Contemporary

The book Max’s Story is a book within the ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ book series. This is a fiction novel about a small Yorkie-mix who needs to find his purpose in New York City. Living with family in an animal shelter, it becomes apparent that Max must find a new home. This novel was very heartwarming the first time I read it. A small dog with a huge heart is brought to life while reading the novel. I became overwhelmed with a sense of empathy wanting this dog to have the happy ending he deserves! Want to find out if it is a happily ever after? Read the book if you love heartwarming fictional stories!

Paper Towns by John Green is a thrilling, coming-of-age mystery. Readers get to solve the mystery along with the main character. The book provides interesting insights and a sense of grounded wonder and sparks deep thought about our own reality of life and inevitable death. It follows senior Quentin Jacobsen on a wild journey with dreamy but unattainable childhood friend later drifted away, Margo Roth Spiegelman. The mystery that surrounds her the next day is sure to excite readers with fear but also curiosity as they journey with Quentin inside his mind on the sublime adventure to uncover her whereabouts. On many occasions I found myself unable to stop reading even though the book took me into the late hours of the night. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for an exciting venture into the unknown!

We Were Liars is a mysterious young adult novel about a wealthy family who spends every summer on their private island. The story focuses on the main character, Cadence. After Cadence suffers a head injury during one of the summers, she cannot remember almost anything from that trip to the island. The next summer things are very different and Cadence has to try and remember why.
This book is quite a page-turner. As Cadence slowly remembers more and more details of the mysterious summer when she suffered her head injury, it is nearly impossible to put the book down. However, not all page-turners are necessarily great books. The story of We Were Liars may have been intriguing, but the content was not very substantial. There didn’t really seem to be any morals, and if there were, they weren’t very clear. Things just happened throughout the story, and although it was a mystery, nothing was truly deep or thought-provoking

Initially, the premise of this book caught my attention: a psychotherapist sees a patient who murdered her husband years ago (as revealed in the opening line) and has not spoken since. Without spoilers, the story is told in a fascinating way, and Michaelides makes the most of his creative freedom in the medium of novels. Right after I finished reading, I thought the book perfect for what it sought out to do; however, upon further reflection, I feel it missed the spark that makes a good book. Yes, the story was interesting and the flow of events was steady, but by the last third I felt there wasn't enough struggle or buildup to make the progress with Alicia impressive. The novel told two stories simultaneously (the one of Theo's wife and the one of his patient), which was a great artistic choice, but I think that left each individual plotline underdeveloped in the 300 page novel. The Silent Patient is well-written, organized, and unsettling. Although I struggle to grasp the greater message behind the nuanced story Michaelides told, I definitely enjoyed reading it.

A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella is an emotional, heartwarming story about human connection. Joella’s story tackles grief and loss, all the while remaining light-hearted and hopeful. A Quiet Life takes on the perspective of three different people, all struggling with their own hardships and trials. Chuck, an elderly man mourning the death of his wife, must decide whether or not he should venture back to their vacation home for their yearly trip. The pain is too much to bear, and imagining himself being there alone is heart wrenching. Ella, a single mother working a newspaper job, is trying desperately to find her missing daughter. Kirsten works at an animal rescue and tries her best to serve the community. However, after the quick and tragic murder of her father at a convenience store, Kirsten can hardly find the light in life again. A Quiet Life shows the intricacies and hardships that come with loss, all the while connecting every missing piece, and showing us how togetherness is what keeps us afloat.
(Reviewer Grade: 12)

Please believe me when I say, this book deserves the hype. It is genuinely one of the best books I have ever read. The storyline was unique, the pacing was perfect, and the characters were so interesting. Kya is a girl living in the marshlands of South Carolina who is abandoned by her family at a very young age. The book follows her journey to survive, using nature's resources and a few memorable lessons from her mother to become a strong and capable woman. Despite this accomplishment, Kya is labeled as an outsider and is linked to a cruel murder, whose ruling will determine if she will ever grow beyond the constraints of others' opinions. Kya is a character with much perseverance, and her gratitude for the simplest of things is a lesson to take to heart. The friends she meets along the way are also patient and caring. The jump between timelines kept things interesting, and the two dates finally colliding into one made it impossible to put the book down. It is worth reading this book for the themes of child psychology, social rejection, appreciation for nature, and much more.
Grade 12

You'll Be the Death of Me was disappointing to say the least. McManus' other book, One of Us is Lying, had fascinating characters and a clever plot. This book felt like a knock-off. Ivy, Mateo, and Cal are three high school students who skip school one day and get swept up in a shocking murder mystery. The actual plot and eventual killer was kind of interesting, but not enough of a shock to be fully entertained. This is one of those mysteries that you can absolutely guess midway through the book. The three main characters are pretty bland and don't have good chemistry. Why do they just remember this one "Best Day Ever" in middle school and decide to randomly skip school? Were they actually long-term friends or just acquaintances? It seems like the author couldn't decide. Plus, every romantic interaction felt forced and uncomfortable. Not my favorite.
Grade 12

Finally! Two main characters with different, yet well-developed, personalities! I really loved Pepper and Jack, both of whom struggle with the pressures of running the social media side of their family businesses. The two are considered enemies, but fall in love on an anonymous texting app. Their busy lives with balancing swim team and good grades made each chapter entertaining. Their banter throughout the book was great, sarcastic and witty without being mean. I was kind of put off at the beginning because Jack and Pepper realized they were both fighting on Twitter very quickly, so I wondered what the rest of the book would be if the main plot was already spoiled. However, they had been clueless on more platforms than one! If contemporary enemies-to-lovers books intrigue you, this one will not disappoint.
Grade 12

A twelve-year-old boy in a small California town named Trevor McKinney accepts his teacher's challenge to earn extra credit by coming up with and creating a plan to improve the world in the lovely and inspiring book Pay It Forward. When others hear about Trevor's idea, they immediately dismiss it because it is so simple and naive. Even Trevor starts to have second thoughts when his "pay it forward" scheme seems to fail due to a mix of bad luck and the worst aspects of human nature. This book is incredibly realistic, enjoyable, and motivating. The main characters all have distinct personalities that set them apart from one another. As you read on, you can clearly visualize the characters in your head. It's difficult to keep reading this book without taking a break. There is plenty of drama, action, and romance in the book. I adore that this book has a deep significance behind its title, Pay it Forward. This was chosen by the American Library Association for its list of the Best Books for Young Adults, and it has been distributed in more than 30 countries by being translated into more than two dozen different languages. This is a very powerful, moving story. At first, I found the style a bit difficult to read as it kept jumping around to different viewpoints. This was a different read for me at first. It had characters that were coming into the story, and didn't know how they fit in. Later it made sense Once I figured the actors read smoother.
Reviewer’s Grade 8th

Alice Oseman's Heartstopper series blew me away, so I was excited to see her take on a contemporary novel. It was... pretty good. The main character Georgia has a very relatable personality as she experiences her freshman year of college, as she tends to overthink interactions and struggles with finding her identity. The close relationship she has with friends was a really beautiful story to read about, so that part was amazing. Pip was a really funny character, and I liked how she also had depth as a side character and didn't need to be with Georgia at all times. However, the plot revolves mostly around Georgia discovering her sexuality, and that felt very repetitive. It was really cool to have asexual aromantic representation, and finding peace in that identity with the loving LGBTQ+ community. I do just think that Georgia kept having the same discussion with herself and dragging friends into experiments with her sexuality for no reason. For example, I found it weird that her roommate, Rooney, was obsessed with getting Georgia a romantic partner. Georgia mentioned being single once, and now Rooney just won't let it go? The book would have been much better if Georgia had just consulted her friends instead of dragging them into this great mission of finding a partner (but it would be a short book if everyone communicated too well!). Overall, I would really recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with their sexuality or just a new experience like going away for college. It is a great coming-of-age piece.
Grade 12