Top Ten Tuesday: Santa Please Bring Me

 This week's topic is all about books we wish Santa would bring us. 

These are all books I can't wait to read next year from some of my favorite authors.

It's going to be a great reading year!!!

Are any of these on your reading list???

Five Things (4): The Final Gambit

 

I loved this series! And I'm glad there's one more book coming. I also can't wait to see what Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes next.  I don't want to talk too much about this one because...spoilers. 

So here are five things I loved about it (not to mention that ending!)

Top Ten Tuesday: Books from the Past

 This week's topic is books that we read and loved 10 years ago. It was fun putting this post together and seeing what I read and loved back in the day.

@yabooknerdlibrarian 10 years ago I was reading these YA books and loving them! #booktok #toptentuesday #YAbooks #5starreads #booktalk ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd 📚📚📚

Top Ten Tuesday: Under the Tree

 This week's topic is books we wish Santa would leave under the tree for us! We've been awfully good readers this year!

My biggest ARC wishes for 2022 books with covers (so far)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any of these on your list to read?

Review: Hawthorne Legacy

 

* Book 2 in the Hawthorne trilogy * 

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions - including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.

Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she's not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture - by any means necessary. (Summary from the publisher)

My Thoughts: I can't say too much about this book without spoilers. So I'll just share things I loved:

* Best Friends

* Traveling

* More Puzzles

* Snark

* Family Drama

* Uncovering the Truth

* Discovering the Past

* The Danger

I can't wait to see how it all ends!

Cover Thoughts: Intriguing (Again)

Source: My library

Library Recommendation: A must have trilogy for your library.

Book List: Criminal Minds (YA)

 

I've been binging Criminal Minds (I'm halfway through the series). It's a LONG series. It's sometimes hard to watch because it's really disturbing but also really interesting. I can't wait it too close to bed because...no one wants those kinds of nightmares.

But I've been thinking about books that are similar. So I made a list. It's YA books because I don't like to be too scared. And YA generally ends happily (the bad guy loses).

YA Book List:

Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Killer Instinct by S.E. Green

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough

The Body in the Woods by April Henry

Not Pictured:

In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund

Dangerous Girls (republished as I'll Never Tell) by Abigail Haas

Pretend She's Here by Luanne Rice

What other books would you add to this list?

Review: Inheritance Games

Avery Crumbs has a normal average life - she just wants to leave town and never look back. But in the blink of an eye, everything changes. She's requested to travel to Texas with her guardian and witness a will reading. For a billionaire. Tobias Hawthorne.

Instead of leaving everything to his family, he leaves the bulk of his fortune to Avery. Avery's stunned. His family can't believe it.

In order to inherit the fortune, Avery must stay in the mansion for a year. It's enough to make anyone want to kill her. And someone does.

Three out of his four grandsons think there's more to the story - that there's a hidden puzzle with more details. So they start searching. Because what doesn't kill you will make you stronger...

My Thoughts: I loved this book (just like I knew I would). If you're a long time reader of this blog, than you know I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I loved the plot twists, the banter, the amazing house with all those secret passageways and libraries, the action, the danger, and of course not knowing who to trust. And the book ended on a very interesting note making me need the next book ASAP.

If you liked the movie Knives Out - this book is for you!

Cover Thoughts: Intriguing

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Highly Recommended thriller for your school and public libraries. 

Blog Tour: Deadly Little Scandals

Title: DEADLY LITTLE SCANDALS (Debutantes #2)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Pub. Date: November 5, 2019
Publisher: Freeform
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 352
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B and N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

"Think of the White Gloves like the Junior League-by way of Skull and Bones?"

Reluctant debutante Sawyer Taft joined Southern high society for one reason and one reason alone: to identify and locate her biological father. But the answers Sawyer found during her debutante year only left her with more questions and one potentially life-ruining secret. When her cousin Lily ropes her into pledging a mysterious, elite, and all-female secret society called the White Gloves, Sawyer soon discovers that someone in the group's ranks may have the answers she's looking for. Things are looking up... until Sawyer and the White Gloves make a disturbing discover near the family's summer home--and uncover a twisted secret, decades in the making.

No one is quite who they seem to be in this twisty, soapy, gasp-inducing sequel to Jennifer Lynn Barnes' unputdownable Little White Lies. 

My Thoughts: I loved this book. I loved the three timelines, the short chapters, and the twisty plot. This one kept me guessing and just when I thought I'd figured something out, there was another new plot twist. I love the friendships and how the girls stuck together. I loved the secret society. I enjoyed the strong family ties and loyalty - even if it was sometimes misplaced. I loved the ending for this book - it was perfect. And tied in nicely to the newly designed cover!

Missed the First Book?
It's a mix of Gilmore Girls crossed with Pretty Little Liars

Title: LITTLE WHITE LIES (Debutantes #1)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Pub. Date: November 6, 2018
Publisher: Freeform
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 390
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B and N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

"I'm not saying this is Sawyer's fault," the prim and proper one said delicately. "But."

Eighteen-year-old auto mechanic Sawyer Taft did not expect her estranged grandmother to show up at her apartment door and offer her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season. And she definitely never imagined she would accept. But when she realizes that immersing herself in her grandmother's "society" might mean discovering the answer to the biggest mystery of her life-her father's identity-she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses, bigger egos, and a whole lot of bless your heart. The one thing she doesn't expect to find is friendship, but as she's drawn into a group of debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own, Sawyer quickly discovers that her family isn't the only mainstay of high society with skeletons in their closet. There are people in her grandmother's glittering world who are not what they appear, and no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. As she navigates the twisted relationships between her new friends and their powerful parents, Sawyer's search for the truth about her own origins is just the beginning.

Set in the world of debutante balls, grand estates and rolling green hills, Little White Lies combines a charming setting, a classic fish-out-of-water story, and the sort of layered mystery only author Jennifer Lynn Barnes can pull off. 

Read my review here. 

About Jennifer: 
Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) is the author of more than a dozen critically acclaimed young adult novels. She has advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science, including graduate degrees from Cambridge University, where she was a Fulbright Scholar, and Yale University, where she received her Ph.D. in 2012. Jen wrote her first published novel when she was nineteen-years-old and sold her first five books while still in college. In additional to writing YA novels, Jen has also written original pilot scripts for television networks like USA and MTV, and she is one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination more broadly. Jen is an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she holds a dual appointment in Psychology and Professional Writing.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads 


Follow the Tour:

11/18/2019	Lisa Loves Literature	Review
11/19/2019	A Gingerly Review	Review
11/20/2019	Confessions of a YA Reader	Excerpt
11/21/2019	YA Book Nerd	Review
11/22/2019	THE BOOK NUT	Review

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of DEADLY LITTLE SCANDALS, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Deadly Little Scandals

Today Freeform Books, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for her upcoming YA Mystery Book, DEADLY LITTLE SCANDALS, which releases on November 5, 2019! We're also revealing the new cover for book 1 in the series, LITTLE WHITE LIES! Check out the awesome covers and enter the giveaway!

On to the reveal! 

Title: DEADLY LITTLE SCANDALS (Debutantes #2)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Pub. Date: November 5, 2019

Publisher: Freeform

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 352

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

"Think of the White Gloves like the Junior League-by way of Skull and Bones?"

Reluctant debutante Sawyer Taft joined Southern high society for one reason and one reason alone: to identify and locate her biological father. But the answers Sawyer found during her debutante year only left her with more questions and one potentially life-ruining secret. When her cousin Lily ropes her into pledging a mysterious, elite, and all-female secret society called the White Gloves, Sawyer soon discovers that someone in the group's ranks may have the answers she's looking for. Things are looking up... until Sawyer and the White Gloves make a disturbing discover near the family's summer home--and uncover a twisted secret, decades in the making.

No one is quite who they seem to be in this twisty, soapy, gasp-inducing sequel to Jennifer Lynn Barnes' unputdownable Little White Lies. 

Title: LITTLE WHITE LIES (Debutantes #2)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Pub. Date: November 6, 2018

Publisher: Freeform

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 390

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

"I'm not saying this is Sawyer's fault," the prim and proper one said delicately. "But."

Eighteen-year-old auto mechanic Sawyer Taft did not expect her estranged grandmother to show up at her apartment door and offer her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season. And she definitely never imagined she would accept. But when she realizes that immersing herself in her grandmother's "society" might mean discovering the answer to the biggest mystery of her life-her father's identity-she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses, bigger egos, and a whole lot of bless your heart. The one thing she doesn't expect to find is friendship, but as she's drawn into a group of debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own, Sawyer quickly discovers that her family isn't the only mainstay of high society with skeletons in their closet. There are people in her grandmother's glittering world who are not what they appear, and no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. As she navigates the twisted relationships between her new friends and their powerful parents, Sawyer's search for the truth about her own origins is just the beginning.

Set in the world of debutante balls, grand estates and rolling green hills, Little White Lies combines a charming setting, a classic fish-out-of-water story, and the sort of layered mystery only author Jennifer Lynn Barnes can pull off. 

I can't wait for this book and I love the redesigned cover! I'm a sucker for ANYTHING Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes! And who's the new girl?

About Jennifer: 

Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) is the author of more than a dozen critically acclaimed young adult novels. She has advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science, including graduate degrees from Cambridge University, where she was a Fulbright Scholar, and Yale University, where she received her Ph.D. in 2012. Jen wrote her first published novel when she was nineteen-years-old and sold her first five books while still in college. In additional to writing YA novels, Jen has also written original pilot scripts for television networks like USA and MTV, and she is one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination more broadly. Jen is an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she holds a dual appointment in Psychology and Professional Writing.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a paperback of LITTLE WHITE LIES, US Only.

Giveaway ends July 31st, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Lovely and the Lost

Kira's childhood nightmares come back full force when she and her new family are asked to help look for a child in the woods. Kira was once found by the search and rescue dogs. She knows what it's like to be out in the forest alone - doing whatever it takes to survive.

Now, Kira wants to find the child. She's do whatever it takes. When her mother side lines her, she becomes irritated.  She starts digging into the past, searching for something that will help. But what she uncovers will change everything.

My Thoughts: I love Jennifer Lynn Barnes' books. I couldn't put this one down. I loved the combination of the mystery of the missing girl combined with the search and rescue team. I loved the dog characters and learning more about search and rescue training. I loved Kira and how she had trouble dealing with people. I loved her relationships with Free and Jude. They supported each other and understood each other. I loved the moments between Cady and Kira. Lots of great moments between them. I loved the action and the danger, but most of all, I loved Kira. I'd like to give her a hug - but I know she'd hate that.

Cover Thoughts: Intriguing. I love the way the clouds float inside the words.
Source: ARC
Library Recommendation: Grab this one for your school and public libraries

Review: Little White Lies

* First Book in a Series *

Never in a million years did Sawyer Taft imagine that her estranged grandmother would show up on her doorstep. Her imagination also never included a contact where Sawyer would earn money (a lot of money) to complete the debutante season.  But she also never imagined uncovering secrets from her past.

So she said yes.

Now she's stuck in high society where secrets are more deadly than she ever imagined. When one girl threatens her family, how far will Sawyer go to stay in control and complete the contract?

My Thoughts: I love Jennifer  Lynn Barnes. I always read her book and they're always fabulous. I started this one and was sucked in. I couldn't put it down. I really liked the dual timelines - and learning why the foursome was in jail in the first place. I loved the banter between the debutantes. I loved Sawyer's sass. I love how she and her cousin became friends - I mean after that incident, how could you not? The family history stunned me. There were so many twists that I never saw coming that made me turn the pages faster and faster because I needed to know what happened. And now I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: Book sent for review
Warning: When you pick up this book, make sure you have enough time to finish it.

Ten Top Tuesday: 2018 Books

This week's topic is 2018 books I still want to read. 

Confession: I have more than 10. 

I didn't get to read lots of books I wanted to this year, it seems to be a theme with me. There's simply never enough time to read everything.