Tell Me Something Tuesday: How Do You Feel about the Whole Mean Girl/Boy Theme?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE WHOLE MEAN GIRL/BOY THEME?

Man. Bad, that's how I feel. LOL.

Let me elaborate just a little...

In Which an ARC from the States Finds Its Way to Italy (And Why It Hardly Ever Happens)

Hello sweeties!

So...as you might already know if you follow me on Twitter, I'm the proud owner of a physical ARC coming from the United States 💗. My VERY FIRST physical ARC. Every one of you who, like me, doesn't live in America, knows how hard it is to get one. As I have witnessed firsthand (because I've seen the receipt - I'll explain in a moment), sending stuff from the U.S. to Europe is a rip-off. This is why we never get anything, unless some generous author sends the package our way at their own cost. This is the story of how I got mine (but more than anything, an excuse to steer your attention towards this precious little bundle of words so that you get psyched into adding it to your TBR pile, preferably at the top 😉😂). Complete with the ugliest pics anyone ever took of an ARC...or anything else 😳😂.
(Please note: the cover of the ARC is not the final cover. Actually, it changed a bit, with regard to the lettering. You can see the final cover on Goodreads).

The sweater is a little more on the blue than on the green side, but it don't have one that matches all the way...Also, shadows 😱

Matthew S. Cox: "A Nighttime of Forever"

Title: A Nighttime of Forever [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Vampire Innocent (1st of ?? books)
Author: Matthew S. Cox [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Afterlife, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy
Year: 2017
Age: 16+ [NA]
Stars: 3.5/5
Pros: Imbues the classic vampire trope with humour and family values - plus a new spin.
Cons: Some reactions to the lead's being vamped are a bit sketchy/smoothed. Death doesn't seem like a big deal.
WARNING! Gore (of course), violence, and talk of (sometimes painful) sex.
Will appeal to: Those who like a sassy but family-focused heroine caught between two worlds.

Blurb: Sarah Wright woke up a few times after parties in strange places - but the morgue’s a first. At eighteen, she’s eager for a taste of independence, moving out of state to attend college. However, soon after escaping the body cooler, she makes two startling realizations: vampires are real, and she is one. A disinterested sire, distraught friends, nosy Men in Black, and awestruck younger siblings complicate her adjustment to the new normal of being an immortal still subject to her parents’ rules. Without a copy of Fangs for Dummies, Sarah’s left scrambling for answers when one such new enemy attacks her siblings and friends. If she can’t figure out how to vampire, her attempt to spare her family the grief of losing her may wind up killing them. (Amazon excerpt)

Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I was offered a review copy by the author, having previously reviewed another one of his books and a couple of collections where two of his short stories were featured. This didn't affect my opinion about this novel.
 

HOMELY VAMP

Typically, vampires are not my thing. But I do enjoy a good vampire story from time to time, if there's more to it than mating, fighting, biting necks and stalking in the night. Also, I was curious about this story where an 18 y.o. girl with a normal, loving family and a life just about to start has to adjust to being undead and to give up on college and independence. It's not every day that you have the chance to meet a family vamp, who actually gets along with her parents, dotes on her siblings, and refuses to let go of her friends. Cox puts a new spin on vampires, in that there are a few types of them, and Sarah is an Innocent - one of those rare immortals who still cling to their humanity. Make no mistakes - she's quite powerful, and doesn't hold back when it's time to fight, though she still hasn't figured out what she can do and how. Watching her walk the fine line between growing into her new abilities (which come at a few costs) and adjusting to her new normal (with her family and friends in tow) is great fun. [...]

Five Things I've Never Said in My Reviews (and Probably Never Will)

Hello sweeties! and thank you Goodreads for giving me a discussion post idea (...wait, am I really writing my SECOND discussion post of the year? what's gotten into me? 😲).

Your daily David Tennant gif (you're so lucky I don't actually post daily 😝)

So, after five years of blogging and reading other people's reviews, I finally realised that there are things they mention from time to time (or even often), but never seem to occur to me when I speak my mind about a book. Please note: I'm NOT saying that those things shouldn't have a place in a review. I'm NOT saying that those kinds of reviews are wrong. This is meant to be a humorous post, and more than that, a chance of discussing the different approaches we have when reviewing a book. With that in mind, enjoy the Five Things I've Never Said in My Reviews (But Other People Say from Time to Time)! 😉