Hey, all! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy. Today I’m posting for the By the Book blog tour hosted through The Fantastic Flying Book Club. I’m really excited to be part of this tour, and you can also check out my Instagram post!
About the Book
By the Book
by Amanda Sellet
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 12th 2020Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
Mary Porter-Malcolm has prepared for high school in the one way she knows how: an extensive review of classic literature to help navigate the friendships, romantic liaisons, and overall drama she has come to expect from such an “esteemed” institution. Her love of literature even inspires her to imagine herself the heroine of a nineteenth-century novel. Not the sort who makes poor life choices and ends up dying of consumption while still in her teens, but the noble, virtuous, quick-witted type.
When some new friends seem in danger of falling for the same tricks employed since the days of Austen and Tolstoy, Mary swoops in to create the Scoundrel Survival Guide, using archetypes of literature’s debonair bad boys to signal red flags. But despite her best efforts, she soon finds herself unable to listen to her own good advice and falling for a supposed cad—the same one she warned her friends away from. Without a convenient rain-swept moor to flee to, Mary is forced to admit that real life doesn’t follow the same rules as fiction and that if she wants a happy ending, she’s going to have to write it herself.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | BookDepository | Kobo | Google Play
About the Author
Debut author Amanda Sellet had a previous career in journalism, during which she wrote book reviews for The Washington Post, personal essays for NPR, and music and movie coverage for VH1. These days she lives in Kansas with her archaeologist husband and their daughter.
Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram
Review
Hello and happy release day to By the Book! I’m excited to be part of this wonderful tour. I have to say, when I first started the book, I was a little skeptical because I wasn’t sure if I liked the tone, but once I started to get into it, I really enjoyed reading it.
Something I really liked about the book were the little diary entries before each chapter. I feel like we got to know Mary better through those small bits, and it made her a more developed character overall.
There are a lot of great little tid bits of literature in here, and I loved the references! I did think it was a bit pretentious of Mary to assume that every sophomore in high school had read a lot of the books she did, but it was kind of hilarious for her to have the realization that maybe she is the odd one out for that.
I also loved Mary’s family. Though her older twin sisters prove to be a bit of a rough spot for her when Mary goes to the new high school, she still loves them. The sibling dynamic throughout the book made me laugh and think of my siblings. It was great to see such a nice family dynamic and relationship in this book.
This book is super charming, and it’s perfect for people who enjoy nicely nestled Easter eggs from old literature.
Playlist
Here’s a playlist of music I thought of while reading the book. Mary imagines herself as a heroine throughout the book, so I had to throw in some movie scores!
Tour Schedule
May 6th
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club – Welcome Post
May 7th
Grownup Fangirl – Deleted Scenes
L.M. Durand – Review
TheGeekishBrunette – Review + Favourite Quotes
Ya It’s Lit – Review + Favourite Quotes
The Loyal Book – Review
May 8th
Confessions of a YA Reader – Official Dream Cast
Write, Read, Repeat – Review
The Little Mouse that Reads – Review + Favourite Quotes + Mood Board
Pawsome Reads – Review
My Bookish Escapades – Review + Favourite Quotes
May 9th
BookCrushin – Story Behind The CoverAnnej Reads – Guest Post
The Shelf Life Chronicles – Review
Sometimes Leelynn Reads – Review + Playlist + Dream Cast
bookish bibliophile – Review
May 10th
Bookish Looks – Meet The Characters
Booked J – Review + Playlist
The Perks of Being Noura – Review + Favourite Quotes
3heartsandawish – Review
Emelies Books – Review + Playlist + Mood Board
May 11th
Wishful Endings – Top 5 or 10 ListMorgan Vega – Review + Favourite Quotes
Book Briefs – Review
Moonlight Rendezvous – Review + Favourite Quotes
Magical Reads – Review + Playlist
May 12th
Kait Plus Books – Tell your story in 3 or 5 gifs
@womanon – Review
Belle’s Archive – Review + Favourite Quotes + Author’s reaction
The Mind of a Book Dragon – Review + Playlist
For The Love of Fictional Worlds – Review
Instagram Schedule
May 6th
May 7th
Grownup Fangirl
L.M. Durand
TheGeekishBrunette
Ya It’s Lit
The Loyal Book
May 8th
Confessions of a YA Reader
Write, Read, Repeat
The Little Mouse that Reads
Pawsome Reads
My Bookish Escapades
May 9th
BookCrushinAnnej Reads
The Shelf Life Chronicles
Sometimes Leelynn Reads
May 10th
Bookish Looks
Booked J
The Perks of Being Noura
3heartsandawish
Emelies Books
May 11th
Wishful EndingsMorgan Vega
Book Briefs
Moonlight Rendezvous
Magical Reads
May 12th
Kait Plus Books
Belle’s Archive
The Mind of a Book Dragon
Giveaway
Prize: One (1) copy of By the Book by Amanda Sellet
Starts: May 6, 2020
Ends: May 20, 2020
Link: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86498/
Happy reading,
Sophie 🙂
