Fabulous and Brunette: #KellyVincent

Showing posts with label #KellyVincent. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Ugly by Kelly Vincent - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Kelly Vincent and her new book, “Ugly,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Kelly and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

Ugly

by Kelly Vincent

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GENRE: Contemporary YA

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BLURB:

Sophomore Nic Summers tries to ignore the taunts of “ugly lesbian.”

Because she’s not sure they’re entirely wrong. But she also has bigger concerns for now, including prepping for the school’s art contest. And while she isn't certain of her sexuality, she does know her life is on the verge of falling apart when her best and only friend, Sam, drops the bomb that her family’s moving to Scotland. Together, to soften the blow and distract themselves from the inevitable, they start Operation Social Interaction for Nic—or OSIN for short—to try to find her some new friends.

But it’s an uphill battle for the introverted teen artist.

As Sam’s last day nears, Nic's self-confidence wavers even more, and she starts questioning everything. If lesbian doesn’t feel quite right, maybe she’s transgender? It isn’t until she stumbles across the label “gender nonconforming” that things start to make a little more sense, and fall into place. But finding the right label doesn’t really tell her what to do next, and before she knows it, Sam is gone.

Mustering all her resources, Nic realizes she needs to find her own path and live her own truth.

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EXCERPT ONE:

All afternoon, I obsessed over the whole Carlos thing. Could he really like me?

Admittedly, it could have simply been that I was there, and he was bored. But I didn’t think so. I had a good feeling about this.

About time.

I missed having my eraser in chemistry because I decided to sketch out the periodic table while the teacher rambled on about something or other, and I messed it up counting out the transition metals. Plus, I’d need it over the weekend. Once I was on the bus, I put my headphones on and cranked up some Killers.

My asshole brother Caleb flicked me on the head when he passed me, heading for the back. He was such a douche now.

Still, the only thing in my head was Carlos, and how he maybe liked me.

My best friend Sam—short for Samantha, but she’d die if I called her that—was always getting on my case about not being brave enough socially, so I tried to think of what I could do that would be proactive and maybe even bold. We had a plan, called Operation Social Interaction for Nic—or OSIN for short—to wrangle some friends for me. She’d be proud if I did something on my own. I just had to figure out what.

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book is a very intriguing and compelling book about acceptance, diversity, resilience, and overcoming social norms!!

I really enjoyed the strong, inspiring, and encouraging messages the author has skillfully weaved into the story.

This book is on the longer side with 387 pages across 89 chapters. This book is written with many chapters, some comprising of only a couple pages.

At this time this book is not part of a book series and can be read as a standalone.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it!! I think all Contemporary YA book readers and coming-of-age book fans will like this book too!! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations**

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AUTHOR BIO:

Kelly Vincent wrangles data weekdays and spends the rest of her time playing with words. She grew up in Oklahoma but has moved around quite a bit, with Glasgow, Scotland being her favorite stop. She now lives near Seattle with three cats who help her write her stories by strategically walking across the keyboard, with her first novel, Finding Frances, a fine example of this technique. She has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Oklahoma City University’s Red Earth program.

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CONNECT WITH KELLY:

Website:

https://kellyvincent.net

Blog:

https://kellyvincent.net/blog

Email:

kelly@kellyvincent.net

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Kelly-Vincent-Young-Adult-Author-106808441724806

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kvbooks

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/kvbooks

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kvbooks

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@kv_books

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-vincent

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/ugly-by-kelly-vincent

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19868573.Kelly_Vincent

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60859050-ugly

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/2HE7K75

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3R5WH8z

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3CGBPAT

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Ugly-honest-heartfelt-gender-nonconforming-ebook/dp/B09YLGV9LX

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Ugly-Kelly-Vincent/dp/1958342009

Apple Books eBook:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/ugly/id1621261103

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ugly-kelly-vincent/1141396237

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ugly-27

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/ugly-27

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Kelly will be awarding a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Always the New Girl by Kelly Vincent - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Kelly Vincent and her new book, “Always the New Girl,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Kelly and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

Always the New Girl

by Kelly Vincent

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GENRE: Contemporary YA

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BLURB:

Knitting nerd Sarah Redmond is always the new girl, never the popular one.

Moving all over the country with her flighty mom seemed to be her lot in life, but her junior year at Sierra Vista High School feels like it could be different.

She's finally on the verge of a social breakthrough.

But when she gets publicly punked at her first party, she and her new friends find a creative way to use their shared obsession with knitting to exact sweet revenge.

And when their efforts lead to a lucrative business, Sarah knows she's set.

But when her deadbeat dad comes back around she starts to wonder if she should try for a different life, instead of following the paths her parents have chosen.

She'd always half thought her small-time knitting channel could grow into a big-time knitting channel, but maybe college as a backup plan isn't such a ridiculous idea, after all.

But is that something a girl like her can really make happen?

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EXCERPT TWO:

To cope, I did what any reasonable person would have done—I holed up in my room after work and started a new series of knitted weapons. First I made a dagger because it seemed simplest, but it still took me a while. I stabilized it with cardboard from a cereal box.

Naturally, I recorded how to make it. I even demonstrated what I’d like to do with the dagger. Stabbity stab stab.

Screw everybody at school. My thousands of subscribers thought I was cool. There were more of them than students at the school.

Of course, the comments exploded with trolls from school, with things about my contortionist face. Which, again, was so stupid. Some of my regular followers were flip‐ ping out and fighting back. One of them said, “Do you know who you’re making fun of?” like I was a big-time celebrity. Someone else said, “I’d like to see *you* make a giant celeriac!” That cracked me up. Still, I had to turn comments off on my whole channel because of all the trolls, which sucked.

A couple days later I was called into the principal’s office. Mr. Peterson—a middle-aged balding man—gave me this stern look when I got there. I had to wait for my mom in this tacky and squeaky wooden chair with frayed blue fabric arms. My stomach was roiling while I waited, because I had no idea what was going on, and I’d never been in trouble before.

We went into his office, where they had matching wooden chairs.

“Sarah and Ms. Redmond, we take threats of violence very seriously here.”

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book is a fun, entertaining, intriguing, coming-of-age read that perfectly captures the essence of those awkwardly, uncomfortable teenage years.

This book follows the main character, Sarah, a smart, caring, thoughtful teenager obsessed with knitting and running a popular YouTube channel (10K+ Subscribers) who just moved to Sierra Vista, Arizona with her mom. Sarah is just starting her junior year of high school at Sierra Vista High School and is looking for new friends and a fresh start at her new school. Unfortunately, Sarah is tricked at party by her mean new fake friends who completely embarrass and humiliate her in front of everyone and then share it on social media. Sadly, it didn't stop there, as Sarah’s classmates continued the bullying and torture on campus, harassed her at work, and trolled her YouTube channel. Not giving up, Sarah cleverly devised a crafty retribution plan that not only succeeded in defeating the bullies, but also turned into a unique side business.

So, I must admit, I might be a smidge bias on this book, as I have forever been nicknamed as “always the new girl” lol. I went to over 20 schools in 11 years – graduated high school in 3 years. My mom and I moved every 6-9 months moving all across the Pacific Northwest states down to Texas and as far east as Minnesota. For the most part, I loved the moving. Each new place meant a new “me.” It was like a clean slate, no one knew anything about me, and I could be anybody I wanted to be, and if it didn’t work out, who cares I’d be out of there in just a matter of months. Now mind you this was before social media was a thing, Myspace came out while I was in junior high, but didn’t really take off until high school, and Facebook came out my sophomore/junior year, so I didn’t have to worry about being Googled or social media bullying. I was simply the new girl, the shiny new toy, and most of the time it worked out, everyone was intrigued to hear my traveling adventures. But of course, there were a few times I ended up at a school with queen bees who made it clear that they were the center of attention and made sure I knew my place. I’m not gonna lie, those girls were bullies, and caused some very painful memories, but like I said, 6 months, and I was on to the next place.

So, clearly, I found it easy to relate and connect with Sarah. Like her, my mom and I were always on the move, I was always the new girl, my mom was constantly making bad relationship mistakes, and I often had the misfortune of being caught up in the middle of some of those awkward scenes.

I really liked Sarah as she is clever, sweet, kindhearted, and respectful. Even as she is pushed to the brink of feeling vulnerable, tormented, and heartbroken, she is still considerate and mindful in her bully revenge plan as she mentions not wanting to sink down to their level, and only dole out a fitting, but fair punishment.

“Fitting in,” can be hard as this book shows, and as much as I’d like to think with the recently significant diversity changes and progressive forward thinking, I’d hope that one day, “fitting in,” was a thing of the past. Everyone would welcome their uniqueness and want to stand out. Bullies could no longer have the power to terrorize you over something you embraced. Maybe one day we’ll get there.

Sadly, I also can personally draw many parallels to the domestic violence story lines along with the understandings, frustrations, and disappointments that go hand-in-hand with these difficult, but complicated topics. And while these are challenging problems, the author tactfully captured and appropriately represented these issues.

I also really enjoyed the strong, inspiring, and encouraging messages the author has skillfully weaved into the story.

This book is 295 pages long and instead of chapters, this book is divided into six parts, with several scene breaks referenced throughout each section.

This book is not technically part of a book series and can be read as a standalone. However, the author did write a prequel to this book, “Binding Off,” which is a short, 70-page book. The author was kindly enough to have included this prequel book in my gift box and I am looking forward to reading and reviewing it in the coming weeks. Of course, I will share and post my review for you all. Also, next week FAB will be re-hosting Kelly Vincent to review and promote her latest book, “Ugly.” I am looking forward to telling you all about this very intriguing and compelling book on acceptance, diversity, resilience, and overcoming social norms.

Trigger Warning!!! This book hits on many topics, including some content that may be troubling to some readers. Please be aware that this book does explore bullying, cyber-bullying, harassment, domestic violence, sexual violence, prostitution, and drug use. Please be mindful of these and other possible triggers and know that there are resources available to help.

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations**

Did you find this review helpful???

If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R463VIB71N3A7

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AUTHOR BIO:

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CONNECT WITH KELLY:

Website:

https://kellyvincent.net

Blog:

https://kellyvincent.net/blog

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Kelly-Vincent-Young-Adult-Author-106808441724806

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/kvbooks

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kvbooks

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@kv_books

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-vincent

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/always-the-new-girl-by-kelly-vincent

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19868573.Kelly_Vincent

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60854549-always-the-new-girl

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/2HE7K75

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3K7JVE7

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3JY86F7

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Always-New-Girl-inspiring-embracing-ebook/dp/B09VRXC4MD

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Always-New-Girl-Kelly-Vincent/dp/B09YT6G7FV

Apple Books eBook:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/always-the-new-girl/id1616146378

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/always-the-new-girl-kelly-vincent/1141273711

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/always-the-new-girl

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/always-the-new-girl

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Kelly will be awarding a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, March 23, 2020

Finding Frances by Kelly Vincent - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Kelly Vincent and her new book, “Finding Frances”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $40 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Kelly and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

Finding Frances

by Kelly Vincent

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GENRE: Contemporary YA

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BLURB:

Retta Brooks thinks her life is on track after convincing her overprotective mom to stop home-schooling her and allow her go to Buckley High. She comes home from a night out with friends to find that her whole world has changed, and she has extremely hard decisions to make. Not to mention finding the answers to questions some people would rather she not know. Is she strong enough for what lies ahead?

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EXCERPT TWO:

I Googled everything I knew about the crash. I had the rough date, so I searched for news records of wrecks then. But there were tons, and the old newspaper records required payment. I found a few sites that would let me search accident reports by state, which made me realize I didn’t even know for certain where the crash had happened.

I did know that right after it happened, Mom had moved us to Buckley and rented this house. I’d been born in Lincoln, Nebraska, so maybe it had happened in Nebraska. Yet I’d always assumed we had already been living somewhere in Iowa. Maybe it was Mom’s family who was from Nebraska. But where else in Iowa had we lived? Des Moines, since that was the newspaper I’d found?

Also, it occurred to me that it was weird we didn’t have much money. If all those people had died, surely Mom inherited money or got insurance money. It made no sense.

Googling everybody who had died brought up records of long-dead people with similar names and nothing more. What if it was all made up? What if those weren’t their names at all? What if I was adopted—or worse, kidnapped? That would be crazy. But it also would explain why Mom was so paranoid.

Could that really be it?

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book was intriguing, captivating, suspenseful, authentic, compelling, and emotionally consuming!!

First off, I was very shocked to find out what the main theme throughout this book was. I definitely was not expecting this book to revolve around domestic violence. I found the blurb to be somewhat misleading and perhaps too vague for this heavy topic to just be thrown onto the reader. As a former child who had faced my dad physically, mentally, and emotionally abuse my mom and I and even having been kidnapped and almost killed by him, this topic is not something I take lightly. I think most abuse victims like myself have triggers and even after years of survivorship can quickly be in an uncomfortable state-of-mind when certain memories come crashing back. I understand the author wanted to keep the plot elements secret to not spoil the story. However, I personally think there should have been some mention or warning that this book focuses on domestic abuse so readers like myself aren’t startled when it’s sprung on them. At this time, the book blurb and book cover do not provide any clues or information that this book centralizes on domestic abuse.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I’m really glad I read it. However, I wish I had known about the premise of this book, before stumbling into it and having all those emotions come racing back.

I appreciate that the author puts a spotlight on such a dark topic. She also doesn’t hold any punches as she tells this story in a raw, realistic, true to life fashion – instead of the sometimes-usual cotton candy story line take that down plays the toll dv plays on victims and their families – emotionally, physically, and mentally.

This book focuses more on the ripple effects of domestic violence rather than the actual account and physically shown abuse.

This story felt so true and authentic – and scary similar to things my mom and I went through. I really liked the main character, Retta and couldn’t help but easily connect with her! I so wanted to tell her it was going to be okay and this will only make you stronger. Words that I can say now as an adult and survivor.

I think the author did an amazing job on her character development as these characters were so real and personal on many levels!

Thankfully, unlike Retta’s mom, my mom didn’t keep secrets from me. We’ve always had a very close relationship and it would have been hard to keep from me since I could remember the abuse. But like the main characters, we cut all family ties, and we ran. We moved every 6-9 months as he hunted us. Like the book reveals, dv cases back then weren’t taken seriously and police often looked the other way as it was a “personal family matter.” Thankfully, there are now stricter laws and more awareness – including thanks to this book – but today’s stats still list that more than ten million people experience domestic violence in the U.S. each year!!!

I liked that this book also focused on Retta’s experiences and how it was shaping her outlook on men and her future. Retta worries that the guy she likes may turn out to be like her abusive father. I personally can’t help but still look for the warning signs when I meet someone new. This topic isn’t often highlighted or mentioned and I appreciated that the author included this story line into the book. Domestic violence changes the way victims think, act, and perceive others.

I also enjoyed the passages where Retta was connecting with her mom though her music, clothes, shoes, posters, scrapbooks, etc. Retta getting to know about her mom before everything changed were some beautiful and sweet character arc development moments.

I really liked that the author included a note at the end of the book that detailed background information on domestic violence, warning signs and characteristics of abusive relationships, and information on how to get help.

This book has a creative story line that evenly flows, excellent writing style with well-described scenes, strongly-developed characters, is steady paced, and completely keeps you fully engaged!!

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it! I think all contemporary young adult readers will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

Did you find this review helpful?

If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1MKQZPANJL0L2

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AUTHOR BIO:

Kelly Vincent wrangles data weekdays and spends the rest of her time playing with words. She grew up in Oklahoma but has moved around quite a bit, with Glasgow, Scotland being her favorite stop. She now lives near Seattle with three cats who definitely help her write her stories. She’s also working toward the Red Earth Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at Oklahoma City University.

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CONNECT WITH KELLY: