Blog Tour: Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne

Goodreads Blurb

Sawyer Dodd has it all. She's a star track athlete, choir soloist, and A-student. And her boyfriend is the handsome all-star Kevin Anderson. But behind the medals, prom pictures, and perfect smiles, Sawyer finds herself trapped in a controlling, abusive relationship with Kevin. When he dies in a drunk-driving accident, Sawyer is secretly relieved. She's free. Until she opens her locker and finds a mysterious letter signed by "an admirer" and printed with two simple words: "You're welcome."

I loved this so much more than I thought I would! It was so absolutely creepy. And you guys. I read this in one sitting at midnight. Oh the SHUDDERS.

But I did have a few problems: While it got to a great start, so many "convenient" things just happened to make things fall into place and that sort of annoyed me. And Sawyer made some really...not-so-smart decisions sometimes which made me want to shake her.
I also sort of wanted to delve more into Kevin and Sawyer's abusive relationship and there were also a few plot holes, now that I think about it, but it didn't in any way affect the reading enjoyment!

But the atmosphere was absolutely chilling and haunting. Oh ugh. The note was absolutely creepy and wonderful. The atmosphere felt a bit psychological thriller and I loved the way I doubted the character at several moments. There were also so many suspects, but as they each went six feet under...well it got a bit obvious after a little after the halfway mark, but it still shocked me. Completely and absolutely. Like, HOLY CRAP.

There is a ridiculous amount of suspense and it had a great pacing, though a (very) few parts were slightly rushed. There were just so many creepy things that just accumulated until I was completely and utterly spooked. I even considered the fact that our Sawyer WAS the killer. This book just messed with my brain sometimes (and I was literally looking over my shoulder. Having a dark hallway at your back while reading a thriller, by the way, is not a good idea.)

Truly, Madly, Deadly, was absolutely suspenseful, absolutely creepy, and had so many twists. Recommended for thriller fans and people who are in love with these kind of stories!

One word description: INTENSE

Pages: 272
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Mystery
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: July 16, 2013
Rating: 4.5-->4 stars

Author Bio

Hannah is the author of the UNDERWORLD DETECTION AGENCY CHRONICLES from Kensington books and the upcoming young adult thrillers TRULY, MADLY, DEADLY and SEE JANE RUN available from Sourcebooks, Inc. When she's not battling the demons of the

Underworld or tackling a murderer at Hawthorne High, Jayne kicks her feet up in her San Francisco bay area home and attempts to share

couch space with two enormous cats.

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Waiting on Wednesday

Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Companion to JUST ONE DAY. It will be in Willem's POV. 

"Can you fall in love in just one day? Can you become a new person? How about in just one year? In JUST ONE DAY and its companion novel JUST ONE YEAR, sheltered American good girl Allyson “LuLu” Healey and easygoing actor Willem De Ruiter are about to find out against a guidebook-worthy array of foreign backdrops. Equal parts romance, coming-of-age-tale, mystery and travel romp (with settings that span from England’s Stratford upon Avon to Paris to Amsterdam to India’s Bollywood) JUST ONE DAY and JUST ONE YEAR show how in looking for someone else, you just might wind up finding yourself."

I absolutely adored Just One Day and I was SOSO happy when I found out there was a sequel! The ending of Just One Day made me do a legit jaw drop. OHMYGOSH. IT'S POSSIBLY THE WORST CLIFFHANGER EVER. I can almost guarantee I'm going to adore this. I seriously can.

The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford

Goodreads Blurb

Laura Reid goes to Leningrad for a semester abroad as Cold War paranoia is peaking in 1982. She meets a young Russian artist named Alexei and soon, with Alexei as her guide, Laura immerses herself in the real Russia--a crazy world of wild parties, black-market books and music, and smuggled letters to dissidents. She must keep the relationship secret; associating with Americans is dangerous for Alexei, and if caught, Laura could be sent home and Alexei put under surveillance or worse. At the same time, she's been warned that Soviets often latch onto Americans in hopes of marrying them and thus escaping to the United States. But she knows Alexei loves her. Right?
As June approaches--when Laura must return to the United States--Alexei asks Laura to marry him. She's only nineteen and doesn't think she's ready to settle down. But what if Alexei is the love of her life? How can she leave him behind? If she has a chance to change his life, to rescue him from misery, shouldn't she take it?

Oh, I had such high hopes for The Boy on the Bridge. It sounded like something I would absolutely love and something that would break my heart at the same time. And while I did enjoy it, it just wasn't something I really loved. 

There was definitely something about the writing, though, that just captivated me. I was just drawn into this so-different world, both fascinated and horrified by the conditions of a 1982 Russia. Standiford does a wonderful job recreating the world with little seemingly insignificant details that make the writing stand out.
And the writing! It's simple yet beautiful in a way and just pulls you in more. It's an intriguing story that just makes you question everything.

Like did Alexei (or Aloysha) really love Laura? I was pondering that the entire story. It was undoubtedly suspicious, but I felt like he really did love her. On the other hand...well, like I said. It was suspicious. You have to love a love story you're unsure of!

But, the love story? It was sort of horrible. It was so rushed and pretty much insta-love. Laura risked so much for someone she barely knew and she snuck him into a foreigners-only place. When they'd only met twice before. It was ridiculous! Laura was so naive, saying Aloysha loved her after only a few meetings, when already, as Laura's best friend said "half our group are already half engaged" (or something like that. I did it from memory!). She stuck up for Aloysha when she should've been suspicious and just trusted him way too much. It was just really rushed and I hated how ignorant Laura was, how she just fell so quickly in love with just a few glances and meetings.

I couldn't really connect with Laura either. She was a bit of a flat character and we never get to really know her, and it didn't seem like Standiford understood her own character that well either.
I did love seeing the other characters and how the interacted with Russia and its locals. I enjoyed reading about Karen and Dan, Ninel and "Binky". They added a sense of humor to this book that was definitely needed.

All in all, The Boy on the Bridge wasn't a terrible read, but it wasn't the best either! I'd recommend trying it out, but it wouldn't be on the top of my list.

Pages: 256 

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: July 30, 2013

Rating: 3 stars

A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard

Goodreads Blurb
Following an all-out battle with the walking Dead, the Spirit Hunters have fled Philadelphia, leaving Eleanor alone to cope with the devastating aftermath. But there’s more trouble ahead—the evil necromancer Marcus has returned, and his diabolical advances have Eleanor escaping to Paris to seek the help of Joseph, Jie, and the infuriatingly handsome Daniel once again. When she arrives, however, she finds a whole new darkness lurking in this City of Light. As harrowing events unfold, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will mean life or death for everyone.

While I'd enjoyed Something Strange and Deadly, I wasn't exactly fangirling crazily about it. But, you guys, I think I just fell in love with the series.

The writing is enthralling and captures the atmosphere brilliantly. The world is vividly described and wonderfully imagined and you can't help but be drawn into this steampunk-ish zombie-filled world! The worldbuilding is absolutely genius and incredibly creative. We delve more into the paranormal aspect of the world than we did in Something Strange, and I loved learning more about Eleanor's necromancy powers and about the "spirit realm".

The plot was completely unpredictable for me and I had no clue what was going to happen next! I was shocked one chapter after another and absolutely giddy with excitement. I finished this in just under two hours in the middle of the night (and no it wasn't a good idea) and almost immediately wished for the third book. Because the ending? Oh my God. 

My heart absolutely ached for Eleanor, but I couldn't help but become a little irritated by her. I hated how much she kept hidden and how she seemed to trust Oliver more than she trusted the Spirit Hunters despite barely knowing Oliver. She lied to her friends a dozen times and I just wanted to shake her!
As for Oliver, I'm not quite sure if I love him or hate him. He's witty and I love how he seems to care for Eleanor, but at the same time, I love the Spirit Hunters and hated how much he despised them.

I absolutely love Daniel and I couldn't help but want to shove him and Eleanor together. I giggled at their interactions (or wanted to gasp and cry.) and wished that they would talk for a minute or two! The romance isn't a big part of the story, but there was enough in it that sated the romantic in me (and the fangirl besides.) And the last chapter? Well, let's just say my feelings erupted.

A Darkness Strange and Lovely is an absolutely breathtaking sequel to Something Strange and Deadly, and even more amazing than the first! It made me fall in love with the series and with Susan Dennard's work and you can bet I'm anxiously awaiting the third book!

Pages: 416

Genre: Steampunk/Paranormal

Series: Something Strange and Deadly #2

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: July 23, 2013

Rating: 4.5-->4 stars

Week of a Fiction Freak

GAIS. GAIS. I MADE EA VIDEO. IN MY AWKWARD FASHION OF COURSE AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW but I was just too lazy to organize my books, take pictures, then write about all of them. So video it was. Enjoy my awkward potato-ness and try not to snicker. Too much.

WONDERFUL STILL. DUCK FACE PEOPLE. DUCK FACE.

Times like this I wish I wasn't so lazy that I couldn't go figure out how to edit it. Eh.

BOOKS MENTIONED
White Space by Ilsa J. Bick
Hero by Alethea Kontis
Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer
Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
Prodigy by Marie Lu
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Katherine by Anya Seton
Cinders and Sapphire by Leile Rasheed
False Memory by Dan Krokos
False Sight by Dan Krokos
This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
Reboot by Amy Tintera
Ink by Amanda Sun
Elegy by Amanda Hocking (x2)
A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard
Vortex by S.J. Kincaid
Shadow of Glass by Kassy Taylor
The In-Between by Barbara Stewart
The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney
Find Me by Romily Bernard
Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle
Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor
Hooked by Liz Fichera
Belladonna by Fiona Paul


And no Weekly Recap since you can find all the MERP SQUAD WEEK INTERVIEWS HERE

Merp Squad Week Wrap Up

Except for the little problem on Tuesday (GOOGLE I HATE YOU) Merp Squad Week is pretty awesome.

But I couldn't interview Ashley either. I HATE THAT. GRR. 

But here are all the interviews this week:

The Best Friend

The Writer

The Black Sheep

The Meeeeee

So, yeah. The Merp Squad? Totally awesome. Not that I'm biased or anything.