Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

this is the gut wrenching story of a time in history when an evil woman, Georgia Tann stole children from struggling parents, put them in locations until they were adopted ---while there life was a nightmare as the Foss children realize their beloved life on the Arcadia boat on the Mississippi River, is forever changed. Told in two voices, the present day is Avery---a county prosecutor who works with her politically appointed father and is very close to her grandmother who has dementia. When an older woman at a nursing home, stares her down and "takes" her dragonfly bracelet---life changing events begin as Avery and a young man whose grandfather used to "find" people. All of this mystery throws light onto the abuses of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage and Avery's life and future is about to change! Based on the true story of Georgia Tann's iron hold on stealing children in the 1930s from poor parents with lies, this story is riveting and heart breaking, a must read!

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Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry

Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tom Doherty Associates and Tor Teen for the advance reader copy, Echoes Between Us by awesome YA romance author, Katie McGarry, in exchange for an honest review. I love the way this story unfolded; cool guy Sawyer and weird Veronica are new neighbors since his mom is renting the first floor of V’s house. But both of their personalities hide enormous pain in their lives; Sawyer’s divorced Mom (along with absentee Dad) have put him in the awful position as caretaker for his 6- year-old sister and his mother (she drinks on weekends) but this has caused Sawyer to develop a secret, dangerous addiction. Veronica (V to her friends) believes in ghosts; she sees and talks to her dead mother all the time. I rooted for Sawyer and Veronica! Katie McGarry has written a hard-hitting story about teens with haunting secrets; parents who don’t care (Sawyer) as opposed to a close family relationship with their teen (Veronica), and high school friendships that are fierce to their core; I loved every word in this novel! Both Sawyer and V have friends they totally depend on but these friends do not like seeing the new closeness between V and Sawyer. As they work on a class project together about the existence of ghosts; Sawyer and Veronica open up to one another, becoming very attached. This poignant, mesmerizing, gripping novel reminded me of one of my favorite Katie McGarry novels, Crash Into You, with Isaiah and Rachel, my very special protagonists. I could not stop turning the pages. Katie McGarry is a gifted writer for teens and is totally delivers with real themes, current topics, and contemporary issues they want to read! Highly recommended.

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The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher

The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Sharon and Sally for passing on this delicious mystery and awesome beach read. I could not stop turning the pages as 2 women marry into an Italian family with all kinds of secrets, lies, and dysfunction. I rooted for Maggie and Nico as they marry but after that life becomes very difficult indeed (haughty mother-in-law, step daughter who hates her, and a great mom- thank god for her normalcy) and could not wait to see what happened to Massimo, Lara and Sandro. Exciting read to pass on to all your friends.

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Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to Marin Ireland's stellar narration of Beartown which was a compelling tough read/listen. It was about hockey, small town nastiness, bullying, bullying, bullying. Backman chose to tell his story about a great team of boys, their families, the hockey mentality (which was not pretty to listen to over and over again) of the boys, the townspeople, the board, the sponsors and the families. Within all of this, Backman begins on the first page with a bang,bang, bang that continues to be hammered incessantly through the book (a little too much for me) and doesn't really get to the "crime" til so much later in the book. With the way Backman chose to tell the story, it was not so much based on interactions of the characters but thoughts of what could have been said, what was and was not done, therefore I did not really feel totally invested in the characters in the story but in their circumstances and how that played out in their town, Beartown and how it related to ice hockey. That being said, there were some characters I really enjoyed- they were deep, committed, passionate- Peter, his wife, Kira, his daughter Maya and her best friend as well as Benjie, his mom, Ramona, Ahmed. I tried to like the coach of the boys but he was a tough character especially when compared to the older coach, Soon, who was such an upstanding human being. Backman's portrayal of Benjie and his fierce personality and struggle with being a hockey player and gay broke my heart. On the other hand, Ahmed, was always bullied, was "of color" in a white town, his mother a worker at the rink- but when the time came- he stepped up and revealed the truth even at great cost to himself. A tough read and the bullying aspect was so ingrained in Beartown it was hard to take over and over again from my reader point of view.

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Walk the Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy, #1) by Rae Carson

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Listened to and loved Erin Mallon's intense narration of this first in a series of the Gold Rush and a girl, Lee Westfall who has "witchy powers" and can sense/feel the presence of gold. She has a very happy family life with her mother and father and best friend, Jefferson until one day she comes home and finds her parents murdered! Lee is set to stay at home in her parent's home until her Uncle Hiram comes to claim Lee & the house as his own. It seems her father told his brother trustingly about Lee's powers & Uncle Hiram wants to use her. Jefferson follows the call of the gold and tells Lee he will wait for her at a certain spot and once Lee can't escape her uncle she rides as a guy to dodge her uncle and keep safe. Loved this audiobook & am now listening to #2, yay!!!

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Refugee by Alan Gratz

Refugee by Alan Gratz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, what a must read for all; Alan Gratz crafts a heart stopping, gripping read about 3 young teens and their families as they become refugees trying to escape Nazi Germany in 1939, Cuba in 1995, and Syria in 2015- all devastating times in history where people are/were persecuted, preyed upon, murdered and desperately searching for freedom, acceptance, and a place to call home. I ached as I read Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud's courageous struggles with their close knit families as they fled homes they loved because of persecution and war. Gratz's use of different time periods to show how history keeps repeating itself in it's discrimination of cultures, genocide, and violence shows the refugee/immigrant plights keep continuing; wiping out families, communities, and homelands; this should be required reading for all students, teachers, parents, and leaders. Readers will not be able to put this book down; there is so much to discuss; things need to be remedied - this should not happen; the dangers are all too real; countries can't/won't handle the influx of refugees and people/families are disintegrating, suffering, losing hope. The Author's Note is essential, and What you Can Do just as important to read at the end of this book.

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Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you so much to Mimi Denman for such a great recommendation! This book which I listened to was narrated awesomely by Hope Davis. Her voices, inflections, and personalities for all the family members in this dysfunctional family created from a chance meeting at a baptism was such a great read. I laughed and mourned the destruction Bert Cousins foists on the Keating family by stealing beautiful mom, Beverly. What results is a beautifully crafted story spanning decades of the blended parents and children - their bonds, happiness, sadness, existence and a new definition for family ties.

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The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry

All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved Julie Berry's The Passion of Dolssa and All the Truth That's In Me was on a best reads and this book was so so sad about Judith, a young girl who is taken from her home & held hostage for 2 years by a crazy man (who happens to be the father of a the boy she has loved her whole life) and returns to find almost everyone has turned against her and Judith can't say a thing because he cut out 1/2 her tongue (and her mom won't let her speak)! The small mindedness of this community was staggering - her mother hates her, her brother calls her Worm, the town thinks she is a whore all the while she loves Lucas and bears the derision of so many. Will Judith be able to lift the curse the village has bestowed upon her and will Lucas ever know how much Judith loves him? A searing look at truth, family and the fear of neighbors in a backward time in history.

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Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved Thanhha Lai's, Inside Out & Back Again so I knew I would love this book about a perky totally Americanized girl (Vietnamese-American), age 12, who must leave the comfort of her home in Southern California for a summer in Vietnam with her father and grandmother to find out where her MIA grandfather is or any information about what happened to him in the Vietnam War. Mai's (Mia) voice is so authentic- she is funny, angry, honest, insufferable and just so much fun! I enjoyed her drama, her life, her friends at home & in Vietnam, and she taught me so much about the Vietnam War, the food, flowers, & scenery in Vietnam! Her text messages & phone calls with her mother who stays home are funny, irreverent & as time goes on every understanding. I loved the families in both places, their hopes, dreams, and culture. Highly recommended read for young and old alike!

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When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A student gave me this book to read and I loved the rich description of the southern town, river,and the many wonderful people who would do anything for little seven year old Annie. Told by Reese, the reader knows he has suffered and shut himself off from almost everyone due to losing his wife, Emma. Emma and Annie both have bad hearts and it is the story of the loss of Emma and meeting Annie that leads Reese to confront his painful past in order to move forward with his future. Martin weaves a story full of deep characters; Charlie who is blind, Georgia, his dog who looks after Charlie and Reese, CeCe is Annie's aunt, and Termite will creep into your heart and have you enjoying their friendship.

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Leftovers by Laura Wiess

Leftovers by Laura Wiess

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wow, this book was disturbing but I couldn't stop reading it! Blair and Ardith are two best friends and what happens to them is shocking but believable. And how they cope and change is believable as well. Blair has a wonderful life with mom, dad, and wonderful old golden retriever, Wendy. One day, mom gets a promotion at her law firm and she becomes Cruella Deville. She is so scary, her husband has a girl on the side. Blair's mom now only cares about appearances and they move to a big, rich, powerful house. Blair begs her family to stay in their cozy house, but her mother will not relent. Both parents end up euthanizing Blair's beloved dog because she has become incontinent and the new rugs can't be spoiled in any way. Blair is devastated, but she realizes she can get her dogs ashes from the vet by impersonating her mother and using her credit card. In her new home, Blair has a shrine to Wendy of her old mattress and toys (she fished them out of the trash can where her parents threw them) and she hides in the closet when life gets too complicated with her parents. Once they move, Blair is left alone all the time. And her best friend Ardith has a hellish life. Her mother, father and brother are all alcoholics. Her mother wears Daisy Duke shorts, allows her father to fondle the teen girls who come to their drug and alcohol parties (nightly) saying they wanted it and never taking her daughter's side. Her brother is good looking but he uses and abuses girls. Her has lecherous friends too so Ardith keeps her door padlocked each night. Ardith has dreams of becoming a podiatrist and getting out of town and away from her family. It is these hellish family relations that cement Blair and Ardith's friendship. As they become teens they are hardened, cynical, forgotten and afraid of life. The only person they truly feel safe with is Officer Dave. Dave has helped the girls a few times and looks out for them because their families don't. These girls weave a mesmerizing story, I couldn't put it down, but I didn't like reading it either. Why? Because it was so sad and so believable. So get ready for a tough book about family dysfunction and the hell that it can wreak on young girls as they become teens.



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