We are thrilled to have a stop on the blog tour for Suzanne Kamata’s Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible, hosted by the wonderful Xpresso Book Tours. Following our review we have a chance for you to win a copy of the book!

Review:

When I heard Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible had a character who reads and writes manga, has an obsession with Japanese culture, and also happens to be going on a lengthy trip to one of my favorite cities, Paris, I knew I had to read it. The synopsis had so many of my favorite buzz words, but most of all, it sounded like nothing I’d ever read before. Very quickly into the book I knew I was going to love main character Aiko, and that my choice to read this unique story had been a good one.

Aiko is obsessed with the culture of her father, an indigo farmer from Shikoku. That culture is part of who she is, though she’s never been to Japan to experience it firsthand. She dreams of travelling there someday and meeting her father in person. She studies the language, listens to the music, and even grows her own indigo plant in preparation. We don’t know exactly why Aiko and her mother are in Michigan while her father is still in Shikoku, but in Aiko’s eyes, he’s a hero, and he evens provides some inspiration for a character in Gadget Girl, the manga Aiko writes, sketches, and distributes anonymously around her town. Gadget Girl is a superhero who always does the right thing at the right time, and she is brave, adventurous and heroic—everything Aiko isn’t.

At school, Aiko prefers to fly beneath the radar, because her cerebral palsy gives her a limp and the occasional hand spasm, and her peers haven’t always been kind when it comes to her differences. She knows how to dress and where to sit at lunch to hide in plain sight.

And forget about taking credit for Gadget Girl. Even when her popular crush Chad show interest in reading it, she still won’t take credit. Aiko feels alienated from her fellow students due to her disability and her mixed heritage. Luckily, there are a host of supporting characters who know Aiko is something special, and value her much more highly than she values herself.

I loved Aiko’s mother, and certainly don’t begrudge her difficult life decisions, though I disagree with how she handled her secrets. Raoul was a very likable character who added some much welcome jovial life to the story. And Herve! Who wouldn’t want to meet a cute French waiter who wants to show you around Paris on his scooter? It’s hard to imagine my crush on Paris getting any stronger, but this book makes the sights and sounds of the City of Lights come alive, and it is impossible to avoid falling for it all over again.

The strength of this story is the touching emotional core to Aiko’s experiences, as she brings her hopes, shame and preconceived notions about herself and her family with her on this life-changing trip, and comes out the other side an irrevocably changed person. I love Aiko’s growth from the timid girl who experiences more angst and shame than joy to a new, stronger, more self-assured version of herself in both her art and her personal life.

My only complaint is that the book is a very short, simple, quick read, and I can’t help but wish more pages had been devoted to getting to know Aiko, her mother, Raoul and her best friend Whitney before Aiko’s life-changing trip.

Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible is an enjoyable, quick moving contemporary with a lot of heart and originality—one I think will be very enjoyable for younger YA readers and/or fans of Japanese culture or Paris.

Featured Book:

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Blogger Buzz:

Here are links to some particularly amazing reviews of The Book of Broken Hearts:

Pure Imagination “It was the perfect mix of funny, lovable characters and a real family issues. It was heartwarming and I loved ever word of it.”

Supernatural Snark “Both poignant and funny, with a focus on relationships both familial and romantic, The Book of Broken Hearts pleases on a variety of levels, giving us a taste of reality without any added drama for effect.”

Midnight Book Girl “I can’t imagine anyone not liking this book!”

Bookworm 1858 “This contemporary did not wow me at all-it felt pretty familiar although the diversity of the characters is new and appreciated.”

Flyleaf Review “Sweet and steamy at the same time. You will definitely be cheering Jude and Emilio on. And watch out for page 243, because WOWZA. Hot.” 

Blue Sky Bookshelf “A pleasurable book with a few problems, but nicely done in all.”

Hobbitsies “It’s truly an amazing contemporary, one had me crying at several different points throughout the story.”

Rather Be Reading “This is truly a testament to Ockler’s writing and how much her craft has grown since her earlier books; she’s not relying on a love triangle to create tension but instead has found a natural balance between family, romance, and friendships.”

The Reader’s Den “The Book of Broken Hearts was a satisfying and sweet romance; a tale of hearts broken not just by boys, but by family love, too.”

Impostor is an unexpectedly fun and thrilling start to a new sci-fi/paranormal series by Susanne Winnacker. I’ve seen teens with superpowers before in YA lit, and most of the time their powers are put to dark uses, exploited by corrupt governments and organizations, like in The Darkest Minds and Mind Games.

But Impostor reminds me more of The Body Finder series by Kim Derting, because these preternaturally gifted teens are helping the FBI by choice. The branch that houses and trains them, the FEA, helps them to master their specific abilities so they can work with the government to solve crime and prevent terrorism. They’re essentially the X-Men branch of the government.

I wasn’t expecting to love this book so much, but it far exceeded my expectations, for a few reasons.

Why I loved Impostor:

Tessa

Tessa is a shapeshifter (yup, my inner Infernal Devices fan did a major double take at that too), and as you can imagine, that would be pretty useful in government branches specializing in espionage. Abandoned by her family, Tessa has been living and training at the FEA headquarters for the last two years. One day she is unexpectedly called into the head honcho’s office and told she is heading out on her first mission. A serial killer has just attacked his latest victim, a girl named Madison, but she’s not dead yet, she’s in a coma. This means Tessa can absorb her DNA and shift into her, taking over her life so she uncover clues about her attacker.

I loved Tessa’s sense of humor, her charming self-deprecation and her bravery in seizing the mission, though she was (quite rightly) terrified out of her mind. She is a good person at heart, and she feels tremendous guilt for betraying Madison’s family’s trust. As she inhabits Madison’s world and relationships, Tessa begins to inadvertently fill a void she’s had ever since she joined the FEA and her family wanted nothing more to do with her. Suddenly she has two loving parents and an overprotective brother, and she’s being loved and looked after. There is a small part of Tessa that wants to lose herself in Madison’s life, FEA and serial killer be damned, and I found this aspect of the story to be heartbreaking and realistic. I defy anyone to read this and not love Tessa by the end of the book—I’m pretty sure it can’t be done.

Well-executed Whodunit

Impostor works to establish a beginning framework for the Variant series, and to get us emotionally invested in the Variant trainees. But the bulk of the book is devoted to Tessa’s mission to slide into the life of Madison and sleuth out clues about the murders. The mystery of who the killer is and how he or she might be related to Variants dominates our attention, and as Tessa and Alec get closer to an answer, the danger escalates dramatically.

Winnacker manages to create so many red herrings that nearly every character in Madison’s life besides Tessa seems to be the murderer at some point in the story. I can say I was genuinely surprised by the time the big reveal rolled around. Many people in Madison’s life had a big secret they were keeping, and they each seemed to benefit from Madison’s post-attack “anmesia.”

Slow-burning Romance

Alec is perfect book boyfriend material, so much so that I somehow ceased caring that he was actually taken and unavailable to Tessa (and to me, UGH). Usually if the guy is taken it prevents me from rooting for him as part of a new couple, or at least dampens my enthusiasm, but in this case the combination of Alec’s girlfriend Kate’s epic bitchiness and Alec and Tessa’s sweet, tentative best-friendship-turned-romance completely sucked me in and worked against my better judgment. Even though Tessa is mimicking another girl for much of the book, she and Alec manage to sneak in some pretty heated romantic encounters on the mission, since he’s posing as a student alongside her to provide backup protection with his superhuman strength.

Strangely, there is an air of the forbidden to their romance that goes beyond Alec being taken. I’m not entirely sure why Major, their boss, seems to be so concerned about them acting on their romantic impulses. He always seems to be around when they’re about to cross a romantic line; he’s like an authoritative and pushy wet blanket. I assume Major is above the petty drama of teen romance and fidelity, so I have to believe there’s a larger reason for his interference. I’m hoping to satisfy my wild curiosity about this in book two, and also hoping to see more swoonworthy stolen romantic moments between Alec and Tessa.

Minor quibbles:

If I could change anything, I just wish the book had been a bit longer, with more focus on the other FEA trainees and their relationships with Tessa and Alec. We heard a lot about them in the very beginning, and I was enjoying the group school-like dynamic, but then the book became a single minded mission to solve the murder mystery. I especially loved Tessa’s best girl friend Holly, and would love to see more of her in book two. The ending sets up the stage for a pretty epic standoff between dueling groups of Variants, so I’m hoping we’ll get more of an emphasis on the whole team in future books, not just snapshots of individual missions.

I really ended up loving this book, surprised to have a big smile on my face after turning the final page. It’s a quick, addictive read that left me wishing I could score book two immediately.

There’s still time to win a copy of Impostor on our blog tour stop. Click below to read an excerpt and enter to win a copy!

In these two new stills for Lionsgate/Summit’s adaptation of Veronica Roth’s Divergent, we see Shailene Woodley getting intimately acquainted with the Dauntless lifestyle as main character Tris Prior. First, we see her serving as knife throwing target practice for Four during her Dauntless initiation (um, hello, we’d like to see the person throwing the knife as well, thank you very much).

Then we see her entry into the Dauntless compound, which is quite a leap of faith. Note her incredibly unflattering Abnegation threads. If for the fashion upgrade alone, you made the right choice, Tris. Dauntless sports a pretty cool all black wardrobe.

This moment is actually just before Beatrice becomes Tris (another quality Dauntless upgrade).

When we meet Astrid Krieger, the anti-heroine of Firecracker, she has just fallen from the top of the food chain. Expelled from Bristol Academy, the fancy private school she has more conquered than attended, Astrid is back at her family’s estate, contemplating her next move.

“It’s time I began living a life of leisure anyway. None of us are getting any younger.”

Her parents have other ideas.

“We think you should go to the public school,” Dad said.

This was just a horrible, mean thing to say. Just hearing the words “public school” out loud made my mouth taste like urine (which, not coincidentally, is exactly how the public school smells).

Astrid’s family is obscenely wealthy and influential, and she has grown up expecting not just money, but power. Astrid’s grandfather, a senator and businessman with a flair for creative morals, taught her everything she knows about clawing her way to the top and doing whatever is necessary to stay there. For instance, Astrid knows how important it is to have a list of alibis handy “in case shit ever went down” because “shit was always going to go down.”

Astrid rides into this story on her bad reputation, bragging about epic schemes, frequent arrests and the awe and fear she inspires in her fellow students. We are told that she was a troublemaker, a firecracker, a one woman hurricane at Bristol. But most of her best work as the titular firecracker seems to be behind her. While she does make a few ripples at her new school, it’s nothing like the tidal wave of mayhem I was expecting. I would have enjoyed seeing more of Astrid’s Bristol schemes in action before her expulsion, rather than just hearing about them in passing, because they sound epic.

Astrid agrees to go to public school, but only if she can live in the rocket ship on the grounds of her family’s estate. In an attempt to worm her way back into Bristol, she meets with her nemesis, Dean Rein, regularly for counseling, and he encourages her to put her talent for scheming to better use at her new school, doing good deeds for others. Unsurprisingly, Astrid doesn’t endear herself to the popular plebes at her new school, so she goes from rubbing elbows with the future presidents and CEO’s at Bristol to hanging out with public school lunchroom rejects Lucy and Noah. With their social awkwardness and outcast status, they are the perfect beneficiaries of her new brand of schemes.

I think you’ll probably know pretty quickly whether Firecracker is going to charm you or annoy you. Fortunately I was (mostly) in the charm camp. There was just enough aburdity and quirkiness to keep me from wanting to throttle Astrid. Your enjoyment of the story will entirely depend on your response to Astrid and her slightly sociopathic worldview. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her ten years down the road as a successful CEO….or a successful serial killer. I feel like she could go either way. I thought her over the top diabolical personality was more funny than appalling, so it worked for me. In that respect, Astrid kind of reminded me of Ignatius C. Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces, which is possibly the highest compliment I could ever pay to a comedic YA character, and probably why I loved reading about her. But she definitely toes a fine line between hilarious and hot mess, and I won’t be at all surprised to hear that her story didn’t work for many people.

My biggest complaint is the lack of heart in Firecracker. I think this story and its characters evoked the same level of feeling in me (or lack thereof) that Wes Anderson’s movies and characters do. They’re highly entertaining and quirky, but the worlds are so absurd and diorama-ish it’s hard to feel anything too deeply, and the characters leave a very fleeting impression. I realized fairly quickly that I wasn’t going to come to any great understanding about Astrid, or care for her too much. The moments of true revelation about the chinks in Astrid’s armor are rushed and surrounded by too much absurdity to really hit their mark. Firecracker‘s supporting characters are more like colorful props to be moved around on the wacky stage of Astrid’s life than living people. I still feel like I know next to nothing about Noah, Lucy, Talia and Pierre, despite the significant real estate they take up in the book.

I think Firecracker could have been much more memorable and poignant without losing any hilarity if there had been more focus on characterization outside of Astrid’s twisted brain. The author is clearly very funny. The bones of the story are strong, and some of Astrid’s one liners are priceless. With more character and less caricature, I could have laughed AND felt genuine, lasting emotion about this story, instead of just laughing and moving on with my life.

In spite of my minor complaints, I do think there’s quite a lot to enjoy here, particularly if you like movies like Rushmore and books like Catcher in the Rye. Firecracker could be their bitchier cousin. I had a good enough time to recommend it, and I’ll certainly be interested to see what Iserson writes in the future.

For fans of:

Watch the trailer:

This author also writes for New Girl, so he recruited some of his hilarious pals to read excerpts from the book.

Featured Book:

Golden by Jessi Kirby

Blogger Buzz:

Here are links to some particularly amazing reviews of Golden:

Finding Bliss in Books “No words of mine can even come close to portraying the stunning beauty and finesse that takes up each and every page of Jessi Kirby’s magnificent Golden.”

The Compulsive Reader “Golden is a great book for teens who are feeling the pressure to conform to the big expectations demanded of them in academic and professional careers, and offers a positive message about the ‘road less traveled by.’”

Ivy Book Bindings “Golden is a novel that I emerged from a different person. Or, at any rate, it felt that way. It is inspiring, realistic, and beautifully written.”

Anna Reads “My heart ached from start to finish while reading this beautiful book.”

Alexa Loves Books “Jessi Kirby’s talent for stringing words into the most beautiful phrases was certainly appealing. But it is truly Parker and her journey that made me love this story as much as I did.”

Chick Loves Lit “She takes 288 pages and uses every one of them to make such a complete story-it’s obvious she has started to truly master her craft.”

Confessions of a Book Addict “If you are looking for an intelligent read that focuses on self-discovery, but has also has a mystery, some romance and a dash of Robert Frost, pick up Golden this summer.”

We’re so thrilled to be kicking off Susanne Winnacker’s Impostor blog tour, hosted by the fabulous Mod Podge Blog Tours. If you love mysteries that will keep you guessing until the very end, you think X-men style powers are awesome, and/or you love developing long-lasting crushes on swoonworthy fictional guys, Impostor is the book for you. (Warning: you will be dying for book two as soon as you turn the last page.)

We have an excerpt selected by Susanne to share with you today, as well as a chance to win a finished copy of the book. First, here’s a bit more about Impostor:

EXCERPT:

I’m very excited to share an excerpt from Impostor with you. The scene is from the middle of the book and Tessa has already taken Madison’s (the latest murder victim) place. Enjoy!

I went over to the window and pried it open. The frame groaned but with a jerk the window slid up and cool air streamed in. The fresh smell of rain in the night was one of my absolute favorites.

A shadow shifted on the street. I poked my head out. Even in the rain, the hooded stranger waited on the other side, staring at my window. I grabbed my cell phone from the nightstand and the pepper spray from my purse, slipped into my ballet flats and rushed out of the room and down the stairs. Devon appeared in the hall, his eyes bleary. I didn’t stop to explain.

My feet carried me outside where the rain plastered my hair down and soaked through my clothes. The stranger turned the corner as I crossed our front yard.

I pumped my legs. I heard Devon’s steps behind me and his shouts of confusion, but I turned a corner and then another until it appeared that I’d lost him. I stormed into the forest at the edge of our neighborhood, where the stranger had disappeared just moments before.

From up ahead, the sound of twigs breaking kept me on the trail. Devon must have given up or lost sight of me because I didn’t hear him behind me.

Without streetlights, the forest’s darkness was absolute. Rain rattled the leaves, and twigs snapped under my shoes. Shape-shifting while running was difficult and straining, but with Madison’s short legs I’d never catch the guy. Who was he? The killer? And I was alone in a dark forest with him. Maybe not my best plan.

I let the rippling wash over me. Tearing, stretching, twisting, remodeling. My clothes strained and ripped. I stumbled a few times over my lengthening legs but then, with Alec’s body, I gained on the stranger. Wind howled in my ears and for a moment I lost my bearings as he disappeared from view.

Up ahead, something flashed in the blackness like a beacon. He’d turned around to check if I was still following. My breath rasped in my throat as I jumped over a fallen trunk. The forest was cloaked in mist, concealing the outline of the mysterious figure.

About Susanne Winnacker:

Giveaway:

Enter to win a finished copy of Impostor via the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Head over here for the full list of stops on the Impostor tour!

Ever since Shailene Woodley was confirmed to play Hazel Grace Lancaster in Josh Boone’s film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars, the question on everyone’s mind was who would take on the role of her love interest, fellow cancer survivor Augustus Waters.

Several actors’ names were tossed around in the quest to find the perfect Gus, but EW reports that Ansel Elgort has finally been offered the part. If that name sounds familiar, it may be because Ansel is also playing Caleb Prior in the Divergent film adaptation. Shailene Woodley is playing Caleb’s sister, main character and Dauntless badass Tris in the film.

From brother to lover…totally fine, right?

In all seriousness, Ansel is clearly a pretty talented actor if he’s booking such high profile roles (he’s also co-starring in the upcoming Carrie reboot); and there is no doubt the guy is adorable, and apparently nerdy and intelligent and wonderful, aka all the things we love about Gus.

John Green’s official statement to EW was full of praise:

“Ansel is whip-smart and uber-charismatic and everything I dreamed for Augustus Waters. I am by nature a cautious pessimist, but I’ll just say it: Now that we have Shailene and Ansel, I am completely, unreservedly psyched about this movie.”

Director Josh Boone echoed his enthusiasm:

“Ansel Elgort is the epitome of the boy John Green brought to life so vividly in his novel and he truly embodies the character traits we admire so much about Gus. His humor, sensitivity, honesty and confidence floored us. Watching him with Shailene was like seeing the film for the first time. Hearing then say okay to each other was incredibly moving. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have found our Gus.”

Ansel seems pretty excited to have snagged the part:

@realjohngreen The Fault in Our Stars is my absolute favorite book. I’m so honored to be a part of this. @joshboonemovies @shailenewoodley

— Ansel Elgort (@AnselElgort) May 10, 2013

Life has been so good to me. I’m so grateful for every thing that’s happened. Apparently the world IS a wish granting factory — Ansel Elgort (@AnselElgort) May 11, 2013

This is my favorite book, I’m lucky enough to be part of the new movie based off of it playing… instagram.com/p/ZLQV2HLNRD/ — Ansel Elgort (@AnselElgort) May 11, 2013

(UM, tweet #2 when he quotes the book to express his enthusiasm was when I fell in love with Ansel as Gus. Just saying.)

John Green’s fans are a passionate and vocal bunch, and of course, we all have pretty strong opinions on the matter, in both directions. John Green addressed concerns over all TFIOS casting on tumblr:

1. Shailene Woodley is a brilliant actress and Golden Globe nominee. I cannot think of any 18-year-old actress who has received the kind of critical acclaim that she has (she also won an Independent Spirit Award).

She auditioned for The Fault in Our Stars not because she needs the part (I mean, she’s in the new Spider Man movie, for God’s sakes) but because she loves the book. Her depth of understanding were immediately obvious in the audition and for me there could be no one else to play Hazel. (There were a bunch of really good auditions, but Shailene just understood Hazel as I imagined her.)

I am not particularly concerned with physical looks; Hollywood can fix that stuff. (Remember when Nicole Kidman became Virginia Woolf?) I’m concerned with whether she can embody the voice and experience and life of Hazel. She can.

2. Ansel Elgort is also a huge fan of TFiOS (it is, in fact, his favorite book). He was a high school basketball player who also happens to be a very intellectual guy. Most importantly, when he auditioned, he became Augustus. Watching him audition with Shailene, he was just Gus and she was just Hazel. He understood Gus, and clearly had a very deep and thoughtful relationship with the book. Honestly, I’m a bit confused as to how you can dislike an actor whose work you have definitionally never seen, since his first movie isn’t out yet.

3. Novelists do not cast movies, so these were not my decisions (although I did have a lot of input). But I’m defending them because I think they’re both perfect for their parts (and I’d tell you if I felt otherwise).

4. There seems to be some concern that Ansel and Shailene are playing siblings in a different movie. I guess I can understand that, but they’re actors. They can play different roles. They’ll look different and act different and be different. I mean, no one watched Silver Linings Playbook and thought, “When did Katniss move to the suburbs of Philadelphia?”

If the movie works, you’ll sit down in the theater and you won’t say, “Oh look it’s Shailene Woodley,” or, “Oh, look, it’s Tris from Divergent.” You’ll say, “Holy wow Hazel Grace.”

 

It’s pretty hard to argue with that. Personally, I’m very excited to witness Shailene and Ansel’s chemistry on screen, and to hear those okay’s and try not to cry.

Welcome to the Dare You To blog tour hosted by Kismet Book Tours and HarlequinTEEN! Today we are thrilled to be interviewing Beth Risk, our favorite character from Dare You To. You might remember Beth as one of Noah’s closest friends from Pushing the Limits. Beth is never afraid to say exactly what’s on her mind, and that hasn’t changed in Dare You To, when she meets Ryan, a baseball player who gets under her skin like no one else. Today Beth tells us exactly what’s on her mind in that blunt, no nonsense way we love.

Interview with Beth Risk

You’re known for your tough as nails attitude and skater chick fashion sense. Do you have any personal role models/fashion icons you look up to?

No. My fashion sense is mainly dictated by the amount of money in my non-bank account. Though I do have this love affair with one particular pair of jeans. They’re worn, fit tightly, and I love where each and every rip falls, but my Uncle Scott has banned me from wearing those outside of the house.

No matter how much trouble your mother gets herself into, you’re always there for her. If you could wave a magic wand and give her any one thing, what would it be?

Selfish answer? I wish I could give her the ability to love me more. The way a mom should. With life turning out as it has, I realize that I deserve better than what I’ve received from her.

Noah and Isaiah have been amazing friends to you in Louisville. When you were a young girl, Lacy was your best friend. Is there anything you missed about having a girl best friend after you left Groveton?

At first, no. Noah and Isaiah were everything that I needed so I wasn’t interested in any other type of friendship, but Lacy is different. Noah and Isaiah don’t talk about a lot of things, like emotions. And while I’m not real big on it either, sometimes it’s nice to have someone who’ll discuss more than cars.

Do you think you’ll ever become friends with Echo?

Yes. No. Maybe. Probably. Noah loves her and she loves him. I understand that now. She scared me when she popped into the picture. I finally had a family with Noah and Isaiah and everything began to change when Noah fell for her. Echo and I will figure our crap out sooner or later since we both care for Noah.

What’s your favorite childhood memory of Scott?

Playing baseball. He taught me how to throw and hit a ball. I stunk at it, but Scott didn’t care. I just liked spending time with him and I think he liked spending time with me as well.

Describe your first impression of Ryan in five words. 

Jock, arrogant, hot, built, conceited

If you had grown up in a house like Ryan’s, how would your life be different right now?

It’s hard to imagine not growing up like I have. I guess I’d be more like Ryan or Lacy. You know, use a few less cuss words, possibly be nice to most people. Not question everyone’s motives as to why they’re talking to me or being nice. As hard as things have been, I’m happy with my road. I have people like Isaiah and Noah in my life. That’s not worth trading.

What would be your ideal date with Ryan?

I love hanging out with Ryan near the pond at the back field of his father’s farm. We lie on the grass and stare at the sky for hours. I just like the feel of his body next to mine.

If you had to describe your experience moving to Groveton and meeting Ryan with one song, what would it be? 

“F**kin’ Perfect” by P!nk is a great song for the overall experience. If I had to pick a song for Ryan and me, I’d say it’s “Broken Arrow” by Rod Stewart.

I love those song choices! And that date with Ryan sounds absolutely perfect. Thanks so much for stopping by Beth! 

Giveaway:

HarlquinTEEN and Kismet Book Tours are offering up some fabulous tour prizes. Everyone who enters at any of the tour stops can win their choice of either Pushing The Limits or Dare You To. There will be one winner per stop, so make sure to scroll below and visit all the stops listed! One lucky winner will also receive a prize pack, which includes the following:

• 1 copy of Pushing The Limits
• 1 copy of Dare You To
• 1 brown leather cuff bracelet
• 1 iPod
• 1 iTunes gift card
• 1 personalized Dare You To baseball jersey

All you have to do is enter via the widget below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Katie McGarry:

Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of the full-length Young Adult novels PUSHING THE LIMITS and DARE YOU TO, and the e-novella CROSSING THE LINE. Her debut novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS, is a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and an RT Book Reviews 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel. Writing has given Katie an excuse to pursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazing opportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car at ninety-six miles per hour and experience boxing and mixed martial arts. The most memorable moments for Katie are when she speaks to groups of teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach. Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, at Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

 Find Katie online:

• website | Katie McGarry on the HarlequinTEEN website
• Follow her on Twitter 
• Like her on Facebook
• Become a Fan on Goodreads

Find Dare You To and Pushing The Limits 

• Dare You To: Goodreads |  Amazon
• Crossing the Line: Goodreads | Amazon
• Pushing The Limits : Goodreads | Amazon

Tour Schedule:

Make sure to check out all the stops on the Dare You To blog tour for more fabulous content, and more chances to win!

Monday, April 29th – Bewitched Bookworms – Excerpt & Song
Tuesday, April 30th – Harlequin Blog - Let’s Try and Make them fall in Love
Wednesday, May 1sh – The Irish Banana - Quote
Thursday, May 2nd – Review – Tyngas Reviews 
Friday, May 3rd –   Evie Bookish -Character Interview with Noah

Monday, May 6th -  YA – Bibliophile – Playlist and Excerpt
Tuesday, May 7th – Review - Realm of Fiction
Wednesday, May 8th – Book Swarm 
Thursday, May 9th – Review – Book Nook
Friday, May 10th –  Alice Marvels 

Monday, May 13th -  Xpresso Reads
Tuesday, May 14th – Review – Chapter by Chapter 
Wednesday, May 15th – Book and A Latte 
Thursday, May 16th – Review – Blog Girl 
Friday, May 17th – Supernatural Snark