ARC Review: Sidelined

Title: Sidelined
Author: Suzanne Baltsar
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Release Date: August 27, 2019
Genre: Romance
Received: Netgalley
Synopsis from Publisher: When Connor McGuire loses out on his dream job of being the head coach of the local high school football team, he thinks life can’t get any worse. Then he discovers just who got the coveted position—it was a handout to the kid of a well-known, successful college coach. Connor’s sure this is just a publicity stunt, but the kid turns out to be not only a sharp strategist, but a driven and sexy young woman, too. Frustrated in more ways than one, Connor realizes that he might have to step up his game or risk losing altogether.

Coach Charlotte “Charlie” Gibb calls a flag on the play when she finds out that her very male, very attractive, but definitely-rooting-for-her-to-lose assistant coach resents her for taking what he considers to be his rightful position. But never one to back down from a little healthy competition, Charlie is determined to prove her worth—both on and off the field.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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ARC Review: Becoming Beatriz

Title: Becoming Beatriz

Author: Tami Charles

Publisher: Charlesbridge

Release Date: September 17, 2019

Genre: Young Adult

Received: Netgalley

Pages: 272

Synopsis from Goodreads: Beatriz dreams of a life spent dancing–until tragedy on the day of her quinceañera changes everything.

Up until her fifteenth birthday, the most important thing in the world to Beatriz Mendez had been her dream of becoming a professional dancer and getting herself and her family far from the gang life that defined their days–that and meeting her dance idol Debbie Allen on the set of her favorite TV show, Fame. But after the latest battle in a constant turf war leaves her gang leader brother, Junito, dead and her mother grieving, Beatriz has a new set of priorities. How is she supposed to feel the rhythm when her gang needs running, when her mami can’t brush her own teeth, and when the last thing she can remember of her old self is dancing with her brother, followed by running and gunshots? When the class brainiac reminds Beatriz of her love of the dance floor, her banished dreams sneak back in. Now the only question is: will the gang let her go?

Set in New Jersey in 1984, Beatriz’s story is a timeless one of a teenager’s navigation of romance, gang culture, and her own family’s hard past. A companion novel to the much-lauded Like Vanessa.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

BOOK REVIEW: Breakaway

Title: Breakaway
Author: Kat Spears
Genre: Teen Fiction, Contemporary
Themes: Friendship, family, death, romance
Pages: 304
Synopsis: When Jason Marshall’s younger sister passes away, he knows he can count on his three best friends and soccer teammates—Mario, Jordie, and Chick—to be there for him. With a grief-crippled mother and a father who’s not in the picture, he needs them more than ever. But when Mario starts hanging out with a rough group of friends and Jordie finally lands the girl of his dreams, Jason is left to fend for himself while maintaining a strained relationship with troubled and quiet Chick.
Then Jason meets Raine, a girl he thinks is out of his league but who sees him for everything he wants to be, and he finds himself pulled between building a healthy and stable relationship with a girl he might be falling in love with, grieving for his sister, and trying to hold on to the friendships he has always relied on.

My rating: 2 out of 5 stars

ARC Review: Life After Juliet

Title: Life After Juliet

Author: Shannon Lee Alexander

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Release Date: July 5, 2016

Genre: Teen, YA, Contemporary, Romance

Received: Netgalley

Pages: 304

Synopsis from Goodreads: Becca Hanson was never able to make sense of the real world. When her best friend Charlotte died, she gave up on it altogether. Fortunately, Becca can count on her books to escape—to other times, other places, other people…

Until she meets Max Herrera. He’s experienced loss, too, and his gorgeous, dark eyes see Becca the way no one else in school can.

As it turns out, kissing is a lot better in real life than on a page. But love and life are a lot more complicated in the real world…and happy endings aren’t always guaranteed.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

ARC Review: The Replacement Crush

Title: The Replacement Crush

Author: Lisa Brown Roberts

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Release Date: September 6, 2016

Genre: Teen, YA, Contemporary, Romance

Received: Netgalley

Pages: 400

Synopsis from Goodreads: After book blogger Vivian Galdi’s longtime crush pretends their secret summer kissing sessions never happened, Vivian creates a list of safe crushes, determined to protect her heart.

But nerd-hot Dallas, the sweet new guy in town, sends the mission and Vivian’s zing meter into chaos. While designing software for the bookstore where Vivian works, Dallas wages a counter-mission.

Operation Replacement Crush is in full effect. And Dallas is determined to take her heart off the shelf.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

When I First Saw You Thursday (9/8/16)

When I First Saw You Thursday is a meme hosted by Sailing Through Books. Here’s how it works: You write a synopsis for the book with the cover and title as your only guide. Then, you compare it to the real synopsis and laugh at how off you were or congratulate yourself on your amazing deduction skills! I realize I’m a little late in posting this, but I wrote it while ago and forgot to post it! Sorry!

Made Up Synopsis:

At only 8 years old, Roshen is sent off to work in a factory to help support her family. She has run out of options, and she refuses to let her family starve. In the factory, she can earn just enough money for a meal a day, but the harsh working conditions throw many obstacles at Roshen. This is one girl’s brave journey to work hard and love her family.

Read More to see what the actual synopsis is!

ARC Review: Every Falling Star

Title: Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea

Author: Sungju Lee, Susan Elizabeth McClelland

Publisher: Amulet Books, ABRAMS Kids

Release Date: September 12, 2016

Genre: Teen, YA, New Adult, Nonfiction

Received: Netgalley

Pages: 336

Synopsis from Goodreads: Every Falling Star, the first book to portray contemporary North Korea to a young audience, is the intense memoir of a North Korean boy named Sungju who is forced at age twelve to live on the streets and fend for himself. To survive, Sungju creates a gang and lives by thieving, fighting, begging, and stealing rides on cargo trains. Sungju richly re-creates his scabrous story, depicting what it was like for a boy alone to create a new family with his gang, his “brothers”; to be hungry and to fear arrest, imprisonment, and even execution. This riveting memoir allows young readers to learn about other cultures where freedoms they take for granted do not exist.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

How To: Get Out of a Reading Slump

Hey guys! I’m back, and I know I was gone for way too long. I got super busy with other things and swimming and traveling. I was also in a slight reading slump that took forever to get over. Now I’m back in the swing of things but I thought I’d share my list of ways to get out of a reading slump! I hope this helps some of you that are stuck right now:

BOOK REVIEW: When We Collided

Title: When We Collided

Author: Emery Lord

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Romance

Received: Library

Pages: 352

Synopsis from Goodreads: We are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know…

Jonah never thought a girl like Vivi would come along.

Vivi didn’t know Jonah would light up her world.

Neither of them expected a summer like this…a summer that would rewrite their futures.

In an unflinching story about new love, old wounds, and forces beyond our control, two teens find that when you collide with the right person at just the right time, it will change you forever.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

July TBR

Hoping for another great reading month! Here’s what I’ll be reading in July:

 

When We Collided by Emery Lord-Library Copy

Life After Juliet by Shannon Lee Alexander-ARC

The Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts-ARC