Girl Life

Pieces of a Girl by Stephanie Kuehnert is a memoir. In it Stephanie shares her growing up experiences through journal entries, sketches and photographs.

She recounts her awkwardness and being bullied as a young girl to bouts of depression and self harm through her teen and young adult years. She endured abusive relationships while working to find her voice and strength.

Her outlets were music and her writing. Eventually following and writing for zines provided her with a sense of girl power. Friends also supported her through life’s ups and downs. Stephanie was able to overcome her struggles to find her purpose.

Death Match

Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is one of the more unique books I’ve read in a while.

It’s about prisoners who can either stay in brutal conditions (physical or emotional torture), or potentially sign their lives away for a chance at freedom. The price for freedom is to take part in fight to the death matches that are televised. Each gang of prisoners travel together match to match, often losing a member along the way (sometimes in a fight or sometimes by their own gang members).

A few prisoners’ stories are highlighted. Loretta Thurwar and Hamara Stacker are the all-star duo (also a couple) with Loretta being only a couple combats away from Freed. There are also chapters from a couple that represent the audience, and from those protesting chain gang fighting (one of which is the daughter of a recently deceased inmate).

One of the unique elements of this book is the use of footnotes explaining the prison system.

The story kept my attention, although I found it difficult to keep track of the various characters’ nicknames. It is definitely a conversation starter in regard to the justice system and the possibilities of rehabilitation.

Family Drama

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a solid family drama.

Told from shared perspectives of the main couple, Jules and Camden, as well as news clips and letters from Camden’s adoptive mother Ruby.

Ruby became famous after being abducted from her very wealthy parents s a small child. She was eventually found and returned home to much publicity. Her father left her most of the inheritance including their massive home, with the caveat that her sister and her family could live there too. Ruby’s letters to a mysterious recipient reveal shocking information about her life and her four marriages.

Years later, Ruby passes away and leaves everything to Camden, much to the disapproval of her sister and her two kids. Camden’s wife Jules talks him into returning home to settle their affairs, but she secretly hopes that they can take over the mansion.

By the end, it becomes clear that everyone has secrets and these secrets challenge all expectations.

Act of Murder

The Fury by Alex Michaelides is a well-written tell all of a murder.

Elliot recounts the events leading up to his dear friend and former movie star Lana’s murder. He introduces each person present the night of her murder which takes place on her private Greek island.

Spoilers ahead- Elliot’s background is revealed. He was unwanted and unloved by his parents, and bullied by his peers. He found comfort watching Lana’s movies. He was quite obsessed with her.

He somehow manages to get taken in by an older, alcoholic female author. This allows him to reinvent himself and eventually befriend Lana. He is in love with her but unable to be with her as she is married to Jason. Eventually, Elliot discovers that her husband is cheating with their friend Kate.

Elliot devises a scheme to get Jason out of the picture. However, things go quite differently than planned. The narration kept me intrigued throughout the story.

Crime Solvers

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is first in a crime mystery series.

Cassie learned the art of reading people from her gypsy-like mom. After her mom’s apparent murder/disappearance, she went to live with her paternal grandmother. She never quite felt that she belonged.

Enter an offer to join a special teen squad training with FBI agents. Each teen in the group, the naturals, offers a unique ability to help solve cold cases. Dean is a natural people profiler like Cassie, Michael can read emotions, Sloane is a statistician, and Lia is an expert lie detector (and pathological liar).

Cassie begins learning more about each of her peers. Some have seemingly more to hide than others.

A recent slew of murders seem connected to Cassie’s mom’s death. She can’t help but get involved, even though she may be the next victim. The story follows twists and turns before resolving the case.

Family Road Trip

Huda F. Cares by Huda Fahmy is a story about family and acceptance. It is a graphic novel.

Huda is on a road trip to Disney with her parents and three of her four sisters. Her parents split the sisters into differing pairs each day to explore the park. The only rule is to meet back for meals at the correct time.

Huda meets a possible friend, but struggles with her Muslim identity amidst a sometimes unaccepting public. Overall, she comes to better understand and respect her sisters while gaining confidence in herself.

Stealing the Script

Yellowface by R.F. Luang is a trippy story about a young woman, June, who soars into bestseller territory after stealing her “friend’s” manuscript.

June met Athena during their enrollment at Yale. Athena seems to have it all and becomes a renowned author early in her career. Meanwhile, June’s first book was a flop.

Spoilers ahead- June seizes the opportunity to turn her stasis around following Athena’s death. She achieves acclaim after finishing Athena’s draft about Chinese laborers during WWI. The aftermath shifts between the ups and downs of success: adoration as well as harsh criticism. Readers begin attacking June’s authenticity as a white woman writing about Chinese history and also begin questioning whether she is the true author.

This sends June on a spiral of paranoia and obsession with social media. Can she write the next big novel to erase the negativity, or is she only as good as Athena allowed her to be?

A solid read with plenty of interest and great writing albeit a bit repetitive toward the end.

Keep Fighting

The Women by Kristin Hannah brought me through a roller coaster of emotions.

Frankie is from a well off family living on Coronado island in California. Her upbringing included glorifying the veterans in her family. Her older brother Finley is about to follow the same path. He is leaving for Vietnam after graduating from the naval academy.

Frankie decides to use her recent nursing degree to enlist too. Shortly before she is scheduled to leave, her family receives the horrific news that Finley was killed. Now she is sent to Vietnam with her terrible grief and a drive to help men like her brother.

The story gives brutal detail about the horrors and loss of war. Frankie begins completely unprepared but after two years leaves as a strong, competent nurse.

Retuning home brings new challenges. Her parents refuse to acknowledge her time in Vietnam, Americans despise Vietnam veterans, and she is shunned by veteran groups because she’s a woman. Through love and loss, addiction and post traumatic stress, she has two fellow nurses that are her rocks.

It takes time, but she finds her way. This book kept me turning pages and appreciating friendship, and more importantly, our veterans.

No Trust

The Resort by Sara Ochs is a twisty murder mystery set on an island.

Cass and Brooke alternate chapters. Cass is one of the residents on the island in Thailand, and Brooke is a traveling social media influencer posting about her trip.

Cass is part of a group dubbed the Permanents. All found their way to the island to escape their pasts. Cass is engaged to Logan, one of the guys in their group. All should be great except for when a note appears threatening to reveal her past.

Brooke begins getting friendly with the Permanents, especially Cass. A tourist was murdered shortly before her arrival, and now another girl and guy are found dead.

Cass and Brooke both want to figure out who is responsible, but they’ll need to get over their own pasts and figure out who they can trust to accomplish this.

Love or Friendship

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead is book four of the Vampire Academy series.

In this one, Rose travels alone to Siberia to find Dmitri who was turned into a Strigoi at the end of book three. She aims to fulfill their promise to kill the other if they ever get turned.

Rose meets a group of humans called Alchemists whose role is to keep vampires hidden from the regular population. She also meets Dmitiri’s family and contemplates staying with them for good. However, her quest is stronger. She joins a rogue group of Dhampir to hunt Strigoi in hopes of finding Dmitri. Things don’t go as planned once she is captured.

Dmitri is determined to turn Rose and is feeding off her to keep her weakened and dependent on him. Meanwhile, she keeps tabs on events at the Academy by slipping into Lissa’s mind and through Adrian’s dream visits.

Spoilers- Rose senses that Lissa is in danger due to another Moroi spirit user named Avery. This is just the push she needs to come to her senses and fight back. She manages to get away, but now the Strigoi she was chasing is after her. A twist is that there may be someone who can heal Strigoi, but he’s related to Victor (the Moroi they just had imprisoned for life). This will mean leaving the Academy again for a seemingly impossible fairy tale.

I can’t wait to see where this goes in the next and final book of the series.