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Showing posts with label Samantha Young. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Samantha Young. Show all posts

Saturday, June 30, 2018

Review: The Fragile Ordinary - Samantha Young

 

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Impossible Vastness of Us and the On Dublin Street series comes a heartfelt and beautiful new young adult novel, set in Scotland, about daring to dream and embracing who you are. Order your copy of THE FRAGILE ORDINARY today!

   


I am Comet Caldwell.
And I sort of, kind of, absolutely hate my name.
People expect extraordinary things from a girl named Comet. That she’ll be effortlessly cool and light up a room the way a comet blazes across the sky.
But from the shyness that makes her book-character friends more appealing than real people to the parents whose indifference hurts more than an open wound, Comet has never wanted to be the center of attention. She can’t wait to graduate from her high school in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the only place she ever feels truly herself is on her anonymous poetry blog. But surely that will change once she leaves to attend university somewhere far, far away.
When new student Tobias King blazes in from America and shakes up the school, Comet thinks she’s got the bad boy figured out. Until they’re thrown together for a class assignment and begin to form an unlikely connection. Everything shifts in Comet’s ordinary world. Tobias has a dark past and runs with a tough crowd—and none of them are happy about his interest in Comet. Targeted by bullies and thrown into the spotlight, Comet and Tobias can go their separate ways…or take a risk on something extraordinary.


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Amazon Kindle

iBooks | GooglePlay | Kobo


“Endearing and relatable, Comet-the girl who is searching for her place in this world-will shoot through the sky and into your heart.”

— #1 New York Times bestselling author Erin Watt

     


If you could see me right now, you would know how this book made me feel in just a look.  I'm sporting the puffy, red eyes from an ugly cry.  Holy cow, I knew from reading Samantha Young's Dublin Street series that she had the potential to slay me but I hadn't read any of her YA stuff until now.  And she more than slew me, she completely destroyed me.  I have a feeling I'm going to be hungover from this one for awhile.

Despite her unique name, Comet is shy, quiet, and a bookworm.  She prefers to be invisible to the bullies at school but doesn't quite like how being invisible to her friends and family makes her feel.  Tobias is grieving, struggling, and acting out.  Life threw him a curveball before his mom moved the two of them back to her home country of Scotland.    This had a touch of an enemies-to-lovers feel to it.  The friendship & eventual relationship between the two of them felt natural & organic.  It didn't feel forced at all even though Comet was a geek and Tobias was more of a jock.

This book sent me through a rollercoaster of emotion.  I laughed, I cried, I got angry, and I was heartbroken several times.  There was angst and it caught me off guard.  Oh my goodness, my heart.  It still hasn't recovered.  If you haven't read any of her books, please please please go out and buy this.  If you love books that make you feel, you need to buy this.  Actually, if you read go buy this.  It's definitely hitting my best of 2018 list.


   


As much as I was desperate to see Tobias and afraid to at the same time, I’d like to think I’m not that self-absorbed. I did offer to spend the rest of the day with Vicki, not wanting to leave her alone when she was feeling so down about her parents’ separation, but she insisted she had a ton of work to do for the show. I knew the show meant a lot to her and Steph but I was kind of glad it would be over soon. It had stolen all their time, and yes, as petty as it may seem, I was jealous it had brought the two of them closer together. Nerves returned with a vengeance as I made my way to the esplanade. Not only was I jittery over my confusing conversation with Vicki about what it was Tobias wanted from me, but I was tense over meeting up with Stevie. We were basically about to hand him an ultimatum, and ultimatums usually didn’t turn out well. As soon as I saw Tobias standing outside the Espy my heart started to pound, my pulse thrumming hard in my neck. He turned and caught sight of me and began to stride up the street toward me. His pace quickened and he seemed so determined my knees quavered a little. When he reached me I opened my mouth to say hello, but the greeting died on my lips as he cupped my face in his warm hands and bowed his head to kiss me. Shock, thrill, fear, want, all mixed inside of me as I closed my eyes and clung to his arms. His lips were soft, coaxing, brushing against mine, teasing me. Heat flashed through my body from the tips of my toes to my cheeks, and I leaned in, looking for something beyond even this. This felt nothing like Ethan’s kiss. It was lovely…and yet…I wanted more. Tobias drew his lips from mine ever so slightly and murmured against them, “Open your mouth.” I flushed even hotter at the command but did so without hesitation. When his mouth returned to my mouth he touched his tongue to mine, just a flick, a torment that made me whimper in confusion. Everything within me seemed to tighten, coiling into an increasing tension as his tongue danced more forcefully with mine. It was a dance I easily followed, kissing him back with more fervor, my fingers digging into his arms. This was the more I’d been waiting for. This was everything. He broke the kiss, gasping my name against my lips. I blinked, discombobulated. My whole body hummed with an urgency I’d never felt before. Tobias leaned his forehead against mine as we sought to catch our breaths and equilibrium. “I should have done that last night,” he finally whispered. Relieved laughter bubbled out of me in giggles that made him smile with such affection that I wondered how I could have possibly doubted his feelings for me. Tobias King liked me. Me. Comet Caldwell. If someone as special as Tobias could like me so well, maybe I was a little bit special, too?


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Samantha Young is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows. Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017.

Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us will be published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017 Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

 

Samantha Young’s’ THE FRAGILE ORDINARY – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
June 25th
Book Freak – Review
For The Love of Fictional Worlds – Review & Excerpt
Garden of REden – Review
June 26th
Blog of Books – Review
Bookalicious Babes Blog – Review & Excerpt
Kick Back & Review – Review & Excerpt
liber_lady – Review
Miss Riki – Review & Excerpt
Read more sleep less – Review & Excerpt
White Hot Reads – Review
June 27th
A Literary Perusal – Review & Excerpt
Book Bitches Blog – Review
LoveFades – Review
Smut Book Junkie Reviews – Review & Excerpt
June 28th
Catty Jane Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
Novel Addiction – Review & Excerpt
the lovely teacher addictions – Review & Excerpt
Smokin' Hot Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Reading Faery – Review & Excerpt
June 29th
Ali's Reviews and More – Review & Excerpt
Bookish Proclivity – Review & Excerpt
Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic – Review & Excerpt
Ficwishes – Review & Excerpt
Read Love Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Bookish Sisters – Review & Excerpt
June 30th
Lisa Loves Literature – Review & Excerpt
Nose Stuck in a Book – Review & Excerpt
Pervy Ladies Books – Review & Excerpt
Read. Eat. Love. – Review & Excerpt
The Escapist Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
July 1st
KDRBCK – Review & Excerpt
Once Upon A Page – Review & Excerpt
The Coffeeholic Bookworm – Review & Excerpt
July 2nd
Alpha Book Club – Review
Book Babes Unite – Review
Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Naturally Nerdy Books – Excerpt
Rad Babes Read – Review & Excerpt
Spellbound Stories – Review
The Book Dutchesses – Review & Excerpt
July 3rd
Adventures in Writing – Excerpt
Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt
gata leitora – Review & Excerpt
KM Sultry Reads – Review & Excerpt
Relentless Romance – Review & Excerpt
Sweet Red Reads – Review & Excerpt
July 4th
Bookaholic Confessions – Review & Excerpt
Margaux – Excerpt
Obsessive Book Nerd – Review
Sofia Loves Books – Review
Sultry Sirens Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Tales of the Ravenous Reader – Review & Excerpt
July 5th
After Dark Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
Book Lady's Reviews – Review
Literary Misfit – Excerpt
More Books Than Livros – Review & Excerpt
July 6th
mustreadbooksordie – Review & Excerpt
Romance Schmomance – Review & Excerpt
Sentranced Jem – Review
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Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Now Available: The Impossible Vastness of Us - Samantha Young

   
From New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young comes a story of friendship, identity, and acceptance that will break your heart—and make it whole again. Grab your copy of THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US, now available in paperback, today!

   


“I know how to watch my back. I’m the only one that ever has.”

India Maxwell hasn’t just moved across the country—she’s plummeted to the bottom rung of the social ladder. It’s taken years to cover the mess of her home life with a veneer of popularity. Now she’s living in one of Boston’s wealthiest neighborhoods with her mom’s fiancé and his daughter, Eloise. Thanks to her soon-to-be stepsister’s clique of friends, including Eloise’s gorgeous, arrogant boyfriend Finn, India feels like the one thing she hoped never to be seen as again: trash.

But India’s not alone in struggling to control the secrets of her past. Eloise and Finn, the school’s golden couple, aren’t all they seem to be. In fact, everyone’s life is infinitely more complex than it first appears. And as India grows closer to Finn and befriends Eloise, threatening the facades that hold them together, what’s left are truths that are brutal, beautiful, and big enough to change them forever…

Amazon US | Amazon US eBook | Barnes & Noble | iBooks US

IndieBound | Amazon UK |Kobo UK | GooglePlay | iBooks UK | Kobo US


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“India, I’m not using her. I mean, I am, but it’s not like that. Eloise is getting what she wants out of this relationship, as well.”
“Like what?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“You are using her.”
“I’m not.” His chair screeched as he pulled it closer so our knees touched. His dark eyes moved over my face and I sucked in my breath at the open appreciation I saw there. “I’m not using her…but we are in a relationship together. I guess it just never occurred to me that I might actually meet someone in high school. Someone I…”
That feeling in my chest, that thick, hot feeling, threatened to overwhelm me at all the things he wasn’t saying. “Finn, Eloise is going to be my family.”
He looked so forlorn it took everything within me not to reach for him.
“What is it you’re hiding?”
“I can’t tell you. Please, just trust me.”
Hurt and frustration swept through me in equal measure but I tamped it down. It wasn’t my place to demand his secrets.
My frustration was suddenly mirrored in his eyes as he looked up at me. “I wish things were different.”
But they weren’t different. And yet they were the same, history repeating itself. I cared about someone and they didn’t care enough about me back to be honest about what was really going on.
I didn’t know if I was angry at Finn or just angry that nothing ever seemed to be easy for me. Everything was always a fight.
It felt like I lived in a constant clusterfuck.
I gave a huff of laughter. “Story of my life.” I shook my head, grabbed up my bag and, unable to look at him, said, “Thank you for your help tonight.”
“You’re not leaving without me.”
His protectiveness confused and pissed me off even more. “I’m not? Funny, it looks like that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
His familiar scowl was back in place at my sarcasm. “You’re also not going home alone after what happened here. I’ll give you a ride.”
“Finn.” I slumped, suddenly feeling exhausted. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Sadness flittered through his eyes before he managed a carefully blank expression. “I think I can handle driving you home.”
Still a trembling mess after everything that had happened, I gave in and followed Finn out to his car.
The tension that we’d shared before was nothing compared to how it was now. Now that Finn had in a roundabout way admitted he liked me and I’d realized that what I was feeling for him was attraction, the tension could not be mistaken for anything else but sexual.
I’d never felt anything like it before—it was the most frustrating, scary and exhilarating feeling in the world.
When we eventually pulled up outside the house, the guilt washed over me. I shouldn’t be feeling this way about Eloise’s boyfriend and he certainly shouldn’t be feeling this way about me.
I felt like we were to blame for the whole thing but I didn’t know why.
I hadn’t asked the universe to make Finn like me.
And I had definitely not intended to like him in return.
“India,” he said just as I moved to get out of his car. “I’ve never really cared what anybody thought of me before…but I really don’t want you to think I’m a bad person.”
I stared into his beautiful eyes. “I can’t imagine ever thinking you’re a bad person. I meant it earlier…thank you for coming for me tonight. I’ll never forget it.”
“This feels weirdly like a goodbye,” he said with a bitter twist to his gorgeous lips.
“Maybe it is. I guess we’re both just a complication the other doesn’t need.”
Slowly, so slowly my heart had time to increase in hard, steady thumps, Finn slid his hand over the center console between us and stroked his thumb along the side of my hand. I felt that simple touch in every nerve, my body reacting to it in a way it never had to the touches and deep kisses that had come before it.
I stared at our hands for a moment, wondering how different my life could be if Finn wasn’t Eloise’s boyfriend, if we’d just met as strangers at school, felt the inexplicable bond between us and were free to do something about it.
Suddenly very aware of how long I’d been sitting outside the house in his car, I fumbled for the door handle. “See you around, Finn.”

 


Samantha Young is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows. Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us will be published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook& hardback June 2017.

 Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015. 

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.  


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