{Story Diary} P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

Jul 25, 2016

ps ilyP.S. I Like You by Kasie West
Young Adult Contemporary
July 26, 2016 from Point


What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?

While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she's flustered -- and kind of feels like she's falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer -- but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart?

From beloved author Kasie West (The Distance Between Us) comes an utterly charming story about mixed messages, missed connections, and the magic of good old-fashioned secret admirer notes.


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 "We speak the same music language." 

 --Kasie West, P.S. I Like You (pg. 117)



arizona



 "Arizona--the state that tried to kill its inhabitants every summer but made them forget about its attempt by being exceptionally kind every winter."

--Kasie West, P.S. I Like You (pg. 194)


.

Here's why!



photos by me
  • It's a Kasie West book! It's no secret that Kasie writes fantastic contemporaries surrounding the heart of friendships, youth, family, funnies, swoon and romance, and P.S. I Like You is no exception. AUTO-BUY ALL THE KASIE WEST BOOKS.

  • Mystery Boy not only loves music but knows quality music. Points for amazing music tastes. It's a known fact that boys with great music taste are significantly more attractive.

  • Speaking of music, Lily and Mystery Boy finish each others lyrics. With the mystery of the pen pal and the lyric train and geeking out about bands and music, I mean, how fun is that!? (Also, *SWOON*) Pfft, finishing each others sentences is so yesterday.

  • Actual handwritten...anything. Whether it be handwritten letters or notes, or writing on desks, etc... It'll make you nostalgic for the days of sitting in class with your best friend and passing notes to each other. The world has been so into the digital age with all the new technology these days, that hardly anyone takes the effort to personally handwrite/hand make things anymore. Lily and Mystery Pen Pal brought handwritten notes back. "There was something about the secrecy and the anticipation and the possibility of getting caught that made it much more exciting than texting."

  • Lily and Isabel are friendship goals. They don't let anything--or boys--get between them. "We don't need any cutesy traditions. We're solid you and me."

  • Music. Listening to it, talking about it, obsessing over it, writing it, geeking about it, this story is pretty music-involved thanks to our music lover/songwriter Lily and Mystery Pen Pal with the awesome music taste.

  • Tight-knit family. Lily's family might seem a little chaotic and in each others hairs a lot, but they have nothing but love for each other. The lengths they go to for each other is so heartwarming, it brings a smile to your face and in your heart.

  • The swoons. The Mystery Pen Pal will take you by surprise and sweep you off your feet before you know it! <3







"Confidence. I'm bad at it. I get too self-conscious. Especially about things that mean a lot to me. I feel like if I hold things close, never share, then I never give anyone the opportunity to judge me."

--Kasie West, P.S. I Like You (pg. 124)







 "Why are you so smiley? she asked.
"I always smile."
She laughed then stopped. "Okay, actually, you do smile a lot, just not usually at school."
"That's because high school is a crusher of souls."

 --Kasie West, P.S. I Like You (pg. 31)


*dies laughing at that last line* Who else agrees? ;p

"Letters were safe. They were words. Easy to read if enjoyable and stop reading if hurtful. Letters didn't stare at me like [he] was staring at me now, full of fire."

 --Kasie West, P.S. I Like You (pg. 286)


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 "When talking about music, I always found myself opening up more than I might have otherwise. People who appreciated music like I did seemed to understand that."

 --Kasie West, P.S. I Like You (pg. 48)


YESSSS.


 "Maybe we can get them all together and somehow they would balance each other out. Maybe we would balance each other out."

--Kasie West, P.S. I Like You (pg, 132)


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 "Concerts always left me buzzing in the best of ways."

 --Kasie West, P.S. I Like You (pg. 181)


THIS. so much this.

Like Lily and Mystery Boy, I love music as well. So, it's only appropriate to create a fanmix for the book!



Octahate // Ryn Weaver
Favorite Record // Fall Out Boy
i hate u, i love u // gnash
fallingforyou // The 1975







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Bonus Tracks:
It's Real // Real Estate
Electric Love // BORNS
You're Such A // Hailee Steinfeld
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 "Music. That's the universal language, one I usually can't mess up."

 --Kasie West, P.S. I Like You (pg. 107)


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I write YA. I eat Junior Mints. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. My novels are: PIVOT POINT and its sequel SPLIT SECOND. And my contemporary novels: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, ON THE FENCE, THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND, PS I LIKE YOU, and BY YOUR SIDE. My agent is the talented and funny Michelle Wolfson.

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{Story Diary} How To Be A Mermaid by Erin Hayes

Jul 22, 2016

mermaidHow To Be A Mermaid by Erin Hayes
Young Adult Urban Fantasy
July 7, 2015 from Createspace



All Tara ever wanted was to be a mermaid.

So she takes a year off between high school and college to don a fake tail and tour aquariums across the country in a professional mermaid troupe.

Everything's great until she meets a gorgeous real-life merman named Finn. Suddenly, what she thought was a dream turns out to be a nightmare -- she's turning into a mermaid herself. For real.

Yet when she returns to the sea to seek out Finn and reverse her transformation, she finds herself in the middle of an impending war between the land and sea. Tara may have always wanted to be a mermaid, but now it's sink or swim. In order to survive, she has to learn how to be one, too.


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Places

Texas


IMG_1895





IMG_1885Each mermaids appearance differ from their scales to their tail. Some have scaley skin of various colors, and others have human-like skin. And each mermaid tail can vary in color: magenta, deep blue, green, etc. They have gills on each side of their neck just below their chin, and lungs as well so they can go on dry land for periods of time.


Mermish: language of the sea creatures.


Merwalker: a creature that can live in the sea with fins as a mermaid and on land with legs as a human. They are dangerous and not to be trusted. They have distinctive turquoise eyes.






"He was my rock amid the storm of emotions and uncertainties within my heart."
--Erin Hayes, How To Be A Mermaid (pg. 117)



"Before all of this, I never believed in mermaids. But now, it was time to start believing in myself."
--Erin Hayes, How To Be A Mermaid (pg. 155)


Mermaid or not, never forget to believe in yourself. <3


"You're a hero, Tara." His expression turned passionate. "You're my hero."
--Erin Hayes, How To Be A Mermaid (pg. 186)





Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books, like the fantasy mystery novel Death is but a Dream, the sci-fi middle grade book Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average, and the Her Wolf paranormal series.

She works as an advertising copywriter during the day, and she moonlights as an author. She has lived in New Zealand, Texas, and now in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.

You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.








{Story Diary} City of Fae by Pippa DaCosta

Jul 18, 2016

cofCity of Fae by Pippa DaCosta
New Adult Urban Fantasy
May 7, 2015 from Bloomsbury Spark



Days to live. Hours to love. Seconds to kill.

From the moment Alina touches London's hottest fae superstar, breaking one of the laws founded to protect all of her kind, her fate – and the fae – close in.

Below ground, the fae High Queen plots to claim the city as her own and places her pawns, ready for the battle to come. A battle she cannot lose, but for one small problem – Alina. There are four ancient keepers powerful enough to keep the queen in her prison. Three are dead. One remains … And to fight back, Alina risks sacrificing everything she has come to love.


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Setting

London, England




"London, with her web of ancient streets and forgotten avenues, embraces lost souls."
--Pippa DaCosta, City of Fae



The Trinity Law



The Trinity Law was very clear when dealing with the fae. Three levels of protection. If you failed those safeguards, one could essentially wave goodbye to free will and throw themselves at the feet of their new fae master.


Look, but don't touch.
Touch, but don't feel.
Feel, but don't love.


Creatures



Fae. Faerie.

The Harpy. Also known as the Nightmare Queen.

Cu Sith. A phantom hound. It is said that they are owned by the Fae, and haunted the Scottish Highlands. He would cross the realm of the Faery to ours to seek out mortal victims. The Cu Sith would come and steal mortal women to use their milk for Faery children. The beast was normally the size of a cow or calf and was dark green or black.

Fenrir. A monstrous wolf.

Spiders. A swarm of spiders can band together and transform into an entity that can tower over others and...talk. They have a spider queen that sucks the life out of people, and can tap into humans minds. Individual spider sizes can vary from small to the size of a hand.



Fae Facts



  • The Fae have pointy tipped ears, walk with catwalk grace and acute control.
  • Could appear and disappear at will and are twice as strong and fast.
  • They are not to be trusted, self-centered, manipulative only after one thing; the truth.
  • They need Draiocht (the aura of energy) to live.
  • Weapon of choice: Fae daggers and short swords and faeblades as lethal as their wielders. Only the elite Fae Authority were permitted to carry blades in public.





"A weak fae was a dangerous thing."
--Pippa DaCosta, City of Fae



"Fate's a bitch that'll bite you whether your choices are right or wrong."
--Pippa DaCosta, City of Fae



Reign hooked a finger under my chin, urging me to face him.
"You don't ever need to hide the truth of you, not from me."
--Pippa DaCosta, City of Fae



I whispered, "I don't want to be alone."
"We're all alone, Alina. But you and I can be alone together."
--Pippa DaCosta, City of Fae



"I can't for the life of me stop thinking about you. That touch. We've touched before--I don't know how many times. Too many. You took part of me, my draiocht. I can't close my eyes without seeing you. I'm caught, Alina, whether you meant it or not."
--Pippa DaCosta, City of Fae





Pippa DaCosta is a hybrid author. Before securing a traditional publisher, she published the Veil Series (a x5 book urban fantasy series) independently in 2014. She has also published two science fiction books, with more planned for 2016. Pippa is traditionally published with Bloomsbury, and Random House Germany. Her work has been featured in the Galaxy Chronicles anthology, part of the Future Chronicles series. Pippa continues to independently and traditionally publish her work.

She lives in Cornwall, UK.








{Story Diary} Summer in the Invisible City by Juliana Romano

Jul 10, 2016

summerSummer In the Invisible City by Juliana Romano
Young Adult Contemporary
June 21, 2016 from Dial Books



A sparkling coming-of-age story about self-discovery, first love, and the true meaning of family, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen.

Seventeen-year-old Sadie Bell has this summer all figured out: She’s going to befriend the cool girls at her school. She’s going to bond with her absentee father, a famous artist, and impress him with her photography skills. And she’s finally going to get over Noah, the swoony older guy who was her very first mistake.

Sadie wasn’t counting on meeting Sam, a funny and free-thinking boy who makes her question all of her goals. But even after a summer of talking, touching, and sharing secrets, Sam says he just wants to be friends. And when those Sadie cares about most hurt her, Sam’s friendship may not be enough. Sadie can see the world through her camera, but can she see the people who have loved and supported her all along?

Set against a glamorous New York City backdrop, this coming-of-age romance is a gorgeous summer read—one whose characters will stay with you long into the fall.


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Setting


NYC, New York



nyc
[Image Source]





sum
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"You don't need your father's approval to be an artist. . .They don't understand what I do. . .I've always had to look outside my family for role models. And that can be disappointing. But it's also brought a lot of really great people into my life."
-- Juliana Romano, Summer In the Invisible City


Fanmix



Fanmix by me




julianaJuliana was born in 1982 in New York, New York and grew up in Santa Monica, California. She received a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2004 and an M.F.A. in Painting from U.C.L.A. in 2008. In 2009, Juliana began writing fiction in addition to painting. She is the author of two Young Adult novels: "First There Was Forever" and "Summer in the Invisible City," (Dial Books for Young Readers, Penguin-Randhomhouse). She currently lives and works in Los Angeles.









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