I Heart You, You Haunt Me
Author:  Lisa Schroeder (website, Facebook, Twitter)
Publication Date:  Jan 8, 2008
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
ISBN:  978-1416955207
226 pages

Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back...

...sort of.

Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she's crazy, but she knows he's here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

Ava and Jackson were meant to be together forever, until a terrible tragedy took Jackson's life.  And Ava blames herself - they shouldn't have been there; she shouldn't have said what she said.  Ava struggles with her emotions in the wake of Jackson's sudden death.  She soon begins feeling his presence and hearing his voice.  Jackson has come back from the dead - to be with Ava forever.

But as Ava continues to grieve and move on with her life, she begins to question herself and Jackson.  Does love really last forever?

This is a touching, beautiful story of teenage first love...and loss.  This novel is told in verse, so it's a very quick read.  I read it in just over an hour, in one sitting.  Although it's a quick read, it's really deep and moving.  I'd definitely recommend it!

 
The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride
Genre:  Young Adult
Publication Date:  May 25, 2010
Publisher:  Egmont USA
ISBN:  978-1-60684-085-6
276 pages

When Tessa's best friend Noelle disappears right before the start of eighth grade, Tessa's life changes completely--she shies away from her other friends and stops eating in the cafeteria. Now, two years later, Noelle has escaped her captivity and is coming home, in one piece but not exactly intact, and definitely different. Tessa's life is about to change again as she tries to revive the best-friendship the two girls had shared before Noelle--now Elle--was kidnapped; puts up a futile resistance to the charming new guy at school; pursues her passion for photography while trying to build the bravado to show her photos to the public; and tries to balance her desire to protect and shelter Elle with the necessity to live her own life and put herself first.

Tessa and Noelle are best friends.  They have been best friends for what seems like forever.  Then, in 8th grade, Noelle disappears without a trace.  Tessa is forced to move on with her daily life, but cuts off all connections to her old friends.  This book opens two years later with Tessa meeting with Noelle's brother, Cooper, who informs her that Noelle called and setup a sting to catch her kidnapper.  Tessa is stunned and can't believe it.  But when she watches the events unfold on tv, she is excited, albeit a bit hesitant, to make contact with her best friend.  Their relationship is a bit strained at first, with Tessa trying to understand how she should act and what she should say to the girl who now calls herself "Elle".  I mean, what do you say to your best friend who just spent two years with a sick pedophile?  I could really feel Tessa's confusion and frustration and trying to figure out who this new girl is, while still taking care of her own life and a new crush in the form of a fellow photography classmate named Max.

Max is a great character and I really loved him!  He really helps Tessa work through her emotions, while trying to make her realize that she has to live her own life, too, and not be constantly worried about Elle.  Tessa and Max's relationship is really sweet and I loved watching it develop through their mutual love of photography.   

This book will grab you from page one and not let go until the last word is read.  It's a quick read, but you will fall in love with these characters.  I cannot imagine the horror that Elle had to endure.  The book does not go into a lot of detail about Elle's time away - it only recounts details as necessary to move the story forward.  I think telling the story from Tessa's perspective was really great and I enjoyed this point of view.

Any YA lovers will enjoy this book, but this is definitely one I would recommend to everyone!

 
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
Genre:  Young Adult
St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN:  978-0-312-55511-5
213 pages

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much---if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle---who already has six wives---Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

This book is absolutely amazing and incredible.  I could not put it down and finished it in less than a day.  Kyra's life is something I cannot grasp - living in a polygamist community cult where you are watched constantly, not allowed to read books of your choice, forbidden to choose your husband, and forced into marriage with a much older man, who already has other wives.  You must be obedient to the Prophet or you will pay and you may just pay with your life.  When 13 year old Kyra learns that the Prophet "had a vision from God" that Kyra was to marry her 60 year old uncle, she fights - and fights hard - to live the life of HER dreams.  What ensues is a story that is utterly captivating.  Kyra's struggle to be true to her family and to find her own identity felt very real and pure.  Her story is one of hope and one I won't soon forget.  I would absolutely recommend this book.  I loved it!  

Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu
Genre:  Young Adult
Walker & Company
ISBN:  978-0-8027-8660-9
210 pages

Everyone has a secret. But Lucy’s is bigger and dirtier than most. It’s one she’s been hiding for years—that her mom’s out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. She’s managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they’d be disgusted by the truth. So, when her mom dies suddenly in their home, Lucy hesitates to call 911 because revealing their way of life would make her future unbearable—and she begins her two-day plan to set her life right.

With details that are as fascinating as they are disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy’s desperate attempt at normalcy. Her fear and isolation are palpable as readers are pulled down a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen’s life will have readers completely hooked.

This was one of the books I read for the Readathon last month as it is only 210 pages.  What is packed into those 210 pages is a fascinating novel about a young girl named Lucy who is trapped in a nightmare.  Her mother is a hoarder.  If you have seen the television show series on AETV called Hoarders or Hoarding:  Buried Alive on TLC then you can get a good picture of what Lucy had to live with on a daily basis.   Hoarding is a psychological disorder that is as disgusting to me as it is fascinating.  Reading about Lucy's life with her mother and the filth that she must contend with is horrifying.  I can't imagine being a young teenager and having to be stressed out about one of your friends discovering this type of secret; how she doesn't really want to make friends because she doesn't want someone discovering her home life.  The author really captures the thought processes of this young girl and her actions in the aftermath of her mother's sudden death.  I could not put this book down.  I was a bit disappointed by the ending, but only because I WANTED TO READ MORE!!  It just kind of ended in a weird spot and I really wanted more closure and to find out where Lucy is today.  I don't want to go more in depth with this review because it is a story that you just need to read for yourself.  It is a quick read, but you will be utterly hooked and crave more when you are done!  I would definitely recommend this book!

 
Oblivion Road by Alex McAulay
Genre:  Young Adult
Publisher:  MTV Books
Publication Date:  November 13, 2007
ISBN:  978-1416548065
293 pages

My Rating:  4 Stars

Five stranded teenagers must battle for their lives against a group of escaped convicts, and each other, in this shocking survival thriller from the author of Bad Girls and Lost Summer.

Courtney Stanton thinks she's on just another ski trip with her friends -- until a horrific car accident strands them all on an isolated Colorado road during a blizzard. Frightened but alive, Courtney and her companions discover an abandoned vehicle nearby, and seek help. But the vehicle turns out to be a prison van, with the inmates missing, and the guard's dead body in the front seat.

Soon after, a stumbling figure emerges from the snow, a handcuffed refugee from the van. He says he's been in prison for selling meth, but that he once served in the army. Dare they trust him? He pleads innocence about the guard's murder, warns them about the other fugitives, and promises he will help guide them out of the wilderness. But as the group begins a nightmare trek across the frozen landscape, they start to get the feeling he hasn't told them the entire truth, and someone -- or something -- is secretly watching their every move.

Reading this book made me think of those teenage horror flicks I used to watch as a young adult.  Every scene in the book I could picture on the big screen.  It's one of those that I would be gripping my husband's hand next to me as I sit on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next ball to drop, trembling with anticipation.  The author created such a suspenseful, tense storyline that kept me up until 1:00am on a work night, because I HAD to know how it ended!

I loved this book!  I will admit that I figured out what was going on about midway through, but I didn't know for sure, so I was furiously turning the pages to see if I was right!  The author's pacing of the story was spot on and kept me intrigued page after page.  I love how the chapters ended on a cliffhanger, so I had to continue reading to see what happened next!  Hence, the staying up until 1:00am part!

I'm not going to recap the book as I think the synopsis is spot on and covers it all perfectly.  I love suspenseful novels and this one definitely fit the bill.  This is the first book I read by this author and I will definitely be looking for his others.  This is a great young adult book, with some fairly gruesome scenes, so be forewarned!!  It reads very quickly and easily and will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Recommended!!

I received this book from Other Shelf Tours, a book touring site.

 
The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
Genre:  Young Adult
Publication Date:  March 16, 2010
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
ISBN:  978-1416978916
206 pages
Softcover ARC received from Around the World Tours
Follow Elizabeth Scott online:  Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads

Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like your best friend's boyfriend.

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...

I really enjoyed this story a lot more than I thought I would!  I wasn't sure how I would be able to relate to the characters, but I became completely engrossed in the story and couldn't put the book down!  I was cheering for Sarah and yelling at her best friend, Brianna, throughout the whole book!  I could really feel the emotions that the characters were feeling.  I was able to really relate to Sarah and how she was feeling - not wanting to betray her best friend, but really wanting to see where things go with Ryan.  It was a struggle for her and I really connected to her feelings.

The character who really stood out to me was Brianna, Sarah's best friend.  I alternated between feeling bad for her due to her family situation and disliking her for the way she treated Sarah, who is supposedly her best friend.  She is a complex character with many dimensions.  I could really feel for her; putting on a brave front and trying to be strong, but on the inside she is really hurting.  I know the reader was probably supposed to dislike Brianna, but I felt bad for her more than I hated her.  She is an interesting girl and I'm curious what other readers thought about her.

Overall, this is a wonderful young adult story about first loves and best friends.  I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

 
In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth
Genre:  Young Adult
Softcover ARC/Uncorrected Proof
Received From:  Around the World Tours
ISBN: 978-0-8027-2068-9
195 pages

My Rating:  4 Stars

When a small mistake costs sixteen-year-old Eagan her life during a figure-skating competition, she leaves many things unreconciled, including her troubled relationship with her mother. From her vantage point in the afterlife, Eagan reflects back on her memories, and what she could have done differently, through her still-beating heart.

When fourteen-year-old Amelia learns she will be getting a heart transplant, her fear and guilt battle with her joy at this new chance at life. And afterwards when she starts to feel different—dreaming about figure skating, craving grape candy—her need to learn about her donor leads her to discover and explore Eagan’s life, meeting her grieving loved ones and trying to bring the closure they all need to move on.

Told in alternating viewpoints, In a Heartbeat tells the emotional and compelling story of two girls sharing one heart.

Eagan is a 16 year old star figure skating with dreams of the Olympics.

Amelia is 14 years old and will die in months unless she receives a heart transplant.

A small mistake while figure skating costs Eagen her life.  But through this tragedy, Amelia gets to live.  She gets Eagan's heart.

What follows is an emotional, moving story about life and death.  Told in alternating chapters, Eagan and Amelia share their stories; Eagen from the "other side", reflecting back on her young life; Amelia from the hospital and afterward, struggling a bit with "survivor's guilt" and trying to understand her new personality.  Amelia has changed since the transplant.  She seems to have taken on some of Eagan's personality traits and Eagan's likes/dislikes.  Is this possible?  I thought it was fictionalized in the story, but this is really a true phenomenon called cellular memory!  It sounds fascinating and I'm really interested in reading more about it!

I loved this story and at 195 pages, it is a really quick read.  Eagan and Amelia will tug at your heart and you'll be rooting for both of them.  I'd definitely recommend this story, especially to those who enjoy more serious young adult fiction.

What inspired you to write WILLOW?

I wanted to write a book for all of us with self destructive urges, a book that would take one person from a place of self harm to a place of healing, and in doing so possibly make people question their own damaging behaviors. I chose to make Willow a cutter because it is a very dramatic and obvious form of self injury, but it could just as easily have been a book about overeating or doing drugs, or even something as innocent as watching too much television.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? 


In fact there is, and if you don’t mind, I’m going to quote a reviewer who said it better than I ever could: “The essential and uplifting message of WILLOW is that not every problem can be solved, but there is no bad situation that cannot be improved.” That’s really what WILLOW is about. I like to say it’s not a book about cutting so much as it is a book about healing, about redemption, and about coming to terms with tragedy.

What was the hardest part of writing WILLOW?

The part that I found most difficult may sound a bit surprising. I didn’t really struggle with the cutting scenes at all. As I have said in other interviews, while I have never been a cutter, I have certainly felt that sense of despair, that isolation, that absolute inability to process feelings in the correct way. With that in mind, the hardest scene for me to write, by far, was the one where Willow finally lets go and allows herself to feel the emotional pain that she has been blocking throughout the novel.

Did you learn anything from writing WILLOW? What was it?

Well, really, I would say what I learned working on WILLOW was how to be a writer, how to apply the discipline and work ethic I had in other areas. Prior to writing WILLOW I went to grad school in physics and philosophy. I don’t know that pondering those subjects helped me much with WILLOW. But, I do believe that doing an independent study in quantum mechanics was a huge breakthrough for me as a writer and as a person. Now when I was in grad school I wrote romance novels under a pseudonym. I had a certain facility for that type of book. I needed it too, as many of them were written under deadlines of a few weeks. However, as much as I loved doing them, and as good a training as they were for more serious writing, they were things that I just tossed off in a rather cavalier manner. I didn’t work at them as assiduously as I should. In fact I didn’t really work very hard at anything until quantum mechanics. That was probably the most challenging thing I ever did, and while I don’t know how much I really took in as regards quantum, I can say that I really learned how to work. The way I worked on WILLOW was vastly different than the way I had worked on my romances, and I couldn’t have done it without struggling through quantum mechanics first. So even though I’d written many romances, WILLOW was really a breakthrough in the writing process.

Are you currently working on another novel? Can you share any details with us?

I am working on something else, thank you for asking! I’m way too superstitious to share many details, but I can tell you two things: one) it is as different from WILLOW as could possibly be imagined, and two) the other day after completing three thousand words, and reaching a climactic point in the story, my computer went crazy and jettisoned the entire days work. I’m surprised I have to tell you, as I assumed that everyone in the known universe heard my screams!

When and why did you begin writing?

1) I don’t know that I ever sat down and said “I want to be a writer.” It’s more that the time came when I could no longer avoid making that choice. I’ve been writing since I could hold a crayon, and in fact submitted my first “professional” effort at the age of eight. I entered a poem in a contest --- and came in 39th out of a field of 40. But although I always wrote and always wanted to write, I had several detours on the way to working as a professional. As I said earlier, I went to grad school in physics and philosophy, which although fascinating was not the most direct route towards becoming a writer…. I tell you all this to encourage those among your readers who themselves are considering a writing career, but who haven’t yet made the jump. That’s OK! Not everyone is able to pursue their dreams right away. Sometimes life gets in the way, practical decisions have to be made, or the idea of following an unconventional path seems too daunting. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t ever be able to make that choice, and in fact, sometimes the paths that you take on the way to that choice (in my case physics) will be of greater use to you than you realize.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Any day now…..

Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing?

Everything! But really I would say the most difficult thing for me is sticking with it when things aren’t working. Gertrude Stein had a wonderful line about a young writer, she said “he has the syrup, but it doesn’t pour.” We (I) may have the syrup, the inspiration, but that doesn’t mean that the details are always forthcoming, that I know how to get from A to B, it’s being willing to stare at the bare screen and working through those points that are the most challenging.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

So many people write to me and tell me that they want to write, but that they’re too afraid, they don’t feel like their thoughts are worthy of being put down on paper. You know what I say to that? EVERYBODY feels that way, everybody who has something worthwhile to say, that is! I’ll give you an example: Van Gogh wrote to his brother that he didn’t think he was worthy to paint in oils. Van Gogh! The man who forever transformed oil painting! I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you’re discouraged, if you’re beset by self doubt, don’t let it get you down. You’re in good company!

What book are you reading now?

I should try and impress you and come up with some really advanced work on Quantum Mechanics, but the fact is when I’m working on a book, I can only read the cheesiest most embarrassing romances!

Finally, if you were to interview yourself what question would you ask, and how would you answer it?

Q) You say that you wrote WILLOW for those of us with self destructive urges, that it is a book about the redemptive power of love. All well and good, but do you really think that a book, any book, can help someone with such severe problems?

A) Absolutely. I can tell you from personal experience that I count many books as good and trusted friends, that there are books that have helped me through the deepest despair and through intense loneliness. Now WILLOW may not be a book that speaks to everyone, but if someone is able to learn from it, to question why they might treat themselves as less than they should, then this author will have truly done her job.

Thank you for your time and I am looking forward to reading more books from you in the future!

WILLOW is now available in paperback, so be sure to pick up your copy!

My Thoughts:

I'm not quite sure where to begin with this review.  This book is about a teenager named Willow who feels responsible for her parents' tragic death.  To cope with the emotional pain, Willow begins cutting herself.  Cutting is a topic that I know very little about.  Before reading this book, I couldn't understand why someone would want to mutilate their body by cutting themselves.  It seemed more like suicidal behavior than anything else.  After reading this book, I have a greater understanding of the emotional pain and turmoil that leads someone to cutting  --  and it's not suicidal behavior at all.

Willow was behind the wheel when a tragic accident took the lives of her parents.  Stumbling through life post-accident, Willow becomes estranged from her older brother, David, whom she finds herself living with after the accident.  Feeling that he blames her for their parents' deaths, Willow retreats into herself, trying to deal with the emotions the best way she knows how  --  through cutting.

One day at her job at the library, Willow meets Guy.  He soon discovers her secret, but instead of running the other way, he does everything he can to help her.  The development of this relationship is very sweet and I really enjoyed reading it.  Through this relationship, we see the healing power of love.

This book is so much more than a young adult novel of teenage angst.  It is not an easy book to read.  It is raw and emotional and the cutting scenes were hard to read (for me, anyway!).  I know this review isn't doing the book justice, but I just don't know how to describe the emotions this book brought out in me.  It's definitely a book I would recommend.

My Thoughts:

Cracked Up to Be is the story of Parker Fadley, a mean-spirited perfectionist who has a huge secret that is destroying her “perfect” life. This is a quick and easy YA read, and, although I could feel for Parker at times, I did not find her character very likeable. I thought, at first, that she was being mean to people because she didn’t want anyone to be close to her due to her "secret". But, as I continued to read the story, I got the impression that she was always a bit mean-spirited and the situation she found herself in just made it a worse.

I really enjoyed how this story was told, from present-day conversations and issues, to flashbacks of the night her life changed forever. It really tied together nicely and I found it a very compelling way to tell the story. I applaud the people around Parker who were trying very hard to help her, even though she keeps pushing them away. I could relate to Parker’s panic and anxiety attacks, even though she didn’t want to readily admit that that’s what was happening to her! Her nervous tick was also very interesting! You could really tell that she needs intensive help to deal with her issues.

Overall, this was a good story about how your “perfect” life can change in an instant. I would have liked a bit more information on her “secret” and about the ending of the book. I can’t say what exactly without giving away the story, though!! I just want to know exactly what happened in the aftermath of the “secret”. Coming from a teen’s point of view, this story was especially interesting and I found it very believable. I would definitely recommend this book to any YA fans!

I wonder what it would be like to do high school things. To go out on the weekends. To kiss a guy. To have a normal life. A real one.
Everyone thinks their parents are embarrassing, but Hannah knows she's got them all beat. Her dad made a fortune showcasing photos of pretty girls and his party lifestyle all over the Internet, and her mom was once one of her dad's girlfriends and is now the star of her own website. After getting the wrong kind of attention for way too long, Hannah has mastered the art of staying under the radar...and that's just how she likes it.
Of course, that doesn't help her get noticed by her crush. Hannah's sure that gorgeous, sensitive Josh is her soul mate. But trying to get him to notice her; wondering why she suddenly can't stop thinking about another guy, Finn; and dealing with her parents make Hannah feel like she's going crazy. Yet she's determined to make things work out the way she wants -- only what she wants may not be what she needs....
Although I am 30+, I have really started getting into the YA genre lately!  This is a quick, enjoyable book and the first that I’ve read of Elizabeth Scott.  I will definitely be looking for more of her books in the future!  It is fun, laugh-out-loud funny at times, and relatable.  I think teens will definitely be able to relate to the romantic plight that the main character, Hannah, finds herself in.  It’s an easy book to read and you will become immersed in Hannah’s life and that of her quirky family.  Definitely a positive, upbeat story that I would recommend.

Author:  Ellen Hopkins

Hardcover
ISBN:  9781416950073
625 pages



Book Description:

"When all choice is taken from you, life becomes a game of survival."

Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching...for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don't expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words "I love you" are said for all the wrong reasons.

Five moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story -- a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. A story about kids figuring out what sex and love are all about, at all costs, while asking themselves, "Can I ever feel okay about myself?"

A brilliant achievement from New York Times best-selling author Ellen Hopkins -- who has been called "the bestselling living poet in the country" by mediabistro.com -- Tricks is a book that turns you on and repels you at the same time. Just like so much of life.

My Thoughts:

I really admire Ellen Hopkins and her ability to tackle the tough issues.  This book is no exception.  I had so many emotions while reading this book - anger, sadness, angst, hopefulness, despair - which I think is the point of Ms. Hopkins's stories.  It's so hard for me to imagine that teenagers actually face these types of issues.  It really saddens me.  You just want to jump into these stories and protect these kids and try to make their lives better. 

This is a book about love and sex.  Or sex and love?  I'll let you decide.  There are a lot of serious issues that are addressed in this book - drug use, homosexuality, rape, prostitution, and even religion.  You will cringe, but you will also be spellbound and be unable to put the book down.  Five teenagers, from different walks of life, trying to find their way; trying to find love; and trying to grow up in very difficult world. 

I highly recommend Ms. Hopkins books - they are not easy reads, but they will definitely make you think about life and about what kids are facing these days.  TRICKS is a powerful story and one I won't soon forget.

Author:  Gayle Forman
Genre:  Young Adult
ISBN:  978-0-525-42103-0
Hardcover
196 pages

Visit the book's website!

Book Description:

"Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love— music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind? Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it’s the only one that matters."

My Thoughts:

Seventeen year old Mia is a bright and gifted cellist, with a supportive, loving family, an amazing, devoted boyfriend, an awesome best friend, and a bright future ahead of her.  She is grappling with the decision to stay in Oregon to be near her family and friends or to move to New York City to attend Juilliard.

In an instant, everything changes.

The choice Mia now faces is whether to live or to die.  As she is suspended in a state of limbo, Mia can see her entire network of family and friends as they surround her body in the hospital.  She can hear them, but no one can see or hear her.  As the story unfolds, the narrative switches from past to present and we learn of Mia's life before the accident.  She is an amazing character, with likes, dislikes, faults, and insecurities.  There is a depth to Mia that is astounding.  That the author was able to elicit so much emotion and character development in under 200 pages is a testament to her gift of storytelling.

I thought the ending of the book was perfect.  I was disappointed that there wasn't more, but it was perfect for this story.

This is a book I will be recommending to everyone I know.  It was phenomenal.  I cannot say enough good things about it.  Just read it and you will understand.  Words cannot do it justice.  You need to experience for yourself.

Here are two videos about the book.  One is a book trailer and the other is a brief interview with the author, Gayle Forman.  Enjoy!

Author:  Jo Knowles
Category:  For the Mature Young Adult

Description from Amazon:

"Leah Greene is dead. For Laine, knowing what really happened and the awful feeling that she is, in some way, responsible set her on a journey of painful self-discovery. Yes, she wished for this. She hated Leah that much. Hated her for all the times in the closet, when Leah made her do those things. They were just practicing, Leah said. But why did Leah choose her? Was she special, or just easy to control? And why didn’t Laine make it stop sooner? In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laine is left to explore the devastating lessons Leah taught her, find some meaning in them, and decide whether she can forgive Leah and, ultimately, herself."

My Thoughts:

“Leah Green is dead.”

From the first line of this book, the reader is drawn into a haunting, yet captivating novel of friendship abuse between young girls, Laine and Leah.

Laine is ecstatic that popular Leah chooses her as a best friend in elementary school. Laine finally feels like she “fits in” somewhere. This friendship takes a dark and disturbing turn, however, when Leah convinces Laine to “experiment” in Laine’s doll room. Neither girl knows what they are feeling or why they are feeling it. Their emotions confuse them. Leah uses these emotions as power over Laine, belittling and tormenting her throughout their childhood.

Laine and Leah eventually go in different directions, but see each other periodically throughout middle and high school. Leah uses every opportunity to torment Laine, who feels only shame about the events of their childhood. In a stunning climax that will have the reader furiously turning the pages, both girls’ lives are changed forever.

An unlikely friendship that spirals out of control, Laine is left to pick up the pieces of a shattered childhood and try to understand her friendship with Leah. LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL is a haunting story that will stay with the reader long after the final page is turned.

Author:  Hannah Friedman

Young Adult/Memoir

ISBN:  9780757307751
255 pages

Book Description:

"When everything sucks,
change everything . . .

And that's exactly what Hannah Friedman set out to do in an ambitious attempt to bust out of a life of obscurity and absurdity and into an alternate world of glamour, wealth, and popularity.

Being dubbed 'That Monkey Girl' by middle school bullies and being pulled out of sixth grade to live on a tour bus with her agoraphobic mother, her smelly little brother, and her father's hippie band mates convinces Hannah that she is destined for a life of freakdom.

But when she enters one of the country's most prestigious boarding schools on scholarship, Hannah transforms herself into everything she is not: cool. By senior year, she has a perfect millionaire boyfriend, a perfect GPA, a perfect designer wardrobe, and is part of the most popular clique in school, but somehow everything begins to suck far worse than when she first started. Her newfound costly drug habit, eating disorder, identity crisis, and Queen-Bee attitude lead to the unraveling of Hannah's very unusual life.

Putting her life back together will take more than a few clicks of her heels, or the perfect fit of a glass slipper, in this not-so-fairy tale of going from rock bottom to head of the class and back again."

My Thoughts:

It took me a couple of chapters to get into this memoir, but after that, the pages just flew by.  I really enjoyed reading about Hannah's experiences.  It's an honest look into the life of Ms. Friedman, where pretty much everything sucks, including family, mean girls, friends, high school, diets, love, sex, education, home, college, drugs, epilogues, and writing!  I was personally touched by the Postscript:  Writing Sucks part at the very end of the book.  As an aspiring author (someday), I found that I really identified with Hannah and her struggles with writing.  It really makes me think that I CAN do this.  Thank you for giving me that sage advice, Hannah.  You have no idea how badly I needed to hear it!

A quick, fun romp through the teenage years.  EVERYTHING SUCKS is a great story that definitely does not suck!

From the book's website: