Category: Young Adult

Title: Tradition
Author: Brendan Kiely
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Prestigious. Powerful. Privileged. This is Fullbrook Academy, an elite prep school where history looms in the leafy branches over its brick walkways. But some traditions upheld in its hallowed halls are profoundly dangerous.

Jules Devereux just wants to keep her head down, avoid distractions, and get into the right college, so she can leave Fullbrook and its old-boy social codes behind. She wants freedom, but ex-boyfriends and ex-best friends are determined to keep her in place.

Jamie Baxter feels like an imposter at Fullbrook, but the hockey scholarship that got him in has given him a chance to escape his past and fulfill the dreams of his parents and coaches, whose mantra rings in his ears: Don’t disappoint us.

When Jamie and Jules meet, they recognize in each other a similar instinct for survival, but at a school where girls in the student handbook are rated by their looks, athletes stack hockey pucks in dorm room windows like notches on a bedpost, and school-sponsored dances push first year girls out into the night with senior boys, the stakes for safe sex, real love, and true friendship couldn’t be higher.

As Jules and Jamie’s lives intertwine, and the pressures to play by the rules and remain silent about the school’s secrets intensify, they see Fullbrook for what it really is. That tradition, a word Fullbrook hides behind, can be ugly, even violent. Ultimately, Jules and Jamie are faced with the difficult question: can they stand together against classmates—and an institution—who believe they can do no wrong?

Review:

This story started a little slow but picked up in the middle. The one good thing about the slow beginning was that it really introduced the characters. By the time the main incident happened, I felt like I really knew who they were.

I really liked that there was a hook at the beginning, which took place right after the main party, so it encouraged me to keep reading. It just took a while to get to that point. Once the incident in Part 2 happened, the story flew by.

The characters were great and they had quite unique backgrounds. Jules was an outcast at school because she promotes women’s health. However, the year before she was dating one of the most popular guys in school. Jamie on the other hand is new to the school. He got a full scholarship to the school after he had to leave his public school.

The traditions of the school were disrupted by real life. The winning hockey team was disrupted by a violent player, and Jules’ life was disrupted by the assault at the party. Both Jules and Jamie had to fit in with the traditions of this private school, but still maintain their modern lives.

This is a great young adult novel.

About the Author:

Title: Stay Sweet
Author: Siobhan Vivian
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A summer read about first love, feminism, and ice cream.

Summer in Sand Lake isn’t complete without a trip to Meade Creamery—the local ice cream stand founded in 1944 by Molly Meade who started making ice cream to cheer up her lovesick girlfriends while all the boys were away at war. Since then, the stand has been owned and managed exclusively by local girls, who inevitably become the best of friends. Seventeen-year-old Amelia and her best friend Cate have worked at the stand every summer for the past three years, and Amelia is “Head Girl” at the stand this summer. When Molly passes away before Amelia even has her first day in charge, Amelia isn’t sure that the stand can go on. That is, until Molly’s grandnephew Grady arrives and asks Amelia to stay on to help continue the business…but Grady’s got some changes in mind…

Review:

This is a cute summer read!

I liked the characters in this story. Amelia seems like a simple girl, but she handled tough situations really well. She didn’t expect to be made Head Girl at the ice cream stand, but from the way she reacted to problems, she earned that position. Cate was a great contrast to her. She was much wilder with a carefree attitude, but very outspoken.

The story had some great twists right at the beginning. Molly’s death was quite a surprise. It made the story very serious for a while. But then it picked back up. It was also a twist that the stand was no longer be run solely by women. This was a great twist since women in higher positions in business is an important topic in the world today.

I also loved how the story included some of Molly’s perspective in the form of her diary from when she started making ice cream. It demonstrated that though Amelia and Molly were born decades apart, they were connected through their dedication to the business. This also kept Molly in the story after she died.

I really liked this story. It would be a great beach read this summer!

Title: Leading Lines
Author: Chantel Guertin
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: ECW Press
Source: Purchased
Release Date: October 13, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

After two drama-filled weeks in Manhattan, Pippa Greene is back. Despite a romantic reunion with boyfriend Dylan, she can’t seem to shake the emotional aftermath of New York. As she navigates parental drama at home and her charged dynamic with Ben Baxter at school, Pippa finds that Dylan is more wrapped up in his post-high-school life of bands, shows, and new friends than in their relationship. Will it survive?

Written with the same humour and heart that made Chantel Guertin’s first two Pippa Greene novels instant favourites, Leading Lines offers a fresh and charming perspective on friendships, family, and first love.

Review:

I loved this third installment in the Pippa Greene series.

I could really relate to Pippa. I was frustrated for her while she had to navigate her confusing relationships with Dylan and Ben. They were both annoying in their own ways, but she couldn’t resist them.

The characters all have a lot of depth beyond their relationships. Dylan still has to deal with his past cancer battle. Pippa also has to deal with her discovery of her biological father in New York. These aspects keep the story moving, and make the characters unique.

This is a fabulous series that I highly recommend! The fourth book is being released in a couple of weeks, so there’s still time to catch up!

Title: Love Songs & Other Lies
Author: Jessica Pennington
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s summer romance and second chances, the songs that stay in your head, and the boy you’ll never forget.

Two years after rock-song-worthy heartbreak, Virginia Miller is looking forward to a fun, carefree summer. Her friends just landed a spot on a battling bands reality show, and Vee is joining them for her dream internship on tour. Three months with future rockstars seems like an epic summer plan. Until she learns she’ll also be sharing the bus with Cam. Her first love, and her first heartbreak. Now Vee has more than just cameras to dodge, and Cam’s determination to win her forgiveness is causing TMZ-worthy problems for both of them. With cameras rolling, she’ll have to decide if her favorite breakup anthem deserves a new ending. And if she’s brave enough to expose her own secrets to keep Cam’s under wraps.

Review:

I really enjoyed this YA story.

I liked the concept of Virginia traveling around on the tour bus with her friends. This kind of band tour is completely new to me, so I liked learning about it, especially the behind-the-scenes aspects of a reality show. It’s unfortunate for Vee that the bus was completely full of guys. And it’s also unfortunate that her best friend lied to her to get her there.

I liked Virginia too, and it’s too bad that her friends were jerks. I didn’t like Logan. He had an awkward place in the story as Vee’s friend/sometimes fake boyfriend. At first I didn’t like Cam, but he grew on me. Even though he made bad decisions, I don’t think he was a bad guy.

I recommend this story for anyone looking for a light YA romantic read.

Title: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Purchased
Release Date: March 20, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Review:

This book definitely lived up to the hype. I met Jenny Han at a book signing last year, and I have all the books in the series, but I hadn’t read any of them until now.

I loved Lara Jean. I found her very relatable. She makes mistakes and can own up to them. Even though it wasn’t her fault that her letters were sent out, she still accepted that it happened and tried to move on.

I liked the family dynamics of the story. The Covey family is unique. Their mother died when they were young, and their father works as a doctor, so most of the housework and cooking fell on Margot’s shoulders because she was the oldest. Then she has to pass that off to Lara Jean when Margot left to go to school in Scotland. The youngest sister, Kitty, was so funny. She was sarcastic and wise beyond her years, so she made many funny comments.

I loved this book. I already had some spoilers to what happened since I’m reading it so late, but I still really enjoyed it.

Title: Suitors and Sabotage
Author: Cindy Anstey
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Source: Xpresso Book Tours, NetGalley
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Shy aspiring artist Imogene Chively has just had a successful Season in London, complete with a suitor of her father’s approval. Imogene is ambivalent about the young gentleman until he comes to visit her at the Chively estate with his younger brother in tow. When her interest is piqued, however, it is for the wrong brother.

Charming Ben Steeple has a secret: despite being an architectural apprentice, he has no drawing aptitude. When Imogene offers to teach him, Ben is soon smitten by the young lady he considers his brother’s intended.

But hiding their true feelings becomes the least of their problems when, after a series of “accidents,” it becomes apparent that someone means Ben harm. And as their affection for each other grows—despite their efforts to remain just friends—so does the danger. . .

Review:

This book was great! I didn’t enjoy the last couple of books I read, so this was a great book to get me out of that rut.

I love Victorian novels, and this was a great twist on the traditional love story. Imogene is conflicted between two suitors. And even worse, the suitors are brothers! This would be too scandalous for Victorian times, but it made a great conflict for a contemporary story.

The story was very fast paced. It has mystery elements that keep the story moving. It appears that someone is trying to harm Ben’s reputation, which also would have been a scandalous storyline for the main character of a real Victorian novel.

This was a very exciting story. I loved it, and I highly recommend it!

About the Author:

Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway (US/CAN)

April 16th
–SERIESous Book Reviews >> Review
–The Book Drealms >> Guest post
–The Bookish Thought >> Review
–Tale Out Loud >> Review
–QUITE THE NOVEL IDEA >> Review

April 17th
–The Book Dutchesses >> Review
–Jill’s Book Blog >> Review
–Rattle the Stars >> Excerpt
–Dani Reviews Things >> Review
–Darque Dreamer Reads >> Review

April 18th
–Love in a Time of Feminism >> Review
–Lisa Loves Literature >> Interview
–Little Library Muse >> Excerpt
–The Book Maiden >> Review

April 19th
–Milky Way of Books >> Review
–Bibliobibuli YA >> Interview
–Reading With Wrin >> Review
–I Smell Sheep >> Guest post
–Charmed Book Haven Reviews >> Review

April 20th
–What Cathy Read Next >> Review
–Smada’s Book Smack >> Review
–It’s a Book Life >> Review
–Belle’s Book Blog >> Review
–The Heart of a Book Blogger >> Review

Title: Isle of Blood and Stone
Author: Makiia Lucier
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: April 10, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ulises asked, “How can I look at these maps, see this riddle, and do nothing? They are my brothers.”

Elias reached across the table and flicked aside two shells with a fingertip. The map curled into itself. “It’s bound to be a goose chase. You know that?”

“Or a treasure hunt,” Ulises countered, “and you’ve always been good at those.”

Nineteen-year-old Elias is a royal explorer, a skilled mapmaker, and the new king of del Mar’s oldest friend. Soon he will embark on the adventure of a lifetime, an expedition past the Strait of Cain and into uncharted waters. Nothing stands in his way…until a long-ago tragedy creeps back into the light, threatening all he holds dear.

The people of St. John del Mar have never recovered from the loss of their boy princes, kidnapped eighteen years ago, both presumed dead. But when two maps surface, each bearing the same hidden riddle, troubling questions arise. What really happened to the young heirs? And why do the maps appear to be drawn by Lord Antoni, Elias’s father, who vanished on that same fateful day? With the king’s beautiful cousin by his side—whether he wants her there or not—Elias will race to solve the riddle of the princes. He will have to use his wits and guard his back. Because some truths are better left buried…and an unknown enemy stalks his every turn.

Review:

I loved this book!

It was very fast paced. I read the first half of the book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. Everything moved very quickly, so it was never boring.

The beginning of the story was a little confusing because it starts right in the middle of the action. At first, it was difficult to connect the prologue to the rest of the story, but it quickly becomes clear how the events of the prologue are important to the story.

I loved the ending of Elias’s search. I had no idea where the story was going to end up, but I think a clever reader could figure it out before the end. There were a few twists that I didn’t see coming, though!

I’m so excited about this story! I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes!