REVIEW RANT: Winner Take All by Laurie Devroe

Title: Winner Take All
Author: Laurie Devroe
Publication Date: January 30th 2018
Publisher: Imprint (Macmillan)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: For Nell Becker, life is a competition she needs to win.For Jackson Hart, everyone is a pawn in his own game.They both have everything to lose.
Nell wants to succeed at everything—school, sports, life. And victory is sweeter when it means beating Jackson Hart, the rich, privileged, undisputed king of Cedar Woods Prep Academy. Yet no matter how hard she tries, Jackson is somehow one step ahead. They’re a match made in hell, but opposites do attract.
Drawn to each other by their rivalry, Nell and Jackson fall into a whirlwind romance that consumes everything in their lives. But when a devastating secret exposes their relationship as just another game, how far will Nell go to win?
Visceral and whip-smart, Laurie Devore’s Winner Take All paints an unflinching portrait of obsessive love, toxic competition, and the drive for perfection. 

Actual Rating 1.5 Stars

I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD OFFICIALLY RENAME THIS BOOK TO “THE CHRONICLES OF THE MOST MESSED UP CHARACTERS IN LITERATURE.”

Not lying, I was FAIRLY EXCITED when I dove into this book. It sounded like a light and yet adorable high school read that I was quite looking forward to. I even had Laurie Devroe on my blog a little while ago and she is SUCH a nice human and I was looking forward to her second book.

SPOILER: I DID NOT LIKE THIS BOOK. AT ALL. I WANTED TO SHAKE THE CHARACTERS HARD TO ALLOW SOME SENSE TO PASS INTO THEIR SILLY HEADS BECAUSE I DID NOT GET THIS BOOK.

In fact, I was SO SO CLOSE to DNF’ing it that the only ONLY reason I kept reading was because I LIKE THE AUTHOR and I WAS HOPING HER BOOK WOULD TAKE A TURN FOR THE BETTER. (It did not.)

My Thoughts:

1.       About 50 pages into the book, I WAS (STILL) WAITING TO FEEL THE CHEMSTRY between Jackson and Nell. I LOVE the enemies to lovers trope but from the very get go // first scene between them, I STRUGGLED TO FEEL EVEN AN OUNCE of chemistry. They were both headstrong and complicated and unwilling to see things outside of their own perspective and sometimes that works, BUT IT DID NOT WITH THESE TWO and instead they came off as selfish, self-obsessed teenagers with egos the size of a large country.

2.       I get that this book tried to portray the double standards is gives men and women and I WOULD have liked that had I liked the character who was trying to send across that message. Nell Becker was a petty human being who was running The Nell Show and there wasn’t a single time in the book that I liked her as a person. She ran around claiming she had to work twice as hard because she wasn’t filthy rich (but she WAS upper middle class) and because she was a girl (YES, SO AM I) and really, I HATED EVERY SECOND OF IT. This book was a 400 page PITY PARTY AND REVENGE PLOT (sex scenes included) and I AM SO MAD RIGHT NOW.

3.       NELL BECKER FAKED A PREGNANCY AND LIED ABOUT THE POSITIVE ON THE TEST BECAUSE SHE WANTED JACKSON TO BEG AND APOLOGIZE AND PLEAD AND WHAT EVEN IS THAT. I DID NOT UNDERSTAND THIS GIRL OR HER SELFISH AS FUCK MOTIVATIONS. Even as she FAKED A DAMN PREGNANCY FOR SYMPATHY, she had the most HOLIER THAN THOU ATTITUDE AND HONESTLY, SHE NEEDED A REALITY CHECK.

4.       Jackson Hart was NO BETTER EITHER. He knew some pretty messed up drama between Nell’s family and his own and ALL THROUGH THE BOOK HE WAS TRYING TO WIN SOME GAME I COULDN’T BEGIN TO FATHOM.

5.       Really, WHAT WAS EVEN HAPPENING? I was disgusted at the ridiculousness of the characters in the book and the PRIVELIDGE that Nell had but CLAIMED SHE NEVER DID. She was ignorant, rude and playing life in a way I couldn’t understand.

I apologize for the rant, but I am simply mentally EXHAUSTED. If you didn’t get it, I did not like this book. At all. 1.5 stars. 

Laurie Devore was born and raised in small town South Carolina and graduated from Clemson University. She now lives and works in Chicago, where she misses the charms and contradictions of the south every day. In her spare time, she reluctantly runs marathons, watches too much TV,  and works a “y’all” into every conversation. 

How to Break a Boy is her first novel, followed by Winner Take All.

Have you read either of Laurie Devroe's books? What do you think of them?

What was the last book you read that you didn't like at all?

What are some of the book I should stay AWAY from?

I'd absolutely love to hear from you!

 

A Good Debut // ARC Review: Just Friends by Tiffany Pitcock

Title: Just Friends

Author: Tiffany Pitcock
Publication Date: August 1st 2017
Publisher: Swoon Reads // Macmillan
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan Intl (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: A new spin on the classic smart-girl-and-bad-boy setup, this witty contemporary romance shows how easily a friendship – even one built on an elaborate lie – can become so much more.
Jenny meets Chance for the very first time when she is assigned as his partner in their Junior Oral Communications class. But after they rescue a doomed assignment with one clever lie, the whole school is suddenly convinced that Little-Miss-Really-Likes-Having-A’s and the most scandalous heartbreaker in school have been best friends forever. It’s amazing how quickly a lie can grow―especially when you really, really want it to be the truth.
With Jenny, Chance can live the normal life he’s always kind of wanted. And with Chance, Jenny can have the exciting teen experiences that TV shows and movies have always promised. Through it all, they hold on to the fact that they are “just friends.” But that might be the biggest lie of all.
Debut author Tiffany Pitcock delivers a spot-on depiction of first love and the high school rumor mill in Just Friends, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads.

If you don’t already know, Best Friend romances are one of my FAVOURITE Young Adult tropes out there. Or one of my favourite movie/ book/ TV show tropes period.

And so, when I saw the gorgeous cover for Tiffany Pitcock’s debut novel and the title that alluded to this book containing my favourite trope, I KNEW that Just Friends was a book I would definitely read. Then, the lovely humans at Macmillan International approved my request and I was absolutely over the moon.

My Thoughts:

1.       In a nutshell, this book took a little while to get used to. It’s told in Third Person and it switched between the boy (Chance) and the girl (Jenny) and it seems very CHILDISH. Third person doesn’t usually strike me as odd, but something about “Jenny just couldn’t stand it,” and “Chance always screwed everything up,” made the writing slightly strange.

2.       After a quarter of the book, I stopped noticing the third person dialogue that much and begin enjoying the book. Jenny and Chance had this way of getting along with one another like they truly had been friends since they were little and I did like most of the dialogue between them.

3.       Something that annoyed me slightly was the LACK OF ANYTHING PARENTAL. And I mean ANYTHING. Chance’s parents were ALWAYS fighting even though we don’t see them once and don’t hear even a SINGLE ARGUMENT. And Jenny’s mom who was supposed to be around wasn’t ever since she started dating and Jenny and Chance were ALONE ALL THE TIME? I’ve never believed how parents conveniently disappear for the plot to advance because THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE.

4.       Jenny was a CRAP best friend to her “only friend before Chance” in the book – Kesley. They’d been friends since middle school, but Jenny was this self-absorbed little wretch that she dropped her friend AS SOON AS Chance paid the slightest bit of attention to her. I felt even worse when we actually HEAR from Kesley about how she thought she was a “big joke” to Jenny and well, BEING HORRIBLE TO YOUR BEST FRIEND IS NOT COOL.

5.       I pretty much feel like this book had quite a good underlying story, but it was so focused on the ROMANCE it forgot the other EQUALLY important parts like Friendship and Family.

I liked the book but not THAT much. It was a good debut which could have been better. 3 stars. #RespectYourFriends. 

Tiffany Pitcock is a young writer from Benton, Ar. She studied English at Henderson State University, but has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Besides reading, she is a fan of cats, staying indoors, and tv dramas. You can find Tiffany on Twitter

What are some of your Favourite YA Tropes, and which are the ones you hate? 

Are you still in touch with your best friends from High School? Were the friends you made in school better, or the ones in college?

Have you had a chance to read Just Friends? What did you think of it?

I can't wait to hear from all of you lovelies!

BLOG TOUR: Smash and Grab by Amy Christine Parker - Guest Post + Review + Giveaway

Title: Smash & Grab
Author: Amy Christine Parker
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 19th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

Synopsis: Ocean’s Eleven meets the star-crossed lovers of West Side Story.Grab some popcorn and get ready for an adrenaline-filled heist!
LEXI is a rich girl who loves a good rush. Whether it’s motorcycle racing or BASE jumping off a building in downtown Los Angeles, the only times she feels alive are when she and her friends are executing one of their dares. After her father’s arrest, Lexi doesn’t think twice about going undercover at his bank to steal the evidence that might clear his name. She enlists her hacker brother and her daredevil friends to plan a clever heist.
CHRISTIAN is a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. The local gang has blackmailed him and his friends into robbing banks, and he is desperate for a way out. When the boss promises that one really big job will be the last he ever has to do, Christian jumps at the chance for freedom. In fact, he’s just met a girl at the bank who might even prove useful. . . .
Two heists. One score. The only thing standing in their way is each other.
Told in alternating points of view, this caper is full of romance and fast-paced fun. Hand to fans of Perfect Chemistry, The Conspiracy of Us, and Heist Society.

“These moments are the only times I ever feel truly alive.”

When I read the synopsis for Smash and Grab, I was SO excited! I own all of Amy Christine Parker’s other books but I haven’t read them yet. (See BookDragon Phenomenon #21: Own 12093430923 books, but never read them)

I rarely ever find young adult books about heists and adrenaline and just the thrill of being a criminal. And so, when I got approved for this one on NetGalley, I was ecstatic!

And now, just a bit after finishing the book, I realise I have no strong feelings about the heist, or the characters, and that just disappoints me.

Let’s break this down, yeah?

Lexi is a rich kid. Lexi’s dad was arrested for mortgage fraud, making her whole life implode. Lexi and her friends are a bunch of daredevils, looking for the next big thrill, be it drag racing or jumping off a high rise in the middle of the city.

Christian is the polar opposite. Living under the control of the Mexican Mafia in Florencia Heights, he’s forced to do unlawful things (aka rob banks) just to keep his family safe and pay off his father’s gambling debts. 

Under normal circumstances, these two would never have been friends, but with a twist of fate, a bank robbery and a makeover later, here they are. Planning a heist that will be worth over 50 million dollars, and the possibility of clearing someone’s name. What can go wrong?

“I think it’s better if we keep this strictly professional,” she says. I laugh. “Baby, there is nothing professional about what we’re doing.” Her mouth quirks up. “Okay, so we keep it strictly criminal then.”

While the idea behind Smash and Grab was brilliant, and the characters were brilliant as well, the execution just wasn’t done well enough, on Lexi’s side. I love the criminal and the rich girl storyline, the overprotective brother, the gay best friend, the abused other friend and everyone else. When it was Lexi’s point of view these otherwise amazing characters were barely given thought to, and I wish there was more of them and their personalities in the book, because they seemed really awesome.

When it came to Christian, however, his side of the crew, their families and their motivations were REALLY well done. I supposed they needed it more too, but still. I would have love more secondary character depth.

That would have all been acceptable too, if I had, even once after the first chapter, FELT THE ADRENALINE. There was a fifty million dollar heist going on, and I was feeling NOTHING.

All in all, I just wish this book was MORE, but I did like it because it was definitely different.

Three stars. 

The Best Part of Publication

The single best part of publication is meeting readers. Seeing your book on shelves is heady stuff, but it can’t compare with hearing from readers who love your book or were inspired by it in some way. I’ve been lucky enough to have some pretty cool reader experiences so far. Here is just a sampling:

1.       Gated, my first book, has been used in a program that counsels nonviolent juvenile offenders using literature to help them make better choices. It’s called Reading for Life. They invited me to go visit the kids in a juvenile detention center. Hearing their thoughts on the book and what it meant to them in terms of making better choices was the coolest, most touching thing ever. You can find out more about this program and how to support it here.

2.       A trio of teen writers hired me through my agent to come do a writer’s retreat with them. They actually went together to cover my expenses to meet with them and talk writing and my books. They even made me a certificate afterwards!

3.       Getting emails from people who were actually in cults who related to my first two books and felt like they captured some of their personal experiences. That was amazing and gratifying. I hoped to get it right and it’s nice to know that they felt I did.

4.       Visiting schools and having kids confide in me about their own writing and how something I wrote inspired them.

When you are writing a novel, it’s so solitary. You deal with so much doubt even if you’ve been published before, maybe especially if you’ve been published before. Having my stories available to a wide readership from around the world who sometimes benefit in a positive way from it despite my misgivings during the writing process is mind blowing. I will never get used to it! I’m really looking forward to getting out to see Smash & Grab readers in the next several months. 

Follow the Smash & Grab by Amy Christine Parker Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

AMY CHRISTINE PARKER writes full-time from her home near Tampa, Florida, where she lives with her husband, their two daughters, and one ridiculously fat cat. Visit her at amychristineparker.com and follow her on Twitter @amychristinepar.

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BLOG TOUR: Secrets, Lies and Scandals by Amanda Morgan - Review & Giveaway

Title: Secrets, Lies, & Scandals
Author: Amanda K. Morgan
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: July 5th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery

Synopsis: In the tradition of I Know What You Did Last Summer and How to Get Away with Murder, five teens must overcome their paranoia in order to keep their teacher’s death a secret in this fast-paced suspense thriller.
Nothing ruins summer vacation like a secret…especially when it involves a dead teacher.
Ivy used to be on top of the social ladder, until her ex made that all go away. She has a chance to be Queen Bee again, but only if the rest of the group can keep quiet.
Tyler has always been a bad boy, but lately he’s been running low on second chances. There’s no way he’s going to lose everything because someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut.
Kinley wouldn’t describe herself as perfect, though everyone else would. But perfection comes at a price, and there is nothing she wouldn’t do to keep her perfect record—one that doesn’t include murder charges.
Mattie is only in town for the summer. He wasn’t looking to make friends, and he definitely wasn’t looking to be involved in a murder. He’s also not looking to be riddled with guilt for the rest of his life…but to prevent that he’ll have to turn them all in.
Cade couldn’t care less about the body, or about the pact to keep the secret. The only way to be innocent is for someone else to be found guilty. Now he just has to decide who that someone will be.
With the police hot on the case, they don’t have much time to figure out how to trust each other. But in order to take the lead, you have to be first in line…and that’s the quickest way to get stabbed in the back.

As the blurb describes, Secrets, Lies and Scandals does have a very How To Get Away With Murder feel to it. I ABSOLUTELY adore that show, okay? And pretty much any other Shonda Rhimes show, but the thing I love most about HTGAWM is the sheer Panic and Uncertainty that all the characters have, and I was really expecting that from Secrets, Lies and Scandals!

And, for the most part, it delivered!

The last book I read with over three POV's (points of view) was Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate (which had seven) and so getting to know these characters was a lot simpler. 

Secrets, Lies and Scandal starts off with such simplicity, it makes it abnormally easy to switch between characters without wondering what happened to them and who that particular character was in between chapters. All the characters are made to perfectly fit those high school overdone cliques - the delinquent, the nerd, the fallen queen bee, the new boy and the rich kid. Each of them also had their own complicated (and quite awesome) story-lines going on, which just added to the essence of the story.

I loved how in the middle of the book, when everyone slowly realizes that someone or the other is going to go down for the murder, the backstabbing, the panic and the uncertainty that ensured, because isn't that what MURDERERS are all about?

There were also a couple of things about Secrets, Lies and Scandals that annoyed me, such as the fast paced relationship of Kinley and Tyler. Another Another thing was the voices of all their characters, and that for the first half they were extremely vocal about 'how their lives were ruined' and other such over the top things that no teenager says any more. 

All in all, a book definitely worth a read!  

Follow the Secrets, Lies & Scandals by Amanda K. Morgan Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Amanda K. Morgan is a freelance writer living in Nashville, TN. She covers events and works as a technical writer when she isn't working on her YA novels.

At age 15, Amanda finished her first novel and continued to write in college, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in English and an emphasis in Creative Writing.

Amanda is an avid volleyball player and spends time playing both indoors and out. When Amanda isn't writing, she enjoys being entirely too busy and trying new things. Endeavors as of late include appearances in music videos, TV, and movies, rock climbing, and attending as many concerts and shows as her schedule allows.

Amanda headed up the Do The Write Thing for Nashville Project (with co-organizers/authors Victoria Schwab and Myra McEntire), which tapped some of the biggest authors, editors, and agents in the industry for an online auction that raised over $70,000 for Midsouth flood relief.

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