SIDEKICK review, discussion, + 2 giveaways (#Sidekickblogtour)

Title: Sidekick
Author: Natalie Whipple (@nataliewhipple)
Publisher: Whipple House
Date of Publication: November 10, 2015

Blurb:

Russ is a high school football player who feels like he always comes in second to his best friend, Garret. In sports. In school. With girls. Well, he's tired of it, and he gets the rather foolish idea that if he can win the heart of the new girl in town before Garret he can prove he's not just sloppy seconds.

His plan? Use his anime-obsessed sister's group, who has befriended the new girl, to get closer to her. He'd never tell the team, but he's been going to Anime Night for years and might even enjoy it. That would ruin his reputation, just like his secret love for cooking and James Taylor.

But pretending to be something you aren't catches up to you eventually, and Russ can only get away with living two lives for so long. As more than one person reveals they have something to hide, Russ must figure out what and who he really wants in his life. And more than that, he needs the courage to make it happen.

SIDEKICK is the second indie book I've read by Natalie Whipple, and I really enjoyed it! (Thanks to Dianne of Oops I Read A Book Again for including me in the blog tour!) It's not often that you see the male side of the spectrum in regard to sports and high school insecurities, so this was a nice change to say the least. Especially since the assumption that things were a certain way were only there because no one communicated and everyone was afraid to share how they really felt. Because of a few misconceptions, Russ made some poor decisions and had some serious 'splainin' to do. But in the end, everything worked out great and the tables burger booths were totally turned. :D

A quick breakdown before Melissa and I discuss SIDEKICK:

Favorite quote: Someone alert the media! Russel Pearson finally has a girlfriend. Women everywhere mourn.

Favorite character: DAPHNE

Immediate reaction upon book completion:  I NEED A BURGER!

What I'd like to do:  See Russ in that leather jacket :P Oh and eat at Parker's, of course.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars burgers*!

        *Sidekick is definitely upper YA due to drinking, language, and adult situations.

Suggestion:  Get SIDEKICK today! (Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Purchase a signed copy from Natalie, HERE!) 


Discussion:

Yesterday, Melissa of The Reader and the Chef and I got together to discuss our feelings about Russ,  Parker's, bacon, and one girl whose last name will not be named. We had a lot of fun, and since SIDEKICK is about a lot more than two guys, one girl, and a side of bacon, I think the convo is definitely worth the read.  (I'm the black font; Melissa is the red.)

                                       

SIDEKICK

I shall write in RED. Bold red. *taps mic*

testing

haha

Okay, so Russ. What are your thoughts?

Russ. I think I liked him as a character but he was always so contradicting. And he made things harder than they really were.

Right. Like, at first, I was really frustrated with the guy. Hello, senior stud, you’re obviously absolutely clueless to everything. How can that happen? A jock, clueless? So it annoyed me a bit. But then I thought, hmmm, if this was the exact same scenario but a GIRL, would I be reacting this way? That calmed me a little.

Yes! In reality, that’s why I think I tolerated Russ more. It’s normal to come across a girl MC that doesn’t really have a clue about how awesome she is, but with a male mc? Not that common. Sort of reminded me why Stephenie Meyer wrote Life after Death.

Hmmm I have to admit I haven’t gotten to that one yet. *cries* But I get what you mean. And it’s true. It’s less common. Me neither, but I read that on an interview hehe. OH! LOL

I think what got to me (you know, those little character traits that pick at you) most was how he was so adamant about hiding everything about himself. And then, even though I still found it frustrating, I had to remember that there ARE clicks and people ARE judgmental like that. In fact, there was a quote I highlighted about that. Let me find it…

People are waiting for you to screw up, so you have to make sure they never have a chance to realize what a loser you really are. That’s all popularity is--pretending to be cool. No one is actually cool.

Which is somewhat true, though I think many people are cool, I think it boils down to the fact that everyone has their own definition of “cool”.

I loved that quote! There are many cool quotes like this one in here. I highlighted one when he was talking about Chefs, sent that to my sister since she always gets “shunned” for choosing that career.

:/ That’s sad. *sends hugs to your sis*

You know, putting Russ a bit aside, I was actually surprised to have the secondary characters turn into important ones as the story progressed.

Totally agree with you. I loved the secondary characters. (Well, except for one… *shakes head*)

Ohemgee. That character was CRAZY. Like, what the muffins?! Unexpected. I mean, I was expecting some misunderstandings and jealousy and well, normal stuff. But then this character turns out to be just sick.

Here’s what got me: the fact that she had no conscience about what she was doing. That bothered me more than anything. Talk about messing with people’s heads.

The nerve. And she never learns. She never feels guilt and I’m really curious to know what happens to her in the end. The other guy sort of like saunters towards her and that’s it. That part was darker than the rest of the book.

I don’t want to get into details, because spoilers, but this made me laugh (when they go into Parker’s and Russ says): Are you sure you don’t want two? You could always save the other one for later...

O.0

LOL. That was funny! Right there was when I stopped thinking badly of Russ. He didn’t sound like a Sidekick to me at all. Wish I had awesome comebacks like him.

What I enjoyed about Sidekick was how that kind of began to slip away as he began to prioritize. Took the guy long enough, but still. He went from, 

This is like turning the world upside down and declaring anarchy… Garret’s calling me over to the freak table. 

to deciding who stinking cares about that, because I care for someone, and if anybody thinks they can hurt that person, well… BAM.

They aren’t worth his time. so BYE. (we can forget that LOL). Anyway, what frustrated me a bit was how Garret seemed to have this BIG secret at the beginning, and well, it’s not that big. It’s just self-harm because of jealousy and popularity. I was expecting something more from him as a character. He was weak, to me at least.

I agree. And that all did annoy me, don’t get me wrong. But the more I think about it, the more I think that’s a LOT of guys in high school. No matter what sport or extracurricular activity. I see it daily. Trying to fit in. Not sure where you work in the overall scheme of high school groups. So the weakness, in my opinion, was actually a lack of self-esteem. Which almost all teens have. Some show it outwardly (say, overly obnoxious so they appear confident; or always knocking compliments even though they’re the best looking because they truly do think they’re ugly); others take on things they don’t even like just to fit in. Daphne definitely did that. She hid her favorite things at times just like Russ did. (Obviously not *all* kids who are considered popular think they aren’t--but I think most of that crowd is also insecure. Like LANCE. WAIT WHAT WAS HIS NAME AGAIN?)

DALLAS

hahaha WHERE DID I GET LANCE?  

bahahaha

beats me, I was like WHAT LANCE o.o

Speaking of Lance (hahahaha kidding!): Dallas, he wasn’t actually a bad character. He just wanted to be like Garret. The most popular guy’s bestie.The sidekick. Still a jerk though.

YAS! Exactly!

And I knew it! Told you about Daphne. hehehehe

I LOVE DAPHNE, DAPHNE’S MY FAVORITE. *insert Elf emoji here*

She was truly the coolest. Eccentric, smart, and overall COOL. Not like Izzy. I liked her and thought she was a cool sister at first but dude, what a crazy girl! She at times came off as REALLY mean.

I liked how Russ was able to talk to her (and make amends WITH PANCAKES). That was a great sibling thing. That’s one thing Natalie writes well, I think: those heartfelt interactions.

Oh, he was a really great brother (if we forget all those times calling her and her friends freak in public haha). Another funny thing was how everybody was like: “oh, you look sexy/hot when cooking” and he was always like “I look like a pansy”.

As an outsider looking in, yeah, that was annoying. But somewhere, somehow, we all get those ideas in our minds, sometimes. I mean, I know authors even do. “I’m lame. I’m not good enough. I’m so below so and so.” (Now if we could just get people to walk around telling us WE’RE HOT hahaha)

Hehehe we should…. B-) Trent. Wait, it is Trent, right? I liked that boy and his family’s business. Does it really exist in Clovis?

Yes! And not that I know of. I’ve never heard of it. But I enjoyed reading about Riverpark (shout out to the bestest Barnes and Noble, BTW) and other Fresno/Clovis related things. In fact, we went to Clovis yesterday (used bookstore called A Book Barn--check it out, locals!) and after all of that burger talk, I HAD to get one while we were there!

Yum! I’ve never visited Riverpark, only a Hometown Buffet, a theater right besides a mall (watched New Moon with dad and UGH) and that’s it. Can’t remember much of Fresno. But next time I shall visit those places!

It’s food, shopping, and the big Edwards theater. You could go there and hang out all day just fine. :)

Overall, I have to agree with the author (read the acknowledgements!) that Sidekick is indeed a book about friendships and then, misunderstandings. A lot of things that happen may seem a bit too much or too middle grade (?) but think it nailed how sometimes, like you said, even the most popular person in the whole world has lots of insecurities and may even think of himself/herself as a sidekick. Or not know how much they are worth or who the real friends are.

True. Though I wish I could say it’s only a middle grade thing, with having three daughters currently in high school, I see/hear about this sort of thing often. (Not a kid like Russ specifically, but that struggle for people to find their place, to be able to step out and do different things, and be comfortable with it, ect.) For some reason, our human tendency is to fall back on labels and we have a hard time being cool with NOT giving them to people and accepting them if they have a little bit of a few labels instead of one specific one. That’s not only a teen struggle, but a human one.

Is US High School really that tough? I don’t recall as many labels here in Mexico. Sure, we have the popular ones and all, but not that much. I don’t even remember which label I fell upon, or if I had one. o.o UNPOPULAR LOL

But to WHOSE standard of popular? That’s what I mean. In every school (watch every YA movie and you’ll see the same thing… Clueless, Mean Girls, and so on), there’s groups. The ASB (student body) kids, the artsy kids, the smart (or AP or this-or-that club) kids, the jocks… I could go on and on. I’m not saying that those groups don’t have individuals who step out and do things outside of their little bubbles… but there IS a struggle to feel accepted (by certain people) at times when one does belong to a few different groups. I’d say there’s a lot of embracing one another here, as well… but it all boils back to the whole security vs. insecurity thing. At the end of the day, Russ was insecure because of the way he PERCEIVED everything. When he saw things differently, look at how the situations changed.

When he realized HE was the popular one, more like the one everybody wanted to be, he embraced his singularity and realized he didn’t need to fit anywhere else except with the people he wanted to be with. I liked that. And it didn’t mean he was the best person ever, but he realized that’s who he was and accepted it.

EXACTLY! EMBRACE YOUR INNER BACON LOVER!

I mean…

I’M EMBRACING IT. What was the name of the place again? I feel like I’d die if I ever ate one of those burgers. But I’d totally want to try one LOL.

It was Lance’s.

HEHEHEHE

Parker’s.

HAHAA. Will never forget Lance ♥

ENTER TO WIN SIDEKICK (UPDATE: Giveaway has closed)











ENTER TO WIN FISH OUT OF WATER (read my review, HERE):

 




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Natalie Whipple's SIDEKICK (#SidekickBlogTour)

I am so, so excited to share this today! I absolutely LOVED Natalie's FISH OUT OF WATER, so naturally I'm very excited about SIDEKICK (and will be sharing my thoughts on it in a couple of days)! Check out the blurb, read an excerpt, and then check out the giveaway!

Title: Sidekick
Author: Natalie Whipple (@nataliewhipple)
Publisher: Whipple House
Date of Publication: November 10, 2015

Blurb:

Russ is a high school football player who feels like he always comes in second to his best friend, Garret. In sports. In school. With girls. Well, he's tired of it, and he gets the rather foolish idea that if he can win the heart of the new girl in town before Garret he can prove he's not just sloppy seconds.

His plan? Use his anime-obsessed sister's group, who has befriended the new girl, to get closer to her. He'd never tell the team, but he's been going to Anime Night for years and might even enjoy it. That would ruin his reputation, just like his secret love for cooking and James Taylor.

But pretending to be something you aren't catches up to you eventually, and Russ can only get away with living two lives for so long. As more than one person reveals they have something to hide, Russ must figure out what and who he really wants in his life. And more than that, he needs the courage to make it happen.

Read an excerpt: 

He shrugs. “You hungry?”

“Always.”

“Parker’s?”

“Of course.” Parker’s Drive-In is our place, and I mean that in the manliest way possible. Old Man Parker puts bacon grease in the burger meat, so the whole place smells like a giant slab of pig fat. There’s nothing better in the world than this homage to bacon.

Parker’s is always open, so when we pull up at midnight there are still a couple of people sitting in the bright red booths. When Garret opens the door, the cashier, Buck Parker, smiles wide. He’s the oldest of the four Parker boys. The whole family works there, and most of them are proud of it. I guess I would be too if I’d won awards for Best Drive-in Food. This place is one of the few reasons anyone comes to Clovis. The other two are family and farmers markets.

I’d never tell a soul, but sometimes I wish I could work here, even for one day, just to see how they create their burger masterpieces.

“Awesome catch, Garr!” Buck says. “If you don’t make the news, I’ll be shocked.”

Garret shakes his head, using that oh-I’m-not-so-great smile all the girls fall for. “It was just a lucky catch. Russ did all the legwork.”

I shove my hands in my pockets, trying not to be annoyed at Buck for overlooking me and my eighty-nine yards running tonight. But yards run don’t matter when you aren’t the one with the ball in the end zone. At least Garret acknowledges me. I do appreciate that.

“Way to go, Russ.” Buck glances at me with an overcompensating grin. Praise means nothing when it’s forced, so I can’t bring myself to answer. “What’ll you buys have?”

We both get two bacon burgers with a side of chili fries. Garret gets Coke, but I go for Sprite because Coke tastes maybe one degree better than beer.

We dig in, and I try not to moan over the crunchy bacon goodness. At Parker’s they chop up the bacon and make a full-on patty to go on top of the hamburger. So every single bite is full of bacon, bacon-flavored hamburger, and sharp cheddar. I have no choice but to forgive Buck for overlooking me. I bow to their burger genius.

***

Add to Goodreads

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Purchase a signed copy from the author HERE!

About Natalie Whipple:

Natalie Whipple grew up in the Bay Area and relocated to Utah for high school, which was quite the culture shock for her anime-loving teen self. But the Rocky Mountains eventually won her over, and she stuck around to earn her degree in English linguistics at BYU, with a minor in editing. Natalie still lives in Utah with her husband and three kids, and keeps the local Asian market in business with all her attempts to cook.

She is the author of the TRANSPARENT series, HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW, the I'M A NINJA series, FISH OUT OF WATER, and MY LITTLE BRONY (under K.M. Hayes). In addition to that, she is on the writing team for the cRPG Torment: Tides of Numenera that should be out sometime in 2015.

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And now for the GIVEAWAY!!! :D

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New books! Eagerly anticipating upcoming releases

Yay! It's a new year! You know what that means, right? NEW BOOKS!

Most readers have at least a few titles they're anxiously awaiting to hold in their hands as a new year commences, and seeing as how that seems to be the theme on the blogosphere this first week of January, I figured I'd share a few I'm waiting for, too. :)

So, here are five books yet-to-be-released that I'm looking forward to reading (maybe one or two of the titles will be new to you)! Click the link above the cover photo to add it to your goodreads profile (you can also click on the author's name, and become a fan--you'll receive their latest news in your feed!), and... enjoy!

LET THE SKY FALL (YA)



Blurb from goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.

Now, I'll be honest: Normally this storyline would not grab me. But I've lurked stalked followed Shannon on her blog for a long time. She's a great person who continually spreads the reader and writerly love by giving away books; and following her story and journey into publication alone is what made me pre-order LET THE SKY FALL! (Check out her blog here!)

PIVOT POINT (YA)



Blurb on goodreads:

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

This was already on my TBR list before I realized that Kasie West and I are practically neighbors--I hope to meet her in the near future!!!!  :D   Can't wait to gobble up this one... and isn't the cover is gorgeous?

 UNRAVEL ME (YA)



Goodreads' description (sorry about the teeny print!):

tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life

This is the second of a trilogy (not counting DESTROY ME, considered book/novella 1.5, available as ebook, only). After getting into Warner's head in the novella, I do feel for him a bit more, but Juliette and Adam are still my favorites--I can't wait to find out what happens between them. (Pssst! *whispers* Hey, Juliette... choose your heart!!!)

THE RUNAWAY KING (MG)



Goodreads blurb:

A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!

I cannot get enough of stories like this; especially Jaron's! Love the way Ms. Nielson has written his point of view--if there's a surprise in Runaway like there was in TFP I can't wait to see what it is! This book is technically middle grade, but my two younger daughters (ages 12 and 13) and I really enjoyed the first in the series (THE FALSE PRINCE is set to be adapted into a screenplay by the story editor of HBO's Game of Thrones!)

TRANSPARENT (YA)



Blurb:

Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.

An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.

After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.

Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.

Natalie is someone else I've been following here on the blogosphere for a quite a while. I'm so excited that it's her turn to shine... and can't wait to read this!

And there ya go... five of my I-can't-wait-to-hold-this-book-in-my-fingers-and-devour-it-in-one-sitting-whilst-drinking-coffee books that are coming out in the next few months!

What about you? What books are you looking forward to? Feel free to share so I can add it to my TBR list! :)