**It was okay
***Liked it
****Really really liked it
*****Absolutely loved it
1-star
*Tell Me 3 Things
(Fiction, YA, A. Buxbaum)
I remember when
this book first came out it was super popular.
I don’t know why. I found it to
be ridiculous. And for me to find a YA
book to be ridiculous it has to be really bad, because I typically enjoy
YA. I had it ‘figured out’ from about
page 3. I only finished it because it
was a quick audiobook. And then I kicked
myself for bothering to finish it.
2-stars
**When No One Is
Watching (Fiction, A. Cole)
This book is
labeled as a thriller, although I’m not sure why. NOTHING HAPPENS. Except in the last 30 pages or so.
**Icefall (Fiction,
YA, M. Kirby)
YA – this one had
such a great premise, but it just failed on many levels. I picked it up at the library sale and am
glad I didn’t pay more than $1 for it ha ha.
**Challenger Deep
(Fiction, YA, N. Shusterman)
YA – I almost DNF’d
this one multiple times, but it was a pretty short book so I kept plugging
on. I’m usually okay with books being
all over the place, and books taking place in two different….how should I say
this….mentalities? It’s hard to
explain. But I just couldn’t connect
with this one. Although I applaud Neal
Shusterman for writing a YA book about mental health.
**The Bronze
Horseman (Fiction, Simons)
This book was
infuriating. There were chapters that
were 5 stars and chapters that were 0 or negative stars. And it was about 300 pages too long. Waste of time. (I should have really given it 1 star)
**The Moon is Down
(Fiction, J. Steinbeck)
Great idea, poor
execution.
3-stars
***Five Feet Apart
(Fiction, YA, R. Lippincott)
Good, but it’s been
done before. Teenagers that are too sick
to love each other.
***The Sun Is Also
a Star (Fiction, YA, N. Yoon)
I liked her first
book MUCH better (Everything Everything)
***The Toll
(Fiction, YA, N. Shusterman)
Not as good as the
first two, but I decent conclusion
4-stars
****Obsidio
(Fiction, YA, A. Kaufman)
Fantastic
ending to the series. A fun one. Especially on audio!
****It
Ends With Us (Fiction, C. Hoover)
This
is technically considered a romance novel.
But there are extremely heavy themes all throughout, particular domestic
violence. It’s a tough read, but also
fluffy at the same time (a little too fluffy).
But in the acknowledgments page, the author wrote why she wrote this
book and it’s based on her own experiences.
So it gets 4 stars from me, in spite of the fluff factor.
****Shiner
(Fiction, A.J. Burns)
This
was one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read, but I still loved it. I had to keep reminding myself as I was
reading it that it was modern day and not written 50+ years ago. And I love that.
****Love
and Gelato (Fiction, YA, J. Welch)
Well
this was just a delightful little surprise.
It's not as 'fluffy' as the cover makes it look. I mean, there's definitely SOME teenage
fluff, especially at the end, but this book is mostly about grief and a teenage
girl trying to figure out her mother's past.
In Italy. While eating loads of
good food. And living in a
cemetery. Did I tell you it's surprising?
****Love
and Luck (Fiction, YA, J. Welch)
I
liked this one better than the first one!
I'm not sure if it was the Ireland setting...Amy told me about SO many
things and places that were mentioned in the book after her trip to Ireland. I'm excited for the next one!
****Between
Burning Worlds (Fiction, YA, J. Brody)
This
is a HUGE book. There is a lot going on,
and loads of action. I enjoyed it. The problem I have with sequels though is
that because my memory is so terrible I feel like I need to read the previous
book again to understand what's going on.
In this book though there were pages in the front of the book that
described each person, which was super helpful, especially because there are
LOADS of characters. I definitely want
to re-read both of these before the next one comes out next year.
****Long
Bright River (Fiction, L. Moore)
Very tough read. Dark & gritty. I went back and forth from hating the main character to having sympathy for her. Then being incredibly disappointed in her again. This is definitely not a ‘feel good’ read, but I listened to the whole audio book in one day. It was very engaging.
5-Stars
*****Fable
(Fiction, YA, A. Young)
Excellent…I
read this in 3 settings. It’s definitely
not perfect. The first half of the book
is a slow burn. There were a few things
that happened near the end that felt very rushed. However, I LOVED the story. And I LOVED Fable. She was likable in every way. It’s also one of the most atmospheric books
I’ve ever read. I’m looking forward to
the sequel!
*****And
Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer (Fiction, F. Backman)
This
is a little novella by one of my favorite authors. It’s about grief and preparing for loss. His writing is just so good and he is the
only author that makes me cry with his books.
*****The
Pecan Man (Fiction, C. Dandridge)
I’m
not sure why this book is not more well-known.
Or maybe everyone has heard of it except me. It’s a small book. More than a short story, but far less than a
big sweeping novel. It’s been compared
to To Kill a Mockingbird and The Help. I
kind of understand the comparisons, but it’s also very much it’s own
story. I listened to it on audio and it
was one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever heard.
Probably THE best. It’s free on
Hoopla audio if you have that connection through your library card.
DNF:
Us
(Fiction, D. Nichols) – couldn’t get into it.
Total
Books Read: 18 (18 Fiction, 0 Non-Fiction, 1 DNF)
