The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

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Another great mystery read from Holly Jackson!

Rachel Price, mother of 18yo Bel, has been missing for over sixteen years. Bel’s father needs money to care for his elderly father, so he decides to participate in a documentary about the disappearance of his wife, Rachel Price. Bel doesn’t want to rehash everything over and over again but she wants to help her dad. She wonders if the documentary will help find her mom by rekindling the investigation. Also, Bel can’t shake the thought that her mom abandoned her all those years ago and that she just might be alive somewhere. The documentary is just the beginning of the chaos that’s to come.

Likes/dislikes: I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery! The character development was interesting and the author showed Bel’s coping mechanisms of cruelty and shoplifting small items as a way to deal with the abandonment she’s had in her lifetime. The documentary idea was great as it helped show the changes in the family and Bel’s perspective of the situation.

Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 53 swears and 121 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for assault.
Ethnicity: predominantly white with mention of a brown skin background character.

The Summer She Went Missing by Chelsea Ichaso

Posted on by lynndellwatson

I highly recommend this mystery for young adults!

16yo Paige and 16yo Audrey are summertime best friends. Paige is looking forward to seeing Audrey and 18yo Dylan, Paige’s long time crush, this summer when they all arrive at Clearwater Ridge. Audrey starts off the summer by talking about jobs and her goal to save enough money to buy her own horse, since she’s always wanted one and spends so much time at the equestrian club. Since Audrey is busy and growing distant, Paige and Dylan get to spend more time together. One summer night, Audrey never returns home and she becomes a missing person case and a year later there’s still no evidence or help in finding her. Dylan and Paige take it upon themselves to find Audrey and the deeper they dig, the more dangerous the situation becomes.

Likes/dislikes:
Mature Content: PG-13 for underage drinking.
Language: R for 61 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death and abuse.
Ethnicity: predominantly white.

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

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Norse mythology based fiction!

Abused by her husband Vragi, 20yo Freya yearns to be free but she stays because her husband provides for her family members. But when Vragi receives an offer for her, Freya’s husband takes it and she becomes the property of Skaland and Snorri, their leader. Little by little, Freya learns about her heritage and her god given powers. When she grows so powerful that she sees fear in others’ eyes when they look at her, she wants to be somewhere where she’s not used as a weapon. Snorri’s son Bjorn vows to help her escape.

Likes/dislikes: I get frustrated with Freya’s stubbornness but understand that it keeps the story moving on. Bjorn is an interesting character with a background that’s a bit of a mystery. I enjoy the mythology entwined with the story.
Mature content: R for sexual content.
Language: R for 78 swears and 39 f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths and violence.
Ethnicity: mostly white with a dark skin man mentioned.

One Last Breath by Ginny Myers Sain

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Multiple mysteries within!

18yo Tru doesn’t know what she wants for her future, not even whether or not she wants to leave her hometown of Mount Orange, Florida. She feels stuck until 18yo Rio shows up in town. Rio is a female diver like Tru and they instantly become friends. They both want to solve the twenty year old cold case murders of Bailey and Celeste , who were teenagers when they were killed. Tru and Rio feel a deep connection to Bailey and Celeste and when they dig into the evidence and ask questions, their lives become endangered.

Likes/dislikes: I love that there’s more than one mystery inside this story. The suspense was great and kept me riveted. Tragic and scary and such a good read.
Mature Content: R for sexual related nudity.
Language: R for 164 swears and 52 f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths
Ethnicity: white

With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Cute read!

16yo Jude is shy and doesn’t have much self confidence. He’s had a crush on Maya since middle school but is afraid to ask her out. He’s afraid until he finds a lucky charm that gives him successes and confidence. When he finally gets to take Maya on a date everything seems fine until he loses the lucky charm. The luck changes not just for him but for his family too.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the humor. The story is sweet. It’s a fun read that inspires the reader to work towards their dreams.
Mature Content: G for kissing
Language: R for 40 swears and no f-words
Violence: G
Ethnicity: The ethnicity includes white, Asian, Mexican American, and Korean American.

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Delightfully creepy!

17yo Emer is a curse writer that gives spells to women that are afraid and want protection. 17yo Jude has a demon following her and she’s suffering physically from the toll it’s taking on her. 17yo Zara wants to reanimate the sister she lost a year ago when she was murdered. The three young women end up working together to solve the murder mystery of a serial killer the police are calling the London Ripper. They get themselves in deeper than they bargained for and hopefully they won’t be the next victims.

Likes/dislikes: I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the twists. I was spooked a few times by the creepy descriptions. I like the strength and perseverance of the three main characters, Emer, Jude and Zara. Jude adds humor to the story.
Mature Content: PG-13 for mention of drug use.
Language: R for 162 swears and 27 f-words.
Violence: R for repeated bloodshed and deaths.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is mostly white with some Black, brown and olive skin tones included.

These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang

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A fun, spooky read!
Tabatha apprentices for the famous and magical Solomon. He states, through several prophecies, that he will die. It’s a shock to everyone when he actually dies and it’s a brutal death. Tabatha is told by Solomon, before his death, to only trust his son Callum and no one else. Callum and Tabatha try to solve the murder mystery but get swept up in the unknown along the way.

Likes/dislikes: This book is such a fun read! I loved the spooky atmosphere and the mystery. Tabatha is a strong, persistent, interesting character.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 50 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG for deaths.
Ethnicity: The Solomon family members are white and Tabatha is Chinese American.

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

Posted on by lynndellwatson

A perfect ending to this historical fantasy duology!
Two weeks after 18yo Iris was forced to watch her husband struggle against a gas bomb in the attack on Avalon Bluff, she’s back in Oath living with her brother Forest. 19yo Roman is trapped in Avalon Bluff under Dacre’s watchful care with no memory of who he is or his past. Iris manages to get her hands on the Alouette typewriter in the museum and uses it to search for Roman or anyone who may be using one of the other two Alouettes. Roman unknowingly writes back and forth with Iris as he gets his memory back a little at a time. He also sends a warning that Dacre will be invading the area that Iris is staying at while writing war correspondence. Roman is terrified that Dacre will learn of his secret messages and Iris is terrified of an invasion.

Likes/dislikes: Beautiful story telling. I love the brave and loyal characters. A riveting story and I didn’t want to put the book down.
Mature content: PG-13 for nondescript implied sex
Language: PG for 7 swears and no f-words
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fights and bloody wounds
Ethnicity: The ethnicity falls to white.

Diary of a Confused Feminist by Kate Weston

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Teenagehood dealt with humor and love.

15yo Kat wants to become a feminist but constantly struggles with the frustrations of teenage life. She deals with these struggles with the help of her three best friends and her loving and understanding parents. Kat wants to embrace maturity and she does her best despite bullies and boy problems. Humor helps her with her frustrations. Her parents help her with the anxiety she tries to hide.

Likes/dislikes: This book is humorous. Encompasses dramatic nature of teenage hood and the stress of life that feels overwhelming at that age. Contains good messages and awareness of mental health.
Language: R for 110 swears and 14 f-words.
Mature content: PG for implied sex on page, self-pleasuring.
Violence: PG for bullying.
Ethnicity: Black and white

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Alternating timelines in this engrossing mystery!
15yo Sana moves into a decrepit large house in Africa with her father. The other residents say it’s haunted and this makes Sana curious. She asks the other residents questions about the house and its past and she explores everything and every place in the house. In the attic, Sana discovers a diary and she reads until the ending. What she finds, haunts her and she hopes there’s more of the story to unravel.

Likes/dislikes: The book is slow and builds the setting and characters until the second half when the mystery piqued my interest and grabbed my attention. I found it fascinating that Sana was a conjoined twin but she’s the only one who survived and now Sana sees and hears her dead sister. I loved discovering the background of the haunted home that is the setting for this story.
Mature Content: G for kissing.
Language: PG-13 for 14 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Indian and African with some white.