The Unteachables

The Unteachables

by Gordon Korman

 

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

by Kirsten Miller

3/5

 

Tell Me Three Things

Tell Me Three Things

by Julie Buxbaum

10 Things I Hate About Prom

10 Things I Hate About Prom

by Elle Gonzalez Rose

Didn't See That Coming

Didn't See That Coming

by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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

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.

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

 

Becoming a Queen

 

Becoming a Queen

by Dan Clay

 

Mark has always been sure of two things: he is gay and his older brother loves him no matter what.

What Mark isn't sure of is how he will feel wearing a dress. He feels like he will love it with all of his heart but he's not sure that anyone else will. 

Luckily, Mark's brother supports him 1000% with the encouragement to, "Be yourself! Your full sequin-y self.”

Just as Mark is starting to find his footing and figure out who he may be, tragedy strikes and he must start to find himself all over again.

Final thoughts: Poignant, sad, sometimes depressing, and sometimes frenetic, this book has a real 'voice' and is a solid story. Some of the moments were a little odd and others just didn't always read well, but the overall story is well done. This book can be very raw and real and there should be some trigger warnings somewhere, but it's worth the read.

Rating: 4/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Frogman's Response

Frogman's Response

by Heidi Voss

 

Matthew Shaw is an unintentional loner. He wants friends but friends mean inviting people to his house and his mom has made sure that he'll never do that. His mom is a hoarder and Matthew does everything he can to keep himself and his life in the house away from those outside the house.

After Matt's best friend moves out of state, Matt seeks solace in the idea of helping others. He contributes to the school's advice forum under the pseudonym of "Frogman". And while he thinks he may actually be helping, the school's counselor does not and ends up shutting down the forum. Now Matt has all this advice and nowhere to share it.

Matt enlists the help of the school anarchist and the girl who runs all the practical elements of the student body council. Together, they start their own blog and begin sharing ideas and advice with the students of Henry Blake High.

But not everyone likes Matt's advice. Some take it far too literally. Others get caught in the undertow of bad decisions. And the counselor wants to expel "Frogman" just as soon as he figures out who he really is.

Can Matt figure out how to manage his home life, his academic life, and his advice columnist persona?

Final thoughts: While there are some excellent realistic portrayals here of high school life, there are also quite a few stock characters who never seem to learn or grow. One of those is Matthew Shaw himself. There is a resolution to this story, but it feels rushed and incomplete and Matt never seems to actually change when it's all over. His life doesn't really get better. His mom is still hoarding. He's still an outcast to many. It just feels unfinished.

Rating: 3/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Lock the Doors

Lock the Doors

by Vincent Ralph

When Tom, his mother, his new stepfather, and his new stepsister move into their new home, he's the only one who notices or cares that there are tiny little holes on the doors to his and his stepsister's rooms. Confused about why they are there and certain it means something, Tom goes in search of answers to the mystery.

Not long after moving in, a new girl starts at his high school and he realizes that she and her family were the former owners of his house and that they just moved a few houses down the block. Their new home is bigger but they've also added walks, metal spikes, and a security gate. 

Are they keeping people out or in?

With Tom's history and his mother's dangerous ex-boyfriends haunting his thoughts, Tom is determined to make sure no one else should suffer like he has in the past.

What he doesn't realize is that solving this mystery could put more than just himself in danger.

Final thoughts: This is a mild psychological thriller that is more realistic than scary. This is a very slow burn that takes a while to get to the point. There are some logistical errors here and there (or I just missed the explanations for them). The primary narrator is Tom but about 20% of the novel is told from Amy's (the new student) point of view to fill in some blanks. If you like "safe" mysteries/thrillers that don't really cause too much stress, this may be a good pick.

Rating: 3/5

This May End Badly

This May End Badly

by Samantha Markum

When Weston and Winfield announce that they will merge and become co-ed, Doe is overwhelmed with feelings of anger and denial. Weston has been her home for the past three years and merging with the boys of Winfield could destroy everything that she loved about the school.

Her nemesis at Winfield is Three. When his cousin, Wells, offers her the chance to mess with Three, while also getting him an heirloom that Three has, Doe takes the chance. 

Even as she fake dates Wells, Doe works on pulling off the most legendary pranks against Winfield. This prank war has gone on for generations and Doe has pulled off many against Three and Winfield in her time at Weston and Doe hopes that maybe the prank war can stop the merger.

But the prank war and the merger aren't the most important things that Doe needs to focus on. There is a darkness lurking within Doe and within Doe's precious school.

Final thoughts: This was a pretty well done story. It was solid and Doe has a strong point of view. My only real complaints were that everyone and everything had a person's name (even the parents were referred to by their first names, making it often difficult to keep all of the characters straight) and one of the pranks was extremely dangerous but there were no real consequences. Otherwise, the story is solid and I believed Doe's growth over the course of the book. 

Rating: 4/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Rumor Game

The Rumor Game

by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

 

Bryn, Cora, and Georgie are all seniors at the exclusive Foxham Prep, a school for the children of the political elite. All three have been raised to be the ideal children in their families and make their powerful parents look good. 

But Bryn had a very bad summer, which lead to her be essentially blacklisted at school and online. She has gone from the most popular and powerful girl at school to the bottom of every list. She's no longer invited to the best parties and she worries about how she will ever get back to the top. 

Georgie is Bryn's next door neighbor and she's had her own change in status since last spring. She went to a "fat camp" over the summer, lost 40 pounds, got a whole new wardrobe, and now is the "IT" girl of the school. She's also gone from unseen and ignored to one of the most talked about girls on social media at their school.

Cora used to be Bryn's best friend before that insane summer, but now she just wants to captain the cheer squad, get ready for college, and spend time with her boyfriend. 

These three girls will have a fall semester that they will never forget... and the Internet wouldn't let them forget even if they wanted to.

Final thoughts: The premise and the timeliness of the story are great, but the story itself is a little messy. Bryn is completely unsympathetic as a character, despite occasional efforts to make her seem like she's lost control of things. Cora is ok, but her actions at the end are highly questionable and even a little mean. Georgie is the most sympathetic, but things still aren't quite right there. The online events are completely realistic and sad since people can be so cruel. The offline events get a little weird and unbelievable. Overall, this is probably best avoided.

Rating: 2/5 (maaaayyybbbeeee 2.5)

ARC from NetGalley

Stargirl

Stargirl

by Jerry Spinelli

Leo was just an ordinary kid in an ordinary high school doing ordinary things until Stargirl danced into his life. 

From the start, everyone knew she was different. From her clothes, to her daily class routines, to her ukulele, and even her pet rat, Stargirl was not ordinary. 

At first, she was odd but ignorable. Later, she became the center of everything. And finally, she became a pariah and scapegoat. But no matter what, Leo saw her. 

Less than one school year with Stargirl was enough to change their world forever.

Final thoughts: I have seen this read in middle schools for years and figured it was about a middle school student; I was shocked to find out this was about juniors in high school. The writing is simple and pretty easy to read, so this book is coming off more of a hi-low title. The entire book reads like middle school fiction so I can see why it's read there. I feel like that affects how I read the whole thing. Additionally, the author lets you know from the start that this will not be a happy ending, especially for Stargirl. That darkness looms over the whole book and makes it very difficult to enjoy her character. How can you be happy about someone when the author/narrator keeps telling you things will not be ok? The message is good and I see why some people like this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Rating: 2/5

Every Single Lie

Every Single Lie

by Rachel Vincent

Living in a tiny town means that there are no secrets, but there are always rumors.

When Beckett finds a tiny, dead preemie in the girls' locker room at her high school, a big secret is revealed and rumors run rampant.

Now the town is suddenly wondering who the mother is, what happened, and if Beckett herself is in the middle of it all.

When a new Twitter account starts sharing details that no one else should know, it gets followers from around the world and peaks the interest of local and national news.

Now Beckett is in the center of a firestorm and feels like no one can be trusted.

 

Final thoughts: Almost too real in today's world. Beckett's life has been pretty harsh during the last year, but it's all realistically built and not unbelievable at all. The boyfriend angle was resolved a little oddly, but the rest was solid.

 

Rating: 4/5

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss

 

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss

by Amy Noelle Parks

Evie and Caleb have known each other pretty much forever. Where Evie goes, Caleb follows. This includes the exclusive Newton Academy, a boarding school for math and science geniuses. 

Evie knows her physics inside-out and understands much of her own personal knowledge and lack, but she doesn't understand relationships yet. Even at 17, and nearing graduation, Evie has never kissed a boy and has always firmly rejected the idea.

So far, Caleb has been OK with all of that. He loves Evie and all of her quirks. He knows her better than anyone. He has always suspected that it would just take time, but that when Evie figured out how good kissing could be, it would be with him.

But things suddenly shift when Evie gets her first boyfriend, and her first kiss, and it's not Caleb.

Now Caleb must do what he can to support his best friend, but also try and shift her attention back to him without being the villain of the story.

Final thoughts: This is a modern retelling of The Shop Around the Corner (aka You've Got Mail), with teens, math, physics, and a slightly psychotic mother. Cute cotton candy fluff. 

Rating: 3/5

ARC thanks to NetGalley

Not Your #LoveStory

Not Your #LoveStory

by Sonia Hartl

It was just supposed to be a special day for her mom. Macy Mae had saved and saved to be able to take her mom to a live Royals game. It was just supposed to be a great day.

And it seemed great at the time.

Even after accidentally spilling a drink on her seatmate, his subsequent t-shirt removal, and a few sparks, the day went pretty well.

Unfortunately, Macy Mae had no idea that her special day with her mom was going to be completely blown out of proportion when the woman sitting behind them decided to use this "meet-cute" between Macy and that boy into a way of earning instant Internet fame.

Within hours of getting home, Macy Mae has been all over the Internet and the news, and speculation is running wild about her and her #baseballbabe. Soon, her YouTube channel is blowing up and getting trolled. Her identity is doxxed and leaked out to the world. And Macy Mae gets everything she always thought she ever wanted, but never knew how to achieve.

But there's a cost.

Local boy Paxton finally seems to be ready to step up and talk to Macy Mae about more than just movies, but now she's Internet famous and her fame is dependent on dating #baseballbabe.

Final thoughts: This is a fictionalized version of the July 2018 #PlaneBae incident that took over the Internet for a few days. While the meet-cute incident is different, the players are much the same with a woman behind posting to improve her Internet presence and the boy playing it up for his own fame. Neither seems to care about the girl in this instance or how this all affects her life. This is a realistic and somewhat scary tale of what the Internet does far too well... make assumptions and run with them. This is not so much a YA novel as it is a NA (New Adult) novel, as Macy and all of the characters are post high school.

Rating: 3/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Kissing Lessons

Kissing Lessons

by Sophie Jordan

Hayden is the most notorious girl in school, even when she really hasn't done anything to deserve that distinction. Her home life is crap and her looks are too good, so she has to face each day as if she's taking on the entire world. Boys claim that they've known her. Girls slut shame her. And Hayden just tries to get through to graduation so that she can leave town and never see her mother or their tiny town again.

Unfortunately, leaving town means getting money and with Hayden basically having to pay for everything on her own, saving is hard. When Emmaline approaches her with cash in exchange for lessons on how to be so confident with guys, Hayden can't afford to say no... even when Emmaline's older brother and hot jock, Nolan, tries to push her away.

Hayden gets in deeper than she ever thought when she starts to fall for Nolan and the possibility that maybe not everyone in the world is out for themselves.

Final thoughts: I liked parts of this book and Hayden started out strong, but like Sandy at the end of Grease, she changes herself in strange ways that don't fit in with how her character behaved throughout the rest of the book. Things feel unfinished and rushed by the end. There are so many areas that were never discussed and others that were just obviously placed for the moment of the plot and then forgotten. I didn't feel the ending was organic to the rest of the story and I definitely didn't feel like things were resolved well.

Rating: 2/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.