Book Nerds Across America

Book Summary
Family can be complicated. Especially when skeletons from the past pop up unexpectedly. For American Evie Gray, finding out her deceased mother had a secret identity, and not one of the caped crusader variety, was quite the surprise. Evie’s mom had a secret life before she was even born, one that involved tiaras.

In this modern day fairytale, Evie is on a path to figure out who her mom really was, while discovering for herself what the future will hold. Charged with her late mother’s letters, Evie embarks on a quest into her past. The first item on the list is to attend Oxford, her mom’s alma mater. There, Evie stumbles upon a real life prince charming, Edmund Stuart the second Prince of England, who is all too happy to be the counterpart to her damsel in distress.

Evie can’t resist her growing attraction to Edmund as they spend more time together trying to unravel the clues her mother left behind. But, when doubts arise as to whether or not Edmund could ever be with an untitled American, what really ends up unraveling is Evie’s heart. When Evie uncovers all the facts about her mom’s former life, she realizes her mom’s past can open doors she never dreamed possible, doors that can help her be with Edmund. But, with everything now unveiled, Evie starts to crack under the pressure of new family responsibilities and the realization that her perfect prince may want her for all the wrong reasons.

Flo's Review
I'm not sure where to start with this review. I apologize in advance -- I think it's going to be pretty disjointed. I'm just going to type stuff as I think of it. OK? OK! Here goes!

First of all, the blurb above is MUCH better than the blurb on the back cover of the book. The back cover blurb described the book, but almost too much, and not the important things? It was weird. To me it didn't read as a teaser to make you pick up the book. It read as a slightly-off summary or something. I have an ARC, so I'll be curious to see if they edit it on the actual book. 

This book flew by and had good pacing. The first time I set it down was not because I wanted to, but because I had to go to bed or something equally important. (Lol). I loved this book when I first started reading it because I really enjoy reading books that take place at college or in boarding school. Emily also did a good job with English slang (although this seemed to taper off a bit as the book went out.) Jax was quite horrible and she was a good villain, if you will. Chloe, too. I enjoyed disliking them greatly. 

The tension between Edmund and Evie was deliciously tempting! It was a touch too insta-infatuation, but not enough to be unrealistic. Evie was so stubborn and impulsive that I found myself frustrated with her a lot of times. I'd think, "Evie, what are you doing?!? Whhyyy??!" and then, of course, she'd cool down and feel remorse for what she did and I'd think, "Well, yeah, that's what you get..." 

Sorry to go back to the blurbing and all, but I also don't understand the tagline: "He's Secretly Loyal"? That makes zero sense to me. I enjoyed the ideas of the birthday letters and the quest letters. (I told you this review would be all over the place. Sorry about that!) My understanding through the letters was that Evie's Mom was giving her this information and then setting this big choice in front of her...but when the time came in the book, it wasn't really treated like it. For it being a big choice, the decision was made quickly and without pomp and circumstance. I think it either should have been presented as a big deal and then treated as big decision/dilemma for Evie, or it shouldn't have been presented as a big deal and it could be presented as it was. Does that make sense at all? I'm also trying not to come outright and say it, because I want to be cautious of spoilers. I also kind of have the same thoughts regarding another choice Evie makes at the end. It seems to come out of nowhere, she presents it to her friends who are like, "What?!" and then it's squashed in a sentence or two toward the end of the book. Also, it's mentioned on the ARC blurb and I don't think it's an important enough plot point to be mentioned there. (See? I'm kind of coming full circle!)

Speaking of her friends, I did really like them! The gang is great, and I loved reading her interactions with Preston, Suzy and the others. I also really enjoyed the views we got of London and Paris. I loved reading the fun facts that Edmund had for Evie and reading about those places made me really, really want to be there! The scene at the Eiffel Tower was perfection. *Sighs*

I guess my summary, if I can try to bring my thoughts together, is that while some of it felt a bit disjointed and off, and I didn't agree with some of the marketing text, The Heir and the Spare was a fun and delicious read! The pacing was great, and I finished this book easily within a few reading sessions. It makes for a great escape to (though the eyes of Evie) travel to London, find out you're royalty, and fall in love with a handsome prince! 

Thank you to Merit Press for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Summary
As their senior year approaches, four diverse friends joined by their weekly Dungeons & Dragons game struggle to figure out real life. Archie's trying to cope with the lingering effects of his parents' divorce, Mari's considering an opportunity to contact her biological mother, Dante's working up the courage to come out to his friends, and Sam's clinging to a failing relationship. The four eventually embark on a cross-country road trip in an attempt to solve--or to avoid--their problems. 

Told in the narrative style of Akira Kurosawa's RASHOMAN, AN INFINITE NUMBER OF PARALLEL UNIVERSES is at turns geeky, funny, and lyrical as it tells a story about that time in life when friends need each other to become more than just people that hang out. 

Flo's Review
Let's start with the cover love! Isn't it gorg?! It's even prettier IRL. 

I read AN INFINITE NUMBER OF PARALLEL UNIVERSES in one sitting. I sat down on my couch Friday night with a nice Riesling, and my butt didn't move until I was at the end. It flew by. The first part of the book goes through the same week four times -- each time from the perspective of a different main character. It was really cool to see everyone's individual thoughts and where their minds were when they were together in the same scenes. 

Then the second part of the book takes us on the road. I had expected a road trip story coming in, so I was a little thrown that it took so long for us to get there. But maybe that's okay because the road trip was painful and awkward. Not the writing -- the characters! It was supposed to be painful and awkward. These 4 kids are socially awkward and are all suffering through what they see as major issues. So now you throw them all together in a small space for a long period of time and it's sooo uncomfortable. One or two of the characters even realize throughout the book that they know more about their friends' game identities than they actually do about their friends.

Throughout the road trip the kids met several different characters who came in to impart knowledge, wisdom, food for thought. Then they excited stage right. I liked that. Instead of one Dumbledore type figure, you had all these unlikely wise men and wise women. I'll let you read the book to see why they might appear, at first glance, to be unlikely teachers for the kids. But they all are, and I think that might be my favorite part of the book. Very cool.

Thanks to Merit Press for sending me a copy of this book for my honest review.

Who doesn't love to get stuck in a good book?! The one we're giving away features history, mystery, and more!

Sweet Madness by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie
Seventeen-year-old Bridget Sullivan is alone in Fall River, a city that sees Irish immigrants as nothing more than a drunken drain on society. To make matters worse, she's taken employment with the city’s most peculiar and gossip-laden family—the Bordens. But Bridget can’t afford to be picky—the pay surpasses any other job Bridget could ever secure and she desperately needs the money to buy her little sister, Cara, passage to the states. It doesn’t hurt that the job location is also close to her beau, Liam. As she enters the disturbing inner workings of the Borden household, Bridget clings to these advantages.

However, what seemed like a straightforward situation soon turns into one that is untenable. Of course Bridget has heard the gossip around town about the Bordens, but what she encounters is far more unsettling. The erratic, paranoid behavior of Mr. Borden, the fearful silence of his wife, and worse still…the nightly whisperings Bridget hears that seem to come from the walls themselves.

The unexpected bright spot of the position is that Lizzie Borden is so friendly. At first, Bridget is surprised at how Lizzie seems to look out for her, how she takes a strong interest in Bridget’s life. Over time, a friendship grows between them. But when Mr. Borden’s behavior goes from paranoid to cruel, and the eerie occurrences in the house seem to be building momentum, Bridget makes the tough decision that she must leave the house—even if it means leaving behind Lizzie, her closest friend, alone with the madness. Something she swore she would not do.

But when Bridget makes a horrifying discovery in the home, all that she thought she knew about the Bordens is called into question…including if Lizzie is dangerous. And the choice she must make about Lizzie’s character could mean Bridget’s life or death.

SWEET MADNESS is a retelling of the infamous Borden murders from the point of view of Lizzie’s Irish maid, Bridget Sullivan.

TO WIN: All you gotta do is follow us on Instagram. That is all, my friends! Our (new!) Instagram page is https://instagram.com/booknerdsacrossamerica/. Once you have followed us, please either leave your Instagram name in the comments below or email us at booknerds at booknerdsacrossamerica dot com with it. We'll choose a random winner from the winners who let us know they're following. 

Good luck! If you're done with that, then by all means, click here to hop on.

So, my friends at Merit Press were awesome enough to send me an ARC of Lizzie Friend's Poor Little Dead Girls. Then, they sent the published version of the book. I decided to use their perhaps mistake as our gain :) Here is what I'm proposing:

You know how we do monthly read alongs here at Book Nerds Across America? Every month, we pick a different book and at least two of us read it together. Then we do one post with all our reactions. Well, since I have two copies of Poor Little Dead Girls, I think we should do that same thing! And by "we" I mean me -- and whoever wins this contest. So to clarify:

If you win, I will send you a copy of Poor Little Dead Girls, which will be yours to keep. You and I (Flo) will both read the book at the same time, and then we'll do a combined book review post. 

And it's so easy to win, too! All you have to do is email me at flo at booknerdsacrossamerica dot com and let me know why you want to receive the free book and do the joint review.

Here is the description of Poor Little Dead Girls:

Perfect people aren't just born. They're made.

The first time she is blindfolded and kidnapped, star-athlete and posh boarding school newbie Sadie is terrified. She wakes up in a dark room surrounded by hushed whispers, hooded strangers, and a mysterious voice whispering not-so-sweet nothings in her ear. 

But once the robes come off, she realizes it’s just an elaborate prank designed to induct her into the group that’s been pulling the strings at Keating Hall for generations. The circle has it all--incredible connections; fabulous parties; and, of course, an in with the brother society’s gorgeous pledges. 
The instant popularity is enough to make Sadie forget about the unexplained marks on her body, the creepy ceremonial rituals, and the incident that befell one of her teammates the year before. So the next time Sadie is kidnapped, she isn’t scared, but she should be. The worst of Keating Hall is yet to come.

I'm actually really excited about this! I'm looking forward to receiving your emails at flo at booknerdsacrossamerica dot com!