Tag: raincoast books

You Don’t Know My Name by Kristen Orlando | Mini-Review

January 11, 2017 / 3 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Mini-Reviews, Review
You Don’t Know My Name by Kristen Orlando | Mini-Review

Review: You Don’t Know My Name by Kristen Orlando I came into You Don’t Know My Name hoping for an Ally Carter like spy story. And knowing Swoon Reads, I expected a fast-paced book with a lot of romance. This book is definitely not Ally Carter, but it does do an okay job with the whole “normal girl who is secretly a spy” idea. I liked Reagan and her friendships, and I enjoyed the romance with her neighbour Luke. I also appreciated that the author took her time showing us Reagan’s teen life and what she leaves behind every time […]

GIVEAWAY CONTEST: Heartless by Marissa Meyer | Blog Tour: Queen of Hearts Excerpt + Review!

GIVEAWAY CONTEST: Heartless by Marissa Meyer | Blog Tour: Queen of Hearts Excerpt + Review!

Hi guys, I’m delighted to be the first stop on the Canadian blog tour for Heartless by Marissa Meyer! Heartless comes out tomorrow, and to celebrate, I’ve got an excerpt focused on the future Queen of Hearts herself, Lady Catherine Pinkerton, and my review. Oh, and I’m also giving away a copy of the book – internationally! As many of you know, I’m a HUGE fan of Ms. Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series, which are four connected sci-fi fairy tale retellings. Marissa has an incredible talent for making fairy tale characters realistic and making us care about them. At the same time, she plays […]

“Weirdly Passionate” | This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills | Review

October 14, 2016 / 3 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Favorites, Review
“Weirdly Passionate” | This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills | Review

Review: This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills This Adventure Ends is amazing. There, I got that out of the way. Like First & Then, Emma Mills’ debut, this book continues the author’s ability to articulate teen life in the most deadpan, honest way. Sloane Finch, the MC, is funny, sarcastic, and deeply kind, able to right wrongs, but unable to break herself out of a bubble of not being engaged in things. Sloane and her family have recently relocated permanently to their summer home in a small town in Florida. When she meets the vivacious Vera Fuller and her brother Gabe, […]

Middle Grade Reads #1: Gertie’s Leap to Greatness and Rebel Genius

Middle Grade Reads #1: Gertie’s Leap to Greatness and Rebel Genius

Hi guys, today I have some middle grade recs for you, courtesy of my husband, Evan! Evan is a mostly comic book reader, with lots of literary fiction interspersed. That said, he’s really interested in the middle grade age group – his favorite cartoons (Adventure Time and Steven Universe) explore that age. So when we saw that Gertie’s Leap to Greatness was illustrated by Jillian Tamaki (one of the artists on Adventure Time), and Rebel Genius was written by the creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra (the cartoons), he volunteered to read and review. Read […]

On Writing Longhand | Speed of Life Blog Tour | Guest Post by JM Kelly |

October 12, 2016 / 0 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Blog Tour, Guest Post
On Writing Longhand | Speed of Life Blog Tour | Guest Post by JM Kelly |

Hi friends, hope you’re having a great Wednesday! Today I’m excited to be part of the Canadian blog tour for the just released YA novel Speed of Life by J.M. Kelly. I’m proud to be welcoming J.M. to the blog to talk about writing this novel longhand. That’s right, J.M. wrote this whole book, about two sisters trying to raise a baby while one also tries to realize her dreams of getting a degree in automotive restoration, by hand! Not only does the writing process sound interesting, but I’m also fascinated by the concept and themes of this book. Sisterhood, being in a tough […]

Waiting on Wednesday | The Names They Gave Us | Emery Lord

September 28, 2016 / 4 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Book Memes, Waiting on Wednesday
Waiting on Wednesday | The Names They Gave Us | Emery Lord

I mean. It’s Emery Lord. Emery Lord, who is one of my all-time fave authors. So much so that I did a week of posts about her work. Emery Lord, who writes about complex females and femship and  feminism and grief and mental health in the best, most illuminating ways. Emery Lord, writing about a religious girl who goes to Bible camp (my life as a tween) questioning her faith (also me). Auto-buy, obviously. Also, will you look at that watercolour cover? Is THE NAMES THEY GAVE US on your TBR? What are you waiting for this week? Let me know […]

Wires and Nerve, Volume 1 by Marissa Meyer and Douglas Holgate | Waiting on Wednesday

Wires and Nerve, Volume 1 by Marissa Meyer and Douglas Holgate | Waiting on Wednesday

If you know me, you know I’m a huge The Lunar Chronicles fan. Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter are on my list of best YA sci-fi ever. (I also really loved Fairest and Stars Above!). Marissa Meyer is a master at blending young adult feels with spaceships, misfits, and fairy tales. I was so excited to find out that we’d be hearing more from one of my favorite characters in the Lunar Chronicles, Iko the android, via this new graphic novel, Wires and Nerve. In the novels, I loved how well Meyer managed to blend Iko’s fun personality with the unique issues that come […]

You Know Me Well & The Way to Game the Walk of Shame | Mini-Reviews

June 23, 2016 / 4 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Mini-Reviews, Review
You Know Me Well & The Way to Game the Walk of Shame | Mini-Reviews

Hey guys! Today I’ve got reviews of YOU KNOW ME WELL by David Levithan and Nina Lacour, and THE WAY TO GAME THE WALK OF SHAME by Jenn P. Nguyen. Normally I save up a few more minis before posting, but like Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner says more eloquently, it’s summer, so I’m lightening the load a bit and doing more mini-reviews in shorter posts. Hope these help you decide on your next read! A fast and pretty YA read, probably great for younger readers. This book reminded me a ton of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist – only, […]

The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood | Review + Blog Tour

May 19, 2016 / 4 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Blog Tour, Review
The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood | Review + Blog Tour

Hi guys, today I’m excited to be part of the Canadian Blog Tour for The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood. This is a really unusual young adult novel, chock full of science and heartbreak, but with beautiful and quirky writing. Read on for a short Q&A with Harriet (about Dawson’s Creek, because Harriet did her Ph.D on it!), and then my review! Who is your favorite Dawson’s Creek character and why? Harriet Reuter Hapgood: Jen Lindley. Without question. I loved her from the get-go. She had such an awful time of it – sexualized way too young, […]

Mini-Reviews: Illustrated Fantasy, Dark Realities

April 7, 2016 / 4 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Mini-Reviews, Review
Mini-Reviews: Illustrated Fantasy, Dark Realities

Beautifully illustrated and executed, this latest (and possibly last?) installment of the Griffin & Sabine series really belongs somewhere within the third book of the trilogy, The Golden Mean. It is, as described, additional letters and correspondence between Griffin and Sabine as they try to make their way towards each other to Alexandria. For those who have not read the series, I think it will be a little difficult to follow this piece – it’s almost like an added novella to the series. That said, since the reading experience of these books is so delightful, I would go ahead and […]