The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Publication: May 5, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

My Thoughts:
Again, another fabulously adorable book by the crazy cute author Kasie West.

This was just an overall fun, cute contemporary romance. I so enjoyed this book.

Gia is a bit of a nut but I enjoyed her character development as the story progresses she realizes what she had become and what she really wants to be. I was quite shocked when at the end it wasn't a complete "happily ever after" which was a nice change from the norm and I appreciated that.

I really wanted to punch the main problem in this story because she was so annoying BUT without this girl, Gia wouldn't have been able to see how shallow she really was and it was able to see great things around her. In the end you just felt bad for this character because she will never be happy.

I loved Hayden the fake-date he was just perfect and I enjoyed everything about him. He is a sweet guy with a fun personality. I'm tired of toxic guys in books and love how this guy just tries to be good.

I really enjoyed Hayden's neurotic sister Bec. She's snarky and tells it how it is. However Bec has her own problems as she tries desperately to find her out who she is and where she belongs. I was a bit disappointed that it seemed for someone so smart she felt she had to be a certain way in order to catch the eye of some guy. I wonder if Kasie will do a story on her she would be a great one to tell. *hint, hint*

There are a lot of teen social issues in this book without all the extra content that other social YA books have which makes this one even more special. It shows the side of real issues that teens have and face during their high school years and it also shows wonderful things that happen and can shape a person.

Overall this is a sweet, fun yet deep story which it completely enjoyable.

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

Illusionarium by Heather Dixon

Jonathan is perfectly ordinary. But then—as every good adventure begins—the king swoops into port, and Jonathan and his father are enlisted to find the cure to a deadly plague. Jonathan discovers that he's a prodigy at working with a new chemical called fantillium, which creates shared hallucinations—or illusions. And just like that, Jonathan is knocked off his path. Through richly developed parallel worlds, vivid action, a healthy dose of humor, and gorgeous writing, Heather Dixon spins a story that calls to mind The Night Circus and Pixar movies, but is wholly its own.

My Thoughts:
Oh my WOW! I loved this. I loved every line of it. I loved Jonathan's voice and the silly footnotes and humor and wit and imagination and scientific equations that went directly over my head and people talking in haughty British-English and did I mention the humor? I so seriously loved this. So hard. Allow me to stop rambling and give you a proper review:

First of all, the writing was impeccable. I was never pulled from the story for any reason, the voice was consistent and perfect and punctuation was utilized so perfectly that I'll bet an actor could cold-read this and get exactly the inflection Dixon was imagining when she wrote it.

And speaking of imagination, this book has it in spades. Everything from the world to the scientific explanations to the effects of the weird drugs was so new and different from anything I've ever read. It was so interesting! And the way the story evolved and things were revealed was so perfectly paced and perfectly handled. I could read Heather Dixon for the rest of my life and never get tired of her. This book was the fun of steampunk, the intelligence of Sherlock Holmes and the science fiction of I-don't-even-know-what. But it was good. The science portions were well-thought-out and made perfect fictional sense. Just so wonderfully woven together. Seriously. So good.

And the characters! Such lovely, well-rounded characters. I totally would have befriended Jonathan and the one-eyed-guard and Hannah and Anna and I just loved them all. So much. Even the bad guys had back-stories and moments where I understood them and wanted to reach in and give them a hug. Depth. They all had it.

And, the clincher (for me): It was clean! I mean, these kids are just kids, right? So they think about boys and girls and whatever but there is so much going on that not a whole lot of romance happens. There is a tiny element of romance but no fiery all-consuming passionate affair. Whatever happens is just sweet and childlike. Because they're children. And I love Heather Dixon a little bit for treating a teenage romance the way a teenager most likely would. Not the way adults imagine they would have liked to behave in those situations. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

You know what, just go read it already. It's so good. If you like clean, sci-fi, steampunk books set in 19th century England, you'll love this. Promise.

Sexual Content: Mild
Language: Mild (if any)
Drugs/Alcohol: Heavy (the entire plot hinges on a hallucinogenic drug...)
Violence: Moderate

Beyond the Standline by Linda L. Zern

**I was given ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Publication Date: August 5, 2015
Publisher: LinWood House Publishing
Pages: 324

Seventeen-year-old Tessla and her teenage sisters, Ally and ZeeZee, live by one rule: don’t venture beyond the perimeter of the family ranch. Years ago, solar flares burned the power grid to ashes, plunging the country into mayhem and instability, but as long as the girls stay behind the line of their grandfather’s property, they remain protected from savagery. 

But when the call of the unknown proves too alluring for rebellious Ally to resist, Tessla must enlist mysterious Richmond Parrish to help rescue Ally from the trouble she’s walked into. 

The Florida coast is overrun with warring tribes and pirates, and orphaned children-turned-soldiers roam the land. 

The quest to find Ally leads Tess and Richmond into the epicenter of this barbaric new world, but even if they find her, now that they’ve left the safety of life at the S-Line Ranch, will they really be able to go back?

Beyond the Strandline is a thrilling story about the struggle to stay human in an inhumane world, the importance of emergency preparedness, the illusion of safety, and the power of love to redeem even the most desperate.

My Thoughts:
When it comes to indie authors I am VERY selective in whom I choose to read from. Simply because in my experience they are generally poorly written and full of content I am uncomfortable with. HOWEVER, with that said, I read another book by this author called Mooncalf that was amazing. So when I was contacted to read this book I hopped to the chance.

This book is unlike her other work that I read, you could see the progression in her writing. It's a YA story with everything you could possibly want in a book. Swoon worthy romance, action that is non-stop and keeps you at the edge of your seat, as well built post apocalyptic world that is relatable, plus it gets a person to think and put one-self in these situations and you find yourself questioning ,"would I do that if I were in this situation?" seriously!

This books grabs you from the get-go, you're immediately hook and leaves you wanting more. DANG IT it's going to be a trilogy which mean I'm going to have to wait for book 2! grrrr.

Tess was a great character- relatable in every way, she is a typical
teenage girl with spunk that was at times annoying but hey she's had a hard life and lives in this time so, can you blame her?

I really like Parrish- I LOVE male characters that are kinda dark and brooding, I liked his audacity and his character that leaves a bit of mystery as to why he is the way he is.

I REALLY liked the romance, because for the love of all that is holy it is NOT insta-love! WHOOT! I like the chemistry between Tess and Parrish which totally kept me interested in the rest of the story. TEAM PARRISH!

I absolutely loved the whole idea of this story and the fact that it's completely believable. As in, the fact that this could actually happen. There were no sci-fi/dystopian aspects to this, no machines that could read people, no fantastic guns that shoot lasers. No, this was complete and utter survival that is realistic which is refreshing, yet the story itself was fascinating.

Overall: I would recommend this story to anyone of all ages who is in need of a good story which great romance that leaves you wanting more.

Sexual Content: mild (talk of rape-not graphic, mild kissing)
Violence: moderate (disturbing scenes of death-not too graphic)
Language: mild
Drugs/Alcohol: mild/none

The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace

Drama and danger abound in this fantasy realm where dukes play a game for the throne, magical warriors race to find the missing heir, and romance blossoms where it is least expected.

In a world where dukes plot their way to the throne, a Performer’s life can get tricky. And in Johanna Von Arlo’s case, it can be fatal. Expelled from her troupe after her father’s death, Johanna is forced to work for the handsome Lord Rafael DeSilva. Too bad they don’t get along. But while Johanna’s father’s death was deemed an accident, the Keepers aren’t so sure.

The Keepers, a race of people with magical abilities, are on a quest to find the princess—the same princess who is supposed to be dead and whose throne the dukes are fighting over. But they aren’t the only ones looking for her. And in the wake of their search, murdered girls keep turning up—girls who look exactly like the princess, and exactly like Johanna.

With dukes, Keepers, and a killer all after the princess, Johanna finds herself caught up in political machinations for the throne, threats on her life, and an unexpected romance that could change everything.

My Thoughts:
I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. I'm not generally a huge fantasy person and the cover was a big deterrent. So I went into this with pretty low expectations. Which is usually the best way to go into anything. So maybe stop reading this review and go read the book before I get your expectations up too high.

If you're still going to read this review despite the warning, here's what I liked:

Johanna's character. She never whines, never has a tell-all dramatic monologue and is generally just who she is without complaint. She accepts her circumstances and deals with it. Loved that about her. Actually, most of the characters were just likeable. I really liked how Rafi's whole life revolved around honor. He was like a chivalrous knight. It was pleasant. And then there was Pira. I could totally relate to Pira's hard shell and her hiding her feelings and trying to be tough all the time. And the Leao storyline was just yummy. Mmmmhm. So, yeah. Characters.

The world. So this was fantasy in some strange new world with weird geography and Lords and Masters and a Kingdom and whatnot. I usually get lost in all of that but this was pretty easy to follow. I enjoyed all the political intrigue talk and learning about this world's customs.

No love triangle. Hallelujah! There were two completely separate romancey storylines. And they were both yummy. In completely different ways. Johanna's love story had the strangest beginning of any romance I've ever read and I was skeptical of whether or not it would work out. But it did. And, to reiterate, Leao was yummy. Need more Leao.

Wallace wasn't afraid to be brutal. There was a lot of mild grinning going on in this book but not so much laughing out loud. Which is fine, I guess, but I really appreciate humor in novels. And along with all the pleasant stuff going on there were some really dark themes floating around as well. Lots of murder and fighting and even, near the very beginning of the book, a scene in which a girl is found after she had been brutalized and murdered. Wallace handled these situations extremely well, especially since this is supposed to be a YA novel. Events were mentioned and properly handled without being graphic or gross or going for shock factor. So, yes, bad things happen but this novel didn't dwell on them or cause me to have nightmares about all the evil in the world.

There was a lot to like. But, you know, some of the story was a bit cliche; Nothing I hadn't heard before. Some things happened exactly as I'd expected them to. Some events, like the finding of the assassin, felt a bit too easy or forced or just too coincidental to feel real. Many secondary characters felt stereotypical or flat, but, then many beloved characters didn't make it to the end of the book. I don't know which is worse.

Also there's the worst cliffhanger! Ever! Wallace literally leaves some characters hanging. And there are so many unanswered questions. Jacare's dark history is hinted at throughout the entire book but we learn nothing about his past. Or Tex's past, for that matter. I am definitely going to read the next book in the series and probably whatever comes after that, but I am annoyed that I have to wait for it.

So, overall, it's a good, fun, clean read with a few dark elements. But the darkness gives it good roundness.

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

Oblivion by Kelly Creagh (Nevermore #3)

**I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. It will be released on July 28, 2015.**

Publisher: Antheneum Books for Young Readers
Pages: 448

This electrifying conclusion to the Nevermore trilogy takes one last trip to the dream world of Edgar Allan Poe to reveal the intertwined fates of Isobel and Varen.

The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? —Edgar Allan Poe

The fine line between life and death blurred long ago for Isobel Lanley. After a deadly confrontation with Varen in the dreamworld, she’s terrified to return to that desolate and dangerous place. But when her nightmares resume, bleeding into reality, she is left with no choice. Varen’s darkness is catching up to her. To everything. Threatening to devour it all.

Isobel fears for her world. For her sanity and Varen’s—especially after a fresh and devastating loss. To make matters worse, the ghostly demon Lilith wants Varen for her own, and she will do anything to keep him in her grasp—anything.

Can Isobel ever find her happy ending? Worlds collide and fates are sealed in this breathtaking finale to the Nevermore trilogy.

My Thoughts:
I have been waiting for this book for YEARS!!! I read the first book Nevermore when it first came out!!!!!! Nevermore is STILL on my most favorites list. The second book Enshadowed was a bit of a disappointment as I felt that the whole book was about rehashing what happened in the first book. It was only the ENDING that made it worth reading and it killed me when I read that ending. AAAH that ending....

Book three the FINAL book in this trilogy is finally here. Throughout the whole last book, Kelly Creagh stayed true to her imagination that is dark and haunting. Yet, beautiful in her writing style and creativity.
I am absolutely in love with the dynamics between Varen and Isobel. You have polar opposites who were able to see and reach beyond the surface and find each other.

I love the tragic side of Varen and how he coped with life throw dark tales of Edgar Allen Poe which brought about the adventure of all three books.

I love the character development of Isobel throughout the series where nothing became more important to her than getting Varen back.

The dark and twisted tale that brought about the separation of these two was utterly brilliant and in book three we continue to see how far one can fall and how hard it is to come back from a deep dark place. There is more to the story than meets the eye. I enjoyed the aspect of Edgar Allen Poe's stories brought to life and how dark and twisted they can be. I enjoyed the modern take that is weaved throughout the story.

I enjoyed learning more about certain characters and the 2 sides which mirrors another character in the book. It was fascinating. I loved it and even felt sorry for it. Brilliant.

However I must admit that even in this last book it got a little redundant in the fact that I felt I was just going in circles and I just wanted it to end! I wanted a happily ever after and instead I got 448 pages of ring-around-the -dark-twisted-rosy.

I was very pleased and satisfied with the ending. I can't wait to own this third book and reread them. But the first book, Nevermore, will still be-in my opinion-the best of all. I look forward to more from this author.

Sexual Content: mild
Violence: moderate (dark, a little creepy at times with characters)
Language: mild
Drugs/Alcohol: none

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Philadelphia 1876. The Dead are rising. A zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor Fitt. Whoever controls the Dead Army has her brother. She avoids her mother's choice of husband for the lab of Spirit Hunters, including the maddeningly stubborn yet handsome Daniel. The situation threatens her reputation, and the lives of everyone in the city.

My Thoughts:
It took me a while to get into this book. I read the first chapter then put it down for a while because I wasn't interested it. I mean zombies? Really?

But then I picked it up again and read the whole thing in two days. There was just so much to love here!

First of all, I loved Eleanor. I loved that she was strong and brave and smart but Dennard never said any of that. Eleanor was just like that. As a reader we were shown Eleanor's character without being told Eleanor's character. Which was perfect. I loved the writing style, the quality (after the first chapter) of writing and the way characters were written. Loved it. I'm a new fan of Susan Dennard.

All the other characters were also well-developed and well-rounded. And they spoke like real people... in the 1800s. It was like a dark, steampunk Jane Austin novel. Which was really fun. Another thing that I loved was that there was a nice romance element but it didn't overwhelm the story. Nor was it some kind of super-passionate, love-trumps-anything-else-going-on type of affair. It was naturally-evolving and moved at a normal pace. Mostly. But it was still yummy. Although entirely clean.

One thing that bugged was that the huge reveal at the end wasn't surprising at all. It was one of those things you guess after the first chapter but hope it incorrect because it's just so obvious. Oh, well.

Anyway, it was fun. It was clean. It was well-written and really entertaining. Go read it.

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

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski

Published: October 16, 2012
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 416

Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. She has never really belonged anywhere—but she couldn’t have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn’t happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population.

Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. But Conn’s interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her.

As if she were his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything—not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades’ latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever . . .

In this smart, compulsively readable novel, master storyteller Marie Rutkoski has crafted an utterly original world, characters you won’t soon forget, and a tale full of intrigue and suspense. 

My Thoughts:
I fell in love with Marie Rutkoski when I read her books The Winner's Curse & The Winner's Crime so I went ahead and bought this book, luckily it's a standalone and it was awesome.


The story follows a girl named Darcy who has been in and out of foster homes since she was five. Darcy was found at age five with no memory of who she was or where she came from, so they gave her the name Darcy.

Darcy isn't a bad kid, but there have been instances that have caused her file with child services to be a thick as a brick and so she has gone from home to home as each family had a complaint about her.
Darcy doesn't understand why she is so different, why she can't remember anything. However in her new place of residence she finds; almost a home. She has friends at school and a foster mom who is pretty cool.

Then a new kid comes to school and the first moment she sees him, she knows he doesn't like her but for some reason she is intrigued by him and he then imposes himself in her life and she has no idea why.... until she is arrested.

Intrigued? you totally should be! I liked Darcy, she wasn't this horrible character with a bad mouth and bad reputation. Darcy loves art and her friends are amazing.

I loved the different personalities that were put in this book. Holy cow, and Marie Rutkoski does a fabulous job of keeping the unique and their voices separate. I so enjoyed her friends, they were just a great comic relief to the story.

The romance was great too, NO INSTA-LOVE which is a must for me, but it had its complications that kept me completely interested and invested in the characters and the story.

The overall idea of the story was GREAT and unique. With plenty of action and mystery that would keep any reader riveted.

Sexual Content: mild (some kissing)
Violence: moderate (talk of past mass killings-nothing graphic)
Language: mild/none
Drugs/Alcohol: none

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa De La Cruz

Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon and made to live in virtual imprisonment on the Isle of the Lost. The island is surrounded by a magical force field that keeps the villains and their descendants safely locked up and away from the mainland. Life on the island is dark and dreary. It is a dirty, decrepit place that's been left to rot and forgotten by the world.

But hidden in the mysterious Forbidden Fortress is a dragon's eye: the key to true darkness and the villains' only hope of escape. Only the cleverest, evilest, nastiest little villain can find it...who will it be?

My Thoughts:
*An ARC of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.*

Couldn't finish. This is a book about all of Disney's evil characters being banished to an island without magic, right? Only none of these "evil" people felt evil. They were all, "Let's do something really evil and watch 1st years slip on a banana peel." Diabolical. I'm shivering in fright over here.

And I get that the book is for kids and pre-teens. But it wasn't very good in general. The perspective kept changing and sometimes it felt like it jumped around in the middle of a section that was supposed to have been someone else's perspective. Thoughts were rehashed a lot. A whole lot. And it's a short book. And I didn't even read it all. And once again: No was very evil! If holding a grudge and eating stale food makes one worthy of evil-mastermind status, there'd be a whole lot more villains in the world. And all the kids on the Isle of the Lost (which is a great title, btw) go to school. The classes are taught by former seriously evil people like Cinderella's evil Stepmother and the Voodoo guy from The Princess and the Frog and other bad guys who did actual bad stuff (the Voodoo guy creeped me out like you would not believe and I was an adult when I saw that movie!). But, thing is, if I'm a bad guy trapped on a sucky island where I'm bound to be unhappy for the rest of my life, I'm not gonna spend my time being altruistic and teaching kids ANYTHING at all. I'm going to do whatever is it I want to do. No one will stop me. I will not have friends. And I will use anyone and everyone to reach my own ends. It's a good thing I'm not evil. But, seriously, I didn't buy into the bad guys being all teacherly; Teachers are way too selfless and bad guys are way too selfish.

None of the characters felt very defined, either. Total meh, all around. And, honestly, the writing was meh, too. I was skipping paragraphs after a while. When I started skipping pages I knew it was time to give up.

I get that this is written for a younger audience but it's still just not very good. If you're going to read a fairy-tale mash-up for pre-teens, there are so many options out there that I would just skip this one entirely. Go read Half Upon a Time or Ever After High or any number of highly entertaining, well-thought-out, well-written and just all-around great books.

Sexual Content: None
Language: Mild
Violence: Mild (boys fighting)
Drugs/Alcohol: None

Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It’s home to the pyschic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case!

Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can’t help but suspect head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new “look.” Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style.

Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad.

My Thoughts:
This was cute! I was feeling a bit lackluster about reading anything so I went to the library, found the smallest book I could on the YA shelves and started reading. I'm so glad it was this one!

Things I loved: The voice. I was instantly hooked by the sarcastic humor of Daisy's voice. I loved the way she thought and how she approached things. She wasn't whiney, she didn't monologue too much (or ever, that I can remember) and I just liked her. She was likable. And cute. And funny.

The humor. The entire book felt like a satire of other YA paranormal contemporary romance books. It was completely kitschy. Which I loved. And nothing in this book took itself too seriously. I love that, when something basically makes fun of itself.

The Romance. No love triangle (woot!). I feel like this shouldn't have to be mentioned but I DO mention it because it's a big deal in YA literature to NOT have a love triangle in a book. I wish it wasn't so. But it is. So, once again, there was no love triangle. Just one cute love interest and a tasty amount of cute little kiss scenes spread throughout the book. I also loved that the love story wasn't an all-encompassing passionate affair where the characters couldn't control themselves. It was a friendship that evolved into something sweeter. It was just cute.

So I liked this book. But, you know, it was one of those outcast-loner-girl-turns-popular-cheerleader books. Plus it was a book about a town made up of paranormal creatures that somehow no one knows about even though they're everywhere and these people have lived there their whole lives. Everything was cliche. Kitsch. I'd read it before somewhere else and there wasn't really anything new to set this apart. And hints were SHOUTED at me while reading. The mystery element was a little different, I guess, in the sense that Daisy, herself, kept guessing who the killer was. Which is exactly what I do as a reader. So it was kind of fun to see that thought process. It also kept me guessing until the end, which is unusual. But mostly I just got annoyed at how quickly Daisy jumped to conclusions.

This was a quick, cute, entertaining read. Pre-teens and younger teens would probably like it a lot more than I did just because of all the kitschy-ness. Check it out.

Sexual Content: Moderate (just kissing. Vague talk of more than kissing)
Language: Mild
Violence: Mild
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild (if any)

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Four minutes changes everything. Hadley Sullivan 17 misses her flight at JFK airport, is late to her father's second wedding in London with never-met stepmother. Hadley meets the perfect boy. Oliver is British, sits in her row. A long night on the plane passes in a blink, but the two lose track in arrival chaos. Can fate bring them together again?

My thoughts:
I wasn't expecting too much when I picked this up. Expectations were exceeded. 

One thing I loved about this book was that the romance was an important part of the story. It wasn't just the entire story; There were other plotlines and major things going on besides two people falling in love. And, to be honest, the romance wasn't "love at first sight" so other than that one tiny allusion at the end of the book, the title is completely wrong. It's a good title but it doesn't really fit this book.

The romance itself was sweet, though. I loved the banter between Hadley and Oliver. Their interactions made me grin like an idiot. And their relationship evolved well. It was cute. Even with the heavier story of their families, this book was a cute fluff read. Fast, easy, sweet and clean. Just how I like 'em. And it mostly takes place in London. 'Nuff said.

One thing that bugged was that it was written in 3rd person but definitely should have been 1st. POV was awkward. Especially since we were basically inside Hadley's head for the entire book. And characters didn't feel quite as rounded as they should have. I like read fully three-dimensional fleshed-out characters. Most of these were meh. 

But I did like the book. Definitely obtain it and read it if you're into contemporary fluff romance.

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

Crash by Jerry Spinelli

Meet Crash Coogan. Crash seems to be all brawn and no brains, but he will need more than mere muscles to face the upcoming challenges in his life. Now available in paperback, Award-winner Jerry Spinelli has created a hilarious, poignant story of a cocky seventh-grade super-jock.

My Thoughts:
This is about a kid in middle school so it's for kids, right? But there's so much in here that's nice for anyone to read about. I would absolutely recommend this book to any kid in middle school, especially boys who like sports since they'd relate really easily. This book was clean, poignant and actually pretty heartwarming. And funny. Not, like, laugh-out-loud funny but I smiled and was entertained, you know? I'm betting middle-school aged kids would find it funnier than I did.

So Crash is about a boy named Crash. Well, that's his nickname, anyway. He's your typical label-loving popular jock until something happens in his family that makes him see everything differently. One thing I loved was that feelings weren't really explained at all; Spinelli showed his readers everything but didn't waste the paragraphs explaining exactly what was going on in Crash's head. Thank you for thinking highly of us, Mr. Spinelli. We can understand complexities without it being spelled out for us.

I loved all the characters, too. Crash's progression felt natural. The way he was felt real. He acted like a pre-teen boy was a jerk sometimes but overall he was just a decent kid. His sister, Abby, was hilarious and I loved her. The way Crash's parents progressed throughout this story was nice, too. Since I absolutely agree that spending time with family is more important than having lots of money, I loved the message from this book. And the way it was delivered. Scooter was just about the best grandfather ever and his storyline made me sad. Which was the point. But, man. The ups and downs in this middle-school book. 

If you're looking for a short, nice read that is fun but also has a good moral message, then please, check it out. It's fast, it's mostly light, it's clean and you'll like it. If you have a middle-school-aged kid, though, or maybe as young as 10, they might love this book. Go get it for them.

Sexual Content: None
Language: None
Violence: Mild (football and boys roughhousing)
Drugs/Alcohol: None

Tracked by Jenny Martin

On corporately controlled Castra, rally racing is a high-stakes game that seventeen-year-old Phoebe Van Zant knows all too well. Phee’s legendary racer father disappeared mysteriously, but that hasn't stopped her from speeding headlong into trouble. When she and her best friend, Bear, attract the attention of Charles Benroyal, they are blackmailed into racing for Benroyal Corp, a company that represents everything Phee detests. Worse, Phee risks losing Bear as she falls for Cash, her charming new teammate. But when she discovers that Benroyal is controlling more than a corporation, Phee realizes she has a much bigger role in Castra’s future than she could ever have imagined. It's up to Phee to take Benroyal down. But even with the help of her team, can a street-rat destroy an empire?




My Thoughts:
It took me a long time to get into this book. The beginning didn't hook me, Phee seemed a bit too reckless and immature for my taste and the love triangle was annoying. Really annoying. Lots of waffling emotions and deep introspective thought analyses. ugh. And did anyone else just feel bad for the loser of the love triangle? I mean, like, throughout the entire book? I felt like the poor guy was just shuffled to the side all the time. He lacked any depth at all since, really, we only saw him when/how Phee dictated he would be around.

Once the story evolved into a political/corporate story with intrigue and spying and stuff, it got really interesting. The plot was very well thought-out in that respect and I enjoyed all the plotting and planning. It was smart. 

But it didn't overshadow the lackluster writing and borrowed concepts. I mean, this entire novel was basically Speed Racer with a girl main character. I can't think of a single major difference. I'm really trying to think of major difference. Maybe the love triangle could be thought of as the major difference but I wish that hadn't been in there at all. Why do YA authors feel like they must put love triangles in YA books? This book actually would have been BETTER if the poor, shunted third member of the love triangle had been a different character entirely; Why wasn't he a brother? Or the strictly platonic best friend? Or gay? Or any number of things that would have prohibited any notion of a love triangle? It pulled me from the story and I was more annoyed than anything. Actually, I felt more sympathy for him than for Phee. Phee annoyed. I definitely see the potential for more angsty pining and love-triangle drama in the second book since this book ended the cliffhanger way it did. But I'm still annoyed. 

Another positive in this book was the racing. And it wasn't even so much the racing itself as much as it was the way Martin portrayed Phee while racing. I loved being in her head for those moments; The way her adrenaline was written, her inherent need to race, the calm before the race and all that. So well done. Loved those moments.

Phee was likeable enough as a character. I guess. But I didn't like her as much as I could have. I would have appreciated more humor; This book was Very Serious. I would appreciated less introspective whining; So much unnecessary drama. I would have appreciated smarter actions on her part, a little bit of subtlety, maybe. She was so very in-your-face blunt and easy-to-read. The worst possible spy. The worst possible secret-keeper. But I guess that was just her character. Wasn't a huge fan.

By all means, if you're into post-apocalyptic stories with a Speed Racer/Fast and Furious spin (maybe even some Mad Max minus any violence whatsoever), obtain and read this book. You may like it much more than I do. But I wouldn't recommend you own it until you read it first and decide for yourself.

Sexual Content: Moderate
Language: Mild (it's all irritating new-world slang cursing. So no real curse words. Just annoying rusting made-up foul language--Actually in a way I appreciate the non-use of bad words but the fake cursing annoys me. If you're gonna say it, just say it)
Violence: Mild (if any)
Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate (though it is generally frowned-upon by the characters in the book)

The Heir by Kiera Cass (The Selection #4)

Published: May 5, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

My Thoughts:
As much as I completely enjoyed the trilogy of America in the Selection. This one was a bit of a disappointment. I own it to continue with the series and I bought this as soon as it came out. So it was definitely on my "most anticipated" list. The cover is gorgeous and the heroine annoying.

Yes I said it. Eadlyn (how would you pronounce that?) is the daughter of America and Maxon and it was cool to see their character development that American has a lot more refinement and Maxon is a great father. She feels the burden of whom she will one day be. The Queen the first in their kingdom since before Maxon became King, it didn't matter when you were born the first male would be king. Well with Maxon and America ruling they changed A LOT of things including this.

With the changes comes a great amount of new struggles and unrest. When Maxon can't figure out how to appease his people, he feels they need a distraction. So Eadlyn agreed to do the Selection.

Eadlyn agrees to the Selection only to appease her father and help her kingdom. But underneath she refused to be "tied down" to any man and secretly plans to not marry anyone.

What I didn't like about Eadlyn was how much she annoyed me! I felt like she did nothing but complain and was so detached from her people and what they really need in a ruler. She is cold, selfish and drove me nuts.

I also felt like Kiera Cass doesn't know how to write boys that well. The guys in the Selection were....not so boyish... plus the relationship between Eadlyn and her brother was off. I have four brother and we are all pretty dang close. But not THAT close. It was a little weird.

The romance? lacked. It was obvious from the moment we were introduced to this character what was going to happen. Plus I felt with this character he "changed" too quickly and I disappointed and wished they didn't become friends so fast after years of disliking each other.

Overall I look forward to the rest of this series but was disappointed in Eadlyn's character and the fact that Cass doesn't really write boys well.

Sexual Content: mild/moderate (kissing/making out)
Language: mild
Drugs/Alcohol: mild/none
Violence: mild/none