Double Review: Wesley James Ruined My Life

Hey guys! So a while ago we hosted a Blog Tour for Wesley James Ruined My Life and also included a review by the marvelous Mari. I just recently read it as well and would love to share my thoughts with you! Below is Mari's previously posted review, along with the my new one.

Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourn

Mari's Perspective

Review:

This book was the quintessential beach read. Honestly it was the kind of light book that you sometimes NEED during vacation, and it didn't disappoint. While it had a predictable and somewhat cliche plot, the backstory more then made up for it. Q is a likeable girl who (like me) loves England, and needs to make cash in order to go. Her relationships with her parents are complex (what with her gambler of a dad) and in many ways she is a fully developed character. Then in comes Wesley who "ruined" her life a while ago, who is stirring some new feelings in her. In my opinion it was stupid that she blamed him for the divorce of her parents. Like really Q? You really thought that he was the one to reveal to your mom that your dad lost his job? How dumb and naive can you be? But whatever. Wes is SUPER hot, and his reporte with Q is extremely cute, something that really drives the book forward. Their love/hate relationship is super fun and cute to watch, and it was perfect to lazily read on a summer day, outdoors with a lemonade in hand!

Rating: 7.5/10

Lauren's Perspective

Review:

    Wesley James Ruined My Life is very short and to the point. It's an easy read and hard to put down, but there were a few flaws within the writing.

    The author's writing, or Quinn's thoughts, were very repetitive. Quinn kept saying over and over again, 'this and this only happened because of Wesley James'. She blamed him for everything even though clearly none of the problems were his fault. She was very immature which does not portray her age very accurately (she's in her senior year). Although, this repetitive thinking could also show how deep Quinn is stuck in the past, and how she really never got over her parents divorce. It was better to blame Wes for everything going wrong in her life instead of face the truth of what actually happened.

    There was also another factor that didn't really add up: Quinn's coworker Amy. I don't want to spoil anything, but something goes down with Amy that really comes from out of the blue. It was plausible of course, but it just seemed like the author wanted a plot twist and a way for Quinn to look good, so she threw that in there. There wasn't even support throughout the novel, so it felt random.

    Overall, I would recommend Wesley James Ruined MY Life, but more for a discussion topic than for its content. 

Rating: 6/10

Recommended if you are looking for: a fast paced, short and easy read.

Well, there you have it guys! Thanks so much for reading and sorry we haven't really posted in a while!

Your friends at the Autumn Bookshelf

GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT

Congrats go out to Eleanor (@sunsetandstars) for winning our Embers of War giveaway! You will be contacted shortly!

Also thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! Just because you didn't win this copy, does not mean you shouldn't give the book a try!


Your friends at The Autumn Bookshelf

EMBERS OF WAR GIVEAWAY

Hey guys, I have some exciting news! Thanks to Titan Books, I'll be holding a Book Giveaway for a new release of theirs. It's called Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell. Below is the intriguing synopsis for the novel, as well as the rules for the giveaway!

THE PRIZE~
-By winning this giveaway, you will receive one finished copy of the newly released Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell!

TO ENTER~
1. Follow my account, @AutumnBookshelf on Twitter.
2. Follow Titan Books on Twitter ( @TitanBooks).
3. Retweet my pinned post that announces the giveaway! (on @AutumnBookshelf)
4. That's it! You're good to go!

THE CONDITIONS AND RULES~
-This giveaway is open to UK/US/Canada only.
-You can only enter the giveaway once, and you must be following both of the aforementioned twitter accounts AND retweet the post to be considered to win.
-Giveaway ends on March 3, 2018 at 12:00am CST.
-Winner will be announced on March 5, 2018 on both my blog and on twitter! The winner will be contacted via Direct Message on Twitter shortly after the announcement has been made.
-Make sure your Twitter account is not on private when the giveaway ends, otherwise I cannot guarantee that I'll be able to see your retweet.
-Winner must be 18 years of age or have parent permission to enter this giveaway.

TITAN BOOKS, TITAN HOUSE 144 SOUTHWARK STREET, LONDON SE1 0UP 020 7620 0200

“Powell’s writing is fast-paced and fun and full of adventure. He is – ANN LECKIE, Hugo Award-winning author of Ancillary Justice on my must-read list.” 

EMBERS OF WAR

GARETH L. POWELL

AFTER THE WAR, THE BATTLE FOR PEACE BEGINS IN THE

START OF A BRAND NEW SERIES FROM AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR GARETH L. POWELL.

           

EMBERS OF WAR is the first in a three-part space opera from BSFA winning author Gareth L. Powell that will delight fans of Ann Leckie, Alastair Reynolds and Adrian Tchaikovsky. Beautifully plotted and paced, EMBERS OF WAR is a timely and considered look at morality and the consequences of conflict, delicately balanced with Powell’s trademark wit and warm prose to create a modern, page-turning addition to the increasingly popular space opera genre. 

The warship Trouble Dog was built and bred for violence, yet following a brutal war, she finds herself disgusted by conflict and her role in a possible war crime. Seeking to atone, she joins the

House of Reclamation, an organisation dedicated to rescuing ships in distress. But stripped of her weaponry and emptied of her officers, she struggles in the new role she’s chosen for

herself. When a ship goes missing in a disputed system, Trouble

Dog and her new crew of misfits and loners, captained by Sal

Konstanz, an ex-captain of a medical frigate who once fought against Trouble Dog, are assigned to investigate and save whoever they can.

Meanwhile, light years away, intelligence officer Ashton Childe is tasked with locating and saving the poet, Ona Sudak, who was

aboard the missing ship, whatever the cost. In order to do this, he must reach out to the only person he considers a friend, even if he’s not sure she can be trusted. What Childe doesn’t know is that Sudak is not the person she appears to be.

What appears to be a straightforward rescue mission turns into something far more dangerous, as Trouble Dog, Konstanz, and

Childe find themselves at the centre of a potential new conflict that could engulf not just mankind but the entire galaxy.

If she is to survive and save her crew, Trouble Dog is going to have to remember how to fight.

TITAN BOOKS, TITAN HOUSE 144 SOUTHWARK STREET, LONDON SE1 0UP 020 7620 0200

PRAISE FOR GARETH L. POWELL

“Impeccably structured, with a series of cliff-hangers, but beautifully balanced between big ideas and the smaller-scale

human story. If you read only one space opera this year, it's got to be The Recollection.”

The Guardian on The Recollection

“Like M. John Harrison, but without the crushing sense of despair and ennui.”

Philip Reeve on The Recollection

“Gareth L. Powell is going to be a major voice in SF.”

Paul Cornell on The Recollection

“Gareth L Powell has got it just right … The Recollection is a joy to read.” 

Geek Chocolate on The Recollection

“A justly celebrated book, innovative, filled with excitement, eminently readable.”

Adrian Tchaikovsky on Ack-Ack Macaque

“I thought that Powell’s previous novel, The Recollection, was one of the best things I’d read in ages, and Ack-Ack Macaque, though different in tone, is easily as good. It’s the most fun I’ve had with a novel in quite a long time and you need to read it too, trust me.”

Dave Hutchinson on Ack-Ack Macaque

“Powell has created a vast, thoroughly original world that is so imaginative, emotionally engaging and frighteningly real that you don’t want to leave it.”

Den of Geek on Ack-Ack Macaque

“Ridiculously readable, thoroughly entertaining, and packed full of ideas.” SFFWorld on Ack-Ack Macaque

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

GARETH L. POWELL is the author of five science-fiction novels and two short story collections. His third novel, Ack-Ack Macaque, book one in the Macaque Trilogy, was the winner of the 2013 BSFA novel award. He lives in Bristol, UK. Find him on Twitter @garethlpowell.

www.titanbooks.com |  https://www.facebook.com/titanbooks | @TitanBooks

TITAN BOOKS IS A DIVISION OF TITAN PUBLISHING GROUP LTD.REGISTERED OFFICE: 144 SOUTHWARK STREET, LONDON, SE1 OUP.

Book Review: One of Us Is Lying

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Released: May 30, 2017

Read: May 2017

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Format: ARC, 368 pages

Series: Stand-alone

Description from Goodreads:

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. 

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. 

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app. 

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose? 

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

Review: 
    One of Us Is Lying was simply amazing! It got my attention from the very first page and continued to hold it throughout the entire novel. The author, Karen M. McManus, did a great job of hiding who the true killer really was, and only hinted it in at the very end. Usually with books where the point of view rotates between characters, I enjoy one perspective more than the others and look forward to that one in particular. But that didn't happen with One of Us Is Lying; I wanted to know more information about each character equally. This created a very enticing read and I can't wait for more people to read it!

Favourite Quotes:

• " These murder club meetings are becoming a regular thing. We need a new name, though."
• "It concerns me you're avoiding a promise not to murder me."
• "I don't know why it's so hard for people to admit that sometimes they're just assholes who screw up because they don't expect to be caught."
• " I guess we're almost friends now, or as friendly as you can get when you're not one hundred percent sure the other person isn't framing you for murder."
• "We could be surrounded by walking dead in the zombie apocalypse and she'd look for the bright side."

Rating: 8.5/10

Recommended if you like: thrillers, murder-mysteries, high school dramas, the Breakfast Club, Pretty Little Liars

Keep flipping pages,
Lauren