{Review/Giveaway} FOOL ME TWICE by Mandy Hubbard

The First Loves Blog Tour is hosted by Bloomsbury and features YA authors: 
Jillian Cantor, Mandy Hubbard, Lindsey Leavitt, Emery Lord, and Kristin Rae.
 

Blog Tour Schedule

Addicted Readers  Q&A 5/6
Anna Reads  Q&A 5/7
Fic Fare  Q&A 5/8
Andi's ABCs  Q&A 5/9
GReads  Q&A 5/12
Bookish  Q&A 5/13
Yadultreview  Q&A 5/14
Gone Pecan  Q&A 5/15
A Backwards Story  Q&A 5/16
Dear Teen Me: Emery    5/19
Dear Teen Me: Lindsey 5/20
Dear Teen Me: Kristin    5/21
Dear Teen Me: Jillian      5/22
Dear Teen Me: Mandy  5/23
UK: Fiction Fascination   (Fool Me Twice) 5/26
UK: Book Passion for Life (Wish You Were Italian) 5/27
UK: is Bloggers[heart]Books (Searching for Sky) 5/28
AUS: Behind the Pages   (Searching for Sky) 5/28
AUS: Fictional Thoughts (Wish You Were Italian) 5/29
AUS: She Known As Jess (Fool Me Twice) 5/30

I'm not on tour yet, but I figured it would be fun to review all of the books being featured during Bloomsbury's First Loves Tour this week and next!

Check back on Friday for a great interview where I ask all five authors a burning wisdom about first love! 

In addition to the following review, 
I'm also giving away a book of your choice! 

You can choose from:

SEARCHING FOR SKY by Jillian Cantor
FOOL ME TWICE by Mandy Hubbard
THE CHAPEL WARS by Lindsey Leavitt
OPEN ROAD SUMMER by Emery Lord
WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN by Kristin Rae

O P E N I N G   H O O K:

    "I LOVE IT WHEN YOU ACT LIKE GUYS are aliens, my best friend, Bailey, says, smirking as she tosses me a fluffy white towel.
    I don't quite catch it before the burgundy SR monogram nails me in the eye and the towel smothers my face. I yank it off my head, no doubt ruining my quasi-punk-rock ponytail in the process. Or maybe messing it up enhances the effect. I'm not really sure because I'm still experimenting with my new look. "I don't act like they're aliens," I say, efficiently folding the towel and tucking it under the gleaming curve of the mahogany front desk. The subtle scent of lavender settles in my nose. I haven't yet figured out if the towels are washed in scented soap or if a magical fairy sprinkles lavender on them so each and every guest at Serenity Ranch will feel pampered.
    Kidding. I don't think that way. But some of the guests seem to.
    "Even if they're not from another planet, they're still impossible to predict." I tuck a few loose strands of electric-blue hair behind my ear. "I totally thought Landon would've said something by now."

(Pages 1-2,  US ARC Edition)

This spring, Bloomsbury has launched a new line for tweens and teens entitled If Only. So far, both books have been light and breezy, a quick read perfect for the beach. They're also great for younger teens as well as older ones. I used to love "series" like this consisting of standalone novels by various authors when I was growing up. It's nice to see that they still exist for a new generation!

Mackenzie loves her summer job, but hates the fact that she's going to be forced to work with her ex-boyfriend Landon all summer. When school started up again, he went back to his former girlfriend and left Mackenzie in the cold. Now, he ignores her or says cruel things.  After a bad fall leads to a case of amnesia, Mandy realizes that Landon thinks they're still together and that the last year never happened. She decides to mess with his head: She'll keep pretending to be his girlfriend, and then when he falls in love, she'll dump him. Only...this year, she discovers there's more to Landon than he's ever revealed. Can she protect her heart this time around?  Does she even want to?

Who doesn't like a good story of revenge,  or even one of being given a second chance to do things over again?  This is the type of story that FOOL ME TWICE promises to be for its readers. Talk about wish fulfillment!  Mackenzie knows who she is and what she wants, and isn't afraid to stand out and break the mold.  In real life, if she was my best friend, I'd bash her over the head for falling for a guy who crushed her all over again. But in fantasy land?  Who doesn't want to get back with their ex when there was no good reason for the relationship to abruptly end in the first place? And speaking of best friends!  Mackenzie has an awesome relationship with her best friend Bailey. There aren't enough YA books out there with healthy, supportive,  non-catty female friendships. Their dynamic is great, and Bailey is one of those secondary characters destined for a happily ever after of her own.

While the situations can be a little unbelievable, these are wish fulfillment novels and they excel at making dreams reality. Tomorrow I'll be reviewing the second novel in the line, WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN.

C O N T E N T R A T I N G S

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details

Romance: mild ( kissing, skinnydipping )
Language: none
Violence: none

***

This is a new system I'm trying out, since I never know how to bring up the fact that younger readers may not be ready for a book without talking about the reasons WHY. This makes it harder to accidentally stumble on that information.

What are your thoughts? Keep it/Alter it/Get rid of it? 

~*~

C O V E R   D E S I G N:

At first, I wasn't overly impressed, but it's grown on me.  So far, the design treatment is consistent across the series, real people and scribbled backgrounds. The contrast between the two will stand out on the shelf alongside other contemporaries.

I also like that so much attention was paid to detail. Those are Mackenzie's blue boots and that's her patriotic hair. 

And it's cheesy, but I like that the male model's shirt matches her boots. 

~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title: FOOL ME TWICE

Author: Mandy Hubbard

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

SUMMARY:

Mackenzie and Landon were the perfect couple . . . until he dumped her and broke her heart. Fast-forward a year and they're back where they first met—Serenity Ranch and Spa, where they are once again working together for the summer. Talk about awkward.

Then, Landon takes a nasty fall and gets amnesia. Suddenly, he’s stuck in the past—literally. His most recent memory is of last summer, when he and Mack were still together, so now he’s calling her pet names and hanging all over her. It's the perfect chance for revenge. The plan is simple: keep Landon at arm’s length, manipulate him so he’s the one falling love, and then BAM, dump him. There’s just one problem: Mack can’t fall for Landon all over again.

The If Only romance line is all about wanting what you can't have, and Mandy Hubbard's hilarious break-up/love story is sure to captivate anyone who has ever wished for a second shot at love.

~*~ 

Mandy Hubbard is the author of PRADA & PREJUDICE and YOU WISH, both novels for teens now i. In 2011, her releases include BUT I LOVE HIM (written as Amanda Grace) and RIPPLE. She is also a literary agent for D4EO Literary Agency. 

Author Links:  Website | Twitter | Facebook

~*~

****Giveaway*****

Ready to check out
FOOL ME TWICE?

Enter to win your own copy now!

I'm giving away a Bloomsbury First Loves book of your choice this month! 
 
(New entries added with each post!)

INT if Book Depository ships to you! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway