Two blog posts in one day? I just had to--I just finished reading Jennifer Oko's "Head Case," just in time for another Sunday Book Review.  Read my review below and then enter to win your own ebook copy of "Head Case"!

Olivia Zack is a neuroscientist who has just been murdered after being kidnapped and brought to a Russian mobster.  The book is told from her ghostly point of view, dialing back and clock and recounting the events that led up to her death, as well as a few that happened after.  Olivia recalls events and conversations with her best friend, celebrity publicist, Polly Warner.  The two girls got mixed up in the sometimes glam, sometimes sordid world of dealing prescription drugs.  While dealing pills has its perks, it also has its price: which is how Olivia ends up with a bullet through her skull.  It's up to her spirit to sort through the mess that led up to her death and to send Polly and her boyfriend Mitya a few clues from the great beyond in order to not only solve her murder but to also save the day against the Russian mafia, drug-dealing grannies, corrupted cops, and some nasty unethical pharmaceutical execs.

I loved this book.  Being in my twenties, it was very easy to relate to--who doesn't know someone--in their circle of friends or otherwise--that has suffered with addiction or substance abuse? And who hasn't seen one of those pharmaceutical commercials for a pill that marketers will convince you that you need while downplaying the long list of potential health hazards and side effects attached? Yes, even with prescription substances rather than drugs. The story is one that, while the stakes are much higher, can still, at the core, hit close to home for a lot of readers.  

While there are a small handful of editorial errors/typos and the jumping around in the timeline can be a little confusing, overall this is a great book and a fun read.  I even found myself tearing up a little at times.  Oko has a great tale on her hands, told with a perfect blend of snark and heartfelt emotion about the bond between two friends separated by death.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is on the fence about reading it--and to anyone else, for that matter.

Now that you've gotten my take on "Head Case," why not read it yourself?  Enter below for a chance to win an ebook copy of "Head Case" by Jennifer Oko for Kindle! Good luck!

This past week has been just plain awesome.  I'm receiving lots of positive feedback on "Murder At Castle Rock" (can't wait for reviews to start coming in!), and I've even had several people send me pictures of themselves with their copy when it arrived in the mail.  If you ordered a copy and want to submit a picture of yourself with the book, feel free to shoot me an email (annemarie@amstoddardbooks.com) with the picture attached, and I'll create a photo gallery on the site and include your picture :)

To celebrate on launch day, I went out for Trivia night and drinks with a few friends.  By a pretty awesome coincidence, a "Castle Rock" question was asked during trivia:  What Rob Reiner company gets its name from a fictional town in a Stephen King novel?  Answer: Castle Rock, of course.  How...appropriate :) The day after the launch, I flew to Las Vegas with my sister, brother, and sister-in-law to visit my best friend and unofficial "Gchat editor," Stella. With the ties to Vegas in the book (I won't spoil it for you if you haven't read yet!), there couldn't have been a more perfect place for me to go to celebrate.  What an awesome weekend!

I won't bore you with my vacation stories any longer, though--let's move on to the real point of this post.  Now that I'm back in Atlanta, I'm helping a new site spread the word about their launch.  Momma Says Read!  Momma Says Read is a site dedicated to connecting authors to readers, and they also offer several great services for authors--for FREE! 

If you're a bookworm looking for your next fix, MSR has tons of great book recommendations and listings for book bargains and even free book offers.  If you're an author, MSR is offering you free book reviews, author interviews, book blog tours, and more.   It's a great site with a lot to offer any book lover.

To help kick off Momma Says Read, I'm not only giving away a copy of "Murder At Castle Rock" on their site (giveaway will be posted soon!), but I'm also co-sponsoring their Kindle Fire giveaway!  Head on over to the site here to enter for your chance to win a free Kindle Fire--and while you're there, look around at all of the great books that are already listed on the site--you might find your next favorite author!

For the next month, Momma Says Read is throwing their Big Launch Giveaway Blitz, so be sure to follow Momma on Twitter and Facebook for chances to win daily book giveaways!

Happy Sunday, and Happy Reading!