Don't Panic, by Lindsay Paige - Cover Reveal!

Regular visitors to my little bloggy slice 'o heaven know that I am pretty fond of the work of teenage author Lindsay Paige. Lindsay's Bold As Love series is one of my favorites, I love Lindsay's sweet and lyrical style, as well as her intense and drama filled story lines and characters. Lindsay's new book, Don't Panic, is now making its way towards us, and is scheduled to drop shortly after the new year. Here's a peek!

Samantha Branson is having severe anxiety attacks. Her heart beats unusually fast, her breath quickens and her hands sweat. Every detail screams in her head that she is the center of unwanted attention. Everyone can hear her thoughts, her heart and her breathing. The silence of the classroom is so loud that focus is impossible.

After an attack lands her in the wrong bathroom, Sam meets Eli who offers to provide help. Faced with the return of her possessive ex-boyfriend and the blossoming of a new romance, Sam must find the strength inside herself to face her anxieties head on.


And here's the cover. I can't help but think "We're gonna need a bigger boat," when I look at that wave, about to metaphorically manhandle sweet Samantha there on the beach. Stay strong girl, Eli's comin'! Check out Lindsay's Goodreads page to read more about Sam, Eli and the much anticipated Don't Panic!

I think Lindsay's Eli is a pretty cool guy, but this is such an awesome song, that I'd thought I'd share it with y'all. (Since I'm so late to the cover reveal party, I'd better try to add some value!) Laura Nyro, another amazing teenage artist, wrote and recorded her amazing song "Eli's Coming" in 1968, when she was 21. Don't panic if you've never heard of Laura, just take this opportunity to check out her soulful and intense style.

Unlikely Allies, by Tiffany King

Unlikely Allies by Tiffany King

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Unlikely Allies was a fun, fast read with a lot of great elements: it's a family drama, an adventure/survival story (think Hatchet, but with kissing), a coming of age story, and a sweet romance.

MC Kimberly (don't you dare call her Kimmie, buster!) is pretty stunned, angry, hurt and, yes, curious when her mom tells her shortly after her 18th b-day that, by the way she does have a Dad after all. Her mom's kept Kimberly's existence secret from her long ago lover Dad, and vice versa, for reasons that don't seem very good in retrospect. So now Kimberly is spending the summer at her Dad's place, which she finds out on her arrival (she and mom don't talk much after the big reveal), is a summer camp for foster kids, high in the Colorado mountains. Quite a change up for the artist chick from a beach town who doesn't especially like kids. And then there's that jerk, Mason, the arrogant quasi-son her Dad seems to have taken under his wing. Why does he seem so determined to drive Kimberly away, just when she's making friends and getting along so well with Dad and the campers? And the most irritating thing about him? She can't stop those tingly-tangly feelings of attraction that make his hostility all the more hurtful. But the ground literally falls out from under her feet when she and Mason are sent into a storm to find a missing camper, and things go downhill fast. Can she find the inner strength to survive and overcome the physical and emotional challenges their new situation presents?

Kimberly is a great character, resourceful and strong, with a good sense of who she is. But it's when she is thrown into some tough and challenging situations that her true colors are revealed and she steps up and grows up, in touching and real feeling ways. She's not a perfect kid, by any means - her relationships tend to suffer from her unfiltered mouth and super snark. But that is part of her considerable charm. Mason, the hottie you love to hate, also reveals his depths as the action develops, and there are some sa-woon-o-rama moments for sure. But the course of true love never did run smooth, and there are obstacles and hurdles in their way, some extrinsic, some the product of pride or pique. How they overcome them, with the help of some really well developed and charming side characters, makes for a touching and tender conclusion to this lovely YA read.





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