Giveaway and Review: Jo & Laurie

Jo & Laurie

by Margaret Stohl & Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 2nd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance, Retellings, 

Synopsis:

Bestselling authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz bring us a romantic retelling of Little Women starring Jo March and her best friend, the boy next door, Theodore "Laurie" Laurence.

1869, Concord, Massachusetts: After the publication of her first novel, Jo March is shocked to discover her book of scribbles has become a bestseller, and her publisher and fans demand a sequel. While pressured into coming up with a story, she goes to New York with her dear friend Laurie for a week of inspiration—museums, operas, and even a once-in-a-lifetime reading by Charles Dickens himself!

But Laurie has romance on his mind, and despite her growing feelings, Jo's desire to remain independent leads her to turn down his heartfelt marriage proposal and sends the poor boy off to college heartbroken. When Laurie returns to Concord with a sophisticated new girlfriend, will Jo finally communicate her true heart's desire or lose the love of her life forever?

My Review:

I had only recently read Little Women this past January right before I went to see the new movie in theatres.  I read the physical book and listened to the audio read by Christina Ricci on Audible.  I thoroughly enjoyed Little Women and don’t want to take away anything from the original.  However, I’m sure I’m like most of Alcott’s fans and was greatly let down with that ending and the final resolution of Jo March, our star authoress. Well, Jo & Laurie completely healed my broken heart.

Overall, I appreciated De La Cruz and Stohl’s retelling of this fine classic tale.  In particular, I liked Laurie’s character more now than from the classic and felt that he was portrayed as a more mature character than in the original and especially compared to the movie.  I felt like he was bolder and more confident when it came to Jo.  He became a total swoon-worthy character for me.  On the other hand, Amy’s character felt like she was written younger and she annoyed me more than the snobbish portrayal of her original character.   I suppose I must take the bad with the good.

Likewise, to my feelings from the original, Jo and Meg were still my favorite characters.  I felt their characters were the most developed.  I think Meg’s character stayed truer to herself, while Jo struggled more with her feelings. Her character growth was interesting to watch unfold, and although I finally got the outcome that I wanted, the sudden change in heart was a little too sudden.

I would definitely recommend this book to those fans who have an open mind and want to have the ideal ending that they felt would’ve completed the story.  If I had to choose to reread Little Women again or reread Jo & Laurie, I would most certainly choose the latter.   

Favorite Quotes:

"No, that's not true. I don't hate writing; I absolutely, positively loathe it."

"She was left, as a result, with no alternative but to resort to the most trusted and time-honored, if most time-consuming, occupation of all writers--belly-aching about needing to work instead of working."

"Is my current poverty of i9matination not a real problem?"

"This literary husbandry is the very foundation of our glorious profession."

"He looked down at Jo. "So, then. Romance? That what we need, Mr. Snodgrass, old chap?""

"So it seems, Mr. Weller. I believe little whalebone-corseted hearts are to be set afire, as it were."

"And they're not even talking about anything. They never are. Just loads and loads of nonsense."

"Love yourself like I love you, old friend."

"She meant it, which Meg knew-as sisters do-and so peace was struck just as war had been declared."

"Remember who you are and where you come from. Remember everything and be cheerful, because this chance will never come again."

"No one with such an ancient lineage ever lets any else forget it."

"I will ram that peacock feather down your pretty throat, Meg thought."

"His music is the mother he misses. The life he will never know. The book I cannot remember how to write."

"My messes and scrapes and moods and shadows. My queer temperament and career. My inability to live on the same plane of existence as every other person on earth..."

"You're a fool who doesn't know her own heart."

"For life and love are very precious, she wrote, when both are in full bloom."

"I'll always think of you.  I'll always treasure our friendship, no matter how far away I go."

"I thought I was the improper one in the family. We can't all be scandalous, now, can we?"

"Keep writing your way back to the light."

"It's all right, Jo.  This is life. I will lose you, and you will lose me.  Losing is part of having, my love."

"Because of all the other little sisters-the ones you'll never know or meet-who you've made believe they could tell a story of their own."

BOOK LINKS

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48895207-jo-laurie

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eKjILC

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jo-laurie-margaret-stohl/1136270761?ean=9780593112861

iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/jo-laurie/id1489092197

Bookdepository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Jo-Laurie-Melissa-de-La-Cruz/9781984812018?ref=grid-view&qid=1587559819389&sr=1-1

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/jo-laurie-1

Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=8Pe_DwAAQBAJ&rdid=book-8Pe_DwAAQBAJ&rdot=1&source=gbs_atb&pcampaignid=books_booksearch_atb

 

AUTHOR INFORMATION

MELISSA DE LA CRUZ

She is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

 

Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

 

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

 

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

 

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.

AUTHOR LINKS

MELISSA DE LA CRUZ

Website: https://melissa-delacruz.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21911.Melissa_de_la_Cruz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissadelaCruz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorMelissadelaCruz/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormelissadelacruz/

Tumblr: https://authormelissadelacruz.tumblr.com/

 

MARGARET STOHL

Margaret Stohl is a #1 New York Times bestselling nerd, world-builder, video game creator, comic book writer and festival founder.

As an award-winning young adult author, she has been published in fifty countries and thirty-two languages and has sold more than ten million books worldwide. Beautiful Creatures debuted as the Amazon #1 Teen book of the year; seven of Margaret’s books have reached bestseller lists around the world.

She has published fifteen novels and graphic novels, as well as contributed to several games and countless comics since her debut. Her last book, Cats Vs Robots: This is War, was a family affair, illustrated by her child, the artist Kay Peterson, and co-written with her husband, Lewis Peterson. It also starred three of her family’s five cats.

After Beautiful Creatures was released as a feature film from Warner Brothers and Alcon Entertainment, Margaret began working with Marvel on her bestselling Black Widow: Forever Red duology; in 2017 she began writing the ongoing Mighty Captain Marvel comic, followed by the acclaimed Life of Captain Marvel miniseries, where she established a new origin story for Carol Danvers in preparation for the theatrical debut of Brie Larson as “Captain Marvel” for the MCU. 

When not roaming the halls of Seattle game developer Bungie - where she oversees the creation of new global IPs - Margaret can often be seen at a Comicon or at one of the teen and youth book festivals she co-founded, YALLFEST (Charleston, SC) and YALLWEST (Santa Monica, CA), the largest in the country. Wherever she goes, you can find out more about her (and invariably her cats) at @mstohl on twitter or margaret_stohl on Instagram or margaret_stohl on Snapchat or at mstohl.com.

AUTHOR LINKS

MARGARET STOHL

Website: https://mstohl.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2895707.Margaret_Stohl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mstohl

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margaret_stohl/

 

PROMO MATERIALS

Audiobook sample: https://soundcloud.com/penguin-audio/jo-laurie-by-margaret-stohl

PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGN

Win a tea tin when you pre-order JO & LAURIE (US ONLY)

Link to the promotion and submission page: https://woobox.com/8jrorg

TOUR SCHEDULE

https://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2020/04/tour-schedule-jo-laurie-by-margaret.html

GIVEAWAY

Prize: Win a copy of JO & LAURIE by Margaret Stohl & Melissa de la Cruz (US Only)

Starts: 27^th May 2020

Ends: 10^th June 2020

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86504/?  

The Highly Anticipated, Heartless by Marissa Meyer!!!!!!!

Can I just start with, I’m so bummed that this is a stand-alone novel? This book is AMAZING!!!!

Also, I'd like to mention that my review copy was an audio book and I would highly recommend listening to this book!! Rebecca Soler is amazingly talented and does complete justice to Marissa Meyer's novels, as she was the voice for the The Lunar Chronicles series.

I completely understand why, but oh I wish the story would’ve went on and on. 
I must admit, I completely forgot that this story was more of a prequel of how the Red Queen became the way that she is, and less of a romantic tale, or good feeling fantasy, even though I wanted it to be the latter. I love that we get to know Catherine and all of her likes, dislikes and loves!  The Red Queen had a heart once upon a time...

With the comical complexity of the descriptions of characters, I was able to put myself into the story fully and imagine all of the animals that carried themselves and spoke like humans. I was able to envision Catherine's parents faces of disapproval and Cath’s own expressions, when she was happy, angry, or melancholy. Cath’s character was well thought out, with clarity and concise word building, that let us as the readers fully get to know who she is and why she had chosen the path that she eventually had no other choice to. 

Jest was definitely my most favorite character in this story though. With such charm, mystery, and luring features, he drew me in and I was completely consumed, although maybe not by his court joker apparel so much. Though, it was very comical to read about bells hanging off of his hat. One particular scene had me oh so swooning over him and I imagine that I will have to reread this book very soon. 

Hatter was more than I knew I could handle. I couldn’t help but imagine Johnny Depp while reading his story lines, but Meyer did an evolutionary job on creating this character. In his Mad Hatter clothes and hats, he was artistically created with a personality like no other in this story. He made you more and more curious of his actions and reactions.

Marissa Meyer doesn’t fail to entertain us in this epic retelling of a well-loved fairytale. She did such a marvelous job with her Lunar Chronicles and I think fans will not be disappointed in the slightest, except for maybe the fact that this one was a standalone. I think it’s safe to say, that we all want more of her writing and we’re ready right now.  I highly recommend this read to all ages. Any lover of the classic Alice and Wonderland will surely love this fantastically written re-telling!

I received an audio copy of Heartless by Marissa Meyer from Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Once Upon A Time... Cinderella Was a Cyborg!!!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Goodreads Review: 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

My Take:

Oh my stars you guys!! This was definitely an unexpected excellent read.  I just recently read my first fairy tale retelling by a different author and was beyond impressed, so I decided to give the Lunar Chronicles a chance. I am so glad I did.  In the beginning I felt it to be a bit rough around the edges, but that seriously could've just been me because I'm not used to used to reading retellings in the slightest. 

Even though our dear Cinder, based upon Cinderella is a cyborg in this series, I still kind of expected to follow the same story as the classic fairy tale version.  Meyer only kept those key roles from the classic (evil step-mother, 2 step-sisters, and prince charming) nothing else really sticks to the classic.  Meyer takes this story and spins it into a fast-paced fantasy world with a spunky little Cinder who stands up for herself and fights for what she wants.   And I loved it!!

After wrapping my head around the fact that Cinder is a cyborg, I was able to really relate to this character.  The sensitivity to real world feelings really hit close to me.  Prince Kai, as dreamy as he is still holds a very down to earthness to him which I think helped me as a reader see him as not only Prince Charming, but also a young man, who wants the best for his people.  

The character and world building in Cinder are superb.  With little to no flaws in this story, I was captivated and drawn into Cinder's world, rooting for her every step of the way.  I was a little skeptical when I first picked this read but I was most definitely satisfied and left with wanting more!  Ready to start Scarlet now!!!  Definitely recommend this retelling!

Not The Peter Pan You Remember! My First Retelling and Review!!

Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell

Goodreads Review:
For as long as she can remember, Gwendolyn Allister has never had a place to call home—all because her mother believes that monsters are hunting them. Now these delusions have brought them to London, far from the life Gwen had finally started to build for herself. The only saving grace is her best friend, Olivia, who’s coming with them for the summer.

But when Gwen and Olivia are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and taken to a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey, Gwen realizes her mom might have been sane all along.

The world Gwen finds herself in is called Neverland, yet it’s nothing like the stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through her fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the roguish young pirate who promises to keep her safe.

With time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But will she be able to save Neverland without losing herself?

My Thoughts:

 Hopefully none of you will hate me, when I say, that I've never liked the Disney version of Peter Pan.  It was a little annoying and when I was a child I didn't like pointy ears on anyone.  Needless to say, my take on point ears changed once I set eyes on Orlando Bloom as Legolas in Lord of the Rings.  Anyway! 

It took me a little while to finally get to this read on my TBR for two reasons.  One, I was in a huge reading slump and two, I was scared to read a retelling (yes, this is my first retelling! I know, right?).  As I got older, I felt that Fairy Tales were of the past, until I realized, that um... they're not!  I finally picked up Unhooked and read almost the entire thing in a day!  Stupid bed times, for stupid work :/

I loved how the story took off, in a more gloomy setting of London, preparing the way for a more unique way of telling a Peter Pan story.  It completely grabbed my attention because it wasn't your childhood fairy tale anymore.  It was a twisted version.  Some might say, a twisted and dark version?  I might say that haha!  And who doesn't like a twisted version of your classic fairy tale novel?  

Our main protagonist, Gwendolyn, is not your typical Wendy either.  She is curious and spunky.  She's ready to investigate and question things, which is my kind of character.  I don't like reading about young women who go with the flow of things, I have to do that myself enough of the time. And the other characters of Neverland?  Well, they're not who you might expect them to be either.  

In a Neverland where good was once bad and bad is now good, it's easy to feel that you are a bit turned around.  A dashingly handsome pirate will definitely make you swoon more than you would expect to, especially with his dark secrets and young Peter, well, Peter will draw you in, every moment he can, with that devilishly grin and boyish charm. The twists and turns in this book will have you second guessing your second guesses!!! But don't fret, because Maxwell wraps it all up in such a way that will make you love her for every minute of this exceptional retelling of your favorite flying Pan and infamous captain.