Someone Knows

A terrible tragedy that occurred when Allie Garvey was only 15 has defined her life. Now 20 years later she's back at the scene of the crime. She's attending the funeral of one of the four who who witnessed that unspeakable event. In 20 years not one of those four teenagers has spoken aloud what happened. In fact, none of them have ever even spoken to each other again. But now it is a time of reckoning. Someone knows and the question is what will happen to those three remaining witnesses. This adrenaline pumping novel discusses grief, guilt, and the power that secrets hold over us. It's upsetting, life altering, and the power it takes to move past and forgive yourself (if indeed you are worthy of forgiveness) is impossibly hard. Fast paced and tragic.  

Illuminae

This book was money in the bank! The formatting and dialogue was soo unique! It started off a little overwhelming but quickly made sense. I would LOVE to see this on the big screen. It's non-stop action, teenage heartache, sarcasm, and trippy sci-fi. What more could you want? Even though this young adult book is massive (599 pages!) it reads quickly thanks to the unique format of the pages; the text of the book alternates between personnel files, online chats, memos, diary entries, code, and more. Kady Grant and Ezra Mason have just broken up and the timing couldn't be worse. They're at school when the sirens go off. Their small mining planet is under attack. They're able to make it off-world with a small contingent of other survivors on three ships, but the trouble is just getting started. Those responsible for the attack on their planet don't want their to be any survivors so they are in pursuit. Now to top it off, the AI system on one of the ships is acting wonky and some of the survivors are having weird side effects from the weapons used on their planet. Ezra and Kady aren't on the same ship but soon discover that their breakup is the least of their worries, if they don't get to the bottom of what's going on they're toast. Hilarious, unique, and breathtaking. I can't wait to read the sequel!!!

Ghost World

I saw the movie adaptation years ago but I had never made it around to reading the comic. The color and inking are impressive, as are the emotions and dialogue that the male author, Daniel Clowes, gives to Enid and Rebecca, two recently graduated high school girls. This comic doesn't necessarily have an over arching plot but it does show how their friendship, blossoms, hides, and gets complicated during one long summer where they struggle to find out what they each mean to one another. It's funny, insightful, and honest. They pass time checking out new restaurants, speculating about the town weirdos, and planning a future. It's well worth a read.

Carter Finally Gets It

This book really captures horny teenage boys. It's super relatable and doesn't feel as if it was written by an older author, teens will definitely get a kick out of it! The story follows Carter as he enters his freshman year of high school. He's trying to fit in, lose his virginity, be good at sports, understand girls, and understand what the allure of drinking is. It's brutally honest and teenagers will absolutely relate with it. There is lewd and illicit behavior, cursing, cops, underage drinking and sex so some conservative teens and parents might not buy into this book, but I didn't think it detracted from the story, it just made it more believable. Laugh out loud funny and will bring back painful memories of high school for all who read it.

The Most Painful Thing in Life

A fictional anti-bullying tale filled with religious themes and good morals that would be beneficial to middle school students. It is a short concise read; easy for adults and still a quick read for teens. The book focuses on what it's like to be bullied and be the one bullying, it hits on all angles. The book spotlights Kris, a troubled teenage boy trying to find acceptance, hope, and someone to trust. When his foster parent's best friend gives him a mysterious pendant Kris has no idea how much his life is about to change. Maybe he won't be bullied or worse, ignored, by his peers. Maybe it's possible that he could make a friend. Simply written (and with a handful of typos), this book would be of most use to teenagers. Bullying can take all forms and has a deep psychological impact that can affect people for the rest of their lives. Hopefully this tale will open eyes and hearts of the next generation, especially in the age of rampant digital bullying.

I received this book for free from the author in return for my honest, unbiased review.