Tag Archives: 4 stars

Book Title:
100 Days of Cake
Book Author:
Shari Goldhagen
Page Count:
352
Publishing Date:
May 17th, 2016
Publisher:
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
May 21st, 2016
Source:
ARC from publisher

Synopsis

Get well soon isn’t going to cut it in this quirky and poignant debut novel about a girl, her depression, an aggressive amount of baked goods, and the struggle to simply stay afloat in an unpredictable, bittersweet life.

There are only three things that can get seventeen-year-old Molly Byrne out of bed these days: her job at FishTopia, the promise of endless episodes of Golden Girls, and some delicious lo mien. You see, for the past two years, Molly’s been struggling with something more than your usual teenage angst. Her shrink, Dr. Brooks isn’t helping much, and neither is her mom who is convinced that baking the perfect cake will cure Molly of her depression—as if cake can magically make her rejoin the swim team, get along with her promiscuous sister, or care about the SATs.

Um, no. Never going to happen.

But Molly plays along, stomaching her mother’s failed culinary experiments, because, whatever—as long as it makes someone happy, right? Besides, as far as Molly’s concerned, hanging out with Alex at the rundown exotic fish store makes life tolerable enough. Even if he does ask her out every…single…day. But—sarcastic drum roll, please—nothing can stay the same forever. When Molly finds out FishTopia is turning into a bleak country diner, her whole life seems to fall apart at once. Soon she has to figure out what—if anything—is worth fighting for.

My Review

“Maybe there is some combination of sugar, eggs, and flour that can make me care about school dances and four-hundred-meter relay times and college applications.  If there is, I will gladly eat piece after piece every day for the rest … Continue reading

4 stars
5 Comments
Book Title:
A Tyranny of Petticoats
Book Author:
Edited by Jessica Spotswood
Publishing Date:
March 8th, 2016
Publisher:
Candlewick Press
Date Read:
March 17th, 2016
Source:
ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

From an impressive sisterhood of YA writers comes an edge-of-your-seat anthology of historical fiction and fantasy featuring a diverse array of daring heroines.

Criss-cross America — on dogsleds and ships, stagecoaches and trains — from pirate ships off the coast of the Carolinas to the peace, love, and protests of 1960s Chicago. Join fifteen of today’s most talented writers of young adult literature on a thrill ride through history with American girls charting their own course. They are monsters and mediums, bodyguards and barkeeps, screenwriters and schoolteachers, heiresses and hobos. They're making their own way in often-hostile lands, using every weapon in their arsenals, facing down murderers and marriage proposals. And they all have a story to tell.

With stories by:

J. Anderson Coats, Andrea Cremer, Y. S. Lee, Katherine Longshore, Marie Lu, Kekla Magoon, Marissa Meyer, Saundra Mitchell, Beth Revis, Caroline Richmond, Lindsay Smith, Jessica Spotswood, Robin Talley, Leslye Walton and Elizabeth Wein

My Review

I don’t read a lot of anthologies or short stories, but when I came across this book a few months ago, I was super excited to read it.  I waited patiently (okay, so rather impatiently, actually), and thanks to the … Continue reading

4 stars
4 Comments
Book Title:
A Study in Charlotte
Book Author:
Brittany Cavallaro
Book Series:
Charlotte Holmes, #1
Publishing Date:
March 1st, 2016
Publisher:
Katherine Tegen Books
Date Read:
February 26th, 2016
Source:
eARC from publisher via Edelweiss - Thank you!

Synopsis

The first book in a witty, suspenseful new trilogy about a brilliant new crime-solving duo: the teen descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. This clever page-turner will appeal to fans of Maureen Johnson and Ally Carter.

Jamie Watson has always been intrigued by Charlotte Holmes; after all, their great-great-great-grandfathers are one of the most infamous pairs in history. But the Holmes family has always been odd, and Charlotte is no exception. She’s inherited Sherlock’s volatility and some of his vices—and when Jamie and Charlotte end up at the same Connecticut boarding school, Charlotte makes it clear she’s not looking for friends.

But when a student they both have a history with dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

My Review

A Study in Charlotte was an interesting mystery novel that plays on the Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet.  While I honestly haven’t read that, I have to say, this book was written pretty well – it was like … Continue reading

4 stars
4 Comments
Book Title:
A Long, Long Sleep
Book Author:
Anna Sheehan
Publishing Date:
January 22, 2013
Publisher:
Candlewick Press
Date Read:
August 18, 2015
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone-- and her future full of peril.

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose-- hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire-- is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes-- or be left without any future at all.

My Review

A Long, Long Sleep is a futuristic sci-fi take on Sleeping Beauty. Rosalinda is a sixteen year old girl who is much older than sixteen.  The book begins with Rosalinda being woken from her stasis tube by a kiss from … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
A Million Miles Away
Book Author:
Lara Avery
Publishing Date:
July 7, 2015
Publisher:
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
July 21, 2015
Source:
eARC from publisher via NetGalley - Thank you!

Synopsis

Perfect for fans of Nicholas Sparks, this breathtaking story of love and loss is guaranteed to break your heart and sweep you off your feet.

When high school senior Kelsey's identical twin sister, Michelle, dies in a car crash, Kelsey is left without her other half. The only person who doesn't know about the tragedy is Michelle's boyfriend, Peter, recently deployed to Afghanistan. But when Kelsey finally connects with Peter online, she can't bear to tell him the truth. Active duty has taken its toll, and Peter, thinking that Kelsey is Michelle, says that seeing her is the one thing keeping him alive. Caught up in the moment, Kelsey has no choice: She lets Peter believe that she is her sister.

As Kelsey keeps up the act, she crosses the line from pretend to real. Soon, Kelsey can't deny that she's falling, hard, for the one boy she shouldn't want.

My Review

This book was so hard to write a review for. Part of me hates the fact that I liked this book. It reminded me of another one of those books about teenagers doing stupid things and not having to suffer … Continue reading

4 stars
2 Comments