[Top Ten Tuesday] Top Ten Book To Movie Adaptations I'm Looking Forward To or Ten Book To Movie Adaptations I Still Need To Watch

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Top Ten Book To Movie Adaptations I Want To See/

Need To Watch!

There are many movies based on books that I'm anxiously awaiting, however I've decided to only feature those with established casts/release dates in the near future.

Me and Earl and The Dying Girl

by Jesse Andrews, out on DVD
Own the book, haven't read it... will likely watch this movie first. At some point. There will be tears. *sniffles*

Goosebumps

by R.L. Stein, released October 16, 2015
Soooo... I don't get to the movies much. Hopefully I can catch this one on DVD or streaming. R.L. Stein is responsible for 90% of my nightmares.

Mockingjay, Part 2

by Suzanne Collins, coming to theaters November 20, 2015

Because one has to say goodbye. 

The Fifth Wave

by Rick Yancey, in theaters January 15, 2016

I've read the first two book in this series so I'm pumped and ready to see the movie! Not crazy about Chloe Moretz playing the lead but she's tough so I'll buy it... 

The Choice 

by Nicholas Sparks, coming to theaters February 5, 2016

Because it wouldn't be Valentine's Day without Nicholas Sparks and Tom Welling. I'm hoping to look passed all that is flawed in Sparks' storytelling and re-live my Smallville days while crying in my ice cream. 

Deadpool

based on Deadpool by Fabian Nicieza, Rob Liefeld, coming to theaters February 12, 2016

YASSSSSS!!! The Deadpool books are amazing and this will be nothing short of it. CANNOT. WAIT.

Divergent Series: Allegiant

by Veronica Roth, coming to theaters March 18, 2016
This movie adaptation has gone wayyy off course from the novels for me and that's okay. It's okay because I read the books a while back, I've forgotten a lot of details and I want to be entertained. Just no re-reading of the books, haha.

 

Me Before You

by JoJo Moyes, coming to theaters June 3, 2016

Grabbing my tissues now + Sam Claflin, can't lose.

Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur

based on the stories by Sir Thomas Malory, coming to theaters July 22, 2016

Guy Ritchie is probably one of my favorite modern directors with a cult-like following. Can't wait to see his spin on this literary classic with Charlie Hunnam as King Arthur. Be still my heart... + it's slated for a SIX FILM franchise!!! You can get a sneak peek here.

Before I Fall

by Lauren Oliver, filming began in October 2015 scheduled for 2016 release

Love Lauren's writing so I'll be curious to see how she and Paper Lantern Lit package this for success. 

What big book-to-movie adaptation have I missed?
Let me know in the comments below!

[Top Ten Tuesday] Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel 

In no particular order and some have already been released ;)

Martina Boone

with Persuasion (The Heirs of Watson Island #2) released October 27, 2015

Anyone who knows my reading habits I usually don't do sleepy southern/historical really well. However I loved Martina's debut! If you didn't already grab this one last week you should. :)

Victoria Aveyard

with Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) out February 9, 2016
This girl is wicked, not like evil wicked like wicked cool. Bring on the terror there are silver bloods to slay and red bloods to save!

Courtney C. Stevens

with The Lies About Truth out November 3, 2015
Courtney's first book slayed my feels. I expect nothing less of this. Got my tissues in hand.

Sandy Hall

with Signs Point To Yes released October 20, 2015

Sandy Hall's debut was super quirky and this one promises to be adorkable which I fully believe it will be. An easy read mixing humor and light issues.

Emery Lord

with The Start of Me and You released March 31, 2015
This came out in the spring during my reading slump. I hearted Emery's debut mixing music, friendship, and, of course, boys to churn out a feel good read. I expect nothing less out of this one. Don't spoil it for me! ;)

Michael Barakiva

with Hold My Hand out in 2017

So I read One Man Guy in half a day, it was a refreshing take on a teen gay relationship vs. the usual coming out story. Now Michael is planning the release of a standalone companion novel, Hold My Hand, that explores what happens when one cheats. O_o

Katie Coyle

with Vivian Apple Needs a Miracle (Vivian Apple #2) released September 1, 2015

Oh Vivian, sweet Vivian... what fresh hell are you still in. The world is still in shambles, resources are questionable and that ending... must read more.

Wendy Mills

with All We Have Left out August 9, 2016

Wendy Mills gave me some feels in Positively Beautiful even is it was a bit scrambled... but then I read the synopsis for this. HEART. BREAKER. I just know it. Using both the past and present we'll explore the post-9/11 world of two teen girls. I'm gonna need more tissues.

Alexis Bass

with What's Broken Between Us out December 29, 2015

While I wasn't crazy about Alexis' debut there is enough there to see through her sophomore effort. After reading the synopsis all I can think of is that Future and Adam Lavine song, "Would You Still Love Me the Same." 

And the last one is a stretch if not cheating haha... but it's my blog so...  a book that has been out for years but I have yet to read....

Laini Taylor

with Days of Blood and Starlight (Smoke and Bone #2)

This is really cheating because it's not even her sophomore album haha, it's just the second book in this series but I MUST read it. I have had this on the shelf entirely too long!

What am I missing? Tell me what sophomore efforts I'm missing and should put on my TBR! 

[Guest Review] Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger

Title: Lying Out Loud
Series: companion novel to The Duff

Author: Kody Keplinger [Twitter | Website]

Publisher: Scholastic Books

Genre: Young Adult Fiction - Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: April 28, 2015

Source: ARC provided by the publisher, opinions are honest and the reader's own. – review policy here.

The main character, Sonny, is a compulsive liar. She tells lies about everything; about how her mom kicked her out, how her dad is in jail, and how she is secretly living at her best friend Amy’s house because she has nowhere else to go. Sonny has always told lies, but Amy is the only one that she has never lied to.

Ryder Cross is their nemesis, and they both have a strange hatred towards him. Ryder is the new kid at school and he is an annoying prep school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. She is the only person in Hamilton that he seems to be interested in, and she is too nice to tell Ryder that she doesn’t like him. However, Sonny isn’t. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the best friends see it as a prank opportunity that is too good to pass up. When Sonny unintentionally stays up until the crack of dawn talking to Ryder, she has a shocking realization that might actually like him. But, Ryder thinks he has been talking to Amy, so that kind of puts a damper on things. In order to try and fix it, Sonny comes up with a plan that might end up costing her both Ryder and Amy.

I normally don’t like contemporary books, but for this one I can make an exception. I loved everything about this book: the characters, the plot, the writing, and pretty much everything else. The characters were so relatable, and down to earth. The struggles that they went through were so inspiring, and they make you look at your life and reflect and appreciate the things that you have. Sonny is a character that draws you in and makes you want to keep reading. She is witty, and funny, and she is into Grunge music, which is definitely a plus! Amy is another character that I absolutely adored. She is so adorable and quiet and she reminds me of another side of myself. Another character that I found myself liking was Ryder. I loved how trusting, and real he was as a character. In most books, they try to make the male lead the stereotypical guy, and try to make it seem like he doesn’t have any flaws. That is not the case with Ryder and, in fact, Sonny actually points out some of his flaws in the book. I guess that is another reason that this is an amazing novel to me.

The main thing that attracted me to this companion novel was the plot. I really liked how original and fun it was. I personally like books that tear at your heart a little, and I knew that this book was going to do just that. I was definitely right, because it pulled at my heart strings so hard. The plot flowed very well, and the pace was good and almost soothing. I finished it very fast, and the rhythm was so well that it made me want to flip to the following page just so that I could find out what happened next.

With all of the things that I loved about this book, there were still some aspects that I didn’t particularly care about. For example, I didn’t like how Sonny was very persistent about keeping her secrets, and telling so many lies. She was keeping herself from telling the truth, and it kind of got frustrating at times because I knew that she would be much better off if she would just tell the truth. Another thing that irked me a little was the ending. I’m not going to give anything away, but the ending did not leave me feeling satisfied. I felt like there should have been more closure, but I would be fine if Kody finished it like that just so that she could do another book in Amy’s point of view! *crosses fingers*

Well, that’s about it. I recommend this to anyone that loves contemporaries and I also recommend this to anyone that is in a reading slump. It is a fun, quick read and it will most definitely get you out of a reading slump!

Thanks for reading!! 

I will leave you, my lovelies, saying:

“Boys are whatever, Friends are forever”

-Someone on google :)

Sarah from YA Headquarters

[Guest Review] Don't Ever Change by M. Beth Bloom

Title: Don't Ever Change

Author: M. Beth Bloom [Facebook]

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Young Adult Fiction - Contemporary

Release Date: July 7, 2015

Source: ARC provided by the publisher, opinions are honest and the reader's own. – review policy here.

I'm a writer. I love to read books about writers because it's like reading the story of a kindred spirit. But when that writer is Eva Kramer, well...the book isn't quite so enjoyable.

Don't Ever Change was such a YA cliche, that I'm still not even sure if it was serious or satirical. Now don't get me wrong - certain YA tropes can work quite well...but not all together and not like this. Eva seemed like she was supposed to be unlikable. She was snobby, pretentious, and judgmental. Now, if a character can mature and grow out of those bad behaviors realistically than I'll accept them. But Eva becomes downright detestable. She takes a job as a day camp counselor as a life experience for her writing. Consequently, she abandons her campers way too often and doesn't actually seem to engage with them much. It was almost like the job was a joke to her. She treated her friends like they existed only for her convenience, calling them up when she wanted something and not really caring about their lives. Eva strung guys along and her relationships with all of them were weird. Foster, the guy she knew from high school and who got her the job at the camp, summed it up pretty well when he said she just wanted experiences to write in a book.

And then, overall, not much happened in Don't Ever Change. Eva was mostly just gathering life experiences (and ones that I think wouldn't make a great book at that) and making bad choices. Don't Ever Change is honestly a miss. (Also, as a side note, I'm pretty sure most teenagers don't text like that anymore. The ones I text don't use excessive abbreviations.)

1 Star from Emma at Awkwordly Emma

Stacking the Shelves #39 + Books Up For Review!

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews

Hi there strangers!! I've been kind of hit and miss on the blog this past spring but school is out!!! I'm not in school but I work at a university so it gets a bit chaotic. :/

Anywho... last month I kicked off book for review under the #booksfortrade tag on Twitter. So far so good! So after attending BEA and doing some spring ARC cleaning I'm hosting a round 2. The deal is simple, you receive an ARC and have three weeks to submit your review to becomingbooksblog [AT] gmail.com. I'm not super strict or anything but communication is key. Those that have been guest reviewers in the past will get priority. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the books up for review.

---

In the Mail

Dear #OTSPSecretSister thank you soooooooo much!! I love TX so much 😁 I hope you're dry and safe! pic.twitter.com/iySSd7FPNK

— Meghann (@BecomingBooks) May 27, 2015

eARCs

 

  

From BEA 2015

I tried really hard to limit the books I picked up at BEA after having way too many last year. I did get lucky and picked up a number of finished copies. :) Thanks to all the awesome publishers and authors!

 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, special edition and signed!

Dangerous Deception by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones 

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Watch The Sky by Kirsten Hubbard

Kissing in America by Margo Rabb

Pawn by Aimee Carter

The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Snow Like Ashes by Sarah Raasch

Available For Guest Review

Please email your requests to becomingbooksblog[AT]gmail.com if you're interested in reviewing any of the following titles. Reviews should be at least three paragraphs long. *More ARCs may become available as I evaluate my reading schedule. So check in on future StS posts.

Early 2015 ARCs

 2014 ARCs

June/July 2015 

August 2015

September 2015

October 2015

What have you added to the shelves lately?

[Guest Review] Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer

Title: Proof of Forever

Author: Lexa Hillyer [Twitter | Website]

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Young Adult Fiction - Contemporary, Science Fiction

Release Date: June 2, 2015

Source: ARC provided by the publisher, opinions are honest and the reader's own. – review policy here.

Proof of Forever follows four former best friends---Joy, Tali, Luce, and Zoe--that end up reuniting in a very bizarre way. At their camp reunion, they step into a photo-booth that transports them back in time. To be specific, they travel back to the summer they were fifteen. Pretty out there, right?

This just screams summer read. Camp, friendships, drama...what else could you ask for? I've been campaigning for more stories about friendship so I was very excited to read this book. I think I can say this is a pretty solid friendship story. Well, kind of.

This story is very captivating. I was drawn to the plot from the very beginning. You're not sure why the main characters are not friends anymore so the mystery kept me reading. The time travel element was unique and I really enjoyed reading the craziness that ensued. I have to get technical for a second and say that this novel is beautifully written. Every description is vivid, the four points of views are very unique, and the prose is so lyrical. I can't say enough nice things about this. Just gorgeous.

To be honest, I did find the story boring at times. I had a hard time at the beginning but it does improve (quite a lot actually) so stick with it if you feel like you want to stop. Also, I have a hard time connecting with characters when the narrative is written in third person. I wasn't as invested in the story because of it but this is more of a personal issue than anything else. The way the story is written works well since the author is juggling four points of view. I just prefer books that are not in third person.

Overall, I enjoyed this book enough to recommend it. If you're looking for a well-written summer read, definitely picked this one up!

3 Stars from Paola at

[Mini Guest Review] The Cage by Megan Shepherd

Title: The Cage
Series: The Cage #1

Author: Megan Shepherd [Twitter | Website]

Publisher: Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins

Genre: Young Adult Fiction - Science Fiction, Dystopia

Release Date: May 26, 2015

Source: ARC provided by the publisher, opinions are honest and the reader's own. – review policy here.

This book reminded of few other books that i read recently that are along the same lines kids are kidnapped, some rules are set in place, you got the leaders, those that want to escape, those that want stay extra. Don't get me wrong that not a bad or a good thing it just a standard format i seen in a few books the Maze Runner, Alive, and Hunger Games. It a format that works it keeps you guessing you never quite sure what going to happen. The Cage kept me guessing on who the bad guys where and the fact that it aliens and your not sure if Earth is gone or not is a pretty interesting concept. I like all the twists and turns in the story and excited to see what happens in book two, also liked the ending as it was not cliff hanger but makes me want to read the rest of the series.

4 Stars from Jan at J.R.'s Book Reviews

#IHeartDessen - That Summer Giveaway!!!

Hey Hey!!!

Penguin Teen asked me to be a part of their #IHeartDessen month and I happily joined in! I first saw Sarah Dessen when she was on tour with Gayle Forman during the fall in Chapel Hill, NC. Since she is a local North Carolinian I gathered up my books and headed over there. I was immediately drawn to her and became super stoked about reading more Sarah. :) 

Me all post work frumpiness 😂 but these two totally made my day! @gayleforman @sdessen

A photo posted by Bookish Diva (@becomingbooks) on Jan 29, 2015 at 9:06pm PST

I was super lucky when I saw her again a couple weeks ago as she was on tour for Saint Anything. Great conversation about how her books are not really all that romantic (I agree!) but deal with deep issues.

This is so true for That Summer. I immediately connected with Haven as she deals with the aftermath of her parent's divorce: her dad's remarriage, mom's new life, and her sister getting married and leaving home as well. In fact, it seems like everyone has moved on except for 15-year-old Haven. As a way of coping Haven finds her last "happy" family memory which was a vacation in Virginia Beach along with her sister's ex-boyfriend, Sumner, years earlier.

What results is a heartfelt story about family and sibling friendship creating a solid debut novel from Dessen about 17 years ago! Dessen is now on her 12th novel and stated at the reading that if she didn't write anymore she'd be happy with her new novel being her last. However, this is probably not her last novel! *fingers crossed*

So now it's giveaway time!! :) Penguin Teen was nice enough to send me an extra paperback of That Summer so I'm passing it on to my readers and it's even signed by Sarah Dessen!

Giveaway is available in the U.S. only and open until June 8. Entries will be verified. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway