Between Now & Never by Laura Johnston + Excerpt and $50 Giveaway

Between Now and Never by Laura Johnston Buh boom, buh boom. My heart thrusts with a force that takes me by surprise. Telling me something I don’t understand. A splitting pain, a longing to slip back under. They tell me I was in a hit-and-run, but I can’t remember what happened that night. All I know is that I woke up with pictures in my pocket, a card from one of those photo booths in the mall. And I’m in the pictures. Cody Rush. Me and… Julianna. Her brother was there that night, and my dad, the FBI agent, was the one who put her mom behind bars. What’s the connection? And why won’t Julianna talk to me now? Somehow, she holds the key to it all, and getting close–real close—to her for the answers I need will be no hardship at all…

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I was excited to be a part of this tour for "Between Now & Never".  I loved Laura Johnston's first book, "Rewind to You" and I couldn't wait to read her next book.

Okay, so I don't think I loved this book quite as much as I loved "Rewind to You" but I still really, really liked it.  I'll tell you why.

There were some heart pounding moments.  Cody finds himself into a dangerous situation and my heart was getting worked up.  Then he was running and I felt like I might be running too.  :)  There was a bit of suspense and mystery as Cody works through slippery memories and tries to figure out what happened to him.  I'm a girl who likes my suspense light and not too scary so this was perfect for me.

In between those scenes, we have a relationship growing between Julianna and Cody.  Cody really needs Julianna's help to figure some things out but Julianna isn't a fan.  Well, she is, then she isn't, then she is again.  haha.  

Julianna has a tough home life.  Her mom is in prison for trying to protect and help her son.  Her dad is distant and not dependable.  Her brother is volatile and involved in drugs.  Julianna shoulders a lot of responsibility trying to please her mother, keep her family together, work and go to school.  I felt exhausted on her behalf but I really liked her.  It's that inner strength that I was drawn to.  That and her pluck.

I really enjoyed the way the revolving pieces of this story all slowly came together.  I was interested and engaged in this book from beginning to end.

Content:  No swearing or sexual content- just some kissing.  Drug use and drug activity with dealers.

Enjoy the following excerpt!

“Listen”—I cut him off before his flirtatious ways turn me into a puddle of mush at his feet—“for the record, that whole photo booth . . . incident . . . didn’t mean anything, okay?”

He sits up, leaning forward to pull a wallet from his back pocket. He fishes something out and slaps it down on the coffee table.

“Oh, yeah?” he challenges. “What about that?”

I glance down at the pictures—the photo-booth pictures. His index finger taps the third picture, the one of him practically kissing my neck. The nerve! I feel a wave of heat rising up my neck and into my cheeks. Wait, he keeps this in his wallet?

“Pulling out that dimple-loaded smile of yours and doing . . .” I fish for a term to describe what he’s doing in that picture. Smelling my hair? Kissing my ear? It’s too intimate, too personal to articulate. “. . . doing . . . that. . . might win over every other girl who comes your way, but it doesn’t work for me.”

“Oh, yeah?” he asks again and leans in dangerously close, his tone doubtful. His gaze drops from my eyes to my lips. “What does do it for you, Julianna?”

The sound of my name on his lips sinks right to my core, rich and tempting. Like chocolate. Isn’t the admiration of three fourths of the Highland High School female student body enough for him? Why is he toying with me?

“You would like to know, wouldn’t you?” I ask, loading as much spite into that challenge as possible. One side of his lips kicks up, like he’s thoroughly enjoying this.

Author Laura Johnston Laura Johnston lives in Utah with her husband and two children. Growing up with five siblings, a few horses, peach trees, beehives and gardens, she developed an active imagination and always loved a good story. She fell in love with the young adult genre both through her experience in high school as well as her job later as a high school teacher. Laura enjoys running, playing tennis, sewing, traveling, writing, and above all, spending time with her husband and kids.

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Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/26/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

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