City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn't sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn't belong in her world. Cassidy's powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

Released September 4, 2018 by Scholastic
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Cassidy grew up with the ability to see ghosts and talk to her ghost-best-friend, Jacob. Meanwhile, her parents are the Inspectres, a ghost-hunting duo that recently got their brand own reality tv show. Cassidy is off to Edinburgh, Ireland with her parents to film the first episode of the show, and she finds that there’s deep history and angry ghosts in Edinburgh.

This was the first middle grade novel that I have read in a while, and now I remember what I love so much about them. Middle grade novels always have a sense of humor to them that is unlike any other stories I’ve read, and City of Ghosts did not disappoint in that area. It was a fun, humorous story with the right amount of darkness to match the plot and storyline.

There was just the right amount of world building in this, considering it takes place in a very real place (Edinburgh) but it has that otherworldly sense with an alternate reality. Victoria Schwab for sure knows how to write a story that makes you feel like you’re right in the middle of what is happening.

Jacob was my absolute favorite part of this novel. Every time he disappeared, I was so worried he would never come back. Not only was he Cassidy’s best friend, but he was a great person to root for in this. He was a ghost, which meant it was someone Cassidy should want to help make disappear, but her connection to him was too strong and she didn’t have the heart to let him go. The ending of the novel makes for a great set-up for a sequel with Jacob as a main player, and I’m so excited for that to happen.


City of Ghosts was the middle grade novel I needed in my life. This year, Victoria Schwab has quickly rose to be one of my top five favorite authors, and this novel helped kick it up a little more. While this wasn’t a WOW book, it was definitely an amazing book, and I recommend you pick it up. 

Stars: 4 out of 5 stars
What I Liked: Pacing, world-building, Jacob
What I Disliked: nothing!

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Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable debut introduces a brilliant new voice in contemporary YA.

Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it's pretty overwhelming--especially when he's also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life. In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom's family for the first time. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything.

Sohrab makes sure people speak English so Darius can understand what's going on. He gets Darius an Iranian National Football Team jersey that makes him feel like a True Persian for the first time. And he understands that sometimes, best friends don't have to talk. Darius has never had a true friend before, but now he's spending his days with Sohrab playing soccer, eating rosewater ice cream, and sitting together for hours in their special place, a rooftop overlooking the Yazdi skyline.

Sohrab calls him Darioush--the original Persian version of his name--and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he's Darioush to Sohrab. When it's time to go home to America, he'll have to find a way to be Darioush on his own.

Released August 28, 2018 by Dial Books
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My Thoughts:
Darius the Great Is Not Okay is a stunning debut about a teen boy who travels to Iran to meet his close-to-death grandfather and his loving grandmother – all while dealing with his depression, family issues, and new-found friend, Sohrab.

I had the opportunity to see Adib Khorram speak about this novel at the Young Adult Buzz Panel at Book Expo this year, and I was curious, but there was nothing super compelling to me at first glance. The moment I picked this book up, I was entranced. the other day, I was trying to explain my feelings about this book to my friend, and I compared it to Perks of Being a Wallflower. Minus the sexual assault, add in a foreign country, and it's a similar equation.

Darius is an amazing character to see the thoughts of, as he is struggling with depression and has no one to turn to with his feelings. At times when he has depressed thoughts, Darius turns to the reader for confirmation that what he was feeling is normal. Every time Darius did this, my heart broke, and it made me really feel for Darius as a reader.

I'm very interested in culture, and I knew that this was an own-voices story about Iran, so I was eager to see how this would play out in the book. Adib did a great job at putting little snippets of the culture into the book, and how Darius struggled with being a "fractional" Persian and a "fractional" American. A big struggle for Darius was not being American enough, but not being American enough. This was a big part of Darius finding his place in both aspects.

The friendship between Darius and Sohrab was so innocent and pure – it made me smile every time there was a scene between the two. There were embarrassing moments, like any new friendship, but their friendship was a joy to see blossom on the pages. There were a couple of scenes that I looked and thought "there's no way that would happen in real life", but I think that may have been a culture disparity.

Lastly, the family dynamics were the star of the show. You have Darius and his struggling relationship with his father, who only bonds with him for the 40-some minutes they watch Star Trek at night; you have Darius with his younger sister, who is much more Persian that he is; you have Darius and his dying Babou, who looks down on Darius for not being Persian enough, but Darius has no real relationship with; and lastly is Darius and Mamou, who loves him unconditionally despite his non-Persian upbringing. Each relationship in this was so well-done.

Like I said, this book is very similar to Perks in the sense of how it's written. The main character is so sad and somber, and you just want to give him a hug or a gentle push to keep moving along. The writing was absolutely beautiful, and I will definitely be picking up anything that Adib Khorram writes in the future.

Stars: 4 out of 5 stars
What I Liked: Darius as a narrator, all the family dynamics
What I Disliked: Some scenes between Darius and Sohrab, but otherwise nothing!

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Mirage by Somaiya Daud

In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.

But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.

As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection...because one wrong move could lead to her death.

Released August 28, 2018 by Flatiron Books
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My Thoughts: 
Amani is forced to live the part of the Vathek queen, Maram, simply because they look identical and there are many people who would love to see Maram suffer. Amani is taken out of her life with her family and thrust into the palace where she is forced to look, act, and carry out duties as the "queen."

Mirage is a riveting sci-fi/fantasy novel with great world-building, action, and romance. It's something that was very unexpected, as I didn't expect so much of the political aspects that came along with this book.

While Amani was a great character, I felt that Maram had a much stronger development as a character. This book is set from the perspective of Amani, but we learn a lot about Maram and why she is the way that she is. As Amani slowly uncovered Maram's story and true personality, I started to really love Maram as a character, even though she had a stroke of darkness in her. She may seem like a ruthless queen who doesn't care for the thoughts or feelings of others, but Maram is deeply insecure and just doing her best to claim the position of the throne. I'm very curious to see how the relationship with Amani and Maram develops, as it was one of my favorite parts of the story.

Then, of course, there's the romance between Amani and Idris. It's one of those romances that you're not supposed to want to happen (because Idris is the fiance to Maram), but you can't help but love the two of them together. For some reason, I felt as though there was something lacking with them. They had a great storyline, but I feel as though there was something missing in their story.

The plot was slower paced, but it was the perfect pace for this type of book. Now that we understand the characters and the world, I'm excited to see what the upcoming books in this series are. I hope they're a little faster paced, because this setting could really work well with it. The political aspects intertwined with the romance and friendships makes a great set-up for future books.

Stars: 4 out of 5 star
What I Liked: Maram, pacing of the book
What I Disliked: the romance was just okay

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To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin

Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she'll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn't count on is that her mother's obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy's mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats.

Between her mom's diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about. And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.

Released on August 21, 2018 by Swoon Reads
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My Thoughts:
To Be Honest tells the story of Savannah, who is accepted her weight for what it is, and does her best to act confident about it. Meanwhile, her mother is the recent success story from a popular weight-loss show, which causes difficulty for Savannah to be confident in herself with her overbearing mother. It does a great job of showing eating issues, family dynamics, friendship, and a great touch of romance for an overall great novel.

Savannah was an amazing main character, because she wasn't overly dramatic about her weight and how she thought everyone was thinking about it as much as she was. To me, she seemed like a girl who just wanted to do her best and live the life she hoped it would be, and if she was overweight, that wasn't a problem. I loved the way that Maggie Ann Martin wrote her character – her personality was great!

The relationship between Savannah and her family was done really well. You have her mother who is trying to keep off the weight that she lost on the tv show she was on, her older sister who has just left for college, and her father who is no longer in the picture but makes a couple appearances. Savannah is the equal balance of being independent enough that she doesn't need her parents there for her every move, but dependent enough on her sister that she will drive hours to see her after a bad day. All of it was executed well, and the parts with her mother's eating habits brought a really powerful aspect to the story.

Next, of course, is Savannah and George. I love how their friendship started and gradually turned into a relationship. Their banter was adorable, and it was a great aspect that weight was never a factor to their relationship. Savannah was nervous about George liking her, but she never once mentioned that she thought he wouldn't because she was "fat" or "overweight". She just said "a girl like me," and I really liked that touch. Also, George was a kind of weird kid, and that made the story seem so believable. Too often am I seeing stories of a super gorgeous kid getting any girl, and I liked that he had a lot of quirks.

Overall, I really enjoyed To Be Honest. It was a great contemporary that had deeper meaning. I think the cover could have been better, because it makes it seem like a light and fluffy book, but it has a lot of great quotes and deeper context to it than what you would expect.

Stars: 4 out of 5 stars
What I Liked: Savannah's personality, family dynamics, easygoing relationship
What I Disliked: Nothing, besides the cover

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The Raging Ones by Krista & Becca Ritchie

From New York Times bestselling authors Krista and Becca Ritchie, comes The Raging Ones, an edge of your seat sci-fi romance with twists and turns that you will never see coming!

In a freezing world, where everyone knows the day they will die, three teens break all odds. 

Franny Bluecastle, a tough city teen, dreams of dying in opulence, to see wealth she’s never known. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday. 

Until the day she does. 

Court Icecastle knows wealth. He also knows pain. Spending five years in Vorkter Prison, a fortress of ice and suffering, he dreams of life beyond the people that haunt him and the world that imprisoned him. 

Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court—which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny. 

With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space. Against thousands of people far smarter, who’ll live longer, and never fear death the way that they do.

Released on August 14, 2018 by Wednesday Books
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My Thoughts:
The Raging Ones covers a very interesting topic of every person finding out their deathday right after their birth. Based on the age they will die, the residents of this planet are classified based on how much of an impact on society they can have. Franny, Court, and Mykal have all miraculously survived past their deathday, and they have an odd connection with each other. 

I was SO excited going into this book, because it was a concept I had thought of before. What if you knew the day you were going to die? How would you live life differently? This book really dove into the whole idea and created a class system out of it, which I thought was so interesting. 

Franny has just evaded her deathday, and she builds a odd physical connection with both Court and Mykal. She was my favorite character, because she was scared about what life meant for her now that she didn't know when it ended, but she also realized that she would have to be strong. Mykal was a great character, and honestly reminded me of a caveman half the time. He was a great comic relief, and I loved his relationship with Franny. Then there's Court – not sure what I thought of him. He was such a complicated character, and I couldn't tell if he was hapy, sad, worried, whatever. 

While I really enjoyed reading this book because of the plot, Court's character caused a lot of issues for me. I really loved him, but he confused me (if that makes any sense). Also, for some reason, this book took me forever to read. It's not a bad thing at all, but it was only about 300-some pages, and I feel like it really took a lot while reading it. I was so invested, and usually I read quicker when I'm invested, so that was slightly surprising!

If you're looking for a great sci-fi with a fun character group (not much romance!) then this is definitely the book for you! 

Stars: 4 out of 5 stars
What I Liked: The plot, Franny, Mykal
What I Disliked: Court's complicated personality

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Echoes by Alice Reed

They wake on a deserted island. Fiona and Miles, high school enemies now stranded together. No memory of how they got there. No plan to follow, no hope to hold on to.

Each step forward reveals the mystery behind the forces that brought them here. And soon, the most chilling discovery: something else is on the island with them.

Something that won't let them leave alive.

Released on August 7, 2018 by Entangled:Teen
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My Thoughts:

Fiona and Miles couldn't be any more different than each other, but somehow they ended up landing the same pharmaceutical internship abroad in Berlin. Between alternating chapters, the story follows the two as they adventure through two very different types of stories, that really make for a fun adventurous ride. 

Originally, I didn't know what to think of Echoes. I never got confused (which is surprising when it has two different stories happening at once), which is honestly surprising for me. It was done in a marvelous way that I was not confused, but instead, super curious as to what was happening. I had my own theories at first (none of which were true), but it was fun to determine what was really happening with the story. 

The main characters are Fiona, a bad-ass kick-boxing scholarship student, and Miles, a wealthy super-intelligent popular boy. Throughout high school, they've had a unspoken hatred for each other, which starts to wash away as they face more and more danger. The characters were fun, but they weren't such WOW characters that would have made this book more of a favorite for me. I felt for them, I wanted them to be happy, but I also wanted to learn more about them. 

What is so interesting about this book was the ending. I was silently yelling at the book because of the ending, but it was because I was so desperate for answers as to what was going on. It was wonderfully executed, and Alice Reed really left me wanting more. 

This fast-paced adventure novel was a fun read, and I highly suggest it if you want a mystery book that doesn't deal with a bunch of death or murders. It reminded me of a little more hardcore Jumanji, minus the video game, and more of the island adventure. 

Stars: 4 out of 5
What I Liked: Amazing plot and pace
What I Disliked: Didn't necessarily dislike, but the characters could have had just a little bit more to make me really like them. 

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The Impossibility of Us by Katy Upperman

The last thing Elise wants is to start her senior year in a new town. But after her brother’s death in Afghanistan, she and her mother move from San Francisco to a sleepy coastal village.

When Elise meets Mati, they quickly discover how much they have in common. Mati is new to town too, visiting the U.S. with his family. Over the course of the summer, their relationship begins to blossom, and what starts out as a friendship becomes so much more.

But as Elise and Mati grow closer, her family becomes more and more uncomfortable with their relationship, and their concerns all center on one fact—Mati is Afghan.

Beautifully written, utterly compelling, and ultimately hopeful, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US asks—how brave can you be when your relationship is questioned by everyone you love?

Published July 31, 2018 by Swoon Reads
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The Impossibility of Us is a contemporary novel about love, family issues, the military, and cultural differences, and it uses all of these tropes as ingredients to a perfect novel. I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up this novel, and I didn't want to set it down at all. 

Katy Upperman's writing is beautiful, and the set-up of the novel is so intriguing. With dual perspectives, we follow Elise who just moved to a new town, and we follow Mati, visiting the US for the summer because of his father's illness. Elise's chapters are written as a traditional novel, while Mati, who is a poet, has chapters only written in verse. This breaks up the novel in a perfect way, and it's interesting to see the same situations play out on the pages, half from traditional writing and the other half from poetic verse. 

The characters were everything I wanted them to be. Elise was a stubborn teenager, eager to learn and accept everyone for who they are. She's had a single mother, because her dad left when she was young, and a brother was killed in the military in Afghanistan. This causes for difficult conversations when she meets Mati, a young boy from Afghanistan, but his sincerity and sweet personality make Elise fight for him. 

I haven't cried in a book in a while. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I cried while reading a book, but this book, LET ME TELL YOU. This book had me bawling in bed. And not just at the ending, but at other parts in the second half of the book. The Impossibility of Us has so many difficult conversations in it about the military, racism, and culture that were all carefully executed. They were conversations that I've heard before from people I know, but never seen discussed in young adult fiction. 

What I loved about this book was how everything wasn't all fine and dandy. Elise's mother didn't miraculously approve of their relationship, which is something I was silently hoping for, but I love that Katy Upperman didn't allow for it to happen. It made it seem so much more real. It wasn't just a girl who had a super understanding family dating a boy from a different country that had caused her family pain. It was much more real than that, and it really struck me. 

I could go on and on about all the things I loved about this. It wasn't just about Elise and Mati, but it was about Mati's parents, Elise's mother, Elise's dead brother, and his grieving wife and young daughter. I felt for all of these characters, and they were written so incredibly well. 

I highly suggest this novel if you want a romance that brings up real issues. Don't read this if you hate crying, because you most definitely will sob. Generally, I rate contemporaries very low because they never do anything great or find myself thinking of them after I've finished reading. This book is getting five stars because of how often I think of it, and five stars are reserved for my absolute favorite novels. 

Please pick of this book if you see it, because it's a beautiful romance that I don't find very often.  

Stars: 5 out of 5 stars
What I Liked: EVERYTHING. 
What I Disliked: NOTHING. 

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Wrong In All the Right Ways by Tiffany Brownlee

Everything in Emma's life has always gone according to her very careful plans. But things take a turn toward the unexpected when she falls in love for the first time with the one person in the world who’s off-limits–her new foster brother, the gorgeous and tormented Dylan McAndrews. 

Meanwhile, Emma’s AP English class is reading Wuthering Heights, and she’s been assigned to mimic Bronte’s style in an epistolary format. With no one to confide in, she’s got a lot to write about. Emma and Dylan try to constrain their romance to the page–for fear of threatening Dylan’s chances of being adopted into another home. But the strength of first love is all-consuming, and they soon get enveloped in a passionate, secretive relationship with a very uncertain outcome.

Published on July 17, 2018 by Henry Holt & Co
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My Thoughts:
Emma's family has decided to foster a child, and Emma is worried about this child filling the space she created in her family once she leaves for college. But then, her parents bring home Dylan, an attractive teenagers who now has the title of her foster brother. 

Emma and Dylan have an interesting attraction to each other, and it was odd that it was never truly explained. There was never awkwardness from Dylan, and he always played the suave, cool guy trope which rubbed me the wrong way. Emma was the one who was always awkward and trying to impress Dylan, and it was just off balanced to me. 

I think overall, Dylan just rubbed me the wrong way. He was not a good person to Emma, and he had a history to back up his motives. His father was a terrible person, so it rubbed off onto him. That's great and all to have a flawed character, but with the ending that Dylan had, I don't really get it. There was so many loose strings that were left hanging loose that should have been tied up. 

SPOILERS & RANT - Don't read if you don't want to know, but I can't hold this part in. 

Dylan was mentally abusive to Emma, and I'm not okay with it. The things that he did to her were okay to happen in the book, but then in the end when he gets in the car accident because he's an idiot and mixed up his adderall with ambien is NOT OKAY. She was by his bedside the moment it happened, and she was forgiving him and telling him she loved him, and I did not appreciate it. I was so happy when Emma left the summer before college to live her life, but then she CAME BACK TO HIM? And then he got officially adopted which made everything so weird. I feel like something should have happened to he couldn't get adopted by them so then Emma and Dylan could at least try and have a semi-normal relationship as a couple. Not a couple & sibling relationship.

END SPOILERS & RANT

Anyways, the story did keep me holding on for a while. I was really interested to see how everything was going to play out. It wasn't so much the romance aspects (I tried to rush through those), but instead it was the family relationships. Tiffany Brownlee should write a contemporary with family issues because she played them out perfectly. Like the scenes with Emma and her father at the end had me really worked up. PLEASE TIFFANY WRITE ANOTHER BOOK.

So as you can see, there were parts that I really didn't like of this book (plot wise). There were other parts that I absolutely loved, and I definitely will continue to read books that Tiffany Brownlee publishes! This one is just such a heated topic (much like Wuthering Heights), so it makes sense that there's discussion about this.

Stars: 3 out of 5 stars
What I Liked: Emma was a very likable and relatable character
What I Disliked: Emma & Dylan's relationship

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Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre

On a hot summer night, a screech of brakes and shattering glass changes two lives forever.

Liv wakes in the hospital, confused when they call her Morgan. She assumes it’s a case of mistaken identity, yet when the bandages come off, it’s not her face in the mirror anymore. It’s her best friend Morgan’s.

Morgan always seemed to have the perfect life, yet Liv must navigate endlessly disturbing secrets of the criminal and murderous variety—and a romance that feels like a betrayal. Torn between the boy she loved as Liv and the boy she’s grown to love as Morgan, Liv still has to survive Morgan’s last request.

Published July 17, 2018 by Tor Teen
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My Thoughts
Like Never and Always was a great mix of a contemporary and thriller, with slight hints of romance and semi-supernatural (if you can even call it that?). It follows Liv who wakes up after a terrible car accident and realizes she's in her best friend's body. Meanwhile, no one knows and everyone thinks Liv is dead. Liv has to carry on Morgan's life while uncovering the secrets that Morgan was keeping about her love life, family issues, and personal struggles. 

Liv was a fantastic narrator to follow, and I feel as though the situation was reversed (Morgan lived in Liv's body), it wouldn't have been as interesting of a story. Liv is smart, determined, and really doing well dealing with the whole situation. She realizes the severity of it, and she decides if she's going to be Morgan, she's going to do it right. 

I didn't really understand the romance aspect. Prior to the accident, Liv was dating sweet tempered Nathan, and Morgan was dating bad-boy Clay, who is Nathan's older brother. My assumption would be that this would be a huge issue once Liv was in Morgan's body, because she would want to be with Nathan all the time. While there's a slight hiccup in the beginning, Liv quickly stops longing for Nathan and remembering all the history they had and instead switches primarily over to Clay. It was really not what I expected from a teenage girl, and it made me slightly confused. I expected Liv to have more difficulty dealing with the situation. 

Besides that, the romance between Liv and Clay was perfect. You got to learn more about Morgan's personal life as well as Clay's history through this romance. It was very swoon-y at times, but I really enjoyed it! 

To those who are saying this book is thrilling, I would disagree. I was never on the edge of my seat waiting to know what was happening next – and that's totally okay! It was a mystery novel, as there were secrets to be uncovered and little clues along the way, but the pacing was never significant in this. Regardless, it was a great mystery! 

This was my first book by Ann Aguirre, and I really liked it! The writing was great, the characters were interesting, and the plot was something I hadn't seen before. I recommend this to anyone looking for a YA mystery. 

Stars: 4 out of 5 stars
What I Liked: Liv's voice, the mystery
What I Disliked: Weird handling of Liv & Nathan's prior romance

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Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It by Kerry Winfrey

Jolie's a lot of things, but she knows that pretty isn't one of them. She has mandibular prognathism, which is the medical term for underbite. Chewing is a pain, headaches are a common occurrence, and she’s never been kissed. She’s months out from having a procedure to correct her underbite, and she cannot wait to be fixed. 

While her family watches worst-case scenario TV shows, Jolie becomes paralyzed with the fear that she could die under the knife. She and her best friends Evelyn and Derek decide to make a Things Jolie Needs To Do Before She Bites It (Which Is Super Unlikely But Still, It Could Happen) list. Things like: eat every appetizer on the Applebee’s menu and kiss her crush, Noah Reed. Their plan helps Jolie discover what beauty truly means to her.

Published July 10, 2018 by Feiwel & Friends 
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My Thoughts
Jolie is terrified of dying during her upcoming surgery for her underbite, so she creates a list of Things Jolie Needs To Do Before She Bites It. There are stupid things on it, but there are also 

Jolie and I are extremely similar. While she has an underbite, I have an overbite. Growing up, I needed the same surgery that Jolie gets in the novel, except I chickened out too much and never got the surgery. This meant that we both hid behind our jaws and lacked confidence growing up. I'd never seen a character like this before, so it was amazing to see a character with something that I had experienced. It was never a disability, but it was something that caused both Jolie and I to shy away from the spotlight and believe that we weren't pretty enough for someone's attention. 

This is a very character driven story, and Jolie is the star. It was fun to see Jolie grow as a character and realize that the things she wanted to do before her surgery weren't really her life's wishes. She just wanted to be seen, and that was something she was able to do. 

The romance of this book was so gradual, that it was always in the back of your head, but never barking down your throat. Jolie has a crush on a boy, but you can tell there are underlying feelings between her and her best friend, Derek. It was a sweet, slow romance that comes weaving together in the perfect ways. Not everything was fairytale happy, but it had a good ending. Plus, Derek has a podcast called Deep Dive where he talks about animals, and it made me so incredibly happy because of its quirkiness. 

Really happy with this book, as it brought a bunch of things to light. There's teen pregnancy, LGBTQ characters, and teen self-esteem, so it made it relatable without trying to throw in every crazy situation under the sun into the plot. Highly suggest picking this up if you want a light, readable book!

Stars: 4 out of 5 stars
What I Liked: Jolie's character, Deep Dive
What I Disliked: nothing - just not an absolute favorite! 

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I'm Not Missing by Carrie Fountain

When Miranda Black’s mother abandoned her, she took everything—the sun, moon, and stars—and Miranda found shelter in her friendship with Syd, who wore her own motherlessness like a badge of honor: Our mothers abandoned us. We won’t go begging for scraps.

When Syd runs away suddenly and inexplicably in the middle of their senior year, Miranda is abandoned once again, left to untangle the questions of why Syd left, where she is—and if she’s even a friend worth saving. Her only clue is Syd’s discarded pink leopard print cell phone and a single text contained there from the mysterious HIM. Along the way, forced to step out from Syd’s enormous shadow, Miranda finds herself stumbling into first love with Nick Allison of all people and learning what it means to be truly seen, to be finally not missing in her own life.

Published July 10, 2018 by Flatiron Books
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My Thoughts:
I'm Not Missing follows the story of Miranda who has always been in the background of her best friend Syd's spotlight. Syd is the top student in their class, flirts with all the boys, and the only person who teases Mir for her crush on Nick Allison. When Syd mysteriously leaves and claims she's "gone, not missing", Miranda is forced to be seen by everyone, especially her crush Nick. It's about the budding romance between Miranda and Nick, but mostly about how Miranda has to start making decisions for herself.

Miranda was a great character to see develop in this story. She's a rather shy character, but is sassy around those she is closed to, like Syd and her dad. Her history with her mom played a big part of the story, as there's a book that Miranda's mother left behind that appears often. Miranda is kind of all over the place, with what she wants to do with her life, her religion, to reciting the Gettysburg Address randomly. All of these odd quirks make for a beautifully flawed character that makes you feel for her and rooting for her the whole time.

Then of course, there's the romance. There's the undeniable awkwardness between Miranda and Nick, and it's the cutest thing ever. They're both relatively new to the boyfriend/girlfriend thing, so I loved seeing them fumble through having a romantic relationship and seeing their feelings develop. The one thing that I wished we got to see was the relationship develop a little bit more. In the beginning, it's kind of just a snap of the fingers and the two characters are dating, and I wish we would have gotten to see the awkwardness between them even more. On the other end, it was great to see them already in a relationship because then you got to see how it progressed with the story. They get more comfortable with each other, are braver in their actions, and understand each other more. That was something you odon't often see in romance contemporaries. Usually, it's about a relationship developing and then they live happily ever after, but this was great to see it from the start of the relationship through the honeymoon phase and what happened after.

The other relationships in the book were very well thought out and guided the story along. Miranda's father was my absolute favorite character. To be honest, he reminds me of my best friend's father. Quirky, tries to be overly cool with the teen crowd but has an obvious soft spot for his daughter. The banter between the two of them was a great balance to everything else and had me chuckling.

The only downfall of this book was my expectations going into it. The summary of this book really threw me off. I don't know if I was the only one, but I kind of expected it to be more of a mystery of where Syd was, what she was doing, and overall the story was going to be about Miranda trying to piece together the clues left behind. The part where she finds Syd's phone isn't until about halfway through the novel, and at that point, it was kind of a subplot.

The only reason I'm not giving this book a 5 stars is because it wasn't an absolutely FAVORITE of mine, and that's what I reserve my 5 star reviews for. I highly recommend this to people who want a contemporary that's not all light and fluffy romance, but has other relationships present.

What I Liked: Character development, cute romance

What I Disliked: Book summary was misleading

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Shadow State by Elyse Brayden

What Brynn Caldwell can’t remember might get her killed.

Brynn is a promising science student recovering from a major setback: Last year, a bad relationship sent her spiraling into depression. But as she puts the pieces of her life back together, a few don’t fit.

Soon Brynn starts having flashbacks―hazy memories of being abducted and possibly brainwashed. It’s all connected to a wonder drug to treat PTSD that might actually be the ultimate weapon: a tool to control people’s memories. And Brynn can’t trust the people who know the truth―her best friend turned enemy, her genius scientist mother with a secret, and Brynn herself, whose memories might all be lies.

Now, to stop a possible terrorist attack, Brynn has to uncover what she’s been forced to forget―and learn what side she’s really on.

Elyse Brayden’s Shadow State is a pulse-pounding thriller that tackles homeland security, government conspiracy, and obsessive love, with a final-page plot twist you’ll never forget.

Published July 3, 2018 by Imprint
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My Thoughts
Brynn is a science genius who has frightening flashback of a time she doesn't remember. Her mother is uncovering a great drug that will cure those with PTSD, and the upcoming launch of this drug is causing more flashbacks than she cares for. She's got a great boyfriend, an ex-best friend that wants nothing to do with her, and an ex-boyfriend who she does her best to forget about.

Brynn is a great character, and I really enjoyed following her around. She's reasonable, curious, and a character I wanted to learn more about. Her story progressively rolled out as Brynn had more flashbacks, and it was interesting to learn about Brynn as she was learning about herself.

The plot is one of my favorite aspects of the book. Semi nerdy girl, check. Cute budding romance, check. Typical high school life, check. Mysterious plot, check. They're all different aspects of books that are thrown into this novel in a great way, so I really loved watching the story flow. It was fast-paced, didn't drag on, and continued to peak as the story went on. There weren't many lulls in the plot, and the parts that I thought didn't seem to fit into the plot were actually devices to throw you off in the mystery. the one aspect of the plot I didn't like was how short it was. Because this was so much go-go-go, they could have added another 50 pages and kept it more at a steady pace.

So I'm giving this a 3 out of 5 stars mostly because of that ending. I don't know what that was. It was confusing, frustrating, and I don't know why they thought that was the right way to end this book. There was so much potential with this, but it kind of just went off the deep-end with those last couple of pages. As I'm writing this review, I'm still confused with exactly what happened, and I even read it twice to make sure I was reading it correctly.

I definitely suggest picking this one up still, because it was a great read, just a disappointing ending.

Stars: 3 out of 5
What I Liked: Such an interesting idea, and it was quite a pageturner.
What I Disliked: Should have been longer, and the ending...?

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The Summer of Us by Cecilia Vinesse

Aubrey and Rae have been planning their trip around Europe practically from the moment they became BFFs in primary school. And, now, it ought to be the perfect way to spend their last summer together before university.


But things are more complicated at eighteen than they were at ten. There's Jonah, Aubrey's seemingly perfect boyfriend, and his best friend Gabe, the boy Aubrey may have accidentally kissed. And there's Clara, the friend Rae is crushing on, hard, even though there's no hope because Clara is definitely into guys, not girls.


Five friends. Ten days. Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Florence, Barcelona. And a messy, complicated, can-this-really-be happening love story, or two ... because how could there not be?

Published June 14, 2018 by Poppy
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*Thank you Poppy for an ARC of The Summer of Us at BookExpo!

My ThoughtsSometimes, I just need a good contemporary novel to fly through so I feel happy and cheerful, and to not have a heavy fiction novel that requires a lot of thought. The Summer of Us was the perfect novel to break up some heavier novels, and I'm glad that I grabbed this one at BookExpo.

The Summer of Us is about five best friends that travel around Europe the summer before heading to college. Each of the characters has some sort of history with each other, whether that be best friends, past romances, hidden crushes, or current loves. This took a little bit to understand the history of each of the characters, but that was definitely not a flaw in the book. It was like joining a new friend group – you had to piece together all the past stories of the characters and figure out your own place in the story.

The set-up of this was one of my favorite things in the novel. It alternated between the viewpoints of goody-two-shoes Aubrey and her lesbian best friend Rae. Each of the point of views were similar but still had their differences. You could tell why they were best friends as you read from each of their point of views, which helped understand the story more.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this was how real it was. Teenagers are crazy beings, and adding in a unchaperoned trip around Europe and things can get confusing. Feelings were messed with, hookups happened, and fights were brewing. The characters were dramatic, but it wasn't like a 24/7 thing. The author understood that not all teenagers had their head in the clouds, and her characters had more substance compared to other contemporaries.

The romances were the part that kind of lacked. I could understand two of the characters romances because it had more of a backstory, but one of the other romances was harder to piece together and understand the history and motive behind it. While I understand that not every teenage romance is easy to understand, I think the story behind Aubrey's love triangle was confusing and didn't make much sense.

The ending is something that brings up a lot of important questions about leaving for college, dependence on others, and moving on to something better. The wrap-up was done perfectly, and I'm really happy with reading this novel.

The Summer of Us is a fun, summer, contemporary novel with just the right amount of fluff and substance. I would definitely suggest picking it up if you're in the mood to travel around Europe with five best friends!

Stars: 4 out of 5
What I Liked: They were real teenagers that were dramatic, yet not annoying.
What I Disliked: One of the romances could have been developed more.

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Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters.

Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best—hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much larger and more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel to the rez to unravel clues from ancient legends, trade favors with tricksters, and battle dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the disappearances, she will have to confront her past—if she wants to survive.

Welcome to the Sixth World.

Published June 26, 2018 by Saga Press
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*Thank you Saga Press for an ARC of Trail of Lightning at BookExpo

My Thoughts
I forced myself to give it another chance, and I was honestly happy that I did. The story that Rebecca Roanhorse was very interesting and unlike anything that I had ever read. I've never seen an urban fantasy novel based off the Navajo reservations, so I decided I had to give it another try before marking it DNF. This debut novel is about a world that was unique and hard to come by, which is quite unusual for the young adult industry today.

Unfortunately, Rebecca laked in other areas. She wrote about this world of monsters and the main character Maggie, who is deemed the Monsterslayer. The beginning of the book focused on her trying to save a young girl from a monster, and that's kind of why I put it down in the beginning. As I continued to read, I realized that the monsters was what I missed. Maggie was known as the Monsterslayer, but it wasn't really a driving force for her. There were so many other things pulling the story along, that the scenes with the monsters were kind of toned down and other scenes were focused on much more.

This being said, I really did love Maggie as a character. I loved that she was reckless, she often referred to her guns as a solution, and she was torn up on the inside because of her lost family and mentor. She was a character that was easy to like, and it was interesting to see her character grow as she dealt with different things. As the ending came near, I found myself internally cheering Maggie on while also silently swearing at her for stupid decisions. When I do this, it means I really like a character because they're dynamic enough to get my mind going and eager to see what they're going to do next.

Kai was one character who I instantly liked. He was charming, but you could tell he still had a heart. I was curious about him the whole time, because I wanted to know his whole story. The author did a good job of piecing together his character as the story went on, and I liked how the partnership/relationship with Kai and Maggie progressed as well. It was natural, not rushed, and not the basis of the plot.

The one thing I didn't like was how there were so many secondary characters that were just brushed over. The only characters who received any sort of backstory and development were Maggie and Kai. There were plenty of other characters we met that deserved more conversations, memories, and stories for. The book was short, and it could have easily added another 50 pages and made us fall in love with the characters even more.

Like I said, this book was short. At 285 pages, it's defintely short for this type of story which paints a world that we're not all familiar with, where explanations are needed for many things. I really was hoping for another 50-100 pages of this book, especially towards the end. As I was getting down to the last 50 pages, I was really concerned with how the ending was going to come, because there weren't enough pages to wrap up everything that needed to be wrapped up – and I was right. The ending was rushed, and it lacked a lot of substance.

I'm not sure if I'll be picking up the sequel to this one or not. It was a fine read, but it never made me wanting more of the plot – maybe more of Maggie & Kai, but they could be in any situation and I would still love their banter.

Stars: 3 out of 5
What I Liked: Maggie & Kai
What I Disliked: insignificant secondary characters, the last third of the book

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The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”


Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

Published January 30, 2018 by Flatiron Books
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My ThoughtsI've never been one for fairytales, considering I haven't seen half of the childhood Disney movies that every person my age is supposed to have seen, so I didn't know what exactly to think of going into this one. The cover is honestly what got me since I'm a big person on the texture of fiction books.

But anyways, I was pleasantly surprised after starting this book. The Hazel Wood isn't a typical fairy tale gone wrong type of story. This is definitely darker, not heavy romance based, and overall an edgier take on fairytales. It's not the typical stories either. Instead, The Hazel Wood is filled with characters and stories like the Door that Wasn't There, Jenny and the Night Women, and Twice-Killed Katherine. This made it a lot easier for me to read, considering I didn't have to have a solid background of childhood fairytales in order to understand.

The main character, Alice, had a pretty interesting upbringing. She would wake up in the morning and her hair would be tied up in braids, with no clue as to how they got that way. She had a weird run-in with a man who tried to kidnap her, and her renowned grandmother was a famous author of The Tales of Hinterland which is so dark and creepy that no copies of it exist anymore. This background of Alice made her very easy to understand – her fears, her motives, everything was clear to me who Alice was and what she wanted.

Enter Finch, the boy who is obsessed with The Tales of the Hinterland and super wealthy. The friendship he has with Alice is just plain weird, and his character didn't make much sense to me either. There's no way he was that obsessed with the world to do what he does, so his motives were a little unclear to me. Also, there's one scene with him that made me uncomfortable when they were getting pulled over by the cops, but we won't get too much into that. Pretty much the author tried to bring up a very timely issue, which could have gone well, but instead, she had the main character shut it down.

The one part that made me mark this a three out of five is because of how fast it went towards the end. The author does her best to explain The Hazel Wood and the Halfway Wood, but not enough to understand where Alice is going and keeping up with her journey through. The second half of the book was such a whirlwind, that I kind of got lost a bunch of times. I wish that there would have been more leading up to entering the Hazel Wood, and that they would have saved all the mumble jumble of what happened in the woods until the end, but hey, I'm not the author or the editor.

My advice is to take caution when picking this up. There are redeeming qualities, but be wary.

Stars: 3 out of 5
What I Liked: Alice's background, the cover
What I Disliked: Racial remarks, confusing ending,

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Legendary by Stephanie Garber

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun.

Published May 29, 2018 by Flatiron Books
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My Thoughts
For those who loved Caraval, be prepared for an even crazier journey when you're taken through the world again through the point of view of Scarlett's younger sister, Tella. While Scarlett is still a main character, she is no longer the star of the show, and her little sister has stepped up to play Legend's game this year. This is Tella's time to shine and to grow into the character that we were fighting for in Caraval.

It's amazing again to see how Stephanie Garber creates such a vivid and amazing world that I would love to get lost in. The setting is believably drawn out, and all the various parts of Legend's game are explained and described in great detail that you feel like you're right alongside the characters. I'm not much of a settings person, because I often picture my own scenes, but Stephanie Garber makes it hard when she's carefully planned out every scene and the importance of what is happening.

What I really love about these books is the mysteriousness of Legend and the world he has created. The twist and turns of this book were strategic, and they were just the right amount of predictable. It was where secrets were hinted at, but it wasn't blatantly obvious. I was always excited to see if my predictions rang true – sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't.

Also, Tella and her relationship with all the other characters is believable and well-executed. Unlike her sister, Tella is more stubborn and reckless, so there are moments when you're screaming in your head for Tella to slow down or take caution. She's a character that you root for and feel for – no matter what she's going through. This made the experience much different than reading Caraval, because you weren't reading about the cautious Scarlett playing Legend's games. There was less questioning of actions, and more doing, which made more happen in the book altogether.

Not to give away too much, but Legendary is a great novel to follow Caraval. It doesn't fall into the sequel slumps, because it takes a new route with a new main voice. It brings a story that's similar, yet very different than Scarlett's which makes it even more interesting..

I can't wait to dive back into Stephanie Garber's beautifully crafted world and characters with the final book of the series, Finale!

Stars: 5 out of 5
What I Liked: continuation of a story from a different point of view
What I Disliked: that it ended! Can't wait to see where the story goes from here!

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Tell Me No Lies by Adele Griffin

Lizzy Swift is a senior in high school, emerging from her nerd chrysalis to become a social butterfly. She starts dating popular Matt Ashley, whom she’s been pining for since freshman year. She’s delighted when rebellious new girl Claire Reynolds introduces her to Center City Philadelphia—clubs, street life, and the eye-opening art scene. 

As Lizzy begins to question her own long-held dreams, the changes in her life mirror the upheaval of a decade marked by a drug epidemic and the AIDS crisis. She’s no longer sure of her Ivy League ambition. While she has a special connection with Matt, something’s missing. And Claire carries around a mysterious sadness and talks about a breakup so bad she changed schools—but she won’t tell the whole story. Lizzy wants Claire to confide in her, even as she keeps her own embarrassing secrets.

Before too long, the heady thrill of her new life starts to crumble under insecurities and deceptions. When the truth emerges from the wreckage, will it be too late for Lizzy, Claire, and Matt to save their love and friendships?

Tell Me No Lies, a companion to the acclaimed Be True to Me, is a novel of unflinching emotional honesty about secrecy, lies, love, and identity.

Published June 12, 2018 by Algonquin Young Readers
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*Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for a signed ARC at BookExpo

My Thoughts

I had the pleasure of meeting Adele Griffin at BookExpo, and just the quick interaction with her made me excited to read this book. While I didn't know much about it, she briefed me on it being about the 80s, and a young adult contemporary novel. What I didn't know, was all the varying subplots that would happen throughout the novel.

Lizzy is a strong character in the literary sense, but not so much in the plot. Griffin writes Lizzy in a way that it's clear to see her goals, motivation, and fears. She was a likeable character because she was relatable enough to the reader. As a teen, she is written extremely well, and her relationships with the other characters were concrete.

The only character relationship that I struggled to understand was Lizzy's relationship with Matt. The synopsis makes it seem as though Lizzy and Matt are together right away in the book, or it doesn't take them long to get to that point. This actually didn't happen until almost halfway into the book, and it lacked a lot of the build-up that could have made it more of the plot. Her relationship with Matt lacks any meaning and there's nothing that makes the reader want more scenes with them or wanting their relationship to progress. Any scenes with them seemed dull. Meanwhile, Lizzy's interactions with Claire are interesting and more exciting. Lizzy may be afraid to say certain things, but she's not afraid to think them. It's great to see the other perspective of what she's thinking as her friendship with Claire progresses.

Within this novel, there are so many different subplots going on. There's Lizzy's struggle with epilepsy, her desperate friendship with Claire, her struggling two best friends, her relationship with Matt, dealing with her parents and coming to be a teenager, struggling to get into college – the whole nine yards. It seems like a typical teenager, but in this case the book was too short to cover all these areas. Because there were so many subplots that were briefly touched upon here and there, they never really got to dive into certain areas that seemed interesting. Because of this, it seems like I was three-quarters of the way through the book before anything substantial even happened.

While I wanted to enjoy Tell Me No Lies, it kind of caused a slump for me. I read the first 100 pages, and then I was slightly confused as how nothing had happened yet. The characters are great, but I wish they could have done more because they had the potential to.

Stars: 3 out of 5
What I Liked: characters, great depiction of teenagers lives
What I Disliked: not much happened to make me want to pick it up

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