Waiting on Wednesday: The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

The Beginning of Everything by Robin Schneider

Expected Release Date: August 27, 2013

Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes? 

Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything is a lyrical, witty, and heart-wrenching novel about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.

(summary via Goodreads)

This one looks like a solid YA read.  I love that we get a male POV in a contemporary story (they’re out there, but certainly much more rare than the female narrators), and I think this one looks like it’s  going to be equal parts funny, sweet, and maybe a little sad.

Definitely a great end of summer read.

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

Expected Release Date: August 20, 2013

For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now . . . not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn’t even know what they are?

Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.

And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them . . .

(summary via Goodreads)

Despite the sort of blech-y end to the book’s blurb, I’m pretty stoked about this one.  I loved Myracle’s Shine, and she’s definitely a writer to watch.  It looks to be a pretty solid contemporary YA romance with some heavier stuff thrown in.  Myracle’s a good enough writer that I think this one will be interesting and good escapism.  I’m withholding judgment on the rest of it right now.  Either way, it’ll be a great way to end the summer.

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Expected Release Date: September 10, 2013

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

Or will she just go on living inside somebody else’s fiction?

(summary via Goodreads)

I’m a pretty big fan of Rainbow Rowell’s work, and this one looks to be just as great.  I love the idea of fan fiction as fodder for actual fiction, and Rowell has proven herself to be an author to watch.  It’s older YA, it’s Rainbow Rowell, and it the cover is super great (and looks like it was done by Noelle from GingerHaze?)  Why wouldn’t I be dying to get my hands on this one?

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

Expected Release Date: May 7, 2013

Nikki’s life is far from perfect, but at least she has Dee. Her friends tell her that Dee is no good, but Nikki can’t imagine herself without him. He’s hot, he’s dangerous, he has her initials tattooed over his heart, and she loves him more than anything. There’s nothing Nikki wouldn’t do for Dee. Absolutely nothing.

So when Dee pulls Nikki into a crime—a crime that ends in murder—Nikki tells herself that it’s all for true love. Nothing can break them apart. Not the police. Not the arrest that lands Nikki in jail. Not even the investigators who want her to testify against him.

But what if Dee had motives that Nikki knew nothing about? Nikki’s love for Dee is supposed to be unconditional…but even true love has a limit. And Nikki just might have reached hers.

(summary via Goodreads)

It’s no secret that I love Terra Elan McVoy’s books, so there’s no doubt that I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of her newest book.  This one looks a lot darker than her previous offerings, but I can’t wait to read it.  If it’s done well (and my guess it will be), it’ll be a nuanced look at coercion and love and what happens when the two collide.  I can’t wait to read this one this spring.

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

Expected Release Date: May 7, 2013

Lucy Beck-Moreau once had a promising future as a concert pianist. The right people knew her name, her performances were booked months in advance, and her future seemed certain.

That was all before she turned fourteen.

Now, at sixteen, it’s over. A death, and a betrayal, led her to walk away. That leaves her talented ten-year-old brother, Gus, to shoulder the full weight of the Beck-Moreau family expectations. Then Gus gets a new piano teacher who is young, kind, and interested in helping Lucy rekindle her love of piano — on her own terms. But when you’re used to performing for sold-out audiences and world-famous critics, can you ever learn to play just for yourself?

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr takes readers inside the exclusive world of privileged San Francisco families, top junior music competitions, and intense mentorships. The Lucy Variations is a story of one girl’s struggle to reclaim her love of music and herself. It’s about finding joy again, even when things don’t go according to plan. Because life isn’t a performance, and everyone deserves the chance to make a few mistakes along the way.

(summary via Goodreads)

Sara Zarr is obviously a huge name in the YA world.  She writes stories that are beautiful, moving, and memorable.  This one looks to be no different, as she sets up a fascinating premise that is sure to hook readers.  I like the idea of a pianist rediscovering her love of the instrument.  I haven’t read a lot of YA novels about musicians or child prodigies, so this one should be interesting.  You can’t really go wrong with Sara Zarr, right?

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland 

Expected Release Date: May 7, 2013

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t. 

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on–most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits–that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.

(summary via Goodreads)

This looks like the kind of summer read I’m always in search of.  Truth be told, I’m still looking for a summer book to move me like Sarah Ockler’s Twenty Boy Summer did.  So far, I haven’t been so moved.  But I’m hopeful.  This looks like the kind of perfect mix of family/hard stuff/romance that I so love in a YA novel.  Here’s hoping this is done well.  I can’t wait to settle down with this one.

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise

Expected Release Date: April 30, 2013

In The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise, super-smart, somewhat geeky Audrey McCarthy can’t wait to get out of high school. Her father’s death and the transformation of her one-time BFF, Blake Dawkins, into her worst nightmare have her longing for the new start college will bring.

But college takes money. So Audrey decides she has to win the competition for the best app designed by a high schooler—and the $200,000 that comes with it. She develops something she calls the Boyfriend App, and suddenly she’s the talk of the school and getting kissed by the hottest boys around. But can the Boyfriend App bring Audrey true love?

(summary via Goodreads)

I’m in the mood for something light this week, because I’ve been reading a lot of very dark (but very good) stuff lately.  This cute contemporary YA novel looks to be right up my alley.  I love the incorporation of technology and science to the book, and I love that the science geek is a female.  I’m sure this one won’t reinvent the wheel, but it does look to be a totally enjoyable read.  The great news is that it comes out at the end of April, so I don’t even have to wait that long for it!

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

Expected Release Date: June 4, 2013

Danny’s mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see.

Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn’t know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.

When he gets a letter from his mom’s property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother’s memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harijuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

(summary via Goodreads)

Daisy Whitney is definitely a name to watch in YA, and this book has been getting good buzz from librarians and book bloggers I trust.  I love a good YA novel with a male perspective, and this one looks to be pretty good.  It’s going to be a tear-jerker, I think, but it also combines some of my favorite elements: travel, a mystery, and growth.  I definitely can’t wait to read this one.

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

Expected Release Date: May 1, 2013

Sookie Stackhouse has one last adventure in store.

Life has taken her from a waitress in Merlotte’s Bar, Bon Temps, to part owner; from social outcast to the heart of her community; from a vampire’s girlfriend to the wife of one of the most powerful vampires in the state. She has survived earthquakes, revolutions and attempts on her life. Sookie has endured betrayal, heartbreak and grief . . . and she has emerged a little stronger, and little wiser, every time.

But with life comes new trials . . .

The question is, in the end: who will love, who will live, and who will be dead ever after?

(summary via Goodreads)

You guys.  I don’t know what it is about this series and my inability to quit it.  I’m not even caught up to the point where I can read this one–I have at least two other books in the series before I can even get to this.  But since this is supposed to be the last book in the series, I have to know how it ends.  Don’t you?  I mean, really?

I’ll definitely be picking this one up when it comes out.  There’s my motivation to move through the rest of the series.

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: Me Since You by Laura Wiess

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

Me Since You by Laura Wiess

Expected Release Date: September 3, 2013

Sixteen-year-old Rowan is still reeling from her father’s suicide four months ago, after he failed to stop a man from leaping off an overpass to his death. The only witness is Eli, a teenaged boy wrapped deep in mourning for his own father, killed in action in Afghanistan. When Rowan and Eli meet, they recognize kindred spirits, and begin to navigate grief and its aftermath together.

Rowan can’t understand how her father could choose to leave her, and acts out, pushing away friends and taking risks with her safety. Rowan’s mother, wracked with her own guilt and sorrow over failing to save her husband, stops going to work and collects stray cats for comfort. Grief, fractured and unpredictable, rules their lives now. Rowan is lost—and sinking. But Eli represents a lifeline for Rowan, and as they struggle to make sense of what’s gone and what is left behind, they begin to fall in love. Me Since You is Laura Wiess at her finest—a beautiful, gripping and painfully honest examination of adolescence.

(Summary via Goodreads)

This doesn’t exactly sound like an upper of a book, but I’m excited to read it all the same.  It looks like the kind of sad, meaty YA novel that I so enjoy, and since right now I’m in the throes of a terrible reading slump, everything that has yet to be released just seems so appealing.  As long as the romance doesn’t overshadow the grief and the process feels authentic, this one looks like it will be a winner with me.

 

What are you waiting on this week?