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Book Review + Playlist: The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin
The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin Publisher: Simon Pulse Release Date: January 26th 2016 Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction Rate: 4 out of 5 stars In the tradition of Sarah Dessen, this powerful debut novel is a compelling portrait of a young girl coping with her mother’s cancer as she figures out how to learn from—and fix—her past. Few things come as naturally to Harper as epic mistakes. In the past year she was kicked off the swim team, earned a reputation as Carson High’s easiest hook-up, and officially became the black sheep of her family. But…
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Book Review: The Wednesday Group by Sylvia True
Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: The Wednesday Group Author: Sylvia True Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin Pages: Paperback; 288 Release Date: March 24, 2015 Source: NetGalley —————————————– Genre: Contemporary Fiction HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy richly written characters facing real life issues. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | BookLikes Gail. Hannah. Bridget. Lizzy. Flavia. Each of them has a shameful secret, and each is about to find out that she is not alone… Gail, a prominent Boston judge, keeps receiving letters from her husband’s latest girlfriend, while her husband, a theology professor, claims…
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Book Review: Rules for Stealing Stars by Corey Ann Haydu
Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: Rules for Stealing Stars Author: Corey Ann Haydu Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books Pages: Hardcover; 336 Release Date: September 29, 2015 Source: Publisher / NetGalley ——————————————————————— Content Screening: Parental Depression, Mild Violence HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy deep stories about families, and specifically about sisters. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | BookLikes In the tradition of Sharon Creech and Wendy Mass, Corey Ann Haydu’s sparkling middle grade debut is a sister story with a twist of magic, a swirl of darkness, and a whole lot of hope. Silly…
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Book Review: Don’t Vote for Me by Krista Van Dolzer
Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: Don’t Vote for Me Author: Krista Van Dolzer Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky Pages: Hardcover; 240 Release Date: August 4, 2015 Source: Publisher / NetGalley ————————————————– Content Screening: Nothing of note. HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy stories about middle school friendships and lessons. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | BookLikes Veronica rules the school.David’s starting a revolution. It’s class president election time, and no one is surprised when Veronica Pritchard-Pratt is the only name on the list. She’s the most popular girl in school, a social giant who rules…
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Book Review: Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley
Media Type: Ebook Title: Her Sister’s Shoes Author: Ashley Farley Publisher: Self-published Pages: Paperback; 320 Release Date: June 24, 2015 Source: TLC Book Tours / Author ————————————————— Genre: Contemporary Fiction HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy family dramas, and aren’t afraid to get a bit teary eyed. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | BookLikes Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and packed with Southern charm and memorable characters, Her Sister’s Shoes is the story of three sisters—Samantha, Jackie, and Faith—who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to…
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Book Review & Tour: Welcome to Fat Chance Texas by Celia Bonaduce
Media Type: Kindle/Paperback Title: Welcome to Fat Chance, Texas Author: Celia Bonaduce Publisher: Lyrical Press Pages: paperback, 268 Release Date: July 21, 2015 Source: Author/PUYB ——————————————- Genre: Contemporary- Fiction/Humor HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy an eclectic group of characters in unusual circumstances. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | BookLikes “A fresh, heartwarming voice.” —Jodi Thomas, New York Times bestselling author For champion professional knitter Dymphna Pearl, inheriting part of a sun-blasted ghost town in the Texas hill country isn’t just unexpected, it’s a little daunting. To earn a cash bequest that could change her life, she’ll have to leave California to live in tiny, run-down Fat…
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Book Review: Don’t Ever Change by M. Beth Bloom
Media Type: Ebook Title: Don’t Ever Change Author: M. Beth Bloom Publisher: HarperTeen Pages: Paperback; 368 Release Date: July 7, 2015 Source: FFBC Book Tours ——————————————- Content Screening: Nothing of note HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy true to life characters, and stream of consciousness in their books. Add it on: BookLikes | Amazon | Goodreads | B&N Eva has always wanted to write a modern classic—one that actually appeals to her generation. The only problem is that she has realized she can’t “write what she knows” because she hasn’tyet begun to live. So before…
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Book Review: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
Media Type: Print Book (ARC) Title: Every Last Word Author: Tamara Ireland Stone Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Pages: Hardcover; 368 Release Date: June 16, 2016 Source: Publisher ———————————————- Content Screening: Nothing of note HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who want to delve deep into a character with Purely-Obsessive OCD. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | BookLikes If you could read my mind, you wouldn’t be smiling. Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that…
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Book Review: The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel, reviewed by Jessica
Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: The Life Intended Author: Kristin Harmel Publisher: Gallery Books Pages: Paperback; 368 Release Date: December 30, 2014 Source: NetGalley ——————————————— Genre: Contemporary / Women’s Fiction HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Fans of “sliding doors” books, as well as any reader who loves a good cathartic cry. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | BookLikes From the author of the international bestseller The Sweetness of Forgetting, named one of the Best Books of Summer 2012 by Marie Claire magazine, comes a captivating novel about the struggle to overcome the past when our…
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Book Review: The Question of Miracles by Elana K. Arnold
Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: The Question of Miracles Author: Elana K. Arnold Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers Pages: Hardcover; 240 Release Date: February 3, 2015 Source: NetGalley ——————————————————— Content Screening: Tough Issues – Death HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers of all ages, especially those who love moving and realistic fiction. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | BookLikes Following the death of her best friend, Iris and her family move to Oregon for a fresh start in this middle-grade story of miracles, magic, rain, hope, and a hairless cat named Charles. Sixth-grader Iris…