Sparrow

Sparrow

by Mary Cecilia Jackson

Savannah Rose, better known as Sparrow, is a brilliant dancer. Her lifts and jumps are the envy of everyone in the company. She will definitely be the Swan Queen in the next major showcase.

But Sparrow keeps her private life out of her dance. She tries very hard to keep them separate. Her friends are from ballet. Her social life revolves around ballet. And she has no one else.

Until Tristan.

He's everything a girl could dream of. He's kind. He's generous. He's gorgeous. And he says he loves her...

... after every time he abuses her.

His love has conditions. His love depends on her behaving. If he gets angry, then she must have done something wrong.

Sparrow learned this with her mother years before. If they are angry, you were bad.

No matter how hard Sparrow's friends try to show her the truth and no matter how hard they try to protect her, they are no match for her own deep insecurities. 

And they are definitely no match for Tristan's fists when he gets angry. 

Final thoughts: Whoa. This one hit every button in me. I literally cried more than a few times during this. It is NOT an easy read. But it IS a necessary one for many. The author really nailed all of the points of view on this one. While there were a few little things to nitpick, the overall story is deep and meaningful. There is no HEA (Happily Ever After) in this. It does end, but it's not the same, predictable ending that people have come to expect. This ending is real. I strongly recommend this, but warn that there are triggers here.

Rating: 5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Forge for the ARC.

The Stars We Steal

The Stars We Steal

by Alexa Donne

Leo is the oldest daughter of her father who is the king of his ship, literally. She's a princess with no money and her father needs to her find a wealthy husband so that the king can keep up appearances and keep up his luxuries.

The only way they have gotten by so far is on the generosity of Leo's aunt who has let them stay docked on her ship and waived the normal fees. But now Leo must step up. It's either find money or find a husband with money.

Leo has her own plans that will keep her family solvent and keep her out of a marriage of convenience, but selling people on a water filtration system that includes the sewage isn't easy.

Things get more tense and complicated when Leo's former fiancee (of all of 12 hours) comes back into her life three years after leaving. He's got everything she needs and some of what she still wants.

Can they come together when everyone tried so hard before to keep them apart?

Final thoughts: This starts off as a Persuasion rewrite with some Bachelor additions. Even the rose on the cover is meant to evoke The Bachelor (the author makes sure to state that in the course of the book to make sure that we know). The problem is that it starts off far too close to Austen's Persuasion at the start and then goes way off-kilter. Suddenly there is crime, extortion, danger, elections, and more. I do not understand Leo's final choice at the end because it matches Persuasion, but doesn't match what she was saying halfway through the book. She's an inconsistent character. While the space setting is interesting, it also distracts from the story, especially when things seem to be brought in just for a moment for the story and then left behind. Finally, my last issue is that this feels like Donne is leaving just enough space for a sequel as a just-in-case-this-does-well option. While the story is technically complete, it feels unfinished and incomplete. 

Rating: 2.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

How to Speak Boy

How to Speak Boy

by Tiana Smith

Quinn is competitive. She's not just a little competitive; she is ultra competitive. She will do almost anything to win, except cheat. She's definitely not a cheater.

However, it looks like her biggest competition IS a cheater. Grayson seems to win at everything he does without even trying and rumor has it that he's cheated a few times to do it. 

Now Quinn and Grayson have become the co-captains of the speech and debate club so they have to work together. Quinn could finally learn the truth about Grayson and his winning ways. 

But she gets a little distracted when her AP Government teacher accidentally mixes up Quinn's essay with someone else's. With that simple mistake, Quinn now has an anonymous suitor who lifts her up and makes her stronger, even as Grayson seems to be trying to beat her at every turn.

Who is the letter writer who keeps leaving notes with perfectly timed messages in her box? And who is Grayson, really? 

Final thoughts: Cotton candy all the way and totally fun to read. This book is the YA version of The Shop Around the Corner and You've Got Mail. Everything is pretty predictable but it's still an enjoyable few hours spent.

Rating: 4/5

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC.

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

by Chris Crutcher

Sarah Byrnes and Eric Calhoune might be friends, or they might just be fellow outcasts. Sarah Byrnes is always Sarah Byrnes. Her facial scars from being burned as a toddler are things that she owns. If she is always Sarah Byrnes, then people can't take her name and turn it against her.

Eric Calhoune has been known as Moby for years. He's the whale of the swim team. He's fast and dangerous in the water, but trusts Sarah Byrnes to be there for him outside of the pool. She (and her attitude) scare everyone so Eric follows her and she trusts him.

When Sarah Byrnes ends up in the state hospital under psychiatric watch, only Eric knows the truth. While he waits for her to return, Eric must also deal with the people around him, including Sarah Brynes's scary father, an angry vice principal, and a Bible-thumping peer who judges everyone around him.

All Eric wants to do is date the Bible-thumper's girlfriend and win the next meet, but nothing will ever be that simple.

Final thought: I know this one is well-rated and received, but I'm just not getting it. There is just too much going on and it's far too messy. Granted, life is messy, but this book can be very hard to follow. There are extremely detailed descriptions going on for pages about the swim team practices and then barely anything when there is actual stuff happening outside of the pool. Things happen in the blink of an eye for some events and then drag on forever for others.

Rating: 3/5