Review: Let Me Hear a Rhyme

Let Me Hear a Rhyme
by Tiffany D. Jackson

Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books/HarperCollins
Publication Date: May 21, 2019

LET ME HEAR A RHYME is about the death of teenage rapper, Steph. His sister and two friends decide to keep his legacy alive and try get him a record deal. It is told from three different perspectives: Jazz, Quadir, and Jarrell. I really enjoyed this book. As a big fan of rap and the culture, I appreciated it greatly. The slang was well used and relevant with teens today. The author did a great job of describing the situation that they live in. The character relationships were well thought out and the plot came together nicely. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think you would too. It's really relevant in today's society. 

Review: Brawler

Brawler
by Neil Connelly

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Publication Date: March 26, 2019

BRAWLER is about Eddie MacIntyre, an amazing wrestler who loses all his scholarships when he attacks a referee.  He is such a great wrestler because of his rage that he keeps deep inside. But when it comes out, the consequences are devastating. He is sought out by an agent from a secret organization of brawlers who make money off illegal street brawls. Mac leaves with a warrant for his arrest and moves in with Khajee, who is to be his brawling trainer. Mac must correct his wrongdoings while dealing with a disturbing past. I liked this book a lot. The plot had many layers that were quite interesting. It kept me reading the book, that's for sure. The complex wrestling moves were described in a simple and understandable way. I specifically enjoyed the relationship between Mac and Khajee. There was a lot of effort put into their relationship and it worked. I enjoyed the fast paced action and the writing was excellent.

Review: Let's Go Swimming on Doomsday

Let's Go Swimming on Doomsday
by Natalie C. Anderson

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: January 15, 2019

LET'S GO SWIMMING ON DOOMSDAY by Natalie C. Anderson is about a sixteen year old named Abdi. His family is kidnapped by the U.S. military in Somalia. The only way to get them back is for Abdi to infiltrate a terrorist group called Al Shabab and pass on information to the U.S. His brother was abducted by Al Shabab when they were growing up so Abdi is hopeful his brother will give him the information needed. But his brother has turned into a believer of the movement. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very relevant in today's society where children soldiers around the world are a real thing. Also the topic of terrorism is so relevant at this time and I believe the author tackled the subject in a truly powerful way. It was a heart wrenching story. I found it quite hard to put down. I liked the plot immensely. There were many plot twists and I couldn't see them coming at all.

Review: Hide With Me

Hide With Me
by Sorboni Banerjee

Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: November 6, 2018

HIDE WITH ME by Sorboni Banerjee is about a seventeen year old named Cade who finds a badly injured girl in the fields behind his house. She is clearly dying and she asks Cade to hide her. Throughout her recovery we find out about her life and how she got to this point. I had a fun time reading this book. The plot was entertaining and fast moving. The development of the connection between Cade and the girl (who is referred to as Jane Doe) was written very well. I liked the fact that the book was written from the perspective of Cade and Jane Doe. It added different layers to the book that I enjoyed a lot.

Review: Watch You Burn

Watch You Burn
by Amanda Searcy

Publisher: Delacorte
Publication Date: October 23, 2018


WATCH YOU BURN by Amanda Searcy is about a girl named Jenny who experienced a traumatic childhood event which sparked her obsession with fire. She moves to New Mexico to live with her dad and to get away from the fire investigation happening in her home town. A series of wildfires in the nearby forest and the tingling feeling that someone is watching her have Jenny on edge. I had a fun time reading this book. It was fast paced and filled with unexpected turns. One thing I liked in particular was the characters. They were developed nicely throughout the novel and the back stories came together well.

Review: Anything But Okay

Anything But Okay
by Sarah Darer Littman


Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: October 10, 2018

ANYTHING BUT OKAY by Sarah Darer Littman is about a junior named Stella. Her brother Rob has just come back from his second tour in Afghanistan and has been acting strange ever since. Stella takes Rob to the movies and after the movie Rob assaults a kid from Stella's school after he loses his control. I had an interesting time with this book. It's a good book that covers some pretty heavy topics a little too lightly at times. I liked the plot of the book and the way it came together. The characters developed nicely throughout the book and I enjoyed the overall writing style. The topics are extremely relevant to our society today.

Review: Let Me List the Ways

Let Me List the Ways
by Sarah White

Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: August 7, 2018

LET ME LIST THE WAYS by Sarah White is about Mackenzie Clark, a senior in high school who is in love with her best friend Nolan Walker. Of course he isn't aware of this fact. For their last summer together they decide to make a list of things they want to do together before it's over. Mackenzie has to decide whether she wants to jeopardize their friendship by telling Nolan her true feelings. I enjoyed reading this book. It was a fun light read.  I liked the author's writing style and the friendship development. I would recommend this book to romance novel lovers!

Review: Crossing the Line

Crossing the Line
by Simone Elkeles

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: June 12, 2018

CROSSING THE LINE by Simone Elkeles is a novel written from two different perspectives. One narrator, named Ryan, is a teen who crosses the border from Texas into Mexico to learn to box and to escape his family. The other narrator is named Delilah, the daughter of a wealthy lawyer. When the two meet, they become entangled in a dramatic tale of murder and betrayal set amidst the drug wars of the US/Mexico border.  

The double narrative was a pleasant change from the straightforward single narrator of most novels. The author captured both sides of the story well, and the plot was never stagnant. It was a fast-paced and exciting tale of life on the border.

Review: Questions I Want to Ask You

Questions I Want to Ask You
by Michelle Falkoff

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: May 29, 2018

QUESTIONS I WANT TO ASK YOU by Michelle Falkoff is about Patrick "Pack" Walsh, a high school senior. On his eighteenth birthday he recieves a letter from his mother who he thought was dead. This leads Pack to investigate and hunt for his mom. I enjoyed reading this book.  There are a few really good plot twists. I liked the characters a lot. Overall, it was a good book that I definitely recommend!

Review: Not if I Save You First

Not if I Save You First
by Ally Carter

Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: March 27, 2018

NOT IF I SAVE YOU FIRST by Ally Carter is about a 16 year old named Maddie, who was friends the President's son, Logan. Maddie moves suddenly to Alaska after an incident involving her dad at the White House. For 6 years she has been writing letters to Logan but he never responds. Then Logan's dad decides to send him to Alaska, where he is kidnapped and Maddie has to find him. I really enjoyed this book! It was well written and the plot never faltered; I couldn't stop reading! I highly recommend it.

Review: Ginger Kid

Ginger Kid: Mostly True Tales from a Former Nerd
by Steve Hofstetter

Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: March 20, 2018

GINGER KID by Steve Hofstetter is a memoir about the author growing up as a kid in New York. He is a quirky kid with tons of wit. He gets bullied in high school. It's really about him grappling with fears as he grows up. I enjoyed this book. It was a funny light read. From the very first page it was witty and interesting. I liked the fact that the author wrote about himself. I feel that takes a lot of guts and is probably extremely difficult.  The writing style was easy to comprehend and fit perfectly with the subject. Since I'm also in high school it's cool to hear about another person's experience.

Review: Hooper

Hooper
by Geoff Herbach


Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: February 20, 2018

HOOPER by Geoff Herbach is about a Polish teen named Adam Reed. In Poland his mom died and his dad left him.  He was adopted and moved to Minnesota. He loves playing basketball more than anything else in his life. When trouble arises he has to keep a level head or lose everything. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was a real page turner, at times I couldn't put the book down. The plot was fast, moving, and interesting. There were many layers and I thought the writing style was interesting.

Review: The Last Girl on Earth

The Last Girl on Earth
by Alexandra Blogier

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 23, 2018

THE LAST GIRL ON EARTH by Alexandra Blogier is about a teenager named Li. She is a human living on an alien planet with beings that look just like humans but aren't. These beings have killed all other humans. Li must struggle to survive.  

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. At first I thought it seemed very cheesy. But as I got into it, I started to really enjoy it. I really liked the plot and the author did a good job of keeping the book moving. There were plenty of plot twists and I couldn't put this book down! 
  

Review: Shadow Girl

Shadow Girl
by Liana Liu

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: December 19, 2017

SHADOW GIRL by Liana Liu is about a girl who just graduated college named Wei. She goes to a big mansion for one month over the summer to tutor a rich man's daughter (Ella). At first everything seems perfect. But Mei starts hearing strange noises and tensions start rising in the house. This novel is really a coming of age novel that is written perfectly. It's not just any dry coming of age book; there are many side plots but it isn't confusing. I enjoyed the writing style very much. The plot twists kept me reading way past the time I was supposed to be asleep. This was truly a good book.

Review: Blood and Ink

Blood and Ink
by Stephen Davies

Publisher: Charlesbridge Teen
Publication Date: September 19, 2017

BLOOD AND INK by Stephen Davies is about a boy and girl named Ali and Kadi. Ali is a member of Al Qaeda and Kadi is a Muslim who lives in Timbuktu. When Ali helps occupy Timbuktu and discovers secret manuscripts, Kadi fights to keep them safe. The only thing is Kadi and Ali are in love with each other. I enjoyed reading this book. It was written from two points of view, Ali and Kadi's. I like that style of writing. The book was very fast paced and exciting. The only thing I didn't enjoy was that the book was about a very heavy topic, but it was written with a very light style of writing, which I think took away from the seriousness of the topic. Other than that there were many plot twists and you couldn't really guess the ending, which is a good thing. Overall, I really liked this book. I recommend this book to fans of fiction drawn from recent history.

Review: Such a Good Girl

Such a Good Girl
by Amanda K. Morgan

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: June 20, 2017

SUCH A GOOD GIRL by Amanda K. Morgan is about a high school senior named Riley Stone. She is perfect. Riley gets straight A's and has never done anything bad in her life. She accidentally falls in love with her French teacher and she suspects he loves her back. The decision they will have to make will change their lives forever. She has to figure out the best course of action. I really enjoyed this book. The plot was very interesting and it was set up nicely. The book was concise. There is a really crazy and surprising ending.

Review: Antisocial

Antisocial
by Jillian Blake

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: May 16, 2017

ANTISOCIAL by Jillian Blake is about a senior named Anna Soler who gets dumped by her boyfriend and finds herself without any friends. One day an anonymous hacker starts hacking all of the most popular people's phones and exposes their darkest secrets. Anna must save the people she cares about from getting exposed. I really enjoyed the book. It was a little confusing because of the texting but it became clear after a while. I enjoyed how the characters were portrayed and I felt connected to them. I liked the plot and the writing style. It is a solid debut novel. 

Review: Bang

Bang
by Barry Lyga

Publisher: Little Brown
Publication Date: April 18, 2017

BANG by Barry Lyga is about a boy named Sebastian who shot his baby sister with his fathers gun when he was 4 years old. The book takes place 10 years later, when Sebastian is a suicidal teen. He meets a girl named Aneesa who makes him forget about his past and he altogether forgets about committing suicide. This is a very eye opening story and I truly loved it. It actually brought me to tears. It was so real and beautifully written. It is very heavy. I really enjoyed the plot. It is a hard book to face but once you start reading it, you get wrapped up. BANG is a totally amazing book you must read.

Review: Just Another Girl

Just Another Girl
by Elizabeth Eulberg

Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: March 28, 2017

JUST ANOTHER GIRL by Elizabeth Eulberg is about a girl named Hope who has a crush on a boy named Brady. She has had a crush on him forever but he has a girlfriend. Hope comes to hate his girlfriend (her name is Parker). The book is about all of the things Hope does to try to win Brady over, while she figures out Parker. I really enjoyed the book. It was a great coming of age story with a few big plot twists. I like the way the author uses foreshadowing. I really thought it was well written. It also had just the right amount of humor. I highly recommend this book.

Review: The Free

The Free
by Lauren McLaughlin

Publisher: Soho Teen
Publication Date: February 28, 2017

THE FREE by Lauren McLaughlin is about a boy named Isaac West. A boy who was raised in a troubled house without a father, Isaac starts to steal and eventual he finds himself in Juvie. During his sentence, he is put through very intense therapy where he has to reenact his crime. The book is about Isaac figuring out he wants to be and who he is. I really liked the book--it touches on stuff that happens in real life, like having abusive parents and being in prison. It was written well and I enjoyed the plot. I suggest you read this book.