Publisher: Penguin

The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer & Stephen Dyer | Giveaway + Author Guest Post

The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer & Stephen Dyer | Giveaway + Author Guest Post

Hello all! Today I am honoured and delighted to be promoting THE SEASON by Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer. Guys, when I first heard about this book several months ago, I was basically salivating. I am all about the summer fluff books, and I love sporty girl books so the two combined into a Pride & Prejudice retelling? SIGN ME UP. THE SEASON is coming out on July 12th, and to whet your appetite, the Dyers have stopped by with a special (and HILARIOUS) post from their protagonist, Megan, with some pro-tips on how to be a Texas deb […]

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee | Review

June 1, 2016 / 4 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review
Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee | Review

Review: Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee Mercy Wong has a dream. A seventeen year old Chinese girl living in San Francisco’s Chinatown at the turn of the 20th century, she’s desperate to gain more learning and prestige and find a way to save herself and her little brother from spending the rest of their lives working for her father’s laundry business. The key? Gaining entry to St. Clare’s School for Girls, the most prestigious school in San Francisco. But it’s 1906 and an earthquake is looming on the horizon… I’d like to preface this review by saying that I […]

Waiting on Wednesday: Tumbling by Caela Carter

Waiting on Wednesday: Tumbling by Caela Carter

I feel like I’ve been waiting for Tumbling by Caela Carter forever; I first heard about it last year and it immediately made my must-have list because GYMNASTICS YA. Have I mentioned I’m a huge fan of Make It Or Break It, the short-lived ABC Family series, and sports YA in general? The synopsis makes me think this is definitely going to be a lot like that show when the stakes get high. And as we know…when the stakes get high, that’s when the competition really gets fierce. Is Tumbling on your TBR? Are you a fan of sports in your books? […]

Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee | Review

March 7, 2016 / 4 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review
Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee | Review

Review: Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee was on so many bloggers’ favorites lists for 2015, and was on my own highly anticipated reads…and then I didn’t read it for ages. Thank goodness for my book club having it as the pick for Jan/Feb, because I really, really needed to read this one, and I think you will, too. Under A Painted Sky is the story of Samantha Young, a Chinese girl living in Missouri on a border town to the Oregon Trail in 1849. She’s been pretty sheltered for most of […]

Kids of Appetite by David Arnold | Waiting on Wednesday

Kids of Appetite by David Arnold | Waiting on Wednesday

I mean, Kids of Appetite by David Arnold is kind of a no-brainer given that Mosquitoland was my only 5-star review of last year, right? Arnold is a master storyteller, a weird and wonderful wordsmith, and someone who takes the craft of writing to a higher level. Go read my review if you don’t believe me. Aside from that, I love, love, LOVE the concept of two kids in separate interrogation rooms and finding out about their friendship through testimony. Gah. And the fact that they bond while listening to the Lakme Flower Duet…that’s just candy to a classical-singing girl like […]

Waiting on Wednesday: The Inside of Out by Jenn Marie Thorne

Waiting on Wednesday: The Inside of Out by Jenn Marie Thorne

I first read Jenn Marie Thorne’s excellent debut, The Wrong Side of Right, in August, and it’s one of the best YA books I’ve read that deals with politics (I haven’t reviewed it yet – will get to it, promise!). Jenn’s writing is quietly impactful and insightful – I feel like The Wrong Side of Right is one of those books that flew under the radar a bit and shouldn’t have. So I’m really excited to see a companion, of sorts, set in the same world as Jenn’s first novel, and dealing with some of the same media pressures, but […]

: Review: The Distance From Me To You by Marina Gessner

October 16, 2015 / 2 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review, Uncategorized
: Review: The Distance From Me To You by Marina Gessner

Review: The Distance From Me To You is a book for people who like no-nonsense writing and fast pacing. It’s a straightforward look at stubborn, independent McKenna, a 17-year old who decides to hike the entire Appalachian Trail after high school. Without her parents knowing, McKenna decides to go it alone after being abandoned at the last moment by her best friend. Along the way, she meets and falls in love with thru hiker, Sam, who is trying to outrun his very broken home life. The bulk of this book deals with Sam’s and McKenna’s relationship and his belief that […]

: Juniors by Kaui Hart Hemmings

September 28, 2015 / 2 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review, Uncategorized
: Juniors by Kaui Hart Hemmings

Review: I admit it: I wanted to read Juniors because I fell in love with the movie The Descendants, which is based on Kaui Hart Hemmings’ eponymous novel. I loved the way that the screenplay perfectly captured the conflict of the teenage daughter and the protagonist father, and I liked how we got a glimpse of some of the cultural and class issues in Hawaii. Juniors expands on those issues, this time fully from the perspective of a teenage girl. Lea Lane is a part-Hawaiian girl who has just moved back to Oahu after several years in California. She’s been enrolled […]

Waiting on Wednesday: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Waiting on Wednesday: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that book bloggers are eagerly anticipating. This week’s WoW is eagerly awaited by many bloggers: Just One Day Author: Gayle Forman Publisher: Dutton Juvenile Expected publication: January 8, 2013 From Goodreads: A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay. When sheltered American good girl Allyson “LuLu” Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into […]

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

September 14, 2012 / 6 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review, Uncategorized
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen My rating: 3 of 5 stars Review: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare was one of the 2012 releases I was most looking forward to. Unfortunately, I felt that its peculiar structure and its pacing made it a confusing and frustrating read. Plot: Ella Marino is a smart, sassy, 16-year old who is interested in art and art history. In particular, she’s obsessed with Edward Willing, a post-Impressionist artist who was the nephew of the lady who founded her school, the Willing School. Ella comes from a large Italian family […]