[Book #Review] Sidekick by Natalie Whipple

Title: Sidekick

Author: Natalie Whipple

Publisher: Whipple House

Date of Publication: November 10, 2015

Russ is a high school football player who feels like he always comes in second to his best friend, Garret. In sports. In school. With girls. Well, he's tired of it, and he gets the rather foolish idea that if he can win the heart of the new girl in town before Garret he can prove he's not just sloppy seconds.

His plan? Use his anime-obsessed sister's group, who has befriended the new girl, to get closer to her. He'd never tell the team, but he's been going to Anime Night for years and might even enjoy it. That would ruin his reputation, just like his secret love for cooking and James Taylor.

But pretending to be something you aren't catches up to you eventually, and Russ can only get away with living two lives for so long. As more than one person reveals they have something to hide, Russ must figure out what and who he really wants in his life. And more than that, he needs the courage to make it happen.

Russ is your typical high school football player who's just a little more than a jock with a reputation. Although his best friend is always on top of everything, Russ wants to be an individual and stand out. So when he meets HER, he has to do something different, something better than what he has been doing. But eventually everything catches up to him and small lies turn into broken hearts. 

I really enjoyed the book and although it wasn't as fast as I would like it to be, I enjoyed the writing and the style that the author has. Perfect for those high-school memories, this is perfect for someone that wants a light read. 

 

[Scavenger Hunt] Kiss Kill Love Him Still by Jamie Blair & Dawn Rae Miller

Kiss Kill Love Him Still
by Jamie Blair & Dawn Rae Miller
Release Date: November 10th 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Synopsis:

Jackson Landis kept secrets. It's how he got girls into bed, the grades he wanted, and a reputation for being the life of the party.

But now he's dead, and no one knows how or why. Especially not the four girls whose secrets he protected. Secrets so scandalous they could cause each girl to lose something valuable. Secrets so dark, someone may have killed for them.

The four girls - a campus drug dealer, an overweight bookworm, a closeted lesbian, and a spoiled princess have one thing in common – they’re terrified the things Jackson knew may not have died with him. As Reggie, Haddie, Val, and Livie try to piece together her own role in Jackson’s death, each girl realizes Jackson had some not-so-pretty skeletons of his own.

Which makes a girl wonder, who really wanted Jackson Landis dead?

WELCOME TO THE SCAVENGER HUNT BLOG TOUR!

We're trying to discover who killed Jason Landis in Jamie Blair and Dawn Rae Miller's book. In the 7 days that the tour will be running, you will find interviews with the suspects, their profiles and music playlists that will help you decide who you think did it.

Each day you will find a team that will introduce you one character. The winner team will be picked on November 11th and will have the pleasure to host an exclusive excerpt from Kiss Kill Love Him Still.

Please note that reviews from bloggers will be published on November 11th and November 12th, see schedule, and that might give you an extra insight to the book, too!

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 195 lbs

Hair: Short, black

Eyes: Dark brown

Demeanor: Restrained hostility

Motivation for killing Jackson Landis: Jealously over Jackson’s relationship with Regina Walker.

Officer McMichaels: Mr. Brown, do you work for Regina Walker?

Marcus: Work for her? She’s broke. How would she pay anyone to do anything?

Officer McMichaels: Are you in love with her?

Marcus: What the hell does this-- 

Officer McMichaels: Sit down and answer the question.

Marcus: Fine. I’ll answer. That’s none of your goddamned business. 

Officer McMichaels: Was Regina sleeping with Jackson Landis?

Marcus: If she was, I never got my invite to the threesome, so how the fuck would I know? 

Officer McMichaels: For your own good, I suggest you start cooperating and answer my questions. 

Marcus: You want to know if Reggie was doing Jackson, ask her.

Officer McMichaels: You’re wasting my time.

Marcus: I could’ve told you that before you hauled me in here—saved us both time.

Officer McMichaels: Get out of here, but expect me to find out what you know, Marcus. You can lie, but I’ll find out in the end.

Marcus: Am I supposed to be afraid or something? Was that a threat?

Officer McMichaels: We’ll talk again soon, Mr. Brown.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO DECIDE!

This is what the authors propose:

Follow the Kiss Kill Love Him Still by Jamie Blair & Dawn Rae Miller Scavenger Hunt Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Young adult author of the Kirkus-starred novel Leap Of Faith (Simon & Schuster 2013), and Lost To Me (2014), featured in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling anthology, Dirty Boys of Summer. Represented by Rebecca Friedman of RF Literary.

Dawn is a Twitter and fashion addict whose favorite things in life are her family, gorgeous dresses, tea leaf salad, and French macarons. She splits her time between San Francisco and Northern Virginia, and is always up for a trip to Paris.

During release week the book will be on sale for $.99. On top of this sale Dawn and Jamie will also be giving away 2x3 book buttons to the first 100 people who buy the book!

Do you want some Kiss Kill Love Him Still button? Just click here to submit your entry.

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[Book Review + Giveaway] Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul

Underneath Everything
by Marcy Beller Paul
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: October 27th 2015

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, GLBT, Realistic Fiction

Mattie shouldn’t be at the bonfire. She should be finding new maps for her collection, hanging out with Kris, and steering clear of almost everyone else, especially Jolene. After all, Mattie and Kris dropped off the social scene the summer after sophomore year for a reason.

But now Mattie is a senior, and she’s sick of missing things. So here she is.

And there’s Jolene: Beautiful. Captivating. Just like the stories she wove. Mattie would know; she used to star in them. She and Jolene were best friends. Mattie has the scar on her palm to prove it, and Jolene has everything else, including Hudson.

But when Mattie runs into Hudson and gets a glimpse of what could have been, she decides to take it all back: the boyfriend, the friends, the life she was supposed to live. Problem is, Mattie can’t figure out where Jolene ends and she begins.

Because there’s something Mattie hasn’t told anyone—she walked away from Jolene over a year ago, but she never really left.

Poignant and provocative, Marcy Beller Paul’s debut novel tells the story of an intoxicating—and toxic—relationship that blurs the boundary between reality and fantasy, love and loyalty, friendship and obsession. 

“What if we’re both not real?”“We’re not,” I said. “We’re better than real. We’re the two little girls.” 

Underneath Everything is the perfect indication of the type of toxic relationships that can look harmless on the outside but are actually way more bad than good. It is incredible how far the manipulation can go and push a person without him realizing it. The story involves couple of people, the main characters seeming to be Mattie, Kris, Jolene, and Hudson. Mattie starts dating Hudson who is also Jolene's ex but the girl really is the trouble for everything that happens in the book. The way author represents her really makes me want to justify her actions but at the end, it is pretty disturbing of what a person could be capable of. 

I really liked Mattie in this book. She was loyal, smart, and really down to earth when it came to life itself. I am glad that she took the actions that were needed to be taken but overall, it is still shocking what she had to go through. Underneath Everything was a really exciting read and although the pace could have been more stable, I really enjoyed reading it :)

Marcy Beller Paul is a young adult author, former editor, and full-time mom who still has all the notes she passed in seventh grade (and knows how to fold them).

She graduated from Harvard University and lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children. Underneath Everything will be published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins, in Fall 2015. It is her first novel.

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