Letterbox Love (15)

Letterbox Love is a meme hosted by Lynsey @ Narratively Speaking for UK based book bloggers to showcase the books that they’ve received each week.

So if you follow me on twitter you may have read my tweets about my postman holding out on me. And then this week a load of books arrived all at once! It was like Christmas come early :). These are the pretties I got this week...

 For Review (Finished Copies)

The House of Memories by Monica McInerney
Reached by Ally Condie
The First Last Kiss by Ali Harris
The Disappeared by C. J. Harper

 For Review (Proof Copies)

Hidden by Marianne Curley
The Day I Met Suzie by Chris Higgins
Siege by Sarah Mussi

 E-Books (Bought)

   

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines
The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

That’s it from me for another week! If any of these beauties have caught your eye and you’d like to find out more about them simply click on the title and the link will take you to goodreads for a full synopsis, reviews, and to add them to your wishlists. As always thank you to the lovely publishing folk for the review copies. If you’re looking forward to a certain book in particular and want to request a review feel free to in the comments and I’ll do my best to get around to the book sooner rather than later. And if you decided to do a Letterbox Love, Book Haul, IMM, Showcase Sunday, Mailbox Monday or whatever else featuring the books you got this week leave me a link as I’d love to check out your books too! ^_^

 Happy reading till next time!

A New Genre: New Adult – What is it?

If you’re familiar with the blogging or book industry you may have heard the term “New Adult” around and about over the past few months and I decided that it was something I wanted to talk a little bit about on the blog...

So if you’re reading this post then you may know a bit about me and the blog but if not I just want to put it out there that I am 22 years old and this is a blog that reviews and discusses Young Adult and Chick-lit books. Since about the age of 17 I’ve alternated between reading Young Adult and Chick-lit, why? Because they are the genre’s I most relate to. I’m not a teenager anymore but I was not long ago and remember all too well the angst and that feeling of trying to find who you are and all of those incredible firsts and so I find that I connect with teenage characters an awful lot. But then on the other hand I’m also a young woman who can relate to the feelings of dealing with the working world, relationships and friendships, and standing on your own as you’ve flown the nest and are now trying to make a new life and family of your own. All of these topics are looked at in Chick-Lit or Women’s Literature.

I remember thinking when I was 17 that it was an awfully big leap. To go from teenage books to suddenly stepping into the shoes of older women, where was the middle ground? Did people between the ages of 18 to early twenties just not exist in the literary world? I’ve only managed to find a handful of books dealing with people around that age group The Study Series by Maria V. Snyder being one and The Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty being the other. But even those books didn’t seem to have a true home; publishers didn’t seem to know whether to classify them as YA or Adult Fiction because they have such huge crossover appeal. But at last my friends that gap in the market has been realised and so the genre New Adult is born.

New Adult is a new genre for books that don’t quite fit as either YA or Adult Literature. But mostly from what I understand of it they are a more mature version of the YA books that I love now, about people my age, venturing out into the world for the first time on their own and with more mature themes too. I’m so glad that publishers have realised there is this huge other market out there that need books they can relate to and already there have been some exciting new novels released into this genre that seem to be taking the blogosphere by storm. Books like Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, Easy by Tammara Webber, and Slammed by Colleen Hoover. I have yet to read any of these new books hitting this genre yet but I expect seems as I’m this genres target audience that I am going to love them.


At the moment all of the New Adult releases seem to be contemporary which is great as I love those kind of books but I can’t help but feel like this is just the beginning and we’ll see all kinds of different stories appear as this genre grows. Hopefully because of the already phenomenal success and popularity of the books mentioned more authors will be tempted to write for this genre too. I for one am happy that my age group finally has a voice in the literary world.

Have you read any New Adult novels yet? As I’m a newbie what would you recommend I start with?

Letterbox Love (14)

Letterbox Love is a meme hosted by Lynsey @ Narratively Speaking for UK based book bloggers to showcase the books that they’ve received each week.

I didn't do a Letterbox Love last week so these books are from the past two weeks...

 For Review

Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor ( Already read and it was fantastic!)
How We Met by Katy Regan (Proof Copy)

 E-Books (Bought)

You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane
The Truth About Faking by Leigh Talbert Moore

So that’s it from me this week! If any of these beauties have caught your eye and you’d like to find out more about them simply click on the title and the link will take you to goodreads for a full synopsis, reviews, and to add them to your wishlists. As always thank you to the lovely publishing folk for the review copies. If you’re looking forward to a certain book in particular and want to request a review feel free to in the comments and I’ll do my best to get around to the book sooner rather than later. And if you decided to do a Letterbox Love, Book Haul, IMM, Showcase Sunday, Mailbox Monday or whatever else featuring the books you got this week leave me a link as I’d love to check out your books too! ^_^

 Happy reading till next time everyone!

Review for Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone 
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: 25th October 2012
Genre: YA, Romance, Coming of Age, Time Travel
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review



Goodreads Summary:
"Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time."

Review 
When I first read the synopsis for Time Between Us and heard that it was being pitched as ‘The Time Travellers Wife for teens’ I knew that this was a book that I would enjoy. The Time Travellers Wife is one of my favourite adult novels and with YA being my preferred genre I felt sure that I was on to a winner, and this book didn’t disappoint!

Needless to say Time Between Us is definitely one for the romantics! Our heroine Anna is from 1995 and lives in Chicago - the same place she’s lived her entire life. Anna has big plans for the future and wants nothing more than to travel the world, enter Bennett. Bennett’s a seventeen year old time traveller from San Francisco 2012 and his time traveling has happened to land him in Anna’s time and place. As the couple get to know and trust one another Bennett reveals to Anna his secret and to her delight finds that he can take her to anywhere in the world at any time, as long as it’s during the seventeen years Bennett has been alive, at the blink of an eye.

Anna and Bennett were great characters who had a beautiful love story. Anna really stood out to me as a fantastic heroine and a good role model for teen girls. She’s ambitious, hardworking, and isn’t afraid to dream big or naïve enough to think that life will be handed to her on a plate. As well as being a love story Time Between Us is also Anna’s story as she grows as a person and takes charge of her own destiny.

Bennett’s version of time travel was unique to any other book I’ve read on the subject and was never confusing or hard to follow like some time travel stories tend to be. A key theme that was brought up was that of ‘the butterfly effect’. I thought it was very cool and considerate of Bennett that he had these rules not to change anything so as not to mess with the future. Like he says, sure it could make the future better but it could also make it a lot worse. I liked how Bennett believed he had to let people make their own choices, shape their own destinies. And that these things have to happen so people become who they’re supposed to be.

In a lot of ways this book was very different to how I thought it would be. Of course it’s very romantic, but it also has a lot of underling morals at its heart too. About how people have a knack of coming into your life precisely when you need them, and the importance of living life to the fullest. How when life’s kind enough to offer you a second chance you should grab it with both hands. This is a story about falling in love and letting that person enrich your life but not become your only means of existence.

Overall Time Between Us was everything I hoped it would be and more. If you like romance or coming of age stories this is a book you won’t want to miss. It’s a beautiful and unique story that I only wish I could travel through time and give to myself when I was a teenager!

Review for Meet Me Under The Mistletoe by Abby Clements

Meet Me Under The Mistletoe by Abby Clements 
Publisher: Quercus
Release Date: 25th October 2012
Genre: Chick-lit, Christmas, Romance
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review



Goodreads Summary:
"Childhood friends Laurie and Rachel's lives have taken very different paths since they picked up their A-level results together. Laurie is living in London and dedicated to her career, keeping track of her friends on Facebook. Rachel is seemingly living the family idyll in a cottage in Yorkshire - except she worries her marriage is starting to show cracks. When Rachel's mother in law falls ill and needs treatment in London, and Laurie decides she needs to get away for a break, a house swap falls into place. Soon Rachel is braving the mean streets of London while trying to keep her family together, while Laurie tries to figure out how to work an Aga and befriend the locals - and forget the man who seems intent on breaking her heart. Will their relationships survive this test? And will they make it home in time for Christmas?"

Review 
Christmas is by far my favourite time of the year and as soon as Halloween is over with I allow myself to start getting a little bit excited for it! This means starting on my festive chick-lit books that I look forward to reading all year and at the very top of that pile this year was Meet Me Under The Mistletoe and so on November 1st I pulled this one down from the shelf and prepared myself for a heart-warming festive read and this book certainly delivered!

The book begins on November 20th with chapters alternating between Laurie and Rachel two very different leading ladies. Laurie and Rachel were best friends during high school but over the years have fallen out of touch as life has taken them down separate paths. Laurie is a city girl who works for a big fashion company in London and Rachel lives in the countryside and is a stay at home mum. But when things start going wrong in both women’s lives during the countdown to Christmas, life throws them back together again when they agree to do a house swap to take a break and get their affairs in order. Needless to say the plot has a similar feel to that of the Christmas movie The Holiday which is one of my all-time favourites and if you’re a fan of that film I think that you’ll enjoy this book’s theme too.

I love when books have more than one main character and I thought that it worked particularly well for this book. Prior to reading, in other reviews I read that you’re either a Laurie or a Rachel kind of gal and I’d definitely say that I’m a Laurie. That’s not to say that I disliked Rachel I just connected with Laurie more and enjoyed her chapters the most. I think that having two very different heroines works in this books favour because whether you’re single or have a family, are a city girl or a country bumpkin, there is a lovable heroine for all to relate to.

Meet Me Under The Mistletoe was the perfect book to get me in the festive mood and is a brilliant read for this time of year. The beginning starts off as pretty much your usual chick-lit and the Christmas spirit builds as the book goes on leading up to and finishing on Christmas day, but will the girls be home and have their problems sorted in time for Christmas?

I finished this book with a big grin on my face and it left me with a warm Christmassy glow long after I put it down. Meet Me Under The Mistletoe was the perfect book to kick off this year’s Christmas reading with, and what I enjoyed about it most was that unlike a lot of chick-lit novels I had no idea who either girl was going to end up kissing under the mistletoe! This was a sparkling, fun, Christmas story that fans of the genre won’t want to miss!