{Review} Dizzy by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry

Dizzy
Author: Nyrae Dawn & Jolene Perry
Release Date: November 15, 2012
Source: *a copy was provided by the author for review purposes*
Format: PDF/Kindle
Pages: 287

Dylan doesn’t do relationships. He and his older brother watched their dad go through hell and back, so they made a pact years ago—no girl would come between the Gibson boys. But his brother sells out. He's getting married anyway. To the sister of a chick Dylan met at a party, who's probably the angriest girl he's ever met. Unfortunately, she happens to be hot, too.
Ziah’s life is upside down—her safe boyfriend turns out to be not-so-safe, and now her sister is getting married before college is over to the older brother of a spoiled, party boy who drives her crazy. And also makes her heart beat too fast.
There’s no denying the attraction, but there's also no denying how much they irritate each other. When they’re thrown together as forced wedding planners, they find an ally in each other--neither wants this wedding to happen.
But instead of putting a stop to the crazy nuptials they find themselves at fittings and cake testing. And maybe even…a few dates? Dizzy is a novel about what happens when two people who are determined not to fall in love, maybe do anyway. Maybe.{Goodreads}

~Review:
  Firsts....Jolene and Nyrae are two of my most favoritist indie authors of ALL time!!! I first fell in love with Nyrae when I fell in love with Sebastian! O. My. Word!! Dudes, she is a PRO when it comes to dreamy boys. I LOVE Sebastian and (What a Boy Wants) was absolutely amazing! I got giggly and goosebumpy and laughed my tooshy off!!! Pure. Genius!! And then I fell in love with Jolene when I read the story of Luke and Ronnie. It totally changed me and my thoughts. It (Knee Deep) was cute romantic and humorous and completely inspirational! If there are two Indie authors I will repeatedly recommend it would be these two! They are so talented and need more recognition!! I am so behind with their books because they keep popping them out like there is no tomorrow!! I mean seriously you guys...slow down!! I can't keep up these days!! It seems everyday there is a new one coming!! ;D (no, please don't ever stop writing!!) I need to read them all...so should you! ;)

  Anyways!! Enough with their previous books. This is  a review of Dizzy not the other two. Ok well..let me rant a bit more about these two lovely authors. Nyrae and her perfect boys + Jolene and her awesome, witty female leads= the perfect combo! This book was so good! I loved the play of back and forth with Ziah and Dylan's POV. Dylan was so charismatic and a complete hot head..an adorable, fun, funny, in-denial boy!! O gosh..I loved him. He was fun and witty. He was loving and confused. Ziah was a pain in the ahh...tushy. She was mean and mad and so freaking difficult! She was also loving and funny without knowing it. She had this charm that I just came to love. I love reading through alternating POV but the best is when the characters are so distinguishable but still the same where you don't feel like you are reading completely different books. Ziah and Dylan were one of the same. I loved how Ziah would end her turn thinking one thing and Dylan would pick up thinking the exact same thing. They were on the same page...they were the cutest couple ever.

  Jolene and Nyrae's writing was just as amazing even though they were sharing the pages. I enjoyed getting to know each character and reading from their talented hands. It was a true gift. They created one of the best couples in the contemporary genre. I had no problems...well one. Their relationship status. So they kind of hated each other at first. They believed they were on completely different sides of the world but they were closer than they thought...and once they figured it out it was nothing but sparks. Gosh these two were so cute! They were funny, witty (my!! their banter was awesome!!), close, smexy (uhmm..there were some pretty steamy, blood pumping scenes I was very fond of reading). They tried to deny their attraction but they just...couldn't. They only tried to keep their distance because they had things of their pasts and recent situations which screwed them over to thinking love was impossible. I felt bad but they helped each other out. They worked..they just worked.

  Wait...I thought you said you had a problem with their relationship status?....you may have just thought that question. Yes, you are right...I am getting there. Alas, my problem which semi-ruined my complete heart gushing over their little romance....Their siblings were getting married. That kinda makes them siblings...half...step siblings. Not by blood but by marriage. I just don't know I found it weird. They are siblings after the "I do". What?? Some people may not have a big deal with this...I didn't mind it too much it just kinda rubbed me the wrong way I'm afraid. I would have liked it if something was different but it kinda had to be to make their situation possible and the dislike they had with the wedding. Still...a little awkward for me but it didn't effect the rating so no worries!!

  So besides the sibling relation....Dizzy had its own charisma. It was all sorts of fun and excitement! Nyrae and Jolene truly have a gift and make one hell of a power duo! More please? I enjoyed this book so! I was so excited when Jolene asked me if I wanted a review copy!! I really love these two authors and I can't wait to read more from them..together or standing alone! I totally recommend this book to everyone who loves those romantic comedies with a dash of self-discovery! I kinda really like the cover too..its quirky and cute! I loved the humor, the writing, the love, the drama, the..a lot of the book let's just say ;) Seriously! Once you have the chance check this book out a long with their other books! I can promise you their books will fill ya up on any sappy yet funny romance cravings you have! They have yet to disappoint me!

~Rating:

4 of 5 girly stars!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Have a good day!! :)

~Jaiden 

{Interview & Giveaway} Jolene B Perry, author of Knee Deep

YAY! Today Girls on YA Books has a special guest!

Welcome Jolene B Perry! She is obviously an author of many more books than Knee Deep but that was the book I read by her so naturally that is the theme of the interview yes? ;D 

Stick around for a fun and deep interview with an awesome giveaway at the end!

So, let's get started!!....

~The Author~

Find her on...~Website~Blog~Goodreads~Twitter~

I wear juvenile T-shirts, worn-out chucks, and eat too much chocolate. I write. A lot. I make up words, drink Shirley Temples, and suffocate a little without my iPod.

~Interview~

•  You have a various amount of books out and soon to come, how do you keep track of them all? I actually do a crappy job of this, lol. Every once in a while I forget about something... The "real" answer is that I have a running list on my iPad of "coming soon" projects, and what needs to be done on each. I occasionally forget to update this... I'm seeing a theme here... But it seems to work out in the end ;-)
•  Lots of books = lots of love interests and characters, how do you manage to keep each character and love interest unique? Maybe I don't ;-O Kidding. I started college as a theater major, so for me, books are all about characters. Even given the EXACT kind of situation - friends to lovers for example - there are a MILLION ways to do this because there are a million settings and a million different kinds of people, and, and, and... I do run into the problem of running out of names... And occasionally, I'll come up with the perfect fix for a character, and realize I used something slightly similar for another book. Fortunately I have a good memory for this kind of thing, and pick it out.
• What winter release are you most excited for? Why? I don't know. I'm holding a couple of them now. The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater, and Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally. I JUST finished Everyday by Levithan and loved it. I'm DYING for The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, and the second book to Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.
•  Luke...Romeo?? *swoons* If you were a teenager once again, would you be one of the girls pining over him? For what reasons (other than hotness ;D I think we get that obvious bit there hehe) I love boys with a sense of humor, and Luke's T-shirts would get me. I also love that his mom made big bucks, but he still wore tattered shorts. And surfer?? Hello :-)
•  Ronnie deals with a lot of self-finding issues and other issues and in most cases she could have just asked her parents or friends for advice but instead she thought it was better to keep it in. This is what most teenagers go through...If you could go back and tell your teenage self one piece of advice, what would it be? To relax a little bit. To know that four years of high school seems like an eternity, but it's really just a blink.  What's your thoughts on talking to your parents/school councilor/friend? I WISH Ronnie would have trusted the people around her to go to them, and I think sometimes people don't because they feel like that person won't understand THEIR situation because it's so different. The thing is, teachers do not teach for the money (I was one) they teach because they love it (most of them). They will find a way to help.
•  Have any specific authors been inspiration to you throughout your writing career? Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, Carol Lynch Williams, Mindi Scott, David Levithan...
•  And here is the big one...What advice would you give someone who's relationship becomes abusive like Ronnie's? The thing is. When we're IN those relationships, it feels "different" it feels less dramatic than it is because facing the fact that we're dealing with someone no one should have to live through feels too big to confront - at least that's what happened to me. If you're not sure about how your significant other is treating you, talk to the people who love you the most. Get outside perspective, even if it's just from a friend (in the end it's going to be our friends who save us in some way). And then hopefully people in those situations will be able to go from telling someone they're close to, to someone more "official" who can help in different ways. 

Thanks Jolene! Great answers! Very fun and deep indeed! <3

~The Book(s)~

Knee Deep
My review! (MAJOR LOVE!!)
Buy on ~Amazon~Barnes&Noble~ 
Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He's her soul mate. He's more uptight every day, but it's not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she's adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he'll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.

Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He's the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she's playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.

Shawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both. {Goodreads} 

More books by Jolene:

 

Click pics for goodreads pages!

And more!! >>>  

~The Giveaway~ 

 So you guys are in such luck today!

Jolene was SO generous with her giveaway!!

Ready?? Here's the....

Prizes: 

~Paperback of  Knee Deep

~1 ebook of winner's choice of any Jolene Perry book released (including ARC of Falling and Dizzy)

~ANOTHER 1 ebook choice (same as above)

Yes that's right there will be 3 winners! 3 amazing prizes!!

But before we get to the rafflecopter here are some....

Rules:

 You must be 13 years or older.

Please refrain from leaving any personal information in the comments section

There will be 3 winners(chosen by Rafflecopter).

Each winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email/tweet. If not, a new winner will be chosen

This is an International giveaway!

Giveaway ends October 29.

Have fun!!! <3

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck you guys!

Thanks for stopping by!! :D

Have a great day/week!

~Jaiden

{Review} Knee Deep by Jolene B Perry

Knee Deep
Author: Jolene B Perry
Release Date: May 1, 2012
by, Tribute Books
Source: *a copy was provided by the author for review purposes*
Format: Paperback
Pages: 278

Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He's her soul mate. He's more uptight every day, but it's not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she's adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he'll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.
Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He's the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she's playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.
Shawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both. {Goodreads}

~Review:
  Woah! Just woah. I was lucky enough to receive this book from Jolene because we are doing an interview here on the blog pretty soon. And as most authors know, I like to read the author's book beforehand so that I can intertwine questions related to the book and its characters. It makes the interview more personal and lures people in to read the book knowing more about it ya know? Yes so lucky me gets to interview Jolene and she tells me to choose. To choose one book out of a few! How hard was that descision?? HARD! She has so many amazing books and I was having a tough time deciding but in the end (obviously) I chose Knee Deep. My oh my was that a good choice!

  I am going to have to split this review into two parts..one about the writing, characters, and story line and one about its impact on me. First off...the writing, etc. Ok so my copy was a ARC copy so obviously it had a few un edited kinks. No problem. It never once shadowed the amazing talent of Jolene. Her writing is pure and it just captures you. You truly believe it is Ronnie speaking. A normal teenage girl that has normal teenage problems...with a bit of an extreme to it. Ronnie has been in love with Shawn since she was 14. They were fully devoted to each other. Sweet, loving, charming. That is the Shawn Ronnie fell in love with but recently...Angry, irritable, possessive, jealous (and the most scary of them all) abusive...are the words she can associate him with. And slowly....she is falling for Luke, her other childhood friend. They are Romeo and Juliet...literally well, at least play wise. But it begins to be more than just the play.

  I loved following Ronnie's story and seeing her grow from her choices and troubles. She is possible the most true and believable character I have ever read. Teens all around the world can relate to her inner struggle of life, love, and learning to fight and let go. I loved her best friend. I loved the cute book they had kept during the years documenting all the "firsts" they had done over the years. I loved Luke with his charm and wit. His sexiness and his kind heartedness. The ending broke me apart and lifted my heart at the same time. Ronnie's story was heart breaking yet so beautifully wonderful. I loved this book with a passion. Every character was believable. I felt like I was living out Ronnie's life. Knee Deep is a book you will love to hate. It will rip your heart and then make you smile like a fool. 

  Now for the impact it had on me. When I heard stories of girls in abusive relationships, I felt pity and then...to be painfully honest...disgust. How could a girl stay with a guy that only caused them pain? Physically and mentally? It should be so easy to just tell him stop and walk out the door without looking back. So easy. Right? I mean you would have to be completely stupid to stay with someone like that. What does that say about you? What kind of example are you leaving for other girls? But...I never truly understood. There is more to the story. More to the words and the bruises. More to the girl's thoughts. I never understood all of it but this book..it helped opened my eyes. And if you have ever thought the above "before" thoughts...you need to read this too. Knee Deep is more than a story. It is a life lesson. A pamphlet for life that all girls should read. Ronnie saw the bruises. Saw the anger but...he has reasons. His father was a you-know-what-whole. He was just going through a rough time. There was too much stress in his life. He has every right to be made about the heels she wore that made her taller than him. the guys should always be taller right? She didn't need to make him feel lower than her...

   Ronnie gave him ever excuse in the book and they were reasonable. I found myself agreeing with her. Yes, that's how easy it is. And its not because she was stupid. It's not because Ronnie didn't see the signs. It's not because should could handle the bruises. It wasn't  easy! I truly understand how hard it just can be. Her situation was reasonable. I reasoned her abusive relationship!!! Something like that will never be easy. It just can't and won't it is a situation you would need help with. And that is the main point I saw. Ronnie wasn't willing to get help. She thought she could take care of it. But you can't do something like that by yourself. There's no way. I have truly seen the light because of this book. Now, I'm not saying that its fine to stay in abusive relationship. No amount of reason is worth that hurt. You do need to walk away from that relationship. I am just merely saying that I now know that it isn't easy and understand it better. Not completely but better. It is hard but most things in life are and they make you a stronger person. You are a better person than that. You deserve better. It had me thinking about what I would have done if I was Ronnie. Would I be saying what I said in the "before" or would I be doing the same as Ronnie. Would I be able to do the "after"?
  
  This book goes beyond the worth of buying. I would have everyone read it if I could. This book changed me! I loved every bit! <3 I need to go on a Jolene B Perry book marathon because all of them sound so amazing and if they are anything like this one...I will forever be in love with the books and the author ;D Buy, borrow, rent, it doesn't matter just get your hands on a copy will ya! ;)

~Rating:

4.5 wonderful stars!  

Thanks for stopping by!
     Hope you have a great day! :D
          ~Jaiden

The Covers Uncovered {Night Sky byJolene B. Perry}

 

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Night Sky
Author: Jolene B. Perry
Release Date: March 1, 2012

After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast.

But Sky’s need for honestly somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year. {Goodreads}

Doesn't that seem cute! Awe Jameson seems like a cutie!! Poor guy has been through a lot and there is nothing cuter than a story about a broken hearted disaster of a boy falling head-over-heals with a nice, sincere, mysterious girl! Can't wait for this one! :) 

And because this is a COVER reveal....I love the beach background and the two of them facing away from each other. You can tell by the cover the story line. Boy facing away toward moon: Boy who needs some comfert because of a hard life. Girl being on the front facing us with a mysterious pose: Girl who is the key to the boys heart, the one who helps him through it. The night sky: The sorrow and promise of a new beginning. Well that's my interpretation of it anyways lol What do YOU think of the cover?
~Jaiden