The Sunday Post #76

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog, 

showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is

coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the info here:

Sunday Post Meme

• I am so over the heat. It was almost 90 yesterday and will be again today. Ugh! I am desperate to transition to cute fall clothes but as usual Florida is not cooperating. LOL

• My obsession with boots continues and I love my newest pair so much that I look like the heart eyes emoji. Floral velvet ankle boots. I just can't.

  

• Yesterday was such a busy day (had to drive out to the beach to pick up something for my sister's birthday, ran errands with The Husband, and just generally stayed on the go all day) so I'm looking forward to a much more relaxed day today.

Monday, October 2
Review:
Top Ten by Katie Cotugno

Tuesday, October 3
Top Ten Tuesday: 
Book Boyfriends

Thursday, October 5
Best In Books: September 2017

Saturday, October 7
#2017HW Report Card - 3rd Quarter

    

  

WHAT I READ IN THE LAST WEEK:

His Convenient Husband - Robin Covington
Unraveling Oliver (AUDIO) - Liz Nugent

  

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING: 

Who Do You Love - Jennifer Weiner
Asa (Audio Re-read) - Jay Crownover

PHYSICAL BOOKS:

Without Merit - Colleen Hoover

Trust - Kylie Scott

You might remember that I searched and searched for a copy of Trust with the original cover. I thought I'd found one but when it arrived it was the new cover. *womp womp* I randomly checked eBay a week or so ago and BOOM! Found one! I ended up paying a RIDICULOUS price for it but I seriously wanted it so...  As a nice bonus it came with a signed bookplate. So excited to have this original cover now! 

KINDLE BOOKS:

If You Were Mine - Melanie Harlow

How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share? 

You know I want to hear about it! :)

#2017HW Report Card - 3rd Quarter

Last December I signed up for the 2017 Reading Assignment Challenge and pronounced it the easiest challenge of all. I mean, I chose the number of books I would read (12), I chose which books I would read (all ones I was excited for), and all I had to do was read one per month. How simple is that, right? Well, join as me as I eat my words...

This 3rd quarter check-in is a chance for me to update my progress for July, August and September. Also known as, That Time Tanya Was An Epic Fail. Yep, I completely hit the skids in the 3rd quarter. July was about the time that I got myself bogged down with ALL THE ARCs and I am only now digging myself out of that hole. So it was basically Summer of the ARCs and I read NOTHING off my reading list. Progress = total face plant.

So, sad to say, my report card shows a big, fat F for this quarter. I started out the year strong but definitely fizzled out over the summer. The upside? I can still finish the year strong and have a great 4th quarter. Surely I can read three of these books by the end of the year, right? Right??

2017 Reading Assignment Challenge

How are you doing with your reading challenges 

(whatever they may be)? 

Tell me I'm not the only one struggling!

Best In Books | September 2017

Best in Books is a monthly feature created by BookTuber Hope Ortego. 

A playlist of her Best In Books videos can be found HERE.

_________________________________________________

Welcome to my Best In Books for September! 

Best in Books was created by my friend Hope and she was kind enough to let me join in on her feature (because she's awesome that way). Her BookTube channel is linked above and I hope you'll check her out. Now on to all the best bookishness in September...

Ellie from A Messy, Beautiful Life

It was so easy to like and admire Ellie. She wasn’t the typical shy girl riddled with insecurities. This girl was a go-getter who helped run an improv group, was a great friend, was close to her mother, and had plans for college. And when she was given a life-threatening diagnosis she handled it with maturity and intelligence and humor. She wasn’t some robot – she definitely had her moments of tears and anger and questioning why her – but she always pulled herself back together and dealt with the situation with such strength and grace. I was totally cheering for Ellie.

Joaquin from Far from the Tree

Oh, the tears I cried over this sweet, troubled boy. In foster care for almost as long as he can remember, feeling unwanted and unworthy, Joaquin keeps those around him at arm’s length – even when love and friendship and family are there for the taking. My heart broke for Joaquin again and again and seeing the changes in him throughout the book was so emotional. And my heart hurt thinking about all the real-life Joaquin’s.

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno
I read 99 Days by Katie Cotugno and loved it. Then I read Fireworks and felt pretty let down. So I was 50/50 with Cotugno and, even though I had high hopes, I was feeling a little iffy when I picked up Top Ten. Booyah! Cotugno is back in my win column! I loved Top Ten and its focus on the ins and outs of true friendship.

Breathe by Abbi Glines
Breathe was full of some super lame dialogue but I will admit that some of the slightly-less-cheesy lines did get to me. Like this one.

“I don’t want to love you,” I forced out through the thickness in my throat.

“God, I hope you do, because you own me completely,” he whispered.

Chase Parker: Bossman by Vi Keeland
Meet Chase Parker. He’s tall, he’s gorgeous, he’s successful. He’s cocky and charming and goes after what (or who) he wants. And he says things like, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want it to start yesterday.” I mean, come on… who wouldn’t swoon at that?

Prince Kian of Wildemar: Royal Pain by Tracy Wolff

When Royal Pain starts, Kian definitely falls into the category of bad boy. Royal – but a bad boy just the same. As the spare to the heir he’s free to indulge in a lifestyle of willing women and easy living – and he does it with gusto. In fact, the opening scene finds Kian enjoying some sexytimes on the deck of a yacht off the coast of Ibiza with a Brazilian supermodel… and a Victoria’s Secret angel. Yep, bad boy!

We Now Return to Regular Life by Martin Wilson

I could have used one of several books I read this month for this category. Because September seemed to be the month of All The Feels. We Now Return to Regular Life really packed an emotional punch. Dealing with the return home of Sam who was abducted three years previously, WNRTRL sees the characters experiencing a wide range of emotions. And Martin Wilson does an amazing job of making the reader experience those emotions right along with the characters. My heart hurt, I was frustrated with certain characters, I was hopeful, I was angry… I ran the gamut of emotions right along with Sam and his family and friends.

it rode in on

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway

I already knew I liked Robin Benway when I picked up Far From the Tree. I enjoyed Audrey, Wait and loved Emmy & Oliver. But this one blew those out of the water with its complex, multi-layered characters and a story line that captured me from the very beginning. FFTT took through me the entire scope of emotions while touching on so many subjects: foster care, adoption, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, divorce, racism, self-esteem. But for me it always comes back to the characters and the three main characters here totally captured my heart and I was captivated by their journey, individually and together. Without a doubt, Far From the Tree will be among my favorites of the year. ______________________________________________________

Now it's your turn: 
What was the best book you read in September? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Boyfriends

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme 

created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic: 

Book Boyfriends

Ryan Wesley & Jamie Canning | Him

Yeah, yeah, I know Wes and Jamie have each other, but... ♥

Cam Hamilton | Wait For You

A dreamy guy that bakes cookies for you? Yes please!

Daemon Black | Lux series

My favorite favorite. Behind that cocky exterior is a sweetheart.

Loren Hale/Ryke Meadows/Connor Cobalt | Addicted series

Don't ask me to pick a favorite. I won't do it.

Silas Moore | All Broke Down

I caught the Silas Virus. 

Mase Colt Manning | When I'm Gone

Mase is such a genuinely good guy. 

Ridge | Maybe Someday

Picking only one from Colleen Hoover was nearly impossible but I have such a soft spot for Ridge.

Rhysand | ACOTAR series

Does this one need explaining? It's Rhys!

Crosbie | Undecided

This guy has so much more going on than meets the eye. Love him!

Isaiah & Noah | Crash Into You/Pushing the Limits

Another case where I cannot choose. Both guys are pretty swoonworthy.

Who is your favorite book boyfriend?
  

Review: Top Ten by Katie Cotugno

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno

Series: No

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: October 3, 2017

Format: eARC

Source: Edelweiss/Balzer + Bray

Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon

Ryan McCullough and Gabby Hart are the unlikeliest of friends. Introverted, anxious Gabby would rather do literally anything than go to a party. Ryan is a star hockey player who can get any girl he wants—and does, frequently. But against all odds, they became not only friends, but each other’s favorite person. Now, as they face high school graduation, they can’t help but take a moment to reminisce and, in their signature tradition, make a top ten list—counting down the top ten moments of their friendship:

10. Where to begin? Maybe the night we met.
9. Then there was our awkward phase.
8. When you were in love with me but never told me…
7. Those five months we stopped talking were the hardest of my life.
6. Through terrible fights…
5. And emotional makeups.
4. You were there for me when I got my heart broken...
3. …but at times, you were also the one breaking it.
2. Above all, you helped me make sense of the world.
1. Now, as we head off to college—how am I possibly going to live without you?

I feel like I just lived through four years of the trials and tribulations of high school with Gabby and Ryan. And I mean that in both the best and worst ways possible (because whoever said high school is the best time of your life is a terrible liar). These two characters had me wanting to hug them, wanting to shake some sense into them, and most of all just wanting them to find their way and be happy.

With each chapter visiting a pivotal time in their friendship, Top Ten delves into the ups and downs of Ryan and Gabby’s ever-evolving relationship. On the surface, Ryan, easy-going and popular, and Gabby, anxious and shy, are unlikely friends. But in each other they find someone they can truly be themselves with.

I related to Gabby to a ridiculous degree and it was sometimes almost painful to watch as she tried to navigate her daily life while dealing with varying levels of anxiety. She chafed against being told to “just try” doing the very things that sent her into a panic and yet still sometimes made the effort (usually with disastrous results). From best friend Ryan, to her girlfriend Shay, to her family, Gabby struggled with not being enough for those around her.

Outwardly Ryan was a carefree character who had it all – a gifted hockey player, friends, girls, parties. But Ryan struggled with not only his own insecurities – outside of hockey did he have anything to offer? – but also to please his volatile father whose love and attention felt conditional.

I simply loved the relationship between these two characters. Loved it. Their friendship was the real deal. They were (usually) brutally honest with each other. They called each other out. They broke each other’s hearts. They were one another’s touchstone. It wasn’t always smooth sailing – far from it – but when it came down to it, they shared a connection that stood the test of time.

From freshman year to the summer after graduation, through parties and girlfriends, friends and family, Cotugno brings to life two characters who are each other’s Most Important Person – and defines what that truly means for Gabby and Ryan.

Note: I received an advance copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

4/5 STARS