Monday 31 January 2022

It's Monday! What Are You Reading

 


It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend! I am currently on a short ski trip right now which is very exciting! I have been snowboarding since I was about 13 years old, and I've never grown tired of it! It's just me and my two younger sisters which is always nice :) I've also been preparing non-stop for my upcoming medical school interview! It's scheduled for Feb. 10th, I'm so nervous! But also excited - I would love to move to England as that's where the medical school is (Waterstones here I come!) Haha! Anyway, in terms of books, here is a look at what I've been up to lately and what's next!


What I Read Last Week:


What I Am Currently Reading:



What I Am Reading Next:









Saturday 29 January 2022

The Red Palace by June Hur Book Review

 

Title: The Red Palace
Author: June Hur
Publish Date: January 25th, 2022
Publisher: Fiewel & Friends
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

Joseon (Korea), 1758. There are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father's approval.

But Hyeon is suddenly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics when someone murders four women in a single night, and the prime suspect is Hyeon's closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher's innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation.

In her hunt for the truth, she encounters Eojin, a young police inspector also searching for the killer. When evidence begins to point to the Crown Prince himself as the murderer, Hyeon and Eojin must work together to search the darkest corners of the palace to uncover the deadly secrets behind the bloodshed.


Penelope's Review

The Red Palace is a historical fiction murder mystery set in 1758 Korea. It's high-stakes, fast-paced, and has many well-developed characters. I'm really trying to broaden my bookish horizons in terms of culture and genre, and I specifically picked this book for that reason. Also, it just sounded really cool lol. Anyway, I'm quite glad I did as this ended up being a very well-written novel and has done a great job of introducing me to a new-to-me author that I will now be on the lookout for!

Our main female lead in this book is Hyeon, a very relatable young woman who, despite some pretty serious parental issues, is fierce, brave, and loyal in her quest to free her mentor. Watching her struggle through her emotions and learn to overcome certain things in regards to her mother and father just made her feel more real to me. And I loved the scope of her intelligence! We also have Eojin, a police inspector who recruits Hyeon for his investigation into the massacre. Eojin was such a joy to read about. He was steady, analytical, and calm in the face of danger. I would describe his character as a cool breeze, and Hyeon's as a winter storm - something I hope will make sense if you decide to pick up this book! Together, they seemed unstoppable. I was a really big fan of the romance in this book - it wasn't overpowering, it was just enough. It came about slowly yet surely, and felt so natural and realistic. Definitely one of my favourite aspects of the book. 

In terms of plot, I think this story was super unique. I loved the true historical elements that the author included and think she did a great job in her research. I found it very cool that the Crown prince was based on an actual person. Despite the massacre happening very early in the book, I found that it perhaps got off to a bit of a slow start - I found that it took me a little bit to really get into the story. Once I did however, I was able to fly through the pages! 

Overall, I think was an excellently written book with fantastic characters and a great storyline. I loved the intricacies involved in solving the murders and loved how all of the threads of this story came together. 

Rating: 4/5 Devils!




Thursday 27 January 2022

The Chosen Twelve by James Breakwell Blog Tour + Giveaway

 

The Chosen Twelve tour banner

Hi everyone! This is my post during the blog tour for The Chosen Twelve by James Breakwell. The Hunger Games meets Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy in this breathless survival thriller. Be sure to check out the excerpt and enter the giveaway!

This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from 18 till 31 January. You can see the tour schedule here.


The Chosen Twelve book cover
The Chosen Twelve
By James Breakwell
Genre: Science Fiction /Thriller
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 18 January 2021
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing

Blurb:
There are 22 candidates. There are 12 seats.

The last interstellar colony ship is down to its final batch of humans after the robots in charge unhelpfully deleted the rest. But rebooting a species and training them for the arduous task of colonisation isn’t easy – especially when the planet below is filled with monsters, the humans are more interested in asking questions than learning, and the robots are all programmed to kill each other.

But the fate of humanity rests on creating a new civilization on the planet below, and there are twelve seats on the lander. Will manipulation or loyalty save the day?

The Hunger Games meets Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy in this breathless survival thriller.
EXCERPT:

Chapter 1

     GOD LIVED IN the coffee maker on deck four. Only Gamma knew. But Gamma didn’t make it out that way very often because it was a long journey through the outer halls and he always had schoolwork and also the door wanted to kill him.
     Gamma eyed the doorway carefully. Sure, it looked wide open. The door was recessed in the frame with all its indicator lights off. A less wary organic might march right through and ask God a question, but Gamma knew better. He remembered.
     How long had it been? Four thousand days. No. He had been counting for four thousand days. But there had been many more days before that, indistinct and unchanging, between the day Mu went out the airlock and the day Gamma started keeping track, secretly scratching a metal line below his bunk every night when he went to bed. And it had been even longer since a dishwasher killed Chi, even though Edubot denied it and tried to pretend Chi had never existed at all. Gamma didn’t start counting after Chi died, but he didn’t know he would need to. Gamma was a young and naive eleven-year-old back then. How much time passed between Chi’s death and the day Gamma turned twelve, God only knew.
     Four thousand days ago, Gamma was twelve. Today, Gamma was twelve. That’s what Edubot said. But Gamma had taken Calculus IX enough times to know the math didn’t add up. Somebody was lying.
     Gamma stuck out his arm and waved it in the doorway. The recessed door didn’t react. The threshold was covered in a layer of dust undisturbed by machine tracks or organic feet. It was possible the door hadn’t closed at all in the last four thousand days. If anything, that just made it more dangerous. The door was patient.
     Spenser whirred his brushes apprehensively. Gamma had told him to stay behind, but the small vacuum bot came anyway. It was futile to try to get him to leave Gamma’s side.
     “Shhh,” Gamma said.
     Spenser repeated his apprehensive whir, but quieter. It didn’t matter. The door knew they were both there, even if it was pretending to be dead. It had a ghost.
     Gamma looked back down the abandoned hall. It wasn’t too late to return to the colony ship. If he ran at full speed, he might still make it to class in a few hours, assuming he didn’t cross paths with any other hostile  digital life. That was a big “if.” But by some miracle, he had made it this far safely enough. There was no sense in pressing his luck. Better to return to the colony ship and live to take Calculus IX a sixth time.
     Gamma took one last look at the door and the coffee machine, then turned and walked away. He dragged his feet a little and did his best to whistle, even though he had never learned how. Spenser pivoted to watch him go.
     He remained beside the door.
     Twenty meters down the hall, Gamma changed direction and sprinted toward the door. He jumped and planted both feet right before the threshold. His balance wavered, his torso leaning forward, both arms windmilling. He regained his balance and fell backward, away from the door. He landed hard on his tailbone.
     The door remained inert. It was a cunning foe.
     Spenser rolled forward and bumped gently into Gamma.
     “I’m fine,” Gamma said. He stood and brushed off his dusty hands against his jumpsuit. Other than his own foot (and now hand and butt) prints, and Spenser’s narrow tracks beside them, there was no sign of life in the hall. Nothing had been down this way for a very long time. God chose this place for a reason. He liked to be alone.
     “Can you hear me?!” Gamma shouted through the open doorway. The coffee maker remained as inactive as the door. God might be all-knowing, but his ears could use some work.
     Spenser rolled through the doorway.
     “Spenser, no!” Gamma said, but it was too late. Spenser was already on the other side. 

Links:
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Amazon paperback
- B&N
- Kobo
- Rebellion Publishing

James Breakwell
About the Author:
James Breakwell is a professional comedy writer and amateur father of four girls, ages ten and under. He is best known for his family humor Twitter account @XplodingUnicorn, which has more than a million followers. He has published three comedy parenting books that explore hot button issues like the benefits of doing as little as possible and the best ways to protect your child from zombie attacks. His fourth book, Prance Like No One’s Watching: A Guided Journal for Exploding Unicorns, teaches kids to find humor in the world around them while also avoiding the undead. The Chosen Twelve will be James' science fiction debut. He lives in Indiana, US.

Author links:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Pinterest
- Instagram
- Youtube

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of The Chosen Twelve. This giveaway is open international. These are the prizes you can win:
- 3 paperback copies of The Chosen Twelve by James Breakwell
- 3 ecopies of The Chosen Twelve by James Breakwell

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below: a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Lola's Blog Tours graphic




Wednesday 26 January 2022

Can't Wait Wednesday #28

                              

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they're books that have yet to be released.

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone's week has been good so far. I kinda just wish it was the weekend again lol! Anyway, this week I am spotlighting an upcoming book, Belle Morte by Bella Higgin. It's a new vampire book coming out in April! I absolutely adore vampires so I'm hoping that this books lives up to my expectations! We shall see!


Author: Bella Higgin
Publish Date: April 5th, 2022
Publisher: Wattpad Books

There’s only one way out.

Belle Morte. One of five houses where vampires reside as celebrities and humans are paid to be their living donors. While others came here seeking fortune, I came in search of my sister who walked into Belle Morte five months ago . . . and never walked back out.

Now that I’m here, the secrets about this world have proven to be much bigger than I ever anticipated. And lurking around every corner are shocking insinuations of what happened to my sister. .

There’s only one person who might have the answers I need, and the undeniable pull I feel toward him is terrifying: Edmond Dantès―a vampire, and my mortal enemy.

The harder I try to resist him, the further I fall under his spell. And in one instant my life is irrevocably changed. My past becomes prologue and my fate becomes sealed behind these doors. Belle Morte has spoken.

And it may never let me go.





 

Tuesday 25 January 2022

The Witch Finder by J. Todd Kingrea Book Review!

 

Title: The Witch Finder
Author: J. Todd Kingrea
Publish Date: September 23rd, 2021
Publisher: BHC Press
Source: Huge thank you to the author for providing me with a review copy!

In a post-apocalyptic world where tyranny and medieval torture reign supreme and witch burnings are an everyday occurrence, a top Witchfinder must confront the very Church he serves when he learns of its dark past and twisted plans for the future.

The Church of the Deiparous rules with an iron fist and its rising star, Witchfinder Imperator Malachi Thorne, is committed to leading its cause. Thorne is a man on the fast track to greater things so when a convicted traitor and heretic escapes his grip, he won’t tolerate it marring his perfect record.

As he pursues his quarry, he must confront demons, sorcery, and a cult of witches out for his blood. But when Thorne comes face to face with the Church’s dark past and its twisted present, his faith is tested to its limits. Now Thorne must decide who and what he believes in—and what he will do about it.


Penelope's Review

I actually quite enjoyed this book! I found it incredibly well-written with strong characters and a steady, interesting plot. I really enjoyed the religious aspects and the questions posed throughout the novel. I think the exploration of the Church and God, and the corruption that has plagued this institution throughout time, was really well done - it was fictional yet not, and I enjoyed that mix. 

The beginning of this book sort of throws us right into the story so it did take me some time to get my bearings and figure out what was going on and who was who. Despite this, it did get off to a slower start. One thing I will mention (and this is really more a personal preference than anything else) is that characters were referred to by their first and last names throughout the book. So in one paragraph it's Malachi, and in another it's Thorne for example. While that wouldn't necessarily be a problem for 1 or 2 characters, I found that it took me awhile to figure out who was who when this happened with many different characters. Again, this is really more a personal preference and I'm sure there were other readers who had no trouble keeping up! 

I really liked the main male lead, Malachi. I found his journey from stout believer in the Church to questioning of its practices very realistic. His emotions were laid bare, and I enjoyed watching him work through them all to come to his final decisions. I also really liked the supporting characters - Warner, Cabbott, and Traugott in particular. Malachi's "sidekicks" had me laughing out loud at times, which I love in a book! And I was completely surprised at the twist with Traugott's character. 

We also had Teska Vaun. I liked her character as well, but I found that the romance between her and Malachi (thought not fully fleshed out in this book) was a bit rushed. I sort of felt like one moment they were sworn enemies and the next they were questioning whether or not they loved each other. I feel like this may get a bit more attention in the next book, so I'm interested to see where Kingrea takes this.

The plot really picks up in the last half of the book, getting much more fast-paced and bringing in several different elements. While I did enjoy the entire reading experience, I found that I flew through the end much more quickly than the beginning. I feel like this is often the case with fantasy books however, as there is alot of world-building and character development to get through. So again, I'm interested to see how this pans out in the next book.

Overall, I found this to be a great introduction to what I'm sure will develop into a great series (a trilogy if I'm not mistaken). The writing style is excellent, and the world-building is what I expect from a high fantasy novel. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys more of a heavy read, with lots of plot elements, and great character development.

Rating: 4/5 Devils!






Sunday 23 January 2022

Books I Wish Would Become Movies/TV Shows

 Hi everyone! Today I thought I would put together a fun little list of all the books/series that I would absolutely LOVE to see come to life! if you have any books that you would add to the list, comment below! Please note that this is not in any kind of order, it's just whatever order that popped into my head!

1. 

First up on the list is the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick! I read this series in high school and LOVED it! It's on my list of series that I would like to re-read one day! I think it would be so much fun to see Nora and Patch in real life! 

2. 

Next up is the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi! I actually haven't finished this series, but I started it in high school and LOVED it! Juliette is badass and I think this would be wicked to see on the big screen!

3. 

The Black Witch chronicles by Laurie Forest! Ugh love these books. Seriously. Love them. Also the 4th book in the series is coming out March 1st in case you were interested.... I know I am lol. If I were to cast Elloren I'd probably go with a Marie Avgeropoulos type girl - or myself... you know lol.

4. 

Pretty much anything by Sarah Dessen, but I really loved Just Listen. I think this would be such a cute movie! I actually believe that Sarah is getting a couple of her books turned into tv shows, so I'm super excited about that! But I hope they eventually do this one!

5. 

Literally every. single. book. by Katie McGarry. All of them. Especially the Pushing the Limits series because it's the first thing I ever read from her. But for reals - all of her books. So good!

6. 

We have gotten both a movie and a tv show for The Mortal Instruments series, but I NEED an adaptation of The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare in my life! Omigod... Will, Tessa, Jem?! YES PLEASE!!! And then we can just go ahead and do the rest of Cassandra Clare's books because they are all amazing idk what anyone says.

7. 

We CANNOT forget The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong - I am so in love with this series it's not even funny. I think I've literally read it like 5 times... and I will most definitely read it again lol. I would give many things to see Chloe and Derek on the big screen. Many. Things.

8. 

The Selection series by Kiera Cass. Ok so I THINK this one may already be in the works.... there seems to be some conflicting information out there. But from what I understand there is a script and producers are just waiting for the green light from Netflix. Fingers crossed that this goes through because I LOVE these books!!

9. 

Omigosh. Ok so there's no order to this list but if there was, this one would be near the top lol! The House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast! I am IN LOVE with every single book in this long ass series. Every time they released a new one, I was like KEEP THEM COMING!!! EPIC! I would also give MANY THINGS to see this make it to the big screen lol!

10. 

The Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole. I recently re-read this series (PLEASE KRESLEY GIVE ME THE FINALE!) and of course, I LOVED IT (are you sensing a theme here yet lol?). I need more Evangeline and Jack and Aric in my life. PLEASE. But no seriously I think this series could make an EPIC apocalypse film. EPIC. Someone please make this happen.

11. 

YET ANOTHER SERIES WHERE THE AUTHOR LEFT US HANGING!! This has got to be one of my all-time favourite series.Seriously. L.J. Smith is a gift to this world lol (ok maybe I'm being dramatic but I love her). But alas, the series was never finished and it kinda looks like it never will be. Which of course frustrates me to no end because I NEED to know what happens!! But regardless, I think this would be amazing as a tv series lol!

12. 

In keeping with the L.J. Smith theme lol I would also LOVE to see The Forbidden Game as a move, a tv show, literally anything lol. I love it. I love it so much. 

13. 

Ok last L.J. Smith book I promise! Dark Visions - I am in love with Gabriel. In love with him. There are so many hot guys I would cast lol. So. Many. 

14. 

Does anyone remember the Wither series by Lauren DeStefano?! This came out like 10 or 11 years ago at the time of writing this but honestly, it still slaps lol. This is also on my list of series that I plan on re-reading! I think this could be really well done as a movie series. Lots to work with and it has some great characters!

15. 

And last but certainly not least - The Kissing Tree by Prudence Bice! Most of you have probably never heard of this book but I think it is super underrated. It's such a cute story! I absolutely adored it and would love to see it made into a movie! 


OK! That's it ladies and gentlemen! Honestly, the moral of this story is that all book readers should become producers lol. We can all live broke yet happy lives knowing that we would fit every single scene of a book into a 12 hour long movie that only other bookish people will watch. Haha xD Anyway what do you think of this list?! Anything heere you agree with wanting to see on the big screen? Anything you'd add? Let me know down below!





Tuesday 18 January 2022

The Temperature of Me and You Blog Tour + Giveaway!

Hi everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU by Brian Zepka Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway! 

 About The Book:

Title: THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU

Author: Brian Zepka

Pub. Date: January 25, 2022

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 416

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, AudibleB&NiBooks (audiobook), KoboTBD, Bookshop.org

Sixteen-year-old Dylan Highmark thought his winter was going to be full of boring shifts at the Dairy Queen, until he finds himself in love with a boy who's literally too hot to handle.

Dylan has always wanted a boyfriend, but the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia do not have a lot in the way of options. Then, in walks Jordan, a completely normal (and undeniably cute) boy who also happens to run at a cool 110 degrees Fahrenheit. When the boys start spending time together, Dylan begins feeling all kinds of ways, and when he spikes a fever for two weeks and is suddenly coughing flames, he thinks he might be suffering from something more than just a crush. Jordan forces Dylan to keep his symptoms a secret. But as the pressure mounts and Dylan becomes distant with his closest friends and family, he pushes Jordan for answers. Jordan's revelations of why he's like this, where he came from, and who's after him leaves Dylan realizing how much first love is truly out of this world. And if Earth supports life that breathes oxygen, then love can only keep Jordan and Dylan together for so long.

THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU is the story of first love, and the lengths we'll go to figure out our hearts. What starts as an electric, chance encounter at a Dairy Queen quickly evolves into a heated romance, a journey of trust and identity, and a ticking clock for survival.

Reviews:

The Temperature of Me and You catapults the notion of sizzling romance to a whole new fun level with both metaphoric and literal sparks, flames, and superhuman pyro-powers brightly burning in a smokin' hot story.―Alex Sanchez, author of Rainbow Boys and You Brought Me the Ocean

With so much heart, mystery, and sci-fi intrigue, Brian lit a fire in my soul that had me burning through these pages! Not only will the action have you on the edge of your seat, but the sparks flying between Dylan and Jordan will make you melt.―Jason June, author of Jay's Gay Agenda

 EXCERPT

I have four main takeaways from my chemistry test today. First,  the symbol on the periodic table for oxygen looks like the number  of interesting things that happen in my life on a regular basis. The  symbol for sodium, Na, represents my history of romance—not applicable. The symbol for radon, Rn, stands for my thoughts on when  I want a boyfriend—right now. And the symbol for ununhexium,  Uuh, is my response when people ask me if I am going to do something about it. 

The most life altering decision I’ve made in the past year is  to proclaim that I prefer hard ice cream over soft serve as a Dairy  Queen employee. 

Speaking of which, another hour and tonight’s shift will be over.  My friends and I have been talking about chemistry class while I  pretend to wait for customers I not-so-secretly hope won’t show up. 

“The only answer I knew was hydrogen,” Perry says, shoveling  a spoonful of her large Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard into her  mouth.

“Well, duh. The symbol for that one is literally just an H,” I say. “You got oxygen too I hope, right?” Kirsten asks. 

Perry rolls her eyes, digging deeper into her Blizzard. “Yeah, I  think. I put Ox for that one.” 

Kirsten smiles and shakes her head. “It’s an O. That’s literally  the easiest one.” 

“What? I thought O was for olerium.” 

“Olerium?” I ask, twitching my head. “Is that even a thing?” “Of course it’s a thing. But it wasn’t on the test,” Perry counters. “Yeah, because it’s definitely not a thing.” 

She laughs. “Are you serious?” Crushed Reese’s Cups line her  bottom row of teeth. Kirsten reaches across the table and puts her  hand over Perry’s mouth. “Close this,” she says, laughing. “No one  wants to see that.” 

“I’m sorry,” Perry says, grabbing a napkin and wiping the corners of her lips. “At this point, who cares? When will I ever need  those elements in my actual life?” 

“Um, this very second as you breathe them in,” Kirsten answers. “So technical.” 

Perry tries. She really does. And when I say tries, I mean tries  everything she can to not do schoolwork and still pass. Like, when  the three of us got together last night to complete the chemistry  worksheets for our test today, Kirsten and I actually did the work  while Perry spent the night trying to find the answers on Google and  replying to message boards that haven’t been active in five years. 

Unlike Kirsten, who is banking on her good grades for college,  Perry is piling all her hopes into a cheerleading scholarship. She’s  on a regional all-star cheer team in addition to the school team. I’m sure she could do both cheer squads and do well in school at the  same time. But Perry says she would rather be amazing at one thing  than average at a bunch of things. So she chooses cheer over school. 

“Dylan, can you make my Blizzard now?” Kirsten asks, spinning  around in her seat. 

“Here, you can finish mine,” Perry says, slamming her ice cream  onto the table. Her chest rises as she holds in a burp. Kirsten is without a doubt the prettiest girl in the junior class.  And, in my opinion, all of Falcon Crest High School. Me, a skinny  gargoyle who is teetering on okay in the looks department, and Perry,  a confused meerkat who is above average in the looks department  but loses major points for her lack of any common sense and basic  human functionality, are not who you’d expect Falcon Crest’s own  Elle Woods to associate with. 

I lift my arms off the service counter and stand up straight. I  push my hands into my lower back to stretch myself into a normal,  upright human position. 

My elbows are red from not moving once during my shift. To no  one’s surprise, I haven’t had a single customer all night. It’s January  and twenty degrees in Falcon Crest. Even my manager knows how  pointless staying open year-round is because he leaves as soon as I  get here after school. Which, by the way, is probably illegal because  I’m sixteen and operating a store by myself—but I don’t ask questions.  Perry and Kirsten don’t count as customers because they come here  whenever I am working to get free ice cream and keep me company. 

“Perr, next time I’m making you a kid-size because you never  finish what I give you,” I say. 

“How dare you,” she says, squinting at me.

“What do you want, Kirsten?” I turn and walk toward the rattling ice-cream machines, staring at the colorful menu above me  decorated with pictures of ice-cream cones and candy labels. 

“Hey, did Jimmy escape out the back door or something?” Perry  asks. She stands and looks down the hall to the bathrooms. “I’ll just finish Perry’s ice cream,” Kirsten replies, grabbing the  cup from the table. 

“He’s in the bathroom,” I say. Jimmy is an unfortunate soul from  another school who’s been directed here as a possible boyfriend  candidate for me. But my thoughts about that are represented by the  symbol for the element nobelium, No. 

“Yeah, he’s been in there for twenty minutes,” Kirsten says. “He  must really not be interested in you.” 

“Or dropping a big ole you know what,” Perry says, crossing her  arms and laughing to herself. 

“Ew! Stop!” Kirsten shrieks. “I’m eating.” 

“I don’t know why you brought him here,” I whisper. “I told you  I stalked his Instagram and I wasn’t interested.” 

Perry shrugs. “Sometimes people are different in person.  Savanna said he was single and looking, so I’m helping you out,”  she whispers back. “Plus, Kirsten and I agreed you guys would look  cute together.” 

“First of all, I don’t know why we would take a recommendation  from Savanna Blatt. She is mean to all three of us and is most likely  using this to screw us over somehow. He probably has a STD of the  throat or something!” 

“As I am sure you’re well aware, nice boys are in short supply  in this town. You take what we can get.”

“It’s too forced and awkward for me. I’m not in the mood for  Perry Love Connections tonight.” 

“Every day is a day for a Perry Love Connection, my friend.” Perry has made it her personal mission to get me a boyfriend.  But sometimes I would appreciate it if her mission had some standards attached to it. 

“He’s been rude this entire time.” 

“He really has,” Kirsten says, nodding. “He hasn’t even acknowledged me yet.” 

“See,” I say, gesturing at Kirsten. “I can’t date someone who  doesn’t acknowledge my overachieving best friend. If Kirsten can’t  get acknowledgement, then I have no chance.” 

“Ugh,” Perry grunts. “How does it always end up you two against  me? Let’s just see how he is when he gets back.” 

“And how he smells,” Kirsten says with a mouth full of ice  cream. Perry and I roll our eyes in unison. 

The bathroom door clicks, and Perry and Kirsten sit up as if  they were misbehaving. Perry smirks at me while shimmying her  shoulders. 

“Watch . . . he won’t talk to me,” Kirsten blurts at the last second.  Perry smacks her arm, shooting her a look. 

Jimmy rounds the corner from the bathroom hallway and plants  himself next to the service counter. I take a few steps away from  him toward the other end. Perry smiles. It’s quiet for a few seconds. 

He’s so out of place. Even if I did like him, he would never mesh  well with the three of us. He looks like a church boy who just came  from Sunday service or something. He’s wearing thin, slip-on brown  leather shoes that I swear my dad also owns, khaki pants, and a button-up shirt that’s tucked in. Meanwhile, my shaggy, curly hair  is reminiscent of a tumbleweed, and ice cream is splattered across  the front of my shirt and arms. Kirsten’s long brown hair rolls down  her back in knotty waves. Perry’s blond hair is tied on the top of her  head into a baseball-size bun with a polka-dot scrunchy. They are  both wearing leggings, sneakers, and their cheerleading hoodies. 

“Did you want anything?” I ask, tapping my fingers on the counter. I want to fling a spoonful of hot fudge at Jimmy to mess up his  clean-cut image. 

“Nah, I’m good,” he says. “Did I hear you guys talking about  chemistry?” 

I don’t respond. Instead, I stare at Perry, raising my eyebrows,  and wait for her to say something since this is her guest after all. “We were,” she says. “We had a test on the periodic table and  had to match all the elements with their symbols and stuff. Dylan  over here aced it. Didn’t you, Dyl?” She smirks. 

“We did that stuff, like, freshman year at my school,” Jimmy  says. 

I resist the urge to roll my eyes again. “I thought it was fine,” I  say. “I don’t know about acing it, but I didn’t bomb.” “I aced it,” Kirsten says. 

“Nice, man!” Jimmy exclaims. I jerk my head back at his enthusiasm. “Right on.” He extends his arm and puts his palm up. I scan  it with my eyes, tracing the lines on his skin. He leaves it in the air  for what I’m assuming is a high five. 

I want to melt into a puddle like a vanilla ice-cream cone, be  washed up with a mop, wrung out, and never be seen again. Kirsten  and Perry’s lips curl in, ready to burst from laughter knowing I’m going to have to partake in this bro moment. I take a few steps  toward him, because he’s too far from me to reach, and lightly tap  his palm with mine, inwardly cringing. My teeth are clenched. “Thanks,” I say, clearing my throat. 

He inspects his palm, then wipes it on his pants. I must’ve left  some sticky residue on his hand. At least the interaction wasn’t a  total waste. 

Perry lets out her laughter in the form of a burping grunt. “Yikes,” Jimmy says to me. “Not hard to see why you did better  on the test than those slobs.” He laughs to himself, then taps my  arm with the back of his hand. 

“I said I aced it,” Kirsten says, squinting at him. Jimmy ignores  her comment. 

I retreat on to my phone, wondering how long this guy is going  to stand here for. 

“Oh!” Perry gasps. “Our newest paint-by-numbers kits just  shipped.” 

“Yay!” Kirsten squeals. “Right on schedule.” 

We try to complete a new paint-by-number piece each season.  We just completed our Christmas-themed canvases last week. But  we finished past our deadline, or rather Kirsten’s deadline, and  didn’t get to see the finished products before the holiday. As a result,  Kirsten forced us to order our spring kits earlier than expected so  we wouldn’t fall behind again. 

“You can’t just paint on your own?” Jimmy asks. “You need little  numbers to tell you were to put a color?” He laughs. “No, actually, I don’t need the numbers,” Perry snaps. “It’s just  more relaxing that way. I’d like to see you try.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re actually good at painting.” 

“What the—” Perry stands. 

I clear my throat. “I need to start cleaning up to close the store,”  I lie. “Everyone should probably go.” I exhale. 

“What?” Perry asks. “But we—” 

I slice my neck with my hand and glance at Jimmy. She nods. 

“Good idea. I can wait around after everyone leaves if you want?”  Jimmy asks. 

I blush. “Um, no, it’s okay. Closing the store takes a while,” I lie  again. “You don’t have to stand here that whole time.” He nods. “Here, take my number.” 

“Uh,” I start. I stare at him, my mouth hanging slightly open. “Your phone?” He shakes his phone in his hand. 

“Right.” 

I pull my phone from my pocket and punch in my code. He says  his number for me to save, but I type 555-555-5555. 

“Got it. I’ll text you mine,” I lie again. 

“Sweet.” He gives me a head nod and walks past Kirsten and  Perry without saying anything. 

“Bye!” Kirsten screams. She turns her attention back to me.  “What a rude boy.” 

“Well, I don’t like him,” Perry proclaims, throwing up her hands. “I would hope not,” I say, and fling a straw at her. “That was  your pick. Thanks for putting us through that.” 

“You better have some self-respect and not text him,” Kirsten  says. “I’ve taught you better.” 

“I’m not going to. I didn’t even type in his number.”

“Oh, you’re a player,” Perry says, winking. 

“Shut up. I can’t deal with you guys anymore.” 

“His shoes were so weird,” Kirsten says, crossing her legs. “If  he was going for classic vintage, he completely missed the mark.” “Right? He looked like an old creeper,” Perry says. She straightens her back. “Oh my gosh.” Her eyes widen. “What if he is a creeper  and gets mad when you don’t ever text him and he stalks you and  kills you? Remember that school assembly we had where the cop  talked about that girl who was killed by the guy who found her  through social media?” 

“Are you kidding, Perry?” I ask. “Why would you say that?” What if he is though? It could totally happen. He knows where  I work and go to school and could probably figure out where I live  from my Instagram. Maybe I need to make my account private. “Calm down. He’s not,” Kirsten says, dismissing the claim with  a hand wave. “Savanna said she knows his family.” “Next time you see Savanna, tell her I’ll handle my love life from  now on,” I say. 

“What love life?” Perry asks. 

“My potential love life.” 

“It has great potential,” Kirsten says. 

“Thanks, Kirsten. I think so too.” 

“I don’t. You’re ugly and smell bad!” Perry yells, smiling. I laugh and scoop a pile of rainbow sprinkles into my hand, then  chuck them at her. She screams and runs to the other side of the  store. I keep throwing them as she tries to dodge. Kirsten remains  seated. She wipes the sprinkles that landed on the table into her  hand, escorting them carefully to the nearest trash can.

“Are you done?” Perry asks, brushing the sprinkles out of her  hair. 

“Yes, because I realize I have to clean this up now.” I thrust my  hands on my hips. 

I get the dustpan and broom from the closet and sweep up the  sprinkles. 

Kirsten stands. She clears her throat before speaking while her  facial expression morphs into a look of concern. “Dylan,” she says  in her announcer voice. 

“Here we go,” Perry mumbles. 

Kirsten is dead-set on being a news anchor or TV host of some  sort in her future life. I’ve done more mock interviews for her than  I can count. 

“Many people would be hurt after another lost chance at love,”  she continues. Her tone drops two octaves. She enunciates each word  slowly. “How are you coping right now?” 

“By considering myself lucky I lost that chance,” I say. Kirsten  inhales. But before she can get out another word, I keep talking.  “Can you guys go now for real?” I ask. “I want to finish cleaning  and get out of here.” 

“Fine,” Kirsten says, returning to her normal voice. Her shoulders dip. “Please text us when you’re done.” She pulls her keys from  her hoodie’s front pocket. 

Kirsten is the only one out of the three of us who has her license,  and I’m pretty sure she enjoys making everyone aware of it. Her car  keys have enough key chains, rings, and bracelets to fill every accessories store in the Philadelphia area. 

“See you tomorrow,” I say.

They leave, and I finish sweeping the floor. I wipe the counters,  tables, and the ice-cream machines. I refill the napkins, straws,  spoons, syrups, and candies. I empty the register and put the money  in a pencil case in the safe in my manager’s office. The entire cleaning process only takes about ten minutes because there were no  customers today. We close at 8:00 p.m. and it’s 8:10 p.m. I’m ready  to go, but as usual, my manager is nowhere to be found when it’s  time for him to lock up the store. 

While I’m waiting, I start picking at a piece of the plastic counter  that’s chipping off. I think about how it’s made of atoms and how  atoms are made of protons and electrons. How do people even come  up with this stuff? 

My favorite elements we had to memorize were californium  and americium. Mainly because they were super easy to remember,  but also because the people naming them were so over it they just  picked some obvious name. Like, what if I discovered an element  here at Dairy Queen? My teacher said elements are everywhere. I  could name it oreoanium. Although, that kind of sounds like some  weird sex thing people would rap about. 

The door clicks open. My daydreaming is broken at the perfect  time before my mind wanders any further into picturing various sex  positions involving Oreos. 

I look up, expecting to see my manager, but it’s someone else.

About Brian Zepka:

Brian Zepka was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Brian worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Virginia where he provided support for programs addressing community health literacy and adolescent sexual health. He currently lives in Philadelphia and is a program evaluator for a nonprofit organization focused on chronic disease prevention. The Temperature of Me and You is his first novel.

 

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/17/2022

YA Books Central

Excerpt

1/18/2022

The Reading Devil

Excerpt

1/19/2022

BookHounds YA

Excerpt

1/20/2022

Books Are Magic Too

Review

1/21/2022

Reading Wordsmith

Review

1/22/2022

Nonbinary Knight Reads

Review

Week Two:

1/23/2022

Do You Dog-ear?

Review

1/24/2022

Lexijava

Review

1/25/2022

Nerdophiles

Review

1/26/2022

Bri's Book Nook

Review

1/27/2022

viasreads

Review

1/28/2022

onemused

Review

1/29/2022

A Bookish Dream

Review

Week Three:

1/30/2022

Celia's Reads-blog

Review

1/31/2022

More Books Please blog

Review

2/1/2022

Zainey Laney in all 3

Review

2/2/2022

Emelie's Books

Review

2/3/2022

The Momma Spot

Review

2/4/2022

@drewsim12

Review

2/5/2022

@thebookishfoxwitch

Review

Week Four:

2/6/2022

Book-Keeping

Review

2/7/2022

Eli to the nth

Review

2/8/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review

2/9/2022

Lifestyle of Me

Review

2/10/2022

_BookBound_

Review

2/11/2022

My Fictional Oasis

Review

2/12/2022

Kait Plus Books

Review

Week Five:

2/13/2022

For the Love of KidLit

Review

2/14/2022

popthebutterfly

Review

2/15/2022

@jypsylynn

Review

2/16/2022

Wilted Pages

Review