Because of Low

Review Time! Yes, you didn't read that wrong. I'm actually pumping out something today that isn't a blog tour post! I'm going to rub two brain cells together and finally WRITE THIS REVIEW. Because of Low is the second book in the Sea Breeze series by Abbi Glines. However something nifty about these books is that they can be read out of order since they're technically companion novels not a series (I can vouch since I read these out of order). You can purchase a copy of Because of Low from The Book Depository | Booktopia | Fishpond | Bookworld. Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Set in the steamy coastal Alabama town of Sea Breeze, an interconnected group of older teens hook up, break up ...and much, much more. Marcus Hardy had hoped to enjoy a year away at college while he put the summer he'd rather forget behind him. But instead, he's jerked right back his home town of Sea Breeze due to a family crisis. The only bright spot to returning is the hot redhead who sleeps over at his place several times a week. There's just one thing though - she's sleeping in bed with his new roommate, Cage York. Willow "Low" Foster needs a place to live. Running to her best friend Cage's apartment every time her sister kicks her out isn't exactly a long term solution. But Cage has a new roommate and suddenly sleeping over at his apartment isn't such a bad thing. Not when she gets to see those sexy green eyes of Marcus's twinkle when he smiles at her like he wants her there. There's one problem though, Cage is under the disillusion that when he's through sowing his wild oats, he's going to marry Low - an assumption Marcus intends to change. But when his carefully laid plans come crashing down with a revelation he never expected, Marcus will have to choose between Low or his family. Because once the truth comes out ...there's no other choice.

The Short Story? - There is an addicting quality about Abbi Glines' NA romances and this rings true for Because of Low as well. I couldn't put the book down, never been one to consider myself a sucker for a romance, this one was totally a guilty pleasure. It's cliched and predictable yet there is something addictive about the promise of a happy ending. Great plot, filled to the brim with drama and sizzling chemistry. The characters were fantastic, a little far-fetched and way too good-looking to be true but a girl can dream! Definitely my favourite book of the series and one of my favourite NA novels!

The Long Story? - It seems like all I've been reading lately are NA romance novels so it's easy for me to pick out the good and the bad from the mediocre. Because of Low is definitely one of my favourites out of the ones that I've read. The thing with NA novels is that the plots are really cliched and predictable. I could tell you what happens from just reading the back cover however there is something compulsive about the promise of a happy ending and I find myself reading these novels anyway. Because of Low was unputdownable, despite the fact I knew what was going to happen before the characters even knew what was going to happen, the intense drama and the incredibly hot attraction between Marcus and Low kept me on the edge of my seat! Because of Low was a guilty pleasure for me, easy to read, addictive and buzzing with chemistry. It's the perfect book for some alone time!

The characterisation is a little skeptical, the town of Sea Breeze, Alabama, has way too many good-looking for this book to be true (or maybe not, I've never been), however, this girl ain't complaining. After finishing Because of Low I found that I really liked the pairing of Marcus and Low, both characters are incredibly laid back and even though I know they are fictional characters, I felt the attraction and love between them was real. Low was the most adorable character ever, she was so sweet and real and her friendship with Cage was so beautiful I was completely and undeniable envious. Marcus was the southern gentlemen that only seems to make an appearance in books. He was definitely of the good guys, respectful, good-looking, can cook and a sweetheart. The back stories of the characters seemed a little forced however for this kind of novel - it worked. Overall, I'm very happy with the characterisation.

Because of Low is one of those books that you would love to hate but can't help but love. I'm not going to lie, the writing isn't the best, the plot isn't unique and the characterisation isn't anything overly amazing however somehow the book worked. I absolutely loved this book because the romance and chemistry between Low and Marcus was so fierce and real, it made everything else fade into the background (that and the fact that I'm a sucker for drama-filled novels). I would definitely recommend picking this one up, if you're hesitant about the NA genre, give this one a go because it's definitely one of my favourites of this budding genre!

What's it Worth? - Hand Over the Paycheck

Badass Bookie xx

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ALL OUR YESTERDAYS Cristin Terrill BLOG TOUR

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of content on the blog lately (i.e. this whole year) but honestly I literally just study and do assignments 24/7 (only a slight exaggeration). However today to spice things up a little (i.e. actually post something). I have a Q and A with Cristin Terrill, author of 2013 YA debut ALL OUR YESTERDAYS. Super excited to read this one so I'm so happy to be part of this blog tour!

(You guys might have noticed I'm slightly late with this blog tour post! There was problems with the file and then I left for Sydney so unfortunately I haven't managed to get it up til now!)

Interview with Cristin Terrill

1) Describe All Our Yesterdays in Three Words.

Time + love + complications.

2) How did you come up with the plot for All Our Yesterdays? (it's such a unique and interesting concept I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING)

The initial kernel of the idea for ALL OUR YESTERDAYS came from this one night when I was having trouble sleeping. I got up at about three or four in the morning and ended up watching The Terminator on TV. I was wondering how the story would be different if the killer robot from the future was the good guy instead of the villain, and then, because I write YA, I was wondering what it would be like if she was a teenage girl instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

3) What made you want to write YA?

I’ve never considered writing anything else! I’ve done a lot of work with teenagers throughout my life because I really feel a rapport with them, and I think that period of life is so intense and interesting. It’s just something I’ve always gravitated towards (although I wouldn’t relive my own teen years for the world!).

4) Character you feel you can relate best to? Why?

I probably relate the most to Em (although luckily my life is nothing like hers!). She manages to be both a cynic and an optimist at the same time, and I definitely see that in myself.

5) Is there a story behind the names of characters? 

Marina Marchetti – Marina comes from Shakespeare’s Pericles. She’s a princess who loses everything, struggles, and eventually gets it back. This is actually mentioned in the book. Marchetti came from a television show I was binging on while writing, and I just liked the way it sounded!

James Shaw – James because it’s a very formal, upper-crust type name (with a ridiculous nickname, Jimbo, that Finn could use). Shaw is an homage to the Shaw family from The Manchurian Candidate.

Finn Abbott – I have no idea why Finn; that was just the name he came with in my head! I chose Abbott because it has a very wholesome, all-American sound that seemed right for Finn.

The only other name with a story behind it is the soldier who breaks Em and Finn out of prison. His name is Connor, which is, of course, a nod to The Terminator.

6) Are you planning to write any other books outside the series?

Right now I’m just concentrating on the sequel to All Our Yesterdays, but hopefully there will be more books to come!

7) Who would play the characters in a movie adaptation?
Unfortunately, my answer for this is a total non-answer! I used to work in the theatre, and I was in casting for part of that time. Because of that, I feel very strongly that the best actor for a role isn’t the one who looks the most like the character description but the one who brings the most authentic and surprising performance, and you never know who that’s going to be until you see them try it. So if the movie version of All Our Yesterdays does get made, I would just want the actors who most bring the characters to life. (But I’d love to know who readers think should be in the movie!)

8) Insider's Scoop? (Fun facts about the novel or it's process!)

Hmm, well, there’s one thing I put in the book that I’ve told literally no one else about, not even my agent or editor. Almost every time there’s a number in the book, it is or contains a four. This is my nerdy nod to the fourth dimension, which is time.

About The Book

"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.

Purchase ALL OUR YESTERDAYS - The Book Depository | Fishpond | The Nile | Bookworld

About the Author

Cristin Terrill is a young adult author and aspiring grown-up. She grew up semi-nomadic and graduated from Vassar College with a degree in drama. After getting her masters in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, she lived in London, Austin, Boston, and Washington, DC while working as a theatrical stage manager. Now she writes and leads creative writing workshops for DC-area kids and teens. All Our Yesterdays is her first novel.

Find Cristin - Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Website | Goodreads

Badass Bookie xx 

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EVERY BREATH Blog Tour - Q And A with Ellie Marney

Hey guys! As part of Ellie Marney Blog Tour for her latest YA novel, Every Breath (Allen and Unwin), she's stopping over at Badass Bookie for a quick Q and A today.

Interview with Ellie Marney 

Quickies -

Early Bird or Night Owl?

I used to be a night owl, but in the last few years I’ve had to reprogram myself – nights were doing me in, and since my youngest son started sleeping well in the mornings, I’m an early bird.  Five am is pretty damn early.

Chocolate or Lollies?

Ooh, dark chocolate please.

Coffee or Tea?

Tea – by the gallon.  STRONG tea, like stand-your-spoon-in-it strong, with condensed milk.

Dog-Ear or Bookmark?

How embarrassing…dog-ear  *blushes*

Twitter or Facebook?

Twitter (eep, all my FB friends will kill me now)

Song That's Currently Playing (out loud or in your head)?

Riptide by Vance Joy – we are ALL singing it.  It’s almost getting annoying.

Book that should be turned into a movie?

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Book that everyone else has read but me?

Fifty Shades of Grey

If I could collect one thing it would be...

Apart from books?  Then…teapots.  I would need a whole lot more shelves.

If I was a vegetable I would be ... 

Leek.  An eminently useful and flavoursome vegetable.

Opinion on Big Brother?

Do people still watch that?

Food For Thought -

1) Can you describe Every Breath in three words?

Home-grown Sherlockian shenanigans!

2) Every Breath has been marketed as a kind of teenage Sherlock Holmes - what can readers expect (will there be a body count)?

Indeed there will be! Actually, the body count is quite high for YA crime – maybe not Barry-Lyga-high, but getting up there.  Readers can expect to see blood spilt, because it’s a murder mystery (one reviewer described Every Breath as ‘definitely not crime-lite’, which I loved!), but to offset that there’s the power of friendship and the promise of love…all amongst the gritty backstreets of Melbourne!

3) Would you say  Every Breath is more Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock or Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock?

I’m going for Cumberbatch, because I’m a bit of a classicist.  You could add a generous dollop of Johnny Lee Miller as well, but actually the character of James Mycroft is not really a template of Sherlock as we know him.  Mycroft is more…eccentrically himself.

I confess I watched a lot of s1 and s2 Misfits while I was writing Every Breath, so it’s kind of Melbourne Sherlock, Misfits-style J

4) Is there one character that you can relate most to?

Well, Rachel is from the country – I’m from the country; Rachel wears flannel shirts – I wear flannel shirts; Rachel can fix a water pump and climb onto the roof of her house….er, no, there the similarities end.  I’m an awkward DIY-er, and I get awful vertigo, so no pump-fixing or roof-climbing for me.

Actually, the character I found the easiest and most natural to write by far was Rachel’s brother, Mike.  He’s straight-forward and optimistic, a real country salt-of-the earth guy – I think he’s adorable!

5) Can you tell us a little about your writing process?

At the moment it’s a shambles – I never realised that the release of Every Breath would make me so busy!  Usually I get up at 5am, before anyone else in the house wakes up, and go out to our little shed-slash-office and I write for about two hours, until I have to go in and get everyone ready for school.  It is, um, very early, yes.  Sadly I’ve had to use this time lately for answering emails and things – but the writing time is coming back soon, very soon!  (If it doesn’t, my head will explode)

For me, the first part of the process is always about this massive deluge of unedited writing – a bit like vomiting out as many words onto the page as I can (to be completely gross about it).  Then once I have this huge swollen unwieldy mess of a book, I put it away to spend some time thinking about it, before going back and shaping it and wrangling it into something publishable.  The writing part feels good – almost cathartic – but it’s the crafting part that I enjoy the most: seeing something bright and sparkly come out of chaos.

6) If Every Breath was turned into a movie, who would play who?

Robert Sheehan (when he wasn’t gallivanting around the world in the company of Shadowhunters) would play Mycroft, for sure – see Misfits, above. He was totally the guy  had in mind when I was picturing Mycroft while writing – except now Lisa White’s incredible cover has brought Mycroft to life so beautifully, so my mind does stray to that guy (who are you? You have awesome cheekbones!) when writing.

Rachel is harder.  I imagine her as having the same kind of no-nonsense grit as Jennifer Lawrence - before the gloss of The Hunger Games, she played this determined, dirt-poor character in an amazing film called Winter’s Bone.  So, yeah, more like that.  But I don’t imagine Rachel looking like Jennifer Lawrence.  More like…Ellen Page in Whip It, I think.  But with blonder hair.  And more flannel.  And Blundstones.

Robert and Ellen, if you really want to make the movie, call me!

About The Book

Rachel Watts is an unwilling new arrival to Melbourne from the country. James Mycroft is her neighbour, an intriguingly troubled seventeen-year-old genius with a passion for forensics. Despite her misgivings, Rachel finds herself unable to resist Mycroft when he wants her help investigating a murder. And when Watts and Mycroft follow a trail to the cold-blooded killer, they find themselves in the lion's den - literally.

A night at the zoo will never have quite the same meaning again...

Purchase EVERY BREATH- Fishpond | The Nile | Bookworld

About the Author

Ellie Marney was born in Brisbane, and has lived in Indonesia,Singapore and India. Now she writes, teaches, talks about kid’s literature at libraries and schools, and gardens when she can, while living in a country idyll (actually a very messy wooden house on ten acres with a dog and lots of chickens) near Castlemaine, in north-central Victoria. Her partner and four sons still love her, even though she often forgets things and lets the housework go.

Ellie’s short stories for adults have won awards and been published in various anthologies. Every Breath is her first novel for young adults.

Badass Bookie xx 

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