I was so lucky to get to be on the Blogger panel for The Book Blogger Novel of the Year Awards (BBNYA) 2020. While I haven’t had a chance to read all the books in the top 10 yet I will be posting the reviews for those that I have read and letting you in on all the gossip for those that I haven’t gotten to yet.
If you don’t know BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors.
If you are an author and wish to learn more about the 2021 BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website or our Twitter account, @BBNYA_Official . If you would like to sign-up and enter your book, you can find the BBNYA 2021 AUTHOR SIGN UP FORM HERE. Please make sure to carefully read our terms and conditions before entering.
If you are a book blogger or reviewer, you can apply to be part of BBNYA 2021 by filling out this form (also remember to read the terms and conditions before signing up)!
BBNYA is brought to you in association with the Folio Society (If you love beautiful books you NEED to check out their website! I have their copies of Murder of Roger Acroyd and H2G2 and they are stunning!!!!) And the book blogger support group TheWriteReads.
Todays Spotlight is for 2020 BBNYA’s 8th place
Title: Specter
Author: Katie Jane Gallagher
From Goodreads:
Stranger Things with a ghostly twist! This gripping, genre-bending debut will keep you holding your breath till the very last page.
Horror aficionado Lanie Adams should be thrilled when two eighties-era ghosts materialize in her bedroom. Yet after a fainting incident unbecoming of a horror nerd, she would rather her haunting just go away—the ghosts’ waterlogged voices and ice-cold auras are more terrifying than any movie. Enlisting the help of Ryan, an entirely-too-cute stoner, she makes it her mission to put the spirits stalking her to rest.
Some sleuthing reveals that their sleepy Connecticut town is host to a shadowy, decades-old conspiracy. If Lanie wants to say a final goodbye to her ghosts, she’ll need to keep digging. But it’s important to tread carefully. The culprit is still in town—and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.
Perfect for fans of Stranger Things! With strong characters who are easy to root for, this stunning, multilayered debut is not to be missed.
About the Author:
Katie Jane Gallagher(https://katiejgallagher.com/about-katie/) is the author of Specter and the online, serialized YA fantasy The Gold in the Dark. She is a life-long writer, and her stories feature relatable, realistic characters who get swept up in extraordinary events. An avid reader of YA and genre fiction, she has a self-proclaimed affinity for the best sorts of trash.
Born and raised in Illinois, Katie currently lives in Connecticut with her stupendous, half-human half-neanderthal husband and their dopey boxer dog. She graduated magna cum laude from Connecticut College in 2012, with a bachelor’s degree in Chinese language and literature and a minor in history.
What BBNYA Panalists Thought:
All throughout the book, you can feel that something sinister is afoot and I think the author did a great job of making this book gloomy, sinister, atmospheric and dark, without scaring her readers senseless. This bit is a big bonus for me.
Ellie (Read to Ramble)
I think this was my favourite new read of the whole competition. The writing was excellent and really pulled me in from the start.
Sabrina (Sabrina’s Booktails )
It has a very interesting storyline, like nothing I’ve ever read before, and it definitely gives off some Stranger Things vibes
Danni (For Books Sake)
Fi's Bibliofiles 
Great spotlight!
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