Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: You’d Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Review: You’d Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow

You'd Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow

You’d Be Home Now
Kathleen Glasgow
Delacorte Press
Published September 28, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About You’d Be Home Now

For all of Emory’s life she’s been told who she is. In town she’s the rich one–the great-great-granddaughter of the mill’s founder. At school she’s hot Maddie Ward’s younger sister. And at home, she’s the good one, her stoner older brother Joey’s babysitter. Everything was turned on its head, though, when she and Joey were in the car accident that killed Candy MontClaire. The car accident that revealed just how bad Joey’s … Continue reading →

Review: These Deadly Games by Diana Urban

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Review: These Deadly Games by Diana Urban

These Deadly Games by Diana Urban

These Deadly Games
Diana Urban
Wednesday Books
Published February 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About These Deadly Games

Let’s play a game.

You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies. If you call the police, she dies. And if you tell your parents or anyone else, she dies.

Are you ready?

When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a video of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make … Continue reading →

Review: The Swallowtail Legacy: Wreck at Ada’s Reef by Michael D. Beil

By | | , , , ,
Comments Off on Review: The Swallowtail Legacy: Wreck at Ada’s Reef by Michael D. Beil

The Swallowtail Legacy: Wreck at Ada's Reef by Michael D. Beil

The Swallowtail Legacy: Wreck at Ada’s Reef
Michael D. Beil
Pixel + Ink
Published February 1, 2022

Amazon  | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Wreck at Ada’s Reef

Twelve-year-old Lark Heron-Finch is steeling herself to spend the summer on Swallowtail Island off the shores of Lake Erie. It’s the first time that she and her sister will have seen the old house since their mom passed away. And while her stepfather and his boys are okay, the island’s always been full of happy memories–and now everything is different.

When Nadine, a close family friend, tells Lark about a tragic boat accident that happened off the … Continue reading →

Review: At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Review: At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp

At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp

At the End of Everything
Marieke Nijkamp
Sourcebooks Fire
Published on January 25, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About At the End of Everything

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS comes another heartbreaking, emotional and timely page-turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Hope Juvenile Treatment Center is ironically named. No one has hope for the delinquent teenagers who have been exiled there; the world barely acknowledges that they exist.

Then the guards at Hope start acting strange. And one day…they don’t show up. But when the teens band together to make … Continue reading →

Review: When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Review: When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord

When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord

When You Get the Chance
Emma Lord
Wednesday Books
Published January 4, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About When You Get the Chance

Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s … Continue reading →

Review: How to Become a Planet by Nicole Melleby

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Review: How to Become a Planet by Nicole Melleby

How to Become a Planet by Nicole Melleby

How to Become a Planet
Nicole Melleby
Algonquin Young Readers
Published May 25, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About How to Become a Planet

For Pluto, summer has always started with a trip to the planetarium. It’s the launch to her favorite season, which also includes visits to the boardwalk arcade, working in her mom’s pizzeria, and her best friend Meredith’s birthday party. But this summer, none of that feels possible.

A month before the end of the school year, Pluto’s frightened mom broke down Pluto’s bedroom door. What came next were doctor’s appointments, a diagnosis of depression, and a big black hole … Continue reading →