Review: Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader

Author: Elisa Nader

Genre:  Contemporary, Thriller, Dystopian

Pages: 271

Published: August 18th, 2013

Publisher: Merit Press

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

"Since the age of ten, Mia has lived under the iron fist of the fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join his fanatical family of followers. In Edenton, a supposed “Garden of Eden” deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the Reverend’s strict but arbitrary rules—even the mandate of whom they can marry. Now sixteen, Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in, and the curious out. When the rebellious and sexy Gabriel, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees a chance to escape. 
But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound’s façade are more shocking than anything they ever imagined. While Gabriel has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friends and freedom fighters. But is there time to think of each other as they race to stop the Reverend’s paranoid plan to free his flock from the corrupt world? Can two teenagers crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman who’s only concerned about his own secrets?"~Goodreads

I've always been fascinated with cults.  It's that morbid curiosity thing and I just can't help it.  So when I heard about this Jonestown-esque story I just had to read it.  This book promises suspense, action and shocking secrets and boy does it deliver.   

LIKES:

• Real Life Dystopia: The setting in this book is masterfully put together.  Nader has created a horrible paradise that feels so real I'm not entirely convinced it isn't.  Of course the thing is, it is real.  No, Edenton isn't a real place, but there have been and probably still are compounds like it out there.  For a good example (and I would imagine probably the inspiration for this book) check out Jonestown.  Probably the most terrifying thing about this story is that it can and does happen in real life.  This isn't some post-apocalyptic dystopian that takes place in the distant future.  It takes place right now and not in some alternate reality.
• Somebody paid attention in Psychology class: One of the most impressive things about this book is the author's understanding of her characters' psychology.  As with victims of systematic abuse, the people of Edenton are controlled by their fear of The Reverend.  This fear develops into guilt and they believe they deserve all that he does to them.  Those of us not in this situation may not understand why they would not rebel under such cruelty, but the author handles this very nicely.  The reader is able to sympathize with The Flock even while hating what their community stands for.  
• Subtle but intense romance:  I was really happy with the way that the romance was handled in this story.  I think it would have been a mistake to make it the most important plot point.  It definitely takes a back seat to the action and suspense.  However, the romance that is there is very intense and much different than in most YA novels.  Gabriel and Mia both have so many varied issues that it would be impossible for them to have a normal romance.  But the chemistry is great and fit in perfectly with the story.

DISLIKES:

• Emotion could have been better at times: There were some moments in the book where I felt like the emotion could have been higher.  In particular, there is a scene near the beginning involving cookies.  I'll leave it at that so I don't ruin it for you, but you'll know when you get there.  I'm reading this scene going "HOLY CRAP WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" and the main character just sort of acknowledges it and moves onto the next day.  It's possible that this was done on purpose to show how numb she has become to cruelty, but good lord.  EMOTE!
• Gabriel's parents - WTF?:  Gabriel's parents (and really many of the parents here) should be ashamed of themselves.  I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil anything but in one of the last scenes they sit there as terrible things are about to happen to their child.  Now, of course at this point they are probably completely controlled by fear so you could give them that, but from what I can gather they've been pretty awful parents since the beginning.  So when they are seemingly absolved later on I had a little trouble buying it.  I can't imagine being able to forgive people who put me through something like that.  Maybe I'm just not Edenton material.

Overall this book was great.  It caught my attention from page one and kept me riveted throughout.  I really came to care about the characters and by the end of the book I felt like I needed a good cry and possibly a Xanax.  The storyline would have been interesting all on it's own but Nader added her own twists and turns and really amped up the suspense.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

  

Mini-Review: Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

Author: Jenny Hubbard

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Contemporary

Pages: 192

Published: June 14, 2011

Publisher: Delacorte

Rating: 3/5 Stars

"At the beginning of his junior year at a boys' boarding school, 16-year-old Alex is devastated when he fails to save a drowning friend. When questioned, Alex and his friend Glenn, who was also at the river, begin weaving their web of lies. Plagued by guilt, Alex takes refuge in the library, telling his tale in a journal he hides behind Moby-Dick. Caught in the web with Alex and Glenn is their English teacher, Miss Dovecott, fresh out of Princeton, who suspects there's more to what happened at the river when she perceives guilt in Alex's writing for class. She also sees poetic talent in Alex, which she encourages. As Alex responds to her attention, he discovers his true voice, one that goes against the boarding school bravado that Glenn embraces. When Glenn becomes convinced that Miss Dovecott is out to get them, Alex must choose between them."~Goodreads

I love a good boarding school story.  All of that teen angst and no parents in sight.  It's a great recipe for drama and intrigue.  For some reason stories about all boys schools seem to hold a special place in my heart.  It's probably because I grew up loving A Separate Peace and The Dead Poets Society, "Oh captain, my captain" and all that.  These stories really seem to tug at my heart strings.  That's probably why I went into this story expecting so much.  It doesn't hurt that Paper Covers Rock was a finalist for the William C. Morris Debut Award.  So with my expectations towering, I dove right in (pun intended).  Unfortunately, this particular boarding school story was a little stale for me.

Let's start off on a positive note.  The style of the book was really intriguing.  It is told in journal form through entries, essays, poems and letters.  I always have loved this type of writing style.  It allows you to get inside the protagonists head in a way that simple narrative cannot.  It also usually helps to make the pacing of the story work.  However, with this particular book, the pacing was sometimes off and even at only 192 pages this book took awhile for me to get through.  That being said, the journal style was effective in helping me to understand and connect with the main character, Alex.  Even though I felt I knew Alex, it was hard at times for me to sympathize with him.  He allows others to control so much of what he does and how he thinks and allows himself to be bullied by his (to me totally dull, nothing to write home about) best friend, Glenn.  Together the boys get one student expelled and attempt to have a teacher dismissed all to save their own butts.  I'm not sure why I should feel much sympathy for such a door mat.

My other big problem with this book is that the story line is so similar to A Separate Peace.  There are plenty of differences of course but the characters seem like less likable knock-offs of Phineas and Gene and the main conflict (a student being injured/killed) after jumping into a river was just too on the nose for me.  Really, I probably would have had a much different view of the book if this weren't the case since I spent most of the time comparing the two stories in my mind.  Of course the plot lines were different in many ways and I am not at all insinuating that anything underhanded is going on here, but I just felt like I had read this story before and liked it better the first time.

When all is said and done I can't really say  that I disliked Paper Covers Rock.  It was a solid story told in an interesting way, but it fell short.  I would have like to have seen a more original story-line and more likable characters.  The charm of Dead Poets Society and the bite of A Separate Peace were missing for me.  In the end, it's a story that is interesting but not enduring.  I think this book would be a good introduction if you haven't read a lot of books involving boarding schools.  It may really intrigue some of you, I think for me it was just a little late to the party.

Mini-Review: Shallow Pond by Alissa Grosso

Author: Alissa Grosso

Genre:  Contemporary, Mystery

Pages: 336

Published: July 8th, 2013

Publisher: Flux

Rating: 2/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Barbara “Babie” Bunting is constantly mistaken for her sisters, but she’s determined not to end up like her family. She doesn’t plan to stick around Shallow Pond after graduation, and she certainly won’t be ruined by a broken heart. That is, until fellow orphan Zach Faraday walks into the picture, and Babie can’t deny their chemistry.
When her oldest sister, Annie, comes down with a mysterious illness—initially dismissed as “love sickness”—Babie and Zach start investigating what exactly killed the girls’ mother and why their late father became so consumed by grief. What they find changes everything"~Goodreads

It is going to be next to impossible for me to talk about this book without any spoilers.  But I'll give it a try.   I went into this read expecting a contemporary mystery with deep dark family secrets because, well, that's what the blurb says.  However, it turned out to be far more complicated and convoluted than I ever imagined.  I really wanted to like this one.  It has a great premise.  Small town girl meets mysterious new boy.  Together, they uncover a life-shattering secret.  Drama and mystery ensue.  Actually it was more like whiny, self-involved girl meets new boy with crazy unbelievable back story and discovers she has an even more unbelievable back story (and not unbelievable in a good way). There were so many twists in this book that it was hard to see how everything would fit together in the end and it really didn't for the most part.  To make matters worse our main character, Babie, kept jumping to every possible conclusion except the correct one in each situation. I couldn't understand why she wouldn't just talk to her older sisters about what was going on.  It was infuriating.  Speaking of sisters don't get me started on Annie and Gracie.  Annie is a lifeless character who just mopes around the house all day and refuses to see a doctor even though she's been sick for months.  Gracie is spoiled, bitchy and lacks the capacity for human compassion. 

Then we get to the big event of the book, which incidentally is not finding out why Annie is sick.  I can't tell you what that event is because some of the most interesting parts of the book involve the build up to said event.  Of course then everything goes completely downhill.  By the time I got to the main twist in the book everything was so far out there that I had completely lost interest. I felt like I had been completely mislead about the plot, it felt gimmicky and ridiculous.  I know I sound like I'm being harsh but I just had such high hopes for this book.  I feel the same way I would feel if someone handed me a horror movie and it ended up being a romantic comedy with no warning.  That being said you may read this book and be totally blown away by the twists and turns.  They just weren't for me.  If I can say anything positive it is that the pacing was good and for awhile I really was eager to find out what was going on. I just wish the plot and characters would have been more to my liking.

Review: This Is W.A.R. by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Author: Lisa and Laura Roecker

Genre:  Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery

Pages: 288

Published: July 2nd, 2013

Publisher: SoHo Teen

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"This is W.A.R. begins with a victim who can no longer speak for herself, and whose murder blossoms into a call-to-arms. Enter four very different girls, four very different motives to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan, and only one rule to start: Destroy James Gregory and his family at any cost. Willa's initials spell the secret rallying cry that spurs the foursome to pool their considerable resources and deliver their particular brand of vigilante justice. Innocence is lost, battles are won—and the pursuit of the truth ultimately threatens to destroy them all."~Goodreads

Who doesn't like a good revenge novel?  All of us have been wronged at some point and felt powerless to do anything about it.  So there's something cathartic about watching someone get whats coming to them.  This is W.A.R. is a fun and ultimately satisfying novel that weaves together the stories of four girls bent on bringing their best friend's killer to justice.   

LIKES:

• Four different narrators:  I always love it when an author can use different voices to effectively tell a story.  It makes for a well-rounded story and allows the reader to see all viewpoints.  Each of Willa's friends have their own reason for wanting revenge and their own reason for feeling guilty about her death.  The girls vastly different personalities also make the story more interesting and believable.  I particularly enjoyed the chapters narrated by Willa's stepsister Madge.  She did a great job of making me feel closer not only to her but to her sister as well.
• Yuppies who rule with an iron fist:  One thing that is vitally important to a thriller is a bad guy you love to hate.  The Gregory's fit this bill to a tee.  They are spoiled, entitled and completely above the law.  They abuse their power and have seemingly no appreciation for the value of other human beings.  But they aren't just one-dimensional jerks.  There are layers to the Gregory family.  The Captain, while obviously an awful human being, is driven by more than just greed.  Trip has been emotionally and psychologically crippled by something in his past and James has been driven to rampant alcoholism by his family.  You love to hate them, but you want to understand them as well.  When you throw in their small lakeside town and the country club that acts as their seat of power the show is quite spectacular.
• Not too unrealistic:  It would be easy to set up a series of grand schemes that could never happen in real life in this story.  The girls are from wealthy families and money is thrown around like it's nothing.  But most of the schemes the girls come up with are not completely out of the realm of possibility.  

DISLIKES:

• Rich people are horrible:  I get a little tired of wealthy people being made into caricatures of Blair Waldorf.  Not everyone who has money is rude and spoiled.  Now I am not saying that as someone who has money, the dent in my car's rear bumper that has been there since 2008 will attest to that.  I am simply saying that as someone who has met all types of people from all different backgrounds.  The country club members are some of the most abhorrent people you can imagine.  They treat the staff like slaves and behave however they want regardless of how it affects others.  I understand that this particular country club had to be this way for the story to work but it still made me roll my eyes.
• I'm still a little confused about the ending:  I won't get into spoilers here but I have to say there is something that happens at the end regarding a website that I'm totally confused about. In fact, if any of you have read this and want to explain it to me please shoot me an email.  I'd be forever grateful.  

If you're looking for a fun, fast-paced summer read with lots of vigilante justice, this is the read for you.  I definitely will be keeping this on my shelf for summers to come.  It's thrilling, shocking and totally satisfying.

Mini-Review: Piece of My Heart by Lynn Madelenna Menna

Author: Lynn Madelenna Menna

Genre:  Contemporary

Pages: 239

Published: June 18th, 2013

Publisher: Merit Press

Rating: 2/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Still in high school, Marisol Reyes gets the chance of a lifetime to be a real singer, and she leaps at it. After all, this is the dream she held on to, all the days and nights she spent growing up on means streets of East Harlem. Marisol never gave in--no matter what her boyfriend or her best friend had to say. Who cares if only one in a hundred pretty, talented girls make it? She will be the one. In her rush to fame, Marisol tramples on the heart of her loyal best friend, and Julian, the boy she loves. But will it be worth it?
One night at a private gig in the Hamptons, the little Latino girl with the big voice from East Harlem gets a severe reality check. A famous rapper who claims to be interested in her talents turns out to be interested in something else, threatening not only Marisol's dreams but her body and soul. Will the realities of the gritty New York music scene put out the stars in Marisol's eyes forever?"~Goodreads

I was really disappointed with this book.  I was hoping for something gritty and exciting but instead the story was pretty flat and the characters left a lot to be desired.  Menna had such a great opportunity with Marisol.  Here's a girl with big dreams and lots of talent, it would have been fun to watch her meteoric rise to stardom or at the very least her development as a person.  Unfortunately, Mari was a pretty one-dimensional character.  She is painfully naive, totally oblivious to anyone else's feelings and to top it all off whenever someone has a problem with her she assumes it's because they're jealous.  Lovely.  I couldn't warm up to her character at all.  Even at the end of the book when everything is wrapping up and Mari realizes how many people have been using her she continues to fall into the arms of the first loser who comes along.  I may sound like I'm being harsh but I was just so disappointed in this book.  The only character that was at all likable was Tati.  She at least seemed like she had some conviction was an interesting character.  Unfortunately her story never really fully developed and she suffered from some of the same downfalls as Mari.  I wish I could have loved this book, I wanted to love this book.  In the end there just wasn't enough to pull me into the story and the characters were infuriating.  I just can't recommend this one.

Review: Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2) by Katie McGarry

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre:  Contemporary

Pages: 462

Published: May 28th, 2013

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all..."~Goodreads

Katie McGarry has once again proven that I don't, in fact, dislike contemporaries.  Actually, when Katie is the author I tend to love them.  After waiting almost a year to get my hands on the companion to Pushing The Limits (one of my best books of 2012)  I was finally able to sink my teeth into Dare You To, the story of Noah's best friend Beth and her journey as she discovers what it means to be loved.  Once again, the author broke my heart only to piece it back together again.  

I suppose now it's time to dry my eyes and get to the review, but I have to warn you this is pretty much going to be a gush-fest.  That being said I'm not even going to do my usual bulleted format because, guess what, I CAN'T THINK OF ANY DISLIKES.  I just loved pretty much everything.  I realize this doesn't make for the most interesting review in the world but with writing like this, I don't have much to work with.  For some reason Katie McGarry is able to get into the psyche of every type of character and express what they're going through perfectly.  Maybe she's a witch, maybe she has an army of brain slugs and she spend her weekends roaming skate parks and malls so she can suck the thoughts out of angsty teens.  I don't really care how she does it.  Just as long as she keeps it up.  Also, if it's the brain slug thing, maybe don't tell anyone.

I didn't think it was possible that I would like this book better than PTL, actually I liked it even more.  Beth was so raw and damaged, it took her a long time to really let her vulnerability show and that made her so much more loveable when she did. It was easy to see why she and Ryan fell for each other regardless of their totally different situations.  Just like Echo and Noah, Beth and Ryan complete each other perfectly.  I can't imagine them not being together forever.  For me the perfection of their relationship can be summed up in three words THE POND SCENE.  Read the book, and get back to me.  This scene is one of the few times in my life where I have literally gasped with joy LOUDLY at a book.  It makes me so happy I can hardly contain myself.  It is one of those scenes that just sticks with you forever and makes you feel so many varying emotions that you just have to put the book down and take a second.

Before you take a look at the cover and decide this is just some gooey romance, think again.  Don't worry, there's plenty of romance for those of you who love it, but this book is much, much more than that.  At it's heart, this is a story of overcoming obstacles, whether those obstacles are a tragic family history, pressure to be someone you're not or learning to do what's best for you in your life.  It is a story about a girl finding the family she desperately needs and a boy who doesn't have it as good as it seems.  It is a hopeful, tragic, and downright powerful story.  Everyone should read this book.  And you don't have to read Pushing The Limits first (although you should definitely read it).  McGarry wrote these as stand-alones so you can read them separately.  Characters from PTL are prevalent in this book as well, especially Isaiah, Beth's closest friend.  In fact the only thing that concerned me about this book was that poor Isaiah is constantly left out in the cold.  But wait, remember how I said I had no problems with this book, that's because the third one, Crash Into You , is coming out at the end of this year and it will be Isaiah's book!  That's right, everyone's favorite tattooed ruffian is getting his own book.  And now I can die happy.

Oh um, 5 stars...

Review: Anthem for Jackson Dawes by Celia Bryce

Author: Celia Bryce

Genre:  Contemporary

Pages: 240

Published: April 30th, 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Megan Bright and Jackson Dawes are two teenagers who first meet each other on the hospital ward where they are both being treated for cancer. Megan is scared and worried about her illness, but Jackson seems to be an old hand, having been on the ward for ages. And everybody loves Jackson! He is a whirlwind of life and energy, warmth and sparkle. Megan will need to borrow some of Jackson's extraordinary optimism to face her and Jackson's future. A moving story of first love and a remarkably powerful debut novel."~Goodreads

 Even though I'm not usually drawn to contemporary romance, I make an exception for issues books. One of the big sub genres for YA contemporary issues books is cancer/illness.  With so many "cancer books" out there it's easy for a story like this one to get lost in the shuffle.  While Anthem for Jackson Dawes very much follows the same pattern as many of these books, it's still worth the read.

LIKES:

• Jackson:  I really enjoyed Jackson's character.  He was so much fun and full of energy.  He really jumped off of the page for me and helped me get into the story.  His adventurous spirit and frequent field trips around the hospital were the best parts of the book for me.  Not only is he fun and mischievous, he also has a huge heart.  His interactions with the younger patients in the hospital were more touching for me than his interactions with Megan.  He was the life force of this story.
• The overall feeling:  In the beginning of the book Megan doesn't want to go to the hospital.  It's strange and new and she doesn't feel right there.  However, after undergoing months of treatments for her cancer it becomes a second home and she feels out of place when she leaves.  The author did a great job of making this feeling real.  I was right there with Megan and it was easy to understand her emotions and reservations about leaving the ward.  I really didn't expect to feel that way, then again neither did Megan.  Atmospherically, the book was great.
• The dialogue:  This is a distinctly British book and the way the dialogue is written really helped the characters come alive for me.  I could hear each one of their voices and every one was made so unique and given their own personality through the dialogue.  Even without being British myself I was able associate each individual with their dialect and that was a lot of fun.

DISLIKES:

• Megan wasn't my favorite:  First of all, let me preface this by saying that I am used to reading slightly older teen characters.  Megan was only 14 and her immaturity was evident throughout the book.  However, even leaving room for her age she was pretty whiny and self-centered.  I just didn't connect with her the way I would have liked.  I also didn't really care for her romance with Jackson.  There just wasn't much chemistry there.
• Where's the drama?: For a book about kids who have serious illnesses this book wasn't very heavy on the drama.  I kept thinking something was going to happen and then it wouldn't.  At the end of the book there were some big events but they sort of passed by without much fanfare which I found odd.  I wish there would have been a bit more heaviness to this book.

While I wouldn't call this story groundbreaking, it does have it's moments.  It is a quick, surprisingly upbeat read that is great for a younger YA audience.  It isn't the kind of book that will devastate you and leave you moping for days, but it does tug on the heartstrings.  Overall, I would say give it a go.

Review: The After Girls by Leah Konen

 Author: Leah Konen

Genre:  Contemporary

Pages: 304

Published: April 18th, 2013

Publisher: Merit

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Ella, Astrid, and Sydney were planning the perfect summer after high school graduation. But when Astrid commits suicide in a lonely cabin, the other girls' worlds are shattered. How could their best friend have done this--to herself and to them? They knew everything about Astrid. Shouldn't they have seen this coming? Couldn't they have saved her?
As Ella hunts for the truth, and Sydney tries to dull the pain, a chilling message from Astrid leaves them wondering whether their beloved friend is communicating from the after life. The girls embark on a journey to uncover Astrid's dark secrets. The answers to those questions--questions they never dreamed of asking--will change their lives forever."~Goodreads

High School is a tumultuous time for most kids.  It is often marked with extreme highs and extreme lows.  Most teen escape relatively unscathed but some choose to make a terrible choice and end their lives.  These individuals leave a huge hole and plenty of questions.  One of the most painful things about a friend or family member's suicide is the guilt that those who are left behind are often faced with.  The After Girls is the story of two girls who spend the last summer of high school mourning their best friends tragic death while trying to piece together what happened and deal with their own guilt.  It deftly explores the grieving processes and pain of those left behind in a way that is both suspenseful and moving.

I'm not going to do my review the way I usually do because my feelings about this book can't be explained with bulleted lists or snarky comments.  Like many people I'm all too familiar with suicide.  Especially when I was in high school, it felt like an ever present shadow at my school.  My junior year two of my classmates took there own lives within a couple of weeks of each other.  One of the girls sat next to me in English,  the other was a friend.  To protect her identity I'm going to refer to her as Beth.  Beth and I were not close friends.  We had some classes together and we were both in drama club.  We hung out rarely but we bonded at the beginning of Junior year over our mutual distaste for a certain girl in our Theater Arts class.  I was in a bad place, I was dealing with the normal hormonal teenage angst as well as some family issues at the time and I wasn't myself.  After a long talk with Beth one day, she turned to me and said "you have a lot to live for, you know".  I don't know why, but those few words made a huge impact on me.  I decided to seek help and Beth and I continued to hang out at school.  Then, one morning, the principle interrupted our drama class.  The news wasn't good.  Beth had killed herself the night before.  No one saw it coming.   She was there one day and gone the next and I didn't know how to deal.  We weren't best friends but she had been there for me when I needed her.  I hadn't.  Now, I know that I couldn't have known what was going on, she didn't tell anyone, but at 17 I felt like I could have done something.

I think that's why this story resonated with me so strongly.  These two girls lose there best friend and are so wracked with guilt that they are willing to do anything to cope.  Ella tries to find out why Astrid killed herself and becomes so obsessed she begins to see things.  Sydney, on the other hand, begins drinking heavily and hanging out with her abhorrent ex to numb the pain.  In the process they start to drive a wedge between their friendship and spiral deeper and deeper out of control.  Konen does a beautiful job of making these characters and their grief intensely realistic.  From the first page the reader feels for each of them and truly cares about the story.  Astrid, the victim, is not who they imagined her to be.  They at once feel betrayed and guilty.  These are such difficult emotions to bring across and it is done perfectly.

This is not a book about death though, it is a story of resilience and survival.  It is about being thankful for what we have when we have it and trying our utmost to support and love our friends while we can.  What I most appreciated is that Astrid is not turned in to this glamorized martyr.  She is a girl who had severe issues that were not dealt with.  She chose a permanent solution to a temporary problem and left devastation in her wake.  She is not villainized but she is not left without blame either.  Suicide is always a messy topic for an author but I think that Konen did an amazing job with this book.  I think that this is an important book for anyone who has lost someone to suicide and for teens in general.  I would recommend it across the board.

Mini Review: Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Author: Elizabeth Woods

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary

Pages: 233

Published: January 4th, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Rating: 4/5 Stars

"Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria. 
Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in. 
But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?"~Goodreads

Let's talk a bit about how covers can be duplicitous.  Here we have a pretty pink cover, white winter trees, a long stemmed rose and some lovely handwriting.  Sure the title sounds ominous but how dark could this book possibly be?  Take into consideration that the angle of the trees is what someone who is on their back (like, perhaps, someone who's just been murdered in the woods) might be looking at and you get some idea of just how dark this book can get.  This cover is entirely representative of the story.  Choker is a thriller disguised as a contemporary.  Woods somehow managed to fit two different plot lines into just under 240 pages.  There were several times while reading this book that I forgot it was supposed to be a thriller at all.  I just wanted Cara to win the guy of her dreams and actually make some real friends.  That is probably what made this story so unsettling.  Woods manages to catch the reader off guard by luring them into their comfort zone just before delivering her blows.

First of all we have Cara, our main character.  She is the quintessential high school outcast.  She doesn't really have any close friends, she's super awkward and she can't seem to relate to anyone.  She's pretty miserable overall.  She's being bullied by the school's resident mean girls, their leader is dating the guy Cara is in love with.  Then her childhood friend, Zoe, appears and starts camping out in Cara's bedroom.  She starts helping Cara build up her self confidence and everything starts getting better.  It's all well and good until the bodies start piling up and Zoe seems pretty comfortable with it.  

The "thriller" aspect of the story is an ever-present force that guides the story along without over-shadowing it.  This creates an incredibly tense and upsetting atmosphere throughout the book.  Everything seems more realistic and that's what makes it so frightening.  I saw the ending coming from a mile away but that didn't make it any less disturbing when my fears came to fruition.  This is definitely not the book for you if you like neat, tidy, happy endings.   This one stays with you for awhile and was truly and excellent read.  I'd recommend this if you are looking for something more psychological and dark than a crime thriller.  

Blog Tour: Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Happy Saturday everyone!  Today I'm very happy to be part of the official blog tour for Lindsey Leavitt's new book, Going Vintage.  Going Vintage centers around thrift-loving Mallory.  She has a pretty great life: a job working for her dad's antique business, an awesome younger sister and an adorable boyfriend.  Unfortunately her life takes a dive when she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with an online girlfriend.  Mallory decides to swear off technology and live like it's the sixties.  After all, life was much simpler then right?  

As part of the the blog tour for Going Vintage I have an interview with Lindsey Leavitt, herself!  So let's just get on to the questions!

Sometimes we can all feel smothered by technology. If you could un-invent any piece of technology what would it be? 

Texting. Yes, it’s easy. I don’t have to call babysitters and have that awkward pause before they tell me no. But I just miss people talking. And I hate when people text during another conversation.

Conversely what is something you couldn't do without? 

My laptop, Holden. I sleep with him under my pillow

Have you ever tried giving up any modern conveniences for a period of time? 

Yep, did it for a week while researching this book. I have mostly blacked out that period of my life

What was your inspiration for Going Vintage? 

There was an article in The Wall Street Journal a few years ago about a man with a cyber wife who ignored his real life wife. That’s straight from the pages. A breakup drama involving a family member gave me plenty of material. And The List came after I found a list I wrote when I was 19, about what I wanted to accomplish in my life (and coolness-- #1 was publish a book!)

I have to say that this is one of my favorite covers, and I am going to find that pink carpeting (just maybe in rug form)! Did you have any input and were you happy with the result? 

 Isn’t it fabulous? The cover gods were surely smiling down on me. This one isn’t much different than the original draft. I had some input on color and fonts, but the designer, Regina Flath, found this image and shaped everything around that. I love she saturated the color. I think it fits the tone of the book perfectly.
What do you want readers to take away from this story?

Happiness. Fun. Maybe a shift in perspective. Oliver Kimball (read and you’ll understand)

What's next for you? Any projects in the works? 

I’m working on another YA contemporary for Bloomsbury that will likely be out in summer 2014. I can’t say much about it, because I still don’t have much to say, but the story is set in Vegas and involves wedding chapels. I’m gearing up to start revisions soon, and can’t wait to get back into this story. There are some characters I really, really love.

I want to thank Lindsey for being with us today and for bravely giving up technology for a week so she could write the book.  That's what I call dedication. Going Vintage is available now from Bloomsbury, make sure to check it out and let me know what you think!

Review: Also Known As by Robin Benway

Author: Robin Benway

Genre:  Contemporary, Action

Pages: 320

Published: February 26th, 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.
Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover."~Goodreads

High school is hard enough all on its own without having a full time job.  Especially if that job happens to be international super spy. I had huge expectations for this book since I'd heard nothing but good things going in.  I'm a big fan of spy movies, particularly spy movies of the "look they could be anyone" variety.  I was not disappointed. With an adorable and quirky cast of characters, an action-packed plot and plenty of suspense Also Known As completely lives up to the hype.  

LIKES:

• The characters, specifically, all of them:  that's right, every last one.  Each one played their part perfectly.  But lets have some highlights shall we?  First of all, Maggie.  She was so like-able and spunky.  She was 100% committed to her job and family while still acting like a teenager, and a particularly sassy one at that.  She's also amazing at her job.  This is my no means a "Mary-Sue" character.  She's good at what she does and knows it.  That confidence is priceless.  Then we have her new BFF Roux, a neglected Upper East Side teen with some serious flaws and some serious snark.  I just adored Roux.  There is such vulnerability under her sandpaper exterior that you just have to love her.  To round out our main characters there's Jesse Oliver.  A bad boy so terrible at being a delinquent that he can't even steal a book without getting caught.  He's also got some serious "mommy issues" that just make you want to give him a hug.  Mix in some super cool parents and a fabulously well-dressed mentor and the outcome is perfection.
• The Plot:  I'm always a little worried going into these types of books that they will be too convoluted and complicated for my taste.  Luckily the story was so much fun and the plot zipped along so quickly that if I didn't understand anything, I didn't notice and apparently it didn't hurt the plot.  It had just the right mix of depth and fun to really get me excited.
• The writing style:  I always love a book where I can picture everything that's going on as if it were happening in front of me.  Benway's writing style is so natural that it was easy to get into the story and the characters were made incredibly real.  Again, this moved everything along and pulled me deeper into the story.  On top of that there's a ton of humor in this story and it's done in a way that's not cliche or cheesy which is always nice.

DISLIKES:

• Some of the decisions Maggie made were questionable:  I'm a realist, even when it comes to unreal situations.  So when Maggie would do or say something dangerous, I found myself thinking:  "Would a spy at her level actually make that mistake?".  There were just some things that she did that would, I would imagine, be considered such rookie mistakes.  An example is talking about how she's a spy...on the phone...in public...loudly.  Seriously, isn't that like in the day one training video?
• More Edge:  I would have liked to see a little more edge from certain characters.  Particularly Roux.  She had the potential to be a much bigger dramatic device than she was and it would have been cool to see more of her edge.

Luckily the negatives didn't really impact the story too much so I was still able to really get into it.  I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it if you're looking for some fun, light-hearted action with lots of humor.