Seventeen year-old Cassie Hobbes and her friends possess unique gifts that have landed them on a secret FBI team that solves tough cases. Their last case called the whole project into question, and now, just when Cassie and the others desperately need a case to focus on, it looks like they might get benched.
But when a new killer emerges and leaves behind a trail of crime scenes all too familiar, authorities turn to Cassie’s team for answers. The killer mimics team member Dean’s father, who’s still behind bars on his own murder convictions. As the team investigates, Cassie and Dean’s relationship shifts, but the emotional baggage each carries might bar them from anything deeper than friendship.
Barnes continues to develop relationships between characters, ratcheting up the drama and intrigue within the group. There’s a hint of romance, but it doesn’t overtake the larger plot of the novel. Suspense lovers will enjoy the quick pace of the story as Cassie and her friends race to solve the clues left behind by a terrifying murderer before he snatches his next victim. The ending leaves plenty of room for a follow-up story as well.
Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.
Sexual Content References to a romantic history between some characters but no real details given.
Spiritual Content None.
Violence The team studies a case in which a serial killer cuts, brands and murders women. There aren’t a lot of details about the crimes themselves or the condition of the victims’ bodies, so it’s more creepy than graphic. One of the boys had been forced to watch a woman treated this way as a child. Again, not a lot of detail there, it’s just heartbreaking to think of someone going through that.
My disease is as rare as it is famous. It’s a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in fifteen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives. New next door neighbors. I look out the window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black t-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. I want to learn everything about him, and I do. I learn that he is funny and fierce. And I learn that his eyes are Atlantic Ocean-blue and that his vice is stealing silverware. I learn that when I talk to him, my whole world opens up, and I feel myself starting to change—starting to want things. To want out of my bubble. To want everything, everything the world has to offer.
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.
My Review
Maddy’s narrative is accompanied by random snippets: super short movie synopses, clever charts and definitions that speak to Maddy’s state of mind, and transcripts of instant messages exchanged between Maddy and Olly.
The story is witty and cute and definitely packed with romantic tension. I was as enamored with Olly as Maddy was upon his entrance to her life. He’s fun and smart, yet has that sort of dark, angsty mystery to him, as well.
Confession: I snooped and read a spoiler (which I immediately regretted) before reading the book for myself. I was worried that knowing a major twist (which the reviewer felt was too perfect or too simplistic) would affect my ability to enjoy the story and really stay in the moment while reading it.
I found the characters so engaging that I wasn’t bothered by knowing what would happen. The outcome felt organic to me, and much more plausible within the context of the story than the review had made it seem.
The one thing that rang a little false to me was Maddy’s confidence about the outside world. I would have expected her to have more anxiety, even if she felt like the risks would be worthwhile. She seemed a little too in control at some moments.
All in all, though, I felt like Yoon does an amazing job with the character development and with the reference to poetry, philosophy and math. Those parts along with the situation concerning Maddy’s health elevate the story from a common contemporary teen romance to something much more substantive. Readers who enjoy books by John Green and movies like The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or The Truman Show should give this novel a read.
Content Notes
Profanity or Crude Language A handful of instances of brief strong profanity, usually in reference to a drunk man berating his family.
Sexual Content One sex scene – includes a short description of what happens. Their bodies “moving together” and that sort of thing. It is supposed to be Maddy’s first sexual experience.
Spiritual Content Madeleine and Olly briefly discuss ideas about hope and faith – more general, less specific to any one religion really. He is pretty convinced there’s nothing more out there in the universe whereas Maddy finds the idea of faith appealing.
Violence Maddy spies on neighbors and witnesses a confrontation that turns violent.
Drug Content None.
Note: I received a free copy of EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.
Alma can’t wait to shake the dust off her small southern town from her shoes and make something of herself in college at a prestigious school. She has spent the last several years preparing and convincing her family. Now all she needs is a scholarship, and thanks to a dedicated guidance counselor, that goal is within reach. Then a handsome white boy turns Alma’s head the two begin a romance that jeopardizes everything Alma has worked towards.
Evan is the classic American rich boy. Alma isn’t sure he could ever understand her world – her strict father and large, close family. Her family’s dangerous status as undocumented immigrants.
At first I wasn’t sure if the story would strike a good balance between Evan and Alma’s romance and the themes concerning immigration. I was afraid that either the romance would drown out the rest of the plot or the politics would get too preachy.
There are a few moments where the romance really heats up, but Alma’s goal was never to find a boyfriend or to find love, so her motivations keep the story on track. As her family’s ability to remain in the US becomes less and less certain, tension soars, and I found myself turning page after page, desperate to know the outcome.
Without getting into a long monologue about politics, I felt like Marquardt presented a great story and created excellent characters. Dream Things True brings a face to the plight of undocumented immigrants and invites us to reexamine stereotypes and fears. Since reading this novel, I’ve spent more time reading about current laws and issues regarding immigration in the US than I ever had in the past. The fact that the story prompted further education must be something its author would consider a win, I believe.
I liked that the romance between Evan and Alma added to and was transformed by the story. It’s not romance strictly for the sake of romance. It made sense why they liked each other; they felt worthy of one another. Yet those things didn’t mean that love was the perfect solution to all their problems. Love played a role, but it wasn’t the point of the story.
Readers who enjoy romance should definitely give this one a go, especially fans of Jennifer E. Smith.
Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.
Sexual Content Alma knows that if she gets pregnant, she will lose the opportunity to go to college. She sets boundaries for herself and is committed not to cross them. At a party, she begins kissing her boyfriend pretty amorously, and the next day can’t remember what happened. He did not take advantage of her. Later he does ask her to have sex with him, but she says no and he respects her answer. There are a few scenes in which they lie down next to one another or she sits in his lap and kisses him. At one point they go swimming together in just their underwear.
There are rumors that one of the boys on the soccer team drugs girls and has sex with them. A boy confesses to Alma that he participated in this once. His confession is plain, and Alma is appalled and won’t let him make light of the situation. The boy receives consequences for his actions.
A fifteen year old girl and a twenty year old boy plan to marry. The girl has a baby.
Spiritual Content Alma’s family is deeply religious and has a statue of Mary in her home. She and her aunts pray the rosary and light candles before the statue to pray for Alma’s mother, who has died.
Evan attends church with his mom, but it seems to be largely about keeping up appearances. We don’t learn anything about what Evan personally believes.
Violence See sexual content.
Evan and Raul help break up a fight that started at a party. Evan and another boy get into a fight which the police break up.
Drug Content
Evan’s cousin Whit abuses prescription drugs and alcohol. Evan tries to keep him from engaging in those behaviors, but it’s kind of a lost cause. Whit ends up having to be hospitalized and later goes to rehab.
In the aftermath of Johnny’s accident, the Scar Boys regroup and begin performing as a band again. But too many members carry secrets that become barriers between them.
Cheyenne hides her pregnancy from Johnny. Harry buries his love for Cheyenne in the lyrics of a song. Johnny withdraws into his own vision for the band. Richie walks the fine line between keeping peace and staying out of the conflict.
Through answers to interview questions, the band members relate their experiences as the Scar Boys face bigger problems and more pressure than ever before. What began as Harry’s story now becomes the story of four teens bound together by music bigger than any of them.
The interview format breaks this story into sections in which each member attempts to answer a question. While the varied viewpoints added drama and depth, sometimes the unfiltered honesty in the answers was hard to buy. I found myself asking, is this really what someone would admit to a journalist?
That aside, the story packs some serious emotional punch. The story shows the band, once a cohesive whole, as it breaks down into four desperate, disillusioned teens and propels readers to the very center of each heartache. Make no mistake: it’s dark, it’s raw. It will grab you and refuse to let you look away until the last line of the last page. Vlahos leaves us with hope, though, after the long, dark night. As much as I liked Scar Boys,I think I liked this book better.
Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.
Sexual Content When Cheyenne discovers she’s pregnant, she contemplates having an abortion. She describes going to a clinic where protestors gather. She refers to one protestor as “angry and confused.” Cheyenne does not have an abortion, but for personal, not moral, reasons.
At one point, she is lying down with Johnny, but nothing happens between them.
Spiritual Content Brief mention of Cheyenne’s Catholic background.
Violence Song lyrics describe a scene in which a boy commits suicide by hanging himself.
Drug Content
Cheyenne’s father is an alcoholic. One band member begins drinking alcohol heavily and performing drunk. Other band members are uncomfortable with the behavior, but no one seems able to stop it. Eventually the member agrees to get help.
Caden Bosch is caught between two worlds. In one, he is an ordinary teen who works on illustrations for a video game he and his friends develop. In the other, he is a passenger on a pirate ship en route to Challenger Deep, the lowest point of the Marianas Trench.
As his hold on reality slips, his friends and family begin to notice that something is wrong, but they are powerless to help him. Sometimes even Caden knows the impossibility of things he believes. But in the next moment, he may be powerless to doubt them.
Shusterman doesn’t disappoint in this complex, heartbreaking story of a boy with mental health issues. The scenes in which Caden interacts with the crew of the pirate ship morph into something entirely different, allowing readers to become engrossed in Caden’s departure from reality while still following a somewhat linear story. It’s brilliantly done.
As a reader, I kept so hoping there would be this magical moment in which Caden’s meds suddenly took effect and he suddenly emerged from the fog happy and whole. I can only imagine that the friends and family of anyone suffering from schizophrenia feel that pull, which just added to the story’s brilliance.
While there’ no quick-fix for Caden in this story, what Shusterman does provide is a profound sense of hope. Many things remain unknown. We end the story with the feeling that we are still very much at the beginning of Caden’s journey. We don’t know how things will go, but we are not without hope.
One criticism I hear about books dealing with mental health issues is that often the therapist is too goofy or has all the answers or just feels absolutely unreal. I think this book struck a good balance between making the therapist a presence in the story without his character overtaking or distracting. Caden’s therapist had his oddities, but they were a bit understated and didn’t seem weird for the sake of weird, if that makes sense. Over all I thought it was a great book, definitely a good read for anyone with friends or family members facing mental illness.
Language Content
No profanity.
Sexual Content Caden befriends a girl who crawls into his bed one night. They remain fully clothed. Caden’s medication reduces or eliminates sex drive, so it’s a pretty innocent situation.
Spiritual Content None.
Violence A man on the street grabs Robie, but she escapes. A violent storm causes her plane to crash. She and an injured man survive on a life raft. The crash doesn’t have a whole lot of scary details. It’s straightforward but pretty brief.
Drug Content
References to a drunk driving accident that killed a teenage girl.
When soldiers attack his village, fifteen year-old Elijah Bwoko and his best friend become separated from family members. They receive word that Elijah’s sisters have been taken as slaves to a village several days’ journey away. In order to reach the girls, the boys must sneak past the soldiers who enslaved them and find a way to set them free. Then the group will have to escape across the border of Uganda. If they can get to the refugee camp there, they can apply for passage to America for freedom and safety.
In straightforward prose, DiCianni relates the story of a young boy in a war torn nation. Elijah is easy to relate to through descriptions of his love for soccer, his friendship with Thomas, and his love for his missing sisters. Though it addresses a heavy topic, the story doesn’t go into a lot of graphic detail in scenes depicting soldiers and child slavery. The content is mild enough for older elementary readers. It’s a relatively short novel at 122 pages, and would make a great resource for the classroom as part of a world cultures or current events study.
Language Content
No profanity.
Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content As Christians, Elijah and Thomas pray when scary or dangerous situations arise. Earlier in the story, Elijah reminds his friend that the trouble in Sudan began when Muslims from the north of the country tried to take valuable resources from the south and force the people to denounce Christianity.
Violence Soldiers destroy a village and capture children to be used for slave labor. The boys run, so they don’t really witness this firsthand. They see the destruction left behind, though. A village boy is missing a leg from an incident with a land mine. Gunfire alerts the boys that soldiers approach. Some scary situations, but few descriptions of violence.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
