Blog Tour & Giveaway: Switchback by Danika Stone

Switchback
Danika Stone
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: May 28th 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

An epic YA adventure story about two friends lost in the Canadian wilderness from Danika Stone, the author of All the Feels.

Vale loves to hike, but kind of hates her classmates. Ash is okay with his classmates, but kind of hates the outdoors. So, needless to say they are both fairly certain that the overnight nature hike with their PE class is going to be a hellish experience. But when they get separated from the group during a storm, they have worse things to worry about than bullies and blisters.

Lost in the Canadian wilderness with limited supplies, caught in dangerous weather conditions, and surrounded by deadly wildlife, it’s going to take every bit of strength, skill, and luck they can muster to survive.

Praise for Danika Stone:
“An enjoyable, fast-paced read.” — School Library Journal on Internet Famous

“The book is a dream. I loved absolutely everything about it. … From the chapter headers to every mention of nerd culture, All the Feels is a blast!” —Seeking Book Boyfriends on All the Feels

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My Review:

3.5 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Survival, Suspense, Teen--

Ash would much rather spend his time online gaming in his mom's basement than actually go outside, so when the class has their mandatory overnight hike he is less than thrilled. Vale loves the outdoors and hiking, but is dreading the hiking trip for another reason- the never ending bullying that she is the brunt of. When the friends find themselves left behind during the hike, they never expected that they would have to survive the wilderness alone- or all the challenges that would stalk them.

Vale was totally my hero! She was prepared and calm under pressure, assessing every situation and finagling her way to a solution. She gets a five out of five for survival- I would want to go camping/survivaling (hey, I can make up words!) with this smart girl. Ash on the other hand is a hot mess. He has a great personality and tries really hard, but basically he would have died the first night without Vale and her mad skills. He did have his uses, like the comic relief life always needs (and the packing of gum) and he came to realize how important Vale really is, how she kept him alive, and how friends need to be treated.

I really appreciated how no way was this a romance; it is refreshing to have a YA book without romance, just a great platonic friendship as the main relationship dynamic- and they really were the best of friends to each other. Both teens were supportive and respectful of each other's feelings and actions, which was really sweet actually. In a side note, Vale is aro-ace, which I did not know anything about before reading the book so it was really nice to learn about it and have a strong, capable representation in action.

Switchback was an intense action adventure that took place over a few days and focused on survival and friendship. Once the story got started, I don't believe there was a single dull moment. I read the book in just a few hours since the writing style was easy to read, and honestly I could not stop because I needed to know what would happen next! Danika is the queen of creating tension, I was so stressed out for Ash and Vale and the surprises just kept coming.

I reviewed a complimentary copy of this title.

Author Bio:

Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both teens: INTERNET FAMOUS (Macmillan, 2017) and ALL THE FEELS (Macmillan, 2016); and adults THE DARK DIVIDE (Stonehouse, 2018) and EDGE OF WILD (Stonehouse, 2016).

Ms. Stone’s work has received both recognition and literary praise. In 2017, Chapters included EDGE OF WILD in “Our Favourite Canadian Fiction”, and INTERNET FAMOUS was nominated for the R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature (2018) as well as selected as one of Fierce Reads’ “9 Perfect Summertime Reads” (2017). EDGE OF WILD (previously entitled TATHAGATA) was a quarter-finalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel of the Year Award (2013), a finalist in the Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize (2015), and took second place in the Publish or Perish contest (2015). ALL THE FEELS was selected for Swoon Reads’ fourth list (2015) and was nominated for YALSA’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (2016), and for CYBILS’ Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards (2016).

Ms. Stone’s books have been reviewed by VOYA, Teen Reads, and School Library Journal. Danika has also featured in the BN Teen Blog, Clash, Quillable, Fierce Reads, Lethbridge Living Magazine, CJSR’s Word, and on CBC’s Daybreak.

When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.

Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.

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