Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

The Blurb:

For fans of Tina Fey and David Sedaris—Internet star Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, makes her literary debut.

Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof) accompany the text.

The Afterglow:

Expect unbreathable, pee a little, hysterical laughter when you open this book.

You've been warned.

Though I implore you to dig into the world of Jenny Lawson. Not many have so many weird moments in their life (without a few white lies) but I can assure you, this shit is real... or, at least I think it is. Then again she does warn you it's a 'mostly true' memoir.

I enjoyed every page of fabulous goodness that Jenny Lawson delivered and I only hope more crazy crap happens so that there is a part two to all this madness.

The Deliciousness:

If you want to see if this book is for you and don't want to make the leap of faith stop by her amazing blog... The Bloggess. You won't regret me introducing you to the INSANITY she calls a life.

The Hating Game by Talli Roland

The Blurb
When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy.

After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £200,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes.

Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

The Afterglow

Talli Roland left nothing to chance, her writing keeps you on your toes, surprise after surprise lunged one right after the other, and just when you think you've got it all figured out she turns Mattie's world upside down once more.

This novel was light, fun and perfect for any girl who has ever guarded their heart until they've found the one. Break up, make up, whatever stage you're at in the dating world you're sure to love this tale!

With her debut novel being this exciting I'll be watching for her next book Watching Willow Watts to be released November 30th 2011. Keep an eye on this author she's beyond awesome!

About the Author

Talli is one of us! With an awesome blog about a girl who drinks coffee, writes, and then drinks wine you really do want to stop in and say hello. So stop by her blog today!

The Truth Tellers Tale by Sharon Shinn

The Blurb:

Innkeeper’s daughters Adele and Eleda are "mirror twins"—identical twins whose looks are reflections of each other’s—and their special talents are like mirrors, too. Adele is a Safe-Keeper, entrusted with hearing and never revealing others’ secrets; Eleda is a Truth-Teller, who cannot tell a lie when asked a direct question. The town of Merendon relies on the twins, no one more than their best friend, Roelynn Karro, whose strict, wealthy father is determined to marry her off to the prince. When the girls are seventeen, a handsome dancing-master and his apprentice come to stay at the inn, and thus begins a chain of romance, mistaken identity, and some very surprising truths and falsehoods.

The Afterglow:

"The Truthteller's Tale" and its prequel, "The Safekeeper's Secret" are both wonderful books and, although they are targeted to a young adult audience, I hope that doesn't stop adults from picking up these gems. Elada and Adele are twins and mirror images of each other in both personality and appearance. Elada is a truth-teller, unable to speak an untruth and compelled to always tell the truth. Adele, on the other hand, is a secret-keeper, as closed-lipped and good-naturedly duplicitous as her sister is outspoken. As the twins grow up and into their roles, their abilities help them provide the functions of confidant and advice-giver for the entire town. Occasionally the townsfolk mix up the twins, to sometimes humorous, embarrassing, or disastrous results, accidentally telling secrets to Elada and expecting honest advice from Adele. The secrets they learn unravel over a backdrop of the sisters discovering love, loss, betrayal, and friendship as they first blossom into adolescence and then adulthood.

I loved this book and when asked what my favorite novel is that I've ever read I would definitely share this tale by Sharon Shinn. Her world and words are truly magical.

Vanish by Sophie Jordan

The cover is to die for!!! If you don't own Firelight then you best get your hands on it because come September you'll be running to the bookstore for Vanish. Let's not waste time here.... let's get to what we're all here for - the review.

The synopsis:

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.

The Afterglow:

Sophie Jordan will leave you breathless with the second installment to the Firelight series!!!

Jacinda is in trouble. Having to face the pride after leaving it all behind there will be consequences. However lucky for her things start to unfold that give her the relief and allow her to keep some of her freedom. None as the only firebreather among the pride she still holds leverage to stay alive but that doesn't mean she's free from bonding. Cassian will stop at nothing until he has Jacinda for himself. Though she's praying that when her sister gains a draki power he'll want to bond with her instead.

Oh if things were only that easy. Vanish gives you new family dynamics, unwanted bonding, and a cousin who just won't quit. Mix in a kidnapping and her mother being banished from the pride and Jacinda has her hands full.

As each page turns the feelings become more intense. As a reader there is no way you'll be putting it down after the chapter is complete. Jordan keeps the speed and intensity at full force throughout each page leaving you only wanting for more even after the last page. Sure to rock your socks off and beg for book #3!

Giveaway:

Details to come! The ARC copy I received will be given away :)

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Eek! My first review ever on Afterglow! I'm excited to be apart of the team! I'm even more excited to dish on some awesome books that have been and are to come!!

The lucky book:

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The rundown:

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
 
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
 
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
 
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
 
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

The review:

Original, Breathtaking, and Captivating.

THE NEAR WITCH stands against those fabulous fairytales told for centuries and can hold it's own. Schwab's flawless writing will leave you yearning for more. The adventures with Lexi are amazing. The people she meets, those she protects, and the one's she believes in when all else turn them away, that's what makes this book both powerful and enjoyable. Walk into a world where The Near Witch resides and find out the secrets that are being held. You won't be able to stop until the last page arrives.

To Pre-Order:

The Near Witch - Available August 2, 2011