Tag Archives: Young Adult

For Keeps

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for keeps

Author: Natasha Friend
Publisher: Speak
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: For sixteen years, Josie Gardner and her mom, Kate, have been a team. It’s been the Gardner Girls against the world, and that’s how Josie likes it. Until one day, they find out that Paul Tucci, Kate’s high school boyfriend-the father Josie has never met-is back in town. Josie’s mom suddenly turns back into the heartbroken teenager she was when Paul moved away. Meanwhile, Josie’s on the verge of having her first real boyfriend. And when Josie learns some surprising truths about Paul Tucci and the past, she begins questioning what she thought she knew, and finds out what happens when a girl gets the guy she always wanted and the dad she never knew she needed.

Ope’s Opinion: I really enjoyed this  book.  I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading Sarah Dessen.

The story had some really interesting twist to it that I did not see coming.  The characters were realistic, fun to read about and reacted to situations the way I would expect them to.  The mother- daughter relationship was one I could relate to.  I have two daughters that I enjoyed raising.

I enjoyed Liv and Josie’s friendship.  It was nice to have Liv’s two dads as a little comic relief when things seemed to be a little stressful for Josie or Liv.  It was also great to see the support between the two families of these friends.

After reading this book I looked up Natasha Friend’s other books and I am interested in reading another one by her.

Rating: 4

Coming Soon….

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…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In February I hope to read….

flirting

Publication Date: February 29, 2016
Publisher: Pocket Star/ Simon & Schuster

Goodreads:  Elise Jameson is the secret author behind the bestselling, cult hit Viking Moon series. But when a stranger poses as Elise, the painfully shy, deaf nineteen-year-old starts to see how much she’s missing. Can she really hide in the shadows forever? This clever, coming-of-age debut is for anyone who has ever felt unsure in their own skin.

After a freak childhood accident leaves her deaf and physically scarred, nineteen-year-old Elise Jameson retreats into a world of vibrant characters she creates on her laptop. She is shocked when her coping mechanism turns into a career as a phenomenal bestselling novelist. Fans are obsessed with Elise’s Viking Moon series and its author—a striking girl with zero resemblance to Elise who appears on the back covers. Elise sent the randomly Googled photo to her editor following a minor panic attack. Now, horrified to learn she is expected on set of the television pilot based on her novels, Elise tracks down her anonymous stand-in. To Elise’s surprise, Veronica Wilde has been taking credit for Viking Moon for years. She eagerly agrees to keep up the charade if Elise will pose as her assistant.

It’s hard for Elise to watch a stranger take credit for her work and get all the perks she desires, including admiration from the show’s heartthrob star. Edged onto the sidelines of her own life, Elise reconsiders her choice to stay anonymous. Is she ready to come to terms with her true identity—and with the long-buried secrets that could cost her her career, her fans, and the few precious friendships she’s made?

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Whisper If You Need Me

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Author: Dina  Silver
Publisher: Createspace    whisper
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Book SparK

 

Goodreads:  From bestselling author, Dina Silver, comes her first Young Adult Contemporary Romance novel.

A strong-willed yet vulnerable young beauty, Julia Pearl is sixteen years old when she’s sent away to summer camp for the first time. Julia’s father and stepmother are convinced that time away from home will be good for Julia, hoping it will restore the confidence she lost when her mother disappeared five years earlier.

Released from the emotional constraints of her new family and the ugly reputation her mother left behind, Julia finds herself reluctantly tossed into the free-spirited and often drama-infused world of overnight camp—where she quickly falls for an intensely charismatic counselor named Jack Dempsey, a nineteen-year-old college student who will prove to save her life in more ways than one.

Rich with humor and poignancy, Whisper If You Need Me is a timeless story that will remind readers of the strength of friendship, the unwavering devotion of family, and ultimately, the power of young love.

Ope’s Opinion:  If you like summer camp books with a little romance, a lot of girl drama and some family issues, you will fall in love with this book.  The story line is a bit predictable with a good looking guy at camp, a young camper falls in love and a couple of mean girls cause trouble.  Dina Silver adds some interesting elements to keep your attention.  

The characters are interesting and relatable.  I would recommend this to a young adult reader with the warning of some foul language – not excessive, but also not necessary.

I have a couple more Dina Silver books on my shelf I will look forward to reading them.

Rating:  3 – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

Last Night at the Circle Cinema

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Author:  Emily Franklin         last night
Publisher: Carolhoda Lab
Genre: Young Adult
Source: BEA

 

 

Goodreads:  Olivia, Bertucci, and Codman were the trio no one else in high school could quite figure out, an impenetrable triangle of friendship. Now they’re graduating and about to start new lives away at college and without one another. Beyond their friendship, there’s one thing they have in common: the Circle Cinema, a once-thriving old movie theater now reduced to a boarded up concrete box, condemned and about to be forgotten forever―which is, as far as Olivia and Codman can tell, a lot like what’s going to happen to them.

So in one last desperate effort to hold on to the secrets they share, Bertucci hatches a plan―an experiment, really. He convinces Olivia and Codman to join him in spending their last night before graduation locked inside the cinema’s concrete walls. None of them can open the box before sunrise. Over the course of the night, the trio is then forced to face one another, the events of the past year, and whatever is to come when the new day dawns.

Emily Franklin’s Last Night at the Circle Cinema is the story of a friendship’s end and moving rebirth.

Ope’s Opinion:  This was a much darker book then I usually read.  I was glad it was a short one.  I liked seeing the story from different points of view. I also liked going back in time to learn more details about the characters.

I didn’t care for the language in this book.  Although I suspect it is probably how these teens talk to each other, I didn’t enjoy it.

Maybe I was a bit on the slow uptake, but I did not see the ending very far in advance.  I was actually kind of disappointed ( can’t say more without giving it away ).

I suppose if you are looking for an October read, this one might fit the bill.

Rating: 3 – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

Audition

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Author: Stasia Ward Kehoe                               audition
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Purchased

 

 

Goodreads:  When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she’s deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem’s muse, but as she discovers a surprising passion for writing, she begins to question whether she’s chosen the right path. Is Rem using her, or is it the other way around? And is dancing still her dream, or does she need something more? This debut novel in verse is as intense and romantic as it is eloquent.

Ope’s Opinion:  The first thing that attracted me to the book was the cover.  My daughter Kristin of Kritters Ramblings was a dancer.  It is fun to read about dancer after living with one.  

This book moved very fast and read very fast.  I could not believe I read over 400 pages in two days.  That is very unusual for me.

The main character, Sara, was very well developed, but all the characters around her were just touched on.  It was all from her point of view, so you did not get the advantage of knowing what other people were thinking or feeling.

The ending wrapped some things up, but left it for another book to be able to follow Sara through her senior year of high school.  We’ll see….

Rating: 3 – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

The Summer of Letting Go

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Author: Gae Polisner
Publisher:  Algonquin Young Readers                  letting go
Genre:  Young Adult
Source:  BEA

 

 

Goodreads:  Just when everything seems to be going wrong, hope and love can appear in the most unexpected places.

Summer has begun, the beach beckons and Francesca Schnell is going nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca’s little brother, Simon, drowned, and Francesca is the one who should have been watching. Now Francesca is about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lisette, is moving on most recently with the boy Francesca wants but can’t have. At loose ends, Francesca trails her father, who may be having an affair, to the local country club. There she meets four-year-old Frankie Sky, a little boy who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon, and Francesca begins to wonder if it’s possible Frankie could be his reincarnation. Knowing Frankie leads Francesca to places she thought she’d never dare to go and it begins to seem possible to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book was very hard to rate and review.  Through most of it, I did not get into it.  The ending redeemed itself, but I still had some issues with it.

This is suppose to be a young adult book – the writing was on the young adult level, but the issues in the story line seemed to be much too mature for a young adult reader.  I don’t think young adult readers should be in the middle of parents figuring out if one of them is having an affair.  Another issue I felt was too adult for young readers was the whole question about reincarnation.

I am not sure what all Francesca let go of this summer.

On the positive side, I did like that Francesca had a good relationship with Frankie.  Although, she did not treat Lisette like she should have, it was nice to see the female friendship in this book.

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
3 chairs

Camp Boyfriend

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Author: J.K. Rock
Publisher:  Spencer Hill Contemporary
Genre:  Contemporary Young Adult                        camp
Source:  BEA

 

 

 

Goodreads:  The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.

They said it couldn’t be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren’s nerves and she can’t wait to return to summer camp where she’s valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she’s broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn’t even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn’t giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn’t really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she’s more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren’s friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she’s changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

Ope’s Opinion:  This was a quick, cute read that I think middle school students will enjoy.  Watching Lauren figure out who she is and what she wants is the basis for the story.

The whole book centers around Lauren struggling between friends and two guys she is interested in.  There were times I wanted the story to move faster.  I thought Lauren was indecisive ( but aren’t middle school girls indecisive?? ).  The characters were in high school, but read more like middle school students for me.

The language and sexual content was very appropriate.  I would have given this to my daughters to read when they were in middle school.

 

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
3 chairs

 

Can’t Look Away

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Author: Donna Cooner              look
Publisher: Point
Genre:  Young Adult
Source: BEA

 

Publication Date:  August 26, 2014

 

Goodreads:  Donna Cooner establishes herself as our own Jodi Picoult in this timely tale of sisters, loss, and redemption.

Torrey Grey is famous. At least, on the internet. Thousands of people watch her popular videos on fashion and beauty. But when Torrey’s sister is killed in an accident — maybe because of Torrey and her videos — Torrey’s perfect world implodes.

Now, strangers online are bashing Torrey. And at her new school, she doesn’t know who to trust. Is queen bee Blair only being sweet because of Torrey’s internet infamy? What about Raylene, who is decidedly unpopular, but seems accepts Torrey for who she is? And then there’s Luis, with his brooding dark eyes, whose family runs the local funeral home. Torrey finds herself drawn to Luis, and his fascinating stories about El dio de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

As the Day of the Dead draws near, Torrey will have to really look at her own feelings about death, and life, and everything in between. Can she learn to mourn her sister out of the public eye?

Ope’s Opinion:  Grieving is hard enough, then add being a teen, your sister and doing your grieving in public.  For Torrey that is what happened.  Watching her navigate her way through this tragedy felt realistic.  She is a typical teen – she is concerned about what other people think, how she looks and who is watching her.  

There were a host of characters, as there usually is any teens life.  Those characters were interesting and brought a lot to the story line.  There were some unexplored aspects of those characters that would make an interesting companion novel to this one.

It is good to see the progression of her healing.  It was a slow process – which felt realistic. I think Torrey is a good example to a young person who may have lost someone close to them.

I think those readers who enjoy blogs and youtube videos would enjoy this read.

 

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
3 chairs

Just One Day

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Author:  Gayle Forman               just one day
Publisher:  Speak
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Purchased

 

 

Goodreads:   From the New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay

Allyson Healey’s life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.

A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the “accidents” of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost. . . and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.

The first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon

Ope’s Opinion:  To me this book is a coming of age book.  It was a very slow start.  The one day seemed to go on and on for me.  I did get bored with it.  After Allyson went to college the book improved some, but never really swept me away.

I was a little tired of being sad in this book.  I like when a character has obstacles to overcome, but it feels good when you see them triumph.  There didn’t seem to be any success in this book.

I liked that Willem encouraged Allyson in the beginning to step out of her comfort zone and do something on the spare of the moment.  But he is self centered and doesn’t really take care of her like he should.  I do not understand what Allyson sees in him.

This book did not keep my attention enough for me to be interested in Just One Year.

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
3 chairs

Eleanor & Park

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Author:  Rainbow Rowell    eleanor
Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Young Adult
Source:  Purchased

 

 

 

Goodreads:  Two misfits.

One extraordinary love.

Eleanor… Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough…Eleanor.

Park… He knows she’ll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There’s a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises…Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Ope’s Opinion:  I believe this awesome story could have been told just as effectively without all the foul language.  The story felt real, the characters felt alive.  

Having been a new girl at a new school, I could feel Eleanor’s pain in the beginning of the book.  She was a strong young woman.  I really liked the way she was written.  I think most people could relate to her.

It was great to read about a leading male character that isn’t ruggedly handsome.  Park was an average guy.  I liked him.  I liked how he was gentle and tender with Eleanor.

I also liked how awkward things were with them at times – it made their relationship seem normal.  I liked how they started out as friends.  Their relationship was slow and progressive.

This would have been five chairs in my view, but the language makes me hesitate to recommend it to some of my friends.

Rating: Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
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