Soundtrack Saturday (28)

Happy Saturday to all of you Hardcover Lovers! It's time for another edition of Soundtrack Saturday! My small meme, Soundtrack Saturday, is a feature original to The Hardcover Lover that I developed after thinking of potential ELA projects. It helps readers and bloggers showcase the songs that they think of when they are reading by creating bookish soundtracks.

As with all bookish memes, there are a few steps to follow to help you create your own perfect Soundtrack Saturday post:

• Choose a book that you've read or are currently reading
• Create a mini (four songs) or full soundtrack (ten-fifteen songs) for that book based on characters and plot details
  
  • For more detailed instructions, please visit the meme's homepage.
• Please credit me somewhere in your post
  
  • It can be as simple as "Soundtrack Saturday was created by Erin at The Hardcover Lover."
• Leave a comment on my blog post if you enjoy the feature
• Add your name to the link-up tool at the bottom of the post

If you're able to create your own album art, go for it! I sometimes do, but other times, I get so busy that I just end up using the book's cover.

ARC Review: Devoted

Title: Devoted

Author: Jennifer Mathieu

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: June 2, 2015

Goodreads | Amazon 
Source: eARC from Macmillan 
Goodreads | Amazon

A godly girl keeps a cheerful countenance.
A godly girl never tempts a boy.
A godly girl always keeps sweet.

Rachel Walker is devoted to God. She prays every day, attends Calvary Christian Church with her family, helps care for her five younger siblings, dresses modestly, and prepares herself to be a wife and mother who serves the Lord with joy.

But Rachel is curious about the world her family has turned away from. What is she to make of the boy recently returned from camp Journey of Faith with newfound piety? Or of her mother’s miscarriage and resulting depression? And how should she respond to Lauren, the girl who left the church several years ago and who has recently returned to town?

Rachel knows she should find solace in her beliefs, but she can’t shake the feeling that her devotion might destroy her soul.

  My Review

It's only been a few short months since I've read Mathieu's stunning debut, The Truth About Alice, but I can tell you that the synopsis for this book, Devoted, is what really pushed me to read Alice. I don't know why - because I'm not a fan of books about religion - I had to read this book, but I did. I am one hundred percent glad that I read it because it's eye-opening and beautifully troubling. 

Upon meeting Rachel Walker, I just knew I was going to like her. There was just something about her easy-going disposition that drew me in, and then I got to know her and realize that she's not a simple character. She's a complex character, but for reasons that are beyond her control. What I really liked about her was her determination. She's going to be a character that will serve as a role models for the teens who will read this book because she's determined to change her own life, even if it means hurting the people she loves and the people who are trying to help her. She's independent, but not too fiercely independent, and I think kids, especially the shy ones, will really be able to relate to her.

Ms. Mathieu's writing is wonderful in this book because she really lets her characters tell the story. It's beautiful because she doesn't try hard to make the words pop. They just flow from one word to the next, one paragraph to the next, and one chapter to the next. I felt like I was watching everything develop on screen as it was happening because it's just detailed enough to really provide the backdrop and the actions of the characters.

Another thing that I loved about this book was the lack of romance. It's hard to find that in contemporary YA these days.  While Mathieu touches on first crushes and secondary characters' love lives, she really lets the familial and friendships shine. It's a breath of fresh air, and if you're looking for a contemporary sans romance, reach for this book.

Honestly, I'd recommend this book to everyone who reads YA. I'm sure it will be challenged, but hey... good books are often challenged because they make people think. And trust me, you're really going to think about this one. It really helps readers see that sometimes what people perceive as good can really be a terrible situation, and this book will let readers see that and help them to form their own opinions.

Jennifer Mathieu is an English teacher, writer, wife, and mom who writes books for and about young adults. Her debut novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, was published by Roaring Brook Press on June 3, and her second book, DEVOTED, will be out June 2, 2015.

Her favorite things include chocolate, pepperoni pizza, and this super hilarious 1980s sitcom about four retired women called The Golden Girls. She can basically quote every episode. 

Jennifer lives with her husband, son, one rescue dog, one fat cat, and another cat that is even fatter than the fat cat.

When it comes to what she reads, Jennifer loves realistic young adult fiction, creative nonfiction, super scandalous tell-all memoirs and unauthorized biographies, and basically anything that hooks her on the first page.

 

Book Review: The Truth About Alice

Title: The Truth About Alice

Author: Jennifer Mathieu

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: June 3, 2014

Source: Amanda (Of Spectacles & Books)

Originally Reviewed for Of Spectacles and Books

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Goodreads || Amazon

Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party.

But did you know Alice was sexting Brandon when he crashed his car? 

It's true. Ask anybody.

Rumor has it that Alice Franklin is a slut. It's written all over the bathroom wall at Healy High for everyone to see. And after star quarterback Brandon Fitzsimmons dies in a car accident, the rumors start to spiral out of control.

In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students - the girl who had the infamous party, the car accident survivor, the former best friend, and the boy next door - tell all they know.

But what exactly is the truth about Alice? In the end, there's only one person to ask: Alice herself.

My Review

For a book that’s just under two hundred pages, Jennifer Mathieu’s The Truth About Alice packs a punch and delivers the pain right to the guts. This book is one that readers will wow readers so much that they’ll want to devour in one sitting, but it’s also conflicting because readers will want to savor it and make it last just a little longer. I did the latter, and decided to savor it, and it paid off. The novel is both heartbreaking and healing, though much of the book deals with heartbreaking issues such as bullying, depression, death, and mourning. Other issues, such as sex, drinking, and religion are brought up in the book, so it has a little something for everyone. Matthieu tackles these issues with grace and writes about them beautifully with such a vast array of emotions.

The novel is told from four different perspectives, and each character has his or her own opinion about the infamous Alice Franklin. Rumors are swirling around the small town of Healy, Texas, and teenage residents, Elaine, Kelsie, Josh, and Kurt all have something to say about Alice and what allegedly happened at Elaine’s party and the weeks that followed. The multiple narrator aspect allows for a multifaceted story that perturbs and engages readers as they turn every page. I really liked that this novel was told from the different points of view. As the book progresses, readers are able to put the puzzle pieces together to figure out the truth until Alice finally comes out to tell her side of the story. Each character had his or her own voice, and this springboards Mathieu amongst some of the best contemporary YA authors. I was never confused about who was narrating each chapter, and I loved each character’s unique voice.

I did feel like the four narrators represented the typical high school stereotypes and were clichés but the inclusion of that feature made the book more realistic and believable. No matter where you go to school, there are popular girls, jocks, nerds, and quite possibly, back-stabbing friends. I really enjoyed reading and learning about these characters they all conform to their respective stereotype in certain ways, but they are still able to break the mold and surprise readers by doing unexpected things at unexpected times.

Every teenager (and fan of young adult books) should and must read The Truth About Alice. Even with it’s more mature content, it’s such a powerful and emotionally slaying read because it realistically shows just how vicious teenagers can really be. On the other hand, it also shows that there still is some good in the world, even when it seems like all hope is lost. I would recommend this book for fans of gut-wrenching books and movies like The Breakfast Club and Mean Girls. If you’re looking for something realistic and suspenseful, read this book.

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly bookish meme created and hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights the upcoming releases that bloggers and readers are currently anticipating.

It's very easy to participate in the meme. All you need to do is make a post about an upcoming release that you're waiting on, make sure you've linked back to Breaking the Spine, and then add your name to the link-up tool.

What I'm Waiting On...

Title: Devoted
Author: Jennifer Mathieu
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: June 2, 2015

Rachel Walker is devoted to God. She prays every day, attends Calvary Christian Church with her family, helps care for her five younger siblings, dresses modestly, and prepares herself to be a wife and mother who serves the Lord with joy. But Rachel is curious about the world her family has turned away from, and increasingly finds that neither the church nor her home school education has the answers she craves. Rachel has always found solace in her beliefs, but now she can’t shake the feeling that her devotion might destroy her soul.

Why I'm Waiting...

Okay... so I'm kind of cheating on this one because I have an ARC, but I haven't read it yet and I probably won't get to it until late April or early May. 

I really enjoyed Jennifer's debut novel, The Truth About Alice, so I'm more than a little curious to see how she handles this book. It's definitely different, and probably a book I normally wouldn't go for, but I was obsessed with the movie, The Ultimate Sin/In God's Country. (I don't know why it has two titles...) I'm interested in seeing how Rachel handles herself before and after her beliefs are shaken. 

What Are You Waiting On...

Feel free to let me know if you're also waiting on Devoted or any other books in the comments. Also, feel free to leave any links to your Waiting on Wednesday posts because I would love to check them out and see what you're all waiting on. 

Top Ten Tuesday (18)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by the bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish. They created the meme because they love making and sharing lists. Well that's just one thing that I have in common with them because list making is essential to my life.

Every week, there is a new topic for Top Ten Tuesday, and all you have to do is create your top ten list (or somewhere around ten if you can't think of ten) based on it. Oh, and be sure to link back to The Broke and the Bookish! Then you can add your name to the link up tool that they include in their post!

Please don't hate me... this is my first TTT since January! I've really been meaning to participate more often. I just had so many ARCs to read, and since I post ARC reviews a week before the book is released, I felt like I'd be overloading you with posts.

Now... it's time to list those books!

Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR List:

I used this list to compile my choices for this week's TTT. These are the books that I really want to read this spring, but realistically, I know I will probably only get to half of them. I still have winter releases to get to!
I do have ARCs for a few of these titles (and other June titles), so look out for reviews.

1. The Heir by Kiera Cass
2. Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
3. The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
4. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
5. The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver
6. 99 Days by Katie Cotugno
7. Love, Fortunes, and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius
8. Immaculate by Katelyn Detweiler
9. Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby
10. Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu

Soundtrack Saturday (20)

Happy Saturday, everyone! If you've been following The Hardcover Lover for a while, you know just what happens on Saturdays on the blog. Yup! That's right - Soundtrack Saturday!

If you've never noticed the meme or are just new to the blog, I'll explain things for you:

Soundtrack Saturday is a book meme created and hosted by me so I can share my love of music with my readers. But this is a book blog, so of course, books are involved! The soundtracks are actually book soundtracks! As I'm reading, or as soon as I finish, I compile a list of songs that go well with the book.

As with all bookish memes, there are a few steps to follow to help you create your own Soundtrack Saturday post:

• Choose a book that you've read
• Create a mini (four songs) or full soundtrack (ten-fifteen songs) for that book based on characters and plot details
  
  • For more detailed instructions, visit the meme's homepage.
• Please credit me somewhere in your post
  
  • It can be as simple as "Soundtrack Saturday was created by Erin at The Hardcover Lover."
• Please comment on my post, so I can be sure to check out your post
• Add your name to the link-up tool  

1. "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea
2. "Happy" by Pharrell
3. "Don't Trust Me" by 3OH!3
4. "The Boys of Fall" by Kenny Chesney
5. "Nightingale" by Demi Lovato
6. "Human" by Christina Perri
7. "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
8. "Famous in a Small Town" by Miranda Lambert
9. "Cry on Command" by Gloriana
10. "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett
11. "White Blank Page" by Mumford & Sons
12. "Shattered" by O.A.R.
13. "Damn You Seventeen" by Lady Antebellum
14.  "Night Changes" by One Direction
15. "Warrior" by Demi Lovato

For this soundtrack, I started by thinking of songs that would be played at a high school party because that's where all the rumors about Alice started. From there, I followed the plot of the book to come up with a soundtrack that I think tells the stories of all of the teens. I also threw some country music in this one as it's set in a small town in Texas.

Last week, I participated in the Love-a-Thon, so Soundtrack Saturday took a little break. If you posted a Soundtrack Saturday last week, feel free to add it to this week's link-up.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (14)

"It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" is a weekly meme brought to you by BookJourney. Each Monday, you get to share book or books you're currently reading and what you plan on reading this week with the rest of the book blogosphere. When you've finished your post, go to BookJourney, and add your post's link to the link up tool.

A while ago, I discovered another great outlet to share your It's Monday posts. Readers of YA and educators can also share their links on the link up tool on Teach Mentor Texts. I highly recommend this if you are a teacher or a librarian because I've discovered so many great books through the bloggers on that list.

It's been a while since my last It's Monday post, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't reading. I've actually been doing a lot of it! I've already got a few reviews scheduled to post later this month, so make sure you're watching for them because a few of them are for upcoming titles that you won't want to miss.

What I'm Reading and Planning to Read This Week

•  Staying Strong by Demi Lovato - Yup! Still reading it. I'll be reading a page a day this year.
• The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu- I'm reading this for a guest review on Of Spectacles & Books. So far, I'm only a few pages in, but it's really intriguing so far, and I can't wait to see how the story unfolds. 
• Twisted Fate by Norah Olson - A blogging friend of mine sent me this book, and so far, it's strange but interesting. I put it on the back burner the other day to get some February ARCs read, but I'm hoping to finish it soon.
• Biggie by Derek E. Sullivan - I'll be reading this upcoming title for a blog tour. I'm hoping to start it this week or this weekend.

So those are the books that I'm reading and planning to read this week. I'd love to know if you've read or are planning to read any of them, so don't be shy. Feel free to leave a comment, and you can definitely leave any links to your It's Monday posts.