Review: Let's Pretend We've Never Met

Mattie's family moves in the middle of the school year - much to her dismay. They need to be closer to her grandmother, who's aging. Mattie arrives during winter vacation, giving her time to acclimate to the area and unpack. She meets a girl in the apartment building - Agnes.

Agnes isn't like the friends she left behind - Agnes isn't like anyone she's ever known. Mattie has a great time hanging out with Agnes. And then school starts up again.

Mattie soon realizes that Agnes isn't popular, in fact everyone things Agnes is weird. Mattie isn't sure what to do; more than anything she wants to fit in at her new school. Can she be Agnes's friend and fit it or will she have to choose?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book - I felt terrible for both girls. I loved Agnes's crafty side and her knowledge that she was different but it was ok to be different. I felt terrible for the break up in their friendship - but I loved how things turned out. It's hard being new in school or at work; navigating social events takes work. I also loved Mattie's grandmother - especially her clue game. Their family time seemed like lots of fun. The friendship and family drama make this book a quick enjoyable read. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: My Library
Library Recommendation: A must have book for school and public libraries - perfect for conversations about friendship, bullying, and inclusivity.

Top Ten Tuesday: Friendship Books

This week's topic is Friendship books. I tend to think of friendship books as sisterhood books - female friends. That's not to say I don't appreciate books where guys and girls are friends or books about guy friendships. When you talk about friendship books, sisterhood books are the first that come to mind. Here are a mix of tween and teen books.

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish

Review: Unbreak My Heart

Clem thought her summer would be boring. She was wrong.

She thought she would miss her life - most of all her friends. She was wrong.

She's happy to be getting away from everything - all the drama, all the judgement, and all the accusations.

She's not getting away from the sadness or the heartbreak because her best friend and her broke up. Clem's been trying to write to Amanda to share her side of the story, but she can't find the right words.

She spends her days hanging with her family, moping, reading, and trying to forget.

Clem meets people along the same boating route. There's one boy her age and they've started hanging out. She wants to tell him the truth, but she's terrified what he will think of her.  But as the summer progresses and the more time they spend together, she begins to find a glimpse of her old self. Does she owe him the truth?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I liked the timeline - flashing between the previous school year and the summer. I liked waiting to uncover the horrors of the year. I really liked Clem's sister  Olive. She was so observant and wise beyond her years. I liked how she tried to break Clem out of her shell. I liked the talk of music, Clementine's friends, and that she read so many books. I loved the main issue with the year before and what Clem's heartache was really about. I really liked the ending. A fantastic summer book!

Cover Thoughts: Love it!
Source: My Library

Spotted: Small Town Sinners

I LOVED Melissa Walker's previous books - the Violet trilogy and Lovestruck Summer. I'm excited to read her new book which comes out in July of next year:


Here's the official description: Lacey Anne Byer is a perennial good girl and lifelong member of the House of Enlightenment, the Evangelical church in her small town. With her driver's license in hand and the chance to try out for a lead role in Hell House, her church's annual haunted house of sin, Lacey's junior year is looking promising. But when a cute new stranger comes to town, something begins to stir inside her. Ty Davis doesn't know the sweet, shy Lacey Anne Byer everyone else does. With Ty, Lacey could reinvent herself. As her feelings for Ty make Lacey test her boundaries, events surrounding Hell House make her question her religion.

Lovestruck Summer

Quinn loves music so much so that she calls up her favorite music label late one night and offers herself us a summer intern. It's perfect because the label's in Texas, right where her cousin has a condo. She can't wait to spend her last summer before college on the music scene. Quinn's in for a rude awakening. First off the girl who meets her at the airport, isn't the girl she remembers. Instead Penny's become a sorority girl. Second, the intern position is already filled, but Quinn squeaks by helping out during the busy days. That leaves her with days to fill, trying to escape her cousin. She's searching for the perfect summer fling and she's found a smoking hot DJ that fits her ideal. But she's been spending a lot of the time with Penny's neighbor who is infuriating but nice at the same time. He takes Quinn out on adventures all over Austin. He mocks her seriousness towards music - forcing her to listen to country of all things. Quinn's not sure if she hates him or if it could be something else entirely.

Melissa Walker's new book take a different approach from her Violet series, but it's the perfect summer romance novel. Music combined with romance, friendship, and trying new things leaves Quinn a summer she'll never forget.

Melissa is all over the web these days:
Interviews: with Linda Gerber, with YA Fresh, and with Lucienne Diver

Plus Melissa does this awesome posts on her blog called COVER STORIES, check out hers.

Plus, Check out the booktrailer I made:

Two awesome YA authors interviewed

Gamer Girl: Cover Story

Check out the story behind the cover to this fabulous book over at Melissa Walker's page. She features a new book/author each week, which I love reading.

News Round Up:

Author Michael Crichton died recently, read the details here

Melissa Walker (author of the wicked awesome Violet series)
has been been named the latest READERGIRL
so COOL!
I <3 the READERGIRLZ
Here she is chatting with author Sarah Dessen
about Sarah's upcoming book Along for the Ride