Weekly Reads: Denis Ever After

I volunteered to read this book for the Teen's Choice book committee that I serve on. I love a good murder mystery. I failed to realize that this was told from the perspective of a ghost, and that was a really cool angle. I listened to it mostly on audiobook, and then when it got toward the end I needed to read the book because I just had to find out what happened. Totally unexpected ending!

My rating: 4.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

Denis Egan is dead. 

He’s okay with that. It’s been five years since he died, and the place where souls go is actually pretty nice. Sure, there are some things about his life and how it ended he can’t quite recall, but that’s how it’s supposed to be. Remembering could prevent Denis from moving on to whatever’s next. 

However, something is standing in his way. His twin brother Matt can’t let go of him, and as long as the living are holding on to his memory, Denis can’t rest in peace.

To uncover the truth about what happened that day five years before, Denis returns to his hometown and teams up with Matt. But visiting for too long has painful consequences for Denis, and Matt’s renewed interest in his brother’s passing is driving a wedge between his still-grieving parents.

Can the two boys solve the mystery of Denis’s death without breaking apart the family he’s left behind?

Weekly Reads: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Let me start this by saying, that I LOVE that Netflix has become the platform for fantastic teen books to movie. Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before has been on my TBR pile since 2015, according to my goodreads account. I committed librarian sacrilege: I watched the movie before I read the book. GASP. I never do this. Like ever. But I needed something cute to watch and I'd been hearing so many great things about it that I had to watch. And it was lovely. And I immediately had to put the book on hold at the library. Of course it had a nice long hold list on it because of the excitement about the movie so it took awhile.

Totally worth it.

My rating: 4.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all. 

Running Book Review: Running with the Buffaloes

Last fall during marathon training, my running buddy Chris lent me Running with the Buffaloes after I mentioned that I wanted to read it but my library didn't have it. Of course, he lent me a copy that was signed by both Chris Lear AND Adam Goucher. He's clearly not a librarian; you do NOT lend out signed book copies! Because of that I only read it at home, keeping it next to my bed so it wouldn't get damaged. Thus it took me FOREVER to read it. It was really great to pick it up when I needed extra running motivation.

I finally finished it during my coaching certification weekend, and it 100% lived up to all the hype. It also desperately makes me wish I had ran cross country in college, and also makes my mind spin as to how a coach would coach that many runners and be able to get them all the peak during the national championship while also managing all of the injuries along the way. I would love to be in Wetmore's brain for a season, that's for sure.

My rating: 5 stars

Summary from Amazon:

In RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES, writer Chris Lear follows the University of Colorado cross-country team through an unforgettable NCAA season. Allowed unparalleled access to team practices, private moments, and the mind of Mark Wetmore--one of the country's most renowned and controversial coaches--Lear provides a riveting look inside the triumphs and heartaches of a perennial national contender and the men who will stop at nothing to achieve excellence. The Buffaloes' 1998 season held great promise, with Olympic hopeful Adam Goucher poised for his first-ever NCAA cross-country title, and the University of Colorado shooting for its first-ever national team title. But in the rigorous world of top-level collegiate sports, blind misfortune can sabotage the dreams of individuals and teams alike. In a season plagued by injury and the tragic loss of a teammate, the Buffaloes were tested as never before. What these men managed to achieve in the face of such adversity is the stuff of legend and glory.
With passion and suspense, Lear captures the lives of these young men and offers a glimpse of what drives a gifted runner like Adam Goucher and a great coach like Mark Wetmore. Like Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike, RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES is at once a glowing celebration of a sport and an inspiration to anyone who has ever had the courage to beat the odds and follow a dream.

Weekly Reads: Freefall

I had heard a lot of great buzz about the new novel Freefall so I was excited to get it from my library when it came out. It was a page turner! Told in multiple perspectives revealing little tidbits with each chapter, I could not put this book down. I told everyone I could about it as I was reading it, and you should read it too. I could totally see this being an insanely good movie. So read it before it gets optioned and the hold list at your library goes bananas. :P

My rating: 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads:

A propulsive debut novel with the intensity of Luckiest Girl Alive and Before the Fall, about a young woman determined to survive and a mother determined to find her.

When your life is a lie, the truth can kill you

When her fiancé’s private plane crashes in the Colorado Rockies, Allison Carpenter miraculously survives. But the fight for her life is just beginning. For years, Allison has been living with a terrible secret, a shocking truth that powerful men will kill to keep buried. If they know she’s alive, they will come for her. She must make it home.

In the small community of Owl Creek, Maine, Maggie Carpenter learns that her only child is presumed dead. But authorities have not recovered her body—giving Maggie a shred of hope. She, too, harbors a shameful secret: she hasn’t communicated with her daughter in two years, since a family tragedy drove Allison away. Maggie doesn’t know anything about her daughter’s life now—not even that she was engaged to wealthy pharmaceutical CEO Ben Gardner, or why she was on a private plane.

As Allison struggles across the treacherous mountain wilderness, Maggie embarks on a desperate search for answers. Immersing herself in Allison’s life, she discovers a sleek socialite hiding dark secrets. What was Allison running from—and can Maggie uncover the truth in time to save her?

Told from the perspectives of a mother and daughter separated by distance but united by an unbreakable bond, Freefall is a riveting debut novel about two tenacious women overcoming unimaginable obstacles to protect themselves and those they love. 

Weekly Reads: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

Anytime Dan Gemeinhart writes a new book, I have to read it. He writes such amazing stories for grade school and young teen aged readers (and the mid-30s librarian readers who also pick them up). Also this cover? Perfection.

I got an e-ARC of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise but didn't have time to read it before it came out, so I was excited to get my hands on the very copy that our library bought. I started it, and I couldn't put it down. It was phenomenal. And I lied, I did have to put it down when I knew I was going to be a pile of waterworks and was reading at a restaurant for lunch on my break. READ IT.

My rating: 5 stars

Summary From Goodreads:

Five years.

That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation.

It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.

Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished―the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box―she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it.

Along the way, they'll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. And then there's Gladys...

Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all...but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after.”

Weekly Reads: Crazy Rich Asians

According to my goodreads account, I originally started to read Crazy Rich Asians in September 2013, but I apparently didn't get very far. When it was optioned as a movie, I put it back on my radar, but not very high up. Then everyone was going on and on about the movie, and I knew I had to check it out before I caught the flick. Of course the hold list was super long at the library because of the success of the movie (yay books!). So I had to wait. And it was worth the wait! Mostly. I found myself devouring the book, and not being able to pick up the book. I think it would've been a good one to read on a vacation when you have long stretches of time to really get into the story, especially since there are so many characters to sort through. As it was, I had ~20-30 minutes of lunch breaks. I'm super excited to watch the movie! Pick up the book if you haven't yet.


My rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor. 

On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.

Weekly Reads: The Happy Runner: Love the Process, Get Faster, Run Longer

I received an e-ARC of The Happy Runner: Love the Process, Get Faster, Run Longer, co-authored by running folks that some of my friends have been coached by. I'm always excited to get my hands on a new book about running and training, and this one blew me away. As I was reading it, I was writing myself notes of who I needed to gift this book to. I was also reading this at a time that I definitely needed the perspective that the book shared. I would highly recommend this to all runners out there looking to enjoy theirselves more on every mile.

My rating: 5 VERY ENTHUSIASTIC STARS. <--that's said in my best Addie dog voice.

Summary from goodreads:

Is your daily run starting to drag you down? Has running become a chore rather than the delight it once was? Then The Happy Runner is the answer for you.

Authors David and Megan Roche believe that you can't reach your running potential without consistency and joyful daily adventures that lead to long-term health and happiness. Guided by their personal experiences and coaching expertise, they point out the mental and emotional factors that will help you learn exactly how to become a happy runner and achieve your personal best.

Following the "some work, all play" approach, The Happy Runnerintroduces the three commandments of happy running and teaches you how to balance the effort of running with the simple joy of the activity:

- Learn how to run fast, run long, and stay healthy with proven training methods.

- Read real stories from professional and recreational athletes who have had personal breakthroughs as they learned to love the process of running.

- Understand how to adapt your running based on your personal lifestyle and goals as well as avoid setbacks from injury.

- Develop your self-belief and make positivity your default setting so you can reach your goals.

Whether you're battling burnout, are returning after an injury, or are new to running and want to enjoy a 5K or an ultramarathon, the science-based training guidance in The Happy Runner will help you get faster, go longer, and live stronger--all with a smile.

Weekly Reads: My Sister, the Serial Killer

I've been hearing about My Sister, the Serial Killer everywhere, so I downloaded it from the library for my trip to Texas. It was a short fast read, and I flew through it. It's a suspenseful book with humorous undertones. Despite all of the outstanding reviews, it left me wanting just a little bit more.... I would still recommend it though!

My rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads:

Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.

"Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer."

Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola's third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede's practicality is the sisters' saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her "missing" boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit.
A kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where Korede works, is the bright spot in her life. She dreams of the day when he will realize they're perfect for each other. But one day Ayoola shows up to the hospital uninvited and he takes notice. When he asks Korede for Ayoola's phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and what she will do about it.
Sharp as nails and full of deadpan wit, Oyinkan Braithwaite has written a deliciously deadly debut that's as fun as it is frightening.

Weekly Reads: Every Breath

When I saw that Nicholas Sparks had a new book coming out, of course I had to put myself on hold for the library's copy. I wasn't a big fan of his last one, but I was definitely in the mood for a sweet love story that might make me shed a tear or two. The book was good, and pretty expected. Definitely pick it up if you're a Sparks fan.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she's been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.

Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother's early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.

Illuminating life's heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, Every Breath explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties -- and asks the question, How long can a dream survive?

Weekly Reads: Sadie

Sadie is a book I had been hearing a lot of buzz about, so I was really excited to get a copy from my library. It's told in alternating perspectives, one from a podcast set in the present, and the other from Sadie, who the podcast is about. The book was incredibly fast-paced, disturbing as hell, and almost too intense to read as quickly as I devoured it. I would highly recommend this book!

My rating: 5 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him.

When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late. 

Weekly Reads: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is by debut author Hank Green. You may be familiar with Hank Green if you're a Nerdfighter, but if you're not, his brother is John Green and he's equally as awesome. I was super excited to check out (hehe, library joke there) his new book. The story was a little slow moving to me, and had I not volunteered to review it for the young adult book committee I serve on, I may have returned it to read at a later date. Once I got to the final 100 pages, I couldn't put it down. So a good story, but the pacing was just not my favorite.


My rating: 4 stars

Summary from goodreads:

The Carls just appeared. Coming home from work at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship--like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor--April and her friend Andy make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world--everywhere from Beijing to Buenos Aires--and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight. 

Now April has to deal with the pressure on her relationships, her identity, and her safety that this new position brings, all while being on the front lines of the quest to find out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.

Weekly Reads: Surprise Me

I received a e-ARC of Sophie Kinsella's newest book Surprise Me to read and review. I always love Sophie Kinsella's books, especially when I'm needing a nice light read. I didn't get a chance  to read it before it came out in print, but that means I got to read it during marathon week as a nice little escape. It totally delivered and scratched that nice little chick lit itch that I had!

My rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

After being together for ten years, Sylvie and Dan have all the trimmings of a happy life and marriage; they have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, beautiful twin girls, and communicate so seamlessly, they finish each other's sentences. However, a trip to the doctor projects they will live another 68 years together and panic sets in. They never expected "until death do us part" to mean seven decades.

In the name of marriage survival, they quickly concoct a plan to keep their relationship fresh and exciting: they will create little surprises for each other so that their (extended) years together will never become boring. But in their pursuit to execute Project Surprise Me, mishaps arise and secrets are uncovered that start to threaten the very foundation of their unshakable bond. When a scandal from the past is revealed that question some important untold truths, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other after all.

Weekly Reads: Dry

Dry is the newest book by amazing ya author Neal Shusterman and his son Jarrod Shusterman. I was so excited to read this book and it really freaked me out how easily this could be a reality in my lifetime. I may or may not be stock piling my basement henceforth to prepare for the end of the world. I also drank more water while reading this book than I did when I was averaging 50+ miles per week during marathon training. Gulp.

Must read!

My rating: 4.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers.

Until the taps run dry.

Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbours and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life—and the life of her brother—is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.

Weekly Reads: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is a really sweet new book from Stacy McAnulty. I picked it up because I had heard great things and I thought it might make for a good option for the teen book committee I'm a member of. And it did not disappoint. It was such a sweet book about friendship and being different, and I think a lot of 4th-6th grade students would love it.

My rating: 5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning. She doesn't remember it, but it changed her life forever. The zap gave her genius-level math skills, and ever since, Lucy has been homeschooled. Now, at 12 years old, she's technically ready for college. She just has to pass 1 more test — middle school!

Lucy's grandma insists: Go to middle school for 1 year. Make 1 friend. Join 1 activity. And read 1 book (that's not a math textbook!). Lucy's not sure what a girl who does calculus homework for fun can possibly learn in 7th grade. She has everything she needs at home, where nobody can make fun of her rigid routines or her superpowered brain. The equation of Lucy's life has already been solved. Unless there's been a miscalculation?

Weekly Reads: Mrs. Fletcher

One of my favorite actresses, Casey Wilson, recently posted that she was going to be on an HBO adaptation of Mrs. Fletcher. The book had previously been on my radar, so I picked it up before the masses put it on hold to be prepared for the tv show! This book was entertaining, and I appreciated the various view points throughout the story. I'll be interested to see what HBO does to put their spin on the story.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

From the bestselling author of The Leftovers and Little Childrencomes a penetrating and hilarious new novel about sex, love, and identity on the frontlines of America’s culture wars.

Eve Fletcher is trying to figure out what comes next. A forty-six-year-old divorcee whose beloved only child has just left for college, Eve is struggling to adjust to her empty nest when one night her phone lights up with a text message. Sent from an anonymous number, the mysterious sender tells Eve, “U R my MILF!” Over the months that follow, that message comes to obsess Eve. While leading her all-too-placid life—serving as Executive Director of the local senior center by day and taking a community college course on Gender and Society at night—Eve can’t curtail her own interest in a porn website called MILFateria.com, which features the erotic exploits of ordinary, middle-aged women like herself. Before long, Eve’s online fixations begin to spill over into real life, revealing new romantic possibilities that threaten to upend her quiet suburban existence.

Meanwhile, miles away at the state college, Eve’s son Brendan—a jock and aspiring frat boy—discovers that his new campus isn’t nearly as welcoming to his hard-partying lifestyle as he had imagined. Only a few weeks into his freshman year, Brendan is floundering in a college environment that challenges his white-dude privilege and shames him for his outmoded, chauvinistic ideas of sex. As the New England autumn turns cold, both mother and son find themselves enmeshed in morally fraught situations that come to a head on one fateful November night.

Sharp, witty, and provocative, Mrs. Fletcher is a timeless examination of sexuality, identity, parenthood, and the big clarifying mistakes people can make when they’re no longer sure of who they are or where they belong. 

Weekly Reads: All We Ever Wanted

All We Ever Wanted is the newest book by Emily Giffin. I typically look forward to Giffin's newest books each summer, as they're typically a nice light read while traveling or while sitting out getting some sun. This book, at first glance, had a lot more substance than her books typically do. That's good!

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it! It was a fast read, told from multiple perspectives, that dealt with an important and timely topic for parents of teens.


My rating: 5 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. More recently, her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their adored son has been accepted to Princeton. Yet sometimes the middle-class small-town girl in Nina wonders if she’s strayed from the person she once was.

Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. His road has been lonely, long, and hard, but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school.

Amid so much wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn’t always fit in—and her overprotective father doesn’t help—but in most ways, she’s a typical teenage girl, happy and thriving.

Then, one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. As the image spreads like wildfire, the Windsor community is instantly polarized, buzzing with controversy and assigning blame.

At the heart of the lies and scandal, Tom, Nina, and Lyla are forced together—all questioning their closest relationships, asking themselves who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning.

Weekly Reads: When Life Gives You Lululemons

When Life Gives you Lululemons is the third book in The Devil Wears Prada series. I thoroughly enjoyed the original, and didn't much care for the sequel, so I wasn't sold on even reading this title. But then I saw an ARC available of it, and I remembered that Lauren Weisberger always tells such a nice summer time, light story, and I was suckered in.

And I'm glad I was.

This was so much more enjoyable than I thought it would be, and I found myself wanting to pick it up during my 15 minute breaks at work (this is a sign of a very readable book). When my lunch break was over and I only had about 40 pages left, I was so bummed to have to wait to see how it ended up. Perfect book for the summer time, either at the beach, poolside, or lying on the couch in the AC because it's just so damn hot out.

My rating: 4.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Lauren Weisberger returns with a novel starring one of her favorite characters from The Devil Wears Prada—Emily Charlton, first assistant to Miranda Priestly, now a highly successful image consultant who’s just landed the client of a lifetime.

Welcome to Greenwich, CT, where the lawns and the women are perfectly manicured, the Tito’s and sodas are extra strong, and everyone has something to say about the infamous new neighbor.

Let’s be clear: Emily Charlton, Miranda Priestly’s ex-assistant, does not do the suburbs. She’s working in Hollywood as an image consultant to the stars, but recently, Emily’s lost a few clients. She’s hopeless with social media. The new guard is nipping at her heels. She needs a big opportunity, and she needs it now.

Karolina Hartwell is as A-list as they come. She’s the former face of L’Oreal. A mega-supermodel recognized the world over. And now, the gorgeous wife of the newly elected senator from New York, Graham, who also has his eye on the presidency. It’s all very Kennedy-esque, right down to the public philandering and Karolina’s arrest for a DUI—with a Suburban full of other people’s children.

Miriam is the link between them. Until recently she was a partner at one of Manhattan’s most prestigious law firms. But when Miriam moves to Greenwich and takes time off to spend with her children, she never could have predicted that being stay-at-home mom in an uber-wealthy town could have more pitfalls than a stressful legal career. 

Emily, Karolina, and Miriam make an unlikely trio, but they desperately need each other. Together, they’ll navigate the social landmines of life in America’s favorite suburb on steroids, revealing the truths—and the lies—that simmer just below the glittering surface. With her signature biting style, Lauren Weisberger offers a dazzling look into another sexy, over-the-top world, where nothing is as it appears.

Weekly Reads: One of Us Is Lying

One of Us is Lying is the new big, teen book that everyone is reading. I picked it up in hopes that I could finish it before our next meeting to discuss books for our South Dakota teen book of the year, as I had seen everyone rave about it and didn't want it spoiled at the meeting! It was good, a fast read, but I had it pretty well figured out about halfway through the book. Still a good twist and turny mystery.

My rating: 4.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide. 

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. 
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. 
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose? 
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them."

Weekly Reads: Violent Ends

I volunteered to read this book for a young adult book committee that I serve on. And then the subject matter continued to be too real, on too regular of a basis, so I kept putting it off and putting it off. Until finally the deadline to have our books read and reviewed was *here* and I had to dive in. Unlike This is Where it Ends, this book is more about the before and after the school shooting that give little glimpses about the shooter from many different perspectives. It was really interesting, and I was hooked.

My rating: 4 stars

Summary from goodreads:

In a one-of-a-kind collaboration, seventeen of the most recognizable YA writers—including Shaun David Hutchinson, Neal and Brendan Shusterman, and Beth Revis—come together to share the viewpoints of a group of students affected by a school shooting. 

It took only twenty-two minutes for Kirby Matheson to exit his car, march onto the school grounds, enter the gymnasium, and open fire, killing six and injuring five others. 

But this isn’t a story about the shooting itself. This isn’t about recounting that one unforgettable day. 

This is about one boy—who had friends, enjoyed reading, playing saxophone in the band, and had never been in trouble before—became a monster capable of entering his school with a loaded gun and firing bullets at his classmates. 

Each chapter is told from a different victim’s viewpoint, giving insight into who Kirby was and who he’d become. Some are sweet, some are dark; some are seemingly unrelated, about fights or first kisses or late-night parties. This is a book told from multiple perspectives—with one character and one event drawing them all together—by some of YA’s most recognizable names.

Weekly Reads: Emergency Contact

I love a book set in that freshman year of college. Rebirth, rebranding, just a crazy time in your life. And this book sounded awesome. And the cover, is gorgeous. I was really head over heels for this book, and then it just seemed to drag on a bit in the middle. I think it'd be a 4 star review if it had kept up the momentum a little bit! Still worth picking up and deciding for yourself!

My rating: 3 stars

Summary from goodreads: For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn’t actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.

Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him. 

When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.