Blog Tour: That’s Not What I Heard by Stephanie Kate Strohm [BOOK REVIEW + MOODBOARD]

Book Title: That’s Not What I Heard
Author: Stephanie Kate Strohm
Series: N/A (Standalone)
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: January 29th 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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What did you hear?

Kimberly Landis-Lilley and Teddy Lin are over. Yes, the Kim and Teddy broke up.

At least that’s what Phil Spooner thinks he overheard and then told Jess Howard, Kim’s best friend. Something about Teddy not liking Kim’s Instas? Or was it that Teddy is moving to Italy and didn’t want to do long distance? Or that Kim slid into someone else’s DMs?

Jess told her boyfriend, Elvis, that he needs to be on Kim’s side. Especially if he wants to keep her as his girlfriend. But Elvis is also Teddy’s best friend.

Now, Kim’s run out of school for the day. Jess is furious. Elvis is confused. And half the lunch period won’t talk to Teddy. Even the teachers have taken sides.

William Henry Harrison High will never be the same again!

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I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour hosted by Fantastic Flying Book Club.

MY THOUGHTS

That’s Not What I Heard has been on my radar recently since I saw it from a fellow blogger’s post/tweet. I thought the premise quite interesting and fun, but I didn’t expect the book to be this entertaining!

The book started off by introducing the most important thing (apparently) in William Henry Harrison High, Kim and Teddy. Their relationship, albeit only been briefly explored, was enough to make me wish for my own. I’ve always been such a hopeless romantic so a bit of romance impacts me a ton! Then the story continues on to the breakup of the said couple. A random student, who happened to be just buying chips from the vending machine, overheard the breakup and told someone who told someone who told someone… You get the idea. From then on, the rumors started getting more and more ludicrous that it ultimately led to their school’s chaos.

That’s Not What I Heard is told in the multiple perspectives of the characters. It was so interesting to read about since each of their thoughts were so different from one another, and the gravity of the situation can really be felt through this.

The story was really entertaining, I enjoyed every single page of this. Its flair for the dramatic got me laughing so damn hard at times! The different characters were fairly likeable and I love that each of them has their own quirks and personalities.

Also, I’m not sure if it’s just my deep, dramatic side that wants to take a lesson out of everything, but the message of the book was pretty good! Rumors are like wildfire; once lit, they destroy everything in their way, causing social structures and order to come tumbling down.

Overall, That’s Not What I Heard was absolutely worth the read. If you’re looking for a quirky and obnoxiously fun read, I really think think that this one’s for you!

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✨ MOODBOARD BY YOURS TRULY ✨

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephanie Kate Strohm is the author of The Taming of the Drew, Pilgrims Don’t Wear Pink, Confederates Don’t Wear Couture, It’s Not Me, It’s You and Prince in Disguise. She grew up in Connecticut and attended Middlebury College in Vermont, where she was voted Winter Carnival Queen. Currently she lives in Chicago with her fiance and a little white dog named Lorelei Lee.

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Book Review: Dream Keeper by Amber R. Duell

Book Title: Dream Keeper
Author: Amber R. Duell
Series: The Dark Dreamer Trilogy #1
Publication Date: January 29th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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The Sandman is seventeen-year-old Nora’s closest friend and best-kept secret. He has to be, if she doesn’t want a one-way ticket back to the psychiatrist. It took her too long to learn not to mention the hooded figure in her dreams to her mother, who still watches Nora as if she’ll crack. So when Nora’s friends start mysteriously dying gruesome deaths in their sleep, she isn’t altogether surprised when the police direct their suspicion at her. The Sandman is the only one she can turn to for answers. But the truth might be more than she bargained for…

For the last five years, the Sandman has spent every night protecting Nora. When he hid the secret to the Nightmare Lord’s escape inside her dreams, he never expected to fall in love with her. Neither did he think his nemesis would find her so quickly, but there’s no mistaking his cruel handiwork. The Nightmare Lord is tired of playing by the rules and will do anything to release his deadly nightmares into the world, even if that means tormenting Nora until she breaks.

When the Nightmare Lord kidnaps Nora’s sister, Nora must enter enemy territory to save her. The Sandman is determined to help, but if Nora isn’t careful, she could lose even more than her family to the darkness.
(Please note: This story contains vivid death scenes.)

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I received a copy of this book from Netgalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my thoughts in any way.

MY THOUGHTS

Dreams have always given me a certain kind of fascination. I don’t think I’ve read much books about dreams except for Dreamology which is a contemporary. But this… This is exactly what I’ve wanted! When I first heard of Dream Keeper, I was—to put it midly— interested. And when I saw this available for request on NetGalley, I was very excited. So I guess you can imagine my (joyous) outburst when I got approved for it!

This is nothing like I’ve read before. Dream Keeper is told in two perspectives, Nora and The Sandman, and it follows both their journey in saving the people they love (for Nora, her sister, and for The Sandman, well, Nora) and the whole world along with it.

The Dream Realm and the Nightmare Realm, a whole other world once everyone falls asleep, were really amusing to read about. Written very well, I especially loved the spooky vibe that the Nightmare Realm gave and the ghastly things inside it.

The death scenes mentioned in the synopsis really were horrid so fair warning if you’re not comfortable with that, maybe skip those particular parts? But I’m not really bothered by that kind of thing so those scenes combined with the vivid description of each and every nightmare, added much more to the eerie reading experience.

Nora, our main character, can be a bit immature at times and although I don’t agree with some of her decisions, I still very much like her strong personality. Despite her overwhelming fear, and even though there’s nobody she can turn to except for The Sandman, she maintains headstrong to save her family and the whole world along with it. I mean, who wouldn’t admire that? Her mother thinks she’s crazy, people around her are dying and she’s considered the main suspect. If I were in her shoes, I would have broken down in a heartbeat.

A very interesting and unique plot? Check. Amazing world building? Check. A strong female main character? Check. Fantastic writing? Check. I highly recommend you include this book in your TBR—or, much better, read it immediately!

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DISCLAIMER: By clicking the Amazon and Book Depository buttons, you will be directed to my affiliate links for the respective sites. If you purchase the book using my link, you have supported me and my blog since I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Book Review: Don’t Get Caught by Kurt Dinan

Book Title: Don’t Get Caught
Author: Kurt Dinan
Series: N/A (Standalone)
Publication Date: April 1st 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Humor, Mystery, Young Adult
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

10:00 tonight at the water tower. Tell no one. -Chaos Club

When Max receives a mysterious invite from the untraceable, epic prank-pulling Chaos Club, he has to ask: why him? After all, he’s Mr. 2.5 GPA, Mr. No Social Life. He’s Just Max. And his favorite heist movies have taught him this situation calls for Rule #4: Be suspicious. But it’s also his one shot to leave Just Max in the dust…

Yeah, not so much. Max and four fellow students-who also received invites-are standing on the newly defaced water tower when campus security “catches” them. Definitely a setup. And this time, Max has had enough. It’s time for Rule #7: Always get payback.

Let the prank war begin.

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MY THOUGHTS

This book was so much fun! As students, my friends and I occasionally pull harmless pranks to divert our attention from all the stress that is school. I’ve always been drawn to the art of silly pranking and this book is the epitome of silly pranks. Their antics, however unrealistic, were creative and bold. I really enjoyed reading about how they execute each prank and how they get away with it.

I liked all the characters from the start, even the mean ones like Mr. Stranko, except for one. I won’t tell you who it is just because. 😉 But you’ll know what I mean when you read the book, hopefully. Anyway. I enjoyed reading from the point of view of the main character, Max. He is a funny guy and he has a very kind personality. Also, as the book progresses, his character development becomes more evident. He went from alternating between Just Max (his normal, boring side) and Not Max (his outgoing, brave side) to being himself.

Plot-wise, I didn’t exactly love it. It was quite predictable and that pretty much blew the fun experience a bit for me. With that being said though, I still had fun reading Don’t Get Caught, an entertaining quick read for when you want a little mischief.

 

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DISCLAIMER: By clicking the Amazon and Book Depository buttons, you will be directed to my affiliate links for the respective sites. If you purchase the book using my link, you have supported me and my blog since I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Book Review: Analiese Rising by Brenda Drake

Book Title: Analiese Rising
Author: Brenda Drake
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: January 8th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Half-Blood meets Antigoddess in a thrilling, romantic new series from New York Times bestselling author Brenda Drake.

When a stranger gives Analiese Jordan a list of names before he dies, the last thing she expects to see is her own on it. Not. Cool. Her search for answers leads to the man’s grandson, Marek, who has dangerous secrets of his own. Both are determined to unlock the mystery of the list.

But the truth is deadly. Analiese is a descendant of the God of Death, known as a Riser, with the power to raise the dead and control them. Finding out she has hidden powers? Cool. Finding out she turns corpses into killers? No, thank you.

Now the trail plants her and Marek in the middle of a war between gods who apparently want to raise an army of the Risen, and Analiese must figure out how to save the world—from herself.

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I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Seclusion by Jacqui Castle

Book Title: The Seclusion
Author: Jacqui Castle
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: September 4th 2018
Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult
My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

In the year 2090, America has walled itself off from the rest of the world. When her father is arrested by the totalitarian Board, a young woman sets out to escape the only country she’s ever known.

While on a routine assignment scouting the viability of dwindling natural resources outside the massive urban centers most American citizens call home, Patricia ’Patch’ and her co-worker Rexx discover a relic from the past containing dangerous contraband―unedited books from before The Seclusion. These texts will spark an unquenchable thirst for the truth that sees Patch’s father arrested by the totalitarian Board.

Evading her own arrest, Patch and Rexx set out across a ruined future United States, seeking some way to escape the only home they’ve ever known. Along the way, they learn about how their country came to be this way and fall in love. But their newfound knowledge may lead to their own demise.

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I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.