Sophie Reads YA: 2019 Beat the Backlist challenge

2019 Beat the Backlist challenge

ARC Review: Out of Left Field by Kris Hui Lee

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Out of Left Field
Series: None
Author: Kris Hui Lee
Published May 1st 2018 by Sourcebooks Fire

Goodreads Synopsis
There's no playing it safe in love or baseball in this sparkling debut, perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Kasie West.

Marnie has never had a hard time fitting in with the guys. It would take a lot more than their goofy antics to keep her from joining them at the neighborhood sandlot to do what she loves best: play ball.

An added perk of hanging out at the sandlot? Spending time with Cody Kinski, their high school's star pitcher and Marnie's best friend. Sure, he can be stubborn and annoying. He also knows how to make her laugh and respects her skills on the field. And when he gets nailed in the arm by a bone-fracturing pitch, Marnie becomes the team's best chance at making it to the playoffs. Except no one told the guys they're supposed to be on her side.

With her own team against her, Marnie begins questioning her abilities. And when fate throws her a curveball, can she play without losing the game, Cody, and her belief in herself?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Marnie has always enjoyed playing baseball at the local field with the guys, but never thought about doing anything more than having a few games for fun. When her best friend, and crush, Cody, is injured, and can no longer play, he convinces Marnie to join the school's team, as she is the next best pitcher in town, and their only hope to make it to the play offs. Once friends, the other guys on the team don't like the idea of having a girl as a team mate, and now she has to deal with the pressure of the whole school, and being left alone and ignored by those who should support her.

Out of Left Field was a cute and fluffy read, perfect for summer. Marnie is a decent character, but for the most part there's not much development. I liked the baseball aspect of the story - I know next to nothing about baseball, so it was nice to read about it. I also liked the romance between Marnie and Cody, but feel as if something was missing from the book to give it higher than a 3 star rating.

Dates Read:
July 22-23, 2020

Rating
3 Stars

2019 Beat the Backlist challenge

ARC Review: From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon

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From Twinkle, with Love
Series: None
Author: Sandhya Menon
Published May 31st 2018 by Hodder & Stoughton

Goodreads Synopsis
An aspiring teen filmmaker finds her voice and falls in love in this delightful romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi.

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy-a.k.a. Sahil's twin brother? Dream come true x 2.

When mystery man N begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it's Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she's fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.

Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she's got is not the one she's scripted. But will it be enough?

Told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, with Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Twinkle Mehra has always wanted to be a filmmaker, so when the upcoming Summer Festival is announced, she decides to work with fellow film lover, Sahil Roy, to create something to be aired during the festival. Working with Sahil is great, though they do clash at times, but the fact that his twin brother. Neil, is the person she's been crushing on for years, this could be her chance to get close to him. When anonymous letters and emails start coming in, signed off by N, Twinkle immediately thinks it could be Neil, and is overjoyed; but spending more time with Sahil makes her soon realise she might've been crushing on the wrong twin all along.

I love Sandhya's other books, so when this one became available to request, I knew I had to do it. And though I liked this book, I didn't like it as much as the others. Twinkle just wasn't a character I really warmed too, as I felt she was very immature and vain. She was neigh on obsessed with the idea of popularity, and it just got annoying the more she went on about it. I did like Sahil, and it was obvious he had a crush on Twinkle from an early part of the book. I liked their chemistry together, but the obsession over Neil, even though Twinkle knew it was hurting Sahil, detracted from it all. The filmmaking plot line was original, and I did love how we really saw how Twinkle and Sahil cared about their future and about films. All in all, a middling read.

Dates Read:
August 9-11, 2019

Rating
3 Stars

2019 Beat the Backlist challenge

Review: Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

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Tell Me Three Things
Series: None
Author: Julie Buxbaum
Published April 5th 2016 by Delacorte Press

Goodreads Synopsis
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?
Goodreads

Review
After losing her mother, Jessie's life was flipped upside down, and the fact that her dad just ups and elopes with a new woman, meaning she now has a new stepmother, Rachel, and stepbrother, Theo, she's just about holding it together. Being forced to move across country, to a new school is hard, and when she gets an email on her new account from someone calling themselves Somebody/Nobody, or SN for short, who says they'll help her navigate her new life, it's almost too good to be true. The more time she emails with SN, the more she is comfortable, and soon it seems like he could be the perfect person for her; the only bad thing is she doesn't know who he is.

This book was just so engaging, and I was hooked from the moment I opened it. Jessie was a relatable character, and everything she went through, both before and during the novel, were wholly believable, and understandable. Her interactions with her new 'family' were what I would expect to have happened, but I loved how she grew to appreciate them, and how her and Theo's sibling relationship evolved. One thing I really enjoyed is that there's no love triangle or whatever in the book. Yes, there are a few candidates for SN, but it's kind of obvious who it was which actually added to the enjoyment, rather than take away from it. I'll definitely will be reading more of Buxbaum's books in future!

Dates Read:
March 9, 2019

Rating
4 Stars

2019 Beat the Backlist challenge

Review: Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha #1) by Tasha Suri

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Empire of Sand
Series: The Books of Ambha #1
Author: Tasha Suri
Published November 13th 2018 by Orbit

Goodreads Synopsis
A nobleman’s daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri’s captivating, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy.

The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited.

When Mehr’s power comes to the attention of the Emperor’s most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda.

Should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance…

Empire of Sand is a lush, dazzling fantasy novel perfect for readers of City of Brass and The Wrath & the Dawn.
Goodreads

Review
Empire of Sand sees Mehr, the daughter of a imperial governor, have to hide her inherited magic from the Empire's mystics, who want to root out and destroy all of the Amrithi people. Her stepmother forces her to hide all of her Amrithi traits, and despises Mehr with all her worth. When the Emperor hears about Mehr, and her magic, he marries her to one of his strongest warriors, Amun, and forces Mehr to help him in his efforts to control the empire, and the magic within.

This book was another one I had seen people rave about online, especially about the romance, so I knew I needed to get myself a copy to read. I did enjoy it, but it was very slow, and somewhat boring at times. The plot needed to pick up a lot more than it did, and for a nearly 500 page book, a lot could've been cut out. The romance between Mehr and Amun was the biggest plus of the book - with a very, very slow build from arranged marriage to true feelings. All in all, good, but could've been better.

Dates Read:
August 26-29, 2019

Rating
3 Stars

2019 Beat the Backlist challenge

Review: Storm (Elemental #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

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Storm
Series: Elemental #1
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Published April 17th 2014 by Much-in-Little

Goodreads Synopsis
Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake.

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys; all the ones she doesn't want. When she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot, everything is about to change. Chris is different from the guys at school... really different. He can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. The brothers are powerful and dangerous. And now that Becca knows the truth, so is she.

When the mysterious new kid, Hunter, turns up, Becca thinks she can trust him. But when he goes head-to-head with Chris, Becca's left wondering who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.
Goodreads

Review
Becca is a normal girl, in a normal town, and decides that to stop all of the rumours being spread by her jock ex-boyfriend, she'll take some self defence classes at the high school. This, however, is the start of all her problems. She sees one of the Merrick brothers, Chris, being attacked in the parking lot, and ends up saving him, and discovering he can control Water, just like all his brothers can control one of the elements. The Merricks are strange, and known as Elementals, and now that Becca has gotten involved in them, she is in danger too. When new guy Hunter appears, Becca is torn between the too, and finds herself drawn more into the world of the Elementals.

This book was so not what I expected, but I loved it none the less. It was new and refreshing, and all of the main characters, from Becca, to Chris, to the rest of the Merricks, and Hunter, were so fleshed out and real. I loved the romance in it all, even with the love triangle, but Becca and Chris were definitely endgame. The plot was twisty and turning, and there were moments I was on the edge of my seat waiting for what would come next. Some of the twists I did see coming, but even so, the way they were revealed was perfect, and has definitely cemented Brigid as one of my favourite authors!

Dates Read:
August 5-6, 2019

Rating
4 Stars

2019 Beat the Backlist challenge

Review: Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1) by Katie McGarry

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Pushing the Limits
Series: Pushing the Limits #1
Author: Katie McGarry
Published July 31st 2012 by Harlequin Teen

Goodreads Synopsis
"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again...
Goodreads

Review
Noah and Echo have gone to the same school for years, but they are in completely different circles. Echo used to be the queen of the school, popular, with a jock boyfriend, but overnight she's become a loner, covered in scars, and wanting nothing to do with her old life. This brings Noah into her world, and he is kind and understanding to her, especially as she can't really remember what happened to her. She is going through a lot at home, as her mother is no longer in her life, and her controlling dad has married her old babysitter, and she's now pregnant. Noah is fighting for his brothers, to get them out of the foster system following the death of his parents, and needs to prove himself worthy of it all. Together, they become stronger, but the world wants to keep them apart, no matter what. Will they be able to overcome the controlling powers in their lives, or will they push the limits too far?

This was a book I had seen again and again in the book blogging community, but I never got around to reading it until 2019. Echo and Noah were such broken and damaged characters, who I wanted to hug and protect throughout the entire book. They had the whole world thrown at them, and it was lot for them to take at such a young age. This book isn't a soft and fluffy contemporary read; no, it's gritty, and dark, and really makes you think as you go through it. It's gripping from the get go, and though you wouldn't expect to enjoy a book with this sort of content, I really did, and loved the way that Echo and Noah didn't rely on each other, per se, but bolstered the other and helped them achieve what they needed to. Definitely a book that sticks with you, and I'm looking forward to seeing more from them in the sequels.

Dates Read:
June 19-21, 2020

Rating
4 Stars

2019 Beat the Backlist challenge

ARC Review: Secrets of a Teenage Heiress (Hotel Royale #1) by Katy Birchall

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Secrets of a Teenage Heiress
Series: Hotel Royale #1
Author: Katy Birchall
Published January 11th 2018 by Egmont

Goodreads Synopsis
Flick's family have owned The Royale – one of London's most prestigious hotels – for generations. But Flick isn't that interested. She is interested in the newest guest – superstar celebrity Skylar Chase, and Sky's mega-famous group of friends, including dreamy YouTube star, Ethan Duke. But just as Flick gets the chance to join their glittering squad, she gets grounded following an unfortunate incident involving a prince, a wardrobe and a selfie stick (it could have happened to anyone!). With only her Instagram star pet dachshund, Fritz, for company, will Flick find a way to escape The Royale and join the fame game?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

I can't even really remember being sent this book, but one say I was looking through my shelves for my next read, and spotted this, complete with publicity details inside. Secrets of a Teenage Heiress follows Flick Royale, the daughter of the current owner of The Royale - one of the best hotels in London - as she navigates life as an heiress and as a regular teenager. She wants to be able to be with the most famous guests in the hotel, namely Skylar Chase, but getting close to them isn't without it's own difficulties. Follow a whole series of calamities, Flick is grounded, and forced to help out around the hotel, learning the ropes, which brings her closer to once friend, Cal.

I did enjoy this book, and it was such a fast read, but for me, it read very young. I think it's marketed as YA, but I felt like it was more MG at times. Flick was annoying and bratty when we first met her, but she grew over the course of the book, especially as she came to terms with how lucky she was to live in this hotel, and not to take all the people who work there for granted. Really, the staff in the hotel was more like a family, and Flick definitely seemed to appreciate her privileged position. The friendship group around Flick, not counting mean girl Ella, was really sweet, and seemed natural - especially how close Flick and Grace became.

Dates Read:

May 8-9, 2019

Rating
3 Stars

2019 Beat the Backlist challenge

Review: Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After #2) by Tessa Dare

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Say Yes to the Marquess
Series: Castles Ever After #2
Author: Tessa Dare
Published December 30th 2014 by Avon

Goodreads Synopsis
Your presence is requested at romantic Twill Castle for the wedding of Miss Clio Whitmore and... and... ?

After eight years of waiting for Piers Brandon, the wandering Marquess of Granville, to set a wedding date, Clio Whitmore has had enough. She's inherited a castle, scraped together some pride, and made plans to break her engagement.

Not if Rafe Brandon can help it. A ruthless prizefighter and notorious rake, Rafe is determined that Clio will marry his brother—even if he has to plan the dratted wedding himself.

So how does a hardened fighter cure a reluctant bride's cold feet?

He starts with flowers. A wedding can't have too many flowers. Or harps. Or cakes.
He lets her know she'll make a beautiful, desirable bride—and tries not to picture her as his.
He doesn't kiss her.
If he kisses her, he definitely doesn't kiss her again.
When all else fails, he puts her in a stunning gown. And vows not to be nearby when the gown comes off.
And no matter what—he doesn't fall in disastrous, hopeless love with the one woman he can never call his own.

Goodreads

Review
Say Yes to the Marquess is the second book in the Castles Ever After series, and sees the lovely, and abandoned, Miss Clio Whitmore inherit Twill Castle. For eight years she has been engaged to Piers, Marquess of Granville, but any time there's opportunity for a wedding, something gets in the way. Now, she's had enough of all the jeering and ridicule, and is ready to break the engagement, especially when she has a castle belonging only to her. All she needs is for Piers' brother, Rafe, to consent to break the engagement, and she'll be on her merry way. Rafe, full of guilt and shame for how he is the black sheep of the Brandon family, will not do anything that could hurt his brother any more, and will plan the perfect wedding and make sure that Clio's cold feet warm right up. Can Rafe convince Clio to wait just a bit longer, or does she know what she wants, and Rafe looks exceedingly more like it?

Clio was a fantastic character, who I really felt for. Her younger sister, Daphne, is recently married, and treats her like rubbish, finding all the faults that she can and making Clio feel she's worthless. The youngest sister, Phoebe, is so sweet, and though it's not named, seems to be on the autistic spectrum to some extent, but with Clio and Rafe she's listened to, and treated as she should be. Rafe, being a prize fighter, would be expected to be rough and a bit of a brute, but he's secretly a puppy, especially when it comes to Clio. He's always had a soft spot for her, even loving her from afar but knowing that she's to be Piers' and he was the runt of the litter who didn't deserve love for 'killing' his mother in childbirth. His father, the late Marquess, treated him like something he had stepped in, and it's affected Rafe ever since. Both the main characters had their walls and issues, but together they manage to overcome them all, and I think they may be my favourite couple in this series. I just adore them, and hope we see them in the fourth book, which is about Piers.

Dates Read:
June 20, 2020

Rating
4 Stars

2019 Beat the Backlist challenge