Category: Teen/YA Fiction Review

REVIEW: Perfect by Cecelia Ahern

REVIEW: Perfect by Cecelia Ahern

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Celestine North is on the run. She’s been branded “Flawed.” She’s hiding from Judge Crevan who is desperate to find her – or to find the evidence he thinks she is hiding.

The judge will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He harasses the Flawed to get them to sell Celestine out. He arrests her grandfather. His desperation grows every day.

Several powerful people seem interested  in helping Celestine – but who can she really trust? Will anyone stand for what is right? Or are these people only out to secure more power for themselves?

 

Review

I loved book one,  Flawed, in this dystopian duology. If you haven’t read it, you should. I highly recommend it.

This story does a great job of exploring what it’s like for the Flawed to live day to day – the rules about what they can eat, how many can be together in a group, the curfews, etc. Then there are the complications – no one can help them because they would be arrested for assisting the Flawed.  If the Flawed bus is shut down, those on board are in danger of breaking their curfew and suffering consequences. Flawed who become pregnant have their children taken away and tagged “Flawed at Birth.”

The story also does well with building suspense as Celestine makes more connections with people who may or may not be trustworthy. Her romantic interests are explored and resolved. Her family grows and changes in response to Celestine’s choices in the first book and then again in this one. And as you watch them change, you also get to see how society starts, slowly, to change around them.

I wasn’t sure if this book would wrap up the story or if it was going to be a transitional book before a third and final volume. This unknown kept me  braced for some major backstabbing or some huge reveal that would launch the story off once again as this one started to wrap up. While there was plenty of suspense and some backstabbing, everything wrapped up in a pretty satisfying way.

Definitely read these in order. Definitely read this one if you already read Flawed. There is some language in the book. (Flawed does contain some difficult-to-read scenes for Celestine’s branding.) Many thanks to the publisher, Macmillan, for providing an electronic review copy for me to read in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed reading Perfect!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

@Mink is a film buff on the East coast and @Alex is a film fanatic on the West coast. Ironically, @Alex lives in the same town as @Mink’s dad. @Alex encourages her to come to California and go to a film festival with him. Then they can meet face to face for the first time.

@Mink is Bailey. Bailey is actually moving to her dad’s in California, but she’s not quite ready to tell @Alex. She’s hoping she can puzzle out who he is and see if there’s any chemistry between them before telling him who she is. Bailey has gotten good at protecting herself after what happened four years ago.

Porter is NOT part of Bailey’s California plan, though! At first she thinks he is a complete jerk but with time she sees there’s more to him than she thought. Maybe she doesn’t have to protect herself from Porter. But with Porter in her life, where does @Alex fit?

Review

This was so fun!! Many laugh-out-loud moments between Bailey and Porter. The chemistry between them is terrific! I really enjoyed the story and watching things unfold between them. This was fantastic.

Since the story has been described as a take on You’ve Got Mail, I knew where things were headed, but I completely enjoyed the journey to get there. The setting is great – the California coast and boardwalk area as well as the “museum” where Bailey works. The movie quotes and references made me want to fire up Netflix and watch the older movies I’ve heard of but haven’t seen.

Bailey and Porter are the stars of the story, but the other characters – their families, Grace, Pangborn, Davy – are just as fascinating and just as important to the story. I loved them.

There’s some language and mature content so in my opinion this is best for older teens and young adults/adults. I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher, Simon Pulse, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review this book! This book releases on April 4, 2017.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: A List of Cages by Robin Roe

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The first time Adam met Julian, he was in 5th grade and Julian was in 2nd. They were reading buddies. The second time, Julian became Adam’s foster brother. Julian’s parents had been killed in an accident. Adam and his mother took him in. And they loved him, evident by the pictures of him still on the mantle after all these years.

Adam is assigned to Julian once again his senior year. Julian, now living with an uncle, keeps skipping appointments with the school counselor. As her aide, Adam is sent to track Julian down.

Each time that Adam comes into Julian’s life, he makes such a difference. As kids, he introduced Julian to the books Julian loves even now, books he reads over and over despite his struggles with dyslexia. In foster care, Adam and his mother gave Julian a safe place to start healing after a tremendous loss. But this time, Julian is going to need Adam more than either of them can imagine.

Review

Oh, this book…. I almost can’t put words to this. Julian breaks my heart. Even his walk shows how much he wants to disappear and not be noticed. No one at the school seems to want to be bothered with him. Adam is the opposite. Everyone loves him! Everyone knows him! He just naturally knows how to relate to people. He sees everyone – just when Julian needs to be seen.

There are parts of this story that are so fun – especially Adam and his friends (I love Charlie!!). But there are also these tender moments where the same boisterous group of seniors show up for Julian, this random freshman to most of them, in amazing ways.

Then there are ugly-crying moments in this, too. There are dark moments – powerful moments – that are even more powerful because of the relationship that has been growing between Adam and Julian through the story. Wow, this was just fantastic.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

For me this is definitely a book for older teens/YA due to mature content (predominantly violence/abuse) and language.

REVIEW: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

You never know how one action (or inaction) on your part will intersect with the other things happening in a person’s life.

Days after Hannah’s suicide, Clay receives a set of audio cassettes. Thirteen stories. Thirteen people who play a part in the circumstances that led to her decision to die.

As Clay listens, and as he follows Hannah’s story to landmarks and houses around town, he remembers his own story with Hannah. He wonders when his story will be on one of the tapes, and wonders what Hannah saw as his role in the choices she made.

Review

Wow. I can’t really say I “liked” this book. The subject matter is dark. The things Hannah does and doesn’t do, the things she endures are sad…. But the story is well-written. It’s engrossing. And I think it’s an important subject.

The format of this is nicely done. Hannah’s recording is conveyed in italics while Clay’s thoughts and reactions are in normal print. There are interludes when Clay interacts with someone in real time which gives the reader a nice break from Hannah’s story once in awhile to let the story sink in.  The author notes in the back matter talk about his choices for the format and also give readers suggestions of things to do if the reader or a friend, might be suicidal.

The book covers a lot of things that are familiar worries for teens, or for those who love them – parties, drinking and driving, sexual assault, damaging rumors and reputations, etc. There are so many important things to talk about in this book – for adults as well as for kids.

A moving, challenging book that will stay with you.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BLOG TOUR: Bluff by Julie Dill

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Chelsea is desperate. Her dad’s nonchalance about work and money is not getting their bills paid. If she waits much longer, their power will get turned off – again – or they’ll get evicted.

Chelsea catches a poker game on TV, and an idea starts to form. She’s technically not old enough to gamble. But if she’s lucky, and no one cards her, maybe she can make enough money to not only pay their bills but also cover her cheerleading fees. And if she’s really lucky, she might have enough to live a “normal” life like her friends! Chelsea’s going to have to bluff a lot to pull this off!

BLOG TOUR!

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Bluff by Julie Dill. I am grateful to the folks at PR by the Book for inviting me to be a part of the tour and for providing an electronic  review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is not a book I would have sought out on my own to read, but I am so glad I had a chance to read it. The story was completely engrossing. I was often holding my breath to see if Chelsea was going to pull things off or get caught. The suspense was really well-paced. The poker and gambling pieces were fairly easy to follow even thought I’ve never been to a casino.

The best part of the storytelling for me was how well the author made Chelsea sympathetic. Chelsea was carrying the full load of responsibility for the finances of her family. She was negotiating to keep the power on but at the same time she had no idea what happens when you put a full tank of gas in a car. She only ever put in a few dollars at a time – whatever she had to spare. When she wins at poker and goes shopping, she thinks, “Is this what it’s like to be normal?” It broke my heart. She longs to fit in with the girls at her school who buy whatever they want whenever they want it. Her best friend gives her $100 without a thought. These are things Chelsea has never experienced. Until now.

It’s easy to see how Chelsea gets sucked into gambling. The money she wins gives her a sense of freedom. But losing leaves her desperate. She gives it up for awhile but gets drawn back in whenever she has a little money in her pocket and the need for the thrill. The author does a great job of showing the addictive side to gambling!

There’s a romantic subplot that amps up the tension and adds to the things Chelsea is lying about and the number of people she is lying to. There’s also some language.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

This was a great story! For me it was a nice change of pace from my usual teen story lines. I appreciated the opportunity to consider the issue of teens and addiction from a different perspective from drinking or drugs. This would be an interesting book to read with teens and talk through. This is an author I would certainly read again! Thanks once more to PR by the Book and Julie Dill for the opportunity to be a part of the #BluffBlogTour and to read Bluff.

REVIEW: The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Avery has always thought she was a pretty ordinary girl. Sure, she has violet eyes that draw way too much attention, so she covers them with colored contacts. And her mom’s job keeps them moving around the country at a breakneck pace. So she has few close friends and she keeps to herself so it’s less painful when they inevitably have to leave again. But otherwise, totally ordinary!

But “ordinary girls” don’t get mugged at the prom or whisked to Paris without a passport or go clubbing in Istanbul.

They also don’t get attacked at knife point at a private Prada fitting or get shot at while climbing down a fire escape. So maybe Avery’s not as ordinary as she always thought.

Review

I really enjoyed this first book in what has become The Conspiracy of Us series. It’s like The 39 Clues for young adults. There are various families that are controlling factions, there’s clue-hunting around the world, and an ancient history piece thrown in as well. The chemistry between two of the main characters as well as the knife and gun violence and kidnapping are what ages this up to the YA crowd. And it all works!

I was completely pulled into the story from the start. I still have some unanswered questions and this ended with an intriguing cliffhanger. So, book two, The Map of Fates, is now a must-read.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Going Geek by Charlotte Huang

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Skylar is about to start her senior year at her prestigious East Coast boarding school. But already things aren’t going like she planned. Her parents are having money troubles. So instead of interning at her mom’s movie production company over the summer break, Skylar had to work at their club – as a waitress. Then her school says there’s been a housing shake up and she loses her prime spot in the best dorm with all of her friends. Then when everyone finds out about how she really spent her summer, and that she kept it all secret from them, she loses what little normalcy she has left. This was not how her senior year was supposed to go!

Review

Books (and Hallmark Channel movies)  tend to work in one of two ways. Either things start out great, hit a major snag near the three-quarters point and then resolve or everything falls apart at the start and the character has to claw his or her way back. This book fits the second scenario. Bit by bit, Skylar loses everything that was important to her. She loses her identity. And you cringe as you read it because it is painful.

But things slowly start to change. Skylar gives her new situation a chance. She opens up to new people. She discovers some things about herself. And it’s an immensely satisfying journey! I really loved Skylar’s new community – and the person she becomes when she opens herself up to them. If the author decides to write a sequel, I would totally read it! (Some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

New school Holmes and Watson.

Several generations removed from their famous relatives, teens Charlotte Holmes and James Watson meet at a Connecticut boarding school. At first it’s a simple meeting of their generation’s version of the famous families. But soon they are questioned in a murder and then an assault. The cases resemble classic Holmes cases, and Charlotte and James are framed exquisitely well. The teens will have to use all their best observation and deductive reasoning skills to keep out of jail – and to stay alive.

Review

As a mystery fan but not necessarily a Holmes fan, I wasn’t sure I’d like this one, but I wanted to give it a try. I was pulled in right away by this idea of kids with famous ancestors trying to decide how much they wanted to live up to the family history. Was she going to be the brilliant addict, seeing things no one else noticed? Would he be the writer, telling engrossing stories? Where they destined to be friends? Or were things more complicated than falling into old roles?

I thought the author did a great job of merging pieces of the classic characters and stories with her contemporary protagonists. I kept reading in part to see how things would play out between Charlotte and James.

The other reason I kept reading was the mystery. It was complicated and layered. I was left guessing all the way through. And the author left enough points open at the end to leave me wondering what might happen next.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Book two releases next week – The Last of August.

REVIEW: Embassy Row series by Ally Carter

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The final book of the Embassy Row series released in December 2016. Here is a summary of all the books in the series.

Book 1 – All Fall Down: Grace arrives at the US Embassy in the country of Adria feeling uncertain and out of place. She’s sure that everyone feels sorry for her, either because her mother is dead or because she is “crazy.” She knows what she saw, though. She knows there was a scarred man there the night her mother died. And she knows she’s seen that same man in Adria!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Book 2 – See How They Run: Reeling from the revelations of All Fall Down, Grace learns more history of Adria as she tries to protect her secrets and her friends, as well as find a killer. But the revelations of book two are just as stunning as book one! I’d love to say more but I don’t want to spoil anything!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

Book 3 – Take the Key and Lock Her Up: Grace is on the run, but the powers that be will not let her stay in hiding. She knows she will have to find secrets long buried – or compromise everything and everyone she cares about – if she wants to survive.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

Review

This is a great series! I feel like the series improved as it went on. Book one pushes the reader to decide what to think – and what to believe – when it comes to Grace and her past. And Grace can be hard to like at times because you just aren’t sure what to believe. Hang with the story because it is worth it.  Book two broadens the scope, showing Grace’s history in a larger context. This also makes the deeper mysteries more important. Book three puts all the pieces together and runs headlong into the final conflict. A lot happens in this book and the pace is pretty frantic. Take the Key and Lock Her Up is my favorite of the three books.

This is terrific, clean YA – lots of suspense and intrigue with mild romance. I highly recommend it!

 

REVIEW: Into White by Randi Pink

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

After a humiliating “final straw,” Latoya prays that God would make her “anything but black.” The next day she is a blonde, blue eyed white girl, still living with her black family. They are the only ones who still see her as she originally was. Latoya gets to experience her school and her peers as “Katarina” the white exchange student. She talks face to face at times with Jesus about her transformation.

Black girl experiences life as white girl

Review

This was a fascinating story. Toya feels all the pain in her life is the fault of her race. At times it was difficult to read – the cruelty, the blatant racism, the crass moments. But it made me think, which I think is a great quality in a book.

I would love to read this with a group of white and black readers and hear from others what they thought of the portrayals in the story. Online reviews are mixed and most of the ones I saw were written by white people. There’s an element of a story like this that begs to be enhanced by conversation. I wonder – are the characters in the book the worst of stereotypes? Or are there high school students who have had experiences like this? Are there minority students who hate their own race because of the bigotry they experience? And if so, how can we help them?

If I had one complaint about the book, it would be that it doesn’t offer any solutions. Toya’s resolution seems centered more on her individual life and circumstances and less on a universal experience or revelation about valuing her race.

Racial issues are front and center in our country these days. I think it’s important to read books that explore race and racism, especially ones that expose readers to perspectives that are different from their own. (This book includes some language as well as an attempted sexual assault. May be best suited for mature readers.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥