New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

A few VERY exciting things made their way into my mailbox this week.

First up, I did some #otspsecretsister shopping recently, and ended up getting myself a few little things.

I love the "L" button so much! I couldn't resist the Yuri On Ice one, and was thrilled to find the Bucky/Steve button. I had been looking for one like that for a long time now.

I received two books for review from Simon and Schuster. A huge thank you to them for sending one of my most anticipated reads of 2017 to me!

The Becoming Of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin (goodreads)

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren (goodreads)

I definitely fangirled when I opened this packaged. I cannot even express how excited I am to have The Becoming Of Noah Shaw in my hands. I am a huge fan of the Mara Dyer series and cannot wait to continue this story.

What goodies made their way into your mailbox this week? Let me know!

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday

BOOK 

Cover Of Fallen Heir by Erin Watt (goodreads)

Pretty much from the second Erin Watt announced a series about Reid, I have been desperate for any details about the novel.

The cover was recently revealed, along with the synopsis and both have made me even more excited to get my hands on it when it is released in August.

This cover is going to look perfect next to the others on my bookshelf. 

TV/MOVIE

Mr Robot Season 3 Teaser Trailer

I cannot wait for Mr Robot to come back! I was very sad when it got pushed from summer to the fall because I wanted answers from the ending of the last season.

They have just released a teaser trailer for the upcoming season and it's only made me more excited.

It seems that both Angela and Tyrell are wearing the "Mr Robot" mask in the trailer. It also boasts the most Tyrell I have ever seen in a Mr Robot teaser. It bodes well for his screen time this season. Tyrell, for me, is one of the most interesting characters on the show and I want to know more about him. I am probably the only person wishing away the remains of summer, but I cannot wait to have my fall television back. 

Call Me By Your Name trailer

It is the time of year when all the Oscar bait movies release their trailers and the first one that caught my attention was Call Me By Your Name. 

It would appear that this one has taboo, or forbidden romance between a teen boy and an older man. It is based on a book (which I have not read) and from what I understand there are some pretty risque elements to the story. Armie Hammer has been praised for his performance, and I am excited to see what he can do with a meatier role. This one looks poised to be all over the place come awards season so it is on my must see list for the fall season.

What are you obsessed with this week?

Final Girls by Riley Sager

Final Girls by Riley Sager
Release Date -  July 11, 2017

Publisher Website - Random House Canada
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  342 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.

Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.

That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.

The 'Final Girl' trope is one well known to horror movie fans. She's the last person standing at the end of the horror movie. She's the girl who gets away (and gets to be in the sequel). She's typically young, and attractive. Riley Sager has this term refer to girls who are the sole survivors of horrific massacres. It's the perfect backdrop for his gripping, twist filled story that is filled with complex female characters.

My favourite part of this novel is the fact that Quincy, Lisa, and Sam are apologetically messed up. They are women who are shaped by what happened to them as girls. It is shown that what they experienced is something that never truly leaves you, even if you learn to live with it. Each of them are damaged in their own way, and the author allowed you to see them as these imperfect women who were stronger than they gave themselves credit for. I was even more thrilled that there were three women of this complexity included in the story, not just one. It didn't quite scratch that itch that the character of Amy Dunne left within me, but it came close.

Much like I do while watching horror movies, I spent most of my time reading this novel wanting to yell at these characters to not make the choices they were making. You wanted them to make better decisions for themselves because you were rooting for them. This, much like the title, read as a deliberate nod to horror movies. A lot of this novel comes from a love of horror movies, and the people's fascination with true crime. It's a blend of both and it works rather well for most of the novel.

The author masterfully includes plenty of possible suspects (literally everyone is a suspect at various points in the novel) and red herrings. The most impressive thing about this novel, for me anyways, was that it didn't take the easy path. There are twists that are you think are going to happen. Twists that would have been telegraphed and predictable. The author manages to not use any of them and the story is all the better for it. The twists that do happen are both smart and unexpected which makes for a stronger story.

The ending, however, hurts the story as much as it helps. While I was pleasantly surprised to see all of my predictions be incorrect, I didn't not feel the ending was earned. The novel suffers a little from pacing issues. The beginning is more methodical and it slowly unravels. The ending, however, is like a freight train with things rushing so quickly you can barely catch your breath. It doesn't give the reveals time to have the proper impact, and I don't think the ending was set up as well as it could have been. It is the type of story I want to read again to see if the clues are laid out within the story at some point, but I am not sure that is the case. It didn't quite connect to the rest of the story as seamlessly as I wanted it to, but it still offers a thrilling closure to Quincy's story.

A taunt mystery that will make for fantastic beach reading this summer. It's certainly a conversation starter so it would also be a good pick for book club reading. I recommend this one to those who devour mysteries, and love the idea of experiencing a story with some complex women at its heart. I found the ending to be not as satisfying as I hoped, but feel the rest of the novel is strong enough for me to recommend it. 

Waiting On Wednesday ... The Key To Everything

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is The Key To Everything by Paula Stokes

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

College senior Oakland Fuller has always believed in signs and soulmates, so when both a therapist and a fortuneteller say that her repeated relationship failures are due to unresolved feelings for her high school boyfriend, Seth, Oakland tries desperately to get back in touch with him. Problem: Seth isn’t responding to her online messages.

To rescue Oakland from a pathetic Christmas break of sitting in front of the computer, her best friend Morgan books the two of them on a guided excursion of Thailand. When the girls meet a pair of American soldiers in Bangkok, Oakland takes Morgan’s advice and engages in a little harmless holiday hooking up. Sergeant Tyson Banks is the perfect mix of sexy and fun. Two weeks with him might just turn out to be the best relationship Oakland has ever had.

Until the day she spots someone familiar across a crowded temple complex—it’s Seth! Somehow the boy she’s been trying to reconnect with is in Bangkok too. If that’s not a sign, then what is?

Filled with friendship, romance, bromance, and gorgeous faraway settings, The Key to Everything is a story for anyone who’s ever dreamed of finding love when (or where) they least expected it.

I have enjoyed quite a few New Adult novels and this one caught my eye for quite a few reasons. I have enjoyed many of Paula Stokes books, and I am so excited to see what she does with the New Adult genre. She will, in my opinion, provide a story that is not just about the sexytimes which I am very much looking forward to.

Not too long to wait for this one as it comes out in November of this year!

Expected release date - November 7, 2017

Lucky In Love by Kasie West

Lucky In Love by Kasie West
Release Date -  July 25, 2017

Publisher Website - Scholastic
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  333 pages
My Rating - 3.5/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Can’t buy me love…

Maddie’s not impulsive. She’s all about hard work and planning ahead. But one night, on a whim, she buys a lottery ticket. And then, to her astonishment—

She wins!

In a flash, Maddie’s life is unrecognizable. No more stressing about college scholarships. Suddenly, she’s talking about renting a yacht. And being in the spotlight at school is fun…until rumors start flying, and random people ask her for loans. Now Maddie isn’t sure who she can trust.

Except for Seth Nguyen, her funny, charming coworker at the local zoo. Seth doesn’t seem aware of Maddie’s big news. And, for some reason, she doesn’t want to tell him. But what will happen if he learns her secret? 

Everyone has had that daydreamof what they would do if they suddenly won the lottery. Most people just fantasize about how they would spend the money. The reality of what winning the lottery would be like is something that rarely intrudes on these daydreams. I expected Kasie West's Lucky In Love to be more like the daydream kind of lottery winning. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find a lot of weight to the story mixed in the typical Kasie West cuteness.

Maddie's experience with winning the lottery is a mix of those dream moments we are all familiar with. She wants to buy herself a few things she's always wanted, and help out her family. She also includes more practical things like paying for her college education. While it highlights the upside of having enough money to do these things, it also is careful to showcase the ways in which her life changes that are not so great. She learns that money doesn't fix things. The problems she had that she thought were money related all turn out to be more complex than she thought. She has people who approach her that sometimes do not have her best interests at heart, and even has people using her for what she can now do for them. It is an aspect of this that hardly anyone really things about, mostly because it is so unlikely that you would ever actually win the lottery. However, with Kasie West's balance between lighthearted and serious it captures, what I feel, is a good mix of fantasy and reality when it comes to this situation.

The changes in Maddie's life are numerous and monumental. People treat her differently. Her family and friends are no exception. Having Maddie's family be such a large part of her story arc, and what she had to come to terms with, was a great touch. They were not immune to the changes Maddie's windfall brings, and it grounded the story in a way I was not expecting. There are issues dealt with that are tied to her lottery win within many of the relationships she has with both friends and family members.

The romance is typical Kasie West. It is filled with wonderfully sweet moments and is my favourite part of the novel. Fans of the 'friends to more' trope will especially appreciate the natural progression and the bond that is formed between Maddie and Seth. I also felt that the big moments of the romance were entirely realistic.In a novel where literally money was no object, at least for Maddie, the gestures were heartfelt, and realistic. It was simple in a way that a lot of other things in Maddie's life were not, and that is what made it so enjoyable.

My only real issue was that the other stuff outside the romance didn't feel as wrapped up, or explored as I wanted it to be. I wish we had gotten more time with the closure to that storyline. I recognize that what Maddie learns about herself and those around her would naturally lend itself to the ending that was given, I just wanted something from that entire storyline.

A fun, quick read that is guaranteed to leave you smiling. If you're a fan of Kasie West's previous novels, you'll finish this one entirely satisfied. Those who have yet to discover her, I urge you to pick up her books as I predict you'll be charmed by them all, including this one. I feel like she is a must read for contemporary young adult fans, and feel like younger teens will especially love her novels.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

This week I have a new ebook to share! It involves boy bands so I was immedaitely intrigued.

All I Ever Wanted by LuAnn McLane (goodreads)

What books made their way onto your bookshelf? Let me know!

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday

So many exciting things this week! I am so excited about all of these things!

BOOK 

Cover Of The Key To Everything by Paula Stokes (goodreads)

I have been excited about Paula Stokes writing a New Adult novel since she announced that she was working on one. The cover was finally revealed and I think it's kind of perfect.

I like that it is an New Adult novel cover that looks different from a lot of the New Adult covers I have seen. It isn't focused on the sexy aspect of New Adult novels, and that gives me hope for a plot driven story that just happens to include some sexy scenes. I predict this is exactly what Paula will deliver, so it makes me even more excited to get my hands on this.

TV/MOVIE

American Horror Story: Cult Poster #1

Each season of American Horror Story provides creepy, but stunning, poster art. They typically release a few posters (with one piece being the key art for the season). The first one symbolizes the 'hive mind' mentality of cults, and is pretty eye catching at the same time.

It is combing the theme with the clown imagery this season seems to be using. These always make me more excited for the upcoming season and this is no exception.

American Horror Story: Cult Promo #1

After the theme was revealed, they also revealed the first promo/trailer for the season. Again, they typically release a few of these to get people excited. The first one they released was, as expected, pretty unsettling.

It sounds like Evan Peters is doing the voice over, and rumour has it that this season features his biggest role yet in the franchise so I am going to go ahead and guess he's the cult leader. Pretty brilliant if you ask me. I cannot wait to see what else they release to tease this season.

My Friend Dahmer Teaser Trailer 

I have always been fascinated by true crime, and that fascination has been reignited by the amazing My Favorite Murder podcast.

I had heard about this movie when people were gushing about it after an early screening at a recent film festival. Ross Lynch, by all accounts, gives a chills inducing performance in this, and the trailer makes it clear that the buzz was warranted. 

It makes me want to watch this IMMEDIATELY. An official release date has not been revealed, but I am hoping it is soon.

Stranger Things Season 2 Trailer

The most exciting thing to come out of San Diego Comic Con (at least for me). This trailer is EVERYTHING. It has, if possible, made me even more excited for the second season to arrive on Netflix this October. It has certainly made the wait even harder.

The use of the Thriller voice over is perfect, and I have so many questions after seeing this trailer. I am not even going to lie - I've watched it about 20 times since it was released. 

What are you obsessed with this week?