He Numbered the Pores on My Face
by Scarlet Hiltibidal

                I reviewed Afraid of All the Things: Tornadoes, Cancer, Adoption, and Other Stuff You Need the Gospel For by Scarlet Hiltibidal back in February and I enjoyed that book, (Find my review here: https://www.krystenlindsay.com/blog/afraid-of-all-the-things-tornadoes-cancer-adoption-and-other-stuff-you-need-the-gospel-by-scarlet-hiltibidal ), so I was eager to read her new book for teens.  He Numbered the Pores on My Face has Hiltibidal sharing her own teen experiences with readers to show how she understands the pressures they go through to fit in and feel accepted and how she eventually learned through the gospel that the only thing that would truly bring fulfillment was God.

Hiltibidal shares her own embarrassing moments and painful experiences such as the time a friend heard her joining in with others who were making fun of him and the hurt she experienced knowing she couldn’t take back what she did. You can also feel her pain as she shares how a guy asked her out as a joke in front of others and the whole situation of wanting to look like someone else in your class and feeling less than when you don’t feel you measure up.

Being that I also explore my own teen years for my writing, I appreciated her willingness to share those cringe-y moments with readers. It’s not easy to delve into that world of embarrassing moments and situations which you wish you would have handled better. Readers will be able to relate to her moments of wanting the “right” backpack to fit in or trying to follow a trend that ended pretty much the second she bought the item. The thought process of, “if only I had this then I would be accepted.” is one I remember vividly from my own preteen years and, just as she says, it never manages to truly satisfy. She shares scriptures showing how only God can do that.

                While the book is aimed at teens, I would recommend it for preteens and really grades 4th and up as they would get a lot out of it. I find my own readers like reading about situations before they get there themselves, which is why so many of them love reading about the high school years before they’ve even hit middle school themselves. This book would definitely benefit them as it prepares them for that teen world.

I received this book from BH Publishing and Lifeway in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
               
 
 

My young adult romantic comedy, In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety will release on September 3rd and I'd love to have book bloggers join the tour!

​Xpresso Book Tours is organizing a release week blitz for In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety by Krysten Lindsay Hager, a YA Contemporary Romance novel. The blitz will run from September 3rd to September 9th, 2019, you can post on any day during this window. There will be excerpts available for your post, and every participant will be able to post the blitz-wide giveaway if you wish – a giveaway prize courtesy of author. Social media sites are welcome. Advanced reader copies for review are also available for blitz participants.

An email with the complete post info including promo items and giveaway details will be sent to all participants on August 29th. HTML will also be provided.

You can sign up here: https://xpressobooktours.com/2019/07/18/blitz-sign-up-in-over-her-head-lights-camera-anxiety-by-krysten-lindsay-hager/

As we get for the release of In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety, I've asked some authors to share their own music crushes. Today author Emerald Barnes shares her music crush. Read on to learn more.

Picture it. It’s the last couple of years in the 90s. You’re around age 11. Tiger Beat Magazine brings you the latest celebrity gossip, posters, and information on your favorite actors and singers. You listen to the TOP 40 songs every week just to record on a cassette tape your favorite songs while listening to the radio, and the biggest argument around is whether N SYNC or Backstreet Boys is the better boy band.

I would literally save up all of my allowance my parents gave me weekly just buy as many as these celebrity gossip mags for teens just to cut out pictures and get the posters to hang on my wall. I couldn’t even open one of my closets in my room because it was plastered with magazine clippings about N SYNC.

Oh yes. N SYNC was my jam. In fact, my sister and I argued about N SYNC and BSB. She was a BSB fan. And it was all Nick, Nick, Nick with her. I was all Justin, Justin, Justin.
I had the biggest crush on Justin Timberlake, the face of N SYNC. I think the reason I still crush on guys with curly hair is because of him.

I was obsessed! Still am, actually. (Don’t tell anyone.) I had all of the N SYNC puppet figures, the N SYNC board game (which I totally memorized every answer to every question), and I had every CD and EP that came out. I even had a VHS about them. I was one of their biggest fans!

Unfortunately, I never had the chance to see them in concert, but that didn’t stop me from obsessing with them! It was the saddest day when I took all of those photos and posters off the way and threw out all of my old Tiger Beat and Teen Beat Magazines. I was going to college when I finally threw them out. Ha!

Still, to this day, I can sing every single song N SYNC ever sang and not skip a beat. I keep up with Justin Timberlake simply because I loved him when I was a pre-teen. If anyone can make this heart skip a beat, even while I’m in my *ahem* thirties, it’s Justin Timberlake and all the members of N SYNC coming together again.
And while my taste in music has changed over the years, like now, I really only listen to worship music (and I’m obsessing with Tauren Wells and Rend Collective), I will still revisit the good ole days of N SYNC. And yes, N SYNC is still far superior BSB. I won’t back down from that. NEVER.
 
About Emerald Barnes:
Emerald Barnes resides in a small town in Mississippi and has the accent to prove it. She’s an auntie, a youth leader, a little bit of a nerd, a reader, a writer, and a family-oriented person. God is number One in her life, and she thanks Him continuously for His love and favor. 

​She’s also addicted to tv and binge-watching shows, and she has a thing for superheroes.
Where to connect with Emerald:
Website: www.emeraldbarnes.us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fanpageforemeraldbarnes
Twitter: www.twitter.com/emeraldbarnes
Fan Team: www.facebook.com/groups/emeraldbarnesfans
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/emeraldbarnes
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/emerald_barnes
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/emerald-barnes
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Barnes/e/B004PL38QS