Dead Girl’s Society ~ By Michelle Krys – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Diversity, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Mystery, Suspense, Teenage Relationships, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest honest review.

Release Date: November 8th, 2016

304 Pages

You are cordially invited to to participate in a game of thrills and dares. Tell no one, and come alone. If you dare.

Synopsis: Hope is sick of everyone treating her like she’s breakable. Sure, she has cystic fibrosis (basically really bad lungs), but she’s tired of being babied by her mom and her overprotective best friend, Ethan, not to mention worrying about paying for her expensive medication and how she’s going to afford college. And she’s bored with life in her run-down New Orleans suburb.

When an invitation arrives from a mysterious group that calls itself the Society, Hope jumps at the chance for some excitement. This could be her ticket out. All she has to do is complete a few dares and she might win some real money.

But the Society isn’t all it seems…and soon Hope finds that playing the game isn’t a choice–it’s a requirement.

I was really intrigued by the premise of Dead Girls Society and, okay. The cover grabbed my attention too. But seriously, a story based on a secret and sinister Society that issues invitations to a few girls with no apparent connection besides the fact that they all go to the same high school? “Hmm.” I thought. “This sounds a little off the beaten track.” And despite the unveiling of the antagonist not coming as a surprise, this wound up being an enjoyable read. Hope is a character readers will instantly connect to. She’s battling an illness that she knows will eventually kill her, yet she longs for a normal life. She loves her mother dearly, but chafes at the restrictions placed upon her. That’s why, despite her being an intelligent girl, it’s not difficult to believe that she’d accept the invitation. Especially since her family is hurting for money in part because of her medical bills, and the Society is offering $100,000 to the winner. The other girls participating at first come across fairly stereotypical: the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, the spoiled rich girl, the mean girl, etc. But, surprisingly they all have quite a bit of depth, and some pretty interesting back stories. The romance is sweet but really takes a backseat to these girls and the mystery surrounding the mysterious Society. In addition to the already diverse concept of having a main character in this type of book, dealing with a serious illness, there’s also an LGBT relationship which is threaded in believably and emotionally. You know, I read so many YA books and sometimes I feel as though the authors don’t always remember what it was like to be a teenager. But with Hope and her friends, I think Michelle Krys has done an outstanding job at capturing all the nuances of teens and their complex personalities and relationships. The idea of having the setting be in New Orleans was brilliant, especially as one dare takes place in a swamp complete with gators! There were plenty of thrills and chills which kept the book moving along briskly and I polished it off in one sitting. As I said in the beginning, the unmasking of the villain(s?) wasn’t a huge surprise, but the motivations behind the Society’s creation were a huge shock for me. There were a couple of loose ends that were never tied up, but overall the ending was perfectly satisfying. Dead Girls Society is the first book I’ve read by Michelle Krys, but it definitely won’t be my last. This is an immensely fun read, especially for fans of Pretty Little Liars and Veronica Mars. 

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl: Book One ~ By Paige McKenzie & Alyssa Sheinmel – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Haunted Houses, Horror, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Paranormal Fiction, YA Fiction

 I received this e-book from NetGalley and Weinstein Books in exchange for an honest review.

Sixteen-year old Sunshine Griffith and her mother Kat move from sunny Austin, Texas, to the damp, dreary town of Ridgemont, Washington. Although adopted, Sunshine and Kat have always been especially close, but from the moment they arrive in their new home, a strange uneasiness springs up between them. Although Kat doesn’t seem to think there’s anything wrong, Sunshine knows there’s something creepy about the new house. In the days that follow, Sunshine begins to feel that they are not alone. She’s followed around the house by an icy breeze, and she keeps hearing the sound of a child’s laugh, which eventually turns into sobbing. Then there’s the moving of her belongings by unseen hands. It’s soon apparent to Sunshine that not only is the house haunted, but that her mother is in danger from a malevolent entity. Thankfully, she has her new friend Nolan to help her for she discovers that she’s not your typical teenager and that ultimately she is the only one who can save her mother. 

First of all I had no idea that this started as a YouTube series with Paige McKenzie playing the role of Sunshine. That’s actually her on the gorgeous cover. After reading the book, I’ve been catching up with the series and I must say it’s quite clever. I’m happy though that I hadn’t heard of it so I was able to jump into the book with no preconceived notions. The novel is a refreshingly original version of a classic ghost story. The strongest part of the story is Sunshine. She’s a well-adjusted teenager who isn’t exactly happy with moving halfway across the country when her mom gets a new job, but she understands the need for the move. Her relationship with Kat is so close that I had the impression she’d be fine living pretty much anywhere, as long as they were together. And that’s what makes it so heartbreaking when that relationship begins to unravel. Sunshine is quirky without being annoying. She loves wearing vintage clothes, much to the dismay of her best friend, and is a bit of a bookworm. She’s also pretty accepting of other people no matter their idiosyncrasies. Nolan is the perfect match for her and I found their budding romance sweet, without being a distraction. The tension slowly builds throughout the book beginning with the odd “Huh” moments to more “creeptastic” ones. I actually found myself wishing that things got a little more scary. Without giving away any spoilers, the mystery involves not only what is going on in the house, but what Sunshine’s destiny is, and peripherally what role is Nolan supposed to play. It’s evident from the conclusion that the story will be continuing and I’m very interested in seeing in what direction the authors take it. Meanwhile, I’ll have to be content catching up with the YouTube series.

Pioneer Girl ~ by Bich Minh Nguyen – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Families, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Rose Wilder Lane, Vietnam War, Vietnamese-American culture

. This ebook arc was provided to me by NetGalley and Penguin Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The publishing date is 1/27/15.

Lee Lien has worked extremely hard to obtain her PhD in English, but unfortunately cannot find a job in her field. Deciding to move back home, she  now has to walk a thin line between her dreams and family responsibilities. Complicating this is the difficult relationship that exists between Lee and her mother, who is a first generation Vietnamese-American, and is very much a traditionalist. With her father deceased, Lee’s mother has become a successful entrepreneur, owning a string of Chinese buffets along with her father. She’s never approved of Lee’s accomplishments, instead focusing her love and attention on Lee’s older brother Sam.Thankfully Lee has her grandfather, or Ong Hai. While he understands the old traditions that drive his daughter, he’s always given Lee the love and support she craves. It is Ong Hai who relates to Lee an intriguing story. In 1965 He owned a cafe in Saigon. One day an American woman walked in and told him she was writing  about the war from a female perspective. Ong Hai and “Rose” bond over his shared stories and during their last visit she leaves a gold pin behind but never returns for it. The pin is one of the few heirlooms that make it to America with Ong Hai and his daughter. Lee has always been fascinated with the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She believes the pin may be the same one that was given to Laura by her fiance Almanzo. Could the mysterious “Rose” that her grandfather met all those years ago actually have been Laura’s daughter, Rose Wilder Lane? Lee is determined to find out and set’s off to solve a literary mystery. What she doesn’t realize is this will also turn into a journey of self discovery. Pioneer Girl is an enjoyable novel which actually reads like a memoir. I was addicted to the Little House books as a child so I was interested in seeing if the author would have anything new to add. She didn’t, but this doesn’t make the book any less interesting. Laura Ingalls Wilder fans should be warned that the main character Lee identifies strongly with Rose and the theory that she was actually behind a  majority of the writing of her mother’s stories. Given the tenuous relationship between Lee and her mother, it’s no wonder she’s so empathetic toward Rose. Lee is not the most likeable main character. She comes across as a bit whiny, and she has no problem with things like stealing if it will help in attaining her goal. At the same time however, you can’t help but feel badly for her. I think my favorite character was actually Ong Hai who seemed to be able to remain loyal to his traditions, yet also recognize that times have changed. I didn’t know much about Vietnamese-American culture and traditions, so I found this part of the book absolutely fascinating. Pioneer Girl also doesn’t end all tidy and neat, but I was also okay with this. I think the story and the characters are reflective of real life. If you enjoy a slower paced novel with a little bit of literary mystery, I recommend you try this.