Synopsis: When the annual list of prettiest and ugliest girls in each grade is posted, the named girls face their demons and find out who they really are. Review: The List is my favorite kind of YA–edgy, sharp, and deeply human. I loved the backstories created for all the characters and how it all came together.
Synopsis: Book two. Read Divergent first. Review: I give up trying to review the middle book in any trilogy. I read Insurgent, I am still hooked, need book three as fast as Veronica Roth can write it.
Synopsis: Aspiring lactation consultant Thea just wants to help moms and babies breastfeed, but her knack for observation gets her in over her head when a neighbor goes missing. Review: As an international board-certified lactation consultant and La Leche League Leader myself, I instantly fell for Thea. At last, a protagonist after my own heart. I loved seeing my passion represented by such a feisty, smart woman as Thea and it was so fun to read actual facts about breastfeeding in a mystery novel. And…
Synopsis: When a troubled young man moves into a dilapidated house with his childhood friend, the perfect life of the sexy next door neighbors entices him–and ensnares him. Review: The Neighbors is a creepy little thriller whose twists take the form of character revelation. I was never exactly surprised by the actual plot, but I kept turning the pages because of the complexity of the characters, their backstories, and their relationships.
Synopsis: A thoroughly research set of quiz books for the ultimate Stephen King aficionado! Review: Wow, these trivia books are crazy comprehensive! The Trivia Book covers the books, and the Movie Trivia Book focuses on the movies. As any fan knows, there can be pretty substantive differences between the movies and the books. So if you know that Andy Dufresne’s final poster was different in the novella and the movie, and you can even guess who replaced Linda Rondstadt in the movie, then these books…
Synopsis: In a world divided into five factions ruled by a defining character trait, a young woman risks excommunication if anyone discovers that she is Divergent–showing tendencies to more than one character trait. Review: I initially dismissed Divergent as part of the post-Hunger Games dystopian frenzy and assumed it wouldn’t grip me and enthrall me in quite the same way. I was dead wrong–I actually think Divergent is a better story than HG–at least so far. I felt way more invested in Tris’s dilemma because…
Synopsis: When a teenage boy gets a copy of a contraband video game, he soon learns that Erebos and the real world are bleeding together with deadly results. Review: Erebos was a fun, fast read with good plotting and a well-realized game world. It was pretty straightforward in its execution and I’m not sure I’m totally satisfied by the ending but it was a fun read nonetheless.
Synopsis: When her popular older sister Alex falls into a depression, ambitious Thea sets her sights on everything that she covets from her sister’s life. Review: Told in alternating POV chapters, All You Never Wanted is a merciless look at one sister bent on destroying herself, and another sister bent on helping her achieve her goal. As the mom of two daughters it made me sad to see the animosity between them, but I also really liked the complexity of their relationship and the way…
Synopsis: Subtitled “How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband ‘Master’.” Review: I didn’t think I wanted to read A Year of Biblical Womanhood because it seemed gimmicky and I assumed that the writer was going for snark. But I gradually became turned on to the beautiful, incisive, perceptive, and deeply Christian writings of author Rachel Held Evans and realized I had to make this my next read. I want all of my friends to read…
Synopsis: Greer’s been dumped in a home for disturbed kids, but amazingly she meets the boy of her dreams–and his creepy AA sponsor, a 50-year-old possibly homeless guy who has grand plans for Addison, Greer, and their friends. Review: The Believing Game is the portrait of a nascent cult. While Greer doesn’t quite buy Joshua as a spiritual leader, she’s so in love with Addison that she accepts Joshua so as not to lose her boyfriend. But Joshua has a way of getting under people’s…