Freefall by Mindi Scott

Freefall

by Mindi Scott 

How do you come back from the point of no return?

Seth McCoy was the last person to see his best friend Isaac alive, and the first to find him dead. It was just another night, just another party, just another time where Isaac drank too much and passed out on the lawn. Only this time, Isaac didn’t wake up.

Convinced that his own actions led to his friend’s death, Seth is torn between turning his life around . . . or losing himself completely.

Then he meets Rosetta: so beautiful and so different from everything and everyone he’s ever known. But Rosetta has secrets of her own, and Seth will soon realize he isn’t the only one who needs saving . . .

(summary from goodreads.com)

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I have a very long "books to read" note on my computer. Very long. When I read/hear about a book that interests me or that someone with similar literary tastes likes, I'll add it to the list. This book has been added to my list about 4 times, so I figured it was about time to read it. 

I found it pretty meh at the beginning - bad guy, bad language, typical stupid teens (as I get further and further into my 30s, or maybe as my kids get further and further into their teens, I have less and less patience with stupid teens.) But then it turned into a book about teens dealing with grief and trying to overcome stupid decisions, and growth and maturity and all that stuff, which is always a good thing. My main problem with this book, besides the language, was the sex. Sadly it falls into the pitfall of a lot of teen books - it treats teen sex as commonplace, normal, expected. Which is kind of sad and not what teens need to believe.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: mild; Profanity: yes; Sex: yes

 

 

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia

Beautiful Redemption 

by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl 

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

(summary from goodreads.com)

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SO MANY BOOKS I think I've already reviewed and find out I haven't. Oops. I read this book a bit ago and thought it was a great wrap up to a series I was slowly losing interest in. I really loved the first book, the 2nd one was a perfect Second Book Slump, meaning I didn't like it all that much, and the 3rd book was better. But this, the 4th and last, was probably my favorite outside of the first one. If you've read the others in the series, I promise you'll like this book. Sweet closure.

And as a side note, I found out a few months ago that I KNOW THIS AUTHOR'S COUSIN. I've been to his house. I am friends with him and his wife. Which is pretty cool and kind of crazy. And I think the movie looks fabulous.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: mild; Profanity: don't think so; Sex: just kissing

 

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Just One Day

by Gayle Forman

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay
When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

(summary from goodreads.com)

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This book … THIS BOOK! I loved loved loved Forman's last two-book series and looked forward to this one immensely. Then I read the synopsis and was all … really? This book is about a girl who searches a whole year for a guy who abandoned her after only one day? Because she thinks she's in love or something? Isn't that kind of … pathetic? I do NOT want to read about a pathetic girl. But I still dutifully put it on hold, determined to give it a try, and was of course swept up in another masterful Forman story. This book is not pathetic, there is so much going on, and of course you want to reach in and shake the characters now and again when they do stupid things. And then the ending … can I really wait until October for the next book? No, I cannot. And now I want to go to Paris.
This is a great contemporary novel from an author who is a maestro at creating realistic characters and sweeping along her readers in emotionally heart wrenching stories. If you like contemporary YA books, give her a try.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: mild; Profanity: don't think so; Sex: the "fade to black" variety, mild discussion

 

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me

by Tahereh Mafi

 

tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

(summary from goodreads.com)

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Hmm. Something about Mafi's writing completely and utterly destroys me.  (Ha! You could say it shatters or unravels me too. Ha! Okay, I'll stop.) I know not everyone is the same, because I know I've had some friends who weren't as enamored with her writing as I was. No biggie. This book swept me up in this tidal wave of thought and feeling and angst and everything. I wasn't happy with everything in this book - I'm getting a little tired of waiting for third books before a heroine finally feels empowered and capable of kicking aspirin, but I have high hopes for the next one.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: moderate; Profanity: don't think so; Sex: just kissing