Review: Melt by Selene Castrovilla

Melt

by Selene Castrovilla

Publication Date: November 6, 2014

Published by Last Syllable Books

Pages: 328

Source: JenHalliganPR

Add to Goodreads

from Goodreads

MELT is a brutal love story, set against the backdrop of The Wizard of Oz. Sixteen year old “good girl” Dorothy just blew into the small town of Highland Park – where the social headquarters is Munchkinland (Dunkin’ Donuts.) There, she meets Joey – a “bad boy” who tells no one about the catastrophic domestic violence he witnesses at home. Can these two lovers survive peer pressure, Joey’s reputation, and his alcoholism? And then there’s his family's secret – about to be unleashed.

Told in dual first person, Joey's words are scattered on the page - reflecting his broken state. Dorothy is the voice of reason - until something so shattering happens that she, too, may lose her grip. Can their love endure, or will it melt away?

MELT is based on true events. It is both a chilling tale of abuse, and a timeless romance. It will hit you like a punch in the face, and also seep through the cracks in your soul.

My Thoughts

There are times when I read a book that it is gripping and moving and so satisfying that I don't know what to say and I'm having that experience right now. I read Melt twice and reread several parts of it more than a few times and I'm still searching for the words to express why it is a must read. This is truly meant to be a compliment because it was that good.

What I liked most was that I was in the moment with the characters - in the room with them, by the river, at that same Dunkin' Donuts. The writing transported me to where Dorothy and Joey were. Through the good and the bad. I wasn't just reading a book, I was witness to this story and this was quite a different experience from many books that I read.

Joey and Dorothy's relationship is immediate, yet it isn't romanticized. They are instantly drawn to one another in a way that I could honestly believe. Sometimes you can feel a person's presence and you are convinced that this is someone that you need to know. That's how it was for Joey and Dorothy.

I loved the stylistic writing used to distinguish Joey and Dorothy's perspectives. Joey's voice is clipped, almost staccato as we learn the horrors that he has to deal with at home. It is like he needs to tell his story fast, to get it out, get it over with. Dorothy's perspective is more narrative, descriptive, she takes the time to tell what she's thinking. The styles shift and change as their perspectives and situations change and this was completely organic to the story. 

Here are some notable quotes that stuck with me: 

"I couldn't help him. I could hold him, hold space for him -- but I couldn't save him. He had to find his own way through." (Dorothy, page 57)

"In the dark you know things can't get worse so you can finally rest some." (Joey, pages 95-96)

"Apparently an open mind closes real fast when your sixteen year old daughter's involved." (Dorothy, page 101)

"And the ironic thing is, I'd love to talk to them. I'd love to tell them how things have been, to get their advice on everything that's been happening, good and bad. It's all been so new, so much . . ." (Dorothy, page 103)

Melt is a moving book that I couldn't stop reading until the very end. And when I did finish those last pages, all I could think was - Wow, that happened. And it was powerful. 

I hope this book makes it in the hands of many readers.

Disclaimer:  I received this e-ARC from JenHalliganPR in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the e-ARC provided. Quotes were taken from the e-ARC and are subject to change in the final copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

About Selene Castrovilla

Selene Castrovilla is an award-winning teen and children’s author who believes that through all trends, humanity remains at the core of literature. She is the author of Saved By the Music and The Girl Next Door, teen novels originally published by WestSide Books and now available digitally through ASD Publishing. Her third children’s book with Calkins Creek Books, Revolutionary Friends, was released in April. She is also a contributing author to UncommonYA. Selene holds an MFA in creative writing from New School University and a BA in English from New York University. She lives on Long Island with her two sons. Visit her website www.SeleneCastrovilla.com for book excerpts and more information!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads 

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive a signed ARC of MELT and $25 Amazon or B&N gift card (US/CA only). Three winners will receive an ebook copy (international).

***Any contestant that uses dummy or contest only accounts to enter will be disqualified.***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Cover Reveal: Gone by Anna Bloom

Gone

by Anna Bloom

Genre: Mature YA (intended for readers ages 16-19)

Publication: July 28th, 2014

Rebecca Walters harbours a dark secret, and as the fifty-three bangles she wears on her wrists as a self-imposed sentence of guilt remind her, she can’t even begin to consider moving on. Not after what happened on that night six months ago… a night which she can’t remember and yet managed to change her life forever.

When Rebecca comes across Joshua Adams, man equally haunted by past tragedies, on a moonlit beach, both of their lives are destined to change forever, and when the girl made out of the sun meets the boy made out of the moon and sea, anything can happen… but will the knowledge of their murky pasts bring them together or drive them apart?

Will Rebecca finally be able to claim her freedom? Will she stay and fight to be the girl she found on the sandy beaches of Cornwall or is she destined to keep running and hiding from a past that won’t stay Gone? One thing’s for certain: either way, nothing will ever be the same again.

Add to Goodreads

Pre-Order on Barnes & Noble!

Anna Bloom is a contemporary romance writer who writes about life as it happens. Combining a busy schedule of looking after two small children whilst working in a local school and completing The Uni Files series she also spends a lot of time imagining kissing hot guys – all in the name of her art.

             


    Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oblivion by Sasha Dawn: Giveaway

Oblivion is a hit!!!

How should we celebrate???

With a GIVEAWAY!!

  Oblivion
by Sasha Dawn
Published by EgmontUSA
Paperback Publication Date: May 27, 2014
  400 Pages

Add to Goodreads 

About Oblivion

Lisa McMann's Dead to You meets Kate Ellison's The Butterfly Clues in a psychological thriller full of romance, intrigue, and mystery.

One year ago, Callie was found in an abandoned apartment, scrawling words on the wall: "I KILLED HIM. His blood is on my hands. His heart is in my soul. I KILLED HIM." But she remembers nothing of that night or of the previous thirty-six hours. All she knows is that her father, the reverend at the Church of the Holy Promise, is missing, as is Hannah, a young girl from the parish. Their disappearances have to be connected and Callie knows that her father was not a righteous man.

Since that fateful night, she's been plagued by graphomania -- an unending and debilitating compulsion to write. The words that flow from Callie's mind and through her pen don't seem to make sense -- until now.

As the anniversary of Hannah's vanishing approaches, more words and memories bubble to the surface and a new guy in school might be the key to Callie putting together the puzzle. But digging up the secrets she's buried for so long might be her biggest mistake.

 About Sasha Dawn
Sasha Dawn teaches college composition to America’s youth at McHenry County College and the College of Lake County. She’s drawn to suspense, the survival instinct in people, and has a crush on Thomas Jefferson. She lives in a suburb of Chicago.

Giveaway Details

Must be 13 years or Older to enter

U.S./Canada addresses only

To enter, fill out Rafflecopter below

Giveaway ends July 3, 2014

If I cannot verify your entries, those entries will  not count.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's Release Day: Harp's Voice by Cassie Shine

It's Release Day!!!

Happy Book Birthday to Cassie Shine's HARP'S VOICE (Harp's Song #2)! 

I'm so excited to take part in the release day launch for the conclusion to the HARP'S SONG duology. As soon as I finished, I immediately wanted the next book.

From my review of Harp's Song:

"Cassie Shine is making her mark with her debut novel Harp's Song. It is both gripping and emotional. Harp's Song tackles some tough topics like abuse, neglect, and intimidation. Her storytelling is engaging and kept me turning page after page until the very end."

Check out the book and excerpt below, and then be sure to enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter.

Harp's Voice (Harp's Song #2) by Cassie Shine | Release Date: June 24, 2014

Single-minded to the point of near seclusion, Harp Evans’ only goal was to move away from her abusive mother, and start a new life at college. Now a freshman at a prestigious university, Harp continues to struggle letting people in, including her ex-boyfriend—Connor Williams—who has always stood by her, especially after her mother exposed a devastating secret about Harp’s origin. While Harp figures out how to navigate her relationships, especially with her mom, Anne, she will have to exorcize her own demons and face challenges with uncompromising courage, including reuniting her broken family—the family that was shattered by the acts of one man. After almost twenty years, is it possible for people to change their minds and open their hearts? More importantly, is Harp strong enough to pull them all back together?

Prologue - HARP'S VOICE

(Anne Evans - Past)

      Today Harp received her high school diploma. Happiness, sadness, guilt and hope were ping ponging through me as her name was called and she walked across the stage. 

     It was hard not to let the sadness and guilt override the happiness and hope, but that has been a constant struggle since I confronted her. The day I arrived at her District solo performance, there was a big chance she wouldn’t listen to me. It was risky, a big step; one my therapist urged me to take. 

     I knew she was right—it was time to make amends. I had finally purged all the details of my sexual assault—after seventeen years—and admitted that Harp was the product of that offense.
     Even though I had suffered with the burden of that secret, and the memories of that night—that man—Harp had suffered far worse.
     She was innocent; a beautiful, fresh, clean soul who didn’t get the love-the mother-she deserved, because I was blinded by hate … and for that, I will always feel guilty.
     The human spirit is an inexplicable thing. There are people, like me, people that get knocked down and can’t get up. People that wallow in the pain that put them there, they let it fester and pull them further and further into oblivion. Then there are those who get pummeled, yet rise and repeat the process over and over again. That’s my daughter.
     Even as a child, she never let me ruin her. Years of neglect, verbal and physical abuse would push her to the floor, but the next day she would rise, as if she were surrounded by angels—their love cocooning her and making her stronger.
     Since the day I told her that the man who raped me was her father, and now, also my brother-in-law, I watched her struggle. It was as if we were in the third round of a boxing match, with only twenty seconds left and that was the last blow … but it wasn’t.
     It was, however, the one that left her on her knees and vulnerable with her arms tangled in the ropes.
     She wasn’t knocked out, but she couldn’t get back up, instead she was in limbo. Ditching her friends, her support system, and leaning on people who used her.
     Dropping the news of my breast cancer was the last blow though. It was the one that sent her to the mat … she was done and shrouded herself in misery and doubt.
     When she ended up in the hospital after being struck in a bar fight, I sat by her bed and prayed with more conviction than I’d ever had before. Then, I shamelessly and selfishly begged. I begged those angels—who I was convinced had taken a sabbatical—to come back and protect my daughter-to guide her, to enlighten her.
     As I watched her accept her diploma of freedom, I knew those angels had heard me because she was glowing. She was happy from the inside out.
     We’ve confessed our wrongs to each other (mainly mine) and we will continue to purge our feelings. It will be a bumpy road, but it’s the only way we can begin to forgive, and ultimately heal.

 

Pick up your copy:

Amazon 

About Cassie Shine

Cassie Shine released her debut young adult novel, Harp's Song in November 2013, finally finishing the short story she started in her college creative writing class … many, many moons ago. She has always been an avid reader and lover of music (yes, she was in the high school marching band). While she has a weak spot for all things teeny bopper, especially boy bands, she also loves classical, country, rock and well, pretty much everything. After living in St. Louis for more than ten years, she and her husband packed up a U-Haul and headed west. They currently live in Orange County, CA with their furry kids Finnegan and Molly.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | Goodreads

HARP’S VOICE Release Facebook Party!

Let's Celebrate! You’re invited to Cassie Shine’s HARP’S VOICE Release Facebook Party on Saturday, June 28^th at 5PM PDT (8PM EDT). Join Cassie for a fun-filled celebration with a lot of giveaways and special guests! RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/773630852657150

Giveaway

***Any contestant that uses dummy or contest only accounts to enter will be disqualified.***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Next Forever by Lisa Burstein is FREE!!! (One week only!)

Embrace said there was some exciting news to share.

 And I can finally share that The Next Forever by Lisa Burstein is free for one week only! 

Be sure to pick up your copy and get ready to fall in love with Lisa Burstein's writing.

 

Pick up your copy:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

Once you finish The Next Forever be sure to keep an eye out for Lisa's upcoming release, The Possibility of Us, available July 1 for just $.99.

 

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads 

MidSummer's Eve Giveaway Hop

I love reading books about summer in the summer and I love to giveaway books which is why I am thrilled to participate in this giveaway hop. I'm giving away a copy of the book that I read to kick off my summer. I LOVED IT!! You can read my review here.

PRIZE 

Blue by Lisa Glass

Surfing is sixteen-year-old Iris’s world, and when the ultra-talented Zeke walks into her life, it soon becomes her passion.

Over one amazing summer, as she is drawn into his sphere, she experiences love, new friendships, but also loss, with an intensity she never dreamed of.

But is Zeke all he seems? What hides beneath his glamorous and mysterious past? When Iris decides to try for her own surfing success, just as her ex-boyfriend comes back into her life, she will test her talent, and her feelings for Zeke, to the limit…

Giveaway Details

 Open Internationally 
(where The Book Depository ships)

Must be 16 years old or older to enter

If book becomes unavailable, a comparable book will be substituted
This hop runs from June 21 -30, 2014

Enter via Rafflecopter below

If I cannot verify your entries, those entries will  not count.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fan Art by Sarah Tregay: Excerpt and Giveaway

Fan Art

by Sarah Tregay

Release Date: 06/17/14

Harper Teen

Summary from Goodreads: 

When the picture tells the story…

Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.

As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?

This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most.

Available from:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Book Depository


Excerpt
 (from Chapter 6)

­

In art, Ms. Maude has the lights off and the projector on, and we’re flying through art history at breakneck speed. We started the semester with the cave paintings in Lascaux and, with three weeks of classes to go, we are up to Marcel Duchamp and his urinal. Ms. Maude is certain we’ll get up to present-day art by the end of the term, but the class has a bet going—most of the girls say she will and the guys say she won’t.

I write $1 in my notebook and slide it across the table to Eden.

In my pocket, she writes back.

I’m about to write No way when Ms. Maude leaps ahead half a decade and sums up Dadaism in one sentence. No fair. She segues to the Bauhaus, and I know I should be listening. Those Bauhaus dudes are the founding fathers of graphic design.

But I’m not listening. You going to prom? I write. Again I slide my notebook to Eden.

She looks at me, an are-you-crazy? expression on her face.

I gesture at the note.

She writes something. Slides the notebook back. No.

Why not? I scribble.

She doesn’t wait for me to pass the notebook; she just reaches over and writes. No date.

Be mine.

She looks at me again then writes: I thought you were gay.

I freeze. How the hell does she know?

Eden takes the paper back before I write anything. And you want to go to prom with me?

Yes.

Not possible, she scribbles.

Why not?

Ms. Maude glances our way, and Eden pretends she’s taking notes on the lecture. When she slides my notebook back, it reads: You’re out of my league. Not to mention the wrong gender.

The wrong gender? I try not to look surprised and I ignore that part. What league?

The popular one.

I’m not popular. I’m in band.

Eden sighs as if I’m clueless, and she pushes my notebook back at me without an answer.

Please, I write. I didn’t know dating involved so much persuasion.

Why?

Because you’re cool. I offer her the notebook.

She reads my note and shakes her head.

I try again. Because I want to get to know you better.

She fake gags on her finger.

Because I’ll have a good time if you’re there.

Eden smiles.

And I have a prom date.

About the Author
Raised without television, Sarah Tregay started writing her own middle grade novels after she had read all of the ones in the library. She later discovered YA books, but never did make it to the adult section. When she's not jotting down poems at stoplights, she can be found hanging out with her "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sarah lives in Eagle, Idaho with her husband, two Boston Terriers, and an appaloosa named Mr. Pots. Her next book, Fan Art, will be released in June.

Author Links:

   

***GIVEAWAY***

2 signed ARC’s of Fan Art (US/CAN only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by: