Posts Tagged 'dating relationship'

This is Not the End by Chandler Baker

Published October 1, 2019 Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction apart from one futuristic element

376 p.

Lake Devereaux survived the car accident that killed her best friend and her boyfriend.  She has less than a month until she turns eighteen, at which time she can resurrect one person, but only one.  To make matters worse, she had already promised her resurrection to someone else who isn’t even dead yet. Everyone is pressuring her to use her resurrection for their personal family member and she is getting frustrated and overwhelmed.  Then, after therapy she meets a boy from her past who does not care who she chooses and therefore she sees him as someone she can confide in. He has strong feelings against resurrections, though, which makes their relationship difficult.  Who will Lake choose?

This book manages to set up a premise that seems totally believable and yet impossible for Lake all at once.  Her relationship with her brother, boyfriend, and best friend are all described in avid detail as you see why she is struggling so hard with this resurrection decision.  The periphery characters are also well described and their motivations are all understandable.  The ending will surprise most readers, but not in the way they will probably think.  The book manages to sustain a very interesting premise throughout the entire book.

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten

Published April 5, 2018 Award Winners , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

# of Pages:  287

Iowa High School Book Award 2018-19

Adam Spencer Ross is a high school student who wants to be there for everyone who needs him, but he has OCD and therefore some tasks can be difficult for him.  He goes to counseling one on one and in a group every week and this does seem to help him cope with his OCD symptoms.  He often finds himself worrying about his group members, his stepbrother who has anxiety, and his mother who is getting death threats to the point where he simply cannot think about his own symptoms which then get worse.  Meanwhile, a new girl joins their OCD group and he’s immediately drawn to her.  He worries it’s a bad idea to get involved with someone who also has OCD tendencies, but he can’t seem to help himself.  Robyn feels the same way and they begin a sweet romance, but soon all the stresses in his life begin to make it impossible to ignore that his OCD tendencies are making it almost impossible to get through the day and Robyn’s seem to be going away.  As much as he cares for Robyn he worries that his being near her as she improves might actually hurt her recovery.  Does he have the strength to let her go for both of their sakes?

Fans of Eleanor and Park and The Fault in Our Stars will love this romance between two unlikely teenagers.  The characters are all engaging and despite the superhero nicknames, each teen in his OCD group gains depth and personality throughout the story.  The topic of OCD is described accurately and can help readers understand how this condition truly affects teens their age and in different ways.  This book also shows that although people with OCD have a lot to deal with they are also very loyal to those they care about.  The book has several plot lines that all come together nicely and realistically in the end.  Once readers make the choice to try this one they won’t be disappointed.

Veronica Mars Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Published March 3, 2015 Adventure , Mystery , RAC Leave a Comment
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veronica mars

Genre:  Mystery

# of Pages:  340

RAC:  Yes

In this sequel, Veronica learns of a case in which a young girl was last seen in the Neptune Grand Hotel and then turned up beaten almost to death and left in an abandoned field.  No one knows how she was taken from the hotel since she was not spotted on any of the security cameras.  The girl claims to have no knowledge of what happened to her.  Meanwhile, Eli Weevil Navarro is on trial for allegedly attacking Mrs. Kane with a gun when her car stalled.  He denies this and says the gun was planted on him by the police.  Logan Echolls is supposed to be on shore leave for several months, but Veronica always wonders when he’s going to be called to active duty again.  Can Veronica juggle all of these issues and still aim to end the corruption that has plagued Neptune for a long time?

This sequel is very engaging for readers familiar with the TV series.  Many references are made to the Manning family which featured heavily in the early seasons of the show.  The mystery itself is very interesting and difficult to predict, which is what all mystery lovers want to see.  Mixed in with all of this drama Veronica handles several personal issues, including dealing with her boyfriend and father over relationship expectations.  A fun, light read that any vacationer should have!

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