I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Wildlife by Fiona Wood
Published by Poppy on September 16, 2014
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Amazon • The Book Depository • Audible
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During a semester in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sib expects the tough outdoor education program and the horrors of dorm life, but friendship drama and love that gets complicated? That will take some navigating.

New girl Lou has zero interest in fitting in, or joining in. Still reeling from a loss that occurred almost a year ago, she just wants to be left alone. But as she witnesses a betrayal unfolding around Sib and her best friend Holly, Lou can't help but be drawn back into the land of the living.

In this tender, funny story of first love, good friendship, and going a little bit wild, Fiona Wood introduces two unforgettable girls who discover that before you can be true to yourself, you have to figure out exactly who you are.

Wildlife falls into that rare category of book where, if someone described it to me, I’d probably be like “eh, idk, man, that doesn’t really sound like my thing. It’s really sad, and there’s very little romance; don’t let the couple on the cover fool you into thinking this a shippy book because it’s not. However, despite all the compelling reasons why I might not have been into this book, I loved it.

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I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Dragon's Green by Scarlett Thomas
Series: Worldquake Sequence #1
Published by Simon & Schuster BFYR on May 30, 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
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Effie Truelove believes in magic, as does her grandfather Griffin (although he refuses to do any magic, let alone teach Effie how to use it). After a mysterious incident leaves Griffin close to death, Effie is given an unusual silver ring and told she must look after her grandfather’s library of rare and powerful books. But then the books fall into the hands of shady scholar Leonard Levar, and Effie is propelled into the most dangerous adventure of her life.

Now, Effie and her friends—nerdy Maximilian, rugby-mad Wolf, helpful Lexy, and eccentric Raven—must discover their true powers if they are to get the books back. And Effie alone will have to travel to the Otherworld, where she will uncover the true meaning of the strange old book called Dragon’s Green…

Oh middle grade, I’ve come to sigh at you again. Dragon’s Green started off rather funny and impressive, but I quickly bored of it. However, it wasn’t bad enough for me to DNF, so I slogged through to the ending.

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Overseas by Beatriz Williams
Narrator: January LaVoy
Length: 15 hrs, 49 mins
Published by Penguin Audio on May 10, 2012
Genres: Historical, Fantasy, Romance, Time Travel
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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When twenty-something Wall Street analyst Kate Wilson attracts the notice of the legendary Julian Laurence at a business meeting, no one’s more surprised than she is. Julian’s relentless energy and his extraordinary intellect electrify her, but she’s baffled by his sudden interest. Why would this handsome British billionaire—Manhattan’s most eligible bachelor—pursue a pretty but bookish young banker who hasn’t had a boyfriend since college?

The answer is beyond imagining . . . at least at first. Kate and Julian’s story may have begun not in the moneyed world of twenty-first-century Manhattan but in France during World War I, when a mysterious American woman emerged from the shadows of the Western Front to save the life of Captain Julian Laurence Ashford, a celebrated war poet and infantry officer.

Now, in modern-day New York, Kate and Julian must protect themselves from the secrets of the past, and trust in a true love that transcends time and space.

I started reading Beatriz Williams a few years ago because her audiobooks come to me in the PRH audio reviewer emails, and I’m helpless to resist high society historicals. They’re of mixed quality, and they definitely run to historical melodrama, but they’re uniformly fun to read. Today, I’m reviewing the last two books from her backlist from before I got on the audio reviewer list. Overseas, her debut, is an absurd time travel romance, and plot-wise it’s by far the weakest of all of her books.

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Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty
Series: Ashbury/Brookfield #1
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on March 8, 2001
Genres: Contemporary, Humor, Romance
Pages: 276
Source: Library
Amazon • The Book Depository • Audible
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Life is pretty complicated for Elizabeth Clarry. Her best friend Celia keeps disappearing, her absent father suddenly reappears, and her communication with her mother consists entirely of wacky notes left on the fridge. On top of everything else, because her English teacher wants to rekindle the "Joy of the Envelope," a Complete and Utter Stranger knows more about Elizabeth than anyone else.

But Elizabeth is on the verge of some major changes. She may lose her best friend, find a wonderful new friend, kiss the sexiest guy alive, and run in a marathon.
So much can happen in the time it takes to write a letter...

A #1 bestseller in Australia, this fabulous debut is a funny, touching, revealing story written entirely in the form of letters, messages, postcards—and bizarre missives from imaginary organizations like The Cold Hard Truth Association.

Feeling Sorry for Celia captures, with rare acuity, female friendship and the bonding and parting that occurs as we grow. Jaclyn Moriarty's hilariously candid novel shows that the roller coaster ride of being a teenager is every bit as fun as we remember—and every bit as harrowing.

For a few years now, Gillian has encouraged me to read The Year of Secret Assignments, and, being me, I had to start with Feeling Sorry for Celia. Though very much not my typical read and one I wouldn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did, Feeling Sorry for Celia is silly and fun in just the right tongue-in-cheek way.

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I received this book for free from ALA in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Romancing the Throne by Nadine Jolie Courtney
Published by Katherine Tegen on May 30, 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: ALA
Amazon • The Book Depository
Goodreads

Scandal, secrets, and heartbreak abound in this juicy, modern girl-meets-prince story—perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Jennifer E. Smith. "Maybe sisters aren’t supposed to fall for the same guy, but who can mess with chemistry? A divine romantic comedy" (Brightly.com).

For the first time ever, the Weston sisters are at the same boarding school. After an administration scandal at Libby’s all-girls school threatens her chances at a top university, she decides to join Charlotte at posh and picturesque Sussex Park. Social-climbing Charlotte considers it her sisterly duty to bring Libby into her circle: Britain’s young elites, glamorous teens who vacation in Hong Kong and the South of France and are just as comfortable at a polo match as they are at a party.

It’s a social circle that just so happens to include handsome seventeen-year-old Prince Edward, heir to Britain’s throne.

If there are any rules of sisterhood, “Don’t fall for the same guy” should be one of them. But sometimes chemistry—even love—grows where you least expect it. In the end, there may be a price to pay for romancing the throne...and more than one path to happily ever after.

Romancing the Throne sounded like just the sort of melodrama love triangle that I might actually enjoy. Instead, it proved to be frustrating, ill-written, and occasionally infuriating. If you were hoping Romancing the Throne would be a cute, shippy book, you’re going to be disappointed.

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