Blog Tour: #16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler

Hey guys! I was lucky enough to be able to take part in this blog tour! I hope you enjoy the post! Be sure to check out all the other stops as well.

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Sourcebook Fire
Source: Author
Stand Alone
Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue
When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...
Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue
Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?
5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue
With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.

Review
This was my first with this author.I really enjoyed this one. It was a short, fun read.

This tells the story of Morgan. Her mom suddenly becomes sick. She finally tells Morgan her fathers name. Amy and Adamn decide to accompany Morgan on a road trip to meet her father for the first time. As they band together, Morgan realizes all she's been missing out on,

This had some pretty amazing characters. Morgan took some getting ti know. Once you get used to her, shes very enjoyable. I loved seeing her grow as a person.Facing her past wasn't easy but she never gave up. Amy was honestly the best part of the story. I loved how comfortable she was with herself. She didn't care what anyone thought about her. She had a rocking personality. I loved Adam. He was the brains of the group. I loved how sweet he was. He too had a rocking personality. I loved seeing these guys bang together!

This book has a lot going on. It was a tad all over the place. But it kept my attention easily. It was difficult to put down. It was nice and short. I loved the road trip. I loved the Twitter aspect. I loved all the family aspects also. There was a nice humor to the storyline. It still had its serious moments though. I thought it had a nice balance between serious and humor. Overall I really enjoyed this story! It was very well written. I can't wait to see more from this author! 

    


About the author:
Janet lives near the Canadian Rockies with her husband and son and a little dog named Bruce. She does not live in an Igloo or play hockey, but she does love maple syrup and says “eh” a lot.
Janet only gives 5 stars to the books she reviews because she is an author herself and knows that no book can appeal to everyone, but like a child, it is very special to the creator.
I’M NOT HER was published by Sourcebooks Teen Fire in May 2011.
IF I TELL released Oct 1, 2011 from Sourcebooks Teen Fire.
WHO I KISSED Sourcebooks Fire 2012.
Janet’s work will also appear in the THE FIRST TIME anthology, DEAR TEEN ME anthology and WHO DONE IT anthology.

Author Links: 
  

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All Our Yesterday's by Cristin Terrill Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Source: Conference
First book in the All Our Yesterday's series
What would you change?
Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.
Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside. 
Marina has loved her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it... at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time that only one of them can win.
All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Review
I didn't know much about this before reading. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it or not. Of course I ended up loving it! 

This tells the story of Em and Finn. They have returned to the past in hopes of saving the world. But, their past selves have no idea what's going on. And, James will stop at nothing to change the world. 

This did get a little confusing with the past and present characters. But, the characters were fantastic. I loved them to pieces. I loved that they were the same people but with different goals and lives. Finn had to be my favorite with Em coming in a close second. It was cool seeing the older and the young versions of them. I wished for more of the older James but I really enjoyed the young version of him. 

I don't see time travel done a lot. I really enjoy it though. I loved the concept of this story. It was impossible to put down. It was incredibly fast paced and action packed. I loved all the twists and turns. I loved the way the two stories wrapped into one. I thought everything was very well done. I can't wait to continue this series! 

Waiting on Wednesday: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

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

My pick this week is:

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Expected publication: June 17th 2014 by Henry Holt and Co

The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

I'm kinda cheating with this one since I haven't read the second one. But, I know without reading Siege and Storm that I'm dying for this pretty. I plan on buying and reading Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising back to back. I can't wait to finish out this amazing series. It will be well worth the wait! 

Asylum by Madeline Roux Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: Conference
First book in the Asylum series
For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it's a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.
As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it's no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.
Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux's teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.

Review
Talk about a perfect pre Halloween book. I'm telling you this book was so creepy. It was set in an asylum and it had pictures! 

This tells the story of Dan, Abby, and Jordan. They are taking a summer program. As the days pass, things get weird. All they want to do is finish out the program. But someone is determined to make things difficult for them. 

This had some pretty great characters. I thought they were very well done. I liked that they stuck together. I liked that they stuck up for themselves. I loved that they didn't get scared or give up. If I was in that position I would run away screaming. It was a little difficult to keep up with the past story. I had some troubles understanding it. 

This was a very suspenseful read. You didn't see anything coming. It was pretty action packed. The pictures really added an effect to the story. This is a pretty complex story. If you don't pay attention, your going to miss something. Overall I thought this was a super fun, creeptastic read. It was very well done. I can't wait to see more from this author! 

March Monthly Wrap Up

Hey guys! We hope you had an amazing month. Check out our wrap ups below. Let us know in the comments what your reading plans are for this month! 

Marissa's Wrap Up

Jasmine's Wrap Up 

Waiting on Wednesday: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

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

My pick this week is:



City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Expected release date: May 27th, 2014
from Margaret K. McElderry
*spoilers*

ΕRCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID.

I am coming.

Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance? Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world changed in the sixth and last installment of the Mortal Instruments series!

Since I'm currently rereading the series, I thought now would be the perfect time to finally pick this book for my WoW. I hadn't before cause it should be obvious by now how impatiently I am waiting for this. I don't really even know what to say. I'm terrified for this book. But in a good way. In the same way I'm terrified for every one of Cassie's books.


If I'm unreachable on my birthday, you now know why.


That's my pick for this week. Is anybody else waiting on this? Or really, is anyone not waiting on this?! Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday (55)



Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists

 

This weeks topic is Top Ten "Gateway" Books/Authors In My Reading Journey. This is actually pretty perfect because I'm currently rereading one of my favorite series and it got me thinking about what was so special about the books that I read when I first got into reading. So let's take a walk down memory lane-bookish edition.

• The Twilight Series-This is kind of a given. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've seen this on the Top Ten's this week. If it weren't for my mother making me read the book before I saw the movie, I wouldn't be the reader I am now. These books make me love reading.
• The Harry Potter series-Another given. I didn't get the experience of reading this as I grew up like a lot of people did, but this was still one of the first series I read. I have fond and vivid memories of binge reading them. This series taught me how to appreciate a long, epic, and incredibly well written series. Oh, and I still ship Ron and Hermione, thank you very much.
• The Percy Jackson series-This series is dear to me because I first read it when I got into reading and I'm still reading it. The characters feel like some of my best friends. This series made me obsessed with Greek mythology and showed me how important it is to make readers laugh during hard times.
• The Mortal Instruments series-I'm rereading this right now and it's made me realize why these books stuck with me. The way Cassandra Clare writes her characters and the situations she puts them in make it hard for you not to connect with them. These books (and her other series, don't even get me started) really made me feel something real for the characters-even if it was mostly pain. Characters are so much realer for me now.
• Stephanie Perkins books-Before Anna and the French Kiss I don't remember ever reading contemporary. I was a paranormal girl and didn't know where to even start with another genre. Even though it wasn't this epic saga, I still loved it so much. Now that contemporary is one of my favorite genres, these books are still what made fall in love with it in the first place.
• Katie McGarrys books-On the opposite end of contemporary are these books. While Anna and Lola are my favorites for more sentimental reasons, these books come incredibly close to topping them. I could go on and on about them. These books made me love contemporary that wasn't all cutesy and fluff; they're hard hitting and dark and despite that I love them to bits. 
• The Hunger Games trilogy-These were probably the first dystopian books I read. I still think about the characters all the time. While dystopian isn't my favorite genre, a number of my favorite books or series are in it and I would never have read them if I hadn't first read this. It also made me really thankful for the world that I live in.
• The Wicked Lovely series-Am I the only person who thinks that there aren't enough faerie books out there? This series made me obsessed with them and I don't get to read about them enough. They are always different and these kind are beautiful but twisted and that makes them so interesting to read about. Now I want to read about them again.
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green-While this book certainly didn't make me want to read more like it (why would I ever do that to myself?) it still affected my reading. It made me a crybaby. But I'm thankful, because the books that make me cry are usually the ones I love the most.
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater-While I suspect Twilight was to blame for my prejudice towards werewolves, I know this series is to blame for me now loving them. Or it might just be because it's pretty much impossible not to love Sam Roth.

Those are my picks for this week. What about you? Are any of ours the same? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to leave links to your TTT!