The Chaperone by M. Hendrix

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Will her plan implode?
Stella is a 17yo teenager living in New America with her mother, father, sister Shea, and 60 year old Sister Helen, the family chaperone. When Sister Helen collapses and dies, after giving Stella a pendant and saying the word Angel, Stella is distraught. Stella knows that she needs to stay pure so she’ll be eligible to marry soon, since girls don’t have many options besides becoming a wife and having children. She searches for reasons to continue to live at home but doesn’t find much that keeps her happy. When Stella discovers a way to get out of her situation, can she trust it or will her plan implode and make her life worse?
Likes/dislikes: The author repeats the concept of having to be pure for marriage as though readers won’t understand the first few times it’s mentioned. Dystopian novel that didn’t really pull my interest. Violates Utah HB374 legislation.
Language: R for 50 swears and 4 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for underage drinking, implied gang rape, drug use, implied rape/assault, violation of Utah Legislation HB-374: touching genitalia.
Violence: PG-13 for homemade bomb description, missing girls, death by poisoning.
Ethnicity: Bonita is Black, Mateo is Latino and Stella is white.

Holly Horror by Michelle Jabes Corpora

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Ghoulish Ghosts!
16yo Evie and 10yo Stan just moved into Hobbie House in Ravenglass, Massachusetts with their divorced mother. The locals call it Horror House because of a death and disappearance happening to its residents. The story alludes to something that happened to Evie in the past and one of the reasons the family of three moved to have a better life. Evie sees a shadow, hears voices and sees creepy things that make her feel that the house is haunted. When the hauntings start taking over her life, danger comes for Evie and Stan. When Stan goes missing, Evie does everything in her power to find him.
Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the spookiness of the story. I like how the author portrayed each family member as individuals with different personalities and issues. I like the evolution of the mystery.
Language: PG for 22 swears and no f-words.
Mature Content: PG for brief kiss.
Violence: PG for mention of death by shotgun wound, no details.
Ethnicity: Evie is white. Desmond is black. Tina is Latina and Birdie is Korean.

Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Magic born abilities!
18yo Io lives with her sister Ava in the half-sunken city of Alante. The eldest sister, Thais, raised them after their parents died but left abruptly two years ago to be on her own. The three sisters are descendants of the Fates who decide the lives of others. Io is an investigator trying to solve murders and Ava is a performer at the Mob Queen’s casino. Thais is the fiancé of Io’s number one suspect and high ranking politician. When Io finally discovers the truth behind the murders, it’s going to alter her life and all that she believes in.
Likes/dislikes: So many descriptions of magic born abilities that it became confusing. Slow building story, so it took a while to draw me in. I enjoyed the characters Io and Edei and the prophecy that ties them together.
Language: R for 107 swears, no f-words.
Mature content: PG-13 for detailed kissing.
Violence: R for bleeding, dead security guards, bloody injury, bloody death with details, bloody shootings, torn out throats.
Ethnicity: Edei had brown skin but ethnicity predominantly falls to white.

You Won’t Believe Me by Cyn Balog

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Interesting ending!
17yo Willow wakes up chained to a bed in a house she doesn’t recognize. She doesn’t understand her circumstances or surroundings but her memories come back a little at a time. Her captor tells her the pandemic has gotten worse and created zombies and the only way they can stay safe is to stay away from the rest of civilization, if there’s anyone else alive. Willow goes along with it all until things don’t seem to be adding up. When Willow makes a few discoveries of her own, she becomes determined and desperate to escape.
Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the details about the Everglades. This is a quick read book. The storyline is interesting, especially the ending.
Language: R for 62 swears and 1 f-word.
Mature Content: PG for kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for abduction, gaslighting, catfishing, bloody deaths, electric shock.

Borrow My Heart by Kasie West

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Pets, D&D, and real life!
17yo Wren is waiting for her friend Kamala to finish her shift at the coffee shop when Asher and Dale arrive to meet a girl that Dale assumes is catfishing Asher. Dale wants to document Asher’s disappointment when the girl doesn’t show up but Wren steps in and pretends she’s the girl that Asher is waiting for, in hopes of sparing him the humiliation. Wren and Asher hit it off and she actually starts to like him. He shows up later at the animal shelter where she works and the dog that hates everyone except Wren ends up liking Asher too. The charade keeps going until Wren is afraid to tell Asher the truth because she likes him and it’s mutual.
Likes/dislikes: An absolute delightfully fun read. I like how Wren had to deal with real life issues because of her mom abandoning them when she was ten and having to work with trust issues by learning to set up healthy, realistic boundaries. Bean is the funniest dog.
Language: G for no swears.
Mature Content: PG for kissing.
Violence: none
Ethnicity: Asher is white, Kamala is Indian, Wren is white.

Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban

Posted on by lynndellwatson

A mystery that is fun to untangle!

20yo Jade is taking a cruise across eleven countries in four months with the Campus on Board college program. Her ex-best friend Lainey and ex-boyfriend Silas are joining the cruise too and they’re treating Jade like she’s a toxic, horrible person. Jade can’t figure out why or what they think she’s done to be treated that way. When a blood trail is found leading from Lainey’s room to overboard the railing of the ship, many passengers believe Jade is guilty. Jade jumps into action to find evidence that will find the killer and prove her innocence.

Likes/dislikes: The mystery was fun to untangle. Jade is kind and has true, sincere compassion for others. I enjoyed the college on board a cruise setting.
Language: R for 134 swears and no f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for implied sex (no details), passionate kissing, underage drinking, and drug use
Violence: PG-13 for bloody mess in room and bloody trail to ship railing, possible suicide by hanging.
Ethnicity: predominantly white, Divya and Navya, who are twins and Jade’s cabin mates, have golden brown skin.

We’ll Never Tell by Wendy Heard

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Mystery Explorers!

Eddie and Jacob, both 18, and Zoe and Casey, 17, have created a popular show about Los Angeles buildings that are sealed off or partly sealed off to the public. The show is called “We’ll Never Tell” and the teenagers keep their true identities secret as they investigate, search and record what they discover. One of these places is known as the Murder House where a couple died fifty years ago. After they’ve broken into the Murder House and are searching, Jacob is stabbed. The other three freak out and the mystery pulls the police into a twisted investigation that will change everything.

Likes/dislikes: The mystery is interesting. I enjoyed the variety of character personalities. I like how the mystery was revealed.
Language: R for 61 swears and 1 f-word.
Mature Content: PG-13 for implied sex with no details, detailed kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody stabbing, breaking and entering, bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Jacob is white, Eddie is Chinese American, Zoe is Philippine American and Casey is white.

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Posted on by lynndellwatson

True integrity and a kind soul!

Imogen is a people pleaser through and through. She goes with the flow and agrees with whatever others want. Her best friend Lily is attending college and Imogen visits her over a weekend and falls right into place with the group. She also begins to question herself and her intentions when she starts having feelings for Tessa who is part of Lily’s college friend group. A sweet, humorous story about accepting yourself.

Likes/dislikes: I like Imogen, the main character. She has true integrity and a kind soul. I appreciate the author and how she represents all people and how no one should feel like they have to label themselves or others.
Language: R for 101 swears and 58 f-words.
Mature Content: PG for kissing with no details, implied sex, and sexual innuendo.
Violence: G for none.
Ethnicity: Imogen is white, Kayla has deep brown skin, and Lily has Brazilian relatives.

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Impeccable character development!

Danger surrounds Zoya, Nikolai and 19yo Nina as they fight to make their own paths and live with what has been dealt to them. Zoya is trying to figure out her powers and her place next to Nikolai. Nikolai is determined to conquer his beast and help his kingdom with Zoya alongside him. Nina is working to free the pregnant, enslaved, and drugged young Grisha, stop the evil ruler of Fjerda and create a new life without Matthias. Will they be able to stop war between Fjerda and Ravka or will evil conquer all?
Likes/dislikes: I love the author’s writing. The character development is impeccable. I love the perseverance of the characters.
Language: R for 36 swears and no f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for passionate kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is mixed with the following: bronze skinned, tawny skinned, light brown skin, Zoya is Suli (similar to Indian) and Nikolai, Genya, and Nina are white.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo!

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Nina, Zoya and Nikolai share the telling of this tale!

King Nikolai is fighting the monster within him that seems to be appearing more often while he’s asleep, and it’s causing greater harm and damage at an alarming rate. Zoya is helping Nikolai hide this problem by steadfastly standing by his side as Ravka’s Commander, chaining him to his bed at night and searching for him when he escapes. Nina is traveling to Fjerda to take Matthias to his final resting place and she’s with Adrik and Leoni. They find the perfect spot for Matthias and as she’s burying him, Nina hears cries for justice from the many dead and buried women nearby and what she finds rattles her to her core. Each group is heading into danger that’s beyond anything they’ve ever seen before and it’s going to take their knowledge, loyalty, and strength to overcome what lies ahead.
Likes/dislikes: I love the humor and banter from the characters. The mystery surrounding the strange occurrences throughout the kingdom was interesting to me. I enjoyed the vastness that the characters reached in their world.
Language: PG-13 for 26 swears and no f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for forced drug use on imprisoned young pregnant women.
Violence: PG for non bloody death (bone shard, birds pecking at chained bodies), mention of scalping.
Ethnicity: King Nikolai is white, Zoya, blue eyes and is of Suli descent which is similar to Indian,
and Nina is white. Leoni has dark brown skin and the twins have deep bronze skin.