Waiting on Wednesday - Now you See Her by Lisa Leighton & Laura Stropki

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (by Goodreads)

AMELIA has always felt like a happy life is just out of reach. Having moved every few years with her mom and sister, she’s always had a hard time making and keeping friends; there’s never enough time, and never enough money to stay in one place. And now, in her senior year, right before tennis season, Mom wants to move again.

SOPHIE has a perfectly curated, Instagram-ready life, from her first singles wins to her cute, long-term boyfriend to the beautiful, landscaped home where she lives with her parents. Though they’re tennis teammates, the two girls almost never speak.

But then one night changes everything. When Amelia’s car breaks down on the side of the road in a rainstorm, a man she thinks is a Good Samaritan pulls over to help her. When he tries to abduct her instead, she escapes into oncoming traffic.

In one inexplicable moment, Amelia and Sophie switch bodies. Amelia wakes up in Sophie’s body. Amelia’s body is in a coma. Now Amelia needs to find a way to switch back into her own life—but before that, she must retrace her steps to unravel the mystery of the accident, her attempted abduction, and how it’s all tied to her mother’s secret past.

This sounds like an interesting version of Freaky Friday.  I'm curious how Amelia and Sophie would switch bodies.  And of course, what happened to Amelia  for her to be in a coma. 

- Christinabean

Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky

Published: 2013

Published by: Delacorte Press

Pages: 227

Copy Provided by: Author

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:
After everything that happened - my first boyfriend, my first time, my first breakup - jumping back into the dating game seemed like the least healthy thing I could do. It’s not that I didn’t want to fall in love again, since that’s about the best feeling ever. But as a busy college premed still raw from heartbreak, which is the worst feeling ever, I figured I’d lie low for a while. Of course, as soon as I stopped looking for someone, an impossibly amazing - and devastatingly cute - guy came along, and I learned that having a new boyfriend is the quickest way to recover from losing your old one. 

The moment we got together, all my preconceptions about romance and sex were turned upside down. I discovered physical and emotional firsts I never knew existed. I learned to let go of my past by living in the present. It was thrilling. It was hot. It was just what the doctor ordered.

But I couldn’t avoid my future forever. 

In Daria Snadowsky’s daring sequel to Anatomy of a Boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Dominique explores the relationship between love and lust, and the friendships that see us through.

Review:
I actually enjoyed this second book more than the first.  I felt that just being away from home allowed Dom to straighten up a little bit and step into adulthood.  Of course she reverts backwards as her parents announce a big change to the family but she learns from her breakup and begins to trust her instincts when it comes to other people.

I like how she places more emphasis on identifying her own thought processes.  Like when she and Guy fight about where their relationship stands yet she realizes that she doesn't really know what she wants in life. 

I think that after a big commitment to someone, it is good to play the field a bit and discover things you like and dislike about life and love and everything else in the world. It is a time to be self-critical and try new things and push your comfort zones, challenging yourself to new ideas and concepts  Guy is a good experience for Dom and it throws her for a loop to discover that what she thought she wanted, she didn't actually want at all.  I think both books to read in combination are a great for someone who is going through a coming of age from teen into adulthood. 

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (by Goodreads)

Ari Sullivan is alive—for now.

She wakes at the bottom of a cistern, confused, injured and alone, with only the shadowy recollection of a low-pitched voice and a gloved hand. No one can hear her screams. And the person who put her there is coming back. The killer is planning a gruesome masterpiece, a fairytale tableau of innocence and blood, meticulously designed.

Until now, Ari was happy to spend her days pining for handsome, recent-arrival Stroud Bellows, fantasizing about their two-point-four-kids-future together. Safe in her small hometown of Dempsey Hollow. But now her community has turned very dangerous—and Ari may not be the only intended victim.

This title drew my attention because I had read Ashes Ashes by Jo Treggiari years ago.  Despite the mid-range rating review on Goodreads, I would still be interested in reading this title.

- Christinabean

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Published: 2007

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages:259

Copy provided by: Author

Summary: by Goodreads

Summary:

In her last semester at a private school in Fort Myers, Florida, seventeen-year-old Dom finds her life transformed by her first boyfriend, Wes, a track star at the public school her best friend attends.

Review:

Ms. Snadowsky kindly provided me with copies of both Anatomy of a Boyfriend and Anatomy of a Girlfriend years ago and I recently found them on my bookshelf as I was looking for reading material to take on a vacation.  I apologize for not writing a review sooner but it was nice to be able to read them back to back.

So Dom is in her last year of high school and going through the highs and lows of her first love.  And of course sex.  I won't lie. There was a lot of sexuality and language in this title but it definitely touched upon how foreign everything is when we first learn about sex, our bodies and the opposite sex.  Things are not like the movies.  We don't strip down naked and feel really sexy and experienced. There is awkwardness. And more awkwardness.  And experimentation.  Lots of it.  Top this off with being a newbie to relationships and there is a lot to deal with.  I enjoyed this book for it's raw honesty and naivety in relationships and sex but I did feel like Dom could be over the top at times when it came to Wes.  Wes seemed to put less emphasis on their relationship and spread his time and effort more evenly throughout his life  Dom began to get a little obsessive.  It made me wonder, does everyone go through this? I know I did when I was in university.  You start to lose track of who you are and concentrate on the "we" of it all. 

I think this would be a good title for a high school student who is new to relationships and sex.  I'm not sure I would use it for an ISU but there are definite issues to draw from the book.  Relationships between parents and a child/adult, dealing with adult issues, sexual encounters etc.   

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas

Published: May 1, 2018

Published by: Bloomsbury

Pages: 272

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve.

Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated--scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court. 

Review:

I bought this when it was first released and had it read by the end of the week.  I know, I know. I didn't blog about it but in my defense, life has been busy. But I am slowly starting to catch up.  I like weekends when my dogs decide to wake me up at 6am (apparently they can't tell between weekday and weekend wake up times) and I have at least a couple hours of "me" time before the rest of the household begins.

The first thing I noticed when I bought this book was hey! It's not 500-700 pages long like some of the others!  Did I get a bad copy? But as I was reading, I was actually happy to see how the author has been taking the time to get us back to the characters and their histories.  It has been so long since A Court of Wings and Ruin that I had forgotten a lot of the last big fight scene.  

Life now is tumultuous for Feyre and her ever-expanding extended family.  There is a lot of tension between her and her sisters.  Things are unspoken between friends.  Relationships are tenuous, some stretching to the brink of breaking.  BUT Sarah J Maas took this opportunity to begin building up the framework for the next big book to come (Goodreads considers this 3.1 rather than book #4).  It wasn't until the Sneak Peek section where I really began to understand Nesta's role in the war to come.  And believe me, it's gonna be AMAZING!!  If you are a big fan of The Court of Thorns and Roses series, you need to read this title...especially since Book #4 won't be released until 2019.  

On a side note, Hulu is doing a TV show based on the Throne of Glass series.  Filmrights have also been optioned by Tempo Productions.  So if you are as big of a fan of these two series as I am, you should be fist-pumping right now.

One last thing, if you were ever trying to picture the map of Prythian in your head, don't bother.  You can view it here.

Ms. Maas has been busy writing two series at a time. And she has DC's Catwoman title to contend with.  I guess I can forgive her this once for having such a short series title.  Great insight into what is planned in the next book of the series.  Worth every penny!