The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

 

“Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she’s spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Da Vinci’s footsteps, she’s ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.

Jack is charming, wildly attractive, and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in her family’s closet tear them apart?” - taken from Goodreads.

This was an incredible story about a chance meeting, first love, and of course some pretty serious family drama. Bex and Jack meet late one night on a city bus and are unable to stop thinking about the other. As they begin to see one another, the two of them begin to unravel the hurt they are both holding onto. When confronted by their parents, can Bex and Jack's relationship survive? Another awesome book that I've waited too long to pick up.

Visit Jenn Bennett's website.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

“Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I enjoyed Angie Thomas’ sophomore novel so much better than her first and more than I initially expected. As Bri’s story unfolded, I help my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. A couple of times the incident from The Hate U Give is mentioned but reading that book first isn’t necessary. Once again, I listened to the audio version and Bahni Turpin is a phenomenal voice to the author’s words. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next. 

Visit Angie Thomas’ website.

What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi

Ryden Brooks' daughter is six months old. At seventeen, he is struggling with how to be a father when he has never known his own as a possible role model. Hope constantly cries whenever she is in his care but is a good baby for everyone else. Senior year and soccer season are getting ready to start and Ryden hasn't figured out how he is going to make it all work with child care. His single mother helps him with Hope when she isn't working herself. He works a part time job at Whole Foods and is holding out hope that he will be offered a soccer scholarship at UCLA. Hope's mother, Meg Reynolds, stopped her chemotherapy treatments when she discovered that she was pregnant. Ryden and her parents all begged her to have an abortion, but she refused. Meg died shortly after Hope's birth. Meg's parents have nothing to do with Ryden or their granddaughter. Ryden feels like everyone blames him for Meg's death and has pulled away from his friends since his daughter’s birth. He finds a little bit of comfort in reading the one journal of Meg's that he has but his heart is broken when he looks at their daughter who reminds him so much of her mother.

With the start of school, Ryden begins to try and assimilate with his classmates. He finds it hard to juggle all of his responsibilities and make it work. When Meg’s parents refuse to even open their door when he knocks, Ryden is at his lowest. Meg's sister, Mabel, gets word to him and comes out to meet him down the street at the corner. She gets to meet her niece for the first time and immediately falls in love. She also gives Ryden the one journal of Meg's that she had. She warns him that it will not be an easy read. Her parents have placed all of Meg's things into storage. As he begins to read it, Ryden thinks that she left a journal for not only the two of them but for her best friend Alan as well. Ryden begins a ruthless search to find more of her journals and see what other clues she many have left behind for them.

When Ryden meets the quirky Joni at his job, he begins to come out of his self imposed shell. Joni doesn't know the "baggage" that Ryden hides and he wants to keep it that way. But as Joni begins to make strides into Ryden’s life, he finds that his secrets cannot be hidden and may find a way to heal not only his broken heart but relieve his guilt over Meg’s death.

Will Ryden locate the father he has never met? Do Meg's parents ever take an interest in Hope? Did Meg leave a journal behind for each important person in her life? Can Ryden make his dreams of UCLA a reality? Will he find his footing as a father? Does he ever forgive himself for Meg's death and go on with his life? Will Joni stick around after she discovers Ryden’s secrets?

Visit Jessica Verdi’s website.

On the Fence by Kasie West

HEADS UP! Even though you don’t need to read Ms. West’s previous book, The Distance Between Us, you will recognize some characters and places from this book.

Sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds is known as Charlie to everyone. With three older brothers, Gage, Jerom and Nathan, and raised by a single father, she knows more about being a boy and sports than being a girl. Braden Lewis, the boy who has lived next door for the past twelve years, is like brother number four. As an only child with a verbally abusive father, he is always hanging around. He and Gage are best friends. Her mother died when she was six and her dad has never remarried. She and her brothers are ready for summer break to begin. When their father comes home from work in a bad mood, he only has eyes for Charlie. He isn't happy that she received another speeding ticket and didn't tell him. As punishment, he is going to make her pay for not only this ticket but the last one as well, plus the extra cost in Insurance. Not having that kind of money, her dad tells her to get a job. She refutes that a job will interfere with sports practices and camps. He tells her that she will have to figure that problem out because he isn't backing down.

Gage goes to Old Town with Charlie to look for a job. He is scoping out the girls while she picks up applications. Charlie goes into one store and meets Skye Lockwood. Skye isn’t hiring but she sends her down two doors to Linda’s Bazaar, a clothing store. Linda will put her to work Tuesday and Thursday nights as well as Saturday mornings for a total of eight hours. She knows that Charlie really isn’t interested in a job and that she was put up to this. Linda tells Charlie that she will need some better clothes for work. She will help her pick them out and her first two week paycheck will cover the cost. On Charlie’s first day, Linda gives her all kinds of outfits to try on. Charlie doesn’t feel comfortable  and Linda decides on what she will wear. Charlie trains for her job and at the end of her shift, she changes back into her old clothes. Linda asks her why but Charlie doesn’t tell her that she doesn’t want her father and brothers to see her this way. Linda thinks her mother would like to see her dressed up. Knowing how Linda “mothers” Skye since her mother left her when she was young, Charlie doesn’t want to see her pity when she tells her about her mother. She lies and says that her mother is a tomboy like she is.

That night, Charlie has a nightmare about the car accident that killed her mother. Not wanting to go back to sleep, she heads out to the backyard. At 3am, she is surprised to witness Mr. Lewis just coming home. Not long after, lights in the neighboring house come on and the yelling begins. She is stunned when the back door flies open and Braden comes out. Charlie watches him through the slats of the fence that separate the two yards. She speaks to him and he think it is Gage. He comes over to the fence and finds her. He sits with his back to the fence and Charlie does the same. They begin by talking around the events that led them to the  fence and the conversation soon turns into a competition of sorts about how well they know the each other. Charlie realizes that even though Braden is her brother’s best friend, she really doesn’t know everything. The competition ends when his dad starts yelling again and Braden starts to head back inside to see if he can get him to go to bed. As he is leaving, he tells Charlie that their conversation isn’t over and that he will be victorious in the end.

At work, Linda tells Charlie that she is thinking about selling makeup in the store. The distributor wants to hold a class on Saturday to drum up business. Linda thinks that Charlie will be the perfect model and will split any commission she makes with her. Charlie reluctantly agrees thinking that she can quit sooner with the extra money she could make. Since Charlie is underage, her mother or one of her parents will have to sign a liability form. Linda says that she should invite her mother to the class. Feeling guilty, Charlie continues with her lie and says that her mother is working on Saturday. She comes home to find her “four brothers” playing a game inside the house. Braden grabs her as she comes in and tells her what is going on. They need to keep quiet so as not to be found. With her pulled up against him, Braden can smell the perfume that Skye sprayed on her. Charlie notices how close they are before Gage tells them that if they were playing the game, they would both be “dead” by now. She is shaken by how close they were touching.

Working two nights a week interrupts Charlie’s running schedule and hence her ability to sleep fitfully from pure exhaustion. Charlie and her father are awkward around each other when they are alone and girl stuff needs to be discussed. Not wanting him or her brothers to know about the makeup class, she forges her mother’s signature to the consent form. Looking out the window, she sees that Braden’s light is on in his room. She send him a text to see if he wants to meet for a fence chat. Sitting back to back against the fence, Charlie tells Braden that she is feeling guilty about lying to her boss without telling him what she has lied about. Braden tells her that it is okay unless it is something that will continue to eat at her. They return to their competition/conversation and Braden mentions that Charlie doesn’t like girls who wear certain articles of clothing. She tells him that it should be a rule not to date someone like that. Braden comments that she has never given him dating advice before. Charlie admits that she knows the type of girls he would date and Braden thinks that she doesn't know what type of girl he wants to date. Charlie tries not to read anything into it.

The makeup class is a success but Charlie cannot wait to take it off. Amber, the distributor, invites her to lunch with a couple of her friends, but she begs off. Amber will not take no for an answer next week. Linda takes a photo of Charlie’s makeup to take home to her mother before she wipes it off. Looking at the photo at home, Charlie is shocked to see that she looks just like her mother’s wedding portrait hanging in the hallway. She hides the photo when Gage bursts into her bedroom. Gage says that he will find out what she is hiding one day. The next night at work, Linda presets Charlie with a check for her cut of the commission. She says that it was such a big success, she has printed fliers when Charlie’s photo on them to advertise. Charlie hopes that no one will recognize her.

Will Charlie find the courage to ask her family about her mother’s death? How does Linda discover the truth about Charlie’s mother? What does she say to Charlie? Does Charlie become more comfortable with the feminine side of her or will she just always be a tomboy? What happens when the men in Charlie’s life discover what she is doing for her job? Will they finally see Charlie as a young woman? And will Charlie be able to admit her growing feelings for the boy next door and will he feel the same way?

Visit Kasie West’s website.

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

"Money can't buy a good first impression."

Seventeen year old Caymen Meyers and her single parent mother live in the tiny apartment above her mother's store, Dolls and More. Her father split as soon as her mother found out she was pregnant and his wealthy parents paid her mother off to keep her from seeking support. They reside in a small beach town where only two types of people live; the rich and people who sell things to the rich. Caymen is working for her mother when a rich boy about her age comes in. He is looking to buy a doll for his grandmother's birthday. She helps him pick something out and tries to keep her sarcastic attitude towards the wealthy in check. She barely succeeds. Wrapping up his purchase, Caymen notices that his name is Xander Spence from his credit card. He begins to catch on to her humor and tries to get her name. He is unsuccessful and leaves. Xander has made an impression on Caymen, whether she likes it or not.

Mrs. Dalton is a frequent customer in the shop. She comes into the shop one day to check on a doll that she ordered for her granddaughter's birthday. Caymen lets her know that it will be delivered the next day. Mrs. Dalton is unable to come back in and tells Caymen know that she will be sending her grandson Alex instead. She asks how Caymen's mother is and she answers ok. Mrs. Dalton leaves before her mother, Susan, comes in from the grocery store. She asks Caymen to leave the shop unattended (an unusual request) and finish carrying the bags up to their apartment. She finds her mother sitting on the couch and lets her know that she will finish unpacking later. At the end of the business day, she finds it odd that her mother never came back down to help in the shop like she normally does. Caymen finds her mother cooking dinner, which is unusual. She offers to clean up while her mother lies down to read a book. Caymen sees that her mother didn't eat much and on her way to her room, she sees that she has fallen asleep.

The next day Caymen is surprised to see Xander come back into the shop. It runs out that Xander is called Alex by his grandmother, Mrs. Dalton. This time, Xander is determined to learn her name. He calls his grandmother to let her know that he has the doll and that the owner says hello. When he says that it isn't Susan, Xander finally learns Caymen's name. He smiles and Caymen doesn't want to admit to herself how that makes her feel. On Saturday, Caymen goes into the shop early because she couldn't sleep. She is startled when the phone rings and it is Xander. He has been to the bakery and has muffins to share. She opens the shop door to let him in. He is surprised to learn that she lives above the shop. They start a game of asking each other questions but neither really learns much about the other before Xander leaves. When her mother asks her who called, her the first time in her life, Caymen lies. She doesn't want her mother to know about Xander.

Soon, Xander and Caymen find themselves spending time together and have more in common than they could have imagined. It seems both are expected to take over their family's respective businesses. Caymen knows that Xander oozes money but when she discovers that he is the heir to a hotel chain, she discovers just how rich he is. With her mother’s experience with her father, Caymen is leery to become involved with a rich boy, no matter how cute he is or how much he understands her. Rich boys seem to have short attention spans when it comes to girls. She knows her mother will never approve of Xander.

Can Caymen overcome the differences between her and Xander to see that maybe they belong together? Is Xander serious about Caymen or is she just a passing interest? Why is her mother acting strange? Will Caymen ever reconnect with the father who abandoned her? What will Caymen's mother say when she finds out about Xander?

Visit Kasie West’s website.