In My Mailbox 156

This meme was started by Kristi of The Story Siren who was inspired by Alea from Pop Culture Junkie. Check out their blogs for more information. All summaries are from the book jackets unless otherwise stated.

For review:

The S Word – Chelsea Pitcher

Lizzie wasn’t the first student at Verity High School to kill herself this year. But the difference is, she didn’t go quietly.

First it was SLUT scribbled all over the school’s lockers. But one week after Lizzie Hart takes her own life, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie’s own looping scrawl. Photocopies of her diary show up in the hands of her classmates. And her best friend, Angie, is enraged.

Angie had stopped talking to Lizzie on prom night, when she caught Lizzie in bed with her boyfriend. Too heartbroken to let Lizzie explain the hookup or to intervene when Lizzie gets branded Queen of the Sluts and is cruelly bullied by her classmates, Angie left her best friend to the mercy of the school, with tragic results.

But with this new slur, Angie’s guilt transforms into anger that someone is still targeting Lizzie even after her death. Using clues from Lizzie’s diary and aided by the magnetic, mysterious Jesse, Angie begins relentlessly investigating who, exactly, made Lizzie feel life was no longer worth living. And while she might claim she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, her anguish over abandoning and then losing her best friend drives Angie deeper into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

My first NetGalley book! I really love the sound of this.

Bought:

Fall of Night – Rachel Caine

Thanks to its unique mix of human and vampire residents, Morganville is a small college town with big-time problems. But it isn’t the only town with vampire problems...

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when gets accepted into the graduate course at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying goodbye to her friends, especially her boyfriend Shane, is bittersweet, and her new life at MIT is both scary and exciting. Enrolled in a special advanced study programme with Professor Irene Anderson, former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on VLAD, her machine designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires.

But Morganville and its inhabitants are never really far from Claire’s mind. When she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire begins to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make...

I’m so, so sad that this series is coming to an end. It’s one of my favourites and there only this and one more in November left!

I’m slowly collecting all of the short stories and novellas from my favourite series’ that have been published in e-book and I bought this as soon as I came across it.

Bridge: A Shade Short Story – Jeri Smith-Ready

Logan is barely seventeen, and barely dead. To find eternal rest, the ghost rock star must make peace with his brother Mickey, before his guilt over Logan’s death drives him to suicide.

Krista sees ghosts everywhere, but never the one she needs most. A chance boardwalk encounter with Logan turns her Senior Week party into a rescue mission. Can her own grief give her the strength to save Mickey’s life?

I loved the Shade series! I havw to say that I really hate this cover though...

One Perfect Christmas – Paige Toon

One Perfect Christmas picks up with Alice and Joe one year on... He’s a bigger star than ever, and Alice has managed to maintain her anonymity. But how long can that last? With this be their first – and last – perfect Christmas? And where is Lukas?

I’m a huge fan of Paige Toon so I bought this while (impatiently) waiting for my copy of The Longest Holiday to arrive, even though it is most definitely not Christmas!

The Longest Holiday – Paige Toon

‘Don’t wait for the storm to pass; learn to dance in the rain...’

Laura has been married to the man of her dreams for seven months. But a week before the wedding, Matthew made a terrible mistake.

Escaping the humiliation that is now her marriage, Laura is whisked off to Florida’s Key West by her best friend Marty. A carefree holiday full of cocktails and fun, surrounded by gorgeous, tanned men, Is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Distraction comes in the form of sexy Cuban scuba diver Leo. Laura’s instant attraction to him knocks her flying, and she falls hard.

As the end of the holiday approaches, Laura doesn’t want to go home. Is it time to face the music? Or is there more to key West than a holiday romance?

And then it arrives! YAYYAYYAY! I love Paige Toon's books and this is just as brilliant as her earlier ones.

Diary of a Grace – Sarra Manning

Grace is in love with pink guitars, Harry Styles, dark-chocolate Tunnock’s teacakes, Audrey Hepburn and a boy called Jack (well, maybe not quite in love...)

Whether you’ve read Sarra Manning’s  acclaimed Diary of a Crush series or not, you’ll fall for Grace as – on Edie’s advice – she writes a diary of her own to deal with all the confusing awkward situations she finds herself in.

My love for Sarra Manning and DoaC is no secret so I’m beyond happy about this being released. I loved being back in this world.

Sophie