Review + Giveaway (US + INTL): The One Thing by Marci Lyn Curtis

Title: The One Thing                               

Author: Marci Lyn Curtis

Publication: September 8th 2015, Disney-Hyperion

Format: ARC              

Source: Won from giveaway! (Thank you so much Erin Dealey on Twitter and Marci Lyn Curtis!)   

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:                                      

Maggie Sanders might be blind, but she won't invite anyone to her pity party. Ever since losing her sight six months ago, Maggie's rebellious streak has taken on a life of its own, culminating with an elaborate school prank. Maggie called it genius. The judge called it illegal.

Now Maggie has a probation officer. But she isn't interested in rehabilitation, not when she's still mourning the loss of her professional-soccer dreams, and furious at her so-called friends, who lost interest in her as soon as she could no longer lead the team to victory.

Then Maggie's whole world is turned upside down. Somehow, incredibly, she can see again. But only one person: Ben, a precocious ten-year-old unlike anyone she's ever met.Ben's life isn't easy, but he doesn't see limits, only possibilities. After awhile, Maggie starts to realize that losing her sight doesn't have to mean losing everything she dreamed of. Even if what she's currently dreaming of is Mason Milton, the infuriatingly attractive lead singer of Maggie's new favorite band, who just happens to be Ben's brother.

But when she learns the real reason she can see Ben, Maggie must find the courage to face a once-unimaginable future... before she loses everything she has grown to love.

Misfit Review:

We take a lot of things for granted, that's for sure. And if we lose a thing that means a lot to us, then we'd feel like nothing else matters anymore, that we're incomplete and we cannot function anymore. The One Thing serves as an eye-opener, that even in times of pain and obstacles, there is hope and you are not alone.

DNF: Cleo by Lucy Coats

Title: Cleo                               

Author: Lucy Coats

Publication: May 7th 2015, Orchard Books

Format: e-ARC, 320 pages            

Source: Netgalley (Thanks to the publisher!)         

Buy it on: Amazon | iBooks | The Book Depository |  National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:                                      

Her precious mother is dead - and it isn't an accident! The young Cleopatra - Pharaoh's illegitimate daughter - must flee the royal palace at Alexandria or die too. As her evil half-sisters usurp the throne, Cleo finds sanctuary at the sacred temple of Isis, where years later she becomes initiated into the secret Sisters of the Living Knot. But now Isis's power is failing, Egypt is in danger, and Cleo must prove her loyalty to her goddess by returning to the Alexandria she hates. She must seek out the hidden map which is the key to returning Isis's power - on pain of death. But will she be able to evade her horrible sisters? And will she find dreamy Khai, the über-hot Librarian boy she met as she fled Alexandria years before? Cleo's powerful destiny is about to unfold...

Gorgeous and evocative, this captivating new YA novel imagines the life of the teenage Cleopatra before she became the icon we think we know.

Misfit Review:

7%

I have no issues with stories that are based off of real people, those who existed and made an impact in society, good or bad, as long as the story is interesting, consistent, not boring and not written in a way I expected it will be.

This reimagining of Cleopatra, in her teenage years, and how she claims her right to the throne is written way too modern for my taste, like reading a usual YA contemporary novel. Maybe if this written with a high fantasy flair, I could've taken it seriously. I also found the rivalry between the sisters quite childish and didn't made me curious enough. And please, Cleo, you just lost your Mom, and you're going goo-goo for Khai, the sexy librarian with the beautiful eyes already? Please. When you think about it, it feels a little like Mean Girls... I mean, just a bit.

{BLOG TOUR} Excerpt + Giveaway: Hello, Goodbye And Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: Hello, Goodbye And Everything In Between                               

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publication: September 1st 2015, Poppy

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Follow the book tour through Pinoy Book Tours

Synopsis:                                      

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan only have one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they'll retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night will lead them to friends and family, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

EXCERPT

"I know," he says, but he won't look at her. His eyes are fixed on the closed door of the garage. "That's my point. Let's skip it all."

"College?" she says with a smile, letting her hand drop.

Review: Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid

Title: Never Always Sometimes                               

Author: Adi Alsaid

Publication: August 1st 2015, Harlequin Teen

Format: ARC Paperback, 320 pages

Source: Pinoy Book Tours (Check out the tour)

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:                                      

Never date your best friend

Always be original

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken

Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids — the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they’d never, ever do in high school.

Some of the rules have been easy to follow; like No. 5, never die your hair a colour of the rainbow, or No. 7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule No. 8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule No. 10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember.

Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they’ve actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

Misfit Review:

Things I NEVER got to do in high school:

1. I NEVER had a lunch spot.

2. We didn't have prom, so I NEVER got to be prom queen (WTF?) and I NEVER got into student council.

3. I NEVER attended any beer parties coz I NEVER got invited into any of them.

4. I NEVER hosted a BEER party coz my Dad would've killed me or disowned me by then.. Plus I don't drink liquor. HA!

5. I NEVER dyed my hair a different color. Catholic private schools weren't lax about that kinda stuff.

6. I NEVER got to streak, skinny dip, or do anything else that could result in a viral nude pic, coz why? LOL

7. I NEVER hooked up with a teacher coz hello, Catholic school... The horror. (We also never got substitutes, so... too bad)

9. I NEVER got to go on a "life-changing" road trip coz I never looked for myself then.

10. And, I NEVER dated my best friend... coz well, I didn't swing that way... also, I didn't have male best friends in high school.

{BLOG TOUR} Mini Review: All We Have Is Now by Lisa Schroeder

Title: All We Have Is Now                              

Author: Lisa Schroeder

Publication: July 29th 2015, Scholastic (Point)

Format: Paperback, 272 pages

Source: Pinoy Book Tours (Thank you Dianne of Oops I Read A Book Again)         

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:

What do you do with your last day on earth?

Just over twenty-four hours are left until an asteroid strikes North America, and for Emerson and everyone else who didn’t leave, the world will end. But Emerson’s world already ended when she ran away from home. Since then, she has lived on the streets, relying on her wits and on her friend Vince to help her find places to sleep and food to eat.

The city’s quieter now that most people are gone, and no one seems to know what to do as the end approaches. But then Emerson and Vince meet Carl, who tells them he has been granting people’s wishes—and gives them his wallet full of money.

Suddenly, this last day seems full of possibility. Emerson and Vince can grant a lot of wishes in one last day—maybe even their own.

                                      

Misfit Review:

I'll be keeping this short and sweet since I don't literally have the time to be doing reviews... (why do I do this to myself?) All We Have Is Now discusses the issue of "What if the world ended? What will you do?"

Misfit Talks: A Short Hiatus

Hi there Misfit booknerds! I know it kind of feels weird that I have to post something like a hiatus announcement when I just sort of came back from the dead. I hate myself.

Anyway, as you've already gawked at the title, yes, I will be taking a hiatus... Not like that failed hiatus announcement I did for January. Was it January? Yeah, I suck. But, this one, I'm sorry to say, might be a little more serious.

As you all know, I am in my final year of uni! *falls down on knees* "Thank You, sweet baby Jesus." It took a while, but it is most likely to happen now! I can somehow say bye-bye to studying. LOL. But in all seriousness, before I go and graduate from uni, I have to finish my thesis, which is due on October. Now, it might seem like a lot of time left, but believe me, the pressure is on. We'll most likely have our final paper defense on late this August or the first two weeks of September.

As you can see, busy ugh. So, with that, I'll have to say adieu for a while. Meaning, I won't be posting as much as I would like to. To start, I will only post the reviews for the blog tours I signed for this August, so that's 4, I think. Probably, once a week. And that's it. I have no plans for September yet.

It's kind of sad to think that I have to not type in random things on my blog for a while. But I will be scheduling archived work, so if you want to check those out, then go to my Twitter page.

You may also follow my blog so you'll be updated to when I do come back. You can also scan through my review archives and feature archives for some fun! That would be lovely. And yes, my book tour reviews.

Okay then. Till the next time... Bye for now, Misfit booknerds.

{BLOG TOUR} Review + Giveaway: Overboard by Elizabeth Fama

Title: Overboard                               

Author: Elizabeth Fama

Publication: June 9th 2015, Creatspace (First publication, January 1st 2002)

Format: Paperback, 186 pages

Source: from the Author! (Thank you so much, Beth! and Dianne of Oops I Read A Book Again for the tour)         

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble |

Synopsis:

She swam up for what seemed like an eternity, with her chest so achingly empty it felt as if it had collapsed, seeing only white bubbles in front of her face until she broke the surface.

One moment of rashness, and fourteen-year-old Emily Slake finds herself amid hundreds of panicked and drowning people in the dark ocean waters off Sumatra. Miles from shore without a life vest, she resolves to survive. But in facing the dangers of the ocean, the desperation of her fellow survivors, and her own growing exhaustion, Emily must summon wits and endurance she's not sure she has.

Striking out on her own, Emily encounters Isman, a frightened young Muslim boy, floating in a life vest. Together they swim for their lives, relying on Emily's physical strength and Isman's quiet faith.

Based on a true story, Overboard is both a riveting tale of survival and a sensitive portrayal of cross-cultural understanding in a time of crisis.

Misfit Review:

If a book has left me in a rollercoaster of feelings, it would have to be this book. Filled with values and morals, Overboard just threw me off into an abyss of feelings, where I am now dysfunctional because it is just so good.

Real Neat Blog Award: Novel Playlist Pains and Doughnut Haikus

I pieced together this photo myself. If you want to use it, you are also welcome to, just credit me or something. You may also create one, since I dunno if there's an official photo.

Hi there Misfit Booknerds! So I decided that instead of my announcement, I'm gonna do a tag, which I have not done in forever... JAYVEE! BOO!!!

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm sorry to those bloggers who have been tagging me but I've ignored. Not because I wasn't interested in your tags...but because I was too busy that I actually forgot I was tagged in them. Anyway, I want to do this tag before I go on with my announcement... Thank you to the amazing Miel of Bookish and Awesome for tagging me for the Real Neat Blog Award... (Here's his original post if you'd like to check it out)

Note: My blog is not neat, for one. But heck! LOL.

Here are some of the questions that Miel has prepared. 

1. If you can only eat one group of food for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Classification can be as broad as “desserts” or as specific as “hamburgers.”

• Even though I seriously thought about swimming in a pool of marshmallows right now, I think I would have to go with flavored chips. Chocolate covered chips, potato chips, crisps, you name it. Just chips. (Seriously though, does having water not count?)

2. What is that book you wish you had when you were younger?