Hi everyone! Today I'm so excited to spotlight a Canadian author who is also local to me- Ms. Jennifer Honeybourn's debut, Wesley James Ruined My Life is out in stores today! Big congrats! Thank you to Raincoast Books for organizing this blog tour and giving me the opportunity to participate. Below I've got a Q&A with Jennifer and then a review of her cute book ;)
by Jennifer Honeybourn
July 18, 2017
256 pages
Goodreads Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Quinn Hardwick’s having a rough summer. Her beloved grandmother has been put into a home, her dad’s gambling addiction has flared back up and now her worst enemy is back in town: Wesley James, former childhood friend—until he ruined her life, that is.
So when Wesley is hired to work with her at Tudor Tymes, a medieval England themed restaurant, the last thing Quinn’s going to do is forgive and forget. She’s determined to remove him from her life and even the score all at once—by getting him fired.
But getting rid of Wesley isn’t as easy as she’d hoped. When Quinn finds herself falling for him, she has to decide what she wants more: to get even, or to just get over it.
BCP: Hi Jennifer! I was wondering, what was the process involved in coming up with the title for your debut? You don't see many books with the character name in the title, how do you feel about that? Was it something you/your publisher struggled with?
JH: Titles are tough! At least they are for me. I can’t take any credit for WESLEY JAMES RUINED MY LIFE – that is the work of the brilliant minds at Swoon Reads, my publisher. My original title (which wasn’t terribly original) was Somebody That I Used to Know. I wasn’t in love with it, so I was fully on board when my editor suggested the change. I think that WESLEY JAMES RUINED MY LIFE fits this story so perfectly.
I struggled again with the title for my second novel about a teenage exorcist in training (due out summer 2018). I went with Expelled but none of us were sure about it, so for the first time ever, Swoon Reads crowdsourced a title. I’m really happy with the results, which I expect will be revealed sometime in the next month or so.
BCP: Titles are definitely tricky. Thank you for answering my question! I can't wait to see the title reveal of your 2018 release ;)
So when Wesley is hired to work with her at Tudor Tymes, a medieval England themed restaurant, the last thing Quinn’s going to do is forgive and forget. She’s determined to remove him from her life and even the score all at once—by getting him fired.
But getting rid of Wesley isn’t as easy as she’d hoped. When Quinn finds herself falling for him, she has to decide what she wants more: to get even, or to just get over it.
BCP: Hi Jennifer! I was wondering, what was the process involved in coming up with the title for your debut? You don't see many books with the character name in the title, how do you feel about that? Was it something you/your publisher struggled with?
JH: Titles are tough! At least they are for me. I can’t take any credit for WESLEY JAMES RUINED MY LIFE – that is the work of the brilliant minds at Swoon Reads, my publisher. My original title (which wasn’t terribly original) was Somebody That I Used to Know. I wasn’t in love with it, so I was fully on board when my editor suggested the change. I think that WESLEY JAMES RUINED MY LIFE fits this story so perfectly.
I struggled again with the title for my second novel about a teenage exorcist in training (due out summer 2018). I went with Expelled but none of us were sure about it, so for the first time ever, Swoon Reads crowdsourced a title. I’m really happy with the results, which I expect will be revealed sometime in the next month or so.
BCP: Titles are definitely tricky. Thank you for answering my question! I can't wait to see the title reveal of your 2018 release ;)
Review
Wesley James Ruined My Life is a fun, light and quick read. I love a great rivalry love story and this one definitely hit all the marks for me.
I love the setting: Tudor Tymes is amazing. The restaurant sounds like such a fascinating place to eat at; the cast of characters make me want to visit. I may be a little old for its usual crowd but I'd 100% go if I'm ever within range of such a place!
Quinn and Wesley were childhood besties before he did something unforgivable (in Quinn's eyes) at his moving-away party. "Relationships are built on trust. Without that, you've got nothing." (ARC, p188). Years later when Wesley comes back into her life, she concocts a revenge plan to get rid of him. I enjoyed watching Quinn discover things about herself. It was quite an emotional ride but one she was able to learn from.
Ms. Honeybourn brought up a variety of teen issues. I was surprised. While the matters were mostly on the lighter side, I appreciate their inclusion and how they're ongoing not easily solved matters. Everything was not tied up in a neat bow by the end. The realistic way the author has her characters deal with their problems made for a well-rounded story.
The reasoning behind Quinn's hatred for Wesley was a tad immature for me to get behind. It seemed rather silly for her to be holding such a grudge after all the time that's passed. Even her best friend repeatedly tried to tell her that. Having said that, given the timing and the outcome of what happened back then, I can see why Wesley's supposed betrayal hit her so hard. I thought her reactions and actions were appropriate for her age.
I'm so glad the story wasn't overly dramatic or frustrating. It was fun and even dealt with a few mature issues. Wesley James Ruined My Life is a book I definitely recommend for the summer!
*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way. All quotes were taken from the Advance Review Copy I received.
For more fun Q&As and reviews, make sure you check out all the other tour stops (click on the photo to enlarge)!
This book looks really cute - it as my cover of the week on Instagram!
ReplyDeleteJen Ryland
It is! I love the colours on it!
Delete