Heading in a new direction + a reveal

Hello guys! I know, I know, where the hell have I been? Well, I'm not gonna lie. When I haven't been working nearly all day everyday, I've been vegging out on my couch, avoiding my blogging responsibilities. But I have some news. Some exciting news (Look, I think it's exciting at least...).

I'm rebooting my blog. 

And by reboot, I mean I'm essentially dumping Lily's Reads. I've created a brand new blog, with a brand new name, and heading in what is for me, a brand new direction. And I couldn't be more excited!

The blog isn't quite ready to debut yet, though. When it is, (hopefully sometime in mid-July) I'll let you all know right here, and I hope you'll continue to follow me on my bookish journey.

Now for the reveal.

Wait, I thought the new blog was the reveal?

Umm, sorry. I wanted to give you the exciting news before I hit you with this. It's not anything bad, it's just something that some people might get upset about. But with my decision to head in a new direction, I wanted to be as truthful with you all as I can be, and I can't do that with telling you my real name.

Yeah. Lily isn't my name. My name is Jada.

Why have you been lying to us all this time?!?!

I KNOW I KNOW! I'M SORRY!

I genuinely feel awful about this. But when I first started blogging (long before Lily's Reads came into being) I was a youngin' concerned with keeping my identity from the creepy creeps of the internet. So I decided to take the name of one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite books, The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving.

So, no more secrets. We can still be friends, right? Right??

I'll just give you some time.

xox

*Review* Locke and Key by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez

Locke & Key by Joe Hill,
illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez
Publisher: IDW, 2008- 2012

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy

Source: Scribd/ e-book 

Rating: 4/5

Amazon || B&N || BAM || Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis
 Locke & Key tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them. Home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all...

Although I don't read them nearly enough, I really and truly love graphic novels, and this series is by far one of the best I've ever read. I literally forced myself to stay awake because I wanted to know what happened next. And anyone who knows me knows that's not a thing that happens often because I really love sleep, especially when I'm at college, which is where I was when I read this series. So, in short, this series is fabulous.

Seriously. I know this review is a little light on the review part of things, but that's because I don't have any actual words for this series. Just go pick it up. I promise on my un-dead cat's immortal soul that you won't regret it.

Until next time,
xox

*DNF Review* Those Girls by Lauren Saft

Those Girls by Lauren Saft
Publisher: Poppy: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: June 9, 2015

Genre: YA, Contemporary 

Source: NetGalley/Publisher

Rating: 2/5

Amazon || B&N || BAM || Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis
 Some girls will always have your back, and some girls can't help but stab you in it.

Junior year, the suburbs of Philadelphia. Alex, Mollie and Veronica are those girls: they're the best of friends and the party girls of the school. But how well does everybody know them--and really, how well do they know one another? Alex is secretly in love with the boy next door and has joined a band--without telling anyone. Mollie suffers from a popular (and possibly sociopathic) boyfriend, as well as a serious mean streak. And Veronica just wants to be loved--literally, figuratively, physically....she's not particular. Will this be the year that bonds them forever....or tears them apart for good? 

Lauren Saft masterfully conveys what goes on in the mind of a teenage girl, and her debut novel is raw, honest, hilarious, and thought-provoking, with a healthy dose of heart.

There's really nothing I hate more than DNFing a book, but sometimes I just have to, and unfortunately, this is one of those books.

Let me begin by saying that I didn't hate this book. I thought it was okay, to a point. What killed this book for me was the excessive 'mean girls' cliche, and the repetetiveness of the storyline. After awhile, it just felt like the book kept repeating itself, same bitchy girls, same asshole boys, different party. After a while, reather than being amused by the awful dynamic of friendship amoung the three female protags, I became annoyed and finally wanted to just slap them all and tell them to grow the fuck up. There's only so much bitching about boys and shitty friends I can take, in books and in real life, before I start to tune out.

I do wish the author would have explored some subjects she presented in this book a little further (although, I did only get through about 50%, so maybe she did in the last half), such as the one character's eating disorder. I feel like it could have been a great way to discuss a serious illness, instead of just tacking it on as an accessory.

I don't really know what else to say about this book other than you'll either love it or hate it.

Until next time,
xox