Review: The Boy at the Keyhole by Stephen Giles

/

Have you ever read a book where you are checking to see if there are any pages missing? After reading the last few chapters, hoping to get a definitive conclusion to what happened, I'm left with a

The story between Samuel and Ruth built up to have hopefully a definitive conclusion but then it flatlined. The story seemed much along the way implied though their pov. Even though the plot was interesting, I really hoped for more to push the book where it could've gone as a great page turner. As speculation whether Ruth killed his mother overshadowed the book, I wish the ending could've elevated that suspense climb in the book.

The dynamics that led to Samuel's mother disappearance and the sequence of events that led to uncover a trail of perceived guilt of Ruth kept me going to want to get an answer. That psychological teeter totter between him and Ruth gave the book a little edge to push it along but there were many loose ends that could've made it a bit tighter. Overall, the plot had a great promise that kept me wanting to read but took my satisfaction away in the end leaving me a bit frustrated.

Review: The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

/

The Cheerleaders is a captivating read filled with unpredictable and edge of the seat storytelling. I enjoyed this book. I must say that I enjoyed the premise of the book a little bit more, but nevertheless, this was a good book and it was hard to stop reading at times.

The Cheerleaders is set place five years after the tragic deaths of five Sunnybrook cheerleaders. Two were killed in a crack wreck. Another two brutally murdered. And one died because of a suicide. After the last death, the cheerleading squad was disbanded. As the anniversary of their deaths nears, Monica begins to find clues that could reveal that everything is not as it seemed to be and some people know more than what they had originally led on.

When writing a thriller, pacing is extremely important. I found The Cheerleaders’s pacing to be just right. Not overly slow or overly fast, just enough to keep the story interesting. I also quite enjoyed her writing style. It was easy to read and easy to follow. I will mention that there were times when she was a little too vague for my liking. I would have liked if she flat out said what had happened.

Although this book did have a strong ending, I still have so many unanswered questions.

Characters

I will admit that I was not particularly fond of Monica in the beginning of the book. However, she did grow on me. I think she was initially because the reader were not aware of what she had went through. So I didn’t understand where she was coming from, or why she was acting the way that she had been. As the book progressed, it was quite clear that this is a character who is hurting and still has not recovered after losing her sister five years ago.

The book is mainly told in Monica’s POV, but it did switch to her sister’s, Jen, POV a couple of times. I thought this was an effective tool in this book. Jen had, unfortunately, committed suicide five years prior. And it was sad to read what the chain of events that took place with her and her friends.   

Final Analysis

The Cheerleaders is a harboring YA thriller that has several twists and turns. It definitely a book that leaves you wanting more.

Review: White as Silence, Red as Song by Alessandro D'Avenia

/

I’m on the fence with my thoughts on this one. Not sure if something was lost in translation but it didn’t swoon me as I’d hoped. Being hailed as Italy’s The Fault in Our Stars, I had really high expectations and that bar was set really high. Sadly, for me, overall it just didn’t reach that level of appeal or expectation.

Don’t get me wrong, there were moments that I enjoyed. For example, the genuine adolescent friendships that Leo had with his best friend and Silva his classmate. You got to see a side of Leo that brought life and purpose to his character which was fitting for the point of view of them as characters. Silvia brought something special to his character that I enjoyed. On the other hand, outside of this, I found Leo slightly irritating and a bit stalker-ish especially when it came to Beatrice. I get he had a crush on her but he seemed a bit aggressive for someone who hadn’t even had a conversation with her. I get young people who are crushing on someone but his “devotion” was a bit over the top.

Not sure if this was intention, the straight read with no breaks or chapter separations, this could’ve benefited from a character point of view book. The whole premise of trying to win over Beatrice seemed to take forever and then when we do experience the storyline, it seems unrealistic. You go from A to Z in a short period of time and I really wish that they could’ve connected earlier on and experience what happened in the book over time. I would’ve made me enjoy it better. The friendship that evolved when they finally connected was nice I’ll admit.

Overall, I honestly don’t know how I feel. There were moments that were enjoyable and there were moments that seemed just there. I don’t think this lived up to the comparison of John Green’s novel but it definitely had the potential to be great.

Review: The Start of Something Good by Jennifer Probst

/

The Start of Something New was a nice start to begin her Stay series. This was definitely a fun, engaging story that I just took in an thoroughly enjoyed. The characters were really good, the storyline keeps you interested and it leaves me curious and excited to see what her second book will all about.

There’s nothing better than good relationships, especially the familial ones. Those always reel me in. They always add a little something special to the book, allowing you to connect with one of them with a similar experience or a resonating personality.

Here is the summary of the book:

An enriching story of family ties, broken hearts, and second chances from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.

When Ethan Bishop returns to the Hudson Valley, his body and spirit are a little worse for wear. As a former Special Forces paratrooper, he saw his fair share of conflict, and he came home with wounds, inside and out. At his sisters’ B & B and farm, he can keep all his pain at a safe distance. But quiet time isn’t easy when a fiery woman explodes into his life…

It’s business—not pleasure—that brings Manhattan PR agent Mia Thrush reluctantly to the farm. Tightly wound and quick tempered, Mia clashes immediately with the brooding Ethan. Everything about him is irritating—from his lean muscles and piercing blue eyes to his scent of sweat and musk.

But as the summer unfolds and temperatures rise, Ethan and Mia discover how much they have in common: their guarded histories, an uncontrollable desire, and a passion for the future that could heal two broken hearts. But will their pasts threaten their fragile chance at a brand-new future?

Ethan: He definitely had his battle scars. Between his former high profile job as a celebrity bodyguard and his trauma from being a Special Forces op, he definitely has gone through a lot emotionally and physically. Trying to escape, he retreats home to his sister’s B&B but an unexpected encounter challenges everything in his life that he was trying to run away from. His relationship with that develops with Mia is really interesting. That slow breakdown of his wall really draws you into his character.

I loved the relationship that he has with his sisters. They are just such a ray of sunshine to the story. I hope we can revisit them and they get a chance to get into the spotlight. There are some undiscovered storylines that I know will be page turners.

Mia: At first I was like, I don’t know if she is going to be my cup of tea. As the book went on, I grew to enjoy her character. She had that superficial vibe that I thought I was going to have to roll the eyes as I turned the page but I was wrong. Everyone has a story and as her unfolded, and she let her guard down, her personality grabbed my attention. I’m glad she came with the relationship issues that she did because it worked well with Ethan’s issues coming together. It made their storyline more believable. She just came to life being around him and especially around his sisters. Their relationship in the book projecting a positive sisterhood always will be enjoyable to read.

Overall, this was a wonderful start to the series that I can’t wait to see what her second book is about. Loved the characters. There’s more in the subplots that are just as interesting as the storyline of Mia and Ethan but I don’t want to give too much away. There were some steamy moments thrown in there when they finally made a connection but overall nothing to call the fire department about. This gets my recommendation to add to your reading list.

Review: Let Them Thrive by Katie Novak

/

If you are an educator or a parent I strongly encourage you to read Let Them Thrive. This was a really interesting concept that I believe would really be a game changer in education. I'm curious and would love to sit on a debate or something like it with parents and educators to hear the pros and cons that they feel.​​

Instead of giving up on some students and categorizing them as unteachable, you find a tangible way to meet them at their level to inspire academic excellence. Not everybody is book-smart. Not everyone is able to retain information in a way that is traditional as to listen and take notes. Some people don't have attention spans and others people are visual people. Some people might be better orally and can listen to the lesson. It all depends on your functional level and whether they use the cognitive part of your brain or somebody that is more face to face.

There are so many other elements to this discussion but from what I’ve read seem to be a great solution to giving kids who lost confidence in themselves by feeling defeated a chance to gain some and be more successful in their educational journey. I assume there are factors involving finances and traditional teachers transitioning away from what they are used to but at the end it’s all about kids all having a chance to be someone to excel rather than for some falling into a statistics category. I’d recommend this for both educators and parents to learn about this concept and hopefully see this implemented. I’d love to hear what teachers out there feel about this. Overall, a very informative book with great takeaways.

Review: Rule #1: You Can’t Date the Coach’s Daughter by Anna Marie Meyer

/
Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Although an interesting concept, Rule #1: You Can’t Date the Coach’s Daughter felt rushed, overly dramatic and under developed.

The premise of the story is that Destiny “Tiny” Davis’ father is the football coach at her high school and has a very strict rule about her not dating, especially the boys on the football team. One day, Destiny is paired with football player Tyson Blake in class and eventually him and Destiny begin to spend time together.

I went into this book a little unaware of what it was about. I had not read the summary or any reviews for it. I was looking for a cute contemporary YA romance. I had assumed it was going to be about a light forbidden love story. Unfortunately, I got more than I bargained for with this book.

The rule about the football players not being able to date Destiny was reasonable. It was odd that a father was that obsessed with his daughter’s dating life that he would enforce a rule about them not dating his daughter. But I thought it would be more like a playful joke or even a misunderstanding. However, it was not. Destiny’s father was extremely serious about them not dating her. Serious to the point that he would make them run until they puked or even kicking them off the team. That aspect of it all is a little extreme.

There was major pacing issue within this book. There were several instances were it felt rushed and even uncomplete.

Characters

I had a few problems with Destiny. There were times she was a little to hypercritical, especially when it came to her father. And she also would react in the most juvenile way. If she would have just stopped and actually listened, the majority of her problems would have been solved.

The characters in this book were extremely underdeveloped and a tad little cliché. There were not depths to them and it was hard to believe any relationship that they had with each. For example, Destiny and Tyson. Their relationship was not believable at all. It relied heavily on insta-love and heart eyes. And the amount of times Tyson pushed Destiny away was ridiculous.

Final Analysis

Rule #1: You Can’t Date the Coach’s Daughter is not a ground breaking YA novel to write home about.