Casting Call Friday | For the Win

For the Win by Brenna Aubrey
June 2015 by Silver Griffin Associates
326 pages
5/5 stars - read my review here! 
Amazon + Good Reads

"Millionaire bad boy Jordan Fawkes has problems. Big problems. 
That molten-hot intern he hooked up with at Comic-Con is now his assistant. No one can know they’re the stars of the cosplay sex tape that broke the Internet.

Business school hopeful April Weiss has drama. Big drama. 
Working under the CFO of Draco Multimedia should be the opportunity of a lifetime for her, but Jordan Fawkes is the boss from Hell—a sexier-than-sin boss from Hell who holds all the cards for her future career.

And then there’s the small problem of a certain video…"

-Good Reads

Brenna Aubrey is basically my latest favorite author, and so it is 100% fitting that I would feature one of her novels and characters in my triumphant return to Casting Call Saturday... er, Friday... 

For Jordan, I've chosen... this random guy.

See? That's the problem with the internet. I type "sexy scruff man" into Google and I'm given thousands of nameless models to choose from. However, I'm going with this little nugget. He's got the famed Jordan scruff that drove April crazy. 

For April, I've chosen... Alexis Bledel. 

I wasn't completely sold on Bledel as April, but the more that I thought about it, the more she made sense. First, I think she has the look. Alexis Bledel has the pale skin, dark hair, blue eyes, and could totally fit into some enchanted forest in a Disney movie... completely fitting into the nickname given to April by Adam and Jordan. We also know that she has played a convincing book worm in the past - hello? Rory Gilmore. 

Those are my picks for Jordan and April. If you've read the book and disagree, let me know who you'd choose. If you haven't read the book... well, what are you waiting for? Get to it. I'm serious.

-Alyssa

Casting Call Saturday | Rule & Jet {Marked Men #1 & #2}

Rule {Marked Men #1} by Jay Crownover
December 2012 by Jay Crownover Books
327 pages
Review by Alyssa
Amazon + Good Reads

Jet {Marked Men #2} by Jay Crownover
May 2013 by William Morrow Paperbacks
416 pages
Review by Alyssa
Amazon + Good Reads

I'd say that I struggled to put this Casting Call together... but is it really a struggle when I spent hours pouring over beautifully tattooed men... "researching" to find the right fit for Rule and Jet? 

Somehow, I prevailed. 

Rule.

Uh... Who is this guy? Because I would desperately like to Google more of his face and yet... and yet he remains nameless. He is beautiful. He wasn't initially who I pictured as Rule but as soon as I looked at him, the pieces just fell into place. I don't even know if he has tattoos anywhere else. But, for me, the package is all here - the tattoo, the piercings, the expression that makes you think that there is more than what meets the eye, the kind of face you could lick... 

Did I just say that out loud? 

*James Edward Quaintance - that is who this is.

Shaw.

Emily Browning.

This isn't a GIF and that's usually not my M.O. for Casting Calls... but this photo is just stunning. Emily Browning, man. Emily Browning. She is so pretty (as a brunette and a blonde) and she exudes this innocence that would be perfect for Shaw. I mean, the innocence at first glance. She's just so pretty - have I said that once or twice? Okay, that's all. She just screams Shaw for me. (Her lips.) I have a new girl crush.

Jet.

Jared Leto.

Not convinced? Here's more.

Jared Leto is the front man of the band 30 Seconds to Mars. He's a singer... and I want him as Jet... He's basically perfect. Oh, yeah - and the boy can act. (And by boy, I mean he's at least 40.) Don't believe me? Look into Requiem For a Dream - he was perfection. Also, he kind of currently resembles Jesus but is so, so damn hot. I kind of feel like I should confess that I picked Jared Leto primarily because I've been crushing on him big time... but he kind of fits the ticket. 

I love him.

And here's Jared Leto singing: 

(From Yesterday by 30 Seconds to Mars)

And in case you still need convincing:

Let's all give ourselves a moment to cool off.

Ayden.

Lana Del Rey.

I won't lie - Lana Del Rey is beautiful but she kind of scares me. And, I think that Ayden is really beautiful... and if I knew her in real life, she'd kind of scare me too. The whole attitude, I don't take shit from no one, type of thing. Yep. 

I've really missed Casting Call Saturdays. It's too bad that my Rome and Nash (books #3 and #4) C.C.S. will have to wait until Nash comes out... (ticks another day off of her calendar).

You're welcome for the eye candy. /bows

Alyssa

Casting Call Saturday | Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep (The Shining #2)
Amazon + Good Reads
"On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon."

-Good Reads

For the role of Abra Stone, I've chosen Chloe Moertz...

When I initially pictured Abra (as a thirteen year old), I wanted an actress who looked like a younger version of Carrie Fletcher (from YouTube). However, I wasn't able to find anyone but I do think that Moertz has the look. 

For the role of Dan Torrance, I've chosen Peter Gallagher...

Yes, Peter Gallagher, yes... Okay, I don't know why but he just stuck in my head. Maybe it's because I've convinced myself that he has a slight resemblance to Jack Nicholson (they could be related, yes?) or maybe it's because they both have ridiculous eyebrows. I don't know but it works for me.

For the role of Rose the Hat, I've chosen Charlize Theron...

She's beautiful but she can also be ruthless, violent, and down right evil. Sounds a lot like our Rose, right?

For the role of Crow Daddy, I've chosen Tom Hanks...

Okay, hear me out before you completely flip. Yeah, Tom Hanks is the king of all movies sappy and lovey dovey... but Crow is supposed to fool rubes into thinking that he's welcoming and a trust worthy, all American sort of guy. That is Tom Hanks.

And here are a few of my picks for some of the "minor" characters (okay, not really minor but I'm not trying to make this post a mile long.)

For the role of Lucy Stone, I've chosen Sarah Wayne Callies.

For the role of David Stone, I've chosen Dennis Quaid. 

Okay, I could go on forever and ever amen but I'm not going to. These are my picks and I know that they're totally un-King but, whatever!

-Alyssa

Casting Call Saturday | Nantucket Blue

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
Amazon + Good Reads

"For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t. 

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue."

-Good Reads

For the role of Cricket Thompson, I've chosen Blake Lively.

She's totally not a seventeen year old but she just is Cricket. She's blonde, beautiful, and can be completely naive when she wants to be. She's the epitome of the summer movie heroine and I think that she'd be a perfect Cricket.

For the role of Zack Clayton, I've chosen Steven McQueen.

Maybe it's because I've come to see McQueen in a little brother role (as Jeremy Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries), but he was the only choice for me when it came to casting Zack. As I was reading, I instantly and clearly pictured him as Zack. He's adorable. 

For the role of Jules Clayton, I've chosen Leighton Meester.

I'm not going to lie - Jules was a hard pick for me and so I decided to go with Meester partially because she and McQueen could pass as siblings and partially because she has successfully played the bitch to Lively's angel many a time. Meester is such a good actress... She can be innocent, naive, snarky, and down right evil. I think that she could pull of Jules and she could do it well.

For the role of Jay, I've chosen Chase Crawford.

We're going to pretend that this isn't a Gossip Girl fueled Casting Call and just say that I've chosen Crawford because he's so damn pretty... Because he is. 

For the role of Liz, I've chosen Kat Dennings.

She's just so cute... and I loved the character of Liz so I wanted an actress that could really pull her off. I feel like Dennings has just the right amount of snark and would be a nice foil to Lively.

That's all for now, guys! Thanks for reading and have a great day.

-Alyssa

Casting Call Saturday | Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Amazon + Good Reads
"It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. 

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them. 

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig. 

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle. 

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. 

A world at stake. 
A quest for the ultimate prize. 
Are you ready?"

-Good Reads

Casting Call Saturday | Wake

A very special thanks to my friend, Phil, for hosting today's Casting Call Saturday! You can find Phil on his YouTube channel or on his shared blog - check him out! 

Wake (Watersong #1) by Amanda Hocking

Amazon + Good Reads

"Fall under the spell of Wake—the first book in an achingly beautiful new series by celebrated author Amanda Hocking—and lose yourself to the Watersong.

Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets."

-Good Reads

For the role of Gemma, I chose McKayla Maroney...

Now I know that this choice seems really weird, but while I was reading this series I honestly pictured McKayla as Gemma. The gif above isn’t the best she has looked, but if you look up a picture of her when she isn’t in her gymnastics getup, she totally looks the part.

For the role of Harper, I chose Jennifer Lawrence...

It may seem like a typical choice, but I think Jennifer could really do Harper’s role justice.

For Penn, I chose Liz Gillies...

She was on that Nick show Victorious, and I haven’t watched too much of the show, but from what I’ve seen I know she can play a b*tch pretty well. Also, she went to my high school which is pretty cool. Her brother is a grade below me.

For Alex, I chose Tom Welling...

He is like 30 now, but from when he was younger on Smallville - I think he could be Alex.

For Thea, I chose Michelle Trachtenberg...

She isn’t my first choice, because I didn’t picture Thea to look anything like her in the books, but she would work well enough.

For Lexi, I chose Amanda Seyfried...

Throughout the entire series I pictured Lexi as Amanda..so yeah.

And FINALLY... For Daniel, I chose Hunter Parrish

I think that he and Jennifer would have really good chemistry, also sometimes throughout the series I would picture Daniel as Hunter, but that might only be because I was watching Weeds at the same time.

So yeah, that’s it! Hope you enjoyed!

Casting Call Saturday | School Spirits

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
Amazon + Good Reads

"Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt? 

Rachel Hawkins' delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as theNew York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!"

-Good Reads

For the role of Izzy, I've chosen Chloe Moretz.

Yes, she's blonde, I know... but all we need is a little thing called hair dye and we'll be good to go.

For the role of Aislinn, I've chosen Gillian Anderson.

We all know that Scully can be fierce. 

For the role of Torin, I've chosen Jamie Campbell Bower.

He's got that frustrating, I've been trapped in a mirror for centuries look, doesn't he?

For the role of Dex (Dax?), I've chosen Douglas Booth.

For the role of Romy, I've chosen Ellen Wong.

So, yeah! 

-Alyssa

Casting Call Saturday | This Is What Happy Looks Like

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E.Smith
Amazon + Good Reads
"If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?"

It's that time again. I just finished This Is What Happy Looks Like and I have been obsessing over my perfect Ellie for hours. Okay, here goes nothing...

For the role of Ellie, I've chosen Molly Quinn.

For the role of Graham, I've chosen Zac Efron.

For the role of Quinn, I've chosen Caroline Sunshine.

And finally, for the role of Wilbur, I am actively choosing to picture him as this:

When in reality, he's probably supposed to look like this:

(Admittedly, still freaking cute).

Alright, that is all from me for now! 

-Alyssa

Casting Call Saturday | Losing Hope

Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover
Amazon + Good Reads

"In the follow-up to Colleen Hoover’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hopeless, the charming and irresistible Dean Holder tells the passionate story that has melted thousands of hearts.

In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.

Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…

Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs."

-Good Reads

For the role of Holder, I've chosen Matt Prokop.

To perfectly fit my idea of Holder, Prokop would have to hit the gym and buff up a little (Holder is a runner, after all) but otherwise, I think he'd be perfect. First of all, he has the Bieber hairstyle down... and two, I can really see him as the protective and loving brother (for Les, of course... not Sky... that'd be creepy...). He's sweet, cute, and witty and I think that screams Holder.

For the role of Sky, I've chosen Lily Collins.

Admittedly, I have never seen anything that Lily Collins has been in but to me, she has Sky's look. She's beautiful! 

For the role of Grayson, I've chosen Jake McDorman.

Yeah, I know, he's a bit too old to be playing a high school student but McDorman's Evan Chambers (from GREEK) is the college aged version of Grayson. Self-assured, pretentious as frack, an overly inflated ego, and just an all around dick? Yeah, they're the same. 

Well, that's it for now. Let me know who you'd pick if you could cast Losing Hope!

-Alyssa