Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

Blackwood by Gwenda Bond
Publisher:  Strange Chemistry (imprint of Angry Robot)
Publish Date:  Sept. 4, 2012
ISBN:  978-1908844071
Pages:  416


I received this book in exchange for an honest review.




This story starts out with a theatrical production of "Roanoke" and ends with a fantastical discovery of what happened to the 114 people who disappeared off Roanoke Island.  Not familiar with the original story?  It's worth reading:  Roanoke Island Mystery

Miranda Blackwood is a teenage girl who lives on Roanoke Island with her alcoholic dad.  Miranda was born on the island and has never once stepped foot off of it.  Her dad told her that she can't or she'll die.  She deals with stares and talk, her family bears the name of the original betrayer of the island. Miranda is a great character - she's strong, smart and brave; but not ridiculously so.

Phillips Rawlings is the teenage son of the police chief.  When he moved to the island with his parents, he began hearing voices in his head and he couldn't make them stop.  His parents sent him to the mainland to go to a boarding school and he hasn't had any problems...well, at least none with hearing voices.  Phillips is always in trouble for something.  Phillips is a little weird, smart and sweet, he's a good boy component for the story.

But now Phillips' dad has called him to come home, maybe he can help.  Over 100 island residents have disappeared...and somehow, Miranda's involved. 

It took me a couple of chapters to get sucked in, but I love the Roanoke connection, so I stuck with it.  I'm glad I did, it's an excellent read!  The romance was okay, I get that it's kind of necessary, but it was a bit cheesy and fast.

My only real complaint?  I wish the whole story had been a little more drawn out. :)

Books Out This Week: July 30 - August 5, 2012

Otherkin (Otherkin #1) by Nina Berry
Release Date:  July 31, 2012

From Goodreads:  Dez is a good girl who does as she’s told and tries not to be noticed.  Then she rescues a boy from a cage, and he tells her secrets about herself.
Now inside her burns a darkness that will transform her.

Everything is about to change -- and neither Caleb, nor the Otherkin, nor those who hunt them are prepared for what Dez will unleash.

 Destiny (Immortal #4) by Gillian Shields

Release Date:  July 31, 2012

From Goodreads:  Everything is connected. We weave in and out of one another's lives, like circles within circles, and everything is for a purpose.

Helen has always been the "crazy" one among the girls of Wyldcliffe, scarred by her bleak past and her troubled relationship with her mother, the former headmistress and leader of the Wyldcliffe coven, Mrs. Hartle.

But Miss Scratton promised Helen that a love "beyond the confines of this world" is waiting for her. Could this be Lynton, the mysterious music student who visits Wyldcliffe for his lessons? And what about the brooch her mother gave her--what can the Seal reveal about Helen's past and future?

Now that Miss Scratton is gone, life at Wyldcliffe takes an even darker turn. An unexpected threat arrives in the form of a new high master, whom Helen remembers from her unhappy childhood. Can Helen, Evie, and Sarah finally overcome Wyldcliffe's darkness? Will Lady Agnes come to their aid? And what sacrifices must they make to fulfill their destiny?

Hide and Seek (The Lying Game #4) by Sara Shepard

Release Date:  July 31, 2012

From Goodreads:  My friends and I used to play lying games.

Now my twin sister is living one.

When I was alive, my family seemed picture-perfect. My adoptive parents adored me, and my little sister, Laurel, copied my every move. But now that my long-lost twin, Emma, has taken my place to solve my murder, we're both learning just how flawed my family really is.

Laurel is shooting Emma nasty looks and sneaking around with my ex-boyfriend. And it turns out my parents are keeping a huge secret--could it be the reason I'm dead?

How far would they go to keep the truth buried? No one can harm me now, but Emma is still fair game. And if she's not careful, she'll end up buried, too. . . .

 No Boyz Allowed by Ni-Ni Simone

Release Date:  July 31, 2012

From Goodreads:  True story: I’m Gem, G-E-M, like a precious jewel, and my life has been nothing like my name. I’ve been on my own since I was nine and now I’m sixteen. But so what. I’m good, and so is my little brother. So why the state won’t let us do our own thing is beyond me. Instead, we’ve been forced to live with a foster family who wants to love us, but I’m not beat—I’m just trying to do me.

To make matters worse, I’ve been checking for this guy, Ny’eem. But my new clique has an unbreakable rule—no boyz allowed to come between our friendship—which is forcing me to keep my relationship with Ny’eem a secret. Though not for long. . .because in high school secrets are always exposed, scandals always rewrite the rules, and friendships are never what they seem. . .

 STAT: STanding Tall and Talented #1: Home Court by 

Amar'e Stoudemire and Tim Jessell

Release Date:  August 1, 2012

From Goodreads:  Eleven-year-old Amar'e Stoudemire has a lot going on. He loves to go skateboarding in the park. He takes his school work very seriously. He helps out with his dad's landscaping company. And he likes to play basketball with his best friends-but just for fun.
When a group of older kids start disrespecting his boys on their neighborhood basketball court, there is only one solution. Amar'e must step in and use his athletic ability and intelligence to save the day. This experience leads Amar'e to realize that basketball is his true passion.
Based on the life of All-Star NBA sensation Amar'e Stoudemire, who overcame many obstacles to become one of the most popular figures in sports today.

 Someday Dancer by Sarah Rubin

Release Date:  August 1, 2012

From Goodreads:  Casey Quinn has got more grace in her pinkie toe than all those prissy ballet-school girls put together, even if you'd never guess it from the looks of her too-long legs and dirty high-top sneakers. It's 1959, and freckle-faced Casey lives in the red-dust countryside of South Carolina. She's a farm girl: Her family can't afford ballet lessons. But Casey's dream is to dance in New York City. And if anyone tries to stand in her way, she's going to pirouette and jeté right over them!

Casey's got the grit, and Casey's got the grace: Is that enough to make it in Manhattan someday? Or might the Big Apple have something even better in mind? When she meets a visionary choreographer she calls "Miss Martha," Casey's ballerina dream takes a thoroughly, thrillingly modern twist!

The Book of Tormod: A Templar's Destiny by Kat Black
Release Date:  August 1, 2012

From Goodreads:   The final book in Kat Black's historical fantasy trilogy!Tormod MacLeod's brother, Torquil, has been captured and locked in a dungeon hidden in the depths of the French royal castle. Tormod and Aine journey to France, hoping to save him, but the search is proving more difficult than they ever imagined--and getting out alive seems impossible. Meanwhile, they must stop the wicked plot that King Philippe le Bel has put in motion to destroy the Knights Templar from within. Their journey takes them all the way to the French court, where they meet the enchanting Princess Isabella. She has her eye on Tormod, and Aine notices. Their chances of accomplishing all they've set out to do while keeping the power of the Holy Vessel from being exposed to the world are slim, and in the end, Tormod has a devastating decision to make.

 Losing Lila (Lila #2) by Sarah Alderson

Release Date:  August 2, 2012

From Goodreads:  Alex and Lila are on the run, desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the Unit, which somehow is managing to track their every move. Whilst Alex is determined to keep Lila safe and her ability secret at any cost, Lila’s only thought is of finding a way back to California so that she can rescue her brother and mother from the military base where they’re being held.

Struggling to control both her growing power and her deepening feelings for Alex, Lila decides the time has finally come to stop running and start fighting. Together with Alex, Demos, and the people she’s come to think of as family, Lila plans not just to save her brother and mother, but to completely destroy the Unit and everything it stands for.

But the plan requires Lila to return alone to California, make friends with the enemy, and to risk losing everything - Alex, her family, and even her life.

 Survive by Alex Morel

Release Date:  August 2, 2012

From Goodreads:  Jane is on a plane on her way home to Montclair, New Jersey, from a mental hospital. She is about to kill herself. Just before she can swallow a lethal dose of pills, the plane hits turbulence and everything goes black. Jane wakes up amidst piles of wreckage and charred bodies on a snowy mountaintop. There is only one other survivor: a boy named Paul, who inspires Jane to want to fight for her life for the first time.

Jane and Paul scale icy slopes and huddle together for warmth at night, forging an intense emotional bond. But the wilderness is a vast and lethal force, and only one of them will survive.

 

Too nice is not always nice

I've recently been reading quite a few blogs that are talking about book review bloggers and writing positive reviews.  It would seem that the majority of review bloggers believe that you should write a positive review of every book you choose.  I find that to be, honestly, dishonest.

Before I began blogging reviews, I spent a lot of time reading YA review blogs.  What I was floored by was that it was very hard to find one single book that any blog would be, in any way, negative about.  Everyone is bright, shiny and happy singing the praises of every single book reviewed.  C'mon!  You did not like every single book you read!  That's not possible!

So then I chose a couple of extremely popular bloggers to follow.  I followed them each for a long time and watched what they did and tried to figure out the whole blogging thing.  They all  mention that they have received more books than they can read from publishers.  I can only imagine that it's because every single one of their reviews are glowing recommendations.  Now, this is only my opinion, but that's not only dishonest (as you can't honestly like ALL of them) but seems to be a form of 'buying' books by giving ALL glowing reviews.

As you all know, I am honest in my reviews.  They are my opinions and thoughts and I feel free to share them with all of you.  I don't like everything I read, but I try to tell you why.  Maybe the characters weren't developed enough, maybe the plot didn't make sense, maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea.  Whatever the reason, I'm honest about it.

I've been told that I shouldn't write any negative reviews at all.  That's just not the way to get more books and to get publishers to send you books.  I guess that I look at it this way:  if an author or publisher chooses to send me a book (which quite a few do) then they appreciate the constructive criticism from an actual reader.  I've had authors send me their books and upon reading the review, email me and thank me nicely for my constructive criticism.  Now, whether or not they really appreciated it, I don't know.  BUT they were adult enough to simply say 'thank you'.  I don't do the reviews in order to get books.  I do them because I love to do it and I like to share my thoughts and I hope you, the readers, love - or at least like - to read them and have learned to trust me.  I do stay away from certain kinds of YA books, you won't see a lot of romance on here because I just don't care for it that much.  I would hate to give a book a poor review because I just don't like it.  In fact, sometimes I actually say 'here's what I didn't like, but maybe you'll like it'.  See?  That's nice.

I was discussing this issue with a popular YA author and she agreed with me.  She said that it bums her out to read that someone doesn't like her book, but other people do and it's ok.  Also, how are you going to know what you're doing wrong if people don't tell you?  How do you know if you suck or not?

It's great if your agent, editor, publisher and publicist tell you that you're amazing.  But really, it all comes down to what the public thinks.  Will your books sell or not?  If they don't, why not?  What went wrong?  Someone needs to be honest and I guess that will be me.  I'm comfortable being the one that doesn't post glowing recommendations of everything I read.  I think that in the long run, it will work out fine.  I may never have a million followers, but I'm being true to myself and honest with you and that's what matters to me.

The Color of Snow by Brenda Stanley

The Color of Snow by Brenda Stanley
Publisher:  Tribute Books
Publish Date:  June 1, 2012
ISBN:  978-098374189

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The publisher's summary:  When a beautiful 16-year-old girl named Sophie is found sequestered in a cage-like room in a rundown house in the desolate hills of Arbon Valley, Idaho, the entire community is shocked to learn she is the legendary Callidora--a baby girl who was kidnapped from her crib almost seventeen years ago and canonized in missing posters with portraits of what the fabled girl might resemble. Authorities soon learn that the cage was there to protect people from Sophie, because her biological father believes she is cursed.

Sophie is discovered after the man she knows as Papa, shoots and injures Damien, a young man who is trying to rescue her. Now, unsocialized and thrust into the world, and into a family she has never met, Sophie must decide whether she should accept her Papa’s claims that she is cursed and he was only trying to protect others, or trust the new people in her life who have their own agendas. Guided by a wise cousin, Sophie realizes that her most heartbreaking challenge is to decide if her love for Damien will destroy him like her Papa claims, or free her from past demons that haunt her mind.


My thoughts: 
 
Sophie has always been told that she's cursed and contact with her puts people in danger. 


The story goes back and forth between Sophie's story today and her father's story sixteen years ago.  This seemed to be an effort to further fill in details.

The writing is ok, but a bit simplistic at times and at other times overly descriptive.  For example, the Aunt is never mentioned without noting her mannish looks.  I got it the first few times, I don't need to be reminded of it every time she's mentioned.

The characters didn't seem to be fully developed.  The only one that was kind of interesting was the cousin and her story wasn't really explained until the end.  Sophie was entirely too bland and I couldn't make myself care about her.  The police officer was made out to be the bad guy, but he came closest to telling Sophie the truth and making her face reality.

The storyline was very transparent, for the most part.  It was obvious as to how it would end and it should have ended several chapters earlier.

The thing that bothered me the most is that it seemed like the author was trying to put a supernatural twist on the story, when there just wasn't one.  It muddled the story even more.

So...basically a tale of family mental illness, an overprotective father, a naive young girl, a kidnapping and finally the truth.  Not for me, but maybe for you?

The book's official site is:
http://the-color-of-snow.blogspot.com/

The Color of Snow Twitter hashtag:
#TheColorOfSnow

The Color of Snow GoodReads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13456512-the-color-of-snow

Brenda Stanley's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/brenda.baumgartnerstanley

Brenda Stanley's Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/myauthorlife

Brenda Stanley's Website:
http://www.brendastanleybooks.net/

Brenda Stanley's GoodReads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4086376.Brenda_Stanley

Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com

Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176

Tribute Books Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186 

Books Out This Week: July 23 - 29, 2012

Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling by Michael Boccacino
Release Date:  July 24, 2012

From Goodreads:  A Victorian gothic tale of the strange and supernatural. But all who enter this house must beware--for there is a price to pay for visitors who wish to save those they love. The story of a British governess and her young charges seduced by the otherworldly enticements of a mysterious mansion in the forest following the inexplicable death of the former nanny, this Tim Burton-like tale of dark fantasy is a bewitching treat for fans of horror and paranormal fiction, as well as readers who love creepy gothic tales and mysterious shadowy English manor houses.

 Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly #1) 
by Susan Dennard
Release Date:  July 24, 2012

From Goodreads:   The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

  Endlessly (Paranormalcy #3) by Kiersten White

Release Date:  July 24, 2012

From Goodreads: 

Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the International Paranormal Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans in her poisonous realm. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate.

The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its fate rests solely in Evie's hands.

So much for normal.

Planesrunner (Everness #1) by Ian McDonald

Planesrunner (Everness #1) by Ian McDonald
Publisher:  Pyr 
Publish Date:  December 6, 2011
ISBN:  978-1616145415
Pages:  269


I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



I feel that you've all gotten to know me since you've been reading my reviews.  However, there might be a few things you don't know yet.  One is that I'm an absolute geek for parallel universes or a multi-verse.  The use of quantum physics just makes me so happy!  Then, when the author tosses in words like 'infundibulum', I'm fifty kinds of excited!  (An infundibulum, basically, means it's bigger on the inside.  For example - the TARDIS)

The story goes like this:
     Everett (age 14) is waiting for his physicist dad to go to a lecture when he sees him being kidnapped.  The police seem to be shrugging it off and no one seems really worried about it.  However, Everett receives an electronic file from his dad.  He's not sure what it is, but with the help of a video from his dad's co-worker, he figures it out.  It's an infundibulum, which he configures into a map of the multi-verse.  Everett sets off, knowing that his dad is somewhere out there.  He ends up in an alternate universe on an airship.

Characters:
Everett - amazing, awesome, good kid.  He's brilliant in the field of physics and cooking, but otherwise he's an average kid.  He plays goalie for his school soccer team and deals with his parents divorce.  He gets mad and does stupid stuff.

Sen Sixsmythe - Everness navigator, at times got on my nerves but I ended up loving her.

The Captain - an absolute delight.  She's authoritative, demanding, decisive and yet caring at odd moments.  There is an amazing scene that isn't really clear on what she does but that she holds her own and I loved it!

Mr. Sharkey - he's our biggest gray character.  It's hard to see which way he'll swing.  He's a bible and Shakespeare quoting southern man.  He's quick to jump into a fight and he's loyal to the Everness.

Mchynlyth - Scottish engineer.  He's straight talking and seems to get Everett.

The writing is so good that you don't even notice it.  To me, that's amazing.  I never thought 'That doesn't make sense', 'he would never do that' or 'wasn't his hair brown?'.  Between the author and editor, they did an divine job.

The Airish language was wonderful and honestly, I was able to figure 98% of it out using context and from relating it to other languages.  No, I don't speak a lot of languages, but for some words, it's easy to translate them from one language to another.  Or is that just me? :)

Of course there are villains! There are now 10 known worlds, so there's a huge possibility for helpfulness and villainy.  The biggest issue is that with every planet Earth, there's another you...maybe a good one, maybe a bad one, maybe a smarter one, maybe a dead one...  The same goes for the villains.

The author gives great details about the differences in the worlds and how the machineries work.  There are nods to other fab works as well, such as Dr. Who and Star Trek.  This is a great start to a series, I certainly hope that there's many more to come!

Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Publisher:  HarperCollins, William Morrow
Publish Date:  May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0061826870
Pages:  324


Technically this is Adult Fiction.  However, since many of us know Melissa Marr from the WICKED LOVELY series, I tried this one.  Sometimes authors do that crossover (one way or the other) well and sometimes they don't.  It's always interesting!  Ms. Marr did a lovely job with the crossover.

Basically, it's tradition in the town of Claysville that a Barrow woman become the Graveminder and a Montgomery man become the Undertaker.  The Undertaker runs the morgue and assists/protects the Graveminder.  The Graveminder makes sure that the dead stay put.

Bek's mom married into the Barrow family so Bek is the step-granddaughter of Maylene, the current Graveminder.  Byron is the son of the current Undertaker.  But Bek and Byron don't have a clue, they only know that they're drawn back to Claysville and to each other.  Bek fights both attractions, while Byron gave in long ago.  He doesn't understand it, but he's making his peace with it.  When Maylene is murdered, Bek has to come home and suddenly Bek and Byron are at the heart of the situation.

As far as characters go, I think they were well done.  Bek was a little vague to me, I felt like one of the secondary characters, Amity, was more interesting.  But overall they were good.

The world building, in regards to the World of the Dead, was great.  The way the Graveminder and Undertaker see the world differently was interesting.  The way that Mr. D or Charles treated the two was interesting too. There were actually a couple of points where I felt sympathy for Mr. D (Charles).  I loved how all the eras were mashed together.

I really like the concept, the dead need to be tended in order to stay put in their graves and that the townspeople have no idea of what's going on.  It reminded me of something Stephen King would do, but with less horror.

This is a stand alone book, which was also nice.

I Am (Not) The Walrus by Ed Briant

I Am (Not) The Walrus by Ed Briant
Publisher:  Flux
Publish Date:  July 8, 2012
ISBN:  978-0738732466
Pages:  288


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



Toby lives with his struggling single mom.  His brother is in the military, but left all his music equipment for Toby to use.

Toby and his best friend, Zach, start a Beatles cover band.  They're working on a name, maybe The Nowhere Men?  He also finds out that his guitar, once used by George Harrison, might be stolen.  Toby is funny and sincere while Zach is ALL ABOUT THE BAND.

Then Toby meets a girl, Michelle.  Yes, now I'm singing the song, are you?  She's here and there, but doesn't seem to be really a major part of the story.  The story was a little hard to get into, but it was decent in the end.

                                                                                                                            

Books Out This Week: July 16 - 22, 2012

The Wishing Spell (Land of Stories #1) by Chris Colfer
Release Date:  July 17, 2012

From Goodreads:  Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairytales.
The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.

But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

 A World Away by Nancy Grossman

Release Date:  July 17, 2012

From Goodreads:  A summer of firsts.
Sixteen-year-old Eliza Miller has never made a phone call, never tried on a pair of jeans, never sat in a darkened theater waiting for a movie to start. She's never even talked to someone her age who isn't Amish, like her.
A summer of good-byes
When she leaves her close-knit family to spend the summer as a nanny in suburban Chicago, a part of her can't wait to leave behind everything she knows. She can't imagine the secrets she will uncover, the friends she will make, the surprises and temptations of a way of life so different from her own.
A summer of impossible choice
Every minute Eliza spends with her new friend Josh feels as good as listening to music for the first time, and she wonders whether there might be a place for her in his world. But as summer wanes, she misses the people she has left behind, and the plain life she once took for granted. Eliza will have to decide for herself where she belongs. Whichever choice she makes, she knows she will lose someone she loves.

 Before You Go by James Preller

Release Date:  July 17, 2012

From Goodreads:  The summer before his senior year, Jude (yes, he’s named after the Beatles song) gets his first job, falls in love for the first time, and starts to break away from his parents. Jude’s house is kept dark, and no one talks much—it’s been that way since his little sister drowned in a swimming pool seven years ago when Jude was supposed to be watching her.

Now, Jude is finally, finally starting to live. Really live. And then, life spins out of control. Again.

 Holding On To Zoe by George Ella Lyon

Release Date:  July 17, 2012

From Goodreads:  After sixteen-year-old Jules has her baby, Zoe, it doesn’t matter anymore that her mother thinks she’s a drama queen, or that her father left them years ago, or even that Zoe’s father is gone, too. She and her baby make a family now; she doesn’t need anyone else in the world except Zoe. Though it's tough being a new mom, balancing Zoe’s needs with working at the Toyota factory and thinking about how to finish school, Jules is sure she’ll figure it out. Still, she wonders, why can’t anyone be happy for her and Zoe? And why does her mom refuse to believe that Zoe's real?

 The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

Release Date:  July 17, 2012

From Goodreads:  Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother.
After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists.
With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

 Wicked Jealous: A Love Story by Robin Palmer

Release Date:  July 19, 2012

From Goodreads:  Simone never saw herself as the “cute girl”—she was always the chunky, band tee wearing, France-obsessed smart girl. But now that Simone’s a few pounds lighter and sporting a new retro style, things have gotten, well, weird. Her crush Jason seems to actually know she exists. And when Simone’s soon-to-be stepmonster Hillary stops ignoring her, Simone knows something is up. When Simone’s brother offers to let her move in with him and his six roommates on the beach for the summer, Simone jumps at the chance. But living with seven very different college boys isn’t exactly helping her land her very own happily ever after.

 The Girl With Borrowed Wings by Rinsai Rossetti

Release Date:  July 19, 2012

From Goodreads:  Controlled by her father and bound by desert, Frenenqer Paje’s life is tediously the same, until a small act of rebellion explodes her world and she meets a boy, but not just a boy--a Free person, a winged person, a shape-shifter. He has everything Frenenqer doesn’t. No family, no attachments, no rules. At night, he flies them to the far-flung places of their childhoods to retrace their pasts. But when the delicate balance of their friendship threatens to rupture into something more, Frenenqer must confront her isolation, her father, and her very sense of identity, breaking all the rules of her life to become free.

 Small Damages by Beth Kephart

Release Date:  July 19, 2012

From Goodreads:  It’s senior year, and while Kenzie should be looking forward to prom and starting college in the fall, she is mourning the loss of her father. She finds solace in the one person she trusts, her boyfriend, and she soon finds herself pregnant. Kenzie’s boyfriend and mother do not understand her determination to keep the baby. She is sent to southern Spain for the summer, where she will live out her pregnancy as a cook’s assistant on a bull ranch, and her baby will be adopted by a Spanish couple.
Alone and resentful in a foreign country, Kenzie is at first sullen and difficult. She begins to open her eyes and her heart to the beauty that is all around her and inside of her.