A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

“Everyone in Fairview knows the story.

Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.

This is the story of an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you'll never expect.” - taken from the front flap of the book.

This book reminded me of Sadie by Courtney Summers with some Karen McManus thrown in. I listen to the audio version of this book but it wasn't quite a full cast read like the above books mentioned. I enjoyed the mystery and was very surprised by the who done it at the end. The only problem I had with this title is how old Pippa is and how she was able to solve this five year-old mystery.

More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer (Letters to the Lost book 2)

More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer (Letters to the Lost book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! This book is a companion story to Letters to the Lost. You can read this one without having read the first book but there are several spoilers or scenes that will make more sense if you do. 

“Rev Fletcher is battling the demons of his past. But with loving adoptive parents by his side, he’s managed to keep them at bay...until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.

Emma Blue spends her time perfecting the computer game she built from scratch, rather than facing her parents’ crumbling marriage. She can solve any problem with the right code, but when an online troll’s harassment escalates, she’s truly afraid.

When Rev and Emma meet, they both long to lift the burden of their secrets and bond instantly over their shared turmoil. But when their situations turn dangerous, their trust in each other will be tested in ways they never expected.” -taken from Goodreads.com

I loved learning more about Rev Fletcher's troubled childhood and how he has moved beyond it. Rev and Declan's friendship continues to shine through this book. Emma Blue was a character that I liked but I wanted to smack some sense into her at times. She made some stupid decisions but this is really Rev's book and his story propels everything forward.

Visit Brigid Kemmerer’s website.

Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

“At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

- As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school--not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

- As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn't exactly on everyone's must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise's beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince's best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Epic Fail is based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This book was a cute rom-com where new student Elise Benton goes to Coral Tree Prep school in Los Angeles where her mother is the new principal. The unwanted king of campus is Derek Edwards. The son of Hollywood royalty. when Elisa's older sister begins dating Derek's best friend, the two are thrown together. The interactions between Elise and Derek are what make this book worth the read.

Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis

“The world is not tame.

Ashley knows this truth deep in her bones, more at home with trees overhead than a roof. So when she goes hiking in the Smokies with her friends for a night of partying, the falling dark and creaking trees are second nature to her. But people are not tame either. And when Ashley catches her boyfriend with another girl, drunken rage sends her running into the night, stopped only by a nasty fall into a ravine. Morning brings the realization that she's alone - and far off trail. Lost in undisturbed forest and with nothing but the clothes on her back, Ashley must figure out how to survive despite the red streak of infection creeping up her leg.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This book captured my attention the first time I read the synopsis. Ashley Hawkins and her friends hike to a camping/party spot in the Great Smoky Mountains. After a night of drinking, Ashley wakes up to go to the bathroom and finds that her boyfriend just slept with his ex-girlfriend. Upset, she runs off into the woods with only the clothes on her back and no shoes. An experienced hiker, Ashley falls into a ravine and seriously injures herself. Lost and alone, Ashley tries over a span of fifteen days to find her way out. A gut-wrenching read for sure.

Visit Mindy McGinnis’s website.

Ash Princess trilogy by Laura Sebastian

Ash Princess - Book one

“In a land without a queen, the princess must rise.”

¨Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess--a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here. - taken from Goodreads.com

I don't know why I waited so long to read this book but I'm so glad I finally did. This is just the type of fantasy book that I adore, a strong heroine with close, supportive friends, and of course a love interest. Theo is the perfect, tragic princess who finally realizes that no one is going to save her but herself. It also dawns on her that she has been blind to the horrors outside of her palace prison. This also isn't one of those dragging fantasy books where an entire new world needs to be built. It is a new world but the descriptions take place along with the plot. Definitely fast paced.  And that cliffhanger ending. Wow! I never saw that twist coming. Thank goodness the remaining two books in the trilogy are already available. Now onto the next book.

SPOILER ALERT! Please don’t read any further if you don’t want to ruin one of my favorite stories.

Lady Smoke - book two

“The Kaiser murdered Theodosia's mother, the Fire Queen, when Theo was only six. He took Theo's country and kept her prisoner, crowning her Ash Princess--a pet to toy with and humiliate for ten long years. That era has ended. The Kaiser thought his prisoner weak and defenseless. He didn't realize that a sharp mind is the deadliest weapon.

Theo no longer wears a crown of ashes. She has taken back her rightful title, and a hostage--Prinz Soren. But her people remain enslaved under the Kaiser's rule, and now she is thousands of miles away from them and her throne.

To get them back, she will need an army. Only, securing an army means she must trust her aunt, the dreaded pirate Dragonsbane. And according to Dragonsbane, an army can only be produced if Theo takes a husband. Something an Astrean Queen has never done.

Theo knows that freedom comes at a price, but she is determined to find a way to save her country without losing herself.” taken from Goodreads.com

OMG! No second book slow down here. More twists and turns as well as shocking reveals throughout. Thank goodness this trilogy is complete as I can pick up that much needed conclusion right away. Ember Queen - book three “Princess Theodosia was a prisoner in her own country for a decade. Renamed the Ash Princess, she endured relentless abuse and ridicule from the Kaiser and his court. But though she wore a crown of ashes, there is fire in Theo's blood. As the rightful heir to the Astrean crown, it runs in her veins. And if she learned nothing else from her mother, she learned that a Queen never cowers. Now free, with a misfit army of rebels to back her, Theo must liberate her enslaved people and face a terrifying new enemy: the new Kaiserin. Imbued with a magic no one understands, the Kaiserin is determined to burn down anyone and everything in her way. The Kaiserin's strange power is growing stronger, and with Prinz Søren as her hostage, there is more at stake than ever. Theo must learn to embrace her own power if she has any hope of standing against the girl she once called her heart's sister.” - taken from Goodreads.com I sure hope that these characters show up in another series. I need more of Theo and her friends. Excellent series! Visit Laura Sebastian’s website.

The Upside of Falling by Alex Light

“It’s been years since seventeen-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her former best friend teases her for not having a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she’s been secretly seeing someone.

Brett Wells has it all. Being captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom. When he overhears Becca’s lie, Brett decides to step in and be her mystery guy. It’s the perfect solution: he gets people off his back for not dating and she can keep up the ruse.

Acting like the perfect couple isn’t easy though, especially when you barely know the other person. But with Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world was blown apart years ago and Brett just barely holding his together now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. When the line between real and pretend begins to blur, they are forced to answer the question: is this fake romance the realest thing in either of their lives?” - taken from Goodreads.com

This was a cute rom com about Becca Hart and Brett Wells who begin a fake relationship to make other people happy. As the fake parts start to become real, both Becca and Brett must face both past and present betrayals in order to see if the fake can move into a real relationship that they both deserve.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

“No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other." - taken from Goodreads.com

When someone described this book as The Handmaid's Tale meets Lord of the Flies, they weren't kidding. A shocking, twisting tale where girls are raised to believe that they have magic that corrupts the minds of men to lure them under their spells. Before they can become wives, mothers, and productive members of society, they must spend their sixteenth year, their grace year, isolated on an island. During their year there, they are to embrace and banish their magic before going home. Dealing with all of the horrors that befall them, not everyone makes it back home. No one speaks of the grace year but Tierney James is determined to say stay true to herself and not become someone's wife. Tierney's experience and awakening over her grace year is an extraordinary and powerful story.

Visit Kim Liggett’s website.

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

“Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming ― mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.

Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.

All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.

As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate ― people on the internet are shipping them?? ― their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Tweet Cute is just too cute. Pepper and Jack are high school seniors who have lots on their minds. Unbeknownst to each other, when Big League Burger, Pepper’s family's fast food chain, launches a grilled cheese sandwich that Jack believes has a lot like his grandmother's version that they serve at their local deli, the two classmates start a Twitter war. The two are also chatting anonymously on a school-wide chat app that Jack has secretly developed. Reminiscent of You've Got Mail, Pepper and Jack began to fall for one another not knowing who they they're online personalities are. A super sweet rom-com that my heart loved.

Moment of Truth by Kasie West

“At sixteen, Hadley Moore knows exactly who she is—a swimmer who will earn a scholarship to college. Totally worth all the hard work, even if her aching shoulders don’t agree. So when a guy dressed as Hollywood’s latest action hero, Heath Hall, crashes her swim meet, she isn’t amused. Instead, she’s determined to make sure he doesn’t bother her again. Only she’s not sure exactly who he is.

The swim meet isn’t the first event the imposter has interrupted, but a little digging turns up a surprising number of people who could be Heath Hall, including Hadley's ex-boyfriend and her best friend’s crush. She soon finds herself getting caught up in the mysterious world of the fake Heath Hall.

As Hadley gets closer to uncovering the masked boy’s identity she also discovers some uncomfortable truths about herself—like she might resent the long shadow her late brother has cast over her family, that she isn’t as happy as she pretends to be with her life choices… and that she is falling for the last guy she ever thought she would like.” -taken from Goodreads.com

When I first started Kasie West’s newest book, I figured it would be my last. In the first couple of chapters, I felt a bit of deja vu. That feeling quickly dissipated as I got into Hadley Moore’s story. Yes, there is a romance element to the book but this is really about Hadley’s journey of self-discovery and how she helped herself and her parents begin to grieve over the death of the older brother that she never knew. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Visit Kasie West’s website.

Chosen by Kiersten White (Slayer book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Slayer, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Nina continues to learn how to use her slayer powers against enemies old and new in this second novel in the New York Times bestselling series from Kiersten White, set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Now that Nina has turned the Watcher’s Castle into a utopia for hurt and lonely demons, she’s still waiting for the utopia part to kick in. With her sister Artemis gone and only a few people remaining at the castle—including her still-distant mother—Nina has her hands full. Plus, though she gained back her Slayer powers from Leo, they’re not feeling quite right after being held by the seriously evil succubus Eve, a.k.a. fake Watcher’s Council member and Leo’s mom.

And while Nina is dealing with the darkness inside, there’s also a new threat on the outside, portended by an odd triangle symbol that seems to be popping up everywhere, in connection with Sean’s demon drug ring as well as someone a bit closer to home. Because one near-apocalypse just isn’t enough, right?

The darkness always finds you. And once again, it’s coming for the Slayer.” - taken from Goodreads.com

A satisfying conclusion to Nina’s story.

Visit Kiersten White’s website.