"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: Struck (Struck, #1)
Author: Jennifer Bosworth
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 373 Pages (May 8th, 2012)
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

Title: The List
Author: Siobhan Vivian
Publisher: Push, 332 Pages (April 1st, 2012)
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: An intense look at the rules of high school attraction -- and the price that's paid for them.It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.

Title: The Selection (The Selection, #1)
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen, 327 Pages (April 24th, 2012)
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Another three titles this week. Struck, The List and The Selection. I LOVE the cover for The Selection! Such an epically amazing dress. And it's really exciting news that this title is going to be made into a CW TV show with some amazing actors already attached to it. I seriously <3 the CW! Three title so different from one another, yet all are must reads. I have Struck and the Selection to read and review a bit closer to the release dates and I can't wait! I wish I had the List here, because this one sounds like a must read contemporary title and I'd like to read more contemporary titles in 2012. So, what do you guys think of these three books this week? Have you read any of them? If so, what did you think? And if you haven't, are you looking forward to them like I am?


*covers are always subject to change.
*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this post.

Title: Cut
Author: Patricia McCormick
Publisher: Push, 160 Pages (February 1st 2002)
From: the Publisher, Thank You!

Synopsis: Fifteen-year old Callie is so withdrawn that she's not speaking to anyone including her therapist at the residential treatment facility where her parents and doctor send her after discovering that she cuts herself. Her story unfolds primarily through dramatic monologues, gradually revealing the family turmoil that led to her self-destructive behavior. Her little brother, Sam, is ill he nearly died in her care. Since Sam's illness, Callie's mother has become so worried and fragile that she rarely leaves the house. Her father has responded to the psychological and financial stress of Sam's illness by disappearing into his work, and when that doesn't work, into his drinking.

Callie's efforts to understand herself and her family illuminate her process of recovery honestly and with hope. Cut provides an insightful look at the psychology of cutting a form of self-abuse an estimated 2 million teenage girls inflict on themselves.

The 10^th Anniversary edition of Cut includes a brand-new afterword from author Patricia McCormick, an author Q&A, and added resources.

Review: 3 Stars - Cut by author Patricia McCormick is an extremely realistic portrayal of a 15 year old girl dealing with issues through cutting. This year celebrates the 10 year anniversary of Cut, bringing it back in the spotlight, at a time when a broader audience of YA readers will have a chance to connect with a troubled girl and her struggle to understand why she does what she does.

Cut tells the story of Callie, a 15 year old girl with issues and how she deals with them. Growing up, we all have them. Issues are a part of life. We deal with them differently and it just happens that Callie cuts herself to feel normal again. We readers are merely a witness to her struggles while she struggles to come to terms with why she does what she does. It might take a while for the story to unfold and for the reader to learn more about Callie, but the conclusion was well worth it in the end.

All in all Cut is a story about struggles and being a teenager. It’s about family and feeling like you’re not alone. Most importantly it’s about healing and finding out there are different ways to deal with things, such as talking and working through things.

Happy 10 Year Anniversary to author Patricia McCormick and Cut.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

About the Author:

Patricia McCormick spent three years researching and writing her first novel, Cut. She is also the author of the National Book Award finalist Sold, as well as Purple Heart and My Brother’s Keeper. She lives in Manhattan. Learn more at http://www.pattymccormick.com/.

Please link to This is Teen & the author’s site for more information about the title:

www.facebook.com/thisisteen

http://www.pattymccormick.com/

TWO winners will each receive a copy of CUT!

Rules and how to enter:

You MUST be at least 13 years old to enter
Please fill out to the easy form below for your entry to count
This giveaway is open to US residents only. Sorry!
Giveaway ends: June 29th, 2011

Good Luck to everyone who enters!!!

Many thanks to Push for the two copies of Cut to giveaway to two lucky winners!

As always, for any questions check my policy page or feel free to email.

Title: I Don't Want To Be Crazy
Auhor: Samantha Schutz
Publisher: Push, 288 Pages (July 1st, 2006)
From: Crownbook Outlet

Synopsis: This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities -- freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be.


At first, she revelled in the independence ... but as pressures increased , she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and physically incapacitated. Thus began a hard road of discovery and coping, powerfully rendered in this poetry memoir.

Review: 3 Stars - I picked up this book after reading it was about a girl heading to college and starts having trouble with anxiety. I've suffered with anxiety since I was 6 years old, so it's nothing new to me. It's always something that's hard to explain to people who don't suffer with it themselves. It’s always an easier said then done thing.

However this author - Samantha Shutz does a great job writing this affliction and her experiences as she suffered through her college years. It gives everyone who suffers, or not, such insight into the world of anxiety.

At times I found myself frustrated for the various drinking and drugs. It's never great to do either of those things, especially if you have anxiety or on medication. It frustrated how she should have known better. I wish I could say it's because this is another Fictional story, but it's not. As I mentioned above, it's based on the author’s experiences after leaving for college.

The aspects of the story when it comes to the anxiety were pretty spot on, however I didn't understand how she could travel. Maybe that's me drawing from my own travel problems due to anxiety, but being stuck in a classroom in college and being stuck in a plane... I'd think that the smaller plane would cause more trouble when you compare the two.

However, there's no rhyme or reason to how anyone person gets stuck with this horrible illness and there's no rhyme or reason as to what you'll feel like from one day to the next. Each person is different in how they see and feel things, so it's right to say that each person with anxiety would be affected differently when it comes to some things. This book showed me just how similar yet how different people with anxiety are afflicted.

If your someone who has anxiety or know someone who does, this is a great book to read to get a better understanding of things, if not just to know your not alone out there and to feel like it's not only you.

FTC Disclaimer: I DID pay for this book and have NOT been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this review.