Modern Monsters by Kelley York

Vic Howard never wanted to go to the party. He’s the Invisible Guy at school, a special kind of hell for quiet, nice guys. But because his best friend is as popular as Vic is ignored, he went…

And wished he hadn’t.

Because something happened to a girl that night. Something terrible, unimaginable, and Callie Wheeler’s life will never be the same. Plus, now Callie has told the police that Vic is responsible. Suddenly, Invisible Vic is painfully visible, on trial both literally, with the police, and figuratively, with the angry kids at school. As the whispers and violence escalate, he becomes determined to clear his name, even if it means an uneasy alliance with Callie's best friend, the beautiful but aloof Autumn Dixon.

But as Autumn and Vic slowly peel back the layers of what happened at the party, they realize that while the truth can set Vic free, it can also shatter everything he thought he knew about his life.

My Thoughts:
I was really wary about this book. It's about rape. The book starts out at a party and shortly after that we learn that a girl was raped. So I was expecting some graphic details and disturbing imagery and lots of drinking and drugs and cursing. But there wasn't. Kelley York handled this subject so incredibly well. We hear this story from the perspective of the boy who is accused of raping the girl, but he's innocent. So we see what happens to him as a result of being wrongly accused and how this storyline plays out with police and reporters and kids at school and friends. It's heartbreaking. And enlightening. And beautiful. And, mostly, it's hopeful. Yes, horrible things happen. Yes, there are terrible people in the world. And there are good people who make awful mistakes. But we can gather ourselves up again and keep moving, keep going, find happiness. Especially for being such a serious subject, this book was actually really uplifting that way.

I loved Vic's voice. He was such a sweet, kind, just all-around good guy who gets put through so much crap for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I just wanted to reach into that book, wrap my arms around him and protect him. He felt like he needed protecting. Especially with the whole mother storyline which, btw, I totally guessed from the beginning and she just made me hate the world. Her and the father. Seriously, every scene she was in, I was kind of annoyed by the way she treated everything. Made me mad. And sad.

Then there was Autumn. I liked Autumn as a character, as a loyal friend, as the fiesty girl that she was. Which was why I didn't fully understand the connection she made with Vic. I just didn't see that happening naturally. It made the story, for sure, but I just didn't think it would have actually happened in a real-life situation. That's all.

The end of this book broke my heart. I saw it coming and it was still tragically sad. I really did just want to jump in there and protect Vic. That poor guy. But this book was lovely. Tragic and realistic and hopeful. I loved it. Thank you, Kelley York for handling such a delicate subject so carefully and tastefully. I will definitely read more by this author.

Sexual Content: Mild (amazing, considering the entire premise of the book!)
Language: Moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild
Violence: Moderate

Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca

Publication Date: June 9, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 256

Before:
Kelsey and David became best friends the summer before freshman year and were inseparable ever after. Until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke, and everything around her crumbled—including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey's parents decided to move away, she couldn't wait to start over and leave the past behind. Except, David wasn't ready to let her go...

After:
Now it's senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David's family moves to town and he shakes up everything. Soon old feelings bubble to the surface and threaten to destroy Kelsey's second chance at happiness. The more time she spends with David, the more she realizes she never truly let him go. And maybe she never wants to.

Told in alternating sections, LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE is a charming and romantic debut about loving, leaving, and letting go.

My Thoughts:
I usually stick to anything but contemporary and it really has to catch my eye in order for me to pick it up. Don't get me wrong I like contemporary romance, I just have to be in the mood for it.

So obviously this one caught my eye! It's a super easy read and you could finish it in a day or less.

The story is told in alternating times: Past & Present. Okay fine, I really wasn't too interested in the past BUT I had to be because it told the back story of David and Kelsey which lead up to this HUGE BIG CRAZY betrayal that cause Kelsey to not speak to David for over a year.

After this so called betrayal happens Kelsey gets a lucky draw and gets to move away and start all over! YAY! so she leaves the past and moves on and becomes the whole new person with new friends and a boyfriend.

Then her life is thrown upside down when when this blast from he past decides to move into the same town and attend the same school as her! WHOA how coincidental is THAT?!

As David becomes involved in her new life, Kelsey has to deal with past feelings and past hurts.

I enjoyed the tense feelings going on between David and Kelsey as they deal with present times and try to figure out what the heck happened to cause such a rift!

Kelsey-honestly was a bit annoying. She is a bit over dramatic about everything, and when it comes down to it she's a cheating backstabber. Now lets be fair-this is just a story.

David-really is nothing but a player, truly. Down to brass-tax he is. Sorry!

So we've got total high school drama/romance that really when you find out the whole "misunderstanding" I nearly chucked the book across the room. Which solidified the true characters of Kelsey and David. Blah.

Overall the book kept me interested and I'm not going to lie I kinda enjoyed the drama between David and Kelsey. I was in the mood for it!

Sexual Content: Moderate (kissing, talk of sex)
Language: moderate/heavy (I think.... I remember there being quite a bit)
Violence: mild
Drugs/Alcohol: moderate (underage drinking)

*if you're in the mood for this kind of thing I would obtain the book from a friend or library*

Life Unaware by Cole Gibsen

Regan Flay has been talking about you. 

Regan Flay is on the cusp of achieving her control-freak mother's "plan" for high school success―cheerleading, student council, the Honor Society—until her life gets turned horribly, horribly upside down. Every bitchy text. Every bitchy email. Every lie, manipulation, and insult she's ever said have been printed out and taped to all the lockers in school.

Now Regan has gone from popular princess to total pariah.

The only person who even speaks to her is her former best friend's hot but socially miscreant brother, Nolan Letner. Nolan thinks he knows what Regan's going through, but what nobody knows is that Regan isn't really Little Miss Perfect. In fact, she's barely holding it together under her mom's pressure. But the consequences of Regan's fall from grace are only just beginning. Once the chain reaction starts, no one will remain untouched...

Especially Regan Flay.

My Thoughts:

My head hurts.  I'm so conflicted!  I never realized high school kids drank so much coffee, but 3-4 of the last books I've read mention lots of coffee drinking for the high school aged kids.  Weird.

Anyhoo:  Life Unaware is a lot like Mean Girls, except on a higher scale.

Regan is one of the most popular girls in her school.  She gossips just like every other girl does, but her gossip becomes public when *someone* posts all her messages around the school - setting her up for a fall.  

I don't think she deserved the harsh reaction she got, because face it.  Girls are mean.  High schoolers (in general) are mean.  Now, I don't think that ALL high school aged "kids" are mean, vindictive human beings bent on the social destruction of their peers.  It's just that high school is a rough 4 years and sometimes it's easier to make yourself feel better by pointing out another's flaws.  I know I did it.  I felt awful later in my life, when I realized that my actions and words hurt people the way they did, but my mentality at the time was "Well, she hurt me so I'll hurt her."

This isn't a confession - just that I could really relate to this book insomuch that, whether you want to admit it or not, you have most likely said something that has brought harm to someone else.  Life Unaware made me take a look at that.

Regan sets out to right her wrongs and finds help in the guy (of course there's a guy) that she most despises.  Of course, they fall for each other (because this wouldn't be a YA book otherwise, right?) and he helps her to find her way back to normal.

That's all I'm telling you - go read.

I won't lie - at first I was rolling my eyes a lot, but the more I read, the more I felt convicted about things that I had done and the type of person that I had been.  Maybe you'll read LU and think my reaction to the book was a bit strong, but that's the beauty of books, right?  They touch everyone in a different way.

**If you ever feel so torn down by the words of others and that suicide or self harm is your only option, I strongly urge you to call someone.  If your friends don't know how you feel, I'm certain that they will be an ear to hear and a shoulder to cry on.  Please reevaluate your decision before you do anything drastic.  http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/  

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Sexual Content: Mild
Language: HEAVY
Violence: Mild

Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate

The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen

**I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It will be released on June 16, 2015.**

Don’t get mad, get even! In this poignant and hilarious novel, Rachael Allen brilliantly explores the nuances of high school hierarchies, the traumas sustained on the path to finding true love, and the joy of discovering a friend where you least expect.

In the small town of Ranburne, high school football rules and the players are treated like kings. How they treat the girls they go to school with? That’s a completely different story. Liv, Peyton, Melanie Jane, and Ana each have their own reason for wanting to teach the team a lesson—but it’s only when circumstances bring them together that they come up with the plan to steal the one thing the boys hold sacred. All they have to do is beat them at their own game.

My Thoughts:
I kind of loved this book.

Let me tell you why I loved this book so much: It challenged date rape culture. The whole book. Every storyline and subplot was carefully crafted to demonstrate how date rape culture begins and is perpetuated and how girls don't have a say in what in what happens. And then--AND THEN!--these girls fight back. In a hilarious way. 

The very first page was a list of dares which, I'll admit, were a bit raunchy. But intriguing. I wanted to find out what it was all about even though I was worried that the whole book would be gross. It wasn't gross, thank goodness, but it did have it's moments.

Ok, so we follow four different girls, hearing their different points of view: Ana, Liv, Peyton and Melanie Jane. Each girl has had to deal with a different form of stereotyping or gender inequality on top of all their other problems. I was actually really impressed with the way Allen was able to give everyone so much depth. The main characters, the secondary characters, even people who only appeared on a few pages had excellent depth. I didn't find anyone flat, except maybe Big Tom. 

Anyway, the social issues dealt with here are numerous and heavy but it's done very well. I never felt like I was being preached to. Everything that happened was just part of the story, even though I'm absolutely certain Allen went into this with an agenda and a long list of topics to hit on. Included are: Slut slamming, controlling boyfriends, date rape, favoritism, virgin complex (where people try to make others feel inadequate because they haven't had sex), harassment, sex shaming (where people try to make others feel inadequate because they have had sex), religious judgement, chastity guilt, controlling parents, bullying, etc. I could go on. There's so much going on here. But I didn't feel like the book had too much going on. With a list like that you'd expect some seriously graphic scenes, right? But there weren't. There were some make-out scenes and the knowledge that characters had had sex and a few moments of blunt talk but nothing graphic. The most explicit it got was when we read about date rape. And even that could have been far worse. Allen really did us all a favor by dealing with serious events in way that I would be comfortable with teenagers reading. Because all girls need to know about this kind of stuff. It is important to understand that these things happen all the time and they could happen to anyone. It's also important to know how to deal with these things happening.

So I loved all that. And the general tone of the book was sarcastic and full of humor. There were just a few things that bothered me:

The Football-God Syndrome. I get that a lot of guys follow the pack mentality and will band together and do what their "leader" says but if the captain of the football team tells a guy to break up with a girl because he doesn't approve of her, would they? Would anyone? Would the rest of the team go along with it? Does anyone else find this incredibly stupid? And with all the attention given to teams and fraternities and what-not that get in trouble for hazing and bullying and being jerks in general, why is this happening at all? And do the jocks really rule the school? When I was in high school I pretty much completely ignored the football team (and cheerleaders) and thought they were douche-bags. Unless this town is really backwoods or this novel was set in the 80s, I just don't find the main plotline of this book very believable. The varied subplots, however, are very believable and happen so often it only feels natural. Meaning, it's such a common aspect of life for girls and women in general that it almost feels redundant to write a book about them. But harassment and gender stereotyping and favoritism should be brought to more peoples' attention because it is a problem. And it should change.

Teenage Sexual Activity.  Given the subjects listed above, you know there is going to be some talk of sex going on here. Again, nothing graphic. And I was actually impressed with the different viewpoints presented. There was a girl who openly chose to remain a virgin until marriage. There was another who candidly had sex with her boyfriend. Another who had sex before she was ready--I really appreciated that that was included here. So often YA books deal with teens having sex and it being wonderful and exciting but I don't think I've ever read a book where a teen was very realistically too immature to deal with sex. That would be the norm, in my opinion. Most teens aren't mature enough to handle the emotional significance of sex and I'm glad this book included that viewpoint. Although I would probably prefer that no high-school-aged kids had sex at all. That said, I understand that Allen was trying to say that girls should have the right to choose what to do with their own bodies and when and I very much agree with that sentiment.

Then there were some general timeline confusion issues and editing problems that I'm expecting to be fixed between the proof that I read and the final edition that will be published for general audiences. So I won't even go into that.

Overall, I love this book. I love the characters. I love the attitude. And I especially love the message this should send to anyone who reads it. I would recommend this to older teens and I want every man and teenage boy in the world to read this book so they'll hopefully understand a little bit better how girls think and what we go through. 

Sexual Content: Moderate
Language: Moderate
Violence: Mild
Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate

Sophomore Year is Greek To Me by Meredith Zeitlin

High school sophomore Zona Lowell has lived in New York City her whole life, and plans to follow in the footsteps of her renowned-journalist father. But when he announces they’re moving to Athens for six months so he can work on an important new story, she's devastated— he must have an ulterior motive. See, when Zona's mother married an American, her huge Greek family cut off contact. But Zona never knew her mom, and now she’s supposed to uproot her entire life and meet possibly hostile relatives on their turf? Thanks... but no thanks.

In the vein of Anna and the French Kiss, Zona navigates a series of hilarious escapades, eye-opening revelations, and unexpected reunions in a foreign country—all while documenting the trip through one-of-a-kind commentary.

My Thoughts:
Cute.

This book was entirely middle-of-the-road to me so I could end the review right there and be fine with it. But I won't. You're welcome.

The writing wasn't stellar but I wanted to keep reading. So that's something. It did take me a few chapters to get into the story, though, mostly because it kind of started in the middle of the story then jumped back to the beginning. Zona, the protagonist, had this fun little habit of writing articles about her life which were placed throughout the book. I loved the idea of this. But the articles pulled me out of the story. I would have liked them much better had they been at the end or beginning of each chapter instead of randomly placed throughout. There was no transition, really, so it felt very abrupt.

The story follows Zona as she and her father move from New York to Greece for 6 months so that Zona's father can write a book and Zona can meet her deceased mother's family. I liked the premise. All the Greek culture references and stories were very interesting and entertaining. Zona's family was hilarious. I always appreciate an American's view of other cultures because, well, I am an American who liked to learn about other cultures. There was a lot going on in this book: Moving to a new country, being the new kid in school (although the description of an American in a foreign private school didn't match my knowledge of foreign private schools), romance, family issues, writing processes, friends with social issues, cultural differences and exploration. I loved that there was so much going on! The plot was very full. Well done there.

Ok, and there's a giant heart on the cover, right? So I was expecting some epic kind of romance. Zona starts out boy-crazy and goes through a few different crushes before she finds her love interest. I liked that. It felt realistic. But after all that build-up the actual "love" story was very anticlimactic. We don't get many cute details other than, "we kissed." Well. Very informative, thank you.

I don't have much more to say. I liked it. There were many plotlines and subplots, which is awesome, but the writing itself wasn't my favorite. I don't know if I'd recommend it, per se, but I wouldn't not recommend it. So that's something.

Sexual Content: Mild
Language: Mild
Violence: Mild
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild (if any)

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton

**An ARC of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review. And honest it is.**

**To be released May 26th, 2015.**

Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

My Thoughts:

Black Swan in-frickin'-deed. I couldn't finish this book. I'll usually read at least halfway through a book before posting a review about it but I didn't even make it that far. When you cringe while reading each page, you know it's time to quit.

The book is told from the perspectives of three different girls studying to be ballet dancers. None of the characters were likable. Bette, the resident Mean Girl and perfect ballerina, is just psychotic and evil. She doesn't like anyone, especially herself and she puts everyone through crap that is just crazy. June, the ostracized half-Korean girl, self-isolates causing all sorts of loneliness problems and has major self-esteem issues. Gigi, the new black girl from California, obsesses over another girl's boyfriend and kind of notices that the other girls are insane but still brings attention to herself. Admittedly, Gigi is the relatable one in this book. She's the nicest and least crazy. But she's still not normal and not all that likable.

I guess it was interesting to get a look into the world of ballet which, if other reviewers are correct, is quite accurate. Actually, it was mostly just disturbing. The girls all starved themselves to be the perfect body size and shape of a dancer; Every one of them had some kind of eating disorder. Everyone was mean and lied to each other and made passive-agressive remarks and had extremely low self-esteem and wanted everyone else around them to have insanely low-esteem as well. It's like these young girls were placed in close living quarters as an experiment on how to turn everyone against each other and create sociopaths.

And the directors of the ballet company almost did things to discourage bullying and craziness but did nothing to stop it. Ew, and there were allusions to the director becoming romantically involved with young students. I just--Can't.

So I couldn't even read halfway through this book. I'm afraid of what legitimately insane things will happen. This book creeped me out.

Sexual Content: Moderate (as far as I read, anyway. I'm sure things would have steamed up even more if I'd kept reading)
Language: Moderate
Violence: Mild
Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate

Invincible by Amy Reed

Evie is living on borrowed time. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer several months ago and told that by now she’d be dead. Evie is grateful for every extra day she gets, but she knows that soon this disease will kill her. Until, miraculously, she may have a second chance to live.

All Evie had wanted was her life back, but now that she has it, she feels like there’s no place for her in it—at least, not for the girl she is now. Her friends and her parents still see her as Cancer Girl, and her boyfriend’s constant, doting attention is suddenly nothing short of suffocating.

Then Evie meets Marcus. She knows that he’s trouble, but she can’t help falling for him. Being near him makes her feel truly, fully alive. It’s better than a drug. His kiss makes her feel invincible—but she may be at the beginning of the biggest free fall of her life.

My Thoughts:
First of all, that cover is a thing of beauty. I love it. And I know you're not supposed to judge books by their covers but, yeah, I do. The beauty drew me in.

And then I started reading it and it was a book about cancer. Teenagers with terminal cancer. Honestly I wasn't all that interested in reading another book about dying kids, after The Fault In Our Stars covered that topic so beautifully. And since the writing here wasn't exactly on par with John Green I wasn't exactly drawn in all that quickly.

In the first part of the book we have Cancer Girl Evie, who is kind and defeated. She basically gives up on herself and allows the people around her to coddle her. She's expected to die and everyone around her pretty much says goodbye while still being supportive and helpful and sweet. Evie has the most perfect boyfriend in the world who stays with her for the whole year she has cancer. Evie's best friend is the same way. Honestly, I couldn't get over the fact that the boyfriend and best friend were so loyal. I don't know why it didn't feel right but it didn't. Evie's cancer friends were more fun and more believable, bonding over shared misery.

After Evie miraculously heals she goes home and immediately begins to alienate herself, gets herself addicted to painkillers and starts using recreational drugs. I get that Cancer Girl gave up on herself a long time ago and doesn't know how to turn that around. I get that a version of the scenario played out in this book does happen in real life; Survivors self-destruct and push everyone away. I get that Evie's grieving for her friend, the life she knew, and the life she would have had without cancer. But I just couldn't get myself to like post-cancer Evie.

Her go-to solution was to take drugs. Her method of escape was to have sex. She complains about people caring about her too much, about her parents being too naive to realize what she was doing, about her friends being too nice to her. There are worse problems out there, Evie!! Get over yourself. A few times Evie laments the fact that she didn't just die and I couldn't help but agree with her. "Jeez, you're annoying," I would think. "Why couldn't you have just died halfway through the book?"

That said, I will say that the way Evie's addiction came about was very realistic. If I wanted to share a cautionary tale with someone about addiction and self-destruction, this book would be a good jumping-off point for a discussion.

But then it ended with a cliffhanger. Wha-- Why would there be a cliffhanger ending on a book that's only 230 pages long?? If the sequel is about the same length you should just mash them together into one friggin' book. Irritating.

So, did I like this book? Not really. Will I remember this book? Most likely. Would this book make an interesting discussion? Absolutely.

Sexual Content: Heavy (nothing graphic but a few sex scenes)
Language: Heavy
Violence: Mild, if any
Drugs/Alcohol: Heavy

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of

those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

My Thoughts: (Here there be spoilers)

Where do I begin?  I love love LOVE this book!!!  I read somewhere that it was tagged as Graceling meets The Selection.  Hmmm, I thought of it more as Hunger Games meets X-Men.  Am I alone on this?!  Anyway, I give this one a definite 5! I can’t wait for the next installment!!

So, Mare lives in a crappy little town called Stilts, passing time before conscription by picking pockets and other forms of thievery.  Through a somewhat tragic chain of events, she finds herself with a job in the palace working as a serving girl while Silver families offer up their daughters to marry into the royal family.  These daughters showcase their abilities in an in-ground arena with an electric roof barrier.  During this spectacle, Mare is thrown from her balcony down onto the barrier.  All. Hell. Breaks. Loose.  Mare isn’t hurt by the electricity.  She discovers that she’s a Red with Silver abilities.  She can feel electricity around her and use it as a weapon.

As damage control, (the ridiculously evil) Queen Elara hatches a story that Mare’s real name is Mareena Titanos, a Silver whose parents were killed in the front lines of the war when she was a baby.  Thus begins Mare’s life as a Silver, betraying every instinct she has as a Red.  But she won’t go down without a fight.  She joins the Scarlet Guard (SG) and works with them in secret, all while juggling feelings that she has for Maven and Cal.  Maven even joins the SG because he can’t stand the way the Reds are treated.  No one should be forced to live in such squalor.  She and Maven go to secret meetings and he gives 4 names of Silvers to be killed in order to start the revolution. 

At the ball (can’t remember the exact function), the 4 Silvers are shot by the SG and a bomb is set off.  After things calm down, Mare and Maven discover 4 members of the SG have been captured and are being questioned in the dungeons.  Mare, with some help, breaks out the prisoners and gets shot in the process.  She is healed but her blood is everywhere and there is no time to clean it up.

They find themselves up against a wall, with no viable way out.  Unless, at Maven’s request, if Mare can convince Cal to give up and choose her over his army and over this war.  The SG blows up the bridge between the two sides of the city and Mare, in all the mayhem, confesses to Cal who she really is and what she has been doing.  Cal is shocked and heartbroken, obviously.  He takes Mare and Maven prisoner and has his army attack the SG, who were hiding in the tunnels below ground.  Mare is devastated.  All her work, ruined in an instant.  Cal (with man-who’s-name-I-forget that subdues abilities) takes Mare and Maven to the King and Queen to be dealt with.  During this “meeting” it comes out that Elara and Maven are working together and Maven has played Mare like a violin.

 (Honestly, I kind of saw this coming, but I was floored by the execution)  

Tiberias is just as dumbfounded as Mare and Cal when the truth comes out, but Elara isn’t done yet.  She has all the cameras off and, with her ability, makes Cal kill his own father (this is when I slammed my book closed and called Elara a name or two… or ten.)

  

Cal and Mare are then sent to fight to their deaths in an arena, against 5 very powerful Silvers:  a Nymph, the Samos siblings, who control metals, and 2 other Silvers.  With Mare’s abilities still subdued, she isn’t much help, until she cleverly has her subduer killed.  With her abilities back, she is able to help Cal and they kill all but one Silver, and that Silver runs for his life.  When the guards come in with weapons drawn, they think all is lost until a familiar face appears below deck.  Farley and the SG are there and they pull Cal and Mare to safety and disappear.

Mare wakes up on the underground train to find that Shade, her brother she was told was dead, is in fact alive and well!  Cal is there, too, but in handcuffs.  They are on their way to safety.

Sexual Content: very mild (kissing)

Language: mild

Violence: moderate

Drugs/Alcohol: mild (only a couple instances, I think)

PS - Film rights for Red Queen have been optioned by Universal!!!

Get Happy by Mary Amato

In this poignant, realistic, contemporary YA by a state master list star, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Gayle Forman, a young songwriter builds a substitute family with her friends in place of the broken family she grew up with.

A hip high school girl who loves music, writes songs, and is desperate for a ukelele, learns to her shock that her father did not abandon her years ago and has been trying to keep in touch. She begins to investigate him, only to discover that he has a new life with a new family, including the perfect stepdaughter, a girl who Minerva despises.

My Thoughts:
Oh my goodness, so cute.

This is the second Mary Amato book I've read. I'm officially a fan. She just has this perfectly engaging way of letting readers into the lives of her adorable, quirky characters. I seriously love her characters. Minerva and Fin are hilarious and fun and I kind of wanted to hang out with them. They said funny things all the time but dialogue never felt awkward. I never even had to deal with an info dump! Yay for that. And oh-my-goodness Hayes was so cute. Seriously, characters were So Great!! Everyone had depth and feeling and likable-ness and I just loved them. And Amato has a fantastic way of making her characters say the silliest things in place of curse words ("Son-of-a-Biscuit!"), or just "cursing" when they say bad words. Because a lot of people say bad words and I think it is realistic to have them around but I don't actually want to read them. So, thank you for that.

Something else I love about this book was the actual plot. Minerva is a quirky girl living with her single mother because her father abandoned them when Minerva was only 2 years old. Or did he? I love that this dealt with real issues but I never felt like I was being preached to. Emotions just happened and no one had to explain them because, like in life, we all just get it. Thank you, Ms Amato for understanding that and treating your readers like intelligent human beings. Appreciation is flowing your way.

I will try to give a coherent review without giving anything away: I loved who Minerva's mom and dad turned out to be. Amato took our perceptions of those that leave vs. those that stay and flipped everything completely upside down. I Love That!!! (!) And, man, did things get real there for a while. I mean like, domestic disturbance type of real. But it was so good. And so real. And so perfect. And I love that Amato went against the grain while still making these characters so rounded. I just--seriously, I could gush for hours. Love.

Another lovely aspect of Amato's books is that they tend to have a strong musical quality to them. Minerva plays the ukelele and she and her friends sing and record music. There are song lyrics at the end of each chapter, too. AND (!) at the back of the book it shows you how to play the songs. You can even go listen to them, which is kind of awesome. I love all the music stuff. Makes me happy.

One thing that kind of bothered me was that I felt like it ended too quickly. It didn't end perfectly, and I'm actually glad for that, but a lot of stuff was glossed over. I would have liked a little more detail.

I love this book. You'll love this book. It's completely clean and adorable and I'd be comfortable recommending this to 12-year-olds. Maybe even younger. And definitely older. Go read it!

Sexual Content: None
Language: None
Violence: None
Drugs/Alcohol: None

So clean!! I love it!!

 

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown.

Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust.

But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun—a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend…if she can survive.

The Queen of the Tearling introduces readers to a world as fully imagined and terrifying as that of The Hunger Games, with characters as vivid and intriguing as those of The Game of Thrones, and a wholly original heroine. Combining thrilling action and twisting plot turns, it is a magnificent debut from the talented Erika Johansen.

My thoughts (SPOILERS):

Fair warning:  This is LONG, and I’m going to disclose the ending on this one…  Simply because I’m pretty conflicted and don’t know how not to…  This review is all over the place, so I’ll apologize in advance for that.  Forgive me?

Ok.  This is one of those books that you will either love or hate.  I skimmed through the reviews on Goodreads, and it seems like readers are very split on this one.  The overall rating is 3.9 stars out of 9,000+ reviews, but I give it 3.5.  Originally, I gave it 5, but the more I thought about it, I had to reduce it (see “Cons”).  Still, I read it in four days, because it did end up sucking me in.  While I enjoyed the book very much, it is definitely not for young readers!  It is very heavy on language, sex, and gore, with some alcohol and drug use thrown in to boot.  Some of the gory scenes are very graphic, and are guaranteed to make you cringe…  Women and young girls are sold as sex slaves and that is only the beginning. 

Kelsea has lived in hiding with her guardians, Barty and Carlin, since she was a toddler and her mother was killed.  Her mother wasn’t a very good ruler and seemed to be more concerned with herself than her people.  The Royal Guard comes to take her back to the Keep in New London when she is nineteen years old.  Before she leaves, Carlin gives her a small package that Kelsea opens one night while they are resting.  Inside is a sapphire necklace like hers.  She doesn’t think much about it and puts it in one of her pockets for safe keeping. 

Upon arriving at the Keep, she is shocked and disgusted to see that young women and children are being sent as slaves to stave off an attack from the Red Queen.  Her first act after revealing her identity is to abolish the slave trade and destroy the cages used for transport.  This delights the people of the Tear, but not the nobles.  The nobles live off of the backs of the common Tearling folk. 

She arrives in the Keep to usurp the throne and banish her uncle, Thomas the Regent.  Thomas is a disgusting pig of a man.  He revels in alcohol and his hired women, one of which he drags around on a leash like a dog… His guards attack Kelsea and the Royal Guard, but they are able to fend them off and Kelsea takes her place.  Later, during her crowning ceremony, there is another attack in which Kelsea is hurt very badly and it takes her a few days to recover.  There are many attempts on her life, since there are so many people that stand to gain something from her death AND there is a traitor within her own Guard, so she has one of her trusted guards train her to fight.

There was some serious book-bloat going on, so I’m going to skip over some of the less important stuff. 

Kelsea learns to fight.  She becomes a good queen.  Her Royal Guards come to respect her as they should’ve all along.  Lazarus takes on a more caring role (not romantic, but he is more gentle with her than in the beginning).

The Overseer of the shipments (I forgot his name, sorry) builds cages in secret and attacks outlying villages to get enough slaves to satisfy the Red Queen.  Kelsea finds this out when she has one of her “dreams”.  These dreams, so to speak, allow her to move around outside her body and see things.  Premonitions, I guess?  In one she is flying, like a hawk or something, and sees that the Mort Army is advancing and they have cannons.  This is concerning because everyone says that there should be no gunpowder.  But, why would they have cannons, right? 

Anyway, Kelsea and her Royal Guard follow said Overseer and his group of Benedict Arnolds and attack them, with surprise help from the Fetch and his men, in the gorge on their side of the Mort Border.  Upon the Fetch’s return, he gives Kelsea her twin sapphire back.  When the two are worn together around her neck, she feels a new power like none before.  She and her men are attacking the traitors and having some success until a cage is lit on fire.  Kelsea, horrified and desperate to do something, somehow makes it rain buckets and the fire is extinguished.  Some of the traitors get away, but a lot are killed and the traitor from within the Royal Guard is revealed.  He has an addiction to heroine and that is why he betrayed them all. 

Kelsea’s powers surprise even her, so we still don’t know much about how they work.  All we know is that her temper seems to trigger the sapphires’ power. 

In the end, the Red Queen realizes that she will not be getting her shipment, but she can’t attack because this mysterious being that she is scared of and we’re not sure why tells her that she can’t.  So she doesn’t.  It’s a cliffhanger ending for her, but Kelsea is enjoying some peace in her kingdom.

Pros:
 - I love Kelsea.  Most of the reviews I read loathe her.  They complain that she is childish, naïve, not confident enough, whiny, stupid, etc.  Well hear this: She is a 19 year old girl who (yes she was trained her whole life, but) walked into a crapstorm much bigger than she had anticipated.  She wasn’t truly ready for anything that she saw at the Keep, and I can totally understand.  I don’t think anyone, regardless of the schooling received, would walk into that situation and be like “Oh, yeah, I got this.  Stand back.”  She isn’t described as this beautiful, thin girl that gets whatever she wants.  She is an average looking girl that maybe weighs a little too much, but she is compassionate, genuine, and truly wants to better her kingdom even if it means she isn’t able to see it all come to fruition. I couldn't find a accurate enough picture of how I think she might look, but this (below) is kind of close.  To me anyway. 

 -Lazarus, aka “The Mace”, is a character that I struggled with early on, but came to love.  In the beginning, he is cold and rude to Kelsea, but he comes to truly care for her, even if he doesn’t show it very well.


Cons:
 -I HATE how the men in this book treat Kelsea.  Some change their attitude as the book progresses, but still.  The Fetch told her that she was much to plain for him.  -The world building could have been better, but I still love it. 
 -The Fetch is this renowned thief that kidnaps Kelsea early on and “steals” the twin sapphire of her own.  She just lets him, and I’m not sure why…  She knows that they are very powerful.
-The Red Queen could’ve been a little bit better as a villain.  We only get a peek at her side two or three times, and each time she is waiting for a sex slave or something equally ridiculous…  I’m assuming we’ll get to know her better in book 2.  She is the mortal enemy in this book, but it seems like she’s more of a fear monger.
 -Religious depiction.  I realize that we live in a time where the popular thing is to poke fun at people who believe in God or other higher powers…  It really frustrated me how she depicted the Church as being corrupt and evil, yet atheists were totally cool.  There is one part where she is talking to Father Tyler and she asks him how he expects anyone to believe in God.  He responds that he believes in his God, to which her response is that he is a fool.  Really… But all the atheists in the book are just the bees knees right?  Shut up already.

I know there are more cons than pros, but I was able to look over them because the book was genuinely great edit: good, in my opinion (not sure why I said great? It was late...).  Also, I can understand some people’s exasperation with Kelsea, but I like it because it shows that she is a nineteen year old girl… Yes, she is a queen and should act accordingly, but give her some slack.  It’s a big change!

Supposedly, Emma Watson is set to play Kelsea in a movie adaptation??


Sexual Content: Heavy
Language: Heavy
Violence: Heavy
Drugs/Alcohol: Heavy

Leverage by Joshua Cohen

The football field is a battlefield

There's an extraordinary price for victory at Oregrove High. It is paid on - and off - the football field. And it claims its victims without mercy - including the most innocent bystanders.

When a violent, steroid-infused, ever-escalating prank war has devastating consequences, an unlikely friendship between a talented but emotionally damaged fullback and a promising gymnast might hold the key to a school's salvation.

Told in alternating voices and with unapologetic truth, Leverage illuminates the fierce loyalty, flawed justice, and hard-won optimism of two young athletes.

My Thoughts:

Um. So.

Well.

I picked this up because it was about an unlikely friendship between a big, tough football guy and a little gymnast guy. It's labeled YA so I'm expecting something like, you know, YA-appropriate themes and such.

It started out really well. The writing pulls you in right away. Cohen writes in a very true-to-life way; Dialogue is believable, events makes sense, characters have hidden back stories and you like them.

And then things started getting all stereotypically bad and scary.

***Major spoilers ahead!!***

Early on we find out that the 3 captains of the football team are bullying basically everyone not on the football team. Really scary bullying. Like the kind of bullying that would land you in jail, not just expelled from school. And they're taking steroids that the coach supplies them with. They're all giant and they fly off the handle any time anyone so much as sneers at them. They rule the school. No one can touch them, no one disciplines them, no one speaks against them. The whole tone of the book is so stereotypically, over-the-top against the big, mean football jocks that I almost couldn't take it seriously. The jocks were just completely flat characters. No depth.

Then real stuff happened. Scary real stuff. So scary that I just couldn't read anymore. Ok, so, I know stuff like this happens: Bullying and brutal sodomy and steroids and foster-related abuse and football-God-syndrome. It does. But does all of it happen together like this??? How did this one school contain so many of these issues? And why would I ever want to read about them all?

I think my major problem with this book was that it felt like Cohen took every stereotypical idea of dumb/mean jocks and shoved them all into this one book. It was so serious. And cringe-worthy. And frightening.

And Cohen writes in a way that is so unapologetically truthful; Meaning characters react to things in embarrassing or sad or cowardly ways, just like real people would. There is no one coming in to save the day. No sudden burst of "I can fend these guys off by myself!" Nothing. Just realness. It's hard to read, even if it is truthful. And I am a lover of honesty.

So yikes. I only read half the book. Can't read any more. Scary. Books like this are worse than horror for me. This will keep me up at night and haunt my dreams. I read the synopsis to see how it ended and I'm glad things resolve but, geez! I will not be reading it. Too much.

Sexual Content: Heavy
Language: Heavy
Violence: Heavy
Drugs/Alcohol: Heavy

The D.U.F.F. The Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. 

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

My Thoughts:

I started reading this book all because of the trailer for the movie, it seemed cute and I wanted to read the story. I read it in one sitting, it's a quick read.

So I borrowed the book and read it! Needless to say it's probably going to be nothing like the book but more like the 90's movie She's All That  because this book, was although cute, NOT something I would recommend to young adults.

The main character Bianca was, insecure, self absorbed, hypocritical, judgmental, and a bit bitter. Granted I would be upset if I found out I was the DUFF in my group of girlfriends but to do what she did? really?

The book is LOADED with sex because Bianca's way of shutting out the world, truth, and her troubles is to have sex with a HOT guy, who has issues of his own, that she absolutely hates because he is everything she hates in a guy and guess what? maybe she didn't realize it but she was just as bad but he was a little less hypocritical about it. GAH! Now, granted everybody has insecurities and I don't mind that but it's hard to read it in a character and she what she does with it! 

How does she even have friends? Am I being a little too hard on her? especially since she is just a fictional character? I think not, especially when it comes to the fact that she find solace in sex. What is that tell young people? Just have sex when you're upset with the hottest guy who'll have you and maybe it will work out?

Well hate to spoil it for you but that is what this book is basically all about. Two people who don't like each other have sex ALL the time and eventually call for each other. really? dumb...

Maybe I didn't understand what the author was saying? because I think I did. Even though the whole thing is about loving yourself and accepting you for who you are that doesn't justify the content and how the author chose to take this. A bit disappointed here....

Overall it could've been super cute and sweet, instead it's not worth your time to read. However I still want to see the movie!

Sexual Content: heavy (LOTS of sex-not too graphic and talk of sex)

Language: heavy (plenty of all around curse words)

Violence: mild (someone getting slapped)

Drugs/Alcohol: moderate (underage drinking)