Review: The Life of Glass

Title:  The Life of Glass
Author:  Jillian Cantor


       From GoodReads, "Before he died, Melissa’s father told her about stars. He told her that the brightest stars weren’t always the most beautiful—that if people took the time to look at the smaller stars, if they looked with a telescope at the true essence of the star, they would find real beauty. But even though Melissa knows that beauty isn’t only skin deep, the people around her don’t seem to feel that way. There’s her gorgeous sister Ashley who will barely acknowledge Melissa at school, there's her best friend Ryan, who may be falling in love with the sophisticated Courtney, and there’s Melissa’s mother who’s dating someone new, someone who Melissa knows will never be able to replace her father.

To make sure she doesn’t lose her father completely, Melissa spends her time trying to piece together the last of his secrets and completing a journal her father began—one about love and relationships and the remarkable ways people find one another. But when tragedy strikes, Melissa has to start living and loving in the present, as she realizes that being beautiful on the outside doesn't mean you can't be beautiful on the inside."


     I have to admit that this book reminded me a little bit too much of my own life to a certain degree.  As I began reading, it was eerily familiar and I felt a certain deja vu until I got past the first several chapters.  Let me explain... in high school, my father was diagnosed with a brain tumor that eventually led to his death after hospice in his early forties (which is similar to the main character's issues).   Another similarity that the main character and I share is our first name, Melissa.  As I started reading, the book transported me back to my earlier experiences.  Thankfully, those two similarities are the only ones we shared.  If the book had had anything else in common with me, I might have written the author and asked her where she got her inspiration.  
     To say that I liked this book would be an understatement.  I thought the book was amazing.  I loved how the author, Jillian Cantor,  voiced the main character, Melissa, and found her to be a honestly, refreshing high-school female character.  It was easy to feel what she was feeling.  I found Cantor's writing to be impeccable and reminiscent of why I fell in love with Sarah Dessen's writing in the beginning.  The way Cantor describes Melissa's emotions make it easy to identify with her problems and dilemmas.  It is unbelievable to think that this is only her second book.  From the first written words on the page to the very last period, she made me a part of her story and it reminded me of why I love reading in the first place... that you get a chance to live somebody else's life for a while.  
     
     

Review: She's So Dead to Us

Title: She's So Dead to Us
Author:  Kieran Scott


     From GoodReads, "Perfect, picturesque Orchard Hill. It was the last thing Ally Ryan saw in the rear-view mirror as her mother drove them out of town and away from the shame of the scandal her father caused when his hedge fund went south and practically bankrupted all their friends -- friends that liked having trust funds and new cars, and that didn't like constant reminders that they had been swindled. So it was adios,Orchard Hill. Thanks for nothing.

Now, two years later, Ally's mother has landed a job back at the site of their downfall. So instead of Ally's new low-key, happy life, it'll be back into the snake pit with the likes of Shannen Moore and Hammond Ross.

But then there's Jake Graydon. Handsome, wealthy, bored Jake Graydon. He moved to town after Ally left and knows nothing of her scandal, but does know that he likes her. And she likes him. So off into the sunset they can go, right? Too bad Jake's friends have a problem with his new crush since it would make Ally happy. And if anyone deserves to be unhappy, it's Ally Ryan.

Ally was hoping to have left all the drama in the past, but some things just can't be forgotten. Isn't there more to life than money?"

     As a huge fan of Kieran Scott, I had been anxiously awaiting this book.  Unfortunately the book didn't live up to my expectations.  Don't get me wrong, there were lots of things about this book that I liked.  For example, I liked how the author used the school calendar to present what was going on in the story.  I thought that this was a clever way to progress through the book.  I also liked the premise of the book, especially because of all the things we hear on the news about the recession and ponzi schemes.  I also liked how the book alternated between two perspectives, Ally and Jake.  I liked the character of Ally for the most part.  Her fall from grace was believable and I could totally buy why it would have been difficult to return to the scene of the crime.  The hardest things to read were the parts of the story where her former friends were so incredibly mean to her.  I really liked the character of Jake.  Even though he was probably one of the most popular guys in school (and one of the best looking), Kieran Scott managed to give him soul and depth.  His inner struggle with fitting in with the crowd and doing the right thing was my favorite thing about the book.

     Now for the things I didn't exactly like.  Maybe I am just used to the way Kieran Scott usually writes, but this book was a lot different from earlier books that I have read.  I thought that in many ways the book was very predictable.  Once I realized that Ally's friends were mostly mean girls (especially Shannon), I pretty much could guess what their next terrible plan was for Ally.  I almost put the book down a couple of times, but the one thing I really wanted to know about (Ally's father) kept me reading.  Without giving away anything, I was very disappointed in how the book ended.  I now know that this book will probably be a sequel and it really isn't one that I can't wait to get my hands on... in fact, I'm not really that invested now with how Ally's life will turn out.  Having read (and loved) all of Kieran's Scott's book, I will definitely return to this author, but I probably won't return to this series.

Review: Into the Wild Nerd Yonder

Title: Into the Wild Nerd Yonder
Author: Julie Halpern


     From GoodReads, "It’s Jessie’s sophomore year of high school. A self-professed “mathelete,” she isn’t sure where she belongs. Her two best friends have transformed themselves into punks and one of them is going after her longtime crush. Her beloved older brother will soon leave for college (and in the meantime has shaved his mohawk and started dating . . . the prom princess!) . . .

Things are changing fast. Jessie needs new friends. And her quest is a hilarious tour through high-school clique-dom, with a surprising stop along the way—the Dungeons and Dragons crowd, who out-nerd everyone. Will hanging out with them make her a nerd, too? And could she really be crushing on a guy with too-short pants and too-white gym shoes? If you go into the wild nerd yonder, can you ever come back?"


     I'm feeling a little conflicted about this book because I love the main character in the story's quirkiness (she sews her own patterned skirts and plays the drums and Dungeons and Dragons), her ability to get rid of poseur-friends, and her smarts.  There is one aspect of the main character that bothers me though and that is her relationship with her brother, Barrett.  I am fine with the fact that they look up to each other and have a close relationship, but there were times where I felt that they were too close.  I felt like Jessie had a certain innocence on one hand, but the next minute she was discussing her friend Bizza's sexual exploits with her brother. I think that the author meant this to demonstrate a certain coming-of-age quality to the book.  
      Overall, I liked the book and think that it would appeal to middle school and high school girls particularly.  There were parts of the book that I think upper elementary girls would like, but I worried about some of the sexual aspects of the book for this age group.  One huge compliment that I have for the author is her highlighting other terrific books.  I loved how she described the audiobooks that Jessie was listening to and a couple of the books discussed I had read and some I had not, but it made me want to read those books as well. Kudos, Julie Halpern!

Review: Split

Title: Split
Author: Swati Avasthi


     From GoodReads, "Sixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father’s fist), $3.84, and a secret.
He tries to move on, going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can’t make him forget what he left behind—his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is keeping his secret.
At least so far.
Worst of all, Jace realizes that if he really wants to move forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back. First-time novelist Swati Avasthihas created a riveting and remarkably nuanced portrait of what happens after. After you’ve said enough, after you’ve run, after you’ve made the split — how do you begin to live again?"


     This book was an amazing read!  I'm always trying to find great books for guys and I am really happy that this book is written from a guy's perspective.  I think that author, Swati Avasthi, (a woman, which I didn't realize until I read the back flap) did an amazing job portraying the feelings of someone like Jace, a teenager who purposefully takes the abuse of his father to protect his mother.  The book is a roller coaster ride of emotions and it is easy to see how even in a bad experience, family is one of those things that is permanent.  
     I loved the dynamic between Jace and his brother, Christian, who left the family when Jace was eleven to escape the abuse.  It is understanding that Jace would be somewhat untrusting of Christian and vice-versa.  The thing that is difficult to understand, both before and after reading the book, is why someone stays in an abusive relationship.  The book gave me some insight into the reasons, but I still don't understand it fully... and maybe, fortunately for me, I never will.

Review: The Julian Game

Title: The Julian Game
Author: Adele Griffin


     From GoodReads, "New girl Raye Archer is desperate for a way into the In crowd, so when ice-queen Ella Parker chooses her to get back at her ex, the gorgeous Julian Kilgarry, Raye is more than game. Even if it means creating a fake Facebook identity as “Elizabeth” so that she can learn enough about Julian to sabotage him. While a fun and dangerous thrill at first, what Raye hadn’t counted on was falling for Julian herself—and igniting Ella’s rage. 

As Raye works to reconcile the temptress Elizabeth with her real-life self, Ella serves up her own revenge. Now it’s Raye who falls victim, as Ella creates an online smear campaign of nasty rumors and trashy photographs. Suddenly notorious, Raye has to find a way out of the web of deceit that she’s helped to build, and back to the relationships that matter. "

     First off, I have to thank Adele Griffin for sending us an ARC of The Julian Game.  This book is a lot of fun to read.  The main character, Raye Archer, is a mix of nerdy, smart, naive, and funny... and I really liked her.  I also thought that her best friend, Natalya, was the epitome of a true friend.  It was especially interesting to see the dynamics between these two characters.  I think that Natalya was a better friend to Raye than vice-versa.  

     Another thing that stood out to me in the story is the fact that the bad girl, Ella Parker, has OCD, which makes her seem more human.  However, it doesn't take away the fact that she is an easy character to dislike.  The worst thing about her is how she treats people and not just the people she dislikes, but also the people that she considers friends.

     Another thing that I really liked about the book is the relationships between Raye, her father, and her future step-mother. It was nice to see an instance where family got along and wasn't dysfunctional. 

     There were a few times in the story that I got a little lost in the writing and I worry that the book might only have appeal for a limited time due in part to so many pop-culture references, but overall I really liked the book and I think most teen girls will like it as well.

Review: My Father's Son

Title: My Father's Son
Author: Terri Fields


     From Shelfari, "WHAT IF YOUR FATHER ISN’T WHO YOU THOUGHT HE WAS? “I turn up the volume as a woman at a news desk announces, ‘This just in…the alleged DB25 monster has been arrested.’ Good. The camera switches from the anchor to a mug shot…and it is my face—or at least my face as it will look thirty years from now…A new image replaces the full-screen mug shot as I see two cops hustling my handcuffed father into the back of a police car.” Kevin has to face the worst imaginable possibility: that his father may be the man responsible for a series of vicious killings. How much does he really know about his father?"


     I began reading two nights ago and ended up staying up until the wee hours to finish it because this book grabs you from the opening pages and never lets go.  This is one of those books that you think that you have things figured out, only to realize that you are totally off base.  


     This is one of those books that keeps you thinking.  I liked that the main character, Kevin Windor, thinks that he has the perfect life only to have the world come tumbling down upon him.  It was interesting to see how he deals with all of the trauma unfolding around him.  I felt that the way that Kevin dealt with his life, his family, his friends, and all of the other aspects of the story was completely believable.  Author, Terri Fields, has written a masterful suspense story that is filled with excitement and mystery and I would highly recommend reading this book.

Review: Linger

Title: Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater


From GoodReads, "In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, inLinger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past...and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves...and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love--the light and the dark, the warm and the cold--in a way you will never forget."


     It's been almost a year since Shiver came out and I am pretty sure that is why it took me awhile before I could re-connect with the characters from the first novel.  I distinctly remembered Grace and Sam, the main characters of the two books, but was having a hard time remembering the other characters from the story.  The book is told from different points of view, but unlike the first book, which was told just from Sam and Grace's perspectives, this book throws in two other character perspectives as well... Isabel and Cole.  I remember Isabel from the first book, but couldn't for the life of me place Cole from the first book.  I almost put Linger down to go back and re-read Shiver when a plot point in the book made me realize that Cole wasn't in the first novel (no wonder I didn't remember him.)  
     The moment that Cole St. Claire comes onto the scene, I instantly disliked him.  His cocky demeanor and abrasive viewpoints made me wonder why Maggie Stiefvater would want to include him in this second novel.  Then Maggie Stiefvater pulls a fast one on me as an unsuspecting reader and after all of the crappy things he does (and there are many), I find out that I'm actually starting to like him... just in time for the book to end.
     I have to admit that this book had me going through emotions that I don't normally experience while reading a book.  There were times that I was incredibly mad at Stiefvater.  I am a fan of happy endings and when I had the feeling that the book might not be going in that favor, I had to put the book down for two weeks while I made a decision whether I would return to it or not.  I did return, mainly because I wanted to know what happened.  I guess that is what makes Maggie Stiefvater a great author because she writes from her own emotions and in the process touches the reader's emotions as well.
     I can honestly say that I wasn't thrilled with the way this story ended (being the sucker for happy endings that I am), but again Stiefvater has me looking forward to finding out what happens to not only Grace and Sam, but Cole and Isabel as well... unfortunately it looks like I'll have to wait another year for the ending... here's hoping it is a happy one! 
     

Review: Party

Title: Party
Author: Tom Leveen


     From Shelfari, "It's saturday night in Santa Barbara and school is done for the year. Everyone is headed to the same party. Or at least it seems that way. The place is packed.  Simple, right? But for 11 different people the motives are way more complicated. As each character takes a turn and tells his or her story, the eleven individuals intersect, and reconnect, collide, and combine in ways that none of them ever saw coming."

     I standing at the bookstore looking for a new read and the title Party definitely caught my attention!  I love reading about teens and their stories, so when I read the inside cover saying the book was about eleven teens and exciting party I was definitely interested.  Not only was this book exciting, I liked how each chapter covered a different teens story.  It was interesting to see how each story was related to one another.  I couldn’t wait to read the next chapter to see what the next teen had to say.  I almost felt like I was there!  I work at our schools library and will definitely put this book on the must read rack! 

Review: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

Title: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Author:  Morgan Matson


     From GoodReads, "Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself."


     I saw this book while I was searching for a new book to read (even though I have a shelf full of books that I haven't read yet at home, but I digress). Anyway, the cover immediately caught my eye.  I had finished reading another book recently about a road trip and hoped that this book would be as good as that one was.  This book not only met my expectations, it exceeded them.
     This book has a lot going for it, there was a little bit of mystery thrown into a self-discovery trip across the landscapes of America.  This book did something that not very many books have been able to do, it inspired me.  I actually took a short jaunt to Walmart this morning to purchase an atlas and start planning my own Epic Detour.
     There are some readers out there that might not like the character of  Amy, but I think that you don't necessarily have to like a character for them to be believable.  As a person who lost my father when I was close in age to Amy, I could totally identify with the flood of emotions she was feeling about his death.  I liked that this book represented not only Amy's journey of self-discovery, but Rogers as well.  I also thought it was cool that the book showed how you could be on a journey towards something only to discover in the end that it wasn't exactly what you wanted.  
     The only complaint that I have about the novel is that there is no way that you can "sip" a Blizzard at Dairy Queen.  If that is the only thing that bothered me, obviously it was a great book.  With my trusty atlas in hand and awesome songs from the Playlists suggested in the book, I hope to begin my own Epic Detour next summer... thanks to Morgan Matson!