Waiting On Wednesday: Supermarket by Bobby Hall

"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! 

Title: Supermarket 
Author: Bobby Hall
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
Publication Date: March 26th, 2019

Summary: Flynn is stuck—depressed, recently dumped, and living at his mom’s house. The supermarket was supposed to change all that. An ordinary job, routine hours, a steady check. Work isn’t work when it’s saving you from yourself. But things aren’t quite as they seem in these aisles.
Arriving to work one day to a crime scene, Flynn’s world begins to crumble as the secrets of his tortured mind are revealed. And Flynn doesn’t want to go looking for answers at the supermarket, because something there seems to be looking for him.
A darkly funny psychological thriller, Supermarket is a gripping exploration into madness and creativity. Who knew you could find sex, drugs, and murder all in aisle nine?

So I've heard about this for a while now seeing as it's by one of my favorite artists, Logic. It's also a psychological thriller and I'm obsessed with all things psychological. I'm so excited to see what Logic's creative mind has thought of this time and to see his work as a debt author!

What are you waiting on this week? Leave your links so we can stop back!

Realistic Sex Scenes and Why They Are Important

I am just going to break the ice. Today, we are going to be talking about Sex. Yup, you read that correctly: S-E-X.  I'm not talking about anything crazy but I am referring to that couple of pages in your favorite novel where your ship takes the next step in their relationship/friendship/decides they just want to have sex. 

When it comes to sex everyone has different views and that is 100% alright. This post isn't saying what you believe is wrong. Everything is simply my thoughts and opinions. There are plenty of teenagers and young adults who are in healthy consensual sexual relationships with their partners, it is not too far fetched, and some aren't interested in sex at all.

Sex is a natural part of life and in some cases sex scenes in a YA novel is necessary for character growth and development or for plot purposes. Teenagers have sex, hormones are raging and this is a point in their lives where many are deciding what to do with the freedoms they have with their bodies and if they want to keep that to themselves or share intimate parts of themselves with another person. Sometimes these points are written really well, realistically and in a matter that isn't cringe worthy. Other times they just aren't realistic, and that is what I am trying to get at. 

I asked about Sex Positive books on Twitter and was blown away with responses:

Sex positive: Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett! Mentions female masturbation, includes a serious discussion about being on the same page about sex, and emphasizes that consent can be revoked at any time before or during the act (boy keeps checking that she’s still into it)!

— Nichol (@nickelbrownie) December 4, 2018

I always thought Tamora Pierce’s approach to sex was very positive. Not just the lead up to the fade-to-black convos that partners had, but how she approached sex in general. Kel’s conversation with her mom about contraceptives and whether she was ready? Really formative.

— 👻 mx ziggy schutz 👻 (@ziggytschutz) December 5, 2018

I thought the sex scene in The Fault in Our Stars was realistic and also very touching in its depiction of the vulnerabilities intimacy exposes in both young men and women.

— Laurie Batzel (@lbatc2_lou) December 4, 2018

I felt like Wicked Like a Wildfire by @LanaPopovicLit had a realistic and positive view of sex. MC isn’t a virgin when the story opens, it’s no big deal. It’s also not a big deal when she’s attracted to a guy and decides to sleep with him. Her agency is very well written.

— Jenna Giuffrida (@Jennafyre) December 4, 2018

Here are some things that make realistic sex scenes important:

• The discussion of consent.

• Sex isn't perfect. Sometimes it's awkward and funny and isn't always going to happen they way you plan it. 

• Knowing your partners sexual status. If they have been sexually active, have they been screened for any STDs that they could have possible been exposed to?

• Birth control and other forms of birth control. 

Sometime's teenagers don't have a person they trust to go to with these questions are problem and most of what they know is from books. Unrealistic sex scenes in novels can set a standard for sex pretty high or pretty low depending on the novel you are reading. 

But let's never forgot our favorite moment in movie history:

What are you thoughts about sex representation in YA? Let us know below! 

ARC Review: Every Moment After by Joseph Moldover

Title: Every Moment After
Author: Joseph Moldover

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Hardcover, 368 Pages
Publication Date: April 9th, 2019

Summary: Eleven years after a shooting rocked the small town of East Ridge, New Jersey and left eighteen first graders in their classroom dead, survivors and recent high school graduates Matt Simpson and Cole Hewitt are still navigating their guilt and trying to move beyond the shadow of their town's grief. Will Cole and Matt ever be able to truly leave the ghosts of East Ridge behind? Do they even want to? As they grapple with changing relationships, falling in love, and growing apart, these two friends must face the question of how to move on—and truly begin living.

*I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.* 

When I first came across this book on a Goodreads 2019 debuts list, I was instantly intrigued. As someone who grew up in the tristate area, I remember how deeply the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting affected the community, even though I was in high school at the time and not as young as those first grade kids. It was a deeply impactful -- and horrible -- moment in my life, but I never really stopped to think about what happened to those survivors after -- they had to keep going through school, and having a life, and going to college and growing up, but how much of those horrors stayed with them? How much of it refused to ever leave? These were questions that I hadn't ever contemplated before, which is why this book shocked me to my core and made me think so deeply.

Rather than taking you through the gruesome event of the shooting itself -- rather, it's the summer after high school graduation for the survivors of that first grade class. As the summary explains, the story is told in the alternating perspectives of Cole and Matt, two recent high school graduates who were in the first grade class that the shooting took place in all those years ago. Matt lives with constant guilt because he was out sick from school that day -- and he doesn't know if it was a happy accident or that he was really meant to live. And then there's Cole, who is constantly haunted by the fact that he became the poster child for the shooting after a photo of him being carried about by a police officer went viral. Two boys with two very different stories about the same haunting day in history. 

This book is hard-hitting and strikes you right in the heart in the most impactful way. The story was filled, in a weird way, with so much hope among all of the heartbreak. Watching each boy get through his own struggles while finding out how they fit together and also their larger roles within the community all these years later.  This story also as all sorts of characters representative of the terrible events that happened at Sandy Hook that day, in this fictionalized setting -- the kids who didn't make it, the ones who were permanently injured, the ones who survived, the ones who weren't in school that day, and even a twin whose brother didn't make it out. 

The only character in this book that I wasn't a super huge fan of was Cole. I really like Matt's character, even when he had moments where he wasn't acting like the best person around, and he was always there for Cole as a good friend. Cole, on the other hand...it's hard to explain. There was nothing wrong with the way he was written, but just someone I didn't click with very much. He felt very whiny and pretentious to me. However, that was just my own personal opinion -- that doesn't mean that other readers won't enjoy him! But I really enjoyed Cole in terms of his love for Viola and his relationship with Matt, because their friendship bond was so strong and inspirational and it really made my heart warm to see.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Every Moment After. Joseph Moldover definitely knows how to weave together a shocking story that pulls you in and keeps you interested from start to finish. If you're looking for an interesting 2019 debut that will hook you, this is definitely one I'd recommend, as long as you're okay dealing with grief, loss, depression, and references to a shooting that occurred in the past. I'm glad that I read this book and I'll definitely be recommending it to people -- hats off to Joseph Moldover for a great debut!

***Also, be on the lookout for my exclusive interview with 2019 debut author Joseph Moldover, coming soon!***

6 Audible Books I Plan on Listening to in 2019!

At some point in 2018 I tried the free trial of audible (you can sign up here!) and forgot to cancel it. So, each month they were charging my card and I was accumulating credits for audio books. Audible only lets you have a maximum of 6 credits before you loose them. I've never really listening to audio books before, but I wasn't going to waste those credits so I picked out 6 audio books and swore that I am going to listen to all of them in 2019! 

***Click on the covers to be redirected to their Audible page!***

1. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera 

Listen Time: 8 Hours 30 Minutes

Narrated by: Micheal Crouch, Robbie Daymon & Bahni Turpin 

2. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) by Pierce Brown

Listen Time: 16 Hours 12 Minutes

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

3. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir 

Listen Time: 15 Hours 29 Minutes 

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Katherine McEwan, Maxwell Caulfield & Steve West

4. Akata Witch by NNedi Okorafor

Listen Time: 8 Hours 49 Minutes

Narrated by: Yetide Badaki

5. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Listen Time: 18 Hours 20 Minutes

Narrated by: Steve West

6. Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett 

Listen Time: 14 Hours 56 Minutes

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam

With all the listen times combined there is almost 90 hours of audio books to listen too. When I go into my job in the mornings I typically listen to music for the three hours before we open, instead I am going to start listening to audio books. 90 hours is a lot but I am determined to do it! 

Do you listen to audio books? If so what are some of your favorites? 

Review: Everless by Sara Holland

Title: Everless (Everless #1)
Author: Sara Holland
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: January 2nd 2018
Hardcover, 362 pages

Summary: 

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries. No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever. But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.

From the first moment I saw the cover for Everless I was immediately taken away with this book. The idea of time be bound to money and being hoarded by the wealthy was a really cool concept that I was super intrigued by. Though I did find Everless interesting I did have quite a few issues with it. 

I found Jules be very bland and fit into the same cookie cutter mold of the heroine who got put into a position she didn't ask for and now she has to save her country. Only, Jules willingly went back to Everless, she sought out these answers and created many of these problems for herself. I also found her character to be super reckless and super selfish at times only caring about herself and the answers she was seeking. 

The idea behind Everless is interesting: time being bound to blood in the form of coins and then being used as currency. The concept was interesting and unique and it gave the book an air of uniqueness but that was about it for me. I found the story between the Sorcerer and the Alchemist interesting and liked how Holland used a children's tale to explain the story on how blood-irons had come to be. 

I feel there were plot points in Everless that were just added with no suspicion or forewarning. They kind of just popped up randomly and no one seemed to question it. Jules was super quick to not question what the letter said about her heritage. I also didn't understand the point of the queen as she really didn't have a grand role in the grand scheme of everything? I honestly thought her character wasn't needed at all. The ending was kind of predictable and I had guessed it pretty early on in the story upon the Queen's arrival and the alliances that were being made by characters. There was one character death that surprised me though and I am really sad with loosing this character. 

Overall, I wasn't crazy about Everless and I am more disappointed in the story then in love with it. I'm super torn on reading the next book in this series to see what happens next because I have a strange feeling I already know, but we shall see. I did request a copy for my library so maybe when it comes in...? In the end this one wasn't my cup of tea sadly. 

(2.5 Stars!)