Review: First Comes Love (First Comes Love #1) by Katie Kacvinsky

First Comes Love (First Comes Love #1) by Katie Kacvinsky

Hardcover, 198 pages
Published May 8th 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Like his name, Gray is dark and stormy. Dylan, a girl always searching for what’s next, seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving and besides, opposites attract.

What starts as friendship, turns into admiration, respect and caring, until finally these two lone souls find they are truly in love with each other.

But staying in love is not as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they’re going to have to work at it. And learn that sometimes love means having to say you’re sorry.

I loved every second of this book! First Comes Love is a wonderful contemporary romance. It follows 2 recent high school graduates, Gray and Dylan, as they meet while taking summer classes at a local college. Gray is a loner and a bit closed off since a family tragedy. Dylan comes along and pushes herself front and center in Gray's life whether he wants her there or not. They are so different, and yet somehow perfect for each other.

Gray and Dylan's alternating POV really allows for such great insight into both characters. I enjoyed reading about them meeting and falling in love while sweltering in the Phoenix heat, and growing as individuals and learning what is important in life. Gray and Dylan were complete opposites, yet they were able to balance each other out and were so great together. I felt that both characters had such distinct personalities that make them very memorable.

The writing was perfect - I forgot I was reading and became completely immersed in the story. The plot was completely character driven. The pacing was right on, and the story unfolded in such a way that it was easy to get caught up in their relationship and become emotionally invested. I found myself really wanting Gray and Dylan to be happy together. What else makes this book special is watching their friendship grow and their relationship bloom. I am so glad there was no insta-love. First Comes Love is very compelling and totally believable. It's a story about first love and all of the ups and downs that happen within a relationship.

The author included a playlist at the end of the book, and also gives details about her inspiration for First Comes Love.

My only complaint is I wish the book was longer! I wasn't ready for this sweet and emotional story to end. I highly recommend this book to fans of YA contemporary romance with more mature content.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Sunday Updates

I have been inspired by features from The Sunday Post from Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Sunday Summary from Book Twirps.

Books I Received Last Week:

Won - Saving You, Saving Me by Kailin Gow
Bought - The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton AUTOGRAPHED!!!!

*My 14 year old daughter read The Outsiders recently at school. I started talking to her about it and I was surprised at how much interest she showed in finding out what happens. I didn't want to spoil anything for her, so I told her she'd have to keep reading and find out for herself. She ended up reading the book in 3 days and THEN we discussed it. When she told me that her teacher was showing them the movie on the last day of school, she pulled out my DVD to see what it looked like. She could tell right away it was OLD, and we discussed the cover and the actors. She was really surprised at how many of them she knew! She really enjoyed watching the movie, and she has watched it at home 2 more times since then. I wish I could get her interested in reading more. I tell her about the books I am reading and she usually tells me that they sound stupid!

For Review - Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry thanks to Harlequin Teen

Coming Up This Week:

• Beginning Wednesday June 13: Indie Author Giveaway Hop
• Beginning Friday June 15: June New Release Giveaway Hop

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Winner! May New Release Giveaway Hop

Winner!

Congratulations to Entry #240 Alyssa S. who won the May New Release Giveaway Hop!
Alyssa chose Until I Die by Amy Plum.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Book Trailer: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

I am so excited to bring you The Animated Book Trailer for The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater!

Let me know what you think about the trailer, and if you are excited to read this series.



You can check out more about this series and the author at maggiestiefvater.com


The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Hardcover, 416 pages
Expected publication: September 18th 2012 by Scholastic Press

Synopsis From Goodreads:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

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Waiting On Wednesday (29) Small Damages by Beth Kephart

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

My choice for this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:


Small Damages by Beth Kephart

Hardcover, 304 pages
Expected publication: July 19th 2012 by Philomel

Synopsis From Goodreads:

It’s senior year, and while Kenzie should be looking forward to prom and starting college in the fall, she is mourning the loss of her father. She finds solace in the one person she trusts, her boyfriend, and she soon finds herself pregnant. Kenzie’s boyfriend and mother do not understand her determination to keep the baby. She is sent to southern Spain for the summer, where she will live out her pregnancy as a cook’s assistant on a bull ranch, and her baby will be adopted by a Spanish couple.

Alone and resentful in a foreign country, Kenzie is at first sullen and difficult. She begins to open her eyes and her heart to the beauty that is all around her and inside of her.

Synopsis from Amazon:

Juno meets Under the Tuscan Sun.

It’s senior year, and while Kenzie should be looking forward to prom and starting college in the fall, she discovers she’s pregnant. Her determination to keep her baby is something her boyfriend and mother do not understand. So she is sent to Spain, where she will live out her pregnancy, and her baby will be adopted by a Spanish couple. No one will ever know.

Alone and resentful in a foreign country, Kenzie is at first sullen and difficult. But as she gets to know Estela, the stubborn old cook, and Esteban, the mysterious young man who cares for the horses, she begins to open her eyes, and her heart, to the beauty that is all around her, and inside her. Kenzie realizes she has some serious choices to make–choices about life, love, and home.

Lyrically told in a way that makes the heat, the colors, and the smells of Spain feel alive, Small Damages is a feast for the heart and the soul, and a coming-of-age novel not easily forgotten.

I read tons of contemporary YA books, but pregnancy is not something that I see a lot of. Hopefully this story is realistic and not too preachy on the whole teen pregnancy issue. AND - I want to read it because it's set in Spain! Doesn't this sound interesting?

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Tune In Tuesday (5)

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by GReads. It's a great way to share songs that you love, new or old, and spread some music around the blogosphere!

Phillip Phillips Edition

That's right. I picked Phillip to win just from his first audition. I actually like him, though I was never certain he was Idol material. Nevertheless, he won, so I'm happy in a weird sort of way. And his whole kidney stone problem? Up to 8 stone removals and a stent for 2 months? That's terrible. I have issues with kidney stones myself, and I had to have a large one removed several years ago, then I had a stent for 10 days. Not fun at all. I was all but confined for those 10 days - no walking, no stairs, no driving. I could sit or lay and that was it. So huge applause for Phillip toughing it out and sticking around. And in honor...I give you my favorite performance of his, and the only American Idol song I have ever purchased from iTunes - Phillip's version of Damien Rice's 'Volcano'.



Now how about listening to some Damien Rice? 'The Blower's Daughter'



This next song gets stuck in my head every time I hear it. So I apologize in advance... First is Phillip and Elise's version (btw - I was NOT a fan of Elise. I was happy to see her go.) 'Somebody That I Used To Know' by Gotye



And now the original version from Gotye. This video is beyond strange. And Gotye isn't as, uhm, unattractive in real life as he is in this video. Check out some of the live performances on YouTube - he looks soooo much better!



Phillip singing 'We've Got Tonight' freaked me out by how perfect it was for his voice. Perfect.



Have you heard Phillip's version of 'U Got It Bad'?



Or how about 'Beggin'



Here the original version of 'Beggin' by Frankie Valli



Or how about this little gem from the year I was born? Gah, makes me so proud to be born in the sixties. Remake of 'Beggin' by Timebox. Love the matching outfits and the dance at 2:07. Seriously, this sh!t is great.

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May Recap And June TBR

Books I read in May:

-Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf (Review)
-Zero by Tom Leveen (Review)
-Spectral by Shannon Duffy (Review)
-While He Was Away by Karen Schreck (Review Coming Soon)
-Enchanted by Alethea Kontis (Review Coming Soon)
-First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky (Review Coming Soon)
-Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti (Review)
-Something Like Normal by Trish Doller (Review Coming Soon)

TBR June 2012 Releases:

There are so many awesome books that are released every month. I can't keep up what I want to read. These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I don't have as many must reads this month, so maybe I can catch up with my ARCs and reviews! Which books are you most excited for this month?

-Arise (Hereafter #2)by Tara Hudson
I like ghost stories, but I hope I like this book more than I did the first.

-Flirting in Italian (Flirting in Italian #1)by Lauren Henderson
I hope this is as cute as is sounds!

-Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate
Oh my. "Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again." I loved Fallen. But when I read Torment I was confused, so I went back and re-read Fallen again. And then I was even MORE confused. I have yet to read Passion, and I don't know if this is a good thing or bad....

-Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham
Roadtrip!

-My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Boy next door!

-Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn

-Temptation (Temptation #1) by Karen Ann Hopkins
An Amish love story!

-One Moment by Kristina McBride
I almost forgot about this one.

Still on my TBR (aka books from May that I didn't read in May...)
-Until I Die (Revenants #2) by Amy Plum
-In Honor by Jessi Kirby
-Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams
-Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1) by Anna Banks

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Book Cover Reveal: The Collector: A Dante Walker Novel by Victoria Scott

Coming Spring 2013, From Entangled Teen

About The Collector:

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Victoria Scott is a YA writer with a die-hard affection for dark and humorous books. Her work is represented by the fabulous Laurie McLean of Larsen-Pomada literary agency. She has a master’s degree in marketing, and is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas and Teen Shiver.

Her first YA book, THE COLLECTOR, will be published by Entangled Teen in 2013. And her short story, FOUR HOUSES, is available now through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

She currently lives in Dallas with her husband, Ryan.

Add On Goodreads
The Collector: A Dante Walker Novel
Victoria Scott Website

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