The Education of Margot Sanchez | The Reviewing of Becca Stevenson 😉

Title: The Education of Margot Sanchez

Author: Lilliam Rivera

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, #OwnVoices

Published: February 21, 2017 by Simon & Schuster (who provided this delighted blogger with a review copy! Yay! This does not affect the honesty of my review.)

Pretty in Pink comes to the South Bronx in this bold and romantic coming-of-age novel about dysfunctional families, good and bad choices, and finding the courage to question everything you ever thought you wanted—from debut author Lilliam Rivera.

THINGS/PEOPLE MARGOT HATES:

Mami, for destroying my social life
Papi, for allowing Junior to become a Neanderthal
Junior, for becoming a Neanderthal
This supermarket
Everyone else

After “borrowing” her father’s credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot
Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts.

With each order of deli meat she slices, Margot can feel her carefully cultivated prep school reputation slipping through her fingers, and she’s willing to do anything to get out of this punishment. Lie, cheat, and maybe even steal…

Margot’s invitation to the ultimate beach party is within reach and she has no intention of letting her family’s drama or Moises—the admittedly good looking but outspoken boy from the neighborhood—keep her from her goal.

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Bookish Bingo: Ready for Spring! TBR

 The fabulous Great Imaginations is hosting another wonderful Bookish Bingo for Spring! Basically, you just try to read all the books you see on the chart above during the months of April, May, and June. To learn more and sign up, check out the original post here!

Murder Mystery

 
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I’ve  heard a lot of good things about this book, plus it’s a murder mystery, so I’m psyched to read this one!

Forgotten Friday’s Pick

Hmm…we’ll see about this one.

Aussie Author

 
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Yep, Markus Zusak is Australian! I could only make it halfway through this book, but I want to try again on audiobook. Wish me luck! 

PLUS this also counts as historical fiction AND WWII!

Re-Read

 
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

Ah, the good ‘ol Harry Potter

Dark Contemporary

This one’s going to remain undecided for now!

Classic

I’ll just fit whatever I read for school in here!

Yellow Cover

It’s time to browse the library shelves for yellow!

April, May, June Release

I’ll be reading a lot that’s being release during these months, so I’ll just fit one of those in here!

Rain or Storm in Title

Yeah, I’m coming up short on this one.

High Fantasy

 

 

Heir of Fire  by Sarah J. Maas

Yes. Yes. YES!

Parental Relationships

 
Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Dolleck

This book seems to feauture a particularly complicated parental relationship, so I think that’ll be interesting to read about.

Bullying

 

 

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

I haven’t read many books about bullying, but I do think this one sounds interesting, as its set in a competitive ballet academy.

Anthology or Collection

 

 

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

GUYS.

*creepy giggle*

WWII

 

 

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman

I could also use The Book Thief, but I’ll definetly be reading this book, since the first book is my all-time favorite historical fiction novel!

Horror 

  

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd
I’m not sure if I would really classify this series as horror, so I am cheating a bit, though I do remember the first book making me feel very creeped out.

Thieves, Assasins, Pirates

 
The Pirate’s Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

This book has thieves, assasins, AND pirates!

I enjoyed the first book in this duology, so I’m really curious to see how the story will end.

Parallel Universes

 
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

The cover. Just. Perfection.

Green Cover

See the High Fantasy section!

#weneeddiversebooks

 
To All The Boys I’ve Loves Before by Jenny Han

Too many people have read this book and loved it, so I’m super excited to give it a try!

Illustrated Cover

Heir of Fire’s got this one covered!

Part of a Trilogy

See the Horror section!

Nonfiction or Memoir

 
Popular by Maya Van Wagenen

This book sounds hilarious and I can’t wait to read it! 

Historical

I’ve already go two historical fiction books, so this section’s covered!

Plants on the Cover

 
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

This first book was okay, but I’ve heard that this one is much better, so I can’t wait to give it a try!
So that’s my TBR! I’m sure it’ll change here and there, but it feels good to have a plan. Thanks for stopping by, comment any thoughts and follow if you’d like to read some more bookish posts! 

Coffee Book Tag!

1. Black: Name a series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans.

 

 I stumbled through this book because of all the fans, but just like black coffee, I really never got into.

2. Peppermint mocha: Name a book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive time of year.

  

I’m choosing the popular choice for this one. For some reason, the Harry Potter books have a very festive feel.

3. Hot chocolate: What is your favourite children’s book?

  

This has been one of my favorites for so long! So sad, yet so good!

4. Double shot of espresso: Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

  

This trilogy is full of so much action, and I love that so much! The dual POV always ends in cliffhangers, making you want to read each chapter! Plus Day and June…❤️

5. Starbucks: Name a book you see everywhere.

 

Oh, Starbucks, how I love thee. ❤️

Red Queen has been receiving a bunch of hype right now, and personally, I think this book deserves it.

6. That hipster coffee shop: Give a book by an indie author a shoutout

 

😊👌 Great book. Set in India. You should read it!

7. Oops! I accidentally got decaf: Name a book you were expecting more from.

 

 

*ducks rocks thrown at me*

Sorry, sorry, sorry! I loved The Fault in Our Stars, but Paper Towns didn’t do much for me. 😪

8. The perfect blend: Name a book or series that was both bitter and sweet but ultimately satisfying.

 

 

I don’t know how satisfying this was, but it was definetly bittersweet.

OH THE FEELS.

I tag anyone who wants to do this tag! 

Ambitious April TBR!

I’ve been sick, but since I love you all soooo much, I’m writing despite my misery.

Okay, slight dramatization there, but still.

New Releases

  

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman

This book is going to be released on April 21, and I cannot contain my excitement! 

This novel is the sequel to Prisoner of Night and Fog, which is a historical fiction novel revolving around Gretchen, who calls Adolf Hitler “Uncle Dolf.” She meets a Jewish reporter who starts to reveal some truths she didn’t see.

This novel was also one of my most anticipated releases, and also feels like a belated birthday present to me , since my birthday is only two days before.

 
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir 

I don’t know much about this book, but I’ve been hearing so much hype, plus Sabaa Tahir is going to have a book signing near where I live! 

Review Copies

 
Silent Echo by Elisa Freilich

Diversion books (the publication company) was kind enough to send me an eBook of this book. YAY!

Silent Echo is about a mute girl who can suddenly use her voice. I know it also incorporates Greek mythology, which I LOVE.

Library Books

   

The Elite by Kiera Cass

 

The One by Kiera Cass

As many of you probably know, The Heir is going to be released in May, so I want to read the rest of the series. Plus, Kiera Cass will have a book signing near where I live!

 

 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

I started this book, but then I got sick and my brain requested to just be a vegetable, so I’ll finish it in April.

So, it’s about vampires. And I really, really don’t like that. I just plain don’t like stories about vampires. However, I’ve heard so much hype, so I decided to pick  it up. So far, I really enjoy her writing style, but I still hate the vampires part. They’re creepy, okay?

That’s it for my April TBR! Not too many books, but with my immune system, who knows when I’ll get better. 

With my birthday and this awesome selection of books, I know it’ll be a great month!

Comment below your thoughts, if you’ve read these, if you want to, or if you just want to say hi!

Becca💕 

Top Ten Prettiest Book Covers

Welcome to the post where we judge books by their covers. 

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski 

Pretty dress. ‘Nuff said.

These Broken Stars by Amid Kaufman and Meghan Spooner

The colors, and the dress, and the stars…IT’S SO PRETTY. 

The Shatter Me Trilogy by Tahereh Mafi

All of the covers in this trilogy are perfect. The eyes, and just, everything. Perfect.

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Welcome to the most tumblr book cover ever. I LOVE IT.

Mosquito land by David Arnold

I LOVE THIS. I really love the fun colors and quirky artwork. ❤️

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

“I don’t care what this book is about, I need to own it. Now.” Said every book lover ever.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Pastel colors. Adorable room. Tumblr scheme. I NEED IT.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

THIS COVER. Not only is it gorgeous, it gives you a pretty good idea of what the book is about.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

The old covers were horrendous, but now the covers are BEAUTIFUL. Because Paris. It’s Paris.

And yes, I’m the only person in the world who hasn’t read this book yet.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

The happy title and adorable colors almost convince you that this might be an uplifting book. Almost.

There ya go! Did I miss any? Tell me down below! Also let me know if you’ve read any of these books so we can fangirl!!!

Mwah!😘

The Liebster Award!

Thank you thank you THANK YOU Swxftbooks for nominating me! Everyone should go check out her blog because it’s SO AWESOME.

So, there are a couple of rules that come with this award. These are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
2. Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
3. Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
4. Provide 11 random facts about yourself.
5. Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 200 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
6. Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
7. List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.)
8. Find some way to inform those who you have nominated.

Sooo, here are the questions!

1. If you could be born in any time period, which would you choose and why?

I would choose the 1950s for the most superficial reason ever. I LOVE THE CLOTHES.

2. What would constitute a perfect Friday night for you?

Since I already spend most of my Friday’s reading, I think going out with friends so go see a movie and then go bowling (with pizza, of course) would be a pretty awesome Friday.

3. What is your favourite holiday destination?

If by holiday you mean Christmas season, I would love to be by a lake in the middle of the woods, reading in a log cabin.

4. What are you really grateful for?

Honestly, everything! But especially my family, they’re awesome!

5. What are some of your favourite books?

UGH SO HARD. When it all comes down to it, everything by Rick Riordan because his books are perfection.

6. What made you become a reader?

I’ve been reading ever since I was four, so I can’t really know what exactly made me a reader. I do know that my dad and older sister have always been really avid readers, so they probably got me started. 

7. Where is your favourite place to read?

My bed. 🙂

It’s cozy.

8. In your opinion, what is the most well done book to movie adaptation you’ve seen?

I think the Hunger Games movies were actually really well done.

9. How often do you lose your bookmarks?

Um, more than I breathe.

10. What was the last movie you saw? Was it any good?

The last movie i saw was Big Hero 6, and it was FANTASTIC. I mean, it’s disney, so oubviously. 

11. What is your favourite topping on pizza?

Bacon. DUH.

Now for the random facts!

1. I currently hate winter, because OH MY GOSH SO MUCH SNOW. Seriously, ITS MARCH.
2. I have a cocker spaniel who’s an adorable psychopath❤️
3. My birthday is on April 19, and I’m psyched!
4. I’m half Indian, half Scottish and Irish.
5. I have a slightly creepy obsession with basset hounds
6. I’m fluent in 4 languages, Malayalam, English(duh), Latin, and French.
7. I’m related to Robert Louis Stevenson.
8. I’m currently writing a novel
9. I want to eventually start a book tube channel
10. I LOVE ballet!
11. I LOVE DISNEY

Okay, time for my nominations!

Find me at the Library

Bibliophile Gathering
Addleplates and Book Nerds
Nerdy Talks
Big city bookworm
Aaaaand the questions…

1. If you could transport yourself into a tv show, which would you choose?
2. If you could only live in one season, which would you choose?
3. If you could be an animal, which one would you be?
4. What’s your favorite genre of music?
5. How many bookshelfs do you have?
6. Who’s your favorite author not currently living?
7. Favorite method of exercise?
8. Favorite midnight snack?
9. Favorite artist?
10. First favorite book?
11. Most anticipated book release of the month?

That was so much fun! Hope you enjoy!

Red Queen | Review + Discussion

Title: Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis:

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the center of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win? 

Spoiler Free Review:

OH MY GOSH THE HYPE.

Though there have been some mixed reviews, I was a little worried that all the hype would only lead to disappointment.

Not to worry! This book was just the right amount of action, emotion, romance, sass, and, ugh, SO GOOD. And clearly this book has made me illiterate…

I know I lot of people got confused with the world building, but I had a perfect image in my head. Though it is uncertain whether or not this book was set in the future or a fantasy world. Hopefully that issue will be cleared up in the second book. Despite all that, I still looooved it!

There is a love triangle/square-ish shape thing going on, and I know, everybody hates those. But honestly, I didn’t really mind this one.

EPICNESS. JUST READ IT.

SPOILER FULL DISCUSSION:

SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK. SERIOUSLY.

HOLY CRAP. MIND BLOWN.

Okay, let’s start from the beginning, shall we.

Okay, so Kilorn is Mare’s life-long friend and there seems like he has some feelings for Mare. But, I mean, he’s really only friend material. Plus he seems like a wimp. Though I picture him like Ethan from 90210, soo…

Okay, when Mare and Gisa went to the Silver city thing, I was so worried. And when the guard or police or whatever grabbed her, my mind was just screaming NO HE’S GOING TO KILL HER NO DON’T SHE’S TOO SWEET AND INNOCENT NO. And then he only broke her sewing hand, and I was like, oh all that’s ruined is the entire family’s future. It’s cool.

OH MY GOSH THE LIGHTNING! It was so awesome I was just sitting there like Go Mare. Go Mare. Go Mare. And if I hadn’t been in Starbucks, I also would have been like:

From the beginning, I was Team Cal. I didn’t trust that Maven kid. But as it went on, I started to feel for Maven, and I genuinely felt pity for him, and I basically love anyone I pity. And I’m a very emphatic person, so I feel pity for just about everyone.

THEN. IT HAPPENED. THE BETRAYAL. WHAT. WHAT . WHAT. I was all part of his trick, that sniveling little…

I can’t believe I didn’t see it coming! My first instincts were right. I FREAKING KNEW IT.

I did call that Shade was still alive. I’m not sure how, but I just sort of sensed it. I mean, he couldn’t have died, he’s the funny sassy one.

I NEED THE SEQUEL. GIMME. NOW. VICTORIA AVEYARD I AM BEGGING YOU.

Book Review: Sweet

Title: Sweet

Author: Emmy Laybourne

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Publication Date: June 2, 2015

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:

Solu’s luxurious celebrity-filled “Cruise to Lose” is billed as “the biggest cruise since the Titanic,” and if the new diet sweetener works as promised—dropping five percent of a person’s body weight in just days—it really could be the answer to the world’s obesity problem. But Laurel is starting to regret accepting her friend Viv’s invitation. She’s already completely embarrassed herself in front of celebrity host, Tom Forelli (otherwise known as the hottest guy ever!) and she’s too seasick to even try the sweetener. And that’s before Viv and all the other passengers start acting really strange.

Tom Forelli knows that he should be grateful for this job and the opportunity to shed his childhood “Baby Tom-Tom” image. His publicists have even set up a ‘romance’ with a sexy reality star. But as things on the ship start to get a bit wild, he finds himself drawn to a different girl. And when his celebrity hosting gig turns into an expose on the shocking side effects of Solu, it’s Laurel that he’s determined to save.

Emmy Laybourne, author of the Monument 14 trilogy, takes readers on a dream vacation that goes first comically, then tragically, then horrifyingly, wrong. 

My Thoughts:

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Goodness, where to start?

This story starts out fun and lighthearted, with a cute cruise romance. It was full of fun personalities and lots of laughs.

The the story took a creepy turn towards the end, but I found myself still reading, which is particularly odd for me.

The problem I usually have with dual POV is that I always like one POV a lot more than the other. However, I didn’t have that problem here, since I found both sides of the story really entertaining.

There is a quirky, unconvential romance feautured that I think fans of Elanor and Park might enjoy, though the romance definitely doesn’t take over the story. 

Let’s say, Cute Contemoporary Romance meets The Walking Dead.

Book Review – DOWN (Deep Onsite Withdrawal from the Nucleus)

Title: DOWN (Deep Onsite Withdrawal from the Nucleus)

Author: Mackenzie Campbell

Release Date: Mid 2015

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis:

Project ACRONYM (Actual Controlled Release Of Nuclear Yield Materials) has landed a forty megaton nuclear bomb in the core of the earth. If it’s triggered, the shockwave will literally rip the earth to pieces. Commander Mikayla Burgess is charged with the task of piloting the USS Instigator to the core with the help of her copilot, Ben Thorne, navigational expert Brenna Mathis, geophysicist Shia Kash, robotics technician Kooper Sergei, and “expendable” Ryan Sharpe. They must find the nuke in a two million square mile environment of pure molten metal at 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit with millions of pounds of pressure per square inch. As a brilliant politician slowly turns every technician on the surface, can they survive long enough to deactivate the nuke? Will any technicians be brave enough to keep them alive? Is it even possible to survive the core?

My Thoughts:

Firstly, I was super excited when I was asked to be a beta reader for this book! But since I’m not a big science fiction fan, my expectations were pretty low when I started reading. But as soon as I finished Chapter One, my immediate reaction was:

And I kept loving it till the very end!

This book is full of non-stop action as some seriously heart stopping moments. This story is in no way predictable, I was shocked at every page!

There are some daunting scientific terms in the beginning, but they’re explained in a nice way so that most young adults will understand.

I really have no complaints about this book!

Most Anticipated Book Releases of 2015

Okay, I know I’m insanely late on this post, but I still really wanted to write this.

Enjoy!

Release Date: March 3, 2015

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Release Date: September 2015

Release Date: October 2015

Release Date: November 2015

What to-be-released books are you excited for?