Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. Today’s theme was:

Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel (because when you love a debut you just are ITCHING to get your hands on the author’s second book) or Top Ten Sophomore Novels That I Loved Just As Much If Not More As The Author’s Debut (no one hit wonders heeeere!)

This was one of the easiest Top Ten Tuesdays in a while. I doubt many of you will be surprised by anyone on my list. I’m very vocal about my favorites. All author names linked to Twitter.

            

THE BECKMINDAVERA – Becky Albertalli  // David Arnold // Jasmine Warga // Adam Silvera

          

Renee Ahdieh // Nicola Yoon // Stephanie Oakes

          

I.W. Gregorio // Francesca Zappia // Stephen Chbosky

Which debuts have you excited for their sophomore novel?

ARC Review: My Heart & Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

You guys said you wanted me to get a little more real and tell you more about myself. This review is as real as I’ve gotten. I hope you still love me.

Author:  Jasmine Warga

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mental Health

Publisher: Balzer + Bray / HarperTeen

Publication Date: February 10, 2015

320 pages, Hardcover

Check out the synopsis on Goodreads.

I’m sitting here trying to start a review on a book that made me cry, made me smile, made me hurt, and that I loved with all of my black hole of a heart. I’m not sure if I can do it.  Alright, take a few breaths, Stefani. Here we go.

This book is beautiful, you guys. It deserves to be read, whether you are suffering from depression or not. I wholeheartedly believe that everyone can find something to relate to in My Heart & Other Black Holes. I really cared about these characters because they were me. I’m so glad that this book is out there, because it tells you that you aren’t alone. It tells you there’s hope and this doesn’t have to be the end. It’s something that is important and needs to be talked about.

The characters were real because of their feelings. You can feel Roman’s grief. Aysel’s depression was tangible and real. I loved this book, but I also hated how much I could understand both of them so well. Warga’s description of depression was spot on and I relished in it. This book felt so real, you guys. “Depression is like a heaviness (ARC 14)” and sometimes “It’s like your sadness is so deep and overwhelming that you’re worried it will drown everyone else in your life if you let them get too close to it (ARC 183).” Aysel thinks “He gets it” after Roman says that last part – I thought “Jasmine gets it” when I read that.

But I didn’t just love this book for the sad parts. I’m not giving anything away, but the ending was so realistic, and I really appreciated that. I’m just happy I got to spend time with these two characters, because I loved their journey together. I’ll end this review with my favorite quote:

“I will be stronger than my sadness” (ARC 266).

The bottom line: My Heart & Other Black Holes is a beautiful, honest, heartbreaking, real, and sad book. It deserves to be read – not only by anyone that has suffered any kind of mental illness, but by everyone.

Rating: 10 – Perfection. One of the best books I’ve ever read (I think this is only the second 10 I’ve given) Thank you SO MUCH to Stacee aka Adventures of a Book Junkie for the giveaway that let me get my hands on this beautiful book.

National Readathon Day – I’m making #timetoread

Today is National Readathon Day! I don’t know if I’m technically too late to sign up, but I don’t really care. I’m making time to read today in support (mostly because I was going to make time to read today anyway!).

National Readathon day is sponsored and put on by Penguin Random House, GoodReads,Mashable, and the National Book Foundation. Join in the Readathon by reading from 12-4 p.m. in your own time zone.

I thought I’d do a post for this so I could share what I’m going to be reading. I’m FINALLY going to be reading My Heart & Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga, which I first heard about in June (?) of last year and have been wanting to read since then. I started it yesterday and I’m already loving it, as much as you can love a book about a girl who wants to kill herself. I’m pretty sure it’s going to live up to my own personal hype. Yay!

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How I'll be spending #nationalreadathonday! Finally reading #myheartandotherblackholes! I started it yesterday and I already love it. Are you making #timetoread today? #books #bookstagram #amreading #ilovebooks #bookgram #bookaday #bookporn #jasminewarga #bookish

A post shared by Stefani (@stefanisloma) on Jan 24, 2015 at 6:35am PST

Will you make #timetoread today?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. Today’s theme was:

Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward To In 2015

Holy crap, this is hard. You can check out my 2015 releases shelf on Goodreads (which currently has a whopping 64 books on it!) to see that I am excited for A LOT of books coming out in 2015. Thankfully, in January we’ve got a TTT post about debuts coming out in 2015, so that helps a little. This list is obviously not going to include all the books I’m excited about but here’s the ten that I am dying to read.

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga…because it sounds deep and sad and lovely and perfect winter weather.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli…because I got an ARC of this at the Decatur Book Festival and I think it sounds really great.

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West…because it sounds suitably sweet and adorable.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab…because parallel universes.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig…because I need it.

Little Pretty Things by Lori Rader-Day…because I LOVED The Black Hour. 

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen…because NEW SARAH DESSEN!

The Prom Goer’s Interstellar Excursion by Chris McCoy…because oh my goodness it sounds perfect and unique and like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Magical Creatures by Maggie Stiefvater…because – do I really need to explain this one?

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid…because he’s a really genuine person and I liked Let’s Get Lost and I’m excited to read what’s next from him.

Bonus:

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard…because it sounds epic

Wherever You Go by Pat Zietlow Miller…because I adored Sophie’s Squash 

What books are you looking forward to in 2015? Are you excited about any of the books on my list? 

Waiting on Wednesday: My Heart & Other Black Holes

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share a book that we are eagerly anticipating!

Publisher: HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray

Author: Jasmine Warga

Release date: February 10, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads:

     Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner.

Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince.

Why I’m excited: First, that title. Second, nerds. Third, that summary. Wow. That sounds incredible. She must convince him “to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together” – how awesome does that sound? Yep. I want to read this. RIGHT NOW, please and thank you.

What are you excited about?