There will be Lies

There will be Lies
by Nick Lake

Shelby is 17 years old when she is hit by a car and it changes her life.  She lives with her mom, is home-schooled, and is deaf.  She didn't hear the car coming.  After she is in the hospital, her mom tells her they are going on vacation and suddenly they are traveling.  Her mom is acting strange as they never go on vacation and timing right after her accident is just odd.

This ended up to be a quick read, I wanted to know what was going on.  Why was her mom acting strange?  What was the truth and what was a lie?  Because she wasn't given a straight, honest answer.  

And then in between these chapters of Shelby on the run with her mom, there were parts of another world.  Shelby wold go into a science fiction dreamlike world.  That part was a bit weird and I wasn't expecting that.  I don't mind reading science fiction, I guess I just wasn't expecting it in this book.  I just didn't care much for that part.  I was more interested in what was happening to Shelby and her mom.  

Shelby being deaf and communicating via sign language and reading lips was interesting.  If someone wasn't facing her when they were talking, she couldn't read their lips and so couldn't understand them.  And people couldn't tell that she was deaf unless they told them as it's not something that is obvious.

You do eventually find out what's going on.  Why Shelby's mom was suddenly basically on the run and what she was afraid of.  Yes, there is a reason.  Interesting and makes you wonder what you would do if you were them, the different people that were effected by Shelby's mom's decision.  

I Know who you are

I know who you are
by Alice Feeney

This novel rotates between two characters.  Aimee is an actress who has hit her big break and is now well-known and on her way to stardom.  Aimee has been married two years and one day, after a fight, her husband just up and disappears.  It looks suspicious.  Where is her husband?  What happened to him?

The other chapters feature a little girl, only 5 years old who wandered away from home.  Her real family wasn't all that warm and loving and neither are the new family that basically kidnapped her.  Just a sad little girl.

This was such a good book.  Twists and turns that I didn't see coming.  I kept reading to find out what was going on.  I wondered where her husband was and what had happened to him.  

Early on she is suspected of murdering him, which I didn't think she did.  Someone was framing her, but I didn't know who.  Who can Aimee trust? I wasn't sure.

I also wondered what happened to the little girl's original family.  What did they think when their little girl disappeared.  Did they care?  They blamed her for the mom's death, what a lot to put on a little girl who had no control over that.

A pretty good page turner with twists.

Stay Sexy and don't get Murdered

Stay Sexy and don't get Murdered
by Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Harstark

I ended up finding this book when it was recommended in one of my Facebook book groups. At the time the title gave me a laugh.  I have never heard of Karen or Georgia and I have never heard their podcast, I have actually never listened to any podcasts at all.  I'm probably missing something.

I saw in another review how if you have never heard their podcast that you wouldn't like their book as so much of it would just go over your head.  Well, I don't know how much of it did go over my head, but I can tell you that I still enjoyed the book.

It was quirky, down to earth and at times just plain interesting hearing their stories.  They discussed past mistakes they overcame such as drug use, alcohol, and eating disorders.  They reflected on these past events and how it helped make them who they are today.

Anyway, genuinely an interesting book, even for someone who has never heard of them or their podcast.  

My favorite half-night Stand

My favorite half-night stand
by Christina Lauren

Millie is a professor, she is an expert on serial killers, and she likes to joke around with her group of guy friends.  Her group of friends are single and when a black tie event is coming up, they decide to try online dating to try to get a date for the event.  

Millie is matched with her friend Reid, and Millie makes a joke thinking Reid will realize it's her.  He doesn't.  They continue to correspond via email.  Reid starts to get know a different side to Millie and they start to fall for each other.  Meanwhile, in real life Millie and Reid keep sleeping together and he is also corresponding with another girl via this online dating app.  And that makes Millie jealous.

It was a light, funny read.  The banter between the group of guys was fun, particularly when they were messaging each other.  I would like to see another book featuring some of the other guys in the group.  The online dating aspect of it was amusing as they talked about their matches.  

Of course everything works out.  You would think Millie and Reid would worry a little more about ruining their friendship.  They don't.  This group of friends seems to be the only friends Millie really interacts with, so if she alienated them she would be alone.  She still risks it.  

Anyway, an amusing, light read.

Girls on the Verge

Girls on the Verge
by Sharon Biggs Waller

It is the summer before Camille's senior year and she is going to a prestigious theater program when she finds out she is is pregnant.  She is scared to tell her parents.  Camille ends up reaching out to a girl she don't know well, Annabelle, for help.  Camille wants an abortion and those are not easy to get in Texas, particularly for someone unmarried and her age.  

Camille's best friend, Bea, also ends up going with them on the road trip. Bea is religious and is having a hard time with Camille's choice, but she wants to support her friend.  Camille, Bea, and Annabelle are on a road trip to southern Texas / Mexico to try to buy illegal pills that are supposed to cause a miscarriage.  

It was scary how these teens girls were traveling so far to basically purchase illegal pills.  This sounds dangerous, what if something had gone wrong?  Camille could have gotten very sick from the pills, or they could have been attacked as they were not going into safe neighborhoods.  And then they end up traveling across the state for an abortion.  Scary.  Both scary what might happen to them and scary that they are traveling so far to decide what will happen to their own body.

Camille made a poor decision when she had sex.  And unfortunately, it did only take the one time.  And then she had to face hard decisions.  Does she have the baby and it changes her life? Does she have the baby and give it up for adoption?  That still changes her plans to go on to her acting school.  Or does she have an abortion and try to move on with her life?  

I do not agree with abortion, but that is still such a scary situation for someone so young.  Her parents needed to know what was going on, but she was too scared to tell them.  And then her friend, Annabelle, seemed to know so much more than Camille and Bea.  What their choices and options might be.  Annabelle also knew more about just plain birth control which is something that all the girls should know about.

The double stigma.  Here Camille is scared, what does she do about this baby?  And the father of the baby knows nothing.  They mention another girl at school who was pregnant and picked on, yet the boy was left alone.  That is so not far, a baby does not happen by itself.  

This one was interesting and very thought provoking.  This book would make a really good book discussion book for teens.  It would open up a discussion on abortion, birth control, and sex.  Something that should be talked about.  

Fight or Flight

Fight or Flight
by Samantha Young

Ava is flying home after going to the funeral of her childhood friend. Sitting next to her on the flight is a rude man, Caleb Scott.  They banter back and forth.  Soon after arriving back home she runs into Caleb again.  They decide to basically do the friends with benefits.  And sparks fly.

The beginning of this book was amusing.  When they were bantering back and forth on the plain, so funny as they annoyed each other.  For some reason at that part I kept picturing Thor, like in the movie.  Maybe because I just saw the Avenger movie last week.

It was steamy, but then there was more to the book too.  Slowly Ava and Caleb start to genuinely start to care for each other.  At one point in the book, Ava's friend needs her and Caleb goes with and he is there for her when she needs him.  But then he keeps saying stupid stuff that hurts her.  My heart broke with Ava.

Eventually it works out and it's the happy ending, but it was a bit emotional reading Ava's heart getting stomped on again.  And Caleb is not the first man to break her heart. 

I feel like I have found a new author to read.  It looks like she has quite a few books out so I'm happy with that.

Nyxia

Nyxia
by Scott Reingten

Emmett is being recruited by the rich Babel Corporation.  They have offered him a large chunk of money, $50,000 a month to his family and free, good, healthcare for his family if he leaves and goes to a planet called Babel.  There he is told he will mine Nyxia.

After agreeing to go, he finds out that not everyone that agrees and signs the paperwork will be allowed to go.  He is to compete with others, he is told there are eight spots and ten competing.  The two losers will be sent home and will not be receiving the large compensation or healthcare.  They will still receive a large chunk of money, but it is nowhere near to what the others will be receiving.

That is such a huge chunk of money that they are offering to go on the trip.  Even if it's in the future and because of inflation it's really quite a bit less money than it sounds like.  It makes me suspicious of what the company is hiding.  Why pay so much? And then add in the healthcare to make it even more appealing, because here is a chance to help out their family.  

The kids are told that there are aliens on Nyxia and that the aliens are harmless to children as they love kids.  I'm thinking this is a lie and this is a very dangerous mission they are on.  That rich corporation is definitely hiding something, rich companies don't like to just hand out huge wads of money.We will see in the next book.

The Black Key

The Black Key

by Amy Ewing

This is the third and final book in The Lone City series.  In this one, Violet is going back to the Jewel to go after her sister Hazel.  If caught, Violet will be sentenced to death.  Violet has used her magic to disguise her appearance, however, her voice is the same so she must be careful that no one recognizes her. 

As Violet goes back the the Jewel, she works with the rebellion and they make a plan to take the island back and away from the royalty.  Violet becomes more powerful as she understands how to work with the elements more. 

I really enjoyed this series, I liked all the books.  I wanted to continue to read to find out if Violet was going to get caught.  What would happen to her friends?  Would they survive the rebellion?  I was concerned about her sister, Hazel.  Would Violet be able to get her out safely?  

I also liked how some of the characters who were basically forced into slavery, and didn't think they were worth anything, realized that there was so much more to them.  They were not worthless.  Ash was not a worthless pretty prostitute.  The surrogates were not worthless throwaway girls either.  Even some of the royals had more them than you would assume at first glance.  

I read reviews and some people didn't like the book or Violet.  But she was the catalyst that caused so much change.  She helped others see that there was more to them, she was hope for a better future.  She helped others see themselves through different eyes.

The White Rose

The White Rose
by Amy Ewing

This is the second in The Lone City series.  In this one Violet is on the run.  Violet was caught with Ash, which is a big no-no.  Both face death as punishment.  As they escape, they rescue Violet's friend, Raven.

Along the way Violet learns more of how to control her auguries and becomes more powerful as she can control them better. She becomes involved with people who are not happy with how the city is run, very few have all the power and resources while the rest live in poverty and are forced into basically slavery.

I enjoyed this one.  I liked reading more about these auguries, in the first book they seemed almost mysterious and a side-note.  In this one Violet gets to get more into those.  

I liked reading more about Raven and more about Ash's past.  Where Ash came from and why he feels so broken having been basically forced into a slavery.  

I read other reviews and it seems like people either really liked this one or were disappointed and said it suffered the second-book syndrome.  I thought it was a good book, just like the first one. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.  

Stranger in the House

Stranger in the House
by Shari Lapena

I really enjoyed Shari Lapena's The Couple Next Door so I was excited to see she had a new book out.  

Karen and Tom have been married a couple years.  One day Tom comes home and Karen is gone, her car is gone, but her purse and phone are all left behind.  She was also in the middle of making something in the kitchen and she randomly left in a hurry.  Soon Tom finds out that Karen has been in a car accident and that she was driving recklessly in the worst part of town.  In the hospital Karen remembers nothing of why she left in such a hurry.  Then when Karen comes back from the hospital she notices little items are moving around in the house; someone is coming in their house when they are not there.

This one was okay.  The first part I was reading wondering what was going on.  Karen doesn't have her memory so I was curious as to what was happening, what had made her leave in such a hurry.  And then as you find out it's almost anticlimactic.  It's oh, okay.  And then even the twist at the very end. I don't know, I just wasn't blown away.  

The point of view would also change multiple times in a chapter and I'm not sure I like that.  I don't mind multiple points of view, but when it changes so quickly and randomly it can get a bit confusing.

It was still a good story, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the other book I have read by her.

Girls with Sharp Sticks

Girls with Sharp Sticks
by Suzanne Young

Mena goes to a special school called Innovations of Academy where there are only girls and they are all well behaved.  There they do not learn the normal math or science.  Instead they learn how to introduce yourself, how to socialize, how to make your man feel important, how to make whoever you are talking to feel important.  They are on strict diets and exercise routines, they are to look perfect.  Even minor scrapes are taken care of so they do not have scars.

Soon it's hinted at that something sinister is going on at the school.  And you wonder what is actually going on there.  What are they doing to the girls?  They are definitely doing something as they are not acting like normal girls.  They almost seem brainwashed.

This one reminded me a bit of The Similars by Rebecca Hanover and the Brave New Girl series by Rachel Vincent.  I enjoyed those, so it's not a bad thing.  It's another book about a boarding school and then of course there is more going on there than you realize.  Those were both about clones, this one was about something else.

I thought the novel started out a little slow, and then it was picking up at the end.  I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.

A Fall of Marigolds

A Fall of Marigolds
by Susan Meissner

This novel flips between two women, a hundred years apart.  They are tied together by a scarf, and as you read the novel, you find out how the scarf connects them.

It is September 1911, and Clara watched the man she cared for fall to his death in a tragic fire.  She feels guilt as he would have lived had he been working on his normal floor, but he was coming down the building to get her.  He was going to show her the sewing room.  They had barely spoken, but Clara just knows it was the beginning of something between the two of them and she is devastated to see him, and others jump to their deaths as the building is on fire.  

Clara goes on to work as a nurse at Ellis Island.  There she meets a man who has recently lost his wife to scarlet fever.  They were not married long, and they had married after a very short time.  This reminds Clara of her and the man she saw die.

September 2011 and Taryn is single raising her daughter.  On September 11th, 2001 she was on her way to see her husband at the world trade center to tell him that she was pregnant.  She picks a scarf up for work along the way and it makes her late to her date with her husband.  This changes her life.

I really liked this one.  I found Clara's story more interesting, but most of the book was her story, so that might be why.  You just read more about her,  the chapters about Taryn were quite a bit less.

Interesting how both women had similarities, both trying to move on after a tragic accident.  Both having someone they loved, or would love, die tragically.  

While reading, I cared about both main characters, I wanted them to be able to move on after the tragedies.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I'm adding a few of her other books to my reading list.

Choose your own Disaster

Choose your own Disaster

by Dana Schwartz

This one was really different.  In between chapters, there would be a quiz and you were to choose which way to continue.  Honestly, I had a hard time with that, I ended up reading the book the normal way.  I know, that's not how this one was meant to be read, but I was afraid I would miss something interesting otherwise.

The book had some interesting parts.  Her eating disorder, that just made her human.  It was still sad.  The quiz between chapters made it quirky and fun. 

However, eventually I was just getting bored.  The character was going through one meaningless relationship after another.  One night stand after another.  

I have not read this author before, I'm not on twitter so I'm not familiar with the accounts she apparently has.  I did see that she has a young adult book out and I put that on my reading list, which I may or may not like.  Still undecided on the author.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

I'm thinking of Ending Things
by Iain Reid

Well, this one was different.  A woman is traveling with her boyfriend, they have only been dating about 6 weeks and they are going to meet his parents.  Along the way, she gets getting these phone calls with the same message over and over, that don't make any sense.  And the number is coming from her own number.  

And in between are short passages from the police.  Someone has died, and you don't know who until you get closer to the end of the book.

At first reading the book I wasn't sure if the title referred to the girlfriend thinking of breaking up with her boyfriend.  Or someone thinking of suicide.  It's both.

The ending.  The book got weird at the end, it was a twist.  After finishing this one, I went to look for spoilers and an explanation of what had just happened.  I finished it last night and I'm still not sure what to think.  I liked his other book, Foe, better, but this one was still good. His books seem to be just a little different.

This might be one that would be a good one to read a second time.  For such a short book, there is a lot going on.

Voices from Chernobyl

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster
by Svetlana Alexievicn

This is the translation of the original Russian.  This is from the interviews that the author did from people from Belarus.  There was a nuclear reactor accident in 1986 at Chernobyl.  This is the interviews of personal accounts of people who were there, people who helped with the cleanup, people who suffered from the radiation, or people who watched their loved ones suffer and die from the effects of the radiation.

Powerful and sad.  I had to take a break from reading this one, before continuing on.  This is not a fiction book, this is real people telling their stories.  And the nuclear accident happened in 1986, and these interviews were from the 90s, so this wasn't that long ago.  This happened in my lifetime, it's not some long ago event.

The first part, the fireman's wife.  She was so worried about her husband and just wanted to take care of him and be by his side.  Neither one really knew what was going on, or how dangerous it was for her to be next to him so much.  She was just heartbroken as she loved her husband.  And she was pregnant at the time.

Another story that really stuck to me was one of the men was helping with the cleanup and afterwards his clothes were thrown away, but for some reason his son wanted the hat.  So he gave the son the hat, and his son wore that hat all the time.  That is until a couple years later his son had a brain tumor.  The man broke down after that and couldn't talk anymore.  Oh wow, the guilt, because he had given his son the hat.  He didn't know how that hat would hurt his child or he never would have given his son it.

The baby born without the holes to pee and poop and the parents having to be in the hospital manually helping the child pee every half hour.  The children in schools never smiling, never joking, never playing and being children.  The child who was in the hospital so much, that he thought it was their home.  The people who could no longer be parents, or if they did become parents, their children were born with many problems. 

It was just heartache after heartache.  Not to mention, how many of those heartaches could have been prevented if people were told what was actually going on and warned what radiation was and what it would do to them, and to their children, even to their unborn children.