Book Review: Sadie by Courtney Summers @courtney_s ‏

Sadie is most definitely not a happy book.  But it is a good one.

It has been up to Sadie to take care of her sister, Mattie, since her mother is a drug addict and has abandoned her daughters.

Mattie is found brutally murdered, well, I guess it was brutally because we don't get those details.  Sadie's only support is her neighbor, May Beth, who has been a surrogate grandmother doing the best she can to help the girls.

The case of Mattie's murder goes cold, and Sadie decides to take matters into her own hands to hunt down the murderer. After months, Sadie's car has been found, but nothing else.

Wes McCray hosts a podcast about small, forgotten towns and overhears Sadie's story.  He reluctantly begins to investigate and can't help but be drawn in.

Sadie is told from Sadie's perspective as she searches for the man she knows killed Mattie alternating with McCray's podcasts as he follows Sadie's trail.

The way the story is told is unique and interesting.  We slowly get the details of Sadie's and Mattie's past lives and what led up to the horrible ending. I found it difficult to put down and would think about it while I wasn't reading. And don't expect a happy ending.  It is very realistic.

Sadie has been given four starred reviews with good reason.  As far as teen contemporaries go, this one is edgy and compelling. There would be much to discuss if Sadie were used as a classroom read (although there is some language that might prevent this in some schools.) Don't let your teens miss out on Sadie.

Published by Wednesday Books, September 4, 2018
eARC obtained from Edelweiss and NetGalley
320 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: Odd & True, by Cat Winters @catwinters

I'm feeling very repetitive, but as I say in all my reviews of Winter's books, I love the way she weaves together a historical setting, intriguing characters, and a smidgen of magic into a remarkable tale.

Odd & True is the story of two sisters in the early 1900s.  They live with their aunt, and Od, the oldest, tells her younger sister, Tru, stories of their mother's supernatural power to ward off demons and ghosts of all kinds. They have a magical box, a special necklace, and a mirror in their window to keep the bad things away.

Tru is crippled from polio and spends most of her time in a wheelchair. We get flashbacks from Od's point-of-view about their childhood.  When Od is 15, she is sent away by Aunt Vik and is never to return.  Tru has no idea why but receives letters from her sister indicating that she has a job reading Tarot cards in the circus.

When Tru is about to turn 15, Od returns and convinces Tru that they need to go on an adventure and hunt monsters around the country.  Tru convinces Od that they need to go find their mother. So their journey begins. They find many other things along the way.

That is such a bland description for a beautiful book. Od and Tru are such vivid, complete characters whose motivations may be unclear, but their hearts are true.  Od is keeping secrets about what really happened when she was away, but all will be revealed. I did find it took a while for Odd & True to really grab me, but it certainly did.

And about that magical power to ward off demons?  Has the power passed to the sisters? Well, I'll let you find out.

I've read four other books by Cat Winters and have given three of them a rating of 5/5.  The other got a 4/5.  Suffice it to say, she's one of my favorite authors. Her books defy categorization.  All of her books contain author's notes at the end that suggest further reading on the historical aspects of the story.  Odd & True actually contains a full bibliography.

If you haven't read Cat Winters, give Od & Tru (or any other of her books) a try.  It's an immersive experience.

Published by Amulet, September 12, 2017
Copy obtained from the library
358 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: Dividing Eden, by Joelle Charbonneau

I ended up enjoying Dividing Eden, but boy, it took awhile!

Carys and Andreus are twins.  They are a princess and a prince, but they don't have to worry about taking over the throne, because their older brother will do that.  Until their father, the king, and their brother are murdered. Then the queen loses her mind. Everything changes.

The elders don't know which twin is the rightful heir. To avoid the elders' scheme to take over the country, the twins agree to go through the Trials of Succession, to prove which one of them is worthy.

Now, they have secrets.  Andreus has a curse, and because the queen has asked, Carys has always protected him so no one is aware. He has asthma -- and if anyone knew, they would banish him.  Carys has her own little secret.  She's addicted to opium. So these trials, some of which are physical, are going to be a challenge.  Carys and Andreus both agree that Andreus should be the king, so Carys will protect him, and make sure he does better than she does.

There are a lot of secrets that are slowly revealed.  Carys and Andreus stop communicating, and Andreus has decided Carys is out to get the crown.  The trials get more and more intense, as there are murder plots, and many other issues that are keeping both of them from succeeding.

This book takes a really long time to get going.  The assassinations don't even take place until about 40% through. I really almost quit on Dividing Eden, but I've been doing that a lot lately, so I made myself stick it out.  The whole premise of the Trials is a bit weak, but that's what the plot hinges upon, and once the trials get going, so does the pace.

Dividing Eden is exciting to the very end, and this is the first in a series, so we need to wait to find out the ultimate outcome.  I think I'm becoming a bit battle worn over so many fantasies about royal families and fighting for kingdoms and crowns.  I think I need a break.  But I also think my teens will enjoy Dividing Eden.

Published by HarperTeen, June 6, 2017
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
336 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

I'm just no longer impressed with books like Vanishing Girls. What kind of book is it? Well, I'm not going to tell you much, but suffice it to say I've read three or four books with this type of twist, and I'm tired of them. (I won't tell you what they are because that would be a spoiler.) I feel like I put a great deal of emotional investment into the characters and then the end is a cop out.

Nick and Dara are sisters and they've always been close. Things have gotten a bit more difficult as they grow older. They are in a car accident where Nick is driving and Dara is injured, and after that things aren't the same. That's really all I'm going to say about the plot.

The storytelling is great. The characters are well defined and sympathetic. The book's pace, especially the second half, is excellent. The teens are dealing with some realistic problems. I just had a feeling all through the book about the ending, and I was disappointed that I was correct.

I'm sure Vanishing Girls will get lots of rave reviews, and my high school girls will love it. I'm just too jaded, I guess. I'm always on the look out for the twists.

Published by HarperCollins, March 10, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: All These Lives, by Sarah Wylie @sarah_why

In a book market that seems to be inundated with books about cancer, All These Lives holds it own.

Dani and Jena are twins. Jena is battling cancer, and is very sick. Deni has always been told by her mother that she has nine lives. As a way of coping with Jena's desperate situation, Dani tries to give some of her lives to Jena. She believes that if she gives up some lives, someone in the universe (hopefully Jena) will grab on to one of them. So Dani puts herself in some dangerous situations.

It's really heartbreaking. Dani feels guilty because she's healthy. There's nothing she can do; she doesn't know how to handle this situation and her parents aren't helping very much.

Don't get me wrong, the parents in All These Lives are THERE. They are doing everything they can for Jena and trying not to neglect Dani, but it's not easy. I felt the desperation. The chaos. The not knowing which way to turn. The heartbreak when Jena turns worse, the joy when she has a good day. All the while not understanding why Dani is behaving the way she is. Wylie writes these emotions with expertise.

Jack is the main secondary character, and adds a little romantic tension. This isn't the main focus of All These Lives, but Jack helps Dani realize that she isn't the only one with problems. All These Lives is a pretty short book, but I still felt it lagged a bit in the middle. There was some down time where not much happened. But, it quickly picks up and it was never so bad that I wanted to give up.

Dani does grow and learn. The ending isn't all tied up neatly, but there's some adjustments by everyone and things are more hopeful.

This is an interesting contemporary about a topic pretty much everyone can relate to. Many teens will be interested in All These Lives and I won't hesitate to recommend it.

Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, June 5, 2012
eBook obtained from NetGalley
256 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Irises, by Francisco X. Stork

The beautiful characterizations are what makes Irises worth reading.

Kate (18) and her sister, Mary (16), have led a sheltered life in El Paso, Texas. Their father is a minister at a local church, and they have never had to make any decisions -- he has made all decisions for them. Their mother lives at home in a persistent vegetative state being kept alive by a feeding tube.

A visiting nurse comes in every day to check on things, but most of their mother's care is the responsibility of Kate and Mary. Kate has dreams of going to Stanford and becoming a doctor, and Mary is a very talented artist, but neither of them have been able to pursue their dreams since their mother's accident.

When their father dies suddenly, their world changes drastically. Suddenly they must move out of their house. They have little money and even though Kate gets a full scholarship to Stanford, where will Mary go? Who will take care of their mother?

Guiding these decisions are the girls' Aunt Julia, who comes to stay for a while and help out. Andy, the new pastor, is also involved. The minor characters contribute to the plot, but really Kate and Mary receive Stork's emphasis in this story.

They are wonderful characters, and well-written. They both change very much throughout the story, and these changes are slow, and subtle and totally believable. That's really what kept me reading. There isn't much of a plot here. The girls need to figure out what to do, and they do figure it out. It's the journey to these decisions and the growth of the characters that shines in this story.

I think this book has limited appeal to teens, but there are those that will identify with the story. Girls mostly, who enjoy stories about teens struggling to find their way and growing up as they do, will relate to this one.

Published by Arthur A. Levine, January 1, 2012
ARC obtained from the publisher for an honest review
288 pages

Rating: 3/5

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Book Review: The Opposite of Me, by Sarah Pekkanen

The Opposite of Me is touted as being a story about sisters. It was really a story about one sister whose entire identity was based on being different than her twin sister. I still enjoyed the story very much, even though the twin doesn't really even appear until the last 100 pages.

Lindsey is smart, and heading straight up the ladder at a prestigious advertising agency in New York. She's always had a bit of a weight problem, and thinks of herself as unattractive. Therefore, she's put everything into being the brightest and the best in school and now in her job.

Her twin sister, Alex, who looks nothing like a twin, is a drop dead gorgeous model who is engaged to an extremely rich, and devilishly handsome man. Everything Lindsey is not.

When Lindsey is cheated out of a big account, and a big promotion, she is so upset that she makes a huge mistake -- which gets her fired. Since she is sure she won't get hired by any firm in New York, she decides to go home to her parents' house in Maryland, regroup, and find a job in DC.  She becomes attracted to a high school friend, gets a job with a matchmaking service, keeps her distance from her sister, and never tells any of her family about getting fired. Not exactly what she had planned.

The title of the book is accurate -- both sisters find out that: (1) They don't really know each other, and (2) the person they have become has been influenced by their beliefs about each other. It's interesting how Lindsey grows throughout the book -- really grows up, even though she is 29 years old. This quote sums up very well the premise of the book:

How do you know which life was the right one for you when there were so many to choose from? I wondered. How did you know if you were in the right place or whether there was somewhere else entirely you were supposed to be? (p. 327)

I wouldn't want to leave out the romance -- there is some -- but it's not the central theme. Suffice it to say that as Lindsey grows, she realizes what is important to her, and that includes some romance.

Pekkanen's plot isn't entirely predictable, although some aspects are. But there were some twists that I didn't expect. Fans of Weiner (who blurbs the book on the front cover) and Kinsella will enjoy this work. It is  appropriate for teen readers--no sex, a bit of wine and champagne consumed (and a chocolate martini).

Published by Washington Square, 2010
Purchased copy
373 pages (qualifies for my 350 Page Book Challenge!)

Rating: 3.5/5

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