Waiting on Wednesday (#293): Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell

Book One of the System Divine series

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: March 26, 2019

Summary (from Goodreads):

A thief. An officer. A guardian. 

Three strangers, one shared destiny . . .

When the Last Days came, the planet of Laterre promised hope. A new life for a wealthy French family and their descendants. But five hundred years later, it’s now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing.

Whispers of revolution have begun—a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes…

Chatine is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal Regime, including spy on Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet.

Marcellus is an officer—and the son of a renowned traitor. In training to take command of the military, Marcellus begins to doubt the government he’s vowed to serve when his father dies and leaves behind a cryptic message that only one person can read: a girl named Alouette.

Alouette is living in an underground refuge, where she guards and protects the last surviving library on the planet. But a shocking murder will bring Alouette to the surface for the first time in twelve years…and plunge Laterre into chaos.

All three have a role to play in a dangerous game of revolution—and together they will shape the future of a planet.

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I saw this cover reveal on the Riveted Lit website and I fell in love! The cover is amazing and the story sounds really cool. A re-imagining of Les Misérables is very unique indeed!

Review: The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody

The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: November 28, 2017

Rating: 3 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

Over the course of one chaotic night stranded at the Denver airport, Ryn confronts her shattered past thanks to the charm of romance, the uniqueness of strangers, and the magic of ordinary places in this stunning novel from the author of Boys of Summer.

Ryn has one unread text message on her phone. And it’s been there for almost a year.

She hasn’t tried to read it. She can’t. She won’t. Because that one message is the last thing her best friend ever said to her before she died.

But as Ryn finds herself trapped in the Denver International Airport on New Year’s Eve thanks to a never-ending blizzard on the one-year anniversary of her best friend’s death, fate literally runs into her.

And his name is Xander.

When the two accidentally swap phones, Ryn and Xander are thrust into the chaos of an unforgettable all-night adventure, filled with charming and mysterious strangers, a secret New Year’s Eve bash, and a possible Illuminati conspiracy hidden within the Denver airport. But as the bizarre night continues, all Ryn can think about is that one unread text message. It follows her wherever she goes, because Ryn can’t get her brialliantly wild and free-spirited best friend out of her head.

Ryn can’t move on.

But tonight, for the first time ever, she’s trying. And maybe that’s a start.

As moving as it is funny, The Chaos of Standing Still is a heartwarming story about the earth-shattering challenges life throws at us—and the unexpected strangers who help us along the way.

What I Liked:

The Chaos of Standing Still is a story about grief, loss, and hope, and it all starts with a blizzard in Denver. Usually I'm not one for YA contemporary, especially tough-issue YA contemporary, but I've enjoyed Jessica Brody's books in the past. I didn't hesitate to request this novel when I saw it on Edelweiss, because I had been fairly confident that I would enjoy the book. Sadly, that wasn't the case. While The Chaos of Standing Still is thought-provoking and hopeful, it is also messy and unorganized - unlike its heroine. I almost feel bad for not loving this book, because it is clearly supposed to be a powerful, moving novel. But it wasn't for me.

Ryn is heading home to San Francisco, and she has a layover in Denver. The kicker? A huge blizzard is currently dumping a ton of snow on Denver, and there will be no flights coming in or going out of Denver. This is the worst possible scenario for Ryn, who needs to be home for New Year's the next day. She's traveling alone, back to her mother, and no one in the airport knows how badly she needs to be home. No one knows that her best friend died on New Year's Day nearly a year ago. No one knows that Ryn hasn't grieved yet, and she's hearing Lottie's voice in her head. A night in the airport is going to be torture. But Ryn makes an unexpected friend when she runs straight into a cute guy who had the same phone case as her. She doesn't expect him to be so sweet and thoughtful and understanding. She doesn't expect to let down her guard with him. She doesn't expect to finally come to terms with Lottie's death - but it is this that is so hard to understand. Ryn doesn't realize just how much she needed someone, to help her move past Lottie's death.

Theoretically, I should have enjoyed this book. Even though I'm not a YA contemporary fan, and definitely not a tough-issue YA contemporary fan, I tend to like books dealing with a hero and heroine stuck together. And I did really like the setting. The airport is a great setting, especially since all flights throughout the entire airport were grounded for the night. No way in, no way out, not even for the employees. It was a long evening and night, but everyone made the most of it.

The setting, I liked. I also adored Xander - he is a sweetheart. He is fun and charming, filled with energy and good humor. He is Ryn's "manic pixie girl" except he is a guy. She is a mopey sad girl, but when she meets him, he makes her do all sorts of fun things with him around the airport, and suddenly, she isn't feeling so mopey anymore. Xander is a good guy with good intentions and a good heart - and quick frankly, he deserved someone better than Ryn. 

I didn't really like Ryn. More on her below. And the story. And the ending. 

What I Did Not Like:

I really wasn't able to connect with Ryn, which make me feel bad, because it didn't feel fair to dislike someone who was clearly repressing grief. Ryn is not a happy person, and not a nice one at times. She never really grieved for Lottie, and it has been a year. She makes things so hard for her therapist, like not volunteering anything to talk about. She lies about so many things, even though she is a terrible liar. Ryn hasn't been coping well, and this has been affecting more people than just herself. It was hard for me to like Ryn because she wasn't very nice to people, especially Xander. She was flat-out rude to him on their first encounter, and she didn't try to be nice to him after that. It was only about halfway into the book when she started to treat him like a human being, but by then, she started to act a little crazy (her words, not mine). Granted, she owned the fact that she was acting crazy (again, her words, not mine), but she was getting bent out of shape with Xander and other people who were trying to help her. 

I feel bad for disliking someone who went through a traumatic experience, but the traumatic experience and survivor's guilt aren't free passes to be a complete a** to anyone. Not to your parents. Not to your therapist. Not to strangers who are trying to help you. 

I didn't care for Lottie, which I probably shouldn't say since she is dead. She was fun and inhibited and caused all kinds of trouble - #richpeopleproblems. She had so much time and money and freedom on her hands, with little to no parental supervision. Lottie had no filters, no barriers, no rules, which made her a fun friend, but a dangerous one too, especially for someone like Ryn (a non-rule-breaker, a good girl, a straight-laced citizen).

There was too much going on in this story. Ryn and all of her grief and shenanigans was enough. But there was too much going on with the airport too. The crazy storm, okay. The grounded flights, okay. The weird prodigious 14-year-old who was working on his Master's degree and trying to chase down a conspiracy theory in the airport? Random, unnecessary subplot. The bingo game that was probably supposed to be fun but seemed stupid? Random. Ryn making friends with the employees of an airport restaurant? I find it hard to believe in real life. Some stranger giving Ryn his VIP Million Mile-High Club card? Not plausible at all. There was so much random and unnecessary parts to this book that made it so busy and messy. The grief/loss aspect paired with the storm and having to stay overnight at the airport was enough.

The romance was so pitiful. This book would have benefited by having no romance at all. Ryn pushed away Xander at every turn, even right down to the second she wanted him to kiss her and he wanted to kiss her/her to kiss him. She literally turned her cheek. Again, I understand the fact that she isn't grieving well and she's messed up in the head with hearing Lottie's voice and blah blah blah, but she wasn't very nice to Xander. And then there is the fact that they weren't even going to board the same flight - he was going to Miami, she was going to San Francisco. I'd rather not read romances that have an expiration date, like this one. The romance was so lackluster and not-there, but of course it was there. And the thing is, this book takes place in the span of about twenty-four hours. This isn't enough time for a solid friendship to blossom, let alone a romance.

The ending is exactly what you would expect, in terms of the romance. In terms of Ryn... it's amazing how, after less than twenty-four hours, she has come to terms with many things (like Lottie's death, that one unread text message left by Lottie, all of Ryn's lies to everyone). Kind of a miraculous turnaround, don't you think? I was a little skeptical.

Would I Recommend It:

I feel like there are better books dealing with grief and loss out there. I can't think of any off the top of my head because I typically don't read these types of books, but I'm sure there are better ones. The thing is, I didn't find this book funny, or moving, or heartwarming, or any of those adjectives in the synopsis of this book. Instead I was a little annoyed as I was reading, and even when I wasn't annoyed, I wasn't super excited or in love either. This book was okay and not absolutely terrible, but it really isn't worth the time either.

Rating:

3 stars. I didn't really love Brody's previous two books and I didn't love this one so I think it's time to break up with this author's books. I did love 52 Reason to Hate My Father, but I feel like I haven't truly loved another one of her books since that one. Liked, yes, but mostly I've felt kind of ehhh towards her books. Like this one - I could see it having potential, being pretty good, but maybe not for me. I didn't connect with the heroine and that was the downfall there (for me).

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Review: In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody

In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Publication Date: August 8, 2017

Rating: 3 stars

Source:  ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Kennedy Rhodes turns down an acceptance to an elite private school, instead choosing to stay at her high school and jump at the opportunity to date the boy of her dreams. Three years later, Kennedy walks in on that same boyfriend cheating with her best friend—and wishes she had made a different choice. But when Kennedy hits her head and wakes up in the version of her life where she chose to attend the private school, she finds that maybe it’s not as perfect of a world as she once thought.

What I Liked:

I've read a number of Jessica Brody's books, including 52 Reasons to Hate My Father and A Week of Mondays. I especially loved 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, and I enjoyed A Week of Mondays. In Some Other Life is just as creative and sweetly romantic as her previous books, but something felt lacking in the story. The book felt all over the place, and not just in terms of the parallel universe jump.

Kennedy Rhodes is a model student at her high school. She is the editor-in-chief of the Southwest Star, a newspaper that she started up at the high school. She always dreamed of going to The Windsor Academy, an elite private school that churns out amazing students that go to Ivy League schools. But her life at the public high school is great. That is, until she walks in on her boyfriend and her best friend kissing... and it doesn't look like it is the first occurrence. When Kennedy falls and hits her head, she wakes up and finds herself in another life, in which she accepted her invite to attend Windsor, and she is now one of the elite students she always dreamed of being. But she quickly discovers that life as a Windsor isn't what she thought it would be, and her life in this parallel universe isn't perfect and happy.

I was nervous about this book because it clearly involves cheating and I hate cheating in a book. The cheating wasn't handled particularly well, in my opinion, and I'll talk about that later. Most of the story around the cheating was okay though. I was not in danger of abandoning the book, and I got really into the story once Kennedy entered the parallel universe.

I liked Kennedy immediately because I was so like her in high school and in college. She is top of her class, a hard worker, a workaholic, in charge of everything, never stopping. She's the girl that does it all, even at the expense of personal relationships. Not that her best friend and her boyfriend hooking up behind her back is excused. That is definitely not Kennedy's fault. 

The idea of this book is pretty cool. At first you think it's simply Kennedy hitting her head and waking up in another world. But the author uses physics to explain this occurrence. You see, Kennedy's little brother has a fascination with physics, and while all of the physics talk confuses Kennedy, she remembers him talking about parallel universes. Her life at The Windsor Academy definitely happens in another universe, according to physical theory.

It's so interesting to see Kennedy's two different lives compared to each other. She thinks she has everything she ever wanted when she wakes up and realizes that she is an actual student at Windsor, but she realizes that very little is the same. Her mom is more stressed, her dad doesn't even live at home anymore, her best friend at Windsor might not even be a real friend, and "Other Kennedy" isn't as perfect as Kennedy in her "real" life.

I liked the love interest in the other life, Dylan Parker. He is funny and confident and he loves to antagonize Kennedy. He isn't a preppy student, despite attending a very elite preppy school. He and Kennedy have a lot more chemistry than she and Austin ever did. Although she and Austin were pretty much no longer in a relationship, from the start of the book.

I loved that Kennedy's parents have such a sweet relationship and they are so supportive and normal. I feel like YA parents are either not present or they are crazy. Kennedy's mom and dad are very cool, in the "real" life. In the parallel universe, they are probably going in the direction of divorce. But in Kennedy's real life, they are a wonderful example of married parents with teenagers.

The ending is a happily-ever-after and wraps up well, though it is a little open-ended in terms of one aspect. I wanted that aspect to be expounded upon so I'm kind of hoping that the author writes some sort of epilogue. No sequel, but a few pages of an epilogue would be lovely.

What I Did Not Like:

I really hated the cheating part of this story. Austin and Laney, Kennedy's boyfriend of three years and best friend of... forever, are quite possibly the worst people in this book, in any universe. I can get behind the fact that they fall in love. I CANNOT get behind the fact that they sneaked around and hooked up many times for over three months, while Kennedy and Austin were still a couple. Three months! And who knows how far they took things? This bothers me so much! To me, there is never a good excuse for cheating. If Austin was so bored of his relationship with Kennedy, or if he was so in love with Laney, why did he not break things off with Kennedy? If Laney is such a good friend like she is noted to be, how could she betray her best friend like that?

And what pisses me off even more is it was three months of that happening. Were Kennedy and Austin sexually active? Were Laney and Austin sexually active concurrently? We don't know either case for sure, but you see why this would disgust me, right? There is no good excuse for allowing this to happen (on Austin and Laney's part).

To make matters worse, Kennedy only seems to blame Laney. Every time she thinks about Austin and Laney together, she thinks about how her best friend could have done this to her. How dare her best friend have the audacity to cry and look so sad (when Kennedy walked in on them). How dare her best friend betray her. Okay, I agree with all of these feelings, they are very valid. But... what about Austin? Is he not the CHEATER in this case? It definitely takes two to cheat and your best friend shouldn't be the only one to be blamed.

I hated that, in the end, Kennedy forgives Austin and Laney like nothing. It is something that she does like flipping a light switch. Look, guys. I don't care if Austin and Laney were meant to be together like it was fate or destiny or whatever. I don't think they felt guilty enough or suffered enough. Yes I realize that people should practice forgiveness. But I also think that people should acknowledge that they did something wrong and pay the price. Kennedy's forgiveness seemed way too sudden and too easy.

And then of course Kennedy and her romance (with Dylan) is in the other universe. Think on that.

I think I would have LOVED this book if the Austin/Laney thing had not happened. Maybe the author could have done some other catastrophe, like Kennedy getting booted as editor-in-chief, or the newspaper getting cut, or something with her parents. I don't know. The cheating thing was handled so poorly.

Would I Recommend It:

While I didn't hate this book, I also didn't love it, and I can't say I'd recommend it. Brody's A Week of Mondays kind of deals with a similar concept (in that book, the protagonist wakes up every day and it's still the same Monday, so she is living that same Monday over and over.). I liked that book. This would have been terrific had it not had the cheating part of the story.

Rating:

2.5 stars -> rounded up to 3 stars. I'll still be looking forward to reading more books by this author, because my experiences with her YA contemporary novels have been good overall. But here was one bad apple and I didn't totally enjoy the book. It's not a terrible book overall but not really for me.

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Blog Tour Review: A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody

Welcome to the blog tour for A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody! I read this book several weeks ago, and I absolutely loved it. Today I am sharing my review!

A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody

Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Publication Date: August 2, 2016

Rating: 4 stars

Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

When I made the wish, I just wanted a do-over. Another chance to make things right. I never, in a million years, thought it might actually come true... 

Sixteen-year-old Ellison Sparks is having a serious case of the Mondays. She gets a ticket for running a red light, she manages to take the world’s worst school picture, she bombs softball try-outs and her class election speech (note to self: never trust a cheerleader when she swears there are no nuts in her bake-sale banana bread), and to top it all off, Tristan, her gorgeous rocker boyfriend suddenly dumps her. For no good reason!

As far as Mondays go, it doesn’t get much worse than this. And Ellie is positive that if she could just do it all over again, she would get it right. So when she wakes up the next morning to find she’s reliving the exact same day, she knows what she has to do: stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her. But it seems no matter how many do-overs she gets or how hard Ellie tries to repair her relationship, Tristan always seems bent set on ending it. Will Ellie ever figure out how to fix this broken day? Or will she be stuck in this nightmare of a Monday forever?

From the author 52 Reasons to Hate My Father and The Unremembered trilogy comes a hilarious and heartwarming story about second (and third and fourth and fifth) chances. Because sometimes it takes a whole week of Mondays to figure out what you really want.

What I Liked:

I've read one book by Brody - 52 Reasons To Hate My Father - and I really liked it. So I was looking forward to reading this new contemporary by Brody, especially when I saw that it had an interesting twist to it. Experiencing Monday over and over? That sucks! Until Ellie gets it right.

Ellie had a really bad Monday - she runs a red light, she forgets an umbrella, her election speech goes terribly, and her boyfriend breaks up with her. She just wants a do-over, and surprise! She wakes up the next day and it's still Monday. She does not realize it at first, but it becomes clear that she is stuck on Monday again, and it's just her that is experiencing this. But day after day, Monday after Monday, Ellie's boyfriend still breaks up with her. And the next day is still Monday. Will she be stuck experiencing this Monday, or will she get it right?

Brody definitely knows how to write a wonderful contemporary novel! Light and cute, this story was well-developed and intriguing, deceptively long though it read very quickly. I was eagerly turning pages, trying to figure out why Ellie kept experiencing her terrible Monday.

Ellie is a overachieving student, who is on the student government, will be on the softball team, has top grades and hard classes, and revels in her busy academic and social life. You can tell she's a dedicated student, as well as girlfriend. I liked Ellie a lot! She's in denial when Tristan breaks up with her, because he doesn't give a good reason as to why. As much as I didn't like Tristan, I liked how hard Ellie fought for her boyfriend. 

Each Monday that Ellie experienced was very different from the first. The original, first Monday was awful. The second Monday was confusing. The Mondays after those were different, each crazier than the previous. Ellie grows a lot during and after each Monday. While this book takes place in just seven days, Ellie matures a great deal after each day. It's like she isn't allowed to go to Tuesday until she gets it right. 

I already mentioned that I didn't like Tristan, and it's hard to like him. He's a secondary character, with a role that seems important to the story. But it's clear that he isn't as important as we think, because he doesn't have a ton of depth. The male character that DOES have good depth...

Owen. Owen is Ellie's best friend since middle school. Ellie picks him up in the morning to go to school every morning, which is where we see most of their interactions. Owen is the first and only person that Ellie tells about her repeating Monday situation. I liked him a lot - he's a little strange and quirky, but he's a perfect friend and a sweet guy. And (spoiler) a great love interest.

As we know from the synopsis, Tristan keeps breaking up with Ellie. But for the entire book, she's trying to get him to stay with her. But you can tell, as the book goes on, that she becomes less interested in Tristan and his antics. And she starts to realize that she has feelings for her best friend. I didn't see this as a love triangle, but that's subjective. 

The ending is pretty great! I liked seeing Ellie's growth, in her academic life, her personal life, and her familial life. I especially like the romance in the end. But this contemporary novel had it all! Such a great story with positive relationships and a cute romance.

What I Did Not Like:

I wanted more Owen time and less I-need-to-stop-Tristan-from-breaking-up-with-me time. Not that what was written was bad! But I wanted more with Owen. Oweeeeen!

Would I Recommend It:

If you like cute contemporary, this is a great one! Jessica Brody seems to write some great stories, contemporary especially. I recommend this one, or 52 Reasons to Hate My Father!

Rating:

4 stars. This one was a long one, but a good one! It's as light and feel-good as you think it might be. I might not be in high school anymore, but I really connected with Ellie and her struggles, and I loved seeing her grow. Here's to Mondays!

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Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

About the Author:

Jessica Brody is the author of several popular books for teens, including the Unremembered trilogy, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, and The Karma Club, as well as two adult novels. She splits her time between California and Colorado. Find out more at jessicabrody.com.

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Thank God It's Monday Blog Tour: June 21st

Welcome to the blog tour for A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody! Today is the seventh Monday before the publication of this book. I've read A Week of Mondays and I guarantee that this is not one to miss. Here is a SWOON from the book, to further convince you!

Today, I'm featuring Jessica Brody herself!

The Guest Post:

ELLISON “ELLIE” SPARKS: An idealistic, ambitious sixteen-year-old junior with a lot on her plate. 

Those were the first words I ever wrote about Ellie Sparks. They were written in a synopsis for my publisher when I was first trying to sell them on the idea for a book called A WEEK OF MONDAYS.

Of course, you can’t write an entire book about a one-sentence character. Just like you can’t live your entire life as a one-sentence person. But every character has to begin somewhere. And this is where Ellie began for me. 

As an idealistic, ambitious sixteen-year-old junior with a lot on her plate. 

In my mind, this is who she had to be. I thought, if you’re going to write about a girl who relives the same horrible Monday over and over again, trying to “get it right,” these are the adjectives that must describe her. She has to be idealistic enough to think she can fix everything in her life. Yet, she also has to be ambitious enough to try it. And how else are you going to fill seven Mondays with interesting storylines if the main character doesn’t have a lot on her plate. 

So there was Ellie. And there was me, ready to write her, thinking I understood her. Thinking I knew everything I needed to know about her.  

This is the writing process for me. I start with an idea of who someone is. I draw a box around them, like an identity fence. I stuff them inside and I lock the gate. I tell them, “This is who you are. Don’t try to change that. Don’t try to be or do anything else. I don’t have time for detours. I’m on a deadline.”

I never learn. 

A WEEK OF MONDAYS is my tenth published novel and I’m still trying to lock characters inside fences. Eventually, though, they always break free. They always get bigger than their boxes. And even though I try to adjust, I keep drawing bigger and bigger boxes around them, trying to contain them to the world I built, the world I envisioned, they never quite want to stay inside. Just like people. You can try to identify them, label them, build a fence around them that makes you feel safe, and yet they’ll always surprise you. Because no character—no human being—fits inside a box.   

One of my favorite reviews of A WEEK OF MONDAYS says, “Watching Ellie relive her horrible day is something like peeling an onion. Each Monday, a piece of her people-pleaser facade melts away, revealing more of her real self.”

I smiled when I read that because it wasn’t until then that I realized exactly what had happened in the writing of this book. I had done it again. I had tried to put yet another character in a box, and she had slowly, word by word, page by page, Monday by Monday broken free. 

This book is ultimately a story of self-discovery. 

Seven days. Seven chances to completely reinvent yourself. Wear different clothes, make different choices, explore different paths, say different things, be different people. 

Because sometimes it takes a whole week of Mondays to figure out who you really are. And when you finally do, you may find yourself thinking 'Thank God It's Monday' after all.

For the next five Mondays, blogger friends across the internet will be sharing their best and worst Monday. Follow along with us online with #TGIM and #AWeekofMondays, because whether a Monday is memorable for good reasons or memorable for bad reasons, we stand to learn a lot about ourselves.

About the Book:

A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody

Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Publication Date: August 2, 2016

Summary (from Goodreads):

When I made the wish, I just wanted a do-over. Another chance to make things right. I never, in a million years, thought it might actually come true... 

Sixteen-year-old Ellison Sparks is having a serious case of the Mondays. She gets a ticket for running a red light, she manages to take the world’s worst school picture, she bombs softball try-outs and her class election speech (note to self: never trust a cheerleader when she swears there are no nuts in her bake-sale banana bread), and to top it all off, Tristan, her gorgeous rocker boyfriend suddenly dumps her. For no good reason!

As far as Mondays go, it doesn’t get much worse than this. And Ellie is positive that if she could just do it all over again, she would get it right. So when she wakes up the next morning to find she’s reliving the exact same day, she knows what she has to do: stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her. But it seems no matter how many do-overs she gets or how hard Ellie tries to repair her relationship, Tristan always seems bent set on ending it. Will Ellie ever figure out how to fix this broken day? Or will she be stuck in this nightmare of a Monday forever?

From the author 52 Reasons to Hate My Father and The Unremembered trilogy comes a hilarious and heartwarming story about second (and third and fourth and fifth) chances. Because sometimes it takes a whole week of Mondays to figure out what you really want.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

About the Author:

Jessica Brody is the author of several popular books for teens, including the Unremembered trilogy, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, and The Karma Club, as well as two adult novels. She splits her time between California and Colorado. Find out more at jessicabrody.com.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

A terrible Monday experience from my past: I used to have piano lessons on Monday, about a half hour after school ended (this was back in middle and high school). There were a few times when I went to the lesson completely unprepared, not having practiced all week. And it showed! SO embarrassing. And it happened on several Mondays over the years (though not too many - usually I was a diligent student). :D

So, readers! Tell me about your worst Monday experience. :)

Swoon Thursday (#177): A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody!

But I'm already moving. The gap between us is already closing. My arms are already wrapping around his neck, pulling him down to me. My lips already know exactly where to go.

It doesn't take long before he's kissing me back. Before his hands are on my waist, lifting me off the ground.

We topple backward, landing on the bed. It's clumsy and uncoordinated and us.

- ARC, page 449

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I adored this novel! Such a neat concept, and there were plenty of swoons (mostly of the non-kissing variety, but still lots of good stuff). Catch my review in August, with the blog tour!