YA Book Chat

Today I am chatting with young adult author Rachel A. Greco!

Rachel is no stranger to the podcast, as she has been on previously to discuss her first book, The Gift of Dragons. Today we are chatting about its sequel, The Hope of Dragons.

Take a listen as Rachel and I chat all about her writing process, the complicated characters and their character arcs, world building, creating dragons who have fun personalities, finding hope in the darkness, and more!

Please note: While most of this episode is spoiler free, there is one question where we discuss spoilers from The Gift of Dragons. But you will hear a warning before that happens.

A little about The Hope of Dragons:
In the aftermath of Adelaide's failed attempt to save her people and her beloved man-dragon, Klinhun is left vulnerable and on the brink of war with the neighboring country of Gyndilad. Determined to ensure her people's survival and secure lasting peace, Adelaide embarks on a perilous quest alongside her loyal hawk, Cyr, in search of the legendary dragons.

However, the dragons prove to be less cooperative than Adelaide anticipated, placing the fate of Klinhun squarely on her shoulders. With the help of a small group of dragons, Adelaide, Cyr, and their newfound allies must confront the Gyndilians and protect their homeland. Yet, the weight of this responsibility threatens to overwhelm Adelaide, especially as she grapples with her own deadly dragon abilities.

As Adelaide navigates the treacherous landscape of Gyndilad, she discovers a web of secrets that jeopardize everything she holds dear, including her closest friend, Gunter. Trapped amidst his enemies, Gunter must find a way back home while struggling to preserve his identity. Will he reunite with his loved ones, or will he lose himself in the clutches of the enemy?

In the fiery sequel to The Gift of Dragons, Adelaide faces not only the formidable Gyndilians but also her own nagging doubts that threaten to consume her. To save the ones she cherishes, she must conquer her inner turmoil and confront the challenges that lie ahead once and for all.

Check out Rachel's website
Follow Rachel on social media: Instagram, Facebook
Purchase Rachel's books

A special thank you to Rachel A. Greco for coming on the podcast and chatting with me today! 

Send us a text

Have a question about today's book or author? Have a book you want me to review on the podcast? Just want to say hi? Send me an email at [email protected]

Don't forget to give the podcast a 5 star rating, and leave a review! Thank you for your support!

Today I'm chatting about a wonderful new YA Rom Com, All Roads Lead to Rome by Sabrina Fedel.

Take a listen as my friend Dani and I chat all about the romance, hot Scottish guys, old Hollywood movies, trips to Italy, tropes we love like "he falls first," "normal girl falls for royalty," "European romance," "fake dating," and so much more!

The first fifteen minutes are spoiler free!

A little about All Roads Lead to Rome:

Introverted, slightly anxious Astoria “Story” Herriot knows everything about Rome—her mom’s an attorney here and the two of them are living la dolce vita… at least until Story’s off to college in the fall.

But when Story is in the wrong gelato shop at the right time, she’s swept up in a fake dating scheme with Scottish heartthrob, Luca Kinnaird, to protect his relationship with a pop princess. There’s something in it for her, too—Luca promises to help fund a scholarship in her dad’s memory. Soon she’s showing Luca the best cafés, sightseeing at the Mouth of Truth, and picnicking at the ruins of the Abbey of Santa Maria del Piano. Story’s travel guide skills are 10/10, but what she knows about being a celebrity—or having feelings for one? Zero.

Pretending to be Luca’s guide—then his girlfriend—gets the paparazzi’s attention . . . and what’s true and what’s fake gets blurry as their different worlds crash together. Sophisticated, hot, rich, and with the most charming accent ever, Luca is full of surprises. And maybe, too, is Story’s perfectly planned future.

It’s a fairy-tale romance in the Eternal City…will it have a fairy tale ending?

Send us a text

Have a question about today's book or author? Have a book you want me to review on the podcast? Just want to say hi? Send me an email at [email protected]

Don't forget to give the podcast a 5 star rating, and leave a review! Thank you for your support!

Today I am chatting about The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood. Joining me to chat about this wonderful YA Historical Fantasy, is first time guest Rebecca Ahola.

You'll want to take a listen to this episode because I have finally found a YA book with vampires in it that I LOVE! Vampires set in the Civil War...and it's sooooo good!

Take a listen as Rebecca and I chat all about the plot, characters, the American civil war, slavery, the fabulous audiobook narrators, Lauren Blackwood's powerful and beautiful writing, gorgeous vampires, a hot power couple, a love for cute little snails, and more!

Trigger warning: This episode does include talk of slavery, rape, death, and graphic visuals that are portrayed in the book. 

A little about The Dangerous Ones:

One vampire to kill. Another to love.

War doesn’t scare Jerusalem. She’s a Saint. Thanks to powerful demigod-style reflexes, endurance, and strength, she’s fearless. And she has one goal - revenge.

But she never expects to team up with the handsome, arrogant Alexei to accomplish it. He’s one of those Ancient Vampires. And ever since her family was enslaved and murdered by one, Jerusalem hates vampires.

But in the year they've been fighting alongside one another against the Confederate Army and the vampires who benefitted off slavery, Alexei’s never done anything but prove he’s on the Union’s side and hers. She may know the enemy better, hate the enemy more than anyone in her battalion, but so does he. And she’ll use that to her advantage. Because if she can get her revenge by helping Black people gain freedom and equality without having to steal it for themselves like she had to, then all the better.

Together, she and Alexei set out to change the course of the war, risking their hearts and themselves as they attempt to take down the vampire who destroyed everyone Jerusalem held dear. But for Jerusalem, it’s about more than love and justice.

It's about killing a god.

Send us a text

Have a question about today's book or author? Have a book you want me to review on the podcast? Just want to say hi? Send me an email at [email protected]

Don't forget to give the podcast a 5 star rating, and leave a review! Thank you for your support!

Today I am chatting about a fabulous YA Rom Com, The Breakup Artists, by Adriana Mather. Joining me today is my friend Morgan, lover of all things Rom Com.

Take a listen as Morgan and I chat all about the plot, characters (including characters we love to hate), my obsession with the 1996 movie version of Romeo and Juliet, how there is a character with my name in this book, our favorite swoony moments, and so much more!

First fifteen minutes are spoiler free!


A little about The Breakup Artists:

August and Valentine, seventeen-year-old best friends, run a business called Summer Love, Inc. They hire themselves out to unhappy parents whose kids are in bad relationships, adopting fake identities and going undercover to break up these relationships by any means necessary.

Valentine, the brains of the operation, believes that they're making the world a better place by steering people away from a relationship precipice so they can someday find true love. But for August, every case is personal--another chance to prove that true love doesn't exist. He blames his sister's manipulative boyfriend for her death, and--unlike Valentine--he doesn't believe in soul mates. No, he thinks the idea of falling head over heels is ridiculous at any age.

But then August meets Ella, who suddenly turns everything he thought he believed about love upside down. The problem is that she's their new case, which means that everything he's told her about himself is a lie--including his name.

Send us a text

Have a question about today's book or author? Have a book you want me to review on the podcast? Just want to say hi? Send me an email at [email protected]

Don't forget to give the podcast a 5 star rating, and leave a review! Thank you for your support!

Today I am chatting with debut author Amber Chen about her brand new YA Silkpunk Fantasy novel, Of Jade and Dragons.

Take a listen as Amber and I chat about what it's like being a debut author, her journey from writing for Wattpad to being traditionally published, what Silkpunk fantasy is, the beautiful cover design, the world building, strong characters, plot line, and more!

The entire episode is spoiler free!

A little about Of Jade and Dragons:
Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a world-class engineer like her father, but after his sudden murder, her life falls apart. Left with only a journal of her father’s engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, a heartbroken Ying follows the trail to the capital and the prestigious Engineers Guild—a place that harbors her father’s hidden past—determined to discover why anyone would threaten a man who ultimately chose a quiet life over fame and fortune.

Disguised as her brother, Ying manages to infiltrate the guild’s male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of an unlikely ally—Aogiya Ye-yang, the taciturn eighth prince of the High Command. With her father’s renown placing a target firmly on her back, Ying must stay one step ahead of her fellow competitors, the jealous guild masters, and the killer still hunting for her father’s journal. Complicating everything is her increasingly tangled relationship with the prince, who may have mysterious plans of his own.

The secrets concealed within the guild can be as deadly as the weapons they build—and with her life and the future of her homeland at stake, Ying doesn’t know who to trust. Can she avenge her father even if it means going against everything he stood for, or will she be next in the mastermind’s line of fire?

A special thank you to Amber Chen for coming on the podcast and chatting with me today. And thank you to Jenna Smith at Penguin Young Readers for setting up the interview.

Follow Amber on social media: Instagram, X, TikTok
Check out Amber's website
Purchase Of Jade and Dragons

Send us a text

Have a question about today's book or author? Have a book you want me to review on the podcast? Just want to say hi? Send me an email at [email protected]

Don't forget to give the podcast a 5 star rating, and leave a review! Thank you for your support!

Today I am chatting about The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen. This is the first book in her Bright Sessions novels. Joining me today is Priscilla from the Novel Feelings podcast.

Take a listen as Priscilla and I chat all about what it would be like to be an empath who can feel the emotions of everyone around them, the characters, the plot, how I obsessed over a boy when I was in high school (yes, it's related), the friendship and love story between our main characters, and so much more!

The first fifteen minutes are spoiler free!

A little about The Infinite Noise:
Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.”

Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb's ability is extreme empathy―he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb's life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam's feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb's feelings in a way that he can't quite understand.

Caleb's therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist―who seems to know a lot more than she lets on―and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.

Follow Novel Feelings Podcast on Instagram
Check out the Novel Feelings website
Listen to Novel Feelings Podcast

Send us a text

Have a question about today's book or author? Have a book you want me to review on the podcast? Just want to say hi? Send me an email at [email protected]

Don't forget to give the podcast a 5 star rating, and leave a review! Thank you for your support!

Today I am chatting with NY Times Bestselling author Marie Lu! We will be chatting all about her new book, Icon and Inferno; the sequel to Stars and Smoke.

Take a listen as Marie and I chat about her writing process, what inspired her to take a break from writing fantasy and write a thriller instead (it'll surprise you!), the research she did for these two books, how Starbucks gift cards can be used as spy tech, the romance between Sydney and Winter, what's up next for Marie, and more!

The entire episode is spoiler FREE!

A little about Icon and Inferno:
A year has passed since superstar Winter Young last saw secret agent Sydney Cossette. After barely surviving their first assignment together in London -- and their intense chemistry – the two haven’t spoken at all. Though they’re never far from the other’s thoughts, or fantasies.

So when Syndey shows up at Winter’s studio one day with a new mission from Panacea, he has no choice but to accept. With the clock ticking, the duo prepares to head to Singapore to rescue an operative in danger -- only to learn he’s none other than Sydney's ex, a rogue agent known as the Arsonist.

Of course, nothing is ever simple when it comes to Winter and Sydney. Especially not with the glamorous Gavi Ginsburg, a globe-trotting socialite and Winter’s one-time girlfriend, in the mix. Is she back for Winter’s heart – or does she have her eye on another prize?

The smoldering sequel to New York Times bestselling Stars and Smoke follows Winter and Sydney on yet another treacherous mission that grows more sinister with each twist and turn. To make it out alive, they'll have to figure out how to be partners again -- and if they can resist the burn of something more.

Thank you so much to Marie Lu for being my guest today and thank you also to Tatiana Merced-Zarou at Macmillan for setting up the interview. Lastly, thank you to Macmillan audio for both the Stars and Smoke and Icon and Inferno audiobooks!

Check out Marie Lu's website.
Follow Marie Lu on social media: Instagram, Facebook, X
Purchase Icon and Inferno.

Send us a text

Have a question about today's book or author? Have a book you want me to review on the podcast? Just want to say hi? Send me an email at [email protected]

Don't forget to give the podcast a 5 star rating, and leave a review! Thank you for your support!

Today I am chatting with debut author Trish Lundy about her brand new YA thriller, The One That Got Away With Murder.

Join us as Trish and I chat all about our hometown of Rochester, NY, (Yes! We grew up in the same place!), what it's been like for Trish as a debut author, her writing process for writing a thriller/murder mystery, our main characters with a troubled past, and more!

The entire episode is spoiler free!

A little about The One That Got Away With Murder:
Robbie and Trevor Cresmont have a body count―the killer kind. Handsome and privileged, the Crestmont brothers have enough wealth to ensure they’ll never be found guilty of any wrongdoing, even if all of Happy Valley believes they're behind the deaths of their ex-girlfriends. First there was soccer star Victoria Moreno, Robbie’s ex, who mysteriously drowned at the family lake house. Then, a year later, Trevor’s girlfriend died of a suspicious overdose.

But the Crestmonts aren’t the only ones with secrets. Lauren O'Brian might be the new girl at school, but she's never been a good girl. With a dark past of her own, she's desperate for a fresh start. Except when she starts a no-strings-attached relationship with Robbie, her chance is put in jeopardy. During what’s meant to be their last weekend together, Lauren stumbles across shocking evidence that just might implicate Robbie.

With danger closing in, Lauren doesn't know who to trust. And after a third death rocks the town, she must decide whether to end things with Robbie or risk becoming another cautionary tale.

Check out Trish's website!
Follow Trish on Instagram!
Purchase the book!

A special thank you to Trish for chatting with me today! And thank you to Tatiana Merced-Zarou at Macmillan for setting up the interview!

Send us a text

Have a question about today's book or author? Have a book you want me to review on the podcast? Just want to say hi? Send me an email at [email protected]

Don't forget to give the podcast a 5 star rating, and leave a review! Thank you for your support!

Today I am chatting with my friend Dani about Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross.

Divine Rivals is a beautiful fantasy set in an old fashioned war-torn world where two journalistic rivals form a connection that will be tried and tested. This book is a sweet enemies/rivals to lovers romance where are main characters are drawn together through writing letters. It's a book that could be considered Greek Mythology meets You've Got Mail, meets a Hallmark movie. It's sweet and timeless and will give you ALL the feels!

Take a listen as Dani and I chat all about the plot, characters, Greek mythology, how men shouldn't start a war in order to get a woman's attention, and more! We might even discuss a little of the sequel, Ruthless Vows...just maybe...

First 15 minutes are spoiler free!

A little about Divine Rivals:
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Send us a text

Have a question about today's book or author? Have a book you want me to review on the podcast? Just want to say hi? Send me an email at [email protected]

Don't forget to give the podcast a 5 star rating, and leave a review! Thank you for your support!

Today I am chatting with NY Times Bestselling author of fiction for all ages, Jennifer Donnelly!

Today Jennifer and I are chatting about her brand new fairy tale retelling, a gender swapped reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, Beastly Beauty. Beastly Beauty is Jennifer's third fairy tale retelling. Her others are Stepsister and Poisoned, which tell the tales of Cinderella's "ugly" stepsister, and Snow White. 

Take a listen as Jennifer and I chat all about her writing style, her inspiration for these fairy tale reimagining's, the messages society sends young women and how we can combat them, pulling inspiration from Grimm's fairy tales, and so much more!

You won't want to miss it!

A little about Beastly Beauty:
What makes a girl "beastly?" Is it having too much ambition? Being too proud? Taking up too much space? Or is it just wanting something, anything, too badly?

That's the problem Arabella faces when she makes her debut in society. Her parents want her to be sweet and compliant so she can marry well, but try as she might, Arabella can't extinguish the fire burning inside her -- the source of her deepest wishes, her wildest dreams.

When an attempt to suppress her emotions tragically backfires, a mysterious figure punishes Arabella with a curse, dooming her and everyone she cares about, trapping them in the castle. As the years pass, Arabella abandons hope. The curse is her fault -- after all, there's nothing more "beastly" than a girl who expresses her anger -- and the only way to break it is to find a boy who loves her for her true self: a cruel task for a girl who's been told she's impossible to love.

When a handsome thief named Beau makes his way into the castle, the captive servants are thrilled, convinced he is the one to break the curse. But Beau -- spooked by the castle's strange and forbidding ladies-in-waiting, and by the malevolent presence that stalks its corridors at night -- only wants to escape. He learned long ago that love is only an illusion. If Beau and Arabella have any hope of breaking the curse, they must learn to trust their wounded hearts, and realize that the cruelest prisons of all are the ones we build for ourselves.

A special thank you to Jennifer Donnelly for coming on the podcast and chatting with me today! And a special thank you to Amanda Trautmann at Scholastic, Inc. for setting up the interview!

Send us a text

Have a question about today's book or author? Have a book you want me to review on the podcast? Just want to say hi? Send me an email at [email protected]

Don't forget to give the podcast a 5 star rating, and leave a review! Thank you for your support!