ARC Review: Aquicorn Cove by Katie O'Neill

Title: Aquicorn Cove
Author: Katie O'Neill

Publisher: Oni Press
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Hardcover, 96 Pages
Published October 2018



Summary: When Lana and her father return to their seaside hometown to help clear the debris of a storm, the last thing she expects is to discover a colony of Aquicorns—magical seahorse-like residents of the coral reef. As she explores the damaged town and the fabled undersea palace, Lana learns that while she cannot always count on adults to be the guardians she needs, she herself is capable of finding the strength to protect both the ocean, and her own happiness.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Margot Wood at Oni Press, and I was super excited when I did, because not only do I look up to Margot and see her as the inspiration for everything I want my future career to be, but also because I've been looking to get into graphic novels. So far, both of the suggestions she's sent me have been an absolute hit! So without further ado, let's get into my review!

As the summary explains, when Lana goes to visit her Auntie Mae in their coastal village, she thinks she's just there for a cleanup effort and to catch up with her family. But what she doesn't know is that there are more secrets that lay beneath the shore, and secrets that Auntie Mae is keeping, and things definitely don't turn out the way that she expects her visit to. 

I really loved this book -- the story was so freaking adorable and kept me smiling the entire time I read it! The entire thing was so adorable and cutesy, but there were also some heartbreaking and really intense scenes as well, which kept the story moving and kept me flipping through the pages. The book wasn't very long, either, so I zipped through it so quickly that I even found myself super disappointed when it was over. All in all, this book took me about 40 minutes to read -- and 15 of those minutes were spent sending Snapchats of the beautiful colors and pictures to my boyfriend and to Emily and Amber!

Something else that I really enjoyed about this book was the colors used. They were so beautiful and vibrant, and they really aided the illustrations in making the story happy and cute and adorable, as well as full of tons of emotion! There were a lot of scenes without dialogue in this book, but I didn't even mind because I just took that time to sit down and flip through the pictures, studying and appreciating them all. Those bright-yet-soft colors used throughout the story (especially under the sea) were definitely on brand for me, and I was delighted to see them.

Overall, I really loved reading Aquicorn Cove -- I wish it had been longer, because it was a super fast read! Partially because the book isn't that big, but also because I immediately fell in love with it, and thus promptly devoured it. I'm so glad that Margot started recommending me adorable contemporary, cute, and romantic graphic novels, because it's safe to say that I'm definitely developing a taste for them! If you're looking for a cute story to get you into graphic novels, look no further than Aquicorn Cove, because this book is guaranteed to delight you.

ARC Review: Odd One Out by Nic Stone

Title: Odd One Out
Author: Nic Stone

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Hardcover, 320 Pages
Published October 2018

Summary: Courtney "Coop" Cooper: Dumped. Again. And normally I wouldn't mind. But right now, my best friend and source of solace, Jupiter Sanchez, is ignoring me to text some girl. Rae Evelyn Chin: I assumed "new girl" would be synonymous with "pariah," but Jupiter and Courtney make me feel like I'm right where I belong. I also want to kiss him. And her. Which is...perplexing. Jupiter Charity-Sanchez: The only thing worse than losing the girl you love to a boy is losing her to your boy. That means losing him, too. I have to make a move...One story. Three sides. No easy answers.

I received an advanced copy of Odd One Out at BookExpo this year, and meeting Nic Stone was a really great part of the event, because she was super nice and friendly and funny. Not to mention the fact that she put a totally inspirational message in my ARC when she signed it (Reign on, Queen!), and she complimented my hair, and then I complimented her makeup...it was just one big compliment-fest, and it was really self-confidence boosting, and I loved it! But now, let's talk about the book itself. Onto my review!

As the summary explains, there's a bit of a tricky love triangle going on here -- Coop loves Jupiter, who loves Rae, who loves both of them, but nobody wants to tell the other...so that definitely leads to some messy things going on. The book takes you through their whole situation, dedicating a segment to the point of view of each of the three. And what you learn while you're inside of their heads gets super messy and complicated, pretty quickly. So you're definitely taken on a dramatic journey of love and friendship (as well as its struggles) when you read this book.

I enjoyed reading this book, particularly the fact that there were so many funny little inserts that made me snort or laugh out loud. Coop's perspective in particular was really funny to me, so I'm really glad that the first third of the book is told from his point of view. He definitely had some hilarious little quips sprinkled throughout his section that kept me laughing and sending funny Snapchats to my friends. It was also really sweet and touching to see how much he loved Jupiter, both romantically and as a friend -- it made my heart really warm and happy, but it also made me really sad for him when she wasn't reciprocating those feelings, because Coop was just this big squishy ball of emotions and adorableness that I wish I could keep safe and protect from the whole world.

My favorite character in this book was definitely Coop. Like I just said, he was really sweet and adoring and funny, and he was also a good friend to everyone else around him, so it was clear to see why everyone in his life seemed to love him so much, to the point that things got a little bit tense when more than one person liked him at once...*cough cough* But you'll just have to read the book yourself to figure out how messy that gets.

On the other hand, I absolutely did not vibe well with Rae's character. Before any of her romantic feelings even came into play, I thought she was really snobby, and there was just a vibe I was getting from her that kept me from being her biggest fan. Even when I was reading the perspective from her point of view, I wasn't fan of her character, particularly her little quips. As opposed to Coop's, I thought hers sounded just really pretentious, so it was hard for me to like her as a character. Especially later on in the book, the way she acted around Coop just made me more and more frustrated every time she showed up, so I was over her pretty quickly.

(Spoilers here! Skip to the next paragraph to avoid them!) Another thing that I wasn't that happy about with this book was Jupiter's behavior in the way she treated Rae and Coop, especially toward the end. She basically went behind Rae's back to sleep with Coop just so she could lay claim to his "first time" -- even though it turns out she really does love him and have those feelings for him, before they actually did the deed she didn't know that, so what she did was pretty selfish and vindictive and really not cool. I was a fan of her throughout the entire book until that part came around, because that jealous, petty act was something that had the potential to have some serious repercussions -- if she hadn't ended up having those feelings for Coop, she would've just slept with him as a way to beat Rae to the finish line, and she would've taken Coop's first time away for nothing more than petty jealousy. I'm glad that things worked out for them in the end, because otherwise that would've been a really crappy thing for Coop's supposed best friend to do, no matter how much I wasn't a fan of Rae.

Overall, Odd One Out was a quick read that made me laugh at times, and sometimes cringe at the characters' behaviors during others. Before picking up this book, I had also seen a lot of stuff floating around about there being a lot of bi erasure that takes place in this book, and now that I've read it for myself, I can definitely see it, and that's something that was really problematic for me as a reader. However, I encourage readers to pick up the book for themselves and check it out to have their own experiences with it, and perhaps you might pick up on something that I (or other readers) may have missed.

Waiting on Wednesday: Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine where we highlight some of the upcoming books we can't wait to read!

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Title: Wicked Saints
(Something Dark and Holy #1)
Author: Emily A. Duncan
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: April 2nd 2019
Summary: 

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself. A prince in danger must decide who to trust. A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings. Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war. In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy..

If this doesn't scream "Amber read me!" I am not sure what would. The cover is so simple, but upon looking at it closely has so much detail to the kingdom and its buildings. It's stunning. I love dark and moody books and that is exactly what Wicked Saints sounds like. 

Are you excited for Wicked Saints? What are you waiting on this week? Leave your links so we can stop back! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Friendships in Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl in which we create bookish lists about everything from our favorite characters to love triangles and everything in between!

This week's theme: Favorite Friendships in Books

Today's theme is all about my favorite friendships in YA books, so without further ado, let's get to my list! (And this list is, to be totally clear, in no particular order!)

1. Jack, Ben, and Jenna in Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by Lev A.C. Rosen

Their trio was so much fun to read, especially with their hilarious inside banter!

2. Poppy and Claire's relationship in Just for Clicks by Kara McDowell

I always wished that I had a twin sister, because their relationship seemed like so much fun!

3. Elise and Mati from The Impossibility of Us by Katy Upperman

This was one of my favorite books this year, and the friendship that Elise and Mati develop in the beginning of the story was super adorable and I loved it so much, even before they became a couple.

4. Bailey and Porter in Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Before a relationship blossoms, their friendship was pretty hilarious, and the chemistry was so obvious, so I loved it so much.

5. Emma and Rev in More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer

Nothing like some deep family secrets and leaning on someone close to you to create a tough, strong friendship.

6. Sloane and Mark in The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan by Gia Cribbs

Even though Sloane's life seems like it's constantly changing and being turned upside down, Mark is a constant in her life, as someone who loves and protects her. For a while, that was really enjoyable and heartwarming to see. That is, until things start to come up...;-)

7. Sam and Penny in Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

This was one of my favorite reads of the year, and their friendship (as awkward and hilarious as it may be) was my favorite.

8. Cassandra and all of the frat boys in Frat Girl by Kiley Roache

Even though things start off pretty rocky, watching everyone slowly grow to accept and even watch out for (and possibly even love?) Cassandra was super heartwarming, and the jokes between all of them were pretty hilarious.

9. Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel in I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman

Watching the way that they all interacted with each other was really inspiring, kind, and super heartwarming.

10. Grace, Maya, Joaquin in Far From The Tree by Robin Benway

Definitely one of the best books that I read this year, and the friendship between Grace, Maya, and Joaquin was inspiring and adorable, both as friends and as bio siblings.

So those are ten of my favorite friendships in YA! What are yours? Comment down below, because I'd definitely love to know! 

ARC Review: Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen

Title: Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)
Author: L.C. Rosen

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Hardcover, 352 Pages
Published October 2018

Summary: Jack has a lot of sex--and he's not ashamed of it. While he's sometimes ostracized, and gossip constantly rages about his sex life, Jack always believes that "it could be worse." But then, the worse unexpectedly strikes: When Jack starts writing a teen sex advice column for an online site, he begins to receive creepy and threatening love letters that attempt to force Jack to curb his sexuality and personality. Now it's up to Jack an his best friends to uncover the stalker--before their love becomes dangerous.

I received an ARC of Jack of Hearts at BookExpo this year, and it immediately caught my attention, because I haven't heard of a YA book that was so openly sex-positive before. Right away, I knew that this was not only the kind of book that I wanted to read, but also the kind of book that I had to read. So after a crazy summer and a chaotic beginning of the semester, I finally got to sit down and read it, and let me tell you, I'm so glad that I did. So without further ado, let's get into the review!

As the summary explains, Jack has a lot of sex, and he's not ashamed of it. So when his best friend asks him to start a sex advice column, he's not entirely opposed to it. And before long, it becomes wildly popular. The only problem? Jack finds himself with a stalker, someone he dubs Pinky, and they want more than to leave cute little love notes in his locker. They want him to do some awful, vile things, otherwise the consequences that he has to face will be severe. Things keep getting more and more dangerous, so Jack knows that he has to do something to end it. The only problem is, what should he be doing?

I absolutely loved how sex-positive this book was -- it was a refreshing thing to read, and also I think it's something that's really important. Jack was unapologetically in love with sex, and he spent a lot of time with hookups, totally owning his body and doing whatever felt the most right to him. A good majority of this book tackles sex, so if that's something that you're not keen on reading about, then this might be a book you want to skip out on. But on the other hand, I thought it was really important to see a book that gives a teenager such a casual relationship with sex -- something that is rarely discussed in any of the stories that I read, and then when I do, it tends to be brushed over or not discussed much. Or, if it is talked about, there's usually a negative connotation along with it -- looking down upon someone who seems to "get around." This book is the total 180 of that, so that was such a refreshing thing to read, and it was so bold and blunt with some of the stuff it said that even I found myself blushing, as an adult! But that was really important to me to finally be exposed to as a reader.

My favorite character in this book was definitely Jack. In addition to being so into sex, he was also so unapologetically himself. He was open about being gay, loving makeup, loving fashion, and aligning himself with the stereotypical view of someone who is "gay." He even manages to acknowledge the fact that not everyone who is queer falls into that stereotype, and that's okay, and it was just really great to see, the way so many different types of people and sexualities and different relationships to sex were explored in this book. It really covers a lot of ground and made sure that no characters in the story were excluded.

(Spoilers in this paragraph, so please skip to the next paragraph if you don't want a major plot point ruined for you!) One of the only things that disappointed me a little bit was the fact that I was able to determine Pinky was Kaitlyn from the very beginning, so there wasn't really any shocking plot twist for me. It was pretty obvious from the very beginning, when Kaitlyn was acting different than her friends when she was around Jack. And after that, all of the clues were super obvious, but it seemed like Jack was just ignoring them. Maybe the plot twist shocked some other readers, but for me, I saw it right away and it became hard to ignore as I kept reading the story.

The only other thing that confused me about this book was the fact that the characters were apparently sophomores, but the way they were acting was so unlike any other sophomore high school experience I've ever heard, and plus, they're supposed to be 17, which is when you're a junior? So that confused me a little bit and I wasn't quite sure how to wrap my head around that at first, but eventually I came to terms with it and just rolled with the punches. But that was one of the only things that took me out of the story for a little bit!

Overall, I really loved reading Jack of Hearts. I tore through this entire book in less than two days because I was so invested in the story and couldn't put it down. The story had such a natural progression to it that kept it moving along the entire time, which made it soooo easy to stay up past my bedtime and convince myself to read just one more chapter. If you're looking for a fast-paced, hilarious, intense, super sex-positive read, then this is definitely the book for you! I'm so glad that I picked up a copy of this at BookExpo, because I'll definitely be recommending this book to all of my friends!

Guest Review: Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Skyward (Skyward, #1)

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Publisher: Gollancz
Hardcover, 528 Pages
Published November 2018

Summary: Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul.

Today on the blog we have a guest review from Caitlin over at Realms of My Mind! They were kind enough to stop by and review Skyward and share their thoughts on it, and we couldn't be more excited to have them here as our guest reviewer for today! So without further ado, let's get into it!

Every once in a while, a book comes along that sweeps you away.  When you finally put it down, you lift your head out of a fog and need a few minutes to process what you just read. SKYWARD by Brandon Sanderson is one such book.  The tense action, fused with an impressive character arc for its lead protagonist, builds to a final showdown that keeps its foot on the gas until the last few pages before ejecting you back into reality.  In short, it is quite a ride!

We open on the planet of Detritus. That's where one of the last fleets of human ships crash-landed a few generations ago while escaping an alien race known as the Krell.  Little is known about the Krell, save that they are bent on the eradication of the human race.  On Detritus, humans live deep in underground caverns, salvaging what they can from their ships and from the ancient technology left behind by a long ago human colony.   Every effort and resource the humans have go towards supporting the one colony on the surface: Alta, home to the starfighter defense force that keeps enemy Krell ships at bay. What little is left of humanity on this planet calls itself Defiant.

Spensa is a sixteen-year-old girl who has lived on Detritus her whole life.  She's had an extra burden placed on her by events from nine years ago, during a critical battle between Defiant starfighters and the Krell.  During that battle, her father fled the field and was shot down by his flight to prevent other pilots from doing the same.  As if his death wasn't bad enough, her father was branded a coward and held up as an example of the very worst a Defiant citizen could be. While Spensa refuses to believe the official story, it proves a grave hindrance in her attempts to achieve her life's dream: to become a starfighter pilot herself.  Spensa has to fight tooth and nail at every turn to prove she belongs as a cadet, despite every obstacle thrown at her by the admiral of the fleet.  But when Spensa discovers a crashed and abandoned fighter, she realizes she may have another way to fly.

The heart and soul of this book is Spensa. Sanderson has done a wonderful job of capturing the voice of an obstinate teenage girl who is convinced she can take on the world and win.  The first person used in this book is critical to feeling the constant drum in her head: she is not a coward, nor will she allow any circumstances to prove otherwise.  That single-mindedness made me wince at times, in part because I recognized a little bit of my own teenage self in Spensa.  Because we are with Spensa's first person for almost the entire book, we are in the pressure cooker of her emotions: the desire to prove she isn't a coward, to become a starfighter pilot, and to find out what really happened to her father are such an unrelenting refrain that I was on the verge of being annoyed by the repetitiveness.  But just when I hit that point, everything came to a head and that pressure cooker of emotions blew.  Watching (and feeling) the character arc that results from the fallout is what carried me through this story.

Not to say that the action and the world-building aren't impressive as well.  True to form, Sanderson has plenty of intricate skirmishes and the mother of all final battles.  The vocabulary of flight maneuvers is accessible and easy to follow. The world-building itself is fairly contained for Sanderson. The focus of this tale is squarely on Spensa and her personal arc - extra mythology is treated as more of a garnish.  We do gradually learn more about both the Krell and the humans on Detritus, but those revelations come slowly and mostly towards the end, leaving much to be explored in the next book.

If there is one perhaps nitpicking flaw in SKYWARD, it's that Spensa's development comes at the expense of the development of other characters.  Spensa is in a cadet group with nine other teenagers, but we mostly get broad stroke characterizations for them.  Part of this is intentional - the Admiral refuses to allow Spensa to live on base, depriving her of the bonding time the other cadets get.  While that helps reinforce Spensa's isolation, it hinders some of the minor character arcs.  The development of Spensa's love interest, for instance, felt forced instead of earned.

Overall, though, this book was a resounding success.  I took the last 150 pages in one sitting, realizing I had clearly hit a point of no return in the plot.  It was an emotional rollercoaster that I was glad to experience, and I cannot wait for the sequel next year.  So what are you waiting for?  Grab your helmet and this book and get ready to claim the stars.

We'd like to once again thank Caitlin for stopping by The Book Bratz today to post this guest review. Don't forget to check out their blog!

** Psst! Interested in guest reviewing on The Book Bratz? Shoot us an email at thebookbratz@gmail.com or DM us on Twitter (@thebookbratz) and we'd love to have you!

Review: This Is Not a Love Letter by Kim Purcell

Title: This Is Not a Love Letter
Author: Kim Purcell

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Hardcover, 368 Pages
Published January 2018

Summary: One week. That's all Jessie said. A one-week break to get some perspective before graduation, before she and her boyfriend, Chris, would have to make all the big, scary decisions about their future--decisions they had been fighting about for weeks. Then, Chris vanishes. The police think he's run away, but Jessie doesn't believe it. Chris is popular and good-looking, about to head off to college on a full-ride baseball scholarship. And he disappeared while going for a run along the river--the same place where some boys from the rival high school beat him up just three weeks ago. Chris is one of the only black kids in a depressed paper mill town, and Jessie is terrified of what might have happened. As the police are spurred to reluctant action, Jessie speaks up about the harassment Chris kept quiet about and the danger he could be in. But there are people in Jessie's town who don't like the story she tells, who are infuriated by the idea that a boy like Chris would be a target of violence. They smear Chris’s character and Jessie begins receiving frightening threats. Every Friday since they started dating, Chris has written Jessie a love letter. Now Jessie is writing Chris a letter of her own to tell him everything that’s happening while he’s gone. As Jessie searches for answers, she must face her fears, her guilt, and a past more complicated than she would like to admit.

My review for this book was originally posted on TeenReads.com.

I received an advanced copy of This Is Not a Love Letter in exchange for an honest review, and I'm really glad I did, because I absolutely loved this story. Even though it was heartbreaking and emotional and definitely tough to read at times, it took me on an emotional journey that I knew I needed to experience, partially to understand Jessie's pain, and partially to become even more appreciative of the people that are already in my life.

As the summary explains, Jessie's boyfriend, Chris, suddenly goes missing in the middle of the night. While it seems like not many people are concerned about where he went, she knows that something happened to him. It becomes even harder to get people to care because of the fact that Chris is black in a predominantly white neighborhood, so there is a lot of speculation that the probably got himself into trouble and that there was no way he could be the victim of a hate crime. But Jessie knows better, and she's determined to find him, even if it feels like her entire world is crumbling apart in the process.

One of the most interesting things about this book was the way that it was addressed to Chris himself, through the method of informal love letters. There wasn't a "Dear Diary" sort of format, but Jessie is addressing Chris throughout the entire story, as if she was narrating to him instead of to a third-party reader. I feel like that's part of what made this book all the more intense for me, because her pain and her longing and her desperation for him to be okay was all the more obvious. It made the emotions sucker punch me directly in the stomach, at times so intense that I had to stop and take a few deep breaths because this book was hitting me that intensely. That's not something that I usually experience when I'm reading, so that's how I knew that Kim Purcell was an excellent writer, with the way she was so easily able to manifest physical emotions during my reading experience. 

My favorite character in this book is, perhaps ironically, Chris. As Jessie is recounting all of the memories that she's having with him, and all of the things she wished she appreciated more in the actual moment, it made me pretty much start sobbing openly. He seems so sweet and caring and attentive, the perfect guy, who everyone seemed to love and appreciate. His gentle nature with Jessie and everyone else in his life really made him out to be a stand-up guy, and throughout the entire story I found myself gripping the pages, hoping and praying that everything would turn out alright, because a guy as amazing as Chris was someone I wanted to see turn up okay.

Reading this book really struck me deeply because as I was witnessing Jessie's pain and anguish, it made me think of my own boyfriend, and how lost I would be if I woke up one day and suddenly all of the familiar, everyday parts of my life were suddenly gone. It made my chest ache with a pain that I haven't ever stopped to think about before, so my poor boyfriend ended up getting a million texts while I was reading this book because seeing Jessie's heartbreak reminded me to never take a single moment for granted, and to never do things you'd regret without apologizing or taking them back. Seeing her run through her mind at all of the awful or stupid things she'd done to Chris in the past, wishing so desperately that she could tell him she loved him one more time, really struck me deeply and made me all the more determined to make sure my boyfriend (as well as my other family and friends) never has a single doubt about how much he is loved and appreciated.

(Spoilers in this paragraph, please skip to the next one if you haven't read yet!) I was absolutely not expecting the book to pan out the way that it did, even though I did see some of the warning signs in the beginning. I was moreso shocked by the whole Johnson thing, and how he got away with being such a crappy human being, and how the police basically neglected to charge him for any of the other things that he managed to fess up to, nor did they dig deeper and try to prove his alibi was false. While I know that he wasn't the one that killed Chris, it was still a tough pill to swallow, seeing the things he did do go unpunished. But that ending...it absolutely broke me, even though there were also a few notes of hope sprinkled throughout. It still made me unbearably sad.

Overall, I absolutely loved This Is Not a Love Letter. If you're able to stomach a super emotional, super deep book that will definitely break your heart and make you cry, then this is definitely the one for you. Kim Purcell is an excellent writer that knows how to tug at your heartstrings and make those tears fall. Her writing had me so hooked that I managed to finish this entire 350+ page book in less than a day, because I didn't want to put it down. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next!

ARC Review: Just For Clicks by Kara McDowell

Title: Just For Clicks
Author: Kara McDowell

Publisher: Amberjack
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Paperback, 337 Pages
Publication Date: January 29th, 2019

Summary: Mommy blogs are great . . . unless the blog happens to belong to your mom. Twin sisters Claire & Poppy are accidental social media stars thanks to Mom going viral when they were babies. Now, as teens, they're expected to contribute by building their own brand. Attending a NY fashion week and receiving fan mail is a blast. Fending off internet trolls and would-be kidnappers? Not so much. Poppy embraces it. Claire hates it. Will anybody accept her as "just Claire"? And what should Claire do about Mom's old journals? The handwritten entries definitely don't sound like Mom's perfect blog persona. Worse, one of them divulges a secret that leaves Claire wondering what else in her life might be nothing but a sham...

I received an advanced copy of Just For Clicks by Kara and Amberjack in exchange for an honest review, and I'm honestly so glad that I did, because this ended up being one of my favorite reads of this year. This book captivated me from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down -- there was just so much going on that I didn't want to miss a single second of it!

I absolutely loved this book. I kept flipping the pages and I was unable to put it down because of all of the drama and everything that kept taking place -- I always wanted to know more! Claire and Poppy's friendship, relationship as sisters, and also their internet fame was really interesting to see. It was an especially unique twist that their fame didn't necessarily start from their own hard work, but from their mother's blog, which was something they didn't help create but still were influenced by. It was a really interesting dynamic that I enjoyed exploring!

My favorite character in this book was definitely Rafael. He was so cute and funny and swoon-worthy, and he was a great friend to Claire even when she found herself in tough spots where she wasn't necessarily being the best friend in return. Throughout it all, Rafael remained a positive influence on her, always there to lend a hand or to crack a joke, which is why I found myself falling in love with him more and more as I kept reading.

(*MAJOR* spoilers in this paragraph, so please skip to the next one if you don't want the story ruined for you!) OH MY GOD, THOSE PLOT TWISTS IN THIS BOOK, THOUGH. They absolutely destroyed me and they were so shocking that I even had to take some time to pick up my phone and Tweet about it because I was so shocked. First, the fact that Claire was adopted and not even Poppy's twin -- and then when she found out who her mother actually was. I just...OMG. Those were definitely some plot twists that I hadn't seen coming! So that gave me even more motivation to keep reading, because I kept wanting to read and see what the next surprising plot twist would be.

Overall, I absolutely loved Just For Clicks. This book was filled with so much romance, friendship, sisterhood, and even lots of drama. It was interesting to get a peek into a life like Poppy and Claire's, one that seems so glamorous and perfect but has a lot of struggles and everyday problems under the surface. This book absolutely captivated me, and I'm confident that it will captivate you, too -- so don't forget to add it to your TBR!

9 Bookish Things We're Thankful For This Year

Happy Thanksgiving! Today on the blog, we're talking about nine of the bookish things that we're most thankful for this year. Compiling this list made us all warm and smiley and we couldn't wait to share it with you, so here we go!

9 Bookish Things We're Thankful For This Year:

1. The papery smell of a used bookstore. -Jessica

2. Book conventions! -Emily

3. All of our awesome blogging friends. -Amber

4. Gorgeous book covers! - Jessica

5. Reading when you have a snow day! -Emily

6. Two words: Book. Boyfriends. -Amber

7. Rainy afternoons spent binge-reading. -Jessica

8. Independent bookstores. -Emily

9. Books themselves! -Amber

So those are nine of the bookish things we're thankful for this year! What are yours? Comment down below, because we'd definitely love to know! And now, if you'll excuse us, it's time to eat some delicious food and then sleep it allllll off.

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Boyfriends I am Thankful For!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl in which we create bookish lists about everything from our favorite characters to love triangles and everything in between!

This Weeks Theme: Book Boyfriends I am Thankful for! 

   

1. Rowan from the Throne of Glass series - Oh, if only I knew about Rowan when I was shipping Celaena so hard I probably wouldn't have cried as hard as I did. *says this shamelessly*
2. Nikolai from the Grisha Verse - I still think Alina and Nikolai should have ended up together. *Shrugs*
3. Warner from the Shatter Me series - Not going to lie: Jessica, Emily and I fight over Warner all the time. Also, can we talk about his tattoos? I love tattoos. 
4. Kaz from the Six of Crows duology - I have a thing for dark and moody men. What can I say? *shrugs*
5. Daemon from the Lux series - I was so excited to see Daemon in The Darkest Star. I hope he becomes a series regular in it! 

   

1. Liam from The Darkest Mind series - I don't think there is one negative thing I could say about this boy. His heart is just so pure! *heart eyes*
2. Kai from the Sweet Evil trilogy - I think Kai was one of the first bad boys that I actually swooned over. All three of us here as The Book Bratz have a sweet tooth for Kai. 
3. Elias from the An Ember in the Ashes series - I would like to thank Stephanie from Ohana Reads for this unhealthy obsession and the heart break that this series has put me through. 
4. Roth from The Dark Elements series - ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH. ZAYNE. ROTH. ROTH. ROTH.
5. Hideo from the Warcross duology - I know technically speaking Hideo was the villain but he had a good purpose and he just wanted to find his brother, okay? He payed for his crimes. I still love him. 




I had a lot of fun putting this list together! Are any of your book boyfriends on here? Let me know below and leave the link to your TTT!