Review: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, J. K. Rowling

Summary
“After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.

Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.”

Review
There are many things in this world that will cause us to have immense pain. It is quite commonly said that “there is no stronger pain than seeing the person you love, love someone else”. However, there are many other pains in this world, such as seeing the person you love feel pain, experiencing the death of a loved one, or simply feeling the pain of the world. 

The Cuckoo’s Calling experiences pain through the death of a loved one, by having John Bristow, the victim’s brother, unable to accept that his happy, loving sister would ever have a reason to commit suicide. As a result, he hires childhood friend Cormoran Strike, a run-down private investigator to learn the truth about what really happened to his sister the night she fell to her death in the blistering cold evening.

Cormoran Strike is another story altogether in the novel, along with the murder investigation. He himself is ashamed of having a prosthetic leg which he lost it in the war. He has just been dumped on the streets by his girlfriend Charlotte and is very behind on the rent as a result of having no clients. As a result, he has to live in his office and has to do so by hiding it from his new Temporary Solutions secretary Robin, who is trying to make income while finding a job after she has graduated university. It is during their first awkward meeting that John finds Cormoran and convinces him to take his case, even though everyone else John has gone to has turned him down.

Having always been fascinated by criminal investigations, Robin becomes Cormoran’s partner and together they investigate, the life of deceased famous model Lula Landry, known to her friends as “Cuckoo”, and the people around her which make them very unpopular people. Even though the people they investigate have more wealth and material items, they still suffer the same battles everyone else does, and have the same motives to kill one of their own.

The Cuckoo’s Calling is a crime novel that gives you real characters in real-life situations that have regular problems to deal with on top of being suspected of murder. It will amaze to see what people can do when they are under pressure and the plot has more twists and turns than you can handle. It is a great introduction to a series that seems to have a lot of potential. This is definitely a novel you want to read if you want a shocking ending! 

Reviewed by Mercedes Olivas

Book Information
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Publication date: 4/30/2013
Pages: 455

Review: Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti

Summary
“Derek’s clearly the love Marisa’s been waiting for, but there’s just one problem: he has a girlfriend. Nash is clearly wrong for Marisa, but he’s crushing on her. And, as if life wasn't complicated enough, Marisa’s also contending with a best friend who won’t stop falling for older guys, a family that’s acting totally bizarre, and a secret crush on a guy whose identity is a mystery—even to her. Sophomore year is going to be intense.”

Review
We are always waiting for something. Whether it be the love of our life, the next best thing, or even a movie to come out on Blu Ray and Dvd; we are constantly standing still, watching life pass us by, instead of participating in its festivities. Waiting For You is a book about a girl who is waiting for her true love but at the same time she is also waiting for her real life to begin, dying for the chance to leave a boring state of existence. However, Waiting For You isn't about waiting at all. It’s about seizing the moment and taking life by the reigns and making things happen for you, not waiting until they happen to you. 

Our story is a typical high school story. Girl, Marisa, likes guy, Derek. Other guy and childhood friend, Nash, likes girl but girl does not see him as potential boyfriend. And Derek has a girlfriend and doesn't even know Marisa exists. Thus we have our love triangle. Yet this triangle is anything but calm, happy teenage love waves; inside there a Bermuda storm of emotional teen drama that leaves everyone reeling. 

Now Marisa and Nash are in the same chemistry class, mixing a little chemistry of their own but Marisa is also in a class with Derek and he is finally noticing her. This could be her chance to be with him, except for the fact that he still has a girlfriend. How can she be with the perfect guy if he’s dating someone else and tell the imperfect guy, Nash, that she doesn't like him the way he likes her?

On top of that, things at home are becoming weird. Her parents don’t look as happy as they used to be, her mother is becoming more distant and while they aren't fighting, they aren't talking as much either. Also, her best friend Sterling is withdrawing from the real world by trying to find a boyfriend online. And to make matters worse, Marisa’s anxiety is flaring up and she feels her depression coming on again.  

Feeling lost in a sea of turmoil, Marisa finds solace in this mystery internet broadcaster, Dirty Dirk. Every time his show comes on, it is like he can see into her world and answer her unasked questions before she thinks them. If only Dirty Dirk were real, maybe he could be her one. 

Yet despite her lifesaver, she is still drowning. Her parents aren't who she thought they were, Marisa is fighting with Sterling and her new reunion with Nash is crumbling worse than it did before. Can she rise above it all or will she sink even further than before? 

Waiting For You is a novel worth reading. It explores the everyday trials of teenage love as well as their lives and puts it in a perspective that not only teenagers but even adults can relate too. Waiting For You is about not waiting for the things you want in life but making the things you want happen. This book is about living life today and not waiting until tomorrow or the future for life to happen to you. 

Reviewed by Camia Rhodes

Book Information
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication date: 4/6/2010
Pages: 336

Review: Secret Sister by Emelle Gamble

Summary
Nick & Cathy and Roxanne … two best friends. One husband. An extraordinary twist of fate ... 

How much do you really know about your husband? Your best friend? Yourself? Cathy Chance knows she loves her husband, Nick, with the same passion she had when she married him seven years ago, and he adores her. She also knows that she and her best friend, Roxanne, are closer than most sisters. But on a sunny summer day, these three are hurled into an astounding new reality which forces each to reconsider everything they thought was true about themselves, and one another. 

Review
Secret Sister is definitely one of those books that the minute you start reading, you will not want to stop. Intriguingly addictive from the start, you get hooked into this unique plot. Being such a page turner, it has so many twists and turns that if you thought from reading the summary it would be predictable, you will see far from.

This book was so much better than I would've ever anticipated. There is an element of the book that dabbled in the paranormal which was a new experience for me. The great thing about fiction is that the written page is opened to your imagination. That being said, it made for one creative story. The pace of the story was great with characters that just simmered in your mind. They were well written with an engaging quality about them that as a reader you become completely invested. 

There are some aspects of the story that some people may feel challenges the status quo in the traditional love story but whatever your thoughts may be it added a little intensity to the unraveling plot. There was never a dull moment. There were so many layers that get unfolded that keeps you guessing and completely shocked because you are not expecting anything that happens.

Its very hard to talk about this book without giving it away but I will give you a taste of the the characters to get you started. 

In the beginning of the book, we are introduced to Roxanne and Cathy. They have been friends for a long time. Polar opposites but love each so much. Roxanne is one of those gals who no matter where she went, men just flocked to her. She had always been a beautiful person. She doesn't have the greatest relationship with her mother but what she really cherished is her friendship with Cathy. She met Cathy when she was younger and had developed an amazing connection with her. 

The only thing besides her poor choices in men was her struggle with her depression. It had been something that had plagued her for awhile. Making the decision to stop taking her meds seemed to have had a strong impact on her life. Noticing the change in her for awhile, on the way to a doctors appointment, Cathy decided it was time to confront Roxanne about what has been happening with her. 

Cathy is more maternal and your everyday gal. She didn't have it so good growing up. Her mother died of cancer at a young age leaving her with an alcoholic stepfather. She is married to a man named Nick. People thought they had the perfect marriage on the surface but no one is perfect. They have their problems just like everyone else but they loved each other. She would've done anything for anyone one including her best friend Roxanne. 

Almost to the doctors appointment, the unthinkable happens and changes their lives forever. This event is the catalyst that unfolds one heck of a story filled with love, tragedy, loss, deceit and reveals secrets that unfolds this plot turner to that you want to devour. If you want a story that you want to escape in, I would add this to your reading this because this will definitely be one that will definitely be glued to like a soap opera.

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Book Information
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Publication Date: July 8, 2013
Pages: 279 (Print)

Review: Pretty Ugly by Barbara Barnes

Summary
"A biography of sorts written with dramatic, real-life reflections of the author's own life in the form of short stories. Chapter by chapter this book shares hard-core experiences and testimonies that work to inspire and encourage others that may have been or may be going through the same types of challenges Barbara Barnes went through that are largely ignored by the masses most of the time. In this book she pours out her heart and soul as she steps into the realm of realistic transparency to share a piece of her soul with the world."


Review
Everyone deserves to be brought into this world to have the greatest life possible. No matter who you are, everyone wants to be loved and accepted. In the most impressionable years of your life, if this is nonexistent, it can have a damaging affect to your self esteem and worth as the years progress. Many go through life trying to fill a void that leaves them lonely, depressed and silent without a voice.

Pretty Ugly can be anyone who has never felt good enough, pretty enough or fit into the life that everyone else was living. This was a honest perspective of someone who fought to fit in, feel loved and accepted. It chronicled her struggles emotionally and physically throughout her life and how for so many that give up, life will get better. Her personal journey from hopelessness to triumph is one that those who have gone through the same can find solace that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Book Information
Publisher: Predestined Publishing
Published Date: April 27, 2013
Pages: 149

Review: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Summary
Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

Review
Often times, an internal conflict can be easily solved when one attempts to be truly honest with themselves. There is nothing wrong with dreaming about the opportunities the world offers outside of one’s niche. Sarah Dessen’ s unique novels each display an unimaginably unique story that I can’t help but dive right into. I was immediately sucked into Emaline’s world as I realized the frustrations and decisions she was faced with are all questions that everyone has had to ask themselves at least once, including myself. 

During the summer before college, Emaline views the world from the sandy beach of her hometown Colby as the perfect situation. Between her handsome and witty boyfriend Luke, who has been with Emaline all through high school, a summer job at the family realtor office and two best friends to spend the summer with, why would she want anything more? The constant internal wonderment that occurs in a person who dreams at night about wanting more, is actually an outline of a person’s true ambition for themselves. In the case of The Moon and More, she simply realizes that her life doesn't need more, it needs change. Change is inevitable in all of us, but rather than facing it head on, she wonders what types of changes will benefit her, while hurting the ones she loves as little as possible. 

As if making decisions about the future isn't enough to think about, Emaline’s daily summer routine of work, boyfriend, obnoxious yet endearing family and personal thoughts keep her quite occupied. There seems to be a new puzzle to solve very frequently throughout the summer as strangers walk into her life assuming they know what is best for her future. Her estranged father suddenly wants to claim a right to helping choose her future college, and Theo, the edgy New Yorker tourist assisting on a documentary in town seems to view Emaline as a girl with much more to offer than a permanent life in Colby. Everyone knows that the summer after high school graduation is full of decisions and goodbyes, but Emaline remains conflicted as to whether or not she wants to say goodbye to her life in Colby and hello to a four year college far away from anything familiar. Once she realizes she has options to consider in terms of her future, Emaline begins to grasp the idea that summer won’t last forever.

Emaline is a young woman that makes the reader feel as though you are walking in her sand filled sneakers as she struggles with the contemplation between leaving for good or staying small and comfortable. Whether it is the relentless summer heat, the battle of estranged family members attempting to make themselves noticed, the pressures of a comfortable boyfriend or the intrigue of a new stylish tourist, Emaline has a lot to think about and not a lot of time to do it. Dessen’s novel takes the adolescent transition from high school to potential future to a whole new level. 

 Reviewed by Nicole Williams

Book Information
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication date: 6/4/2013
Pages: 384

Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Summary
“The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer night Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything. 

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase’s family embraces Samantha—even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha’s world. She’s suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?”

Review 
We all believe that we are on the outside, looking in to someone else’s life. Yet there are those who are putting us on in the inside, looking in. And we always think the grass is greener on the other side but sight is perceptive. We see what we want to see because we do not like the picture in front of us.  My Life Next Door is a book about learning to see the world differently, or rather, paying close attention to what you’re really looking at. That everything that glitters isn't gold and what we really treasure can come from the simplest of gifts and joys of life.  This book is also about seeing things from a different angle, whether that angle be through someone else’s eyes or through your own but from a different vantage point. This book is all about perception and not taking everything we see on its surface. 

I like to think of this story as a modern day Romeo and Juliet mixed with some Pride and Prejudice. We have the Reeds who are prim and proper and are a symbol of how the world should be or what too many strive to make the world out to be. Then there are the Garretts; a little disorder, not too fancy schmancy but hearts full of gold that are always wide open. And like oil and water, the Reeds and the Garretts do not mix. 

Yet Samantha cannot help but be fascinated by them. Watching them from her perch above on her roof, wondering what their lives must be like compared to her own. Until one night one of the Garretts, Jase, wonders onto her rooftop and descends her down to their world. Now Samantha is thrust into uncharted territory with Jase as her guide and she is steadying finding herself more and more lost within Jase and his family while losing touch with her own. 

Mrs. Garrett is the queen of compassion despite how negatively the world views her with her eight children and less than strict but fair parenting; whereas Samantha’s mother is strict with no leniency and no tolerance for error or bad behavior. Samantha takes an unsure yet comforting liking to Mrs. Garrett, finding solace in a household raised in love, not rules. And soon Samantha is one of the family, babysitting the kids almost daily and helping them with their life problems while falling fast and hard for Jase. Samantha couldn't imagine a better summer, so long as her mother doesn't find out. 

And surprisingly enough, Samantha’s mother doesn't find out. And it isn't because Samantha is a great at keeping secrets. No, her mom is being tongued down by the younger man who is helping her run her campaign for state senate reelection. So Samantha is in the clear, but she doesn't feel better about the situation between her mom and the charming campaign advisor Clay. 

Suddenly her mom is turning into a teenage girl again, hanging on the every word of the Southern smooth talker; along her best friend, Nan, coming out of the woodwork as being a jealous, anal retentive harpy; constantly accusing Sam of having the good life while she has to work for everything and Tim, Nan’s twin brother, constantly smoking weed and always drinking, becoming yet another person she thought she knew. The life with Garretts is looking more and more appealing each day. Thus Sam is starting to realize that maybe her life wasn't perfect. It was just hard to see without something to compare it to. Will she be able to fix the drama in her once pristine world or maybe learn that what she has with Jase and his family is better than any illusion of order she had at home? 

My Life Next Door is as I stated, a story about perception. How we will ourselves to see what we want to see instead of what is truly there. Forcing ourselves to believe that the grass is always greener on the other side, or in this case, not as green. But maybe that is the problem. Maybe we should start seeing the world, our world, from a different point of view and not take everything at surface value. This book teaches us that everything you know is always right, at least for you; everything that glitters is not gold and there is beauty in simplicity and life’s littlest of joys.

Reviewed by Camia Rhodes

Book Information
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date: 6/13/2013
Pages: 416