Atlantis Rising by Gloria Craw

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Atlantis Rising by Gloria Craw! Alison works hard to not get noticed by anyone because she wants to blend in and stay invisible. Her adoptive parents love her tremendously and treat her well. She meets new students, Ian and Brandy, who start attending her school and, despite her best efforts, they become her friends. When she was younger, a stranger recognized her abilities and warned her to keep them secret. He also told Alison that she’s an Atlantis descendant like he is. He noticed her when she used her thought transference ability while playing, which means she can give other people thoughts and then they follow through with them. For example, if someone shows interest in her, she makes them think she’s boring and to not pay any attention to her. She fell and hit her head at school and is now having a difficult time using her transference ability. She discovers that Ian and Brandy are children of Atlantis also and they fill her in on her past and how she is being hunted by the man who killed her biological mother. Complex story and interesting characters make Atlantis Rising a great fantasy read; 5 stars!

Confessions of a High School Disaster by Emma Chastain

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review Confessions of a High School Disaster: Chloe Snow’s Diary by Emma Chastain! Chloe is nervous about starting high school and is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants. Her freshman year turns out to be nothing like she imagined and so much bigger than she could have guessed it would be. Through the year, Chloe has crushes, makes friends and learns how to grow and still hang onto lifelong friendships. She’s also involved in drama, some she causes and some she’s blameless for. Her dad is a solid part of her life, while her mother turns out to be selfish and flaky. In the span of that eventful year, Chloe matures and ends up being a sophomore willing to share her painfully gained wisdom with her underclassmen. 5 stars for an entertaining realistic fiction read for young adults!

Secrets of Skin and Stone by Wendy Laine

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Secrets of Skin and Stone by Wendy Laine! Gris is a shape-shifting gargoyle called a Watcher. He travels to Hidden creek to reside in his relatives’ extra house. He meets Piper while she is searching for what attacked and killed her dog, Jester. For some reason, Hidden Creek is full of fiends and that’s why Gris has been called to live there. Gris becomes intrigued with Piper and they start a friendship and try to solve the mystery of Jester’s death and why there are numerous fiends in Hidden Creek. Piper deals with a specific type of obsessive compulsive disorder and it interested me because of how she handles it in her daily life. The author discusses OCD at the end of the book and opens up with her own experiences of dealing with the constraints and struggles that go along with it. 5 stars for a fun supernatural read for young adults and for the advice and wisdom offered by the author!

Definitions of Indefinable Things by Whitney Taylor

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I voluntarily read an ARC of this book! Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read and review Definitions of Indefinable Things by Whitney Taylor! A young adult story that encompasses many teen issues, is therapeutic while being told and sticks with the reader for days afterward. Reggie, Snake and Carla share their take on depression, relationships and teen pregnancy . I plan on purchasing this book for the library I work at because the teenagers will love it with it’s sarcasm, humor, struggles and dysfunctional relationships telling the story. 5 stars!

The Shadows We Know By Heart by Jennifer Park

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review The Shadows We Know By Heart by Jennifer Park! My first reaction was surprise and curiosity as I read the first chapter. The story involves a young woman and her family who recently moved close to the woods after their son, Sam, died. Leah, her brother Matt and their parents don’t discuss their loss, but they each deal with it in their own way. Leah ventures into the woods, even though her family forbids her to enter them. She makes a surprising discovery, a human male among the Sasquatch she’s been observing. A tragedy occurred when Sam went camping with the neighbors, Reed and his father. The father was killed and his body was found, but no one ever found the two boys. The two families have tried to move on but the search for the boys has continued for years, which Leah knows nothing about. The mystery unfolds as secrets come out into the open. The story is very interesting and better than I expected. 4 stars for a twist on the uncommon!

Remember Me Forever by Sara Wolf

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Remember Me Forever by Sara Wolf! The refreshing sense of humor of Isis Blake opens the story and I’m so happy to be with her again:). She’s setting off fireworks at the top of a chimney with her beloved grandmother at four in the morning. We can see where Isis gets her interesting personality. The author recaps the past events of Isis’ and Jack’s lives smoothly and through alternating points of view. Their roller coaster relationship makes life difficult for both Isis and Jack. They are both trying to figure out their present plans and their futures. This book is the culmination of past relationships, struggles and secrets that have haunted their individual lives and the people they love. I love the snark and out loud ramblings from Isis and also her generous personality and the mystery of Jack and ALL that he encompasses. Remember Me Forever is romantic, suspenseful and fun and ends the series perfectly, 5 stars. Sara wolf knows how to bring her characters to life and have them grow and become part of her readers’ hearts. At the end of this book, a new series by Sara Wolf is introduced- Bring Me Their Hearts which is planned for release in 2018! I’m interested!

101 Things All Young Adults Should Know by John Hawkins

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and River Grove Books for the opportunity to read and review 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know by John Hawkins. Great guide full of helpful, down to earth tips for just about every situation a young adult/adult might find themselves in. The advice is given in sections that work together and focus on keeping balance in 6 key areas of life: health, career, romantic, social, money, and religion. This nonfiction book is helpful and to the point and answers questions about friendships, all sorts of relationships, proper ways to tip waitresses and other service employees, personal time spent and how to achieve and keep happiness. 5 stars!

General Relativity for Babies by Chris Ferrie

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for the opportunity to read and review General Relativity for Babies! This picture book with a strong contrast of colors, teaches the basic knowledge of general relativity with clear illustrations and simple explanations. The visuals coincide well with the descriptions in this short board book for budding scientists, 5 stars!

 

Keeping Kyler by Siobhan Davis

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I voluntarily read and reviewed Keeping Kyler by Siobhan Davis. Just when I thought there couldn’t be any more surprises, more pop up in this book, the third installment in The Kennedy Boys series! As the story is opening, Kyler runs in anger and doesn’t even tell Faye where he’s going. He won’t respond to her texts, frustrating and worrying her even more. This leaves Faye to deal with her own surprises without him, so they are both alone in their struggles. Kyler meets his biological father and turns away with complete disbelief and disgust. And the surprises keep coming, loaded with twists and turns. The relationship between Kyler and Faye is cute, sometimes cheesy, to the annoyance of everyone around them. They are mature for their age and I suppose it’s because of the difficult experiences they have lived through, which makes their lives anything but dull. 5 stars for this new-adult romance and mystery story!

Year of No Clutter by Eve Schaub

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of Year of No Clutter by Eve Schaub. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this book! Year of No Clutter is a woman’s memoir of her lifetime struggle with clutter and how she overcame it and dealt with the objects in her home. I’m immediately drawn in by the author’s sense of humor and I can also relate to the clutter problem. As we all know, clutter can just build and build! I worry that I’m a book hoarder, of course I am, and I’m determined to fix that title to home library owner and consolidate my book collection into a functional room. The quotes opening each chapter are charmingly appropriate and dead on with the content of each chapter. Many profound statements can be found throughout this book, but this one really stuck with me, “…I guess what we hoard says an awful lot about us and what we’re afraid of.” I love the idea of photographing children’s artwork and creating a book with the photos for each child. Great space saver with easy access to the artwork. I appreciate the helpful resources listed at the end of the book because sometimes the biggest hurdle in de-junking is what to do with the items you’re getting rid of. 5 stars for an inspiring, interesting and helpful book!