Tag Archives: young adult

Book Title:
The Memory of Light
Book Author:
Francisco X. Stork
Publishing Date:
January 26th, 2016
Publisher:
Arthur A. Levine Books
Date Read:
January 17th, 2016

Synopsis

When Vicky Cruz wakes up in the Lakeview Hospital Mental Disorders ward, she knows one thing: She can’t even commit suicide right. But for once, a mistake works out well for her, as she meets Mona, the live wire; Gabriel, the saint; E.M., always angry; and Dr. Desai, a quiet force. With stories and honesty, kindness and hard work, they push her to reconsider her life before Lakeview, and offer her an acceptance she’s never had.

But Vicky’s newfound peace is as fragile as the roses that grow around the hospital. And when a crisis forces the group to split up, sending her back to the life that drove her to suicide, Vicky must try to find the strength to carry on. She may not have it. She doesn’t know.

Inspired in part by the author’s own experience with depression, The Memory of Light is the rare young adult novel that focuses not on the events leading up to a suicide attempt, but the recovery from one — about living when life doesn’t seem worth it, and how we go on anyway.

My Review

There are a plenty of young adult novels dealing with depression, mental illness, and suicide already on the shelves, but many of those books deal with the events leading up to and surrounding the depression and suicide attempts, and then … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
The Heir and the Spare
Book Author:
Emily Albright
Publishing Date:
January 18th, 2016
Publisher:
Merit Press
Date Read:
January 12th, 2016

Synopsis

Going all the way to England for college--to Oxford, no less--for college would be exciting enough. But no sooner does Evie set foot on English soil than she falls for a boy who turns out to be a real prince--in fact, second in line to the throne of England. Edmund is wonderful, even though loving him can be a royal pain, from the demands of his family to the stuck-up aristocrat who thinks she should be the one to win Edmund's heart. All that is swept aside, however, when the riddle of Evie's past surfaces, and the new couple becomes obsessed with figuring out who the real Evie is, with the growing suspicion that the truth will be a shocker.

My Review

The Heir and the Spare is a sweet, witty romance book that is absolutely swoon-worthy and enjoyable to read.  It’s light-hearted and fun, and successfully pulls you into the story so that you feel like royalty, too. The Heir and … Continue reading

4 stars
4 Comments
Book Title:
Underwater
Book Author:
Marisa Reichardt
Publishing Date:
January 12th, 2016
Publisher:
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Date Read:
January 8th, 2016

Synopsis

Morgan didn’t mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive—first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then, herself.

But Morgan can’t move on. She can’t even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she’s underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school.

When it seems Morgan can’t hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside.

Underwater is a powerful, hopeful debut novel about redemption, recovery, and finding the strength it takes to face your past and move on.

My Review

Underwater is one powerful novel.  It takes you inside the head of the main character, Morgan, who is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after being part of a horrifying event that took place at her high school.  Since that … Continue reading

4.5 stars
2 Comments
Book Title:
Bookishly Ever After
Book Author:
Isabel Bandeira
Book Series:
Bookishly Ever After, #1
Publishing Date:
January 12th, 2016
Publisher:
Spencer Hill Contemporary
Date Read:
January 10th, 2016

Synopsis

In a perfect world, sixteen-year-old Phoebe Martins’ life would be a book. Preferably a YA novel with magic and a hot paranormal love interest. Unfortunately, her life probably wouldn’t even qualify for a quiet contemporary. But when Phoebe finds out that Dev, the hottest guy in the clarinet section, might actually have a crush on her, she turns to her favorite books for advice. Phoebe overhauls her personality to become as awesome as her favorite heroines and win Dev’s heart. But if her plan fails, can she go back to her happy world of fictional boys after falling for the real thing?

My Review

Bookishly Ever After is a very cute romance about a girl named Phoebe who loves to read.  Phoebe is socially awkward (and as a socially awkward bookworm, I can relate to her!), and while her friends don’t really understand her, … Continue reading

3.5 stars
2 Comments
Book Title:
This is Where it Ends
Book Author:
Marieke Nijkamp
Publishing Date:
January 5th, 2016
Publisher:
Sourcebooks Fire
Date Read:
December 20th, 2015

Synopsis

10:00 a.m.

The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.

The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03

The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05

Someone starts shooting.

Told from four perspectives over the span of 54 harrowing minutes, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

My Review

“There are no words in that fleeting moment between hope and knowledge.  There is no way to express how a heart can burst and break at the same time, how the sun can cut through the darkness but will cast … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
This Raging Light
Book Author:
Estelle Laure
Publishing Date:
December 22nd, 2015
Publisher:
HMH Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
December 29th, 2015

Synopsis

Can the best thing happen at the worst time?

Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she’s about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend’s brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure’s soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.

My Review

This book has been everywhere, and everyone has been excited to read it, including me.  But now that I had the chance to, I just don’t see what the big deal about this one was.  Don’t get me wrong, it … Continue reading

3 stars
2 Comments
Book Title:
Whisper of Death
Book Author:
Christopher Pike
Publishing Date:
December 1st, 1991
Publisher:
Archway Paperbacks
Date Read:
December 30th, 2015

Synopsis

Roxanne and Pepper are a teenage couple with problems. They leave their small town for a weekend to try and solve them. They don't really succeed, and when they return home they find their town empty.

They call other towns.

They find the whole world empty.

But eventually they discover three other Kids their Age who are still alive in the town. They cannot imagine why the five of them seem to be the only ones left of the entire human race. They have only one thing in common. They were each directly or indirectly involved in the death of Betty Sue - the plain, shy girl who committed suicide only a short time ago. Betty Sue - the quiet, brilliant girl who wrote short stories about each of them. Stories of hate, of revenge, of death in a dead world.

It makes them wonder who Betty Sue really was.

Or what Betty Sue was.

My Review

I have had multiple copies of this book throughout the years, and I have read it countless times.  However, between moving from my parents’ house, to moving into an apartment, and finally into my house (and failing to ever completely … Continue reading

5 stars
3 Comments
Book Title:
The Impostor Queen
Book Author:
Sarah Fine
Book Series:
The Impostor Queen, #1
Publishing Date:
January 5th, 2016
Publisher:
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Date Read:
December 24th, 2015
Source:
ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Elli was a small child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic. Since then, Elli has lived in the temple, surrounded by luxury and tutored by magical priests, as she prepares for the day when the Valtia perishes and the magic finds a new home in her. Elli is destined to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule.

But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found.

Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, the home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between the love she has for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must align with the right side—before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed.

My Review

Before I started reading this book, I hadn’t read anything else by Sarah Fine, but I was curious, because I know that she has quite a few successful books out.  So when I saw this, and read that synopsis, I … Continue reading

4.5 stars
3 Comments
Book Title:
Everything, Everything
Book Author:
Nicola Yoon
Publishing Date:
September 1st, 2015
Publisher:
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
October 20th, 2015

Synopsis

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

My Review

This is one of those books that pretty much everyone has read by now, and for quite a while after it was released it was everywhere – it was talked about on Twitter and Instagram, promoted in bookstores and online, … Continue reading

4.5 stars
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Book Title:
Firsts
Book Author:
Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
Publishing Date:
January 5th, 2016
Publisher:
St. Martin's Griffin/Thomas Dunne Books
Date Read:
January 2nd, 2016

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time-the kind Mercedes never had herself.

Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy - so far. Her mother isn't home nearly enough to know about Mercedes' extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won't even say the word "sex" until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn't bank on Angela's boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn - or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.

When Mercedes' perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her own reputation -and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, Laurie Elizabeth Flynn's Firsts is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.

My Review

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2016, and it only seemed fitting that it would be the first book I read in the new year.  When I first learned about this book, it sounded like a … Continue reading

4 stars
7 Comments