Love, Decoded by Jennifer Yen

 

“High school junior Gigi Wong strives to be the best: the top student, the perfect friend, and the ideal daughter. But it's tough when there's always someone who is just a little bit better. With college applications looming, she can't help but worry that she won't make the cut. Thankfully, her best friend Kyle never fails to find the right words--and the perfect bowl of ramen--to cheer her up.

After her teacher, Ms. Harris, announces she'll be nominating students for an app writing contest, Gigi is determined to be picked. After all, first prize is an exclusive tech internship, sure to make her application stand out. There's only one problem: she doesn't have a winning program. It isn't until transfer student Etta admits she's struggling to fit in at Superbia that Gigi stumbles on an idea. She'll use her coding skills--and the matchmaking experience she's gotten from weekends with Auntie Rose--to create a friend matching app! Etta will meet new people, and Gigi will guarantee her acceptance into college. It's foolproof.

What Gigi doesn't expect is for her app to go viral around school. Soon, she finds herself at the center of a scandal--and at odds with both Etta and Kyle. Can Gigi fix what went wrong, or will her desire to be perfect cost her the people she cares about most?” - taken from Goodreads.

I didn’t realize that this story was based on Emma by Jane Austen. Gigi’s aunt is teaching her the art of matchmaking, but she thinks she can do a better job with an app she is programming. Misunderstandings and hijinks ensue as Gigi tries to make matches and fails without seeing what is happening around her. Will Gigi see the error of her ways or will she finally realize what is right in front of her?

Gigi is the younger sister of James from the author’s first book, A Taste of Love.

Visit Jennifer Yen’s website.

See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon

 

“Barrett Bloom is hoping college will be a fresh start after a messy high school experience. But when school begins on September 21st, everything goes wrong. She’s humiliated by the know-it-all in her physics class, she botches her interview for the college paper, and at a party that night, she accidentally sets a frat on fire. She panics and flees, and when she realizes her roommate locked her out of their dorm, she falls asleep in the common room.

The next morning, Barrett’s perplexed to find herself back in her dorm room bed, no longer smelling of ashes and crushed dreams. It’s September 21st. Again. And after a confrontation with Miles, the guy from Physics 101, she learns she’s not alone—he’s been trapped for months.

When her attempts to fix her timeline fail, she agrees to work with Miles to find a way out. Soon they’re exploring the mysterious underbelly of the university and going on wild, romantic adventures. As they start falling for each other, they face the universe’s biggest unanswered question yet: what happens to their relationship if they finally make it to tomorrow?” - taken from Goodreads.

For Barrett Bloom, September 21st was to be the start of a new life after a disastrous high school life. Her college years at the University of Washington were going to be her time to shine. Unfortunately, her day starts off on the wrong foot when she wakes up to find her high school nemesis is her roommate and just goes downhill from there. Hoping that the next day will be  better, Barrett wakes up to find that it is September 21st again.

When Miles from her first class of the day, Physics 101, confronts her about being stuck in the time loop with him, Barrett discovers she’s not alone. The two decide to work together to find their way to September 22. Can Barrett and Miles find a way out of their Groundhog Day scenario? And how many days will it take? 

Visit Rachel Lynn Solomon’s website.

Meet Me in the Middle by Alex Light

 

“Eden had her best friend Katie—she didn’t need anyone else. But then there was Truman.

Katie’s older brother, the artist. The recluse. The boy with the innocent smile and the dangerous eyes.

Eden had never really known Truman—not until the night of Katie’s accident. That was the night they’d finally let each other into their orbits—only to have the sky come crashing down on them.

With Katie in the hospital and Truman fleeing from his grief without a word, Eden is left alone to grapple with her own pain. But when Truman returns to the city, can Eden let him back into her life knowing that their first kiss is what tore their world apart?” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a gut wrenching read of love and loss. Told between the POV of Eden, Katie’s best friend and Truman, Katie’s older brother, the story switches between the events leading up to Katie’s accident and the traumatic aftermath. Guilty over what transpired before the accident, neither Eden nor Truman can't get past that eventful night and what they feel is their part. What happened between Eden and Truman the night of Katie's accident and why was she in the car? Will either of them be able to get past their guilt to find happiness?

Visit Alex Light’s website.

The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford

 

“Outsiders are always given a choice: the Forest or the lake. Either way, they're never heard from again.

Leelo has spent her entire life on Endla, coexisting with the bloodthirsty Forest and respecting the poisonous lake that protects her island from outsiders who seek to destroy it. But as much as Leelo cares for her community, she struggles to accept that her younger brother will be exiled by his next birthday, unless he gains the magic of enchanted song so vital to Endla.

When Leelo sees a young outsider on the verge of drowning in the lake, she knows exactly what she's supposed to do. But in a moment that will change everything, Leelo betrays her family, her best friend, and Endla by making an unthinkable choice.

Discovery could lead to devastating consequences for both Leelo and the outsider, Jaren, but as they grow closer, Leelo realizes that not all danger comes from beyond the lake—and they can only survive if Leelo is willing to question the very fabric of her society, her people, and herself. “ -  taken from Goodreads.

A magical story full of mystery, secrets, and love. When Leelo saves Jaren from the poisoned waters of Lake Luma, she cannot bring herself to kill or alert the council of the outsider’s arrival. Hiding him away from everyone and nursing him back to health, can Leelo keep Jaren a hidden until they figure out a way for him to leave the island or will someone betray them?

Visit Mara Rutherford’s website.

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard (The Luminaries book 1)

“Hemlock Falls isn't like other towns. You won't find it on a map, your phone won't work here, and the forest outside town might just kill you.

Winnie Wednesday wants nothing more than to join the Luminaries, the ancient order that protects Winnie's town—and the rest of humanity—from the monsters and nightmares that rise in the forest of Hemlock Falls every night.

Ever since her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor, Winnie and her family have been shunned. But on her sixteenth birthday, she can take the deadly Luminary hunter trials and prove herself true and loyal—and restore her family's good name. Or die trying.

But in order to survive, Winnie enlists the help of the one person who can help her train: Jay Friday, resident bad boy and Winnie’s ex-best friend. While Jay might be the most promising new hunter in Hemlock Falls, he also seems to know more about the nightmares of the forest than he should. Together, he and Winnie will discover a danger lurking in the forest no one in Hemlock Falls is prepared for.

Not all monsters can be slain, and not all nightmares are confined to the dark. - taken from Goodreads.

This was a surprisingly great read that I had a hard time putting down. The families/protectors of Hemlock Falls are sorted/named after the days of the week. Winnie Wednesday still dreams of becoming a hunter even after her father’s betrayal and her family’s shunning by the community. When she enters the hunter trials to everyone’s dismay, they are shocked to see she made a kill. Winnie didn’t but she didn’t correct anyone’s assumption, especially when her family was accepted back into the Luminaries. Back into the fold, Winnie gets help from Jay Friday, a former friend. The deeper Winnie gets back into her training, the more secrets and strange happenings that occur.

Book two is expected to be published in 2023. 

Visit Susan Dennard’s website.

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn (Legendborn book 2)

 

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

Check out the Riveted blog for a recap Legendborn.

“The shadows have risen, and the line is law.

All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:

A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.

But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.

Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.

When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.

If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.” - taken from Goodreads.

One month has passed since the conclusion of Legendborn and Bree must deal with her new found reality. The second book in the trilogy, the action and story never slows down in this installment. With more of the Order revealed and Bree’s ancestors revealing their history, she finds that there are few people she can trust. With shocking twists and confessions to the very end, fans will be eagerly awaiting the publication of the third book.

Visit Tracy Deonn’s website.

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong (Foul Lady Fortune book 1)

 

SPOILER ALERT! Even though this is the start of a new series, it does pick up four years after the conclusion to Our Violent Ends.

Check out the Riveted blog for recaps of both These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends.

“It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.

Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.

Code name: Fortune.

But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.

To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.” - taken from Goodreads.

An exciting, heart-pounding story that finds Rosalind Lang four years after the conclusion of Our Violent Ends. Now a spy and assassin, she must work under cover with a fellow spy to discover a secret that could change the course of China. With secrets of her own, Rosalind will find that the mystery goes much deeper than anyone ever imagined. Appearances by characters from the former duology help drive the story forward.

Book two is expected to be published in September of 2023.

Visit Chloe Gong’s website.