Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: Fix by Force by Jason Warne

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Fix by Force by Jason WarneFix by Force
Jason Warne
WestBow Press

Seventeen year-old Spencer lives in the shadow of Zack, a powerful bully who will stop at nothing to make his life miserable. Spencer spirals through one coping strategy after another, hoping to find some way to keep Zack off his case. He understands Zack’s rage. After all, Zack’s mom was killed in the same car accident that ended Zack’s dad’s life. Only Spencer’s dad was driving drunk.

When Spencer uncovers clues to a part of his father’s life he never knew about, he tries to fit those pieces together. What he uncovers blows his own life apart and lands him in more trouble than he could have ever imagined. The climb back to normal … Continue reading →

Review: All the Rage by Courtney Summers

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all-the-rageAll the Rage
Courtney Summers
St. Martin’s Griffin

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In this small town, you don’t accuse the sheriff’s son of rape. But that’s just what he did to Romy Grey. No one believes her. Her accusation becomes the stick her former friends use to beat her. There’s only one place Romy can go to find peace. At the restaurant on the edge of town, no one knows Romy’s past. Handsome grill cook Leo likes her. Really likes her.

But when those two parts of her life collide and a girl goes missing, Romy has nowhere to hide anymore. She finds herself cornered and terrified by a town that wishes she … Continue reading →

Review: When You Leave by Monica Ropal

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when-you-leaveWhen You Leave
Monica Ropal
Running Press Kids

For Cass, the girl who survived her father’s desertion and best friend’s battle with cancer, love doesn’t come with the possibility of loss but the certainty of it. When the hot boy at her new school seems interested in her, Cass keeps their relationship a secret. At first it’s just flirtation and fun, but Cooper isn’t satisfied with the cool exterior Cass shows everyone else. He wants the real her.

And just when she’s ready to let him into her heart, he’s gone. Dead. Murdered. Worse still, her friend Gavin gets blamed for it. All Cass can do now is try to piece together who Cooper really was and why the real killer wanted him dead. Her search unearths truths she is barely able to face and forces … Continue reading →

Review: Between Shadows by Kathleen Cook Waldron

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Between ShadowsBetween Shadows
Kathleen Cook Waldron
Coteau Books

When his grandfather dies unexpectedly, Ari and his remaining family gather at the cabin deep in the woods. At the reading of the will, another surprise greets Ari, his dad and his aunt: Grandpa left the cabin and all his land to Ari. Uninterested in the remote property that conjures painful memories, Ari’s dad and aunt make plans to sell everything. Ari is determined to change their minds.

Author Kathleen Cook Waldron brings to the story her own experience living in the bush. The details of the cabin and surrounding land and community are told in vivid detail so that even the most urban readers can perfectly picture the serene woods, playful stream and peaceful lake.

Through Waldron’s clean storytelling, we … Continue reading →

Review: On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

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on-the-jellicoe-roadOn the Jellicoe Road
Melina Marchetta
Penguin Australia

Taylor Markham has been at the school on the Jellicoe Road since she was six years old. It’s her turn to lead the students in the annual territory wars with the Townies and Cadets from a school in Sydney. But lost memories of her childhood, her mother and a man she hopes is her father distract her from the game. When her caregiver, Hannah, disappears, Taylor studies the stories Hannah left behind, looking for clues to her whereabouts. She forms unlikely alliances with territory rivals, and together they work to solve the mysteries behind many things that happened on the Jellicoe Road.

When I started reading this novel, I felt a bit lost. It seems like two stories are happening simultaneously, … Continue reading →

Review: Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

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Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish DollerWhere the Stars Still Shine
Trish Doller
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published September 24, 2013

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Callie spent most of her childhood believing her father is after her. She’s never been to school, never had any real friends. Anytime there’s a whiff of suspicion, her mother whisks them away to a new town, new trashy job, new sleazy boyfriend.

Then the truth comes in the form of an arrest warrant for her mom. In a blink, Callie finds herself living with her estranged dad, his new wife and their two small children, right smack in the middle of a large, loud, loving Greek family. For the first time, someone cares … Continue reading →