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.