Month: July 2015

Relationship Role Models: Jase & Sam from My Life Next Door

Posted July 30, 2015 in Features / 15 Comments
Relationship Role Models: Jase & Sam from My Life Next Door

Relationship Role Models is a new, original feature where I highlight YA couples that portray happy, healthy, realistic and/or constructive relationships. I look at what less than desirable YA romantic tropes they don’t subscribe too, how they function, and how they example healthy, respectful behavior toward one another. This may contain mild thematic spoilers for the novel the couples appear in, but they are kept at a minimum! If you’ve read My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, chances are that you know how perfect of a YA summer contemporary read it is: adorable, heartfelt, compulsively readable and with just […]


Ready Player One by Ernest Cline | Boyfriend Book Reviews

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline | Boyfriend Book Reviews

Boyfriend Book Reviews is a feature where my book-loving boyfriend, Max, reads and reviews YA that I either haven’t yet read or is outside of my current TBR. If you want a thorough and thoughtful perspective on a guy’s take on YA, keep reading! “Three hidden keys open three secret gates Wherin the errant will be tested for worthy traits And those with the skill to survive these straits Will reach The End where the prize awaits” –Cline, 6. As someone who represents himself as an avid gamer, I confess I felt remiss in not reading this book sooner when […]


The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski | Mini Review

Posted July 27, 2015 in Reviews / 11 Comments
The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski | Mini Review

“If you won’t be my friend, you’ll regret being my enemy.” This book took me a month and a half to read, and another month to muster up the motivation to write a review. If you know me, you know this amount of time and procrastination is unusual; however, my feelings for this book ended up being so completely opposite what I thought there were going to be that I dreaded revisiting them during the review-writing process. Don’t get me wrong, this novel was filled with Rutkoski’s beautiful writing style and lyrical way of describing everything from settings to emotions. […]


Made You Up by Francesca Zappia | Review

Posted July 22, 2015 in Reviews / 6 Comments
Made You Up by Francesca Zappia | Review

“There is no force in high school more powerful than one person’s blunt disagreement.” Made You Up was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year. I envied those who won ARCs of it at YALLWEST, and read many, many reviews raving about the story. However, I found that this novel was another victim of hype. While Alex’s story and disease captivated me, the plot, setting and circumstances were often so absurd and caricaturized that I found it hard to follow along. It’s no spoiler to mention that Alex has schizophrenia; it’s one of the major plot points […]


Real Talk: Why is an Extensive Vocabulary So Intimidating?

Posted July 20, 2015 in Features / 29 Comments
Real Talk: Why is an Extensive Vocabulary So Intimidating?

Real Talk is an original feature here at Girl in the Pages where I’ll discuss random things that come across my mind in an honest and sometimes spontaneous manner. It may be about books, blogging, life, or anything else! I’ve noticed a trend. Many people will recommend to bloggers that they use only “accessible” vocabulary. No SAT or GRE tier words needed. Keep it simple, like you’re talking to a friend. Definitely keep reviews conversational and not too long. Now, if that’s your personal philosophy, that’s totally cool. But I’ve seen this advice given to so many newbie bloggers, and […]


ARC August Sign Up Post!

Posted July 16, 2015 in Challenges / 12 Comments
ARC August Sign Up Post!

I stumbled across this challenge over at Books & Cleverness, and I immediately knew it was a perfect fit for me this summer! ARC August is hosted by Read. Sleep. Repeat. and this is its third year. The goal is to tackle some of the ARCs on your TBR in a fun and low-key challenge environment. Since I acquired quite a few ARCs at ALA, I have plenty to get to in August! The Rules: The rules are very simple It may be a physical ARC or and eARC but it MUST be an ARC Yes it can be an […]


The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan | Review

Posted July 15, 2015 in Reviews / 9 Comments
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan | Review

“A wave of intense happiness washed over me, and I told myself to carry this moment as a talisman of a time in my life when I was both truly content and lucky enough to realize it.” Do you like reading about royalty? Do you like witty, edgy, sometimes bordering on scandalous humor? Are you completely and unapologetically fascinated by the idea of a commoner and a monarch, an average person and a celebrity? If so, The Royal We is the perfect transcontinental novel for you, and you should be ordering it ASAP whether it’s delivered to you by USPS […]


Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession

Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly feature hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books That Recently Came Into Your posession (bought/borrowed/library/etc). Since I just attended ALA a TON of books have come into my possession, so I’ll cover the ones I’ve received since then and the last ones I received at ALA time-frame wise (so Sunday afternoon). My list will also include recent pre-orders! 1) Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge- I LOVED this book when I got it from the library last summer, so when I saw it on […]


ALA San Francisco 2015 Recap & Giveaway!

ALA San Francisco 2015 Recap & Giveaway!

To kick off my two week vacation/hiatus, I attended ALA Annual this year, hosted in San Francisco the last week of June. I heard about ALA at the beginning of the year when my lovely friend Kay @ It’s A Book Life posted about attending ALA Midwinter, and on a whim looked up where the next one would be (never expecting it to be near me because a majority of bookish events seem to not happen on the West Coast). To my surprise and delight, I learned that in June ALA’s annual conference would be held in San Francisco, driving […]


Month in Review: June 2015

Posted July 11, 2015 in Month In Review / 19 Comments
Month in Review: June 2015

Books I Read This Month Reviews This Month Royal Wedding (5 Stars) End of Days (3 Stars) Saint Anything (4 Stars) Just Listen (5 Stars) Emmy & Oliver (3.5 Stars) Even in Paradise (1.5 Stars) Stats Total Books Read: 5 Total Novellas Read: 0 Rereads: 1 (Just Listen by Sarah Dessen) Favorite Book Read This Month: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. It was a reread from years ago for me, but Dessen’s quiet contemporary writing still had an impact on me! Least Favorite Book Read This Month: Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot. This Great Gatsby expectations missed the mark […]