Posts Tagged 'grief'

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards

Published December 5, 2025 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Suspense/Mystery

Mira is desperate to get home to her mother for Christmas since it will mark the one year anniversary since her mom’s twin, Phoebe, passed away. Unfortunately, there is a terrible snow storm and she gets stuck on her layover with no end in sight. A friendly person she met on the plane, Harper, said she was going to rent a car and invites Mira to join. By the time they hit the road, there are five strangers all hitching a ride together to get home for Christmas. Almost immediately things start to go south as some of their items go missing, they are met with weather and traffic problems, and Mira starts to distrust the others in the car. Meanwhile, the story has letters interspersed that indicate someone has been watching Mira for awhile and believes they are meant to be together. Is Mira’s stalker in the car with her? Are the other passengers really strangers or are they all in on some elaborate plan to kidnap Mira? Will Mira make it home safely to her mother for Christmas?

Fans of thrilling mysteries will enjoy this title. The premise is very straightforward and believable, but yet it all screams red flags in a way that it is hard to believe Mira doesn’t see it too. The other people in the car all have their quirks which makes it hard to determine who is being honest and who is definitely not trustworthy. As mishaps continue to befall them, Mira starts to wonder if her instincts were all wrong from the start. The ending is very exciting and dramatic and will satisfy readers who love a suspenseful story. Also recommended for reluctant readers who like a quick 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.

Everything I Promised You by Katy Upperman

Published March 25, 2025 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Romance

Lia and Beck have known each other their entire lives because their mothers have been best friends since long before they were born. When Lia’s mom was in high school she got a psychic reading on a dare and learned that she would have a daughter who would fall in love with her best friend’s son one day. Therefore, when Lia and Beck were born they were always aware that they were meant to fall in love one day. However, it didn’t happen until they were in high school. Due to the fact that both of their dads were in the army they weren’t always around each other, but whenever they were on the same army base they would continue to get closer until they couldn’t imagine life without the other. Right from the beginning the reader is aware that Beck died suddenly in his first year of college and that Lia is struggling to survive a year after it happened. She had to move to a new army base for her high school year and she does not know how to plan her future without Beck. Can she find a path forward without Beck? Should she stick to the plans she had set when Beck was alive? Can she ever let anyone in again?

This romance goes from present to past to show how the pieces of their romance came to be as well as how Lia is doing in the present. She does not have a good relationship with her parents at this time because although they are trying to help her cope, she does not believe they really can help her. She’s also let friends go in the past year as it is too painful to pretend like everything is normal and life can move on. As Lia begins life anew for her senior year she does make progress, but there are setbacks too as she tries to figure out who she is and what she needs to do in life. This romance is heartwrenching and beautiful at the same time and will find an audience with fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Nicola Yoon.

Brighter than the Sun by Daniel Aleman

Published September 20, 2024 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Sol is the only member of her family born on the U.S. side of the Mexican border and as such has the ability to go to school in the U.S. Every morning she crosses the border and makes her way to the high school where she hopes to do well enough to get into a good college. When her mom dies of cancer, however, things get much more difficult. Her father is trying to run her mother’s restaurant but the economy is struggling and so is he. Her older brother is trying to find work to help the family out, but nothing seems to pay well enough to truly help with their mounting debt. When Sol is able to find a job working in a warehouse in the U.S., she makes the difficult decision to stay in the U.S. with a friend during the week so she can go to school and work. She knows the money would really help her family, but it’s a real strain on her and she feels disconnected to her family back home, especially her little brother who has been struggling the most among the family strife. Can Sol find a way to help her family without dropping her grades and/or burning out? Can Sol find a way to be happy in this new life in the U.S. and if she does will she feel guilty about feeling happy while her family suffers in Mexico? Will things ever begin to feel a little easier?

This powerful story follows a teenage girl trying desperately to mourn her mother while also trying to keep her family from drowning (financially and spiritually). They all feel helpless and like nothing ever goes their way and they will struggle forever. Sol tries her best to be everything to everyone, but at some point this is just impossible. The story does a really nice job of depicting immigration issues, anxiety, poverty, and grief on both sides of the border. Readers will find themselves thinking about Sol and others like her struggling every day in this country, long after the book ends. Recommended.

Rez Ball by Byron Graves

Published September 17, 2024 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Sports Fiction/Native American Fiction

Tre is a Native American living on a reservation in Minnesota with his mother and father who are still grieving the sudden loss of his big brother, Jaxon. Jaxon was an amazing basketball player and the loss of him resulted in the rez team once again not making it to the state tournament. Tre was crushed when the team lost and vowed to improve his game so he can make varsity for his sophomore year. His best friend, Wes, is convinced Tre has a future in basketball and has been making a documentary on his journey since he is an aspiring filmmaker. As he gets closer to the season he really believes that his summer workouts will pay off, he’ll make varsity, and they’ll take the team to the state tournament for the first time. Can he make the varsity team his brother would have been a starting senior on? Can the rez team get to the state tournament for the first time in history? Can he keep up with the insane expectations everyone has for him?

Fans of sports fiction will enjoy this title because there is a lot of great sports action, but the setting on the reservation is really different and interesting. There is starting to be more Native American fiction and this is a great one to show how life on the rez is not that different from life in any other place, but there are still many people who harbor stereotypes and prejudices toward Native Americans. The characters are well developed which helps the reader care about what happens to them and how this team truly affects the entire rez. The ending is exciting and satisfying. Recommended for fans of other sports fiction authors such as Carl Deuker.

Any Sign of Life by Carson Rae

Published March 18, 2024 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Paige wakes up in her bedroom hooked up to an IV without any memory of how she got there. Her mother is a nurse, so she’s guessing she got sick and her mother rigged the IV for her, but it’s obvious no one has checked on her for awhile as she is weak and underweight. As she begins looking around it becomes obvious that not only has her family died, but so has everyone in her neighborhood. As she struggles to get her strength back she finds her neighbor’s beloved dog still alive and finally has a companion. Eventually, she meets a few other survivors, but no one seems to know what caused this horrific turn of events. To make things even worse, they have spotted alien type creatures out patrolling as if looking to make sure no one has survived. Is this some kind of alien invasion? Why didn’t Paige and the other survivors die along with everyone else? What could the aliens want from Earth? What must Paige and her new friends do in order to survive long term?

The first in this series is compelling from the start as Paige struggles to come to terms with her new reality. She loses absolutely everything within a matter of days including her family, best friend, house, belongings, etc. She is definitely affected by this, but her desire to survive outweighs her need to feel sorry for herself. The other people she meets all have their own baggage as well, but despite their grief and fear they all do want to survive even though life as they knew it is completely different now. This book will interest everyone from avid readers to reluctant readers and everyone in between. It has a lot of action and plot twists that will keep everyone guessing and there’s plenty more story to come out as there is more to come. Highly recommended.

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

Published October 18, 2023 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Action Mystery

Winter Young is the biggest pop star in the world, but he is still reeling from the untimely death of his older brother. Despite his enormous popularity he can’t help but wonder if his life is fairly pointless, unlike his brother who was in the peace corp. So, when he is approached by a secret agency to help take down a powerful trafficker he thinks this might be his chance to do something important. He does not have much time to train, however, so he is paired with Sydney Cosette, a long time secret agent despite her young age. The two get prepared as best they can, but then they must go undercover knowing that things could get very dangerous if their true motivations are revealed. As Winter gets to know the daughter of the criminal they are trying to take down, he quickly realizes that every situation has many people involved and is difficult to navigate at times so that the wrong people don’t get hurt. Can he and Sydney fulfill the goals they set out to do with this mission? Will they become more than friends along the way?

This story is fun and exciting with many suspenseful action scenes. Technically, there is a little bit of romance, but I would not let that deter any boys who enjoy action from picking this one up. It very much reads like a spy novel and the characters are engaging from the start with several revelations coming out about both of their backgrounds. There are many surprises in regards to what they think they know about this mission and the ending is very exciting and dramatic. Definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys a good action spy adventure.

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Published May 13, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Romance

Lina is spending the summer in Italy with the father she’s never known after the tragic death of her mom. Howard, her father, seems eager to please and although he wants to explain why he hasn’t been a part of her life Lina puts him off because she’s not ready to hear it just yet. Meanwhile, she receives the diary her mother kept the year she went to art school in Italy and she slowly begins learning what happened to her mother the year before she got pregnant. Lina also meets a local boy named Ren who agrees to show her around Florence and introduce her to other students of the American high school, a place Lina still isn’t sure she wants to go in the fall. As Ren and Lina become friends she allows him to read her mother’s journal and the two of them decide to start retracing her mother’s footsteps. Can they get to the bottom of why Lina’s mom left Italy and Lina’s father behind when she clearly loved it there? Will she ever learn why Howard was never a part of her life? Will Lina and Ren become more than friends?

This romance story has a beautiful setting in Italy and Lina does visit everything from famous landmarks to local restaurants, which makes for a fun journey. Lina’s grief for her mother is very clearly illustrated with her words and actions, but it is still frustrating to watch her struggle to find the truth when it could have been so much easier if she had trusted those around her. At times, both Lina and Ren act in ways that don’t seem to fit with their character up to that point, but as everyone knows, sometimes you can’t help how you feel. Recommended for audiences that enjoy romances.

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris

Published December 17, 2021 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Realistic Fiction and 327 pages

Alex Rufus has had the ability to see into the future ever since his parents died. Every time he touches any item or person he sees what will happen to that person or thing in the near or distant future. For example, he knows the ice cream shop he works at will one day be owned by someone else because he can see it when he touches the ice cream scoop at work. He learned long ago that there is no changing the future he sees, no matter what he does, so he tries to avoid touching anything he doesn’t want to know the future to. Having this ability has made him more closed off with his girlfriend and his brother, Isaiah, but he doesn’t know how to change it since so much of his time is spent dealing with the many visions he sees. Then, one day he sees a vision of himself at Isaiah’s funeral in the not so distant future and he knows he needs to act fast. He needs to reconnect with Isaiah and see if there is any way to change this terrible vision he sees. Is there a way to save Isaiah? Is there a way to ever rid himself of this terrible condition so he can truly just enjoy life as it comes at him? Will the community he lives ever see him as anything but a young, black man?

This story really paints of picture of not only how terrible having the ability to see the future would be, but also how difficult growing up black in America can truly be (even in affluent neighborhoods). Alex struggles to communicate with those around him because he fears no one will be able to understand what he is going through, but along the way they show him that they are there for him no matter what. He also learns that by not sharing his thoughts and feelings with others he has also been missing out on what is going on with them. He and his brother have drifted since their parents’ untimely death and while he understands how it happened he also realizes how precious life really is. The ending is satisfying, but does give the reader a lot to think about long after the book is over. Recommended.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Published May 19, 2021 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Sci/Fi

Number of Pages: 303

Klara is an artificial friend who loves looking out the window at her store hoping that one day she’ll find a family to go home with. Klara is very observant and notices a lot about the people and places around her. This is why she catches the eye of Josie, a young girl who has a stilted walk who comes to the city once in awhile and talks to Josie through the window. She knows she is meant to take Klara home, but it takes her awhile to convince her mother. When Josie finally gets to take Klara home she is blessed to become part of the family, even if Josie does get sick from time to time which causes great stress to the household. Klara feels it is her responsibility to look after everyone and truly wants the best for everyone around her. As Josie’s health deteriorates, Klara feels it is up to her to try and find a way to make her well, but what does she know about such things? Her never-ending hope begins to rub off on those around her and they begin to think that Josie may have a happy ending after all. Can Klara help heal Josie? If Josie grows up what will become of Klara?

This unique story follows an observant, but neutral narrator who truly tells it like she sees it as she doesn’t have any feelings clouding her judgment. It takes awhile to a clear picture to come out about the world this is set in and what tough decisions humans have to face regarding new technology. The characters are all interesting, but the reader only knows as much as Klara can observe so they are not always well developed. Fans of futuristic stories will enjoy this title and find it truly different than other novels.

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

Published October 7, 2014 Mystery , RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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dangerous girls

Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Mystery

# of Pages:  388 p.

RAC:  Yes

On a spring break trip to Aruba a group of high school seniors think they will have a carefree time full of beaches and parties, but instead end up finding one of their own, Elise, stabbed to death in their beach house.  Surprisingly, police turn suspicion onto their group rather than following clues that might suggest an outside intruder.  Within a few days, Anna, Elise’s best friend, is arrested and charged with the crime.  Anna’s boyfriend, Tate, is originally considered until his father’s expensive lawyers convince Aruba to let him go in exchange for testifying against Anna.  Anna feels shocked, sad, vulnerable, and betrayed as she awaits her trial in jail.  As her friends return to school, college, etc. she is forced to face the realization that she may spend the majority of her life in a foreign prison.  Will Anna be convicted?  Did she know anything about this terrible crime?

Fans of Pretty Little Liars and similar series will enjoy this title that packs emotion, suspense, and surprise throughout the entire story.  Readers come to feel like they know what it would be like to be in Anna’s shoes.  There are some passages with heavy language and sexual references that do ring true for how teens often talk and act to each other but may not be appropriate for younger readers.

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