Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Better off Friends

by Elizabeth Eulberg  

 

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

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A truly delightful book. The last Eulberg I read was fun but too teeny for me (this IS YA. It happens occasionally.) But this book, even though it started with our main characters as 8th graders, was entertaining and engaging and real. Honestly, this book needs to be read by every teen girl - kind of a “Yes, Teenage Boys are REALLY This Idiotic” Manual. I love teenage boys - I had three brothers, now four sons. They are fabulous creatures. But they are also bizarre and testosterone-y at times. I can’t say teenage girls are better, teenagers are all equally unhinged. Sorry, tangent.

A great book, a sweet love story, and the dual authors didn’t bug me at all. I loved Adam, the appropriateness of a certain punch, and may have teared up a bit. A lovely read.

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: none; Profanity: none; Sex: none

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

The Moon and More

by Sarah Dessen  

 

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

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I love Sarah Dessen books. She brings some serious matters into the genre of YA contemporary literature and she does it in an entertaining and engaging way. I love her setting and her cameos and easter eggs. I loved so many characters in this book, none of which happened to be either of the two male protagonists. Which turned out to be fine, the focus was certainly more on growth and personal progression than on romance.

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: none; Profanity: moderate; Sex: yes, minor

Shards and Ashes by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong

Shards and Ashes

by Melissa Marr (Editor), Kelley Armstrong (Editor), Veronica Roth, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Rachel Caine, Nancy Holder, Beth Revis, more…

 

Gripping original stories of dystopian worlds from nine New York Times bestselling authors, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong.

The world is gone, destroyed by human, ecological, or supernatural causes. Survivors dodge chemical warfare and cruel gods; they travel the reaches of space and inhabit underground caverns. Their enemies are disease, corrupt corporations, and one another; their resources are few, and their courage is tested.

Powerful original dystopian tales from nine bestselling authors offer bleak insight, prophetic visions, and precious glimmers of light among the shards and ashes of a ruined world. 

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Another fabulous anthology, though not the book to have just finished when a Facebook friend posts “You have been transported to the location in the last book you read. Where are you?” YIKES! Which horribly dystopian future should I pick? Seriously though, out of nine stories only one of them was meh.  The rest were fabulous, creative, and still satisfying, though I would love to see novels from a few of them. I especially loved to read what Carrie Ryan can come up with when her brain isn’t being eaten by zombies. An excellent collection!!

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/heavy; Profanity: yes??; Sex: some

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier

Emerald Green 

by Kerstin Gier, Anthea Bell  

Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is.

She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.

This stunning conclusion picks up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.

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Another fabulous ending for a series I’ve enjoyed a ton - I think this will be the year of closure. I’ve loved the world Gier has created and enjoyed visiting it again (and I had a ton of fun rereading the first two books in preparation.) This last book made me love the first two books even more - I didn't even remember being disappointed by a few things in the 2nd book - I loved Gideon much more, Gwen finally figured out what was going on, and I love love the series as a whole. I love Gier's characters, the mysteries, the friendships and romance. It was a world I wanted to spend more time in even after the ending - I wasn’t done yet! But that doesn’t mean the ending wasn’t fabulous. Questions were answers, happily ever afters were achieved. A hugely fun series, one I will probably reread over and over. This story and characters wouldn't leave me for days - truly a sign of an excellent series.

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: weirdly enough, a bit; Sex: no

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

Perfect Lies

by Kiersten White 

Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.

The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.

But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them. 

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If you are a fan of White’s Paranormalcy books, don’t be too surprised when you read this series - the genre and feel of these books are SO different, but I still love them. They are harsher and crueler and more heartbreaking but fascinating and emotionally wrought reads. I love her flawed characters and really enjoyed getting into both Fia’s AND Annie’s heads this time. The ending was gut wrenching and perfect and I really hope there is another book in the series.

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: yes; Profanity: YES; Sex: yes

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty

by Rosamund Hodge

 

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

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Loved loved loved this book. A fabulously well thought out retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Hmm, maybe not a retelling. More like Hodge used Beauty and the Beast as the backbone and was wildly creative from that point on. It was a fun world, lovely romance, and fabulous ending. Sigh. One I will probably buy someday, which is the highest praise I can give a book. I can't wait to see what else this author gives us.

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: none; Sex: yes, not descriptive

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge 

by Kimberly Derting  

 

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

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I loved Kimberly Derting’s Body Finder series and was shocked she had another series I hadn’t heard anything about. New series! Yay! And better yet, one that was complete. Hallelujah, no cliff hangers. And while it was really fun to read a completely different genre from an author I really like, I still like her Body Finder series best. I liked Charlie and her cohorts but I was never sold on the love interest. Yes Max is gorgeous and amazing and so on but the instalove (on his part) was just WAY too instant. Way way too instant. There seemed to be no basis for their relationship - no build up, no commonalities, no time spent together. Weird. The subsequent books were better, once I had already accepted that they were a thing and so on and it no longer distracted me from the story line. It was the type of series that all three books could be made into a single movie - each book was pretty direct and succinct. They were quick reads and I had fun reading them.

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: heavy; Profanity: none; Sex: first book implied, subsequent books yes but mild