even though Ali couldn’t technically hear Jace’s music.
I also love that Ali is a great, strong, smart protagonist. Despite not having much in common with her life situations, I immediately identified with her as a reader and couldn’t help but cheer for her all the way through. I’m also a fan of how skillfully Rivers brought in the topic of abuse and how beautifully it was woven into the story.
All in all, this book is highly recommended! CHeck it out here on Amazon or at your favorite bookseller.
In the fall of 2014, I was honored to get to help Jaye Robin Brown (JRo!) with the release of her beautifully written YA debut, No Place to Fall. I was a real fan of that book’s protagonist, Amber Vaughn, and of JRo’s storytelling… including her use of music, which became almost like a living, breathing character in her book. When I was contacted about hosting JRo again for a new novella based on Will, the swoon-worthy love interest from No Place to Fall, I was all in. And, of course, I had to ask her to talk about the music, which again comes alive through her story.
So, here’s JRo on the music of Will’s Story! (And make sure you get all the way down to the end of this post for an awesome GIVEAWAY.)
Five Hot and Fresh Banjo Players (Not including Will McKinney):
In Will’s Story: A No Place to Fall Novella, the reader meets Will McKinney: naughty boy, banjo player, and the love interest in No Place To Fall. Though the novella follows some of the same story line as the novel, in this story the reader gets a little more about the man behind the music and how he fell into playing the banjo. Because really, the banjo hasn’t always had the sexiest history. Most people’s minds go to the movie Deliverance and the banjo-guitar scene on the porch of that river cabin. Banjos have long been equated with a hillbilly, backwoods stereotype. So to dispel that myth, I want to introduce you to five banjo players who are lighting it on fire, playing a variety of genres.
Scott Avett from the Avett Brothers. https://youtu.be/O-TI1RbQHlg
Rhiannon Giddons from the Carolina Chocolate Drops. https://youtu.be/50lQ5IHW74c
Winston Marshall from Mumford and Sons. https://youtu.be/pM7m0y9d3zQ
Eleanor Underhill from Underhill Rose. https://youtu.be/itkV6CGou1M
Eric Church. https://youtu.be/nqTHjulKIfE
No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown {goodreads} 
Published December 9th 2014 by HarperTeen
Summary: Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, babysits her nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend Devon’s house. It’s only when Amber goes exploring in the woods near her home, singing camp songs with the hikers she meets on the Appalachian Trail, that she feels free—and when the bigger world feels just a little bit more in reach.
When Amber learns about an audition at the North Carolina School of the Arts, she decides that her dream—to sing on bigger stages—could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon’s older (and unavailable) brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out for the hypercompetitive arts school. But the more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes . . . and Amber starts to wonder if she’s such a good girl, after all.
Then, in an afternoon, the bottom drops out of her family’s world—and Amber is faced with an impossible choice between her promise as an artist and the people she loves. Amber always thought she knew what a good girl would do. But between “right” and “wrong,” there’s a whole world of possibilities.
Will’s Story: A No Place to Fall Novella by Jaye Robin Brown {goodreads} 
Published April 5th 2016 by Epic Reads Impulse
Summary: Will McKinney is a bad boy. At least, he used to be. After nearly getting arrested for some poor decisions involving prescription drugs, Will has been trying to turn over a new leaf. Well, it’s that or suffer the wrath of his father, the judge. Will’s starting to get his life in Sevenmile, North Carolina, in order. He’s applying to colleges. He’s dating the most popular girl at school. And he recently discovered a love of playing the banjo and performing in front of a crowd. But it’s that same love of music that draws him to Amber Vaughn, his younger teenage brother’s best friend. Now Will finds himself wondering if he just might really be a bad guy because even though he’s got a girlfriend, he can’t stop thinking about Amber.
Will’s Story is a companion novella to Jaye Robin Brown’s young adult debut, No Place to Fall, and perfect for fans of her novel and newcomers alike.
About the Author
Jaye Robin Brown, or Jro to her friends, lives and writes in the mountains north of Asheville, North Carolina. She’s in awe of magic and beauty, and is a stalwart champion for the underdog, both human and other. When she’s not writing, you can find her in the art room of the high school where she teaches, or on her small farm hanging out with her dogs, cats, and horses.
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I loved this book.
The setting, the storytelling, the swoon-worthy boy… All magical. And talk about a way to get ready for summer! I mean, just LOOK at that cover.
What makes it even better than your typical summer beachy read, though, is the protagonist. Sarah/Bean has her life together in the beginning, but slowly things unravel and her scientific brain has to deal with emotions and feelings and desires that don’t simply compute (think Sheldon from Big Bang Theory as a teenage girl). She does a lot of lying and letting people walk all over her, creating a huge mess. While I wanted to shout at her and strangle her for not being truthful and straightening out the mess earlier than she did, I also totally understood and thought she was a truly realistic portrayal of a teenage girl just trying to figure herself out. Ultimately the mess turned into some beautiful stuff – still messy, still real, not cliched, but a beautiful mess reminiscent of all our teen years.
Rebecca has a new book coming out in June, so snatch this one up now and then come back for more this summer! Find it here on Amazon or at your favorite bookseller. :)
Miranda Kenneally’s Hundred Oaks series is one of my favorites. It’s full of strong, intelligent, admirable female protagonists and exciting, rewarding, and well-paced plots. There’s not a single one that I haven’t liked. I love that all of the stories are set in the same town, too, so that we see some of the characters from previous books, allowing us to check in on old friends. There are currently six published, with the 7th coming out this summer (side note: while I think it would work best if read in order, each book is its own stand alone story, so you can read them out of order).
While I have liked them all, I can say that Jesse’s Girl, the 6th book in the series, is my absolute favorite of them all (probably because my love of stories involving normal people/famous people romance is real). It’s a slight departure in that the main character isn’t sporty, but it’s classic Hundred Oaks in every other way. In Jesse’s Girl, we get the story of Maya and Jesse. Maya’s a 17 year-old in high school, and when she says she wants to be a rock star when she grows up she’s assigned to Jesse, Nashville’s current teen music heartthrob, for a career shadow day.
Maya and Jesse both agree to this shadow day, but neither one of them are real excited about it. As they spend time together, though, they see the potential for a friendship and more. Jesse helps Maya step out of a bad music situation she’s been in and embrace a more positive future in music, and she soars. This is a surprisingly realistic and very well written story despite the improbability of this situation actually happening.
Because of some content, I’d recommend Jesse’s Girl (and the rest of the Hundred Oaks books) for 9th grade and up. Click here to find it on Amazon, or look or it at your favorite bookseller!
Tamara Ireland Stone’s Every Last Word completely caught me by surprise. I’d thought the synopsis sounded good when I picked it to read, and I’ve always loved novels that incorporate poetry into the story, but I wasn’t prepared for how great this book really is.
Sixteen year-old Samantha suffers from Purely Obsessional OCD, which she somehow keeps hidden from her group of friends, who would rip her apart and kick her solidly out of the popular social circle at any hint of something out of the ordinary. When Sam meets a new and definitely unpopular friend, Caroline, she also keeps that friendship hidden… especially when Caroline introduces her to a secret poetry club that meets in their school.It’s in this poetry club that Sam discovers the therapeutic value of writing. She also meets a few other friends, like the talented and cute musician, AJ.
Sam’s confidence grows and healing begins and romance blooms in this truly beautifully written story. The Kirkus Review of Every Last Word said it’s “Clueless meets Dead Poets Society with a whopping final twist,” and I couldn’t agree more, which is probably why I liked it so much.
Check out Every Last Word on Amazon or at your favorite bookseller!
Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists 