Blog Tour Review: OUT OF CONTROL by Sarah Alderson

OUT OF CONTROL

by Sarah Alderson

Publication Date: May 12, 2015

Published by Simon Pulse

Pages: 320

Source: Xpresso Book Tours

Add to Goodreads

Purchase Amazon / B&N

from Goodreads

A girl looking to escape her past in New York City ends up on the run from a dangerous conspiracy in this sizzling, high-stakes novel.

When seventeen-year-old Liva came to New York City, all she wanted was to escape the painful memories of her past and finally find a fresh start. Her hopes for a new future were dashed the moment she became the sole witness to a brutal murder. When she's taken into police custody - supposedly for her own protection - she realizes something isn't right, but it's too late. Soon, bullets start flying, and Liva realizes that she is not just a witness, but the target - and she needs to escape before it's too late.

With the help of a sexy car thief that she met at the station, Liva manages to get away from the massacre unharmed, but now the two of them are alone in New York, trying to outrun and outwit the two killers who will stop at nothing to find them. Liva and Jay are living on the edge, but when you're on the edge, there's a long way to fall.

My Thoughts

Out of Control is the second book I've read by Sarah Alderson. Last year, I read The Sound for two book clubs. Her writing and storytelling impressed me so much that I knew that I had to read more books by Alderson. Out of Control had my attention and had me playing detective from the very first pages. It's part mystery, part action-thriller, and all adrenaline rush. I could totally see Out of Control being made into a movie. It reads like a summer block-buster with high stakes danger, car chases, set in the streets of New York. Bring on the popcorn! I'd go see it.

Liva and Jay are put in some of the most extreme, life-threatening situations and I was nervous for them throughout the entire book. I was tense and caught myself holding my breath during scenes when I thought something terrible was going to happen. I kept wondering how bad is it going to get and were they ever going to survive this terrifying ordeal? 

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters. This is one of the things that I really liked about Out of Control, while the book is action packed, high-octane intense, it's also about this human connection between these two people who are thrown together in the most unlikely of circumstances. 

I got to learn that there is so much more to Jay than just the "sexy car thief" as he's described in the synopsis above. There's intelligence and compassion and wit. Liva doesn't have to go searching for it, it's just there. And Liva, she's pretty incredible. She is smart, observant,  and she works on instinct and experience. Plus she's a bit of a dare-devil. I loved knowing her thought processes when she made decisions, and knowing why she did what she did. 

Out of Control is a fantastic book. I can't wait to share it with my friends and I hope that they'll decide to read it too so we can discuss all of the 'Can you believe that happened?' and 'What would you have done?' moments. 

Disclaimer:  I received this e-ARC from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the e-ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

About Sarah Alderson

Having spent most of her life in London, Sarah quit her job in the non profit sector in 2009 and took off on a round the world trip with her husband and princess-obsessed daughter on a mission to find a new place to call home. After several months in India, Singapore, Australia and the US, they settled in Bali where Sarah now spends her days writing by the pool and trying to machete open coconuts without severing a limb.

She finished her first novel, Hunting Lila (winner of the Kingston Book Award), just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel on the beach in India and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they had reached Bali.

A third book, Fated, about a teenage demon slayer, was published in January 2012.

The Sound, a thriller romance set in Nantucket, was published in August 2013 and this was followed by the critically acclaimed Outof Control in May 2014.

She also writes New Adult romance for Pan Macmillan (UK) / Simon & Schuster (US) under the pen name Mila Gray.

You can find Sarah on facebook and at www.sarahalderson.com or follow her blog at www.canwelivhere.com

Author links:

http://sarahalderson.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4573983.Sarah_Alderson

https://www.facebook.com/sarahjalderson

https://twitter.com/sarahalderson

Complete Blog Tour Schedule

Tour-Wide Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love My Indie Bookstore with Heather from The Turning Pages

Love My Indie is a feature where fellow bloggers, readers, and authors share their favorite independent bookstores. I love the feeling I get when I go into an independent bookstore - like it is filled with hidden treasures just waiting for me to find them.

Showing some Indie Love today is on of my favorite bloggers:

Heather of The Turning Pages

I've made it a mission of mine to visit an indie bookstore wherever I travel. This all came about when I visited my very first indie back in 2012 & immediately knew that indie bookstores are something to be treasured. They are the kind of place that you walk into and instantly feel their warmth and welcome take you in. They are the kind of place that as you walk slowly through the aisles, hear the hundreds of stories calling your name. And they are the kind of place that take your breath away and as you take a deep breath to collect yourself, smell the sweet, leathery scent that any book lover has come to know. 

When Joli approached me about writing about my favorite indie, I struggled to pick just one! After taking some time and going back and forth between my top three, there is one that I just can't help but share. 

 

The Strand Book Store in the city that never sleeps, NYC, is any book lovers paradise. It is the home of 18 MILES. . .yes, you read that right. . .of books! I had the opportunity to visit the Strand this past May after traveling to NYC for Book Expo America. After spending two days among the madness that is BEA, I didn't think a bookstore could take my breath away the way an entire book expo did, but I was wrong. Just walking down the street and seeing the red Strand banner swaying in the breeze, I stopped and stared. Call me crazy, but I teared up a little bit. Hey, it happens when I get really excited about something.

When I walked in, I couldn't help but struggling to close my gaping mouth. It was a sight to be seen! Every square inch of that bookshop is filled with books and anything having to do with the written word. So much to look at and not enough time in one day to look at it all. I tried to capture it all in a picture, but it's definitely not possible when there are multiple floors and 18 miles of books to be seen. So a little snapshot will have to do. 

 

 

My favorite part? The moment where I had to go grab a ladder to get a book from the top shelf. Yes, there are ladders placed all about so you can help yourself. It was my Belle moment and took everything in me not to break out in song. 

 

Another thing I loved? The prices! I purchased a hardback for only $9! That's pretty good if you ask me and something I wasn't expecting. So, if you're ever in NYC, I highly recommend setting aside some time to explore the Strand. I know that I'll be going back if I ever find myself living the city life again. 

 

 

Heather Sheffield is the creator of The Turning Pages where she blogs along with her cousin Christie. She also devotes her time as an Author's Assistant. You can follow her on Twitter.

Last Stop This Town by David Steinberg

  

Last Stop This Town

by David H. Steinberg

Published by Monkey Business Press

Publication Date: March 7, 2012

Pages: 192

Source: received from the Author/Publisher





The debut novel from "American Pie" series screenwriter David H. Steinberg. It's the last weekend before high school graduation, and as they prepare to go their separate ways, four life-long friends spend a wild and raucous night in New York City that forces them to face their fear of growing up... and growing apart.

West Hartford, Connecticut. Growing up in the suburbs is a mind-numbingly boring experience for most teenagers, and high school seniors Dylan, Noah, Pike, and Walker are no exception. They spend their days testing how fast they can drive on the local residential streets, bribing homeless dudes to buy them beer, and attending crappy house parties. So when Dylan proposes that they spend their last weekend of high school in New York City attending an underground rave, the guys are ready to make some serious memories.

In New York, though, the guys have run-ins with a drug dealer with a penchant for fire extinguishers, a Chinese restaurant owner with a score to settle, an Albanian street gang, con men, hookers, performance artists, and a gaggle of hot, degenerate, rich girls. Over the course of one incredible night, their outrageous journey gives the guys a bonding experience they'll never forget, as they learn that part of growing up means they're going to have to face their futures on their own.

(Parental advisory: Contains strong language, drinking, drugs, and sexual situations, all involving teens.) from Goodreads


My Thoughts

I admit it, I was lured into reading this book by the setting - NYC, the timeframe - the weekend before graduation when the characters would be on the cusp of change, and by the author - an American Pie screenwriter. I loved most of the movies of the franchise and was swayed to read the books for that reason.

AND I wanted to read a book that would make me laugh my face off. 

Last Stop This Town reads like a raunchy teen comedy. The main characters best friends Dylan, Noah, Walker and Pike fill a niche of the typical teenage boys. There were moments of depth to each character, but mostly they were just out to have a good time on their last weekend together before graduating. The different situations that they would get themselves into or find themselves in did not seem very realistic or likely. Maybe it was possible for most of these events to happen, but not all in the same night. Again for this reason, the book read like a movie where anything is possible and if something can go wrong, it most likely will. BUT having said that, it shouldn't take away from the fun time that I had while reading this.

Last Stop This Town may not be for everyone, but I thought it was a good time. It reminded me of my guy friends from high school - because yes, the loud, obnoxious, thrill seekers who may not be the best influences can make good friends, provide lots of laughs, and keep you on your toes.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for my honest review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters

by Meredith Zeitlin

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons

Publication Date: March 1, 2012

Pages: 288

Source: Publisher

Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny.

Things start out great - her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it.

Kelsey’s hilarious commentary throughout her disastrous freshman year will have you laughing out loud—while being thankful that you’re not in her shoes, of course… (from Goodreads)


My Thoughts


Let me just put it out there - this book was too much fun. It has been a long time since I've read a book that made me smile and laugh over and over and over again. From the very beginning of the book when Kelsey declares that it is going to be the best year ever - starting high school - staking her claim to fabulousness - you just know that it is going to be anything but that. Get ready for the ride.

" . . . well, we're in high school now. Obviously. And . . . it's time to defy expectations! To . . . change people's perceptions of us!  . . .

I've decided to really . . . do something this year. To make a mark. Stand out. Revamp myself for a new era. you know like Lindsay Lohan." (pg. 10)

Oh the naivete of the clueless former eighth-grader (yes that means you, freshman). What is so funny about her situation is that almost every freshman has had these same ideas. That is what made me want to read Freshman Year and kept me reading it and makes me want to read it again.

Kelsey was put through the wringer her freshman year, starting with making the soccer team - a main goal of her freshman year - only to have to deal with the torture of junior team captain, Julie Nelson, aka Crazy Eyebrows. (Julie is Sadie from MTV's Awkward - at least that's how I read her) Thankfully Kelsey has her three best friends - Em, Cass and Jo-Jo by her side. But all too soon the pressures of high school, new friendships, and new relationships change the girls and Kelsey begins to wonder if her childhood friendships can last.

Her fashion clueless but not-so-clueless mom and little sister Travis added other moments of humor. Travis bugged Kelsey and her friends all of the time, but it didn't come from brattiness, but cleverness. Well she was a little bratty, but she was the kind of little sister that the older sibling can't stand but her friends love. I loved the scenes with Travis and wouldn't have mind having her around more. 

Adding to Kelsey's unnatural disasters to her freshman year are the boys. Of course there are boys. Kelsey's main crush Jordan Rothman is now attainable since his gorgeous girlfriend is no longer in the picture. Will she finally make her move? Will she finally get the boy? Have that first fireworks, heart-stopping first kiss? I'll never tell, you'll just have to read it and find out.
  
I loved this book. I loved Kelsey - she was real, fun, had a lot of heart, and could make fun of herself. Reading Kelsey, I was reminded of Jessica Darling from Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty and Ruby Oliver from The Boy Book by E. Lockhart - both characters that I love from books that hold a place in my heart because they take me back to that awkwardness of high school which, for me, really wasn't all that bad. I hope to read more about Kelsey in future books. I can't wait to know what happens her sophomore year!

I received Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disaster from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Any quotes contained within the review are from the Advanced Reader Copy and may differ from the final published version.

Love My Indie with author Meredith Zeitlin

Love My Indie is a feature where fellow bloggers, readers, and authors tell me about their favorite independent bookstores. I love the feeling I get when I go into an independent bookstore - like it is filled with hidden treasures just waiting for me to find them.

Showing some Indie Love today is:

  Meredith Zeitlin

author of Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters

 
My favorite indie bookstore in my neighborhood – and there are quite a few – is BOOK COURT on Court Street in Brooklyn, NY
(http://www.bookcourt.com/). 

 It's quiet, bright, neat as a pin, and has a fantastic selection of new and old books. Up front is the children's reading section, and there's a beautifully expanded back area with all the new releases. 

 


I usually head downstairs to the lower level, though; for a bargain-hunter, it's a great place to find discounted books (all new, by the way, and often hardcovers, too). Look at all these good ones - and let's not forget the Dollar Book Section. Just a buck for an afternoon of reading? Pretty sweet deal.





 
So the next time you're in Carroll Gardens, go say hi to the Book Court folks. Support brick and mortar stores and independent booksellers! Oh, and by the way - here's where you'll find my book... !





 
Meredith's debut YA novel Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters will be released on March 1, 2012 by G.P. Putnam's Sons.

FRESHMAN YEAR follows the ups and downs of a witty, sometimes wild heroine as she navigates the uncharted waters of crushes, friendships, enemies, mysterious photographers, and horrifying school plays.(from Press Release)