RELEASE DAY BLITZ: The Problem With Forever

It's finally here - Jennifer L. Armentrout's brand new YA contemporary novel THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is in the wild, and... what are you waiting for?! This book is absolutely amazing. Check out this excerpt from the book, and enter the release day blitz giveaway at the end of the post!

The Problem With Forever, by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publish Date: May 17, 2016
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: e-ARC, provided by Insklinger PR
Genre: young adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.

Check out my 5 star review here.

Prologue

Dusty, empty shoe boxes, stacked taller and wider than her slim body, wobbled as she pressed her back against them, tucking her bony knees into her chest.

Breathe. Just Breathe. Breathe.

Wedged in the back of the dingy closet, she didn’t dare make a sound as she sucked her lower lip between her teeth. Focusing on forcing every grimy breath into her lungs, she felt tears well in her eyes.

Oh gosh, she’d made such a big mistake, and Miss Becky was right. She was a bad girl.

She’d reached for the dirty and stained cookie jar earlier, the one shaped like a teddy bear that hid cookies that tasted funny. She wasn’t supposed to get cookies or any food by herself, but she’d just been so hungry that her tummy hurt, and Miss Becky was sick again, napping on the couch. She hadn’t meant to knock the ashtray off the counter, shattering it into tiny pieces. Some were shaped like icicles that clung to the roof during the winter. Others were no bigger than chips.

All she’d wanted was a cookie.

Her slender shoulders jerked at the sound of the all cracking on the other side of the closet. She bit down harder on her lip. A metallic taste burst into her mouth. Tomorrow there would be a hold the size of Mr. Henry’s big hand in the plaster, and Miss Becky would cry and she’d get sick again.

The soft creak of the closet door was like a crack of thunder to her ears.

Oh no, no, no…

He wasn’t supposed to find her in here. This was her safe place whenever Mr. Henry was angry or when he—

She tensed, eyes peeling wide as a body taller and broader than hers slipped inside and then knelt in front of her. In the dark, she couldn’t make out much of his features, but she knew in her belly and her chest who it was.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped.

“I know.” A hand settled on her shoulder, the weight reassuring. He was the only person she felt okay with when he touched her. “I need you to stay in here, ‘kay?”
Miss Becky had said once that he was only six months older than her six years, but he always seemed so much bigger, older than her, because in her eyes, he took up her entire world.

She nodded.

“Don’t come out,” he said, and then he pressed into her hands the redheaded doll she’d dropped in the kitchen after she broke the ashtray and rushed into the closet. Too frightened to retrieve her, she’d left Velvet where she had fallen, and she’d been so upset because the doll had been a gift from him many, many months before. She had no idea how he’d gotten Velvet, but one day he’d simply shown up with her, and she was hers, only hers.

“You stay in here. No matter what.”

Holding the doll close, clenched between her knees and chest, she nodded again.

He shifted, stiffening as an angry shout rattled the walls around them. It was her name that dripped ice down her spine; her name that was shouted so furiously.

A small whimper parted her lips and she whispered, “I just wanted a cookie.”
“It’s okay. Remember? I promised I’d keep you safe forever. Just don’t make a sound.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Just stay quiet, and when I…when I get back, I’ll read to you, ‘kay? All about the stupid rabbit.”

All she could do was nod again, because there had been times when she hadn’t stayed quiet and she’d never forgotten those consequences. But if she stayed quiet, she knew what was coming. He wouldn’t be able to read to her tonight. Tomorrow he would miss school and he wouldn’t be okay even though he would tell her he was.

He lingered for a moment and then he eased out of the closet. The bedroom door shut with a smack, and she lifted the doll, pressing her tearstained face into it. A button on Velvet’s chest poked at her cheek.

Don’t make a sound.

Mr. Henry started to yell.

Don’t make a sound.

Footsteps punched down the hall.

Don’t make a sound.

Flesh smacked. Something hit the floor, and Miss Becky must have been feeling better, because she was suddenly shouting, but in the closet the only sound that mattered was the fleshy whack that came over and over. She opened her mouth, screaming silently into the doll.

Don’t make a sound.

#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Links:
Website: http://jenniferlarmentrout.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jlarmentrout
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout
Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4476934.Jennifer_L_Armentrout

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW: On the Fence

On the Fence, by Kasie West
Publish Date: July 1, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: paperback, borrowed
Genre: young adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(Synopsis) For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen a Kasie West book cover come across my social media feeds, and thought to myself, "Why haven't you read something by her yet?" Then, I saw she was going to be a part of Apollycon 2017, and I decided that I needed to do something about this. My bestie Jen over at At Random has several of Kasie's books on her shelf, and on a recent visit to her house, I came home with two of them. On the Fence is the first Kasie West book I've ever read. 

And again, why the hell did I wait so long? It was such a fun book - I literally finished it in a few hours. It was a quick and light read and the perfect way to spend a Saturday evening. 

On the Fence is about Charlie, a 16-year-old tomboy to beat all tomboys. The only female in a house with her father, three brothers and her neighbor who might as well be her brother, she loves all sports and knows nothing of dresses or makeup or anything else even remotely feminine. But, a love of sports doesn't stop the flow of hormones or prevent the notices of boys. And, all of a sudden, Charlie is started to look at some boys differently. She's starting to feel differently about herself. And she's starting to wonder what her life would've been like if her mother had lived to help her through these things.

I have one brother, and we're not super close. I've always been envious of books that feature sibling relationships like the one Charlie has with her brothers Jerom, Nathan and Gage. They clearly have some fierce love for one another. Charlie is the youngest, so she has a lot of boys protecting her, even when she doesn't really need or want protecting. But, no matter what idiotic things they say or do, it's so obvious that they adore their sister. 

On the Fence gets its name from the late night chats that Charlie and her neighbor Braden have with each other outside by the fence between their yards. Charlie confesses her feelings of inadequacy and Braden confesses his feelings about his awful father. It's like their safe place, and it's the place where their feelings for each other start to confuse and complicate matters. 

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Charlie's realization of so many things in her life. It was poignant and sweet and funny and sad at times. It makes me glad that I'm not 16 anymore too. And it made me highly anticipate the next Kasie West book on my list. 

REVIEW: The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1)

The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1), by Marie Rutkoski
Publish Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Square Fish, an imprint of Macmillan
Format: paperback, gifted
Genre: young adult fantasy
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.

Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

"The Winner's Curse is when you come out on top of the bid, but only by paying a steep price."

Goodness, but this book was brilliant. 

If I'm going to read YA, I prefer it to be YA fantasy. There's something amazing about how authors create something out of nothing. These worlds, their customs and rules, the characters' names - they're mostly all born in the author's head, and it just astounds me the creativity that is required to not only dream them up and have them make sense, but to draw a reader in and make it all seem completely and totally real. 

The Winner's Curse was like that. 

It takes place in a war-torn world where the Valorians have fought, defeated, and subsequently enslaved the Herrani people and taken over their land. In the beginning, 17-year-old Kestrel, who happens to be the General's daughter, pays a very high price at auction for a strapping 19-year-old Herrani boy. Thus begins a very Romeo-and-Juliet-esque relationship between two kids who are on very opposite ends of a war that is not quite as over as everyone thinks. 

Once again I find myself gripped by a story with a seemingly impossible happily ever after. While those types of stories definitely frustrate me to the point of distraction, they make for incredibly engrossing reads. The biggest question running through my mind was, Who is going to give first? Kestrel and Arin are on opposite sides of a war. In order for them to even think about being together, one of them has to betray their people. So, who would it be? 

Marie Rutowski did an amazing job making this world and the characters' stories come to life. For as much as I loved this book, I did have to step away from it for a day or so in the middle. I was so involved in the story and in the characters lives and choices that I became really freaking angry over some of them. I felt everything they did, and when the events of the book threatened to overwhelm them, I felt that too. The break I took served me well, and when I dove back in, there was no stopping me until I was finished. 

Kestrel was a great character. On the surface, she seems too high brow to have any kind of real strength. But, like many characters in this book, that's just a facade. She is able to shift personas depending on who she is with - her strict father, her stuck-up best friend, her newly bought slave. She does what she has to in order to survive and remain true to herself, and those choices are most certainly not always easy. 

Arin is another character that seemed to be one thing at first, and then turned out to be something else entirely. Perhaps he and Kestrel are drawn together like they are because he too is willing to do whatever he has to in order to survive. Perhaps it's the fact that Arin has an incredible sense of loyalty, which ultimately, is what causes him more problems than he ever bargained for. He is very loyal to his people, but he also becomes loyal to Kestrel, and they stand on two very opposite sides of a wide chasm. 

Before I was even halfway done with The Winner's Curse, I found myself ordering the last two books in this series. I knew I couldn't wait to see how their story ends. And I have a sneaking suspicion that it will get worse before it gets better.