Posts Tagged 'communication'

So, This is Christmas by Tracy Andreen

Published December 13, 2025 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Holiday Romance

When Finley decides last minute to go home to her hometown of Christmas, Oklahoma from boarding school she finds that everything has changed and not for the better. Her parents have separated and her mother has been out of town for weeks and her father moved into her grandmother’s inn. Meanwhile her best friend is now dating her ex-boyfriend. It doesn’t help that she doesn’t feel like she has fit in at all in her new school. She has been bullied and struggled to keep up academically. She just doesn’t belong anywhere. Meanwhile, she had spruced up her town’s website so that her classmates wouldn’t realize how run down it has gotten and that led to a classmate and his aunt coming for the Christmas holiday. Arthur was none too pleased when he figured out that much of what she bragged about was unfounded as he is from England and was hoping to show his aunt a traditional American Christmas. Finely promises to do her best to plan some wholesome Christmas activities, but she isn’t sure how she is going to pull it all off. Plus, Arthur doesn’t seem as annoying as he had at school. Is there a chance they have anything in common? Is there any chance she can reconcile her parents? Should she return to school?

This holiday romance is a fun treat for romance lovers. Finley is a very relatable girl just trying to find her place in the world and feels like everything is just going wrong. The characters are all charming and developed, especially Arthur (the love interest), and her grandmother (who runs the inn). Even people who have never been to a small town at Christmas will be enchanted by the adventures they have because it feels right out of a Hallmark movie. The ending is satisfying and realistic, but with a lot of Christmas magic. Recommended for anyone looking for a fun holiday read.

After Life by Gayle Forman

Published October 3, 2025 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Realistic Fiction

One day Amber rides her bike home from school feeling like it’s any other day, but when her mom sees her she starts screaming because Amber died seven years prior in a hit and run. Amber does not remember anything about the accident and hasn’t aged at all, but everyone around her has moved on including her sister, Melissa. Melissa is Amber’s younger sister, but now she’s officially older than Amber ever was. Strangely, Melissa is the one person who does not seem that surprised by Amber’s appearance and seems genuinely pleased to see her despite the fact that Amber was very mean to her when she was alive. Amber’s father, who was never religious, has declared her appearance a miracle and wants to tell everyone, but Amber’s mother is scared of what is happening and does not want to get her hopes up. As Amber comes to terms with the fact that she was never able to do any of the things she dreamed of with her life, she also learns that many unfortunate things have happened since her death, including her parents’ separation. Why is Amber back now? Is there any way she can resume her life, even if in a different way? Can she find closure with those she left behind? Will she ever find out who hit her and ran away to leave her to die in the street?

This story really makes you think about life and how to make the most of it. Amber thought she had time to do all the things she wanted with her life and she also thought she had time to fix her relationship with her sister. Amber also struggles watching how much her family has suffered, but seeing her does bring them some peace and the strength to make some changes in their lives instead of being forever burdened by her untimely death. Forgiveness is a major theme in this story and most readers will connect with one of the characters because they are all justified in their feelings but also need to find ways to forgive and move forward. Recommended for anyone dealing with a loss, but everyone will find themselves thinking about the characters even after the story is done.

The UnWedding by Allyson Condie

Published November 5, 2024 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Mystery

Ellery was supposed to go on a romantic remote getaway to a beautiful resort with her husband for their anniversary, but when he suddenly announced that he wanted a divorce she ends up going all on her own. At first, Ellery feels out of place and lonely, especially when she sees there is going to be a wedding there, but she meets some new friends and begins to enjoy herself. Then, after waking up early to go for a swim, she makes a terrible discovery of the groom floating face down in the resort pool. She tries to get him out, but it was too late. Everyone knew he had not shown up for the wedding, but now everyone is wondering if he was dead before or after he failed to show up. It’s especially confusing since he was clearly dressed for the wedding. To make matters worse, there was a terrible storm that washed out the bridge and took out most communication so she cannot reach out to her kids and they cannot reach the police. They are stuck there with no knowledge of when they might be able to get out and hoping there isn’t a killer on the loose. Ellery and her new friends decide they might as well do a little investigating while they are there, but it quickly becomes apparent that someone does not want them looking into this suspicious death. Can Ellery figure out who would want to hurt a groom on his wedding day? Will anyone else get hurt while they are isolated at this resort? Will she ever start to feel ready to move on from her marriage?

Fans of mysteries such as The Couple Next Door, The Perfect Couple, and the Woman in Cabin 10 will enjoy this title. The main character is sympathetic and feels like anyone would feel if they stumbled into this situation. The people at the resort are colorful and easy to distinguish from each other. The mystery itself has several twists and turns, but the resolution is satisfying and realistic. Recommended for readers who love a good mystery, but aren’t looking for anything too dark or heavy.

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Published May 24, 2016 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Romance Leave a Comment
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geography of you and me

Genre:  Romance

# of Pages:  337

Iowa High School Award Winner 2016-17

Fans of sweet teen romances will love this title that follows Lucy and Owen who meet unexpectedly during a city wide blackout in New York City. They are trapped in an elevator when the blackout strikes and by the time they are freed decide to spend the evening together enjoying the city without the usual overpowering city lights.  After the blackout reality sets in as Owen’s dad loses his job and they must leave the city to find where they belong and Lucy’s dad gets a new job that transports her to Europe.  Throughout their travels, they send postcards to each other as well as exchange a few emails, but since they only had one night together neither one knows how hard they should try to stay in contact.  Meanwhile, Owen and his dad are dealing with the loss of his mother and Lucy is handling the new found family life she has found in Europe.  Can they find their way back to each other or are they simply too far apart?

Owen and Lucy lead interesting lives in this story as they completely move around the world for very different reasons, but there is still something that keeps drawing them together.  This book does not have a lot of supporting character development and the focus is always on Lucy and Owen.  Despite the fact that there are not a lot of major plot developments readers stay engaged with these two because their story is so relatable.  Fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han will enjoy this title.

Out of Reach by V.M. Jones

Published September 10, 2009 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Sports 1 Comment
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Genre:  Sports/Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  264

RAC: Yes

Pip McLeod hates it when his dad comes to his soccer games because he yells the entire time.  He yells from the sidelines about every call, every play, and every score.  When a talent scout for a more competitive league comes to the game Pip tries hard to do his best and has a good game, but when the scout does not choose to talk to him he has to hear about all of his mistakes all the way home.  Pip has had it and no longer even likes to play.  His older brother, Nick, is a great player and chosen for the elite team, which doesn’t help Pip’s feelings of failure.  One day on his way home he sees that the new sports complex has a door propped open and he finds himself wandering in.  He notices a big room with walls for indoor climbing and feels drawn to it.  After trying a little climbing on his own, he realizes that this is something he loves to do.  The problem is how to tell his parents he wants to do this and how to pay for lessons when they are on a very tight budget.  In the end, Pip (who becomes Phil around the other climbers) must do what he needs to do in order to challenge himself and put himself into a more positive environment than he is used to, which means entering a very challenging competition to prove he has what it takes to be a superior climber.

For anyone who likes sports or climbing stories this is a good story.  There are not that many books about climbing, especially indoor climbing, which makes this story interesting.  Pip’s struggles with his family, friends, and even himself are all somewhat relieved once he starts climbing.  Communication is a big issue in this story as Pip and his father fail to communicate their true feelings to each other and instead let the tension and anger build and fester. Many readers will be able to identify with Pip in some way.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Published January 22, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Romance Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Romance

Age Level:  12 and up

# of pages:  374 p.

RAC:  Yes

Sixteen-year-old Macy is still trying to cope with not only the loss of her father, but the guilt she felt over the circumstances surrounding his death.  Her older sister has since moved out and gotten married and her mother has thrown herself into her work.  Meanwhile her boyfriend, whom she thinks is so perfect and smart, plans to spend the summer at Brain Camp.  She is supposed to take over his job at the library where his friends are incredibly mean and cold to her.

One fateful night her mother throws a business party and the caterers have some minor mishaps, which makes her mother very unhappy.  Macy is recruited to go check on them and finds them fun and willing to take on challenges.  Delia, the owner, is very pregnant and trying her best to keep things together.  Bert and Wes are brothers who lost their mother to Cancer and only have each other to take care of.  Kristy and Monica are sisters who couldn’t be more opposite as Kristy is friendly and outgoing and Monica only speaks one word at a time.  Macy feels drawn to this crazy group in some way.

When Macy’s boyfriend decides to “take a break” for the summer, she finds herself contacting the catering company for a summer job.  Taking the catering job makes a huge difference to Macy as she tries to deal with her own feelings of grief and those of her mother’s.  At the same time, she grows closer to Wes and wonders if she needs someone who doesn’t make her feel unwanted.

The characters in this book are so believable and captivating that it is hard to put down.  The issues Macy and the others are going through are so real that anyone can connect to them  in some way.  Family, friends, loss, closure, and communication are all themes in this book that help remind us all how important it is to take control of our own lives and not let anyone else do it for us.   Highly recommended.

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