Running With Spears

Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson was a poignant, emotionally gripping read.

Here’s a quick blurb about the book:

“Can life begin again…every other weekend?

Adam Moynihan’s life used to be awesome. Straight As, close friends and a home life so perfect that it could have been a TV show straight out of the 50s. Then his oldest brother died. Now his fun-loving mom cries constantly, he and his remaining brother can’t talk without fighting, and the father he always admired proved himself a coward by moving out when they needed him most.

Jolene Timber’s life is nothing like the movies she loves—not the happy ones anyway. As an aspiring director, she should know, because she’s been reimagining her life as a film ever since she was a kid. With her divorced parents at each other’s throats and using her as a pawn, no amount of mental reediting will give her the love she’s starving for.

Forced to spend every other weekend in the same apartment building, the boy who thinks forgiveness makes him weak and the girl who thinks love is for fools begin an unlikely friendship. The weekends he dreaded and she endured soon become the best part of their lives. But when one’s life begins to mend while the other’s spirals out of control, they realize that falling in love while surrounded by its demise means nothing is ever guaranteed.”

While there were some sweet moments, to be sure, the tone was pretty heavy overall. I loved that the story dealt with some serious topics, divorce, separation, grief, loneliness, abuse, and more. Be sure to check for trigger warnings if there are issues that you don’t want to read about.

It was a four star read for me, and I hope a lot of youth who are going through similar situations have the chance to read this. There are some pretty great pre-order goodies available now, and the book comes out on January 7th.

Thanks NetGalley and Harlequin TEEN for a free advanced copy of the ebook. All opinions are my own.

Some books draw me in slowly, others capture me at the beginning but then disappoint, but with Sisters of Shadow and Light I was utterly enchanted on page one, and as the story continued, the only complaint I had was that I can’t read book two right now.

This is a YA fantasy about sisters and magic, heartbreak and healing, and unending love. It’s a story of hope and family and finding yourself. It follows the tale of a sister who was born with forbidden magic, and a sister born without it. They grow up hidden away in a citadel that’s protected from the world by a magical hedge. And they can never leave it. And no one else can ever join them, until the day a boy makes it through. This story gave me Strange The Dreamer vibes in all the best ways (which is high praise for me, Strange is one of my all-time favorite books). For those who are concerned about the maturity level of YA books, this one doesn’t have anything I would find objectionable for my twelve-year-old. There’s no coarse or offensive language, romance doesn’t develop beyond kissing, and violence is not overly graphic or gruesome. I can’t wait for this book to come out, and hopefully many of you will read it and I can chat with you about it. I met some of my new favorite characters in this story and I need someone to gush to about them! P.S. I saw that Sara has a pre-order incentive going on up until November 5th with a signed bookplate and bookmark and gorgeous character cards. Also, this was the first of her books that I read and I will definitely be adding her others to my TBR now! Thank you so much NetGalley and Tor/Forge for the free advanced copy of this ebook.

I’ve loved every Natalie Lloyd book I’ve read, and this one did not disappoint. In fact, it is probably a tie with my absolute favorite of hers (A Snicker of Magic), which is also my absolute favorite Middle Grade book.

Over The Moon is a heartwarming story of courage and hope and friendship and magic. Its pages are filled with a girl who is gentle and strong at the same time, who never lets the fact that she only has on hand stop her. It has a family that loves each other fiercely. A dust that threatens to destroy everything good and lovely. And flying horses. At it’s heart, it’s a story of believing you can choose your own story, and never giving up. I read it to my daughter at a time when she was recovering from a concussion and having a long, hard week, and the words in this story bolstered her spirit in a beautiful way. I absolutely loved this book, and highly recommend it.

Tweet Cute, by Emma Lord, is an adorably warm and fuzzy book. I read it when I was in the mood for something light and happy and it was perfect.

Obviously it’s not a story filled with nothing but comfort and joy, there’s drama and conflict and enough action that I kept reading it well into the night, but there’s also a really sweet romance that was so fun to watch unfold. Plus the main girl, Pepper, loves to bake and there’s just something heartwarming to me about stories that include a smorgasbord of delicious treats. And there’s a grilled cheese sandwich they describe that I’m still totally craving. There’s also a lovely friendship that develops, and some great family relationships.

It was a five star read for me, and I’d recommend it for fans of cute YA romance books like Love & Gelato, or The Best Kind of Magic.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book for free. All opinions are my own.

I recently had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw, and I devoured it in just a couple of days. It was soooo good.

Here’s a blurb about the book. Click on the link above to read a full synopsis. “From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep comes a haunting romance set deep in the magical snow-covered forest, where the appearance of a mysterious boy unearths secrets that awakens the enchanted, but angry, woods.”

This was such a lush, atmospheric story; I was utterly engrossed. It was the best book I’ve read in awhile, and I’ll be picking up a copy of The Wicked Deep as well as pre-ordering a finished copy of this to share with my daughter.

Though I saw one of the twists coming long before it was officially revealed, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. This was also the perfect length for me. Too often, stories that are written this lyrically wax on forever, describing everything so in-depthly that it detracts from the plot moving forward. This wasn’t the case here. While I highlighted numerous sentences just because I so immensely loved the way they flowed, the book still managed to be a page-turner, keeping me hooked well into the night.

It also had the perfect amount of resolution for me. It didn’t leave a bunch of unanswered questions, but also didn’t go on and on and on after the climactic scene with loads of chapters of tying things up and saying goodbye slowly to each character without any additional plot to keep me interested.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for the free advanced copy of this ebook.