Can't Wait Wednesday #15: There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. So it seems I must have either shared all the sequels I've been waiting on or something, because once again I've got a standalone book.  I am a huge fan of horror movies, and the Scream series, the first two anyway, are some of my favorite movies.  I've only read one book by Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss, but I really liked it, so when I saw this on Edelweiss, I was immediately intrigued!  Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

Scream meets YA in this hotly-anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss.

One-by-one, the students of Osborne High are dying in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, the dark secrets among them must finally be confronted.

International bestselling author Stephanie Perkins returns with a fresh take on the classic teen slasher story that’s fun, quick-witted, and completely impossible to put down.




There's not a lot to go on there, but it still sounds like a blast to me!!!  So, what are you eagerly awaiting on this week?

Promo Post: Scarred by Joanne Macgregor

Blurb / Synopsis:

"Life leaves you scarred. Love can make you beautiful." 

Seventeen year-old Sloane Munster is trying to reboot her life after a serious car accident left her badly scarred and emotionally traumatized. 

Starting her senior year at a new school, she’s delighted to see Luke Naughton, a swimmer whom she once had a crush on, in the class in front of her. But when he glares back at her with disgust and revulsion, she’s shocked and hurt, and assumes it’s because of her appearance. Despite misunderstandings, the chemistry between them sparks and love grows against a background of guilt, secrets, and mounting tensions at a school where bullying is rife and Sloane is not the most deeply scarred person. 

Sharp with bittersweet humor, Scarred is an intense, beautiful, compelling story of life, death and fighting for love against all the odds. 

Scarred is a great read for fans of Sarah Dessen, Stephanie Perkins and Abbi Glines.

Origin of the story:

 

Scarred is a young adult contemporary romance that seems to be finding significant crossover appeal.

Scars - internal and external, literal and figurative - often find their way into my books. Perhaps because I'm also a psychologist, I'm fascinated by how we are all scarred by our lives. There is simply no way to go through life without being physically and emotionally scarred. But these wounds are not only the trace evidence and reminders of what we have already endured, they also too often influence how we think, feel and behave, and therefore determine who we become.

The protagonist of this story, Sloane Munster, endures a terrible ordeal and is left horribly scarred. It changes the way she sees herself and she is too ready to believe the worst of the world. Preoccupied by the striking scar on her face, she perhaps doesn't see how we are all scarred, and she needs to learn that sometimes the most deeply scarred people carry no external marks.

The idea for this book came to me one night when I was jetlagged and sleepless. What if, I thought, a scarred teen assumes the boy who looks at her with loathing does so because he's repulsed by her appearance. But what if there's a whole other reason for his disgust and dislike? What if these two characters, each scarred in their own way, are uniquely able to heal each other?

That's the crux of this novel. Life leaves you scarred. Love can make you beautiful.

Buy Links:

Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Scarred-Joanne-Macgregor-ebook/dp/B0160A5OPY/ref=la_B006BUB91W_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444899210&sr=1-3

iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1069016382

Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scarred-joanne-macgregor/1123144906?ean=2940152722017 

Kobo link: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/scarred-32

Author Bio:

When not writing books, Joanne Macgregor is a Counselling Psychologist in private practice and deals mainly with victims of crime and trauma. It’s tough work and to combat creeping burnout, she started writing fiction several years ago. Now she consults and writes on alternate days, and in completely different head-spaces and physical environments. Although she lives in the frenetic adrenaline-rush of the big city, Joanne has always been in love with nature, and escapes into the wilds whenever she can. She’s a a Harry Potter fanatic, bakes the best choc-chip cookies on the planet, and is addicted to chilies and bulletproof coffee. She is the author of two other books for Young Adults - Turtle Walk (2011) and Rock Steady (2013), and loves writing about, and for, teens.

My social media links:

Website:  http://www.joannemacgregor.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JoanneMacg

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Joanne-Macgregor-251259941591918/?ref=hl

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/jmacgregor0989/scarred/ 

GoodReads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26844752-scarred?from_search=true&search_version=service

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I got a free copy of this book at the RT Convention back in May.  I think I saw the author there, but didn't get an autograph, although now that I've finished the book, I wish I had!  I'd heard so many other bloggers talk about this book.  But I really don't read that much realistic fiction, and not a lot of romance stories really, well, not just romance when it is YA.  But, I started reading, and when I did, I was quickly caught up in the story and loving it.  So, for those few of you out there, besides myself, who hadn't read this yet, here is my review.
Anna is the main character and her famous author father has decided that she is going to spend her senior year at a fancy boarding school in Paris.  (P.S. - I love that her name is Anna and she is going to Paris because my younger sister's name is Anna, and she loves all things French.) Anna doesn't want this.  She has a wonderful best friend, not to mention a growing romance with a boy named Toph.  So of course we start out with Anna in her room at her boarding school and her parents leaving.  Now this boarding school seems to be for children of rich/famous/important parents, like Senators, etc.  Whereas she doesn't really consider her dad to be that.  You would probably compare her dad to Nicholas Sparks for what type of books and movies he writes.  Fortunately for Anna, her next door neighbor comes over and introduces herself. Meredith is really nice, and Anna is so glad for the immediate friend, and then her friends that kind of come along as a package.  One of them she meets the first night as she is leaving Meredith's room.  His name is St. Clair, Etienne St. Clair to be exact.  And he is that boy.  You know, the one that is just as cute as can be, and so funny and nice that all the girls have a crush on him.  And of course, he has a girlfriend.  Her name is Ellie and she went to the school with all of them last year, and is now at a college nearby.  The others in the group are Rashmi and her boyfriend Josh.  Throughout the year as Anna gets closer to all of them, there seems to be a connection between her and St. Clair.  And it seems that he may feel it too.  But since he has a girlfriend, she just assumes it is that he's such a nice guy she mistakes that.  And they do become best friends.  Which makes it harder whenever one of them seems to give in or do something that brings to light their feelings.  St. Clair's dad is a jerk, but rich.  When he finds out his mom has cancer, his father won't let him come home to visit for Thanksgiving, makes him wait till Christmas.  Now, St. Clair has an English accent (swoon!), but his father is French, and  his mother lives in California, and really he is American.  Anna also doesn't get to go home till Christmas, why waste the money her dad figures.  So they get even closer since the rest of their friends, and his girlfriend do go home over that break.  Now this is a school for American children, so when people leave, they go out of town for real.  When Anna goes home over Christmas, something horrible happens, and the only person she feels she can talk to is St. Clair, and as you can guess their feelings get even stronger.
Of course there are all kinds of mixed signals, and stubborn moments that keep them from really ever being able to get together.  At least until they get some things figured out.  I love how there are real life examples and things that happen in their classes that help them figure things out.  It's not like they just have these epiphanies out of nowhere.  And really the story is told from Anna's point of view, so we only get to hear about St. Clair's epiphanies when he tells her about them.  Personally, I enjoyed and really connected with the story because I know how often I have been in what feels like the same situation as Anna.  At least at the beginning.  Being in love with such an awesome, funny, nice guy who is a friend, but has a girlfriend.  So while it seems they're  flirting with you, you know they can't really be.  Unfortunately for me, it's never changed and turned out the way it does for Anna.  Which is why I read books like these.  Such a good, good read.  Love it, and will be reading more by the author from now on!