we're magan + estelle -- two girls who live miles apart, but connect daily over our love for books. we share thoughtful + honest reviews of the books we read, but enjoy talking about our crazy lives and other interests, too (style! diy! zac efron!). join us!
Yes. You read that right! There’s actually a Shelve It + IT’S A V-LOG. Your eyes are not playing tricks on you! Sorry about the lack of these lately but between my Lent “break” from buying books, the eBooks I’ve been purchasing (which are no fun to show to you in a video), and this silly cold that will not go away — I haven’t had a chance. But here I am!!
I do cough in this video (sorry to ruin the suspense for you), and I’m going to apologize for the 20th time about that. Also, I totally blanked on the word “companion”. See if you can find that spot. I will send you a cookie.
(I should also mention a huge thanks to Ginger for providing my necklace in this video! It’s been such a great accessory and goes with so much that I own!)
Thank you so much to Harlequin Teen for the lovely goodies!
The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa (May 2013) Dare You To by Katie McGarry (June 2013) Ink by Amanda Sun (July 2013) Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott (September 2013)
Again, I love how eclectic this combination of books is! It makes me SO excited about reading and creative people!
Alexa Y.-That party was a lot of fun even though I was really nervous! It was definitely nice to catch up with blogger friends though, and to eat at LT Burger afterwards We need to eat there again and soon!
April 21, 2013 - 5:51 pm
Bonnie-I really enjoyed The Eternity Cure! Even more than the first installment.. can’t wait for the next one! Gosh, I still need to get on it and read Pushing the Limits. Happy Reading! My Showcase Sunday!
April 21, 2013 - 11:39 am
Ginger @ GReads! -Look at that necklace!! hehe Estelle, I am proud of you for branching out to more paranormal. You know how much I love contemps, so I tend to be very picky with the paranormals I read, too. Hit me up for rec’s anytime! I hope your cold goes away soon deary. Loved SEEING you though, xoxo.
April 21, 2013 - 9:57 am
Mel@thedailyprophecy-The eternity cure!! I can’t wait, since I love The immortal rules.
April Books & Wine-Ah, I wish I was going to read after leaving you a lovely comment, but alas, I have to sit at a health fair from like 10:30-2 p.m. Sigh.
Anyways, I loved your story about getting invested in Harlequin novels while on road trips with your mom. That’s so funny, but awesome too. And yay reading and yay parents reading. My mom and my grandma are total Harlequin readers too.
Man, that disney guidebook makes me want to go back, but alas, I cannot afford a vacation right now and refuse to take one until I’ve paid down my car. Sigh.
AND.
That party you mentioned sounds great — how cool that you got the opportunity to go!
Happy reading!
April 21, 2013 - 1:27 am
Rebecca @ Reading Wishes-I’m a contemporary girl at heart too so I get where your coming from. Before I started blogging, it’s the only genre I used to read. But now, I can be found reading some paranormal and from time to time, the occasional sci-fi and dystopian. How come this is the first I’m hearing about Heartbeat! *runs to check out* Oh, that would probably be due to it not being on Goodreads yet! It sounds amazing though and super intense. Bloom is my favourite book of Elizabeth’s also Have fun reading!
April 20, 2013 - 11:48 pm
Sarah O -First of all, LOVE Elizabeth Scott. I’ve actually only read her four less intense contemporary books but I love them. I reread them a few months ago and I realized that Bloom is definitely my favourite, which I didn’t pick up on the first time around. She is the queen of writing misunderstandings where you totally understand both sides so it makes her MCs slightly frustrating but you still love them.
So I’ve read The Immortal Rules and I wasn’t a huge fan to be honest. I definitely wouldn’t buy the sequel but I might read it if I could borrow it. I remember it was around 400 pages and not enough of those were interesting to me to enjoy it overall. I do know that some people liked it, but it wasn’t for me. And even though contemporary is my favourite I read a lot of other genres.
So yes, so jealous of Heartbeat. I’ll definitely be picking that up!
In a span of five days, you have heard about food, bookstores, food trucks, and expo advice for your upcoming jaunt to New York City for the BEAExpo. Now it’s FRIDAY. FRIDAYY! Which means it’s pretty much happy hour, right? (For those of you, 21 and older of course. Ahem. We must be responsible.) If you haven’t guessed today I’m walking about beer, wine, and coffee — some of my favorite beverages.
Truth? I was not a beer drinker for a long time. In fact, I thought it stunk and I never had any desire to have it. But my husband and I have steadily grown fond of craft beer since we started dating, and I actually figured out WOW BEER CAN TASTE GOOD. Yes, it really can. (Though I prefer a draft. ha! Bad beer joke!) One of our favorite hobbies is trying new beer. (It brings a whole new level of joy to grocery shopping.)
This is where I fell in love with beer. Every season they feature a few different brews, and the food is pretty good too. (Although kind of on the pricier side.) For food, I love the Taco Salad and the Buffalo Chicken Salad. As for beer, they have a pretty decent sampler here (you can share and try a little bit of everything). My favorites are: Harvest Wheat (light) and Oatmeal Stout (dark).
Keep in mind: they are strict about people ordering food when seated in the dining room. There’s plenty of room at the bar and in the front lounge to grab a beer though!
Beer Authority (40th Street/8th near Port Authority in Manhattan)
THIS has become one of my favorite spots. I love the food. I’ve come to realize a lot of places that have good beer don’t always have the best food but Beer Authority has a nice menu and FRESH burger sliders and awesome tacos. Share plates! Appetizers! A menu of specials! But the best part is: over 90 beers on tap. There’s also a roof top bar! Yay! Love the food, love the beer selection, and while the wait staff is so so, this is one of my top choices any weekend.
FYI: They do have a Sunday brunch with a jazz band too!
The Pony Bar (two locations: Hell’s Kitchen + Upper East Side)
A great spot to drink and have lunch on a Saturday afternoon. It’s pretty empty. Saturday nights are another story, but if you have the time and love craft beer from the United States — this is a cute spot. I’ve had a ton of great times here and the beer list is always changing. Best of all? The beers are 5 dollars. Something that is almost unheard of for GOOD beer in New York City. P.S. The pulled pork sandwich is amazing.
Now for those of you who are wine fans… my coworker was sweet enough to put together a list of some wine places she enjoys:
Riposo 72: 50 W. 72nd Street (b/t Columbus & Central Park West)
Riposo is small and has an intimate feel, but is usually not crowded. Staff is very nice and helpful. The sign on the door is not prominent, so keep an eye out.
The Tangled Vine is a bit more expensive than some other places, but the wine and food are really good – and it’s usually pretty crowded as a result. Worth it though!
This place is great – fairly small space but fantastic wine and food, and very friendly service. Highly recommend for groups (though you may want to call ahead).
Tiny space but worth the trip – Mediterranean wine and small plates. Highly recommend the fondue!
Thanks, Co-Worker!!
And last but not least:
COFFEE IS MY DRUG.
Gregorys Coffee is my favorite place. Their iced coffee is the best I’ve ever had + their pastries are all made on the premises. Yum!
If you happy to find yourself in Queens, I do love the Lucid Cafe. Their Green Tea Latte is an absolute masterpiece.
For the tea fans, Rachel from Hello Chelly introduced me to Argo Tea (there are a few locations as well). My favorite is the Vanilla Earl Grey. (I love that you can get the tea hot or iced!)
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What’s there left for me to say? Cheers, friends! And please share your recommendations below!
Stick around the rest of the weekend for a few more posts in the BEApart of It: New York, NY series!
molly @ wrapped up in books-Great list! I loved the wine bar recommendations and was thrilled to find one with a vegetarian menu!
April 21, 2013 - 10:33 pm
Alexa Y.-You know, growing up, I was raised to believe that I was going to be a mixed drinks kind of girl when I started drinking alcohol. But since moving the US and trying out beers, I’ve found I’m hooked. I’m now that girl who will probably have a beer in hand in lieu of a mixed drink or some wine lol. Just putting that out there
Great suggestions! I have to try Beer Authority sometime
April 20, 2013 - 11:01 pm
Estelle's Shelve It from 4/20/2013, Estelle-[...] BEApart of It: Spirits + Caffeine (helping you plan your NYC adventure!) Magan’s review of manicpixiedreamgirl by Tom Leveen (I just finished this + LOVED it.) The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mandy Ref, a review from Magan My look at Riptide by Lindsey Schreibe Where I say all the fantastic things about Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy Art Girls Are Easy by Julie Klausner, a review from Magan [...]
April 20, 2013 - 1:04 pm
Tabitha S.-OH. I love these posts you guys have been doing! Just wrote down Gregory’s Coffee in my planner, so I’ll remember it for once I start school. Iced coffee is my weakness.
April 20, 2013 - 9:03 am
Brittany @ The Book Addict's Guide-Oh girl, I looooove craft beer. When we visit Colorado, we make a point of visiting the local craft breweries. Now I just need to find someone to go with me to these wonderful places you’ve mentioned because my friends are not beer drinkers! Haha.
manicpixiedreamgirl by Tom Leveen (website | twitter)
Publication Date: April 23, 2013 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Pages: 256 Target audience: Young Adult Keywords: conflicted emotions, male POV, past and present, contemporary fiction Format read: ARC received via NetGalley (Thank you!) Other Books Read By Leveen: Zero
Summary: Tyler’s first short story is soon to be published in a literary journal where everyone will find out the truth — that while he’s been dating Sydney, he’s secretly been in love with Becky.
There are a handful of you that will be turned off by the premise of Tom Leveen’s new book, Manicpixiedreamgirl.
You won’t want to read about a boy, Tyler, who is dating one girl, Sydney, but is in love with another, Becky.
You’ll be worried that he’s going to cheat. And cheating isn’t fun to read about.
But you’ll be unnecessarily worried.
Because even though Tyler should let go of Sydney, there’s something so incredibly gripping and magnetic about Leveen’s writing. He lures you into the story with breadcrumbs of information that make your mouth salivate in anticipation for the next bite.
Manicpixiedreamgirl alternates between the past (beginning the first day of freshman year when Tyler first lays eyes on Becky) and the present (when his first short story is being published in a literary journal and he’s in a relationship with Sydney). Tyler’s immediately drawn to Becky; she sits alone at lunch, sorts her animal crackers into interesting piles, and happens to be reading one of his favorite Stephen King books. She’s an enigma. He loves watching her from afar (because he’s too timid to actually talk to her in person).
One day in English class when Sydney mentions that she knows Becky, Tyler bombards her with questions to gather any snippet of information he can. And somehow, weeks later, Tyler finds himself on a non-date with Sydney … which leads to them becoming a couple without an official proclamation ever being made. It just sort of happens.
Tyler’s in an odd position because he never fully intended to date Sydney. He still daydreams about Becky and wants to find ways to spend time with her. Out of respect for Sydney, he’s very cautious when he does interact with Becky and is ever the gentleman.
But in the privacy of his own home, he writes stories. Countless stories are written and revised.
About Becky.
And it just so happens that one of those is being published in the literary journal. Where surely everyone (especially Sydney) will be able to put together that Tyler is in love with Becky.
The only other book I’ve read of Tom Leveen’s is Zero, which I loved so much because of how well Leveen dove into his character’s minds. Tyler’s character was no different. Every struggle he felt seemed so authentic and real. How could he have allowed himself to fall into a relationship with Sydney? How can he love Becky and not hurt Sydney? His best friends were the perfect, humorous balance to the anxiety-ridden Tyler that seemed to always be toeing the line between what he wanted and what he was forced into.
Often I’m frustrated with characters that are pushovers and don’t stand up for themselves. I don’t know how he did it, but Leveen never angered me with Tyler’s passiveness. Tyler was still kind and thoughtful, intelligent, and aware of how all his decisions would affect those around him. I suppose the correct term would be mature. He didn’t make quick, erratic decisions, but instead let things play out naturally.
Leveen’s writing is stimulating and ever so engaging. Just as Tyler was drawn to Becky, so will you be seduced by Manicpixiedreamgirl, desperately hoping to untangle the messy web Tyler finds himself caught in.
Jessica-I so need to read this! I’ve heard nothing but good things. Just found your blog through Bloglovin and I love it so far!
May 5, 2013 - 11:38 am
Estelle's Shelve It >> Cinco de Mayo Books, Estelle-[...] Leveen’s Party after a huge recommendation from Lena (Addicted 2 Novels). I absolutely adored manicpixiedreamgirl (his new release) and must read everything he has [...]
Joli @ Actin' Up with Books-Such a perfect review for this book! I completely agree with you – Leveen’s writing is magnetic. I said the same thing in my review I’m writing (guess I’ll have to change that). But yes, this is a fantastic book. Leveen gets it right!
April 23, 2013 - 8:53 pm
Anna-Okay, I am convinced. I would like to read this!
April 21, 2013 - 10:35 pm
Alexa Y.-I will admit that I wasn’t initially very attracted to this book. But there’s something about the premise that hooked me, and I really think I want to read it. I’m glad that you enjoyed it so much!
April 20, 2013 - 11:57 pm
Tabitha S.-This is a book that I probably would have skipped over before, but after reading yours and a few other reviews – I’ll definitely be giving it a chance now! I’m really interested in how the author deals with Tyler’s situation.
April 19, 2013 - 10:58 pm
elena-this is the second review i read that loved manicpixiedreamgirl this week! i’m reallly curious about this book and anxious after reading your review. it sounds like he wrote the character of tyler really well esp considering the situation. excited to read this now!
April 19, 2013 - 7:04 pm
Renae @ Respiring Thoughts-This book first caught my attention because of the title—the manic pixie dream girl trope is such a unique thing to name your book after. I would probably be worried about the issue of cheating being portrayed in this novel, but if you say it’s not too big of an issue, then perhaps I ought to check in on this!
April 19, 2013 - 2:27 pm
Annette-I haven’t seen this one before, but enjoyed Zero. Just went and got is from NetGalley. Great review! Thanks!
The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf (website | twitter) Publication Date: April 18, 2013 Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers Pages: 384 Target audience: Young Adult Keywords: sick parent, best friend trouble, boy drama, chaotic teenage life Format read: ARC received via NetGalley (Thank you!)
Summary: Izzy has a lot going on in her life — family, friend, and romance-wise — so much that she doesn’t really know how to handle it. She’s also a hypochondriac who looks up all the symptoms she feels. The problem is, in real life, there’s no easy, curable way to put all the dramatic pieces of her life back together.
Izzy looks up every symptom she feels to determine whether or not she’s sick. She’s a hypochondriac.
But, really, beneath the surface of all the pretend illnesses Izzy could possibly maybe have, she’s got a whole lot going on in her life:
a mother who refuses to accept she’s sick and needs help
a potential new boyfriend who wants to sprint around the bases faster than Izzy feels comfortable with
three art pieces to start/finish for a chance to study in Italy
a best friend who is acting completely out of character
an ex-best friend who seems to want to be friends again
Friends, there was a lot to absorb in The Symptoms of My Insanity. Izzy was under so much pressure and her passiveness didn’t help to sort through any of the tasks that were building up in her life. As an outsider, I wanted to scream at Izzy to run in the other direction when her best friend, Jenna, throws her into the midst of set design for the drama club. After all I’ve listed above, don’t you agree Izzy has enough going on? Sure, Izzy is definitely a pushover and should have stood up for herself (countless times), but it was painful to see the tornado of disaster that was about to sweep through Izzy’s life. Especially when she was trying to balance so much she couldn’t see the destruction heading her way.
Ultimately, I walked away feeling glad that I had finished Mindy Raf’s book, but I still wish she hadn’t put Izzy through quite so much. Reflecting on the story, I wish Raf would have left out the entire Izzy-starts-dating-Blake storyline (in which he’s a jerk with zero backbone and does something pretty craptastic to Izzy). I wasn’t entirely happy with the resolution here and it seemed unnecessarily dramatic (especially when there was a kind, nerdy boy patiently waiting for Izzy to recognize him as more than a friend). The subtle side romance would have been so much sweeter without the hasty relationship with Blake thrown into the mix.
In real life it seems when one terrible thing happens, a ton of others seem to follow. True as that may be, Izzy probably would have had a nervous breakdown if her story were real. And though things did end well, after so much negative buildup I would have liked to have reveled in the ending a bit more to see how things played out long-term in Izzy’s life. (I felt like I closed the book with a heavy heart.)
Sure, I definitely enjoy drama in books, but I am a firm believer that enough is enough for there to be a sense of realism. Raf’s writing was meticulous, but a ‘less is more’ approach would have helped me relate to Izzy in a more meaningful way instead of feeling like I was approaching a train wreck.
Casey-Seems really like a really dramatic read. I’ll have to give it a go when I have a little less going on in my own life. Great review!
April 18, 2013 - 5:47 pm
Judith-You know, I had the exact same feeling when I finished. At one point, I really felt like the author was being cruel with everything she put Izzy through. No wonder the girl is a hypochondriac! I like the seperate parts of this story, and though I feel like there can always be less girl drama in books, I would have been okay with that if it had been the main focus point. But the thing with Blake… it just felt unnecessary (and forced) to me. Unfortunately.
April 18, 2013 - 4:18 pm
Tara-I’m always interested in books that deal with mental illness, but this one sounds like it has a bit too much other stuff going on for my taste. I still may give it a try and definitely appreciate candidness!
April 18, 2013 - 12:28 pm
Alexa Y.-The sheer amount of things that Izzy was going through is already overwhelming to me, and I’m only reading your review! I do agree with your thoughts that sometimes, it feels like all the bad things happen all at once. But this seems a bit too soap opera-ish for my liking. It sounded like a potentially cute book though (especially that nerdy love interest you hint at)
April 18, 2013 - 12:21 pm
Magan-Rebecca, I’m really glad you’re still anxious to give it a whirl. I am a big believer in everyone trying books out for their own because you just never know. I definitely don’t think that lighter + hopeful is what you’ll get when you read this one. Prepare yourself for a LOT of things to happen. Thanks for the comment!
April 18, 2013 - 12:19 pm
Magan-Christina — I’m really, really glad to hear that you felt the same way. I definitely wished some of the issues had been edited out. I completely, completely agree with you that it would have helped with character development and depth. The end just kind of … ended, too. Do we really even know what happens with the Italy situation?
April 18, 2013 - 12:18 pm
Magan-Elena — definitely a lot going on here More than I think was necessary for sure. And yeahhhh… I’m pretty sure you’d want to punch Blake for what he did. :-/
April 18, 2013 - 11:07 am
elena-oh geez, it DOES seem like a lot is going on. i think this book sounds too dramatic for me, i hate it when a character is put through a situation after a situation (after a situation!). it certainly seems like izzy was put through the ringer in this one. i shudder to think what blake did.
April 18, 2013 - 8:53 am
Christina (A Reader of Fictions)-I completely agree with your assessment. There were decent bones to this story, and the characters could have been really interesting. Had Raf chosen just a couple of those things for Izzy to deal with, she could have covered them fully and allowed plenty of time for character development. As it is, a lot of plot threads weren’t closed properly and I didn’t feel for the characters. Sad day.
April 18, 2013 - 5:40 am
Rebecca @ Reading Wishes-I was really looking forward to reading this and still am but after your review, will probably go in with my more mind open and prepare myself for LOTS OF craziness. It’s a shame that the ended on a ‘heavy heart’ end note because although I was expecting insanity, I was expecting something lighter and more on the hopeful side? Oh, well, I’ll take your advice and try and see if my library has a copy I can borrow. Awesome review!
Riptide by Lindsey Scheibe ( web | tweet ) Publication Date: May 1, 2013 Publisher: Flux Pages: 288 Target audience: Young adult Keywords: surfing, college, best friends, family secrets, immigration Format read: ARC on NetGalley via Publisher. (Thanks!)
Summary: Ford and Grace are best friends, but best friends who aren’t so secretly in love with each other. While Ford makes moves, Grace pushes him away. She can only focus on one thing this summer: winning the surfing competition to hopefully ensure her admittance to the college of her choice. In the meantime, Ford trades his wet suit for a suit suit at his law internship at Grace’s dad’s firm. His focus? Make a difference with immigration reform.
This is the second time in a row that a vibrant book cover oozing with the feel of summer ended up taking on a much more serious tone than I imagined.
Riptide is told from the alternating perspectives of Ford and Grace, two best friends/surfing buddies, who are so in love with each other but for various reasons cannot get it together. Ford is all for being upfront with his feelings, but Grace’s avoidance makes him question if she likes him like that at all. Of course, we know that she does and the foundation for some mega-tension between the two is set.
But this is more than a romance. Grace has many secrets at home, and her trust for people is pretty non-existant. Her parents pile on the pressure for her to go to an Ivy League school and her mom is constantly worried about appearances. (There’s a certain irony in that detail.) Since forever, Grace’s main escape and passion has been hitting the waves. She’s pretty damn good at it too, and would rather pass up her Ivy League chances to stay close by and be part of an awesome college surf team.
When Ford signs her up for a big-time competition, Grace hones in all her energy (or as much as she can) into succeeding and hopefully finding the courage to stand up to her parents about what she really wants. In the meantime, Ford is embracing his own future by interning at Grace’s dad’s law firm and hoping to learn more about immigration return, after an unfortunate incident that hit close to home.
Scheibe does a great job of injecting diversity into this cast of characters from Ford’s new friends at work to the Spanish frequently spoken at his home. I never see this enough in the young adult genre, and it’s always refreshing when it pops up in my reading.
Unfortunately, at some point, Riptide becomes more of Grace’s story (for good reason) and we lose a lot of Ford’s perspective, weakening the second half of the book considerably. His story was worth fleshing out too, and I wish more balance had been achieved. His friends were intriguing and so were his ambitions. As the book went on, I continued to question whether the book as a whole would have been stronger if Grace had been the only voice we had been introduced to.
Even as the book winds down, despite real change coming to all the characters, everything was sewn up a bit too perfectly for me. Too much emphasis was placed on how surfing related to real life, and, while yeah, that makes a ton of sense… I don’t think the reader needed it spelt out quite the way that it was.
While Scheibe did bring a rare family dynamic to the forefront and forced Grace to make necessary but tough choices, a fair amount of tweaking and buffing up the thinner plotlines would have made Riptide a more impactful, well-rounded story.
elena-this DOES seem like a bright & happy book but from your review, it is not that. misleading!! i like that there’s diversity in this book but i’m sorry it fell flat from your expectations. i hope your next read is better xo
April 18, 2013 - 12:26 pm
Alexa Y.-I read this one shortly after you did, and I too found it to be a bit lacking. While there were certain interesting elements (the surfing! the immigration thing!), the other stuff fell flat for me. Plus, it felt like too much was going on. (But I would still read a book from Ford’s perspective, lol!)
April 18, 2013 - 11:20 am
Rachel-I was wondering about this one. I’m sad you didn’t like it because it sounds like something I’d like, but I know our contemporary tastes are nearly identical so I trust you on this one. That’s so strange how the one storyline just…disappears. I mean, that doesn’t make much sense to me at all.
April 18, 2013 - 8:54 am
Christina (A Reader of Fictions)-It’s really weird that this starts out with two strong perspectives and drops one. Especially if that one was more interesting. Unless one of the people died, there’s no reason to cut off their narrative. That makes no sense at all!
April 17, 2013 - 5:07 pm
Tara-Based on the cover alone, I would think this was a light and fun summer read. Obviously it’s much heavier than that, and I appreciate your honesty with the second half of the book. If you say skip it, consider it skipped in my book
manicpixiedreamgirl by Tom Leveen (
The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf (
by Estelle
Alexa Y. - That party was a lot of fun even though I was really nervous! It was definitely nice to catch up with blogger friends though, and to eat at LT Burger afterwards
We need to eat there again and soon!
Bonnie - I really enjoyed The Eternity Cure! Even more than the first installment.. can’t wait for the next one! Gosh, I still need to get on it and read Pushing the Limits. Happy Reading!
My Showcase Sunday!
Ginger @ GReads! - Look at that necklace!! hehe
Estelle, I am proud of you for branching out to more paranormal. You know how much I love contemps, so I tend to be very picky with the paranormals I read, too. Hit me up for rec’s anytime! I hope your cold goes away soon deary. Loved SEEING you though, xoxo.
Mel@thedailyprophecy - The eternity cure!! I can’t wait, since I love The immortal rules.
Happy reading
Mel@thedailyprophecy
April Books & Wine - Ah, I wish I was going to read after leaving you a lovely comment, but alas, I have to sit at a health fair from like 10:30-2 p.m. Sigh.
Anyways, I loved your story about getting invested in Harlequin novels while on road trips with your mom. That’s so funny, but awesome too. And yay reading and yay parents reading. My mom and my grandma are total Harlequin readers too.
Man, that disney guidebook makes me want to go back, but alas, I cannot afford a vacation right now and refuse to take one until I’ve paid down my car. Sigh.
AND.
That party you mentioned sounds great — how cool that you got the opportunity to go!
Happy reading!
Rebecca @ Reading Wishes - I’m a contemporary girl at heart too so I get where your coming from. Before I started blogging, it’s the only genre I used to read. But now, I can be found reading some paranormal and from time to time, the occasional sci-fi and dystopian. How come this is the first I’m hearing about Heartbeat! *runs to check out* Oh, that would probably be due to it not being on Goodreads yet! It sounds amazing though and super intense. Bloom is my favourite book of Elizabeth’s also
Have fun reading!
Sarah O - First of all, LOVE Elizabeth Scott. I’ve actually only read her four less intense contemporary books but I love them. I reread them a few months ago and I realized that Bloom is definitely my favourite, which I didn’t pick up on the first time around. She is the queen of writing misunderstandings where you totally understand both sides so it makes her MCs slightly frustrating but you still love them.
So I’ve read The Immortal Rules and I wasn’t a huge fan to be honest. I definitely wouldn’t buy the sequel but I might read it if I could borrow it. I remember it was around 400 pages and not enough of those were interesting to me to enjoy it overall. I do know that some people liked it, but it wasn’t for me. And even though contemporary is my favourite I read a lot of other genres.
So yes, so jealous of Heartbeat. I’ll definitely be picking that up!