Thanks for joining me on my stop for Natalie Whipple’s SIDEKICK blog tour. Follow the tour along and find out what other reviewers have to say about this book by clicking the banner above. And in case you did not know yet, there is an exclusive blog tour extract in my previous post. Plus we have an ongoing international giveaway for this book there, too.

Book Excerpt + Giveaway: Sidekick by Natalie Whipple

Today is the release of Natalie Whipple's new title, Sidekick. As a treat to your bookworm heart, you may read an extract here, plus win for yourself a Kindle copy of this greasy, delicious-looking read! Massive thank you to Dianne of Oops! I Read a Book Again for organizing this release day blast.

Review: Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne

Am I Normal Yet?
by Holly Bourne

Summary:

All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…

But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?

Stacking the Shelves (STS #3)

Image: Kaboompics

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's all about sharing the books added to our shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

I am in a major reading slump these days and what could be a more clever way to cure it than to obtain more books! My sister and I bought two paperbacks from our last bookstore stop. Also, I received an e-ARC for a blog tour organized by Dianne of Oops! I Read a Book Again.

Take a look at the books that I got this week (with links to Goodreads):

Review: Playing the Player by Lisa Brown Roberts

Playing the Player

by Lisa Brown Roberts

Summary:

The Good Girl Vs. The Player
Round one begins...

Trina Clemons needed the money. Why else would she - the most organized, prepared student in school - spend the summer as a nanny and partner with the biggest slacker ever? Now she's ready to tackle nannyhood with her big binder of research and schedules. Just don't ask her about the secret job of "fixing" the bad habits of a certain high school player...

Slade Edmunds prefers easy hook-ups, and Trina is definitely not his type. She's all structure and rules, while Slade wants to just have fun. Fortunately, Trina has no idea about the bet Slade made with his best friend that he can totally get her to unwind by the end of summer...

Review: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

More Happy Than Not

by Adam Silvera

Summary:
The Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-relief procedure seems too good to be true to Aaron Soto -- miracle cure-alls don't tend to pop up in the Bronx projects. But Aaron can't forget how he's grown up poor or how his friends aren't always there for him. Like after his father committed suicide in their one bedroom apartment. Aaron has the support of his patient girlfriend, if not necessarily his distant brother and overworked mother, but it's not enough.

Then Thomas shows up. He has a sweet movie-watching setup on his roof, and he doesn't mind Aaron's obsession with a popular fantasy series. There are nicknames, inside jokes. Most importantly, Thomas doesn't mind talking about Aaron's past. But Aaron's newfound happiness isn't welcome on his block. Since he can't stay away from Thomas or suddenly stop being gay, Aaron must turn to Leteo to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he is.

Review: The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B

by Teresa Toten

Summary:

Two-time Governor General's Award nominee Teresa Toten is back with a compulsively readable new book for teens!

When Adam meets Robyn at a support group for kids coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he is drawn to her almost before he can take a breath. He's determined to protect and defend her--to play Batman to her Robyn--whatever the cost. But when you're fourteen and the everyday problems of dealing with divorced parents and step-siblings are supplemented by the challenges of OCD, it's hard to imagine yourself falling in love. How can you have a "normal" relationship when your life is so fraught with problems? And that's not even to mention the small matter of those threatening letters Adam's mother has started to receive . . .

Event Recap: Blogging Seminar by Frances Amper Sales

Photo credit: Powerbooks Facebook page

After a little over two months of book blogging, I confess that I still mostly don't know what I'm doing. So when I saw Powerbooks' poster for a FREE blogging seminar, by no other than Frances Sales, a prominent mom blogger, I grabbed the opportunity to learn more about the biz.

The seminar was held last July, 19 in Powerbooks Greenbelt 4. I took down notes during the seminar then asked Frances after if I could share it here in the blog and she so kindly said yes. So here are some bits and pieces from my notes:

Review: In The Beginning There Was Us by Ingrid Jonach

In The Beginning There Was Us

by Ingrid Jonach

Summary:

What would you do if you were God? If you had the power to not only give life, but take it away in the blink of an eye? These are the questions that haunt fifteen-year-old Abbey Baxter after she resurrects a boy, long lost to the ages.

The achingly beautiful and eternally melancholy Cole not only serves as a welcome distraction from her long-time crush, Elwin, but also eases the heartache that persists since the sudden passing of her younger brother, Junior, four years earlier.

As the intrigue of her relationship with Cole deepens, so too does the mystery that surrounds a growing phenomenon sweeping through her small West Virginian town, transforming the lives of its residents. Around her, two bedroom cottages are transforming into mansions without explanation and residents are waking up to bank balances that have tripled overnight, all under the watchful gaze of the sinister American Laboratory for Particle Physics, located on the outskirts of town.

Event Recap: #KMRinPH Book Signing Tour

Poster photo from NBS Facebook page

It's been said somewhere that you never forget your firsts. Well, this was my very first attendance in a book signing event and I tell you, it was truly unforgettable. But first I must admit that I almost did not want to go because of the bad weather that day (it was raining so hard) but the thought of meeting esteemed YA contemporary authors and having signed books got the best of me. Also, I agreed to meet up with one of my favorite book bloggers, Sab of Sab The Book Eater, to hand over a book that I won from her blog. So here's my recap of what went down last July 5th: