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/?  

Review of Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Dear Martin, took me by complete surprise and introduced me to an Own Voice author that I have not known before. Nic Stone has become, very quickly I might add, one of my favorite new middle grade and YA authors. Her storytelling ability is remarkable as I'm reading the book, I am picturing scene by scene in my mind and putting faces to voices. This character-driven story has impacted me in a way most contemporaries don't do. 

Dear Martin, made me look at my surroundings, my work office, my school, my church, my grocery store, and my neighborhood. I listened to how people said things to and about one another, and I recognize the injustices as soon as I opened my eyes. I am a white middle-aged, middle-class woman and even though I struggle from time to time to have money to do extra things that I want to do (I am by no means a Beverly Hills chick), I don't and could not understand what it is like to be oppressed in America. 

Dear Martin, opened my eyes to the injustices that surround us on a day-to-day basis. For such a small book to have such a huge impact makes me speechless even though I'm rambling on about how much I loved it. This is a book that my 12-year-old son will read. This is a book, that I want my husband to read. I want to gift this book to everyone I know because I want people to look past the notions of prejudices that we’re taught and raised with.  I immediately fell down a Nic Stone rabbit hole and just devoured my third book of hers and I'm ready for the next one!

]

The Way of the Brave

by Susan May Warren

Published by Revell Publishing House

Synopsis:

Former pararescue jumper Orion Starr is haunted by the memory of a rescue gone wrong. He may be living alone in Alaska now, but the pain of his failure--and his injuries--has followed him there from Afghanistan. He has no desire to join Hamilton Jones's elite rescue team, but he also can't shirk his duty when the call comes in to rescue three lost climbers on Denali.

Former CIA profiler and psychiatrist Jenny Calhoun's yearly extreme challenge with her best friends is her only escape from the guilt that has sunk its claws into her. As a consultant during a top-secret mission to root out the Taliban, she green-lighted an operation that ended in ambush and lives lost. When her cathartic climb on Denali turns deadly, she'll be forced to trust her life and the lives of her friends to the most dangerous of heroes--the man she nearly killed.

Her skills and his experience are exactly what's needed to prevent another tragedy--but in order to truly set Orion free from his painful past, Jenny will have to reveal hers. They'll have to put their wounds behind them to survive, but at what cost?

Leap into action with this high-octane, breakneck new series from bestselling author Susan May Warren.

My Review: 

Wow, I had no idea that I could become more attached to a Susan May Warren series than I did with the Montana Rescue Me series, but Orion and Jenny's story has blew me away. The start of the story had me a little anxious because there was a lot of background information on ice climbing with terminology and tools that I did not understand at all, but pushing past that initial intro of information is well worth it.  The story itself takes off for each of these characters separately and intertwining at just the perfect moments.  



The world building of snowy mountains and ice ledges was designed perfectly for the images played out well in my head.  The descriptive action scenes were my most favorites parts of the story.  I held my breath quite a few times, unable to tear my eyes away from the pages, even when my husband or son started to talk to me.  I had to hold a finger up, begging for a just another few minutes. I am so excited for next installment and cannot wait to see how the lives and relationships unfold in the rest of this powerful and exciting series.

This story is strong, powerful and moving. You will laugh. You will tear up or cry. You will find yourself holding your breath!  Did I mention I want to go to Alaska?! 

Susan May Warren

About the Author

The Mosaic Collection - Author Spotlight and Giveaway!

Welcome to the Blog Blitz for The Mosaic Collection, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

For His glory...
The Mosaic Collection is an international community of women authors who use faith-based fiction to touch hearts with the good news that Christ's finished work on the cross has made us one family, and to nurture affection for the people God has placed within our circles of influence, so that the grace and glory of God may become visible and personal to everyone we meet.

...and our good
We are sisters, a beautiful mosaic united by the love of God through the blood of Christ. We have experienced the redemptive, restorative power of God's grace in our marriages and families, and we believe our God is able to heal, restore and redeem our brokenness. His love fills us with the courage to persevere, and to offer others a Christ-like compassion that is full of His wisdom and grace.

Visit the Mosaic Collection Website to stay posted on each new release & follow the collection blog for meaningful posts from the authors!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah R. Conway is a military wife, mother of two, middle school teacher, best-selling author, and popular speaker. Her novels are a deployment experience of their own, threaded with faith, and filled with twists and turns. Hannah is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and My Book Therapy. She and her family live in Tennessee.

CONNECT WITH HANNAH: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pnterest

Cornerstone message from the collection: 

            My cornerstone message is about freedom. Freedom from the past, from the messes, the mistakes, regrets, fears, and failures. As a military wife, freedom means so much to me, but as a Christian, I want to be as free on the inside as I am on the outside. This cornerstone message resonates with many believers. We say we’re free, but often we’re in that freedom.

Fun Facts About Hannah!

Favorite place to read: 

            Curled up on my couch with a cup of coffee. A front porch is a pretty good place too.

Favorite book character from childhood: 

            Robin Hood. I love that story! 

Favorite movie: 

            Ever After, or the Harry Potter Series. I seriously could watch all of these movie on repeat.

Favorite quote or Bible verse: 

            John 15:17--”This is my command: Love one another.”

Favorite splurge/treat: 

            Movie theater popcorn! Melting chocolate chips with peanut butter and rice krispies! DELISH!

Favorite character you’ve created: 

            Audria Rylatt from my novella, “Christmas on a Mission”. She has this heart for helping others, and mexican food--we could totally be best friends. 

Last 3 great books you read:  

            The Line Between by Tosca Lee

            Take a Chance on Me by Susan May Warren

            The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bishchof

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card & an ebook prize pack*!

Winner will receive an ebook of:

• Where She Belongs
• Pieces of Granite
• Lifelines
• Christmas on a Mission
• Vigilant
• Other Side of the River
• The Third Grace
• Carolina Grace
• The Benefit Package (a devotional)
• Dance of Grace
• When Love Calls

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway will begin at midnight July 10, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on July 24, 2019. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Open internationally, but international winner will receive a gift card only *(may be substituted for a Book Depository gift card if winner cannot accept from US Amazon)

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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See tour landing page for a complete list of authors & book release dates.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Review: The Dinner List by Rebecca Searle

Synopsis

We’ve been waiting for an hour. That’s what Audrey says. She states it with a little bit of an edge, her words just bordering on cursive. That’s the thing I think first. Not: Audrey Hepburn is at my birthday dinner, but Audrey Hepburn is annoyed.

At one point or another, we’ve all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we’d like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are the questions Rebecca Serle contends within her utterly captivating novel, The Dinner List, a story imbued with the same delightful magical realism as One Day,and the life-changing romance of Me Before You.

When Sabrina arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there’s a reason these six people have been gathered together.

Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter, The Dinner List is a romance for our times. Bon appetit.

My Thoughts:

I really loved the premise of this book. I mean who wouldn’t want to read about a character who gets to choose any five people, dead or alive, to have dinner with.  We all ask ourselves this question or have been asked by others at some point in our lives.  

Disclaimer: I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author herself.  While her voice was lovely, she expressed little to no emotion at all while speaking making it very difficult to feel what the characters were feeling. I then tried to read the physical book.  It was better but not by much.  

Again, while the premise stayed strong, the characters fell flat for me as did the flashbacks to the main character and her love interest’s past. I will say I enjoy the side characters more than the main characters. Conrad was delightful.  Audrey was more boring than I had expected her to.  Jessica is where my heart went to.  She was a strong character who kept being pushed aside because of the main characters selfish tendencies.  All in all, it was a struggle to finish the book but as it was for book club, I pushed myself to not DNF it.