Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia and Cassie are best friends in a dangerous competition...to see who can be the thinnest. Cassie ends up losing her life and Lia is left behind to fight her demons and deal with not being able to save Cassie.
The story follows Lia and her eating disorder and the pain and loss that she is going through.

I"m pretty sure this is a YA book. It was just a mediocre read to me. This is the 2nd book I've read by Anderson and don't think that I really care for her style of writing.

2018 Alphabet Soup Challenge

Alphabet Challenge

A-All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

B- Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

C-

D-

E- Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

F- Final Girls by Riley Sager

G- The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

H- How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather 

I- It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

J-

K-

L- Latte Trouble by Cleo Coyle

M-

N-

O-

P-

Q-

R- The Red Hat Club by Haywood Smith

S- Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

T- The Trouble with Turkeys by Kathi Daley

U-Undead and Unreturnable by Mary Janice Davidson

V-

W-

X-

Y-

Z-

2018 Cozy Mystery Challenge

Cozy Mystery Challenge

Read 5 Cozy Mysteries

1- Latte Trouble by Cleo Coyle
2- The Good, The Bad, and the Guacamole by Rebecca Adler
3-The Trouble with Turkeys by Kathi Daley
4-
5-

Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke - 4 Stars

Book #8 in the Hannah Swensen mystery series. 

In this installment, a movie crew has excited the locals by coming to Lake Eden. Many of the locals have been asked to have small parts in the movies and they are over the moon. But that mood changes when a prop gun goes off killing the producer. Of course, Hannah is out to find out who had a motive to kill the often rude producer.

I always find the Hannah Swensen books to be fun, light reads. This one was no different.

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven - 4 Stars

Libby and Jack are 2 high school students that everyone things they know all about. Libby, formerly nicknamed America's Fattest Teen and Jack, super popular kid. Both have secrets. Libby lost her mother, but aspires to be a dancer. Jack suffers from face-blindness.
The two end up tangled up in a cruel high school game and find themselves in community service together. The more time they spend together the more they discover about themselves and the world around them.

This was a warm and fuzzy, what I'm assuming to be YA, read. I think that Libby's character was a little more developed than Jack's character, but over all I enjoyed the book.

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson - 4 Stars

Jade is a young African American girl who feels she needs to get out of the neighborhood she is living in. She has a scholarship to a prestigious mostly white private school, which is a great opportunity, but the other opportunites that come her way make her feel like they are more demeaning. Such as the Woman to Woman group Jade is invited to for "at risk" girls, which is more like a group for "poor black" girls. 
But Jade soon learns more about herself and grows through the group. The story explores that challenges that young black women face every day.

I thought this was a good story. Jade's character was strongly written and I enjoyed seeing her blossom throughout the story.

With Malice by Eileen Cook - 3 Stars

Her trip to Italy was supposed to be the time of her life, but Jill wakes up in the hospital with her leg in a cast and remembering nothing of the last 6 weeks.
Jill's wealthy father has had her transported from Italy to the US for the best medical care. Jill soon finds out that she was in an accident, one that the Italian government thinks wasn't so accidental.
Jill struggles to remember the events that happened in Italy and hopes that her memory isn't correct.

I kept waiting for some big twist or shocking moment in this book and it never came. It sort of slugged on throughout the story and ended on a bland note.

Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon - 4 Stars

Simon is a stay at home dad, while his wife is a successful lawyer. Simon cares for his 2 children, Laney and Jake. When the kids are in high school, Simon's worst fears come true. There's been a shooting at the school. Simon, like the other parents, race to the school to find his 2 children. Simon finds Laney, but as parents and students start to fade away, Jake is no where to be found. Jake has all of a sudden become a suspect in the shooting.

The story goes back and forth from Jake's early life to the current situation, with everything being told from Simon's point of view.

I enjoyed the story being told from the parent's point of view and what Simon felt when he found out that Jake was a suspect. The story flowed fairly well and left you wondering if Jake was really involved. The ending was sad and I almost cried (but I was in public reading...lol). I haven't had a book do that in a while. Still, I felt at points that the book was lacking a little. I still gave it 4 stars.

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult - 4 Stars

Ruth is an African American nurse who works in the Labor & Delivery ward at her hospital. When a White Supremacist has a baby, Ruth is strictly forbidden to care for the child. Suddenly Ruth finds herself alone with the baby when the baby goes in to distress. Torn between her boss's instructions on not to touch the baby and her oath to help others, Ruth does not know what to do.

It did take me a while to get through (about 8 weeks), but then again, so do most Picoult books. While this one wasn't my favorite, I still enjoyed it. I felt sorry for Ruth and what she was going through. I pretty much expected for there to be a twist, although I wasn't sure what it would be. I was somewhat surprised of what it was. I do think that the ending fell a bit short. I would have liked to have seen another chapter about Ruth at the end.

Clammed Up by Barbara Ross - 4 Stars

When Julia Snowden returns to her Maine home, her intentions are to help revive the family's clam bake business. With a private wedding to start the season out with, Julia has high hopes for the summer. But when the best man is found dead on the island, the whole business is in jeopardy. Who killed Ray, the best man, and why was he hung up inside the island's mansion? 
Julia sets out to find the killer and to hopefully save her business.

This was the first in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. It was a fun, fast paced read. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book. 

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead - 5 Stars

Winner of the Newberry Medal in 2010

Things for 12-year old Miranda are pretty normal...she hangs out with her friend Sal, goes to school, and navigates New York City like a pro. She knows where to go and where to avoid. But suddenly she starts receiving weird notes instructing her to write a letter and she can't share this with anyone. The writer of the note has an uncanny ability to predict the future and Miranda has no clue where they are coming from. All she knows is that she needs to write the letter to save a friend's life.

I didn't know it when I choose it, but this is more of a children's book, aimed for grades 4 - 7. But it seemed like a book that I might enjoy, so I got it from the library. Of course it was a super easy read. The story was still good and I enjoyed how the author left you guessing while slowly weaving in bits here and there to let you see where the story was going.

Peach Cobbler Murder by Joanne Fluke - 5 Stars

Hannah is feeling the results of the new bakery that opened up across the street from her. Shawna Lee and her sister just opened the Magnolia Blossom Bakery and it's eating into Hannah's profits. That is until Hannah finds Shawna Lee dead from a gunshot wound.
Hannah knows she's suspect #1, so she sets out to find out who killed Shawna Lee and why.

This was #7 in the Hannah Swensen mystery series. It was a fun cozy read. So far I'm really enjoying this series.

I Was Here by Gayle Forman - 3 1/2 Stars

Cody and Meg were best friends. They did everything together. So when Meg drinks a bottle of industrial strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is as shocked as everyone else is. But when Cody starts to dig in to Meg's past she discovers that there's a lot she really didn't know about Meg.

This was hard to read at times, but over all not too bad. The story focuses more on Cody's life after Meg than it does on Meg's suicide. I've heard mixed reviews on Forman's other books, so I'm not sure if I'll pick up anything else by her or not.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - 3 Stars

A rich family on a private island. Four friends whose friendship turns destructive. The liars is what they call themselves. One secret behind many, many lies.

Cady, 2 cousins, and a friend are the 4 liars who have grown up spending the summers on grandfather's private island. One summer changes everything, but Cady can't remember the events. The story goes back and forth from the present to the past while Cady slowly remembers what truly happened that summer. There was an unexpected twist at the end that helped boost my rating, but over all I really didn't care for the book.

Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich - 5 Stars

This is book #14 in the Stephanie Plum series. In this one, Stephanie is on the hunt for a missing 9 million dollars. Along the way she encounters a has been celebrity that wants another shot at fame, a monkey gone crazy, and a stoner turned crime fighter.

I really like this series. I'm surprised that I've made it this far into a series because normally the books start lacking after a few. I'm looking forward to what the future holds for Stephanie.

Housebroken: Admissions of an Untidy Life by Laurie Notaro - 3 Stars

This is the latest series of short stories by Laurie Notaro. Laurie chronicles her tales of failed domestic arts such as cooking and cleaning.

This was a hard one to get through, as I felt that it just wasn't as funny as the other ones that she's done. I've actually felt that way about the last couple of books she has done. Unfortunately I feel that her stories are going downhill.

What She Left Behind by Ellen Wiseman - 5 Stars

What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman

5 Stars & a Heart

Izzy is about to turn 18 and 10 years ago her mother shot her father while he was sleeping. Izzy refuses to visit her mom in prison. Now her step parents have enlisted her help in sorting through old luggage from a local mental hospital. Izzy is tasked with sorting through old belongings when she discovers unopened letters and a journal.

Clara is an 18 year old girl who lives with her overbearing parents in a well to do neighborhood. When Clara declares she loves someone else and refuses to go through with her parent's arranged marriage, she gets shipped off to the insane asylum.

The story weaves the two girls' past together wonderfully. What happens to Clara when she is forced into a life she doesn't deserve and what lies ahead for Izzy as her 18th birthday approaches?

I loved this story. The story of the two girls was woven together brilliantly and I couldn't read fast enough to find out what was going to happen to each one of them. There were several parts where I teared up and the end was really heartwarming.

Here Today, Gone Tamale by Rebecca Adler - 4 Stars

Josie has just moved back home from living in Austin, Texas, to the dusty western town of Broken Boot, Texas when she finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. The town's annual Wild Wild West Festival has just kicked off and one of the town's own has been found out back of Josie's aunt & uncle's restaurant. Josie, who is a former newspaper reporter feels the need to investigate. Who killed the local jewelry designer and why?

This was your typical cozy mystery. I enjoyed the Tex-Mex flare that it had to it and am looking forward to the 2nd in the series.

Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore - 3 Stars

Jody didn't ask to become a vampire, but when she wakes up under a dumpster with her hand burning from the sun, she realizes that her life as she knew it is over. C. Thomas Flood is an aspiring writer who falls in love for Jody, despite her new lifestyle.

Romance? Comedy? Not quite sure what to classify this as. A quirky love story seems to fit. I'm not sure what I think of it, either, hence only 3 stars. For quite a while I wasn't sure where the story was going. But then the ending sort of leaves you hanging for the 2nd book. Not sure if I'll pick up the 2nd one or not.

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris - 4 Stars

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris - 4 Stars 

This is the 7th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. In this story, Sookie is hired by the Queen of Louisiana to attend the vampire summit with her. Sookie is the key witness in the death of the Queen's new husband and is a vital key to the trial that the Queen will undergo. 
Torn over her feelings for Quinn, her new shapeshifter boyfriend, Sookie must decide whose side she is on before catastrophe strikes the summit. 

I've enjoyed most of the series so far but this one seemed to have a lot going on and felt a bit disorganized. I still enjoyed it and plan on continuing with the series. 

Spilled Milk by KL Randis - 4 Stars

Spilled Milk by KL Randis - 4 Stars 

Spilled milk is the story of Brooke, who was abused as a young child and teenager by her father. The story timelines her life from shortly before the abuse started up through her graduation from college and becoming a mother herself. 

I read this for another challenge. This book came up on the list of true crime stories on Goodreads so I thought I would give it a try. 
It was a hard to stomach in places, I will admit. It was certainly a heartbreaking story that will make you sad and mad at the same time. 

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly - 5 Stars & a Heart

Andi lives in modern day Brooklyn and feels her life is a mess after the loss of her brother. Her father has left and her mother is barely hanging on. She's about to be expelled for her prestigious private school when she is made to tag along on her father's trip to Paris.

Alex lives in eighteenth century Paris and dreams of becoming a star. However she gets caught up in the Revolution in a way she never dreamed.

When Andi discovers Alex's diary it pulls her in and changes her life.

I loved this book!  The two lives of the girls are woven together and the twist at the end was something that I didn't see coming. Two thumbs up for Revolution.

Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich - 5 Stars

Stephanie is at it again in the 13th installment of the Stephanie Plum series. This time, her ex husband, Dickie Orr has gone missing and Stephanie is the prime suspect after having a meltdown in Dickie's office. Once again, Stephanie finds herself on the run from the bad guy and torn between her current off again on again boyfriend, Joe, and the mysterious Ranger.

I really liked this installment. There were several LOL moments in the book. Looking forward to reading # 14.

The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight - 5 Stars

Wylie hasn't heard from her best friend, Cassie, in over a week, but when she receives a text from her asking for help, Wylie rushes to her aid. But instead of coming out and saying where she is, Cassie just sends cryptic clues and vague texts. Wylie and Cassie's boyfriend Jasper head north and follow the clues with hopes of finding Cassie before something terrible happens. Things turn dangerously really quick. What is Cassie hiding and what lies ahead for Wylie and Jasper?

This was a fast paced read that kept me turning pages. It's the first in a series and the ending definitely left me hanging. I will probably pick up the 2nd one when it comes out.