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Blog Tour | Book Review: Maybe Never by Sadie Allen + Giveaway

Apr 9, 2017

Maybe Never by Sadie Allen

Pages:
Publish date: February 20, 2017
Publisher: –
ASIN: B06W5QVRKB
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Barnes and Noble – Kobo

One golden boy…

Judd Jackson had it all—star football player with a college scholarship, perfect family, tons of friends, and a beautiful girlfriend. He was the most popular guy in town … until a family secret burned it all to the ground. Now, he’s the object of scorn and ridicule, and the only thing he has left is his scholarship and counting down the days until he can leave town.

One goal-oriented girl…

Sunny Blackfox was alone in the world, but she had big plans and big dreams to keep her occupied. She didn’t have time for anyone in her life. That was, until she came to the rescue of the boy she always had a thing for.

They have everything going against them, but maybe, if they are lucky, they will make it out of town after graduation together … or maybe never.

Maybe Never:

I received a copy of Maybe Never by Sadie Allen from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I had never heard about, but when I read the synopsis and I was intrigued. I am always interested in when two very different people fall for each other. And that is what I was expecting from Maybe Never and I got it – sorta.

Maybe Never follows protagonist Sunny Blackfox and Judd Jackson, two very different people in a small town, and both outcasts in different ways. Sunny is counting down the days till she can get out her town. She feels alone and all she wants to do is get away. Judd has had his life turned on his head and he doesn’t know what to make of it. He has lost all his friends and the town has turned their back on his family. He feels alone and all he wants to do is leave.

When Sunny and Judd come are trust together for a school assessment things start to change and before they know, they are leaning on each other and maybe they don’t feel so alone anymore – but hey, life is never that easy.

Sunny was an interesting protagonist. Like most contemporary YA novel she is the outcast. But, on this occasion I really enjoy it. I loved Sunny’s determination and her fight to get out of this town. She works so hard and has to deal with so much, and yet she is so strong.

Judd was harder to like. At times he was quite judgemental and in a sense, I understand why in a way – but it could hurt some people. Judd has gone from top shot – to someone who those people pick on. He has lost everything and it’s hurting him, even if he doesn’t admit it. He has no friends, so when he starts talking to Sunny there is this instant connection.

The romance in Maybe Never was a hit and miss for me. I really enjoyed parts of it and then there were things that just didn’t sit right. Firstly, I didn’t like how fast it moved or how fast it seemed to move. In saying that, I loved how natural the romance is, how they fall so easily with each other.

There wasn’t many good friendships in Maybe Never and that did make me dislike the book more. I like good friendships and it just lacked. I wanted something that Sunny and Judd can hold onto, but it fell through. Although they find friendship with one another – it just wasn’t the same for me.

I also didn’t like that there was too much drama. I felt that I was going in circles. Something would be resolved and then bang, another thing comes their way. It was a never ending cycle and I just wanted to take a breath for a while.

One thing that made me really enjoy the book was the diversity. Firstly, just let me say, I don’t know how well it was done, so I could be totally wrong here. Maybe Never features a Native American protagonist. I don’t know if Sunny is half Native American or not, it wasn’t exactly clear on that account. But her father is Native American and I really enjoy that aspect of the book. Judd’s father is also transgender. There is a lot of hate towards his family because of this and it’s heartbreaking. The only thing that did tick me off was that we didn’t know if the father was transgender or just dressed as drag. It was kind of hinted at times. But, didn’t really get explained until the end.

Overall, Maybe Never is an okay read. It’s not going to be forever and I won’t recommend for everyone. But, I will say that if you enjoy contemporary and like to see something a little different then this book is for you. Maybe Never explores the notion of first love, friendship, family and finding yourself. It’s about trying to fit in where you don’t really belong and then learning to stand on your own. It’s an adventure with a cute romance and hard cutting issues.

Have you read Maybe Never? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any other books by Sadie Allen? Let’s Chat and don’t forget to enter the giveaway below (US Only)!

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About The Author:

Sadie Allen lives in Texas with her family and her dog Penny. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, catching up on her favourite shows, or chasing her family around the house.

Connect with the Author: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

Book Blogging Basics: Starting A Blog

Apr 7, 2017

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Starting book blogging is always hard. You don’t know where to start, what you want to talk about, or even how to start. When I started 6 years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I just starting blogger, with a crap layout and wrote about my thoughts. Now, I am here on WordPress and I treat it like a job – a job that I love. But where do YOU start?

Today, I have the lovely Sarah from Written Word Worlds to delve into starting a bookish blog. So here are some hints and tricks on where to begin.

Hi, everyone! Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Angel. I’m looking forward to talking about our blogging journeys together!

Figure out a name

Choosing your name for your blog is probably the most important thing. It’s how you are going to be known, it’s going to be your display. Creating ‘Angel Reads’ wasn’t much an effort as it wasn’t that creative – it’s just my name and what I like to do.

I agree. What you decide to name your blog is really important because that’s how people will find you, and it’s how you’ll get your content out there. I decided to call my blog Written Word Worlds because I’ve always loved alliterations. And the domain name was available, so that also helped!

Choose your platform

The next thing on your list of things to do is find a platform that you love. As I said before I started on blogger. It’s always a good place to start as there isn’t much HTML work and their basic themes are easy to work around. About a year and a half in, I moved over to WordPress and never looked back. My lovely friend Millicent created my fabulous design and while it’s gone through a couple of changes – it’s still the same. I have much more freedom with WordPress and after learning some basic HTML, I love that I can do.

I absolutely love the layout and design of your blog! My ‘origin’ story was a little different. When I was in high school, we had to do a project for the whole year, which counted towards a major part of our grades. I wanted to do book reviewing, but initially, I wanted to do it on YouTube. When I realised I was way too awkward to show my face in front of a camera (well, I’m still awkward but I actually do YouTubing now), I thought I should start a blog! I’d never been a big part of the blogging scene and I had NO IDEA what to do, so I talked to my IT teacher at school and asked if he could help me make a website. I thought I’d have to make it from scratch (silly me), but then he told me about WordPress! So I made my blog with his help, right then and there! I love WordPress – it’s really easy to use and looks fabulous.

I wish I had assessments like that at high school – maybe if I continued with IT, it would have come later. But hey, I am here blogging now.

Social Media

Over the years it’s become apparent to me that social media is very important when you are a book blogger – any type of blogger really. Not only is social media amazing for promoting your own blog, but it’s a great way to connect with other readers and bloggers. Twitter and Instagram are two that I would highly recommend that you have. Social media is also a great way to keep up to date with bookish news. Before I starting blogging I missed out on a lot of news and bookish events – but now it’s everywhere and it’s great.

I absolutely agree. I’ve had my blog for over four years now, but I only really found the bookish community on Twitter at the start of 2016. Up until then, it kind of felt like I was shouting into the void. But then I started following some bookish people on Twitter and really got into bookstagramming. Not only did this help promote my blog, but it also allowed me to meet a ton of awesome nerds, like myself! I’m so happy I found this community – it’s become such a big part of my life and I have social media to thank for that.

Basic layout

You don’t need a fancy layout to blog. Obvious a nicer layout is more appealing and will make more people look at your blog. But, to start off, you are blogging for YOU. As you become more use to the idea of blogging and doing it more consistently. Then you can think about creating something more with the layout. The way I see it, it’s better to have great content that something looking amazing, but you haven’t posted in months.

I’ve never been very good at creating graphics, so for a while, the look of my blog wasn’t something I was proud of. I thought it was boring and not very aesthetically pleasing, but thankfully one of my blogging friends was kind enough to give my blog a makeover! I’m in love with the way it looks now, and because of that, I’ve felt a lot more motivated to post on the blog.Being proud of how your blog looks is definitely very important, but I agree with Angel – it’s equally important to have good content on your blog too.

Totally agree, when I starting blogging my layout was very simple. Just a header and a couple of things in the sidebar. Then when I starting loving blogging more and becoming more into it – it became what it is now.

Get posting

Why have a blog and not post? Book reviews are probably the easiest thing to start with. And you don’t need to get books from publishers for this. Start off with the books that you are reading – and write away. Features like Top Ten Tuesday and Waiting on Wednesday are always great ways to get some posts up. These also create a space where you can connect with other blogs that you can follow and interact with. Something that I’ve learnt over the years is to blog what you want. Don’t let others influence what you post, it’s your blog, your space. Obvious don’t post anything offensive but post what you like to see, what you like to write.

Such brilliant ideas! I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never done a Top Ten Tuesday or Waiting on Wednesday – probably because I have too many favourites and I’m waiting for EVERYTHING! To me, having a regular posting schedule is important because it helps me stay motivated. Throughout high school, I only had time to post once a week – twice if I was lucky. Now I’ve started having a more regular posting schedule and I usually post three times a week (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday). It gets a little tricky when I have blog tours, but you can always work around them. But just posting SOMETHING is better than nothing! Don’t know what to post? Write about indecisions or being in a blogging slump! Too many books on your TBR that you feel overwhelmed? Talk about what’s on your TBR and how you got recommended them! There are infinite possibilities for posts, so get cracking!

Interact

Something else I’ve learnt over the years is to interact with other bloggers. Not only will you create a connection via blogging but you could make so great friends. That is how I become friends with Ely and Michelle from Tea and Titles and Sarah here. Even if you don’t comment on their blog (which you should) talking on social media is great.

Absolutely. I’ve always been quite good at replying to comments on my blog, even if it takes me a couple of days sometimes. I think replying to comments is really important because it shows people who take the time to read your posts that you care about their opinion. I also love to chat with other readers on Twitter and recommend my favourite books, as well as tweeting at authors and freaking out when they favourite my tweet! Instagram is also a great way to interact with followers and promote your blog. Remember – your opinion matters, so don’t be afraid to interact with other bloggers on their platforms!

Don’t concentrate on stats!

Stats are not the be all and end all – if you are loving what you are posting that is all that matters. If you are always looking at how you stats are going you might become upset – and you don’t want that. It’s not what blogging is about. Try and not focus on that, focus on your content. I know this is hard – trust me, but it’s for the better.

I couldn’t agree more. It’s easy to fall into the trap of being obsessed with your follower count or how many views you’re getting on certain posts. It’s vital to remember that your passion and your opinion is more important than any number that emerges. You can’t put a number on your love for books or this community.

Obviously, we are not totally experts, but between us, Sarah and I have been blogging for 10 years and we know a little be. Also, these hints are based on our experience of book blogger and yours might be totally different.

No one blogging journey is the same, so we’d be interested in hearing about you! How did you get into blogging? How long have you been blogging for? Let’s chat in the comments below! Thanks for having me, Angel!

Thank you, Sarah, for joining me and I hope to have you on Angel Reads in the future. But, yes let’s talk below. Both of us would love to hear about your journey. Check out Part 2 of our discussion on Sarah blog now.

Don’t forget to follow Sarah and I on social media. We will be doing some more of these discussions soon.

Sarah: Blog | Twitter | Instagram

Angel Reads: Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Book Review: Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Apr 5, 2017

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Pages: 400
Publish date: April 6th, 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 9781408883525
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Juliet Young has always written letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother’s death, she leaves letters at her grave. It’s the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn’t the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he’s trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can’t resist writing b
ack. Soon, he’s opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither of them knows that they’re not actually strangers. When real life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart. This emotional, compulsively-readable romance will sweep everyone off their feet.

Letters to the Lost:

I received an arc of Letter to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer from Bloomsbury Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I was really looking forward to reading this one, the synopsis from the get go capture me, and then I picked it up – and loved it. The writing is beautiful, the concept intriguing and the characters enthralling. They too me on an emotional ride.

Letter to the Lost follows protagonist Juliet and Declan – both who have lost so much and feel like they are lost in this big world. They are closed off, they are hidden. Then something happens. They start writing letters to one another – but they don’t know who the other person is.

Juliet was a hard protagonist was hard to get along with. She has a lot of issues and she projects them in a way that may distant the reader from her. At times she has a very entitled way of thinking – and I think it’s because this is the first time something big has happened in her life. And it’s hurt her – hurt her a lot. In saying that, I understood her and I loved how she grew throughout the novel, how she learnt.

Declan on the other hand is amazing – like can he be mine? Please. He like Juliet is hurt, and feels like his alone in life – like he doesn’t have someone to talk to, that there isn’t someone that cares. Declan has this demeanour about him that creates this façade, and people only see him for that. And he acts to that. He thinks that because people see him that way – he should act that way.

The romance – holy, it was so adorable. I loved the notion of writing letters and not knowing who the other person is. And that the person that you are writing to is someone that you least expect. I adored how much Juliet and Declan understood each other. They have both been hurt, but together they can heal. It’s not ‘love’ that is healing, but the understanding. I also loved that it was slow burning. And even though they got to know each other from letters – it was still real.

Family, was a big theme is Letter to the Lost. Both Juliet and Declan have somewhat dysfunctional families. But, not in a harmful sense. It’s the fact that heartbreak and death have torn both of their families a part. I loved the growing relationship between Juliet and her father. At the start it’s very fragile, but as the story goes on and Juliet starts to deal with her grief, they start to rebuild. Declan also has a very rocky relationship with his mother – but it’s all to misunderstand and things left unsaid.

Another big theme of Letter to the Lost is friendship. And I loved both of the protagonist’s friendships. Juliet friendship were again rocky because of her dealing with grief, but as the novel goes on we see her rely on her friend and trust in her. Rev is Declan’s ‘best friend’. Can he be mine? He created this light in a very dark and emotional book. And guess what? He is getting his own book. I cannot wait to delve into this mind and really see what he is thinking. Because Rev has his own demons.

Letter to the Lost like most contemporaries is character driven and although there is some plot movement, it’s more about understand and grief. I also loved that the characters had likes and interest. I liked they were not all about their grief, but so much more.

Overall, Letter to the Lost is an emotional read. It’s a story about grief and dealing with those who you have lost. It’s about understanding that sometimes aren’t what you think they are. It explores the notion of family, friendship and finding yourself. It’s heartfelt, heartbreaking, but also uplifting. It’s one for the tissues.

Have you read Letters to the Lost? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it anytime soon? Have you read any other books by Brigid Kemmerer. Let’s Chat!