BLOG TOUR: Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Park Row and Amanda Pellegrino for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: Smile and Look Pretty

Author: Amanda Pellegrino

Published by: Park Row

Released: March 8, 2022

Source: Electronic Review Copy from Publisher

Goodreads      Amazon

 

Synopsis: A whip-smart, piercing debut novel, Smile and Look Pretty follows four assistants who band together to take on their toxic office environments in the ultimate comeuppance. 

Online they're the Aggressive One, the Bossy One, the Bitchy One and the Emotional One. In real life, best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max all have one thing in common--they're overworked, overtired and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful men in the entertainment industries. When they secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, their posts go viral and hundreds of other women come forward with stories of their own. Confronted with the risks of newfound fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, they have to contend with what happens when you try to change the world.

Gripping, razor sharp and scathingly funny, Smile and Look Pretty is a fast-paced millennial rallying cry about the consequences of whistleblowing for an entire generation, and a testament to the strength of female friendship and what can be accomplished when women come together. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This one was fun, fast, and full of girl power! It really captures some of the #MeToo movement feeling. These girls are tired of bad behavior from their male bosses, and they are going to call them out on it, through what they think is the safety of the internet. All things do not go according to plan.

This tackled some very relevant issues. It had me cheering for the four friends. It also gave the reality that there is danger in calling some one out. The internet is a dangerous place. One day you're the hero, the next you're the villain.

This was a really enjoyable read, and I'd definitely say grab it!

Amanda Pellegrino is a TV writer and novelist living in NYC whose writing has appeared in Refinery29 and Bustle. Smile and Look Pretty is her debut novel.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino. Thank you to Park Row and Amanda Pellegrino for letting me be a part of the tour. This is one that is fun and fast, you should read it.

BLOG TOUR: If You Ask Me by Libby Hubscher

 I am excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for If You Ask Me by Libby Hubscher! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Berkley and Libby Hubscher for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: If You Ask Me

Author: Libby Hubscher

Published by: Berkley

Released: March 8, 2022

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads      Amazon

 

Synopsis: When an advice columnist’s picture-perfect life implodes, she opts to go rogue in this hilarious, heartwarming romance from the author of Meet Me in Paradise.

Violet Covington pens Dear Sweetie, the most popular advice column in the state of North Carolina. She has an answer for how to politely handle any difficult situation…until she discovers her husband, Sam, has been cheating on her. Furious and out of sensible solutions, Violet leaves her filter at the door and turns to her column to air her own frustrations. The new, brutally honest Dear Sweetie goes viral, sending more shock waves through Violet’s life. When she burns Sam’s belongings in a front-yard, late-night bonfire, a smoking-hot firefighter named Dez shows up to douse the flames, and an unexpected fling quickly shows potential to become something longer lasting.

A lot of people want to see the old polished Violet return—including her boss, who finds her unpredictability hard to manage, and Sam, who’s begging for another chance. But Dez appreciates Violet just the way she is—in fact, he can’t get enough of her. The right answers don’t come easily when Violet finds herself at her own personal crossroads. But maybe, by getting real, Violet can write her own happy ending. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This was fun! I had a good time reading this. Violet is a woman who has had her heart broken, and she's not thinking 100% rationally. She turns her advice column job into a personal venting page. She then burns a bunch of her cheating husband's stuff, which gets a certain firefighter named Dez involved. It was a crazy ride and I liked it.

Libby Hubscher is an author and scientist. She studied biology at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and holds a doctor of philosophy degree in molecular toxicology from North Carolina State University. Her work has appeared online and in textbooks, scientific journals, and literary journals. Her short story "The Unwelcome Guest" was long-listed for the Wigleaf Top 50 in 2018. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, two young children, and a menagerie of pets.

Thanks for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for If You Ask Me by Libby Hubscher. Thank you to Berkley and Libby Hubscher for letting me be a part of the tour. I'd look out for this one.

BLOG TOUR: The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

 I am really excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill. I received a free copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Algonquin Young Readers and Kelly Barnhill for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: The Ogress and the Orphans

Author: Kelly Barnhill

Published by: Algonquin Young Readers

Released: March 8, 2022

Source: Review Copy from Publisher

Goodreads     Amazon

 

Synopsis: A fantasy about the power of generosity and love, and how a community suffers when they disappear.

Stone-in-the-Glen, once a lovely town, has fallen on hard times. Fires, floods, and other calamities have caused the people to lose their library, their school, their park, and even their neighborliness. The people put their faith in the Mayor, a dazzling fellow who promises he alone can help. After all, he is a famous dragon slayer. (At least, no one has seen a dragon in his presence.) Only the clever children of the Orphan House and the kindly Ogress at the edge of town can see how dire the town’s problems are.

Then one day a child goes missing from the Orphan House. At the Mayor’s suggestion, all eyes turn to the Ogress. The Orphans know this can’t be: the Ogress, along with a flock of excellent crows, secretly delivers gifts to the people of Stone-in-the-Glen.

But how can the Orphans tell the story of the Ogress’s goodness to people who refuse to listen? And how can they make their deluded neighbors see the real villain in their midst? (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This was very good and I really enjoyed reading it. It was such a wonderful and magical read. It was a sweet fairytale.

It was written in a really engaging manner. I kept turning the pages so I could see what was going to happen next.

If you're in the mood for a good middle grade, I'd definitely grab this one.

Kelly Barnhill lives in Minnesota with her husband and three children. She is the author of four novels, most recently The Girl Who Drank the Moon, winner of the 2017 John Newbery Medal. She is also the winner of the World Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award, a Nebula Award, and the PEN/USA literary prize. Visit her online at kellybarnhill.com or on Twitter: @kellybarnhill.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour post for The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill. Thank you so much to Algonquin Young Readers and Kelly Barnhill for letting me be a part of this tour. This is definitely one you should grab for yourself.

BLOG TOUR: Killing Time by Brenna Ehrlich

I am pretty excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Killing Time by Brenna Ehrlich! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Inkyard Press and Brenna Ehrlich for letting me be a part of the tour. This is the kind of book that grabs my attention every time.

 

 

 

Title: Killing Time

Author: Brenna Ehrlich

Published by: Inkyard Press

Released: March 8, 2022

Source: Electronic Review Copy from Publisher

Goodreads      Amazon

 

Synopsis: Summer in Ferry, Connecticut, has always meant long, lazy days at the beach and wild nights partying in the abandoned mansions on the edge of town. Until now, that is.

Natalie Temple, who’s never been one for beaches or parties in the first place, is reeling from the murder of her favorite teacher, and there’s no way this true-crime-obsessed girl is going to sit back and let the rumor mill churn out lie after lie—even if she has to hide her investigation from her disapproving mom and team up with the new boy in town…

But the more Natalie uncovers, the more she realizes some secrets were never meant to be told. 

"Expertly-plotted and brimming with suspense, Killing Time is more than just a mystery. It's a thoughtful novel about true crime stories and how we tell them. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This is the kind of book that I always enjoy reading. I love a murder mystery. Sprinkle in a true crime obsessed main character uncovering dangerous secrets and I'm reading it even harder. This book just had so many things about it that grabbed me. It is also blurbed by Courtney Summers, which is another way to make me grab it.

I really enjoyed this one. I liked following the case and seeing what was going to happen. It also had alternating timelines, which is a device that I always enjoy. Natalie was an okay character to follow. I liked following along on her investigation and trying to solve it with her.

This was an enjoyable YA mystery. I like books like this.

 

Brenna Ehrlich is a journalist, YA author, and editor who has worked everywhere from MTV News to Rolling Stone. She resides in New Jersey with her husband Morgan and their two cats, Nimbus and Hazel. She enjoys horror movies and romcoms in equal measure.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Killing Time by Brenna Ehrlich. Thanks so much to Inkyard Press and Brenna Ehrlich for letting me be a part of the tour. I'd definitely recommend keeping your eye out for this one.

Reading Right Now! (329)

 Another week has come and gone. It's been a bit of a long week, so I'm ready for the weekend. Nothing super exciting has happened. I did work a little bit on my reading journal, and I've been enjoying the process. I signed up for a sticker subscription service called STICKII and I'm not mad at my decision. I love stickers, my problem is that I have a habit of hoarding rather than using. So, I've been adding stickers to my journal. I'm not the most artistic and I struggle when it comes to spreads, but I'm having fun doing it. Let's hope that I actually keep it up, because that's another problem I tend to have.

So what' I'm Reading Right Now! is...

 

Egg Drop Dead (A Noodle Shop Mystery #5) by Vivien Chien -- This is a cozy mystery series that follows Lana Lee. She is the manager of her family's Chinese Restaurant located in Asia Village in Ohio. Asia Village and it's members have had some real bad luck when it comes to murders. Lana Lee has become involved in solving these mysteries.

I really like this series. It's a lot of fun and just easy reading. I really enjoy all the characters. It's crazy to me that only a few months have passed in the span of these five books so far. There's been a lot of murders in just a couple months. That would make me nervous. In this one, Lana is investigating the death of a nanny, who just happens to have been in the service of one of the owners of the Asia Village Properties. She enlists Lana's help and Lana has to decide if Donna is a victim or a murderer.

 

I'm excited to be continuing with this series because I really do enjoy it. I hope to get into more cozy mystery series.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

BLOG TOUR: The Wonders by Elena Medel

I am very excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Wonders by Elena Medel! I received a free copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Algonquin Books and Elena Medel for letting me be a part of this tour.

 

 

Title: The Wonders

Author: Elena Medel

Translated by: Lizzie Davis and Thomas Bunstead

Published by: Algonquin Books

Released: March 1, 2022

Source: Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads       Amazon

 

Synopsis: Through the vivid interior worlds of two unforgettable characters, Elena Medel brings a half century of the feminist movement to life, revealing how little has really changed for women who work the night shift. 

Winner of the prestigious Francisco Umbral Prize for Book of the Year and already a sensation in Spain, The Wonders follows María and Alicia through the streets of Madrid, from job to job and apartment to apartment, as they search for meaning and stability, unknowingly tracing each other’s footfalls across time. 

María moved to the city in 1969, leaving her daughter with her family but hoping to save enough to take care of her one day. She worked as a housekeeper, a caregiver, a cleaner—somehow always taking care of someone else. Two generations later, during the Women’s March in 2018, Alicia was working at the snack shop in the Atocha train station when it overflowed with protesters and strikers. Women, so many women, were flooding the streets with their signs and chants. She couldn’t have known María was among them; she was on the clock. And later, she’d be looking for someone else, a man to take her away for a few hours, to make her forget. Anyone but her husband, with his pleas to go on bike rides together, to have children, to act like the other thirtysomething couples they knew. 

Medel’s lyrical sensibility reveals her roots as a poet, but her fast-paced and expansive storytelling show she’s a novelist ahead of her time. With grit, texture, and mesmerizing prose, The Wonders launches an inimitable new voice in fiction. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This was a departure from the books that I've been reading recently, but I enjoyed it. This story covers multiple generations and is set in Madrid. It was a very interesting story to read.

This novel really explores what it is like to be a woman in the world. It's set in different time periods and follows their stories and struggles.

It's not a very long book, I wouldn't have minded having a little more to round out the story.

It's written in a sort of literary way too.

I enjoyed the book. It was something different than what I normally read. It's good.

 

Elena Medel is a Spanish poet and the founder and publisher of La Bella Varsovia, an independent poetry publishing house. Medel was the first woman ever to win the prestigious Francisco Umbral Prize, for her debut novel The Wonders, which was also longlisted for the Finestres Award and has been translated into fifteen languages. She published her prizewinning first collection of poetry, My First Bikini, when she was sixteen years old.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Wonders by Elena Medel. Thank you to Algonquin Books and Elena Medel for letting me be a part of the tour. If this one sounds good to you, I'd definitely recommend giving it a read.

BLOG TOUR: Phantom Game by Christine Feehan

 I am excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Phantom Game (Ghostwalkers #18) by Christine Feehan. I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Berkley and Christine Feehan for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: Phantom Game (Ghostwalkers #18)

Author: Christine Feehan

Published by: Berkley

Released: March 1, 2022

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads      Amazon

 

Synopsis: Jonas "Smoke" Harper has watched his brothers find their perfect mates, never imagining he'd actually meet someone who complements every part of him — even the monster that lurks within. But his instant connection with Camellia goes far beyond wanting the intelligent, beautiful, and lethal woman in his bed. They are two parts of a whole, linked to each other and to a larger network that exists everywhere around them.

Camellia has lived on her own for a long time, relying on her unique psychic abilities to keep her safe. She knows that Jonas was literally made for her, and that makes their addictive connection more dangerous than a thousand enhanced super soldiers. Once the larger threat looming over them is dealt with she's going to get far away as fast as she can. Life has taught her that the only one she can truly trust is herself.

Jonas can sense Camellia is going to run — and the hunter inside doesn't want to let go. Not when he knows how good they'll be together. So he'll just have to use all of his considerable skills to convince her to stay... (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: Christine Feehan has written so many books that I'm sometimes confused as to where to start, and scared to jump in. I'm glad I jumped into this one. It's got that great set up of Fated Mates and otherworldly skills. I really enjoy reading these kinds of stories, and I really enjoyed this one.

I really want to/need to start this series from the first, because I know I would enjoy it even more if I was already familiar with the world. I would also probably appreciate more recognizing characters from other books. This is a series that I'm adding to my mammoth TBR.

I enjoyed this. I thought it was fun. It had a lot going on with it. The romance was there. It's good stuff.

Christine Feehan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Carpathian series, the GhostWalker series, the Leopard series, the Shadow Riders series, the Torpedo Ink series, and the Sea Haven novels, including the Drake Sisters series and the Sisters of the Heart series. She also writes standalone thrillers set in the California backcountry.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Phantom Game by Christine Feehan. Thank you to Berkley and Christine Feehan for having me on the tour. This is definitely one to add to your Feehan Collection.