Review: The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold

May 22, 2018May 22, 201814 Comments

Title: The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik
Author: David Arnold
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 22, 2018

Summary (from Goodreads):

“An epic wonder”* from the bestselling author of Mosquitoland

This is Noah Oakman → sixteen, Bowie believer, concise historian, disillusioned swimmer, son, brother, friend.

Then Noah → gets hypnotized.

Now Noah → sees changes: his mother has a scar on her face that wasn’t there before; his old dog, who once walked with a limp, is suddenly lithe; his best friend, a lifelong DC Comics disciple, now rotates in the Marvel universe. Subtle behaviors, bits of history, plans for the future—everything in Noah’s world has been rewritten. Everything except his Strange Fascinations . . .

❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃

Review

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold is a unique story about a boy who gets hypnotized. The main character is realistic, and the writing style is so entertaining. I would definitely recommend this book, since it is such a wild ride. Continue reading →

Review: I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman

March 27, 2018March 27, 201815 Comments

Title: I Have Lost My Way
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 27, 2018

Summary (from Goodreads):

A powerful story of empathy and friendship from the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of If I Stay.

Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from everyone he has ever loved, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City with a backpack, a desperate plan, and nothing left to lose. When a fateful accident draws these three strangers together, their secrets start to unravel as they begin to understand that the way out of their own loss might just lie in helping the others out of theirs.

An emotionally cathartic story of losing love, finding love, and discovering the person you are meant to be, I Have Lost My Way is bestselling author Gayle Forman at her finest.

❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃

Review

I have been a fan of Gayle Forman for a while now, and I have been dying to read I Have Lost My Way since it was first announced. The story focuses on three characters who meet because of an accident, and I enjoyed each of them. However, the plot is hard to believe, and I had a hard time getting into it. Compared to Forman’s other books, I Have Lost My Way just doesn’t compare. Continue reading →

ARC Review: The Fashion Committee by Susan Juby

May 28, 2017April 5, 20185 Comments

Book cover for The Fashion Committee by Susan Juby

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Fashion Committee
Author: Susan Juby
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 23, 2017
Stars: 3/5

Summary (from Goodreads): “The Fashion Committee is another winner by one of my all time favorite authors.”–Meg Cabot, New York Timesbestselling author of the The Princess Diaries and Mediator series

Charlie Dean is a style-obsessed girl who eats, sleeps, and breathes fashion. John Thomas-Smith is a boy who forges metal sculptures in his garage and couldn’t care less about clothes. Both are gunning for a scholarship to the private art high school that could make all their dreams come true. Whoever wins the fashion competition will win the scholarship–and only one can win.
Told in the alternating voices of Charlie’s and John’s journals, this hilarious and poignant YA novel perfectly captures what it’s like to have an artistic drive so fierce that nothing–not your dad’s girlfriend’s drug-addicted ex-boyfriend, a soul-crushing job at Salad Stop, or being charged with a teensy bit of kidnapping–can stand in your way.
With black and white art custom-created by fashion and beauty illustrator Soleil Ignacio, the book is a collector’s item, perfect for anyone with a passion for fashion. Continue reading →

Review: Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined

February 13, 2017April 10, 20196 Comments

Title: Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined
Author: Danielle Young-Ullman
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 21, 2017

Summary (from Goodreads):

Wild meets The Breakfast Club in this story of a girl who must survive an extreme wilderness experience to prove to her mother that she has the strength to pursue her dreams.

Then
Ingrid traveled all over Europe with her opera star mother, Margot-Sophia. Life was beautiful and bright, and every day soared with music.

Now
Ingrid is on a summertime wilderness survival trek for at-risk teens: addicts, runaways, and her. She’s fighting to survive crushing humiliations, physical challenges that push her to her limits, and mind games that threaten to break her.

Then
When the curtain fell on Margot-Sophia’s singing career, they buried the past and settled into a small, painfully normal life. But Ingrid longed to let the music soar again. She wanted it so much that, for a while, nothing else mattered.

Now
Ingrid is never going to make it through this summer if she can’t figure out why she’s here . . . and why the music really stopped.

❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃

Review

Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined by Danielle Young-Ullman is a book about a camping trip. It also has some backstory woven in throughout the story. The supporting characters are all so developed and have such complex stories. The main character is also smart, strong, and musically talented. This book does not disappoint. Continue reading →

Review: The Forbidden Orchid

March 7, 2016March 20, 20195 Comments

Title: The Forbidden Orchid
Author: Sharon Biggs Waller
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 8, 2016

Summary (from Goodreads):

Staid, responsible Elodie Buchanan is the eldest of ten sisters living in a small English market town in 1861. The girls barely know their father, a plant hunter usually off adventuring through China. Then disaster strikes: Mr. Buchanan reneges on his contract to collect an extremely rare and valuable orchid. He will be thrown into debtors’ prison while his daughters are sent to the orphanage and the workhouse.

Elodie can’t stand by and see her family destroyed, so she persuades her father to return to China once more to try to hunt down the flower—only this time, despite everything she knows about her place in society, Elodie goes with him. She has never before left her village, but what starts as fear turns to wonder as she adapts to seafaring life aboard the tea clipper The Osprey, and later to the new sights, dangers, and romance of China. But now, even if she can find the orchid, how can she ever go back to being the staid, responsible Elodie that everybody needs?

❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃

Review

The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller is a one of a kind book all about a hunt for a rare and valuable orchid. An interesting and complex father/daughter relationship makes this book even more believable. Though the book seems incredible already, there are three different settings, including China, making the story unforgettable. Continue reading →