In My Mailbox (6)

This meme is as usual hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren who was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. :)

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much---if you don't count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle---who already has six wives---Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

Won this book in a contest held by Steph at Reviewer X. :) Thanks Steph!



One Lonely Degree by C.K. Kelly Martin
Anything is possible. . . .

Finn has always felt out of place, but suddenly her world is unraveling. It started with The Party. And Adam Porter. And the night in September that changed everything. The only person who knows about that night is Audrey-Finn's best friend, her witness to everything, and the one person Finn trusts implicitly.

So when Finn's childhood friend Jersy moves back to town-reckless, beautiful Jersy, all lips and eyes and hair so soft you'd want to dip your fingers into it if you weren't careful-Finn gives her blessing for Audrey to date him. How could she possibly say no to Audrey? With Audrey gone for the summer, though, Finn finds herself spending more and more time with Jersy, and for the first time in her life, something feels right. But Finn can't be the girl who does this to her best friend . . . can she?

I read I Know It's Over and really liked it, so I'm excited to read One Lonely Degree, even though I've heard it's not quite as good.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
It's been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents' divorce or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she's been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.

I love Sarah Dessen!

Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten

Nina was beautiful, wild & adored by her younger sister, Ellie. But, one day, Nina disappeared.

2 years later, everyone has given up hope that Nina will return, but Ellie knows her sister is out there. If only Ellie had a clue where to look.Then she gets one, in the form of a mysterious drawing. Determined to find Nina, Ellie takes off on a crazy, sexy, cross-country road trip with the only person who believes she's got a chance - her hot, adventurous new crush. Along the way, Ellie finds a few things she wasn''t planning on. Like love. Lies. And the most shocking thing of all: the truth.

It sounds very interesting, no? The cover's a little creepy, especially since I just noticed you can see the girl's eye. But it's a good creepy.


Girlfriend Material by Melissa Kantor

If Kate were Lady Brett Ashley, the devastating heroine of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises , she'd spend her summers careering around the Riviera in her coupe, breaking hearts by the dozen--because why not ?

In reality, Kate's never even had a boyfriend, and she'll be spending the summer abetting her mom's lame ploy to make her dad jealous: running off to Cape Cod and crashing at the seaside home of her wealthy friends, the Cooper-Melnicks. To add to the shame, the Cooper-Melnicks' gorgeous daughter Sarah is a bit like Lady Brett, and she seems less than thrilled to hang out with her new houseguest.

Any dreams Kate once had of a perfect summer are ruined. That is, until Sarah's cute, witty friend Adam starts drawing Kate into the fold--and seems intrigued . With Adam around, Kate feels like she just might have a bit of heartbreaker potential after all. But when a breezy summer romance quickly grows more complicated can Kate keep pretending her relationship with Adam is just a carefree fling? Or will she take the risk and tell him her real feelings? Suddenly Kate is asking herself a question she never thought she''d stoop to: Is she girlfriend material?

I've read a couple of Melissa Kantor's other books, and they were cute, so I may give this one a try.

Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith
With diabolical wit, the author of TANTALIZE revisits a deliciously dark world where vampires vie with angels - and girls just want to have fangs.

At last, Miranda is the life of the party: all she had to do was die. Elevated and adopted by none other than the reigning King of the Mantle of Dracul, Miranda goes from high-school theater wannabe to glamorous royal fiend overnight.

Meanwhile, her reckless and adoring guardian angel, Zachary, demoted to human guise as the princess's personal assistant, has his work cut out for him trying to save his girl's soul and plan the Master's fast-approaching Death Day gala. In alternating points of view, Miranda and Zachary navigate a cut-throat eternal aristocracy as they play out a dangerous and darkly hilarious love story for the ages.

Got this one out before, didn't have time to read it, so got it out again. :)

A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell
Ever since her reckless older brother, Nate, died in a car crash, Cora has felt suffocated by her small town and even smaller high school. She seeks solace in drawing beautiful, elaborate maps, envisioning herself in exotic locales. When Cora begins to fall for Damian, the handsome, brooding boy who was in the car with Nate the night he died, she uncovers her brother's secret artistic life and realizes she had more in common with him than she ever imagined. This is the lyrical tale of one girl's journey through the redemptive powers of art, friendship, and love, and a reminder that sometimes, the most thrilling worlds can be found within ourselves.

This sounds like my kind of book, so I'm excited to read it.






Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner
It's High School Musical-rated R!

When the girl who's foresworn men meets the boy who's devoted himself to picking up women, there's bound to be drama-perfect for a sixweek summer program devoted to the arts. Olivia's summer goal: to write a musical that censures men with wandering eyes. Max's summer goal: to hone his acting skills, along with his talent for attracting the ladies.

Before camp is over, they'll perform Olivia's musical onstage and in real life-though the ending may turn out differently than either expects. Jake Wizner's story within a story takes the battle of the sexes to a whole new level in a bawdy, uproarious romp that's laugh-out-loud fun.

Castration Celebration sounds really funny and I've heard it's quite good.


Envy by Anna Godbersen
Jealous whispers.
Old rivalries.
New betrayals.

Two months after Elizabeth Holland's dramatic homecoming, Manhattan eagerly awaits her return to the pinnacle of society. When Elizabeth refuses to rejoin her sister Diana's side, however, those watching New York's favorite family begin to suspect that all is not as it seems behind the stately doors of No. 17 Gramercy Park South.

Farther uptown, Henry and Penelope Schoonmaker are the city's most celebrated couple. But despite the glittering diamond ring on Penelope's finger, the newlyweds share little more than scorn for each other. And while the newspapers call Penelope's social-climbing best friend, Carolina Broad, an heiress, her fortune-and her fame-are anything but secure, especially now that one of society's darlings is slipping tales to the eager press.
In this next thrilling installment of Anna Godbersen's bestselling Luxe series, Manhattan's most envied residents appear to have everything they desire: Wealth. Beauty. Happiness. But sometimes the most practiced smiles hide the most scandalous secrets. . . .

I liked the first two Luxe novels, so I'm happy to get the third.

And that's my week in a nutshell. How about you?