Sanctuary Bay by Laura Burns and Melinda Metz

Happy Monday! This was supposed to go up last week, but the dates had different plans for me. Namely, staring at my recovering dog and wondering why he doesn't want to eat/drink/go to the bathroom when I want him to.

So rude, I know.

Anyway, I'm back today with Sanctuary Bay by Laura Burns and Melinda Metz, which I'm really excited about!

In this genre-bending YA thriller, will Sarah Merson's shiny new prep school change her life forever or bring it to a dark and sinister end?

When Sarah Merson receives the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the most elite prep school in the country-Sanctuary Bay Academy-it seems almost too good to be true. But, after years of bouncing from foster home to foster home, escaping to its tranquil setting, nestled deep in Swans Island, couldn't sound more appealing. Swiftly thrown into a world of privilege and secrets, Sarah quickly realizes finding herself noticed by class charmer, Nate, as well as her roommate's dangerously attentive boyfriend, Ethan, are the least of her worries. When her roommate suddenly goes missing, she finds herself in a race against time, not only to find her, but to save herself and discover the dark truth behind Sanctuary Bay's glossy reputation. 

I'm glad I took a few days before reviewing this book. When I first requested this from NetGalley, it reminded me of that really bad Leonardo DiCaprio movie, Shutter Island (not the Dennis Lehane book. The book was pretty okay). That movie was a mess, and I was hoping that this book wouldn't follow in its footsteps.

It did not.

Sarah Merson has bounced around from foster home to foster home after the murder of her parents when she was young. When she mysteriously receives a full scholarship to the prestigious Sanctuary Bay Academy - a total immersion school that has spawned everyone from hedge fund managers to presidents - Sarah believes that her life is about to turn around. She meets her roommates, bubbly Karina and Boston-cool Izzy, and makes a smattering of friends, like student body president Nate and Karina's boyfriend Ethan. Everything appears to be going well, and Sarah even feels that she has a chance for the first time in her life. However, she finds secrets and strange happenings on the island, things that cannot be explained and no one is willing to try.

I'll be honest: I had no idea what to expect from this book. I went in a little blind, because I had requested it, and then totally forgot what it was about. I think that was for the best, because it's really hard trying to explain this book without giving too much away. Although, I don't think I can even think about explaining the end of this book because...well, because. It's so hard to comprehend and then try to explain it to someone else. It took a little while for this book to get moving, but that's understandable because the second half of the book is insanity. So much happens between point A and point B that I was glad for the long intro. 

All that being said, I really liked this book. It was different than a lot of the other YA books I've read, and for that, I was grateful. Not that those YA books are bad, but sometimes you fall into a routine of reading the same kinds of books, and this one helped snap me out of it. This was a mystery and a thriller and a YA romance all rolled into one. At certain points, I forgot that I was reading a YA book, and that was kind of a bad thing, sometimes. While I loved the story, the characters were so mature and intelligent that I felt like a child compared to them. The things that Sarah goes through would cause me to curl up under a blanket and never come back out. But Sarah just pushed through, stone-faced and with nerves of steel. Of course, I may have been slightly jealous at her perfect photographic memory, because that was awesome.

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries, thrillers, or wants a different kind of YA book. It gets slow at times, but if you push through, you'll be thankful. It goes on sale January 19th, so run over to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local indie store to get your copy!

Hello 2016!

And hello everyone in 2016!

It's only four days into the new year and I'm already wondering what the rest of the year holds for me. Of course, there were resolution made, but then I thought about it. Every year since I was about thirteen, I've made resolutions for the upcoming year. Not biting my nails has been on that list for about nineteen years {this will be the year!}. But then there's been other resolutions, ones that seem ridiculous now that I look back on them, because they were impossible. I set myself up to fail. I would get so wrapped up in completing my resolutions that when I {inevitably} didn't finish one, I felt like a failure even though I had accomplished so many other great things.

So, this year, I've gone with a different tactic: I have ideas. I wrote them down {somewhere} and I'm going to use them as guidelines for the year. Finish and polish a story. Eat healthier. Read more books {I know, I know, this one is ridiculous, but I only read 82 last year, and that's pathetic for me}. Pay attention to organization. Don't bite nails {it's more of a tradition now, really}. If I mess up on one of them {I'm looking at you, nails}, oh well. Pick yourself up, start over. I guess the biggest idea on my list is not to stress so much. I depend on myself a lot and when I have to go to other people for help, I stress. I don't want to do that anymore. It hurts me, and it hurts the people that ask me to come to them. So I'm trying for zen. Like my cat.

I guess the no stress idea came during my winter break. I had planned on writing more on this thing since I would have nothing more to do than read and decide which pair of pajama pants I would wear that day. But then. Oh, but then.

Guess who had another leg surgery?

If you guessed that guy, then give yourself a cookie because you pay attention to this blog.

We knew that he was going to need another one, so we decided to do it over break because both the boy and I would be home. We took him in on Christmas Eve and picked him up the next day. To say that we forgot how much of a pain in the butt this guy is...is an understatement. The first week was okay: it just sucked waking up at two in the morning to give him pills. But thanks to Greenies Pill Pockets, that was a breeze {he always hated those things, until this time around}. Now we're onto the second week, and he gets his stitches out on Friday, but he thinks that he's ready to go NOW. It's like he thinks that he didn't just have major surgery because he's walking and hopping up stairs while the boy and I groan and yell at him. 

But, again, he doesn't care.

Now that I know he's okay and the whole first scary week is over {you know, eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, all that fun stuff a dog is supposed to do but doesn't during recovery and you think he's dying}, I have more time to concentrate on other stuff. Like work. Ugh.

And my stuff! Don't worry, I might not have been writing on the blog, but I did do some major writing to the story that I picked last month. I think I've written about ten thousand words in the last two weeks, and it only needs an ending {only} and then I get to editing. This story is fun, so I don't so much mind the editing part.

I KNOW.

I still have book reviews coming up, and I'm going to try to post one a week. I just went nuts on NetGalley, so I have plenty of fodder for this thing. In fact, I'll be back later this week for a review of a book I just finished this morning. I have to let it sit for awhile before I can figure out what I want to say about it. It's kind of weird. But good. But weird.

Welcome to 2016, folks.