What I Want You To See by Catherine Linka for Rockstar Book Tours

Disclaimer: I received an arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: What I Want You to See

Author: Catherine Linka

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: February 4, 2020

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 384

Recommended Age: 16+ (some sexual content, art stealing, some language)

Synopsis: Winning a scholarship to California’s most prestigious art school seems like a fairy tale ending to Sabine Reye’s awful senior year. After losing both her mother and her home, Sabine longs for a place where she belongs.

But the cutthroat world of visual arts is nothing like what Sabine had imagined. Colin Krell, the renowned faculty member whom she had hoped would mentor her, seems to take merciless delight in tearing down her best work—and warns her that she’ll lose the merit-based award if she doesn’t improve.

Desperate and humiliated, Sabine doesn’t know where to turn. Then she meets Adam, a grad student who understands better than anyone the pressures of art school. He even helps Sabine get insight on Krell by showing her the modern master’s work in progress, a portrait that’s sold for a million dollars sight unseen.

Sabine is enthralled by the portrait; within those swirling, colorful layers of paint is the key to winning her inscrutable teacher’s approval. Krell did advise her to improve her craft by copying a painting she connects with . . . but what would he think of Sabine secretly painting her own version of his masterpiece? And what should she do when she accidentally becomes party to a crime so well -plotted that no one knows about it but her?

Complex and utterly original, What I Want You to See is a gripping tale of deception, attraction, and moral ambiguity.

Review: I absolutely loved this book so much! The characters were well developed, the plot was intriguing from start to finish, and the story was equal parts sad as it was uplifting. It was also a very fast paced read! It was a great read!

My only issues are that the book jumped around a lot, it was a bit hard to follow in spots, and the book did not give you a truly happy ending, which I desperately wanted. Like it ended great, but it still had loose ends.

Verdict: Prepare your tissue box!

WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE Digital Assets

About the Book:

Title: WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE

Author: Catherine Linka

Pub. Date: February 4, 2020

Publisher: Freeform

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 384

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

 

Winning a scholarship to California’s most prestigious art school seems like a fairy tale ending to Sabine Reye’s awful senior year. After losing both her mother and her home, Sabine longs for a place where she belongs.

But the cutthroat world of visual arts is nothing like what Sabine had imagined. Colin Krell, the renowned faculty member whom she had hoped would mentor her, seems to take merciless delight in tearing down her best work—and warns her that she’ll lose the merit-based award if she doesn’t improve.

Desperate and humiliated, Sabine doesn’t know where to turn. Then she meets Adam, a grad student who understands better than anyone the pressures of art school. He even helps Sabine get insight on Krell by showing her the modern master’s work in progress, a portrait that’s sold for a million dollars sight unseen.

Sabine is enthralled by the portrait; within those swirling, colorful layers of paint is the key to winning her inscrutable teacher’s approval. Krell did advise her to improve her craft by copying a painting she connects with . . . but what would he think of Sabine secretly painting her own version of his masterpiece? And what should she do when she accidentally becomes party to a crime so well -plotted that no one knows about it but her?

Complex and utterly original, What I Want You to See is a gripping tale of deception, attraction, and moral ambiguity.

“Linka delivers intrigue, betrayal, and a feast for art lovers.”―Mary McCoy, author of Printz Honor Book I, Claudia

*”Clear-sighted and heartbreakingly true, this is a genuine portrait of a girl in quiet crisis learning to see things as they are.”―Booklist (starred review)

“Tense, smart, and engaging . . . What I Want You to See is a stunning portrait of deception, artfully peeling back layers of secrets to reveal a meticulously crafted crime.”
―Elle Cosimano, award-winning author of Nearly Gone

“A messy, heartbreaking and very real journey of learning to let others see who you truly are.”―Carrie Arcos, author of the National Book Award Finalist Out of Reach

“A stunning page-turner that will tear your heart and paste it back together.”
―Kim Purcell, author of This is Not A Love Letter and Trafficked

About Catherine:

Catherine Linka has been immersed in books her whole life, most recently as a writer and bookseller. She’s the author of the young adult novel WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE as well as the dystopian duology A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS and A GIRL UNDONE. Catherine lives in Southern California and watches hawks and hummingbirds when she should be writing. 

 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads 

 

Giveaway Details:

 

3 winners will win a signed finished copy of WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE, US Only.

 

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/3/2020	Texan Girl Reviews	Excerpt
2/4/2020	What A Nerd Girl Says	Review
2/5/2020	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt
2/6/2020	Savings in Seconds / @savingsinseconds	Review
2/7/2020	Lifestyle of Me	Review

 

Week Two:

2/10/2020	Do You Dog-ear?	Review
2/11/2020	BookHounds YA	Excerpt
2/12/2020	fictitious.fox	Review
2/13/2020	momfluenster	Review
2/14/2020	Hurn Publications	Review

 

Week Three:

2/17/2020	PopTheButterfly Reads	Review
2/18/2020	A Bookish Escape/lindytgomez	Review
2/19/2020	notinjersey	Review
2/20/2020	Nerdophiles	Review
2/21/2020	Comfort Books	Review

 

Week Four:

2/24/2020	She Just Loves Books	Review
2/25/2020	One in a Million	Review
2/26/2020	Fyrekatz	Review
2/27/2020	Two Points of Interest	Review
2/28/2020	ChristenKrumm	Review

City of Beasts by Corrie Wang

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher but I also bought my own copy early thanks to @decaturbookfest. Thanks! All options are my own!

Author: Corrie Wang

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: September 17, 2019

Recommended Age: 15+ (violence and slight gore, some romance)

Genre: YA Dystopian

Publisher: Freeform

Synopsis: “If you see a beast, and you have the shot, don’t hesitate. Kill it.”

For seventeen years, fees have lived separate from beasts. The division of the sexes has kept their world peaceful. Glori Rhodes is like most other fees her age. She adores her neighborhood’s abandoned Costco, can bench her body weight, and she knew twenty-seven beast counter attack moves by the time she was seven. She has never questioned the separation of the sexes or the rules that keep her post-nuclear hometown safe. But when her mother secretly gives birth to a baby beast, Glori grows to love the child and can’t help wondering: What really is the difference between us and them?

When her brother, at the age of five, is snatched in a vicious raid, Glori and her best friend, Su, do the unthinkable – covertly infiltrate the City of Beasts to get him back. What’s meant to be a smash-and-grab job quickly becomes the adventure of a lifetime as the fees team up with a fast-talking, T-shirt cannon wielding beast named Sway, and Glori starts to see that there’s more to males, and her own history, than she’s been taught. Glori, Sway, and a motley cohort of friends will go to the ends of the earth to find her little brother. And maybe save their divided world while they’re at it.

Review: I loved this amazing book! I loved the commentary on gender and I thought the story did well to convey that lesson to teens. The book has great world building and amazing character development.

My only issue was that I felt the story was slow in pace in a couple of places. That’s it. This is a really good book!

Verdict: A must read!

CITY OF BEASTS ASSETS

About the Book:

Title: CITY OF BEASTS

Author: Corrie Wang

Pub. Date: September 17, 2018

Publisher: Freeform

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 384

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

“If you see a beast, and you have the shot, don’t hesitate. Kill it.”

For seventeen years, fees have lived separate from beasts. The division of the sexes has kept their world peaceful. Glori Rhodes is like most other fees her age. She adores her neighborhood’s abandoned Costco, can bench her body weight, and she knew twenty-seven beast counter attack moves by the time she was seven. She has never questioned the separation of the sexes or the rules that keep her post-nuclear hometown safe. But when her mother secretly gives birth to a baby beast, Glori grows to love the child and can’t help wondering: What really is the difference between us and them?

When her brother, at the age of five, is snatched in a vicious raid, Glori and her best friend, Su, do the unthinkable – covertly infiltrate the City of Beasts to get him back. What’s meant to be a smash-and-grab job quickly becomes the adventure of a lifetime as the fees team up with a fast-talking, T-shirt cannon wielding beast named Sway, and Glori starts to see that there’s more to males, and her own history, than she’s been taught. Glori, Sway, and a motley cohort of friends will go to the ends of the earth to find her little brother. And maybe save their divided world while they’re at it.

About Corrie:

Corrie Wang is passionate about libraries, recycling, and eating all the food, everywhere. Corrie grew up in Buffalo but spent her formative years in Brooklyn, where one of her last paying gigs was managing a three-story nightclub on the Lower East Side.
Writing to fix things that make her angry and explore things that frighten her, Corrie’s novels are about girls unapologetically conquering scenarios they should have little control over. Tired of seeing women and girls lose in this culture – spoiler – they never do in her stories.

Her debut novel, The Takedown was chosen as one of the best books of 2017 by the New York Public Library and a 2018 YALSA selection for Best Fiction for Young Adults. City of Beasts is her second novel.

Seeing, as Corrie wrote an entire novel about the freakiness and perils of socializing too much on the internets her existence there is haphazard at best. Now, more than ever, she feels it is time for everyone to look up. (Also stand up, step up, and eat up.
Woot!) That being said, you may follow her poor photography skillz on INSTAGRAM.
AND P.S. Wang rhymes with ‘song’ y’all.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

BLOGGERS WHO HAVE POSTS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 16TH, PLEASE POST THIS PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGN INFO!

CITY OF BEASTS PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGN
Please submit proof of purchase to CORRIEWANGBOOKS [at] GMAIL [dot] COM. All formats apply (physical & e-book). Open to the United States only. Last day to submit is MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 at 11:59 PM.

PRE-ORDERS FROM BLUE BICYCLE BOOKS
http://bluebicyclebooks.bigcartel.com/product/corrie-wang-city-of-beasts
Each signed pre-order copy of City of Beats will come with:

• 1 set of 5 Battle Cards featuring different mercenaries
• A special paperclip necklace made by Mouse which makes you a part of the City of Beast family
• Entry to win 1 of 3 raffle prizes
  • 1st prize is a Jackrabbit Filly t-shirt/patch/ $10 gift card
  • 2nd prize $10 gift card to Jackrabbit Filly and t-shirt
  • 3rd prize $10 gift card to Jackrabbit Filly

ANY PREORDERS FROM AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE
Pre-order City of Beasts at your local indie and you will receive:

• A signed bookplate
• A set of 5 Battle Cards featuring different mercenaries
• A special paperclip necklace made by Mouse, making you part of the City of Beast family

PRE-ORDERS FROM ANYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD!

ANY PREORDERS FROM AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE
Pre-order City of Beasts anywhere else books are sold you will receive:

• A signed bookplate
• 1 of 5 Battle Cards at random

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive finished copies of CITY OF BEASTS, US Only.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:
9/2/2019- Country Road Reviews– Excerpt
9/3/2019- Two Chicks on Books– Excerpt
9/4/2019- Character Madness and Musings– Excerpt
9/5/2019- Shelf-Rated– Review
9/6/2019- BookHounds YA– Review

Week Two:
9/9/2019- Lifestyle of Me– Review
9/10/2019- Daily Waffle – Excerpt
9/11/2019- A Dream Within A Dream– Review
9/12/2019- Life of a Simple Reader– Excerpt
9/13/2019- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review

Week Three:
9/16/2019- Jena Brown Writes– Review
9/17/2019- Kati’s Bookaholic Rambling Reviews– Excerpt
9/18/2019- Wishful Endings– Excerpt
9/19/2019- Book-Keeping– Review
9/20/2019- Jade Writes Books– Review

Week Four:
9/23/2019- Eli to the nth– Review
9/24/2019- two points of interest– Review
9/25/2019- The Layaway Dragon– Review
9/26/2019- Smada’s Book Smack– Review
9/27/2019- PopTheButterfly Reads– Review

Week Five:
9/30/2019- lori’s house of reviews– Review