HAPPY BIRTHDAY EILEEN

OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS. IT'S EILEEN'S BIRTHDAY. My present is so so so small compared to what she's done for me like the TWITTER PARTY. THAT THING. WHICH I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE DID. Oh my GOD. I'm stealing that idea next year. Seriously. *sniffs*

By the way, HELLO EILEEN. I AM LAST. HAI. Hope you enjoyed your scavenger hunt-thing a mabobber! :D

It's now my turn to use this GIF.

And you know what? I also promised you this.

Unicorn poop cookies on crumbled Oreos! BAHAHAHAH.

You know I love you.

AND OHMYGOSH EILEEN! YOU'RE FREAKING 14! THIS IS BIG. I EVEN MADE A PIE CHART OF MY PRIORITIES

And, if you're not certain why I love you:

• You're always there. Literally. ALWAYS.
• You like reading
• You're the funnest, randomest, best person EVER
• You're a Taylor Swift fan
• You totally get my craziness
• We are going to meet up at the same asylum
• We can rant about literally ANYTHING
• You're an Iron Fey fan
• You're always so passionate about things
• You're awesome EVEN IF YOU DONT THINK SO
• You're my actual first best friend.
• You're so incredibly nice and selfless and I'm a totally bad influence and you're okay with that
• We can totally get sappy or serious then go back to fun and random and completely crazy.
• Our gchats are probably monitored by the FBI for suspicious activity
• You get off topic like this list is right now
• You're like my CONSIENCE
• You probably didn't notice I spelled conscience wrong
• You probably just checked
• You're probably making a face that says "I totally did" or you're laughing
• I never said I was good at this
• I'm so off topic

AND I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOUR SONG CHOICE. THE BEST DAY BY TAYLOR SWIFT IS LEGIT THE PERFECT SONG.

You, my friend, are epic.

REMEMBER MY AWKWARD GOODREADS MESSAGE TO YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE 12 AND I WAS 12 AND AND AND.

Then you turned 13 *stink eye*

And then yous tarted replying to all my tweets. And sort of creeped me out. JUST A LITTLE. AND THEN I REALIZED HOW AWESOME YOU WERE.

I wish I could've bought you this, but I didn't know where

So, instead, you're getting your box of stuff. Which I'll personally deliver to you. In August. :( BUT I GET TO TACKLE YOU

Also, you suck, because I'm so uncreative and can't one up your birthday present. YOU MEANIE.

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I LIED. YOU DON'T SUCK. *clings*

See, I even put 8 "." on the last line

LOVE YOU

VOTE TEAM PERRY

MM'KAY GUYS. HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING.

If you didn't know, the YA Crush Tourney is going on. And...guess who's the advocate for one of the sexiest and swooniest YA guys around? MOI.

And I am representing...

By the way? The awesome button was made by Eileen. 

Yep! Our favorite Outsider! Here's what I want you to do. 

First, if you haven't read the books YOU BETTER GET THE DAMN BOOKS AND BLAST THROUGH THEM. I promise they're worth the read. And sort of heartbreaking. 

Second, if you want to be on the Street Team? YAY! I think I'll just be accepting everyone and anyone. Which leads me to...

Third, here's what I want y'all to do

1) Change your Twitter, Facebook, Google+, whatever, avatar into the cover of Through the Ever Night OR the button up top.

2) TWEET #TEAMPERRY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN and rally your followers! 

3) If you have a blog, I dare you all to write why you love Perry and all your favorite Perry quotes on the 16th. Be sure to link to the YA Sisterhood and my blog! He battles on the 17th, so be sure to mention that too!

4) Put the button (HTML can be found on my sidebar at the very top, shining it's swoon at you) all over the interwebz! Y'all can do this--I've seen what you guys can do! Post it on Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever. But don't forget to use the hashtag #TeamPerry!

ALSO

Veronica Rossi herself has been awesome enough to provide PRIZES! (Trust me, y'all are going to love it!) But details on the 17th when my post goes up! 

So....

GO!

Blog Tour: Addicted to You by Becca and Krista Ritchie

YES. That is all. ON WITH THE INTERVIEW!

Fiction Freak: What are your top 3 addictions?

Becca: television, television, and books :)

Krista: Diet coke, television, and books.

FF: Top 3 guilty pleasures?

Becca: Watching The Challenge on MTV, Real Housewives marathons, and my long-time crush on Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

Krista: Constantly checking pop culture news on Entertainment Weekly, watching The Challenge with Becca, and those shows on ABC Family ;)

FF: What are you currently working on?

Becca: We're writing the sequel and novella for Addicted to You. And of course, blogging :)

Krista: Same. But I'm in the editing process for one of our YA books as well.

FF: What made you want to write a NA book?

Becca: She's always written "older" YA before NA ever revealed itself. *turns to Krista*

Krista: Me? Yes! I've technically never written anything YA and the books that I do write in that genre always have to be tweaked to fit the younger voice.

FF: How does it feel being both writers AND bloggers AND getting all this marketing done?

Becca: It's crazy! My day job also includes writing and marketing for television, so there's a lot to juggle. Plus, I have to go back to college this summer and finish my degree. It's a lot to take in, but I love that we're part of many different spheres.

Krista: Yeah, it is crazy! But in a good way. I'm excited and nervous and have a lot of feelings about stepping out as a writer. It's weird because we've always considered ourselves writers before bloggers, but many of you know us as bloggers before writers.

FF: Compare your favorite NA and your favorite YA, maybe?

Becca: Admittedly, I don't read as much NA as Krista. But I adored Easy and a favorite YA…that's just too hard. But I'll pick Anna and the French Kiss since they're both contemporaries. Totally different. Totally love them both. St. Clair anyone?

Krista: Easy is literally my favorite NA, so curse you Becca for stealing my pick, haha! But I love First Comes Love as well, which is technically an NA before the genre really exploded. I like My Life Next Door if we're going the contemporary route for YA. But I do have to agree with Becca, St. Clair is the best. Comparing YA and NA is difficult. Like Becca said, they're just different and amazing in their own way.

FF: Top 5 books read in 2013 so far?

Becca: Not all of these are 2013 releases but… Insignia by S.J. Kincaid, The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell, Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier, Insomnia by J.R. Johansson and Life after Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Krista: These are actually all 2013 releases: Reboot by Amy Tintera, Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins, Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, The Archived by Victoria Schwab, and The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd.

FF: Do you think the cover model looks a bit like Emma Watson too? Not just me?

Becca: You know, we're getting that a lot! I didn't see it at first, probably because we know what the model looks like in other pictures. But in this one, I can totally see the resemblance.

Krista: This is the comment we receive the most from everyone! And I agree with Becca. I didn't realize at first either.

FF: Replace this with any question you've always wanted to answer and ANSWER IT

Okay, lol! Krista came up with this one. Choose between living as royalty in Narnia forever or being a wizard in Hogwarts.

Becca: I'd go with being a wizard in Hogwarts, post-Voldemort age. I have a feeling I'd be in Hufflepuff and probably wouldn’t be able to produce a good Patronus to outlive book three. But wands are so much better than swords.

Krista: I'm choosing Narnia even though I'd love to be a wizard. First of all, you're going to eventually die, Becca. That's the cold hard truth. Me? I can go in and out of the wardrobe, reverting back to my younger self. In essence—I'd live forever. Bam!

Thanks Nikki!!

Addicted to You

No one would suspect shy, Lily Calloway’s biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own.

Loren Hale’s best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they’ve pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They’ve mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment.

But when they go on a family boat trip, surrounded by open seas and limited male bodies in sight, Lily’s confronted with a big fear. Only one guy onboard can fill her addiction, and she’s sworn off going there with Loren Hale ever again.

Now the only person who can truly help her, can barely help himself. 

**This is a New Adult book recommended for readers 18 and up**

About the Authors

Becca Ritchie is a carnivore of pop culture, television, film and of course YA and NA books. While in college, she worked at The CW television network and put her vampiric knowledge to good use, blogging about hit series and swooning over actors’ abs. When she’s not blogging, she writes novels and has teamed up with her twin sister for their New Adult novel ADDICTED TO YOU. Available July of 2013.

Krista Ritchie is the mind behind popular trading website YA Book Exchange and created Nawanda Files, a book blog that also features books into movies news. When not pouring over entertainment news and the newest releases, she spends her time conducting research in a genetics lab. She’s happy to join forces with her sister, harnessing their twin powers to produce the first in a New Adult series.

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Waiting on Wednesday

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Oh. My. Gosh. This. This. THIS! First of all, I ADORE that cover! It's just adorable and beautiful! Not to mention a love/hate relationship that's also a forbidden one! This just keeps getting better and better. And I LOVED Pivot Point and since it's by the same author...THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE. *bounces* 

Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton

Goodreads Blurb

I can’t weep. I can’t fear. I’ve grown talented at pretending.
Elizabeth Caldwell doesn’t feel emotions . . . she sees them. Longing, Shame, and Courage materialize around her classmates. Fury and Resentment appear in her dysfunctional home. They’ve all given up on Elizabeth because she doesn’t succumb to their touch. All, that is, save one—Fear. He’s intrigued by her, as desperate to understand the accident that changed Elizabeth’s life as she is herself.
Elizabeth and Fear both sense that the key to her past is hidden in the dream paintings she hides in the family barn. But a shadowy menace has begun to stalk her, and try as she might, Elizabeth can barely avoid the brutality of her life long enough to uncover the truth about herself. When it matters most, will she be able to rely on Fear to save her?

OH MY GOD I LOVED THIS BOOK. 

But instead of ranting to you, I would like to link several tweets of mine.

https://twitter.com/nikki_wang/status/313861405109538816

https://twitter.com/nikki_wang/status/313860439668817920

https://twitter.com/nikki_wang/status/313861696131301376

https://twitter.com/nikki_wang/status/313850454176038912

The idea of Some Quiet Place is original and too amazing for words! I absolutely loved meeting all the Emotions and Elements and seeing how their “jobs” affected their personality and I think that Kelsey Sutton wrote these characters perfectly.Then again, I’m sort of biased since I’m part of the Fear fan club!

Speaking of Fear, the romance(s). There was a love triangle, but it was far from annoying. Okay, I lie. It was absolutelyfrustrating whenever Elizabeth would choose Joshua over Fear. Sure, Joshua was sweet and adorable and all, but he was so…boring, compared to Fear. (It’s obvious, whose team I’m on, isn’t it?) Fear was definitely my kind of YA boyfriend—cocky, arrogant, sweet at times, and always there for her when she needs it. Also, paranormal abilities. Fear was such an amazing character who I loved.
What surprised me was that I honestly wasn’t sure, at first, who she would end up with. And, when I finally thought I knew who she’d end up with, it turned out to be the other guy. Which surprised me, but…well, no hints. But when you read it, I bet you’ll be able to tell my reaction immediately. It induced a lot of…strong feelings.

Elizabeth was a…well, I can’t really describe her. While she couldn’t feel the touch of Emotions, she still seemed to care about people. She was a strong character, though I’m not quite sure if that has to do with her or the fact that she didn’t feel hatred or humiliation or guilt or any of those. There really are no words to describe Elizabeth!
Joshua was, like I said, a sweet character who seemed to love our heroine and he was…understanding, in a way. But he also struck me as a bit naïve and I sort of wanted to kill him for taking Elizabeth away from Fear.
And I already pretty much described Fear, but let me say it again—he was absolutely one of my favorite YA guys ever. EVER.

I did not expect any of this. At all. I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen and while a bunch of crazy theories were running through my head, none of them were even close! Here’s what happened—my eyes went wide and mouth my dropped open. My heart broke, then fixed itself, and then it went swimming in my stomach. It then started running to who-knows-what and promptly died. At least, that’s how I felt while reading Some Quiet Place. You guys, you guys, you guys. There are no words for the twists or the plot. And I also almost cried, which if you guys didn’t know, is pretty weird for me since this wasn’t a contemporary in any way.

The world building was magnificent too! How the Emotions and Elements were personified and how they lived on another plane, and how they could duplicate themselves so that they could attend every summons, and how their effects still lingered after. It was all ingenious! But I did have some questions—if the Emotions felt emotions, wouldn’t the others come? And how could they ignore some of their summons when there’s a rule that they can’t? There were a few world building holes, but otherwise I did love it! They didn’t really interfere with my enjoyment of this that much anyways.

Some Quiet Place has managed to climb its way up to one of my favorite debuts of 2013! It’s near perfect and one of those books I can’t stop recommending. I’m hoping everyone’s going to pick it up and squeal over Fear this book with me!

Pages: 350

Genre: Fantasy/Supernatural

Series: Some Quiet Place #1

Publisher: Flux

Release Date: June 8, 2013

Rating: 10/5 ABSOLUTE STARS

PODs by Michelle K. Pickett

Goodreads Blurb

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it's in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it's a balm for the broken soul. 
After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That's the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters. 
Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

PODs REALLY surprised me! I'm not quite sure why, but I just didn't expect much out of it. Maybe it was the "Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one" part, maybe it was because it sounded a bit typical. But PODs was actually a pretty wonderful read! It was entertaining and sweet and such a fun read!

The only things I didn't really like was how insta-lovey it seemed at first. They fell in love rather quickly, even though they both knew how falling in love in the PODs was a bad idea--but they barely resisted. Maybe this was because there were so many time skips. (More on that later) It was just so annoying to me. And the things they said! They sometimes made me cringe with the cheesiness. David said something along the lines of "I've wanted to do that since I first saw you" after they kissed. It was...hmm.

And to the writing. We actually start our story before the virus is announced, so it was weird. I honestly think it would've been better if we flashed back to the first 4 chapters. Somehow, though, Pickett managed to fit maybe 2 years into the story--which is pretty impressive! But it made the book a bit rocky because everything was rushed. Not to mention that there were so many time skips. We would go from day to day at first, then skip month by month, then to two months, then back to a day or something. 

There weren't many twists, but that wasn't to say the plot was kickass! It was. Just not as much as it could've been.

But ooooh it was still wonderful! Eva had so many adventures outside the "villages" (explained if you read the book" and I loved learning about her life in the PODs! It was, by far, my favorite part. Learning about our characters (though we have to say goodbye to some of them) was amazing and they each had such distinct personalities--though we didn't get to learn about some of our minor characters. Eva wasn't the easiest character to relate to but I loved her voice! She was such an adorable (headstrong) character!

But while each character had their own personality, we had to say goodbye to them too quickly. Eva meets and says goodbye to so many people, so it was a bit hard keeping straight who was who! 

This book actually reminded me a lot of End Games. It sometimes had that bleak feel to it that I loved and sometimes it seemed like such a fruitless race against time. PODs was definitely a great book that I recommend to apocalyptic fans! 

The ending was perfect, by the way.

Pages: 288

Genre: Post Apocalyptic/Sci-fi

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: June 4, 2013

Rating: 3.5 CAN'T DECIDE BETWEEN 3 and 4