At the Speed of Lies

At the Speed of Lies

by Cindy L. Otis

Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s 

by Holly Goldberg Sloan

I Kill the Mockingbird

I Kill the Mockingbird

by Paul Acampora

Jane & Edward

Jane & Edward

by Melodie Edwards

 

In a modern retelling of Jane Eyre, Jane is the child of a literature professor who died when she was young, forcing Jane to enter the foster system. Years later, Jane leaves waitressing to become a legal assistant to Edward Rosen. The two bond and the story parallels the original tale by Charlotte Brontë.

Final thoughts: Decent retelling with little name drops and Easter eggs from the original story. My biggest problem is the logic issue with how Jane becomes a wealthy woman. It makes absolutely no sense and shows the author doesn't understand college textbook publishing.

Rating: 3.5/5

Amari and the Night Brothers

Amari and the Night Brothers

by B.B. Alston

A few months ago, Amari's brother disappeared and there has been no word what happened to him. After yet another visit from the local police, Amari received an odd briefcase from her brother. In it is a very ugly suit and a pair of goggles. Those goggles show Amari that there is a world all around her that she never knew existed.

Supernatural creatures are real and they live in and amongst regular humans.

With this briefcase also comes the invitation to spend the summer training at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. While Amari is interested in the bureau and its history, she's much more interested in finding out what happened to her brother. She wants to pass the training but only to help her get her brother back.

But her particular gift is illegal and there are many who don't want her to succeed.

Final thoughts: Harry Potter knock off with a great lead character and a decent plot structure but with poor world-building and too many things inserted just to be cute.

Rating: 3/5

Enter the Body

Enter the Body

by Joy McCullough

Under the stage, beneath the trap door, the women of Shakespeare's plays wait to be called up to die again in yet another retelling of their stories. But on this day, three of the women take the time to tell their stories and maybe even change the narratives.

Cordelia, Ophelia, and Juliet share their sides of the stories for which they are famed, while also showing that they are more than what one man put on the page.

Final thoughts: This is a sometimes glorious and sometimes draining read, but the worst of it is the inaccuracy. This is meant to change the course of the lives of the women that Shakespeare created, and I get that. What I don't get is changing the ages of characters. For a fan of The Bard, getting Hamlet's age so terribly wrong is practically a sin. In the play, Hamlet was approximately 30 when his father died, but he is referred to a boy in this book and written like a teen who couldn't become king because of his age (and totally forgetting that Denmark has an ELECTED monarchy, regardless of age). Ophelia is also portrayed as a teen and both of these ages are not only inaccurate, but those errors affect the story McCullough is trying to tell. Let's also add in that McCullough states Ophelia would never have been able to marry Hamlet even though, in the play, Gertrude specifically mentioned that she had hoped Hamlet would marry her. Confusing Rosaline and forgetting that she is a cousin of the Capulets makes the very ending a little incestuous. This might be an interesting addition to the reading list for an Advanced Placement Literature course, but it relies heavily on knowing the original plays and may not be accessible to those who are unfamiliar with Shakespeare's tragedies.

Rating: 2/5

The Gravity of Lies

The Gravity of Lies

by Dorothy Deene

Skye Lark Perry has never had a normal life. Ever since her uncle died, she and her mother have gone from place to place, shelter to shelter, and have even spent more than a few nights in their car. For the past three years, all Skye has known is that she has to take care of her mother because her mother can't seem to take care of her.

Skye is homeschooled so that she can go to various auditions around Los Angeles, which are booked by a not-so-trustworthy "agent". The few jobs she gets are the only money coming in for her and her mother and she knows starvation far too well.

When the opportunity comes for her to be in a small reality TV show, which is designed to find the next cast members for a new drama, Skye is forced to participate. While she's not eager to be there, she is eager for the opportunity to possibly find her father, a person about which she knows nothing.

With twists and turns, Skye finds that her life may be something she never thought possible.

Final thoughts: Clunky and stuttering narration plus a lack of any real chemistry among the characters makes this a difficult read at times. The twists about Skye's life are just very strange and hard to track. It was unbelievable both in plot and in relationships among the characters.

Rating: 2/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Their Vicious Games

Their Vicious Games

by Joelle Wellington

After a small mistake has the very large consequence of having all of her college acceptance letters revoked, Adina Walker is forced to compete in The Finish, an annual set of games sponsored by the Remington Family. Winners are guaranteed a full ride to any school she chooses and the power of the Remington name behind them for the rest of their lives. 

But The Finish has never been discussed beyond a few rumors and Adina has no idea what she's getting in to. Additionally, this year The Finish has an extra goal of finding the wife for the future head of the family and that means that the stakes are much higher.

It's not just about school anymore. It's life or death.

Final thoughts: Interesting premise with a combination of The Hunger Games and the movie Ready or Not. It's a slow and awkward start to the book but once it gets going, it's a real ride. Will not be surprised if this gets made into a movie or Netflix series.

Rating: 4/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Chosen

 

Chosen

by Shade Owens

 

TL;DL: Avoid this book. It's a blender version of Hunger Games, The Handmaid's Tale, 1984, Brave New World, etc... and it's only the stuff that floated to the top after the blender was off for a day or two. 

Rating: 1/5

Simon Sort of Says

Simon Sort of Says

by Erin Bow

Simon O'Keefe and his family have just moved to Grin and Bear It, Nebraska, which is a National Quiet Zone in America. There is no Internet, no WiFi, no cell phones, and no microwaves. The town is the location of a giant satellite dish that is studying sounds an phenomena from space.

Where most people might struggle with this type of drastic change in lifestyle, Simon finally feels like he will be OK. Simon has spent the last two years dealing with the looks, the stares, the pity, and more from everyone who sees him. 

Simon was the only survivor from his 5th grade class after a mass shooting. Even though the school and the people in it did everything right to keep themselves safe, Simon's class was the one the shooter found and Simon was found later buried under the bodies of his classmates.

So getting away from all that infamy is exactly what Simon needs. 

Finding friends and learning how to be a kid again may now be possible. Or maybe not. His new friends have their own quirks and plans that might bring him attention all over again.

Final thoughts: I hate that this book had to be written at all, but it seems to do a decent job dealing the aftermath for a survivor of something so horrible. No one can ever really know what it's like for these survivors, but this does help develop a little empathy and understanding.

Rating: 3.5/5

 

The Comeback

The Comeback

by Lily Chu

 

Ariadne "Ari" Hui is a Chinese Canadian working her way up the ladder at a prestigious law firm that her dad helped her get into. She's devoted to her job and works constantly to get ahead. But two things suddenly get in her way. First, her clientele are reassigned to the new caucasian associate who was literally just hired. Second, her roommate's cousin, Jihoon, comes to stay at their apartment after a "breakup" and Ari starts to fall in love. 

Hopes of becoming more than friends get dashed when she finds out that he's an "idol". He's one member of a worldwide phenomenon K-pop group and people have figured out where he's been hiding. 

Now Ari has to choose what is more important to her: her life in law and her reputation or her possible future with one of the members of Starlune and all of the baggage and fame that comes with it.

Final thoughts: Too much tell with not enough show. No real chemistry between Ari and Jihoon. And it feels like she's being very honest with her reservations, while he never listens but blames her for running.

Rating: 2/5

Not Your Ex's Hexes

Not Your Ex's Hexes

by April Asher

TL;DL - Enemies to lovers trope romance with some good moments but inconsistent writing and characterization.

Rating: 3/5

The Neighbor Favor

The Neighbor Favor

by Kristina Forest

TL;DL - Cute BIPOC romance with some hidden identities and secrets. Decent read.

Rating: 3/5

 

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

by Sarah Hawley

Sleep No More

Sleep No More

Jayne Ann Krentz

TL;DL - The paranormal and psychic combine in this 80's style police procedural. Some good ideas and some very awkward writing.

Rating: 3/5

Bookish and the Beast

Bookish and the Beast

by Ashley Poston

 

TL;DL Retelling of Beauty and the Beast filled with references to books and movies of the past. Tropes are poorly used and characters aren't realistic.

A Thousand Heartbeats

A Thousand Heartbeats

by Kiera Cass

TL;DL - Enemies to lovers romance with some decent moments but too much telling instead of showing and some major logistics/consistency errors with time and travel.

Rating: 3/5

The Do-Over

The Do-Over

by Lynn Painter

It's February 14th and Emilie is determined to have the absolute best Valentine's Day ever. It's the 3-month anniversary of dating her perfect boyfriend and he's perfect because he literally checks off all the items on her "perfect boyfriend" list. It's time to tell him the L-word.

Things start off a little awkwardly at home, but she won't let it worry her. She drives to school, gets distracted, gets in an accident, and is forced to accept a ride in the truck of the guy she hit.

But she's still going to make this day work.

Then her scholarship is revoked due to a mathematical error. She has to deal with the school mean girls. And her perfect boyfriend kisses his ex in the parking lot. 

Day ruined.

To make it all much worse, she gets home after school to find out that her dad, stepmom, and half-brothers will be moving to Texas and leaving her behind. 

So she goes to her grandma's house to cry and sleep only to wake up in her bed at her dad's house and it's all starting again. It's her own personal Groundhog Day.

Through the many repeated Valentine's Days, Emilie learns more about herself, the people around her and about the boy whose truck she kept crashing into. 

Nick is nothing like she thought and everything that she might need.

Final thoughts: Total cotton-candy book with fluff and strangeness. The only fully built characters are Emilie and Nick; the rest of the characters are one-day only versions of themselves with no real depth. Nick is awesome and there is some chemistry between him and Em. 

Rating: 3.5/5