Dana's YA Bookpile: The Girl Next Door Blog Tour and Giveaway

ABOUT THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

eBook Publication Date: May 24, 2013

Two teens are forced to make some very grown-up decisions when one of them is diagnosed with terminal cancer, twisting them into an unpredictable nightmare. Best friends since toddlerhood, Samantha and Jesse grapple with the realization that they are actually in love. What now? Beautifully written while handling a very heavy topic, Castrovilla addresses the universal question: In a world where the worst can strike at any time, how can we ever feel safe?

The Girl Next Door: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes

ABOUT SELENE CASTROVILLA

Selene Castrovilla is an award-winning teen and children’s author who believes that through all trends, humanity remains at the core of literature. She is the author of Saved By the Music and The Girl Next Door, teen novels originally published by WestSide Books and now available digitally through ASD Publishing. Her third children’s book with Calkins Creek Books, Revolutionary Friends, was released in April. She is also a contributing author to UncommonYA. Selene holds an MFA in creative writing from New School University and a BA in English from New York University. She lives on Long Island with her two sons. Visit her website www.SeleneCastrovilla.com for book excerpts and more information!

Author links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads

SELENE CASTROVILLA TEAMS UP WITH THE AVM FOUNDATION

Selene is pleased to team with the Anthony V. Mannino Foundation helping young adults in their fight against cancer. She will donate $1 for each book ordered during THE GIRL NEXT DOOR's Blog Tour!

Selene will send a free autographed copy of THE GIRL NEXT DOOR to anyone who donates $25 or more to the foundation (click here to donate!). For your purchase to count and/or to show proof of donation, just send a screenshot or receipt of your order or donation, along with your shipping address if necessary, through "Drop me a line" in the "Latest News" section of her website, selenecastrovilla.com.

The AVM Foundation Mission:

The Mission of The Anthony V. Mannino Foundation is to financially assist young adults in the age group of 18-26 while they are undergoing their cancer treatment. We also want to help development support programs to aid this unique age group, with their special needs, as they battle cancer.

We found that Anthony's age group of 18 plus, doesn't have the emotional or financial support that other age groups do. We are also aware of the unique situations that this age group faces and want to help those adolescents and their families.

GIVEAWAY

Grand prize is a Kindle Fire + THE GIRL NEXT DOOR ebook (US only), and 10 second prize winners will receive an ebook copy of THE GIRL NEXT DOOR (International).

Review:

This book may appeal to readers of mature teen fiction who like books centered on love and loss. Fans of Lurlene McDaniel will find an instant affinity for a girl who is losing the best friend of her life to cancer. In the depth of despair, love blooms, sometimes with thorns. **There are mature situations. The voice of the book captured me at the onset and the emotions evoked are strong. I am actually late in writing this review because I had to mull the book over in my mind before posting it.

Stories of kids with cancer rip my heart to shreds. Dealing with illness when it comes to someone you love will rip your heart out and stomp it flat. That is kind of the case here. The book does circle around in places, but then again, so does illness. Faith, acceptance, fear, loss... Just when you think you are going one place, often something else happens. Dealing with death and the messiness of life are things to help us all put our own lives in perspective. There are a ton of internal conflicts going on but the spice adds texture to the story and breathes even more life into it. It made me cry. More than once too. These characters get under your skin.

This is a beautiful book and a heart wrenching story.

4/5

TOUR SCHEDULE

September 9th

Katie's Books (Interview & Review)

A Book and a Latte (Excerpt)

September 10th

Books Over Boys (Feature)

Happy Book Lovers (Review)

September 11th

Dear Teen Me (Feature)

Read For Your Future (Review)

September 12th

Books, Authors, Blogs (Guest Post )