There are so many fantastic upcoming releases to look forward to in the world of YA, and many of them have beautiful covers too! For this edition of cover love, I've picked The Flywheel by Erin Gough!

Seventeen-year-old Delilah’s crazy life is about to get crazier. Ever since her father took off overseas, she’s been struggling to run the family’s cafe - The Flywheel - without him and survive high school. But after a misjudged crush on one of the cool girls, she’s become the school punchline as well. With all that’s on her plate she barely has time for her favourite distraction - spying on the beautiful Rosa, who dances flamenco at the tapas bar across the road.

Only her best friend Charlie knows how she feels about Rosa, but he has romantic problems of his own. When his plan to win an older woman’s heart goes horribly wrong, Del is the only one who can help Charlie stay out of jail. All this leaves Del grappling with some seriously curly questions.

Is it okay to break the law to help a friend? How can a girl tell another girl she likes her without it ending in humiliation and heartbreak? And - the big one - is it ever truly possible to dance in public without falling over?

I love the artistry of this cover with the soft blues and watercolour illustrations. I have a review cover of the book itself which I'll be reading soon!

Releasing February 2015

Genie's Weekly News (19)

Hi everyone and welcome to my weekly blog feature to recap the week with bookish news and what to expect coming up! So without further ado...

*Reading Right Now*





The last novel I read by Sally Gardner was The Red Necklace which I enjoyed, and now it's onto this story with some time travel and historical elements.

*Previous Posts*

• Review: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
• Top Ten Tuesday: Classics on my TBR  
• Waiting on Wednesday: Saint Anything  
• Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson  
• Discussion: An Open Letter to the Blogging Community  

*Recommendation of the Week*

I really loved this Morgan Matson novel - it's an enjoyable contemporary read with the perfect balance between cute and serious.

*From The Interwebs*

• Joy @ Thoughts by J questioned  the appeal of the player as a love interest
• Jeann @ Happy Indulgence urged the community to spread love not war
• Emily @ The Loony Teen Writer announced her new blog!
• Larissa @ YA Midnight Reads had her birthday
• Alise @ Readers in Wonderland launched their new recommendations feature

*Haul*

• The Flywheel by Erin Gough - I got this surprise in the mail from Hardie Grant Egmont and it looks like an interesting read which I hope to get to soon.
• The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand - I'm almost finished I Was Here, and have just started another book, so hopefully that's enough of a break before I start tackling books with those heavy issues again.

*Movie Reactions*



I didn't really like Into The Woods, so I was looking forward to something that would refresh my cinematic palate, so to speak. I watched this at the movies on Tuesday, and it was a really fun experience. Rebel Wilson was hilarious as expected, and Hugh Jackman even had a small part to play! I'm going out to see The Wedding Ringer with some friends next week, so I'll let you know what I make of that one.

How has your week been?

Discussion: An Open Letter to the Blogging Community

I did have this discussion planned for some point, but being inspired by the post by Jeann @ Happy Indulgence, I decided to post this open letter to the blogging community now.

Dear book-loving bloggers,

There has undeniably been some drama in the global blogosphere in recent months with various issues arising. Luckily here in Australia our close-knit community hasn't been affected as much, but what is happening elsewhere does inevitably have an impact on us all. Book blogging, above all - should be something we choose to do because we enjoy it.  It's an outlet to share our opinions openly, while still importantly giving everyone the respect they deserve. No blogger or author should be subject to harassment online for their actions, whoever they are. Acting immaturely and spreading those negative notions of jealousy and hate will ultimately get us...nowhere.

*end lecture*

Every blog is different, and so too is every blogger an individual. Sure, we all have our own styles and ways of doing things - that's what makes us so diverse and unique. It's only natural that at times we doubt ourselves and look at those follower numbers, thinking they're not nearly as high as some of the 'bigger' or 'more recognised' blogs out there. Yes, we may look at people's book hauls and wish that we had access to those highly-anticipated ARC's as well.

But is this what our blogging experience should be reduced to?

I think not.

Let's get back to basics - Why do we blog? What are our commonalities?

Well, the most obvious one is: we love books.

Isn't this what it's all about? Isn't this why we're book blogging in the first place? If the answer to those questions are yes, then it's this common factor that should be a cause to bond over, and not something to spark all the dramas we've been seeing.

Sharing our passion about the books we love, and supporting the authors who write them is what makes blogging all worth it. Authors out there need our support to get the word out for their novels we believe are amazing, and if we don't like it - it's NEVER an option to go against them personally. Without authors we wouldn't even have books in the first place (so basically - we have a lot to be thankful for.) SHARE THE LOVE PEOPLE!

It may have been said before - but let me reiterate:

We are a COMMUNITY as booklovers, so let's keep acting like one. We all have positive contributions to add to the blogosphere, and it's time to embrace our differences, our opinions, and our inner fangirls. 
#bookloversunite

Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Released: 4th May 2010
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Publisher
Pages: 344
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Goodreads | Bookworld | Book Depository

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar - especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory - but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Knowing it had a good reputation, I had bought the audio version of this book for one of my best friends as a birthday present. After hearing that she loved it, I couldn't wait to start it myself, and definitely wasn't disappointed. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour is a road-trip novel at its best, and Morgan Matson has created realistic characters who are going on a personal journey as much as a physical one. Travelling across America on what was meant to be a simple errand, Amy and Roger's story spans much further than that - and it's on their epic detour that all the fun happens. 

"So I think we have to be open to what happens", he said. "We can't know exactly what's coming."

I loved Morgan Matson's Since You've Been Gone, so I definitely knew that she could write an awesome YA contemporary, and this book really impressed me as well. After the death of her father, Amy's mother who has moved to Connecticut in their new house is someone she barely talks to anymore, and her brother Charlie is in rehab. There's a lot about family dynamics that come through in the book at certain points, especially during the flashbacks. These small glimpses into the past when her father was still alive gave the necessary background into how the members of the family had developed as a whole. This has more depth than a fluffy-contemporary, but at the end of the day - it was a heartwarming story.

What gave this book an edge over others in its genre was the scrapbook element where Amy and Roger both put photos of where they've been, the music playlists they've listened to, and other interesting facts about the states they passed through. All of the receipts from the diners they visited and hotel rooms made everything seem more realistic and road-trip-like. It was refreshing to have these sections that break up the text and add to the experience. What I did enjoy about Matson's writing style was that it wasn't too heavy on long-winded descriptions, but instead focused on the dialogue. Amy and Roger had a few awkwardly funny moments, and their own bond inevitably strengthened as the drive went on. Aside from the two main characters, the secondary ones were also given some time, and had their own quirks. What makes this story multifaceted are the sub-plots that weave together with the goal of the road-trip itself to create a novel that I didn't want to end.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour is a YA contemporary that I wholeheartedly recommend. It's cute without being overly 'fluffy', and serious enough with an ending that will warm your heart. If you want a feel-good story to lighten your day, then this is for you!

Waiting on Wednesday: Saint Anything

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where the participants tell their readers about an upcoming release they are waiting to read. This week I've picked Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen.

Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world.

When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident? Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

YA contemporary is a genre expecting a whole heap of awesome this year, and Sarah Dessen looks like she's going to deliver with her latest release. 

Releasing 5th May 2015