Interview with Just for Clicks Author Kara McDowell!

Today on the blog, we have an interview with Kara McDowell, 2019 debut author of Just For Clicks! So without further ado, let's get into it!

About the Author

Born in the mountains and raised in the desert, Kara McDowell spent her childhood swimming, boating, and making up stories in her head. As the middle of five children, Kara entertained her family on long road trips by reading short mystery stories out loud and forcing everyone to guess the conclusion. After graduating from Arizona State University with a BA in English Literature, Kara worked as a freelance writer. Now she writes young adult novels from her home in Arizona, where she lives with her husband and three young sons.

Goodreads Author Page / Twitter / Website

Author Interview

First thing's first: How does it feel to be a debut author?
Every day is different! Yesterday I discovered that my book is for sale on Target’s website, and this morning I listened to samples for a possible narrator for my audiobook. These unexpected little moments are beyond anything I ever imagined! But there are also many, many days that are scary. Publishing a novel is my oldest dream, and I spend a lot of time worrying about all the ways it could go wrong. 

In your opinion, what is the best part of being an author? What's the hardest?
Best parts: making new writer friends, meeting supportive bloggers, reading tons of wonderful books before they are published, and seeing years of hard work become a reality. The hardest part: literally everything else! 

Where did you get the inspiration for Just for Clicks? 
In my early twenties I was a newlywed and a new mom who ran a lifestyle/mommy blog. I also spent a lot of time reading other blogs, admiring women who were supporting their families by posting pictures of their seemingly normal lives. Could I be one of those women? And if I was, what would my children think about having their entire lives on display? Those two questions inspired my novel.

How much did your own personal life bleed into the story?
Claire definitely isn’t me, but there are aspects of her personality that match mine. An easy example if her affinity for Halloween, specifically candy corn. Those details were pulled straight from my own life! She also attends the same high school I did. When I started writing the book, I didn’t plan to do that. But it happened organically, and I’m so glad it did. Parts of this book are a love letter to my hometown.

Keeping it #SpoilerFree, this book contains so many incredible plot twists! How did you think of so many jaw-dropping scenes for the story?
I love this question, but I’m afraid I don’t have many good answers. Some of the twists were carried over from a previous novel, and some I didn’t think of until I was halfway through the draft. I didn’t ever sit down a plot out the book, so I’m really happy that the story flows the way it does. 

Who was your favorite character to write in Just for Clicks? Who was the hardest? 
Rafael is my favorite character, but he was also the hardest. The other characters came to me quickly. When I started writing, I immediately had a vision of twin sisters who were opposites in a lot of ways but who fiercely loved each other.  Rafael was different. It took many, many drafts before I fully understood him as a character. I knew I wanted to write a “nice guy,” one who was sweet and funny and forgiving, but it took a long time before I understood why he was that way. It’s also hard to write a character with no cell phone, because I needed him and Claire to communicate! 

Do you have any project ideas for the future, or any plans on revisiting the world of Just for Clicks?
I’m not working on anything in the moment, but I do have an idea for a story told from Poppy’s POV. She’s smart and ambitious and driven, and I love a girl who knows what she wants. I think it’d be fun to explore what happens to her after Just For Clicks ends. I’m also dying to give her a love story with a happy ending! (And it may not be with the person you think!)

About the Book

Title: Just For Clicks

Author: Kara McDowell

Paperback, 337 Pages

Publication Date: February 19th, 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 . . . 

We'd like to thank Kara McDowell for being awesome enough to stop by the blog and let us host this interview! If Just For Clicks sounds like something you're interested in, then don't forget to add it to your Goodreads TBR, which you can do by clicking here. We loved reading this book, and you can check out our review by clicking here!

Guest Review: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Title: Eliza and Her Monsters

Author: Francesca Zappia
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Hardcover, 385 Pages
Published May 2017

Summary: In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try. Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile. But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

Today on the blog we have a guest review from Lauren over at Reading, Writing, and Me! They were kind enough to stop by and review Eliza and Her Monsters 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!

Overview: Eliza is regarded as a freak at school. Sweatpants and oversized clothes with her lanky frame must mean she's dangerous. Kids avoid her like the plague, and that's fine because that's who Eliza Mirk is. Even Eliza Mirk doesn't like being Eliza Mirk, but she loves being LadyConstellation, beloved creator of the online webcomic Monstrous Sea. No one knows LadyConstellations real identity (not for lack of trying) and the online world and fandoms gives Eliza a chance to be the invincible person she can't be in real life. And then Wallace transfers into school, and he's a Monstrous Sea fan. Though weary at first, Eliza hides her identity as she bonds with Wallace and realizes that the world outside of her screen might not be as poisonous as she believed. But with each day, the truth creeps closer and closer to the surface, and disaster strikes when it comes out. Overall: 5+++++++++ (I'm still so in love and in awe of this book. Way too many feelings)

Characters: 5 Eliza made me want to cry. Not in a bad way, but in that relieved way- like when you know you're not the only one. She's strong and powerful and successful, but the outside world won't look at her long enough to see that, so she's belittled and shoved around until she learns how to disappear into herself. She lives for the slivers of the day when she can disappear into the world she created, when she has room to be herself. No one quite understands her relationship with the world or the internet, and it keeps her at an arms length. She battles with depression and anxiety intermittently as the world throws hurtles at her. She's not afraid, and she's not broken, but sometimes she feels like she gets lost inside herself and inside of a world that wants to many things from her. Also, Eliza's two favorite kinds of food are sushi and boiled eggs which also happen to be my favorite foods which was super cool.
With her family, she has her parents and two brothers. Her parents struggle to understand what's so important about Monstrous Sea. They don't even know that she's made enough from it to pay for college and then some. Because she doesn't fit their conventional idea of success, they can't look close enough to understand her. I also love her relationship with her two younger brothers. She feels like she can't connect with them, even if she might want to, because their interests are so divergent, and I think that's how a lot of siblings feel.

Plot: 5 Eliza's world starts small, contained, in her control. Though her school situation sucks, it's been a reality long enough that she's developed armor against it. She has her two closest online friends who moderate her Monstrous Sea sites and forums, and she interacts with the fans as LadyConstellation, but her family are really the only people she interacts with.
And then Wallace comes into the picture. He's had to transfer mid year and struggles with selective mutism. Most strikingly, he doesn't think Eliza is a freak, and she doesn't know how to respond to that. As they grow closer, holes get poked in Eliza's bubble of control, and when a mistake sends the whole rest of the real world rushing in way too fast, Eliza shrinks again, into an even smaller world than before. I loved how Zappia portrayed the way that the world can zoom in and out to accommodate how tight of a hold we need in the world in comparison to the stress, anxiety, or depression we may be experiencing. Eliza has to figure out how to be a part of the greater society on her own terms.

Writing: 5 I absolutely adore how this books was written. I felt so close and connected with Eliza. My heart raced when hers raced and broken when hers broke. I got fully immersed in the story. I love the short chapters and the editions of Eliza's art, her IMs, email, and letters. It made me feel like I was deeper into her world and her mind than just the prose alone. Zappia used the nearly 400 pages to give such an expansive picture on the rollercoaster of life- the slow chug up hill, the air stealing woosh of the fall, and the careful climb up again.

We'd like to once again thank Lauren for stopping by The Book Bratz today to post this guest review. You can read the original review over on their blog by clicking HERE!

** 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!

ARC Review: The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess

Title: The Quiet You Carry
Author: Nikki Barthelmess
Genre: Contemporary
Source: Author
Publisher: Flux
Publication Date: March 5th, 2019

Summary: 

Victoria Parker knew her dad's behavior toward her was a little unusual, but she convinced herself everything was fine—until she found herself locked out of the house at 3:00 a.m., surrounded by flashing police lights. Now, dumped into a crowded, chaotic foster home, Victoria has to tiptoe around her domineering foster mother, get through senior year at a new school, and somehow salvage her college dreams . . . all while keeping her past hidden. But some secrets won't stay buried—especially when unwanted memories make Victoria freeze up at random moments and nightmares disrupt her sleep. Even worse, she can't stop worrying about her stepsister Sarah, left behind with her father. All she wants is to move forward, but how do you focus on the future when the past won't leave you alone?

I really enjoyed this book. Nikki did a wonderful job telling Victoria's story and opening your eyes to the truth behind foster care. I found myself in tears at some points and rooting for Victoria and her newfound strength.

Like it states in the summary, Victoria is unexpectedly thrust into foster care in the middle of the night. With her dad acting strange and kicking her out of the house, Victoria is not sure what to expect. She shows up in a foster home in a small town and immediately feels out of place. She in a new school her senior year, her foster mother is a monster, and all Victoria wants is to go home. Victoria is challenged with keeping her true identity a secret from those at school and facing the truth of what actually happened with her father. Not to mention, she's worried about her stepsister Sarah, and what her father could do to her too.

What Victoria had to face with her father is something no one should have to face ever. It's absolutely disgusting that someone can drive themselves to do something like that. That being said, Victoria was able to keep a brave face despite not wanting to admit the truth. She just wanted to believe it wasn't true and go back to living her normal life. 

I loved how strong Victoria's character was. Despite her nervousness about telling the truth and having to deal with the craziness of foster care, Victoria was able to keep herself together and not give up on her dreams of going to college. Even though things didn't go as planned, she was still able to make new friends and plan for her future. 

Victoria was eventually able to start a relationship with her foster mother, Connie. She was able to look past her strict rules and she that they were actually helping her. Victoria also had friends Kale and Christina, who stuck by her side when she believed they wouldn't, just because she was in the foster system.

This is a wonderful story of personal growth, of strength, and of overcoming your biggest fears. Give this story a chance and you'll be sure to enjoy it!

Review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

Title: A Very Large Expanse of Sea
Author: Tahereh Mafi

Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Hardcover, 320 Pages
Published October 2018



Summary: It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.

When I first heard that Tahereh Mafi was going to be doing a contemporary novel, I immediately added it to my TBR, because I already love her Shatter Me series so much, and I wanted to see what one of her contemporary stories would be like. I tried to snag an ARC at BookExpo this year but ended up having to run to another panel with not enough time, so I preordered this book instead, and once I got it in my hands, I was super excited to read it. So without further ado, let's get into my review!

As the summary explains, Shirin is a Muslim teenager living in a post-9/11 world, and she finds herself the subject of a lot of hate and discrimination. Starting another school, Shirin just wants to keep her head down and get through the next few years so she can move onto a better future, away from all of the racists and xenophobes that are constantly surrounding her on a daily basis. However, what Shirin doesn't expect at this new school is to find a new love of breakdancing, and also to find a boy who makes her heart pound in a way that nobody has ever made her feel before -- and that boy is the awkward, irresistible Ocean James. He expresses an interest in her that doesn't seem to be morbid curiosity or just roping her in to make a joke of her, and Shirin isn't quite sure how she's supposed to handle that.

I definitely enjoyed reading this book. I was listening to a podcast with Tahereh Mafi and she explained how a lot of her own experiences as a teenager in a post-9/11 world were tied into this book, both through general sentiments and even through particular scenes (janitor yelling across the quad, anyone?). She used to breakdance in high school too, just like Shirin does, so it made me smile as I was reading to see one of my writing idol's own thoughts and experiences so clearly tied into her novel. It added a whole new layer of depth to the story that made it all the more special for me as a longtime Mafi reader.

I really liked reading Shirin's character throughout the story as well. She was stubborn and headstrong, always speaking up for herself and not letting those trying to bully her get her down. I was cheering her on throughout the entire story, and some of the stuff that she said to other teachers really got a laugh out of me, such as when she curses at a teacher on the first day of school because he accuses her of not knowing English, even though she was born in the United States. Basically, she was just an awesome badass that I immediately fell in love with as a reader.

The only thing I wasn't crazy about with this book is actually something that has disappointed me in some of Mafi's previous books as well. There were a handful of scenes in the story -- really important scenes, mind you, not simple or random things -- that were totally brushed over or glossed over briefly. For example, Shirin's conversation with Ocean's coach. Or the talent show. Or a handful of others that I can't mention here without spoiling parts of the story for you. As a reader, I felt a bit frustrated because those seemed like crucial moments in the story that were summed up in a line or less. It reminded me a lot of what some of my writing professors used to tell me when I was really guilty of just doing brief summaries of major scenes like that -- sometimes, it's not enough to get a simple "here's what happened" sentence. Sometimes, the reader has to be taken into those moments. And to me, it felt like some of those moments that were brushed over were things that I really wanted to experience through Shirin's eyes, in the moment, instead of getting a one-line summation later. It got a bit frustrating at times. However, other than that, I really did enjoy reading this story. 

(Spoilers here! Skip to the next paragraph to avoid them.) The ending line of the book gave me a lot of hope and made me smile as I closed the book. I was actually listening to the B&N YA Podcast when they interviewed Tahereh, and she was explaining how she didn't want to include that line at all and instead wanted the reader to be left wondering what would happen to Shirin and Ocean, so the addition of that final line to tie things together while also keeping it intentionally ambiguous felt like a really nice touch to me, and reminded me of how talented Mafi is when it comes to playing with the emotions of her readers.

Overall, A Very Large Expanse of Sea is another one of Tahereh Mafi's books that touched me and made me eager for more. As the first contemporary Mafi novel I've ever read, I was really impressed and not at all sure why she was ever worried about diving into contemporary, because I think she definitely pulled it off well. While some parts of the story felt a bit rushed and incomplete to me, the heart of Shirin's story shone beautifully and I enjoyed reading about her stubborn nature and even about the terrible things she had to experience in a world so full of hate, especially during a difficult time period that I was too young to really remember. If you're looking for an emotional story that hooks you, A Very Large Expanse of Sea is definitely a good place to start.

Review: Broken Prince (The Royals, #2) by Erin Watt

Title: Broken Prince (The Royals, #2)
Author: Erin Watt

Publisher: Everafter Romance
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Paperback, 370 Pages
Published July 2016



Summary: Reed Royal has it all—looks, status, money. The girls at his elite prep school line up to date him, the guys want to be him, but Reed never gave a damn about anyone but his family until Ella Harper walked into his life. What started off as burning resentment and the need to make his father’s new ward suffer turned into something else entirely—keep Ella close. Keep Ella safe. But when one foolish mistake drives her out of Reed’s arms and brings chaos to the Royal household, Reed’s entire world begins to fall apart around him. Ella doesn’t want him anymore. She says they’ll only destroy each other. She might be right.

My good friend Dana over at DanaSquare recommended The Royals series to me, and I'm so glad that she did, because I am absolutely hooked on this series and I can't devour it fast enough. I just finished this book and I already ordered the third one on Amazon because I couldn't wait long enough to get my hands on the next one. So without further ado, let's get into this review!

As the summary explains, Ella had just run away after catching Reed with Brooke, so he turns the entire world upside down looking for her. But when he finally catches up with her, things don't go according to plan. To Reed's dismay, Ella wants nothing to do with him, and she looks at him like he's poison. But he's willing to do anything to win her back -- and when he says anything, he really means it. Even if he has to resort to some terrible tactics to get it done. Which definitely leaves room for a lot of drama! 

I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put it down! The drama in this book was just as exciting and jaw-dropping as it was in the first book. It felt like Gossip Girl all over again, where I was hurriedly turning through the pages and burning through the book because I was soaking up all of the drama and backstabbing and secrets. And not to mention the romance, which I'll explain in further detail in a second! There was just so much going on with this book, and it picked up exactly where the first book left off, so it was really easy to fall back into the story. There also wasn't much recapping going on, so I didn't deal with any of that or being annoyed by recaps even though I just read the first book. It was the perfect addition to Paper Princess, and I was able to fall right back into it! 

The romance in this book was also super steamy, so it definitely kept me gripping the pages and wanting to know what was going to happen next. Reed and Ella's relationship was definitely really rocky and fast-paced, but those moments where they were together...it was super steamy and definitely made you blush, that's for sure! I'm glad that even though Reed was problematic and possessive at times, Ella was a strong character and was able to stand up and tell him off. I was definitely cheering her on during those moments! And it seems like she definitely got through to Reed, because he's definitely been changing as a character as the story goes on. By the end of this book, he was definitely a lot different than he was in the very beginning of Paper Princess.

(Major spoilers in this paragraph, so please skip to the next paragraph to avoid them!) AND THAT ENDING. OH MY GOD. I told myself that I wasn't going to rush to order the third book right away like I did with the second, but then I couldn't resist, because the way the book ended off -- with Brooke's death and Steve's return -- actually had me gasping out loud. I had to know what happened next. How did Brooke die? Did Reed do it?? Especially since he was acting so weird at the end. And then Steve being alive, and all haggard like that? How did he "die" (fake-die, I guess) and the authorities didn't know? And why did he show up at Callum's? Is that why Brooke was acting so weird?? This is why I immediately ordered the next book in the series -- I absolutely have to know what's going on, ASAP.

Overall, I absolutely loved Broken Prince just as much as I liked Paper Princess. I already can't wait for the third book to arrive so I can dive into the story -- it's been a really long time since I've fallen in love with a series this deeply and didn't want it to end! I have three more books to go and I'm already sad knowing that it will be ending soon, even though I'm still really excited to keep reading. So now if you'll excuse me, I have another Erin Watt book to get to!