By the Book review

Title:  By the Book

Author:  Amanda Shellet

Ch: 33

Pg:  384

Genre:  Teen Chick Lit

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher:  HMH books for young readers

By the book by Amanda Shellet is a teen chick novel with a book nerd Mary Porter-Malcolm reminded me of me in high school. I enjoyed this quick read and I found all of the teens easy to relate to. And it’s a book that I wished I had in high school. I look forward to future books by the author.

Review of Slayer

Title: Slayer

Author: Kiersten White   

Pg:404

Series: Slayer Book1

Genre: Teen

Rating:   4 stars

     Slayer by Kiersten White is actually the first book I have truly enjoyed. It is only the second book of hers that I have actually finished. I think that is due in part to the fact that I was huge Buffy nerd back in the day.  And even though this book isn’t truly about Buffy it’s still set in that world.

     This book focus on twin sister’s Artemis and Athena who live in the watcher’s academy. Athena doesn’t really want to be a watcher she just wants to be healer and she defiantly doesn’t want to be a slayer.  But then she discovers something that changes her life forever. She’s a slayer and not just a slayer she is the last slayer forever. Talk about the pressure.  

     I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I had been seeing mixed reviews for this book. As readers either loved or hated it.  If you are wanting the book to be cannon to Buffy, it’s not. All of the characters expect for a few of the adult watchers are new characters. To me this book reads like a spin off series, which is a good and not a remake because as a kid of the 90s there is no way to recreate Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  But a spin off series would be good. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, as this one ended on a cliff hanger.

Review of Loving Grace

Title:  Loving Grace

Author: April Smith

Chapters: 21 plus Epilogue

Pages: 226

Genre: teen chick lit Young Adult Contemporary 

Rating: 4 stars

Loving Grace by April Smith is a sweet Christian YA. Grace lives with her grandfather and works for the Baron's on their watermelon farm.  Her parents and the Barons had been friends for years before the accident. This summer Mr. and Mrs.  Baron have the idea to sponsor Grace for Watermelon queen.  But when Mr. Baron gets injured on the farm Beau and his brother end up having to travel with Grace to her queenly duties if their mother can't make it.  

This book has a YA Trope that I normally don't like the girl torn between who she thinks as the boy of her dreams and the boy almost next door.    To Grace Warren Hartley is the guy of her dreams and even though Beau Barron is the boy almost next door she just sees him as her brother's best friend and the guy she's known most of her life.  Will Grace make a mistake or will she finally see what's been in front of her this whole time. 

Loving Grace above everything else is a story about loving yourself first and trusting God, and trusting His timing.  This is a book that I wish had been out when I was a teenage girl.   When I was a teen Christian YA and Clean YA reads weren't really a thing. For Christian YA we had the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn.  For Clean YA we had Lurlene McDaniel but the majority of her books where dealing with teens dealing with terminal illness not light happy reading.  

Had I read this book as a teen it would have been 5 stars for sure. It ended up being 4 stars mainly because I figured out how it was going to end and who she picked before it ended.  I knew who I was rooting for pretty much as soon as I met him.  

Even though this was a YA novel and I'm technically passed that age bracket I am looking forward to the next book from April Smith.   

Review of Surviving Adam Meade

Title:  Surviving Adam Meade

Author: Shannon Klare

Pages: 244

Genre: Teen Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Claire Collins has one goal get into her first choice really her only choice college and get out of North Carolina. But she doesn't know how to get rid of local high school football star Adam Meade and not just any football player the star quarterback. They got off on the wrong foot when Adam mistakes Claire for the watergirl when instead she's the coaches daughter.  Adam has never failed at anything in life but for the life of him he can't seem to get Claire. Claire who after dating one quarterback and ended up with her broke she has sworn off dating anymore football players.  Adam's goal is to get a football scholarship and do his grandma proud. 

Claire dad as Adam's coach is helping him with college applications, college trips and being the male role model in his life. Every time Claire turns around Adams there. Her dad invites him to dinner and he's friends sort of with her brother. Claire is also the stats keeper for the team. 

What I loved about Surviving Adam Meade which is true for a lot of teen football books and football movies, is that, that is more to them that football.   Adam might be a hotshot high school football star but he does love his grandma and he wants to do her proud. Both Claire and Adam have to learn about themselves and each other in order to determine what they each want in life. And rather or not their relationship and possibly love is worth fighting for. 

Review of Don't Forget Me

Title: Don't Forget Me 

Author: Victoria Stevens 

Pages: 360

Genre: teen 

Rating: 4 stars 

In Don't Forget Me by Victoria Stevens Hazel Clarke finds herself moving half way around the world from England to Australia to live with a father she's never met. The whole time she can't get her mother off her mind.  She's determined that it is only going to be temporarily just until she turns 18. She didn't count on meeting Red and his twin Luca.  Now she's not so sure what she wants to do. 

Don't Forget Me is a teen novel that deals with the typical teen issues as well dealing with family problems and the issue of early onset Alzheimer's. Which seems to me that, that is something that most teens don't have to deal with. Though the novel deals with a tough subject Victoria Stevens handles it well with the seriousness it deserves with just enough humor to remind readers that it is alright to still find the joy in life. That even when you’re going through a hard time life is still worth living.  

     While Don't Forget Me is a novel dealing with tough issues on the whole it is a novel about family and friendship and living life to the fullest. One of the important lessons I got from this book is that even though you move on and life goes on you don't have to forget the people that where important.  As well as the question of what's worse losing someone to death or losing someone because they can't remember who you are? The thing is neither one is any worse than the other. There's no way to balance that one out. They are both horrible in their own way and there's no comparing the two. 

I would recommend this book to older teens and up. There are somethings in the the novel that might not be suitable for everyone. 

Review of The Heir and the Spare

Title:  The Heir and the Spare

Author: Emily Albright

Chapters: 28 plus epilogue

 Pages: 287

Genre: teen chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

     Evagline Gray or Evie goes to England for two reasons one to study aboard at Oxford where her parents went as well. As well as finding out about her mother's past. Along the way she ends up meeting Edmund Stuart who just happens to be a prince. 

     The Heir and the Spare was a cute read. It was a fairly quick read as well. It reminded me a bit of The Princess Diaries.  There is a bit of language in this book as well as British humor, and a few scenes not suitable for young readers.  

Review of Saint Anything

Title: Saint Anything

Author:  Sarah Dessen

 

Chapters: 26

Pages: 417

Genre: Teen Chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

     Saint Anything is Sarah Dessen's newest book, and too me it's one of her best.  While all of her books deal with tough teen issues, the majority of them are set in beach towns or during the summer. Saint Anything had Sydney dealing with a tough family situation, while adjusting to a new school. Learning who she really is, as well as making new friends.

     I have been a fan of Sarah Dessen since I read my first book of hers This Lullaby as a high school junior. Now eleven years later I still enjoy reading her books. Books that I consider my go to summer reads.   

Review of The Start of Me and You

Title: The Start of Me and You

Author: Emery Lord

 

Chapters: 27

Pages: 373

Genre: teen chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord is about Paige a girl who is now known at her school as the girl who's boyfriend who died in a drowning accident. All she wants to do is stop being the girl known as the girl with the dead boyfriend. She wants to be more outgoing and get involved in school, and more importantly have her crush go from crush to boyfriend.

However everything doesn't go as Paige had planned. But it ends up being so much better than she planned.  The Start you Me and You is another one of those finding out who you are, and what you are made of. When in comes to teen fiction I love that.

Paper or Plastic

Title: Paper or Plastic

Author: Vivi Barnes

 

Chapters: 30

Pages: 306

Genre: teen chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

     In Paper or Plastic Alexis Dubois gets caught shoplifting with a friend. As Punishment she ends up having to work at Smart mart during her summer. It's the one place she doesn't want to be. She ends up having a crush on her coworker, who isn't who she thought he was.

     Paper or Plastic is fairly quick read. It's a light hearted novel that deals with typical teen issues. The biggest of which is finding out who your friends really are. 

     Over all a pretty good and enjoyable read. 

Review of Narvla's Celtic New Year

Title: Narvla’s Celtic New Year

Author: Therese Gilardi

Genre: teen

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Lynne Therese Gilardi; 1 edition

Narvla’s Celtic New Year is a teen novel about Narvla who is an American teen who’s mother becomes the American Ambassador to Ireland. Moving to Ireland is not something that Narvla wanted wanted to do during her senior year of high school. She is a  step dancer with dreams of attending her dream University Notre Dame.  She feels out of place in Ireland because she’s an American, but when  she meets Dublin Boy AKA Colin a teenage boy who plays guitar in the park next to the American Embassy. With all those things stacked against her she sees her dreams slipping away.

But will living in Ireland for a year give her new dreams? Or will living in Ireland lead her to finding herself, and learning to be true to herself.

Narvla’s Celtic New Year  to me is more than just a teen fiction novel set in Ireland it is a teen travel novel that is above anything else about finding yourself and following your dreams. And the friendships that are forged along the way.  

Once I discovered the book was set in Ireland I knew I had to read. I love books set in Ireland, and the fact that this was a teen book was another plus. This was only the third teen book that I read set in Ireland. There doesn’t seem to be that many books set in Ireland for teens and there needs to be.  This is also the first book that I’ve read by Lynne Therese Gilardi  but it will not be the last.

I received this e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Review of The Rules for Breaking

Title: The Rules for Breaking

Author: Ashley 

Series: The Sequel of The Rules for disappearing

 

Chapters: 30 plus epilogue

Pages: 309

Genre: teen chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

Anna Boyd and Ethan Landry are back in this squeal to  The Rules for Breaking. The danger is still there, and Anna knows that she has to learn to shoot even though she is terrified of guns. Even that plan backfires. Anna, Ethan along with Anna’s little Teeny is kidnapped. Anna has to get past her fears in order to get them out alive.

The Rules for Breaking is a cute sequel to The Rules for Disappearing. It is for older teens and there is some langue issues. But other than that it’s a cute quick read. 

All Fall Down

Title: All Fall Down

Author: Ally Carter

Series: Embassy Row

 

Chapters: 38

Pages: 320

Genre: Teen

Rating: 4 stars

Grace thinks that she saw her mother murdered, but did she really. None of the adults in her life seem to believe her. So it’s up to her and her new friends Megan a fellow American who she has reconnected with. Noah a boy that has a dual citizenship of  Israel and Brazil, and Rosie a small German girl who becomes Grace’s shadow. Then there’s Alexei her brother’s best friend who lives next door in the Russian Embassy. This group of misfits end up causing more trouble than the solve.  

When I heard that Ally Carter had wrote a new book the start of a new series I was excited. I was especially excited when I found out that Grace was an army brat. I love reading books about army brats. It’s a character that is easy for me to understand.  

Mini Teen reviews

Title: Rites of Passage

Author: Joy N Hensley

 

Chapters: 43

Pages: 401

Genre: teen chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

Dean Drill

Sam McKenna

Sam McKenna signs up to be the first of four or five girls to make it at a military school. A school that doesn’t want to change the status quo. But she’s determined to make the McKenna proud. She comes from a military family.

Rites of Passage had me hooked as soon as I found out that it was about a military school, and a military brat. I think I was the only kid I knew who wanted to go to military school at one point. I guess it was the military brat in me. I really enjoyed this book, I wish there was a sequel.

Title: Take me On

Author: Katie McGarry

Pages: 544

Genre: new adult chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

Take Me on is the fourth book by Katie McGarry though technically not a sequel to anybook in the series, it has characters from the three previous books in it. It is a sort of sequel to Crash into Me, in the since that it has the main character from Crash into Me brother in this book.  Wes is the bad boy brother of Rachel’s. Haley is a girl who use to be a fighter. She trained at her grandfather’s gym and was going places until something happened with her ex-boyfriend .  That leads her to give up fighting until Wes needs her.

Take me on is my second favorite of Katie’s books, behind Crash into me. Wes actually surprised me in this book.  There is more to Wes than meets the eye.  It was also nice to get even more background information about Rachel’s and Wes’s family.

While this book is technically a teen book I was stress that it is for older teens and twenties somethings. This is due in part to language and some situations that the character's  find themselves in.

 Title: Wildflower

Author: Alecia Whitaker

Series: wildflower #1

 

Pages: 320

Genre: teen chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

A cute little read about teen musicians, and singer. With a mix of bluegrass and country. I enjoyed this book more than I did her first book.  

Mini review: Teen fiction

Title: The Year of Chasing Dreams

Author: Lurlene McDaniel

Series: a companion novel
 
Chapters: 49

Pages: 323

Genre: Teen chick lit

Rating:4 stars

A quick summerish read.

Title: Forevermore

Author: Cindy Miles

Series: no

 

Chapters: 22 plus epilogue

Pages: 280

Genre: teen

Rating: 4 stars 

A teen novel that is set in Scotland with a bit of a ghost story. Other than the paranormal parts it is a  pretty clean book. 

Review of Open Road Summer

Title: Open Road Summer

Author: Emery Lord

Series: no

 

Chapters: 22

Pages: 344

Genre: Teen chick lit

Rating: 4.5 stars

Open Road summer is the story of two friends Dee Montgomery and Reagan O’Neill who have been friends since middle school. The summer between their junior and senior years of high school Dee is on tour as a country singer. Reagan along mainly in order to stay out of trouble.  Follow artist Matt Finch joins the tour,  and trouble, and adventure follow.

Open Road summer is cute and quick summer read that at first I didn’t think I would like but after a few chapters I was hooked.  Fans of Morgan Matson and Roger and Amy’s epic detour will enjoy this novel. As well fans of Alecia Whitaker 

Review of Breakfast Served anytime

Title: Breakfast Served Anytime

Author: Sarah Combs

Series: no

 

Chapters: 17

Pages: 261

Genre: teen

Rating: 4 stars

                   

     Breakfast served anytime was a cute summer read. About four teens at a summer program at a college in their state. That at the end will give them a scholarship to the flagship University of that State. ]

     The thing that I liked most about this book was that it took place in my home state. That state just happens to be Kentucky. I thought that it was cute quick read. It was also one of those books about finding out who you are. 

Review of Since You've been gone

Title: Since you’ve been gone

Author: Morgan Matson

Chapters: 18

Pages: 449

Genre: teen chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

Since You’ve Been Gone is the third book that I have read by Morgan Matson. It was a good read but I didn’t like it as well as I did the first two. Emily is left behind when her best friend leaves town without any notice. What follows is a journey as Emily deals with the list and her to cope without her best friend.

Since You’ve been Gone is a coming of age story. 

Review of The Secret Diamond Sisters

Title: The Secret Diamond Sisters

Author: Michelle Madow

Series: The Secret Diamond Sisters

 

Chapters: 28

Pages: 383

Genre: Teen Chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

     I first discovered Michelle’s writing with the Remembrance trilogy. While The Secret Diamond Sisters is different than her first novels the series is still good. While there were scenes and thing that Peyton, Courtney, and Savannah did that I wouldn’t do or approve of. I would however recommend this book to older teens. There wasn’t much language. The Book ended with a slight cliff hanger, but that’s because there are two more books in the series.

I do feel like all three Diamond sisters are falling for guys that they shouldn’t. Savannah’s falling for a guy that’s bad news all the way around. With Peyton and Courtney if things were different who they are falling for wouldn’t be a problem.

That while this wasn’t my favorite book of Michelle’s I do love her writing style. The way she makes the characters leap off the page.

Review of Kissing in Italian

Title: Kissing in Italian

Author: Lauren Henderson

Series: Flirting in Italian

Pages: 254

Genre: teen chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

     Kissing In Italian picks up where Flirting in Italian ended with a cliff hanger. Violet is determined to find out the truth because only the truth can tell her where she stands with Luca. Without knowing the truth she doesn’t have a future with Luca. I enjoyed this book better than the first one. I guess because this one has a few happy endings. I would love to read a book from Paige’s point of view. 

Review of Salvation

Title: Salvation

Author: Anne Osterlund

Series: no

 

Chapters: 25 plus epilogue

Pages: 276

Genre: teen chick lit

Rating: 4 stars

     In Savlation Salva is the star of the football team. He’s the quarter back of the football team and the golden boy of the school. While Beth is the bookworm and the invisible girl in the school.  That is until they both end up in the same advanced English class their senior year, and Beth becomes Salva’s only hope of passing.

     This is more than the typical high school drama book it is a book about finding yourself and making your own path. All in all it was a pretty good book I don’t remind anything to bad from the book. Other than some language.