Category Archives: Young Adult

The You Know Who Girls: Freshman Year, by Annameekee Hesik (2012)

Posted on December 22, 2014 by tom

The last place Abbey Brooks wanted to be that day was at the mall with her fashionista BFF, Kate, but she couldn’t have imagined what would happen next. She orders fries and a small lemonade from Hot Dog on A … Continue reading →

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Driving Lessons: The You Know Who Girls Soph Year, by Annameekee Hesik (2014)

Posted on December 20, 2014 by tom

Abbey Brooks is ready for her sophomore year. She’s determined to get her driver’s license, come out to her mom,, live through basketball season, and get–and keep–a girlfriend. With Abbey Brooks, though, nothing is ever as easy as it sounds. … Continue reading →

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Maxine Wore Black, by Nora Olsen (2014)

Posted on December 18, 2014 by tom

“Maxine Wore Black” is basically two stories mashed into one. Mostly, it works. The first–and primary–story is an updating of Daphne du Maurier’s classic, “Rebecca.” In the acknowledgements, author Nora Olsen calls “Maxine Wore Black” an homage to “Rebecca,” and … Continue reading →

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The Melody of Light, by M. L. Rice (2014)

Posted on November 27, 2014 by tom

(N.B. I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley) The only constant in Riley’s life has been the love and support of her older brother, Aidan. The two endured childhoods that would’ve crushed many kids’ … Continue reading →

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TTYL; TTFN; L8TR,G8TR; YOLO, by Lauren Myracle (various pub.)

Posted on October 23, 2014 by tom

I hadn’t originally intended to read this book (or this series), and I’m writing one review for the whole series. You’ll see why. What happened was I read an article on banned books, and this was mentioned. I went to … Continue reading →

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Kissing Kate, by Lauren Myracle (2003)

Posted on October 23, 2014 by tom

Once at a party, Lissa and her friend Kate find themselves alone in a gazebo. Drunk, Kate leans over and kisses Lissa–seriously kisses her. Lissa falls in love, and Kate tries to downplay it as meaning nothing. The entire crux … Continue reading →

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Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks, by Lauren Myracle (2009)

Posted on October 23, 2014 by tom

This one just didn’t work for me. The narrator–elder sister, Carly–starts off deep, then becomes incredibly shallow; she’s kind and loving and protective of her younger sister, Anna, then she’s suddenly spiteful, all because Anna is the prettier of the … Continue reading →

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Gideon’s Spear (The Adventures of Finn MacCullen #2), by Darby Karchut (2014)

Posted on October 23, 2014 by tom

Gideon’s Spear is not one of those novels that pushes you along toward its conclusion. Rather, it reaches out from the last page, and pulls you through twists and turns, ups and downs, and everything else author Darby Karchut can … Continue reading →

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We Are The Goldens, by Dana Reinhardt (2014)

Posted on May 10, 2014 by tom

We Are the Goldens (2014) By Dana Reinhardt Nellayla That’s what a young Nell used to call herself, because she was so close to her older sister. Layla would laugh: “I am Layla,” and [Layla] tapped [her] chest, then you … Continue reading →

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The Tycoon’s Daughter (Treadwell Academy Novels), by Caitlyn Duffy (2014)

Posted on April 12, 2014 by tom

Before the first word of this story, there are voluminous resources as to how and when and where to get help for eating disorders. There’s encouragement. There’s potentially life-saving information. This is one thing that I love about Caitlyn Duffy’s … Continue reading →

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