Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for...

Title: The Apollo Academy
Author: Kimberly P. Chase (Twitter)
Publisher: Independent
Publish Date: August 8, 2013
Genre: NA, Sci-Fi, Romance
Pages: 340

As the heiress to Titon Technologies, eighteen-year-old Aurora Titon can have whatever she wants—clothes, expensive gadgets, anything money can buy. All she really wants is to escape her pampered, paparazzi-prone life for the stars.

Becoming the first female pilot to train as an astronaut for the Apollo Academy is exactly the chance for which she has been waiting. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for her unreciprocated crush on a fellow student, the sexy astronaut bent on making her life hell, and the fact that someone keeps trying to kill her.

Guys, I love me some sic-fi. This is no secret. It's also no secret that I have an insatiable lust for literary men. Is that too much? Oh well...the secret's out. Regardless, it sounds to me like The Apollo Academy might just offer all I could ever want from a book, plus a kick-ass cover to boot. I mean, seriously, guys. Tell me that isn't absolutely gorgeous. Here's to hoping this book is as perfect as I think it could be because this could be my first foray into new adult...What do you think, and what are you waiting on this week?

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a great way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Most Intimidating Books

1. Watership Down by Richard Adams - Have you seen the size of this book? I mean, seriously. It's daunting. However, it's also amazing, so pretty much you need to read it.

2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - Everyone and their mother loves this book. I'm not even kidding about that. It took me almost two years to even try it because I was certain I'd be the only one who didn't love it. Fun fact...it was great.

3. Dark Song by Gail Giles - This is one of those issue books that I love so very much, but it is dark, people. Trust me. I mean, this is a no-holds-barred take on an abusive relationship and details rape, violence and so much more...but it's well done.

4. The Once and Future King by T.H. White - We had to read this in junior high, and now that I'm successfully out of school (for many years), I can admit I didn't read it. I BSd the shit out of that subject. I want to read it, guys, but it's a classic...and it's massive.

5. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - I love issue books. I've said it time and again. That said though, books that involve eating disorders and could be triggering for me. This one is exceptional, but it took me forever to actually read it.

6. The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan - Have you ever read a book that's so good that it actually surpasses your ability to read it? This is that book. I kid you not. It's beautiful, it's so artistic and it's poetic, and I don't think I'm good enough to read it.

7. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott - I grew up reading books that were probably too old for me. I read Little Women when I was six. That said, I've never made it past that book because I'm sure that Little Men and her other works just won't live up to that perfection.

8. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - I can't bring myself to read this book. I've wanted to read it forever. It's on my shelf, guys, but I just can't. I've seen the film, and it's a classic. What if I hate it?!

9. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes - I've had an ARC of this forever. I opened it, I read the cast of characters from the different kingdoms, and I closed the book again. Perhaps I wasn't in the right mindframe to remember all these players, but I'm worried I'll dislike a book I should love.

10. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - This book is so. freaking. big. Like 816 pages big. But more than that, I loved the movie. What if I become one of those people that loves movies but hates books?! It's a legitimate fear, guys. 

Title: Rules of Attraction
Author: Simone Elkeles (Twitter)
Publisher: Walker BYR
Publish Date: April 27, 2010
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 326
Source: Personal Copy

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado. Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford.

She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

Kiara has an idyllic life in Colorado, if you don't take into account the fact that she's still trying to overcome the stutter that has plagued her since childhood. Carlos, on the other hand, couldn't have lived a rougher childhood if he tried. After his brother, Alex, was jumped out of the Latino Blood, his family sought to help Carlos create a new future for himself, as well. Carlos, however, doesn't believe that future is for him. He's a gangbanger. It's his life, and it's all he knows...plus, he knows he can't escape it even if he tries. But Kiara, try as she might to ignore it, sees something in Carlos that he might just not recognize, himself...hope.

This is definitely not the first book I've read by veteran contemporary author, Simone Elkeles, and I confidently say that it certainly won't be my last. Rules of Attraction follows in the same vein as it's companion/predecessor, offering a heartfelt story of two teens from opposite sides of the track. Blending raw tension, careful, slow-burning romance and a passionate story of trying to find one's place in the world, the novel tugs at your heartstrings from start to finish. Rules of Attraction promises to weave you into its world and break all rules, convincing you that there is redemption for us all - no matter how far gone we might think we are.

Rules of Attraction is one of those books that doesn't require you to think too deeply as you read it, but rather it inspires you to do so. Written in dual first-person perspectives and alternating chapters between Carlos and Kiara, the author manages to perfectly execute a seamless transition each time and really establish a strong character voice for both. Kiara, though outwardly timid because of her stutter, has a quiet power about her, and the only time we see that headstrong confidence waver is when she lets her guard down around Carlos. He, on the other hand, has the carefully-crafted facade about him. Carlos does his very best to keep everyone at arm's length, and readers can quickly identify that it's actually a defensive mechanism. But rather than defending himself, he's protecting others from him. Therein lies our first clue that there is hope for this outwardly crass and abrasive character. Through the story, we get to see Kiara and Carlos slowly lower their walls to one another, and the beauty is that the two have the opportunity to save each other from themselves, as well as outside influences. There is no shortage of drama in Rules of Attraction either, though it's clear that in this story, the characters, rather than the plot, actually drive the story, and I liked that a lot. I do think that, at times, I wish their chapters could have been a bit longer. I wanted to remain in Carlos and Kiara's heads a bit longer than two to three pages at a time. This did, however, move the pace of the story along faster. I also think that the climactic scenes near the end could have been fleshed out a bit more. I wanted to feel a bit more fear, rather than certainty that it was all going to end well. That said, I was actually surprised to find that I enjoyed an epilogue for a change, as well. Knowing that there was a sense of finality to this story was really nice and refreshing.

Overall, Rules of Attraction was a sweet, fast-paced and solid read. It's one of those books that doesn't necessarily force you to expand your literary horizons, but it definitely coaxes some emotion. I give it a 4 out of 5, and I recommend it to all fans of YA and upper YA, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction.