We Did Nothing Wrong by Hannah Jayne

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Slowly unraveling mystery!

Lia and Diana have been friends since the first day of kindergarten when Diana introduced herself to Lia. They have grown up together as best friends but things have been strained lately. Lia is tired of hearing all about Diana and the pageants she wins and constantly prepares for. When Diana goes missing, Lia thinks Diana is playing a joke on everyone and will show back up soon. As days go by, Lia becomes worried and desperate to find her friend.

Likes/dislikes: I liked how the author kept me guessing as I read the story. The conflict between Lia and Diana and within Lia herself, made the suspense grow and the story more interesting. Suspicion was everywhere!
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 38 swears and 2 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody hitting, abduction and off page death.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

The Kill Factor by Ben Oliver

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Mix of Hunger Games and Under the Dome!

Emerson lives in the Burrows, the poorest part of the city, with her young brother and oblivious father. She steals money to buy food for her brother Kester, who is nine, deaf, and has genius level intelligence. She’s apprehended for starting a fire at the school she was robbing and she’s offered a deal; agree to participate in a competition where one contestant will receive money and status or she can go to prison for arson. Emerson doesn’t want to take the deal but Kester talks her into it because it could change her life for the better. When she arrives, Emerson discovers forty-nine other competitors and the details of the games – gain the most social media followers to win, the lowest ranked person is sent to life in prison. The youth all have to participate in crazy and dangerous games or the poisonous capsule placed in each of their wrists will be triggered to kill them, one by one.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the descriptive surroundings and I felt suffocated when reading about Emerson being under the sand. Emerson has unconditional love and loyalty for her brother. The story is similar to Hunger Games.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 41 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: mixed.

No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally

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Mean girls thriller!

Brooke is an overachiever who comes from a long family history of overachievers. She’s determined to get into Yale and has pushed herself into all work and no play since the lake party where a classmate drowned months ago. The investigation ruled it as accidental but Brooke has been getting harassed by an unknown person who’s been calling her, slashing her tires, leaving lake water in her locker, and covering her car with newspapers featuring the article about the incident. Her friend Jena wants her to attend a lake party to blow off steam and celebrate reaching her goals. A seemingly harmless party quickly turns into a horrific nightmare for Brooke.

Likes/dislikes: This book is a suspenseful thriller that I couldn’t put down. Twisty fun. I love how the author portrays the characters and how everything spirals to the ending. It was also a quick read at 272 pages.
Mature content: PG-13 for underage drinking, kissing.
Language: R for 263 swears and 143 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for death
Ethnicity: mixed; Jena is Black. Brooke is white.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

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Jewish mythology and history combined with Russian culture!

Liba, Laya, and their parents live a happy life together on the outer edge of town, away from scrutinizing villagers. They enjoy their privacy and freedoms. When their father’s brother comes knocking at the door to request that he returns home, everything the girls have known changes completely. They discover that their parents were shunned by their own families because of their differences, despite that, they’ve made a good life on their own with Liba and Laya. When the girls are left on their own so their parents can travel to see family, danger arrives. It’s up to the sisters to protect each other and remember what their mother told them above all, it’s their choice what they do with their lives and to not let anyone take that choice away from them.

Likes/dislikes: I like how the story is told in alternating points of view and that Liba is strong and her words take up the whole page while Laya’s words are in a thin column, delicate like her. Jewish mythology and Russian culture abounds in this story. I appreciate the Author’s notes about the true history this book is based on.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: PG for 4 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for killings, rape and injured off page.
Ethnicity: pale skin, Russian and Jewish.

The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow

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Reality can be harsh…

Bella is fifteen and she tells herself she needs alcohol to handle her arguing, demanding parents, school stress and her recent breakup. Her friends see her going downhill and her best friend Amber tries everything she can think of to help Bella. Bella has a job, works hard in school and helps her parents with pretty much everything and the breakup has pushed her over the edge. She tells herself that she just needs this drink to get through the day but one drink ends up being many and when Bella is dropped off and left for dead (overdosed) at 2 AM by people she was at a party with, the addiction comes out in the open. The nurse tells her she’s damaged her liver and that she fell on her porch cracking her cheekbone. Bella is in pain, on an IV and being prepared for rehab. She has a struggle ahead of her and she has to deal with it on her own.

Likes/dislikes: The author’s note and resources, at the end of the book, are insightful and helpful. This story helped me to understand what addicts go through, especially when they’re truly trying to recover and make a better life for themselves. I grew to love Bella and my heart broke for her and opened up to her as the story was told. Other characters’ experiences broadened the scope of addiction and included how their caregivers treated them which helped Bella realize that she can ask for help because we can’t get through struggles all alone. She also learned that she has to protect herself because no one else will be there to do it for her, as we all need to know.
Mature content: PG-13 for drug use and underage drinking.
Language: R for 190 swears and 28 f-words.
Violence: PG for fighting.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

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Unique and intriguing mystery in this YA fantasy!

Ana is a Fantasist living in the Kingdom with seven of her princess sisters. The Fantasists’ jobs are to blend into the Kingdom park, please the guests and do as they’re instructed. Their purpose is to make dreams come true. When Nia tries to drown a child, the sisters are scrutinized and evaluated and Ana becomes heartbroken but adamant to understand what happened to make sweet Nia commit such a horrible act. When Eve, the first sister, disappears, the park becomes strict and Ana becomes scared. Ana has found a friend in a maintenance worker, Owen, and he seems to be understanding of Ana’s confusion and wants to help, but Owen has a secret of his own.

Likes/dislikes: Snippets of wisdom can be found throughout the book, such as, “Neutral is best. Neutral is safe.” I thought the book would be a fluff story and I’m pleased with how much more interesting it turned out to be than I expected! I enjoyed the alternating timelines and how they revealed the mystery.
Mature Content: G for innocent kiss.
Language: PG for 9 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: mixed.

Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

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Clever imagery in this intense YA horror!

Cade is a smart, kind young man who’s working towards an NFL career. He has received a scholarship to a prep school that will help him with his goals. He’s tall, muscled and Black and people seem to always be afraid of him even when he’s just trying to help. One night he gets off of the subway after being accused of trying to steal a lady’s purse when he was only trying to keep her from falling over when the subway lurched. He ends up in a random neighborhood where he’s watched with suspicion by a couple walking their dog and police officers driving by. He enters a pawn shop to get off the street, purchases a $5 Superbowl ring replica and as he’s leaving, he states that he wishes people weren’t scared of him. Little does he know, he made a wish that will come true that will cause tragic consequences.

Likes/dislikes: Cade and his family have integrity and humility even though they’ve done well. The family unit is represented as an important part of life throughout the book. The nuggets of wisdom from Cade’s father were refreshing. The struggle through Cade’s father’s terminal cancer is handled respectfully, honestly and tactfully. I enjoyed this mysterious and interesting YA horror story.
Mature content: G for parents kissing.
Language: PG for 5 swears, no f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Black and white.

The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig

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I enjoyed every page!

Hazel is the thirteenth child in her family and treated like she’s not wanted by anyone except her brother Bertie who is one year older. When Hazel is twelve, her godfather takes her so she can train to become a great healer while Bertie is sold to a temple to pay off their father’s debts. Hazel learns that her duties as a healer also include helping people pass onto their deaths as gently as possible. She feels that this is a curse and not a blessing. When she’s nineteen, Hazel has become the healer of the royal family after she saved the king’s life from a plague; she was supposed to move him onto death but didn’t want his children to be orphans. Now that the king feels well, he is becoming an unpredictable, angry tyrant and Hazel knows she made the wrong choice by healing him. Will she be able to make this right before he destroys the kingdom?

Likes/dislikes: I loved every bit of this story! Amazing character development and wonderful world building. Hazel is strong and kindhearted.
Mature content: PG-13 for fondling (only two sentences out of the 512 page book).
Language: PG-13 for 14 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Hazel and her family are white. Merrick, Hazel’s godfather is obsidian skinned. Hazel’s friend Kieron has chestnut skin.

The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky by Josh Galarza

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It takes a community!

Brett lives in Tucson with his best friend, Reed, since his adoptive mother became terminally ill. He’s trying to hide the fact that he has an eating disorder and that he has begun to purge after eating. Despite Brett’s best efforts, Reed figures out what he’s doing and tries to intervene. Somehow Brett’s secret gets posted on social media and he’s horribly embarrassed. Many classmates approach him to let him know they’re dealing with issues too and he might be able to handle it better knowing he’s not alone.

Likes/dislikes: Intelligent and inspiring quotes given from side characters. The adults in Brett’s life gave him great advice/therapy. Too much swearing detracts from the story. The book is overly focused on being progressive and “woke” and it became tiresome because it also takes away from the story. Wonderfully helpful resources at the end of the book for people dealing with food and/or body issues.
Mature content: PG-13 for underage drinking, mention of self-pleasure, mention of drug use.
Language: R for 214 swears and 72 f-words.
Violence: PG for fighting.
Ethnicity: Brett is Mexican American. Most of the characters are white but some have brown skin.

Lie Until It’s True by Jessie Weaver

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Haunting or homicide?

Two separate murder suspects are on Amanda’s mind, her exonerated sister Cora and her art teacher from kid camp. Cora was a suspect in the murder of a social media influencer. The art teacher is the suspect in the murder of a very rich man at the Summit hotel. Amanda visits her friends in Summit. She wants to be a better sister to Cora and spend more time with her best friends, Cole, Mallory, and Vince. Cole and Mal are dating and Vince is dealing with the fact that his mother, the art teacher, has been arrested as a suspect in the murder of an art dealer.
Cole shows his true colors by manipulating his friends to go ahead with approving the haunted or homicide show for the hotel that will televise the investigation and publicize everything about their lives, which turns the situation into a disaster.

Likes/dislikes: I liked the double mystery storyline that grew into a possible haunting. The dynamic characters were interesting. The buildup and unraveling of the mysteries were fun to read.
Mature content: PG for kiss.
Language: R for 98 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Vince has brown skin. Amanda, Cole and Mallory fall to white.