Author: Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt

Pages: 304

Rating: 5-stars (Must Read)

Random Quote: “I don’t know. It’s just…I mean, what if we could pull it off? I never really thought there was a way to stay together.”

Senior year is finally here but Riley isn’t sure that she is ready to leave the world she has known behind. She could get into any college she wanted and could major in anything. Unfortunately, she has absolutely no idea what she wants to do with her life and doesn’t know if she even wants to go to school. She is afraid of all the changes that are occurring but feels like no one will understand.

Dealing with her own issues, she must also try to help her brother Michael, who is autistic and is having a lot of trouble fitting in at school. Besides fitting in socially, he is falling behind academically and she is determined to help him, even if it means fighting everyone. As Riley tries to find an answer for everything, her friends are doing all they can to search for a way to stay together. But will senior year mark the end of the Miracle Girls?

This was one of my favorite of the Miracle Girl books! I tried not to give too much away, since the book doesn’t come out until April. I felt bad for Riley as she struggled to make decisions that would impact the rest of her life. I would definitely recommend getting this book! You can pre-order it at Borders!

*This book was received from the publisher in order to be reviewed. By the Book Reviews was in no way compensated for this review. The views expressed here are strictly those of By the Book Reviews and are not influenced by any outside sources.

Author: Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt

Pages: 304

Rating: 4-stars (Loved it)

Random Quote: “I saved this team with my brilliant constitution writing skills.”

It’s Junior year, and thinks are getting pretty complicated for Zoe, the youngest miracle girl. The summer before junior year, she lost her baby fat and grew several inches and now she is getting a lot more attention. The attention she is getting seems to really be putting a strain on her relationship with Marcus. Marcus is sweet and serious and would do anything for Zoe, but maybe he isn’t what she needs anymore.

When Zoe is partnered with Dean, a handsome transfer student from New York, her troubles with Marcus intensify. Dean makes it clear that he wants Zoe to be more than just his history partner and she is torn between him and Marcus. Besides her own romance trouble, she must also deal with the fact that her parents are separating. The other miracle girls seem to be busy with their own boy troubles, leaving Zoe with no where to turn. Will she be able to solve her problems on her own?

Although I liked the first two Miracle Girl books more, I still really loved this one! It was really cool to read how much Zoe changes in the three books. At first she is really shy, but towards the end of this book she really starts to go after exactly what she wants. This is a great addition to the series!

*This book was received from the publisher in order to be reviewed. By the Book Reviews was in no way compensated for this review. The views expressed here are strictly those of By the Book Reviews and are not influenced by any outside sources.

The other author of the Miracle Girls series, May Vanderbilt had just as much to say as Anne! May graduated from Baylor University and has an MA in Fiction from Johns Hopkins. Here is what she had to

BTB: Has writing always been a passion of yours?

May:Always. Some of my earliest memories involve writing little stories by the closet light when I was supposed to be asleep in bed.

BTB: If you weren’t writing, what do you think you would be doing?

May: Like Anne, I have a day job and I love it. I help my company give back to the local community and take good care of the earth. Truthfully, writing is the only thing I ever dreamed of doing—but being a professional do-gooder is a dream come true for me.

BTB: Where/How did the Miracle Girls series begin?

May: I’m giving Anne all the credit for this one. She read a magazine called Sweet Sixteen, and they often featured incredible stories of teens who miraculously survived near-death experiences. From that small idea, our four main characters began to take shape and soon the series seemed to be writing itself.

BTB: Which of the girls most resembles what you were like in high school?

May: Riley, no doubt about it. I am blonde and was a cheerleader for six years, but like Riley, I wasn’t that caught up in it. I was in the “nerd program” at my high school, I was a total goody two shoes, and spent my days dreaming of when I would graduate and leave my small town far behind. Now I wish I could go back and tell my younger self, Enjoy today! Tomorrow will come soon enough.

BTB: Did you ever find yourself in detention as a teen?

May:My parents were way stricter than my school so detention was never really a concern. However, I was once grounded for NINE WEEKS for getting a B on my report card. And during junior year I got in a fender bender in the Subway parking lot and had to spend the whole summer working at my dad’s company to pay him back for the repairs. Whoops!

BTB: What messages and life lessons do you hope your readers will walk away with after reading this series?

May: There are so many lessons I hope they learn. We tried to make each Miracle Girl very different and show her dealing with her own set of pressures. From Ana, you can learn how to be a strong leader and that bending the truth can catch up with you. From Christine, you can learn that someday, somehow healing will come. From Zoe, you’ll see that being an adult is harder than it looks. And from Riley, you’ll come to understand that sometimes finding your way in the world is a rocky path.

BTB: What has it been like working with Anne- how is it working as a team as opposed to working solo?

May: Working with Anne is amazing. I have always felt she makes me a stronger writer and that the writing process goes faster when you have someone to bounce ideas off of. Writing solo is like fumbling in the dark much of the time. When you’re working together, you light the way forward for each other.

BTB: What are you currently working on? Any new books in 2010?

May: Love Will Keep Us Together publishes in April 2010 and I can’t wait. It’s finally Riley’s turn to tell the story.

And beyond that, I’m working on relaxing and seeing a bit of the world. At the end of last year, I took a volunteer vacation to Peru. We lived with poor children from the surrounding villages and it changed my life. I’m hoping to take another volunteer vacation this year, but first, I have to decide what corner of the world I want to give back in. There’s so much need.

To learn more about May Vanderbilt and Anne Dayton, be sure to check out their website!

*Interview questions by Jessica Fisher and Meagan Anderson

Author: Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt

Pages: 288

Rating: 5-stars (Must Read)

Random Quote: “I’ll admit that she’s pretty, in a fake kind of way, but she’s way too high maintenance for us.”

Sophomore year is here and the miracle girls have managed to stick together. The summer was incredible and Christine is determined to not let anything ruin the bonds that the four girls have created. But she is determined to ruin something else: her father’s plans to marry his bimbo girlfriend, Candace. It has only been a year since the accident that killed her mother but her father seems to have no problems moving on. While her father doesn’t even seem to remember her mother, Christine is stuck in weekly counseling sessions in order to get her to open up.

As Christine struggles to break up her dad’s relationship the miracle girls may also be breaking up. Ana and Riley aren’t speaking, after a fight over the fact that Riley is ranked number one in their class, leaving Ana as number two. As Christine tries to break up one relationship she attempts to bring another back together. Will she succeed with either?

Just as amazing as the first book, “Breaking Up is Hard to Do”  is a great read. While struggling with countless things, Christine is also on the verge of regaining her faith and it is amazing to see the changes in her from not only the first book, but from the beginning of this one to the end. I was really upset when Ana and Riley started fighting over a silly class ranking but it was great to see Christine and Zoe attempt to bring the girls back together. Another hit by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt, I know that I for one, can’t wait to read book three in the series!

*This book was sent by the publisher to be reviewed for Romance Month. By the Book Reviews was in no way compensated for this review. The views expressed here are strictly those of By the Book Reviews and are not influenced by any outside sources.

After reading the Miracle Girls series I couldn’t wait to chat with the authors, Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt. A Princeton grad with an MA in Literature from New York University, Anne Dayton lives in New York City. May Vanderbilt lives on the other side of the country yet they have still managed to team up and write some amazing books! Here is what Anne had to say about her high school days, how she started writing with May and much more!

BTB: Did you always want to be an author?

Anne: I feel like I am supposed to say yes, but the truthful answer is not really. I’ve always loved books and always wanted to be involved in working on them, but I never really thought about writing myself until May and I decided to work on our first book together. It’s way more fun and much harder than I ever imagined, and I love it.

BTB: What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t writing?

Anne: Probably sleeping more, eating better, and exercising regularly. But if you mean what other jobs would I want to do? I don’t know. I work as an editor by day, and the only other things I’ve ever really wanted to do are eat cheese and pet kittens all day. I really can’t imagine actually doing anything other than what I’m doing.

BTB: What were you like in high school?

Anne: A total nerd. I was obsessed with maintaining a 4.0 GPA, so I spent most of my time studying. I graduated as valedictorian of my class. Fortunately, I was pretty good at sports and was captain of the swim team, which kept me from being a total social outcast. Looking back, though, I kind of wish I’d let myself loosen up and have a bit more fun.

BTB: Have you incorporated any of your own life experiences into the Miracle Girls series?

Anne: Of course! Half the fun of writing about high schoolers is that I did so many embarrassing things in high school. I finally get to feel like they were all worth it. Several of the love interests in the books are based on people I really knew/dated/wanted to date. The scene where Ana unsuccessfully learns to ski in the first book is pretty much exactly like time my friends “taught” me to ski by taking me up to the top of a mountain (and the humiliation she feels comes from real experience). The scenes where Ana goes to visit a woman in a nursing home are drawn from my memories of visiting my grandma before she died. Ana’s first break-up totally takes her by surprise, and that was definitely based on reality as well. And the way Zoe accidentally uses Marcus—yeah. I’m still feeling bad about that one.

BTB: Which of the girls most resembles what you were like in high school?

Anne: Ana, for sure. It’s no accident that all she really wants is to get into Princeton (that was me). She’s also still kind of growing into herself and learning who she wants to be, and I spent much of high school trying to that figure out. She’s also incredibly awkward around guys, which I can totally relate to. I was well into college before I figured that one out. J

BTB: Did you ever find yourself in detention as a teen? If so, what for??

Anne: No way. Remember, I was a total nerd? A few times I did challenge my teachers when I thought a policy was stupid or they were being unfair, but I was always able to work those out without landing in detention.

BTB: How did you and May come together, and what made you two decide to work together?

Anne: May and I worked together at a publishing company in New York. We were eating lunch in the corporate cafeteria together one day and started joking about writing a book. Eventually, we stopped joking and started doing it.

BTB: What are you currently working on? Can we hope for more books from you in 2010?

Anne: Love Will Keep Us Together will be out in April of 2010. Beyond that, I’m really not sure. For now, I’m kind of enjoying spending some time with my husband and not being on a deadline all the time. But we’ll see how long that lasts!

*Interview Questions by Jessica Fisher and Meagan Anderson

Authors: Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt

Pages: 304

Rating: 5-stars (Must Read)

Random Quote: “So I’m not exactly psyched to be squashed into a fifteen-passenger van with Miss Perfection right at this moment.”

Ana Dominguez didn’t want to move to the town of Half Moon Bay in California. She liked it just fine in San Jose, but of course, her parents didn’t ask her if it was alright to move. Her family thinks that Ana is fitting in but in reality they couldn’t be more wrong. Having earned the nickname “God girl” and making enemies with Riley,one of the most popular girls in school, she hasn’t really made many friends. Until she lands in detention.

In detention, Ana is partnered up with Riley and two other classmates, Christine and Zoe. The girls soon discover that they have a lot in common, despite how obviously different they seem to be. The very fact that each of them is alive is a miracle. Zoe and Ana become quick friends and Zoe is determined to befriend Christine and Riley. Will these freshmen become fast friends?

I loved this book from the very beginning. It is a story unlike any other. Well written and featuring girls with morals, this book is a refreshing escape from books filled with girls gone bad. Ana is a dedicated student whose goal is to be ranked number one in her class so that she can get into Princeton. As a freshman she has plenty of time to achieve her goals but its very entertaining to read about her struggles to reach the top. This book is definitely a great start to what is sure to be an amazing series!

*This book was sent by the publisher to be reviewed for Romance Month. By the Book Reviews was in no way compensated for this review. The views expressed here are strictly those of By the Book Reviews and are not influenced by any outside sources.

In 2010 we plan to have as many giveaways for our readers as possible! Kicking off our second contest of the year, we are excited to be giving away copies of books # 1 & 2 in the Soul Screamers series! Two lucky winners will be receiving a copy of each book! In order to enter the  contest, simply leave a comment! And please do us a favor and click on an advertisement so that we can continue to give you great contests, author interviews, and reviews!

Not sure if the books are right for you? Here is a quick synopsis:

Book 1 of The Soul Screamers series – My Soul to Take — was released this past summer, and readers found out why Kaylee Cavanaugh screams bloody murder when someone’s about to die.

In Book 2 – My Soul to Save – when teen pop star Eden croaks on stage and Kaylee doesn’t wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can’t cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can’t possibly understand.

Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk

Soul Screamers: The last thing you hear before you die.

2 Lucky Winners Will Recieve:

-1 copy of My Soul to Take (valued at $9.99)

-1 copy of My Soul to Save (valued at $9.99)

Contest Ends: February 20th, 2010

Eligibility: Open to US Residents, ages 13+

Entry Limit: 1 entry per person, per day + one bonus entry per day using twitter (all you have to do is tweet about our contest. In order to prove that you have tweeted about it, simply leave a comment here with a link to your post!

We recently had the chance to chat with author Courtney Summers, whose book Some Girls Are, was recently featured. We also featured Cracked Up to Be, her first novel to be published!  We were very excited to ask Courtney our questions about her books (and even about zombies!) and her answers did not disappoint!

By the Book: You tend to write about the fall of the perfect popular high school girl. Where do you get your inspiration from? Past experiences? People you’ve encountered in your life?

Courtney: I think I’m mostly interested in writing about people who have a lot to lose, or think they do.  I haven’t encountered anyone exactly like the people I write about, but I think there are certain aspects about characters like Parker and Regina that are universal.  We all feel pressure to succeed/be perfect at some points in our lives, we’ve all wished we were braver/better.  Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are (especially Some Girls Are) definitely touch on the social hierarchies of high school.  They have that in common because it’s a construct that fascinates me.  And most of my inspiration comes from asking variations of the questions, “What if…?”

BTB: Cracked Up to Be was your fourth novel, but the first one to get published. What about this story do you think screamed “Publish Me!”

Courtney:I think it would be easier to tell you why the first three novels screamed, “Don’t publish me!”  Because those novels were terrible, but at the same time, they helped me learn to write.  When I wrote Cracked Up to Be, it was unlike my other books.  It felt different.  It felt like it COULD be the one–but that doesn’t guarantee anything in a business like this.  Luck and timing definitely came into play.  I was lucky the book landed on my awesome editor’s desk when it did and I was lucky she loved Parker’s story just as much as I did.

BTB: Could you see yourself writing any other genre than YA?

Courtney: I love writing YA.  Right at this exact moment of my typing this, the stories I want to tell are in the YA genre.  But I would never give a definite no to that question.

BTB: If you weren’t a writer, what other career path could you see yourself taking?

Courtney: This would never happen, but it would not be for lack of trying:  I would totally want to have a show on the Discovery Channel.  About ghost hunting.  Called GHOST HUNTING WITH COURTNEY & FRIENDS.  It would be amazing.  And unscripted!  The ghosts would also be real!

BTB: In Some Girls Are the main character Regina is shunned by her popular group of friends because of a nasty, false rumor, which probably happens to a lot of teenage girls. Do you think this novel may help teenage girls in similar situations cope?

Courtney: Another question I can’t answer definitively, since that answer would really depend on the reader.  If Some Girls Are does help a teenager girl cope with a similar situation, I’d find that very humbling and gratifying.

BTB: Photography is a passion of yours. What scenarios do you enjoy photographing best?

Courtney: Well, it’s been a while since I’ve taken photographs, but when I did, I wasn’t really about candid shots.  I liked to set things up, pose friends, props.  I had a running theme of obscuring or concealing faces.

BTB:Do you already have your next story in your head or on paper?

Courtney:The story I’m working on now is half on paper and half in my head. 

BTB:We have to ask: what’s your favorite zombie movie of all time?

Courtney:Oh my goodness!  So hard to pick.  But I want to go with the original Night of the Living Dead.  I saw that when I was a teen and it TERRIFIED me.  I actually thought I hated zombie movies after I finished that movie, it was so despairing and grim and upset me so much.  And then I realized that the same reasons I thought I hated it were actually the reasons I LOVED it.  Night of the Living Dead will be forever scary and brilliant to me and everyone should watch it!

*Interview questions written by Lindsay Mattioli

Author: Jackson Pearce

Pages: 304

Rating: 3-stars (Pretty Good)

Random Quote: “I’m jealous. What’s happening to me? Viola is angry at me and I care. I shouldn’t care.”

Viola wanted to belong. When she was dating Lawrence she felt like she belonged. Unfortunately, when he came out of the closet and ended their relationship she felt like she was no longer whole and that she had no where to belong. Even though the two remained best friends, Viola still couldn’t cope with the fact that she was no longer part of a couple. When she wishes that she were no longer invisible a Jinn appears and informs her that he will grant her three wishes. Normal teenage girls would have immediately rattled off a list of wishes, but not Viola.

Viola doesn’t want to waste a wish on something stupid and after making her first wish on accident she realizes just how precious her wishes are. And she realizes that she may be falling for Jinn and if she makes two more wishes he will disappear from her life forever. Will she be able to keep from wishing?

This book was actually better than I thought it would be. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did I was pretty hooked. I think this is the first book I’ve read (besides Aladdin!) that has been about a genie (or a Jinn as they are called in this book). Definitely check this book out!

*This book was received prior to December 1st, 2009. It was sent by the publisher for review purposes. By the Book Reviews was in no way compensated for this review. The views expressed here are strictly those of By the Book Reviews and are not influenced by any outside sources.

Author: Richelle Mead

Pages: 336

Rating: 4-stars (Loved it)

Random Quote: “Sorry. Do I need to give you the Christian’s-a-psycho-pathetic-loser talk again?”

Lissa and Rose have been free for two years. After escaping from St. Vladimir’s Academy when they feared that Lissa was in danger, they have been hiding from the Strigoi (the fiercest vampires) and from those who the academy has sent to find them. Neither of the girls are your typical teenagers. Lissa is a Moroi (mortal vampire) Princess who has some very rare gifts. Rose is her best friend and is half-human/half-vampire, which makes her a Dhampir, and she has dedicated her life to protecting her friend.

When the girls are found, they are immediately taken back to the academy. The academy is a school for vampire royalty and for their guardians to-be. Located in the woods of Montana, it is almost impossible to escape from so the girls know they won’t be getting out any time soon. When things start to get dangerous again, Rose is determined to protect Lissa, even if it means taking the damage herself.

With all the vampire books out there I was afraid that this one would be like all the others. I was presently surprised once I started reading. The characters were well developed, as was the plot. There were some very interesting twists and turns in the book (which I won’t give away)! I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Be sure to pick up a copy for yourself!

*This book was sent by the publisher in order to be reviewed. By the Book Reviews was in no way compensated for this review. The views expressed here are strictly those of By the Book Reviews and are not influenced by outside sources.