Hey fellow bloggers!

So today I’ve got great news and bad news; let’s get the former out of the way, shall we?

Bad news: the dog days are rushing to a close and for many that means less lounging time to catch up with the latest summer shows & reads *cough* and to binge watch Netflix all day *cough, cough*. I’m joking…but how are authors and other content creators going to promote now that everyone’s back to the grind instead of searching for good books to laze around on the beach with? 

Good news: ATTENTION all authors, film directors, musical artists and artistic entrepreneurs hustling to market their work: there’s a new way to get your books broadcasted and your shows seen by hundreds.  Raving Wave Reviews is the new business website that I’ve launched for creators to purchase my promotional reviews for their novels, films, musical albums, comedy shows…you name it!

It’s an ideal situation because I love analyzing and reviewing literature meanwhile creators get their work seen and publicized by the 500 members here on The Writing Wave; everyone wins! Plus, creators can customize their package to have the reviews of their work posted on other promotional websites too! But I thought the perfect way to show exactly what I’m selling was to do a review today. So without further ado, here are 4 books you should (and shouldn’t) read before summer freedom runs out.

1. You’ll Never Walk Alone by Chris Hall (should read)

Up until now, Lucy has tamely lived her  normal, “good girl” lifestyle with her funny, caring flatmates and friends: Cynthia, Gina, Gary, Bobby, Mark and Tony. However all that changes when she meets this mysteriously enchanting man, Pierre, dancing out one night at the nightclub. She certainly can’t resist him when he gifts her a jaw-dropping ruby necklace but everyone begins to wonder if she should resist Pierre after his ties to strange, underground gangs emerge. A series of unexpected attacks leave Lucy missing, leave her friends worried about their innocent friend and expose ancient, enchanted artifacts for what they are. In the middle of the chaos, Lucy has to escape with Pierre and decide what kind of girl she will be: the innocent, simple girl from her past or a rebel that fights for love and what she believes in.

Hall‘s novel had me caught with mixed emotions for the longest time; most parts were completely enthralling but others seemed rather unrealistic. The characters constantly returning to the flat might have been a good way for them all to embark in plot-progressing conversation. However this writing technique was ineffective for me as the reader grows bored after seeing the same mundane apartment setting for 5 or 6 different chapters. It’s not until a few chapters in that the REAL fighting action scenes start and when they finally do they border on being unrealistic because of their quick pace. However, the author won me over with her action packed scenes and skillful interweaving of  sub-plots designed to develop character arcs. She employed excellent foreshadowing techniques and side-stories from the very beginning (which I thought were just for comic relief) resurfaced chapters later to alter the course of the gang’s path. Also Fingers’ mischievous moments were just too funny for anyone to not love this book. So this book is on the “Definitely Should Read” list because it takes patience to get to the action…but it’s gratifying once you finally do. I’ll put the link to her book here but I would encourage you guys to check out her blog because she often hosts freebie promotions for her books!

2. Becoming a Master Student by Dave Ellis (don’t read)

So these books are actually on the “don’t read” list because it’s too good…wait what? Let me explain: I’ve noticed that the eye-opening advice in this book is best applied to actual courses you’re taking. When I tried to read it’s study tips this summer, I had no actual course to reference off of and I won’t until September. So it’s expert advice get’s wasted because they’ll challenge you to consider how you feel about a specific project or professor and no one has any of that currently. If one re-visits experiences with old projects/professors, they spend all their time hypothesizing about what might have happened instead of actually testing these tips. Alternatively, some tips work over the summer because they  just ask you to reflect about your life priorities and what’s most important to you in your education, finances and relationships. Those exercises have already benefited me greatly…but the rest of them are unnecessary to read before the summer’s over.

3. Renegades by Marissa Meyer (don’t read)

Is this well written? Yes. Are the characters progressive, clever and full of personality? Yes. But is it interesting? Only if you’re willing to wait chapters and CHAPTERS at a time for the main scene to change. I notice the author tries to change up the pace by exploring from the POV of  different characters. It’s a fair approach considering she get’s to show their inner feelings, dark histories and even use many foreshadowing techniques. Problem is if it takes 10 chapters for me to still be getting to those foreshadowed parts…I don’t wanna wait around for the rest of it. Although I have heard that the 2nd & upcoming 3rd book have a better pace,  my final verdict says: it’s pointless to start this book before the summer’s over. However, this series is a good choice if you get a break, you’re patient and you like budding friendships amongst heroes.

5. Go F*ck, I Mean, Find Yourself by Glenn Lutz (Should read)

Do not be fooled by the crass title or the blunt writing style: this book is a highly intellectual literary piece. Everyone could benefit from this gem as it challenges every reader to acknowledge any internalized biases, self-preservation mechanisms and faulty mindsets. How it achieves such great measures with just a few words on each page is beyond me…and irrelevant because it’s  superior in it’s simplicity. This book comforts and inspires because the cold, heart truths are coming from a survivor of depression, drug addiction, divorce and suicide attempts; it reminds us that if he could get to this heightened state of confidence then so can we. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be giving these inspiring life mottos a read-over once a month from here on out.