BLOG TOUR | First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy + ARC GIVEAWAY!

Title: First We Were IV
Author: Alexandra Sirowy
Pages: 448 pages 

Release Date: July 25th, 2017
Source: ARC from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

It started for pranks, fun, and forever memories. A secret society – for the four of us. The rules: Never lie. Never tell. Love each other. We made the pledge and danced under the blood moon on the meteorite in the orchard. In the spot we found the dead girl five years earlier. And discovered the ancient drawings way before that. Nothing could break the four of us apart – I thought. But then, others wanted in. Our seaside town had secrets. History. We wanted revenge. We broke the rules. We lied. We told. We loved each other too much, not enough, and in ways we weren’t supposed to. Our invention ratcheted out of control. What started as a secret society, ended as justice. Revenge. Death. Rebellion.
 

Preorder now! 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

So glad you could stop by for my tour post! In anticipation of Alexandra's new book, I'm going to share some of my favorite YA thrillers, ones that you can read while you're waiting for this baby to release. 

Alexandra Sirowy

Alexandra Sirowy is the author of the young adult thrillers THE CREEPING, the Bram Stoker Award® Nominated THE TELLING, and the upcoming FIRST WE WERE IV. Alexandra attended a women's college as an undergrad and received her graduate degree in International Studies. When she isn't writing, she loves to travel, read, eat, and get into mischief. She lives with her husband in Northern California.

Follow her! 

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr  

GIVEAWAY!  

Winner of the giveaway will receive one signed ARC of First We Were IV.

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Follow the tour!

Week 1

March 27: Brittany's Book Rambles - Intro Post + Excerpt

March 28: YA and Wine - Most Mischievous YA Characters 

March 29: Rattle the Pages - Nail Art

March 30: Book Nerd Addict - Inventing A Secret Society

March 31: Fables Library - YA Books with Secret Societies

Week 2

April 3: Emily Reads Everything - Fancast 

April 4: The Eater of Books - History of Secret Societies

April 5: It Starts At Midnight - Author Guest Post: FIRST WE WERE IV vs. Alexandra's Previous Books

April 6: BookCatPin - Mystery YA List

April 7: A Book and a Cup of Coffee - Moodboard

Week 3

April 10: The Book Buzz - YA Thrillers You Need to Know About

April 11: The Candid Cover - Bookworm Initiation Quiz

April 12: Girl in the Pages - Book Recs for First We Were IV Characters

April 13: Stories and Sweeties - Author Guest Post - Story Behind the Title

April 14: Little Lillie Reads - Playlist

Week 4

April 17: Literary Legionnaire - Favorite Quotes 

April 18: Chapter by Chapter - Author Guest Post: Secret Society Initiation Rituals

April 19: Tales of the Ravenous Reader - Secret Societies You Never Knew Existed

April 20: YA Book Central - Author Guest Post:  3 Favorite Books About Secret Societies

April 21: The Bookish Feels - Author's March Favorites

Week 5

April 24: Waiting For Wentworth - Author Guest Post: Secret Society Rules

April 25: The Reader and the Chef - Book Inspired-Recipe 

April 26: Forever Lost in Literature - Author Guest Post: What We Do For Friendship

April 27: Flying Through Fiction - Favorite YA Friendships

April 28: One Way or an Author - Phone Wallpapers

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

Title: Last Seen Leaving
Author: Caleb Roehrig
Pages: 336 pages
Release Date: October 4th, 2016
Source: ARC from Fierce Reads
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, LGBT
Rating: 4.5/5

Flynn's girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her secrets without revealing his own?

Flynn's girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can't answer, and her friends are telling stories that don't add up. All eyes are on Flynn—as January's boyfriend, he must know something.

But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January's disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself. 

Preorder now! 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

**I received an advanced copy from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way.** 

Holy shit. Holy f'in shit. Where do I start with this book? I was expecting it to be more like a YA Gone Girl because of the whole missing-girlfriend-and-suspected-boyfriend aspect. IT WAS NOTHING LIKE WHAT I EXPECTED. Better yet, this book exceeded my expectations. Okay, let's just say that some of the YA thrillers I've read this year have been less than outstanding. Last Seen Leaving is a blow-you-out-of-the-water, heart-racing and headache-inducing kind of book. Don't be surprised if you want to chuck it out the window by the end because you can't believe what the f just happened. 

I totally stalked the author's Goodreads and website bio to obtain the following information. Caleb Roehrig is not only an author, but he's a freaking television producer. He's also a former actor with experience on both sides of the camera. You see, I didn't know this at first. I was reading the book thinking about how it would make a great movie. Now it all makes sense! There is no shortage of plot intrigue and unpredictable moments. 

I was truly impressed that this book took place in a span of a little under a month! The entire story - January's disappearance, Flynn being suspected and Flynn making it his mission to find out what happened - all felt like it should have been months before they found the truth. It wasn't until Flynn reminded us that it had only been 2 weeks after January's disappearance that they managed to track down what happened, did my jaw just drop to the ground. Roehrig managed to fit all that, in a vivid and compelling way, in under a two-week time space. I was thoroughly impressed. 

I was disappointed, however, in the lack of character development. Of course, there was character development but very little. I mean, I could see why it didn't contain as much, since it really wasn't a character-driven book but more plot-driven. The characters are rather fleeting, and we only get to see a lot of Flynn's growth. Flynn's growth is really phenomenal though, with keeping his secret to revealing it and then coping with it being out there for the world to know.

It just be no surprise to anyone that Flynn is gay. I know it's not explicitly revealed in the synopsis but it is implied that he "has a secret" and the book is labeled under LGBT on Goodreads. I apologize if I've spoiled anything you think to be major! The point is, the LGBT aspect took away from the thriller aspect and not in a bad way! I'm really appalled by how Roehrig was able to keep it thrilling, while also focusing on Flynn's self-discovery and the importance of accepting your sexuality. His sexuality played a huge role in January's investigation and Flynn's transformation from hiding to embracing it was truly a beautiful thing to watch.

I sort of crave that unreliable narrator in my thriller books, but this book did just as well with an open narrator. In the first few chapters of the book, Flynn reveals his sexuality to the reader but decides not to tell any other character. I felt a greater connection with the narrator through this secret, and I got giddy at times knowing that I was one of very few that understood the depth of his character.

This book surprised me in many ways. 1) It was the best of both genres- an exciting thriller and a coming-of-age/self-acceptance story. 2) You'll never see the ending coming, not in a million years. 3) The story and plot was very well-developed for a Young Adult thriller novel. Overall, this book exceeded my expectations. For anyone who's interested in reading this book, I suggest going into it knowing the bare minimum/ Trust me, you're going to want to know how this book ends!

With Malice by Eileen Cook | MYSTERY NOVEL OF THE SUMMER

Title: With Malice
Author: Eileen Cook
Pages: 320 pages
Published: June 7th, 2016
Source: Hardcover from The Strand Bookstore
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

It was the perfect trip…until it wasn’t.

Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be. She discovers she was involved in a fatal car accident while on a school trip in Italy. A trip she doesn’t even remember taking. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident…wasn’t an accident.

As the accident makes national headlines, Jill finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. It doesn’t help that the media is portraying her as a sociopath who killed her bubbly best friend, Simone, in a jealous rage. With the evidence mounting against her, there’s only one thing Jill knows for sure: She would never hurt Simone. But what really happened? Questioning who she can trust and what she’s capable of, Jill desperately tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

Get it now!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Yes. yEs. YES. Finally the summer mystery/thriller I've been longing before. As you all may know a few weeks ago I finished A Court of Mist and Fury. To say I wasn't torn apart by that book would be a lie because I was irrevocably messed up for the next week or so (give or take a few days) and couldn't read anything. Every book that I tried to pick up, I just put down soon after starting. The fact that this book got me out of a Sarah J. Maas-sized hangover speaks volumes.

The story begins with Jill Charron waking in a hospital bed, unaware of the incident that caused her to be there in the first place. She has no memory of the past few weeks in Italy, of her romantic fling with a cute Italian boy, of the car accident she got into and of her best friend who was killed in that accident. Now everyone thinks she's to blame. The car was in perfect working condition. People claim the two girls were fighting prior to the accident. Who else to blame than the best friend who was driving and survived the accident? The hands are all pointed at Jill as the killer. But did she really do it? Find out in this fast-paced thriller!

First I must state that the memory loss of Jill was done so wonderfully. I personally don't know professionally or medically how memory loss is supposed to occur but was pretty impressed, to say the least. It made sense. It was logical. The author got technical at times and brought up some medical terms like aphasia. I think it just made the story 1000x more believable. Well done, well done. I can just tell a lot of research was put into the backbone of this story. Throughout the story we know that Jill doesn't remember anything that happened in Italy so she's most likely not a trustworthy character and we, as the reader, can't depend on her to help us solve this mystery.

While we're still on this topic, I appreciate how the author dragged out the recollection of her memories. She didn't regain her memories all at one time and the most important memory made an appearance at the end! Now that was one big jack-in-the-box ending!

 

The author went the extra mile and decided to add a hodgepodge of the evidence in the story. The book would alternate between storytelling and then evidence, varying from things like interviews, police reports, news articles and blog posts. It was literally the coolest thing eva and made me enjoy the book so much more.

The way the author planned out the entire story was just mind-blowing. I obviously can't tell you the plot twist without spoiling everything, but I can tell you this. As the story unravels itself, you begin to realize things that you never imagined would happen. It kept me at the edge of my seat and it was all I could do not to flip to the end of the book and read the ending that everyone was talking about. I'm not even remotely talented at guessing the endings of books so I can't tell you if the ending was surprising, but it sure as hell was mind-blowing to me though.

So you're probably wondering, why not give it the five stars it deserves, Alex? Yes the ending was not what I was expecting at all,  but I thought it was mostly left unresolved. For some reason, I feel like this book should have ended differently or at least on a better note. It just felt like the author was trying to take the easy way out the entire time. You know what I mean?

*You see, even Phoebe knows what's up 

Besides that point, I really did enjoy this book. I knew I made a right choice in picking it up! I couldn't relate to any of the characters personally, but I liked the FOIL aspect of Simone and Jill's relationship. We're given that they're friends but we soon discover where that base of friendship comes from and what the true meaning of friendship really is. We even get dragged into the courtroom! Like.. how did that happen? I just finished watching a few episodes of How to Get Away with Murder and am now being dragged back into talk of law.

The portrayal of the media was so beautifully refreshing. Sure, we read books about famous celebrities that get so screwed by the media but never to the extent as it was portrayed in this story. In fact, the media makes Jill out to be some psycho killer who wanted to murder her best friend because of a little jealousy. She can't say shit that will back her up because she has no memory. Cook didn't shy away in showing her readers just how manipulative and malicious the media can be in these kinds of cases.

With Malice is exactly what's it made out to be. The ideal mystery/crime read that puts both the 'C' in crime and the 'M' in mystery. Also.. what a bomb-ass cover and title. 

Will you be getting your crime game on?

The Secret Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes [NON-SPOILER]

Title: The Secret Lies of Minnow Bly
Author: Stephanie Oakes
Pages: 400 pages
Published: June 9th, 2015
Genre: Dark, YA
Source: Barnes & Noble Hard Copy
Rating:

With a harrowing poetic voice, this contemporary page-turner is perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, Julie Berry's All The Truth That's in Me, and the works of Ellen Hopkins. 

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. 

And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too. 

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it's clear that Minnow knows something- but she's not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she has always dreamed of- if she's willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past. 

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is a hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith- and the power of having faith in oneself. 

Buy it now! 

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository  

A creepy cult-related book rocks right up my alley so it wasn't to anyone's surprise that I picked this one up. I was lucky enough to buddy read this with my great friends Sofia and Isabelle from the book blogging and Youtube community. This story didn't surprise me up until the middle where I could clearly feel the complexity and plot of the story getting stronger and more prominent. But anyways, let's get into my thoughts and feels.

Plot

The beginning of the story is slow and it takes some time to realize that the book switches between past and present in the form of flashbacks. Minnow speaks from the present when she doesn't have any hands and she's in juvie for assaulting someone but, at the same time, there are flashbacks into the past, the time before she got her hands cut off and what led her into juvie. The whole aspect of information before explanation didn't bode well with me. I guess it's just common sense that I need to know the events that lea up to something extremely dramatic, but I guess that's just me because I know some people who worship this book for its plot and non-linear timing. 

Like I've mentioned before, this book starts with a bang where Minnow is sitting on top of someone's body all covered in blood. I felt like she took the rest of the book to explain how she got in that situation and it just took too damn long for me to find an answer in the midst. Overall, however, the author gives you a little mystery you've got to solve and the answer is revealed at the end of the book: Who killed the Prophet? The Prophet is dead and some people are looking more suspicious than others but only Minnow knows who it is. She doesn't tell you till the end of course and even though the answer seems so obvious, it's not at all what you're thinking. So Stephanie Oakes, I give you credit for that fantastic ending! 

Characters

The book is told from the eyes of seventeen-year-old Minnow Bly who is put into a juvenile detention center. She's got no hands, no family, and no religion as of present time in the book. The fact that she's in this juvenile detention center and she's the only narrator of this book seems kind of sketchy and makes me believe she is an unreliable narrator. I don't quite know if I can trust her or not but throughout the book I made sure to keep in mind that she was never 100% trust-worthy. 

Minnow is a cryptic character, even from the beginning. She doesn't fully stretch out her sentences to tell you everything that went down. She is mysterious, but I loved how open she was to new possibilities and trying to escape her past. Minnow wasn't a perfect character. She did some bad things that got her where she is today but I think the whole aspect of her trying to find herself again was so invigorating. 

Romance

More like relationships...

Just because you're in juvie doesn't mean you can't make friends with someone who has committed murder! Minnow befriends her cellmate, Angel, who was put in there for actual murder. I felt like even though Angel has that reputation of the biggest and baddest of the entire jail, she's really protective and caring over Minnow. You really couldn't ask for a better friend in jail, and that's probably the best it gets! 

Minnow meets a boy named Jude who is basically an intruder to her society because her cult doesn't accept nonbelievers. It felt like Jude only liked Minnow because she was the only other girl around to like! I mean how many other girls do you see strolling around the woods singing country music?? Not much, exactly. Their relationship was overrated.

Minnow also befriends this cop, Dr. Wilson, who strikes a deal with her. He says he will help Minnow get out by recommending her for parole if she just tells him who killed the Prophet. And he wants to know since he's on the case for his murder. They were like a dog and a cat kind of chasing each other's tails and messing around, speaking in intricate sentences trying to hide the true meaning of their words, when really they could have both said what they needed to say right then and there. Dr. Wilson does something genuine and kind in the end for Minnow, which I won't spoil because this is a non-spoilery review! Great characters. I loved them!

I'm not ready to give this book its golden five stars because I did find problems with it. It was a so-so book that I didn't find revolutionizing and like my last breath of air. But is it a book that I'd recommend to anyone for enjoyment and mind-blowing twists? Yes, it's a powerful and compelling book that had a satisfying ending for a standalone dark read (or at least I think it's stand alone). 

Have you read this book yet? What did you think of it?