Category: Fiction

Title: Drama
Author: Raina Telgemeier
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Middle Grade
Publisher: Scholastic
Source: Purchased
Release Date: September 1, 2012
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

PLACES, EVERYONE!

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school’s production of Moon Over Mississippi, she can’t really sing. Instead she’s the set designer for the drama department stage crew, and this year she’s determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn’t know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen. And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier!

Review:
This story had a lot of aspects of a play. Instead of chapters, it was divided into acts. At the beginning, the curtain rose and it fell at the end. There was even an intermission in the middle.

I also liked that there were gay characters in this story. The characters were in middle school, which is the time when you start to learn about yourself. It’s important to have a variety of characters in middle grade and young adult books, because the world is filled with a variety of people.

Like all of the graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier that I’ve read, I loved this book!

Title: Girl In Snow
Author: Danya Kukafka
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: August 1, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Lucinda Hayes was found one morning lying on the carousel in the elementary school playground in the snow. Cameron had watched her for a long time. He would sneak out of his house at night and watch her through her bedroom windows. He would draw portraits of her. Jade and Lucinda babysat for the same family. Jade worked for them first, but once they met Lucinda, they preferred to have her work for them. Russ is a police officer. He was friends with Lee, Cameron’s father, who was accused of beating a woman and left town after he was found not guilty. Russ’s brother-in-law is the janitor at the elementary school who found Lucinda’s body. Over the three days following her death, these people work to figure out what happened to her.

The story is told in chapters alternating between the perspectives of Cameron, Jade, and Russ. One of the first things I noticed about this book is how the three different narratives are so unique. Cameron’s narrative is told in third person. Cameron has some problems and keeps to himself a lot, so I can see why he wouldn’t tell his own story. Jade and Russ tell their stories in the first person perspective, but Russ’s parts don’t use quotation marks around the spoken words. This makes it seem more like it’s being filtered through his thoughts.

I enjoyed this story. It moved along at a steady pace. It was kind of emotional at times, because a lot of the characters had personal struggles. But overall it is a good story.

Title: See What I Have Done
Author: Sarah Schmidt
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Release Date: August 1, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

On August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in their home. Andrew’s daughter Lizzie and their maid Bridget were both home at the time but neither heard anything happen. They called Lizzie’s sister, Emma, home from the friend’s house she was visiting. Their maternal uncle, John, was visiting at the time. John was planning to send a man to see Andrew Borden, and tell him to treat Lizzie and Emma better. This story follows the events that took place on August 3 and 4, as well as Lizzie’s Borden’s trial. 

I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Lizzie Borden. This book is a great portrayal of the events. 

I really liked the way that John was also planning to send a man to talk some sense into Andrew. It throws suspicion off of Lizzie for a while. I was really beginning to wonder if this man did it instead. 

There were a lot of metaphors in the story that referred to butchering or chopping. This was a subtle way to incorporate the theme of the ax murders. 

This was a great, thrilling story. 

Title: Crimes Against A Book Club
Author: Kathy Cooperman
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Release Date: May 1, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Annie has just joined a prestigious book club in La Jolla, an expensive area of San Diego. But she doesn’t fit in. She has a PhD in Chemistry, while all the other women stay at home all day. Annie’s world comes crashing down when her son is diagnosed with Autism. The doctors recommend that he gets lots of therapy, which would cost $84,000 per year. Though they have a lot of money, Annie’s family can’t afford that price tag. Annie’s best friend Sarah also has some financial problems. She abruptly quit her job as an associate at a law firm. She has been trying to have a baby for years and she has gone through IVF treatment twice but nothing has worked. She wants to try it one more time, but she doesn’t have the money now that she’s unemployed. Annie comes up with an idea to get them both the money they need. They will sell a homemade face cream to the rich women in La Jolla, under the guise of a celebrity doctor. Annie mixes up a special cream to sell for $2,000 a jar. But they both run into trouble when Annie’s secret ingredient is discovered. 

This was a really funny book. The premise of selling the face cream was so absurd. But I could see this happening in real life. When a celebrity’s face is associated with a product, it can sell for way more than its worth. 

Though the book club isn’t as prominent in the story as I thought it would be, there was a book theme running through the story. Each chapter focused on one character, and it opened with a paragraph about a book they read. It set the stage for what was going to happen to them in that chapter. 

There were so many other women in the story that Sarah’s and Annie’s stories got lost in the mix. Though they were still the main characters, some chapters went into detailed subplots about minor characters. I don’t think there needed to be quite as much detail about the women who bought the cream from Sarah. 

I recommend this book for some good laughs!

Title: Royal Replicas
Author: Michael Pierce
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: ParousiaSix Press
Release Date: July 11, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

This review is part of the blog tour from YA Bound Blog Tours. 

Victoria Sandalwood lives with Duke and Duchess Ramsey. She has lived with them all her life, but she has never been treated as a daughter. She has been banished to the cellar and is constantly punished for silly things, resulting in her being beaten by Master Ramsey. One day, she gets a message from Queen Hart that says she is her daughter and must return to the castle to marry a prince. Victoria is shocked at this news but also happy to leave her painful life. However, when she arrives at the castle, Victoria meets six other girls who look just like her. She must compete with these other girls to win the Prince’s heart. 

This book is very similar to other popular YA dystopian series right now: The Selection, Red Queen, The Lunar Chronicles. But this one has a clever twist involving genetics. 

Every time I thought I had figured out what was happening, I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong. The twists were surprising and the pace moved quickly so I was never bored. 

The ending left the story open to a sequel, which I look forward to reading. 

Title: Fitness Junkie
Author: Lucy Sykes, Jo Piazza 
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: July 11, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Janey Sweet works with her childhood friend, Beau, at a bridal gown company called B. One day, he takes her out for breakfast and announces that she should take a break from the company because she’s gained too much weight. This was sparked by a photo of her eating at a fashion show. Janey had been going through a lot in the past year because both her parents died and she got divorced. Her best friend CJ set her up with all kinds of exercise classes and diets. But her life really started to change when she met Stella, a shaman. Stella introduced her to the exclusive Workout, that is invite-only. Along with CJ, Stella, and her cousin Ivy, Janey tries lots of diets and workouts with the goal of returning to her company. 

This book has just the right amount of humour and drama. Janet’s experience with all the fad diets and workouts were hilarious. She did everything from freezing her body to a free-the-nipple yoga session. It was very entertaining to read. But there were also serious twists to the story. Some women will literally do anything to be skinny. 

One of the scary things about this book is that these diets and exercises are real! I can’t imagine wanting to eat clay or freeze my body to lose weight. 

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a perfect summer beach read! 

Title: Two Nights
Author: Kathy Reichs
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: July 11, 2017
Rating: ★★★

Sunday Night is an ex-cop and ex-military. One day, her friend Beau asks her to go see the wealthy Opaline Drucker. Opaline wants Sunday to investigate the death of her daughter and grandson, and find her missing granddaughter. They were killed in a bombing outside a Jewish school, and her granddaughter’s body was never found. Opaline is certain that her granddaughter is still alive because someone tried to access her bank account recently. Sunday starts her search in Chicago. Along with her brother, she is led on a hunt across the U.S., from California to D.C. 

Sunday Night is a very unlikeable character. She narrates the story, and is very blunt. Though sometimes unlikeable characters can be effective, Sunday was too negative and flat. 

The story moved slowly. There were also confusing chapters about a girl who was locked away in a house. It takes a long time to discover what those parts are about, and the outcome was disappointing. 

Sunday also did a lot of strange things throughout her investigation, that made the story move slowly. She didn’t explain any of her plans. She would repeatedly do things, which got tiring after a while. For example, she always got a second hotel room, and never stayed where she was supposed to. She didn’t explain the purpose of this and it got tedious after the first few times. Fewer repetitive details like this would have made the story move faster and more enjoyable. 

I really enjoy Kathy Reich’s other books about Temperance Brennan. There was even a reference to Bones in this story. I was excited to read this one too, but it was disappointing. It had too many details and not enough explanation. 

Title: Archie Volume 1: The New Riverdale
Author: Mark Waid, Fiona Staples
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Archie Comics
Release Date: March 29, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Archie and the gang are updated in this new graphic novel series. Archie and Betty have been dating since they were kids. But one day there is a “lipstick incident” and they break up. No one knows what the lipstick incident was, and they aren’t telling. Meanwhile, a new girl moves into town: Veronica Lodge. Archie gets a job at the construction site for the new Lodge mansion. But that night, while cleaning up the mess he made during the day, Archie accidentally turns on a machine that destroys the house. Archie decides to make it up to Veronica by doing everything for him. Betty and Jughead don’t like the way Veronica is using Archie, so they make a plan with Reggie to break them up. 

I loved the new artwork in this graphic novel. It’s updated and modern. 

In each comic, Archie speaks directly to the reader, often to introduce the story. I love how this brings the reader right into the story and creates a connection between the reader and the characters. 

There was a lot of background given for the characters that I haven’t read before. The origin of Jughead’s name is revealed, as well as Veronica’s entrance to Riverdale. 

There are many diverse characters in the new Riverdale, including Sayed, a Muslim student and Shiela, an Asian girl. This is an important feature in this contemporary story. 

I’m really excited about the new Archie. This graphic novel is a great introduction to the new series.

Title: Ten Tiny Breaths
Author: K.A. Tucker
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Rating: ★★★★★

Four years ago, Kacey was in a car accident that killed her parents, her best friend, and her boyfriend. Her and her younger sister, Livie, were sent to live with her aunt and uncle. But when Kacey turned 19, she found out that her uncle had gambled away their inheritance. She takes her sister and moves to Miami after her uncle tried to molest Livie. Soon, Kacey becomes friends with her neighbour Storm and her 3 year old daughter. Storm gets Kacey a job as a bartender at the strip club where she works. Kacey’s other neighbour, Trent, is a very attractive man who moved in just before she did. They meet many times in the laundry room, at the gym, and at the strip club. Kacey falls for him, but Trent has a mysterious past. Kacey keeps her dark secrets from him too so she doesn’t think anything of it, but soon their nightmares threaten their relationship.

This is a great book. The characters are well developed. Everything spirals out of control for Kacey, and her sister is a good foil for her. Livie keeps everything together when Kacey can’t.
At times, the story was very dark. Kacey has severe PTSD so she makes a lot of bad decisions. This also caused a lot of tension in the story between the characters. But the ending was so shocking, that the build up was worth it.

I was suspicious of Trent from the start, but I didn’t think his background was going to be revealed. There is a great twist that reveals everything at the end.

This book is very well written. I’m glad it’s the beginning of a series so the story of Kacey and Livie will continue!