Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering Blog Tour

Publication: June 12, 2018

Publisher: Atria Books

Source: Publisher

A thrilling, sexy coming-of-age story exploring toxic love, ruthless ambition, and shocking betrayal, Tell Me Lies is about that one person who still haunts you—the other one. The wrong one. The one you couldn’t let go of. The one you’ll never forget. Lucy Albright is far from her Long Island upbringing when she arrives on the campus of her small California college, and happy to be hundreds of miles from her mother, whom she’s never forgiven for an act of betrayal in her early teen years. Quickly grasping at her fresh start, Lucy embraces college life and all it has to offer—new friends, wild parties, stimulating classes. And then she meets Stephen DeMarco. Charming. Attractive. Complicated. Devastating. Confident and cocksure, Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s quickly seduced by this vision of herself, and the sense of possibility that his attention brings her. Meanwhile, Stephen is determined to forget an incident buried in his past that, if exposed, could ruin him, and his single-minded drive for success extends to winning, and keeping, Lucy’s heart. Alternating between Lucy’s and Stephen’s voices, Tell Me Lies follows their connection through college and post-college life in New York City. Deep down, Lucy knows she has to acknowledge the truth about Stephen. But before she can free herself from this addicting entanglement, she must confront and heal her relationship with her mother—or risk losing herself in a delusion about what it truly means to love. With the psychological insight and biting wit of Luckiest Girl Alive, and the yearning ambitions and desires of Sweetbitter, this keenly intelligent and staggeringly resonant novel chronicles the exhilaration and dilemmas of young adulthood, and the difficulty of letting go, even when you know you should.

Told from the alternating POV’S of Stephen and Lucy, Tell Me Lies is story that quickly pulled me in. Stephen and Lucy meet while in college together. Lucy is bright with a great group of friends just looking for a fun experience. Enter Stephen, a world class jerk who thinks he can get away with anything. 

It doesn’t take that long for these two to start dating. They end up developing a toxic on-again, off-again relationship filled with lies and cheating.Even though Stephen is definitely not good for Lucy, she can’t seem to understand that. At least not right away. Lucy has blinders on because she thinks she is in love with him. And even if Stephen is flawed, it’s hard to sever ties with someone who gives you butterflies or makes you feel special whenever they are around. I felt that Stephen was just using Lucy. He didn’t really want her, but he didn’t want anyone else to have her either.

Stephen and Lucy are not really lovable characters. But I think that’s the point. The author created these characters that you may not necessarily want to root for, but you can’t stop from wanting to know what is going to happen next. It’s like watching a car accident happen. You know there is going to be some damage and it won’t be pretty, but you can’t make yourself look away from it. And I enjoyed every page. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good contemporary story filled with deceit, drama, and a side of un-healthy codependency. 

RATING: 3 out of 5.

About the Author

Photograph by Kacey Klonsky

Carola Lovering attended Colorado College, and her work has appeared in W Magazine, National Geographic, Outside, and Yoga Journal, among other publications. Tell Me Lies is her first novel. She currently lives in Brooklyn.

TELL ME LIES by Carola Lovering

Atria Books | ISBN: 9781501169649 | On sale: June 12, 2018 | 384 pages | $26.00

eBook: Atria | ISBN: 9781501169663 | On sale: June 12, 2018 | 384 pages | $13.99

Find Carola Lovering Online

Website: www.carolalovering.com

Twitter: @carolatlovering

Instagram: @carolatlovering

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Flick by Abigail Tarttelin Book Release!

Publication: May 19, 2015

Publisher: Atria Books

Happy Book Birthday to Abigail Tarttelin and her novel Flick! Flick is the unique coming of age story of 15 year old William Flick.

Check out information about the book below, and if it strikes a chord with you, the purchase links are at the bottom! Happy Reading :)

FLICK is funny, raw and sexy with a side of that Romeo & Juliet-like romance sure to remind readers of the excitement and angst of those gloriously messy years of young adulthood life. After blowing critics away in 2013 with Golden Boy -an unconventional novel about the turbulent life of an intersex teen- 27-year old Abigail Tarttelin returns with her debut novel FLICK, written when she was just 19. William Flicker or Flick is fifteen, smart, witty and trapped in a small, depressed town in Northern England. Him and his friends spend most of their days pondering the artistry behind being a stoner, or whether Pepsi is better than Coke. But the slaying monotony of a predictable future is catching up and Flick starts to wonder if there is something else out there waiting for him. His answer comes in the form of the new girl in town, Rainbow. She doesn’t just offer a flick of hope. She hands him a full spectrum. Will she help him escape the whirlwind of drugs and violence surrounding them? Or will Flick’s loyalty to his old life make him turn his back on his shot at freedom. Told with humor and raw honesty, in a voice “both authentic and compelling” (GQ, UK), FLICK captures an unforgettable moment in the life of a young man at the crossroads of greatness and oblivion.

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The Summer After You & Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski Cover Reveal!

Today I am happy to reveal the cover for Jennifer Salvato Doktorski’s upcoming YA novel, The Summer After You and Me.  I love summertime. And this book sounds like the perfect summer or beach read.

Her previous books include Famous Last Words and How My Summer Went Up in Flames...which I suggest you check out.  To find out more about the author visit her site and twitter/ facebook (information at the bottom). Don’t forget to add her book on Goodreads!

Expected Publication: Spring 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Sunbathing, surfing, eating funnel cake on the boardwalk—Lucy loves living on the Jersey Shore. For her, it's not just the perfect summer escape, it is home. And as a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in over Memorial Day weekend, crowding the shore and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Lucy wants more from love than a fleeting romance, even if that means keeping her distance from her summertime neighbor and crush, Connor. Then Superstorm Sandy tears apart her barrier island, briefly bringing together a local girl like herself and a vacationer like Connor. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm. And day after day, week after week, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and broken home. Now with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, will it be a summer of fresh starts or second chances?

Where to find Jen Doktorski:

www.jendoktorski.com

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The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh

Publication: March 11, 2014

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau / Random House LLC.

Source: Publisher

For fans of Gillian Flynn and Daniel Woodrell, a dark, gripping debut novel of literary suspense about two mysterious disappearances, a generation apart, and the meaning of family-the sacrifices we make, the secrets we keep, and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love. The Dane family's roots tangle deep in the Ozark Mountain town of Henbane, but that doesn't keep sixteen-year-old Lucy Dane from being treated like an outsider. Folks still whisper about her mother, a bewitching young stranger who inspired local myths when she vanished years ago. When one of Lucy's few friends, slow-minded Cheri, is found murdered, Lucy feels haunted by the two lost girls-the mother she never knew and the friend she couldn't protect. Everything changes when Lucy stumbles across Cheri's necklace in an abandoned trailer and finds herself drawn into a search for answers. What Lucy discovers makes it impossible to ignore the suspicion cast on her own kin. More alarming, she suspects Cheri's death could be linked to her mother's disappearance, and the connection between the two puts Lucy at risk of losing everything. In a place where the bonds of blood weigh heavy, Lucy must decide where her allegiances lie.

The Weight of Blood is told mostly from the point of view of Lucy and her mother who disappeared when she was younger. Ironically, Lucy’s friend Cheri has been missing for a year and her body was recently found. 

With not too many people to call family except her father and uncle, Lucy feels alone and abandoned. So she sets out to find the answers she is looking for. Who murdered Cheri and what really happened to her mother. Not too long after she starts digging, she begins to think that there is a connection between these seemingly unrelated occurrences. And she faces some tough decisions about who she can trust and what is the right thing to do.

This story was interesting. There were a couple more points of views from other characters in the story, which was a little confusing at first, but I ended up enjoying it. I felt like it added a little more to the story. It was a little moodier than I had anticipated. And I wasn’t always on the edge of my seat in anticipation reading this, especially since the story-line felt a little slow. But it was a good read with interesting characters and a pretty enjoyable mystery.

RATING: 3 out of 5.

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Winterkill by Kate A. Boorman

Publication: September 9, 2014

Publisher: Amulet Books / ABRAMS

Source: Publisher

Emmeline knows she’s not supposed to explore the woods outside her settlement. The enemy that wiped out half her people lurks there, attacking at night and keeping them isolated in an unfamiliar land with merciless winters. Living with the shame of her grandmother’s insubordination, Emmeline has learned to keep her head down and her quick tongue silent. When the settlement leader asks for her hand in marriage, it’s an opportunity for Emmeline to wash the family slate clean—even if she has eyes for another. But before she’s forced into an impossible decision, her dreams urge her into the woods, where she uncovers a path she can’t help but follow. The trail leads to a secret that someone in the village will kill to protect. Her grandmother followed the same path and paid the price. If Emmeline isn’t careful, she will be next.

This book sort of reminded me of the movie The Village. I remember liking the movie at first, then once I found out what was really going on towards the end, I didn’t like it so much. But as I kept reading, I was keeping my fingers crossed that this book wouldn’t exactly be like that movie because I was really getting into it.

Emmeline keeps dreaming about the woods. She feels like they are calling out to her so strongly at times and she isn’t sure why or what it means. So her curiosity gets the best of her and she risks punishment by venting farther into the woods to see what she can find.

Emmeline was brave, she just doesn’t realize it at first. She worries too much about her ‘Stain’ and her family's past. Emmeline's Grandma was punished (murdered) several years ago for breaking the communities rules. And because of that past transgression, Emmeline is referred to as being 'Stained.' I was so frustrated that these Council Leaders would make anyone especially young people carry the burden of a family members past sin. At times I wanted to shake Emmeline and everyone who gave her trouble and say ‘You are not you Grandma. Her ‘sin’ is not yours just because you share the same blood." It’s ridiculous. Anyways my little rant is over…

I really enjoyed Winterkill. Much more than I had originally anticipated. And I am happy to say, it wasn't exactly like The Village. Thankfully. When I would put it down to go run errands or other things, I found my mind wandering back to Emmeline, Tom, Brother Stockholm, and the other people in the village. I needed wanted to know what would happen next. I would definitely watch out for other books from this author in the future.

RATING: 4 ½ out of 5.

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