DJ's Life in Fiction

Don’t worry, Anna. I’ll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it." "Okay." "Promise me? Promise you won’t say anything?" "Don’t worry.” I laughed. “It’s our secret, right?" According to Anna’s best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there’s a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there’s something she hasn’t told Frankie–she’s already had her romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago. TWENTY BOY SUMMER explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every beautiful moment life has to offer. Hardcover , 290 pages Published June 1st 2009 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Sometimes, just som...

After witnessing the horrific murder that was committed by her fiancée just days before their wedding, Aimee immediately flees from the life she knows. Lost in Greece, Aimee is inevitably and uncontrollably thrust into a supernatural world where she is terrified to learn what she really is. Crouching at every corner lies a new confusing memory that torments her from her previous life, while her feelings of love cease to die, but awaken more deeply for the mysteriously handsome stranger, who wants to rescue her. Battling the man, who she mistakenly still loves is a bigger conquest than imagined, but can she free her captured thoughts from the man who owns her? Facing the ultimate decision, to lose all humanity by becoming the weapon the Rogues desire most, or to destroy the creation of love. Can Aimee make the sacrifices needed to overcome deceit, love and her power that is irrepressibly blood thirsty? 1st edition Published November 2nd 2011 ...

A girl's letters to her best friend reveal two lives derailed by anorexia in this haunting debut that's Wintergirls meets The Sixth Sense It's not a hospital, a spa, or an institution. That's what they told me--that's what the brochures promised. But no matter what the brochures promised, Zoe finds that Twin Birch is a place for girls with a penchant for harming themselves. Through journal entries and letters to her best friend, Elise, she tries to understand why she was brought there, and how she could possibly belong in a place like this. But Zoe's letters to Elise remain unanswered. She wonders why her best friend would cut her off without a word, reliving memory after memory of their beautiful, rocky, inescapable friendship. But everyone has secrets--including Zoe--and as her own fragile mental state hangs in the balance, she must finally learn to come to terms with what happened to Elise before she's able to let go. Fans of Laurie Halse Ande...

Welcome to Mera's YA Book List! Today the start of the Summer Swaggin' Giveaway hosted by My Home Away From Home! In celebration of Summer and of course the always great swag that is available, we're having a mega giveaway all on one Rafflecopter! So this summer while you're sweating away and reading your favorite books on the beach or in the comfort of your cool room, at least you can have some awesome prizes to divert your attention from the heat. There are SIX, count it, SIX chances to win, meaning there will be six winners! Before I get into the rafflecopter and the rules however, I have to mention the awesome pages and blogs that helped make this possible! If you haven't already, like their FB pages and follow their blogs!  These links re-direct to their blogs unless stated otherwise!                                 ...

18 year old Tessa Copeland barely survived the worst year of her life—in fact, it was a miracle. After making it through the tragedy that killed both of her parents, she’s left to pick up the pieces of her life. Combating the holes in her memory and the concern of her friends was hard enough, but a new talent threatens to destroy everything she’s trying to reclaim. David Allegri didn’t mean to ruin Tessa’s life. She was the brightest soul he’d seen in centuries and he couldn’t let her die, so the fallen angel used his abilities to heal her—only he took it too far and changed Tessa forever. Now, he has to figure out a way to explain what’s happening to Tessa and somehow protect both of them from the consequences. His choice made them targets for the Hunters, who will use any means necessary to capture their prey. Only a desperate plan can help them escape, and sacrifices will be made. Time is ticking. Will they make it, or will they be lost to the echoes of fate? 295 pa...

Hello Listers! I've realized that many of you have no idea how expansive the book blogging community really is. Because of that, you really had no idea how many resources are out there. There are thousands of book blogs running on the internet, thousands of places for us bookworms to meet up with other people who enjoy reading as much as we do, and thousands of book related giveaways to enter. Unfortunately, for me, I grew up with no one to talk about books with. Even during the majority of high school, when peers described me I usually got "quiet", "nice", and "bookworm" as personal traits. Even with the people I was able to open up with (I'm totally introverted) they all described me as "a listener", "weird", and of course "a book-a-holic". And these things are totally true. The point of this was that I was "that girl who reads". I obviously still am, but unlike me, you guys have gained a glimpse into what ...

A hilarious novel about the ultimate high school hoax gone wrong - Heidi invents a boyfriend only to find that her fake Romeo is suddenly more popular than she is! Heidi has the perfect solution to her popularity problems - a fake boyfriend. She's even made him an Internet profile that makes him look like a motorcycle-riding, poetry reading bad boy. *swoon* Heidi's friends are so impressed they start emailing Heidi's fake boyfriend with their problems . . . including their problems with Heidi. As if that weren't bad enough, a delicious and possibly single person called "A Real Boy" emails Heidi to say he knows the truth. Can Heidi escape from her world wide web of lies? Or will her chance at romance disappear faster than you can type gtg?   Hardcover: 288 pages   Publisher: Scholastic Press Review originally written on our FB page : April 15, 2011 It was hard to get into this book in the beginning. It was a little rambly and slow but as I reached f...

Since FB won't allow us to do giveaways on FB anymore (again), I'll just link to the flash giveaways here! (Meaning I'll have to re-think the games for the 1000 likes contest) But for now, I just bought stamps and envelopes and I'm going to the post office in a couple of hours so the first two people to answer these three questions first (and correctly) will win two bookmarks and a little card. The first bookmark is Felicia Rogers' The Key, the second is Meg Mims Double Crossing and the little card is Meg Mims also. Second person to answer correctly will get a bookmark for Double Crossing, Tree/House by Jessica Knauss, and the Meg Mims card. You guys have an hour starting now! Contest ends at 1:50. Winners revealed at two! BTW, PM me on the FB page as soon as you enter with you mailing info in case you win. All info will be kept safe, this just makes sure that I have the addresses before I go to the post. If you win and I don't have you address unfortunately, I...

  Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he's being hunted by a vampire killer. Hardback , 172 pages Published August 16th 2007 by Dutton Children's Books  4/5 stars Eighth Grades Bites, first in the series by Heather Brewer, was a really good book. It was an easy read that any YA book lover would thoroughly enjoy. What I liked most about the book was that it wasn't like other vampire books. Firstly, it didn't center around romance. It shows that ...

    Tracy loves Mitch. At least she thinks she does. Her best friend Barbara does not believe in "love at first sight" and she constantly tells Tracy her practical views on romance. After weeks of keeping her feelings for Mitch a secret, Tracy finally meets her "crush" during an unexpected lunch date.  E-book 32 pages 1 star I feel bad for laughing. This was a horrible short story. It was an easy read so I guess it deserves credit for that aspect at least but as I sit here writing this small review I am chuckling as my fingers move across the keyboard. Unfortunately, this short story wasn't one that was meant to be laughed at it seems. Firstly, the writing style was off. Some sentences seemed too formal while others were stereotypically "teen". Also, there's too many noticeable grammatical and spelling errors. Besides that point, half of the details in the short were not relevant to anything. ...

  Three angels – Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human – are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They must work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments. Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them. Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong. Then comes the brooding and popular new transfer, Jake Thorn... who just so happens to be in Bethany's class. Something about Jake seems to be hiding something darker, something more powerful than expected. That thing, and Xavier, distracts Bethany to a point that Gabriel and Ivy are concerned. The angel’s mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?         ...

Mary’s older sister, Gwen, has royally screwed up her life.  Not only is Gwen pregnant at seventeen, but she’s also decided to marry The Creep who knocked her up. Now Mary is powerless to stop her family from imploding.  Her parents are freaking out, and to top it off, The Creep has a gross fascination with Mary while Gwen enjoys teasing her to tears for sport.   Despite her brother’s advice to shut up, Mary can’t keep her trap closed and manages to piss off Mom so much it comes to blows. Mary doesn’t know what to do, and all her attempts to get help are rejected.  When she finally plans her escape, she fails to consider how it could destroy them all.   Paperback: 118 pages Publisher: Premier Digital Publishing  Publication Date: February 28, 2012  This book is short at only 118 pages, but that's because that was all the author needed. This book is superb. I honestly don't have to lead up to why I loved it because I definitely do. Tibbets...

I haven't finished up on this meme in a while so here's a new My Favorite Authors.  My favorite authors is a sporadic feature here on MYABL, where I spotlight my favorite authors in a certain genre. Today, "YA Chick Lit"! And I'd definitely say that Sarah Dessen is a maverick in this field. She is one of those authors that most people have read or know about. If you ask them their favorite book, they'll pick the one that most relates to their lives. The others they'll have fond memories of... but ask them the specifics and they'll mix it up. For me, my favorite Dessen novel is Lock & Key, mainly because I know the hardships of not having parents around, and having to move in with another family member, much like the main character Ruby. Since I can only go in specifics about two of her novels as I haven't read them in a while. I'll post the books in order of how I initially rated them with their blurbs.I've never rated a Dessen book any...