Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is emotionally complicated. Alice is diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia, and she convinces Harvey, her best friend, who she is also in love with, to help her right all the wrongs before she dies.

However, righting wrongs for Alice is as much about punishing people and getting revenge as it is about giving people or herself hope. In a lot of moments, Alice isn't a likable character, and she knows it. She is aware that her personality can be harsh or irritating, and her actions can be hurtful. She just doesn't know how to both be true to herself and be someone more likable. I think it's this part of the story that I related to the most.

Another thing I really like is that the story shifts POVs throughout, from Alice to Harvey, and the story is told in both THEN and NOW, giving us 4 different perspectives to help pull the story together and explain who Alice and Harvey really are. It shows us who they are both separate and together and also before her diagnosis, during her illness, and then after.

Pages: 352

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this story up, because I loved Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider. I enjoyed this as well, mostly due to the interesting characters. It's a bittersweet story about a high school golden boy who suffers a tragedy, after which his whole world shifts.

There are some surprises along the way, but the ending felt too abrupt for me. It didn't show the extent of the character growth I had hoped for the whole novel. Still, overall, this is a good story.

Pages: 352

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is a retelling of Tiger Lily and Peter Pan, and what they were to each other, before Wendy.

While I found the whole story interesting, it did take some time for it to finally sink its hooks into me, but by the time it did, I couldn't put the book down. It built towards moments, points, and emotions so gradually, almost imperceptibly. At first, this worried me. I thought maybe the story didn't have enough direction, but it turns out that I was wrong and just had to wait for it all to come together.

The concept seems like it might be light, fun, or carefree, but I found it to be so much heavier. It left me drowning in melancholy, but I like a story with some darkness and emotional depth.

Pages: 304

The Great Circus Train Wreck of 1918 by Richard Lytle

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Many train lines were using the hub in this area.  A sleeping engineer crashes into a traveling circus train.

Audio:  3 hrs. 6 min.

Print: 109 pages

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love this concept, and the writing is solid and creative, as it always is with Patrick Ness. It took a bit of time to settle into the concept, but I appreciated the characters from almost the first moment. This story made a lot of interesting points, sometimes subtly, sometimes not. I was hoping for something just a bit more, but I can't put my finger on what. Overall, I enjoyed it and am glad I read it.

The Concept: This story is about a group of teens who aren't the chosen ones. They live in a world full of chaos and teens who have special powers, are supernatural creatures, or have been chosen to save the world. This story isn't about those kids. It's about the rest of the ordinary teens who just live there, inside the world of chaos, and try to have a normal life of their own, despite all the unexplained phenomenon, explosions, creatures, and mishaps occurring around them.

Pages: 336

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Summary: "When Lauren and Ryan's marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes. Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren's ideas about monogamy and marriage."

After I Do is another of Taylor Jenkins Reid's amazing books, and I enjoyed it very much. It is not quite as magical as Maybe in Another Life, but its realism spoke to me. Reid is an excellent story-teller. She makes you feel intense emotions and second-guess your entire life with just a few sentences. Her words are simple but very powerful. I can't wait to read more of her work. 

336 pages

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Right after being voted homecoming queen, Kristin makes a trip to the doctor that rocks her world. She finds out that she is intersex, and before she can even begin to understand what that means for herself, her entire high school finds out as well. She feels like a girl, looks like a girl, and was raised as a girl. The doctors say most intersex individuals identify as a girl, but her chromosomes and the addition and subtraction of certain, expected internal organs point towards male, which is shocking.

Many of her classmates and members of the community react with fear and ignorance, including Kristin's boyfriend, but there are a few who still try to treat her like she's the same girl.

I loved many things about this story. I have given it 4 stars, instead of 5, as there was something that happened near the end that I felt took away from the story more than it added to it. I wanted the ending to be less about pounding in the final point and more about wrapping up Kristin's journey, but overall, it's an excellent read that I hope promotes more understanding, patience, kindness, and tolerance in the world.

Pages: 352

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Concept: A group of teenagers are sent to a sanatorium/boarding school to try to overcome a mutated strain of tuberculosis that cannot be treated. This move is to both help them grow well and keep them isolated from the rest of the population.

Shortly after failing breakfast and learning there is nothing he could do to ever fail a real class, Lane gets caught up with a rebel group of sick teens and falls for Sadie, despite the fact that neither may ever leave the sanatorium.

I adored this book from start to finish, so I read it in one sitting.

Pages: 336

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you loved the Lunar Chronicles series, you won't want to miss the collection of novellas.

There are 5, brand new, thoroughly enjoyable, complete novellas that present delightful looks at different moments in time for our most beloved characters. This collection also includes the 3 novellas that were previously released for free on WattPad. The different between the 5 and the 3 is that I always felt like all the freebies were good, but 2 of the 3 were teaser novellas and ended abruptly. These 5 new novellas do a better job of standing alone as individual stories, and I really enjoyed that.

Pages: 400

Luxe Series by Anna Godbersen

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is definitely Gossip Girls meets Manhattan in 1899. It's all drama, secrets, gossip, fashion, and high society scandal. I enjoyed the time period, and the story was a refreshing change of pace.

Pages: 464

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Rumors by Anna Godbersen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a good second book, as it definitely increases the scandal and drama, which is what makes the series work.

I keep hoping the characters will grow a bit deeper and become more three dimensional. Sometimes, they feel more like caricatures of high society types, rather than like real people with complex emotions and hopes. There are hints of what ticks beneath the surface of every girl, but the story never digs down deep inside of those moments. Part of that is the light, airy nature of these stories as fast-paced, flirty, and full of scandal, but I want more depth.

Pages: 448

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Envy by Anna Godbersen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's more secret, lies, gossip, scandal, and drama, as expected.

I both like and hate that I zoned out on some chapters of this book and still easily picked right back up with the story, without rewinding my audiobook. The plot moves forward, but it's never so complicated or fast that I can't jump into the story at almost any point and quickly figure out what is going on with the characters.

It's almost like a TV show. I might not want to miss an episode, but if I do, I can still watch the next one and catch back up, especially considering my brain can fill in what I missed, based on what I know of the characters and story line: drama, lies, scandal, gossip, fashion, high society hoopla, and more secrets.

Pages: 405

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Splendor by Anna Godbersen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What? Noooooo! :(

I typically accept a way an author wants to end their book, whether it aligns with my hopes for the characters or not, but it is not okay to go and change the personalities, hopes, dreams, and desires of the characters in the final few chapters. You can't spend 4 books telling me who people are, and then just change it at the last second to create some flip, disappointing, untrue to character, and completely unsatisfying ending.

I mean, you can, but I can't be okay with that. I don't care about an HEA, but I do care when something happens that is so out of scope and unbelievable that I can't even find a place for it inside the story I thought I understood for 4 novels.

Now, I'm completely disgruntled. If this was how it was going to end all along, there should have been more signs of it coming and more groundwork laid, because the way it happened seems completely ridiculous. I actually feel furious, which I can recognize as irrational, but to lead people on for so long and then serve them that. Ugh! Ack! Blargh!

Pages: 400

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The Darkest Minds Trilogy by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds is a YA Dystopian/Sci-Fi series, consisting of 3 novels, and 2 novellas, in which children over the age of 10 suddenly develop special abilities that adults fear. Many of the children are killed or rounded up by the government and put into camps that rival my worst nightmares.

There are a ton of YA books in this genre, but this series definitely stands out. It's solid and captivating from start to finish.

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The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Intense. Well-written. Fantastic!

The world is a fascinating mess, but it's the characters who reeled me in, dug hooks into my heart, and refused to let go.

Pages: 528

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In Time by Alexandra Bracken

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This novella will blend all of your emotions and then shred your heart. If pureed hopes and dreams are your cup of tea, then don't skip this one.

 Pages: 91

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Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love these characters. I hate how messed up their world is, but it definitely makes for a captivating read.

 Pages: 544

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Sparks Rise by Alexandra Bracken

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a terrible, crushing, soul destroying, emotionally wounding story, and I loved it just as much as I hated it.

Pages: 112

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In The Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a satisfying conclusion to an excellent trilogy. I've read too many books lately where the characters fall just a bit flat, but these are the kind of characters I want to meet in person and have a long talk with. The plot is also excellent and action packed, and the book, overall, is very emotional.

Pages: 592

Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Kicked in the Teeth (The New 52) by Adam Glass

Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Kicked in the Teeth (The New 52) by Adam Glass is a fun, if not gruesome look at what would happen if supervillains were formed into a squad for the greater good. Taking place in the DC Universe, villains including Deadshot and Harley Quinn are assembled for dangerous missions with nanobombs in their necks that can be detonated at any time should they disobey orders. Harley Quinn features prominently in these issues as she goes rogue once her nanobomb is turned off by an ignorant guard who believes her to be harmless. There are five volumes in this series and I am looking forward to the other four. This series has been made into a film that stars Will Smith as Deadshot and it will be released in the upcoming months. I can't wait to see Harley Quinn in action, but be forewarned--this is a pretty graphic graphic novel. Enjoy! 160 pages. 

The First 50 Pages: Engage Agents, Editors and Readers, and Set Your Novel Up For Success by Jeff Gerke

The First 50 Pages: Engage Agents, Editors and Readers, and Set Your Novel Up for Success by Jeff Gerke is a very down to earth interpretation of what every writer needs to do in their first 50 pages to attract attention and engage the reader. Though this book is advertised as universal, I found some of the concepts a little difficult to adapt to my genre. I do, however, still recommend this book as there is a lot of good material in it. However, be sure to read craft books on your genre as well for a fully well-rounded look at what to do in the early parts of your novel. I found the last chapter to be the most helpful. It discusses the first line and the first page. There are some really great concepts put forth here for grabbing immediate attention. Most tomes just say it needs to be a catchy first line, but Gerke tells us HOW to accomplish that. Overall, I found a lot of good information in this book and it is free to read if you have Kindle Unlimited or it runs $10-12 for ebook/print copies. 242 pages.

She Sat He Stood: What Do Your Characters Do While They Talk? by Ginger Hanson

She Sat He Stood: What do your characters do while they talk by Ginger Hanson is a gem of a little book about the beats in dialogue. If you have a difficult time figuring out what your characters do while they speak, this is the book for you. In it, Hanson explains how to use things like setting and props to inform your character actions. I highly recommend this for anyone struggling with their beats. It gave me some great ideas for my novel and at $.99 on Amazon for the Kindle edition, you have nothing to lose! 66 pages.

"Blood Kiss" by J.R. Ward

This is the first book in the Black Dagger Legacy, a spin off of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and centers on Paradise and Craeg, two of the newest vampires recruited by the BDB to fight the Lessening Society in their ongoing war.  Paradise is part of the glymera, the vampire aristocracy, and Craeg is a vampire commoner.  They, along with five other recruits, make it through a series of obstacles to begin their training with the Brothers Butch, Tohr, Z, Phury, and Rhage.  Although female members of the glymera are supposed to be protected instead of protectors, Paradise is determined to be a fighter.

Craeg has a different reason for wanting to fight; his entire family was killed in the raids made by the Lessoning Society.  He also hates the glymera because his father was working at an aristocrat's home when it was raided, and the commoners on the grounds were kept out of the safe rooms.  Craeg can't deny his growing attraction to Paradise, which he sees as a distraction to his training.  He also doesn't know that she's an aristocrat.

This book also focuses on the communication problems of mated pair Butch and Marissa and how the murder of a female vampire brings them closer.  It was good to read about the original Brothers and their shellans (mates) in addition to introducing new characters that will fight with them.  The scene where the ladies get together to watch Magic Mike was pretty funny.  This was a much smaller and tighter book than the last few BDB books, which I appreciated.  I am ready for the next installment! 399 pages.

Servants of Fate Trilogy by Sarah Fine

I picked up this adult trilogy after enjoying the YA fantasy/paranormal trilogy, Guards of the Shadowlands, by Sarah Fine. This series is also set in a fascinating, creative world, but it definitely leans hard to the romance side, whereas the YA novels focused more on the fantasy and action. That isn't bad, but it was just different from what I expected. Despite that, I still enjoyed the series, as Sarah Fine is an excellent writer who knows how to build a world and allow characters to change and grow in a way that feels both natural and satisfying.

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Marked by Sarah Fine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Here's the concept, quoted directly from the Goodreads synopsis, "In a broken landscape carved by environmental collapse, Boston paramedic Cacia Ferry risks life and limb on the front lines of a fragile and dangerous city. What most don’t know—including her sexy new partner, Eli Margolis—is that while Cacy works to save lives, she has another job ferrying the dead to the Afterlife."

I picked this novel up after enjoying Guards of the Shadowlands. This is also an interesting fantasy/paranormal trilogy, based on a unique world/life concept, but it leans hard towards the romance novel side. It's still action-packed, intense, and captivating, as all novels by Sarah Fine seem to be, so I'm kind of glad I didn't realize that before reading, as I might have hesitated or delayed. In the end, I still really enjoyed the story and world, despite the different focus.

Pages: 334

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Claimed by Sarah Fine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book 2 in the adult series Servants of Fate, and it's another solid read by Sarah Fine.

Book two follows the story of Eli's sister (Eli is the love interest in book 1) and digs into another side of this dark, intriguing world.

 Pages: 341

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Fated by Sarah Fine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this trilogy, though I do like Guards of the Shadowlands by Sarah Fine even better. However, that's an unfair comparison, as the two novels are in different categories and genres, and I always tend to lean more favorably towards YA fantasy than Adult romance.

The final trilogy follows the story of Cacia's older sister (Cacia is the main character in book one), and it takes the story into yet another direction, digging even deeper into this complicated world.

Pages: 334

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I loved book one of this YA post-apocalyptic series in which aliens have taken over the world and are trying to destroy humanity. This book never drew me in. Maybe it was me, as I was seriously fretting while reading and probably distracted, but the story never gave me good reasons to want to stop fretting and invest.

For me, it suffered from second book syndrome.

Pages: 320

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This contemporary YA novel spotlights characters with disabilities and disorders, and I really enjoyed that. The main character has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair bound, and her new student helper has obsessive-compulsive disorder.

It's a good read that will put you through the full range of emotions. It makes some beautiful points and is a fantastic character study, though it lacks something in the area of plot, at least for me. It's more of a story that follows the characters through their day-to-day lives. Since their lives are different and fascinating, that kept me turning the pages, but I wouldn't have minded having just a bit more from the story. I really liked it, but I felt it lacked that little extra something that would have made it a 5 star book and had me shoving it on everyone I know.

Pages: 368

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's possible I've read too many fallen angel stories in the YA category, because I just don't love this. It isn't bad. The writing is good, but the story didn't wow me. I don't dislike it. I just think there are other, better, stronger stories in this genre that I would rather read instead, so I've decided not to continue on with this story.

There's something about the characters, and their behaviors throughout, that just either doesn't ring true for me or simply doesn't interest me. I feel rather indifferent towards the whole lot of them, but a ton of other people love this series, which might mean I was a poor reader and judged it too harshly.

Pages: 432

"The Story of Mrs. Lovewright and Purrless Her Cat" by Lore Segal, Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

My coworker knows that I'm a cat person, so she brought me this book from her collection to read.  Mrs. Lovewright wants a cat that purrs and sits on her lap, so she asks her grocery delivery boy to bring her one.  However, the kitten he brings her refuses to do either, so she names him Purrless.  I felt sorry for the cat since he was doing what made him happy, as all cats do.  Mrs. Lovewright was not a loving person to her feline, but they got along in the end.  32 pages.

Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

They met in Oklahoma and killed over twenty people on their way to and in New York City, but crime never wins.

Audio:  12 hrs. 25 min.
Print:  352 pages

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this novel after picking up and enjoying a different story by Kasie West. She's a great writer who really draws you into the characters and stories, particularly on an emotional front. I like that, so while I don't typically read a ton of YA romance (this one is wealthy boy meets poor girl with a sick mom), I think I might try everything else by this author. They say every good story has already been told before, but somehow, she makes them seem fresh again.

Pages: 320