MG Review: Gold Medal Summer by Donna Freitas

Synopsis:
Just in time for the Olympics: A gymnastics novel to flip for!

Joey Jordan loves gymnastics: the thrill of performing a backflip on the beam, the cheers of the audience when she sticks a landing. But even with all her talent and style, she's never quite made it to that gold medal stand.

Now big changes shake up Joey's life in and out of the gym. Joey wants to break out some daring new beam and floor routines--but she'll have to defy her strict coach to do it. Her best friend, Alex, is thinking about quitting gymnastics for good. And an old friend named Tanner just moved back to town, and he's suddenly gotten very, very cute. Can Joey handle all the challenges coming her way, and make her gold medal summer happen at last?

Drawing on her real-life experience as a competitive gymnast, acclaimed novelist Donna Freitas delivers both a terrific gymnastics story and a classic novel about stretching some limits, bending the rules, and finding your balance.

Publication Date: June 1, 2012
Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age
Source: Thanks so much to Scholastic for providing a review copy!


Review:

I haven't read any MG for awhile now. This is another one I'll mark down as 'must read' for my girls when they are old enough. It's such a sweetly moving story of one girl's summer and how she basically matures and gains confidence in herself. I found the content to bring back so many nostalgic memories of my own summers around this time of my life. Maybe not so much the gymnastics part of it in my case :) Your first crush, the nervous anticipation of seeing that someone...your first kiss. It was...moreI haven't read any MG for awhile now. This is another one I'll mark down as 'must read' for my girls when they are old enough. It's such a sweetly moving story of one girl's summer and how she basically matures and gains confidence in herself. I found the content to bring back so many nostalgic memories of my own summers around this time of my life. Maybe not so much the gymnastics part of it in my case :) Your first crush, the nervous anticipation of seeing that someone...your first kiss. It was really easy to relate to all the things that Joey was feeling. I think 13-14 years old is a time of enormous change for kids. Especially one involved in a sport that takes so much sacrifice and dedication. I loved seeing Joey change so much from the first chapter to the last. Her transformation from questioning her abilities and whether there is room for boys (one in particular) in her grueling gymnastics training to realizing what is most important to HER and how to manage her priorities was so well done. And although I don't know much about gymnastics, I really loved every part of this book. This was an entertaining read for any age, but spot on for any Middle Grader. It shines a light on believing in yourself and sticking with your goals. A perfect book just in time for summer!

Blog Tour Review: Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker

Synopsis:
Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life.

Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now.

Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart?

Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to.

Publication Date: May 22, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction
Source: Thanks so much to Bloomsbury and Walker for letting me be a part of this tour!


Review:
Contemporary greatness strikes again. I always think of myself as a 'paranormal' type of gal, but these contemp books just strike at my heart. This one is no exception. The emotions hit and then keep piling up as you read further into the pages. Whether or not you can relate to this exact situation, I think the feelings that saturate the MC are so relatable.

Clementine is a girl stuck on a boat with her family for the summer. She's been blacklisted from her best friend and bad-mouthed by the entire school. Her family boating trip comes at the perfect time to let her figure out who she really is and separate it from what everyone says she is. She's a girl with a lot of baggage and it has crushed her self-worth. I was railing at the injustice of how she was made to shoulder the full blame for what happened, especially the more I knew about it.

Surrounded by her family and senior citizens it is most fortunate that she meets James. He helps her see past her sadness and guilt to what is REAL. He is a sweet, flame-haired love interest for Clem . . . even if she doesn't want him to be :)

This is a poignant story with a beautiful message about love and forgiveness. A perfect summer read!

Blog Tour Review: The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Synopsis:
Colby's post-high school plans have long been that he and his best friend Bev would tour with her band, then spend a year in Europe. When Bev announces that she will start college just after the tour, Colby struggles to understand why she changed her mind and what losing her means for his future.

Review:
I admit one of the main reasons I was obsessed with reading this book was because of the cover.  And honestly, the cover really conveys the feel of the book perfectly.  Although, it doesn't really showcase that the book is from the male perspective . . . so I'm not sure if an actual young adult male would want to be carrying around a book with this cover ;-)

That being said though, the male point of view is done superbly.  I haven't read many YA books with the guy telling the story, but I have loved most of the ones that do.  Like Ashfall, loved that one! Colby is the narrator and he is so honest about how he feels even when he doesn't know exactly what he is feeling.  That plays a huge part in what this book is about.  Basically just growing up.  Colby has to find out who he really is and what he wants.  I was rooting for this boy whole-heartedly.

The story is about him and his long-time childhood friend Bev. She is one of the three girls in the band The Disenchantments (who kinda suck, but they look amazing! ha!).  Colby is their trusty friend and steadfast supporter.  This group of friends is made up of a bunch of free spirits and hipsters.  Like the cool 'indie' types that are so different and cool.  Not because they're trying to be different but because they are being themselves and being true to the things they love.

The huge turning point for Colby happens when Bev tells him that their plans of traveling through Europe for a year after high school aren't going to happen because she wants to go to college.  They have been planning this trip for years.  And then, boom. Not happening.  Colby is furious and I was SO mad at her too.  Colby still agrees to go on tour with their band as planned and it is a very eventful journey. Along the way you (and Colby) start to realize that Bev has some good reasons for why she didn't tell him sooner, and then it's really hard to feel mad anymore.

This book is full of some deep growing-up type stuff and I loved it.  Everything comes together to give off some good book vibes.

Publication Date: February 16, 2012
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult, Coming-of-Age
Source: Thanks so much to Southern Book Bloggers for making me a part of this tour :-D

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Lifting the Wheel of Karma by Paul H. Magid

Synopsis:
Joseph Connell is a gifted high school athlete from Montana, loved deeply by his family, yet tormented by nightmarish visions he can neither explain nor escape.

He believes the answer to what threatens to crush him can be found in the knowledge possessed by a mystical old wise man, who lives deep within the remote Himalayas of India.

If Joseph is ever to find the peace he so desperately seeks, he must get this wise old man to reveal what he truly knows, but that will not be easy…for this sage knows far more than he admits.

Review:
I was taken along for the ride in this touching and inspiring story of a young man's journey to find answers. Sometimes the journey is the answer, and sometimes you have to get lost to find yourself.

The first time you see Joseph he is in the midst of a fantastical and terrifying dream. He's had them since he was a young child. I could feel his frustration and sadness at having to cope with these disturbing visions for most of his life. Joseph suffers a personal tragedy that further shakes his outlook on life. This prompts his journey to India to find a man that feels like his last hope.

I really loved the imagery throughout the novel. Especially when the scene shifts to India. I have always thought of India as being very exotic, and it was nice to have it brought to life in this book. Joseph's mentor, Lahiri, was a very colorful and intriguing character. Their student/mentor relationship is tried when Lahiri finally gives up all his secrets.

The blend of reality and the mystical will leave you guessing as to where the story will end up. A profound commentary about the differences between being alive and truly living.

Publication Date: January 1, 2012
Genre: Inspirational, Coming of Age
Source: Thanks so much to Tribute Books for my Review copy!

Paul H. Magid web site:
http://www.paulhmagid.com/
Paul H. Magid Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KarmaNovel#!/profile.php?id=100002979900843
Lifting the Wheel of Karma Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KarmaNovel
Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186
Lifting the Wheel of Karma blog tour site:
http://liftingthewheelofkarma.blogspot.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE GIVEAWAY

The author has generously provided 3 paperback copies of Lifting the Wheel of Karma to give to my readers.

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Review: Mo Wren, Lost and Found by Tricia Springstubb

Synopsis:
Mo Wren knew that eventually she, her dad, and her sister, Wild Child Dottie, would have to move from beloved Fox Street. She just never expected it to happen so soon.

At the Wrens’ new place, things are very different. The name of the street—East 213th—has absolutely zero magic. And there’s no Mrs. Petrone to cut her hair, no Pi Baggott to teach her how to skateboard, no Green Kingdom to explore. She’s having trouble fitting in at her new school and spending a lot of time using the corner bus shelter for her Thinking Spot. Worst of all, Mo discovers that the ramshackle restaurant Mr. Wren bought is cursed. Only Dottie, with her new friends and pet lizard, Handsome, is doing the dance of joy.

For the first time in her life, Mo feels lost and out of place. It’s going to take a boy who tells whoppers, a Laundromat with a mysterious owner, a freak blizzard, and some courage to help her find her way home for good.

Review:
This was such a sweet and touching story. It's the sequel to What Happened On Fox Street, but it can easily be read as a stand alone. I guarantee after you read Mo Wren, Lost and Found that you will really want to pick up the first one!

We find Mo Wren about to leave her home on Fox Street. Her house and the surrounding neighbors have been the anchor for everything in her life, and now she has to figure out what to do with herself in a different place. She is bombarded with uncertainties and doesn't give herself the credit she deserves. She faces these things with a maturity and grace that she is completely blind to until later on in the book. Carmella sees that in her from the beginning. I loved Carmella for seeing the beautiful parts of her Soap Opera customers when they don't see it themselves.

A great book for any age. Middle graders will enjoy the story and can relate to Mo and the things she deals with. Older readers will be touched by the authentic, coming-of-age themes found throughout the book.

Publication Date: September 1, 2011
Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Coming-of-Age
Source: Thanks so much to the author, Tricia Springstubb, for my review copy!

Review: The Secret of Lies by Barbara Forte Abate

Synopsis:
Propelled by an insurmountable sense of desperation, Stevie Burke is recklessly abandoning home, husband, and outwardly contented life under cover of night; at last resigned to defeat in her long battle against the tortured memories of her past.

Days later, lost and floundering in a dreary motel room without plan or destination, it is a long ago song playing on the radio that gently tugs Stevie back through the dust of remembrance. 1957 - The last summer spent at the ancient house overlooking the North Atlantic. A season which had unfolded with abundant promise, but then spiraled horribly out of control - torn apart by a shattering tragedy that remains splintered in fragments upon her soul. And it is only now, when Stevie at last lifts her eyes to stare deep into the heart of her long sequestered memories, that the long held secrets of past and future are at last unveiled.

Review:
This is a beautifully told tale of a girl's journey down the twisted path of her life. In this book you get to see the good and the bad. All the things that shape a child into an adult.

You first meet Stevie as an adult, basically running from her own life. At this point it is unclear what the reason is, but you get the idea that she places the blame on herself. She hears a song on the radio that triggers the memories of her past. The story is truly about her journey from a teenager TO the lost and broken woman in the hotel.

The first part is her remembering the summers she spent with her sister at their aunt & uncle's beach house. She experiences so many amazing things, but one year events take a horrible turn. The second part you get to see Stevie at her own home. Followed by all the events leading up to her flight from her husband. She discovers that old guilt and blame never have positive results. While reading, I got to watch Stevie grow up, and be a part of her life. I was sad to see it end.

The story slowly unfolds like honey from a jar. I really felt like I got to know Stevie, maybe better than she knew herself, during the course of reading The Secret of Lies.

Publication Date: April 21, 2010
Genre: Coming-of-Age Fiction, Adult Fiction
Source: Thanks so much to the author, Barbara Forte Abate, for my review copy!