Blog Tour: Perfect Harmony

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Hosted by FFBC Tours

Perfect Harmony by Emily Albright 
Amberjack Publishing 
September 18, 2018 
Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Goodreads/Amazon

Pippa Wyndham is a top cellist―she’d never settle for anything less. Determined to get into the nation’s most prestigious music college, nothing’s going to stand in her way . . . Until her senior year of high school when a new guy from a fancy New York conservatory transfers to her school. 

Declan Brogan’s cocky, and he knows how amazing he is at the cello. He has every intention of knocking Pippa out of first chair and showing her who really belongs on top. Forced together when assigned a duet, their personal competition and mutual dislike transform into a teasing friendship.

Torn between her childhood crush and the boy who threatens her dreams, Pippa finds herself at risk of losing her best friend, her future, and the boy who makes her heart melt. Struggling to make things right, Pippa discovers that sometimes the thing you want the most doesn’t always end up being the thing you need.

Perfect Harmony by Emily Albright was such a cute, feel-good read. I read it super fast over the course of a day and had a huge grin on my face the whole time. If you're looking for a light but super adorable read I can't recommend this enough! 

One thing I really loved about the book is how it was set in Portland, Oregon. I'm an Oregonian so I loved reading about my home state. It was so cool! Also, Albright's little details about Oregon, such as the PDX carpet, really made the book feel authentic. 

Also, I loved all the scenes in NYC! I recently went there and I loved revisiting some of my favorite spots while reading. I was living vicariously through Pippa. Additionally, all the college talk was super relatable. Every time OSU or U of O was mentioned I was like "look there's my state schools!"

I loved the music aspect of the book. I was in school orchestra (as a violinist) myself for seven years and my best friend is a talented cellist. Having the importance and power of music highlighted was fantastic. All the orchestra scenes really struck the right note with me ;)

I'll warn you right now that there's a love triangle in the book. I didn't mind it in the least (although it helped that I felt it was very clear the whole time who she really liked). In fact, the romance was so sweet and I was rooting for the characters the entire time. Also, Declan wasn't a jerk - even though they had a little musical competition going - and he treated Pippa amazingly. 

All in all, I had a ball reading Perfect Harmony. The romance is sweet and exciting, the friendship and family dynamics were complex, and I loved seeing Oregon and school orchestra represented! 

4/5 Stars 
*received for free in exchange for an honest review*

About the Author

Emily Albright is the author of EVERYDAY MAGIC and THE HEIR AND THE SPARE, both available now from Simon Pulse. Her next novel PERFECT HARMONY will release 9.25.2018. 

She's a writer, a major bookworm, a lover of romantic movies, a wife, a mother, an owner of one adorable (yet slightly insane) cockapoo, and uses way too many :).

And here's a Giveaway! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway Enter to win one of three (3) copies of Perfect Harmony (USA only) 

Good Luck and Happy Reading :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Hidden Gems

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl 

There are so many books that deserve more publicity and love. Here are a few of my beloved books I picked up on a whim. They deserve more readers! 

1. Otherbound by Corrine Duyvis

So I've talked about this one a lot but I couldn't not add it! Otherbound is such a fun, diverse fantasy from 2014 that deserves so much more hype. 

2. Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn

This is my absolute favorite Sharon Shinn book of all time. I am so glad I picked up this older gem on a whim. 

3. Roses and Rot by Kat Howard

Rose and Rot blew my mind. If you're an artist or a performer (or if you like magical realism) read this! 

4. Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens
Murder Most Unladylike is a middle grade book that I absolutely adore and think more YA fans should pick up. I had such a blast reading this clever first book in an amazing kid's mystery series. 

5. Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff

This is such an underrated book that surprised me so much. It was incredible! 

6. The Season by Sarah MacLean

I picked this book up many years ago at my local library and it started my love for regency era london! 

7. Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

A while ago, while I was at Powell's, I picked up a used copy of Crown Duel. I had so much fun reading this treasure!

8. Up to this Pointe by Jennifer Longo

As a ballet dancer, I'm pretty picky about what ballet books I read. But this was so realistic and amazing and unique!

9. On the Edge of Gone by Corrine Duyvis

Yes, I know. This is another book by Duyvis. I just love her books.

10. The Idiot by Elif Batuman 
This is another book I just picked up on a whim. I read it while on my England trip and on the plane rides back. I was so immersed and was laughing and awe-struck the whole time. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Review: All the Birds in the Sky

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Anders 
Published: January 2016
Goodreads

A novel about the end of the world--and the beginning of our future

Childhood friends Patricia Delfine and Laurence Armstead didn't expect to see each other again, after parting ways under mysterious circumstances during high school. After all, the development of magical powers and the invention of a two-second time machine could hardly fail to alarm one's peers and families.

But now they're both adults, living in the hipster mecca of San Francisco, and the planet is falling apart around them. Laurence is an engineering genius who's working with a group that aims to avert catastrophic breakdown through technological intervention into the changing global climate. Patricia is a graduate of Eltisley Maze, the hidden academy for the world's magically gifted, and works with a small band of other magicians to secretly repair the world's ever-growing ailments. Little do they realize that something bigger than either of them, something begun years ago in their youth, is determined to bring them together--to either save the world, or plunge it into a new dark ages.

A deeply magical, darkly funny examination of life, love, and the apocalypse.

All the Birds in the Sky is such a delight. It's weird and imaginative and smart. There's not any book that I feel is similar. It's incomparable. Also, I have a feeling this will be taught in many, many literature classes. There's symbols and passages that could be analyzed over and over.

But don't worry, it's also a super fun read. You don't have to be a student or a super genius. I am a YA lover primarily and I feel a lot of other YA lovers will enjoy this. I love the quirkiness and continuous excitement that Anders incorporated into her story. 

The love story is the best part. Both Patricia and Laurence were weird children - outcasts - and found a bit of solace in each other. However, along with their similarities come extreme differences. Patricia is a witch while Laurence has a great talent for technology and science. And, when they meet again in San Francisco I was so rooting for them to end up together.

So, I can't not mention the birds. The birds that talk to Patricia as a child are such personalities that really set the tone for the story. However, my personal favorite character that wasn't human was the super computer that Laurence makes. It's wonderful and I can't wait for future readers to meet it. 

I feel as if this was such a hard book to review. I recommend just picking it up and experiencing it for yourself. There's so many specific scenes I want to talk about - but I don't want to spoil it for you. Just enjoy the ride!

P.S. Anders is such a one-of-a-kind witch with words. I can't wait to see what she writes next! And, if you disliked the Avatar: The Last Airbender movie as much as the rest of the world did, read her hilarious review here. 

Thanks for stopping by!