The Ghost of You and Me By Kelly Oram-Blog Tour Review and $25 Giveaway

   
{Product Description}
Title:The Ghost of You and Me 
Author:Kelly Oram.
Audience/Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Clean Read.
Publication: June 20th 2017 by Bluefields.

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{The Ghost of You and Me by Kelly Oram}

How do you tell someone who hates you and blames you for the death of his best friend that you miss him? From the bestselling teen and young adult author of Cinder & Ella comes a new heart-wrenching romance sure to bring all the feels. The tragic death of Spencer Schott unravels the lives of the two people he loved most—his girlfriend, Bailey, and his best friend, Wes. Secrets and guilt from that fateful night keep both Bailey and Wes from overcoming Spencer’s loss and moving on with their lives. Now, nearly a year later, both Bailey and Wes are still so broken over what happened that Spencer can’t find peace in the afterlife. In order to put his soul to rest, he’s given one chance to come back and set things right...even if that means setting up his girlfriend with his best friend. 

 With the emotional resonance of Jellicoe Road and the magical realism of The Lovely Bones, The Ghost of You and Me is a story about overcoming grief, finding redemption for past mistakes, and the healing power of friendship and love. Fans of John Green, Sarah Dessen, and Nicholas Sparks are sure to love this haunting new tale from Kelly Oram. 

 This is a clean young adult romance stand alone novel that reads like contemporary drama romance and has just a touch of magical realism.

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{My Review}
The Ghost of You and Me is a story full of emotion that explores the themes of grief and forgiveness. The paranormal aspect of the book was done in such a way that made you utterly love Bailey's boyfriend, Spencer, who had died the previous year. Spencer, the ghost, has come back to help his two best friends heal and find love again. The back story of the three friends, Bailey, Spencer and Wes is so sweet, but heart breaking at the same time. As the story progresses and you find out more about them and how Spencer died in an accident, you realize how much they all were hurting and should have communicated with each other way before Spencer died. 

I love Kelly Oram's stories and how she always hits a home run when it comes to the emotional journey of her characters. Funny enough, one of my favorite characters wasn't one of the three already mentioned, but Bailey's new friend Charlotte who brought such loyalty and strength to their friendship. This is a high school story full of some of the more familiar cliches of what it means to be popular and peer pressure and it also rises above those same themes by exploring the aspects of being selfless and dealing with grief. 

This story is clean and for anyone 16+ who enjoy reading about love, romance, forgiveness and letting go. I know I enjoyed this book and was satisfied with how it ended. 

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{Excerpt}

Our hug goes on long enough that it turns into something more. I’m not sure how to break it up or if I even should. Wes’s embrace started out soft, but now he’s hanging on as if he plans to never let me go. His muscled arms have me trapped against him in a grip I couldn’t escape if I tried, and his cheek is resting on the top of my head. He’s not hugging me; he’s holding me.

As I stand there frozen in shock, one of Wes’s hands slides up my back and he tangles his fingers in my hair. His cheek slides across my head until I feel his face buried in my hair, and he takes a deep breath, inhaling my scent. His grip on me tightens even more, as if he can’t hold me close enough.

There’s something about the moment that feels desperate. It’s as if Wes can’t help himself. It feels as 

though he’s seized on the tiny bit of comfort I’ve offered him and is trying to soak it all in before it vanishes and he’s left without again. Has he had no one helping him through this for the entire last year? I can’t even imagine what a nightmare it’s been for him to have to deal with Spencer’s death and his mom’s cancer all by himself.

  

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{Meet Author Kelly Oram}
 Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

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    {$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway}
Ends 7/26/17 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram (Power of the Matchmaker #3)-Blog Tour Review and Giveaway

Product Details

• Title: If We Were a Movie (Power of the Matchmaker series #3)
• Author: Kelly Oram
• Paperback: 372 pages
• Genre: New Adult Romantic Comedy
  
• Publisher: Bluefields (March 1, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0996638857
• FTC, FYI: I received a review e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram (Power of the Matchmaker #3) 

Music meets Movies in this sweet college romance from the bestselling author of Cinder and Ella. NYU freshman Nate Anderson is a triplet who is desperate to escape his wild and crazy brothers. After they screw things up for him one too many times, Nate flees his housing situation and takes the first available room for rent as far from his brothers as he can get. Enter his new roommate Jordan--a quirky LA girl who believes that everything in life has already been done in the movies. In this heartfelt tale of love, friendship and family, Nate learns how to deal with his new adult life using Hollywood films as a guide.

 

My Review:

 If We Were a Movie is the third installment in the Power of the Matchmaker Series. This is the series where Pearl, the Chinese Matchmaker we met in the novella I reviewed earlier this year, goes around the country bringing people together with her matchmaking magic. 

This novel is different from the others I've read so far. Here we have two college students in New York City who are thrown together by strange circumstances. This novel is fun with clever dialogue. The first very surprising fact of this book is the story is told from the perspective of the main Male lead character, Nate. It took me just a bit to realize this, but it made this book very unique to hear this story told from a male. Nate is a very talented music major going to school on a full ride scholarship. He along with his other triplet brothers room together in a small dorm room, but his wild brothers are driving him crazy with their frat boy antics. We also meet Jordan, the person looking for a roommate and Pearl sends Nate to her to help him get away from his brothers and his controlling girlfriend. 

Of course the fun starts when Jordan and Nate end up as roommates and become great friends right away. This does not go over well with Nate's long time girlfriend, Sophie who doesn't like the idea of Nate's new female roommate. Nate and Sophie are going through a hard patch of disagreements about life and their future together. 

I loved Jordan, a film major, who grew up in a wealthy family, but never felt much love from them. She is bright, positive and very funny. Both of their lives are changed from their friendship. This story is fun with all of the movie quotes that Jordan says and relates all of them to their lives. This was one of my favorite things in the novel. Soon Nate realizes that Jordan accepts him for who he is and supports him in his goals and dreams. 

The supporting characters, Nate's brothers, Jordan's co-worker and Nate's father were all wonderful and brought to life in such dynamic ways. They added so much to the story with their bold and colorful personalities and Nate's father's love and support for Nate and Jordan. Sophie was the villain in the story, set up to be disliked, and she did everything under the sun to be unlikable. I didn't like how bossy and controlling she was towards Nate. She claimed to love him, but wanted to change everything about him. This is an enlightening concept for any young person to read about. Many things happen, but I will tell you there is a happy ending for readers.

I liked this book and think it was a great addition to the Power of the Matchmaker series. Older teens and adults will enjoy reading this New Adult novel.

***Warnings: Underage drinking and partying, mild cussing, implied unmarried sex with no details and kissing.***

What readers just like you are saying about If We Were a Movie:

"WOW! This book is great! The concept is so inventive, and the writing is brilliant."

"I thought Cinder & Ella jerked with my emotions too much but this one might have it beat."

"I finished reading If We Were a Movie yesterday. I loved it! I fell hard for Nate. Jordan was amazing! And Pearl's timing was perfect! "

"Amazing concept with movies as chapters, and fantastic storyline." "I loved this story and was humming along to the songs from the book whilst reading. I can see this book becoming the movie it was written to be." "If We Were a Movie made me want to binge watch movies, listen to old playlists and re-read it all at once."

TEASER: 
“So this is what a Pearl-approved guy looks like.” She shook her head once and cracked a smile. “She’s got good taste, I’ll give her that. You’re an odd mix of sexy and adorable. Don’t see that often.”

I was a little taken aback by the compliment, if that’s even what it was. She may have just been stating what she considered to be fact. She laughed at my surprise and held out her hand to me. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jordan Kramer.”

I’d been afraid of that. “You’re a girl.”

Jordan laughed. “That’s what it says on my birth certificate, but I’m really glad you were able to figure it out without needing to read it.”

Nope. I definitely didn’t need that.

 TEASER:
 I handed Jordan the electric guitar that I’ve had since I was twelve, and laughed when her eyes got really big. “You play the electric guitar, too?” “Music major,” I teased, picking up my keyboard. “I play this, too. A little. And the bass guitar.” “Awesome.” She examined the electric guitar with awe. “Why do you seem so surprised?” She looked at me as if the answer to that question should be obvious. “Hello. Have you met yourself? You with an acoustic guitar singing soft songs around a campfire or in a coffee house makes perfect sense. But I can’t picture you up on a stage, jamming on your electric guitar like a rock star.” She studied me a moment, then shook her head. “You’ll have to play for me, or I’m not going to believe it.”

 

Meet Author Kelly Oram:

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.

 

   

Don't miss the latest news from Kelly Oram! Sign up for her newsletter to receive e-mail notifications for all of her new releases, events, sales, & giveaways. This is a monthly newsletter often with exclusive giveaways and freebies from some of her favorite authors.

         

Giveaway

Signed copies of V is for Virgin & A is for Abstinence (1 winner, 2 books)

Open Internationally

Ends 3/18/16

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Blog Tour Review and Giveaway for V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram

Tour Schedule

Author Kelly Oram

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

Links:

Blog: http://www.kellyoram.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kellyoram

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Oram/167476866620455

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3203095.Kelly_Oram

V is for Virgin

When Val Jensen gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.


After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.


As if becoming nationally recognized as “Virgin Val” isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.

How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?

V is for Virgin is scheduled to be released on December 11, 2012.

For those who might wonder about content based on the title -
From Kelly: The book has a great overall message and promotes good strong moral values. For a book all about sex, there's not anything even close to a sex scene in it, but because of the nature of the topic there is a lot of innuendo/sexual humor and some name calling.

Book Review
I loved this book! When I first heard the title, it threw me off for a bit. Once I read the book I am going to champion this book! I want every teen to read this book, male and female! The message is clear and straight forward about abstinence, and waiting for marriage to have sex, but it is delivered in a very entertaining story. Main character Valerie is a girl that young women everywhere will be able to relate to. Valerie is not always confident, but she chooses the right moment to stand up for herself. I like how this character is not painted as perfect, she still has temptations along the way that challenge her. The characters' interactions and relationships seem real like you would find in any high school. I just really liked how this story shows how one person standing up for something good, like abstinence, can influence others to find the courage to do the same.

Overall, if you are a parent and worry about the content, by all means read the book first. But I want to assure you, as a mother of an almost 15 year old young woman, I would not hesitate in the least having her read this book. In fact, this is one I would like to read together, so if she wanted to talk about things, I would be ready there to answer any questions. Bravo Kelly Orem, for writing a book that will so powerfully influence young people in many ways.

Guest Post From the Author:
I asked Kelly why she wrote books for teens. Here is her answer...
 

Why do I write for teens? I think it’s because my maturity peaked at age 16. Honestly, it’s just the genre that I enjoy the most. I love coming of age stories, I love first-time romances, and if I have to pick a “team” then all the better.

There’s never been any question that young adult was where I feel most at home as a writer. I’ve never considered writing anything else and probably never will. I have tried to step outside my genre before just to see what would happen. It’s always been a disaster, and almost always ended in an abandoned manuscript.

You have to write what you enjoy. If you’re not having fun with a story it’s evident in the writing. Not to mention you spend so many hours writing, and if you’re not enjoying it then that makes for one miserable long project. (And one majorly cranky mom!)

As I get older, and my children get older, I think I appreciate the genre even more because I understand the importance of having good books for teens to read. I’ve never really thought about the influence my writing could have on people until I wrote V is for Virgin. I didn’t set out to write a book with a “message” but now that it’s written I find myself hoping that people will be able to connect with it.

The topic of when to become sexually active is a very sensitive, and often difficult one. Do I expect the book to change anyone’s life? No. Of course not. But do I hope it might make people at least stop and think about what they want before they have to make such a difficult choice? Sure. What writer wouldn’t like to be a positive influence on their readers? 

But mostly, I just hope to entertain my audience. As a reading addict myself, I know how much it stinks to pay for a book and then not like it, so my ultimate goal is always to end up with something that I wouldn’t mind paying for. I certainly had a lot of fun writing V is for Virgin, and hope that people enjoy it just as much.

Tour Giveaway

$30 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Open Internationally

Ends 1/6/12

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The tour schedule can be found here: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/11/v-is-for-virgin-blog-tour.html