Time to announce the August Sizzling Book Club selection! This month's pick is Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry.
The summary: No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.
But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
This book has been receiving a ton of early favorable reviews, and let me tell you, they are all right. I have some majorly sensitive hype-allergens, but I sincerely think this book is worth your time.
Pushing the Limits is powerful, emotional, and incredibly well done. And if I describe it to people, outlining the plot and the conflict, invariably they say, “This sounds like the most bleak and miserable book ever.” The characters, Echo and Noah, have lived through some truly awful experiences, but there is such joy and resilient hope in how they discover one another that helps to balance the pain and sadness they both feel. This is not an easy book, but it is worth experiencing both as a YA novel, as a romance, and as an example of truly skilled writing.
The rebate is on now, so if you buy at ARe, you'll get 50% back in eBook Bucks if you use code SBTBARE at checkout. This book is $14.99, so 50% rebate is a good thing. Plus, if you have coupons to use, load 'em up, because Harlequin is all good with coupon usage. You can also find this book in print at all the places where print books are sold, including Goodreads | Amazon | BN.
I'm still working on setting up the Book Club Chat, so stay tuned for that announcement.
However! I do have some digital and print copies to giveaway!
Leave me a comment and tell me the best YA novel you've ever read (and your preference of print or digital) and I'll pick five winners who will receive a print copy, and five who will receive a digital copy. I am serious about passing this book along – so bring on your “Oh my gosh this rocked my world” YA book recommendations. (I'm secretly hoping that once you read this book, it'll also be among your favorites).
Standard disclaimers apply. I'm not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Must be over 18 and wearing a Corinthian leather jacket to win. Call before you dig. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Failure to adhere to these disclaimers may cause one strangely long hair to grow out of your forehead. No guarantees on hair color. Comments will be open for 48 hours. Good luck!
I really hope you'll try this book and join us for the chat – we will have a LOT to talk about.
Best YA book when I was a YA: VC Andrews, My Sweet Audrina.
Best now: Tamora Pierce Wild Mage series.
(no format preference)
My absolutely, hands-down favourite YA books are the Tricksters Series by Tamora Pierce. They have a MANY strong female leads, romance, supernatural/fantasy elements, and a fast-paced plot. Whats not to love??
(i prefer physical books! thanks for considering me!)
I absolutely love the Megan Whalen Turner series, especially Queen of Attolia. Print or digital, either would be just fine for me.
My top YA pick would be the Soul Screamers series from Rachel Vincent. She captures every emotion a teenager can experience. It hits every point with fun, witty writing to boot. I actually can’t wait to get my hands on Pushing The Limits! (I prefer print)
I can’t pick one book. And in the series category, it would be either the Mythos Academy books by Jennifer Estep, or the Iron Fae series by Julie Kagawa. Or… we could go old school back to the “Shoes” books by Noel Streatfield. Had to buy those recently from an online English bookseller. They held up pretty well, I think.
And I’ll take either, though I’m only 1 book away from having 1000 paper books. 🙂
I COULD tell you my favorite YA novel, except then I’d have to think for ages, cause there are so many! I love Lynn Flewelling’s earlier series’, and Tamora Pierce, and many many others—right now I’m reading Railsea, China Mieville’s YA steampunk-ish fantasy retelling of Moby Dick. And I’m reading it in print, which is how I would love to read this book if I were so lucky as to win…
One of my favourites would have to be Melinda Marchetta’s “Saving Francesca.” It is filled with excellent and interesting characters, and even though it deals with depression, it is still a fun and witty book. I would love a digital copy of “Pushing the Limits.”
As I said at chat the other night I am not really a YA reader but Storm was really good. I am going to have to look at the suggestions here for some reading ideas for vacation. I have a kindle, but will take either format.
I am only trying to get into YA, so it’s hard for me to say “best one I ever read”. I certainly liked Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series, especially The Last Herald Mage trilogy, which had a gay hero, quite unusual at the time.
I’d love to win this one, in digital.
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is probably my favourite however there are a great many YA books that I have read and loved and some I’ve probably forgotten as I went through a pretty big stage of just gobbling them up at one point. Meg Cabot is always a go to author and I liked Libba Brays’s “A great and terrible beauty” trilogy. I also agree with those giving props to Melinda Marchetta.
So many good books on this list. Definitely anything by Robin McKinley, although I think technically some aren’t YA.
The Book Theif by Markus Zusak.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E Pearson
All the Vampire Academy books.
Hard to pick just one, but these would definitely be in the running:
FEED (M. T. Anderson)
SPEAK (Laure Halse Anderson)
A WRINKLE IN TIME (Madeline L’Engle)
THE THIEF series (Megan Turner Whalen)
GRACELING (Kristin Cashore)
*preference for digital
At the moment my favorite is The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. So much going on in the lives of the characters…
*preference for print
Since the series grows with it’s readers, and it’s the one series I read over and over and over again, Harry Potter is my number one childrens-YA series ever.
And I’m a digital gal all the way!
The Goose Girl
Enna Burning
River Secrets
Forest Born
—all by Shannon Hale
I think my favorite YA book thus far would be The Wee Free Men by Pratchett. It was my first Pratchett novel and introduced me to Discworld and Rincewind.
Preference goes to print. 🙂
Best YA Book I’ve read in the past year had to be Personal Demons by Lisa Deroschers. I’ve so many YA books but I can’t tell you which one is hands down the best ever but there are some really great contenders out there. If I win, I prefer print because I stopped carrying around my ipad2 since my first one got stolen out of my desk at work.
Favorite YA is almost impossible to pick but at the top of the list would be the Harry Potter books, Susan Cooper’s Dark is Rising sequence, Diane Duane’s Wizard of Mars series, John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars and Anna and the French Kiss.
Preference towards print. Thanks.
BTW, I read the first 30 pages or so of Pushing the Limits when Harlequin had a preview on its site. It is amazing thus far.
I still read YA – so this is tough. So – Remembrance of the Sun and Enter 3 witches by Gilmore – Life Without Friends and The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White – The Stone Pony by Patricia Calvert – A Great and Terrible Beauty series by Libby Bray – most of Norma Klein’s book (she wrote about sex in a far less flowery way than the romances I was reading) – The Silver Kiss by Anne something – Rats saw God by Rob Thomas – Moon & Me by Hadley Irwin – Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt. But I have to say I loved the Changeover, Sunshine and Tam Lin as mentioned by other people….
I like paper best but will take whatever format since is is like … free
Bloody Jack is a great read. Part Dickens, Part swashbuckler.
No question—The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. I prefer to read digitally.
Ooooh, Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent. It’s wonderful.
The Fault in Our Stars because the characters stayed with me long after I reached the end.
Digital
Hmm…my favorite young adult novel…This reminds me of that quote that Jill Shalvis posted on Facebook: “Asking a bookworm to choose a favorite book is like asking a mother to choose a favorite child” or something along those lines. A few of my favorites, that were read repeatedly, were Meg Cabot’s books for the Avon Teen Romance series. I really enjoyed all of the books in the series but hers were my favorites.
I would love a digital copy of this book! My bookshelves are overflowing so all of my new books/loves have to go on my nook.
Favorite YA book when I a YA: “Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton.
Favorite YA book now: “Speak” by Laure Halse Anderson.
My preference is digital.
Thanks for reviewing YA books!
I’m torn between two novels that I read for a college English class about four years ago. The first is The Night Tourist by Kathleen Marsh. In the book a little boy discovers an entrance into the afterlife and decides to find his mother, who died when he was really little. He ends up going on a trip through the world of the dead where he meets a bunch of famous people, including Dylan Thomas and Tennessee Williams. The Second book is Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, which is about a bunch of teenaged girls who discover old New York City—the one that the current NYC was built on top of. This book I really liked because it involved a mystery, which I am blanking on at the moment (it was 4 years ago). I ended up finishing it really quickly and I ordered the 2nd book it what i figured would be a series, but there hasn’t been anything new over the last few years.
As a kid, I remember really liking The Giver, which I’ve heard is being made into a movie, and Maniac McGee. Oh, and Number the Stars, which I vaguely remember was about WWII and a Jewish family that was in hiding.
I don’t really have a reading preference, but i’ve been reading a lot of print books lately (scouring my bookshelf for books I bought and haven’t yet read or borrowing stuff from the library).
Recently, The Fault in Our Stars. Overall, the Emily books, by LM Montgomery, A Wrinkle in Time, Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, The Dark is Rising…
I’d prefer paper, but i’m open to digital too.
I probably read it when I was a little too young (11) but I really loved ‘My First Love and Other Disasters” by Francine Pascal (of babysitters club fame). It was funny and had a great character (Victoria) who found out that she was far better than what the high school stud had to offer. Oh- and there was some heavy petting action that I found far more interesting than “Forever”.
I don’t know if I can pick a favorite, but certainly a beloved one is Ella Enchanted. I don’t care how I read – digital and print are both great!
The best YA novel I’ve ever read has got to be Sabriel by Garth Nix (book 1 in the Abhorsen trilogy). I was about fourteen at the time and even though I can’t remember much of the storyline, I do know it is one of the reasons that has fueled my love for reading when I was younger/now. I prefer paper over digital, but seeing as I read so much, digital is more convenient nowadays.
My favourites are The Changeover by Margaret Mahy; its a wonderful romance, what I like especially is that the heroine doesn’t let her hormoes run away with her and that the hero is presented as an inhuman character and really acts it. But I still love love love him, Sorry was my childhood pretend boyfriend. Well, one of them anyway.
Also right up there is Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy; I love Gemma’s character and i love the powerful female friendships throughout the book. the romance is exquisite and Gemma’s feelings and longings are so real they just burn right through the pages.
I’d prefer a paper copy please; thanks for the giveaway
I loved Unearthly by Cynthia Hand! At first glance I dismissed it because I thought it would be like another angel novel like Hush,hush or Halo. Or yet another pretty girl in a dress on the cover type (Didn’t like Everneath or Fallen very much :X) Unearthly was a wonderful read. I loved the characters, the developments and the plot was unpredictable.
If this is open internationally I’d like a print copy. I’m sure I can order a Corinthian leather jacket sometime. 😛
oh my lord yes. Margaret Mahey The changeover!
I read it first when I was 13 and have revisited it regularly. Beautiful juxtaposition of change of life/becoming an adult plus hints of mixed racial background themes that floated my teenaged mixed race self’s boat. I have often wished for some kind “and then…”
and yes, Fire by Kristin Cashore is rather good too.. but it was read in my not so impressionable adulthood, as opposed to “the Changeover”… “a voice softly quelling, like princes being smothered by velvet cushions” .. to paraphrase Margaret.
thank you, I will now go and remember what elese I liked about this book 7 try to find an e copy.
I am interested in a print copy for my living room shelf. 🙂
I love the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent but of the series If I Die was one of my favorite read. If I had to choose a contemporary YA, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins was also wonderdul. Though I would like to throw in that Easy by Tammara Webber was a tie in for my pick except that Easy is a (college) adult novel.
The best YA book I ever read was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Still the best. I hated when it ended and read all the followups too, but none were quite as good as the original.
“Winter of Fire” by Sherryl Jordan. For some reason that book got in my head and will not leave. print please!
Cameron Dokey’s Sunlight and Shadow. It’s a retelling of The Magic Flute and while I like Dokey’s work in general this one is on my all-time favorites list. There are other great YA books on my list, but more people need to read this one!