Waiting on Wednesday (#15): Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page. My version is just adapted to include more than just books.

Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes

Publisher: First Second

Release Date: September 29th, 2015

Welcome to Stately Academy, a school which is just crawling with mysteries to be solved! The founder of the school left many clues and puzzles to challenge his enterprising students. Using their wits and their growing prowess with coding, Hopper and her friend Eni are going to solve the mystery of Stately Academy no matter what it takes!

From graphic novel superstar (and high school computer programming teacher) Gene Luen Yang comes a wildly entertaining new series that combines logic puzzles and basic coding instruction with a page-turning mystery plot!

I'm a huge fan of Gene's work, so I'm definitely over-the-moon excited for this one! I think coding is cool, though I've never tried really tried it before. I also love how the cover shows a diverse cast of characters! The book sounds fun, and I'm excited to read it! (I'm hoping I'll enjoy it more than the mediocre reviews on Goodreads at the moment.) 

Waiting on Wednesday (#14): Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page. My version is just adapted to include more than just books.

Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler

Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Release Date: June 30th, 2015

Josh Chester loves being a Hollywood bad boy, coasting on his good looks, his parties, his parents' wealth, and the occasional modeling gig. But his laid-back lifestyle is about to change. To help out his best friend, Liam, he joins his hit teen TV show, Daylight Falls...opposite Vanessa Park, the one actor immune to his charms. (Not that he's trying to charm her, of course.) Meanwhile, his drama-queen mother blackmails him into a new family reality TV show, with Josh in the starring role. Now that he's in the spotlight—on everyone's terms but his own—Josh has to decide whether a life as a superstar is the one he really wants.

Vanessa Park has always been certain about her path as an actor, despite her parents' disapproval. But with all her relationships currently in upheaval, she's painfully uncertain about everything else. When she meets her new career handler, Brianna, Van is relieved to have found someone she can rely on, now that her BFF, Ally, is at college across the country. But as feelings unexpectedly evolve beyond friendship, Van's life reaches a whole new level of confusing. And she'll have to choose between the one thing she's always loved...and the person she never imagined she could.

;lakjsdl;kfjal;kdjf SO EXCITED!!! I absolutely loved and adored Behind the Scenes, and I can't wait for this companion novel. It seems to have a bit of everything, and I'm already sure I'm going to love it. I luckily have an ARC of this, so I can read it before it comes out, but I can't wait to annoy the heck out of people by shouting my love of the book and of Dahlia. You're welcome. ;)

Waiting on Wednesday (#13): None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio and Orphan Black Season 3

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page. My version is just adapted to include more than just books.

Once again, I'm mentioning Orphan Black on my blog. If you still haven't watched it yet, why not?! Do you not see me freaking out about it all the time? :P Anyway, I'm so pumped for Season 3, and it can't come soon enough! The last season ended with a bang, of course, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen now that there are also male clones. Also another female clone, but she's a little girl, and I still don't really understand that part. Also, I really want to see what's gonna happen with Rachel. Did she die? Does she have an eye patch? How's she going to react? Oh man, this show is just so great, and I will always need more.

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

Publisher: Balzer+Bray

Release Date: April 7th, 2015

A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex . . . and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned--something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

Wow, wow, wow. This sounds like an amazing book! None of the Above is so refreshingly new and so needed, in both a sad but positive way. There are already few LGBTQ+ books, but I've never heard of any other YA book that deals with someone who's intersex (which is included in the longer abbreviation I use-LGBTQIA). This book is so important, especially since few people even understand or know what intersex means. I really need to get my hands on this book--birthday present anyone (it comes out the day after my birthday)? ;)

Waiting on Wednesday (#12): Graceland Season 2

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page. My version is just adapted to include more than just books.

I'm so excited for Season 2!!! Actually, it airs later today, though I can't watch it for probably another two weeks. But anyway. This is such a fun but intense summer show. So many friendships and really interesting dynamics and interactions. The show is so unique from other FBI shows in that it brings together the FBI, DEA, and other agencies. But at the heart of the show, it's about the character's interactions and dynamics, and it's so great! Please check out the show if you haven't already.

Waiting On Wednesday (#11): Don't You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page.

Don't You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 10th, 2014

Welcome to Gardnerville.

A place where no one gets sick. And no one ever dies.

Except...

There’s a price to pay for paradise. Every fourth year, the strange power that fuels the town exacts its payment by infecting teens with deadly urges. In a normal year in Gardnerville, teens might stop talking to their best friends. In a fourth year, they’d kill them.

Four years ago, Skylar’s sister, Piper, was locked away after leading sixteen of her classmates to a watery grave. Since then, Skylar has lived in a numb haze, struggling to forget her past and dull the pain of losing her sister. But the secrets and memories Piper left behind keep taunting Skylar—whispering that the only way to get her sister back is to stop Gardnerville’s murderous cycle once and for all.

Why I Want to Read This Book

This sounds like the kind of book I'd like. The premise really intrigues me, and I've heard great feedback about the book. The cover and title also draw me in. I like how this seems to focus on Skylar and her sister, and while there may be a romance in there, it seems, based on the synopsis, that the primary focus is on the sister relationship. Sounds good! I can't wait for this title.

Waiting on Wednesday (#10): Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour and The Fault in Our Stars Movie

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page.

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Release Date: May 15th, 2014

A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.

Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

Why I Want to Read This Book

Firstly, what a BEAUTIFUL cover. I know, I know. Don't judge a book by it's cover. But come on, we all do. Secondly, I kind of like reading books about famous people/movie stars/etc, so this appeals to me. Also, I'm really happy that this is a book with homosexual characters/relationships. But not just that. Based on the blurb, it's also about family and acceptance, and I'm just like "yes!"

Release Date: June 6th, 2014

Director: Josh Boone

Based On: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Why I Want to Watch This Movie

Who doesn't want to watch this?! Okay, so this movie will almost definitely make me cry, but I loved the book SO much, and I can't wait to see it on screen. 

Yes, I'm uncertain about a lot of it, namely Shailene and especially Ansel, but I hope it ends up being better than I expect. At the moment, I just can't see Ansel as Augustus. Based off of stills and the leaked trailer, I just...I don't know...I just don't feel it. He seems...off. Same with the Hazel/Augustus relationship. It looks so...fake or forced from what I've seen. Perhaps the movie itself will be different, but these are my thoughts at the moment. I'm also excited to see Nat Wolff on screen as Isaac, as well as John Green's cameo in the movie. We shall see! Either way, I look forward to watching the movie and will definitely see it in theaters...with a lot of tissues. 

Waiting on Wednesday (#9): My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page.

My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)

Release Date: June 10th, 2014

What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy?

Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss—the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died—is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn’t a suicide as everyone assumes. She can’t remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she’s worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend.

If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she’ll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made—good and bad—that led to her last kiss.

Why I Want to Read This Book

Premise, premise, premise! The premise of the book sounds amazing, and it's really interesting too. Plus, from what I've seen from Allison's What's In the Snow? post way back when, it sounds really good!

And of course, I learned that Cassidy is a ballerina! Yay! As I mentioned before, I love reading anything about dancers, particularly ballet dancers. I'm sure this aspect isn't very important, but it's important to me! ;)

Waiting on Wednesday (#8): The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page.

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Publisher: Greenwillow (HarperCollins)

Release Date: June 10th, 2014

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Why I Want to Read This Book

 Firstly, I've heard SPECTACULAR things about this book. So many people seem to love it, many of them with the same reading interests as me.

This seems like an intense thriller, and the plot seems extremely interesting. I'm also really interested in how Meadow will be portrayed. I'm hoping she'll be as complex as Celaena from Throne of Glass: someone that's not just a killing machine. So interesting!

Waiting on Wednesday (#7): Pointe by Brandy Colbert

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page.

Pointe by Brandy Colbert

Publisher: Penguin

Release Date: April 10th, 2014

Theo is better now.

She's eating again, dating guys who are almost appropriate, and well on her way to becoming an elite ballet dancer. But when her oldest friend, Donovan, returns home after spending four long years with his kidnapper, Theo starts reliving memories about his abduction—and his abductor.

Donovan isn't talking about what happened, and even though Theo knows she didn't do anything wrong, telling the truth would put everything she's been living for at risk. But keeping quiet might be worse.

Why I Want to Read This Book

If you don't already know, I'm a dancer. It's not anything professional, but it's a real passion of mine. Any book about dancing, particularly ballet/pointe, is a must read for me (I even wrote one of my own!). So okay, maybe I'm little upset that the MC seems to have had an eating disorder, but I'll admit that there are plenty of dancers with the same problem (but there are also plenty that don't, such as myself). And the rest of the plot seems really interesting as well.

And again, cover love! 

Waiting on Wednesday (#6): Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page.

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: April 15th, 2014

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

Why I Want to Read This Book

Firstly, the cover. The whole, don't judge a book by it's cover thing isn't completely true. We all judge, and I love this cover for various reasons!

Secondly, I've heard great things about JLA's writing, though I've never gotten a chance to actually read any of her works. Maybe now's my chance!

And of course, it all goes back to the premise. This is so intriguing, and it sounds like the kind of book that would keep me up late at night because I want to finish it. Can't wait to get my hands on this one! 

Waiting on Wednesday (#5): Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!
For more info on this feature, see my features page.

Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 22nd, 2014

In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.

Why I Want to Read This Book

I have really enjoyed this series, even though the second book was a slight disappointing. I'm so excited to see what's going to happen next, and I'm hoping that all the characters will return to their original selves, or at least a better, changed version, if that makes sense. (It might make more sense after reading my review of Book 2.)

Anyhow, I'm also REALLY excited for more Daniel and more Eleanor/Daniel. :)

But even more than that, I've come to love the world that the series is set in, and I know Susan Dennard will make this go out with a BANG. So excited!

Waiting on Wednesday (#4): Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!
For more info on this feature, see my features page.

Prisoner of Night and Fog
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)
Release Date: April 22nd, 2014

In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

Why I Want to Read This Book

I LOVE historical fiction. It's usually hard to find really good historical fiction, but the past few that I've read have blown me away, so I have faith that upcoming ones will as well. 

I think it's really interesting to see it from the POV of someone that's grown up a Nazi. It reminds me a tiny bit of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (although that's very different), and I'm intrigued. I grew up loving stories about people being conflicted because they loved/liked someone on the opposite side during war time (mostly the American Revolution, but there's not many American Rev historical fiction books anymore).

Overall, as a historical fiction lover that finally knows a lot about the external context of wars other than the Civil War and the American Revolution, I'm really excited.

Waiting on Wednesday (#3.5): Unforgotten by Jessica Brody

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page.

For various reasons, I have a Waiting on Wednesday this week!

Unforgotten by Jessica Brody

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)

Release Date: February 25th, 2014

After a daring escape from the scientists at Diotech who created her, Seraphina believes she is finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await Sera and her boyfriend, Zen, at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness and Sera’s extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile, Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend her. A weapon that even Sera will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen’s life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret that Diotech will kill to protect. And it won’t stay forgotten for long.

I was going to embed a link to the excerpt of Wattpad, but Blogger isn't letting me, so click here to be taken to the Wattpad page! Enjoy! 

I enjoyed reading Unremembered, and I can't wait for more of Zen and Sera! :D

Waiting on Wedneday (#3): The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!
For more info on this feature, see my features page.

The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 20th, 2014

Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is used to getting what she wants, and when her boyfriend Jason breaks up with her for no reason, what she wants is to win him back before the start of their senior year. Lainey and her friend Bianca check the interwebz for tips and tricks, but the online dating advice is all pretty lame.

Then the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. Didn't someone once say that love is a battlefield? Jason isn't going to stand a chance once Lainey and Bee go all Zhou Dynasty on him...

Old school strategy and subterfuge meet modern-day dramarama in the story of a girl who sets out to win at all costs and ends up discovering what's really worth fighting for.

Why I Want to Read This Book

The premise really intrigues me. I think it's an interesting take on what would otherwise be an already written plot. I have to admit that I've never read The Art of War yet, but it seems pretty interesting to take war tactics and put them in a modern day, dating context.

Also, I've read a few pages of it because I'm on the street team, and while it's hard to deal with Lainey at the beginning, I'm interested in seeing where she goes and how she progresses as the story moves forward.

And I've heard great things, so I hope it lives up to my expectations! 

Waiting on Wednesday (#2): First World Problems by Leigh Ann Kopans

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!
For more info on this feature, see my features page.

First World Problems by Leigh Ann Kopans
(A Solving For Ex companion novel)
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: September 2nd, 2014

Sofia's had a really rough year - busted for cheating at prep school, dumped - dumped! - for the first time ever, and her new non-profit working stepmother is turning out to be an uppity bitch.

She deserves to treat herself. But when she throws herself a birthday party with 20 of her closest friends in Paris and (accidentally!) maxes out her dad's credit card in the process, he’s had enough of her attitude. As punishment, he switches her planned gap year touring Europe to one doing community service work with the evil stepmother’s relief organization in Guyana.

The rural village of Dabu needs help in every area from education to getting safe drinking water. But Sofia’s more concerned about her roommate Callum, the gardening expert, who calls Sofia "Princess" and scoffs at her distaste for sweaty, muddy, iguana-eating, outhouse-using life in Guyana.

Eventually, life on the equator, her work in the village, and especially Callum - with his brooding eyes and bewitching New Zealand accent - start to grow on Sofia. Though life is rough in Guyana, Sofia thinks the villagers are getting by just fine - until a nighttime walk shows Sofia the dark and desperate struggle girls in the village face every day.

Determined to change the girls’ futures, she comes up with a strategy to help the village. But what starts out as a plan to convince Callum and her father that she’s fallen in love with Guyana, turns into the realization that maybe she’s falling for Callum, too. And that by changing these girls’ lives, she might also be changing her own.

Why I Want to Read This Book

I LOVED Solving for Ex, and I think this will be really interesting, getting to read something from Sofia's POV. I know it'll be tough at first, but I really hope to see some major character development, and it seems as if there will be a major change, so fingers crossed!

Lastly, I thought Leigh Ann Kopans wrote about experiences such as depression really well in Solving for Ex, and having worked in a poor area, I'm interested to see how Kopans will write it this time. I know Sofia is nothing like me, at least in Solving for Ex, but I wonder if Sofia will have similar experiences and thoughts, whether it be in the beginning or all the way at the end.

I'm so excited, and I have high expectations! (Also, my review for Solving for Ex will be up in February around the time of its release, so be on the lookout for it.)

Waiting On Wednesday (#1): Nil by Lynne Matson

This feature is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

For more info on this feature, see my features page.

Nil by Lynne Matson
Publisher: Henry Holt (Macmillan)
Release Date: March 4th, 2014

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

 Why I Want to Read This Book

The premise just sounds amazing! And the new tagline is so intriguing. There's so much potential with this plot line and story, and I really hope it's as good as it sounds. Plus, this seems like a fast-paced book. I'm also intrigued by the fact that it seems like Charley has to save Thad, rather than the other way around. Yay! Lastly, after seeing various tidbits about the story, I'm excited to learn all about Nil.

Also, I know it has no impact on the writing or the story, but Lynne is so nice, and I love being part of the #NILTribe! :)

(Also, come on, the cover is amazing--both this new version and the old one.)