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!

Winners Revealed!

Thank you so much for all who decided to follow Afterglow Book Reviews! We love being able to talk about books and we are very thankful to have you lurking among the blog and adding our favorites to your TBR list!

So let's not prolong this... people want to know who won! So here we go!!!

Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams

Congratulations - Cheyanne!

Lost Saint by Bree Despain – ARC

Congratulations - E. Elle!

The Gift by James Patterson - ARC

Congratulatoins - Jessica Lei!

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare – UK Copy

Congratulations - Regina!

The Marbury Lens – ARC

Congratulations - Ansley!

Prophecy of Days by Christy Raedeke

Congratulations - Thomasina!

The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski – SIGNED COPY

Congratulations - Sara B. Larson!

Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn’t have) by Sarah Mlynowski – ARC

Congratulations - Jennifer Hillier!

Vanish by Sophie Jordan – ARC & SIGNED COPY

Congratulations - Lindsay Currie!

What Happened to Good-bye by Sarah Dessen – PERSONALIZED SIGNED

Congratulations - Al!

Send your addresses to me at jenniferdaiker(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll be sure to have all the information sent to the proper places! Thanks again for such a great turn-out and congratulations to all who walked away winners!!!

Coming soon - an International giveaway!!!

SPELLBOUND by Cara Lynn Shultz

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much.

Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistably drawn to - Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams. Visions of herself in past lives - visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

The Afterglow

OH, I loved this book so much! Although it took just a little while to really get going, once it did, I was HOOKED.

The setting is rich (literally; it's the Upper East Side, after all). Having been to most of the places mentioned in the book, it was easy to imagine Emma running through Central Park, hanging out behind the Met, and having romantic dates on Belvedere Castle.

This book's prose is beautifully written and Emma is easy to feel connected to. She will be an especially significant main character for any teen who's had a rough home life.

There was an unexpected (in a good way) level of action to this book that made it even more engrossing, and the bad guy is seriously, disgustingly bad - and SO fun to hate!

I loved this book so much that I emailed the publisher to see about getting a copy for a giveaway on my blog. If it's something you'd like to read, please be sure to visit me at http://annerileybooks.com/blog - it's not posted for giveaway yet, but it will be starting Monday, June 13!

SPELLBOUND comes out June 28 from HarlequinTEEN.

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.

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins



From Goodreads:

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

***

I can't believe it's taken me so long to read this book. And I can't believe I'm posting on Afterglow twice this week--that might be my quota for the month. But I am positively, absolutely glowing about this book. And that's the name of the blog, right? I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. It reminded me of falling in love for the first time. Even though I've never been to Paris. I totally related to Anna and so much of what she does in the book (in particular, I distinctly remember stealing glances at a cute boy in a movie theater in my peripheral vision. LOL). I loved the boy, Etienne. The friends were real, but not perfect. And they were nice. It was group of people I wished I knew.


Contemporary YA at it's finest. Read it.

Shallee reviews The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Kate Lowry's best friend Grace died a year ago. So when she gets an email from her, Kate's more than a little confused.
To: KateLowry@pemberlybrown.edu
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)
Kate,
I'm here... sort of.
Find Cameron. He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell. They'll hurt you.

Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace's death was more than just a tragic accident. She teams up with a couple of knights-in-(not-so)-shining armor-the dangerously hot bad boy, Liam, and her lovestruck neighbor, Seth. But at their elite private school, there are secrets so big people will do anything to protect them-even if it means getting rid of anyone trying to solve a murder...

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this, and I have to say the book surprised me. It sounded like an exciting read with some interesting twists. It was that, but it was so much more. Kate's character was deftly drawn, which helped bring out some of the deeper issues in the book-- grief, betrayal, tragedy, and secrets. The depth of feeling the book brought out in me was not what I expected, but I loved it.

I also loved the romantic relationships here. It's got a bit of a love triangle, but it's a completely different love triangle than I've ever seen. I loved each of the boys, and I loved the complexities of the relationships that emerged between everyone.

All in all, the mystery was intriguing and page turning, the emotional depth was stronger than expected, and this was just an all-around good read!

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

 

Written by Chris Cleave.

This is a novel based on true events that happened in Nigeria and in England. How the oil industry effected a small village. It's about two women and how their lives intertwined in very unusual ways. I am kind of a slow paced reader but this book was so enthralling that I could not put it down. Not a "feel good" story but a very dramatic story about real events and how people deal with it. If you like historical novels I would strongly recommend it.

Have you entered Afterglow's Beginning of Summer Giveaway yet? It's easy to throw your name in the hat for a chance to win a free book! Click here!