Review: The Night She Went Missing by Kristen Bird

The Night She Went Missing by Kristen Bird
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Published: February 2022

Emily Callahan and her family have just moved from their small town in Oregon to the island of Galveston where the majority of businesses has her family name on it, including the school she now attends. When Emily goes missing a few months after the move, all eyes are on Alex, the boy who instantly befriended Emily even though he has a sullied reputation. But this town holds many secrets and until they are all revealed, we may never know what really happened to Emily.

Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The book is told from four different perspectives.
1. Emily the missing girl. The book starts with her being found and we learn about what her life was like leading up to her disappearance.
2. Catherine, Emily's mom, who talks about why they left their home during her daughter's senior year of high school.
3. Morgan, Alex's mom, who is just trying to find the best way to defend and protect her son and herself.
4. Leslie, Princess of the town and right hand woman to Rosalyn Callahan who will protect her children at any cost.

I gave this book a 3.5 rating because getting to the meat of the story took a while. It started strong, but I kept waiting to get back to that part. Based on the title, I was thinking the book would be just about one night. Not scattered over a few months.

Overall, I did enjoy the story and will read more by this author.

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Review: Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Published: May 2021

Quinn is a senior in high school. This year has not been going as planned. She's not doing well in her classes, she lied to her parents about college, she not speaking to her boyfriend and now her journal is being held for ransom. Her journal is filled with lists; boys she'd like to kiss, places she wants to visit, and things to do before she graduates. When the blackmailer challenges her to do the things on the graduate list to get the journal back, she isn't ready. With the help of some new friends, she will try to tackle the list and get her journal back.

Thank you to Harper Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This book really held my attention throughout. This was a very different story than I've read before. I'm a big fan of YA and this one was really good. Quinn is the type of character that you can relate to. I think when I was a teen, I made a lot of lists of things I wanted to do and boys I thought were cute, teachers and I didn't like and ones I loved. I would have been devastated if my secret personal thoughts got out into the world.

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Review: We Didn't Ask for This by Adi Alsaid

We Didn't Ask for This by Adi Alsaid

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: April 2020
 

CIS is an international school for grades K-12. Each year, the high school kids have a lock-in toward the end of the school year. This is an event that everyone looks forward to. This year is no different, during lock-in, magic can happen, people fall in love or out of it and try to change the world. Everyone is enjoying the events of the night when they literally get locked in. Marisa and a few other students chain themselves to the doors, refusing to move until thirty demands are met. Will it happen by the time parents arrive in the morning or will they brush this off as a teenage angst.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I feel like kids today are a lot more dedicated to the world then I was with my generation. They are trying to change the world at every turn. Staging protests and demonstrations. I don't think I would have ever done that when I was in high school. This book shows the resilience they have to overcome just about anything in order to get what they want, not for themselves, but for everyone.

This book really resonated with me and it gives me hope for my children and their future. 

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Review: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: September 2015
 

Rashad was just stopping by the corner store to pick up some chips before hanging out with his friends. A lady trips over his bag and the chips fly out of his hands, and the next thing you know he is accused of stealing and beaten by the police.
Quinn is about to walk into the same corner store to find someone to buy him and his friends beer. As he rounds the corner, he sees Rashad getting beat up by the cop. A cop he knows. The entire town is split about who and what to believe.
Told from the perspective of both boys, we hear how one incident can affect so many people in different ways.

Even though this story was written nearly five years ago, the incidents in it still ring true today. Young black boys are being beaten and gunned down in our streets for mostly unknown reasons. It's hurt first, ask questions later. As a mother of a young black boy, who also has a disability, I worry for his safety every day.

Quinn and Rashad didn't know each other in school. They had mutual friends and hung out in the same places, but they really didn't know each other. Quinn was on the basketball team and Rashad was in ROTC. Quinn was more deeply affected by the incident then he thought he was going to be especially after seeing his friends feelings towards it.

Rashad spent several days in the hospital watching himself on the television and trying to decide how he was going to carry out the rest of this week and the rest of his life. This is the type of incident that will change various people in various ways. The lady in the store, the store owner, Rashad, the police officer that beat him, the person who shot the video, Rashad's parents and brother, kids at the school, Quinn, the police officers family. And these are just people directly involved.

Too many times we hear these stories and it's time for them to come to an end. Reading the statistics in this book about the difference in policing in other countries is very enlightening. We need to take a stand to make sure our black boys are protected.

#RashadisAbsentAgaintoday



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Blog Tour Review: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: January 2020

It's Pepper and Jack's senior year. Pepper is trying to stay on top of her grades and be captain of the swim team. Jack is living in the shadows of his twin brother, Ethan, while helping his family with their deli. Each of their families owns a restaurant, but Pepper's family has gone national. The Twitter battle between the two restaurants will fall into the hands of these young adults. But even though they know each other from school, they don't know that the other is on the other side of the battle. What will happen when it's all laid out on the table?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When I was about 30% of the way through this book, I was sure I was going to give it three stars. The story was cute, but it was moving slowly and I could predict how this story was going to end. But not too long afterwards, there was a twist, I didn't see coming. And there were more surprises to come. When it was all said and done, I really enjoyed this story and I even found myself getting a bit emotional towards the end.

This book is about family and young love. It's about food and friendship and finding out who you are supposed to be at a pivotal point in your life.

For all of my YA Romance fans, I highly recommend that you check this title out.

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Audio Book Review: The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: 2018
 

Xiomara Batista is a 15 year old Dominican American living in New York. She has a twin brother and lives with both of her parents. She's at the point in her life where boys are an interest, but her parents would never approve of her dating a boy. They are strict Catholics and Xiomara's mother tells her Jesus is the only man she needs to worry about. But Xiomara needs a way to express herself that she is unable to do with her family, so she writes poems. Her teacher thinks she is talented and encourages her to share her writing. But with her mother always on her about church, will Xiomara be able to find an outlet for her writing.

This book has been on my TBR and I have heard great things about it. This is a great road trip audio book to listen to. Since it's on 3.5 hours long, you can listen to the whole thing on a plane ride or long drive which is what I did.

I liked Xiomara character. I can understand how it feels to be a misunderstood teenager. Where you want to do the things you want to do, but also you don't want to disappoint your family. How do you live in both of those worlds? How do you please your parents and yourself? Being a teenager is tough, especially when you don't have someone who you can trust to share your problems with. Writing is a good outlet to get out the emotions that are hard to share with others.

This is the first book I've read by Elizabeth Acevedo. I look forward to reading her next book, .

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Review: The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh

The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: 2019

Lacey Burke is a senior in high school. She plays the viola and is in a band with her best friends Theo and Evita. When her high school takes an abstinence approach to sex education, it's too much for her to handle. She feels her classmates should be educated about options they have when it comes to their sexual health. But Lacey is a virgin and even though she has never had sex herself, her mother has always been open with her about sex. Lacey soon becomes the resident expert on the subject at her high school, but not everyone is so happy about that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Swoon Reads for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When I saw this book I had to read it. As a person who was also taught that abstinence was the only way, I would have liked to have a friend like Lacey Burke in my life. Someone who I could talk to without judgement about what was going on in my sex life. I think that if I did, I might have made different choices in my life.

Lacey really enjoys being in a band with her best friends Theo and Evita who also used to date. When their senior seminar class starts to discuss sex education, she has a different idea of what should be taught and she enlists their help in order to do so. Holding office hours in the girls bathroom during lunch and handing out condoms to classmates, Lacey is determined to make sure everyone in their school can be comfortable talking about sex and not stigmatizing it. When her actions get her in trouble with the administration and may jeopardize her future, her friends and family rally behind her to get things changed in their school.

This is a great YA book that I think most teens will enjoy and get a lot of information from it as well.

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Review: Lies You Never Told Me

Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: 2018


As a teen high school has to be the hardest, yet most defining moments in your life. It's where you decide what your life is going to be like for the rest of your life. Whether you'll go to college, or find a a trade, or do absolutely nothing.

Two teens, Gabe & Elyse are trying to figure out life right now. Gabe is dating one of the most popular girls in school, although he's not too keen on the way he treats her and he's thinking about ending it. But what will that cost him in the long run? Elyse has just landed the lead for the school production of Romeo and Juliet. Always content to be a part of the background, will she be able to perform in the spotlight?

Both of these teens are trying to make it through these tumultuous high school years. But there are things that are holding them back from being their best. Will they allow these things to come to the surface, or will they boil inside of them until they can't handle it any longer?

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin for the sneak peak of this book. I knew it wasn't going to be enough so I got the full book from the library.

The sneak peek takes you through the first 7 chapters of the book. It's so good though that you have to continue reading and find out what is going to happen next.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. With things happening to Gabe and no way for him to explain it, to Elyse falling in love for the first time and discovering a lot of firsts with an unusual partner. How are these two alike, how are they different? With a twist at the end that I didn't see coming, this is a book you are going to want to read.



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Review: Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: 2015

Willowdean Dickerson aka Dumplin' is a high school student who is trying to navigate her way through life after the death of her aunt, who was a big part of her life. She is also trying to find her way through a job with her crush, ups and downs with her best friend and pageant season. Will is fat, and she has not problem admitting that. But when one of the best looking guys in town is working with her and shows an interest, she's not sure how to take it. Why does he like her and how can they avoid everyone else thinking the same thing?

I could totally relate to Dumplin'. I remember high school fondly and crushes and everything. It's the worst and best time in a young girls life and its also the time that makes quite an impact on your life. Will loves the way that Bo uses her full first name. When he kisses her one night after work and continues to kiss her, she is confused about why he is showing an interest. He is well known in their small town and she's sure that if they are seen together, the whole town will be talking. But how can she avoid him?

To top it off, Dumplin's mom is in charge of the pageant and this is the last thing Dumplin' would ever do, but this year she decides to enter. Even though she thinks she has no chance of winning, why not? She inspires other unlikely contestants to join as well. This will definitely be the first for the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant. Will one of these unlikely girls be able to pull off the win?

This book is great for girls of all ages and sizes to read. It's an inspiration to go for what you believe in no matter what others think.

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Audiobook Review: Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia

Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Henrietta 'Hattie' Hoffman is starting her senior year in high school. She lives in a small farming town and Minnesota and knows this is not the place for her. She has big hopes and dreams and she will stop at nothing to achieve them, even if it means deceiving others. But when Hattie turns up dead after opening night of Macbeth, there are all kinds of speculations as to why this could have happened and who could have done it. Told from the perspective of Hattie; Dell, the Chief of Police and; Peter the new English teacher. We are taken on a journey from the months leading up to Hattie's death to the months following it. Who killed Hattie and why?

From the very beginning of the book you can see that there is going to be a twist to this case. Everything is not going to be so easily spelled out for you. Just when you think you know who did it, you will find that you are wrong. I was wrong from the beginning. When it got down to the confession part I was jumping for joy because I had nailed the killer, but later I found out it was not so.

This is the first book I have read by Mindy Mejia. If her other books are similar to this, I will be reading them all.

To put it lightly, Hattie is a sociopath. Just at the title suggests she is everything everyone else wants her to be, but no one really knows her at all. She lies to her parents and her friends, being the good student, the good daughter, the loyal girlfriend, but Hattie has secrets. The first thing that shocked me about this book was not that Hattie had an affair with her high school teacher, it was how she laid out her plans to fool the whole town into believing she was the perfect girl next door. No one could have imagined what she had in store in her own mind.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a twisty tale.

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Review: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's every parents worse nightmare. A shooting at their child's school and there is nothing you can do about it. This Is Where It Ends is told from the perspective of four senior students in the thick of the chaos during the 54 minutes Opportunity High School is under attack. Opportunity, Alabama could be any small town in American and we have seen stories like this too many times.

Most of the school is in the auditorium for a new semester assembly they have each year. As the principal finishes the assembly and is about to dismiss everyone, a shot rings out and everyone soon finds out that they are trapped. Why is this happening and who will make it out alive?

Story told by:
- Autumn is a dancer who is destined to follow in her mother's footsteps and go to Julliard and dance all around the world.

- Sylvia is one of the smartest students at Opportunity. She will get into any college that she applies to, but with her mother as sick as she is, will she actually be able to go.

-Claire is a star on the track team and known as "Sarge" to her fellow JROTC classmates. She is fortunate enough not to be in the auditorium during the shooting, but her little brother, Matt is.

-Tomàs is Sylvia's twin brother. He is supposed to be in detention during the assembly, but instead he is in the Principal's office with his best friend Fareed, doing something he shouldn't be doing when he hears the first shot.

Each one of these students have a different view of the terrible incident that is taking place in their school. They all have a different relationship with the shooter. They each play a significant role in helping get students to safety, risking their own lives the entire time.

This is another really good book that I have read this year. I could see myself among those students, feel their fear, and hope for their survival. I thoroughly enjoyed this Big Library Read more than others I have gotten.

I look forward to more books by this author.

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Review: If I Was Your Girl

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school. The strange thing is she is really newly a girl as well. Having just left her old life behind and moving in with her father to finish her senior year, Amanda is hoping the school year will go off without any incidents. At her new school, she quickly makes friends and even meets a boy she is really interested in. Will she be able to go through keeping her secret or will her truth be revealed and she will have to relive all the horrible things she had just left behind.

When I first heard about this book, I was very intrigued by the description. When I finally got the book in my hand and read further about the author, I was a little shocked. LGBT books are not usually a genre I choose to read. I enjoyed the book and it helped to increase my awareness about these issues. I commend the author for tackling such a personal issue.

This book was hard to put down.  I felt bad for Amanda and I wanted to see her get all that she wanted in life.  I have no idea how it feels to born in the wrong body. I know when that time of the month comes around I wish I wasn't a girl, but that is a whole different story.  I empathize with those in this world that are just trying to be themselves, but find it so difficult.  Struggling with self image is something a lot of people go through, but it must be so much more difficult when the image you see is not the image you feel gender-wise.  Again thank  you to the author for telling a story that will resonate with me for a long while.

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Review-Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"I suppose I never found boredom very boring"

Quentin is a senior in high school. Graduation is right around the corner and then he's off to Duke. When his next door neighbor, Margo knocks on his bedroom window late one night, he's reminded of a time when they were younger and used to truly be friends. Margo is extremely upset about the current status of her relationship with her boyfriend and is looking for someone to help her pull of the ultimate revenge. When Margo goes "missing" the next day, Quentin will stop at nothing to use her breadcrumbs and find her.

I decided to read this book for two reasons. Reason 1: It was coming on HBO and of course I had to read the book before I could watch the movie. Reason 2: I loved The Fault in Our Stars and when I enjoy a book by a particular author, I like to read everything they have written. Now I'm looking forward to watching the movie.

This whole book is based around a group of high school seniors who are out searching for their quirky friend, Margo. I liked the book because it was a quick easy read. It kept my attention throughout and I had to know how it was going to end. The book brought me back to my high school years(especially with my 20 year reunion coming up) with the references to poetry and prose I read during that time. During my 11th grade year we read a lot of poetry and classic literature. Interpreting poetry either as the author intended or by your own life experiences. Also this book made me thing about how far I would go to help someone else. Quentin and Margo are neighbors, but as time has gone on and their lives have changed, they aren't close friends, more like acquaintances. So when she disappears for yet another time, why does he feel it's his duty to be the one to find her?

This is a good YA book that may make some more interested in the poetry and classic literature featured in this and other John Green books.


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Review-Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand

Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Four teenagers, from the small island of Nantucket are involved in a tragic accident the night of high school graduation.  All four were juniors at the high school and 3 of the four had very promising lives ahead of them.  Penny Alistair was killed in this accident.  Penny had a beautiful singing voice that everyone admired. Her twin brother Hobson(Hobby), who was the star of every sports team,  was so badly injured, he was in a coma and had broken 16 bones on his left side.  Jake Randolph, who was Penny's boyfriend was not injured in the crash, but his jeep which Penny was driving was totaled.  And finally, Demeter Castle, Penny's friend who wasn't as popular as the others was also unarmed during the crash.  The kids had all been enjoying graduation festivities when they made their way to the beach for the final party.  Demeter took Penny to the dunes, to use the bathroom.  When they returned, Penny was in such a rage, there was nothing no one could to to stop her.

This was my first book by Elin Hilderbrand.  I have many of her books on my TBR list and this was available so I snatched it up.  I listened to the audio book rather than reading this title.  The book is told from several different perspectives throughout.  The voice of the island of Nantucket, Jake Randolph, Zoey Alistair(Penny & Hobson's mother), Demeter, Jordan Randolph(Jake's father), Hobby, Lynn Castle(Demeter's Mother), Ava Randolph(Jake's mother).  Each one of them have a connection to each other and a connection to the accident.  Telling the story from these different perspectives,  you get a look how the accident as well as other events in their lives have shaped them and brought them to this particular point.  The story is told throughout the summer after the accident.

One of my favorite lines from the book was "Penelope has a heart made from the finest bone china."  When I heard that line, and they say it at least twice in the book, it made my heart hurt for Penny.  She was a very sensitive person.  She took other's pain as her own.   It was Demeter who had said something to Penny that made her upset, but what was it.  Hobby and Jake spend most of the summer trying to figure it out.  It could have been anything, but what could have made her so mad she would have wanted to kill herself.

One thing that I wish was included in this book was Penny's perspective.  I know she was dead, but I would have like to hear a little from her in this book.  We hear about different things that were going on with her from everyone else's point of view, but I would have liked to hear her "voice" in this book.

This was  a good book with diverse characters.  You can see the struggles and concerns of teenagers in this book and it made me think about my own children and my childhood.  All the things I kept from my parents and I wonder if they ever knew.  I hope that other mother's will read this book and will want to keep an open dialogue with their children about the trials and tribulations they are going through.  We have all been teenagers at some point and we can probably help our own children if we can talk to them about how our lives were at that time.  I know when I was a teen, I was sure my mother would never understand me, but she had been in my position once in life as well.


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Review--Hit Count by Chris Lynch

Hit Count by Chris Lynch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lloyd liked to hit hard and he taught his brother, Arlo, everything he knows.

Arlo makes the junior varsity football team his freshman year which is almost unheard of.  Since Lloyd had taught Arlo everything, Arlo is good at hitting hard.  A sophomore on the JV team, Dinos befriends Arlo and teaches him about conditioning.  Football is more than just hard hitting, you have to be able to last the whole game.  Arlo's dad was a proud papa.  Lloyd, was jealous that he didn't make is as far as Arlo had.  And Arlo's mom, was not into the game at all.  She was so fearful of head injuries that she kept "The File" that had every bit of information that had anything to do with traumatic brain injury.  None of this kept Arlo from playing and becoming "Starlo".  He excelled at the sport throughout his high school career.  He treated his body like a temple and always stayed in top physical condition.  But is all of this enough to avoid the effects of the "Hit Count"?

I love football.  My family and I watch our favorite team every Sunday, Monday, or Thursday, or whatever day they are playing during the season.  I'm not a big fan of high school football, but I have attended a few games as a student.  I have always had a fear of my child playing a sport like football where being slammed around is part of the objective.  While they have made many strides in improving the equipment used, it's hard to avoid concussions when you are constantly hit.

I liked this book more than I thought I would.  From other reviews, I thought it was going to be more oafish.  This is a good YA novel that I would recommend to high school boys.

**I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**


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