I'm so happy to be today's stop on THE ENTANGLED BLOG TOUR, celebrating the latest release from authors; Danielle Younge-Ullman and Shannon Duffy!
Lola Carlyle's 12-Step Romanceby: Danielle Younge-Ullman
Now Available!!!
Publisher: EntangledTEEN
Source: ARC from Raincoast Books
Add Lola Carlyle's 12-Step Romance to your Goodreads page here.
Cover image and synopsis courtesy of Goodreads:
Lola Carlyle is lonely, out of sorts, and in for a boring summer. So when her best friend, Sydney, calls to rave about her stay at a posh Malibu rehab and reveals that the love of Lola’s life, Wade Miller, is being admitted, she knows what she has to do.Never mind that her worst addiction is decaf cappuccino; Lola is going to rehab.
Lola arrives at Sunrise Rehab intent solely on finding Wade, saving him from himself, and—naturally—making him fall in love with her…only to discover she’s actually expected to be an addict. And get treatment. And talk about her issues with her parents, and with herself. Plus she has insane roommates, and an irritatingly attractive mentor, Adam, who’s determined to thwart her at every turn.
Oh, and Sydney? She’s gone.
Turns out, once her pride, her defenses, and her best friend are stripped away, Lola realizes she’s actually got a lot to overcome…if she can open her heart long enough to let it happen.
My Thoughts:
Perfect contemporary read to bring to the beach or read by the pool!
To be honest, I was worried when I first started reading Lola Carlyle's 12-Step Romance, because I wasn't fond of Lola and the lengths she went to get into rehab- I felt like she was making light of a serious addiction that many suffer from and she came off as a very spoiled, selfish brat, I mean she faked being an alcoholic to get into rehab for a boy people!
However, it was a huge relief to see the tremendous growth Lola makes as a patient and as a person. As the story progresses, we get to see a different, caring side of Lola, a side that is vulnerable. When she first enters rehab and meets her roommates, she makes prejudgements and believes them to all be crazy with serious issues, clearly she doesn't belong, no way does she need therapy, or does she. We see a deeper side of Lola, my heart broke for her, with the way her parents (if you can even call them that), treated her. It is because of this sullied relationship that we can begin to see why Lola has such screwed up priorities. Lola was a great narrator- you see a real growth of maturity in her voice, as her priorities begin to change and the perfect glamorous life that she's worked so hard to portray, begins to crumble, and she finally starts to let someone in, and that someone is Adam.
Adam cares very deeply for Lola and she feels the same way, there's just one problem, he's suppose to be her mentor. This relationship added a whole other ethical dilemma to this book, will they or won't they? I won't say more because I don't want this review to be to spoilery ;). But just note that readers will love Adam, he's caring, serious, playful and a perfect match to balance out Lola (in my opinion).
The ending will satisfy readers and while I believe this is meant to be a standalone novel, I think Younge-Ullman has done a great job with the growth of Lola that I would love to see some sort of sequel where we get to see her in University or something- I want to know her what kind of adult she'll be. She thought she didn't belong with all these people who need therapy and are battling their own demons and illnesses, turns out, she has quite a few that she's been keeping bottled away- turns out her roommates may be "saner" than her.
If you like contemporary stories where you see tremendous growth in the narrator, a quirky cast of sidekicks with a splash of romance, than give this book a read!
Happy Reading!!!
Awakening
By: Shannon Duffy
Now Available!!!
Publisher: Entangled TEEN
Source: Finished Copy from Raincoast Books
Add Awakening to your Goodreads list here.
Cover image and synopsis courtesy of Goodreads:
A thrilling, futuristic sci-fi novel set in a unique and thought-provoking world, from author Shannon Duffy.Desiree Six (because she was born on a Friday) believes in everything the Protectorate stands for. She likes the safety and security of having her entire life planned out—her career, her mate, even the date of her death. She doesn't even think to question when Darian, her childhood friend and neighbor, is convicted of murdering his parents. They had seemed like such a loving family. But if he was convicted, then he must have done it.
Then Darian shows up in her room late one night. He has escaped from the Terrorscape—a nightmare machine used to punish all Noncompliants—and needs Desiree's help. What he tells her rocks her world to its core and makes her doubt everything she's ever been told. With this new information, will Desiree and Darian be able to escape the Protectorate before it's too late?
My Thoughts:
Divergent fans will devour this dystopian ya treat!
I was sucked right into Awakening, and Desiree's world- she's a terrific narrator and a very likeable heroine. We see a futuristic world through Desiree's eyes, a world where no one is allowed to live past the age of 55 and the age of your termination is dependant upon the day of the week you were born- how crazy is that! And in this futuristic society your future mate is chosen for you and no one is able to sleep without the help of a Syncro-Drifter Dreamscape which controls your dreams and wake time- Loved this ingenious idea!
Duffy's dystopian society is ruled and enforced by and elite group of society known as the Protectorate and anyone who defies rules enforced by the Protectorate will be charged as uncompliant and forced to endure the Terrorscape- think of having to endure your worst nightmares and having it televised for all of society to watch (to keep the rest in line).
Desiree was a compliant, content with the life that the Protectorate had laid out for her even if the Protectorate chose her childhood bully to be her mate, even when the Protectorate chose for her to be a nurse, when her true passion is art. But than an old friend comes back into her life and everything she thought she knew comes into question.
There are so many layers to this society and to Duffy's book that I can't even mention because I don't want to spoil it for you, but trust me there's tons of story and action to keep you turning the pages.
The romance was just as good as the action in this read. Damian is tall, gorgeous, strong, confident and crazy about Desiree, there's just one problem, he's wanted by the Protectorate for murder. But Desiree is learning that not everything is as it seems. I really enjoyed the interaction between these two and the progression of their relationship. Desiree's first reactions to Damian were quite realistic, I know I'd be really apprehensive around him. I must admit though, I would've liked a bit more of a love triangle with Asher- I hope we get to see more of him in book #2.
There's also mysteries to solve within this society, and once you reach the end of the book, you realize you've only scratched the surface. The ending was satisfying and keep you wanting more.
If you enjoy action and romance in your dystopian YA, than give Awakening a read!
Happy Reading!!!
Meet Danielle and Shannon!
(Author Bios were taken from each authors Goodreads page)
Danielle Younge-Ullman
Danielle Younge-Ullman is the author of the Young Adult novel, LOLA CARLYLE'S 12 STEP ROMANCE, published by Macmillan in May 2015. She studied English and Theater at McGill University, then returned to her hometown of Toronto to work as professional actor for ten years. Danielle’s short story, Reconciliation, was published in MODERN MORSELS—a McGraw-Hill Anthology for young adults—in 2012, her one-act play, 7 Acts of Intercourse, debuted at Toronto's SummerWorks Festival in 2005, and her adult novel, FALLING UNDER, was published by Penguin in 2008. Danielle lives in Toronto with her husband and two daughters.
Connect with Danielle:
Shannon Duffy
Author of MG and YA books full of adventure. I grew up on the east coast of Canada in the province of Newfoundland and now live in Ontario. I love writing, reading, fashion, fitness, and traveling
Connect with Shannon:
Today's Question of the Entangled Blog Tour:
Have you ever made a dangerous (or out of character) decision when it came to a boy?
Danielle's Response:
Sadly, I did many ridiculous things for the sakes of various boys before I found the guy I married. I didn’t do anything quite on the scale of faking my way into rehab, but I made such a fool of myself, so many times. It took me a long time to figure out how to be myself, and a longer time to figure out that I should have been spending my time trying to figure out whether I liked them, versus trying to make them like me, and figuring out whether we actually had anything in common. I would fixate on someone based on a brief moment of connection, or based on thinking they were cute, or on the idea that they were the “type” of boy I wanted to be with. I didn’t understand about the natural chemistry you can have with someone when you’re just being your normal selves, and I thought I could just take off at a run based on initial attraction.
Obviously that didn’t work very well.
Part of it was I was boy-crazy, but the other part was that I didn’t like myself enough, and I was looking for validation outside of myself.
Did I do anything dangerous? Nothing too crazy, just dumb. As far as out-of-character, I think almost all of it was out of character in the sense of my not having figured out who I was and what was good and right for me. So, let’s just say I accepted/created some situations that shouldn’t have been acceptable, and was a fool, repeatedly, which I guess was character-building.
Shannon's Response:
To be honest, I’ve never been into the bad boy kind of guy although once when I was a
lot younger, I fell for who I “thought” was a good guy but who turned out to be
terrible. But Darian is a guy I could have fallen for as a teen. He’s not actually a
bad boy per se, but is just perceived to be at first. IMO he’s pretty awesome and cool
while being alpha male yet sweet.
lot younger, I fell for who I “thought” was a good guy but who turned out to be
terrible. But Darian is a guy I could have fallen for as a teen. He’s not actually a
bad boy per se, but is just perceived to be at first. IMO he’s pretty awesome and cool
while being alpha male yet sweet.
Thanks so much for stopping by and answering my question ladies!
Special thanks to Danielle, Shannon, EntangledTEEN and Raincoast Books for allowing me to be part of this blog tour! :)
