quotes Elisquared likes


"Saying 'I notice you're a nerd' is like saying, 'Hey, I notice that you'd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you'd rather be thoughtful than be vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan. Why is that?' In fact, it seems to me that most contemporary insults are pretty lame. Even 'lame' is kind of lame. Saying 'You're lame' is like saying 'You walk with a limp.' Yeah, whatever, so does 50 Cent, and he's done all right for himself."— John Green

12.20.2021

BLOG TOUR - WIDER THAN THE SKY BY KATHERINE ROTHSCHILD - YOUNG ADULT FICTION [REVIEW + GIVEAWAY]


About The Book:

Title: WIDER THAN THE SKY

Author: Katherine Rothschild

Paperback Pub. Date:  December 7, 2021

Publisher: Soho Teen

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 288

Find it:  GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBDBookshop.org

In the wake of sudden tragedy, twin sisters uncover a secret that rips open their world. Katherine Rothschild explores the pain and power of forgiveness in a stunning debut novel that will shatter your heart and piece it back together, one truth at a time.

Sixteen-year-old Sabine Braxton doesn’t have much in common with her identical twin, Blythe. When their father dies from an unexpected illness, each copes with the loss in her own way—Sabine by “poeting” (an uncontrollable quirk of bursting into poetry at inappropriate moments) and Blythe by obsessing over getting into MIT, their father’s alma mater. Neither can offer each other much support . . . at least not until their emotionally detached mother moves them into a ramshackle Bay Area mansion owned by a stranger named Charlie.

Soon, the sisters unite in a mission to figure out who Charlie is and why he seems to know everything about them. They make a life-changing discovery:their parents were hiding secrets about their sexual identities. The revelation unravels Sabine’s world, while practical Blythe seems to take everything in stride. Once again at odds with her sister, Sabine chooses to learn all she can about the father she never knew. Ultimately, she must decide if she can embrace his last wish for a family legacy--even if it means accepting a new idea of what it means to be a family.

 

Praise for Wider than the Sky

“Sabine’s struggle to reconcile her memory of her father with the man he really was—and to make room in her life for his hopes as well as her own—cuts to the heart of what it means to love someone unconditionally. Wider than the Sky skillfully weaves multiple character arcs together to examine the ideas of home, hope, and family in surprising new ways.”—Misa Sugiura, It's Not Like It's a Secret

"Lyrical and lovely, Wider than the Sky is one of those rare books that has everything—masterful storytelling, a great love story, important themes, razor-sharp wit, and memorable characters. It's a gorgeous debut that will capture your heart."—Corina Vacco, Delacorte Prize–winning author of My Chemical Mountain
 
“I haven’t stopped thinking about these sisters since I first read Wider than the Sky. Sabine and Blythe will leap off the page and live in your memories like old friends. There is so much heart and humor in Katherine’s writing; even as her characters grapple with serious concerns and issues, she captures how life can slice us open and yet give us the ability to laugh and love and hope through the deepest pain and loss.”—Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, New York Times bestselling author of Book Scavenger

“Rothschild’s story showcases how secrets impede a person’s ability to see the world clearly and that self-acceptance and honesty are the keys to a happy ending.”School Library Journal

“Change comes suddenly to the lives of 16-year-old Sabine and her identical twin sister, Blythe, when their father dies unexpectedly, prompting their mother and a strange man named Charlie to move the girls to the small town of Thornewood . . . Rothschild’s first novel is accomplished and nicely plot-rich with some interesting quirks, chief among them being Sabine’s deep-rooted love for Emily Dickinson’s poetry and her compulsive need to recite it.”Booklist

“Kath Rothschild’s Wider than the Sky is pitch perfect! Young adult readers will fall in love with her wonderfully quirky narrator Sabine and her swoony romance with Kai. Combine that with family secrets and a mysterious stranger and you have the ingredients for a compelling read. I cannot wait to put it in the hands of my young customers!”—Kathleen Caldwell, A Great Good Place for Books (Oakland, CA)

 

My Review:

Wider than the Sky by Katherine Rothschild was a quick read, with teenage romance and angst.  

We follow 16-year-old Sabine, a girl with a "funny quirk": she compulsively blurts out Emily Dickinson poetry when faced with heightened emotion.  I don't know many teenagers who blurt out any poetry on the daily, but I think the author was using this as a story-telling device.  When taken that way, it does lend itself to the story in a lyrical sense.  But requires a suspension of disbelief (from not just a reality standpoint, but a mental health standpoint).  

Her and her twin sister Blythe are dealing with the tragedy of losing their father, when their mother uproots them from their childhood home to live with a complete stranger.  This is the first of many "mysteries" Sabine encounters, as she and Blythe learn more about who their father really was.  Unfortunately, in this one, high school drama overshadows a potential large family dynamic book, which took away what drew me to the book in the first place.

Sabine falls in "love" with a boy at school, there's a love-V (as it is not a triangle) that is introduced, and she makes some very selfish choices.  I don't blame her for some of it, as the adults in her life do not healthily address any of the issues that were hidden from Sabine and Blythe.  There is, in my opinion, some harmful rep regarding HIV/death, queer relationships, and polyamorous relationships.  To be honest, these things felt forced into the story and never quite developed where they should've been.

The writing is quite beautiful in parts, with the inclusion of poetry and talk of language.  The story is fast-paced, as there are multiple plot points going on, so the urge to keep turning the page is there.  A short book, at only 288 pages, readers will get through it fairly quickly.  

Overall, while it wasn't exactly what it claimed to be on the tin, Wider than the Sky did hold my attention.  If it was presented as more of a high school drama then a family drama I think that would hold truer to the book.  But I see potential in future books by Katherine Rothschild.  I think that if the expectations going into the book are adjusted, more readers who will like this book will find it.

  

 

About Katherine Rothschild:

Katherine Rothschild is a Lecturer in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University, a former ballet and Arabic dance instructor, and an obsessive Twitter food truck-follower. Her first-person essays have been published on KQED/NPR, in The San Francisco Chronicle, and other Bay Area and California publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction Writing, a PhD in Composition and Applied Linguistics, has received artist’s grants from Vermont Studio Center and Kindlings West, and is a longtime member of the SCBWI. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. Her debut novel is Wider Than the Sky from Soho Teen. Find her on Twitter @Kath_Rothschild.

Website  Facebook  | Twitter  | Instagram | PinterestGoodreads

 

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will win a hardcover copy of WIDER THAN THE SKY, US Only.

3 winners will win a paperback copy of WIDER THAN THE SKY, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One: 

12/6/2021

BookHounds YA

Promo Post

12/7/2021

Kait Plus Books

Promo Post

12/8/2021

perusewithcoffee

Promo Post

12/9/2021

Mythical Books

Promo Post

12/10/2021

Phannie the ginger bookworm

Promo Post

12/11/2021

GivernyReads

Promo Post

Week Two:

12/12/2021

Lifestyle of Me

Promo Post

12/13/2021

Nonbinary Knight Reads

Promo Post

12/14/2021

Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog

Promo Post

12/15/2021

100 Pages A Day

Promo Post

12/16/2021

Two Chicks on Books

Promo Post

12/17/2021

Never Hollowed By The Stare

Promo Post

12/18/2021

@readingwordsmith

Review

Week Three:

12/19/2021

The Momma Spot

Promo Post

12/20/2021

Eli to the nth

Review

12/21/2021

Emelie's Books

Review

12/22/2021

Two points of interest

Review

12/23/2021

Rajiv's Reviews

Review

12/24/2021

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Promo Post

12/25/2021

Karen Dee's Book Reviews

Review

Week Four:

12/26/2021

@jypsylynn

Review

12/27/2021

@thebookishfoxwitch

Review

12/28/2021

brittreadsalattebooks

Review

12/29/2021

My Fictional Oasis

Review

12/30/2021

@coffeesipsandreads

Promo Post

12/31/2021

Lexijava

Review


12.07.2021

RELEASE DAY BLITZ - WIDER THAN THE SKY BY KATHERINE ROTHSCHILD - YA FICTION (SPOTLIGHT + GIVEAWAY)


I am happy to share some exciting book news; the paperback for WIDER THAN THE SKY by Katherine Rothschild is now available!

This book is an intense YA family contemporary, asking the question: do we really know our family or ourselves?  Check out all the details of this great book below.  Also make sure to enter for a chance to win a finished edition (h.b.or p.b.) of WIDER THAN THE SKY down below!



Title: Wider than the Sky
Authors(s): Katherine Rothschild
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
Edition: Hardcover, paperback. eBook, audiobook; 288 pgs
Publisher: Soho Teen
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
PurchaseAmazon - Kindle - Audible - B&N - BAM! - Kobo - TBD - Bookshop.org
Disclaimer: Please note the purchase links above are affiliate links.


The Summary


In the wake of sudden tragedy, twin sisters uncover a secret that rips open their world. Katherine Rothschild explores the pain and power of forgiveness in a stunning debut novel that will shatter your heart and piece it back together, one truth at a time.

Sixteen-year-old Sabine Braxton doesn’t have much in common with her identical twin, Blythe. When their father dies from an unexpected illness, each copes with the loss in her own way—Sabine by “poeting” (an uncontrollable quirk of bursting into poetry at inappropriate moments) and Blythe by obsessing over getting into MIT, their father’s alma mater. Neither can offer each other much support . . . at least not until their emotionally detached mother moves them into a ramshackle Bay Area mansion owned by a stranger named Charlie.

Soon, the sisters unite in a mission to figure out who Charlie is and why he seems to know everything about them. They make a life-changing discovery: their parents were hiding secrets about their sexual identities. The revelation unravels Sabine’s world, while practical Blythe seems to take everything in stride. Once again at odds with her sister, Sabine chooses to learn all she can about the father she never knew. Ultimately, she must decide if she can embrace his last wish for a family legacy--even if it means accepting a new idea of what it means to be a family.

Praise for Wider than the Sky

“Sabine’s struggle to reconcile her memory of her father with the man he really was—and to make room in her life for his hopes as well as her own—cuts to the heart of what it means to love someone unconditionally. Wider than the Sky skillfully weaves multiple character arcs together to examine the ideas of home, hope, and family in surprising new ways.”—Misa Sugiura, It's Not Like It's a Secret

"Lyrical and lovely, Wider than the Sky is one of those rare books that has everything—masterful storytelling, a great love story, important themes, razor-sharp wit, and memorable characters. It's a gorgeous debut that will capture your heart."—Corina Vacco, Delacorte Prize–winning author of My Chemical Mountain
 
“I haven’t stopped thinking about these sisters since I first read Wider than the Sky. Sabine and Blythe will leap off the page and live in your memories like old friends. There is so much heart and humor in Katherine’s writing; even as her characters grapple with serious concerns and issues, she captures how life can slice us open and yet give us the ability to laugh and love and hope through the deepest pain and loss.”—Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, New York Times bestselling author of Book Scavenger

“Rothschild’s story showcases how secrets impede a person’s ability to see the world clearly and that self-acceptance and honesty are the keys to a happy ending.”School Library Journal

“Change comes suddenly to the lives of 16-year-old Sabine and her identical twin sister, Blythe, when their father dies unexpectedly, prompting their mother and a strange man named Charlie to move the girls to the small town of Thornewood . . . Rothschild’s first novel is accomplished and nicely plot-rich with some interesting quirks, chief among them being Sabine’s deep-rooted love for Emily Dickinson’s poetry and her compulsive need to recite it.”Booklist

“Kath Rothschild’s Wider than the Sky is pitch perfect! Young adult readers will fall in love with her wonderfully quirky narrator Sabine and her swoony romance with Kai. Combine that with family secrets and a mysterious stranger and you have the ingredients for a compelling read. I cannot wait to put it in the hands of my young customers!”—Kathleen Caldwell, A Great Good Place for Books (Oakland, CA)

Excerpt

CHECK OUT AN EXCERPT OF THE BOOK FROM GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS
(click the graphic)




About the Author


Katherine Rothschild is a Lecturer in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University, a former ballet and Arabic dance instructor, and an obsessive Twitter food truck-follower. Her first-person essays have been published on KQED/NPR, in The San Francisco Chronicle, and other Bay Area and California publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction Writing, a PhD in Composition and Applied Linguistics, has received artist’s grants from Vermont Studio Center and Kindlings West, and is a longtime member of the SCBWI. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. Her debut novel is Wider than the Sky from Soho Teen. Find her on Twitter @Kath_Rothschild.




Giveaway
3 winners will win a hardcover copy of WIDER THAN THE SKY, US Only.

3 winners will win a paperback copy of WIDER THAN THE SKY, US Only.

CLICK THE GRAPHIC


11.29.2021

BLOG TOUR - THEY STAY BY CLAIRE FRAISE - YOUNG ADULT FICTION [REVIEW + GIVEAWAY]


Title: They Stay
Authors(s): Claire Fraise
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
Edition: Paperback. eBook, audiobook; 372 pgs
Publisher: Sabertooth Press
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
PurchaseAmazon - Kindle - B&N - BAM! - TBD - Bookshop.org
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.  Please note the purchase links above are affiliate links.




Tour Schedule

Week One
11/8/2021 - Devouring Books - Guest Post
11/9/2021 - Writer of Wrongs - Guest Post
11/10/2021 - For the Love of KidLit - Excerpt
11/11/2021 - BookHounds YA - Excerpt
11/12/2021 - Don't Judge, Read - Review
11/13/2021 - Phannie the ginger bookworm - Review

Week Two
11/14/2021 - The Phantom Paragrapher - Review
11/15/2021 - More Books Please blog - Review
11/16/2021 - Once Upon a Twilight - Review
11/17/2021 - Rajiv's Reviews - Review
11/18/2021 - A Court of Coffee and Books - Review
11/19/2021 - The Momma Spot - Review
11/20/2021 - BookishConnoisseur - Review

Week Three
11/21/2021 - Jazzy Book Reviews - Review
11/22/2021 - Review Thick And Thin - Review
11/23/2021 - Book-Keeping - Review
11/24/2021 - Lifestyle of Me - Review
11/25/2021 - Karen Dee's Book Reviews - Review
11/26/2021 - @curlygrannylovestoread - Review
11/27/2021 - The Book Review Crew - Review

Week Four
11/28/2021 - Coffee and Wander Book Reviews - Review
11/29/2021 - Eli to the nth - Review
11/30/2021 - Two Points of Interest - Review


The Summary

For fans of Stranger Things comes a suspenseful YA mystery about a missing kid, a girl who can see ghosts, and a horrifying crime only four outcasts have the power to stop.

What if the only person who could help you find your missing brother was dead?

Nothing is as important to sixteen-year-old Shiloh Oleson as her little brother Max. So when the six-year-old goes missing without a trace, a heartbroken Shiloh refuses to believe nothing can be done and sets out to find him.

When one of Shiloh’s classmates says she knows where Max is, Shiloh hesitates to believe her. Francesca is creepy. She says she can see ghosts, but everyone knows ghosts aren’t real … right?

But Francesca says that Max is going to be murdered.

And a ghost told her where he is.

As the line between the dead and living begins to blur, Shiloh starts to think Francesca might not be as crazy as she believed. One thing is becoming clear. Someone has gruesome plans for Max, and Shiloh must confront her worst nightmares to find him before it’s too late.

THEY STAY is the first book in the thrilling They Stay Series by award-winning author Claire Fraise. Read on if you like ghost stories, plot twists, enemies-to-friends, creepy circuses, budding romance, and unlikely heroes.

CONTENT WARNINGS: This book contains physical and mental abuse, death, violence, kidnapping, gun violence, alcohol abuse, references to suicide, implied sexual abuse (non-graphic), bullying, and mild adult language.

Praise for THEY STAY:
"Fraise successfully creates an atmosphere like a cold graveyard, and a heart-thundering story that will haunt you more than any ghost can." — Briar Esterline, author of Ablem's Sanctuary

My Review

They Stay by Claire Fraise is a twisty, supernatural read that melds contemporary thriller and supernatural thriller very well.

There are two story lines going on when we open the book: one following Shiloh, a girl desperately seeking her brother who was abducted, and one following Francesca, the town's resident crazy who can actually see and talk to ghosts.  Both of them feel othered, either by their own family or the town at large.  We follow their two stories until they come together, when Francesca tells Shiloh she knows how to find her brother.  I won't say more than that because :spoilers:.

While I don't often love first person narrative when it comes to thrillers, I think the subject matter for this story fits well with it.  It is deeply personal on both girls' parts and the direct look into their mindset puts the reader in the driver's seat. This makes the events that happen that much more impactful.

Please be aware of the Content Warnings that are included by the author, because the story can get very intense, and may be triggering for some readers.  While I got into the plot, I did find there was a little too much explaining (backstory etc.) for my tastes.  but with that said, I still found it enjoyable and to be a solid thriller novel.  

From just a "judge a book by it's cover" view, this one knocks it out.  Very eerie and bold, definitely giving the correct vibe for the story.  This is not a standalone, so if you're looking for a new YA thriller series to start, then They Stay by Claire Fraise will be a great choice.  

Final Rating


Excerpt

Chapter 2
Francesca

In the whole of my sophomore class at Bethany High School, there isn’t a girl who’s more odd than me. 

I can see it in their eyes when they look at me. The other children at school. The boy with the kind face doing the bags at the grocery store. Even my teachers side-eye me when I walk into the classroom and sink into a desk in the back in the hope it will stop everyone from staring at me. I have gotten used to the stares, but I do not particularly enjoy them. 

Do you see that creepy girl? they whisper. That’s Francesca Russo. Francesca Firestarter. Eight years ago, she burned a guy. Lit his dead body on fire at his own funeral. They laugh, they shout. Hey Francesca, he was dead anyway. What was the point? 

While their words are mean, it is true. I did exactly what they said I did. But what is also true, but what nobody cares to believe, is that I didn’t burn him because I’m crazy. 

I burned him because he asked me to. 

I was eight years old on the day of George R. Haggarty’s funeral. The service was boring—I remember that much. George Haggarty died not long after my mother, and I remember not being pleased being back in the pews, sandwiched between my father and brother, smelling of wood polish and sanctity and listening to strangers give speeches full of words I didn’t understand. Next to me a woman was crying silently. I watched her chest heave, saw her tears flow, and felt nothing. Death, as a concept, had never been elusive to me, even when I was eight. Once people die, they exit their bodies and transform into versions of themselves made of mist and moonlight. I can’t touch them. Most people don’t even see them. They wander the earth until they fade away and sink back into its fabric after a few years. Sometimes more, sometimes less. My friend Mrs. Lewis has lived in the cemetery for close to ten years, but when my mother died she faded away before I even got a chance to see her. My heart squeezed at the thought.

I missed her. I wished I could still see her. Even the afterlife isn’t fair.


About the Author


Claire Fraise earned her B.A. in English from Tufts University. She published her debut novel when she was 16 (award-winning YA dystopian novel Imperfect), and her YA supernatural thriller They Stay is coming out in October 2021. When Claire’s not writing, she likes crocheting amigurumi animals, reading, and hanging out with her dogs. Even though it goes against every introverted bone in her body, she is on social media. Connect with her on Instagram at @clairefraiseauthor, on YouTube at Write with Claire Fraise, or visit her website at clairefraise.com.

Sign up here to get Claire’s Newsletter 




Giveaway
1 winner will receive a finished copy of THEY STAY, US Only.

CLICK THE GRAPHIC



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