Book Briefs - Bringing you Young Adult book reviews since 2011

{Review+Giveaway} Julia Defiant @ByCatherineEgan @KnopfBFYR ‏

{Interview+Giveaway} The Possible by @TaraAltebrando @bloomsburykids

{Giveaway} Beach Reads #Giveaway Hop! #BeachReads

{Giveaway+ Discussion} FLYLēF’s 2nd Anniversary Giveaway!

{Review+Guest Post+Giveaway} Refuge for Masterminds by Kathleen Baldwin @KatBaldwin @TorTeen

{Review+Giveaway} We Were Liars by @ELockhart @DelacortePress

Jun 22

{Review} Finding You by Jo Watson @Jowatsonwrites @ForeverRomance ‏

Finding You by Jo Watson is the third book in the Destination Love series. I have not read any of the previous novels in this series, but Finding You was so much fun that now I want to. Each of the novels in the Destination Love series can be read as total standalones. I don’t even think there is any character overlap, which is nice because they are true standalones that way. Finding You is the story of Jane, who goes to Greece in search of her birth father. Jane basically has a name and an occupation, and nothing else to go on. She even picks the part of Greece randomly and sets off. Which is crazy, in my opinion and totally unlike the character of the Jane I got to know. (Which she readily admits is true.) Jane was a hoot and a half. I loved her and all of her quirks! She is a successful dentist and she knows trivia about all sorts of topics, and she can’t… Read more »

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Jun 19

{Review+Giveaway} Why I Loathe Sterling Lane by @IngridEPaulson @EntangledTeen

Why I Loathe Sterling Lane is a young adult contemporary romance by Ingrid Paulson. Why I Loathe Sterling Lane felt kind of like 10 Things I hate about you, which is a movie that I love. It was a really fun read, and I would love to see more from these characters. Why I Loathe Sterling Lane is a standalone novel, but I really want to see a second book, maybe when Harper and Sterling are in college. That would be a lot of fun. Why I Loathe Sterling Lane is the story of Harper and Sterling. It is told from Harper’s point of view. Harper lives her life by a crazy, and rigid set of rules. Sterling Lane comes blowing into her life and throws all of her rules into chaos. I got a total kick out of Harper and Sterling. They were so similar it was kind of scary. I liked that they recognized that in one another as well. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Sterling… Read more »

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Jun 16

{Review+Giveaway} Julia Defiant @ByCatherineEgan @KnopfBFYR ‏

I have been totally loving reading books in a series back to back. This is the summer of the binge read for me. So I decided to do that with books one and two in the Witch’s Child series. So this is a combined review for books one and two in the Witch’s Child series by Catherine Egan. The first two books in the Witch’s Child Series by Catherine Egan are Julia Vanishes and Julia Defiant. The books got a beautiful new cover change for the release of the second book. While I really liked the original covers, I love the new covers. I am a big fan of the cover change and now I want to get both books with matching new covers. #BookBloggerProblems lol The Witch’s Child series is a really interesting one for me, because it is one of the few series that I ended up liking the second book way, way more than I liked the first book. I found the first book, Julia Vanishes… Read more »

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Jun 16

{Review+Giveaway} PLAINS OF SAND AND STEEL by @AlishaKlapheke

Plains of Sand and Steel is the second book in the Uncommon World series by Alisha Klapheke, but the novel is a companion novel, and not a direct sequel so the book can be read without having read the first book in the series, Waters of Salt and Sin first. I really, really enjoyed Plains of Sand and Steel, but I have not read book one yet, which I now need to rectify immediately! This book was so, so much fun! And I really love the covers for the series. Aren’t they super pretty? Plains of Sand and Steel is everything I love about young adult fantasy books. First off, it is described as ” The Wrath and the Dawn meets Truthwitch in the second standalone, full length novel of the Uncommon World series.” Umm, yes please!!! It has an awesome world, awesome characters and plenty of politics to keep me turning the pages just as fast as my eyes would read them. I was honestly super bummed that I didn’t read the… Read more »

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Jun 13

{Interview+Giveaway} The Possible by @TaraAltebrando @bloomsburykids

I am super excited to be today’s stop on the Boldly Bookish tour. I have Tara Altebrando here to talk about her new book, The Possible. So check out the fun interview, the information on The Possible and then be sure to enter the awesome giveaway down below to win all kinds of awesome books! Describe The Possible in a tweet. (140 characters or less.) A creepy book about a girl who may or may not have inherited telekinetic powers from her mother—and the podcast being made about them. If you could have any kind of special powers, what would they be and why? I’d like telekinetic powers for sure. It has sort of a lifelong obsession of mine. Like I wanted to be Matilda or the twins from Escape to Witch Mountain or a Jedi or the genie from Bewitched. Right now, because I’m a mom, telekinesis feels like the most practical special power to have. I could deliver snacks to my children and pack their lunches and… Read more »

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Jun 12

{ARC Review+Giveaway} Roar by @CoraCarmack @TorTeen

From New York Times bestselling author Cora Carmack comes her debut young adult fantasy, ROAR! Releasing June 13, 2017, ROAR takes readers on an adventure filled with charismatic characters in an enthralling world sure to keep them turning the pages. Order your copy today! Roar is the first book in the young adult fantasy series, called the Stormheart series by author Cora Carmack. Roar honestly blew me away. I loved it so much, and what I loved the most about it was that I don’t feel like the story took the most conventional plot path. It continued to surprise me and that was pretty magical. I have read Cora’s new adult novels in the past and I love her Rusk University books, so I was super excited to see that she was venturing into the young adult fantasy realm. YA fantasies are quickly becoming my very favorite type of books to read. (I do still love a good contemporary romance though…but mostly in the new adult age group.) I thought… Read more »

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Jun 12

{Review+Giveaway} The Year of Four by @TheNyaJade

The Year of Four is the first book in the Phoebe Pope series by Nya Jade. The Phoebe Pope series is a young adult paranormal romance featuring a magical boarding school for shifters. You all know I am a sucker for a magical school setting, and this one was particularly cool for two reasons. One, it sits below a normal boarding school, and the students attend classes both “above” and “below”. I loved the mixing of the students from the two schools, and I really loved the idea that the regular school “hid” the shifter school. And the second reason I loved this setting was that this was no ordinary school for shifters…no this was a secret spy school. Where they are training animal shifters of all kinds to be spies! How awesome is that? I have never seen this spin the boarding school idea and I couldn’t wait to dive into the series. I also really, really love the cover changes the series got. I think the new covers… Read more »

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Jun 12

{Mini Review+Excerpt+Giveaway} Gallowglass by Jennifer Allis Provost

Gallowglass is the first book in the adult paranormal romance series of the same name by author Jennifer Allis Provost. I enjoyed Gallowglass and I am excited to continue on with the series. I found this one to be a bit slow in parts, but the characters and the story line, along with the promise of where the series can go was enough to keep me interested in the story the whole time. This book felt more like a foundational book for the series. I think with the foundation to the story laid out, the rest of the books will be even better for me. There were so many elements that I really enjoyed in Gallowglass so I am going to quickly list the things I loved, and then I would encourage you to check out the excerpt above if you think this is the type of book that would interest you. I loved the setting. I have always wanted to visit Scotland, and I adore books that take place there. I… Read more »

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Jun 09

{Review} Dating-Ish by Penny Reid @ReidRomance

‘Dating-ish’ can be read as a standalone, is a full length 100k word novel, and is book #6 in the Knitting in the City Series. Dating-ish is a romantic comedy from the fabulous Penny Reid. By now, I think you all know that Penny is one of my all time favorite authors. I absolutely love everything she writes. Seriously, everything. I can count the amount of authors that is true of on my hands, so it is a big deal to me. I have not read all of the Knitting in the City books, which I need to rectify immediately because they are so excellent. I have read a couple of them. Each of the novels works as a standalone, but they are about a group of friends, so reading them all does give you some nice character and couple overlap. Dating-ish follows Marie and Matt. I absolutely loved the two of them. I want another book written from Matt’s point of view, or some deleted scenes or something because… Read more »

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Jun 08

{Review+Giveaway} What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard @alexandraballar @FierceReads

What I Lost is a young adult contemporary by Alexandra Ballard. What I Lost is so unlike anything I have read before in young adult, and that was what I loved most about it. I know that there are other books that take place in a rehabilitation/therapy center, and books that center around the issue of anorexia and eating disorders, but I haven’t really read any. I found the whole thing to be super, super interesting. What I Lost follows our main character, Elizabeth as she checks into the facility and through her treatment, as well as a group of other young women being treated at the same place. I loved the raw look we got at each of the characters. I felt like we got to know not only Elizabeth, but also her roommate and some of the other girls. They are also so different and multifaceted. I just love reading books about well crafted flawed characters. This book hit me right in my feelers. I honestly had no idea… Read more »