The Sound of Drowning by Katherine Fleet

5*

Meredith (Mer) told a lie, something so bad that she’s damaged or destroyed every relationship she has and abandoned her dream of professional windsurfing because the ocean betrayed her. Only her lifelong best friend and 1st love Ben, who has always had her back, chooses to forgive her despite being hurt worse than anyone else. When her parents think she’s going to her job every night, she’s actually meeting him at their spot on the beach and working to rebuild their relationship. One night, sexy Texas boy Wyatt washes up on shore after getting lost kayaking, and, in his brash and flirty way, worms his way into her life and perhaps her heart. The emotional turmoil of this love triangle confuses Mer: does she continue living this half-life with Ben where she can only visit him at night and keep it a secret from both families or does she choose Wyatt who doesn’t know her past and brings excitement and color into her life after so many months of heartache?
This YA novel grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go. The secret Mer is keeping causes so much pain and suffering for everyone she loves. What has happened to make her afraid of the ocean that was her life before the lie? The range of emotions this damaged and self-destructive young woman elicits makes us waver between wanting to hug her and hate her. She is torn between two amazing, loyal and protective young men, but risks losing them both. When you think you finally have everything figured out, Fleet throws us into a maelstrom, tossing us around until we don’t know which way is up and ultimately leaving us in tears. Powerful and unforgettable! Highly recommended for libraries serving teens.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Page Street Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess

5*

Since her mother’s death four years before, Victoria Parker has been trying to fulfill her final wish that she take care of her father who isn’t strong enough to deal with losing her. Although he has always had a quick temper, Victoria’s memories of her childhood with him are mostly happy ones. However, his depression, drinking and remarriage to mean stepmom Tiffany have brought strange and uncomfortable changes to their relationship. The breaking point comes one night when Victoria finds herself locked out of her home at 3:00 a.m. She tries to convince herself and the social worker that it's just a misunderstanding, but her father’s lies land her in a crowded and uncomfortable foster home. Victoria has to follow the strict rules of the house imposed by the tyrannical Connie, finish her senior year at a new school while scrambling to find a way to afford the college her father will no longer pay for, and avoid forming new friendships that could expose all of her secrets. Unfortunately, a lie about attending a school dance leads to a night in juvie after Connie reports her as a runaway. Now she has to contend with being ostracized at school, fighting her growing feelings for Kale, dealing with nightmares that disrupt her sleep, and addressing the escalating worry she has for her stepsister Sarah who has been left behind with her father. Will she find the strength and support she needs to stop protecting her dad, expose his lies, and end the nightmare?

Barthelmess has drawn on her experience as a foster kid to write a YA novel that exposes the flaws in the foster care system and the damage parents can do to their children with their actions. The friendship Victoria has with Christina and her budding romance with Kale provide some much-needed lightness. The title is explained when Victoria recognizes that many people have secrets, even Kale. “No one can really see the quiet you carry, unless you let them.” This isn’t an easy story to read, but it’s one that needs to be told and discussed with teens. A worthy addition to any library serving teens, but beware that there are potential triggers for sexual abuse and suicide. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Flux through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

5*

Annika Rose, an anxious and socially-inept English major at the University of Illinois, prefers the company of animals and books except when she’s concentrating on a challenging game of chess. Jonathan Hoffman meets her after joining the chess club his senior year (having transferred from Northwestern). Over a series of games (“one of the ways we communicate best”) and evening escorts to her apartment, they fall in love. Despite the quirks and awkwardness that have led to her being bullied, assaulted and ostracized throughout her life, he is drawn to her ethereal beauty, her courage, and her straightforwardness and feels he can be himself with her. She falls easily for him because he’s the first man whose touch she can tolerate, who protects her, and who loves her without wanting to change her. Although they have plans to move to New York together after graduation, a tragedy delays her departure, and her subsequent postponements finally lead him to believe she no longer loves him, leaving both of them to navigate their lives alone.

Ten years later, they’re both living in Chicago and run into each other. He is divorced and working for a branch of a New York financial firm, and she has fulfilled her dream of becoming a librarian. After years of therapy, she’s ready to love him as he deserves and he’s looking for a fresh start. “The affection I once felt for Annika might have gone dormant for a while, but it roars out of hibernation and makes me feel better about life than I have in a long time.” They both know they’ll eventually have to talk about what drove them apart, but will they be able to rekindle their love before they lose the chance for good?

Graves does a brilliant job of getting readers into the mindset of a person with high-functioning autism (the diagnosis comes late in the book), and paints a frustrating and bleak picture of what it means to be different in a world that is threatened by anything outside the norm. The love between Annika and Jonathan and the kindness and protectiveness they share warms the heart. The chapters alternate between 1991 and 2001, a date which becomes shockingly familiar towards the end of the story. This novel is about unconditional love, endurance, and the lengths people will go to protect those they cherish. Share it with fans of Susan Meissner’s A Fall of Marigolds and Jill Santopolo’s The Light We Lost.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Forty years ago, Daisy Jones and The Six saw a meteoric rise culminating with one of the best-selling albums ever, then the band broke up in the middle of their tour. The reason was never known until the publication of this book, a series of interviews with band members and anyone else intimately involved with the group. It’s the classic rock and roll story: young, beautiful, neglected, rich groupie Daisy Jones hangs out at clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeps with musicians, takes way too many drugs, and dreams of a career as a singer/songwriter. A garage band from a small town with sexy, brooding front man Billy Dunne gets noticed by a big-name producer and is brought to LA to make music. Despite (or perhaps because) his girlfriend gets pregnant, Billy goes wild on their first tour, sleeping with fans and abusing both drugs and alcohol. When Daisy is brought in for one song, the chemistry between the two is undeniable, both on the stage and when writing songs together. But what happens when two uber-talented, self-destructive and volatile people have to share the spotlight?

Reid has written a mesmerizing and unforgettable novel that is impossible to put down. Not only does it illuminate the exhilarating and tragic history of rock and roll, but, by calling on the memories of the characters, it also clearly demonstrates how contradictory perceptions of events can destroy relationships and drug and alcohol abuse can destroy lives. It makes your heart pound, it makes you cry, it makes you remember the magic of the ‘70s music scene. This is a tour de force!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Ballantine through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting

3*

Major spoilers:

On the first day of law school, Kailyn collides with former child star and her massive crush Daxton Hughes while she’s “visualizing success” with her eyes closed and he’s running to catch a Frisbee. She gushes like a fangirl, embarrassing herself in the process. Minutes later, she trips in class and lands in his lap for a 2nd time. From this "meet cute”, they carry on a flirty rivalry until graduation when he screws her over to be first in class. Fast forward five years and he walks into her office with his parents to establish a trust for his little sister. He doesn't understand the reason for her hostility, remembering them as friendly rivals. A few months later, a tragedy and ensuing custody battle draw them together again. An inevitable (borderline unethical) romance blossoms, but is it strong enough to survive grief and betrayal?

There are several problems with this book. First, it is too predictable. Hunting uses the same tired tropes and fails to elevate the story beyond the norm. We learn enough about the characters to form opinions, but the witty dialogue and depth of feeling are in short supply.

Second, it seems very dated. Feminism flies out the window when Dax calls Kailyn to help him buy sanitary products and then gags at the idea of menstruation and Kailyn, a short, curvaceous brunette, feels she can’t compete with blond Barbies for the hot guy’s attention and then gives up a great promotion to win him.

Finally, it has several implausible plot points. Would a former teen heartthrob really fall in love with a 30-something woman who still wears and uses memorabilia from his show? Although not spoken aloud, Kailyn says “Freaking teenage crushes die hard.” Can an aunt with a dubious reputation and 3 failed marriages, and who was removed as guardian 6 months prior to the parent’s death, really have a case for custody? There is also no way that two busy Los Angeles police officers would show up at a school dance to “mediate” because minors were caught with booze. How is it that two lawyers fail to see the clues that are right in front of them? For example, Emma’s journal is missing from the same locker where they found the booze and, days later, the aunt is using pages from the same journal to try to discredit Dax.

Bottom line: it’s entertaining enough to read through, but the implausibility of several situations makes it difficult to fully buy in to the story.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Forever Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Grace After Henry by Eithne Shortall

Spoiler alert:




Grace and Henry’s happily ever after comes to an abrupt end when he is gruesomely killed in a biking accident on his way to an open house. In the weeks following his death, Grace keeps thinking she sees Henry around Dublin until the day a plumber comes to her door who is his spitting image. Andy has come in search of his birth mother only to find that both she and the identical twin he knew nothing about have died. An unorthodox relationship builds between the two as Grace’s grief process is stalled by this Henry substitute and Andy’s search for his past morphs into a chance to create an “alternate life” from the ashes of his brother’s. As Grace says, Andy “was a bridge between the life I had chosen and the one fate had given me.”

In a less talented author, this book could have been very maudlin and tragic. Instead, Shortall has gifted us with a heartwarming and captivating story which balances heart-breaking grief with a big dose of the humor the Irish are famous for. As Grace struggles to keep her grief from consuming her, she has the support of a stellar group of secondary characters who provide ample comic relief. There are the Three Wise Men at the cemetery who share her experience of having lost their partners and create a safe haven with their sage advice and tired jokes; irascible next-door neighbor Betty who has a deeply-camouflaged warm heart but provides a welcome distraction from lonely nights; best friend Aoife who drags her back into the land of the living; boss Dermot who hates his restaurant customers and refuses to give up his dream of acting; and her sweet and loving parents with their fancy date night at Nando’s and moth extermination attempts. There are also several memories of conversations Grace had with Henry full of bickering, teasing, joking and love that are a bittersweet reminder of all she has lost.

Despite the humor, Shortall doesn’t shy away from exposing Ireland’s tragic history of forced adoptions. As Andy uncovers details of his past, we see the devastation this practice wrought on generations of young Catholic women and the children taken from them. Grief comes in many forms, and late in the book Grace realizes that hers might not have been as great as Henry’s parents and that Andy has also suffered a huge loss by being separated from his twin and denied the opportunity to be raised as part of a loving family because he was considered “unexpected, surplus”.

It’s a tribute to an author when the reader wants to be a part of the characters’ lives. Laughing along with Grace’s parents and spending time with her friends makes me want to move to Dublin yesterday. This beautiful book would appeal to fans of Maeve Binchy and Cecelia Ahern. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because I wasn’t happy with the ending and would love a sequel. Sadly, I’m not holding my breath.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from G.P Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

What Makes Girls Sick and Tired by Lucile de Pesloüan and Genevieve Darling

3*

What Makes Girls Sick and Tired? is, simply put, an illustrated list of offenses against women and girls. The most stunning aspect is the sheer magnitude of the crisis of worldwide misogyny. As De Pesloüan states on the first page, Girls are sick and tired because sexism affects everyone, every day, in ways that are both obvious and subtle, and both simple and complex and every girl, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender, personality, physical attributes and more, shares similar experiences. The author and illustrator acknowledge that they are privileged white women, so it may not be a complete list of experiences, but the book serves as a call to action in support of feminism and women’s rights. It’s difficult to tell from the galley how the book will appear in print, but on-screen it is a page-by-page list of offenses with accompanying monochromatic illustrations which are somewhat amateurish and inconsistent in style. Regardless, the book achieves the stated purpose. Counselors might find this valuable, but it would be an optional library purchase.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Second Story Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Vincent Book One: Guide to Love, Magic and RPG by Vitor Cavaggi

2*

This graphic novel features a cast of teenage animal characters navigating love and relationships. Vincent is either a bear or a dog who becomes infatuated easily and makes a mess of things. Since he’s a typical awkward teen, he seeks the advice of his friends (Bu, a female monkey whose good advice he ignores and his RPG male friends whose bad advice he tends to listen to). There’s a love triangle, long-distance romance, and heartbreak, all elements of a typical teen romance. The problem with the book is that the illustrations and dialogue would appeal to middle schoolers, but the storyline is more appropriate for older kids. Libraries serving pre-teens might consider adding it to their collection.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Super Genius through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Win for Intellectual Freedom

I can't say it any better than the reporter, Paul Bowers, who wrote the article for the Charleston (SC) Post and Courier, so here's the link (click on headline).

Wando principal recognized for standing her ground on ‘The Hate U Give’ assignment

Waiting for Fitz by Spencer Hyde

3*


Addie, whose OCD has gotten so severe that it takes her 3 hours to get ready for school, must postpone her senior year when she is admitted to an inpatient adolescent psych ward. Her fellow patients include Didi who suffers from Tourette’s and pathological lying, Leah who is depressed after brain tumor surgery, Wolf who is in search of his “horse” and whose diagnosis isn’t revealed, Junior who has anger issues and seizures, and Fitz who has spent the last two years at the hospital for schizophrenia (or, more accurately, multiple personality disorder). Their days are full of both individual and group therapy, exercise, eating meals, playing Boggle, and watching movies. During the times they have to socialize, Addie and Fitz form a strong connection, bonding over literature and punny jokes. The humor is the coping mechanism they use to keep their illnesses from totally overwhelming them. When Fitz asks Addie to break out with him and travel to San Juan Island so he can make amends for the tragedy that landed him in the psych ward, she agrees and even smuggles in money she’s saved in a book by asking her mother to bring her more reading material. Unfortunately, once outside the safe confines of the hospital and without their proper medication, their walls come down and circumstances spiral out of control. The big question posed to Addie by one of her teachers, which is a thread running through much of the book, is what the characters in Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” were waiting for. Will either Fitz or Addie find the answer after their ill-advised trip?


Author Hyde spent three of his high school years at Johns Hopkins for severe OCD like Addie’s, and many of the other characters are based on his fellow patients. The authenticity he brings to his writing as a result of his own experiences helps create a vivid and heart-breaking story, but also highlights the humor and humanity found in adolescent psych wards. In this respect, the book would be a great vehicle for bibliotherapy. Unfortunately, Hyde uses literary references from authors generally studied at the college level to sculpt most of the conversation between Fitz and Addie. Although liberally sprinkled with humor, the dialogue is ultimately too cerebral and theoretical for most teenagers, especially Fitz who doesn’t seem to have had much proper schooling and has very limited resources with no internet access and no library at his disposal. Unfortunately, most adolescents wouldn’t have the patience to sift through the dialogue to finish the book. So, although deserving of a large audience, it will be hard-pressed to find one.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Shadow Mountain Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.