There are a lot of books that come out this month that I’m itching to own myself and some books that I already own but want you to put them on your wish list just because I know they’re going to be awesome! This is a little late because well, as you guys know, I’ve been going through some stuff but I wanted to post this anyway so- better late than never, right?
Check out the books that made it onto my wish list for this month.
1. Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson.
Three days before her drama club’s trip to Italy, Jessa Gardner discovers her boyfriend in the costume barn with another girl. Jessa is left with a care package from her best friend titled “Top Twenty Reasons He’s a Slimy Jerk Bastard,” instructing her to do one un-Jessa-like thing each day of the trip. At turns hilarious and heartwrenching, Instructions for a Broken Heart paints a magical Italy in which Jessa learns she must figure out life-and romance-for herself.
This book sounds like the perfect read for me right now. It reminds me of Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, only in Italy and really, I’m all about the European adventures! =)
2. Are You Going to Kiss Me Now? by Sloane Tanen.
High school junior Francesca Manning is an outsider, an aspiring writer and secret devourer of celebrity gossip mags. A fake essay to Seventeen wins her the celeb-schmoozing opportunity of a lifetime, but after the plane crashes, she’s stranded on a desert island with five of the most clueless, self-involved headcases to escape Hollywood. Happily skewering their foibles in witty observations on her iPhone proves surprisingly educational for Francesca. The group must work together to survive-if they don’t insult each other to death first.
This sounds like it’d be a riot to read. Being stranded on a deserted island with five celebrities? Yeah, it would probably drive me crazy but I’d be laughing when telling the story in the future. So yeah, I’m all about reading this one. Another crazy adventure, I’m sure.
3. So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti.
When Brooke’s crush, Scott, moves from their suburban town to New York City, she decides to follow him there. Living with her formerly estranged dad and adapting to a new school are challenging, and things go from bad to worse when Brooke learns that Scott already has a girlfriend. But as she builds her new life, Brooke begins to discover a side of herself she never knew existed. And as she finds out, in the city that never sleeps, love can appear around any corner…
I’m not going to lie, what first got me with this book is the cover. I love the colors used for the cover and the picture. It all looks so cute and the storyline reminds me of the old tv show Felicity where Felicity followed Ben to New York for college…and then met Noel? Oh goodness, I loved that show. I hope I love this book as much as I loved the show!
4. The Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McVoy.
Three sisters. One life-changing summer.
Calla loves summer because summer means Duncan. They’ve been best friends for years, but Calla has never worked up the nerve to tell him how she really feels. This summer, the summer before college, is Calla’s last chance.
Violet isn’t much of a rule breaker in real life. But this isn’t real life, this is summer, and Violet is determined to make the most of it. Besides, a little sneaking out never hurt anyone. And sneaking out with James is 100% worth the risk…even though James is completely off-limits.
Daisy has never been the sister that boys notice, but when sparks fly with Joel at the first bonfire of summer, it seems so easy and right. So why is being his girlfriend so complicated?
With Summer right around the corner, I’m already in that summer reading mode. I love summery romantic comedy type books or even just contemporary romances that are perfect for lazing away the days on the beach with a good book. You can’t get more summer themed then summer camp so this was definitely on my wish list for this month!
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth.
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.
I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about this book, getting a lot of book recommendations for this book so I’m guessing this book is pretty good so on the wish list it’s going.
6. I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan.
Sam Border wishes he could escape. Raised by an unstable father, he’s spent his life moving from place to place. But he could never abandon his little brother, Riddle.
Riddle Border doesn’t talk much. Instead, he draws pictures of the insides of things and waits for the day when the outsides of things will make sense. He worships his older brother. But how can they leave when there’s nowhere to go? Then everything changes. Because Sam meets Emily.
Emily Bell believes in destiny. She sings for her church choir, though she doesn’t have a particularly good voice. Nothing, she feels, is mere coincidence. And she’s singing at the moment she first sees Sam.
Everyone whose path you cross in life has the power to change you—sometimes in small ways, and sometimes in ways greater than you could have ever known. Beautifully written and emotionally profound, Holly Goldberg Sloan’s debut novel deftly explores the idea of human connection.
This book is another one of those books that just sounds like it would be an awesome book. An intense read and I’m itching to get my hands on a copy so that I can Sam, Riddle and Emily’s story.
7. But I Love Him by Mary Hubbard, Amanda Grace.
Tonight was so much worse than anything before it. Tonight he didn’t stop after the first slap.
At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved — and needed. Ann can’t recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor’s rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything — and everyone — in its path.
This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.
This looks like one of those very deep, intense reads that will stay with you long after you finish the story and I seriously want to read it.
8. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen.
Since her parents’ bitter divorce, Mclean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move – four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother’s new family, Mclean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, Mclean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself – whoever that is. Perhaps her neighbor Dave, an academic superstar trying to be just a regular guy, can help her find out. Combining Sarah Dessen’s trademark graceful writing, great characters, and compelling storytelling, What Happened to Goodbye is irresistible reading.
It’s a Sarah Dessen. Of course I want it! =)
9. The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski.
Debut author Mandelski follows a pretty basic recipe in this coming-of-age novel that offers an abundance of familial and romantic drama. Fifteen-year-old Sheridan Wells, aka “Cake Girl,” is happy with her smalltown life in western Michigan, creating amazing cakes in her grandmother’s bakery. Her father, who runs the hottest restaurant in town, is distant, but Sheridan truly longs for her mother, who abandoned the family years ago. When her father is offered a cooking show in New York City, Sheridan refuses to consider leaving the town she loves, holding out hope for her mother’s return; her mother says she’ll do just that in birthday cards Sheridan receives each year, though readers should see through these promises quickly, draining that story line of genuine tension. After Sheridan’s contact with her mother proves a disappointment, she is finally able to move on. Sheridan is believably self-absorbed and melodramatic when faced with unwanted changes in her life, but her bratty attitude and emotional naïveté don’t diminish until late into the novel, which flattens the story’s arc and isn’t likely to endear her to many readers. Ages 12 up.
I’m a baking nut, I love stories featuring bakers, I love bakeries and cupcakes. So if there’s a story that features a baker or the child of a baker or something/anything of that nature, it will always find its way onto my wish list. =)
10. The Last Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes #2) by Maureen Johnson.
Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny’s backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.
Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he’s found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.
If you read the first book in this series, you wondered where the last little blue envelope went, right? Well in this book you find out where it went and what happens next…of course it went on my wish list, even though I already read it and adored it! =) Put it on yours if it’s not on there yet.
11. Awakened by Katie Kacvinsky.
Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.
Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.
In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.
I absolutely adored this book. I got this e-book for review from S&S Galley Grab and read it and pre-ordered it because I had to have it. This book was good and it’s totally going on my keeper shelf just as a reminder to what can happen if I don’t get my behind away from the computer every chance I can. =)
12. Between Here and Now by Elizabeth Scott.
Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.
Until the accident.
Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it’s nothing compared to living without her.
She’s got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.
Abby is about to find out that truth isn’t always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could..
This book is another one of those books that sold me with the blurb. It sounds like it’d be a good read and really, that’s all the reason I need to add it to my wishlist.
So there you have it, the books that made it onto my monthly wish list for May 2011. What books made it onto your wish list for this month? Share with me!
..and that’s your scoop!
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com
You picked a ton of awesome books!! YAY!!!
Actually, a lot of great books are coming out, 🙂 it never ceases to amaze me.
There are so many good books coming out.
Seeing But I Love Him on your list and also having just read Stay by Deb Caletti, I wonder if we’re going to see an increase in books with this topic?
Lots of good books on this list. I heard Culbertson’s name the other day, but couldn’t think why it was familiar, but it must have been because I had heard of this book!
I really need to read the first Blue Envelopes book eventually too.
My copy of Sarah Dessen’s What Happened to Goodbye arrived in the mail today. I can’t wait to read it!
Diana
@Alex: I know, right? And to think that there’s so many other books that are coming out that look just as amazing!
@Ames: It is an interesting topic, don’t you think? I think this topic makes teens aware of of stalking and abusive relationships.
@Marg: I think that the Culbertson is the book that I’m most looking forward to reading after the Sarah Dessen. It looks like a good read.
@Diana: I’m going to start the Sarah Dessen probably this weekend. I need to read some books for review and I’m using the SD as my reward. Woot!
I’ve read The Sweetest Thing, it was good! I just got Divergent. I also really want But I Love Him and The Last Little Blue Envelope.
@Liz: Hello, thanks for stopping by. I finished The Sweetest Thing and while I ended up liking it, Sheridan got on my hot dang nerves a lot throughout the book. I sure did adore Jack though. =)