Monday, February 14, 2011

Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors + CONTEST

Title: Mad Love

Author: Suzanne Selfors

Publisher: Walker Books

Summary:

When you're the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life should be pretty good. But 16-year-old Alice Amorous has been living a lie ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness. After putting on a brave front for months, time is running out. The next book is overdue, and the Queen can't write it. Alice needs a story for her mother-and she needs one fast.

That's when she meets Errol, a strange boy who claims to be Cupid, who insists that Alice write about the greatest love story in history: his tragic relationship with Psyche. As Alice begins to hear Errol's voice in her head and see things she can't explain, she must face the truth-that she's either inherited her mother's madness, or Errol is for real.

My Thoughts: Mad Love was...everything I wasn't expecting, which is both good and bad.

Mad Love is much more than a fun Valentine's Day story. With the exception of Cupid playing a major role, it's not exactly a very Valentine's Day-y read. In fact, it's not a very light read at all.​ However, that's not necessarily a bad thing because Mad Love weaves together some very important topics and brings a mythological tale to life as a subplot, all while keeping the book realistic.

One thing I loved about Mad Love is that it tackled the issue of mental illness and another disease without becoming an "issue" book or a depressing read. Both were weaved into the story in a way that did not hog the plot while also bringing attention to the matter. That's something that is not usually done well in YA and I think that Selfors did a fantastic job of it.

I also loved the role that writing played in the novel. Alice, who has never written anything in her life, has to attempt to write the next greatest romance novel. As a writer, it was entertaining to watch someone attempt to write a book based on how they think it's done and all of the attempts she made.

The range of characters in the story was great - I don't think there was a single stereotypical character in there. Some characters provided comic relief, others propelled the angst and some did both.

However, the downside to a novel with so many original characters and subplots is that sometimes, I really wanted more and felt like they weren't all fully developed. Since the over-all novel was so well-written, it didn't take too much away from the story, though.

If you're looking for a unique and captivating novel, check out Mad Love!​

CONTEST:
The publisher has generously offered not only a hardcover of Mad Love but also a paperback of Suzanne's previous novel, COFFEEHOUSE ANGEL. (Which I loved!)

To Enter:
-Must have a US address
-Must be 13 or older.

-Leave a comment on this post either commenting on my review or letting me know why you want to win.

Ends: February 28th

10 comments:

April (BooksandWine) said...

Don't enter me, I have a copy.

I really liked how the mental illness was handled in Mad Love as well. However, I disagree with the subplots, I liked them and the large cast of characters.

Anyways, great review!!

Jessi E. said...

I think it sounds awesome that this book is kind of heavy and deals with mental illness... I think that it needs to be addressed more often. I would love to read it!

Thanks for the contest!
jlelliott.writes AT gmail DOT com

Lauren M said...

I like how the story seems light on the surface, but is otherwise deep. Mad Love sounds really interesting, and the incorporation of Cupid sounds awesome! :)

Thanks so much for the review and giveaway!

Jessy said...

I didn't realize this was such a deep story. Honestly, I wasn't that interested in it before. I'll definitely have to check it out now.

Jess (The Cozy Reader) said...

Mad Love sounds truly like an original tale! I hadn't heard anything about it but now I'm sucked in and wondering just what the heck happens!

Oh, and I love the cover!

Thanks for the giveaway!

thecozyreader @ gmail.com

Sarah said...

This novel sounds really interesting. It's a strange combination of mental illness and mythology but from your review it seems like they work well together. And I like that there is originality all around. That's hard to find in many books now. Thanks for the review and giveaway!

Sarah
two_of_hearts_101 at yahoo dot com

I ♥ Book Gossip said...

I lvoe books that have a deeper meaning and makes you think about the what you are reading.

Please count me in.

cindyc725 at gmail dot com

Laura @thereadingnook said...

This book is on my wishlist cannot wait to read it
Laurabcrupi@gmail.com

Thanks :)

Sarah said...

I'd love to win this book because the synopsis sounds really unique and I like the fact that the book sounds like it has a lot of depth. (And I really love the cover of it!) Thank you for the giveaway!

sarahdc22 (at) gmail (dot) com

April X said...

I've heard great things about this book! And it sounds very unique :) I've never read a book with Cupid before...so I'm kinda interested lol. Thanks for the giveaway!

aprilxu2222@gmail.com