First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Revision. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"Atlanta is the Hollywood of the south, baby, what did you expect?"

~ Wives, Fiancées, and Side-Chicks of Hotlanta by Shereé Whitfield

The You I've Never Known

"Afraid of lust, it's recent bloom inside of me." ~ pg. 114

What if the details of your past have been told to you versus based on your own memory? For as long as she can remember, it has always been just Ariel and her dad. Her mom disappeared when she was a couple years old. Ariel and her dad moved around a lot, making home wherever the two of them were. Now Ariel is seventeen years old in a town ready to put down roots and build romantic relationships. But every day she fears her dad will leave like her mom did.

Maya is a teenager with an abusive mother. Escaping is her number one priority; she runs right into the arms of an older man. With a baby on the way, life gets more complicated than she imagined it ever would.

When their worlds cross, Ariel and Maya try to make sense of their lives, balance love and untangle lies. The You I've Never Known is an emotional journey to find out the truth in history and how to move forward in life.

"Dependency isn't only self-defeating. It's self-perpetuating." ~ pg. 99

There is no better author to write in this verse/prose format than Ellen Hopkins. Every chapter is a poem. Perfect example of less is more! With less words on each page, the reader is drawn to flipping the pages and constructing the story that the author intends. There were no unnecessary passages. Every sentence mattered in this 500+ page novel. I learned more about the main character, Ariel, through this writing style than I would have with traditional paragraphs. And what an unforgettable plot!

"But I don't
confess it.
Will I ever?" ~ pg. 503

Bookhearts, do not let the page count deter you. The You I've Never Known is indeed a quick read. I took my time and still finished it within a few days. It will be great for those with new year resolutions of reading more and stepping outside of your normal genre. Booklist says, "Hopkins has created another winner." I totally agree!

Happy Pub Day, Ellen Hopkins!

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are honestly my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: The You I've Never Known
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Published: January 2017
Pages: 549
Edition: Galley
Challenges: Bookish Kill Your TBR—Supports My New Year's Resolution; Popsugar—A Book Set in Two Different Time Periods
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♡

 

The Girl Before

"Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life." ~ 4%

Edward Monkford's houses are extraordinary. Based on traditional techniques but revolutionary with top-notch technology and out-of-this-world features. Monkford is an architect whose primary purpose is to affect the way the tenant feels. His houses may seem simple but under the blank canvas is an experience that users will never forget.

A young woman gets the opportunity to rent a unique house. When she falls in love with the architect, Edward Monkford, she has no idea she is repeating history. The girl who rented the house before also fell in love with him. In a matter of chapters, the eerie parallel lives of the two girls turn this story into a psychological thriller.

"There was a time when One Folgate Street seemed like a calm, serene haven. Now it doesn't. It feels claustrophobic and mean. Like the house is angry with me." ~ 70%

This is my first book read by author J.P. Delaney and I am pleased. Title aside, I enjoyed The Girl Before. The alternating points of view and time periods helped move the story along and paint a thriller picture. This could easily be made into a movie that I would love to see on the big screen especially around Halloween.

Is The Girl Before like all the other "The Girl..." books? No, not as notorious. But yes, just as captivating. It still had me wondering where the story was going and why. At times it was a bit far-fetched but still scarily realistic. However, I would have preferred if it had a less expecting title. Can we leave "The Girl..." books in 2016 please?

Nevertheless, Happy Pub Day, J.P. Delaney!

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are honestly my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: The Girl Before
Author: J.P. Delaney
Published: January 2017
Pages: 352
Edition: Galley
Challenge: Popsugar—A Book By an Author Who Uses a Pseudonym
Rating: ♥♥♥♡

 

I'mma Just Put My Life in Rice: A Blogmoir

♠♥ Oh, 2017. Only a few days in and already a doozy. I'mma just put my life in rice. Book blogging and blogmoir posts will resume on or around January 22.

  

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Revision. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life."

~ The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney

 

Difficult Women

"There are things you do not know about me. These things are not inconsequential." ~ 89%

Women are beautiful strong humans. In Roxane Gay's new release, Difficult Women, there are stories that focus on women from all walks of life and circumstance. Some are privileged; some are of poverty. Some are leaders; some are better as followers. Some are smarter than they let on while others conform easily. Some are sad and others just ignore the pain. Some live in glass houses while others live in shadows. But one common fact is apparent: women are molded by their experiences.

If you are familiar with Roxane Gay's writing from her previous book An Untamed State and essay collection Bad Feminist, then you know the good quality you'll get from reading her work. You'll also understand how challenging it is to describe her books without completely giving away the story. So trust me; Difficult Women is no exception.

A title means everything. It is my very first impression of a book. Sometimes it catches my attention and sometimes I skim over it on a bookshelf because of the title. For authors that I trust and will read whatever new work published, titles give me a hint of the book's content. Difficult Women is a title that is straight-forward. I assume it is about women that are difficult to get along with or full of drama. But as I read the stories, I never came across any difficult women. It was more women in difficult situations or women with difficulties. But the women themselves were not difficult, if that makes sense. Nonetheless, I am here to tell bookhearts do not get discouraged or bypass this book just because of its title. There is a story—or two or three or five—that you are sure to relate to. But there are also a couple stories that threw me way off and didn't seem to belong. They didn't quite carry the same voice of the author.

Roxane Gay is and remains one of the realest writers out here. Her tweets are entertaining and thought-provoking. Her books always leave a lasting impression. Roxane Gay has a way with words! This new collection of stories show her talent and vision of modern women.

So Happy Pub Day! Difficult Women is available as of today. Oh, and take a moment to admire the book cover!

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are honestly my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: Difficult Women
Author: Roxane Gay
Published: January 2016
Pages: 272
Edition: Galley
Challenge: Popsugar—A Book About an Interesting Woman
Rating: ♥♥♥♡

 

2017 Memes & Reading Challenges

2017 Goodreads Challenge: Read 107 books in 2017. 

2017 Page Count Challenge: Read 27,000+ pages.

Keeping Up with Patterson Challenge: Read books in the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, and Michael Bennett series by James Patterson. BOOKSHOTS are a bonus!

Perpetual Kinsey Millhone Challenge: Continue to read books in the Kinsey Millhone alphabet series by Sue Grafton.

Perpetual Jack Reacher Challenge: Continue to read books in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child.

2017 Bookish Kill Your TBR: 12 reading challenges designed to help knock out titles on To Be Read shelves.

1. January - Read a Book That Supports My New Year's Resolution
2. February - Read a Love Story
3. March - Read a Book Published The Decade I Was Born
4. April - Read a National Book Award Winner
5. May - Read a Book About Mental Health
6. June - Read a Book Set Outside of My Home Country
7. July - Read a Book About an Overlooked Figure in History
8. August - Read a Collection of Essays or Short Stories
9. September - Read an Entire Series
10. October - Read a Book That Scares Me
11. November - Read a Graphic Novel or Comic Book
12. December - Read a Book About Belief

2017 PopSugar Reading Challenge: Read a wide range of 52 books spanning topics.

First Lines Friday: Share the first line(s) from current read(s).

Series Sunday: Share a review/recommendation of a book in a series.

Lit Tidbits: Share current literary news.

US vs. UK: Compare covers of books released in US/UK.

Life of a Migraineur: Share moments of my life with migraines.

View all of Literary Marie's Memes and Reading Challenges here.