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The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Hi, my name is Rya. I am a sophomore and I enjoy reading, swimming and traveling.

Macy has strived for perfection her whole life, and her circumstances allow little room for anything else. Everything in her life is calculated, from her cordial relationship with her boyfriend, Jason, to her mother’s limited mourning of her father. But Macy’s perspective is suddenly scrambled when Macy meets a group of people working for Wish, a catering company, at one of her mother’s realtor events. That night, she feels connected to the chaos that these people exude, so different from what she is accustomed to in her calculated, organized life.

Several days after the event, Macy spots the Wish van while driving, and follows it on an impulse. She is welcomed as part of the group, and begins to develop meaningful relationships with her coworkers, especially Wes, whom she has feelings for. These people teach her how to embrace imperfection, while Macy’s perfection-obsessed mom and boyfriend encourage her to return to being the “perfect” Macy she once was.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen is a vivid novel all about living life more freely. The plotline of this book is rather random, which was actually very helpful in contributing to the central idea that spontaneity and imperfection are beautiful and that we should enjoy them because our time alive is limited. Although this book was rather predictable, it was still a fun read with overarching themes that are incredibly valuable.

Find it through Interlibrary loan here.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Hi, my name is Rya. I am a sophomore and I enjoy reading, swimming and traveling.

Two countries.
Two lives.
Two secrets.
Two daughters.
One father.
One ocean.
One plane.
One crash.

Yahaira and Camino, sisters that share the same father, have lived their entire lives without knowing about each other, and their lives couldn’t be more different. Yahaira is a New Yorker, chess champion and witty fashionista, always up-to-date on the best makeup looks. Camino lives a more privileged life than most in the Dominican Republic. She attends a private school and spends her days swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and helping her aunt with her healing duties.

Yahaira and Camino’s father splits his time between his two homes, his two wives, and his two daughters, who are made to believe that his absence from them for several months is for his job. On one of their father’s trips between the countries, the plane that he is aboard drops right into the ocean, killing him. Soon after, Yahaira and Camino begin to discover all of their hidden family secrets.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo is an authentic novel about cultural diversity, what it means to be family, the impacts of losing a loved one, and the search for bravery when fear is omnipresent. The novel is written in prose, with simple sentence structure and a poetic flow that enhances the story. I really enjoyed this book, whose words were clearly pulled straight from the author’s heart.

Find the book, ebook and eaudiobook here.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Hi, my name is Rya. I am a sophomore and I enjoy reading, swimming and traveling.

Her whole life, Carrie Soto has only had one goal: be the absolute best tennis player in the world. Not just the one with the most wins, or the most impressive serve, or the fastest hit. Carrie wants to be the best, as measured by any and every metric. When Carrie Soto wins her twentieth Grand Slam, after breaking plenty of other world records, it seems that her dream is finally realized.

But five years later, after Carrie has retired, a new player, Nicki Chan, is becoming well known. When Nicki ties Carrie’s Grand Slam record, Carrie decides to come out of retirement to defend it. Carrie knows that if she beats Nicki, she will be crowned a champion once again. But if she can’t, she’ll only be pitied.

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a novel about value and deciding what is worth fighting for, portrayed through the lens of tennis. However, there seemed to be more talk about the actual game of tennis than any of the life lessons that the author attempted to convey. The detailing of matches and technique also made for lots of tennis terminology that would not be particularly interesting to non-tennis players like me. However, Reid still managed to create tension and excitement surrounding the competition, which is why I think that the target audience for this book is mainly competitive athletes, and if you are one, this book is definitely for you!

Find the book, large print, eaudiobook, and CD here.

Ali Cross by James Patterson

Hi, I am Advik. I love to read and bike.

Ali Cross is the first of three in the series, Ali Cross by James Patterson. This story is about a young boy named Ali Cross and his detective skills.

Ali Cross has always looked up to his father, former detective and FBI agent Alex Cross. When Ali’s best friend Gabe Qualls is reported missing, Ali is desperate to find him. At the same time, a string of burglaries targets his neighborhood, even his own house. Ali is suspicious that Gabe is a part of these robberies. When he tells his father, Alex Cross, he doesn’t rule out the possibility, but doesn’t think much of it. Ali visits Gabe’s house to find his shady dad. Gabe’s dad is really rude and acts very suspicious whenever Ali brings up the topic about Gabe. He is kicked out and told to never come back. Ali being Ali, he visits the Qualls once more. This time he is greeted by his mother, who is really kind. Ali is inside the house when Gabe’s shady dad walks in. He is infuriated by the sight of Ali in his home. He shoves him out of the house. Eventually Ali finds Gabe hiding out with his brother Ramon. He is robbing houses for his dad. He was forced to do this.

This book shows the importance of family and friends, trust and loyalty . The book is written in the fast-paced, short-chaptered style James Patterson is known for. The mystery is compelling; don’t think that just because this is a kid’s story that you’ll be able to solve the mystery easily. The plot is constructed brilliantly and will keep you guessing about what happened to Gabe until the very end of the book.

Find it through Inter Library loan here.

Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

Hi, my name is Jasmine. I love ski racing, snow/winter, and many other fun things.

Nine Liars continues Stevie Bell’s journey as a teenage detective prodigy. As explored in the past four novels of the Truly Devious series Stevie gets famous for solving the Ellingham, and Box in the Woods cases. Her career starts when she is accepted into Ellingham Academy, “A famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists.” Founded in the twentieth century by Albert Ellingham, it’s a school where learning is a game.

Now as she returns for her senior year, all her friends are obsessed with finding a college. Stevie feels lost, without a case to work on, everything is losing its purpose. That is until she and her friends Janelle, Vi, and Nate get an invite to London from her boyfriend David. When they arrive in London David’s friend Izzy introduces Stevie to a 1990’s murder mystery, about a group of teenagers and a hide-and-seek game gone wrong. After only a couple of days, Stevie is totally engrossed in solving it. However, she only has a few more days and a very strict and watched-over schedule. The big question is: can Stevie do it again, solve a mystery? All the while, Stevie is trying to keep up her relationship with David, however, that’s starting to take a turn to the bad too. Nine Liars by Maureen Jhonson is a nice change from the rest of the series and while it continues Stevie’s journey it also dives deeper into her personal life. Maureen Jhonson has done it again, this book will keep you up at night fantasizing about who the murderer really is.

Find it in print and ebook here.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

My name is Jasmine. I love ski racing, snow/winter, and many other fun things.

A vampire novel titled Twilight tells the story of a teen girl named Bella Swan who moves from a warm, sunny Arizona, to a rainy, cold Forks, Washington. She visits her dad Charlie in Forks every year since her parents divorced when she was a child. However, now that Bella’s mom has a boyfriend that plays baseball and travels a lot during the school year, she has no choice but to leave and stay with her dad for the year. 

Bella’s first few weeks in Forks are boring and rainy, yet she meets a mysterious young man called Edward Cullen. Edward was always staring at her at lunchtime or in the hall, but in biology class when she sat next to him Edward’s fists were clenched and he looked like he couldn’t stand another second in the room with Bella. She is determined to find out why he has such a problem with her. After a close-to-death scenario happens, everything changes, and Bella finds the truth about him and his family’s biggest secret. She’s in love with a “vegetarian” vampire who has to resist the urge to kill her. Will Edward be strong enough to resist his natural temptations? 

Lots of people don’t like Twilight, however, I loved it. It is a perfect rainy day story and one you will definitely remember. The story has a light romance that is action-packed with lots of fantasy. It definitely starts off slow but if you give it some time it picks up the pace and by the end of the book there is a huge turn in events.

Find it in print, ebook, eaudiobook and DVD here.