Category: Five Star Reviews

REVIEW: The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner

REVIEW: The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Sarah Hollenbeck seemed to have it all. Her husband was handsome and successful – her high school sweetheart. From the outside, their life looked perfect. But the love was gone. Patrick was sleeping with anyone but his wife. Sarah hadn’t worked since college because she got married and focused on helping Patrick with his business and his image. Without him, what does she have?

The decision to write came a little out of nowhere, and her early poems were horrible. But over the course of 6 weeks, she poured herself and her angst over her marriage and divorce into a steamy story of love. And it was a hit! Two books later “Raine de Bourgh” is famous for her graphic, saucy romances.

Then Sarah meets Jesus. A conversation with a friend turns into a prayer to Christ. And Sarah’s life is suddenly on a new track. But how will she reconcile her old life – and current book contract – with her faith? And how can she tell the sexy widowed pastor at her church that she’s the author of these scandalous books?

Review

This was excellent from start to finish! The transformation of Sarah from the shallow, needy woman at the beginning to the strong, centered woman she becomes is inspiring. Her desire to do right by her new relationship with Christ is sincere. She’s still figuring things out, but she’s determined.

The characters in the story are people I would want as friends. Well, most of them. And the chemistry between Sarah and Pastor Ben is terrific. He’s not perfect, but he is devoted to her, to honoring God in their relationship, and he’s compassionate when the newness of her faith is apparent in the things they are working through.

The story was excellent. I cared about what happened to the people in the story. This is everything I want Christian fiction to be. Strong story, characters I care about, and a faith at the core that feels natural and authentic. Highly recommend!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Captain Superlative by J. S. Puller

REVIEW: Captain Superlative by J. S. Puller

Posted on by Jaymie

[Profuse thanks to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for the priviledge of reading an electronic review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Jane is a “blend into the background” sort of kid by choice. She keeps her head down. She avoids attention. Her grades are good enough to get by. And that is her focus – to get by.

But something is very different at school that January. Some kid is walking around dressed as a superhero, calling herself Captain Superlative. Who does that?! Kids will think she’s weird. They’ll call her a freak!

Captain Superlative catches Janey’s imagination, though. She watches the Captain help kids all around the school. She opens doors for the kid in a wheelchair and makes a study guide for the whole seventh grade to help with a tough test. And she stands up to the Queen Bee, Dagmar, when she bullies her favorite target.

Before she really knows what’s happening, Janey finds a little bit of the heart of a hero in herself. She steps out of the shadows and joins Captain Superlative as she tries to make a difference in the lives of every single person in the school. But when things turn rocky, Janey will have to decide if she’s going to run back to the shadows again or if she is brave enough to stand alone in the spotlight.

Review

If I could give more than five stars to this, I would! (In fact, I looked back and one other time I gave a book a 5+ rating. I think I have to do that again for this book.) This was spectacular! In fact, just before I read this, I read a book I thought would surely be a favorite for 2018, and after reading this book, I can barely remember what I liked about the last one. This one has just consumed me since I finished it. This book has everything I love – a fascinating story, amazing characters and tons of heart. But this went one step farther with a hint of a “message.” It’s subtle, and it is woven into the entire fabric of the book. And it is perfect.

Oh, how I love Janey. She exemplifies everything I love about middle school students. She’s full of heart and strength and fear. She’s trying to make her way through difficult situations and do the right thing. Sometimes she fails. But you understand her heart. You know where her choices are coming from. I wanted to hug her. A lot. She’s a delight.

This was an emotional one for me – at least a six-tissue read. It would be hard for me to read this out loud without crying. But this begs to be read out loud – to be experienced “together.” It’s a bullying story on one small level. But it is so much more! It’s about a culture of kindness, about finding your voice, and about then using it to help others. It’s about family and friendship and legacy and character. And it’s wholly superlative.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++

REVIEW: I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown

REVIEW: I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown

Posted on by Jaymie

Austin Channing Brown shares her experience as a Black woman in America. From her name – people often assume she is a white man before they meet her –  to her experience in predominantly white environments, Ms. Brown has a lot of experiences to explore. This is part memoir and part discourse on race in America. I enjoyed the writing style and voice all the way through. This reads like a friend talking with you over coffee.

In the midst of that conversational tone, though, there is pointed content. It made me uncomfortable at times – even convicted and ashamed. I like to think there are no racial biases in me, but I think it would be hard to grow up in white America and not have them. My job now is to recognize them and challenge and change them. I was grateful for the faith pieces in the book. They were an anchor for common ground and for hope that we can change – that life for Black folks in America can be different than it is now.

Read this with an open mind and an open heart. If you are a person of faith, ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you fit in Austin Brown’s narrative. Prayerfully consider how her story can change and challenge you.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Convergent Books for the opportunity to read an electronic copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

REVIEW: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

In a world that has conquered mortality and possess all knowledge, the Scythes hold the power of life and death. While accidents still occur, people can be healed and resurrected. They can choose to have their bodies modified to make them younger. Hardly anyone dies outside of “gleaning.” Only the Scythes can glean. Gleaning keeps the population in check. The Scythes work within their own guidelines against bias or profiling. They offer one year immunity from gleaning to the families of those they glean. Death is sometimes as unemotional as a business transaction. Sometimes.

Scythe Faraday meets Citra and her family when he comes to their building to glean. Her mother feeds him dinner. But Citra is bold and brash, questioning his actions and motives.

Scythe Faraday meets Rowan when he gleans at the high school. Rowan insists on staying through the gleaning, supporting a kid he barely knows, just so he won’t be alone.

Intrigued by their character, Scythe Faraday invites both Citra and Rowan to train as apprentices. This invitation will set into motion a chain of events that will challenge and change both teens – and the scythedom – in ways they can’t imagine.

Review

Wow! This was stunning. The premise is smart and creative and unique. The world-building to set up this dystopian system is stellar – simple on the surface, with far-reaching implications. The pacing is perfect. I was hooked by the first couple of chapters, and I didn’t want to put the book down until I was finished.

The characters are nuanced and complex, from Citra and Rowan to the Scythes that train them to those who want to use them. There are twists and turns that happen in the story because of the character of each of the major players. The whole thing is woven together perfectly.

This is a dark story because it deals almost exclusively with death. There’s violence along the lines of The Hunger Games or similar stories. It’s not spelled out in excessive detail, but it’s jarring. And it should be jarring. This is definitely for mature readers who can roll with the subject matter and the violence. But the storytelling is exceptional – a treat for those who brave the darkness to explore this fascinating story. [I’ve read the second book, Thunderhead, and it is just as well-written. The pacing is a little slower, but the twists and turns are even bigger.]

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

REVIEW: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When Lucy was 8, she was hit by lightning. It stopped her heart for a couple minutes and activated part of her brain in a new way. Now Lucy is a mathematical genius. She can calculate long, complicated math problems in her head. It’s an awesome gift.

Because of her math gift, Lucy could go to college even though she is only 12. But Lucy’s grandmother is concerned that Lucy has missed some of the “soft skills” that other kids pick up in school and in activities with their peers. So they make a deal. Lucy needs to spend one year in seventh grade – make one friend, try one activity, read one book that isn’t about math. If Lucy does that for a year, she can then go to college or wherever she wants to go with her education.

Middle school is tough for any kid. Add in the fact that Lucy has been homeschooled for four years, she’s a math genius (which she wants to keep secret), and she has several OCD compulsions, and the difficulty level increases quite a bit. But Lucy has a lot to offer her new school if she’ll give it a try. She might even surprise herself along the way.

Review

This was exceptionally good! I adored Lucy and the other characters in this book. From the beginning I loved Lucy’s pre-teen awkwardness and her love of all things math. She has this fantastic confidence when it comes to her gift and when she is in settings where she feels safe. But she’s cautious in places – like school – where she doesn’t want to stand out any more than she already does with her compulsions (she has a sitting ritual as well as cleaning and counting compulsions).

As if Lucy wasn’t awesome enough on her own, she also finds a group. Through a school project Lucy finds true friendships as well as a place to put her math gift to use in the real world. It’s such a cool part of the story.

I thought this was realistic, too. Crummy things happen at school. People don’t understand Lucy’s compulsions (in part because she doesn’t open up about it, like with the English teacher). A few kids are unkind. Lucy struggles to find her voice and figure out where she wants to use it. Her problems don’t magically resolve at the end of the story. But great things happen for and through Lucy. And it was a treat to read her story. This will be a favorite for 2018. I highly recommend this for older elementary and middle school readers. Fans of Counting by 7s and Finding Perfect might enjoy this as well as readers who love fantastic, rich characters in their stories.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this outstanding book! All opinions are my own.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Bookish Boyfriends - A Date with Darcy by Tiffany Schmidt

REVIEW: Bookish Boyfriends – A Date with Darcy by Tiffany Schmidt

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Merrilee is a book-obsessed romantic – in all the best ways. She reads avidly, and she’s convinced that boys are just better in books. While her friends and family adore her, they sometimes have to remind her that she should pay attention to the real world since she lives here and all.

As a new student at Reginald R. Hero Preparatory School – a co-ed school after her previous all girls school – Merrilee is excited to spend time with some boys other than her best guy friend, Toby (who wishes they were more, but Merrilee just doesn’t feel that way). When her English teacher assigns them Romeo and Juliet, Merrilee is thrilled to be revisiting such a classic romantic story. But Ms. Gregoire seems to have ulterior motives to having Merrilee read it.

Soon Merrilee finds herself in a real life version of Romeo and Juliet. Monroe is the son of her older sister’s soon-to-be mother-in-law’s political rival. It’s like the Capulets and Montagues again. And Monroe is intense and interested. Merrilee responds to the grand romantic gestures and the brooding, handsome boy. But Ms. Gregoire may be right – there may be more to Romeo and Juliet than Merrilee ever noticed before. And maybe Romeo and Juliet isn’t the story she wants for her life after all.

Review

I fell in love with Merrilee and this story in the first chapter. I love meeting fellow avid readers, even if they are only fictional. All of the characters were fantastic – well-defined, interesting and nuanced. I laughed – loudly and often – as I read. The descriptions are terrific. I read passages aloud to my family because they begged to be shared. And I read the book non-stop from start to finish because I loved every bit of it.

I was not expecting a thread of magic/fantasy to the story – for the English teacher to have a mystical sort of way about her and for the stories Merrilee reads to be reflected in her real life. It was a delightful surprise! I hope there will be several more stories with these characters and Ms. Gregoire.

I pre-ordered my own copy of this the moment I finished reading. This is my favorite sort of book – it has all of the qualities I look for. There are terrific characters. It’s funny. It’s also smart, the premise is clever, and the execution was perfect. And there’s depth to the story and the characters. Merrilee grows up and matures and sees things differently in the end while still retaining all the things I loved about her character from the beginning. And by the end you discover some nice depth to a few of the secondary characters as well once Merrilee gets past her assumptions about them.

This was a delight from start to finish. I highly recommend this book. This could easily be one of my favorite books of 2018.

Many, many thanks to Netgalley and Amulet for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely mine – I honestly adored this book!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Finish by Jon Acuff

REVIEW: Finish by Jon Acuff

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

There are a ton of factors that can keep you from accomplishing your goals. When it comes to the factors in your own head, Jon Acuff has some suggestions.

Jon wrote a book called Start several years ago to help people take the first step toward their dreams. Then he noticed that a lot of folks are “chronic starters.” Those folks don’t need a book to help them start things; they are almost too good at that. Where they need help is getting past the perfectionism that keeps them from finishing anything.

Finish addresses the places where perfectionism can get in the way of readers accomplishing their goals – setting goals that are too big and quitting at the first roadblock instead of building on the progress made, knowing what works as an incentive for you, etc..  Each chapter includes questions to help readers apply the insights from the book to their current goals.

For me, every chapter was on target. I’m an only child – of course I have issues with perfectionism! I underlined, starred, and laughed my way through the book and finished with renewed energy for my goals. In fact, this is the first Acuff book I have ever finished. I am something of a “chronic starter” when it comes to nonfiction books. This particular one is a book I’ll keep close by so I can apply it to new goals as time goes on. I anticipate that it will also be a great resource when I get stuck in my journey to accomplish some dreams this year.

I’ve heard great things about the audio book, too. I have it, but haven’t started listening to it yet. If audio is more your style, this is supposed to be a great book to explore in that format.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

REVIEW: Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Vivian is a junior at a small high school in Texas. The football team is the pride and joy of the town, whether they are winning or losing. The whole town shuts down for games so absolutely anyone and everyone can go.

The team is the pride of the school as well. Money is funneled to the football program while other areas – girls soccer, textbooks, the science lab – are making due with decades-old material and supplies. And the football players themselves are untouchable.

Vivian has watched these things play out for years. The boys on the football team make derogatory comments to girls or make sexual references, and they never get called out by a teacher. In fact, the principal’s son is one of the worst offenders – but his daddy protects him at every turn.

Vivian is starting to take notice of her mom’s old feminist zines and music. And she’s tired of watching the injustices around her. She doesn’t want to just duck her head and endure the harassment anymore. If she could dare to show a little “moxie” at school, would anyone else step up and push back, too?

Review

This was exceptionally good. And also completely infuriating. The injustices going on in the story made my blood boil. And Viv’s reaction was realistic. She wanted to speak up, to fight back. But she also wanted to spare herself and her family any trouble. She felt helpless to stop a culture of misogyny that had been around for ages. The system was set up against the girls. What power does one 16-year-old girl have in such a situation?

Part of the power of the story was the message of what can be accomplished when enough people decide to be brave. Viv took the first (anonymous) step. But Moxie wasn’t just her thing. It became a counter-culture, little by little. It let students feel like they weren’t alone.

One of my favorite parts of the book was Viv’s clueless, well-intentioned  boyfriend. He’s a great guy who sees and recognizes the big issues, but some of the more subtle pieces he misses. He’s been indoctrinated in some ways – we all have. And that is explored in the novel, too.

This is an important and timely story for teens – and adults – regardless of gender. These issues need to be seen and discussed so we can make things better for those who come behind us. I highly recommend this novel. It’s one my whole family will be reading and discussing this summer.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Writing Desk by Rachel Hauck

REVIEW: The Writing Desk by Rachel Hauck

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Tenley’s first book was a best-seller. An award winner. But she can’t get one word written for a follow up. With a famous father and great-great-grandfather who were authors, shouldn’t this be easier? Is she destined to be a one hit wonder?

In 1902, Birdie longs to throw off the expectations of her station. She wants to have her stories published and marry the man she loves. But the publisher she approached turned her down, and she never got her manuscript back. Her parents have arranged a marriage for her that will solidify her status in society for the rest of her life. But what about what she wants?

When Tenley heads to Florida to care for her estranged mother while she goes through chemo, she’s supposed to be writing her next book. Instead she takes steps that will draw her story and Birdie’s together across more than 100 years.

Review

This was terrific! First and foremost it’s a story of writers, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I adored Birdie. She showed great strength and determination as she made every effort to fight the destiny laid out for her. Her story was my favorite.

I empathized with Tenley. She’s lost. She doesn’t really know who she is. But she does the right thing in going to take care of her mom. And while they still had prickly moments, I loved watching them try to sort things out.

This is also a set of love stories (Jonas and his family are fantastic!! There are several laugh-out-loud moments of banter between Tenley and Jonas). And it is also a story of God who sings over both of these women, encouraging them to not be dismayed. This was absolutely lovely!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

REVIEW: Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Maddie and Logan were only ten the night their lives completely changed. One minute they are dressed up and excited for a White House party. The next there are bullets, blood and Secret Service agents.

Before the reality of their experience can sink in, Maddie’s dad, former head of the Secret Service, whisks her off to  Alaska. They live in a remote area in a home that is essentially a shack. She’s homeschooled and trained for the dangers of the wilderness she now calls home. To keep her sanity in this new reality, Maddie writes letters to her best friend, Logan.

Every day.

For two years.

With no response.

When Logan shows up out of the blue six years after the White House party, tall, broad-shouldered and handsome, Maddie’s fury defies expression. He abandoned her when she needed a friend most. But her anger is cut short when they are attacked and Logan is kidnapped right before a big storm moves in. While Maddie would love to wring Logan’s neck herself, she’s going to have to save him from the kidnapper first.

Review

I devoured this book in one sitting. It was too suspenseful – and too fun – to put down. The story was engrossing. Maddie and Logan have great chemistry. The writing is smart and fun (exactly what I have come to expect from Ally Carter).

One of my favorite parts was the letter from young Maddie to Logan that kicked off each chapter. The reader could “hear” how Maddie’s voice changed in the six years from her arrival in Alaska to Logan’s arrival. And that reflected the changes in her personality over that time.

My only complaint was that it ended too soon. I wanted more!! Well, not more suspense because that was tense. But I loved spending time with these characters. Maddie is so sharp and capable. She fits in with so many of my favorite female protagonists.

One of the factors I love most, though, is that I can recommend this to anyone. There’s no foul language or anything else that would make me hesitant to recommend this to middle grade readers ready for something more suspenseful or to teens (and parents) who don’t want the distraction of mature content. One of my former students, who was hit-and-miss with reading when she was younger, has discovered Ally Carter and it has changed her outlook about reading. I love that I can recommend this to her and not have to worry about content that is too mature for her at 11 or 12 years old. Yet the book also stands as a strong, enjoyable story for teens as well on the merits of the plot and outstanding characters. This may be my favorite Ally Carter book yet! I highly recommend this book.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥