Showing posts with label random house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random house. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Review: Placebo Junkies by J.C. Carleson


 Placebo Junkies by J.C. Carleson
Going Bovine meets Trainspotting in this gritty portrait of at-risk teens gaming the prescription drug trial system.
Meet Audie: Professional lab rat. Guinea pig. Serial human test subject. For Audie and her friends, “volunteering” for pharmaceutical drug trials means a quick fix and easy cash.
Sure, there’s the occasional nasty side effect, but Audie’s got things under control. If Monday’s pill causes a rash, Tuesday’s ointment usually clears it right up. Wednesday’s injection soothes the sting from Tuesday’s “cure,” and Thursday’s procedure makes her forget all about Wednesday’s headache. By the time Friday rolls around, there’s plenty of cash in hand and perhaps even a slot in a government-funded psilocybin study, because WEEKEND!
But the best fix of all is her boyfriend, Dylan, whose terminal illness just makes them even more compatible. He’s turning eighteen soon, so Audie is saving up to make it an unforgettable birthday. That means more drug trials than ever before, but Dylan is worth it.
No pain, no gain, Audie tells herself as the pills wear away at her body and mind. No pain, no gain, she repeats as her grip on reality starts to slide….
Raw and irreverent, Placebo Junkies will captivate readers until the very end, when author J. C. Carleson leans in for a final twist of the knife.



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Publishes in US: October 27th 2015 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Genre: ya contemp
Source: Random House e-arc via Netgalley
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free.
Series? no

Buy it: Amazon IndieBound Book Depository Barnes and Noble

Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter

 

    I wanted to read Placebo Junkies because I am drawn to stories about illness and the idea of putting yourself through medical procedures and taking medicines that can have nasty side effects for cash intrigues me in that morbid way. Also, the boyfriend that's sick that she thinks is worth the big surprise and money grabs my attention. I wondered if doing the clinical trials was also a way to connect with him and just trying to understand what he might be going through with a terminal illness. I knew this would likely be highly emotional and give room for lots of character growth and realization since the trials will effect her and things go to a bad place as a result of the trials. 

   This is a gritty book, and Audie describes with detail the horrible side effects of the trials she goes through, and we get pieces of her rough life and what has led her to this lifestyle. Most of the people in her life are also in the drug trials and can sympathize, but her boyfriend also has been through hard procedures and medicines. I couldn't decide if I was feeling their relationship- it was different from a lot of couples I've read about for sure, and they have seen unpleasant sides so its not putting on a front. But she couldn't decide as the book gets going if he is getting sicker or if he is moving on, and her uncertainty and not able to get in his head made me feel a lot of these things. 

    Things got really weird and a twist that I was not expecting. Audie ends up being an unreliable narrator. Characters that I thought I had a hold on completely transformed. It was nice because of the fact that I expected one sort of outcome and this managed to change that up. 

    We get answers to the why and how, and Audie's motivations and reasoning. The wrap up was complete, and though I was a bit confused at times, it resolved itself. 

Bottom Line: Twisty, gritty with an unreliable narrator.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Have you ever been a part of a clinical trial?

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Short and Tweet Review : Off the Page by Jodi Picoult Samantha van Leer, Yvonne Gilbert (Illustrations)


Off the Page by Jodi Picoult Samantha van Leer, Yvonne Gilbert (Illustrations)

From #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and her daughter and co-writer, Samantha van Leer, comes OFF THE PAGE, a tender and appealing romantic YA novel filled with humor, adventure, and magical relationships.
Sixteen-year-old Delilah is finally united with Oliver—a prince literally taken from the pages of a fairy tale. There are, however, complications now that Oliver has been able to enter the real world. To exist in Delilah’s world, Oliver must take the place of a regular boy. Enter Edgar, who agrees to take Oliver’s role in Delilah’s favorite book. In this multilayered universe, the line between what is on the page and what is possible is blurred, but all must be resolved for the characters to live happily ever after. Includes twelve full-color illustrations, and black-and-white decorations throughout.
Full of humor and witty commentary about life, OFF THE PAGE is a stand-alone novel as well as a companion to the authors’ bestseller Between the Lines, and is perfect for readers looking for a fairytale ending. Fans of Sarah Dessen and Meg Cabot are sure to appreciate this novel about love, romance, and relationships.

came in such a pretty package with a cookie and a book cover plus a postcard

GR
Publishes in US: May 19th 2015 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Genre: ya fantasy
Source: Delacorte aka Random House
Series? companion to Between the Lines  (click for my review)

Buy it:

Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter ~facebook ~blog



Karen at For What It's Worth and Mary at The Book Swarm occasionally post twitter-style reviews. Karen calls hers Short and Tweet, and I am going to borrow that review style here.

Tweet Review:
It was nice to get back into this world although I didn't remember much about the world building and characters. Cute companion novel.


My question to you, my lovely readers:
Which fairy tale prince would you want to come out of a story?

Monday, December 15, 2014

Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven


All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this compelling, exhilarating, and beautiful story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.


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Publishes in US: January 6th 2015 by Knopf
Genre: ya contemporary mental health
Source: Random House via netgalley
Series? no

Buy it:
andom House
Alibris
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Bookish
Book Passage
Books-a-Million
Hastings
Hudson
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Powells
Target
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Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter ~facebook ~blog

 
   
    I wanted to read All the Bright Places because I am always interested in mental health books, especially ones dealing with suicide. As someone who has mental health issues, has had thoughts of suicide myself, and lost my father to suicide, it is a topic that is very important to me. I think that books like this can help people relate to someone who is depressed or thinking of suicide even if they have never had clinical depression, 

    In a society where everything is becoming all about instant gratification and what feels good in that moment, it is important to realistically address what happens when moods get dark and it feels like there is no way out. I think that it is important to learn how to love people that are in that situation and even if they are not normally your friend, if you see someone hurting, talk to them, be their friend, and it may make all of the difference in the world to them. It is also crucial to look at the times where a person may go through with suicide. Blame cannot be placed, you can't ask the what ifs and you have to learn how to let their memory be honored and stay alive and heal and keep living however you can. 

    All the Bright Places is smart shocking realistic and messy emotional. No holds barred with finch. He was the kind of character who amazed me at his kindness and broke my heart. I loved that he could help someone else and talk them down when he himself can't quit thinking about death and how it could be his escape. But he is also a person who lived life fully. He didn't conform to expectations and tried to see the beauty in life and take risks, chances and life hard. 

   Our other main character is Violet. Where I can connect with Finch on some levels, and admired him where I didn't understand or that wasn't my personality, I connected with Violet in others. She is a people pleaser, she is more withdrawn, and she is hurting deep inside, and tries to keep it hidden. The healing and growth on violet was undeniable watching her learn to accept loss and still remember and love those that have left her life was inspiring.

     Finch is eccentric and troubled but also with a love for life even with thoughts of and plans for suicide torment him. Their reluctant friendship and camaraderie in meeting on that water tower, and Finch talking her down and not thinking less or correcting when people thought that it was Violet who saved Finch. He is persistent in being around her and trying to bring her out of her shell. They both have a lot to teach the other. 

    The ending is bold and raw. I couldn't believe the route that it took but think that it is eye opening and realistic. Not everything can be a happy ending, there are aspects to mental health that can't be fixed, and there is some pain that is inescapable. But I do like the hope that it does give us. That there are other ways, there is help out there, and there are friends in places we may never have thought to look. 


Bottom Line: Gritty, raw, emotional, powerful.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
What are some of the wonders of your state?

Friday, July 4, 2014

Review: Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian
A heartbreaking, wildly inventive, and moving novel narrated by a teenage runaway, from the bestselling author ofMidwives and The Sandcastle Girls.
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is the story of Emily Shepard, a homeless girl living in an igloo made of garbage bags in Burlington. Nearly a year ago, a power plant in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont had a meltdown, and both of Emily's parents were killed. Devastatingly, her father was in charge of the plant, and the meltdown may have been his fault—was he drunk when it happened? Thousands of people are forced to leave their homes in the Kingdom; rivers and forests are destroyed; and Emily feels certain that as the daughter of the most hated man in America, she is in danger. So instead of following the social workers and her classmates after the meltdown, Emily takes off on her own for Burlington, where she survives by stealing, sleeping on the floor of a drug dealer's house, inventing a new identity for herself, and befriending a young homeless kid named Cameron. But Emily can't outrun her past, can't escape her grief, can't hide forever-and so she comes up with the only plan that she can.

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Publishes in US: July 8th 2014 by Doubleday
Genre: Dystopia Sci/fi
Source: random house via netgalley
Series? No

Read an excerpt from the novel here
Pre-order the novel at
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amazon.com
bn.com
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indiebound.org
powells.com

Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter: chrisbohjalian ~facebook

 
    
   I wanted to read this one because it sounds like a combo of a type of dystopia/post-apocalytpic and the contemporary grittiness that I enjoy. Emily sounds like such a fighter and a fighter in order to survive not only a literal nuclear meltdown, but also losing both of her parents that same day. 

   The idea of homelessness hasn't been explored much in YA and I think that its an important topic too, and hopefully one that most readers would never face, but we also hope that readers don't have to experience the bad stuff of the contemporaries out there. Or the chilling government or earth/town ending things like aliens, meltdowns, power losses, etc. And while it scares me that things like this have happened and can happen again, I still can't stop being drawn to the genre. 

    The world building was believable. I just have to wonder what the actual fall out would be, if the impact would be larger, how we'd react in a similar real life situation. But I don't think that anything was stretched or out of the realm of possibility. On top of the hair-raising, hope to goodness never happens to me element of the story, I liked Emily. True to my prediction she was so strong, she had a will to keep surviving and to protect herself. She was easy to pull for even though I can imagine if it were real life I might be like the other kids and be wary of her because of her parents involvement with the plant. 

    The beginning did take a bit to get me in, but I liked the premise so I stuck with it, and I was rewarded for that. I think that the jumps in time were a little abrupt and it was pulling me out of the story. I understand that its giving a full picture of Emily's life and what happened before, during and after for her. 

    At times it did start to ramble and I would skim a little bit, but I always got pulled back in. It felt very literary and then other times just like a teenage girl talking to me. 

    Cameron was another highlight. He is a kid that she picked up along the way with her journeys, and they effected each other a lot and I saw growth and development with both of them. 
   

Bottom Line: Gritty and thorough account of a girl before and after a nuclear melt-through.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Are you afraid of nuclear meltdown?
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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Review: The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

The Here and Now
The Here and Now by Ann Brashares 
An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.
Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.
This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.
Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.
But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.

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Publishes in US: April 8th 2014 by Delacorte Press
Genre: YA time travel
Source: Random via Netgalley
Series? No

Buy it: Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound Book Depository

Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter ~facebook ~blog

 
    I wanted to read The Here and Now for two reasons. The first, I love any thing in ya dealing with time travel, especially if it has romance involved, and even more so since it is a forbidden love. Second, I enjoyed Sisterhood, and I wanted to see how Ms. Brashares handled paranormal. 
    I know that a lot of my blogging buddies didn't really fall in love with this story, but despite some issues, I really got into the story, especially the friendship and longing to be more forbidden aspect between Preena and Ethan.  Their easy friendship that has morphed into something sweet, and longing, as well as the fact that we know Ethan saw her when she first arrived, but Preena doesn't adds an extra element of suspense. It also explains his patience and that he doesn't pressure her for answers even though I know that curiosity must be burning a hole in his brain. But he accepts that he can't and he just befriends her, and doesn't pressure. That respect that I gained for him went so far in being team Ethan. 
     Preena herself quickly shows to be a mild rebel. She wants to help the future and uphold the integrity of time, but she also wants to be more than just casual friends with Ethan. She wants to know things, and she asks questions. I admire her that she doesn't just silently accept, and the fire she has for really wanting to make a difference. But then she started making stupid decisions and it became too focused on just the two of them whereas the whole saving the world thing took a bit of a back seat. I get it, teenage hormones, the friendship turned into attraction turned to love/lust. But there are huge risks, and while I want to cheer for them, it is so hard knowing possibly consequences. It had me so torn right along with them because I did feel their chemistry and I know that it is so easy to get caught up in a moment and not think how it will effect tomorrow, others, or anything besides that moment feeling so right. 
     There are other issues, like not really understanding why characters were so in the dark as to how they are supposed to be changing the future. The silly decisions. The fact that even though I liked Ethan, there were things he could do that were just a little too convenient and at times, pretty darn weird that he did in the first place, I think. And the random sex mentions. Maybe it just read that way to me but yeah, their conversations about it felt a little forced and unrealistic. 
     But then there were other aspects that I really enjoyed. I liked the world building that we see when Prenna writes the letters to her brother Julius. It helps to see how the two time periods are different, and set up the environment that Prenna grew up in without it seeming too forced like a story dump. It also showed a family connection that felt lacking with Prenna's mom so depressed and her dad decided last minute not to make the trip through time. 
     The first part really got my attention and I read through until about 40% in one sitting, so obviously some of the things I mentioned as issues didn't get in the way of readability and the fact that I didn't want to stop in spite. I had to take a break due to illness but then I read the last 60 in a sitting too, so it definitely kept my attention and I wanted to know how everything worked out. 
     In some ways, I really enjoyed the ending. It fixed the main problem of the book, and it tied up a lot of things, but there is still too much unknown for me. I am not sure if it is supposed to be a series, and if it is, then that fixes said issues. I think that the forbidden part of the love story and really thinking of Ethan's health since Prenna comes from the future with epic and deadly diseases keeps them apart, and while it is smart and the right thing, I still am holding out for some way for them to be together. 

Bottom Line: Had issues, but I still couldn't stop reading the forbidden romance and race to change and save the future.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Given the opportunity would you travel in time if you were given strict protocols--no seeking outside medical treatment, never revealing who or where/when you're from and no getting too close or being involved with people from the other time period?
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