Tag Archives: young adult

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
Book Title:
The Messengers
Book Author:
Edward Hogan
Publishing Date:
May 12, 2015
Publisher:
Candlewick Press
Date Read:
July 24, 2015

Synopsis

If you could see the future, would you have the guts to change it? A new psychological thriller from the author of Daylight Saving.

Fifteen-year-old Frances is sent to her aunt’s house for the summer to escape difficulties at home. Soon she meets Peter, a man unlike anyone she has ever known. Peter is a messenger—but his messages never bring good news. Peter believes that Frances is a messenger, too. In a compelling page-turner as complex as it is chilling, the author of Daylight Saving poses the provocative question: If you could change the future, where would you start?

My Review

Let me start by saying that this is one of those books in which the blurb does no justice. I read the synopsis on this book a few times, and while it sounded great, it really could have been better … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
Paperweight
Book Author:
Meg Haston
Publishing Date:
July 7, 2015
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Date Read:
July 15, 2015

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Stevie is trapped. In her life. In her body. And now in an eating-disorder treatment center on the dusty outskirts of the New Mexico desert. Life in the center is regimented and intrusive, a nightmare come true. Nurses and therapists watch Stevie at mealtime, accompany her to the bathroom, and challenge her to eat the foods she’s worked so hard to avoid. Her dad has signed her up for sixty days of treatment. But what no one knows is that Stevie doesn't plan to stay that long. There are only twenty-seven days until the anniversary of her brother Josh’s death—the death she caused. And if Stevie gets her way, there are only twenty-seven days until she too will end her life. In this emotionally haunting and beautifully written young adult debut, Meg Haston delves into the devastating impact of trauma and loss, while posing the question: Why are some consumed by their illness while others embark on a path toward recovery?

My Review

It took me a while to figure out what kinds of things to say about this book.  It was one of those books that I wasn’t sure if I was going to like, but by the end, I found it … Continue reading

4 stars
1 Comment
Book Title:
All We Have is Now
Book Author:
Lisa Schroeder
Publishing Date:
July 28, 2015
Publisher:
Scholastic
Date Read:
July 19, 2015

Synopsis

What do you do with your last day on earth? Just over twenty-four hours are left until an asteroid strikes North America, and for Emerson and everyone else who didn't leave, the world will end. But Emerson's world already ended when she ran away from home. Since then, she has lived on the streets, relying on her wits and on her friend Vince to help her find places to sleep and food to eat. The city's quieter now that most people are gone, and no one seems to know what to do as the end approaches. But then Emerson and Vince meet Carl, who tells them he has been granting people's wishes -- and gives them his wallet full of money. Suddenly, this last day seems full of possibility. Emerson and Vince can grant a lot of wishes in one last day -- maybe even their own.

My Review

All We Have is Now by Lisa Schroeder is one of those books that I felt I absolutely needed to read.  The premise sounded absolutely amazing – a young adult novel about making the most out of the small amount … Continue reading

5 stars
4 Comments
Book Title:
The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak
Book Author:
Brian Katcher
Publishing Date:
May 19, 2015
Publisher:
Katherine Tegen Books
Date Read:
July 10, 2015

Synopsis

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak is Stonewall Book Award-winning author Brian Katcher’s hilarious he said/she said romance about two teens recovering from heartbreak and discovering themselves on an out-of-this-world accidental first date. It all begins when Ana Watson's little brother, Clayton, secretly ditches the quiz bowl semifinals to go to the Washingcon sci-fi convention on what should have been a normal, résumé-building school trip. If slacker Zak Duquette hadn't talked up the geek fan fest so much, maybe Clayton wouldn't have broken nearly every school rule or jeopardized Ana’s last shot at freedom from her uptight parents. Now, teaming up with Duquette is the only way for Ana to chase down Clayton in the sea of orcs, zombies, bikini-clad princesses, Trekkies, and Smurfs. After all, one does not simply walk into Washingcon. But in spite of Zak's devil-may-care attitude, he has his own reasons for being as lost as Ana-and Ana may have more in common with him than she thinks. Ana and Zak certainly don’t expect the long crazy night, which begins as a nerdfighter manhunt, to transform into so much more…

My Review

This book was such a delight.  It was adorable.  It was nerdy.  It was one of those wonderful books that was a great example of how fun that young adult fiction can be. And trust me, this book is a … Continue reading

5 stars
2 Comments

I have had the wonderful opportunity to do an interview with the author of They Call Me Alexandra Gastone, T.A. Maclagan!  She agreed to answer a few questions about herself and her novel, and if you haven’t read it yet, … Continue reading

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Book Title:
They Call Me Alexandra Gastone
Book Author:
T.A. Maclagan
Publishing Date:
May 20th, 2015
Publisher:
Full Fathom Five Digital
Date Read:
April 9, 2015

Synopsis

When your life is a lie, how do you know what’s real? Alexandra Gastone has a simple plan: graduate high school, get into Princeton, work for the CIA, and serve her great nation. She was told the plan back when her name was Milena Rokva, back before the real Alexandra and her family were killed in a car crash. Milena was trained to be a sleeper agent by Perun, a clandestine organization from her true homeland of Olissa. There, Milena learned everything she needed to infiltrate the life of CIA analyst Albert Gastone, Alexandra’s grandfather, and the ranks of America’s top intelligence agency. For seven years, “Alexandra” has been on standby and life’s been good. Grandpa Albert loves her, and her strategically chosen boyfriend, Grant, is amazing. But things are about to change. Perun no longer needs her at the CIA in five years’ time. They need her active now. Between her cover as a high school girl—juggling a homecoming dance, history reports, and an increasingly suspicious boyfriend—and her mission in this high-stakes spy game, the boundaries of her two lives are beginning to blur. Will she stay true to the country she barely remembers, or has her loyalty shattered along with her identity?

My Review

Alexandra Gastone has a seemingly great life to all those on the outside.  She has a boyfriend, she does well in school, and she lives with and is close to her grandfather, who works in the CIA.  She is on … Continue reading

5 stars
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Book Title:
Queen of Tomorrow (Stolen Empire #2)
Book Author:
Sherry D. Ficklin
Book Series:
Stolen Empire, #2
Publishing Date:
July 14, 2015
Publisher:
Clean Teen Publishing
Date Read:
July 9, 2015

Synopsis

Sophie―now Catherine, Grand Duchess of Russia―had a tough first year at Imperial Court. Married at sixteen to Grand Duke Peter, heir to the throne, and settled in their own palace, things start to look up. As a new day dawns, Catherine thinks only of securing her future, and the future of their country, during one of the greatest political upheavals of her time. Fighting desperately against forces that try to depose the Empress Elizabeth and put the young Prince Ivan on her throne, Catherine soon finds herself in the middle of a war brewing between her beloved Prussia and her new empire. While navigating the fragile political landscape, she quickly realizes that she has only begun to discover the tangled web of deceit and infidelity woven over the lavish court of Oranienbaum Palace. When a strange and delicate alliance forms between the young couple, Catherine glimpses a future of happiness, only to see it vanish at the hands of those who still seek to end her life―and prevent her reign. Out of favor with the empress and running out of options, Catherine must sacrifice her own innocence on the altar of Russia if she is to save the nation and herself. To survive, she will have to do the unthinkable, betray those closest to her and become something greater and more dangerous than she ever imagined she could be… a queen.

My Review

Rarely have I come across a second book in a series that is even close to being as good as the first.  This is one of those cases where I actually enjoyed the second book better than the first. I … Continue reading

5 stars
4 Comments
Book Title:
Queen of Someday (Stolen Empire #1)
Book Author:
Sherry D. Ficklin
Book Series:
Stolen Empire, #1
Publishing Date:
October 7, 2014
Publisher:
Clean Teen Publishing
Date Read:
July 8, 2015

Synopsis

ONE GIRL WILL BRING AN EMPIRE TO ITS KNEES... Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia—at any cost. Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family—and herself—Sophie vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans. Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be. In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?

My Review

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I started reading this.  The cover is absolutely beautiful, and I won’t lie – it definitely made me want to read this.  Then I read the description of the book, and it … Continue reading

4.5 stars
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Book Title:
Between Us and the Moon
Book Author:
Rebecca Maizel
Publishing Date:
June 30th, 2015
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Date Read:
July 1st, 2015

Synopsis

A luminous young adult novel that evokes Judy Blume’s Forever for a new generation. Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett. Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself. Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall for this story about how life and love are impossible to predict.

My Review

  When I picked this book up, I expected a sweet, summer romance that would make a quick, heartwarming read, but I didn’t get that.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, the book wasn’t bad…but I just had a lot … Continue reading

3.5 stars
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