"To find out what a story's really about,' the Librarian said,

'you don't ask the writer. You ask the reader."


- SNOW & ROSE by Emily Winfield Martin


Monday, May 19, 2014

Blog Tour (Review): THE A-WORD (A Sweet Dead Life #2) by Joy Preble (YA)


http://sohopress.com/the-a-word-blog-tour/

A Sweet Dead Life Novel, #2
by Joy Preble
Release date: May 13th, 2014
Published by: Soho Teen
Genre: Young Adult - Supernatural/Angels
Format: Hardcover, (Pre-order Paperback), eBook
Format read: ARC received by publisher for an honest review.


SUMMARY

Jenna Samuels is about to turn fifteen. It's been almost a year since her stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust. Almost a year since he returned as her guardian angel, along with his "angel boss," Amber Velasco, the hot twenty-something former EMT. Almost a year since Casey and Amber used up their one-time-only angel power of flight to save Jenna from the evil Dr. Renfroe, swooping down to catch her as she tumbled off the balcony at the Houston Galleria. In short, a lot of A-word shenanigans and a mostly happy ending.

Except now Casey's begun to wonder why he's still hanging around—not that he minds protecting Jenna. She's a handful, but there's got to be a bigger picture, right? Something to distract him from his on again/off again, doomed relationship with cheerleader Lanie Phelps, who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead. After all, he can't use his angel wings anymore. Neither can Amber. 

Enter Bo Shivers, Amber's "angel boss"—a mysterious A-word guy Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed. Whiskey-guzzling. Handsome in a grizzled way. Unpredictable. Okay, make that crazy. Bo lost his angel wings in an earthly flight a long, long, long time back—and he's been a thorn in Angel Management's side ever since. But Bo knows something is coming. Something big. Something that was worth forfeiting wings for Jenna... something that might just change everything for everyone.


MY REVIEW

Joy Preble has done it again! The A-Word is amazingly touching, funny, heartbreaking and realistic follow up to A Sweet Dead Life! Great writing, plot, mystery and intriguing characters! I need more books from this author asap!

It's been a year now, Jenna is turning fifteen, wants to get her permit and has her eye on a cute boy. Things have been better, she's got her health, her mother is better and working, her dad is kind of in the picture, but at least that mystery was solved. And her brother, Casey, well... he's still an A-Word for sure. And as much as Jenna tries to live a normal life, having the A-Word hanging around all the time is really hard. Having no one to talk about it, having to lie and hide everything that has happened to everyone, her mother, father, best friend Maggie and boyfriend Ryan, is not easy. She's been through so much already, having a couple of guardian angels around should make life a bit easier.
Now Casey is wondering why he's still hanging around. He's done his job, is there something more for him? The mystery continues when we learn more about Amber, the EMT that help pull Jenna and Casey out of their car wreck who, in the first book, we learn she's an A-Word too.. and now Amber's "angel boss", Bo Shivers, is in the picture. Bo is unpredictable, loud and acts like he knows it all. But he's so vague with everything that he says. Is it possible that he doesn't know as much as he says he does?
Something big is about to happen! And all we can do is wait and see...

I am really enjoying watching Jenna grow into a mature and responsible teen. She thinks things through, she is overly thoughtful and caring and is now more confident being her own person and dealing with what life has given her. It's impossible not to want to grab her up, feed her and hug her to death!
Again, I cannot emphasize enough that the relationship between Jenna and her brother, Casey is spot on! The love/hate between them is endearing and realistic. Their one-liner banters had me laughing out loud. I adore them! It is the best written sibling relationship I have ever seen in YA.

Fast-paced, well-written and out-of-this-world!
I cannot wait until book 3 is announced!!!



ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Joy Preble

Joy Preble is the author of the DREAMING ANASTASIA series (Sourcebooks) and the SWEET DEAD LIFE series (Soho Press), a YA Texas makeover of the angel book. 
Joy grew up in Chicago, where she dreamed of being a back up singer but settles for becoming a writer so she could get paid for making up stuff.
She now lives with her family in Texas, where when she's not writing, you can find her eating guacamole, watching trash TV, and embracing her inner nerd. 



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