Cover reveal: April Fools by Karli Perrin

COVER REVEAL... COVER REVEAL... COVER REVEAL..... 

Today is the cover reveal for the second book in Karli Perrin's April Series.... entitled 

APRIL FOOLS 

(expected release date: December 2013)

Love. Hate. Fear. Fate.

All four letter words.

All consuming.

Naked to the eye they have the power to control the heart and destroy the soul.

April Adams is about to experience them like never before.

When everything in April's life goes up in smoke, she is faced with some life changing decisions.

Join April as she continues her journey of love and loss.

This is the very exciting second novel for author, Karli Perrin, a 25 year old English Language & Linguistics graduate from Manchester, England. She has always been a big lover of books and is the author of the 'April' series.

She is a big believer of fate and is a sucker for a happy ending. She honestly believes that there is a reason why you are reading this right now (apart from the fact that you are awesome) 

Her ultimate goal in life is to live in a house made entirely out of books with her best friend, who also happens to be her fiance'. 

Hogwarts is plan B. 

  

April Showers Blog Tour: Review & Author Interview

Today it is my stop for the April Showers blog tour, and I am thoroughly honoured to be taking part.

April Showers is the first novel written  by Karli Perrin - a 25 year old English & Linguistics graduate from Manchester - and after reading this novel, I certainly hope it won't be her last

April Showers Review: 

From goodreads: What happens when your head and your heart pull you in completely opposite directions? 

April Adams is about to find out the hard way.

When April enrols at Manchester University, it feels like a whole new life. New city, new house, new friends...new crush. 

Isaac Sharpe is the hottest guy on campus - with an even hotter reputation. After a chance meeting, April quickly finds herself wrapped up in all that he is. But what if all that he is isn't what it seems?

Caught up in a battle between what she wants and what she thinks she needs, April meets Lukas Roberts. Lukas is the security blanket that she craves so desperately and she finds solace in their friendship. But what happens when she finds more than she bargained for?

April has always been a big believer of fate, but will she learn that she's in control of her own destiny before it's too late?

Join April as she embarks on a life changing journey of love and loss, which will have you laughing and crying until the very end.

So... imagine you're starting University. You're 18 years old and you're all excited for the new life you're about to embark upon. You're going to meet new friends, right? Have a few nights out? Maybe even meet a guy? 

... well what if that guy becomes two guys, and you don't know which one to choose? One is the guy your head tells you that you should pick, the other guy is the one that your heart is doing back flips for. 

Now meet April Adams. This is her predicament. 

Who should she choose? I HAD NO IDEA! I honestly spent a huge portion of this book living this dilemma with her. Karli's clever writing meant that you felt you were dragged into April's predicament, living it as if it were your own, and I honestly flew back and forth in my opinion. Pick Lukas! No! Pick Isaac! Argh!

April is a very easy character to like, and her initial days at University are very easy to relate to. I found myself hating the bitchy girls at Uni as if I had to sit next to them myself. I found myself loving her BFF as if she were my own BFF. I got completely sucked into Aprils world and enjoying every minute of experiencing it.

The plot of this story was fast paced and it never dragged, leaving you hooked on plenty of cliffhangers. My only criticism is that I can't wait for the sequel! 

Great job Karli! I can't wait to read the next one! :-)

Author Interview: 

Karli Perrin very kindly offered to stop by and answer a few questions for us. Here goes...

Let's begin with the plot of the book and the question i'm sure were all dying to know. Is Isaac Sharpe based on a real person? Did you have a super hot tutor in mind when you wrote him?

The million dollar question ;) Sadly, Isaac is not based on a real person. I wonder how many women will enrol at Manchester University after reading the book?! Haha. 

Were any of the characters based on real people?

No but I did borrow some names from people that I know - Katie, Ian, Jamie and Madeline. Katie is actually one of my best friends in real life! She is not half as crazy as the character though.

In the movie version - who would be your ideal cast for the main characters?

Oh wow. Well based on looks alone, I imagine April to look like Emma Roberts and Lukas to look like Alex Pettyfer. I don't think that there is anybody hot enough to play Isaac haha but there's somebody called  Rodrigo Guirao Diaz, he looks pretty close to how I imagine Isaac to look!

When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

I have always had a passion for reading and writing and have wanted to be a writer for a long time. I have been plotting stories for years but it was only last year that I actually sat down and gave my writing the proper time and attention it deserved.

What made you choose the New Adult genre?

I am a huge fan of New Adult and read lots of it. I think my writing style fits this genre the best and I love writing about the stage in a persons life where they are finding themselves.   

Where do you get your inspiration?

I get a lot of inspiration from reading and listening to music. I also use my own past experiences.

When will book two be out!!!!!???!!!???

Some time this year!! I won't leave my readers waiting too long ;) 

AND FINALLY.... HERE ARE THE LINKS OF WHERE YOU CAN BUY APRIL SHOWERS:

Amazon US http://www.amazon.com/April-Showers-ebook/dp/B00DDV2Q96/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371192473&sr=8-1&keywords=karli+perrin

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/April-Showers-ebook/dp/B00DDV2Q96/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371192644&sr=8-1&keywords=karli+perrin

AN ARC COPY OF THIS BOOK WAS RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

Waiting on Wednesday - April Showers by Karli Perrin

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

So... this week my Waiting on Wednesday pick is.........



April Showers by Karli Perrin

Release date: 14.6.13

From goodreads: What happens when your head and your heart pull you in completely opposite directions?

April Adams is about to find out the hard way.

When April enrols at Manchester University, it feels like a whole new life. New city, new house, new friends...new crush.

Isaac Sharpe is the hottest guy on campus - with an even hotter reputation. After a chance meeting, April quickly finds herself wrapped up in all that he is. But what if all that he is isn't what it seems?

Caught up in a battle between what she wants and what she thinks she needs, April meets Lukas Roberts. Lukas is the security blanket that she craves so desperately and she finds solace in their friendship. But what happens when she finds more than she bargained for?

April has always been a big believer of fate, but will she learn that she's in control of her own destiny before it's too late?

Join April as she embarks on a life changing journey of love and loss, which will have you laughing and crying until the very end.

This is the first book from the amazing new author Karli Perrin (who is lovely and super talented!). I have been so honoured to have been given an ARC of this book... but you should all wait with baited breath for the release of this New Adult novel because it will not disappoint!

Roll on the 14th of June....

Review: This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

From goodreads: 

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs? 

I feel I should warn you... this review will be gushing and cheesy and completely cutesy - but in a good way! This book is adorable from start to finish, from the pets to the characters to the setting, and I hope my review will reflect that!

So... What does happy look like? It looks like an email that has been accidentally sent from an A-list teenage heart throb movie star to a small town girl on a budget. They email back and forth - sharing all kinds of secrets... but they don't reveal their identity. Graham Larkin knows where Ellie O'Neill lives, but he only knows her as 'E'. When his latest movie needs a new location he determines that her home town is the perfect location, and the rest - as they say - is history.

It is such an easy book to read and I found myself flipping through the pages at a ridiculous speed. I loved the characters; Ellie is so easy to warm to - she's a teenager with responsibilities and her head screwed on. Even Graham Larkin, who you would expect to be a brattish celebrity, is completely likeable guy who takes his fame in his stride. You get to see the negatives of his fame (the constant hounding by the paparazzi and the alienation from his family) and how he deals with it. 

This book was so nice that I almost have no criticisms! The plot was easy to follow and held no random twists that didn't fit into the story line. The characters all fit their age range perfectly and the secondary characters weren't in such an abundance that you forgot who was who. The teenager inside me wanted to be Ellie O'Neill, and I shall check all random emails a little more carefully in future just in case one happens to be a stray ditty from Mr Justin Timberlake (*crosses fingers*). You could buy this book for a teenage relative without worrying that you were unknowingly providing them something entirely inappropriate, and the teenager would definitely love receiving it. 

This book kept me completely entertained from start to finish and it did everything it promised. It's a Young Adult fiction book and it hits its target audience perfectly. There are no shocking surprises and there are no twists that leave you confused and disorientated at it's genre. It's a lovely read and a lovely story, and I would recommend it to any YA fan!

Cover Reveal - April Showers by Karli Perrin

COVER REVEAL... COVER REVEAL... COVER REVEAL... COVER REVEAL...

What happens when your head and your heart pull you in completely opposite directions? 

April Adams is about to find out the hard way.

When April enrols at Manchester University, it feels like a whole new life. New city, new house, new friends...new crush. 

Isaac Sharpe is the hottest guy on campus - with an even hotter reputation. After a chance meeting, April quickly finds herself wrapped up in all that he is. But what if all that he is isn't what it seems?

Caught up in a battle between what she wants and what she thinks she needs, April meets Lukas Roberts. Lukas is the security blanket that she craves so desperately and she finds solace in their friendship. But what happens when she finds more than she bargained for?

April has always been a big believer of fate, but will she learn that she's in control of her own destiny before it's too late?

Join April as she embarks on a life changing journey of love and loss, which will have you laughing and crying until the very end.

April Showers is the first book by Karli Perrin and it will be released on the...

14th of June 2013.

I'll make sure to post further information about how and where you can buy it asap. I can't wait to read it!

Review: All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry

All our pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry.

 

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing this book for review.

From goodreads: The first book in an exciting YA trilogy, this is the story of two best friends on the verge of a terrifying divide when they begin to encounter a cast of strange and mythical characters.

Set against the lush, magical backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, two inseparable best friends who have grown up like sisters—the charismatic, mercurial, and beautiful Aurora and the devoted, soulful, watchful narrator—find their bond challenged for the first time ever when a mysterious and gifted musician named Jack comes between them. Suddenly, each girl must decide what matters most: friendship, or love. What both girls don’t know is that the stakes are even higher than either of them could have imagined. They’re not the only ones who have noticed Jack’s gift; his music has awakened an ancient evil—and a world both above and below which may not be mythical at all. The real and the mystical; the romantic and the heartbreaking all begin to swirl together, carrying the two on journey that is both enthralling and terrifying.

And it’s up to the narrator to protect the people she loves—if she can.

Oh where do I begin with this review? I hate to be negative, I really do, and I always try to find the good in any book I read… but with ‘All Our Pretty Songs’ this is going to be a struggle.

Okay, so let me try and focus on the positives.

All Our Pretty Songs is the tale of two best friends – brought up as sisters and leading whimsical lives that distinctly lack authority, direction or boundaries. Aurora is the daughter of a dead rock star and a drug addled mother. She lives a life of her own and flits along – an image of beauty and nonchalance, whilst the narrator (whose name we do not know) is her eternal protector. She is the one who keeps Aurora safe. She drags her home from concerts when she is too stoned or drunk to know what she is doing, and she makes sure that she doesn’t roam the night with too many strange men.

When the narrator falls in love with an older musician – the cracks in her and Aurora’s relationship begin to appear. Then when Aurora friendship with a skeleton looking man takes a dark turn, the crack turns into a gaping void that errs on the side of freaky and sends them tumbling into a very dark underworld.

The narrator is an artist – which was one aspect of the book that I did like. I liked imagining the beautiful creations she makes (especially on one occasion when she actually draws on a persons back!). I liked her. I liked her teenage angst and her obsession with black clothing and her awkwardness. I liked seeing her walls come down when she spoke about Jack and her constant support of Aurora. I liked that she was at least a little bit responsible – when the rest of the book was not.

I liked hearing about the relationship between the narrator and Aurora – it was interesting to see how a friendship between two opposites can be so intense and deep. However, I never felt a connection to Aurora. I felt that she constantly took advantage of the narrators responsible nature and whenever things when wrong for Aurora – I simply didn’t care. I wanted her out of the book. I wanted her to leave the narrator alone to get on with her angst filled teenage life. I felt like she was selfish and self-centred.

I also thought that the content in this book was simply inappropriate for the target audience. In it we see the main two characters (who are both in High School) having sex with strange men that they do not know, drinking alcohol to the point of incoherence, smoking all manner of things and taking intravenous drugs. I’m not prudish and I don’t live in a bubble – but would I want my teenage niece to read this? Um, no!

The description in this book was another irritating factor for me. Yes, set the scene – but don’t do it over three pages in the middle of a conversation. I got so tired of the overuse of adjectives that I ended up skimming through them just to find the next part of the conversation. How many ways can one person describe a man playing a guitar? It turns out… a lot!

This book was the first in a trilogy. Usually, in trilogies, I feel inspired to read the second book even when I didn’t enjoy the first book  - just to see what happened. I can’t see this happening with the second installment of this book. I didn’t relate to the content or the characters and I didn’t like where the story ended up.  

This wasn’t one for me, I’m afraid.

Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey

 

From goodreads: After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

This book was purchased following all the hype surrounding its release. Everybody was excited for The 5^th Wave. Everybody was talking about it. So I simply had to see if it lived up to its hype…

And did it?

In short, yes. I loved this book! Don’t get me wrong – it wasn't without its flaws, but on the whole I really enjoyed it.

The book is written from multiple perspectives, and you see the story unfold through the eyes of Cassie (a teenager who has lived through the waved attacks that have brought earth to its knees), through the eyes of Ben Parish (Cassie’s high school crush – she’s loved Ben Parish for an eternity, but has he ever known she existed?) and through the eyes of Sammy (Cassie’s younger brother). You get to live the attack of aliens though three different perspectives. You get to see how the three of them struggle to survive. You get to see how their lives parallel and interweave, often without them knowing it… it’s very clever, and great to read.

Cassie is trying to trace her little brother who has gone missing along the way. Her first rule is ‘trust no-one’… so when she stumbles across love interest Evan Walker, she is torn. Trust him or don’t trust him? Does she even have a choice? And what about Ben Parish – the boy she has loved forever? Will Evan ever live up to his standards? Does it matter? Because surely Ben Parish is dead, right?

Anyone who has ever read any of my reviews will know that I love a good love story! I love to see characters fall in love, and when external influences throw problems in their path – I lap it up! So to see Cassie falling for Evan in the middle of an alien invasion, with the thoughts of her first love in the back of her mind was a totally perfect story for me. In fact, this almost overshadowed the alien invasion aspect of the book! ;-)

The parts of the book that were written from both Sammy and Ben Parish’s perspective drove home the impact of the alien invasion, which proved to be the perfect counterbalance to Cassie’s love turmoil.

So, what were the flaws in this book? Well, for me, whilst I loved the switching point of views – they also drove me crazy! The chapters weren’t marked – so I never knew whose perspective I was reading. I had to skip a few pages in to every chapter to try and figure out whose perspective it was. Very annoying – but a small price to pay.

I’m so glad that this book will have a sequel – I want to know more and I want to know it NOW! Unfortunately I, like the rest of the world, will have to wait until August 2014. Roll on August 2014….