No Such Thing As Perfect, by Sarah Daltry

Synopsis: College was supposed to be perfect. She was supposed to be perfect. 

For Lily Drummond, life is about following the rules. To be specific, her mother’s rules. College fit into the plan – maintain perfect grades, date the perfect guy, and live the perfect life. On her own, though, Lily realizes that she doesn’t actually have a plan. Without being told what to think and do, she fears she keeps making mistakes. 

Away from home, the perfect facade begins to shatter and Lily realizes that things have grown toxic. After things are pushed too far, Lily determines to let go of what is good enough for everyone else - and to define herself by her own standards.

Thoughts: This is a coming of age story that really struck a chord with me. There was a period of time in my life where I wanted to be perfect: the perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect wife, the perfect mother. So as I read this book, I could feel Lily's pain at never being enough, and I was constantly rooting for her to find herself.

The story is very well written, and goes deeper into the feelings of the characters, especially Lily and Jack, then I originally expected. And I was also thankful that the author didn't give Lily a "happily ever after" ending, but showed that sometimes "happy for now" is good enough.

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

My rating: Five stars

Pre-Order Blitz: Dust, by Sarah Daltry

       

Who makes YOUR choices?

"I was once the type of person who was impressed by starlight; the type of person who would dance beneath glass ceilings and let the world swim in its loveliness. The sky reminds me of the parties we used to throw - parties like the one last night. The memories bring back the trill of harps and endless ripples of satisfied laughter. Now, though, when I try to recall what I felt, all I hear is screaming." In a world ravaged by war and oppressive forces of evil, a princess must fight to claim her bloodright and save her people. When the princess, Alondra, falls for the beautiful, blue eyes of a hooded stranger, it awakens in her a taste for freedom and an escape from her duty. But her parents have other plans; they have a kingdom to protect and Alondra must marry to ensure the peace between nations. Only what happens when your parents choose a cold-hearted assassin as your betrothed? As lies, illusions, and long hidden vendettas surface, the princess has to confront a very secret history. One that makes her realize that she not only risks losing her liberty, but also everything she has known and loved.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sarah Daltry is a varied author, known best for the contemporary New Adult series, 'Flowering', a six-title series that explores the complexities of relationships, including how we survive the damage from our pasts with the support of those who love us. Although the books are no longer in print, they are being rewritten and redeveloped for future publication. Please visit Sarah's website for more details.

As a former English teacher and YA library coordinator, Sarah has always loved Young Adult literature and 'Dust', an epic fantasy novel where romance blends with the blood and grit of war, is her second official foray into YA, following the gamer geek romantic comedy, 'Backward Compatible'. Most of Sarah's work is about teens and college students, as it's what she knows well.

Sarah's passion in life is writing - weaving tales of magic and beauty. The modern and vast social networking world is an alternative universe that she makes infrequent trips to, but when she does, readers will find her attentive, friendly and happy to discuss the magic of stories and reading. Please stop by and say hello anywhere Sarah is online! You can find these places at http://sarahdaltry.com

Sarah has moved back and forth between independent and traditional publishing. Her first novel, 'Bitter Fruits', is with Escape, an imprint of Harlequin Australia, and she signed with Little Bird Publishing in the spring of 2014.

Sarah has also written 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,' a reimagining of one of her favorite poems in a contemporary setting.

She is an obsessive Anglophile who spends more time watching BBC TV than any human being should, as well as a hardcore gamer and sarcastic nerd.

Email: sarahdaltrybooks@gmail.com

Stay up to date with news at Facebook (Personal Profile), Sarah's Facebook Page, Twitter, tumblr, Instagram, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

Sarah's book trailers are available on YouTube.

You can also check out samples of Sarah's work at DeviantArt and Wattpad.

Pre-Order Blitz for Dust, by Sarah Daltry

     

    



 

Who makes YOUR choices?

"I was once the type of person who was impressed by starlight; the type of person who would dance beneath glass ceilings and let the world swim in its loveliness. The sky reminds me of the parties we used to throw - parties like the one last night. The memories bring back the trill of harps and endless ripples of satisfied laughter. Now, though, when I try to recall what I felt, all I hear is screaming." In a world ravaged by war and oppressive forces of evil, a princess must fight to claim her bloodright and save her people. When the princess, Alondra, falls for the beautiful, blue eyes of a hooded stranger, it awakens in her a taste for freedom and an escape from her duty. But her parents have other plans; they have a kingdom to protect and Alondra must marry to ensure the peace between nations. Only what happens when your parents choose a cold-hearted assassin as your betrothed? As lies, illusions, and long hidden vendettas surface, the princess has to confront a very secret history. One that makes her realize that she not only risks losing her liberty, but also everything she has known and loved.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sarah Daltry is a varied author, known best for the contemporary New Adult series, 'Flowering', a six-title series that explores the complexities of relationships, including how we survive the damage from our pasts with the support of those who love us. Although the books are no longer in print, they are being rewritten and redeveloped for future publication. Please visit Sarah's website for more details.

As a former English teacher and YA library coordinator, Sarah has always loved Young Adult literature and 'Dust', an epic fantasy novel where romance blends with the blood and grit of war, is her second official foray into YA, following the gamer geek romantic comedy, 'Backward Compatible'. Most of Sarah's work is about teens and college students, as it's what she knows well.

Sarah's passion in life is writing - weaving tales of magic and beauty. The modern and vast social networking world is an alternative universe that she makes infrequent trips to, but when she does, readers will find her attentive, friendly and happy to discuss the magic of stories and reading. Please stop by and say hello anywhere Sarah is online! You can find these places at http://sarahdaltry.com

Sarah has moved back and forth between independent and traditional publishing. Her first novel, 'Bitter Fruits', is with Escape, an imprint of Harlequin Australia, and she signed with Little Bird Publishing in the spring of 2014.

Sarah has also written 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,' a reimagining of one of her favorite poems in a contemporary setting.

She is an obsessive Anglophile who spends more time watching BBC TV than any human being should, as well as a hardcore gamer and sarcastic nerd.

Email: sarahdaltrybooks@gmail.com

Stay up to date with news at Facebook (Personal Profile), Sarah's Facebook Page, Twitter, tumblr, Instagram, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

Sarah's book trailers are available on YouTube.

You can also check out samples of Sarah's work at DeviantArt and Wattpad.