Nearly Gone by Elle Casimano (Nearly Boswell #1)

Synopsis

Keeping secrets is second nature to Nearly Boswell. Living in a trailer park outside Washington, DC, with a mom who works as an exotic dancer, she knows better than to share anything that would make her a target with her classmates. Only her best friends know about her obsession with the personal ads, and Nearly hasn't told anyone about the emotions she can taste when she brushes against someone's skin.

Then a serial killer goes on a murder spree and starts attacking students, leaving cryptic ads in the newspaper. Nearly might be the one person who can put all the clues together, and if she doesn't figure it out soon - she'll be next.

'Nearly Gone' is one of those stories that grabs you and pulls you in until you finish it. Just imagine being able to feel people's emotions and thoughts if you touch them! With this book you get to follow a main character who has that very blessing/curse. 

It goes from a quirky YA novel to a mystery with lives on the line. I enjoyed it, and I just found out there is a second one. I hope to pick that one up as well. 

3.5/5 stars

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Slated by Teri Terry (Slated #1)

Synopsis

KYLA HAS BEEN SLATED - her memory erased, her personality wiped blank. This is the government's way of dealing with teen terrorists: give them a fresh start as a new person. They teach Kyla how to walk and talk again, give her a new identity and a new family, and tell her to be grateful for this second chance.

It's also her last chance, and to ensure that she plays by their rules, Kyla is fitted with a Levo, a bracelet that monitors her mood and will stun - or even kill - her if her levels of anger or violence rise too high.

As she adjusts to her new life, Kyla can see she is different from the other Slateds. She asks too many questions and is plagued by nightmares that feel like memories - even though she shouldn't have memories. Who is she, really? Has her Slating gone wrong? And if only criminals are Slated, why are innocent people disappearing? Torn between the need to understand more and her instinct for self-peservation, Kyla knows a dangerous game is being played with her life, and she's determined not to let anyone see her make the wrong move...

Slated presents a really intriguing, yet exceptionally terrifying concept. The government outfits kids they consider terrorists with devices called Levos. If their mood sways in a way that is considered unacceptable, it can shock them or potentially kill them. 

This book follows the main character, Kyla, as she attempts to adjust to the slated life while still having too many questions for her own good, according to those in charge. She wants to remember who she is, or was. But, another rule is that their memory must be wiped and they aren't supposed to remember anything. 

Eventually, things get a bit out of hand. Is the slated life really worthwhile?

I really enjoyed the story because it was new and interesting. I found the characters intriguing as well which made me want to know what happens to them. 'Slated' is an easy book to get into and get lost in for a little bit. 

It's a super easy read. So if you're looking to escape to a weird, different version of the world we live in - give it a shot. 

4/5 stars

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yolo by Lauren Myracle

Synopsis:

Through texts and messages, the mega-bestselling, beloved Internet Girls series followed the ups and downs of school for three very different, very close friends. Now it’s freshman year of college for the winsome threesome, and *everything* is different. For one, the best friends are facing their first semester apart. Way, way apart. Maddie’s in California, Zoe’s in Ohio, and Angela’s back in Georgia. And it’s not just the girls who are separated. Zoe’s worried that Doug wants to break up now that they’re at different schools, and Maddie’s boyfriend, Ian, is on the other side of the country.In the face of change and diverging paths, Maddie’s got a plan to keep the friends close, and it involves embracing the present, making memories, and . . . roller derby! Using of-the-moment technology, Lauren Myracle brings her groundbreaking series into the brave new virtual world of texting and tweets.

So, I know this isn’t my typical genre, but I have loved these books since I was a little youngen.  So, when this one came out, I jumped on the opportunity to get back into these girls’ lives. It took me awhile to get to it, because I was waiting for the right moment, but I’ve finally done it!

yolo is a pretty typical “feel-good” young adult book. Well, except for the fact that it’s written in all text messages. That’s what initially drew me to the series. Maybe it had something to do with growing up with the Internet, but I’ve always had a soft spot for these types of books.

It took me back to being a freshman in college and how much of a culture shock it is from high school. It was kind of sweet reading it from their perspectives even though their first year isn’t treating them all well. They have their ups and downs. But, the one thing keeping them going is the promise of spending their Thanksgiving break together.

I know some people might say that the series should end here, but I would love it if it kept going. I read so many books about rough subjects, it’s nice to have one that’s up-beat even if everything isn’t always happy. I think Myracle does a great job giving each character their own voice and personality even though it’s all told through text.

I also want to know how their Thanksgiving went, so another book is necessary.

5/5 Stars

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The You I’ve Never Known by Ellen Hopkins

Synopsis:

How do you live your life if your past is based on a lie? A new novel in both verse and prose from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ellen Hopkins.

For as long as she can remember, it’s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel’s mom disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments, new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots. Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a different kind of desire.

Maya’s a teenager who’s run from an abusive mother right into the arms of an older man she thinks she can trust. But now she’s isolated with a baby on the way, and life’s getting more complicated than Maya ever could have imagined.

Ariel and Maya’s lives collide unexpectedly when Ariel’s mother shows up out of the blue with wild accusations: Ariel wasn’t abandoned. Her father kidnapped her fourteen years ago.

What is Ariel supposed to believe? Is it possible Dad’s woven her entire history into a tapestry of lies? How can she choose between the mother she’s been taught to mistrust and the father who has taken care of her all these years?

In bestselling author Ellen Hopkins’s deft hands, Ariel’s emotionally charged journey to find out the truth of who she really is balances beautifully with Maya’s story of loss and redemption. This is a memorable portrait of two young women trying to make sense of their lives and coming face to face with themselves—for both the last and the very first time.

It has been a long time since I have finished a novel. I have started quite a few, but I have been in such a slump that I haven’t been able to finish one since last year. I figured if anyone could get me out of it, it would be Ellen Hopkins. Sure enough, here we are.

The story pulled me in right away with its strong characters. Ariel has an interesting inner-monologue as she tries to figure out life. With the strange circumstances she has had to live through, only when she is 17 can she really take time to try to figure out who she is. Or, who she thinks she is.  That is, until someone totally unexpected comes into her life and changes everything around.

The plot is deep as it takes the time to examine, abuse, alcoholism, the military, and LGBT themes. It really was a tough book to read at times, but you end up caring so much about the characters that you have to see what happens. That is one thing that Ellen Hopkins is masterful at. You always end up feeling strongly for her characters one way or the other. This book was no different.

You begin to root for certain relationships, and your opinions about some characters change along the way. There are a lot of twists and turns to this one.

If you are into Ellen Hopkins’s work, or if you are looking for good, new fiction, I highly recommend this one.

5/5 stars

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Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Min Green writes a letter to Ed Slaterton in which she breaks up with him, documenting their relationship and how items in the accompanying box, from bottle caps to a cookbook, foretell the end.

I have a love hate relationship with this book. I heard it talked about all over the internet, so when it went on sale, I bought it. I didn’t know when I started it, and I still don’t know now, why this book got so much hype. Both Min and Ed are painfully generic characters that feed into their stereotypes.

I never really ended up caring about either of them, and that made it difficult to finish this book. It got to the point where I was half way through it and I figured that I might as well just finish it incase it gets better at the end.

To me, it never did. I guess there must have been something about it that kept me reading, but I wouldn’t openly recommend the book to anyone.

2.5/5 Stars

Memorable Quotes: “I’m telling you why we broke up, Ed. I’m writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened. And the truth is that I goddamn loved you so much.”

“You could never truly see the movies in my head and that, Ed, is why we broke up.”

“It was everything, those nights on the phone, everything we said until late became later and then later and very late and finally to go to bed with my ear warm and worn red from holding the phone close close close so as not to miss a word of what it was, because who cared how tired I was in the humdrum slave drive of our days without each other. I’d ruin any day, all my days, for those long nights with you, and I did. But that’s why right there it was doomed. We couldn’t only have the magic nights buzzing through the wires. We had to have the days, too, the bright impatient days spoiling everything with their unavoidable schedules, their mandatory times that don’t overlap, their loyal friends who don’t get along, the unforgiven travesties torn from the wall no matter what promises are uttered past midnight.”

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