Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Review: Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando


Title: Roomies
Authors: Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: December 24th 2013
Pages: 288
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: BEA - I received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
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When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.
As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Sara Zarr is one of my favorite authors, and I've been wanting to read a Tara Altebrando book for a while, so I was really excited when I heard about this collaboration. Add to that the topic - going away to college, a more mature YA read, and I knew I had to read it! But while Roomies is a fun read, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed as well.

I already knew I loved Sara Zarr's writing, and I liked Tara Altebrando's style too. (Does anyone know who wrote which parts?) The writing is easy to get lost in and reads quickly, balancing fun, breezy scenes with more meaningful, insightful ones perfectly.

The characters are okay: both Elizabeth and Lauren are easy to relate to and fun to read about. I was surprised, though, by how similar the two narrators are: They're supposed to be really different, but aside from the outside circumstances, they seemed pretty similar. It was hard for me to remember whose POV I was reading from, asides from the outside circumstances, because their ways of thinking are just really similar. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing: oftentimes with multiple POVs, authors try to make their characters seem too different and the characterization ends up overdramatic and cliched, which I'm glad is not the case in Roomies. But I sill wish there had been some more smaller things two distinguish the two characters.

I'm not sure what to make of the plot, either. I liked Lauren's and Elizabeth's separate storylines, reading about their contrasting family lives and both girls' complicated romantic involvements. Both stories develop very naturally and were interesting to read about. Surprisingly, though, the part I didn't like as much was the mutual going-away-to-college theme. I love the idea of this theme, but it was a little too melodramatic for me. Both characters just make too big a deal out of leaving home. I know that just because things like that are not a big deal too me because I just kind of do things without worrying about them, that doesn't mean everyone else does, too, but the drama was just too much for me.

Roomies is an entertaining read. It's light-hearted, fun, and quick to read. But to me, it just felt like something was missing; it seemed too typical to me. Maybe I was simply underwhelmed because I expect more than "good" from Sara Zarr. Still, it's an entertaining read, and I will be checking out Tara Altebrando's other books because I really enjoyed the writing style.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Review: Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Title: Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia
Author: Jenny Torres Sanchez
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Release date: May 28th 2013
Pages: 272
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: Publisher (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!)
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Frenchie Garcia can’t come to grips with the death of Andy Cooper. Her friends didn’t know she had a crush him. And they don’t know she was the last person with him before he committed suicide. But Frenchie’s biggest concern is how she blindly helped him die that night.
Frenchie’s already insane obsession with death and Emily Dickinson won’t help her understand the role she played during Andy’s “one night of adventure.” But when she meets Colin, she may have found the perfect opportunity to recreate that night. While exploring the emotional depth of loss and transition to adulthood, Sanchez’s sharp humor and clever observations bring forth a richly developed voice.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My expectations for Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia were not exactly high - it's a small-press title, and the story sounded like the typical grief plot, something I enjoy but have read a million times before. That's why I was so surprised when I got into the novel - the main idea may be pretty standard, but the characters and subplots are unique and make this a great novel.

Frenchie is what made this whole book work for me. She's not your average YA "heroine" - she's messed up in the best way possible. She's depressed and angry, but instead of sulking about it in the standard annoying emotional way, she lashes out at the people around her and messes up the relationships most important to her. While that doesn't exactly sound like a good thing, it provided for a fascinating plot and was a nice change from the standard grief storyline. I enjoyed reading about her struggles through her actions instead of her words. And while Frenchie would be hard to like in real life, I loved being inside her head and really felt for her.

Frenchie's relationships with other people are just as unique and interesting to read about. There's Joel, Frenchie's best guy friend, whom she's been having problems with ever since he started spending more time with his new girlfriend Lily than with her. At first, I feared this would venture into the typical MC-is-in-love-with-her-best-friend storyline, but I'm so glad it doesn't: Frenchie isn't jealous of Lily because she likes Joel as more than a friend; she simply wants her friend back. I love that the way this guy-girl-friendship is treated in the novel, a topic much too rare in YA. I also loved Frenchie's relationship with Robyn, her best girl friend, which is unconventional in its own way. And Frenchie's relationship with Colin is just as great: I love how their romance is only hinted at and does not take the main focus.

This present storyline of Frenchie's relationships with Joel, Robyn, and Colin is interspersed with what happened during her night of adventures with Andy. Frenchie's and Andy's - and then Frenchie's and Colin's - "adventures" that night are pretty basic: the standard teenage rebellion of getting a tattoo, breaking into a park, and staying out all night. But the mystery around Andy's suicide made it worthwhile - I loved trying to figure it all out alongside Frenchie.

One thing I wish had been elaborated on more is Frenchie's future. Frenchie just graduated from high school, did not get into the art school she wanted to go to, and has no plans for the future. While I get that not having plans is sort of the point, and that the story only presents a very short span of her life, I wish we could have seen some more development of Frenchie's character in terms of making some sort of decision for the future.

Even though I was a little disappointed by the lack of development towards the end of the novel, I really loved Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia. With an original voice, unique characters, an intriguing mystery, and palpable emotions, Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia is a novel I really enjoyed.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Bookish Anticipation #30

Bookish Anticipation is a feature I do every once in a while to spotlight future releases I'm excited for. It was inspired by Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday. You can check out more of my Bookish Anticipation posts here.

Sixteen Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler
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Release date: March 4th 2014
Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue
When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...
Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue
Not that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?
5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue
With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.

The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik
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Release date: April 22nd 2014
Anna Eliot is tired of worrying about what other people think. After all, that was how she lost the only guy she ever really liked, Finn Westbrook.
Now, three years after she broke his heart, the one who got away is back in her life.
All Anna wants is a chance to relive their last kiss again (and again and again). But Finn obviously hasn’t forgotten how she treated him, and he’s made it clear he has no interest in having anything to do with her.
Anna keeps trying to persuade herself that she doesn’t care about Finn either, but even though they’ve both changed since they first met, deep down she knows he’s the guy for her. Now if only she can get him to believe that, too....

The Summer I Wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi
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Release date: April 1st 2014
Lexi has a secret.
She never meant for her mom to find out. And now she’s afraid that what’s left of her family is going to fall apart for good.
Lexi knows she can fix everything. She can change. She can learn to like boys. New Horizons summer camp has promised to transform her life, and there’s nothing she wants more than to start over.
But sometimes love has its own path…








Pointe by Brandy Colbert
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Release date: April 10th 2014
Theo is better now.
She's eating again, dating guys who are almost appropriate, and well on her way to becoming an elite ballet dancer. But when her oldest friend, Donovan, returns home after spending four long years with his kidnapper, Theo starts reliving memories about his abduction—and his abductor.
Donovan isn't talking about what happened, and even though Theo knows she didn't do anything wrong, telling the truth would put everything she's been living for at risk. But keeping quiet might be worse.





Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
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Release date: May 13th 2014
From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.
Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.






The Last Forever by Deb Caletti
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Release date: April 1st 2014
Endings and beginnings sit so close to each other that it’s sometimes impossible to tell which is which.
Nothing lasts forever, and no one gets that more than Tessa. After her mother died, it’s all she can do to keep her friends, her boyfriend, her happiness from slipping away. And then there’s her dad. He’s stuck in his own daze, and it’s so hard to feel like a family when their house no longer seems like a home.
Her father’s solution? An impromptu road trip that lands them in a small coastal town at Tessa’s grandmother’s. Despite all the warmth and beauty there, Tessa can’t help but feel even more lost.
Enter Henry Lark. He understands the relationships that matter. And more importantly, he understands her. A secret stands between them, but Tessa’s willing to do anything to bring them together—because Henry may just be her one chance at forever.

This Side of Salvation by Jeri Smith-Ready
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Release date: April 1st 2014
Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.
Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties in to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.
But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined...

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
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Release date: April 22nd 2014
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.



What are you anticipating this week? 

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Review: Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

Title: Ketchup Clouds
Author: Annabel Pitcher
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: November 12th 2013
Pages: 272
Genre: Young Adult contemporary mystery
Source: Bought
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Fifteen-year-old Zoe has a secret—a dark and terrible secret that she can't confess to anyone she knows. But then one day she hears of a criminal, Stuart Harris, locked up on death row in Texas. Like Zoe, Stuart is no stranger to secrets. Or lies. Or murder.
Full of heartache yet humour, Zoe tells her story in the only way she can—in letters to the man in prison in America. Armed with a pen, Zoe takes a deep breath, eats a jam sandwich, and begins her tale of love and betrayal.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 I hate when I don't have the time to read and take forever finishing a book that I could have loved so much more if I had read it all in one sitting, and that is exactly what happened with Ketchup Clouds. I read this over the course of three weeks (blame the start of the semester), and I never enjoy books I read slowly as much as ones I read within a couple of days. That's why it's so impressive that, despite taking forever to read it, I liked this book so much - I always looked forward to going back to it, and I loved every part of it.

The set-up of Ketchup Clouds is great. I'm not always a fan of books written in letters, but this one definitely works. I found the idea of Zoe confessing her story to Mr. Harris fascinating, and I wish we could have found out even more about Mr. Harris' fate, even though that wouldn't really have worked with the set-up of the story. I do love, though, how this set-up causes for such a suspenseful way of telling the story: we go back and forth between present and past, giving the reader just enough information to be intrigued but not enough to understand what really happened until the very end. The mystery aspect adds a lot to the story.

I loved going in not knowing anything about what Zoe did, so I'm going to try not to spoil anything (even though the back description of the American edition already gives away too much, in my opinion). I did love the story of Zoe's secret, though - her confessions are well-done, honest, and captivating. Annabel Pitcher managed to create the perfect balance of feeling for Zoe and understanding her despite her wrongdoings, and dreading what is going to happen and hating past-Zoe for not doing more to prevent it.

Asides from the serious, murder mystery aspect of the novel, Ketchup Clouds reads like an honest portrayal of Zoe's regular teenage life. I really liked the romance - the basic set-up is somewhat cliched, but the unusual circumstances surrounding it make it work. One of my favorite aspects of the novel is the family storyline: Zoe's relationship with her two younger sisters is adorable, and I loved the greater theme of the family issues as well.

Ketchup Clouds is the emotional, honest, engagingly written portrayal of a guilt-ridden girl telling her story in the only way she can. I loved it, and I can't wait to read more from Annabel Pitcher!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Review: Take Me There by Carolee Dean

Title: Take Me There
Author: Carolee Dean
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release date: July 1st 2010
Pages: 325
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: Bought
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Dylan has a bad-boy past and a criminal record. He knows that rich, beautiful Jess is way too good for him—but she has always been the one person who sees through his tough exterior and straight to his heart, and he has been hopelessly in love with her from the first time they met. He would change his life for a chance with her.
But trouble follows Dylan wherever he goes, and a deadly mistake soon forces him to hit the road and leave his dreams behind. He’s on the run and in search of answers—answers to questions he wishes he’d never asked.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Why oh why was this book marketed as romance? The cover and description basically guarantee that this book will never get the recognition it deserves, which makes me really sad. I was expecting a Simone Elkeles-esque romance, but that is most definitely not the case. Take Me There is a dark, gritty story with a smaller romance storyline that somehow became the focus of the marketing team.

The story is so, so good. Maybe it makes sense the synopsis focuses on romance, because there's so many facets of the story, you couldn't possibly fit them in into a paragraph or two. There's the family storyline - Dylans' father is on deathrow for a murder he may or may not have committed, and Dylan goes to visit him for the first time, causing him to try to figure out what really happened eleven years ago. And there's the more recent drama: Dylan and his friend Wade are on the run from the cops as well as members of a gang they got wrapped up in. Both storylines are full of suspense, making Take Me There read, in parts, like a mystery or action novel, and it is impossible to put down.

Even more captivating than the action, though, is Dylan's character and the emotional side of things. I loved Dylan so much; he has definitely made some mistakes, but his flaws only make him more loveable. Carolee Dean's writing blurs the lines between good and bad - honestly, none of the people in this book are all good, but the horrible situations they've gotten themselves or each other into makes it easy to understand where all of them are coming from. My heart broke for Dylan, Wade, and Dylan's father so many times.

The only aspect of the story I didn't love was the romance. I understand why Dylan's relationship with Jess is necessary for the development of the story, but I just didn't feel it. I did not think that the development of their relationship felt realistic, and their feelings for each other felt melodramatic, considering how little time they've actually spent together. I didn't mind too much, though, since it really is necessary for the story.

Take Me There is a powerful novel; it sends an important message about a number of issues, while also presenting a captivating story for readers. Dylan's story is one I know I won't soon forget. I highly recommend Take Me There!

Saturday, November 09, 2013

My New Treasures #21


My New Treasures is a weekly feature here at Paperback Treasures to showcase all the books I received over the previous week. I do not take credit for this idea.



For review:

Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler (Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon)

Bought:

Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff (Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon)
Personal Effects by EM Kokie (Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon)
34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodrigues (Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon)
Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne (Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon)
Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally (Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon)
Ask the Passengers by AS King (Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon)
Six Months Later by Natalie Richards (Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon)
A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger (Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon)
Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon)

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Review: Love? Maybe. by Heather Hepler

Title: Love? Maybe.
Publisher: Speak
Release date: January 1st 2012
Pages: 288
Genre: Young Adult contemporary romance
Just because Piper's birthday is on Valentine's Day does not mean she's a romantic. In fact, after watching her father and then her stepfather leave, she's pretty sure she doesn't believe in love at all. Then her friends concoct a plan to find them all Valentine's dates, and somehow Piper finds herself with the most popular guy in school. But true love never follows a plan, and a string of heartfelt gifts from a secret admirer has Piper wondering if she might be with the wrong guy.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Yes, it's cheesy. And yes, it's predictable. And no, I would not want to be seen in public reading this book (that cover! ARGH). But honestly, who cares? Love? Maybe. is well-done in its clichedness, and I enjoyed reading it, and that's all that matters.

Even though this book seems very much like straight-up romance, it doesn't have the typical romance-feel to it. Rather than one love story, it's a bunch of smaller ones, even if Piper's takes the main focus. Piper's mom and her friends Claire and Jillian each have their own story, and I love how they all work together. The secondary characters are well-developed and add a lot to the novel.

Piper, though, is what makes this book awesome. She's not your typical YA heroine. She's cynical, but not in a hopeless, unrealistic way; her feelings are very relatable. I don't even know how to describe her; I just loved her so much. She's a little oblivious, but I didn't mind, because I guess that's the point. And yes, the romance is completely predictable, but when it's well-done, with fun quirks and details like the ones in Love? Maybe., I don't mind predictable romances at all.

And of course, the candy. Piper works in a candy store, and a large part of the book is set there. I don't think I need to explain why that makes this book awesome.

Love? Maybe. is in no way deep or meaningful, and it's a story that's been done a million times before. But the writing is clever and fun, and the characters are fully-developed and unique, making this book stand out from all those cutesy romances. If you're looking for a quick, entertaining read, you should definitely give Love? Maybe. a try.

Friday, November 01, 2013

New Releases November 2013

New Releases:



The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Release date: November 5th 2013
Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.
What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides— especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own.
Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.
Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.





Pirouette by Robyn Ravati

Release date: November 8th 2013
Identical twins Hannah and Simone meet at summer dance school Simone was raised to be a dancer, but she hates performing. Hannah loves nothing more than dance, but her adoptive parents think it's just a hobby. When the two girls meet at Candance summer camp, they realize they're identical twins. Then they decide to switch places for the three weeks of camp. As the girls learn about each other, a new plan develops. Since Hannah and Simone are from the same city but live in different suburbs, they decide to swap places at home. Yet fooling their friends and family is more challenging than either girl expected, and they're both burdened by the weight of their lies. How long can Hannah and Simone keep pretending? What will happen when the truth is revealed?


Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always by Elissa Janine Hoole
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Release date: November 8th 2013
Cassandra fears rocking the family boat. Instead, she sinks it. Assigned by her English teacher to write a poem that reveals her true self, Cassandra Randall is stuck. Her family's religion is so overbearing, she can NEVER write about who she truly is. So Cass does what any self-respecting high school girl would do: she secretly begins writing a tarot-inspired advice blog. When Drew Godfrey, an awkward outcast with unwashed hair, writes to her, the situation spirals into what the school calls "a cyberbullying crisis" and what the church calls "sorcery." Cass wants to be the kind of person who sticks up for the persecuted, who protects the victims the way she tries to protect her brother from the homophobes in her church. But what if she's just another bully? What will it take for her to step up and tell the truth?




Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher
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Release date: November 12th 2013
Zoe has an unconventional pen pal-Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But then again, Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two boys, betrayed one of them, and killed the other. Hidden away in her backyard shed in the middle of the night with a jam sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other, Zoe gives a voice to her heart and her fears after months of silence. Mr. Harris may never respond to Zoe's letters, but at least somebody will know her story-somebody who knows what it's like to kill a person you love. Only through her unusual confession can Zoe hope to atone for her mistakes that have torn lives apart, and work to put her own life back together again. 




Loud Awake and Lost by Adele Griffin
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Release date: November 12th 2013
LOUD. There was an accident. Ember knows at least that much. She was driving. The car was totaled. She suffered back injuries and brain trauma. But she is alive. That's the only thing left she can cling to.
AWAKE. Eight months later, Ember feels broken. The pieces of her former self no longer fit together. She can't even remember the six weeks of her life leading up to the accident. Where was she going? Who was she with? And what happened during those six weeks that her friends and family won't talk about?
 
LOST. One by one, Ember discovers the answers to these questions, like a twisted game of dominos. And little by little, the person she used to be slips further and further away.
 



The F-It List by Julie Halpern
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Release date: November 12th 2013
Alex’s father recently died in a car accident. And on the night of his funeral, her best friend Becca slept with Alex’s boyfriend. So things aren’t great. Alex steps away from her friendship with Becca and focuses on her family. But when Alex finally decides to forgive Becca, she finds out something that will change her world again--Becca has cancer. So what do you do when your best friend has cancer? You help her shave her head. And then you take her bucket list and try to fulfill it on her behalf. Because if that’s all you can do to help your ailing friend--you do it. 




New in paperback:



My Beautiful Failure by Janet Ruth Young

Release date: November 11th 2013
The haunting account of a teen boy who volunteers at a suicide hotline---and falls for a troubled caller.
Billy is a sophomore in high school, and twice a week, he volunteers at Listeners, a suicide hotline. Jenney is an “incoming,” a caller, a girl on the brink.
As her life spirals out of control, Jenney’s calls become more desperate, more frequent. Billy, struggling with a deteriorating relationship with his depressed father, is the only one who understands. Through her pain, he sees hope. Through her tears, he feels her heart. And through her despair, he finds love. But is that enough?




The Almost Truth by Eileen Cook

Release date: November 12th 2013
Sadie can’t wait to get away from her backwards small town, her delusional mom, her jailbird dad, and the tiny trailer where she was raised…even though leaving those things behind also means leaving Brendan. Sadie wants a better life, and she has been working steadily toward it, one con at a time.
But when Sadie’s mother wipes out Sadie’s savings, her escape plan is suddenly gone. She needs to come up with a lot of cash—and fast—or she’ll be stuck in this town forever.

With Brendan’s help, she devises a plan—the ultimate con—to get the money. But the more lies Sadie spins, the more she starts falling for her own hoax…and perhaps for the wrong boy. Sadie wanted to change her life, but she wasn't prepared to have it flipped upside down by her own deception. With her future at stake and her heart on the line, suddenly it seems like she has a lot more than just money to lose... 

What November releases are you most excited about? 
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