My Weekly Book Haul: 26/04/2014

Friday Finds is something that was started over on ShouldBeReading and Stacking the Shelves over at TyngaReviews, I am in love with all of these as I love finding other blogs to follow and books to read through these! So check them all out and see what you find, Stacking the Shelves has a lot of participants as well which is great. This is basically a way for me to show what books I have received, borrowed or bought each week. All book covers and their summary come from back of book or Goodreads.

I reached another blogging milestone this week, I received my first ever physical review copy from a publisher, which blew my mind! Bloomsbury had offered to put me on a blogger mailing list and I had accepted, but didn't really know what to expect. A few weeks later and I received a finished copy (which is even more awesome!) of Goddess and I squealed because I wasn't expecting to actually receive anything.

My caterpillars have gotten absolutely huge and I can't wait for them to become butterflies. Our work set ha all emerged as butterflies and it was amazing to see. We will be releasing them in a few days and I'm very excited. 

After today, I am off work for almost a whole week and I can't wait! Hopefully I will be able to make some time to just sit down and blog. I would really love to plan some posts in advance. I would also love to find some time to just dedicate a whole day to reading. I've been struggling lately to find the time to just sit down and read lately and it makes me sad. 

I almost forgot to mention the fact that I got TWO new bookcases! TWO!!! I was unbelievably excited and have spent days trying to decide how to organise them. The two in me bedroom are done, one is mainly DVDs and the other is books and for the first time in forever I can have books standing upright. I still have to have books stacked up behind them, but it's progress! 

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them... all at once?
Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

My preorder finally came this week, and I almost died of happiness! I am trying to power my way through Nantucket Red so I can get to it, but partly want to give up on NR altogether. 

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

I KNOW, I KNOW!!! I HAVE A PROBLEM! I have once again bought another edition of a book I already own but, in my defence, the movie tie in edition is AWESOME! 

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

In the small town of Ealing, Iowa, Austin and his best friend Robby have accidentally unleashed an unstoppable army. An army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises that only want to do two things. This is the truth. This is history. It's the end of the world. And nobody knows anything about it.
Funny, intense, complex and brave, Grasshopper Jungle is a groundbreaking, genre-bending, coming-of-age stunner.

This one looks really interesting, very excited to see what I make of it. 

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.

This just has the most wonderful cover and I have seen some A-mazing reviews. But I literally had no idea what this was about before I got the synopsis off Goodreads. And now, OMG, I need to read this.

  

Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight & The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.
Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

Have heard such wonderful things about this series, hope to get to these soon. Although the 'Hotter than The Hunger Games' sticker on the book bothers me. 

Don't Look Back by Jennifer Armentrout

What if you had the chance to start again...but only if you promised never to look back? Samantha is popular, rich, and seemed to have it all...until the night she and her best 'frenemy' Cassie disappeared and only Sammy resurfaced, with no recollection of who she is or what happened. Sammy's a stranger in her own life - a life she no longer wants any part of. Losing her memory is a chance to start again. Then Sammy begins receiving mysterious notes warning her about that night, urging her to not look back. But she can't let it go. As she starts poking around in her past she begins to remember...and something sinister begins to surface.

I got a review e-ARC of this and was excited to start it, until it refused to go on my Kindle. Very happy to finally get a copy of this! 

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident-including her memory of the event. She doesn't remember driving on the cliff road. She doesn't recall jumping from the truck just before Trip lost control. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she's kept hidden for so long, the horrible reality of their abusive relationship. When the police reopen the investigation, it quickly turns on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. As the threats begin and the survivor's guilt takes over, Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free?

Fans of dark contemporary stories will feel right at home in the hands of debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf as she takes them on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and ultimately, forgiveness.

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

How can you talk about something you can’t remember?
Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.
Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

Goddess by Laura Powell

Strikes. Starvation. Riots. Britain is at breaking-point and Aura is blind to it all. The Cult of Artemis is the only home she’s ever known. Enclosed in its luxury lifestyle, the unrest gripping the country seems to belong to a distant world. Her dream is to serve the Goddess and taking a vow of chastity and obedience seems a small price to pay. But days before Aura is due to be initiated as a Priestess, she meets Aiden, the rebellious son of a cult insider, whose radical ideas and unsettling charm force Aura to question everything – and everyone – she knows.

This is my first ever physical review book! (Thanks Bloomsbury) I was expecting an uncorrected proof, so it was a nice surprise to get a finished copy of the book.

Wildlife by Fiona Wood

During a semester in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sib expects the tough outdoor education program and the horrors of dorm life, but friendship drama and an unexpected romance with popular Ben Capaldi? That will take some navigating.
New girl Lou has zero interest in fitting in, or joining in. Still reeling from a loss that occurred almost a year ago, she just wants to be left alone. But as she witnesses a betrayal unfolding around Sib and her best friend Holly, Lou can't help but be drawn back into the land of the living.
Fans of Melina Marchetta, Rainbow Rowell, and E. Lockhart will adore this endearing and poignant story of first love, true friendship, and going a little bit wild.

This one sounds really interesting and I really like the cover. 

Two chances to win a Kindle Fire HDX or $229 in Paypal Cash/Amazon Gift Card

And my giveaway to celebrate reaching 850 Bloglovin' followers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer: DNF Review

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Make Me Want To Slap Them

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland: 4/5 Review 

Films for Thoughts on Thursday: The Bling Ring

Five Friday Favourites: Books I Received As Gifts

F&F Friday: Meet the Pets!