Book Review - A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

Photo Credit - Amazon

Stella Sandell is an average teenager from a well known local family. However, her life is turned upside down when she stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. Everyone wants to know how Stella knows the man and what her motive for the murder.

Stella's father is a pastor and her mother is a criminal defense attorney. They both are considered pillars of truth, honesty, and integrity in the community. When news of Stella's arrest arrive, they find their morals to be tested as they defend their daughter. How far will they go to protect their daughter? What secrets is Stella hiding?

The novel was narrated by three different narrators: her father, Stella, and her mother. It was interesting to see how all three characters overlapped for a satisfying ending. While the book was an engrossing read, I had a hard time rooting for Stella. Stella does a lot of things because she is bored and nothing happens to her. However, when her plans go awry, she puts the blame on other people instead of blaming herself. Personally, I didn't care for her as a person as when people were trying to help her, she kept pushing them away. Overall, the book as an entertaining read and I look forward to reading more books from the author.

 **Disclosure - I received a free uneditted copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

YSL The Shock Volumizing Mascara

The volumizing mascara promises to coat each lash with a single stroke. It promises not to clump and provide volume for days. I found the mascara to go smoothly and provided a thick fringe. I noticed that it did take a while to dry because I got smudges even after a minute or two after application. Personally, I felt like the mascara was very clumpy. Overall, it wasn't my favorite.

Too Faced Sketch Marker Liquid Art Eyeliner - Deep Navy Blue

The sketch marker is inspired by Japanese calligraphy pens. It promises to provide vivid paintbrush strokes. It is waterproof and will stay put all day. I found the eyeliner dried out very quickly and the color was not bright or bold at all. I had to apply two coats to get visible color on my lids. The brush point also dragged against my skin. Definitely not the easiest or best eyeliner I have used. 

Book Spotlight - Shipwreckers: The Curse of the Cursed Temple of Curses by Scott Peterson and Joshua Pruett + Giveaway

Title: SHIPWRECKERS

Author: Scott D. Peterson & Joshua Pruett

Pub. Date: May 21, 2019

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 336

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

When Dani and her big brother Mike find themselves aboard the ill-fated river expedition of careless adventurer, Captain Kevin, they must work together to save themselves and the captain from all manner of deadly trials and traps.

Complete with treacherous temples, ancient idols, and plenty of explosions, Shipwreckers is a big adventure that brings humor along for a dangerous and thrilling ride up the Amazon. In a place where laughter meets non-stop action, you'll find Shipwreckers and its cast of soon-to-be fan-favorite characters.

About Scott:

Scott Peterson (aka Scott David Peterson) is currently the Executive Producer and Showrunner of the upcoming Netflix animated series, "The Last Kids on Earth."

Scott was nominated for a primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program for writing Nickelodeon’s “Escape from Cluster Prime” and for an episode of Disney's "Phineas and Ferb."

He has worked as a writer for Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon, among others, for the last decade. Most recently, Scott has been a story editor for Disney TV Animation on "Milo Murphy's Law," “Phineas and Ferb,” “Kick Buttowski,” “The Replacements,” and “Emperor’s New School.” He has also written for such series as “Brandy and Mr. Whiskers,” “Danny Phantom,” “The X’s,” “Robotboy,” “Tutenstein,” and “Pet Aliens.” Oh, and “The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries.” Remember that one?

Scott is also the author of many top-selling children’s books including “Phineas and Ferb's Guide to Life," "Agent P's Guide to Fighting Evil," and "The Book of Doof." He recently co-authored his first novelization of the recently released Disney live-action feature of "The Jungle Book" and signed with Disney Hyperion to write his original middle-grade novel "Shipwreckers" with writing partner Joshua Pruett. He also pens multi-page comics for Nickelodeon and Disney.

He has written for every genre and media imaginable including video games, live action features, IMAX 3D films, interactive internet projects, amusement park venues, instructional DVD’s, hotel comedy wake-up calls, and perhaps most importantly, for the Weekly World News.

He lives in South Pasadena with his beautiful wife and two occasionally adorable children.

Website | Twitter | IMDB | Goodreads

About Joshua:

Joshua Pruett is a Primetime Emmy Nominated writer and human-author-person who splits his time unevenly between Gallifrey and Los Angeles with his incredible Wife/High School Sweetheart/Knitter/Singer Amanda and their boy and girl-shaped children. He is currently living out a dream come true, writing dialogue for Weird Al Yankovic's mouth on Disney XD's MILO MURPHY'S LAW (2016).

As a Writer/Artist, Joshua has over a decade of experience inflicting laughter on others, with credits on the history making Kickstarter relaunch of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (coming to Netflix in early 2017), PHINEAS AND FERB, and the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON franchise. He has worked as a storyboard artist, writer and creative consultant for Disney TV, DreamWorks Feature Animation, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks TV, Awesomeness TV, Sprout/NBC Universal, Disney China/Beijing, Zombie Bake Shop, Netflix and Paramount Feature Animation. Most recently, he developed THE HAUNTED MANSION for Disney TV with his friend and writing partner, Scott Peterson.

His first novel, THE JUNGLE BOOK: THE STRENGTH OF THE WOLF IS THE PACK, with Scott Peterson, adapts the 2016 live action feature film into a fun for all ages novel for young readers.

Joshua is also internet famous for getting a WIN on failblog (just type "EPIC WIN DAD" into Google Image search -- he and his daughter's award-winning Halloween costume is the first photo to come up).

Website | Twitter | Facebook | IMDB | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 Winners will receive a finished copy of SHIPWRECKERS, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2934/

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/13/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

5/14/2019- Wonder Struck- Review

5/15/2019- Feed Your Fiction Addiction- Review

5/16/2019- Lone Tree Reviews- Review

5/17/2019- 4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼- Excerpt

Week Two:

5/20/2019- BookHoundsya- Review

5/21/2019- Two points of interest- Review

5/22/2019- bookish bibliophile- Review

5/23/2019- Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers- Review

5/24/2019- AURELIA LEO- Interview

Book Review - Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Photo Credit - Amazon

Christine wakes up every morning confused because she cannot remember who she is. She cannot remember how old she is, where she is or what happened to her the day before. She is unable to make new memories and relies on her husband, Ben to help fill in the blanks. Ben explains their life together on a daily basis. Ben tells Christine she lost her ability to form due to a traumatic accident.

Christine has a doctor she meets up with that is helping her regain her lost memories. She is keeping her visits with the doctor a secret from her husband. With the encouragement of her doctor, Christine decides to keep a journal to jot her thoughts and memories. However, one day she opens the journal to see "Don't trust Ben" on the front page. Her entire world is thrown into disarray. Who can Christine trust? Is Ben telling her the complete truth?

The novel was an interesting read once, it started picking up towards the end. The writing was very fluid and easy to read. However, it did take a bit of patience as the book was very repetitive in the beginning until Christine starts remembering more about her past life. There were a few aspects of the novel that made me wonder why didn't anyone follow up on anything. For example, her friend keeping in touch when Christine needed her the most. Even when Christine saw "Don't trust Ben", she never questioned or wondered why she wrote it. The ending had a few twists but, it felt rushed. Like everything was rushed to become to tie up perfectly in the end with one cliffhanger. Overall, it was suspenseful read but, it fell flat a few pages in.

 **Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Alice in Tumblr-land by Tim Manley

Photo Credit - Amazon

The Ugly Duckling doesn't feel like she fits in with everyone else. Until she started using Instagram and found the filter that made her look awesome. Jasmine and Aladdin are having marital issues. Mulan is cross-dressing. Cinderella wears Crocs. Peter Pan has to get a job and grow up. Red Riding Hood is discovering the perils of online dating.

The author re-imagined a few of the most beloved fairytales for today's modern audience. The book geared towards adults with situations that might face on a daily basis such as responsibility, depression, online dating, and relationships. Each of the short blurbs for each character is beautifully illustrated. However, I found some of the jokes to be repetitive and boring.  Overall, a fun quick read when you have some time to kill.

 **Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Theodore Boone: The Accomplice by John Grisham

Photo Credit - Amazon

Woody Lambert is one of Theo's good friends. Theo has noticed Woody been acting differently lately. Woody has been making poor choices and is failing in school. However, when Woody and his brother is arrested for being an accomplice in armed robbery, Theo knows that Woody is innocent. With Woody sitting in jail surrounded by malice, Theo needs to race against the clock to help his friend. Will Theo be able to help his friend before it is too late?

I have not read a book by John Grisham recently but, I know he is a famed storyteller. I was very excited to read one of his books that is targetted to a younger audience (let's be honest, who has time to read a 500+ page novel some days). I thought that this book would have all the elements that John Grisham is known for such as intrigue, suspense, and thrills. However, I was quite disappointed as I didn't find this novel to be interesting and rather boring. The novel had a very basic premise of an impoverished person being chewed out by the justice system while the rich are given privileges. I felt that this book is geared towards parents who want to "teach the kids" about staying on the right side of the law than providing entertainment for young minds. I felt like some of the dialogue felt far fetched like the author was trying to talk like someone younger or a judge being "afraid" of a lawyer so he bends to the lawyer's wishes. Overall, it was a good read for teaching kids the value of going to school and working hard.

 **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - The Paper Wasp by Lauren Acampora

Photo Credit - Amazon

Abby Graven lives a secluded life in a small town in Michigan. She was once a bright student with a promising art career. Now, she works lives at home with her parents and works at the local supermarket as a cashier. Her former best friend, Elise is a rising starlet in Hollywood. Abby is haunted by Elise's success and Abby obsessively collects photos and articles of Elise. Abby's one escape is watching movies from her favorite director, Auguste Perren. Perren is the famous founder of the creative institute called the Rhizome. Abby has a secret gift that she keeps hidden from others. She has often had premonitory dreams that help inspire her art.

During their high school reunion, Elise and Abby reunite and plan to meet up. Abby is overjoyed that Elise still considers Abby a friend and a brilliant artist. When Elise offhandedly tells Abby to visit her if she's even in LA, Abby arrives on Elise's doorstep unexpectedly.  After spending time with Elise, Abby realizes that Elise has a few flaws that she keeps hidden from the public. Being a supportive friend, Abby tries to help Elise while protecting her own secret and trying to achieve professional success. As Elise and Abby become closer, Abby realizes she only has one way of getting what she wants.

The novel was a seductive read that was very entertaining even when I was confused about certain details. However, random and insignificant behaviors came together in the end. I thought that was a creative way to infuse small details to add more layers to make a chilling and complex story. After I finished reading the book, I was still thinking about the ending. There was a lot of details left open for interpretation.  Overall, the novel did a great job showing the lengths someone will go to fulfill their dreams.

 **Disclosure - I received a free  copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Last Day by Domenica Ruta

Photo Credit - Amazon

Once a year on May 28, all of humanity gather to celebrate the day of the planet's demise. People party and act as it is the last day they are alive. Sarah is a bookish wunderkind who is looking for love. She felt that she has always been asexual but, she finds herself attracted to an older man, Kurt. Sarah and Kurt met last year during her parents' Last Day BBQ. Kurt is a tattoo artist who is trying to make amends to a family he destroyed years ago.

Karen consistently gets in trouble. She was abused at a young age and suffers from an eating disorder. After getting into trouble again, she decides to abandon her current life and search for her long lost adoptive brother. Her friend, Rosette left the Jehovah's Witness and follows a new pastor who has different opinions about the Last Day. Rosette tries to help Karen as she believes it will her atone for her past sins. When Karen calls Rosette for help, she takes Karen to the church in hopes that it will help her.

Three astronauts on the International Space Station are witnessing the Last Day spectacle in Space. Bear, an American astronaut along with Russian astronaut, Svec, and a Japanese space tourist, Yui contemplate their lives during the Last Day festivities.  Together they band together and share stories of their native customs for the Last Day.

At first, I thought this was going to be an interesting read. Then, I was quite confused by some of the behaviors of the characters especially when they tried changing their behaviors. After I read more about each character I understood their motives. The book depicts how one person's actions have an effect on other people lives. I found that to be an interesting concept that something trivial to you can mean the world to someone else. Overall, the book was thought-provoking but, I am not sure if it was my cup of tea.

*Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**