Today, I'm excited to be part of the cover reveal for Only A Breath Apart, Katie McGarry's new book coming this JANUARY! Katie's one of my favorite authors so as soon as I heard she had a new book coming out I instantly added it to my TBR! Check out the cover and synopsis below and let me know what you think! Personally, I think the cover is fabulous!
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Would you dare to defy destiny? Are our destinies written in stone? Do we become nothing more than the self-fulfilling prophesies of other people's opinions? Or can we dare to become who we believe we were born to be?
“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love” (Wendy Higgins), ONLY A BREATH APART is a young adult contemporary novel from critically acclaimed Katie McGarry. “Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful” (Tammara Webber), ONLY A BREATH APART will be available on all retailers on January 22, 2019!
About the Book:
Jesse dreams of working the land that’s been in his family forever. But he’s cursed to lose everything he loves most. Scarlett is desperate to escape her “charmed” life. But leaving a small town is easier said than done. Despite their history of heartbreak, when Jesse sees a way they can work together to each get what they want, Scarlett can’t say no.Each midnight meeting between Jesse and Scarlett will push them to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other.
“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.”
―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series
Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.
From critically acclaimed author Katie McGarry, comes Say You'll Remember Me—a story of two people from different worlds pushing themselves, and each other, to get what they deserve!
Today, I'm super excited to be part of the blog tour for Katie McGarry's Say You'll Remember Me. Katie has been one of my favorite YA authors for years so it was no huge surprise that I loved Say You'll Remember Me. Find my review, select teasers, and a giveaway below!
Synopsis/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:
"Doesn’t matter who did it. Not anymore. I did the time. It’s over.” When Drix was convicted of a crime—one he didn’t commit—he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the Second Chance Program, the governor’s newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while. Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor’s daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn’t may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means. When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle’s parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix’s messy life. But sometimes love can breach all barriers. Fighting against a society that can’t imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves—Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence—and each other to finally get what they deserve.
Review: As soon as Katie McGarry's Say You'll Remember Me appeared on my iPad, I threw my other books to the side, put my phone on silent, and dove right in. Over the course of one day I devoured the entire book from start to finish. I honestly don't think I put my iPad down once, that's how dedicated I was to the story. Say You'll Remember Me is enthralling, emotionally driven, and romantic, and I completely loved every single second of it! Drix and Elle are without a doubt my favorite part of Say You'll Remember Me. Both are incredibly realistic, lovable, and relatable. Drix is tough on the surface but a sweetheart deep down. His relationship with his family warmed my heart, and while I couldn't believe he took the fall for something he didn't even do, I gave him major props for doing so. It takes a certain kind of person to put themselves in that position to save a friend/family member. Throughout the book he faces numerous challenges - moving on from his past, not falling back into his old vices, learning how to trust, etc. He has his ups and downs regarding each; however, no matter how tough the times got I didn't once stop rooting for him. I just wanted the best for Drix. I wanted him to be happy and to let love into his life. I'll admit that I was slightly worried about Elle at first. I was scared she would be the typical spoiled rich girl, but as it turns out, my worrying was for nothing. Elle is secret rebel, in my opinion. Over the course of the book, she does a lot of the "wrong" things, and by wrong I mean 100% right. I loved how she would do anything to save a stray animal (the scene with the dog in the hotel was one of my favorites!); however, what I loved the most was how willing she was to take a chance on someone. Over the course of the book, she's constantly told to stay away from Drix, that he isn't the type of boy she should be with; however, Elle won't listen. She won't let her life be controlled in that way. I admired her fearlessness in that regard, especially since I think Drix inspired her to be a better person and vice versa. Her relationship with her parents was incredibly complicated, and to be completely honest, sometimes I truly despised them. Some of their actions blew my mind. While part of me wanted nothing more than for Elle to leave them in the dust, I could understand her reluctance to do so, and I thought Katie did a wonderful job of weaving that into the novel. Just like Katie's past books the romance in Say You'll Remember Me is hot, hot, hot. So much steam. So much banter. So much chemistry. I was on romance book cloud nine. I won't go too much into Drix and Elle's relationship, but I will say Katie did such a fantastic job of developing it. It felt natural and real. I enjoyed the friends-to-lovers angle. In all, Say You'll Remember Me is yet another unforgettable contemporary from Katie. It had such a movie/do-or-die feel, and I just know fans of angsty YA are going to ADORE it. Last but not least: it may only be January, but this book has already earned a spot on my Best of 2018 list.
5 stars!!
Say You'll Remember Me will be released January 30th! Source: eARC provided by publisher for review - thank you!
Pre-order SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, register and you will receive AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER, a novella that features your favorite Pushing the Limits and Thunder Road characters!
From the Pushing the Limits series, Noah, Beth, Isaiah, West and Logan are all grown up. Catch up with your favorite characters as one of them finally says, I do.
Pigpen, Eli and Addison from the Thunder Road series: Three separate personalities who still needed to find love…and still had someone important to meet.
This is a limited time offer! So hurry! Registration ends on February 3, 2018! You must register your pre-order to receive AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.
This week's Waiting on Wednesday is slightly different from the norm! I've teamed up with InkSlinger PR as part of their promotion for Katie McGarry's upcoming novel Say You'll Remember Me, which basically means that in addition to the normal cover/synopsis, a snippet from this highly anticipated novel is also included!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Katie's book so as soon as I heard about Say You'll Remember Me I knew I HAD to have it! Drix and Elle's romance sounds like it will be so emotional. And I must say I love the cover!
From critically acclaimed author Katie McGarry, comes SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME—a story of two people from different worlds pushing themselves, and each other, to get what they deserve!
SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME releases on January 30, 2018. Pre-order your copy today!
About the Book:
"Doesn't matter who did it. Not anymore. I did the time. It's over."
When Drix was convicted of a crime--one he didn't commit--he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the Second Chance Program, the governor's newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.
Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor's daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn't may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.
When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle's parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix's messy life.
But sometimes love can breach all barriers.
Fighting against a society that can't imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves--Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence--and each other to finally get what they deserve.
Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
Review:
I have been eagerly anticipating Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry for months now. The moment I first heard about it I knew it had to read it, and thankfully, when the chance finally arrived, it was everything I hoped it would be, and much, much more! Quite simply, it was the edgy, romantic contemp I just love, something very similar to a Simone Elkeles or Jennifer Echols book.
Pushing the Limits tells the story of Echo and Noah, two troubled teens brought together by a determined social worker and an after school-tutoring gig. Echo used to be the popular girl. She had the right friends, the perfect boyfriend, and the looks and money to get her anywhere in life. However, after her brother’s death and her mother’s mental breakdown, Echo’s left with scars everywhere…figuratively and literally. She does not know where she fits in anymore…certainly not in her old life, but with Noah, her school’s bad boy, she begins to fit in as well as live again. However, Noah has his own problems. He lost his parents in a fire, and most visitation rights to his brothers, the only family he had left, after a fight with his first foster parent. Noah is determined to get his life straight and get his brothers back, but when Echo falls into Noah’s life, everything begins to change. Suddenly, Noah, the king of one-night stands, begins to fall in love with a girl who is majorly out of his league. Will Noah and Echo end up together? Will they end up getting their lives on the right paths, or will everything end up more screwed up then ever? Only time and more pages can tell in this fast paced and addicting read sure to leave any reader wanting more.
Sometimes a dual narration works beautifully, and other times not so much. With Pushing the Limits, the former occurred. Katie McGarry did a fantastic job of not only switching between Echo and Noah but also establishing them as such well-developed and fascinating characters. From the start, I was caught up their respective stores, and over the course of the book, I truly came to adore them. Both were so fragile and delicate because of all the pain they went through and the past, but together, they became an invincible team. Echo’s voice especially grabbed me. McGarry did a fantastic job of expressing Echo’s frustration of not remembering what happened that horrible night beautifully since I could honestly feel Echo’s frustration come flying off the page. I also thought McGarry did a good job in the transformation Echo faced from her past life to her new one. Her problems with her friends and ex, for example, seemed believable. Noah, on the other hand, was incredible as well. Not only because I swooned at everything he said, but also because of how he was such a nice person under that hard exterior. Seeing him interact with Echo as well as his brothers did a lot in the development of his character. I also enjoyed the wide variety of other characters introduced, such as Noah’s best friends and Echo and Noah’s social worker Mrs. Collins.
Another part of Pushing the Limits I adored was the plot. The revealment of Echo and Noah’s respective secrets was done with much suspense as well as grace, which left me to stay up super late to finish this one. I was always dying to know what would happen next. What happened to Echo that night? Was there more to Noah’s story then he lead on? The questions were constantly swirling around in my head. I also loved the romance in this one. Echo and Noah’s love was realistic, as had they’re problems and dilemmas, as well as super sweet. I loved seeing them interact, because not only did they truly support each other in ways no one else did, but they also were just the most adorable couple ever.
Lastly, McGarry’s writing was excellent! She did a fabulous job of presenting intense issues without shying away from details. The development of characters and plot was also well done, and I particularly loved the ending. It was bittersweet in some ways, but I couldn’t imagine it ending any other way!
In all, Pushing the Limits is a book I highly, highly suggest you pick up! It’s edgy, romantic, and suspenseful…what’s not to love about that?!
Hi! My name is Lauren. I'm a recent college graduate (chemistry major, surprisingly enough!), and will be starting graduate school in the fall. I've been blogging about books for the past nine years (with about a four year gap in between)! Click here to email me.
