Instant Karma (Fortuna Beach, #1) by Marissa Meyer

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I did not necessarily like Prudence's personality but as the story progresses but as she gets to know Quint and the sea animal rescue center she realizes many things & I could not put this book down! The plot was excellent and the character development was awesome. I am going to be reading her latest book, With a Little Luck---can't wait!

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The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D Jackson

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awesomely Narrated by: JD Jackson , Sarah Mollo-Christensen , Joy Nash , Christopher Salazar , Karen Malina White, this is a Carrie retelling that includes a biracial girl, Maddie with a mean religious zealot white father in Georgia, with mean white high school students (do not forget the parents & police as well) who terrorize Maddie her whole life. When Maddie finds a book from her mother to her, she finally sees who she is and looks forward to going to the prom with Kenny (who has been put up to inviting her by his white girlfriend mean girl). But life is not that simple & oh do the racist people clash with the teens, their prom, and their lives. A must read!

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Nothing Burns As Bright As You by Ashley Woodfolk

Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this latest novel in verse from Ashley Woodfolk and the author speaks about what happened to her in her teen years and how it took many many years for her to face this friend/romance. It was alternately happy/uncomfortable/angry as these two friends become something more but many times they were not on the same plane all the time. The verse was heartfelt. A must read!

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Private Label by Kelly Yang

Private Label by Kelly Yang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Kelly Yang and this YA novel hit me with the reality of Serene's and Lian's lives as ehtnic students in a largely white high school. Serene's mom has raised her but Serene has always had questions about her father, and her mother has always responded---That is in the past, only go forward, but that still does not stop Serene thinking about who he might be. Serene and her mother are very very close while Lian has a family with a mother who pushes him to be an engineer while he would love to be a stand up comic. When they finally get to know each other---both realize how much the honesty they share with each other changes their lives. A must read! Just like her other YA novel, Parachutes, teens will see what other teens lives are like.

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You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen McManus

You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awesomely Narrated by Rachel L. Jacobs, Anthony Rey Perez, Max Meyers, Malik Rashad, this stand alone mystery is an excellent audiobook and mystery teens will love! As middle school students Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. But now in high school they no longer hang out, much less speak to one another. But there comes a day when they run into one another and for separate reasons do not want to be in school that day. That decision turns their world upside down when they arrive right after a student (they all know) has been murdered. With her superior writing McManus twists and turns the plots and characters as they try to figure out what is going on all the while keeping secrets to themselves. Sinister and suspenseful, this is a must read!

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Rainbow High (Rainbow Trilogy, #2) by Alex Sanchez

Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awesomely narrated by: Alston Brown, I love the continued coming out and friendship and romance Kyle, Jason and Nelson navigate their senior year. The interplay of family, school, and coach dynamics really paints a varied but realistic picture of queer teen boys at home and in school (with a new GSA club) and in relationships (both the pain and wonder). I can't wait for the 3rd audiobook, but I will be sorry to leave these boys ---they have made an impact on me and I will miss them!

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Rainbow Boys (Rainbow Trilogy, #1) by Alex Sanchez

Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awesomely narrated by Alston Brown, three guys in high school are the main characters with best friends Nelson (openly gay) and Kyle semi-out) and Jason with a girlfriend of 2 years and thinking about guys. This was written in 2003 and I was a high school librarian then and am so sorry I never read this book. Teens will understand the trials and tribulations of these 3 boys who also have family and friend issues to contend with and college on the horizon. Each chapter is narrator is narrated by Kyle, Jason and Nelson because they are all so different. Also this is at a time when there is homophobia in the school and at home, many tense, difficult things happen to these boys as they struggle to open a Gay/Straight Alliance in their school. A must listen to!!!

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Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book deserves all the awards: National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2021), Michael L. Printz Award Nominee (2022), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2021), Teen category, Walter Dean Myers Honor Award. Awesomely narrated by Emily Woo Zeller; this story takes place in 1954 Chinatown where high school student Lily Hu lives with her family, with an annoying, an overbearing best friend, and the Red Scare has taken her doctor father's Naturalization Papers because of a patient her saw. When Lily begins to realize she has feelings for Kath Miller as a result of sneaking out to the GAY bar to see a female impersonator, the reader follows Kath and Lily's friendship turn to relationship and how their world blows up. Thoroughly researched this a must read for YA readers on the history of the Red Scare, life in Chinatown, and the growth of lesbian movement.

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The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book because it received a Nerdy Book Club 2021 YA Fiction award. But I have read and loved all of Anna-Marie McLemore's books and been moved by the magical realism and their worlds of diverse Latinx characters. This book is different (read the Author Note after you have read the book) and though many tough topics are discussed, YA readers will relate to Ciela and Lock in their worlds of color and privilege. Both are struggling with what happened to them at a party (two rooms next to one another) by awful privileged white students whose parents names appear on school buildings. Ceila and Lock do not know one another at the beginning of the book, but become friends when he is a new student at her high school. Ciela has magic that has been passed down by her family and when she is assaulted that ability stops. How Ciela reclaims her life and becomes Lock's friend show what a strong brown girl feels for what is right, even as it shatters her life like a shard of glass nestling in her body. I could not stop turning the pages, and many times it was a difficult read because of what was perpetrated on these teens by classmates. Highly recommended!

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Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This 2nd book was just as beautiful as the first and I absolutely loved the authentic, beautiful narration by Lin-Manuel Miranda. As men are dying of AIDS Ari and Dante remain in love but conflicted about being gay and what it will mean for their futures. I loved the different yet lovable personalities of Ari and Dante, their supportive and worried parents, friendships lost but found, and their profound love for each other in an uncertain world. I would love to read a 3rd book about them in college or maybe after? A must read, YA readers will relate on many levels.

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The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This audiobook & the story WERE SO GOOD! Awesomely narrated by Isabella Star LaBlanc, this reader was treated to an awesome story, a kick-ass heroine, and immersed in the Ojibwe tribe which Daunis is not a member of (yet). When her best friend is murdered by her boyfriend who then takes his life, Daunis is asked to go undercover by the FBI to find out who is responsible for meth production in the tribe---and oh does she get involved in so much more than that. She is partnered with an FBI agent posing as a high school hockey player. I was glued to the story, the history, the traditions in the community and hockey teams. I highly recommend this suspenseful story; it offers a look into Native beliefs, practices, and traditions in this amazing must read story.

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To Catch a Killer (Erin Blake #1) by Sheryl Scarborough

To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this mystery and Narration by Christy Romano was good but she did not have a male voice and I was sometimes confused when the male characters like Journey Michaels was talking because Romano used her speaking voice. But the mystery by Sheryl Scarborough was gripping and I will definitely be reading her next Erin Blake novel! Erin is a totally believable and likable protagonist while she hates being known as the girl whose mother was murdered. Her mom's best friend, Rachel, has raised her but she will NOT discuss her mother's death which is a real downer for Erin and who exactly is her father? With her best friends they have a side business which includes pictures, fingerprints and lots of other forensics (Erin is a fan of her uncle who is an FBI investigator and has written books) so when she finds her beloved biology teacher murdered and sees Journey there too, the mystery ramps up. This a gripping story and a great YA mystery!

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Concrete Rose (The Hate You Give, #0) by Angie Thomas

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dion Graham awesomely narrates this stunning, authentic novel about Maverick Carter's teen life (he is Starr's father from THUG) as he deals with fatherhood, loss of his cousin, life with the King Lords, dealing drugs, his father in prison, his mother holding down 2 jobs. As Maverick tries life without dealing drugs, he works for his neighbor in his store and his garden. He learns so much but he feels like he is working for the lowest wages and his old life comes calling again. I loved Dion Graham's narration, it was so powerful catching Mav's insecurities, heartache and frustrations. I also loved his girlfriend, Lisa, who wanted more and did not ever give up hope. This is a must read for teens as they find out what life is really like for African American teens who have parenthood forced on them in high school, their decisions and how they proceed in life. Highly recommended!!!

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We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss

We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many thanks to Jenn LaGarde for recommending this Purposeful Prose Summer Reading Exploring Inequity in the US Criminal Justice System. My heart continued to break as I read more and more about Luke and Toby, their friendship and yearning to break away from their miserable lives. Through Luke's letters to Toby from jail and interspersed with their past and present lives BEFORE, the reader is gripped with the harshness of their lives and their unwavering need to escape these lives. But it seems many things will keep presenting to Luke and Toby their senior year, testing their friendhsip and loyalty. I kind of did not like that 2 girls pit Toby and Luke against each other...yes there are many more things like family, abuse, violence, and bad choices that test their friendship but Annie and Lily pit the 2 best friends against each other resulting in chaos. A must read for teens giving an honest look at the juvenile justice system.

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The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthis Hand

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have so enjoyed listening to Cynthia Hand's Lady Janes series!!! Boy was this book sad, devastating, but redemptive as Lex suffers heart stopping grief after her younger brother shoots himself. She breaks up with her boyfriend (and they really worked as a couple), she does not hang out with her girlfriends anymore, and she She sees a therapist who also asks her to write about it and then gift it to someone to read. Since their father left, her brother has never forgiven him for leaving. As Lexie sinks further into her depression, the reader will root for her to finds answers in the many ways she tries---an old friend reappearing, the ghost of Ty visiting her, and getting into MIT---and I wish Lexie forgives herself, moves forward with her brother's blessing, and chooses life over grief. A must read for its authentic, stunning portrayal of the effects of suicide on family, friends and society.

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When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert

When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love all Kelly Loy Gilbert books because of what timely issues and themes they deal with, but this book was really tough to read... Beth as the protagonist goes through so much--her parents' divorce, her circle of friends that she loves so much that she really does not show them who she really is---she shows them what she thinks they want to see, and when an act of violence on her love interest Jason devastates her; the whole story shifts as Beth and her friends try to support Jason. I hated how all that happens to Beth changes her and molds her into another person (not one I really liked but can understand this was how she coped)who must mold herself into someone everyone will love and accept and the author shows how these teens really have no way of dealing with what happened to Jason and Jason makes it even more difficult by asking them to go back tot he way they were before. Beth's treatment of her mother was awful, mean and secretive while she loved her father--who was the one who left, stops coming to see her, and does not support her. As she and Jason begin to see each other it quickly becomes awkward with Beth telling herself she must accept everything and take it in stride. This book broke my heart but the friendships these teens have is so special and supportive. The author deals with many topics teen readers will want to read about - abuse, secrets, high school, the college aspect, divorce, lies, music, self destruction, suicide, dysfunctional families, racism, and authentic Asian American teen characters. A must read but it will be a tough read.

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That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow I loved the narration by Whitney Dykhouse , Megan Tusing , Almarie Guerra , Carly Robins , Ron Butler , Scott Lange in this gripping story about the aftermath of a school shooting and what it means to withhold information. Three years ago in Vergil County HS a shooter shot Lee Bauer's best friend, Sarah while they were together in the girls bathroom. What follows is narration by the friends that lived through the horror.

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Every Single Lie by Rachel Vincent

Every Single Lie by Rachel Vincent
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh boy did I love this suspenseful mystery; I could not stop turning the pages! Beckett does not have an easy life with finding her father dead, breaking up with her boyfriend over texts her won't show her and her police detective mother who is never home because it reminds her of her dead husband. But she is resilient and through her consciousness and words the reader is treated to a strong female protagonist who considers herself an amateur sleuth as she (and everyone in her community) tries to find who is responsible for leaving a dead baby in a gym bag in the high school locker room which she found and as a result became the vilified "mother" who abandoned her baby. As a result of her father's death and all that came before it (drugs, secrets, lies) Beckett's family is still grief stricken over the death of the loving father they knew and all the gossip of who he really was. Add finding the baby and boy I was gripped as Beckett tries to be normal but still find the culprit. The suspense is unbelievable as many clues are found to be true or false adding to the gripping novel all YA mystery fans will not be able to put down!!! I was also drawn to Beckett's family and the loneliness that traumatizing grief has manifested in each of her family members.

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Dark Horses by Susan Mihalic

Dark Horses: A Novel by Susan Mihalic
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, just Wow! Mihalic's debut was stunning, gripping, terrifying! Roan is only 15 years old when this novel begins but she has the maturity and tenacity of an adult; a much older, time worn woman. Being raised by totally normal looking parents; they are a scary dysfunctional family with few redeeming qualities. Her mother is an alcoholic, a beauty who no longer models, hates her husband and daughter because she feels they chose each other and not her. Poor Roan does not know why her mother can't love her; she even told her about the abuse from her father and it fell on deaf ears. Roan has been lashed to her father since she was a child; he controls her every movement. She is an award winning equestrian (just like her father) but there are strings attached, and in order to survive Roan places aspects of her life in boxes in order to deal. As she grew up the abuse continued and with it threats--her father killed her dog, threatens to take away beloved horses, and punishes her when she falters. Add to this a high school friend who becomes someone special and life becomes filled with more and more secrets threatening to explode. But Roan has been groomed by the best, her father and along the way she has learned to become skilled in deception and as her life with her father collides with Will Howard, Roan tries desperately to live with her father's expectations and her interest in this new boy's attentions. I could not stop turning the pages while I was entranced by the world Mihalic created of the beauty of farms, horses, and competition. I rooted for Roan and hoped her resilience forged from her father's demands would help her find her way to a life she deserved. A must read about family dynamics, sexual abuse, and the power of love. Highly recommended!

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A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMG, loved this awesomely narrated YA mystery by: Bailey Carr , Marisa Calin , Michael Crouch , Gopal Divan , Robert Fass , Kevin R. Free , Sean Patrick Hopkins , Carol Monda , Patricia Santomasso , Shezi Sardar , Amanda Thickpenny , full cast! Pippa is a nice, friendly girl who embarks on a senior thesis to solve the 5 year old death of Andie Bell. And from the first page, I was in!!! Pip gets full into the project and as her list of suspects grow, the reader is totally enthralled with Pip's mind, her research, her questioning of suspects (they don't all know they are suspects). I loved the thread of Ravi, Sal's brother who helps Pip with her investigation, supporting her, and wanting the truth to free his brother as the murderer. There is trolling social media, pouring through old investigations, conning others by following their my friend phone apps...as Pip slips deeper and deeper into the project, not telling anyone about the threats and exposing herself and family and friends to the fiend who does not want to be identified, the suspense continues to build. A great mystery!!!

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