THE "Because it has something to do with GYP Series" GIVEAWAY

What you have to do:

SHARE this link. I don't care how. Facebook, Twitter, mail a printout of this to a friend. Just share it. More people need to know about this series and this author. When +Jenn Cooksey eventually takes over the world, you'll want to be a part of her team.

Up for grabs:

Once I figure out random.org, 1 person will win all of the stuff on the left. In case it needs to be clarified:

- 1 ebook of Shark Bait
- 1 ebook of The Other Fish in the Sea
- 1 ebook of Shark Out of Water
- EVERYTHING in the picture in the top left corner

If random.org works the way I think it does, then the next 3 people will receive all 3 books in the Grab Your Pole Series.

I don't want to drag this out and have you wait for the awesomeness that is this prize package, so you have until Friday September 13th, 2013 (yep, not kidding!) 11:59pm EST to do what you need to do.

Have fun!

UPDATE!

I figured out random.org! I'd say yay me, but I think my 4-year old could have done it. Anyhoo - it seems all the people on this list need to send me (lvmckinstry@gmail.com) their emails, and lucky Katja needs to send me her mailing address. 

Unteachable by Leah Raeder

In the last 24 hours, I've read this book twice.

First time because the cover looked really cool, and I was trying to cleanse my palate after reading a horrible story.

Then I read it again, just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating the first time. And I was afraid I missed one the while reading it the first time.

I try not to compare authors, but in order for you to understand how incapacitated I've become over my love of this book in such a short time, it might help. The comparisons have nothing to do with the story lines, the characters, but the absolute brilliant way these authors write.

At 17%, the book could have stopped. The rest of the pages could have been blank, and this still would be one of my most favourite books of all time.

The author writes beautifully descriptive words like Katja Millay, and with pure human honesty like Tarryn Fisher. If you know me, these are not names I toss around lightly. Along with these women, Leah Raeder is one of the select few who can make words like this and and sound like the most stunning piece of poetry.

With saying that - READ ALL THE F***ING WORDS IN THIS BOOK. Even the copyright page. The story of Evan and Maise is worth it; Everything that Leah Raeder put in this book is worth it.

Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

At the end of July, I had the absolute privilege to get a tour of the Atria ( +Simon & Schuster ) offices in NYC. During my visit, I was given 2 books by one of my favourite writers, Colleen Hoover ; one of them was Losing Hope.

I guess it needs to be said that this review is based on the ARC, and my opinions are those of my own, and not because I was given the book.

I love Hopeless. I love Hopeless to the extent that I own 3 copies of the self-published version, and go out of my way to make sure that bookstores are displaying it a way that everyone can see it.

I feel like I’m going to get lynched for what I’m about to say next, but since a few people know where I actually live, I’m not that worried. Hopeless absolutely pales in comparison to Losing Hope. While Hopeless is ‘to the moon and back’, Losing Hope is ‘to infinity and beyond’.

I’ve had my heart ripped out by a few books, and I’m honestly not sure what I was expecting with this one. I can say for certain though that I was not prepared for the absolutely brilliant way that my heart crumpled for Holder from the very beginning. It takes a lot for me to cry while reading a book, and with Losing Hope, I went through a whole lot of tissues.

There is no question that this is the story of Holder, and while the author managed to knock the ‘supporting’ characters out of the ball-park (I don’t speak baseball, but it’s one of those hits that lands in the parking-lot the next block over), I cannot compare her stunning portrayal of Dean Holder to anything I’ve read in the last while.

I finished Losing Hope several weeks ago, and I’m still at a loss in trying to figure out how a person can capture such ugliness and exquisiteness in one book. The only reason that seems to make sense so far is that it’s because she is Colleen f***ing Hoover.

Shark Out of Water by Jenn Cooksey

I have issues. 

Like why this Shark Out of Water not in the Top 10 on Amazon / Barnes & Nobel / Kobo. 

Like why an increase in bacon sales has not been credited to the GYP Series. 

Like why unicorns are not one of the top Google searches in the past month or so. 

“So there’s just no f***ing way for a guy to look at all cool when he’s riding a unicorn...” 

Like why Minnie Mouse is the way she is. I mean, did Mickey pressure her? Did she have trouble with other boy rodents in school? Is she acting out against Daisy’s promiscuity? 

The Other Fish in the Sea (book #2 in the GYP Series) ended in such a way that can only be described as shattering for any fan of series. I literally sat in my reading chair for 30 minutes just staring at my eReader. In that moment, I became obsessed. OBSESSED, I TELL YOU! 

I was so desperate to get my mitts on Shark Out of Water that I was even willing to change my 4-year old son’s name to Tristan (that’s right folks, OBSESSED)! Some people thought I was joking, but the scary thing is that I now know how to do it if it ever needs to be done. 

The third book picks up right where The Other Fish in the Sea left off. It’s told entirely from the boys’ point of view, and if you ever see me refer to the author as a genius (n. ‘gift of highest intellect’), this is why. There is nothing more frightening than seeing the inner-workings of a teenage boy’s mind. 

When I was done, this sense off loss overcame me. I had become so used to escaping to my ‘boys of summer’, and I was so sad that I couldn’t experience this book for the first time again. 

For everyone who has read these books, I’m glad you grabbed the pole! And if you haven’t... 

...You’re one French fry short of a Happy Meal (no offence)!

...Ok, offence meant!

...And if your mind went to a bad place at the mention of gabbing poles - well, that's on you! The cover obviously shows a fishing pole (and Amazon might now accept the review if I typed anything else).