In case you’ve been hiding under a rock…. I’ve moved!

In case you’ve been wondering why there haven’t been many posts around here this week, its because I’ve moved! I now have my own domain over at snugglingonthesofa.com 

I’m hoping that if you follow via Bloglovin they will transfer your feed across, but if you follow by other ways you will have to follow again I’m afraid. Please join me over at my new site, where I’ve currently got two giveaways; 1 Interational for a book of your choice and another for UK and Irish followers for a signed copy of Every Day or City of Fallen Angels. 

I look forward to seeing you all there! Please let me know what you think of the new site. I’m still getting to grips with the design and plugins and whatnot, so if you have any recommendations or tips I’d be hugely grateful.

Bookish Brits: My Introduction Video

I am really excited to share with you my introduction video to Bookish Brits, where I talk about some of my favourite things. Bookish Brits is a vlogging collaboration between ten UK bloggers. We will be posting videos on YouTube five days a week, as well as extra content on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Please follow on any of these platforms to get access to my future videos as well as vlogs from all the other Bookish Brits.

Book Review: Acid

Acid

by Emma Pass

Published: April 2013 by Random House 

Version: Ebook from publisher and Netgalley (review my own, honest opinion)

Rating: 4.5 sofas

The year is 2113. In Jenna Strong’s world, ACID—the most brutal controlling police force in history—rule supreme. No throwaway comment or whispered dissent goes unnoticed—or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a horrendous crime she struggles to remember. But Jenna’s violent prison time has taught her how to survive by any means necessary. 

When a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed, and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID, and try to uncover the truth about what really happened on that terrible night two years ago. They have taken her life, her freedom, and her true memories away from her. How can she reclaim anything when she doesn’t know who to trust?

Strong, gritty writing, irresistible psychological suspense, and action consume the novel as Jenna struggles to survive against the all-controlling ACID. Seriously sinister stuff.

From the cover alone, I knew I had to read this book. It looks awesome with a powerful protagonist. I got approved on Netgalley for it around the release, but for one reason or another I never got round to it. BIG MISTAKE. I know other bloggers who absolutely adore it, and now I know why.

We meet Jenna in dystopian-Britain who has been put in jail for the murder of her parents. One of the things I love about dystopian novels is how real they can be, and scary to think that this COULD be our future. Acid does just that. In the future, ACID is the governing body, and they are not afraid to show it.

I think Jenna is one of my favourite female main characters. She has a lot of courage and spunk, especially when we learn about some of the things she has been through. Although she is continuously knocked down she never gives up, and I really admire her for that. There was a little bit of romance, but I liked that it didn’t overpower the story itself. 

The only reason I couldn’t give Acid 5 sofas was because the story was just a little too predictable. Although I think the storyline is great and there are several twists along the way, you just can’t get rid of the stereotypical dystopian storyline. As such, I kind of knew where the book was gonna end up, but its how we got there that really makes the story unique.

If Acid is a book that (like me) you didn’t read on its release, I implore you to do so now. It is original and thrilling, with plenty of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. One of the most intense debut novels of this year! 4.5 sofas.

A Bookish Survey: A to Z

Lots of people have been taking part in the A-Z survey created by Jamie of The Perpetual Page-Turner, and I thought I’d give it a go! Sounded like fun 🙂

Author you’ve read the most books from:

By far my most read author is Robert Muchamore! According to Goodreads, I have read 22 of his books. Blimey! 

Best Sequel Ever:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I think I actually liked it more than the first…

Currently Reading:

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud.

Drink of Choice While Reading:

I mostly drink fruit juice. Though in the winter there is nothing nicer than curling up with a book and some white hot chocolate!

E-reader or Physical Book?

My kindle is useful when commuting, but I am definitely a physical book gal. There is nothing better!

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

I’d love to say Levi from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, but truth be told I was way too shy to have a boyfriend back then!

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Hidden Gem Book:

Between The Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer. The illustrations! ❤

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

When I began working at the library. Before then, I used to reread a lot of the same books again. It taught me to be more adventurous with reading!

Just Finished:

Hurt by Tabitha Suzuma

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

I do try and read all genres of YA, but when it comes to adult books I’m much more picky. I don’t read many literary fiction, historical or heavy fantasy/scifi.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling (870 pages). This is one of my favourite books of the series as well 😀 

Major book hangover because of:

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Number of Bookcases You Own:

One official bookcase. I also have some shelves and keep some under my dressing table!

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Any non-fiction book by Torey Hayden. Her books were my inspiration to originally be a speech and language therapist.

Preferred Place To Read:

On the train; its the only place with minimal distractions! Or else in bed.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

“I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.” from Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

Reading Regret:

Not starting a blog earlier! Or reading more variety as a kid.

Series You Started And Need To Finish (all books are out in series):

All of them? Off the top of my head, Michael Grant’s Gone series, Ally Condie’s Matched series and Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls.

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

Only three?! The Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella,  Race to the Pole by James Cracknell & Ben Fogle and the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Rainbow Rowell. Ever since I discovered Attachments I knew her writing was special, and it has just grown and grown and every book is that little bit better!

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan! It sounds AHMAZING and I only have two more weeks to wait! 

Worst Bookish Habit:

From a blogging point of view, it would definitely be not writing reviews! Abandoning half-finished books perhaps?

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson.

Your latest book purchase:

Skinny by Donna Cooner.

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

Faking It by Cora Carmack. I just HAD to finish it. I adore her books so much ❤

Well that was my survey! Please link me up to yours if you’ve taken part too 🙂

Cover Reveal: Geek Girl 2 + Geeky Things I Have Planned

I am absolutely BOUNCING to reveal the cover for Geek Girl 2: Model Misfit by Holly Smale! 

It’s everything I expected for her sequel: funny, emotional and geeky! I adore the yellow, and I love that they’ve kept a good theme with the first one. In my review for Geek Girl, I gave it 4 sofas. It is one of my favourite UKYA books, and I won’t hesistate to mention Geek Girl everywhere I go. It’s one of my most-wanted books of 2013, so I encourage you to preorder GG2 now, and go read the first one if you haven’t already!

To celebrate the geekiness that is Model Misfit, I thought I’d share with you some geeky things I’ve got planned for the rest of the year!

 
 

1.  In September, they are having a screening of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark in the grounds of a local castle. I’ve never been to an outside film screening before, so I’m really excited! I’ve also not seen Indiana Jones before (I know, right) and it seems the perfect way to end the summer 🙂 Lets just hope its not raining…

2. Harry Potter Studio Tour. I attended this with one of my friends last year, but I snapped up the opportunity to go again! I don’t think I will ever get enough Harry Potter, and there is SO MUCH AWESOMENESS that you can’t really take it all it at once.

3. Bookish things! They are many amazing book-related events coming up, and I adore attending them. Not only to meet authors, but I love spending time with other bookish people, and have made some really lovely friends through these events. Some of the authors I am planning on seeing are David Levithan, Phil Earle, Sarah J Maas, RJ Palacio, Laura Jarrett, Sally Gardner, Lauren Kate and Tanya Byrne.

4. ?? 

This is where you help me out! What geeky events would you recommend (preferably UK based)? I’m always looking to add things to my list so I’d love to hear geeky things you have planned. Also let me know if you’ve been somewhere lately and thought it was awesome! 

Book Blast: Dare Me

Welcome to the trailer book blast for Dare Me by Eric Devine.

When Ben Candido and his friends, Ricky and John, decide to post a YouTube video of themselves surfing on top of a car, they finally feel like the somebodies they are meant to be instead of the social nobodies that they are. Overnight, the video becomes the talk of the school, and the boys are sure that their self-appointed senior year of dares will live in infamy. Every dare brings an increased risk of bodily harm, but Ben cannot deny the thrill and sense of swagger that come with it. The stakes become even more complex when a mysterious donor bankrolls their dares in exchange for a cut in the online revenue the videos generate. But at what point do the risk and the reward come at too high of a price? What does it take to stay true to one’s self in the face of relentless pressure.

Giveaway (US) 

Enter to win a T-shirt and ARC prize pack

A rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Book Nerd Tours for organising.

Blog Tour: Click to Subscribe

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to present my blog tour stop for Click to Subscribe by L.M. Augustine!

1,135,789. That’s how many subscribers sixteen-year-old West Ryder has on his web vlog series. But he only has eyes for one of them. 

As one of the internet’s most prestigious video bloggers, West talks about high school relationships under the name “Sam Green.” As far as he knows, no one from school, not even his best friend, Cat, has seen his videos. But the highlight of the whole thing is Harper Knight, who comments every day at exactly 2:02 in the afternoon. He doesn’t know anything about her aside from the occasional deep philosophical messaging on why pizza tastes so delicious, but as stupid as it sounds, he might be falling for her. So when they finally agree to meet in real life, West’s hope for romance seems more and more in reach. But that all changes as soon as he arrives at their meeting spot and sees Cat walking toward him, wearing the same “I ❤ Sam Green” T-shirt Harper promised she’d have on.

To his alarm, West realizes he is falling in love with the best friend who has always been a sister to him.

Author Bio

L.M. Augustine is a YA romance author who is obsessed with writing about dorky teenagers, love, and happy endings. He currently lives in New England, where he spends far too much time reading books and screaming at his computer, and he believes that the solution to the world’s problems can be found in chocolate cake. Click To Subscribe is his first novel, but it won’t be his last.

Find L.M. on Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blog

My Review

As soon as I stumbled across Click to Subscribe I knew I would love it. Romance with a vlogger? Yes please! It’s quite refreshing to have a contemporary YA written from a male perspective. And some of the thoughts that go through West’s mind are hilarious. Him and Cat share a really cute relationship, and this really made the book speak to my nerdy, ice cream loving side.

That being said, West was so frustrating at times! Obviously realistic to what a lot of boys are like, but I just wanted to slap him for his stupidity. As such, a lot of the middle of the book is spent with him confused about his feelings, and dithering about. 

The only complaint I have is that it isn’t long enough! It is penned as a long novella rather than a novel in itself, and I just felt it didn’t allow for enough depth and character development. It only left me wanting more! I will definitely be checking out LM Augustine’s future books, in the hope that they are much longer. 

Giveaway

Enter to win 3 ebook copies of Click to Subscribe, an ebook of your choice and a $10 Amazon giftcard.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Huge thanks to Selina for the review copy and letting me be part of the tour

Oh It’s A Jolly Holiday…

Tomorrow I fly off on holiday for two weeks. My first trip abroad for over 3 years, I’ll be sunning it up in the Dominican Republic. But fear not! I return on the 29th. In the meantime, I leave you with lots of goodies. My Waiting on Wednesdays have been scheduled, so be sure to look out for those. 

As well as that, I am taking part in blog tours for He’s Gone by Deb Caletti (May 21) and Click to Subscribe by LM Augustine (May 22). Be sure to let me know what you think of the books and enter the giveaways! 

I also have a giveaway running for an ebook of The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard, as well as the tourwide giveaway. 

I don’t think I will get much internet access so I will try and catch up as much as possible on my return! Hope you all have a relaxing two weeks 🙂 

Book Blitz: Come Back to Me with giveaway!

Welcome to my book blitz post for Come Back to Me by Coleen Patrick!

 Buy the book here: Amazon (CA) or Barnes & Noble

 Whitney Denison can’t wait to start over.

She thought she had everything under control, that her future would always include her best friend Katie… Until everything changed.

Now her life in Bloom is one big morning after hangover, filled with regret, grief, and tiny pinpricks of reminders that she was once happy. A happy she ruined. A happy she can’t fix.

So, she is counting down the days until she leaves home for Colson University, cramming her summer with busywork she didn’t finish her senior year, and taking on new hobbies that involve glue and glitter, and dodging anyone who reminds her of her old life.

When she runs into the stranger who drove her home on graduation night, after she’d passed out next to a ditch, she feels herself sinking again. The key to surviving the summer in Bloom is unraveling whatever good memories she can from that night.

But in searching for answers, she’ll have to ask for help and that means turning to Evan, the stranger, and Kyle, Katie’s ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, life flips again, and Whitney finds herself on not only the precipice of happy but love, too, causing her to question whether she can trust her feelings, or if she is falling into her old patterns of extremes.

As she uncovers the truth about her memories, Whitney sees that life isn’t all or nothing, and that happy isn’t something to wait for, that instead, happy might just be a choice.

Coleen Patrick grew up in New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, Louisiana, and Indiana. Always being the new kid, she learned that books and friends are precious—and dessert. She never met a dessert she didn’t like (except for flan).

When she’s not writing, reading (or avoiding flan), she enjoys TV, arts and crafts, quoting movies, and trying to take cool photos.

She lives in Virginia with her husband and two kids.

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Giveaway

Enter to win 1 ebook copy of Come Back to Me by Coleen Patrick. Open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for organising.

BlogLovin

I’m off being ill this weekend so there won’t be a post till next week, but just a quick message to say that you can now follow Snuggling on the Sofa via Bloglovin. It may be the next best option to Google Reader, so check it out today 🙂 

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