The Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McVoy

Release Date: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 432
Review Source: eARC from S & S GalleyGrab

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Three sisters. One life-changing summer.
Calla loves summer because summer means Duncan. They’ve been best friends for years, but Calla has never worked up the nerve to tell him how she really feels. This summer, the summer before college, is Calla's last chance.

Violet isn't much of a rule breaker in real life. But this isn't real life, this is summer, and Violet is determined to make the most of it. Besides, a little sneaking out never hurt anyone. And sneaking out with James is 100% worth the risk...even though James is completely off-limits.

Daisy has never been the sister that boys notice, but when sparks fly with Joel at the first bonfire of summer, it seems so easy and right. So why is being his girlfriend so complicated?

My Thoughts:
‘The Summer of Firsts and Lasts’ is a story which is told from the perspective of three sisters named Calla, Violet, and Daisy. While I like this idea in theory I think I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if it had been from the POV of only one of the sisters. This is because in the end I didn’t really feel like I fully understood any of them. The reader just doesn't get to spend enough consistent time with any of the narrators to form a full connection. I kept finding myself interested in one girl's story only to be torn out of it and into one of the other sister's dilemmas as the next chapter began.

One small advantage of the three different perspectives was that you were able to see each girl from a different angle, with their sisters pointing out things about each character that they didn’t realize themselves. This is really cool in some respects, yet, again, it made it confusing because you wondered which version of each girl was the real one. Three separate points of view also made it hard to keep track of all the characters. When each girl has a circle of friends around them at camp, keeping track of all the people got difficult. Another confusion came from the girls’ nicknames: they each had several of them, and they weren’t normal sounding, so at times I had no clue who the sister was referring to. All of this makes it sound like you need to be a rocket scientist to read this book which obviously is not the case, but all of these things put together added up to a less than satisfying reading experience.

I can see the potential of this book, and I did enjoy some aspects of it, but because I failed to connect with any of the characters or their stories, it’s mostly forgettable to me. If you can keep track of a large cast of characters you might enjoy this one more than I did. I think what this book is really about is the love between sisters and the bond that they share, as well as about spending time at summer camp. Perhaps if I had sisters I could have connected to this element more, and if I had enjoyed summer camp more (I only went once, and it was such a dreadful week) I would have appreciated that part of the book. I’ll say this, though: Terra Elan McVoy made me wish I had sisters and summer camp experiences to look back on. Summer as a teenager is a magical time and McVoy does write about this beautifully, sharing a story about summer camp, love and crushes, friendship, and, most of all, sisters.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find The Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McVoy on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca

Future Reads (6)

Future Reads is a feature on Book Labyrinth where I sporadically post about books coming out in the near (or not so near!) future and explain why I want to read them. This feature is inspired by memes and features like Waiting on Wednesday and Books to Pine For. I hope you'll discover something you want to read as well! (All title links will take you to Goodreads.)

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Release Date: September 29, 2011

You guys, it's an English boarding school. Set in a London where there's a paranormal branch of the police. A there's a Jack the Ripper murder mystery going on. And it's Maureen Johnson. And... do I need to say any more?




Eve by Anna Carey
Release Date: October 4, 2011


Isn't the cover gorgeous? I know we continue to be bombarded with dystopian/post-apocalyptic books, but this one sounds quite interesting.





Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe
Release Date: October 13, 2011


What if this is like the amazing novel version of Center Stage? My life would kind of be complete.






Don't Expect Magic by Kathy McCullough
Release Date: November 8, 2011


I really, really love fairy godmother stories. This one sounds like it will be funny but also quite heartfelt.






The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
Release Date: November 15, 2011


I would probably read anything by Kimberly Derting, because I adore her style of writing. This one sounds pretty unique, in that language has so much to do with the way society has been divided.




I hope you've enjoyed these future reads! What not yet released books are you looking forward to?

Series Spotlight: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

The Shade trilogy by Jeri Smith-Ready



Goodreads Links:

1. Shade
2. Shift
3. Shine
Brief Series Synopsis: (from author's website)
Young adult paranormal trilogy about Aura Salvatore, the first of a worldwide generation of ghost-seers, whose own boyfriend dies and becomes a ghost

Shade:

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Shift:

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.
Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

My Thoughts:
The thing I love most about these books is how they provide a completely fresh take on ghosts and their part in our world. The idea of a Shift happening where everyone born after a certain time can see ghosts and communicate with them is totally different from anything I’ve ever read. The fact that this was such an original idea drew me into the story of ‘Shade’. I also love the characters. Aura is a likeable character, and because you can really feel her emotions coming through the story it makes her relatable. It’s so much easier to understand a character’s decisions when you also understand their motivations, and I think that is the case here.

This trilogy provides readers with an interesting love story as well. There is a love triangle between Aura, her ghost boyfriend Logan, and the new student Zachary (who just happens to be lovely and Scottish). In a way I feel like the love triangle aspect is a bit of a cop out, because it’s hard to root for a girl to be with the ghost of her dead boyfriend. However, there are truthful emotions behind Aura’s affection for both boys, and her reluctance to leave Logan behind, despite his death, is understandable. If you liked the love triangle aspect in ‘Shade’ you won’t be disappointed with ‘Shift’, as it kicks into high gear in this book.

These books are lot more than just a love story, however. ‘Shade’ introduces readers to an interesting mythology involving ghosts and their presence in our world. ‘Shift’ is the perfect continuation, a book that is possibly even more interesting and entertaining than its predecessor because of its heavy focus on questioning the mythology of the Shift. It provides answers about Aura’s background, while also posing more questions.

What else can I say? These are seriously entertaining books. They are fast paced with tons of action scenes, yet they also rest upon an interesting mythology, and, of course, they feature the ever sexy accented Zachary (and also, Logan, if you’re into spotlight hogging ghosts -- harsh, I know, but I am generally not a fan). If you're looking for a unique and fresh paranormal trilogy I would highly recommend these. With 'Shade' and 'Shift' Jeri Smith-Ready has written two very intriguing and intricately detailed books, and I cannot wait for the third book to come out next year.

Series Rating:


Check Jeri's website (or the Goodreads links above) for information on how to purchase copies of 'Shade' and 'Shift'.

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is designed to put new books on people's radars, and encourage blogger interaction.

Here's what I received this week:





Bought from Library Store:

• Keturah and Lord Death - Martine Leavitt
• Waiting For You - Susane Colasanti
• Samurai Girl #2: The Book of the Shadow - Carrie Asai

Gifts:

• Runaway - Meg Cabot (thanks to my Mom!)
• My Blood Approves - Amanda Hocking (thank you Ivy!)
• Switched - Amanda Hocking (thank you Ivy!)

Library:

• Rhymes With Cupid - Anna Humphrey
• Karma - Cathy Ostlere

For Review:

• Walk the Wild Road - Nigel Hinton (thank you Sourcebooks!)
• Instructions for a Broken Heart - Kim Culbertson (thank you Sourcebooks!)
• Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer (Netgalley)
• Elemental - Tiffany Dominguez (thank you Tiffany!)
• My Sparkling Misfortune - Laura Lond (thank you Laura)

**All links lead to Goodreads

Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton

Release Date: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 320
Review Source: eARC from S & S GalleyGrab

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Anna is dreading another tourist-filled summer on Dune Island that follows the same routine: beach, ice cream, friends, repeat. That is, until she locks eyes with Will, the gorgeous and sweet guy visiting from New York. Soon, her summer is filled with flirtatious fun as Anna falls head over heels in love.

But with every perfect afternoon, sweet kiss, and walk on the beach, Anna can’t ignore that the days are quickly growing shorter, and Will has to leave at the end of August. Anna’s never felt anything like this before, but when forever isn’t even a possibility, one summer doesn’t feel worth the promise of her heart breaking….

My Thoughts:
This is a really sweet story about first love. It’s also a great summer book. Sometimes books that deal with all the stresses of the school year can weigh you down, so this is a perfect one to pick up when you’re in the mood for something lighter and fun.

Anna’s voice was clear, and she was a likeable protagonist. She’s a smart girl, and she longs for something more than the small island life she’s grown up with. I think we can all identify with wanting something bigger, something better, and Anna’s voice represents these desires. Will is the perfect first boyfriend. He’s the big city boy in for the summer, and he’s sweet and kind.

The island is a huge part of the story, and I loved exploring it along with Anna and Will. Sometimes setting can be ignored in a book that’s mostly about a character and their journey, but it definitely wasn’t in this one. All the swimming and biking made me feel like it was warm and sunny out, even though I read this in Canada in March (I'm in SW Ontario, but still!) I totally loved all the descriptions of the island locales and how they played into the story.

This book would need some other aspect for me to push it up to a must read, but I think younger YAs in particular will devour this sweet tale of summer romance. If you're looking for a simple summer romance story, then you will definitely want to pick this one up. For what it is, it's a great book. Also, I have to point out that if you don’t want some delicious homemade ice cream after reading this one (Anna’s family runs the ice cream parlour), then you’re crazy! I seriously need to experiment and make up some pineapple ginger ale ice cream pronto!

P.S. How about that cover? It's simple, but SO PRETTY. I love the colours so much.

Rating:
[3.5/5]

Find Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca

Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin

Release Date: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 304
Review Source: eARC from Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
As if transferring senior year weren't hard enough, Charlotte Locke has been bumped to lower level classes at her new school. With no friends, a terrible math SAT score, and looming college application deadlines, the future is starting to seem like an oncoming train for which she has no ticket.

Then Amanda enters her orbit like a hot-pink meteor, offering Charlotte a ticket to something else: popularity. Amanda is fearless, beautiful, brilliant, and rich. As her new side kick, Charlotte is brought into the elite clique of the debate team—and closer to Neal, Amanda's equally brilliant friend and the most perfect boy Charlotte has ever seen.

But just when senior year is looking up, Charlotte’s life starts to crumble. The more things heat up between Charlotte and Neal, the more Neal wants to hide their relationship. Is he ashamed? Meanwhile, Amanda is starting to act strangely competitive, and she's keeping a secret Charlotte doesn't want to know.

Talented newcomer Alexa Martin delivers a poignant story of first love, jealousy and friendship, where the ups and downs of senior year have never been so complicated. What else can Charlotte do but throw her hands up and ride?

My Thoughts:
Have you ever had someone in your life who is addictive, but you know is bad for you? Well, that’s Amanda Munger in Charlotte’s life. Charlotte is a character who you want to root for, but who you also sort of want to slap, because she makes bad decision after bad decision, simply because she wants to fit in and feel special. This makes for an interesting dynamic, because it’s hard to watch someone’s life fall part, and it’s even harder to like them when they’re doing such stupid things. Mostly I hoped Charlotte would wake up and realize that she could make a good life for herself without the influence of her 'friends'.

Did I love this novel? Not really. It didn’t always keep my attention, and I didn’t always understand the motivations of all the characters. However there were enough good parts and enough good characters for me to say it was enjoyable. James Henry was adorable, and I loved his hero worship of Milton and his love for his sister (Charlotte).

Overall I mostly found this one a bit forgettable, though it was enjoyable enough in the moment to warrant a read. I think most people have had an Amanda in their life at one point or another, and possibly even a Neal. The book has a great message overall, showing us how we can be strong and in charge of our lives, making good decisions to shape our futures.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca

Interview with Jessica Park

You may have seen the five-star review of 'Flat-Out Love' that I posted on Saturday. If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for? Check it out, because I LOVED 'Flat-Out Love' and I think you will too.

Today I have the pleasure of posting an interview I conducted with the author, Jessica Park. Check out her answers, and I think you'll find that the love of her story and her character shines through.

But first, a bio! --

About Jessica Park:
Jessica Park is the author of the young adult novel RELATIVELY FAMOUS, five Gourmet Girl mysteries (written as Jessica Conant-Park) and the e-shorts FACEBOOKING RICK SPRINGFIELD and WHAT THE KID SAYS (Parts 1 & 2). She grew up in the Boston area and then went to Macalester College in frigid St. Paul, Minnesota. During her freshman year, there was a blizzard on Halloween, and she decided that she was not cut out for such torture. So she moved back to the east coast where, she'd forgotten, it still snows. Oops. She now lives in New Hampshire with her husband, son, bananas dog named Fritzy, and two selfish cats. When not writing, she is probably on Facebook, pining over 80s rock stars, or engaging in "Glee" activities. Or some combination of the three. Probably with a coffee in hand.

***
If you had to describe Flat-Out Love in a tweet (140 characters or less), what would you say?

Gah! This is why I suck at Twitter. Okay, here it goes: College freshman moves in w/quirky family & is engulfed in complex family drama & whopping, confusing romance. A humorous & poignant novel.

Ohmygod I’m exhausted now. Twitter is like editing magnified to a horrific extreme.


Who was your favourite character to create in 'Flat-Out Love'?

I’ll go with… Celeste. When I was planning out the book, I knew that this thirteen-year-old was going to have a freakish attachment to the flat cardboard cutout of her older brother (who is away traveling). But that wasn’t enough to really tell me about who she was. What her personality was like. I needed her to have characteristics that would fit with someone who would do such an odd thing. But she still needed to be appealing to the reader and to the other characters. I’m not sure exactly how I came up with her unusual style, but it hit me very clearly, and Celeste became the eccentric girl that she is. She is extremely bright, overly articulate, socially stunted, and speaks with an exceedingly formal style of speech. But she is still warm and determined and desperate to engage and relate to the heroine, Julie. So she’s an interesting dichotomy of being terribly delayed/disconnected and yet so strongly attached to a selected few. From the moment I started writing her dialogue, I knew this character cold. I knew exactly how she would speak and how she would respond to events and people. Aw, I just love her.


How important is the setting of Boston to the story?

Sometimes I like writing about places that I know well, because I understand the tone and the feel of setting so well. I grew up in the Boston area, and I know what it’s like to be surrounded by that energy. Boston also has the advantage of offering a nice opportunity to give characters access to the benefits of a city, while also allowing them quieter, suburban areas.

Julie comes from a town in Ohio and is really the only of her friends and family to have a genuine interest in and gift for higher learning. Her being in Boston and staying with such a gifted family--where she is surrounded by prestigious universities and a climate of academia--contributes to her struggle to figure out who she is and how to balance her life.


Your blog features videos of songs that are important to the story. With music being such an inspiration, what would Julie’s theme song be?

“3” by Britney Spears. Kidding, kidding!

Make a mash-up of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” with Shawn Colvin’s version of “Every Little Thing (He) Does Is Magic,” and “Closer to You” by the Wallflowers, then toss in a bit of Pink’s “So What,” and you’ve got Julie. Dreamy, practical, tough, needy, strong… a mix of opposites that somehow work together. (Ha! How’s that for cheating?)


Which fictional character do you think Julie would have a crush on?

Julie is the sort of girl that has probably seen every movie and TV show possible. And she’s read every book ever written. Okay, a slight exaggeration, but you get my drift. Going old-school, she’d be all over John Cusack’s Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything. She’d love his constant, obscure-referencing, obsessive stream of babbling, not to mention the way he just throws his heart out there…

But there’s also a side of her that would go for the challenge. The hard-to-reach guy who, underneath all of his defenses, has a serious capacity for love. Like a Chuck Bass without the nasty, dirtbag side. Ah, maybe Logan from Veronica Mars?

Find Jessica on the web:
Flat-Out Love Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads


Remember, you can buy 'Flat-Out Love' for Amazon Kindle here and add it to Goodreads here.
***
Thank you so much for answering my questions, Jessica!

Also a quick FYI for everyone: Jessica will also be popping by in the next little while for a guest post on self-publishing. Her thoughts on marketing/self-promotion are quite interesting, and she also writes a bit on being rejected by big publishers that I found quite shocking.

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Release Date: April 19, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 304
Review Source: eARC from Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

My Thoughts:
I’ve been having a bit of a hard time putting my thoughts into words for this one, because I'm sort of conflicted. On the whole this book was enjoyable. I can see why people like it because it was well-written and engaging. The love that Kate feels for her dying mother is completely touching, and I felt real pain in my chest reading about it. I’m super close with my Mom, so while I didn’t want to try and relate to what she was going through, I could completely empathize.

My main problem with this book, though, is the Greek myth aspect. The correlation between Greek mythology and the mythical world that exists within ‘The Goddess Test’ is questionable. Even a middle grade series like Percy Jackson acknowledges the selfish, lustful ways of the gods, so I wouldn’t expect a YA book to shy away from that the way 'The Goddess Test' does. I’m all for changing up a myth and adding to it, but I could barely see any aspects of the original gods and myths left in the story.

The thing is, I liked this book well enough while I was reading it, but when I stopped to think about it, it really began to bug me. The moments between Kate and Henry were cute (and even quite swoony at times), but I wanted to know why she fell for him, not just that she did. I needed to see more of the attraction to him beyond his looks and the fact that she wanted him to ‘live’. Also, when a book is based on the premise that you need to pass tests in order to survive I expect those tests to be epic, but instead they were quite laughable. I expected daring adventures, not incredibly simplistic tests that were based upon Western Christian values.

One awesome aspect of this book is that while there will be a sequel, there was no cliffhanger to this book. Hooray! On the downside, I thought it was incredibly predictable who the ‘bad guy’ was, and the twist with Kate’s mom was definitely more than expected. So again, I’m a bit conflicted. I actually enjoyed the writing of this one, and it kept my attention while I was reading it, but I’m afraid that it failed to live up to further scrutiny. Many people seem to adore this one, but I would probably give it a pass if you already have a large 'To Be Read' pile.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

Release Date: April 11, 2011
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: roughly 87,000 words [pdf was 358 pages]
Review Source: eARC from author

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Flat-Out Love is a warm and witty novel of family love and dysfunction, deep heartache and raw vulnerability, with a bit of mystery and one whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees romance.

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it.

When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

My Thoughts:
I loved this book! I loved it so much that I had to tweet about it after finishing it. I loved it so much that I’m already considering how long I should wait before re-reading it. Yes, I loved it that much. There was just a really special feel about this book. It totally gripped me in this really interesting way, and I hope that my descriptions can do it justice.

What I really loved about this book is that it is the perfect mix of family issues and love and romance. It is filled with impecible characterizations: even the smallest characters had personality. No one felt like they were just a filler name and face. Julie, our main character, is lovely. I felt like I knew her. In fact, all of the main characters felt real to me. It was a true family unit, and I cared about their situation.

Contemporary romance is one of my favourites, and the romance in this one is amazing because it’s a slow building, feel it in your stomach kind of love. I also love love when it’s not the only story being told, because that’s what real life is. Life is messy, with all kinds of issues getting in the way, and ‘Flat-Out Love’ doesn’t shy away from that. Like I said, this is also a story about a family and their issues. That drama spearheads the book and has the spotlight just as much as the romance does. My one minor qualm is that I wish there had been more about Julie’s first year in college, since that was what the book started off being about. However, I can understand why other things were focused on, and it didn’t minimize my enjoyment of the book.

Basically, this book just grabbed me and drew me in. The romance was quiet but lovely, and the family drama was always there, whether it be in the foreground or background. At times this story is intense with emotion, and other times it’s just funny, or sentimental, or silly. It has a delightful quirkiness to it (a whole character that is a lifesized cut-out of the absent brother? what?), yet you can tell throughout the story that there’s some deeper, possibly sinister, reality to it all. Unravelling the whole plot was fascinating, even when I made some correct guesses before Julie did herself. I don't often say that I highly recommend a book, but in this case: I highly recommend this book! Please check it out and support this awesome self-published author who has a ton of talent.

Rating:


You can find Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park on Goodreads & you can buy it for Amazon Kindle.

For non-Kindle people (like myself, actually), the paperback should be out within a couple of months. Bloggers, you can also contact Jessica (view the book's blog here for details) if you would like a PDF review copy.

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Release Date: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 304
Review Source: eARC from Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.

My Thoughts:
I was so ecstatic when this book appeared on Netgalley. Ever since I heard this was going to be a book, I was completely excited for it. This return to the envelopes and the journey was bittersweet, because while it was great to reconnect with Ginny, it was sad knowing the last of Aunt Peg’s letters would be uncovered, and that there wouldn’t be any more journeys after that.

The traveling aspect of this book is incredible. One of the main reasons I loved the first ‘Envelopes’ book is because of the great journey through Europe. While the scale of the trip in this book is a bit smaller, it is in no way less engaging. I was happy to take part in more zany travel antics with Ginny and her pals, and to meet some more colourful characters. The book introduces a couple of new characters who are very important to the plot. Ellis is a bit of a spitfire, and she plays an interesting role in Keith’s life, where as Oliver is presented as the bad boy who just might have something more beneath his scheming exterior.

I thought the overarching story between Keith, Ginny, Ellis, and Oliver was a bit predictable, but Maureen Johnson still presented it in an extremely delightful way. The zany adventure and the lovely details of this book (Harry Potter references, anyone?) make it quite irresistible. This is a great continuation of both Ginny and Aunt Peg’s story that you’ll definitely want to pick up if you enjoyed the first book. Also, I have to add that I adore Richard. Anyone else?

Rating:


Find The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca