REVIEW + GIVEAWAY starring... Retro by Jarrod Shusterman & Sofía Lapuente

Today, I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the pre pub party for RETRO by Jarrod Shusterman & Sofía Lapuente, a Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. My stop includes a review PLUS your chance to win in the tour wide giveaway, so be sure to enter, then jet off to the other sites participating for more bookish fun!

RETRO

by Jarrod Shusterman & Sofía Lapuente

Release Date: January 24, 2023

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 400

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/RETRO

What starts off as a lighthearted competition to live without modern technology for a year turns into a fight for survival in this unputdownable young adult thriller by New York Times bestselling author Jarrod Shusterman and debut author Sofía Lapuente.

It was never meant to happen this way.

Things were never supposed to get this out of hand.

After a cyberbullying incident at her school goes viral, Luna Iglesias finds herself at the heart of a brewing controversy. When the social media company Limbo—who are also implicated in the scandal—sweeps in with an offer that sounds like an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and receive a scholarship to the college of her dreams, she’s happy to jump on the new trend. It’s called the Retro Challenge, where contestants live without modern technology, wear vintage clothes, party as if the future weren’t already written, and fall in love as if they were living in a movie.

At first, the challenge is fun. But then things get dangerous. Kids start disappearing, including Luna’s friends. There are voices in the woods. Bloodred markings on the trees. And Luna increasingly begins to wonder if all these strange happenings are connected with the Retro Challenge.

Secrets. Lies. Betrayal. The weight of her family on her shoulders. There’s so much on the line for Luna, not to mention she’s falling in love with the last guy she expected. Unless she can figure out the truth behind who’s sabotaging the challenge, the next person to disappear may be Luna herself.

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So...

So, so, so, so, SO...

This book was QUITE the ride...

...pun totally intended thanks to the FABULOUS cover art1

We begin with the breakdown of a friendship thanks to SOMEONE letting their supposed bestie take the fall for them...which makes Luna a better person than I because I couldn't have stood for it.  I would've been driving the bus of truth, if not with the security, at least with the mom...but I digress; Luna is a good person.  She attempts revenge in her fugged out state, it backfires initially because of her moral compass, but then supremely thanks to the far reaching depth of the internet.  Flash forward, they're trying something new to get everyone on the same page, and inject a little more "social" into the  anonymous nature of online media.  A good idea, nay, a great idea...until things get DARK.

Honestly, I was right there with this crew, hair flying in the wind, celebrating the disconnect, and "living the dream".  You couldn't help getting caught up in it all, but it was a great distraction technique too.  It kept you looking left, while everything was happening on the right...well, not literally, but you catch my drift.  It's definitely not a lighthearted fluff piece from the word go with the broken friendship, hard learned lessons, and dangers of the virtual world exposed like a fresh wound, but what it does give you are unexpected lessons, a life changing (or threatening?) mystery to unravel before it's too late, and an overall story you won't soon forget.  Mad props to Luna for being true to herself, even when it wasn't the easy way to go, and knowing the value of a true friend.  Don't miss this fab release, coming soon to a bookstore near you!

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About the authors...

Sofía Lapuente got her start in marketing for Google Spain, and then immigrated to the States. Since, she received a masters in fine arts at UCLA and has produced for Emmy nominated show Caso Cerrado (Telemundo) Sofi and her partner, Jarrod, both have co-author credits in the fourth installation of the bestselling Arc of a Scythe Trilogy GLEANINGS (2022)  and are the authors of their upcoming novel RETRO (2023).

Jarrod Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of novel DRY (2018), which was one of the highest bid novels in Hollywood of 2018, selling it to Paramount Pictures, produced by Temple hill, which he’s adapting for the screen with co author Neal Shusterman. He is also the author of accoladed Simon & Schuster novel, ROXY (2021). Sofi and Jarrod are partners in every sense of the word, with love and multiculturalism as an ethos— living between Madrid, Spain and Los Angeles, California.

Find Sofía & Jarrod- https://linktr.ee/Sofiandjarrod

 

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!!!   Giveaway   !!!

1 winner will receive a finished copy of RETRO, US Only.

Ends January 28^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Special thanks to the Rockstar Book Tours team for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the publisher for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available January 24th, 2023, so mark your calendar or preorder your copy today! Catch the rest of the tour for more!

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/9/2023	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post
1/9/2023	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
1/10/2023	travelersguidetobooks	IG Review
1/10/2023	@more.books.yes.please	IG Review/TikTok Post
1/11/2023	Wanderingwitchreads	TikTok Review/IG Post
1/11/2023	onemused	IG Review
1/12/2023	amandainpa	Review/IG Post
1/12/2023	@readerofthewrittenword	IG Review
1/13/2023	Thindbooks Blog	Review/IG Post
1/13/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post

 Week Two:

1/16/2023	pluvioreads	Review/IG Post
1/16/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review
1/17/2023	Fall Between the Pages	IG Review/TikTok Post
1/17/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic
1/18/2023	@amysbookshelf82	IG Review
1/18/2023	Nerdophiles	Review
1/19/2023	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
1/19/2023	Book-Keeping	Review/IG Post
1/20/2023	Lisa Loves Literature	Review/IG Post
1/20/2023	Emmiepooh2	IG Review/Facebook Post

 Week Three:

1/23/2023	@drew_ambitious_reading	IG Review/TikTok Post
1/23/2023	popthebutterfly	Review/IG Post

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!