Survival

What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson is a compelling read with plenty of action and interest.

Ava begins each chapter with her point of view from an almost omniscient viewpoint. She is retelling the story of her experience with Jack. They seemed destined to meet and to have a powerful impact on each other.

Their fathers were both involved in a robbery/murder which ended with Jack’s dad in jail. Ava’s dad is truly psychological and she was raised to he as cold and calculating as him. However, she gets involved with helping Jack and his little brother after their mother’s death.

Jack is being hunted by the criminals involved with his and Ava’s dad. He’s trying to protect his brother and thinks the best way to do this is by finding the drug money involved in the robbery.

This begins a a crazy quest for survival. I really enjoyed this book (which was gifted to me). It’s beautifully written while still being edgy.

Amazement Park

Hide by Kiersten White brings fourteen unassuming twenty-somethings into a twisted game. They’ll need to hide in order to survive seven days in an old, abandoned amusement park.

Each character is unique and brings his/her own baggage. Mack is the main character. She feels confident about her chances to win considering that she survived her father’s murderous rampage against her family. She didn’t expect to get close to a few of the other contestants, especially one in particular.

The players come to realize that there is a creature hunting them down two per day. This happens every four years due to a curse upon the town’s founding members. By sacrificing some of their own, they can bring continued prosperity to their families.

But Mack and the few remaining players plan to outsmart the game in order to save their lives. This is a decent read with some creepy parts.

Building Bonds

Heartstopper 4 by Alice Oseman continues developing Charlie and Nick’s relationship.

In this book, Charlie faces his eating disorder with Nick’s support and Nick comes out to his dad.

I am behind on my posts and read this one a while ago. It continues to be an engaging, sweet love story.

Live Well

The Measure by Nikki Erlick delves into a life in which everyone has the ability to know exactly when they’ll die. All people twenty two years old and up receive a box containing a string. The string’s length determines their life span.

Several characters’ experiences are explored in the aftermath of this life-changing event. Many of their tales intertwine in varying degrees.

String length becomes a divisive element in the world. One presidential candidate begins to campaign that short stringers shouldn’t hold certain jobs (military, president). There are many other situations also at stake, familial, romantic and friendships. Some choose to open their box while others don’t and the way they treat each other ranges too.

The main theme is that life is precious and its length doesn’t change the impact a person can have. This book will appeal to those who like emotional, thoughtful stories that explore multiple characters.

Power Trip

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell tells the downfall of a wealthy family due to some crazy houseguests. David, his wife and two kids along with another couple slowly infiltrate and eventually take over all aspects of the house.

The book is told from multiple perspectives. Henry is the wealthy son who narrates the past events including the decline and eventual death of his parents and David. Lucy is his sister. She has been living in France since leaving the house. She has two kids from different marriages, and they’ve been scraping by. Now she is trying to get back to London to see the baby. The baby, Libby, is the final perspective. She was born just about a year before everything came to an end in the house. She is now twenty five, and has inherited the huge house along the Thames. Her birthday is bringing the now grown children back for a reunion of sorts.

This is an engaging read with plenty of surprises and crazy situations.

Writerly Life

Bunny by Mona Awad has a very trippy Mean Girls/Heathers meets Frankenstein vibe.

Samantha is part of an exclusive creative writing program in which she is the sole outcast of a clique of women. They refer to each other as Bunny. At the beginning of a new semester, Samantha is invited to become part of their group.

She falls out of touch with her only friend Ava, and spends several drug/alcohol filled months with the Bunnies. Their purpose is to turn actual rabbits into men while maintaining several odd routines both in and out of class.

Samantha finally creates her own man, and this is when everything starts to unravel between her two worlds.

I’m not sure I really understand what actually transpired, but I love that I’m still thinking about it. It’s a creepy, twisted and strangely satisfying read.

Before Fame

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is an autobiography of his life before becoming a well known tv personality.

Noah’s birth to an interracial couple is a crime in apartheid South Africa. Much of his young childhood is spent pretending his mom and dad are not his actual parents (depending on the neighborhood they’re in or who they’re with).

Noah writes his life story by mixing in historical information about post apartheid in South Africa. He describes himself as a colored person, neither fully black nor white. This automatically sets him up for many uncomfortable situations in school and life as he attempts to fit in.

His mom is a very important part of his life. She is devoutly religious and they spent every Sunday going from church to church. She raised him to be an independent thinker. Noah was always a troublemaker and entrepreneurial. He started making money off his peers at a young age.

He recounts many of his pivotal life stories. There is a mixture of funny, scary and emotional events that make up Noah’s life. This was a very interesting read and it opened my eyes to a life and place I had no prior knowledge about.

Unsafe

The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith kind of drove me nuts. At the beginning, this story reminded me of Speak (which I really enjoyed), but it progressed for a longer time period with different reactions.

Eden is raped in her own bed by her brother’s best friend. He threatens to kill her if she tells anyone. This begins an almost four year aftermath of trauma.

Each year, Eden becomes a bit harder. She turns away a caring boyfriend and friends, and is full of animosity toward her parents and brother. She turns to drinking and meaningless sex as a coping strategy.

Spoiler- It isn’t until another girl is victimized that Eden finally realizes that she needs to break her silence. I spent the entire book waiting for her to say something so that she could begin properly coping and healing. And of course, waiting for justice against the perpetrator.

Coming Out

Heartstopper 2 by Alice Oseman continues Nick and Charlie’s relationship.

Nick struggles with if he’s ready to tell others about being in a gay relationship. As the story progresses, he begins telling people he trusts.

Nick must also decide if his own friends are worth keeping or not.

Overcoming Solitude

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Amiee Sáenz is a multi-award winning book.

It’s about Aristotle, aka Ari, and his friendship with Dante. Ari has always been a loner, but something is different about Dante. They first meet at the public pool one summer when Dante offers to teach Ari to swim.

From this point, they develop a friendship that provides balance to each other. Ari’s tough around the edges and Dante is more sensitive. Ari’s relationship with his dad is strained while Dante is super close with his parents. Ari’s older brother went to prison when he was much younger, and his parents never speak about him. This instilled anger and loneliness in Ari.

The school year progresses with the boys only corresponding through mail (Dante’s family moved during the year for his dad’s job). During this time both grow and realize more about themselves as individuals.

When Dante returns, he comes out to Ari. They attempt to rekindle their friendship, but it isn’t quite the same. This changes when Dante is beaten badly by a gang of boys who see him kissing a boy.

Spoiler- Ari comes to realize ( with help from his parents) that his feelings for Dante are much stronger than he allowed himself to admit.

There is beauty in the way this story unfolds (and more important scenes than I can mention here). It speaks of family love, friendship, romantic love, loyalty and forgiveness.