Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

LITTLE BLACK DRESSES, LITTLE WHITE LIES
Author: Laura Stampler
Release Date: July 19, 2016
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 352
Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Description:

The Devil Wears Prada meets Sex and the City in a wickedly funny debut novel about a girl who lands a dream internship at a magazine in New York City. If only she hadn’t lied about being a dating expert on her resume...

Harper Anderson has always thought she should have been born somewhere more glamorous than her sleepy Northern California suburb. After all, how many water polo matches and lame parties in Bobby McKittrick’s backyard can one girl take?

Already resigned to working at a Skinny B’s Juice Press for the summer, Harper is shocked when the ultra-prestigious teen magazine, Shift, calls to say they want her to be their teen dating blogger for the summer. All she needs to do is get her butt to New York in two days.

There’s just one teeny, tiny problem: Apart from some dance floor make-outs, Harper doesn’t have a whole lot of dating experience. So when Shift’s application asked for an “edgy” personal essay, Harper might have misappropriated her best friend’s experiences for her own. But she can just learn on the job...right? Will the house of lies Harper has built around her dream job collapse all around her, or will she be able to fake it until she makes it in the big city?

Links: 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Dresses-White-Lies/dp/1481459899/ Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/little-black-dresses-little-white-lies-laura-stampler/1122749765 
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/little-black-dresses-little/id1047553511 IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481459891 
Simon & Schuster: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Little-Black-Dresses-Little-White-Lies/Laura-Stampler/9781481459891 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25337536-little-black-dresses-little-white-lies

5 Things I Almost Called LITTLE BLACK DRESSES, LITTLE WHITE LIES

Today, I can’t imagine Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies being called anything other than, well, Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies. The word play, the sense of adventure, the nod to fashion — the title feels like a perfect fit.


But that wasn’t always the case!


Here are 5 other things I considered calling Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies:


CONFESSIONS OF A MAKE-OUT BANDIT
Ripped from the headlines of one of Harper’s dating blogs, this was the original title of my book. But after talking about it with my editor, we realized it just didn’t feel right. This book isn’t about kissing a lot of boys (although there are definitely some swoon-worthy moments). It’s about friendship and secrets, having crazy new adventures while still managing to stay true to your-self. So that was that for Confessions of a Make-Out Bandit. (I guess I’ll just have to save it for my memoirs.)


FEAR OF BEING A CANTALOUPE
Before going to New York City for the summer, Harper promises her bff Kristina that she won’t replace her with real friends. Rather, she’ll only make cantaloupe friends. Harper explains, “Everyone knows that cantaloupe is the ultimate filler fruit of the fruit salad. No one asks for it, it’s just there. No one really craves hanging out with cantaloupe friends. It’s how you make do so you don’t, you know, socially starve to death.”

While I liked the idea of Harper trying not to be a filler fruit for the summer, this title was a little too confusing (and might accidentally get the book shelved in the cooking section.)


FLATTERING FILTERS ONLY
This was my inspired-by-Instagram title. Is Harper portraying her “real” self or a highly edited, idealistic version of her life?


THE KNOCKOFF
In Harper’s new world of fashion and faux expertise, The Knockoff (playing off knockoff hand-bags) seemed like it could be a fit. Too bad it was ALREADY A BOOK.


KISS KISS BLOG BLOG
Like the movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Anyone? No? Yeah… it didn’t quite work.

Laura Stampler is a Californian turned New Yorker. After graduating from Stanford University, she became a journalist, interning—and then worked on staff—at various newspapers and magazines. Laura has written about everything from dating to social media stars to social justice issues at Time magazine, Business Insider, Huffington Post, The Nation, The New Republic, and The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably looking at pug gifs on the Internet. 

Links: 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurastampler 
Tumblr: http://laurastampler.tumblr.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lastamp/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13810476.Laura_Stampler

There is a tour-wide giveaway for…

* A hardcover copy of LITTLE BLACK DRESSES, LITTLE WHITE LIES to TWO (2) winners – US only

Must be 13 or older to enter. Giveaway is US only. Giveaway ends July 26th at 11:59 PM Pacific. Book will be ordered from Amazon. Prizing courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours. 

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Tour Schedule:

Week One: 
July 6th – Please Feed the Bookworm – Review 
July 6th – Read Now Sleep Later – Guest Post 
July 7th – Worth Reading It? – Review 
July 7th – YA Book Madness – Review 
July 8th – Awkwordly Emma – Review 
July 8th – YA Reads – Character Interview


Week Two:
July 11th – Fictional Fox – Review 
July 11th – Curling Up With A Good Book – Author Interview 
July 12th – Fiktshun – Review 
July 12th – The Anatomy of a Bookworm – Review 
July 13th – The Phantom Paragrapher – Review 
July 13th – Whatever You Can Still Betray – Guest Post 
July 14th – Creatyvebooks – Review 
July 14th – Latte Nights Reviews – Review 
July 15th – Here’s to Happy Endings – Review 
July 15th – Books & Beauti – Guest Post


Week Three:
July 18th – Swoony Boys Podcast – Review & Character Interview 
July 19th – Book Briefs – Review 
July 19th – A Dream Within A Dream – Guest Post 
July 19th – All The Crannies – Review 
July 20th – The Mind of a Book Dragon – Review 
July 20th – Dazzled by Books – Author Interview 
July 21st – Vibin With Books – Review 
July 21st – The Recipe Fairy – Guest Post 
July 21st – Oh, For The Love Of Stories - Review 
July 22nd – Books and Bindings – Review 
July 22nd – Underneath the Covers – Guest Post 

 

Secrets, Lies, and Scandals Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Secrets, Lies, and Scandals
Author: Amanda K. Morgan
Genre: YA Thriller/Mystery
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Rating: 4 Stars!

Synopsis:

In the tradition of I Know What You Did Last Summer and How to Get Away with Murder, five teens must overcome their paranoia in order to keep their teacher’s death a secret in this fast-paced suspense thriller.

Nothing ruins summer vacation like a secret…especially when it involves a dead teacher.

Ivy used to be on top of the social ladder, until her ex made that all go away. She has a chance to be Queen Bee again, but only if the rest of the group can keep quiet.

Tyler has always been a bad boy, but lately he’s been running low on second chances. There’s no way he’s going to lose everything because someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut.

Kinley wouldn’t describe herself as perfect, though everyone else would. But perfection comes at a price, and there is nothing she wouldn’t do to keep her perfect record—one that doesn’t include murder charges.

Mattie is only in town for the summer. He wasn’t looking to make friends, and he definitely wasn’t looking to be involved in a murder. He’s also not looking to be riddled with guilt for the rest of his life…but to prevent that he’ll have to turn them all in.

Cade couldn’t care less about the body, or about the pact to keep the secret. The only way to be innocent is for someone else to be found guilty. Now he just has to decide who that someone will be.

With the police hot on the case, they don’t have much time to figure out how to trust each other. But in order to take the lead, you have to be first in line…and that’s the quickest way to get stabbed in the back.

Secrets, Lies, and Scandals is a taut young adult thriller that will have readers devouring each page. The plot isn't wholly original - a horrid teacher dies after a night summer school class, and five students witness it all. Each has their own reason for taking the course, for being at the school that late, for not wanting to be connected to the death in any way. What happens after that is what really gets the story moving - you don't know who is lying or who to trust - who might band together or turn on each other. Each of the students has something big going on in their lives that could be ruined by a mere few minutes - but can they all keep their secret?

I'm a huge fan of thrillers, so I was definitely excited to read this book. I was eager to see how things would happen and play out during the after-effects of the death of their teacher - and I wasn't disappointed in the least. There were lots of unanswered questions, lies, and not quite knowing what was going to happen - which kept me on the edge of my seat until I had finished the entire book (which ended up with a binge read that lasted only a few hours). The author did a fantastic job with every aspect of the story - the plot was intriguing and kept you guessing, the characters were all rounded with their own distinct personalities and issues, and the writing seemed to flow naturally. One thing that I both loved and hated (weirdly enough) was the author's writing style. The book is told from the five students perspectives, but it's written in the third person point of view. I absolutely loved that we got to see everything that happens from multiple characters - it really helped to build the suspense and kept dropping little twists and turns that came back up in the story later on. The only thing that could've made this better was if it had been done in the first person POV. I'm a huge advocate for using that writing style - mainly because of the deep personal connection that forms between the reader and the narrator. If the author would've written the book in the same style - but using the first person POV - this would have been a home run for me. I think the idea of using multiple narrators was smart and definitely added to the suspense, but it was dampened a bit because of the detached feeling of the writing. I hope that makes sense - it feels like I'm just rambling and not getting my point across. In essence, if everything had been exactly the same - except written in the first person point of view from each character's unique perspective - this book would be nothing short of amazing. It would have had me guessing until the end and would've added genuine thrills to the story - it would have been one of the best books I've read this year. Don't get me wrong - I really liked this book! It's just my personal issue with the whole point of view thing that hung me up a bit. This novel is great just as it is and I know that it'll be a big hit, especially for fans of the genre. I definitely highly recommend reading this book - for fans of mysteries, thrillers, suspense, contemporary fiction and even just readers looking for an overall well written book.

Follow the Secrets, Lies & Scandals by Amanda K. Morgan Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Amanda K. Morgan 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.

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How to Disappear Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

HOW TO DISAPPEAR 

Author: Ann Redisch Stampler 

Release Date: June 14, 2016 

Publisher: Simon Pulse 

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 416 

Description: 

This electric cross-country thriller follows the game of cat and mouse between a girl on the run from a murder she witnessed—or committed?—and the boy who’s sent to kill her. 

Nicolette Holland is the girl everyone likes. Up for adventure. Loyal to a fault. And she’s pretty sure she can get away with anything…until a young woman is brutally murdered in the woods near Nicolette’s house. Which is why she has to disappear. 

Jack Manx has always been the stand-up guy with the killer last name. But straight A’s and athletic trophies can’t make people forget that his father was a hit man and his brother is doing time for armed assault. Just when Jack is about to graduate from his Las Vegas high school and head east for college, his brother pulls him into the family business with inescapable instructions: find this ruthless Nicolette Holland and get rid of her. Or else Jack and everyone he loves will pay the price. 

As Nicolette and Jack race to outsmart each other, tensions—and attractions—run high. Told in alternating voices, this tightly plotted mystery and tense love story challenges our assumptions about right and wrong, guilt and innocence, truth and lies.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | iTUNES | INDIEBOUND | GOODREADS

How to Disappear is a riveting young adult thriller that will have readers eagerly devouring the pages to figure out the mystery at the center of the novel. The plot was mostly original and the author added lots of great details to make it stand out from others like it. I loved the use of dual narrators - instead of getting to really know just one of the main characters, we are able to connect with both Nicolette and Jack, and are given the rare opportunity to see both sides of the story. I loved getting to know both Jack and Nicolette as individuals as well as how they interacted with one another, and how each one dealt with what was happening around them. They were both great main characters with unique personalities and traits - smart, resourceful, down to earth, determined - I could go on and on. I also really loved watching their attraction and relationship change and grow throughout the book. I think the romantic aspect of the story only added to the story and I didn't find it to be a distraction at all. 

The dual narrative made things more fascinating, in my opinion. Usually we only get to know one of the characters on a deeply personal level - and that's only if the author uses the first person point of view. With the added viewpoint of Jack, the entire plot became more intense and exciting. I was flying through the pages to see what was going to happen next while trying to figure out what in the world was really going on. There were quite a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming - and sent me right back to square one with my theories. I have to admit that this book had me guessing and speculating up until the end - which doesn't happen very often. I always love trying to get to the bottom of things before the characters do, but that was pretty hard with this book. I did get frustrated more than once, but it was in a great way - not one that had me ready to give up. It only fueled my fascination and determination to figure out what was happening. I don't do spoilers in my reviews, so I can't elaborate much on the plot or what happens during the book. I'll just say that it kept me on my toes and was a fantastic blend of mystery, suspense, and romance. Overall, I really loved this book and I definitely recommend it highly to fans of the genre, along with readers who enjoy mysteries, contemporary fiction, romance, suspense, and thrillers. You really need to get your hands on a copy of this book as soon as you can!

Ann Redisch Stampler is the author of the young adult novels Afterparty and Where It Began as well as half a dozen picture books. Her work has garnered an Aesop accolade, the National Jewish Book Award, Sydney Taylor honors, the Middle East Book Award, and Bank Street Best Books of the Year mentions. How to Disappear (Simon Pulse, 2016), her first young adult thriller, will be released in June. Ann lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband Rick.

WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | GOODREADS

(1) Winner will receive a $50.00 gift certificate for The Book Depository,  Signed HOW TO DISAPPEAR bookmarks + a Nicolette’s disguise inspired Smashbox makeup kit.

***Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL***

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Tour Schedule:

Tuesday, June 14th: 

·         Book Briefs – Review 

·         BookHounds YA – Author Interview 

Wednesday, June 15th: 

·         Ryley Reads – Review 

·         Fiktshun - Review 

·         Becky on Books – Excerpt 

Thursday, June 16th: 

·         Just Commonly – Review 

·         Emily Reads Everything - Review 

Friday, June 17th: 

·         Such a Novel Idea – Review 

·         Curling Up With A Good Book – Author Interview 

Saturday, June 18th: 

·         Here’s to Happy Endings – Review 

·         My So-Called Book Reviews – Author Interview 

Sunday, June 19th: 

·         A Gingerly Review – Spotlight 

·         Book Whales – Excerpt 

Monday, June 20th: 

·         A Dream Within A Dream – Review 

·         Jessabella Reads – Character Interview 

Tuesday, June 21st: 

·         Owl Always Be Reading – Review 

·         The Cover Contessa – Character Interview 

Wednesday, June 22nd: 

·         Dani Reviews Things – Author Interview 

·         Fishing for Books – Review 

Thursday, June 23rd: 

·         Once Upon a Twilight – Author Interview 

·         Classy Cat Books – Review 

Friday, June 24th: 

·         Star-Crossed Book Blog – Review 

·         Lilians Book Stuff – Author Interview 

Saturday, June 25th: 

·         Pandora’s Books – Excerpt 

·         Reese’s Reviews – Review 

Sunday, June 26th: 

·         The Phantom Paragrapher – Review 

·         In a Bookish World – Excerpt 

Monday, June 27th: 

·         Movies, Shows & Books – Review 

·         Wishful Endings – Character Interview

·        A Bookish Escape – Review