Good girl, Bad BloodThe review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of Good Girl, Bad Blood. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion.
There is so much I want to say about this series by Holly Jackson. This is the second novel in her series that started with A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, and I must say that I enjoyed the second one just as much as the first. Pippa Fitz-Amobi is a high school student who did a capstone project on a local murder-suicide that took place five year prior. She did her project because she felt that the person in question of the murder, Sal, did not commit the crime. Her goal was to see how the media contributed to the case, but in the end she wanted to prove that Sal was innocent. During her project she ended up uncovering so many possible suspects and secrets that many wanted to keep hidden. I will not give out more information just in case you are wanting to read the book. This book I am reviewing takes place a year after her original capstone and Pip is asked once again to participate in uncovering a mystery. Jaime, the older brother of one of her closest friends, has gone missing. Jaime's family believes that something is wrong because staying away from home for so long without communication is not his style. Pip takes up this favor and realises that maybe Jaime was taken against his will, and hopefully still alive. In addition to following many leads and using social media to help her uncover the events of the night he went missing, Pip also publishes a podcast where she shares insight on her previous mystery experience as well as what is currently going on in the current case. I had originally seen the first novel at Barnes and Noble when it was the book club pick for the month, but I decided to wait to buy it later. Looking back, I wish I had bought it then and there because it was such a fast-paced book with so many twists and turns that I could not put it down. It was because of this series that I made time to wake up earlier each day to read before work. Although, this second book did take some time to get started with the uncovering of the mystery, but once it did, I again could not put the book down. Holly Jackson's series will end with the upcoming novel As Good As Dead later this year, so if you are interested in reading the first instalments, you can find them below: Amazon Audible Barnes and Noble Better World Books Powell's
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Pudge and PrejudiceThe review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of Pudge and Prejudice. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion. Elyse Nebbit just moved with her family to Northenfield, Texas. She and her older sister Jayne are trying to navigate being new to a very close-knit town while still trying to watch over their younger sisters: Mary, Lydia, and Kitty. Within the first day, the sisters meet handsome Charlie Bingly and mysterious Billy Fitz. A love connection between Jayne and Charlie begins, and Elyse finds herself having a little bit of boy trouble as well when someone from Billy's past comes to town again. I am a HUGE Pride and Prejudice fan, so when I read the title I knew that the premise of the book was going to involve similar plot lines, but I was very blown away with how beautifully this book was written. I did have my fears that this book would not hold up to the original, but those fears were soon thrown out once I saw how uniquely the story was told. Although they do have the same story lines, A.K. Pittman made this book stand up on its own. While I was reading this, I could totally imagine John Hughes directing this as a movie. The setting takes place in the 80s, so there were a lot of references included to help paint the scene- music, movies, and fashion thrown into the mix. Ultimately, if you haven't already read Pride and Prejudice and enjoy YA novels, this is a good fit for you. If you have read Pride and Prejudice trust that this adaptation will not disappoint you. Get your copy below: Amazon Barnes and Noble Better World Books Powell's For Better or Cursed*The review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of For Better or Cursed. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion.
For Kate Williams' promising sequel to The Babysitter's Coven Cass and Esme return for more demon crushing exploits with a few road-blocks on the way. Since Cass returned from the Negative, she has been having weird episodes that cause her to lose her sense of self. One minute she can be driving, and the next she begins having fits of laughter or rage that she cannot control. One of the most frustrating parts for me as a reader was having to see her and Esme hide these episodes from their families and Bryan, their babysitter mentor. I know that it is part of Cass' personality to be stubborn, and honestly this is also what drives the plot sometimes, but it was frustrating nonetheless. On top of this, the Babysitter Council has decided to host a huge gathering in their little town which makes Esme and Cass hosts! As exciting as this sounds, I felt this sequel took a little longer to get to the exciting parts of the novel. Normally I enjoy a good book party, but I felt that there were a lot of issues that Esme had to overcome as a character (the above mentioned as well as some family issues, boy issues, and unexpected demons flooding their town) and it became overwhelming to keep up. Despite my setback of feeling overwhelmed, I did finish the book and was very surprised with the final result of it. This was a reminder of how even though someone can have a lot going on in their life, there will always be help along the way. In the end, I felt that this book was important to have in order to continue Esme and Cass' story. One of the exciting parts is that the continuation will be coming out in Fall 2021, and there is still so much more to experience with our favorite demon fighting babysitters! You can get your copy of the sequel below at: Amazon Audible Barnes and Noble Better World Books Powell's Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate The Magic of Reading and Writing YA*The review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion.
I first heard about the Foreshadow project earlier this year during a virtual book conference and I was so excited to hear that this book was to release this year. Other than hearing it was a collection of stories, I didn't really know what to expect in terms of genres or themes, so it was pleasantly surprising to see that so many different genres were showcased in this collection. I would finish reading one story and felt that there was no way the next one could compare, but before long the next story consumed me and I was caught up in the cycle all over again. The following is a list of the stories that were in the collection and a brief description of each. In this collection you can find something for every YA reader to enjoy: Flight (Fantasy)- A mother/daughter story about identity and society vs. self. Risk (Fantasy)- A story about friendship, transformation, and lobsters. Sweetmeats (Fantasy)- A story of friendship and fairtyales turn Grimm as two girls go missing and are found. Glow (Romance)- Two friends set off an an adventure to destroy the world. Escape (Romance/Legend)- A family who owns a mysterious pochette find that danger lurks closer than they suspect. Pan Dulce (Realistic Fiction)- A high schooler crosses the boarder to party, but finds that it may be harder to get home. SUPER HAPPY THIS ONE TAKES PLACE IN MY HOMETOWN OF EL PASO!! Solace (Romance/ Realistic Fiction)- A young woman tries to find herself among her magical garden amidst turmoil and tragedy. Princess (Science Fiction)- A young girl must choose to change her life in order to survive death. Fools (Romance/ Fantasy)- A witch is given a young baby that was born to a bunch of lovesick fools. The "heartless" girl becomes a gate-keeper who guards a magical world. Monsters (Realistic Fiction/ Fantasy)- A girl moves to the states with her aunt and cousin, but sees some supernatural things along the way. Break (Romance)- Fate tries to bring two characters together a few games of spin-the-bottle. Resilient (Realistic Fiction)- Two cousins make their way to the United States to work in a turkey factory after Hurricane Maria destroys their hometown. Belly (Realistic Fiction)- Two families squabble over land that a magical and tumultuous river cuts through, and one of the members is more connected to the river than even she knows. If you would like to pick up a copy of Foreshadow go to the following websites: Amazon Barnes and Noble The Wonder Boy of Whiste Stop*The review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion.
I was in my teens when I picked up a copy of Fried Green Tomatoes at Whistle Stop Cafe and I have to say that it is by far one of my favorite books ever read. Now 33 years later we have a sequel I never knew I needed. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop revolves around Buddy, the now adult son of Ruth, and his family as they continue to live their lives post Whistle Stop. The beginning tends to move very quickly because it covers years of birthdays, marriages, and deaths of many of the Whistle Stop crew. We see Bud get married and have a child, and the story progresses when we see his daughter, Ruth, grow older and start to feel unneeded and broken. As she begins to come to terms with where her life has lead her, we are re-introduced to some of the themes of the previous book. As Ruthie is going through her turmoil, Bud is growing older and wishing he could see and be part of Whistle Stop again; unfortunately, Whistle Stop has become a ghost town since a lot of the older residents moved away. After reading this, I felt the way similarly to when Harper Lee wrote the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird- there is more hope in the world and that we can still have pieces of what we had before. Reading this book was a very beautiful reminder of what the first book had to offer. Now that I am older and have a different perspective of life, and I see the themes and messages can apply to my life. This was a beautiful reminder that life continues after people die, and that we can choose what life we want to live. We have the power to become what we want. To get your copy of The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop click below in the following links: Amazon Audible Barnes and Noble Better World Books Powell's |