1. POPULAZZI on Hobbitsies

Hobbitsies posted a great review of Elise Allen‘s POPULAZZI this week. Here is an excerpt from the article:

“Overall, I loved POPULAZZI. It’s an awesome and fun story that definitely brings on giggles and your own embarrassing memories of high school. The characters were well done and relatable, and the storyline grabbed me and wouldn’t let me put it down.”

More about POPULAZZI

What would you do if you had the chance to erase your past and reinvent yourself as the person you’ve always wanted to be? Would you grab it? Would you stick with it, no matter what the consequences?

Cara Leonard always wished she could be one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and never at a loss for the perfect thing to say. One of the Populazzi.

It always seemed impossible… but now could be her chance.

When Cara moves to a new school just before junior year, her best friend urges her to seize the opportunity and change her life… with the help of The Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms herself into the perfect girlfriend for guys higher and higher on the Popularity Tower, she can reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi, the most popular girl in school.

The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment — a straight climb up — but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.

2. STAY on The Electrical Book Cafe

Allie Larkin‘s STAY was featured on the Electrical Book Cafe this week with a fabulous review. Here is a highlight of what they had to say:

“All in all, a great novel for dog lovers and non-dog lovers alike. It’s a doggone wonderful story that shows the true meaning of companionship. If I had a tail, it would have been wagging throughout the course of the novel.”

More about STAY

Savannah “Van” Leone has loved Peter since the day they met. The problem is, Peter has loved Van’s best friend, Janie, since the moment they met. And now they’re walking down the aisle, with Van standing nearby in a Halloween orange bridesmaid dress, her smile as hollow as a jack-o-lantern. After the wedding, Van drowns her sorrows in Kool Aid-vodka cocktails and reruns of Rin-Tin-Tin, and does what any woman in her situation would do: She buys a German Shepherd over the internet.

The pocket-sized puppy Van is expecting turns out to be a clumsy, hundred-pound beast that only responds to Slovakian. Van is at the end of her rope—until she realizes that this quirky giant may be the only living being who will always be loyal to her, no matter what. And thus begins a friendship that will alter Van’s life in ways she never imagined.

Joe leads Van to Dr. Alex Brandt, a rugged vet with floppy blond hair and winning smile. But just as things are starting to heat up, the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, forcing Van to decide just how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to have everything she ever wanted. Warm and witty, poignant and funny, Stay marks the arrival of an irresistible new voice.

3. CRUSH CONTROL on Oodles of Books

Oodles of Books featured Jennifer Jabaley‘s CRUSH CONTROL this week. Here is a highlight from their review:

“The story moves along quickly enough and I was engaged the entire time. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next, and everytime Willow tried something new to change her situation, I was enjoying myself. I was pretty satisfied with the conclusion, and there were a few sweet surprises that I really liked. Overall, this is a great beach read that I’m sure many will enjoy.”

More about CRUSH CONTROL

Willow Grey is about to learn a thing or two about life, love and total mind control!… Willow has spent most of her life as her mother’s sidekick in a popular Las Vegas hypnotism show. So when she and her mom move back to their sleepy southern hometown to start over, she thinks she’s in for a life of quiet normalcy. Except that her new life turns out to be anything but, when she decides to hypnotize Quinton, the hottest guy on the football team, to fall madly, deeply, head over heels in love with her. But what started out as an innocent way to make her best friend, Max, jealous soon gets way out of hand and Willow begins to wonder if the mind—and more importantly, the heart—is something you can really control.

4. HOTEL NO TELL on the San Francisco Book Review

Here is what the San Francisco Book Review had to say about Daphne Uviller‘s HOTEL NO TELL:

“Touting itself as the anti-Sex in the City, Zephyr may be a die-hard New Yorker but she certainly isn’t a Cosmo swilling fashionista only concerned with the latest parties and fabulous men. With now two cases to solve, the return of an ex-boyfriend, and fabulous but complicated friends, Zephyr has her hands full. Long-time fans of Lisa Lutz or Janet Evanovich will be excited to have a new go-to summer read.”

More about HOTEL NO TELL

Hotel No Tell is the sequel to Super in the City; Zephyr Zuckerman, on the verge of 31, is now a junior investigator with New York City’s Special Investigations Commission (SIC). She’s undercover as a concierge at the Greenwich Village Hotel, trying – and failing – to track down a missing hundred grand. Her detective boyfriend has moved out because of their disagreement about reproducing (he wants kids, Zephyr doesn’t), and she’s left with her Holland Lop bunny named after a famous atheist, an old friend who’s married and miserable in suburban motherhood, and one new friend who’s a wedding planner in dire need of an exorcist. It soon becomes clear that the trouble at the hotel goes much, much deeper than a little old-fashioned laundering. Before Zephyr can master the reservation system, she is yanking at the threads of a multi-million dollar egg donation scandal and re-examining her own motives for opting out of mommyhood.

5. Crystal on SheKnows Daily Dish

Crystal is on SheKnows.com all week talking about great summer reads. Here is her video from Friday, but you can see all five videos on Sheknows.com.