A Dream Within A Dream: Sandy Hall

April 26, 2018

A Prom to Remember Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway

A Prom to Remember
Author: Sandy Hall
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
Publisher: Swoon Reads

Description:

Love it or hate it, you’ll never forget it. In this heart-warming novel, Swoon Reads star, Sandy Hall, explores a classic high school celebration, capturing every relatable and hilarious teen milestone along the way.

Cora: Dating Perfect Boyfriend Jamie. Has NO IDEA how to break up with him…

Paisley: Anti-prom. Somehow nominated her anxiety-ridden best friend for prom king…

Henry: Hates social situations. Invited to prom by the most popular girl in school. SEND HELP!

Otis: Half of one of the cutest couples in his class. Not quite ready for a post-prom hotel room…

Lizzie: Shy. Excited to go to prom. With a boy. Whose name she doesn’t know.

Cameron: Loner. Over high school. Just wants to meet the mysterious girl who’s been leaving him notes…

Jacinta: Unnamed Nerd Girl #3. Determined to become the star of her own life, starting with prom…

Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, A Prom to Remember, from Sandy Hall (author of A Little Something Different), is a funny and cinematic look at the biggest dance of every high schooler’s life.

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The first message had started with:

So I’m bored. I’m going to ask you a million questions (or maybe just five) on the off chance you’ll answer them and then I’ll have something fun to read. Please respond in complete sentences. The five questions are as follows:

* What’s your favorite color?
* Can you use chopsticks?
* What’s your first memory?
* What do you want to be when you grow up?
* Do you have a name?

He happily responded to all her questions.

My favorite color is green. But like LIME GREEN. A green that can be seen from outer space. A green so green you can practically taste it.

I cannot use chopsticks.

Number three is a difficult question. Because memory is a weird thing, isn’t it? Do I really remember a certain moment, or is it because I’ve seen pictures of it and heard the story a million times? I would say that prob ably my first memory is being in a minor car accident with my mom when I was four or five. I know there are no photographs of this moment slipped into family scrapbooks. No one was hurt, it was only a small fender bender, but it’s a pretty traumatic event for a kid. Also, I was really into police cars, so I remember when they arrived on the scene very distinctly.

Oh man. I have no clue what I want to be when I grow up. I had no idea that I’d be quizzed on this today, and I have no answer. “Something that’s not terrible” is about as specific as I can get.

As for your last query, yes, I do have a name. But if it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer not to share it. It’s kind of fun being anonymous.

And I ask you the same million (or five) questions.

When he got the laptop the next time, Laptop Girl had answered and he had to work pretty hard not to laugh too much at her responses.

My favorite color is now lime green. You’ve convinced me. A green so green that you can almost taste it.

I am surprisingly good at chopsticks. I got a little obsessed with them after my aunt took me out to hibachi for my sixth birthday. I wanted desperately to be able to use them, so she took her time to show me, and after dropping several pieces of chicken on the floor, I managed to get one in my mouth.

Funny enough, I’m pretty sure that my birthday hibachi dinner is also my first real memory. There are other moments, but they’re more like images than memories, like a trip to the zoo and getting a new couch. I really REMEMBER the restaurant and the onion volcano.

I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I was hoping that you’d have an idea and I could steal it, much like your favorite color.

I, too, have a name, but I won’t be sharing because you’re right, anonymity is fun.

I’m a teen librarian from New Jersey where I was born and raised. I have a BA in Communication and a Master of Library and Information Science from Rutgers University. When I’m not writing, or teen librarian-ing, I enjoy reading, slot machines, marathoning TV shows, and long scrolls through Tumblr. A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT is my first novel.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

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October 19, 2015

Signs Point to Yes Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Signs Point to Yes! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book with you - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.

Signs Point to Yes

Author: Sandy Hall

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Swoon Romance

Description:

The author of A Little Something Different brings you the most adorkable romance ever.

Jane, a superstitious fangirl, takes an anonymous babysitting job to avoid an unpaid internship with her college-obsessed mom. The only problem? She’s babysitting the siblings of her childhood friend and new crush, Teo.

Teo doesn’t dislike Jane, but his best friend Ravi hates her, and is determined to keep them apart. So Teo’s pretty sure his plans for a peaceful summer are shot. His only hope is that his intermittent search for his birth father will finally pan out and he’ll find a new, less awkward home. Meanwhile, at Jane’s house, her sister Margo wants to come out as bisexual, but she’s terrified of how her parents will react.

In a summer filled with secrets and questions, even Jane’s Magic 8 ball can’t give them clear answers, but Signs Point to Yes.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24464110-signs-point-to-yes?ac=1

Signs Point to Yes is a young adult contemporary fiction novel that fans of the genre will love to get their hands on. It follows our main character - Jane - as she begins her summer by dodging an internship with her mom at the college where she works by instead getting a babysitting job - one that just happens to be for their neighbor's daughters and the half sisters of her once best friend and new crush, Teo. Teo's not too excited about Jane babysitting his sisters either - he doesn't mind her, but his new best friend Ravi hates her and is going to make this summer terrible. Teo hopes that his renewed search for his birth father will finally produce results and he'll be able to move out of his house. Will anyone be able to have the summer the wanted - or will things turn out to be even better than they could've thought?

I don't read a lot of YA contemporary fiction, mainly because the majority of them all feel the same. In my opinion, they all seem to follow a set template that only changes in small ways with each story. This book wasn't any different from the others. Don't get me wrong - it was a good book with interesting characters and solid writing - but the bare story line underneath wasn't original at all. As I said, the writing was well done and the characters were decently rounded - if not a bit cliched at times (which follows my theory about the set template for the story). I knew what was going to happen before I even opened the cover. Again - this criticism is my opinion only and could be due to the fact that I'm not a huge fan of the genre itself.

The story touches on a lot of deep topics that will resonate with readers of all ages - especially teens. Some of the concepts the book touches on include love, acceptance, family, friendship and being yourself. The characters are realistic with distinct personalities and flaws, which allows the readers to easily connect with them early on in the story. Another aspect of the book that I didn't care for is the writing style - the point of view, to be exact. It's no secret that I firmly believe that a novel's POV can make or break it, and normally the first person is the best one for the author to use. This book was written in the third person POV, which is another reason I didn't really connect with the characters or the story. There wasn't any deep connection between the reader and the characters - and I think that's very important when it comes to this genre especially. If the story had been done in the first person POV from Jane's perspective, I probably would've had a better reading experience. Overall, this wasn't really a hit for me - but that's only because of my own personal preferences and issues. The book itself is well done and fans of the genre should definitely give it a shot.