Young Adult Round-Up - August 31, 2015

Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Rubin
4 stars



In a future world where a person's deathdate is determined by a blood test, Denton Little is an "early," meaning that he will die before he graduates from high school.  This is a bizarre and at times ridiculous book and I can't believe how hard I laughed.  Denton is an entirely likable character who attempts to deal with his imminent death while at the same time dealing with the reactions of his friends and family.  This book reads exactly like a movie and I could picture every slapstick moment.  It seems as if this is going to be a series and I am not sure how subsequent books will play out, but this is definitely an entertaining read on its own.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Juniors by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Pub. Date - September 22, 2015
3.5 stars



Lea and her actress mom have moved to Hawaii for a television shoot, and as Lea adjusts to life at a prestigious private school she is put into close contact with extraordinary wealthy people.  This is the first of Kaui Hart Hemmings books that I have read and I really enjoyed the setting of Hawaii and learning about the different striations of society that live there.  Lea is a perfectly likable character, although I would have liked her to be a little bit more fleshed out.  The other characters at times made me inexplicably angry. None of them were particularly good to Lea and even her mother leaves her for nights in a row to party with her wealthy friends.  Fortunately, the novel does end strong and while the story is nothing new the beautiful and complicated Hawaiian setting adds a different perspective to the plot.  I received this from Penguin's First-to-Read program in exchange for an honest review. 



Ten Things Sloane Hates about Tru by Tera Lynn Childs
Pub. Date - September 14, 2015
3 stars



Sloan's parents are concerned with her recent illegal activities and have forced her to moved to Austin, TX.  She is starting a new art school and can't seem to believe that it can be anywhere near as good as her art school in New York City.  She knows that if she can keep out of trouble then she can move back to New York and that includes staying away from her next door neighbor, Tru.  I felt this had the potential to be a really strong romance.  The characters are strong and interesting and the chemistry is definitely there.  I felt that important topics are introduced but not followed up on and the ending is really rushed.  This is a book that I would like to see followed up with how each of the characters deals with all of their family issues.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Thursday Reviews on a Friday - August 28, 2015

another day by David Leviathan
3.5 stars



In David Leviathan's every day a sixteen year old is forced into a different body each day leaving little room for attachment.  Until the day he becomes Justin and falls in love with Justin's long suffering girlfriend Rhiannon.  This book is the exact same story except told from Rhiannon's perspective.  I think everyone knew (or was) a Rhiannon in high school.  The girl who has been dating the troubled boy for so long that she loses her own identity and becomes part of the scenery.  It was interesting to watch as something finally happens to her to shake her out of her own monotony.  I also liked how she had to grapple with A's changing persona and how she wasn't sure she could love just any old "body" regardless of the soul inside.  I will say that I read every day directly before this one and thought much of it needlessly repetitive and found myself skimming quite a bit of dialogue.  Regardless of the repetitiveness, this is an interesting take on identity and I will most definitely pick up further books in this series.  I received an EGalley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 


A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
Pub. Date - Sept 1, 2015
4.5 stars



When Veronica's loses the second of her two elderly guardians to a long disease, she is suddenly all alone in the world... and that suits her just fine.  She is spunky, sassy, smart and loves nothing more then adventure.  She plans to travel the globe finding rare butterfly specimens while have exotic love affairs.  Veronica doesn't get far before she realizes that there are deep secrets that people would kill to keep buried and she is in the middle of it all.  With the help of the mysterious and rugged Mr. Stoker, she uses her rational brain and spotless intuition to outwit the bad guys create a new place for herself in the world.  Set in Victorian England, this book is witty, fun and full of adventure.  There is also a wonderful burgeoning romance that I can't wait to follow in future books (as this seems to be a series).   I received this book from Penguin's First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review. 

Tuesday Reviews - August 25, 2015

Not Always a Saint by Mary Jo Putney
Pub. Date - August 25, 2015
2.5 stars



This is the most recent book in the Lost Lords series and it follows Daniel Herbert, a doctor who has just inherited a title.  He meets Jessie, know through gossip as the Black Widow, at a ball and is instantly smitten with her.  I really liked the character of Daniel and thought his work ethic and innocence towards women is a nice change.  I also liked Jessie but her problems and complicated past are a bit overkill.  At times I didn't really understand why Daniel put up with all the issues when he only knew this woman for such a short time.  The characters didn't work together and I kept wishing Daniel had a love interest who had more personality and less drama.  I received  this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Thursday Reviews - August 20, 2015

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
4 stars



Set during the Depression, this novel examines family and history in a small West Virginia town.  Layla Beck is a privileged daughter of an American Senator sent to work for the Federal Writer's Project when she declines an advantageous proposal.  Despite her privileged life, Layla embraces her position and gets to know the Romeyn family while she boards in their house.  Told in alternating perspectives between Layla, Jottie Romeyn and twelve year old Willa Romeyn, family secrets are slowly revealed.  While maybe a bit too long, I still enjoyed reading this book.  The time period and richness of small-town life are well portrayed and the characters are all multi-faceted.  Willa is an especially interesting character and I would love to read something from her adult perspective. I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn
3 stars



As an interesting insight into mental illness in children and teenagers, this was like no other book that I have read.  It includes sometimes gritty details into the lives of three teenagers suffering from undefined mental and emotional distress.  Sadie and Emerson played twisted games with each other as children and are reintroduced when Sadie starts attending Emerson's school.  Miles is Emerson's brother and suffers from repeated illness and injury that defy explanation.  There are clever twists and insights in this book but unfortunately it escalates to a bizarre and unsatisfactory conclusion.  I ended up liking this more than I thought I would and it is definitely interesting but I felt it just lost something in the ending.  I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Escaping the Rat Race - August 18, 2018

A Beginner's Guide to Paradise: 9 Steps to Giving Up Everything So You Can: Move to a Pacific Island, Wear a Loincloth, Read a Hundred Books, Build a Bungalow, Diaper a Baby Monkey, and Maybe, Just Maybe, Fall In Love by Alex Sheshunoff
Pub Date - September 1, 2015
4 stars



When Alex Sheshunoff's internet company started to feel a bit unnecessary, he does what anyone in this situation would do.  He picks up and leaves New York City with suitcases full of books and travels to a random western Pacific island.  His attempts at trying to find the perfect island paradise while simultaneously attempting to ingratiate himself with the locals is hilarious and I definitely surprised myself by laughing out loud at some of his observations.  I am not sure there was a big lesson at the end of all this but just reading about his experiences in places most (myself definitely included) will not end up visiting ended up being an unexpected delight.  I received this book from Penguin's First-to-Read Program. 

Recipes for a Beautiful Life: a Memoir in Stories by Rebecca Barry
3.5 stars



When Rebecca Barry and her husband decided to leave New York City and buy a big, rambling house in northern New York, they really wanted to live a simpler life than they had in the city.  Instead, they found that buying a house in desperate need of repairs, while pursuing low-income passion projects with two small boys introduced a whole different set of complications.  This book is beautifully written and many times I found myself really sympathizing with her forthright anecdotes of life with small children.  To be honest, though, I just couldn't always get myself on board with her constant introspection and middle class money complaints.  So while I mostly enjoyed this memoir, I did find myself annoyed and frustrated at times with the tone.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Video Game Wish Fulfillment to the Extreme - August 13, 2015

Armada by Ernest Cline
3 stars



Zack Lightman spends a lot of his time playing video games.  One video game in particular, Armada, where he is currently ranked sixth in the world.  This interactive video game has him fighting alien invaders using drones which he controls.  As a video game nerd with a reputation of anger management issues, life is fairly normal until he starts seeing spaceships out his school window that closely resemble those from Armada. He then realizes that Armada is no ordinary video game and many of his favorite forms of entertainment are not what they seem. This novel is really about wish-fulfillment and I can see why avid video game players might find much to enjoy here.  While entertaining, I honestly found it boring at times as drone maneuvers and missions were detailed ad nauseam.  Zack is a likable character and the plot interesting but it got bogged down in so many details.  I haven't yet read Ready Player One but from reading this, I definitely think that it a book that I would enjoy more as I liked the almost playful plot points and pop culture reference in Armada.  This book is just a little to focused on the minute details of gaming for me.  I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. 


You're the Earl That I Want by Kelly Bowen
Pub. Date - August 25, 2015
3 stars



Joss and Heath grew up together and as children spent a lot of time tormenting each other.  Now, Joss is recently returned from traveling and Heath has inherited an earldom.  While Heath is in desperate need of a wife, he is hoping for someone bland and uncontroversial... the opposite of Joss.  When the two become entangled in an elaborate crime, they cannot hide their attraction for each other.  I love the character of Joss.  She is intelligent, sassy and confident and she is a very refreshing heroine.  Unfortunately, for me the plot of this book was just too convoluted and took away from the great relationship between these two characters.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Tuesday Reviews - August 11, 2015

No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary
Pub. Date - August 18, 2015
4 stars



The remain of two young children are found in a mysterious bunker in the garden of a nice home and DI Marnie Rome and her team are tasked with piecing together the suspects and the evidence of the case.  This is especially difficult for DI Rome, and readers, because it involves children and she has a traumatic past that she is trying to come to terms with.  The characters and plot are complex and complicated with no easy answers.  There were psychological elements introduced that I have never seen before in a mystery novel.  Overall, I am just really impressed by the quality and complexity of this book.  The involvement of children is usually a big turn-off for me but this was handled so well and the emotions of the detective team are realistic and heartbreaking.  This is all around a great book, even if you are not a huge fan of the genre. I didn't read the first in this series but I will definitely keep watch for it now.  I received this book from Penguin's First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review. 

Friday Wrap-up - August 7, 2015

Kissing Ted Callahan (and other guys) by Amy Spalding
4 stars



I really wasn't in the mood to read last night but I gave it one last chance by going through all of my digital material.  I found this book and thought it looked funny, so I gave it a try... and read the whole thing (with a smile on my face) in one night.  Sixteen year old Riley's best friend (and band mate) suddenly has a new boyfriend and Riley is not sure how to deal with the change in their friendship.   So, Riley and her other band mate Reid decide to pursue a project to find love... or at least someone to kiss.  This leads to some really funny interactions and great dialogue about music.   There is nothing deep about this book, nothing life-changing but after a stressful week, I appreciated the few hours that I spent smiling about the characters in this book.   I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Wednesday Reads - August 5, 2015

Days of Awe by Lauren Fox
Pub. Date - August 4, 2015
4 stars



The strange thing about this book is that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, found it humorous at times and insightful at others and yet the plot pretty much went nowhere and I didn't exactly like the characters.  It is a testament to clever writing that I liked it so much.  Isabel is going through a rough patch.  Her marriage is on the rocks, her daughter is starting to hit puberty and her best friend died in a car accident.  This book jumps around following how her life came to be like this and how she deals with it, usually with snarkiness.  There were some really funny moments and moments that I really related to but I have to say that Isabel was not an entirely rational person and I really didn't like most of the characters.  I am not sure that anything is resolved in this book but dropping in on this woman's life was entertaining.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Quick Monday Review - August 3, 2015

Rome in Love by Anita Hughes
Pub. Date - August 4, 2015
3 stars



Rome provides the beautiful backdrop to this light romantic read.  Amelia has the starring role in the new Roman Holiday remake and is herself having a glamorous Roman adventure.  She meets Philip, a struggling America journalist, and tells him that she is a hotel maid.  This is the epitome of light and fluffy reading, which in all honesty is what I need at the moment, however, I found there to be little depth to the characters and the chemistry between the two main characters is not really there.  I did love the descriptions of Italy and Italian food.   My favorite parts of the novel are the letters written by Audrey Hepburn to her sister describing her experiences making the original movie.  These letters were intriguing and would make a really good speculative fiction novel.  Overall, this is an enjoyable book that I had fun reading.  I received an E-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.