Krysten has graciously offered to give away a copy (e-book) of "Best Friends ... Forever? (Landry's True Colors #2)" to one lucky person. In order to be entered, see the Rafflecopter giveaway link at the end of this post. The last day to enter is July 31, 2015. If you are chosen, I will be in touch to get your information to pass along to Krysten.
Before sharing my review, here's a bit of information from Krysten.
A Word from Krysten...
I have always loved reading books that use humor and
have realistic (and relatable) characters. I decided to write the book I wanted
to read when I was reading YA, and I’m overjoyed it’s now a series where people
can follow along on Landry’s journey through dealing with friendships, the ups
and downs of school, crushes, relationships, and insecurities. Sure, going back
to that time in my own life was a little crazy, but lucky for me there weren’t
camera phones to capture me dancing in the school talent show … while wearing
jean shorts. If you’re not cringing yet, let’s just say I also had a moment of
“genius” where I thought my super dark brown hair would look amazing with
“Sun-In” highlights that actually turned my hair a lovely shade of copper.
Sigh.
The Landry’s True Colors Series is a clean reads
young adult series about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and
high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image. Best Friends…Forever? was ranked at #1
on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Teen & Young Adult Values & Virtues
Fiction and #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Children's Books on Values. True Colors is an international
bestselling book.
Tag
line: Good friends have your back, but some go behind it.
My Review…
Everyone knows that middle school can be difficult,
and the school year has not been an easy one for Landry Albright. She is no
longer sure which of her friends she can trust, and it doesn’t help that most
of them made the cheerleading squad (without her). She
is excited to have her first boyfriend, but she gets dumped just as things
decline with her besties. As she is unable to separate friends
from frenemies, she has few people to turn to… especially as everyone is
looking forward to attending high school, a thought which scares her to death. Landry
feels ignored and 100% alone, until she gets an unexpected second chance at a
modeling competition and some helpful advice from an unlikely source. Will Landry
learn to speak up for herself and move past her fear of failure?
This is the second book in Hager’s “Landry’s True
Colors” series, and the author does an out-of-the-ballpark job at capturing teenage
girls and all the associated drama of middle school. While this book does a
nice recap from the first one, it would be beneficial to read them in order to
appreciate the growth and development of the characters and plot.
Who doesn’t remember their middle school years? For many, they were filled with insecurity, misunderstandings, and a search for a sense of belonging. This book is the epitome of middle school! There is something here that will be identifiable for everyone, though that may not necessarily be a good thing. Hager and Landry remind the readers still going through this period of life that it is possible to survive middle school in one piece.
Who doesn’t remember their middle school years? For many, they were filled with insecurity, misunderstandings, and a search for a sense of belonging. This book is the epitome of middle school! There is something here that will be identifiable for everyone, though that may not necessarily be a good thing. Hager and Landry remind the readers still going through this period of life that it is possible to survive middle school in one piece.
A fast, active pace and humorous scenes and dialogue
combine with descriptors (such as “… school uniform colors made me look like a
dead goldfish on a good day.” and “I was like a scarecrow blowing in the
wind.”) that will take the reader back in time (but without having to actually
experience middle school all over again). I consider this a must-read book for teens
and adults everywhere, as it is relatable and contains numerous takeaway messages that
are relevant at any age.
About Krysten…
Krysten Lindsay Hager is a book addict who has never
met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and writes middle
grade, YA, humor essays, and adult fiction. She is originally from Michigan and
has lived in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in Southern Ohio
where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her
favorite shows. She received her master’s degree from the University of
Michigan-Flint.
Connect
with Krysten:
Does sounds like a book that would bring us back to our teenage year. Time of much "turmoils"
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Heather! It certainly is a time of turmoils.
DeleteVery true, Heather!
DeleteThanks for visiting my blog, and good luck!
I stopped by your blog today.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Thanks, Ann. Good luck!
DeleteThank you for the review!
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome, Krysten. I really enjoyed it :-)
DeleteThanks for visiting my blog and offering to give away a copy of the book!
Krysten,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the second novel in your series. Like you, I both enjoy writing and reading YA fiction.
Thanks for stopping by, Jacqueline! While I don't write YA, I certainly enjoy reading it :-)
DeleteEven though I was homeschooled, still didn't like those years. Just the age.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting that it's still a challenging time, even if homeschooled.
DeleteThanks for stopping by, and good luck!
No. My middle school memories are not wonderful. I was the different one. The high school students picked on me, so all of my classmates did too.
ReplyDeleteMy middle school memories are not great either, which is why I wrote the book. I remember going to a children's writing conference and an editor said people with happy school memories don't write books because there's no material there. I completely identified.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSo true! I know very few people who enjoyed that time in school. When I taught, those were still my least favorite grades.
DeleteThose are tough years. High school was much easier on me after all of that.
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear this. Kids can be so cruel, especially at that age. Krysten's book does a great job of addressing such issues, as they're, unfortunately, all too common.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in the contest, and thanks for visiting my blog.