Book Blitz: Holly Hearts Hollywood by Kenley Conrad with Giveaway #ReadSwoonRepeat

4 star

Summary:

Holly Hearts Hollywood is the first book in a series.

Seventeen-year-old Holly Hart wants to be a star. She moves to Los Angeles from the small town of Cedar Junction, only to hear she’s too fat and ugly to be a famous singer.

But when Shell Shocked Records looks past Holly’s plus-size and less-than-graceful-personality to offer her a recording contract, Holly cannot believe her good fortune. On closer inspection, however, the the record execs want Holly to do all the singing, and a thinner and more beautiful girl, Lacey, would lip-sync and get all the credit. Holly goes for it because after all, she wanted to sing.

Contractually bound to secrecy, Holly is more than happy to sit backstage and write in her journal while Lacey shimmies in the limelight and basks in the fame. Before she knows it, Holly is friends with Serena, the pop-star daughter of a music-mogul, flirting with an intern, and developing a strange half-friendship with Lacey.

When Grayson Frost, the biggest country star in America, and coincidentally, a former school bully begins dating Lacey, Holly hopes that he won’t recognize or torment her.

Through a series of embarrassing and weird events, Holly gets to know Grayson and learns that he is much nicer and more mature than he was four years ago. Holly is horrified when she starts falling for him. When Grayson admits he fell for Lacey’s voice, what is a girl to do when she can’t legally tell the truth at the moment when the truth matters the most?


From the synopsis alone, I was already confident that I would like this book. The plot really interested me because it's something so very familiar that it's actually quite refreshing. The story is told in a diary/journal type way, and I think that this suited the overall sweet personality of the main character. 

I gave this 4 stars just because I didn't like how the story ended. I just want this book to end in a way where everything is resolved and won't leave me frustrated. Don't get me wrong, I like my plot twists and surprises and angst as much as the next reader, but this book that just felt really sweet and romantic had no business having that kind of ending. Even so, that was not a deal breaker and if there is a second book, which I hope there is, I would be glad to read it.

Kenley Conrad did a great job with constructing an emotional connection between the characters and readers.

In conclusion, this book was great! It's cute, light and swoony. What more can I ask, right? I would definitely recommend this to all YA lovers out there!
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Holly Hearts Hollywood
by Kenley Conrad
Publication Date: September 2014
Publisher: Swoon Romance



From nine to five, Kenley is a home insurance agent. At all other hours of the day she is a young adult author, singer, dancer, cat lady, fangirl, wife, bookworm, and internet enthusiast. Her favorite pastimes include crying over really good books, riding with her husband on their motorcycle, and binge-watching seasons of television shows. When she’s not working or writing, she likes to perform in local community musical theatre productions.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads


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Giveaway Information: – Winner will be drawn June 17, 2015

·         One (1) winner will receive 2 eBooks of any previously published Swoon Romance books of their choice (INT)

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Blog Tour: Biggie by Derek E. Sullivan

3 stars


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Biggie by Derek E. Sullivan
Published by: Albert Whitman & Company
Publication date: March 1st 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Henry “Biggie” Abbott is the son of one of Finch, Iowa ‘s most famous athletes. His father was a baseball legend and his step-dad is a close second. At an obese 300+ pounds though, Biggie himself prefers classroom success to sports. As a perfectionist, he doesn’t understand why someone would be happy getting two hits in five trips to the plate. “Forty percent, that’s an F in any class,” he would say. As Biggie’s junior year begins, the girl of his dreams, Annabelle Rivers, starts to flirt with him. Hundreds of people have told him to follow in his dad’s footsteps and play ball, but Annabelle might be the one to actually convince him to try. What happens when a boy who has spent his life since fourth grade trying to remain invisible is suddenly thrust into the harsh glare of the high school spotlight?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23217531-biggie?ac=1

Biggie is all about an overweight teenage boy named Henry. He got his nickname "Biggie", well because he practically weighed over 300 pounds. He's also a nerd who enjoys spending his time talking to strangers online than people at his school.

In my opinion, Biggie's character isn't someone that everyone could get along with since he's really a bit weird. But, as the book progresses, I slowly understood him and came to like him more. We all get to know what he's thinking and what he's feeling. Basically, its all about getting to know Biggie.

What I liked about the book? Well, I love that it's very realistic. Someone out there could easily have the same situation as Biggie. Most of us wants to fit in, to be noticed by people we like. All of us make mistakes, even Biggie does! The writing style of Derek was just simple yet very clear. Next thing I liked about the book is the story itself. It's not your average YA. It's a fresh read, and it seems a bit like a coming of age plot.

As much as I liked those aspects of the book, I took two stars because of my own feelings about the main character, Henry "Biggie". It's not about him being weird or freaky. He actually improved on that slowly. What I didn't like was how he expresses that he loves Annabelle. Sometimes, I feel like it's just about the looks. If Annabelle wasn't hot like Biggie's descriptions, then maybe he wouldn't care for her in the first place.

Biggie is still an enjoying read though. It teaches us to bring out the best in ourselves. Also, if we truly believe in ourselves then nothing is impossible. I am looking forward to reading more books by Derek Sullivan!







Purchase:

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AUTHOR BIO:
Derek E. Sullivan is an award-winning reporter and columnist at the Rochester Post-Bulletin in Minnesota. As a reporter, he has written more than 1,000 stories about the lives of teenagers, which he attributes to helping him find his YA voice. He has an MFA from Hamline University and lives in Minnesota with his wife and three sons.

Author links:

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
  • 2x 50$ B&N Gift Cards
  • 3x Signed copies of BIGGIE hardcover
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Book in Review: Cut Me Free by J.R. Johansson

3/5

21469083Title: Cut Me Free
Author: J.R. Johansson
Hardcover: 304 pages
Expected Publication: January 27, 2015
Format: ARC
Rating 3/5


Summary via Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte barely escaped from her abusive parents. Her little brother, Sam, wasn't as lucky. Now she's trying to begin the new life she always dreamed of for them, but never thought she'd have to experience alone. She's hired a techie-genius with a knack for forgery to remove the last ties to her old life. But while she can erase her former identity, she can’t rid herself of the memories. And her troubled history won’t let her ignore the little girl she sees one day in the park. The girl with the bruises and burn marks.

 That’s when Charlotte begins to receive the messages. Threatening notes left in her apartment--without a trace of entry. And they’re addressed to Piper, her old name. As the messages grow in frequency, she doesn’t just need to uncover who is leaving them; she needs to stop whoever it is before anyone else she loves ends up dead.

I really don't know what to say. The plot first focused on Piper, the main character who wanted a new future. It focused on fixing her life, and more on the psychological aspects. But, towards the end, I knew that Cut Me Free is more of a thriller than a sociological book, and I don't know if I liked it that way. Honestly, it gave me chills. I hate blood, and there are so many disturbing happenings in this book.

Until now, I am still not sure if I liked this book or not.

First, the writing style. Johansson's writing style was vivid and articulate. It contains flashbacks on what happened to Piper before. Although, there was one part that I didn't quite understand. I was a bit confused on how the "enemy/villain" was able to get into the house, I'm not sure if t's just me or it's the writing style. 

For the characters, I didn't like any of them that much. I didn't have the connection which is why I took one star away. I felt like Charlotte's emotional state and her way of adapting to the outside world was pretty good despite the fact the she was stuck inside an attic for years. She may be strong, and stuff, but it's just not believable. Cam was a good guy, but I think he fell for Charlotte too fast. The other characters seemed like they were just two-dimensional caricatures. They didn't feel like real people to me. 

Book in Review: The Before Now and After Then by Peter Monn

3 stars
The Before Now and After Then
Title: The Before Now and After Then
Author: Peter Monn
Pages: 304
Publlication Date: July 28, 2014
Publisher: Pen Name Publishing
Rating: 3/5 

Summary:

Danny Goldstein has always lived in the shadow of his identical, twin brother Sam. But when a hurricane of events forces him into the spotlight, he starts to realize that the only thing he’s truly afraid of is himself. With the help of his costume changing friend Cher, a famous gay uncle with a mysterious past of his own, two aging punk rocker parents and Rusty, the boy who will become his something to live for, Danny begins to realize that the music of the heart is truly the soundtrack for living.






I started reading this book and I was so stoked for it. I was expecting something cool. That is because it's quite difficult to write a book revolving around gay people that's not offensive, not too opinionated and is handled well. I like reading lgbt books because there aren't much of it in the world. 

When I reached about 30% of the book, you can ask my sister how much I was having the gay feels. Rusty and Danny were really cute! 

But, there was a twist of mindset when I was somewhere in the middle of the story. I got a bit bored. I still read it, but not like I still had the feels. Majority of the content of the book was how Rusty and Danny spent one whole week together so happy and full of butterflies. They literally just met, and they already knew that they liked each other and after again a few days, they loved each other. I'm not a fan of immediate relationships. I don't believe in those, even though both characters believed that time cannot measure love. 

I was kind of dissapointed because their relationship could have been more on getting to know each other first before anything. Another thing was that I was already expecting what was going to happen, in almost all parts of the book. There was nothing spectacular about the ending as well, but it's a great way to end the book. I was happy that it ended that way. 

The beginning and ending was great, and the way Danny thinks was a bit relatable too. I just think that it could've been more exciting, and less boring in the middle. Nonetheless, I did not regret reading this book. I was still glad that I read it. This book is worth checking out if you want to read something light and cute.