Becoming A Butterfly Tour Stop

TITLE Becoming A Butterfly (The Butterfly Chronicles #1)
AUTHOR Mia Castile
PUBLICATION May 22, 2012 by Entwined Publishing
READ May 20, 2012
BUY IT Amazon

16 year old Lacey was never the center of attention, unless she was tripping, stammering, or being deposited into a pool by the local popular kids. All she wanted was to fit in, until one night when everything changed.
Jade and Tasha, her two best friends, helped her create an online personality that was everything she wanted to be - and it was only the beginning. In doing so she attracted the attention of Henry, her lifelong crush and next door neighbor. Unfortunately it was Farrah, her online personality and not herself, he was interested in.
She also attracted Chase the brooding, quiet, anti-social new kid of Brownsburg High School, who easily figured out her secret and blackmailed her. They forged a friendship that was both unique and complicated.
Lacey must decide if revealing herself to Henry and her entire school as the cool, charming, and funny Farrah is worth possibly losing him forever, and she finds herself needing to make an even harder decision than she ever thought possible. When did the lines between truth and lies get so blurred?

Becoming a Butterfly is a story about coming of age and finding yourself when you never knew you were lost.

**This is a MATURE YA FICTION SERIES**

A copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

Becoming A Butterfly was an awesome surprise to me.  I literally devoured this book, I ate it up in one sitting and it left a stupid grin splayed across my face.  This book, right off the bat, touched me because I felt as if it was written about me.  When I was 13 I had an embarrassing occurrence that this book mirrors quite well.  I won't go into it, but once you read the book I'm sure you will be able to deduce the hairy details.  It's so easy to go online, and become someone your not.  You don't think about the repercussions on those around you, and it feels good to finally be who you want to be.

Lacey was such a wreck, she was clumsy and dare I say, dorky.  The embarrassing things that happened to her were just so heartbreaking and I totally felt for her. What I admired most about her were her ways of handling it.  She got up, dusted herself off and moved on.  Even when people were shouting things at her in the hallways she would come up with a witty retort and she had me laughing out loud.  Her strong relationship with Tasha and Jade was awesome, we saw it go through the peaks and valleys and it felt like a real group of friends.  Yes, they loved each other dearly but they had their disagreements and handled them well.

The love story in Becoming A Butterfly created butterflies in me! I loved Chase, sure he was blackmailing her (in a very light way) but there was always that sexy mystery about him.  His life was something I was so interested in delving into, he had all this money in his family but seeing him on the street or working in his fathers auto shop, you would never know.  Of course there is a love triangle (it's not often these days in YA fiction that there isn't, thanks a lot Twilight!) and this one drove me mad.  I hated Henry, he was a user and a fake.  I really had no need for him and I wanted to smack Lacey every time she even thought his name.  But, in the end that's what kept me reading, my intense longing for the moment that light bulb would go on above her head and she would ride off in the distance with chase on his Honda.

There are some heavy issues touched upon in this novel and I think Mia handled them wonderfully.  I don't want to go into the details as I want it to be as new to you as it was to me reading the novel. But just know that you are going to be reading some tough scenes and this book will break your heart.

Becoming A Butterfly was a great read and I can't wait to read more in the series. I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for an Alluring Read.

Mia Castile, author of Becoming A Butterfly is stopping by the blog today as part of the Becoming a Butterfly Blog Tour.  For her guest post she has written a letter of motivation to her 16 year old self!

May 24, 2012

Dear 16 year old Mia,

Yo, yo, yo, what’s up? I know things are complicated right now.  You are at a place in your life when you are really beginning to see the world for what it might be and for what it could be. I know you worry about what life will be like one day when you can escape and be on your own, be free, but don’t because I think we’ve done ok. Still, I wanted to tell you a few things that might help us to get here, our happy place, a little faster.

1.    DON’T. STOP. WRITING. *Trust Me*
2.    Appreciate your flannel and take good care of your VHS of My So Called Life, otherwise you will go a long time without Jordan Catalano.
3.    The boy you are lying awake at night dreaming about is out there. You’re not ready to meet him now, but when you are, you will, and it will be amazing. And you will somehow, just know. . .that he’s the one.
4.    BE CREATIVE.
5.    Find a good role model. I hear Drew Barrymore is free.
6.    Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s ok to make mistakes. Each time you fail it will make the success taste sweeter. Believe in yourself. Admit it when you look pretty, enjoy it when you make someone smile, and don’t forget to tell others when they inspire you.
7.    READ MORE. It gets easier to do the more you do it. It’s OK to read slow, just do it.
8.    You didn’t believe that teacher when she told you that you could do it, so don’t believe her when she tells you that you can’t.
9.    Stay sincere. Your heart is beautiful, and you are worth the friends who appreciate you, fight for you, and confide in you. They are the ones who will be there as you get older. As important as some of your friends are to you now, they won’t be around in five years let alone twenty. It’s the ones who listen when you cry, call boys on three-way calling because you’re nervous, and sit up all night talking that will stick around. The kind of friends that you can go forever without seeing but when you see them again it’s as if no time has passed. Invest in them.
10.    Do NOT learn the Macarena.

I’m sure you probably won’t listen to me because your half my age and I’m a stupid adult, but don’t sell yourself short. The world is still new and fresh and you have so many lessons to learn. Learn them graciously, and take with you their counsel, because one day you might wish you’d seen it sooner. Because before you know it, you will be sitting at a computer and 1 a.m. writing a letter to your 16 year old self telling her all the things you wish you’d known then.

Sincerely,
Mia,

P.S. We’re still Da Bomb!

About the author:

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Mia grew up in a suburb of a medium sized city. There were cold winters, and hot sticky summers. Mia’s favorite seasons were spring and fall. She enjoyed the mild seasons, but also loved the vibrant colors each possessed.

Mia loved music. She didn’t just love it, she sat on the floor in front of her Casio stereo for hours at a time, recording songs off the radio. Then she would listen to those songs absorbing the words as she sat in her room and wrote her poetry.

Mia's letter to herself includes some things I would love to have been told at 16 (especially about taking care of the My So Called Life VHS tapes!) What do you think? What would you like to say to your 16 year old self?




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This is part of the Becoming A Butterfly blog tour. Find the other stops on the tour here.