Tag: coding

REVIEW: Lost and Found Family by Jennifer Ryan

REVIEW: Lost and Found Family by Jennifer Ryan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Sarah Anderson is trying to hold it all together. She’s running the company she started with her husband while also being their top coder. She’s raising her two young sons alone after the death of her husband. The juggling of everything is leaving her exhausted.

And then she gets the letter from the lawyer.

Sarah’s mother-in-law has always assumed and believed the worst about Sarah. And now she’s threatening legal action to take Sarah’s boys away. So reluctantly, she agrees to a six-week visitation with her late husband’s family. Yes, their verbal abuse and hatefulness is hard to take. But she can endure it for six weeks to show her willingness to compromise.

Luke Thompson, the good-looking rancher next door to Sarah’s mother-in-law is the lawyer who sent the letter. And he’s guarded when it comes to Sarah, ready to see this awful person his neighbor has described. But Sarah is nothing like he expected. How does her mother-in-law see something so different? What is he missing in the story of this family? Who is really telling the truth?

 

Review

I picked this up because I was intrigued by the story. I also ADORED the author’s earlier book, The Me I Used to Be. I thought this would be something similar, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

I enjoyed this sweet story of steadfast integrity and character in the face of cruelty and anger. Sarah is almost too good to be true.

While I enjoyed the story and the characters, the big climax with Sarah’s family happened mid-book. And unlike The Me I Used to Be, there was no other mystery to carry the rest of the story to the end. I spent the second half of this book waiting for a BIG new conflict or disaster to come, but it never did. The almost-too-perfect-to-be-believable character continued to be saint-like in response to the garbage her late husband had pulled and the fall out she faced through the end of the book.

I felt like the lack of a new challenge or conflict as well as Sarah’s perfection took some of the joy out of the reading experience for me. It was 100+ pages of resolution and happily ever after, which can be nice at times, but isn’t always satisfying. I mistrust books where there’s no challenge or mission – and this one only had a challenge for about half of the story.

These days, though, there is a place for reading an escape story where there’s not a ton of conflict and there’s a whole lot of happily-ever-after. If you are looking for a book like that, give this one a try!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks

REVIEW: The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Abrams Kids in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Evie and Caleb have been best friends since childhood. And Caleb has been in love with her for most of that time. But Evie has never responded to his hints – or his “almost kisses.” She’s not really been interested in any romantic relationship at all. Teaming up with Caleb, Evie has the chance to compete once again for a huge math/science award. Last year, a panic attack before she even got on the plane derailed her plans. But this year, with Caleb at her side, she has a chance to fully compete.

After 8 months with a therapist of her choosing, Evie is managing her anxiety and feeling more confident in general. And then Leo transfers in. He’s brilliant – someone who can compete in a lot of ways at Evie’s level. And he gives her fluttery feelings she’s never experienced before. Caleb has to reign in his jealousy when Leo and Evie start dating.

When Caleb has a chance to interact anonymously with Evie in the online forum for the award finalists, he jumps at it, hoping it will help Evie see him as a romantic option once she knows it is him.  Evie is left wondering how she went from complete disinterest in romance to juggling feelings for Leo and a new guy online. And wondering how this new layer to her life will work with everything else she has been working through so very carefully.

Review

Evie and Caleb were captivating from the first delightful chapter. I loved their friendship and what they meant to each other. I loved reading about Evie’s journey with anxiety and therapy, and the ways Caleb was part of that journey. Evie and Caleb were so fun, both as individuals and in their bantering friendship.

The arrival of Leo coincides with Evie maturing to a place where she is noticing romantic feelings and she’s ready to explore that part of growing up. Leo was good for her even if he was an obstacle for Caleb.

The math of the book was way over my head, but never a distraction or drag on the story. I loved all the ways the characters in this pushed back on assumptions about women in general and Evie in particular when it comes to math and science. While Evie’s mother is the most infuriating part of this book, the misogynistic pieces were a close second. But Evie and her friends stand up to it brilliantly.

This is a delightful character-driven book. I loved having Evie and Caleb tell their own stories. And the romance is sweet and complicated, but never over-the-top. And the book is funny! The side characters might have been developed a little more (Bex’s story was fascinating, but I wanted her to feel more fleshed out), but the spotlight here is really for Evie and Caleb. And they deserve it. Don’t miss this one! (Some language, TW: Anxiety/panic attacks)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥=Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: Screen Queens by Lori Goldstein

REVIEW: Screen Queens by Lori Goldstein

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

ValleyStart is a summer tech incubator program. The winners of the summer competition would secure an internship at Pulse, the hottest influencer rating app. Lucy is hoping to win ValleyStart to get her off the wait list for Standford. She’s gotten Ryan Thompson, founder of Pulse, as her mentor. Her whole life has been leading her to this moment. She’s ready to crush ValleyStart.

Maddie isn’t happy about leaving her brother Danny to go to ValleyStart. But he’ll be at summer camp while she’s gone, and that will keep him out of the War of the Worlds going on between their parents. But really, ValleyStart is just something else to put on her resumé to help her build her graphic design business. Win or lose, she’ll be fine.

Delia is feeling out of her depth at ValleyStart. She’s more than capable of handling the coding. But she’s working part time while she’s there, and she’s self-conscious about all her parents sacrificed to get her there. If she can win, she can get a tech job. And then that money can save her parents’ theater. No pressure.

ValleyStart has never had an all-female team win the competition before. Tech tends to be a boys club. And all three of these girls are aware of that. But this summer at ValleyStart will be their chance to show what they can do to stand out in the crowd.

Review

I loved this!! In the beginning, the girls are a little prickly, and it takes awhile for them to thaw to one another. But once they started clicking as a team, I was in it until the final page. (And I actually would have been happy to have another couple chapters!)

I loved the core characters. And I loved them even more when they stepped away from ValleyStart and engaged with a middle school tech day camp. It was a fantastic example of what can be gained when you take your eyes off yourself and your situation for awhile and focus on someone else.

There’s an excellent female empowerment message through the whole book – from celebrating the history of women in technology to looking out for the next generation of coders, designers and developers. I can’t recommend this highly enough. Do not miss this one!! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Click'd by Tamara Ireland Stone

REVIEW: Click’d by Tamara Ireland Stone

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Allie gave up a summer of soccer with her best friends to follow her passion. She spent her summer at coding camp. And while she was there, she developed a game – an app. Click’d takes a user through a multiple choice quiz and then matches him or her to other users who answered similarly. Then users are sent  on a scavenger hunt to find their matches. It’s a great way to meet people and make new friends. And Click’d gets Allie a coveted spot in a coding competition.

When Allie shares Click’d with her friends, it’s a HUGE hit! And the popularity only builds in the week leading up to the competition. But that many users exposes a glitch in the app. Allie tries to find the bad code. She doesn’t want to shut down the app before the contest. She has a real chance to beat her nemesis with Click’d. But only if she can find and fix her glitch.

Review

I know almost nothing about coding. But I didn’t have to know anything to completely love this whole book!

The characters in this book are delightful. Allie is smart, dedicated and earnest. She loves coding. And her friends accept and celebrate her passion. Her “nemesis,” Nathan, is a kindred spirit, but Allie doesn’t see that because of her competitive nature. There’s a great dynamic between the different characters.

The games/apps are fun! I can totally see how kids would go crazy for a social app like Click’d. And I’d play Nathan’s game in an instant. It’s very cool. The fact that these are 7th graders in advanced coding classes and building their own apps is inspiring.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough to kids, teachers, parents and librarians. This book would work for coders as well as kids who have no interest in creating their own tech. This is a great story on its own and a great tech story, too.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer

REVIEW: More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Emma is a coder. She’s only a junior in high school, but she’s already designed her own game and other people are playing it online. Once she gets it perfect, she will show it to her dad. As a game designer, he’ll “get” how huge this is. And his approval is everything to Emma. She won’t mention the troll who is sending hateful, harassing emails to her through the game, though. That’s just how it is for women in gaming. She has to show her dad she can handle the jerks on her own.

Rev hasn’t seen his father since he was removed from the home for abuse when he was seven. At first, he didn’t even talk to his foster family. The first day, he ran away and hid at the neighbor’s. That’s how he and Declan became best friends. Now Rev’s 18. He’s in his last year of high school. His foster parents adopted him. He has a real family now. So why does the letter from his biological father throw him into such a tailspin?

Emma and Rev are both dealing with family issues. Neither one feels like they can tell the people closest to them what they are going through. But maybe they can rely on each other.

Review

Brigid Kemmerer is the real deal! After I felt in love with Declan and Juliet’s story (Letters to the Lost) last year, I started to follow her on Twitter and I tried her fantasy series (The Elementals) and loved it. This is her latest book, and it takes place in the same world as Letters. And it is another triumph.

I feel this is a darker, edgier story than Letters. The harassment Emma experiences is no joke. And the abuse Rev and other characters have suffered is horrific. But these pieces are also compelling. I have loved Rev since he first appeared in Letters. I enjoyed learning more of his story. Overall, the horrors the characters are experiencing give other people a chance to show up for Rev and for Emma. The protectiveness some people show for these characters when they are at their most fragile reminded me of all the best moments of another 2017 favorite, A List of Cages. Both books are inspiring. Oh, that we would care for others so fiercely.

I adored this story. I didn’t want it to end. I wanted more moments with these characters after the story is resolved. More of just them and life and caring for one another. I don’t want to give anything away, but I’ll just say – Matthew. Oh, this character. I’d love to read more of his story some day.

I loved everything about this! From now on, if Brigid Kemmerer writes something, I’m reading it immediately. Check her books out – I highly recommend her work. (Language, trigger warning for abuse/harassment)

Many, many thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this fantastic book in exchange for an honest review. I honestly adored it!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥