Tag: yafiction

Posted in 2022 Books, Book Reviews

Obsession – Review

Posted on by Michelle

This year I made a list of 125 books that I wanted to read by the end of the year. Frankly, it was silly of me to make such a list because I’m constantly being suckered in to read other books by friends, bookstagram, or when my favorite authors put out new books. Eventually I’ll get through those 125 books.

This book was NOT on my original list. It was published last year, but I hadn’t heard of it until a friend of mine from work posted about it on social media. I decided to get it from her and read it myself. It was such a quick read. I finished it within a day just picking it up from time to time and reading while my summer school classes worked on independent work.

The basic premise is captured on the cover of the book. Boy meets girl, boy stalks girl, girl gets revenge. However, there are two sub-plots that I would have loved if more time had been given to them. The book is told from dual narrators Logan and Delilah (called “Dee” most of the time). We learn that Delilah is not the first girl Logan becomes obsessed with pretty early on, and we also see that he has some major problems as our first scene with him is in the guidance counselor’s office.

Dee is meant to seem innocent, but as the book plays out, you see that’s not completely true. In fact, I left the book wondering who the true victim/villain really was.

While I did like this book there were a few things I wish the author would have spent more time on:

  • The Logan/Sophie story – we get to know a little about this, but I still feel that the author could have given us more details. Maybe from conversations between Dee and Logan’s friends.
  • Dee’s dad. Like he had an accident and the town hates him. I didn’t get why. Maybe a skim read over that explanation.
  • The whole Brandon/abuse/cop story. I feel like a little more explanation would have been great here.
  • The drug selling. Everything here was vague.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this. I think it would be good for struggling readers too as the pace moves very quickly. Definitely a high school book.

Also trigger warnings of physical/mental abuse, drug use, and stalking.

Posted in Book Reviews

Greetings from Witness Protection!

Posted on by Michelle

Last fall, I got a list of 21 books that were up for the Truman nominees for the 2019-2020 school year. I set off to read all 21, but I failed miserably because of grad school. I had about 6 books left when they announced the top 12, and of course 4 of the 6 I had left made the final cut.

Greetings from Witness Protection! was a really easy, enjoyable read. I think middle school students are going to like it.

The story starts off in a center for foster children. The main character, you learn rather quickly, has a mom who abandoned her, a dad in prison, and a grandmother who raised her until she passed away. Nicki hasn’t “fit” with any foster family, and she has a past which has led to her have impulse control problems – mainly with kleptomania.

She gets a chance for a new start with the US Marshalls and the witness protection program. I was intrigued by this story line. It definitely made me want to finish the book and find out exactly what was happening.

The book is told in 1st person, but throughout the book we get little glimpses of what is happening outside the main characters point of view. Just a few pages scattered in between chapters. There isn’t a lot of information, but enough to keep the reader intrigued to want to know what will happen with all the story lines.

Overall, the book is well-written. The characters are easy to connect to, especially the main character, Nicki. And for once, there isn’t a dumb, unnecessary romance to get in the way of the actual story!

How much did it make me cry?

  • Not at all
  • A little sniffle
  • A couple tears
  • A steady stream
  • Ugly cry
Posted in Book Reviews

When We Collided

Posted on by Michelle

I will admit it. I have about 10 books at home that I am set to read, but I picked this one first 100% based on how much I enjoyed the cover. I read the back cover and decided that this would be a nice easy read after finishing my grad school classes last week.

The book is one of 15 on the list for the Missouri Gateway Nominees for the 2018-19 school year, and while it didn’t win the top spot, I can definitely see why it made the list.

When We Collided is not just a sweet little girl meets boy love story. Following what seems to be a current trend in young adult novels, each chapter is told from one of the two main characters’ points of view. Vivi is completely full of life and seems to live for the moment. Jonah is a quiet guy whose family has just experienced a tragic loss in the past year. The characters overlap early on in the book and the reader is taken on their journey.

You don’t find out for while what is really going on with Vivi, although within the first chapter you know that she is not taking one of her daily pills. She is doing this secretly, taking her pill away from her house and throwing it out into the ocean.

Jonah, we learn, is very committed to his family and their well-being. He carries the responsibilities of making meals for “the littles” and keeping them entertained.

Vivi brings sunshine and happiness into Jonah and his family’s lives, but there is always this feeling that something is not what it seems with her. I’ll stop here with my summarizing before I give anything away.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. The writing was well done, and the use of 1st person point of view really helped to understand the two main characters. I found Vivi a little hard to follow sometimes, but stick with her, it is supposed to be like this.

How much did it make me cry?

  • Not at all
  • A little sniffle
  • A couple tears
  • A steady stream
  • Ugly cry