For This Life Only

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers for the arc of For This Life Only by Stacey Kade! This realistic fiction, young adult read is touching, contains strong character development and is inspiring. Jace loses his twin brother, Eli, in a vehicular accident and has survivor’s guilt and depression. He also knows Eli was keeping a close secret and was about to tell Jace this secret right before the accident occurred. The secret starts to unfold and involves his family in a way that he never would have realized. This story deals with dysfunctional families, community problems and pressure in a way that helps the reader feel true empathy for the characters. 4.5 stars!

Olivia Decoded

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the arc of Olivia Decoded by Vivi Barnes! I love the relationship between Olivia (Liv) and Mrs. Bedwin (Liv’s housekeeper while in her grandfather’s home). Alternative points of view with Liv and Jack amp up the intensity and empathy for each character. The mystery, suspense and possible danger of the secret admirer make the story even more interesting. The love story between Liv and Jack pulls at the heartstrings. The suspense builds while the mystery begins to unravel and I didn’t figure all of it out until the characters solved the mystery. I give Olivia Decoded 5 stars for great character development, character background and world building. The background of each character made this story deep and thrilling!

Black River Falls

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Actual rating: 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for the arc of Black River Falls by Jeff Hirsch! A quarantine due to the virus called Lassiter’s has occurred. Lassiter’s is short for Lassiter’s Viral-Induced Retrograde Amnesia. The virus hit on October 16th, when people of all ages lost their memories and couldn’t even remember their families. Narrated by Cardinal Cassidy, Cardinal tells the story as if he’s writing/talking to his brother. Cardinal hasn’t contracted the virus and therefore, hasn’t lost his memory. He meets his mom in town, but she doesn’t seem to recognize him and she is living with a man that is not Cardinal’s father. He rescues a young woman from men pretending to be her husband and friend (a scheme men have thought up to capture women). The secret of the virus’ origins is revealed to Cardinal and he has the choice of revealing it to Dr. Lassiter and helping find the cure or ignoring the information and going on with life as it is right now. Sci-fi and dystopian fans will enjoy this book with the clever world building and character development.

Glitter

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the arc of Glitter by Aprilynne Pike! This clever and imaginative book involves a young lady, who is a witness to the king murdering a different young lady. The witness is used as part of a blackmail plan contrived by her own mother. The witness’ name is Danica and her mother is concerned with social position and uses blackmail to make her daughter the next queen. Danica’s father is a drug addict and his drug of choice is called “glitter”. Danica formulates a plan for making enough money to buy her way out of the palace life and to gain her freedom – she is going to slowly use “glitter” in cosmetics and make palace dwellers addicted. She gains an assistant while her business continues to prosper. Her life, relationships, business and future all become complicated beyond anything Danica could have imagined! I hope there’s a sequel to this book, even though it can be read as a stand-alone, it has an ending that can go either way.

Love Blind

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for the arc of Love Blind by Christa Desir and Jolene Perry! A teenage boy, Kyle, as the main character in chapter one, then Hailey for chapter two. Alternating between Kyle and Hailey each chapter lets the reader live in both of their worlds better than first person point of view would have. Hailey has been diagnosed as legally blind (the ophthalmologist tells her she has “old-people eyes”),lives with her two adoptive moms and she has a list of fears to overcome. Hailey is the singer in the band, Blinders On, with her two friends. Kyle lives with his single mom and he’s dealing with being painfully shy and getting bullied at school. Kyle and Hailey meet and become reluctant friends and begin to work on Hailey’s fear list. In the meantime, Hailey talks Kyle into making his own list. Some use of the “F” word, but it fits in with the situations discussed in the book. Love Blind fits in the young adult genre because of its swearing and sex language. This book deals with some intense, tough issues: extreme bullying, losing virginity, hpv, dysfunctional families, blindness, being adopted, gay parents, sexuality and love with creative writing and care. One of my greatest fears is becoming blind and I admire anyone who has dealt with blindness. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and grew to care about them, with their dynamic personalities, humor and drama. The story is intense and deep with an inconclusive ending that leaves the mind to wonder about the characters’ futures.