Jenna Samuels is about to turn fifteen. It's been almost a year since her stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust. Almost a year since he returned as her guardian angel, along with his "angel boss," Amber Velasco, the hot twenty-something former EMT. Almost a year since Casey and Amber used up their one-time-only angel power of flight to save Jenna from the evil Dr. Renfroe, swooping down to catch her as she tumbled off the balcony at the Houston Galleria. In short, a lot of A-word shenanigans and a mostly happy ending.
Except now Casey's begun to wonder why he's still hanging around—not that he minds protecting Jenna. She's a handful, but there's got to be a bigger picture, right? Something to distract him from his on again/off again, doomed relationship with cheerleader Lanie Phelps, who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead. After all, he can't use his angel wings anymore. Neither can Amber.
Enter Bo Shivers, Amber's "angel boss"—a mysterious A-word guy Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed. Whiskey-guzzling. Handsome in a grizzled way. Unpredictable. Okay, make that crazy. Bo lost his angel wings in an earthly flight a long, long, long time back—and he's been a thorn in Angel Management's side ever since. But Bo knows something is coming. Something big. Something that was worth forfeiting wings for Jenna... something that might just change everything for everyone.
About the Author
Joy Preble is the author of the DREAMING ANASTASIA series (Sourcebooks) and the SWEET DEAD LIFE series (Soho Press), a YA Texas makeover of the angel book. Joy grew up in Chicago, where she dreamed of being a back up singer but settled for becoming a writer so she could get paid for making up stuff. She now lives with her family in Texas, where when she's not writing, you can find her eating guacamole, watching trash TV, and embracing her inner nerd.
Joy's DREAMING ANASTASIA series (DREAMING ANASTASIA, HAUNTED, ANASTASIA FOREVER - all from Sourcebooks) blends YA paranormal romance with historical fiction. DREAMING ANASTASIA was nominated for a Cybil Award in the Teen Sci-Fi/Fantasy Category in 2009. It was named a Best Book for Children, Teen Category in 2009, and was featured in Justine Magazine.
Joy's THE SWEET DEAD LIFE series (THE SWEET DEAD LIFE and the forthcoming THE A WORD, May 2014, both from Soho Press) are part of the new Soho Teen imprint. Kirkus hailed THE SWEET DEAD LIFE with "Hallelujah! A paranormal tale of angels that's not a romance, making it a novel that breaks the mold."
Booklist observed, "There's a whole lot going on here: poisonings, blackmail, sibling relationships, romance, and abandonment, in addition to angels, but the unifying thread is Jenna's clever, bitter, self-aware, and loving voice... Preble's lively descriptions and unusually well-drawn, caring sibling relationship (a topic not usually explored in teen fiction) are especially noteworthy."
Joy is a member of SCBWI and RWA and speaks and presents widely on writing, books and literacy.
Joy earned an English degree from Northwestern University and has held a variety of jobs including: English teacher, youth education director, JV girls' volleyball coach, and some positions in the fast food industry that are best left unmentioned. She still knows how to make change and has a deep regret for the incident with the milkshake machine.
I started this and after getting the feel that this wasn't the first book. I found out that I was right its the second. So I found someone else to read it for me. YAY! This is their review!
Hello my name is Janet and I am so happy that I got to read this book! I have loaned my copy of book one to Jessica so she can read it lol. But, anyway I have to say that I loved this book even more than book one. This book gives a new view to the whole angle thing. As I think that angel stories have been just a bit over done. I love the fact that Joy has given us soothing fresh and new to read. This was a great continuing story of Jenna trying to be just a normal girl while dealing with friendship and trying to find your place in the world. I so can't wait to read some more about Jenna and her friends.
"All opinions are 100% honest and my own."
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Review
Praise for The A-Word: A Sweet Dead Life Novel
“The earthbound angels are as authentic as the down-to-earth people in The A-Word, but where the book really spreads its wings is in the interaction between the two. Resourceful teens and heavenly beings team up to get to the roots of a very modern mystery, and the big questions of the universe share space with first dates and football games. The result: a smart, original (and slightly celestial) mystery with a distinctly Texan flavor.”
—Michael Northrop, author of Trapped and Surrounded by Sharks
"Joy Preble gives it all! Humor, wit, emotion, and romance! Fabulous fun!"
—New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan
“Romance, sassy humor, and a pain-in-the-rear brother … Who knew having a guardian angel could be so hard and so much fun to read?”
—New York Times Bestselling Author C.C. Hunter
Praise for The Sweet Dead Life
"A smart, sassy, supernatural mystery chock-full of heart, hope and fun."
—New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith
"The Sweet Dead Life is mischief and mayhem, zippy one-liners, mystery and a tiny bit of tragedy. A-word: Awesome."
—E. Lockhart, author of Fly On The Wall
"There's a whole lot going on here: poisonings, blackmail, sibling relationships, romance, and abandonment, in addition to angels, but the unifying thread is Jenna's clever, bitter, self-aware, and loving voice ... Preble's lively descriptions and unusually well-drawn, caring sibling relationship (a topic not usually explored in teen fiction) are especially noteworthy."
—Booklist
"Bizarre? Yes, very. Fun to read? Yes, very."
—The Examiner
"Hallelujah! A paranormal tale of angels that's not a romance, making it a novel that breaks the mold."
—Kirkus Reviews
“The earthbound angels are as authentic as the down-to-earth people in The A-Word, but where the book really spreads its wings is in the interaction between the two. Resourceful teens and heavenly beings team up to get to the roots of a very modern mystery, and the big questions of the universe share space with first dates and football games. The result: a smart, original (and slightly celestial) mystery with a distinctly Texan flavor.”
—Michael Northrop, author of Trapped and Surrounded by Sharks
"Joy Preble gives it all! Humor, wit, emotion, and romance! Fabulous fun!"
—New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan
“Romance, sassy humor, and a pain-in-the-rear brother … Who knew having a guardian angel could be so hard and so much fun to read?”
—New York Times Bestselling Author C.C. Hunter
Praise for The Sweet Dead Life
"A smart, sassy, supernatural mystery chock-full of heart, hope and fun."
—New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith
"The Sweet Dead Life is mischief and mayhem, zippy one-liners, mystery and a tiny bit of tragedy. A-word: Awesome."
—E. Lockhart, author of Fly On The Wall
"There's a whole lot going on here: poisonings, blackmail, sibling relationships, romance, and abandonment, in addition to angels, but the unifying thread is Jenna's clever, bitter, self-aware, and loving voice ... Preble's lively descriptions and unusually well-drawn, caring sibling relationship (a topic not usually explored in teen fiction) are especially noteworthy."
—Booklist
"Bizarre? Yes, very. Fun to read? Yes, very."
—The Examiner
"Hallelujah! A paranormal tale of angels that's not a romance, making it a novel that breaks the mold."
—Kirkus Reviews
6 comments:
Sounds interesting. :)
Reading the blurb, I can't help but feel like all of the characters are adults and that this is either NA or Adult instead of Teen.
To be honest I don't think I have ever read a book about Angels. But what totally sold me on this book {besides the synopsis & review} was when Kirkus Reviews stated "Hallelujah! A paranormal tale of angels that's not a romance, making it a novel that breaks the mold."
I am not against romance novels, but I seem to gravitate to anything that is not a romance. Thanks for adding yet another TBR book to list!
If it has no romantic relationship or love triangle I might read it.
I haven't read the first one of this series, but it seems interesting!
I was like you I didn't realize it was the second in a series so I'll have to get the first book, and then read my copy of this one.
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