Blog Tour Review with Giveaway: Finding Mr. Better-Than-You by Shani Petroff

Book info:

Title:  Finding Mr. Better-Than-You
Author:  Shani Petroff
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: January 14th, 2020
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Source:  E-galley from Xpresso Reviews which did not influence my opinion
My rating:   4 stars

Synopsis:

A heartbroken teen, with the help of her best friends, goes on a quest to find the perfect boyfriend, and in the end learns that some things are more important than boys in Shani Petroff’s fun YA contemporary novel Finding Mr. Better-Than-You.

Camryn Roth has it all planned out: a perfect senior year with her friends and then it’s off to Columbia with her boyfriend, Marc. But the first week of school, everything falls apart. Not only does she not have enough extracurriculars for her dream school, her relationship falls to pieces when Marc publically dumps her!

With the help of her two best friends, Camryn is determined to pull her life back together. Step one, more extracurriculars. Step two, get over Marc and find someone better.

Shani Petroff’s newest rom-com is a love letter to friendship: to those who help you find your true self, stand by you no matter what, and support your plans even when they know they’re doomed.

Praise for Shani Petroff:

“Fans of holiday movies, rom-coms, and ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ will enjoy My New Crush Gave to Me . . . Petroff’s festive story will have readers baking gingerbread cookies and buñuelos at any time of year.” —VOYA, on My New Crush Gave to Me

“A worthwhile read. Flirty and fun.” —Booklist, on Romeo and What’s Her Name

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My Review:

I was excited to try this one out.   It seemed like it would be pretty cute.  And really, it was cute.  It kept me turning pages and smiling, and shaking my head at the crazy things that happened to Camryn.  I loved when her friends decided to do a Bachelor style thing to find her a new guy.  I loved that we don't get the stereotypical characters, like mean girl cheerleaders.  And that even the "other woman" wasn't really necessarily an evil seductress that we have to hate.  Other than the story being really cute, I guess I didn't realize just how much of a "love story about friends" it was going to be.  Because about halfway through, I saw it going that way, and I was disappointed, because I get it, friends are more important than boys. But when I read what I think is going to be a romance, I want a good romance.  So it was not exactly the type of ending I was looking forward to.   But it's probably great for a YA book, and for young girls to read so they don't think they have to have a boy to be happy.

Author Bio:

Shani Petroff is a writer living in New York City. Please visit her website at www.ShaniPetroff.com.

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Lisa's Looking Forward To #44 - January 14th, 2020

Back to joining up with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  I only have four compared to the ton of books last week.

From my ARC list for January 14th, 2020:

Sounds like it could be a good one.  A little bit of The Matrix type of story?

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Lake spends her days searching a strange, post-apocalyptic landscape for people who have forgotten one very important thing: this isn’t reality. Everyone she meets is a passenger aboard a ship that’s been orbiting Earth since a nuclear event. The simulation that was supposed to prepare them all for life after the apocalypse has trapped their minds in a shared virtual reality and their bodies in stasis chambers.

No one can get off the ship until all of the passengers are out of the sim, and no one can get out of the sim unless they believe it's a simulation. It's up to Lake to help them remember.

When Lake reveals the truth to a fellow passenger, seventeen-year-old Taren, he joins her mission to find everyone, persuade them that they’ve forgotten reality, and wake them up. But time’s running out before the simulation completely deconstructs, and soon Taren’s deciding who’s worth saving and who must be sacrificed for the greater good. Now, Lake has no choice but to pit herself against Taren in a race to find the secret heart of the sim, where something waits that will either save them or destroy them all.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

I got an ARC of this at AASL in November, but don't know how soon I'll get around to reading it.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
 
Echoes Between Us is bestselling author Katie McGarry’s breakout teen contemporary novel about a girl with everything to lose and the boy who will do anything to save her.

Veronica sees ghosts. More specifically, her mother's ghost. The afterimages of blinding migraines caused by the brain tumor that keeps her on the fringes and consumes her whole life haunt her, even as she wonders if it's something more...

Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but his adrenaline addiction draws him to Veronica.

A girl with nothing to live for and a boy with everything to lose--can they conquer their demons together?

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

I'll be reading this one and reviewing it next week, I think on Thursday the 16th.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Camryn has been dating Marc FOREVER—since freshman year! She dropped out of volleyball to go to all his games, switched her schedule around to be in his favorite class, and has been busting her butt to get into Columbia so they can go to the same college. So when Marc suddenly, and very publically, breaks up with her a week into their senior year so that he can date the new transfer student, she’s absolutely devastated.

But why be sad, when you can get even? Inspired by her favorite movies, Camryn decides that the best revenge is a Senior Year well lived, starring a boy who is ever so much better than her ex. With a little help from her friends, Cam is going to have the Best. Senior. Year. Ever.

Or else!

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Haven't heard a lot of buzz about this one, but it sounds like it could be good from the synopsis.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The story of an African-American girl becoming a woman on her own terms against the backdrop of widespread social change in the early 1900s America. As a daughter of an upper class African American family in Washington D.C., Savannah is lucky. Feeling suffocated by the structure of society, Savannah meets a working-class girl named Nell who introduces her to the suffragette and socialist movements, inspiring her to fight for change.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Final Thoughts:
Definitely more good books coming out this year.  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.  The US only giveaway is open till Friday at midnight.

Blog Tour Review with Giveaway: Airports, Exes, and Other Things I'm Over by Shani Petroff

Book info:
Title: Airports, Exes, and Other Things I’m Over
Author:  Shani Petroff
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: May 15th, 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
My rating:  4.5 stars

Synopsis:

A bad storm, two canceled flights, stuck in an airport with a hot stranger and the guy who broke her heart… what could go wrong?

After Sari caught her boyfriend Zev cheating on her, their romantic Florida vacation was ruined. She can’t get back to NYC soon enough. Unfortunately, mother nature may have different plans. A huge storm is brewing in the Northeast, and flights all over the country are getting canceled—including Sari’s. She winds up stuck at the airport for hours. With Zev!

When another stranded passenger (a hot NYU guy) suggests a connecting flight to Boston, Sari jumps at the chance. But when her mom freaks out about her traveling alone, she has no choice—she has to include Zev, and somehow survive being trapped with the guy who broke her heart!

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My Review:
This was one that I really ended up liking a lot!  It honestly felt really realistic in how the characters behaved for the most part.  It had a lot of humorous bits, and pop culture references, which I really enjoy. For example, it even mentioned Goodreads!  I picked it up, and couldn't seem to put it down, it kept me turning pages (digital pages on my Nook, so a lot of tapping on the side of the screen).  I like the way the "new/rebound" romance actually ended up going, it seemed perfect for how I was rooting for the story to go.  I definitely wanted to smack Sari a lot, I mean she wasn't giving Zev ANY chance at all for the longest time.  And then, the next thing that set her off, well, I feel like she totally overreacted once again. But when she did break down, that was so real to me, I can remember times I've felt the same way.  And I loved the guy from NYU, Fitz, he was funny and pretty much a good guy.  I definitely look forward to reading more books from this author in the future.
 

Author Bio:

Shani Petroff is a writer living in New York City. She’s the author of the “Bedeviled” series, which includes Daddy’s Little Angel, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Dress, Careful What You Wish For, and Love Struck, and is the co-author of the “Destined” series which includes Ash and Ultraviolet. She also writes for television news programs and several other venues. When she’s not locked in her apartment typing away, she spends a whole lot of time on books, boys, TV, daydreaming, and shopping online.

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Blog Tour - Author Interview with Giveaway: My New Crush Gave to Me by Shani Petroff

Book info:
Title:  My New Crush Gave to Me
Author:  Shani Petroff
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: October 31st 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

This sweet, funny holiday romance from the author of Romeo And What’s Her Name features cute boys, plenty of rom-com mishaps, and a determined heroine readers are certain to fall for.

Charlotte “Charlie” Donovan knows exactly what she wants for Christmas: Teo Ortiz. He’s a star athlete, a National Honor Society member, and the most popular guy in school. Plus he contributes to the school paper, where Charlie is a co-editor. Basically, he’s exactly the type of guy Charlie’s looking for. The only problem is—he barely knows she exists.

But Charlie has a plan: rig the paper’s Secret Santa and win his heart with the perfect gift. The catch? She has no idea what to get him. Enter J.D. Ortiz–Teo’s cousin, and possibly the most annoying person on the planet. He’s easy going, laid back, disorganized, and spontaneous—the exact opposite
of Charlie (and Teo). But he knows what Teo wants, so she’s stuck with him.

Yet, the more time Charlie spends with J.D., the more she starts to wonder: Does she really know what, or rather who, she wants for Christmas?

Shani Petroff’s newest young adult comedy of errors, My New Crush Gave to Me, is the perfect read for those searching for some love and laughter along with their holiday spirit.

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Author Interview:

1.    What does your writing process look like? Do you know the whole story when you start?  Or do you just start writing and go with it (seat of the pants writing)?  If you plan it out, how do you do that?  Outline, notecards, post-it-notes, etc.?

It varies depending on the book! For MY NEW CRUSH GAVE TO ME I had the story pretty flushed out in my head, so I didn’t have a formal outline (which I tend to use). Instead, I pulled out a calendar and marked when specific events in the story needed to take place. There is a lot of gift giving and important dates (ie. Christmas, the Secret Santa exchange) in the book, and I wanted to make sure everything happened in the right timeframe.

2.    How do you come up with your ideas for your stories?

 Different things spark me. I knew this one was going to be a Christmas book, and I couldn’t stop thinking about memories of a Secret Santa exchange I helped put together while I was on a theater tour years ago. Before I knew it, the book centered around a Secret Santa drawing. For AIRPORTS, EXES, AND OTHER THINGS I’M OVER, I got stuck at the airport for what seemed like an eternity (and thought I saw someone from my past), and I knew I had my next book idea!

3.    How long have you been writing?

I always liked writing and would dabble a little bit when I was young, but it wasn’t until after college that I decided to make it a career. I wound up as a news writer for a local TV news station and then turned my focus to fiction! My first book, a middle grade novel, BEDEVILED: DADDY’S LITTLE ANGEL, debuted in 2009.

4.    What tips do you have for aspiring writers?

Stick with it! Sometimes the hardest thing is just sitting down and getting started, but don’t let fear (or procrastination) stop you. If writing is something you love, make the time for it, keep at it, and don’t give up.

      5.    What are your favorite:

Books/authors/genres: Too many to name! Growing up it was definitely everything by Judy Blume (and she’s still a favorite). Genre wise, I tend to read some of everything, but often lean toward romantic comedies, dystopians, sci-fi, mysteries, and supernatural books.

Movies/TV Shows: TV and movies are my biggest procrastination tools. Some of my favorite current TV shows are Supernatural, Psych (they have a TV movie coming out soon), and The Goldbergs. (I’ve also been watching a lot of superhero type shows like The Flash). For movies, I love a good romantic comedy or action film.

Music: Changes with my mood! (I’m really bad at picking favorites, b/c there’s so many that I like – ie. different songs for different moments/feelings/etc.)

Food/Writing snack: Whatever is in my apartment. When I’m writing, I find myself getting up to check my fridge constantly. I try to stock it with healthier items, but more often than not, I wind up snacking on chocolate, ice cream or whatever junk food I can find.

Author Bio:

Shani Petroff is a writer living in New York City. She’s the author of the “Bedeviled” series, which includes Daddy’s Little Angel, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Dress, Careful What You Wish For, and Love Struck, and is the co-author of the “Destined” series which includes Ash and Ultraviolet. She also writes for television news programs and several other venues. When she’s not locked in her apartment typing away, she spends a whole lot of time on books, boys, TV, daydreaming, and shopping online.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

 
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