Review: Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis

Release date: May 1st 2018
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pre-order: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

For sixteen-year-old Tiffany Sly, life hasn’t been safe or normal for a while. Losing her mom to cancer has her a little bit traumatized and now she has to leave her hometown of Chicago to live with the biological dad she’s never known.

Anthony Stone is a rich man with four other daughters—and rules for every second of the day. Tiffany tries to make the best of things, but she doesn’t fit into her new luxurious, but super-strict, home—or get along with her standoffish sister London. The only thing that makes her new life even remotely bearable is the strange boy across the street. Marcus McKinney has had his own experiences with death, and the unexpected friendship that blossoms between them is the only thing that makes her feel grounded.

But Tiffany has a secret. Another man claims he’s Tiffany’s real dad—and she only has seven days before he shows up to demand a paternity test and the truth comes out. With her life about to fall apart all over again, Tiffany finds herself discovering unexpected truths about her father, her mother and herself, and realizing that maybe family is in the bonds you make—and that life means sometimes taking risks.

*Publisher provided ebook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this story! Tiffany Sly Lives Here is full of humor, sad and relatable moments, a complex family situation, and interesting neighbors one might call crazy but I found it all refreshingly different. A wonderful novel from a great storyteller. 

Tiffany has recently lost her mother to cancer and is preparing to leave her grandmother, best friend, and all that is familiar and safe behind to move in with a father she knows nothing about. But before leaving Chicago, another man comes forward claiming to be her real father. Fearing she might end up in an episode of Maury with paternity test drama, Tiffany keeps this to herself and still leaves her hometown, which I understand because that's a lot to deal with on top of her mother's death. To Tiffany's surprise, her rich father has a wife and four other children. No one prepared her for that, and she was certainly not expecting Anthony Stone to be so religious and controlling. His character had me rolling my eyes and shaking my head constantly. And every time he'd say something inconsiderate or just utterly off, I'd get frustrated with his wife and wish for Tiffany to tell him about her other father. 

It was easy to hope one man was her real father, just for being so polar opposite to the other and being so much nicer and open. But even while Tiffany was having a hard time, she had a gut feeling who her real father was. 

Aside from the two father drama of the story, I did like her younger siblings, even London. No matter how stuck-up she was. Her attitude was kind of understandable, being that she was the eldest for a while and here comes this other older daughter changing things up in her life. London's character was a story in itself and admittedly, I laughed when she ended up in that dilemma because of how she presented herself to the outside world. 

There were other interesting aspects of the story that took us away from the family drama now and then. For instance, I liked the moments where Tiffany made an effort with her stepmother and was willing to help with her youngest sister. It always brought a smile to my face and I wished Anthony would make as much of an effort. And the Stones' neighbors and their son were such lovable people. Tiffany's connection with Marcus was a delight, accepting him in spite of his difference and how everyone else treated him. Marcus has a warm and polite nature. It was so sad learning about his problem, but I loved that he lived without fear and celebrated every moment with his family. More power to him and his mothers.

I don't want to give too much away. I'll just conclude by saying this story will have you laughing, clenching your fists in anger, and tearing up. And you go through these emotions from start to finish. It's one of those books you don't want to pass on. I highly recommend reading this one! 

~TRAILER~

About the Author

Dana L. Davis is a writer of novels for teens, and also a successful Hollywood actress with previous series regular roles as: Carmen Phillips on TNT’s Franklin and Bash, head Cheerleader Chastity Church on 10 Things I Hate About You; modern day mimic Monica Dawson on NBC’s cult series Heroes; and Felica Jones on ABC’s The Nine. In addition to her work on screen, Dana has become a motivational speaker for teens. Her stirring assemblies empower and encourage youth, gifting them the tools and steps to value their inner beauty. Davis was raised in the Midwest and currently resides in Los Angeles with her 5-year-old daughter.

WEBSITE | TWITTER

Guest Post: Paige Harbison on Anything to Have You

Author Paige Harbison stops by to give her inspiration behind Anything to Have You, her latest young adult novel, as well as answer questions on many of our minds. Check out the guest post below:

Release date: January 28th 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Nothing should come between best friends, not even boys. ESPECIALLY not boys.

Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever. Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies. Brooke is the movie—the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be.

Then it happens—one crazy night that Natalie can't remember and Brooke's boyfriend, Aiden, can't forget. Suddenly there's a question mark in Natalie and Brooke's friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means.

In my book, Anything to Have You, a main character ends up in a situation that happens in the teen world and beyond. She drinks too much, and ends up blacking out with only the awareness that she had sex with somebody. Was it her best friend’s boyfriend, Aiden, whom she has pined over for years? No, surely not. Was it the hot guy everyone else has pined over for years, who has a recent crush on her? Some of her last memories of the night before were of making out with the hot, popular guy, but she woke up on the other side of a king-sized bed from Aiden.

          I have been asked why, in this story, it was not treated or dealt with as rape or date rape. This is a very sensitive subject, and one that requires the toeing of a very thin line. I feel like I can only answer this with the candor of someone who recently graduated college and has moved on from the life in which this sort of situation was likely to arise.

        It doesn’t happen to everyone, but for a lot of teenagers (into and through college, sometimes beyond) there is a new era that didn’t necessarily used to exist. Once upon a time, it was the norm to go from being a kid, to a teenager, to a little older before finally being settled and onto creating that trajectory for your own kids. But for a hugely increasing number of people, now there’s a whole other chapter of life tossed in. 

Partying.

Sometimes it starts in high school, sometimes in college, and more infrequently, after. As sad and worrisome as it is, it is not unusual to drink to the point of blacking out often. It is not a once-in-a-blue-moon experience to wake up with a hangover. For people who exist in this lifestyle, blacking out, hooking up, hangovers, bender-weekends, etc., are all part of a general way of life. It’s not okay. But it’s true. I went to three high schools, three colleges, and have bartended for years. In all of these environments, I was highly social.

          So in Anything to Have You, I included this. I have in all three of my books so far. Some reviewers have called it over the top or exaggerative, but I can say with absolute certainty that it is not. If anything, I shy away from some of the harsh realities like drugs, because I do in real life, and thusly cannot speak honestly on them.

          With situations as sensitive and controversial as rape, it is extremely difficult to say anything at all. It is a serious subject, and one that not only concerns but also frightens me as a young woman. I do not toss aside the seriousness of the subject. But I make a very real attempt, in life and in my fiction, to only use such strong words and accusations when they are the right words to describe what is happening. Though rape and date rape are not black and white scenarios, and have a lot of grey area, I do not wish for the scenario with Natalie to fall into it.

          In my book, no one was raped. That was not the point of the story. If I wanted to write about Natalie waking up terrified and feeling vulnerable and invaded, then I would have written a book about that. Anything to Have You wasn’t about that, and it would be an insult to the real victims of rape and date rape to even bring up the subject in my book.

Natalie had a crush on one guy, and a painful, messed-up desire for another, and questioned which actions she had made that she blocked out. When it is revealed, she is not shocked. She was in denial of her own actions. Again, the book is not about her being taken advantage of by someone who saw the altered state she was in and chose to use her. The story is about two people who made the foolish decision to intoxicate themselves beyond good judgment, and who both made a mistake. It is acknowledged in my book that the guy had no idea how impaired she was. No, it’s not okay. Each party should have been more responsible, but neither was, because that’s life, and it happens.

          The lifestyle that allows for this sort of impairment on a regular basis is a serious issue in itself, but it is not necessarily or entirely entwined with the subject of rape and/or date rape. If I wanted to address something in my book, it is the fact that getting messed up to the point of not knowing which mistake you made is a very real problem. And that sometimes, sucks as it does, you cannot blame anyone but yourself for what happened because of your actions. Natalie did not get too drunk and then point the finger. Because though often blame can be dealt externally, sometimes the hardest thing to admit is that you are the one who made the mistake. There is no one to blame but yourself.

          That is the point that I wish to push in Anything to Have You. That sometimes you mess up, and you have to accept responsibility. 

About the Author

Paige Harbison is the young adult author behind HERE LIES BRIDGET and NEW GIRL. She graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the Waterstone's Book Prize.

www.paige-harbison.com | twitter.com/paigeharbison

Stacking the Shelves #26

This is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where you showcase all the books you've received in the past week. I received one book in the mail this week:

[Signed] Finished Paperback Copy:

Indigo Awakening (The Hunted #1) by Jordan Dane

*Special thanks to Jordan and Harlequin Teen for this awesome gift.