Ordinary Beauty

Lauded by critics and authors for her heartbreakingly real heroines, Laura Wiess brings readers another devastating tale of betrayal and redemption rich with the raw emotion that made Such a Pretty Girl a classic.

How can you make someone love you when they won't?

And what if that person happens to be your mother?

Sayre Bellavia grew up knowing she was a mistake: unplanned and unwanted. At five months shy of eighteen, she's become an expert in loneliness, heartache, and neglect. Her whole life she's been cursed, used, and left behind. Swallowed a thousand tears and ignored a thousand deliberate cruelties. Sayre's stuck by her mother through hell, tried to help her, be near her, be important to her even as her mother slipped away into a violent haze of addiction, destroying the only chance Sayre ever had for a real family.

Now her mother is lying in a hospital bed, near death, ravaged by her own destructive behavior. And as Sayre fights her way to her mother's bedside, she is terrified but determined to get the answer to a question no one should ever have to ask: Did my mother ever really love me?And what will Sayre do if the answer is yes?

Learn more about Ordinary Beauty.

Ask author Laura Weiss all you burning questions on VYou.

The Canadian Wildefire blog tour kicks off!

Wildefire, by Karsten Knight releases next week and we're kicking off the Canadian blog tour today at Dreaming of Books.

Stop #2 at Midnight Bloom Reads.

Stop #3 at MSilva Books

Stop #4 at The Bursting Bookshelf

Stop #5 at YA Book Shelf.

Check out some of the advance blogger reviews for Wildefire:

Burning Impossibly Bright says:

"Wildefire pretty much had everything I love in a book going for it, and I definitely loved it! It had a sassy and strong heroine, who wasn't perfect, which is nice."

Libraries and Young Adults says:

"It’s multicultural and does a good job of portraying realistic adults – something I think a lot of YA is lacking. Parents, teachers and older love interests actually act their age, and they have legit responses to situations."

YA Booklover says:

"Knight's writing is intriguing and kept me reading. I wanted to find out what was happening, why it was happening, and who was involved."

Literature Monsters says:

"Although Karsten’s characters are gods and goddesses, they act like teenagers and believe me, because I’m a teen, when I tell you his depiction of how most of us act couldn’t have been accurate"

Krystal's Stellar Book Blog says:

"Pick up Wildefire when you can, it's a thrilling read and will keep you up until the wee hours of the night!"

The Bursting Bookshelf says:

"Oh my goodness, the ending! It was so freaking unexpected and awesome and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! The writing was fantastic and always kept me on my toes and brain."

MSilva Books says:

"Wildefire is an intensely brilliant read. It's an emotional ride that leaves you guessing at every turn."

YA Bookshelf says:

"Wildefire has a lot going for it, but it took me awhile to get into it. However, once I did, its pace began to pick up, and I was hooked. While many of us have grappled with Greek mythology at one time or another, fewer people know a lot about Polynesian mythology. This fact helps make Knight’s selection of Ashline as the main character work."

Emilie's Book World says:

"To put it simply, Wildefire completely blew me away."

Geek Girl says:

"The ending was killer. I immediately messaged the author and demanded to know if there was going to be a book two (hint: there is!)."

Just Another Story Says:

"I think my favourite thing about this book, was the diversity of the characters. I have made it no secret that it's the characters that make or break the story for me, and the characters in Wildefire were absolutely, fantastically written and wonderfully developed. I loved them."

Read an excerpt.

Check out the Behind the Book feature.

Enter win a copy of Wildefire over at Wattpad.

Stay tuned for more Canadian blog tour stops (and Karsten's HILARIOUS vlogs) throughout the week.

Follow @KarstenKnight on twitter

Win a trip to NYC and shadow an editor!

Our amazing author Lisa Mcmann, Pulseit and our fabulous friends at Wattpad have teamed up to send one special writer to NYC!

Are you a writer between the ages of 14 and 18?

Write a 1,000 word response to Lisa McMann's writing prompt and you could win a trip to New York City to shadow an editor!

Find all the contest details at Wattpad.

BUZZ: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Even though it won't be hitting shelves or appearing on e-readers until Sept 27th, Michelle Hodkin's The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is garnering MAJOR buzz.

Check out what some of our advance readers have to say:

"Every word hung with unbearable tension, every page so bone chilling! The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is going to mess with your mind. It's a novel with haunting characters, lovely boys and killer friends – literally. It left me scared with chills down my spine and in love with the Noah Shaw. ALL BOYS SHOULD ASPIRE TO BE LIKE NOAH SHAW! Easily one of my favourite reads so far this year!"

-Sherry

"This book is a must read for fans of Becca Fitzpatrick’s novel Hush, Hush. This book was absolutely amazing, I read it within one day! I was on the edge of my seat for most of the novel. This novel is truly an intriguing, heart-thumping, complicated tale."

-Erica

"This book was one of the most intense books I have ever read! There are absolutely no slow parts in this book, it just keeps going. I literally pulled an all-nighter because I just couldn't put it down."

-Kalene

And check out what the blogosphere has to say:

Libraries and Young Adults says:

"The dialogue between Mara and Jamie was more compelling for me than that between her and Noah. It was blunt, sarcastic and fresh. Hodkin did a fantastic job at describing the roguish appeal of the bad-boy archetype, and I have no doubt many fan girls will fall for him."

The Bursting Bookshelf says:

"This book was a never-let-you-go thrill ride that I would recommend to anyone, especially someone who likes very mysterious books with a hint of paranormal added in."

Christa's Hooked on Books says:

"A suspenseful and creepy read, that will have you up all night but is easy and fun to read."

Read & Riot says:

"This was a book I was waiting for. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a book you should be waiting for. I fell in love with this story. It kept me enchanted from cover to cover."

TeenBookaholic even wrote a poem!

Excited yet?

Download the countdown widget:

Follow @MichelleHodkin on twitter

Check out the Witchlanders trailer!

Witchlanders, a compelling tale set in a richly rendered world of witches, magic, and mythology by Canadian author Lena Coakley hits stores in August.

Kirkus says:

"Exquisite storytelling plus atmospheric worldbuilding equals one stunning teen debut."

(Check out the full review here)

Publisher's Weekly says:

"Plot twists unfold at a riveting pace, the boys’ characters are compellingly sketched, and Coakley explores her subject matter masterfully without falling prey to safe plot choices."

(Check out the full review here.)

Check out the trailer:

Download the Witchlanders countdown widget and banner for your blog.