Review: The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibald

The Night We Said Yes
by Lauren Gibaldi
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: June 16th 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Music

Synopsis:

A fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti!

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.

And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

In alternating then and now chapters, debut author Lauren Gibaldi crafts a charming, romantic story of first loves, lifelong friendships, uncovered secrets, and, ultimately, finding out how to be brave.

My Review:

First off I would like to thank Lauren for allowing us to host her in the FFBC. I had been excited for this book since the first time I read it's synopsis and when Lauren agreed to allow us to host her I was thrilled.

'The Night We Said Yes' is one of those books that grabs your attention from the start and keeps it to the very end. We start off in the present day summer with Ella a recent high school graduate who is getting ready to move out of town for summer. Ella is quiet, unhappy and almost socially awkward. The story begins when she runs into Matt, her ex boyfriend from the summer before and we thrown back in time and watch as their story plays out.

The infamous night where Matt and Ella met was super fun to read about. There is just something about letting go of inhibitions and just saying "yes" to everything that sounds so thrilling. I also really enjoyed reading about the friendship between Ella and Meg. I am always a big fan of reading about friendships. Girl-Girl, Boy -Boy, Girl-Boy, this story had it all.

My only real complaint of this book, was I wanted more. More development, more story arc etc. I feel like once we learned the truth it was kind of anticlimactic and the ending left me wanting more. However that being said, I still enjoyed reading it and would recommend it for anyone looking for a book that can be devoured in one sitting.

Follow the The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Public librarian and author of THE NIGHT WE SAID YES (HarperCollins / HarperTeen, June 16, 2015) and MATT'S STORY (a The Night We Said Yes Novella, out August 2015). Fan of dinosaurs and cheesy jokes. And you.

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/ AReadingNurse / 6 comments /

FFBC: After Hours by Claire Kennedy + Giveaway!

After Hours
by Claire Kennedy
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: June 16th 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Isa, Xavi, Peter, and Finn know that a job at the high-end Waterside Cafe isn't just about waiting tables. It's about the gossip, the hook-ups, the after-hours parties and, most of all, it's about Tips.

Tips--the high-stakes game based on dares. Whoever completes the most dares wins the collected money. A sum that could change a wasted summer into a Summer to Remember.

Isa is the new girl with an embarrassing secret, and as long as she stays on top of her game, she sees no reason why anyone could ever find out.

Xavi will do anything for the money...absolutely anything.

Peter, Xavi's stepbrother, has been in love with her for years, and he thinks the game is the perfect time to confess his feelings.

Finn is in the game just for the thrill. He has enough tips coming in to keep him happy...even if those tips come with some conditions.

From seduction to stealing to threats, the dares are a complete free-for-all, and only the best can win.

The sophisticated Waterside Cafe is anything but classy behind the scenes...and things are about to get dirty.

Hello Amanda! Welcome to the FFBC ! We are super excited to have you in our FFBC tours!

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about After Hours?

After Hours is a fun, edgy story of four teens who get involved in a dare-based game that could cost them more than just their jobs. It’s part fluff and fun and part serious drama!

If you had to pick one adjective to describe Isa, Xavi, Peter, and Finn what would you choose?

Oooh, just one?! I’m going to go with adventurous.

How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?

I find inspiration in just about everything! I waitressed for a summer during college, so that definitely helped with writing After Hours, but my waitressing days were actually pretty tame in comparison to most restaurant jobs. I heard plenty of stories from my friends, though….

What is your favorite quote from the book?

“If I back my pickup up just right, I can climb onto the roof and see forever—over the groves of trees and a small creek that is dry half the time, and, in the distance, if I stay here late enough, the lights of the city take over a corner of the sky.”

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write?

I loved writing the roof scene! It’s a Peter scene, and I think it’s one of his favorites, too. Without giving too much away, it’s a quiet scene and a big scene at the same time.

What’s next for you?

My next book is called Secrets, Lies, and Scandals and comes out in Summer 2016 from Simon Pulse! It’s another multiple POV about five teens who accidentally murder their professor—and then attempt to cover it up.

What authors are auto-buys for you?

Suzanne Young and Bethany Griffin. They’re great friends and great authors.

What do you find yourself fangirl-ing over?

I still fangirl about Harry Potter. I could read those books a million times and still be absolutely enchanted.

Favorite book of 2015 thus far?

I just read We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and it spoke to my soul (maybe because the main character suffers from migraines and so do I). Technically, it came out in 2014, but I just read it, so it counts, right? J

If you could pick one author dead or alive to have a drink with with, who would you choose and why?

F. Scott Fitzgerald. We’d have drinks and I’d make him take me to a party and I’d pretend I was at Gatsby’s mansion.

Follow the After Hours by Claire Kennedy Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Claire Kennedy is a pen name for author Amanda K. Morgan. She is a freelance writer living in Nashville, TN. She covers events and works as a technical writer when she isn't working on her YA novels.

At age 15, Amanda finished her first novel and continued to write in college, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in English and an emphasis in Creative Writing.

Amanda is an avid volleyball player and spends time playing both indoors and out. When Amanda isn't writing, she enjoys being entirely too busy and trying new things. Endeavors as of late include appearances in music videos, TV, and movies, rock climbing, and attending as many concerts and shows as her schedule allows.

Amanda headed up the Do The Write Thing for Nashville Project (with co-organizers/authors Victoria Schwab and Myra McEntire), which tapped some of the biggest authors, editors, and agents in the industry for an online auction that raised over $70,000 for Midsouth flood relief.

For more information on Amanda's freelance or technical writing, contact her.

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/ AReadingNurse / 4 comments /

FFBC: The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi + Giveaway!

The Night We Said Yes
by Lauren Gibaldi
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: June 16th 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Music

Synopsis:

A fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti!

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.

And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Hello Lauren! Welcome to the FFBC ! We are super excited to have you in our FFBC tours!

Thank you for having me! I’m so excited!

THE NIGHT WE SAID YES is about four friends who say yes to every idea they have for one night. In the process, two of them, Ella and Matt, kind of fall for one another. Fast forward to a year later, when Matt’s been gone for about six months. He and Ella meet again and try to recreate the original night that brought them together, seeing if second chances are possible. The book flips back and forth from one year ago to the present time so you can see both nights unfolding at once.

Ella and Matt have a lot in common—they’re both shy and silly and awkward and sweet. They’ve both played second place to someone in their lives (for Ella, her best friend Meg, and for Matt, his older brother Chris.) But where Ella flourishes in her friendships, Matt becomes nervous, as he’s not used to being so close to people. I don’t necessarily think they’re the perfect couple, but I think that’s what makes them work—their imperfectness.

I love the idea that one night can change everything—that in one night, we can make things happen. I think we all get excited before a night out, wondering what will happen and who we’ll see. I wanted to capture that excitement in the book. As for inspiration from other places, I try not to get inspiration from shows and stuff because I’m terrified of accidentally borrowing plots! I will say I did listen to a lot of Taylor Swift and The Ataris (my favorite band when I was in high school) between writing.

I think this quote summarizes it nicely: “It was the sense of possibility that I loved, the idea that anything could happen next.” My other favorite line is the last night, but I’m not going to quote that!

Yes! There’s a scene in the Then section (a year ago) where they’re hanging out on a roof. For some reason, it’s my favorite scene.

I keep answering this differently in each interview to keep it interesting, so here’s a new one! “Tonight the Streets Are Ours” by Richard Hawley.

Super awesome! I actually haven’t thought of this much—I will say I had a lot of fun casting my book trailer. I used high school juniors and seniors, and they did a fantastic job (you can see yourself!) I think my Ella and Matt, specifically, were perfect. So let’s just say them.

Ummm—I don’t know! I say just read and have fun!

MATT’S STORY, a Night We Said Yes Novella about the year inbetween, as told by Matt, comes out August 4th with Epic Reads Impulse! I’m really excited for everyone to see Matt’s side of the story. Then, my second novel, AUTOFOCUS, comes out summer 2016.

SO MANY! There are lots of obvious ones (Sarah Dessen! Gayle Forman! John Green!) so I’ll go with non-so-obvious from various categories. For adult fiction, J Courtney Sullivan and Carlos Ruiz Zafon; for non-fiction David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell; and from YA Jessica Martinez and Jenny Sanchez Torres.