Can't Wait Wednesday(94): Neverworld Wake & 500 Words or Less

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: Neverworld Wake 
Author: Marisha Pessl
Release Date: June 5th, 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Once upon a time, back at Darrow-Harker School, Beatrice Hartley and her six best friends were the cool kids, the beautiful ones. Then the shocking death of Jim—their creative genius and Beatrice's boyfriend—changed everything.

One year after graduation, Beatrice is returning to Wincroft—the seaside estate where they spent so many nights sharing secrets, crushes, plans to change the world—hoping she'll get to the bottom of the dark questions gnawing at her about Jim’s death. But as the night plays out in a haze of stilted jokes and unfathomable silence, Beatrice senses she’s never going to know what really happened.

Then a mysterious man knocks on the door. Blithely, he announces the impossible: time for them has become stuck, snagged on a splinter that can only be removed if the former friends make the harshest of decisions. Now Beatrice has one last shot at answers--and at life.

Look at that cover, it's so mysterious, and dark! I mean who doesn't love a good murder mystery...I hope that is where this book goes!

Title: 500 Words or Less 

Author: Juleah Del Rosario

Release Date: September 25th 2018 

Publisher: Simon Pulse

A high school senior attempts to salvage her reputation among her Ivy League–obsessed classmates by writing their college admissions essays and in the process learns big truths about herself in this mesmerizing debut novel-in-verse, perfect for fans of Gayle Forman and Sonya Sones.

Nic Chen refuses to spend her senior year branded as the girl who cheated on her charismatic and lovable boyfriend. To redefine her reputation among her Ivy League–obsessed classmates, Nic begins writing their college admissions essays.

But the more essays Nic writes for other people, the less sure she becomes of herself, the kind of person she is, and whether her moral compass even points north anymore.

Provocative, brilliant, and achingly honest, 500 Words or Less explores the heartbreak and hope that marks the search for your truest self.

This book sounds right up my alley.Can't wait to read it

Spotlight Post and Author Interview: Redemption by Mike Schlossberg

Redemption (The Spades Trilogy Book 1)

by Mike Schlossberg

Release Date: June 5th, 2018

Twenty young people wake aboard the spaceship Redemption with no memory how they got there.

Asher Maddox went to sleep a college dropout with clinical depression and anxiety. He wakes one hundred sixty years in the future to assume the role as captain aboard a spaceship he knows nothing about, with a crew as in the dark as he is. 

Yanked from their everyday lives, the crew learns that Earth has been ravaged by the Spades virus – a deadly disease planted by aliens. They are tasked with obtaining the vaccine that will save humanity, while forced to hide from an unidentified, but highly advanced enemy. 

Half a galaxy away from Earth, the crew sets out to complete the quest against impossible odds. As the enemy draws closer, they learn to run the ship despite their own flaws and rivalries. But they have another enemy . . . time. And it’s running out.

Buy Links: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

**************************************************************

Author Interview with Jessica & Melissa:

1. To start off this interview I'm going to ask you the age old question, what inspired you to write Redemption?
That's easy: My own experiences with depression and anxiety. I remain floored by how embarrassed people are to talk about mental health issues - one in five adults actively suffer from mental illness, and one in two will over the course of their lives. Yet, we refuse to discuss mental illness in the same manner that we do physical health. No one is embarrassed to say they have the flu; no one should be embarrassed to say they are depressed. I wrote Redemption to entertain and to inspire - I want people to know that they can have mental health issues, that they can struggles and fail, but still overcome.

2. While writing your book was there a particular scene or chapter that was fun or challenging to write?
Huh. I never thought about this before! Certainly the most fun was the ending - I sat down at my computer for days on end to finish it off. But the most challenging, yes. Without giving too much away, there are certainly scenes where the main character struggles to the point of near paralysis. There are certain moments that rang too true.

3. Diversity in books and the publishing industry is a huge topic so I'm curious about your thoughts on it. Whose voices do we see? Whose voices do we need more of? How can authors address that?
This is a great question and a necessary one. I'm a white male, I grew up surrounded with largely other Caucasians, and my experience as a parent and elected official has taught me that this will not be my children's world. That's a great thing - America is changing and we need to change with it. In my book, I went out of my way to include as diverse a cast as possible, including ethnicity and sexual orientation. Authors have to do that. At the same time, we have to be able to write credibly. I don't want to write a character and slap an ethnicity on them that doesn't ring true. This gets really challenging, because we are all limited by our own experiences and perspectives (again, hi, white guy here). A good author can make the character ring true to the real world and the universe of the story, and I hope I did that. 

At the same time, the one thing I do know is that this book directly addresses mental health in a way that I think is very true to life - it shows the experiences, doubts and thought patterns of someone who struggles. That much I know I got right, and I think it's important that we strive to make sure that the voices of the mentally ill are present in all genres - particularly genres that don't typically feature individuals. All to often, books are "all or nothing" - they show someone who is perfectly healthy or someone who is institutionalized. For most people with mental illness, that's not real. Most of us live our lives in the shadow of this pain. That's what I was trying to capture here, and I hope I did it justice.

4. One of our favorite questions to ask is, what is the best advice you have received as an writer or just in general? 
Saw it on Twitter: "Write like the wind. Edit later." Get everything on paper, get out what's in your heart and head, and then polish it until it shines.

5. If you had to pick a theme song to your book, what would it be?
This is a bit of a weird one that requires explanation: "If I Could Change Your Mind" by Haim. They are my favorite band (I AM SEEING THEM LATER TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME AND CANNOT CONTAIN MY JOY), and I love this song. That being said, it's actually about getting back together with an ex, as best I can tell. So, why this song? Three things. First, it describes someone's journey of personal growth - and that makes it connect with Redemption. Second, sorry, I just love the damn song. It makes me want to go on my own personal journey. And third, the title, ahd these words: "...change your mind." That's something people with mental illness are always trying to do. I even snuck in a reference to the song in one of the book's last scenes, so that was fun.

6. Now we have come to the end of the interview, our last question to you is, if you had to describe your Redemption in 3 words what would they be?
This is a difficult one, but I think I got it. My full-time job is to serve as a Pennsylvania State Representative. So i'm an elected official, and one of the more prominent ones in the state to talk about their own mental illness. I once spoke about it on the floor of the House of Representatives, and the line most people remembered from the speech was towards the end: "As long as you breathe, there is hope."

So: "There is hope." That's the message of Redemption.

******************************************************

About the Author: 

Mike Schlossberg has been a writer since he wrote his first short story in eighth grade, a Star Wars fanfiction. While he claims it was terrible, the creative passion followed him into adulthood.

Serving as a State Representative in Pennsylvania, Mike has had the chance to make a difference. The problem closest to his heart is mental health, where he strives to break the stigma surrounding those who suffer from mental illnesses and give them hope. For Mike, this issue is personal, as he has been treated for depression and anxiety related disorders since he was 18. It was this desire to help which drove him to write Redemption, his first novel, but not his first book. That honor goes to Tweets and Consequences, an anthology about the varied ways elected officials have destroyed their careers via social media.

When not writing, Mike plays video games (both modern and old school), watches anything related to the Muppets (specifically Fraggle Rock!), reads, attempts to get to the gym, and calls his constituents on their birthdays.

Mike lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with his wife Brenna and his two wonderful children: Auron, born in 2011, and Ayla, born in 2012

Contact links: Facebook * Twitter * Website

******************************************************

Pa. state Rep. Mike Schlossberg tells his own story of battles with depression and anxiety as the House unanimously adopts his resolution recognizing May 2015 as Mental Health Awareness Month in Pennsylvania.

Book Blitz: The Unity Game by Leonora Meriel

About the Book:

The Unity Game

by Leonora Meriel

A New York banker is descending into madness.

A being from an advanced civilization is racing to stay alive.

A dead man must unlock the secrets of an unknown dimension to save his loved ones.

From the visions of Socrates in ancient Athens, to the birth of free will aboard a spaceship headed to Earth, The Unity Game tells a story of hope and redemption in a universe more ingenious and surprising than you ever thought possible.

Metaphysical thriller and interstellar mystery, this is a 'complex, ambitious and thought-provoking novel' from an exciting and original new voice in fiction.

Book Links:

Goodreads * Amazon

Meet the Characters:

 The Setting: Earth 

New York City. The 1990s. One of the world’s leading investment banks.

The Setting: Space

A distant planet. A dry surface orbited by three red moons and circling a distant sun. An advanced civilization living in underground chambers.

The Setting: Death 

An open door. A library. A room of knowledge. A garden of dazzling color. The answers to every question that has ever been asked on Earth.

Meet David

A brilliant scientist and wildly ambitious, David abandoned an academic path to follow the glow of Wall Street money. From a small town in Canada, he is now determined to make the riches he has given up his scientific talents for. He is always on edge, he must prove he is better than the other bankers, he has to win the best deals. However, he is easy pickings for the multi-million dollar bosses who see how they can use a greedy, naïve young man for their own purposes. David falls further into risk, mistakes and desperation, clutching at anything around him as his dreams and world falls apart.

Meet Noe-bouk 

Dry dust. Three red moons. A member of one of the most advanced civilizations in the universe, taught to believe that all the answers come naturally from the incontrovertible logic of the greatest good. Now, facing death, Noe-bouk decides to find out if there is something more than what he has been taught. Accepting a place on a space ship, the further he gets from the moons of Home Planet the more he understands that he knows nothing at all…

Meet Alisdair
A respected lawyer. An adoring grandfather. Alisdair collapses outside his law offices in London and finds himself standing beside his unmoving corpse. He feels wonderful! He spots some wide open doors and bounds through them to discover a library, a garden, and his dead wife. All his life he has burned with the questions of the universe: what is the purpose of existence? What is good and evil? How far does the infinite stretch? With an afterworld guide and his wife at his side, his only limits now are to come up with new questions as all of his horizons expand beyond imagination…

Meet Elspeth
Beautiful, young, angry. Apart from her beloved grandfather Alisdair, Elspeth has been let down by everyone in her life. She’s rejected her parents and their easy choices, she sees no meaning in the structures of society. She has always felt lost, and now the death of her grandfather is forcing her to make choices. With some money he has left her, she decides to follow a feeling and go on an adventure.

Meet Socrates

Legendary philosopher, pion of bravery and morality, a figure so strong his ideas and presence pervade the centuries and the dimensions of time and space. Who else would Alisdair call upon in the afterworld to help his granddaughter Elspeth, than the man he has revered his entire life, and whose teachings guided him? Yes, Elspeth can be helped, but she must be brought together with another soul – one who has truly lost their path.

 Reviews for The Unity Game: 

 “A complex, ambitious and thought-provoking novel.” ~ Kirkus Reviews

“Elegantly written, expertly crafted and a moving message. I found this book very hard to put down. Moving and poignant.” ~ Lilly, Amazon US reviewer

“An engrossing, unique, and totally bizarre tale! I could not stop reading it once I started. Such a beautiful take on the afterlife, and its connection to those still living. A unity game, indeed!”~ Brenna, Goodreads reviewer

About the Author:

Leonora Meriel grew up in London and studied literature at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Queen’s University in Canada. She worked at the United Nations in New York, and then for a multinational law firm.

In 2003 she moved from New York to Kyiv, where she founded and managed Ukraine’s largest Internet company. She studied at Kyiv Mohyla Business School and earned an MBA, which included a study trip around China and Taiwan, and climbing to the top of Hoverla, Ukraine’s highest peak and part of the Carpathian Mountains. She also served as President of the International Women’s Club of Kyiv, a major local charity.

During her years in Ukraine, she learned to speak Ukrainian and Russian, witnessed two revolutions and got to know an extraordinary country at a key period of its development.

In 2008, she decided to return to her dream of being a writer, and to dedicate her career to literature. In 2011, she completed The Woman Behind the Waterfall, set in a village in western Ukraine. While her first novel was with a London agent, Leonora completed her second novel The Unity Game, set in New York City and on a distant planet.

Leonora currently lives in Barcelona and London and has two children. She is working on her third novel. 

Contact the Author:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Book Blogger Hop(2)

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer's permission, Rambling of a Coffee Addict relaunched the meme on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end on Thursday. 

There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop's purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

Question of the week:  What were your worst movies based off of books? 

(submitted by Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog)

Melissa's Answer

The first Percy Jackson movie there was so much wrong with this move...The Mortal Instrument movie, i'm glad the tv show on Freeform is doing well. Lemony Snicket Series of Fortune events with Jim Carry, it was so cringe worthy. The Duff I hate the fact that they added Bella Thorne's character and switch a bunch of stuff up.

Jessica's Answer

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy..although I loved the movie!!! Eragon, Eat, Pray, Love, Twilight...it was never going to work....Beautiful Creatures, I'm not sure how this could have been better, maybe better actors? I'm going to stop here. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Cover Reveal: The Katrina Williams Series

A DARK PATH

Series: Katrina Williams #3

by Robert E. Dunn

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Pub Date: 8/7/2018

Sheriff's detective Katrina “Hurricane” Williams confronts deep-rooted hate and greed in the Missouri Ozarks in this riveting police procedural…

What at first appears to be a brush fire in some undeveloped bottom land yields the charred remains of a young African-American man. As sheriff’s Katrina Williams conducts her in-spection of the crime scene, she discovers broken headstones and disturbed open graves in a forgotten cemetery.

As Katrina attempts to sort out a complex backwoods criminal network involving the Aryan Brotherhood, meth dealers, and the Ozarks Nightriders motorcycle gang, she is confronted by the sudden appearance of a person out of her own past who may be involved. And what seems like a clear-cut case of racially motivated murder is further complicated by rumors of hidden silver and dark family histories. To uncover the ugly truth, Katrina will need to dig up past crimes and shameful secrets that certain people would kill to keep buried . . .

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Apple * B&N * GooglePlay * Kobo

A PARTICULAR DARKNESS

Katrina Williams Book 2

Pub Date: 9/12/2017

From the author of A Living Grave comes a gripping police procedural featuring sheriff's detective Katrina Williams as she exposes the dark underbelly of Appalachia . . .

Dredging up the Truth

Still recovering from tragedy and grieving a devastating loss, Iraq war veteran and sheriff's detective Katrina Williams copes the only way she knows how—by immersing herself in work. A body's just been pulled from the lake with a fish haul, but what seems like a straight-forward murder case over the poaching of paddlefish for domestic caviar quickly becomes murkier than the depths of the lake.

Soon a second body is found—an illegal Peruvian refugee woman linked to a charismatic tent revival preacher. But as Katrina tries to investigate the enigmatic evangelist, she is blocked by antagonistic FBI agents and Army CID personnel. When more young female refu-gees disappear, she must partner with deputy Billy Blevins, who stirs mixed feelings in her, to connect the lake murder to the refugees. Katrina is no stranger to darkness, but cold-blooded conspirators plan to make sure she'll never again see the light of day . . .

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Apple * B&N * GooglePlay * Kobo

A LIVING GRAVE

Katrina Williams Book 1
Pub Date: 9/13/2016

c

The first in a gritty new series featuring sheriff’s detective Katrina Williams, as she investigates moonshine, murder, and the ghosts of her own past… BODY OF PROOF.

Katrina Williams left the Army ten years ago disillusioned and damaged. Now a sheriff’s detective at home in the Missouri Ozarks, Katrina is living her life one case at a time—between mandated therapy sessions—until she learns that she’s a suspect in a military investigation with ties to her painful past. The disappearance of a local girl is far from the routine distraction, however. Brutally murdered, the girl’s corpse is found by a bottlegger whose information leads Katrina into a tangled web of teenagers, moonshiners, motorcycle clubs, and a fellow veteran battling illness and his own personal demons. Unraveling each thread will take time Katrina might not have as the Army investigator turns his searchlight on the devastating incident that ended her military career. Now Katrina will need to dig deep for the truth—before she’s found buried…

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Apple * B&N * GooglePlay * Kobo

Robert E. Dunn was born an Army brat and grew up in the Missouri Ozarks. He wrote his first book at age eleven turning a series of Jack Kirby comic books into a hand written novel. Over many years in the, mostly, honest work of video and film production he produced everything from documentaries, to training films and his favorite, travelogues. He returned to writing mystery, horror, and fantasy fiction for publication after the turn of the century. It seemed like a good time for change even if the changes were not always his choice. Mr. Dunn is the author of the horror novels, THE RED HIGHWAY, MOTORMAN, and THE HARROWING, as well as the Katrina Williams mystery/thriller series, A LIVING GRAVE, A PARTICULAR DARKNESS, and the upcoming A DARK PATH.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cant-Wait Wednesday( 93) Sea Witch & Court of Shadows

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: Sea Witch
Author: Sarah Henning
Release Date: July 31st 2018
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Everyone knows what happens in the end.
A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss.
But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends.
One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.

A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.

The rise of Hans Christian Andersen’s iconic villainess is a heart-wrenching story of friendship, betrayal, and a girl pushed beyond her limits—to become a monster.

 Gah!! I love retelling so this book sounds write up my alley.I love the fact that this book is an origin story of a villain.  Also lately I have been on a mermaid kick so I cant wait for this book!!!!

Title: Court of Shadows (House of Furies #2) 

Author: Madeleine Roux

Release Date: May 29th, 2018

Publisher: HarperTeen

The chilling second book in the all-new graphic horror series from New York Times bestselling author of Asylum follows Louisa Ditton, a teenage girl who finds employment as a maid at a boardinghouse in northern England—only to discover that the owner is executing his own brand of dark justice on the guests.

Louisa Ditton doesn’t know who she is anymore.

After the gruesome events of last autumn, she has settled into her role as a maid at Coldthistle House but struggles to control her new changeling powers. Is she turning into a monster like her employer, the devilish Mr. Morningside, or did her last act of heroism redeem her?

As Louisa grapples with these weighty questions, Mr. Morningside plans a fete—one that will double as a trap for an End of Days cult that wants him dead. But then Upworlders, angelic beings who look down upon Mr. Morningside’s monstrous staff, arrive, and they’re prepared to take over Coldthistle. And one brother-sister duo named Sparrow and Finch is bringing their own brand of self-righteous justice. Even a man claiming to be Louisa’s father has a role to play, though Louisa can’t quite tell what his true motive is…yet.

I loved House f Furies!! I totally thought I was going to have to wait a year for the sequel but nope!! 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Top Ten Tuesday(59): Favorite Character Names...

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Favorite Character Names....


Melissa's Picks

1. Imogene from The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint and Imogene's Antlers by David Small I have no clue why but I just really like the name Imogene.
2.  Aileana Kameron from The Falconer by Elizabeth May This name is so pretty unfortunately I pretty sure I'm saying it wrong every-time I read it.
3.  Kami Glass from The Lynburn Trilogy I just really dig how the name Kami Glass just flows and sound short,sweet,and simple. 
4.  Winnie Mehta from My So-Called Bollywood Life This name just rolls of the tongue it sounds nice to the ears.
5. Fenella from Unthinkable (Impossible #3) by Nancy Werlin The name Fenella just sound so pretty to me and also old timey in a great way.

Jessica's Picks
(I'm a huge fan of Cassandra Clare obvi... )

1. Johnathan "Jace" Wayland from City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) By Cassandra Clare ...I love the name Jace, and it seems so strong.
2. Tessa Gray from Clockwork Angel( The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare...Tessa, is not only an amazing individual but she also is a bad*** even though she didn't chose Jem..
3. Magnus Bane from The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare...I mean it is THEE Magnus Bane! He is a wonderful character who lives up to his name. 
4. Simon Lewis from Tales of a Shadow Hunter by Cassandra Clare ...I don't know any Simon's so there's that, and Simon went through some terrible things.....
5. Callum Hunt from The Iron Trial (Magisterium #1) by Holly Black and Cassandare Clare... I like the name Callum it's a strong name, and it sounds magical... 

Let us know what your favorite character names are below!

Review: Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova

Title: Bruja Born
Author: Zoraida Cordova
Publisher:  Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: June 5th, 2018

Three sisters. One spell. Countless dead.
Lula Mortiz feels like an outsider. Her sister's newfound Encantrix powers have wounded her in ways that Lula's bruja healing powers can't fix, and she longs for the comfort her family once brought her. Thank the Deos for Maks, her sweet, steady boyfriend who sees the beauty within her and brings light to her life.

Then a bus crash turns Lula's world upside down. Her classmates are all dead, including Maks. But Lula was born to heal, to fix. She can bring Maks back, even if it means seeking help from her sisters and defying Death herself. But magic that defies the laws of the deos is dangerous. Unpredictable. And when the dust settles, Maks isn't the only one who's been brought back...

*************************************************

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a free review copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was pretty interesting... I loved the first book and this one was just as good.You can tell right away that this book is going to be different than Labyrinth Lost was, because Alex and Lula have different ways of telling a story and this has it's own feel to it. It's Lula telling the story, and you can tell. Not going to lie though I had issues with the main character Lula, she's an extremely complex character, who's both soft and strong at the same time, it did however take 75% of the book for her to become strong. Lula made a huge literal life altering decision based on teenage love...so what i'm getting at it that she didn't make a lot of smart choices. 

The cover s quite pretty and I really like the overall feel of it.This book talks about grief, and learning to let go but also about love and knowing when to hold on.The world we were introduced to in the first book was really expanded in Bruja Born and based on that cliffhanger it's going to get much bigger!!!I  need the next book because I have so many questions and emotions about what is going to happen. I can already tell that Rose's book is going to be wild and I can't wait.3/5

Cant-Wait Wednesday(92): Dance of Thieves & Four - Letter Word

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: Dance of Thieves (Dance of Thieves #1) 
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Release Date: August 7, 2018

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty's resentment and anger.

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.


Title: Four - Letter Word
Author: Christa Desir
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: May 15, 2018

Eight friends. One game. A dozen regrets. And a night that will ruin them all, in this high stakes gripping story of manipulation and innocence lost, from the author of Bleed Like Me.

Chloe Sanders has wasted the better part of her junior year watching her best friend Eve turn away from her for the more interesting and popular Holly Reed. Living with her grandparents because her parents are currently serving as overseas volunteers, Chloe spends her days crushing on a dark-haired guy named Mateo, being mostly ignored by Eve and Holly, and wishing the cornfields of Iowa didn’t feel so incredibly lonely.

But shortly after spring break, a new girl transfers to her high school—Chloe Donnelly. This Chloe is bold and arty and instantly placed on a pedestal by Eve and Holly. Now suddenly everyone is referring to Chloe Sanders as “Other Chloe” and her social status plummets even more.

Until Chloe Donnelly introduces all her friends to a dangerous game: a girls vs. guys challenge that only has one rule—obtain information by any means necessary. All the warning bells are going off in Other Chloe’s head about the game, but she’s not about to commit social suicide by saying no to playing.

Turns out the game is more complicated than Other Chloe thinks. Chloe Donnelly hates to lose. She's got power over everyone—secrets she’s exploiting—and she likes to yank their strings. Only soft-spoken Mateo is sick of it, and when the game turns nasty, he chooses Other Chloe to help him expose everything Chloe Donnelly has done. But neither realize just how much the truth could cost them in the end.