HI, FRIENDS! I kind of feel like a slacker because I don’t have a vlog for today’s Shelve It, but ya know, sometimes life gets a little hectic (and I look a little ca-razy today…therefore should not be seen in vlog format). Moving on.

I did go to ALA this past week, but I’m just going to briefly say that I stood in lots of long lines to meet authors. I didn’t peruse the floor as much as I stood in line to meet some of my favorite people. That was pretty freakin’ incredible. Seeing Morgan Maatson was definitely (definitely) the highlight of my week.

I got a package in the mail a few weeks ago from Simon & Schuster and just want to give them a shout out to say THANK YOU for these. They are one of my favorite publishers and I was beside myself when I received these.

• The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt (Goodreads) – I devoured this one on a plane ride recently and really, really enjoyed it. Be on the lookout for my review, but also, it hits bookstores on July 10th!
• Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt (Goodreads) – This one is a cheating book (eep!) and it’s been on my to-read list since Estelle reviewed it.
• Possession by Elana Johnson (Goodreads) – I read this one last year (and reviewed it on Goodreads). The companion book, Surrender, just came out June 1st.
• Wrecked by Anna Davies (Goodreads) – This book is described as a contemporary paranormal book. There’s a boating accident, a mysterious boy, and lots of secrecy. I need to read this soon!
• Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Goodreads) – This one definitely seems a little outside of my normal reading zone, but I am intrigued by it. Lots of my Goodreads friends have rated this pretty highly.
• Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson (Goodreads) – I suppose after seeing my name pop up in their twitter feed regarding MY UNDYING LOVE for this book, they decided I needed a finished copy of this one.

Here’s what happened around our blog this week:

• Anxious to know what comes out this July? Check this list for July 2012 Young Adult releases.
• Don’t You Wish would be a great discussion book in classrooms.
• A LONG WAY FROM YOU author Gwendolyn Heasley stops by to answer a few of E’s questions.
• I recommend you have a friend on standby when you finish My Life Next Door.
• Estelle said Daughters for a Time tugged at her heart strings.
• Smart Girls Get What They Want reminded me of my dorky high school self.

Leave us some love! We love blog comments. Magan: Shelve It July 1, 2012 on Rather Be Reading
Check out more book reviews and posts by Magan.

Oh, wow! Another month down. I’m especially excited for June because I’m going to be traveling and reading and going to ALA at the end of the month! Here’s to hoping this is the month I can catch up on my reading goal. As promised, here’s a list of our most anticipated June 2012 Young Adult book releases.

june 01.

Divine Intervention
by Martha Brockenbrough
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

There is a great legend of the guardian angel who traveled across time and space for the human girl he loved, slaying those who would threaten her with a gleaming sword made of heavenly light.

This is not that story.

Jerome Hancock is Heidi Devine’s guardian angel. Sort of. He’s more of an angel trainee, in heaven’s soul-rehabilitation program for wayward teens. And he’s just about to get kicked out for having too many absences and for violating too many of the Ten Commandments for the Dead.

Heidi, meanwhile, is a high school junior who dreams of being an artist, but has been drafted onto her basketball team because she’s taller than many a grown man. For as long as she can remember, she’s heard a voice in her head – one that sings Lynyrd Skynyrd, offers up bad advice, and yet is company during those hours she feels most alone.

When the unthinkable happens, these two lost souls must figure out where they went wrong and whether they can make things right before Heidi’s time is up and her soul is lost forever.

Martha Brockenbrough’s debut novel is hilarious, heartbreaking, and hopeful, with a sense of humor that’s wicked as hell, and writing that’s just heavenly.

Surrender (Possession #2)
by Elana Johnson
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

The thrilling and seductive sequel to Possession puts love on the line in a dystopian struggle for independent thought.Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control…     Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.     All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.      Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….

june 05.

A Midsummer’s Nightmare
by Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Poppy
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

Whitley Johnson’s dream summer with her divorced dad has turned into a nightmare. She’s just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée’s son? Whitley’s one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin’ great. Worse, she totally doesn’t fit in with her dad’s perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn’t even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she’s ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn’t “do” friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn’t her stepbrother…at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

 

Miracle
by Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

Megan survived the plane crash—but can she survive the aftermath? An intense, emotional novel from the author ofThe Unwritten Rule and Between Here and Forever.

Megan is a miracle. At least, that’s what everyone says. Having survived a plane crash that killed everyone else on board, Megan knows she should be grateful just to be alive. But the truth is, she doesn’t feel like a miracle. In fact, she doesn’t feel anything at all. Then memories from the crash start coming back.

Scared and alone, Megan doesn’t know whom to turn to. Her entire community seems unable—or maybe unwilling—to see her as anything but Miracle Megan. Everyone except for Joe, the beautiful boy next door with a tragic past and secrets of his own. All Megan wants is for her life to get back to normal, but the harder she tries to live up to everyone’s expectations, the worse she feels. And this time, she may be falling too fast to be saved…

 

june 12.

Crazy
by Amy Reed
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

He’s falling in love—and she’s falling over the edge of sanity. From the author of Beautiful and Clean, a heartwrenching exploration of a romance marred by mental illness.

Connor knows that Izzy will never fall in love with him the way he’s fallen for her. But somehow he’s been let into her crazy, exhilarating world and become her closest confidante. But the closer they get, the more Connor realizes that Izzy’s highs are too high and her lows are too low. And the frenetic energy that makes her shine is starting to push her into a much darker place.

As Izzy’s behavior gets increasingly erratic and self-destructive, Connor gets increasingly desperate to stop her from plummeting. He knows he can’t save her from her pain…but what if no one else can?

Flirting in Italian
by Lauren Henderson
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Magan’s Review
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

Four girls. One magical, and possibly dangerous Italian summer. Family mysteries, ancient castles, long hot nights of dancing under the stars . . . and, of course, plenty of gorgeous Italian boys!

 

 

Timpiece (Hourglass #2)
by Myra McEntire
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

Kaleb Ballard’s relentless flirting is interrupted when Jack Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, timeslips in and attacks before disappearing just as quickly. But Kaleb has never before been able to see time travelers, unlike many of his friends associated with the mysterious Hourglass organization. Are Kaleb’s powers expanding, or is something very wrong?

Then the Hourglass is issued an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he’s stolen on the time gene, or time will be altered with devastating results.

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Jack. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough…

The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.

june 14.

Tokyo Heist
by Diana Renn
Publisher: Viking Children’s Books / Penguin
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Violet loves reading manga and wearing scarves made from kimono fabric, so she’s thrilled that her father’s new painting commission means a summer trip to Japan. But what starts as an exotic vacation quickly turns into a dangerous treasure hunt.

Her father’s newest clients, the Yamada family, are the victims of a high-profile art robbery: van Gogh sketches have been stolen from their home, and, until they can produce the corresponding painting, everyone’s lives are in danger — including Violet’s and her father’s.

Violet’s search for the missing van Gogh takes her from the Seattle Art Museum, to the yakuza-infested streets of Tokyo, to a secluded inn in Kyoto. As the mystery thickens, Violet’s not sure whom she can trust. But she knows one thing: she has to solve the mystery — before it’s too late.

 

My Life Next Door
by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial Books For Young Readers
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase’s family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

june 19.

This is Not a Test
by Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Magan’s Review
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually wantto live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what doyou hold on to?

 

Something Like Normal
by Trish Doller
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.

june 26.

Smart Girls Get What They Want
by Sarah Strohmeyer
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren’t the most popular girls in school, they aren’t too worried. They know their real lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. There will be ivy, and there will be cute guys in the libraries (hopefully with English accents)! But when an unexpected event shows them they’re missing out on the full high school experience, it’s time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. They make a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge—and they will totally rock it.

Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she’ll have to get over her fear of public speaking—and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed. It could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but always stayed behind the scenes—until now.

These friends are determined to show that smart girls get what they want—but that could mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for…

Temptation
by Karen Ann Hopkins
Publisher: Harlequin
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

Your heart misleads you.  That’s what my friends and family say.  But I love Noah. And he loves me.  We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other’s arms. It should be  ROSE & NOAH forever, easy. But it won’t be. Because he’s Amish. And I’m not.

 

 

A Want So Wicked (A Need So Beautiful #2)
by Suzanne Young
Publisher:  Balzer + Bray
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

After that episode, her life takes a bizarre turn. She’s experiencing unexpected flashes of insight into people’s lives—people she’s never met before. Strangers frighten her with warnings about the approaching Shadows. And although Elise has never had a boyfriend, she suddenly finds herself torn between two handsome but very different young men: Abe, the charming bad boy whose affect on her both seduces and frightens her, and the mysterious Harlin, who’s new to town but with whom Elise feels an urgent, elemental connection—almost as if they are soul mates.

Now Elise begins to question everything about her life. Why do these guys both want her so desperately? What are the Shadows? Why does the name Charlotte inspire a terrifying familiarity? And who is Elise, really?

One Moment
by Kristina McBride
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

Maggie Reynolds remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party the night before. She remembers climbing the trail hand in hand with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can’t she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below—dead?

As Maggie’s memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?

The latest novel from the author of The Tension of Opposites, One Moment is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.

 

 june 28.

Zoe Letting Go
by Nora Price
Publisher: Razorbill
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

A girl’s letters to her best friend reveal two lives derailed by anorexia in this haunting debut that’s Wintergirls meets The Sixth Sense

It’s not a hospital, a spa, or an institution. That’s what they told me–that’s what the brochures promised.

But no matter what the brochures promised, Zoe finds that Twin Birch is a place for girls with a penchant for harming themselves. Through journal entries and letters to her best friend, Elise, she tries to understand why she was brought there, and how she could possibly belong in a place like this. But Zoe’s letters to Elise remain unanswered. She wonders why her best friend would cut her off without a word, reliving memory after memory of their beautiful, rocky, inescapable friendship. But everyone has secrets–including Zoe–and as her own fragile mental state hangs in the balance, she must finally learn to come to terms with what happened to Elise before she’s able to let go.

Fans of Laurie Halse Anderson and Girl, Interrupted will race through this hauntingly emotional debut novel with the pacing of a psychological thriller.

 

My Life in Black and White
by Natasha Friend
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Goodreads | Amazon

Summary:

Lexi has always been stunning. Her butter-colored hair and perfect features have helped her attract friends, a boyfriend, and the attention of a modeling scout. But everything changes the night Lexi’s face goes through a windshield. Now she’s not sure what’s worse: the scars she’ll have to live with forever, or what she saw going on between her best friend and her boyfriend right before the accident. With the help of her trombone-playing, defiantly uncool older sister and a guy at school recovering from his own recent trauma, Lexi learns she’s much more than just a pretty face.

 

So, tell us, what are you guys looking MOST forward to in June?

Leave us some love! We love blog comments. Sweet Summertime Reads: June 2012 Young Adult Book Releases on Rather Be Reading
Check out more book reviews and posts by Magan.