#PTALive Sydney

Last Monday was Penguin Teen Australia's Live Event at Event Cinemas George Street. This was a free event hosted by the publishing company. Basically what they did was they talked about the most popular Penguin Teen books at the moment (including The Fault in Our Stars, Vampire Academy, etc) and discussed the film adaptations. They then went on to a new book being released in July by Kylie Fornasier, an Australian author, called Masquerade [GOODREADS]. Kylie was at the event, where she talked about her book, her inspiration for writing and the process she went through to get her book published by Penguin. The book sounds great, and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Kylie also posed for photos with fans and answered questions. The event then went on to outline the big releases for the rest of the year, including Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5), The Revenge of Seven and Isla and the Happily Ever After to name a few. It was a great night and I'm really glad I went. Books Kinokuniya were also present and were selling books 20% off the RRP.

At the event, they were giving away some free copies of some books, so I thought I'd share them with you, because I can't wait to read them.

The first one was:
The Cinderella Moment by Jennifer Kloester

I don't really know a lot about this book, but I know it's quite popular because I've been seeing it around in Dymocks and Big W for months (the spine is really pretty, and I always find myself picking it out of bookshelves). So I was pretty happy to get my hands on this. From what I can tell, it is your average YA contemporary, set in Paris, involving fashion and romance and stuff. Really, I'm not too sure. But I also know that the author is Australian, and the sequel is being released soon, which I'm also excited about! It seems like one of those books that you just fly through and have heaps of fun along the way. [GOODREADS]

2. Book Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Title: My Life Next Door ★★★★★
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publication Date: 13 June 2013
Publisher: Speak
Page Count: 416
IBSN: 0142426040 (IBSN13: 9780142426043)
Bookshelves: Young Adult, Contemporary, Favourites, Recommended

More Information:
Huntley Fitzpatrick | Goodreads | Book Depository

Summary:
Samantha's summer is filled with working several jobs, avoiding her mother who is running for senator and watching the neighbours. The Garretts have lived next door for years, and since the day they moved in, Samantha has been watching them. So it's no surprise that she's instantly drawn to Jase, one of 'those Garretts' in a chance meeting. The two grow close, and the story follows their relationship over the course of the summer. Samantha's life is turned upside-down by the ups and downs of the holidays and has to find herself in order to understand others.

Review:
This is my favourite book so far of 2014. The perfect summer read about a summer romance I can only dream of. Jase is so perfect that its painful to read. Although, as soon as I finished, I wanted to pick up the book and start again. Fitzpatrick has not only crafted the perfect romance, but she has done it subtly, without the normal teen drama and predicable story lines. The characters all have their strengths and weaknesses, making it easy to engage with the story from the first page. The friendship between Samantha, Nan, Tim and Jase only adds to my love, and reminds me of the Jonah/Taylor/Chaz/Raffy friendship in On the Jellicoe Road, but isn't as far developed, unfortunately. I absolutely adored this book and recommended it to all my friends, convinced them to purchase it, and pestered them as they turned each page. It's *that* kind of book. After some googling/goodreads-ing I have discovered a spin-off-type sequel which will be released sometime in 2015 following the character Tim, and I cannot wait. Also, Fitzpatrick is releasing another YA novel What I Thought Was True in April 2014, which seems to be written in a similar style to My Life, so I can't wait to read that. Definitely a new favourite author.