Author Spotlight & Giveaway: Elizabeth Eulberg

Baby Mary, get some powder for that t-zone!

Longtime readers should not be surprised when I say one of my favorite people, author or no, is Elizabeth Eulberg (I have kind of written about her books a LOT on here). I discovered Elizabeth's books in a Barnes & Noble and was immediately taken by the adorable covers and descriptions of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice. After purchasing copies at my FAVORITE bookstore Borders (#neverforget), I was hooked for life. And lucky for me, Elizabeth was one of the first authors I EVER met, right when YA author signings started becoming A Thing waaay back in May 2012, which was PRE-BLOG, even.

Peak Mary & Elizabeth

Once I started the blog, Elizabeth and her books became a staple. Her novel Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality is a five star, greatest hits, hall of fame novel for me (check out my review! *reads back through it and snorts at baby blogger Mary*). Better Off Friends is a 280 page love story full of friendship-to-more shippy swoony goodness (review here) that will also make you super hungry for Culvers burgers, cheese curds, and frozen custard. Back when I participated in Top Ten Tuesday, Elizabeth's books made several showings like in my Best of 2013, Authors Who Deserve More Recognition, Best BFF Books, Favorite Contemporary Books, and Favorite Musical Characters lists, as well as my 2013 End of Year Survey. 

Fun fact: Elizabeth & I do not like to close
our mouths when  we take pictures together

Why do I love Elizabeth so much? First of all, she's funny as heck, both in person and in her books. Humor is not really a primary category/genre in YA, but I know when I pick up an Elizabeth Eulberg novel, no matter what the story is, I'm definitely going to laugh. A lot. Possibly Definitely with snorting involved.

Secondly, Elizabeth's books feel real to me. You know how sometimes you're super aware a book is fiction because the characters could never be real and the story is far-fetched and unnatural feeling? Not the case. I always feel like Elizabeth's characters could be real teens facing realistic conflicts. High school, friendships, romance, family relationships: everything has a real-life feel to it that lends each story great credibility. Her stories are built around plot elements that feel very natural—a girl walking in on her boyfriend cheating on her, girl and boy best friends growing, teenage girl being pushed aside for her pageant-participating baby sister—and then they get fun fictional twists. 

Behaving yet blurry: the story of our friendship

Thirdly, swoons. Ain't no boy next door like an Elizabeth Eulberg boy next door! I love that her guys are sweet and funny (and smart and talented and kind and GOOD) as they are cute. The relationships are, again, presented realistically, and they always leave you wanting more. And yet, as good as the guys are, they NEVER overshadow Elizabeth's leading ladies.

Dapper lady at our Pride & Prejudice party!

And this is the last reason I love Elizabeth and her books. An Elizabeth Eulberg heroine is always a boss lady, but always for different reasons. Penny Lane is a trailblazer and organizes the badass Lonely Hearts Club for friendship-focused girls. Lizzie and Emme are as talented as the day is long and discover how to make the most of the limelight. Lexi learns how to own her image and be comfortable in her own skin. Shelby is brilliant, a little wild, and has amazing hair. These ladies are sassy and smart and shy and sweet and kind and enthusiastic and bold and fierce and so many things all at once. They're also unique, but the best thing is how empowering it is to read about them.

That's why I want to share my love of Elizabeth's books with you guys. I'm giving away a signed almost-complete set of Elizabeth's books. That's right! You can win signed copies of Prom & Prejudice, The Lonely Hearts Club, Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality, Take a Bow, The Great Shelby Holmes, and an arc of her newest novel Just Another Girl (which is also signed)!

Giveaway Details:

One winner will receive the books listed above. Open to US only. Entrants must be 13+ with parents' permission. Giveaway is open until 12 AM CST March 15. Please enter via Rafflecopter below; winner will be chosen at random, and odds are determined by number of entries. I reserve the right to disqualify any entries that are not in accordance with my giveaway policies as stated in the Review & Site Policies tab at the top of the page. Good luck!

A post shared by Mary H (@knoxdiver) on Mar 7, 2017 at 8:41am PST

a Rafflecopter giveaway