Q&A WITH JENN BENNETT – STARRY EYES BLOG TOUR

Hey Guys!
Special post today, I got the honour to interview the lovely Jenn Bennett all about her new novel Starry Eyes – huge thanks to Simon and Schuster for sending me the novel to read early and for allowing me to interview Jenn, keep reading below to find all about Jenn’s latest novel.

1.      What inspired you to write Starry Eyes?

I started out with a single idea: a boy with two moms that own a female-friendly sex shop. That’s not what the book is about, of course, but that’s the first spark of an idea I had. My family’s done a lot of camping, which is the setting for this, and my brother and sister-in-law got married immediately after bonding over a harrowing wilderness experience. Somehow, all of this sort of snowballed together.

2.      What is one message you want readers to get from Starry Eyes after reading?

That no matter how hard you try to control every-little-thing in your life, you really can’t. Being able to adapt and roll with change may mean the difference in your overall happiness.

3.      Was Starry Eyes a different writing experience than your other novels?

It was written during the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, and their aftermath, which was enormously stressful for me. I had to force myself to turn off the news and stay focused on this lovely, good world I’d built, which was difficult.

4.      If you were to cast Zorie and Lennon for a movie, who would you cast to be them?

Oh my! That’s a hard question. I think in my head, when I was writing, Lennon was somewhere between a young Gerard Way and Rami Malek. And Zorie…not sure. I guess I’d let readers tell me who they’d cast, as they are usually better at dream-casting!

5.      And lastly, how long did it take for you to finish writing Starry Eyes

I wrote the first draft in six weeks—which is fairly typical for me, six to nine weeks. However, I got cold feet about three months before it was due, thinking that I wasn’t a gung-ho wilderness pro and therefore couldn’t authentically write it. I’ve done a lot of camping from childhood on, but I wouldn’t say I’m an expert. Or even an enthusiast. (When I was growing up and going on family camping trips, I would have said I was forced to camp against my will, LOL.) But my literary agent convinced me to have faith in myself and write it, and I’m really glad I did!

Book information + Synopsis:

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
Publication date: June 1, 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Synopsis:
Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best-friends-turned-worst-enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern-day version of the Montagues and Capulets. But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together. Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to try to make their way to safety. But as the two travel deeper into the rugged Californian countryside, secrets and hidden feelings surface. Soon it’s not simply a matter of enduring each other’s company, but taming their growing feelings for each other.

Jenn Bennett is an award-winning author of young adult contemporary romance books, including: Alex, Approximately; Night Owls; and Starry Eyes. She also writes romance and urban fantasy for adults. Her books have garnered multiple starred reviews, won the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award, and been included on Publishers Weekly Best Books annual list. She lives near Atlanta with one husband and two dogs.

Keep up with Jenn:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Jenn_Benn
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/j3nn_benn/
Website: http://www.jennbennett.net/

Purchase Starry Eyes here:
Amazon.com.au – https://amzn.to/2qLMkvV
Booktopia – https://bit.ly/2Hy3EPE
Dymocks – https://bit.ly/2HLnDrL
QBD – https://bit.ly/2JXajks
Readings – https://bit.ly/2J9K5KH
Kindle – https://amzn.to/2vtpY80
iBooks – https://apple.co/2JsNhBf

See the rest of the blog tour posts from other amazing bloggers here: http://www.simonandschuster.com.au/c/starryeyesblogtour

Huge thanks to Simon and Schuster and Aus Ya Bloggers for hosting this amazing Blog Tour and allowing me to have a part in it, hope you all enjoy Starry Eyes as much as I did!

COFFEE BOOK TAG!

Hey Pals,

Long time no post, I’ve had a bit of personal stuff going on so haven’t really had the time to get on and post let alone read like I usually do but I’m getting back I promise! Here is a fun tag to get us back on track again!

ONE: Black: Name a series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans:
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff for sure, the start of the book is reallyyyy hard to get into but once you get past the first 100 pages or so you will get hooked and it has a lot of harcore fans (me included) that absolutely can’t wait for Darkdawn to arrive!

TWO: Peppermint Mocha: Name a book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive time of year:
The logical answer for this has to be Harry Potter, the festival season isn’t right if I don’t get in a Harry Potter marathon either the books or the films but for sure Harry Potter!

THREE: Hot chocolate: What is your favourite children’s book:
As a child I used to adore the A Series of Unfortunate Events, still do love the idea of the series however have recently been turned off of the author. Also Roald Dahl books were a very popular read for me as a child.

FOUR: Double Shot of Espresso: Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish:
A Court of Wings and Ruin for sure, I didn’t know who was gonna live and I was soooooo scared for my faves and I just wanted such a happy ending and didn’t know if Sarah J Maas was going to give us one.

FIVE: Starbucks: Name a book you see everywhere:
Currently Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda because the movie has just came out BUT I’m so proud of it and glad that people get to read such a cute story that has a great LGBTQIA+ rep.

SIX: That Hipster Coffee Shop: Give a book by an indie author a shoutout:
The Miranda Contract by Ben Langdon! If you’re into reading about super powers and love reading Australian Lit (set in Melbourne!) then this book will be up your alley!

SEVEN: Oops! I accidentally got decaf: Name a book you were expecting more from:
I was really kinda bummed over The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings, I was expecting a fair bit more and found that the chapters were quite short and didn’t have too much detail to them but the storyline had so much potential.

EIGHT: The Perfect Blend: Name a book or series that was both bitter and sweet but ultimately satisfying:
The first book that comes to mind for this would have to be The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh, the ending was so bittersweet and poetic and I wouldn’t have it any other way honestly.

Andddd thats a wrap! Thanks so much for reading! I tag any of my blogger friends that haven’t done this tag and would like to do it, also comment some of your answers below!

TIN HEART BOOK REVIEW!

TIN HEART BY SHIVAUN PLOZZA BOOK REVIEW!

SYNOPSIS:

When Marlowe gets a heart transplant and a second chance at life, all she wants is to thank her donor’s family. Maybe then she can move on. Maybe then she’ll discover who she is if she’s no longer ‘The Dying Girl’.

But with a little brother who dresses like every day is Halloween, a vegan warrior for a mother and an all-out war with the hot butcher’s apprentice next door, Marlowe’s life is already pretty complicated. And her second chance is about to take an unexpected turn…

MY THOUGHTS:

Tin Heart was absolutely beautiful, from the quirky characters to the amazing plot with the added bonus of veganism being a huge part of the novel, this book was well worth the wait and anticipation.

Family was such a huge theme of Tin Heart and I think it was very refreshing to see as not a lot of Young Adult novels have the aspect of family let alone as strong as it was in Tin Heart. Pip, Marlowe’s younger brother was one of the best side characters I have ever read, he was beyond unique and such a sweet and loving brother to Malowe, his self confidence was beautiful and I think it was a big inspiration to Marlowe as she struggled a lot especially at the beginning as she was going back to school for the first time after her heart transplant. Marlowe herself was a quiet character and didn’t like drawing attention to herself which wasn’t the case as she was going back to school for the first time after everyone thought she was never coming back. The growth and development of Marlowe throughout the book was also very inspiring, she struggled to find the new Marlowe after not having her old heart and watching her grow as a person while finding the new Marlowe was truly beautiful.

In terms of the writing of Tin Heart, Shivaun was very raw, one minute you were laughing and the next you would be sobbing. I never thought I could love anything of Shivaun’s more than I adored Frankie but Tin Heart just blew me away. Tin Heart also talked about a lot of things that heaps of Young Adult Novels haven’t mentioned (well I personally haven’t read any YA Books that have) such as veganism, a character that has been through a heart transplant and also just the topic and importance of family isn’t talked about as much as it should be.

Overall, Tin Heart was a beautiful, raw, emotional and inspiring novel with a lot of unique and important topics that more novel’s should include. I really would recommend this book to everyone as I feel a lot of different people could get different things out of it and especially if you are looking for a unique read, this one is for you.

STAR RATING: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS

BUY HERE: https://www.booktopia.com.au/tin-heart-shivaun-plozza/prod9780143786276.html

Huge thanks to Penguin Teen Australia for providing me with a copy of Tin Heart in exchange of an honest review.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH SARA BARNARD!

Hey Lovelies!
Today I bring to you an interview of the lovely Sara Barnard who is the author of newly published book Goodbye, Perfect, I would love to thank Pan Macmillan for allowing this interview to happen and without further or do here is the Q&A!

How long did it take you to write Goodbye, Perfect?

Six months, plus editing time. That’s how long my first drafts usually take.

What is the most important thing you would like readers to get out of Goodbye, Perfect?

That you are more than your label. Whoever gave it to you, or wherever it came from, it’s just a label that you can discard. Also that you never know other people quite as well as you think you do, and you should always be open to them changing, or you may find that one day you just won’t recognise them anymore.

How did you come up with the characters in Goodbye Perfect? Are any based off of you or people you know?

This sounds very pretentious but I always feel more like I’m meeting my characters than inventing them. Eden came along with her abrasiveness and Bonnie was the good girl from the beginning. I don’t tend to base characters of people I know because that would just be very weird.

Did you occur any problems while writing Goodbye, Perfect?

It involved a lot of logistics in terms of where Bonnie and Mr Cohn would go and how they’d get around while on the run – most of it wasn’t even in the book, but I had to know it in order to write it. Logistics aren’t my strong point, so that was quite challenging.

How would you compare writing Goodbye, Perfect to writing your other novels? Was it any different or did you find it very much the same?

Every book is different in its own way. Eden in particular is different to my previous protagonists and so that changed how I wrote about certain things, such as how she describes Bonnie, Connor, Daisy and Valerie to the reader.

What was your favorite read of 2017?

La Belle Sauvage, by Philip Pullman.

And that is a wrap! Hope you enjoyed this Q&A! To read my review of Goodbye, Perfect click here and to purchase Goodbye, Perfect click here

 

 

GRAEVALE BOOK REVIEW

GRAEVALE BY LYNETTE NONI BOOK REVIEW:

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS BOOK 4 OF THE MEDORA CHRONICLES, IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE PREVIOUS BOOKS, CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

SYNOPSIS:

“Light or dark, only one can win. This world cannot survive in shades of grey.”

Now that Aven Dalmarta sits upon the throne of Meya, Alex must race against the clock to save the rest of Medora from the Rebel Prince’s wrath.

Haunted by an unspeakable vision of the future, Alex and her friends set out to warn the mortal races. But making allies out of ancient enemies proves difficult.

With her nights spent deep in the Library under the guidance of a mysterious new mentor, Alex is desperate to strengthen her gift and keep all those she loves safe. Because in a world where nothing is certain, she is sure of only one thing:

Aven is coming.

MY THOUGHTS:

I feel like I say this every review for a Medora Chronicles book but I swear i mean it – THIS BOOK WAS MY FAVE OF THE SERIES SO FAR.

As always its always a blast to read about Alex and co and their adventures, if you compare Graevale to Akarnae you can see such a huge character development between the books and it makes me so happy to see my faves change and become better people. Alex in particular has grown to be such an independent and also an amazing leader to the crew, if you compare her to the scared and mundane Alex in Akarnae its like having a proud mum moment seeing her in Graevale she’s so grown up ahh. Also just like Draekora, one of the other character highlights for me are definitely Niyx he grew on me so much more in Graevale I didn’t even think it was possible to adore him even more.  Basically what I’m trying to say in this long as paragraph is that the character development in this book is insane and I just can’t handle it.

In typical Noni form, this book is beautifully written, her world building is always so vivid and it leaves you with such a detailed picture of Medora and it honestly makes me sad that I can’t visit. Not to mention that Noni is also VERY good at breaking your heart, soul and wishes, go into this book with a box (or two) of tissues – you’ll need it I assure you!

Overall, Graevale is a heartbreaking and beautiful book filled with a cast of amazing characters who only seem to get better every chapter, this book leaves you in huge anticipation for Book 5! Honestly still crying over 1) the book and 2) waiting for the next book.

STAR RATING: ALL THE STARS EVER

Huge thanks to Pantera Press for sending me a copy in exchange of an honest review.

PRE ORDER HERE: https://www.booktopia.com.au/graevale-medoran-chronicles-book-lynette-noni/prod9781921997945.html

ZENITH BOOK REVIEW

ZENITH BY LINDSAY CUMMINGS AND SASHA ALSBERG BOOK REVIEW!

SYNOPSIS:

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she’s just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.

But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder‘s all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi’s past.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.

Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their shipor just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

MY THOUGHTS:

I actually really liked this book more than I was anticipating, there has been a fair bit of mixed feedback which had me a little iffy but I actually for the most part enjoyed Zenith.

In terms of characters I found that Androma was a little back and forth – one second she’s killed someone and the next she’s moaning that she didn’t want to do it but at the time of the killing she’s made out to be this mega badass? However Androma was also a very strong lead character that many compare to Celena from Throne of Glass but in space and I think that is a fairly accurate description as she is a very kickass character and a leader like Celena is. Androma besides the above stated was a very good leader and was a pretty good captain of the ship and her backstory was really interesting. However the one that stole the show for me was Dex – he was another great leader, him and Androma clashed so much and their constant bickering and sass had me crying laughing at some points. For the most part the characters were very head strong, sassy and badass and I did enjoy them, but no character is ever perfect.

The writing of the story flowed, you couldn’t tell that two people had wrote it which is one thing I always find with two authors writing one book. I did find the beginning of the novel a little slower than the end, making it a little harder to get into but the ending was worth it and once you got past the first 150 pages it gets faster and more action packed and the pace moves faster. Another thing that confused me was at the start of the chapters, a character was named whose ‘point of view’ the story was from but the book was written in third point of view so I kinda found that it confused me when I think I’m reading from Androma but next minute we are reading about what Dex is doing. I must say though that I read the advanced readers copy and therefore the characters names on the chapters may have been taken away but if they are still there and you are finding yourself getting confused – I just didn’t read them and the story made more sense and flowed a little better for me.

Overall, this book was addicting and has a very female based cast filled with some kick ass characters and a hint of space. It wasn’t the most perfect book ever but I did read an Uncorrected Proof copy and it is a debut novel on Sasha’s part so for those aspects in place I found that it was fairly enjoyable. If you like space and reading about very head strong sassy characters with little romance then I think you would enjoy this book!

STAR RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Huge thanks to Harlequin Teen Australia for sending me a copy for review in exchange of an honest review

PRE ORDER HERE: https://www.booktopia.com.au/zenith-sasha-alsberg/prod9780008228330.html

THE LAST DAYS OF US BOOK REVIEW!

THE LAST DAYS OF US BY BECK NICHOLAS BOOK REVIEW:

SYNOPSIS:

Five teens, one derelict Kombi and an unforgettable road trip…

Six months ago, Zoey’s life went off the rails. After the tragic loss of her brother, she partied her way to oblivion, estranged her best friend, Cass, and pushed away her now ex, Finn. But when her destructive behaviour reaches dangerous heights, Zoey realises she needs to pull herself together and get her old life back, including her ex. There’s just one complication: Finn is now dating Cass.

Now, it’s the last week of summer and Zoey, Cass and Finn are setting out on the road trip of a lifetime to see their favourite musician, Gray, perform live, joined by Finn’s infuriatingly attractive bad-boy cousin Luc and his vibrant younger sister Jolie. Zoey thinks this is her chance to put things to rights and convince Finn they should get back together. But she wasn’t counting on her friends’ lingering resentment, Luc’s disarming sincerity, and Jolie’s infectious love for life to turn her plans upside down.

This emotional coming-of-age story will resonate with anyone who’s ever messed up, fallen in love, or taken off on an adventure.

MY THOUGHTS:

This book was such an emotional roller coaster, it kept me pulled in the entire time and I finished it all in the one sitting it was so addicting.

The characters of the story were all pretty intriguing, Jolie was a personal favourite of mine because of her bubbly attitude towards everything she did and her sense of adventure was also very thrilling. Luc was also one of those swoon worthy characters that you can’t help but love and adore, he also had that mysterious side to him that had me doing circles about what he was hiding in his past. Zoey was also a character that went through a lot of development throughout the novel and at the beginning of the novel has just lost her brother and just is not coping – her parents are also absent from her life as well, which makes going on this road trip a very important part of Zoey’s journey to becoming herself.

The writing was just the usual that you expect from Beck, always short but detailed chapters that keep you hooked and very addicting for sure. Her writing just gets better and better every novel she writes and the meanings of her novels also hold a very big theme in the plot of the story and this one is one has to be personally my favourite of the ones she has written.

Overall, The Last Days Of Us was a very addicting novel, with a very heartfelt story filled with a great cast of characters that were all filled with life and really made the story. I recommend this to anyone that loves reading books that leave you thinking long after reading, crying your eyes out and also if you just enjoy Young Adult road trip books – this book is for you.

STAR RATING: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS

Huge thanks to Harlequin Teen Australia for sending me an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

PREORDER HERE: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-last-days-of-us-beck-nicholas/prod9781489220493.html

REPUTATION BOOK TAG – ORIGINAL

Hey y’all,

With the release of Tay Swizzle’s new album Reputation, I decided to make a book tag in celebration! 

Track One: …Ready For It – a book that you are sooooo ready to read and need to read it ASAP?
For me this has to be Whisper by Lynette Noni, I’m literally DYING to get my hands on it and read it all up in one sitting, lets just say I’m rather keen to read a new Lynette Noni book.

Track Two: End Game – a book where your ship became endgame?
This for me has to be the good old traditional The Hunger Games, can’t deny that my faves were meant for each other (not gonna say because I don’t wanna spoil but then again honestly who hasn’t read THG – if you haven’t GO! NOW!)

Track Three: I Did Something Bad – a character that did something bad but had no regrets?
Mia from Nevernight has done a whole lot of bad like killing because hashtag assassin life but I can 110% say that she didn’t have any regrets and probably also felt good about it.

Track Four: Don’t Blame Me – a book that a lot of people don’t like but you can’t help but secretly love?
This for me HAS to be Vampire Academy, literally love Dimitri and all the humour and I also love vampires, it may not be the best book series ever but it is honestly so addictive ahh.

Track Five: Delicate – a character that you find to be very delicate?
I found Rue from The Hunger Games to be very delicate, mainly because she was a 12 year old girl in a murder game and her innocence made her so pure and delicate in the sense that she was delicate when put aside to a game of killing.

Track Six: Look What You Made Me Do – an author whose books ALWAYS make you cry or feel deep emotions?
For me this is Jennifer Niven books, I felt most emotions in All The Bright Places because I related to it a lot and had a very personal connection to Violet. But her second novel Holding Up The Universe also had me feeling emotions because of the plot and characters even though I didn’t realate to it as much.

Track Seven: So It Goes… – a book series that goes from a good start to a bad/meh ending?
This is an easy answer for me, Divergent by Veronica Roth started out to be a really good series and I was so excited about it and loved it and then when Allegiant came out I just couldn’t stand it and felt as though the book just wasn’t to the first two’s standards.

Track Eight: Gorgeous – a book you bought because of the cover?
I will be the first to admit, I do this a lot, but one in particular would have to be The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh and I’ll have you know it is now one of my fave books ever and I do not regret.

Track Nine: Getaway Car – do you read books in the car/public transport?
I used to read all the time in the car when my family took trips to and from my families houses but as I have got over I have since acquired car sickness therefore I find it hard to read without feeling a lil after sometime.

Track Ten: King Of My Heart – a fictional character that owns your heart?
I could write a list of 101 names but one in particular I want to mention would have to be Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas, if you have read it you guys probably will agree that he is very swoon worthy.

Track Eleven: Dancing With Our Hands Tied – a book that had you tied in from the first sentence?
This was so Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow, literally had me from the first page I loved it all so much ahh so poetic and one of the most relatable books to me I’ve ever read and had me tied in from the start.

Track Twelve: Dress – a character who has a similar sense of fashion to you?
I will always relate to Clary Fray and her choice of clothing as it is always so simple and just very casual very much like me, also Cath from Fangirl I imagine to have the same sense of fashion too as she is also into pretty casual clothes and nothing really fancy.

Track Thirteen: This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things – a shady character that you dislike?
I really lowkey do not like Sebastian from The Mortal Instruments he was always very shady and I just could not take to his weird obsession with Clary and Jace.

Track Fourteen: Call It What You Want – if you had to call one fictional character to humanity who would you choose and why?
For me I would probably bring out Alex from Akarnae because I feel like her and me would be BFF’s in real life and would probably be just as clumsy as each other (ha)

Track Fifteen: New Year’s Day – a book you can’t wait to read in the new year?
Keen as a bean to read Graevale by Lynette Noni next year, also Nevernight 3 I am really wanting to get my hands on!

Annnnnddddd thats a wrap!
I hope you all enjoyed, some of the questions were a lil hard to make bookish but I think I did a fairly good job considering I got distracted 78346284 during making this listening to the album over and over again. I tag anyone that wants to do this tag, if you do it please link your post in the comments so I can check it out or tweet me the link on twitter! Don’t forget to get your copy of Repuatation, trust me its worth all the money in the world tbh (that Kanye sass has me living)

Mollie x

MARIA LEWIS AUTHOR INTERVIEW!!

Hey Guys!

Today I have the honor of starting off the first day of the It Came From The Deep by Maria Lewis Blog Tour! Today you will find some questions that the ever so lovely Maria answered about her new book and also about some fun random shiz towards the end!

What is one thing we should expect to see from It Came From The Deep?

Water. No but seriously, I’ve always wanted to see if I could tell a straight-up merman story and the best way to describe the book is a cross between The Little Mermaid and Creature From The Black Lagoon.

How different has the publishing process of It Came From The Deep been from Who’s Afraid?

Completely different, in that the Who’s Afraid? series is published by Little Brown and Piatkus in London, then pushed out worldwide through the traditional avenues. It Came From The Deep, on the flip side, is self-published and will be released worldwide in eBook format only on the same date, at the same time, on October 31, 2017 – Halloween. I’m blessed to work with such an incredible and huge publishing team on the Who’s Afraid? series at Little Brown, but It Came From The Deep is a much smaller, contained story and required a different publishing approach than the traditional route. I’ve also never self-published anything before, so I wanted to learn from that experience and take that knowledge on to my next project. Plus, there’s the perk of being entirely the boss on a book like this, as the final editing and cover art decisions all come down to me (which is a lot of pressure too, to be fair).

How would you explain It Came From The Deep in 3 words?

A merman mystery.

How long did it take for you to write It Came From The Deep?

I actually originally wrote it as part of National Novel Writing Month several years ago, so the book itself was written in the course of one month. It was put to the side as Who’s Afraid? and its sequels become the priority, along with the TV adaptation, but it took a fair bit or reworking and fine-tuning before it got to the stage where I felt confident enough to put It Came From The Deep out for people to consume.

If you had to choose one favourite character from It Came From The Deep who would it be and why?

I love Jarna ‘Cabby’ Cabin, who is a training acquaintance of the main character (Kaia Craig) when It Came From The Deep starts off and their friendship grows significantly throughout the book. In the same way I love writing Tommi’s longtime best friend Joss from the Who’s Afraid? series, I adored getting to write Cabby as she’s loosely inspired by a good friend of mine who was bugging me to put a character like her into one of my books. Cabby is just the bomb dot com. She’s smart and motivated and loyal – a lot of the traits I admire – and definitely someone that I would want to hang out with IRL. She also gets some of the best throwaway lines in the story and I always looked forward to writing her dialogue if I knew she was coming up on the next page.

Fun Questions:

Current Fave Tv Show?

MINDHUNTER.

Best Book you’ve read this year so far?

Final Girls by Riley Sager or Hamilton: The Revolution.

Favourite Clothing Shop?

That’s like asking me which one of my fictional children I love the most, but probably That Shop or Killstar Clothing.

What is your favourite Halloween movie?

That’s a loaded question, because do you mean film based in and around Halloween (like Hocus Pocus, for instance)? Or does just a regular horror movie count as a Halloween movie? My answer would be Halloween for the former and Alien for that latter.

Mermaids or Werewolves?

Werewolves. Always.

Pineapple on Pizza: Yes or No???

I’m Polynesian, man. Of course I’m all about pineapple on pizza.

MARIA’S LINKS:
http://marialewis.com.au
https://twitter.com/moviemazz
https://www.instagram.com/moviemazz/
https://www.facebook.com/marialewiswriter/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmwdDMgHUSaDVoeKGhfkK4Q

PREORDER IT CAME FROM THE DEEP HERE: https://books.pronoun.com/it-came-from-the-deep/

SYNOPSIS:

An elderly professor is murdered, leaving a puzzling crime scene for police to unravel and a laboratory housing all kinds of marine life. But something is missing … something huge.

Recent highschool graduate Kaia Craig has problems of her own, with her career as an ironwoman on the Gold Coast in jeopardy after a horrific accident. Yet someone wants to hold her accountable.

After nearly drowning in Lake Pelutz and her attackers on the run, Kaia is left with more than just physical injuries. She’s convinced she saw something in the depths of the lake: something that choose to spare her. Uncertain whether she’s running towards the discovery of a friend or foe, Kaia begins digging into a mystery that may have bigger ramifications than she or any of her friends can fathom.

It Came From The Deep is a thrilling combination of young adult and science fiction from the author of the critically acclaimed Who’s Afraid? series, Maria Lewis.

ADD TO YOUR GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36342266-it-came-from-the-deep

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN BOOK REVIEW!

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN BY JOHN GREEN BOOK REVIEW!

SYNOPSIS:

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

MY THOUGHTS:

I finished this book in the one sitting pretty much on the release day, a lot of John Green’s work is either a hit or a miss for me and my favourite thing of his will probably always be Looking For Alaska and when I heard he had a new novel coming out I was rather intrigued to see if this would be up to par with Looking For Alaska or if this would just be another typical John Green book. I went in without reading the synopsis, I knew it was obviously a contemporary story and wanted to go in blind due to the title being a little bit of a mystery to me.

The plot itself was alright, it wasn’t something that kept me hooked on and wanted to drop everything for to finish or it didn’t really blow my mind of the sorts but it was an alright read and I did finish it in the one sitting so it wasn’t a bad read at all I just found that I wasn’t really 110% invested in the plot and found it to be nothing special to me personally.

The characters are what I really struggled with, I did not connect to Aza at all and sometimes struggled read from her POV and found myself getting a little lost in her words because I just did not connect with her as a character at all. I didn’t really find Daisy much better either and Davis wasn’t one of the fictional guys that I would swoon over so to me the characters were just really average and I just found myself not caring much about them, making me not as invested in the story as I wanted to be. I will mention that I adored the way that John added in the OCD portrayal and found it to be one of the points that I did like in the story as not a lot of books have OCD rep so it was good to see that in there.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and it wasn’t bad I just didn’t personally connect to the characters and didn’t find the plot as interesting as I wanted it to be. The writing of the book was typical John Green and was very poetic. This book just wasn’t something I see myself re reading anytime soon and it didn’t really leave a mark on me like John’s other book Looking For Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars. I would recommend this to anyone that is a fan of John Green’s writing and to those that think the plot sounds interesting, however if you are not a huge fan of John’s other works and don’t like the sound of the plot I think that this is something you could probably pass on.

STAR RATING: 3 OUT OF 5 STARS

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