The Cuffing Game by Lyla Lee

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that when there is a hot person, there is also someone with a crush on them.

Mia Yoon has a plan for everything. Get a full ride to her dream film school in Los Angeles, behind her mom’s back, and escape her middle-of-nowhere hometown—check. Produce her own dating show starring other people and their crushes—check. But everything goes off the rails when she has to enlist the help of her own secret crush, Noah Jang, a boy she’d rather hate.

Despite being a campus celebrity voted “most eligible student bachelor,” Noah can’t remember the last time he was in a relationship. And he’s perfectly content with that, thank you very much, especially since just the word feelings makes him uncomfortable. But he can’t stop staring at Mia, who keeps glaring at him in class. And when she asks him to be on her dating show—as one of the contestants—he can’t say no.

As Noah goes on more and more romantic dates on The Cuffing Game and Mia watches from behind the camera, something feels off. With the showrunner and contestant slowly falling for one another, can the show still go on?” - taken from Goodreads.

College film student Mia creates her own dating reality show called The Cuffing Game in which she pairs up people with their crushes. Unfortunately her roommate has the same crush as her, the popular influencer Noah Jung. As filming on the show happens, is Mia able to keep her feelings under wraps for the sake of the show? And what happens when everyone's true feelings come out at the end”?

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Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (A Hunger Games novel)

 

SPOILER ALERT! This book is a prequel to The Hunger Games and is a continuation of the story.

“When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.” - taken from Goodreads.

The story of Haymitch Abernathy and the absolute horrors he suffered during his time in the Hunger Games. Seeing life in District 12 before Katniss and Peeta were born and how events from The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes fit together was incredible. I also loved seeing some previous victors that we met in Catching Fire. It was insightful. I cannot wait to see what story Ms. Collins will tell next.

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The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games book #0)

 

SPOILER ALERT! This book is a prequel to The Hunger Games and is a continuation of the story.

“Ambition will fuel him.

Competition will drive him.

But power has its price.

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.” - taken from Goodreads.

I cannot believe I waited so long to read this book. I loved seeing inside the inner workings of Coriolanus Snow and what it took to make him the ultimate villain that we loved to hate in The Hunger Games.

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Flip the Script by Lyla Lee

 

“The first rule of watching K-dramas: Never fall in love with the second lead.

As an avid watcher of K-dramas, Hana knows all the tropes to avoid when she finally lands a starring role in a buzzy new drama. And she can totally handle her fake co-star boyfriend who might be falling in love with her. After all, she promised the producers a contract romance, and that’s all they’re going to get from her.

But when showrunners bring on a new girl to challenge Hana’s role as main love interest—and worse, it’s someone Hana knows all too well—can  Hana fight for her position on the show while falling for her on-screen rival in real life?” - taken from Goodreads.

Hana’s story of being the lead actress in a K-drama was delightful. As a Korean American, it’s not smooth sailing for her. She reluctantly agrees to fake date her co-star Bryan, a K-pop idol in his own right, to boost the show’s ratings. When the producer brings on her friend Minjee for a love triangle, Hana’s feelings and her desire to be a star take center stage in ways she never thought possible. This book was a sweet rom-com, coming out story for the ages, even if the ending was a bit too perfect. 

Visit Lyla Lee’s website.

Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Absolutely loved this book! Read in one day and cannot wait for the third installment in August 2010. Must read title since the movie version is in the works. If you liked the Uglies series by Westerfeld, this is the read for you. Action packed and each chapter ends in a clifhanger. Definitely hard to put down. My FAVORITE of the year!

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 with her mother and twelve-year-old sister Primrose. District 12 is located in Panem, a place once known as North America. To keep the twelve desitute districts from overthrowing the wealthy and powerful Capital, the Hunger Games are held annually. Think of a Survivor-type contest to the death. Each district sends one boy and one girl to the Capital to participate. Katniss volunteeers to take Prim's place when her sister's name is drawn and considers this as her death sentence. But since Katniss has learned what hunger and survival mean at home, she quickly becomes a surprising contenter in the Games.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers for those of you who haven’t yet read the first book in the trilogy (The Hunger Games), but this was a book that I read in its entirety in one day. I could absolutely not put it down until I was finished. I kept telling myself just one more chapter and I’ll stop but Collins made the end of every chapter a cliffhanger. She is just egging you to continue the story.
New characters are introduced to the reader as the seventy-fifth Hunger Games begin. The beginning of the story is a little slow as parts of the first book are rehashed but the ending is just building up the climax for the third book, Mockingjay, which comes out August 24, 2010. As I finished this book, I loudly exclaimed, “I can’t believe I have to wait a whole year to find out how the story ends!”

Book Three in the Hunger Games trilogy due out on August 24, 2010. This will be one of the most talked about books 2010!