Dede has a secret that she’s been keeping her whole life. After a traumatizing event, she’s successfully pushed down the part of her that makes her unique, that is, until now. See, Dede can force her own consciousness out of her body and into others, essentially turning them into a puppet. And she’s going to be learning to use it a lot, apparently.
4/5 Stars 325 Pages Published October 15th 2021 by Bell Bridge Books
After using her power at school to protect and get revenge for her her friend Kyle from bullies, she comes home and tells her mom. Little does she know that her family will change forever, from that day on. Hunted down by the government, Dede and her little brother Miles are eventually separated from their mother and forced to work alone to save everyone involved, including themselves. They’re on the run, because if they stop, they’re facing incredible tests from the government to essentially map out every aspect of their unique abilities. At whatever the cost.
A good book, ,they story was more about finding yourself and staying strong in tough situations. From sticking up for your friends, to being blamed for murder and finding out your little brother’s powers, you have to do what you know what’s right, even if it’s scary and hard to achieve.
I enjoyed the book, but it’s not my new favourite. That being said, I would read more from the author in the future. It was written very smoothly, and suitable for readers fourteen an up, due to violence. Check it out if you think it would be something you’d like!
4/5 Stars 352 pages Published August 6th 2013 by Skyscape
A beautiful and very memorable story of a teen girl who one day wakes up to find that her lips, and then more spots on her body, have turned white. She has vitiligo, and she just has to learn to live with her new skin condition, among everything else going on in her life.
A book about self acceptance over all, Giuseppina lives with a little brother who calls her a slut, and at school her friends and other kids judge her for wearing makeup to cover up her spots. Basically, this book is just a story of life on a day to day basis. She goes to school, she starts dating an old friend, and she struggles with her own body image, while trying to keep it secret. I loved how realistic it was, and I found that to be a really nice change of pace from the other books I’ve been reading lately. I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a feel good story without all the bells and whistles, and anyone who’s 16+.
After losing his twin brother in a car accident where he was driving, Marsh has completely lost himself in his grief. Obsessed with an old story from an even older neighbour who’s long gone, he finds himself constantly looking for the perfect spot for a “thin space”, or a place where he can cross over to the other side to talk to someone lost to the world. He just wants to talk to him one last time and make things ight. But after wandering around barefoot for months, it’s starting to get cold, and he’s starting to lost hope.
5/5 Stars 256 pages Published September 10th 2013 by Beyond Words/Simon Pulse
A wonderful and in depth story about a teenage boy trying to deal with a new world without his best friend, his grief, and also his flashbacks to the accident itself, I was instantly hooked. He feels like the accident was his fault, and he wants to be gone from the world. And I think that those are real things that people have to deal with. The only good thing in Marsh’s life now is his new friend Maddie, who’s running from her own past and home life, and who also wants nothing more than to help him and be around him, no matter what. And that just what he needs.
WHat was really great though, in my opinion, was the ending. Completely hit me out of the blue. It was something that I never expected, and added a new layer to just how amazing and unique of a story it really is. Great characters who grow throughout the story, just a really amazing plot, and perfectly written just how I personally like to read, this book is definitely one of my new favorites, and I can’t wait to get a physical copy for my collection. No matter what kind of genre of books you like, I think you should check out this book, and you would like it too!
5/5 Stars 304 pages Published April 6th 2021 by Sourcebooks Fire
An amazing story of teenagers growing in the people that they need to be to succeed, Where The Road Leads Us quickly became one of my new favourites. With an eccentric storyline and vibrant characters, I’m sure anyone who gives this book a chance will feel the same as I do, and need a physical copy for their collection.
Following two teenagers, Jack and Hallie, they have very different lives. We see them meet and go on the adventure of a lifetime to really find out who they are and what they really want inside, blossoming along the way and getting tangled in a little romance too. What more could you ask for?
Jack, a lonely boy missing his brother and his parents, and following his father’s footsteps because he feels like he has to. Going on a road trip to find his missing brother because he just needs someone to talk to about life. And Hallie, a girl with an illness that’s put her family in debt, forcing everyone to work more to keep up with her meds, because they love her and want her healthy. But she’s been too scared to really live her life. So she goes on an adventure that doesn’t end up being anything like she expected.
Though I’m usually into more paranormal types of fiction books, it’s really nice to take a break once in a while and read something like this and really fall in love with not only the characters but the story itself. I couldn’t ask for more, to be honest, and I think it’s a perfect read for anyone looking for a feel good book, aged sixteen ad up. Definitely check it out if you get the chance! I’m obsessed for sure.
And if you’d like to keep up with the author on Twitter, you can here!
Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and having a great day. Live your life a little!
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4/5 Stars 292 pages Published April 26th 2018 by Sapphire Creek Press
Though I haven’t read very many books about parallel universes, the ones that I have read have been amazing, and that’s why I’m actively seeking them out for future reading. I did feel a little bit too old for this book due to how young the main character is, but honestly it wasn’t that big of a deal, and I still was able to enjoy it. I just thought that she was a bit bratty at times. Not a world with flashy portals to indicate the change, this book told the story of a teenage girl who’s mad at her family and runs away, and mysteriously finds herself in a completely different world when she decides to return home.
Morgan is a girl who never expected anything to change when she got home, yeah maybe everyone would be worried about her and angry with her for taking off overnight, but what she finds when she finally makes it back home is that someone else is living in her house, and they have no idea what she’s talking about when she asks about her family. And that’s a huge problem.
The world that she finds herself in is one where it’s illegal to be overweight, even by a few pounds. Everyone is obsessed with dieting, working out, and there’s even a mantra about how great it is to be skinny and how it helps the world, that they have to repeat every day before school starts. The craziest part, is that the government keeps track of everyone’s weight in their weekly weigh ins, on their home scales, and if they think that you’re getting too heavy then they whisk you away to a facility where you can lose weight. And you have to stay there for however long it takes, and the worst part of that is that your family has to pay for it, sacrificing their home and any luxuries they could afford to get you back to what is in their mind, the correct weight.
The writing in this book is very straightforward, first person, and tell rather than show. Which is something that usually isn’t my favourite, but I was fine with it in this. I really enjoyed reading it, and I would definitely check out the next book. I wish I could have seen more into the weight loss facilities, but I expect to learn more in future books. I really loved the forest parts, this was an easy to read book, easy to imagine, ,and I didn’t feel rushed reading it. It was a nice break from all the fast paced books I’ve been reading lately. I also really appreciated that it’s a great look into daily life for Morgan in this new world. I feel like she really grew and learned from her mistakes by the end of the book, and that’s something I love to see. I think it’s a very unique idea for a book, and it could be enjoyed by anyone aged twelve and up. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.
And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here on Twitter!
Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well, and not stumbling upon any parallel universes!
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5/5 Stars 368 pages Published March 30th 2021 by Wattpad Books
If I had to describe this book in just a few words, they would be an instant hit. With an amazing and super in depth storyline, it’s perfect for anyone fourteen years and up, and quickly became one of my new favourite books even at twenty four. It’s just one of those books where every time I thought the story was coming to a pause or a good place to end, it ended up just being the beginning. And I just couldn’t get enough of it.
Following a young girl named Marina from her viewpoint in first person, she’s about to start grade ten in a small town in the United States. But after losing her brother to a train accident three years ago, her and her parents lives have become very grim and depressing. Blaming her brother’s best friend, they despise him, and Marina lost her only friend because of it. And now she’s starting at a new school. Could things get any worse? She probably would say no, but this is just the beginning of a much bigger and almost unbelievable picture. That is, if she didn’t see it for herself she wouldn’t believe it.
Originally an army base, the school is a labyrinth of twists and turns, and after getting lost on her first day, she meets a senior named Brady. He’s a nice and very cute boy who genuinely just wants to help her out, and even though she doesn’t see him again for about six months after her first day, she can’t stop thinking about him. After all, everyone else that she grew up with acts like they don’t know her. But when she finally sees him again, he’s harbouring a deep secret and a mysteriously hysterical girl. And after following them to the train station where her brother lost his life, she learns that the secret really involves things that she could never imagine were real; parallel universes.
Not only is the army base turned high school confusing and filled with doors that have been bricked over, but living in it’s basement is an Annihilation-like spiral staircase. And at the bottom are three doors, one each for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But only the today one is accessible. And when Marina goes inside it, she finds her brother in the flesh, happy and thriving. That can’t be right, though, can it? He died. Little did I know, that this was just barely grazing the surface of what was really going to happen in this book.
This book is insanely in depth for how many pages it is. Jam packed with rich backstory, the characters really seem like they could be real people, despite the obvious differences between our world and theirs. Addicting and mysterious, I was pulled in from the second I started it, and I didn’t want to put it down for a second. It’s amazing without gore or romance, and I think that’s something that’s difficult to do sometimes. A perfect story in my eyes, I would be delighted to get this as a present, and it would make a really great addition to my bookshelf, with it’s breathtaking cover. I think even if you’re not super big into scifi, this is a really great story, and everyone should check it out and give it a chance to unravel itself. Even half way through the book I was thinking, this could be the end, right? But it wasn’t there was more, and more, and more. I’ll definitely be thinking about it for a long time.
And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here on Twitter!
Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well, and not accidentally stumbling upon any parallel universes.
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4/5 Stars 192 pages Published December 3rd 2019 by VIZ Media LLC
Not something I usually read, this book really caught my eye not only because of the cover, but because of the really impactful description. I mean, how could you say no to a book about a boy turning into a demon curse while also fighting them along the way? I had to check it out! It’s like I didn’t even have a choice. What I didn’t know however, was just how gory a black and white book could be, and really just how strange something like this could be for me to read. That being said, I really did enjoy reading it.
Following a junior high aged boy named Yuji Itadori, it closely depicts his life as he not only joins a new kind of club at his school, but also as he loses his grandfather and basically those two things turn his life upside down. After rescuing his new friends from a curse they accidentally unleashed due to their own lax nature surrounding a demonic object, he learns that the demon is basically hunting them down for said object to eat it and become stronger, so he decides to eat it himself. What he doesn’t know, is that it’s really a one in a million chance that he’ll live through it. But guess what? He does. And now he lives with a demon inside his body, that can take over when he gives it the chance and change his physical appearance and give him crazy powers.
This book was really strange for me, and now even in a bad way. It had be laughing at just how absurd it was and I think that’s really funny. How often does that happen to you? It makes me want to read more books like this, because usually I’m not too keen to jump at things like this. I’m more of a superhero comic kind of girl. But I’ll definitely give more chances out when I see them. If you’re looking for something gory and kind of funny and interesting to read, I definitely recommend checking this out. The art is very simple but impactful, especially for the demonic parts, and like I said at the beginning, it’s really gory at times. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next volume.
Thanks for reading! I love stepping outside of my comfort zone with books, do you? Hope you’re having a great day!
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2/5 Stars 232 Pages, Published December 1st 2020 by Reading Harbor
A story of a teen romance with a twist, this book wasn’t for me. Not saying it’s a bad book, just that it wasn’t for me. With a synopsis that played up a more fantastical story in general, I thought I would be swept away in the imaginative world and interesting characters, but just wasn’t swept away by anything. I felt like I was missing something, like I was standing on the outside of a conversation a parent was having in front of their kids, and that’s just not something that’s exciting for me. However, it was unique and different from the things that I usually read.
Following a pair of boys who are almost twins, born barely a year apart, and their struggle through their lives as a low income family with a single mom, and a girl named Ava who’s been discarded by her very prestigious family and locked away in an asylum for an incident that wasn’t her fault, I had hopes for this book to be more than it was. Dylan and Alec are struggling through their life, trying to keep up their social appearances at school and pretend like nothings wrong, that they’re not almost out of food every night, but funds are getting low. That’s when Dylan has the bright idea to catfish the more gullible girls at their school for money, posing as his brother. What could go wrong?
The story switches perspective so many times, I don’t really understand why we needed to see every single person’s point of view, in third person. I mean I get it in theory, but the way that it was executed just wasn’t interesting for me, and I found it kind of boring. I feel like the mystery was kind of missing because of it, and we got to see very vague descriptions of people who I didn’t end up caring about at all, like Ava’s parents, a girl named Taylor, a woman named Betty, and even the doctors in charge of watching over Ava. More importantly, I felt like I didn’t really ever get to know the characters more than very shallow descriptions of them.
Usually when I read books like these, they get better from the start, but I found this book becoming more boring and less interesting as time went on. I wasn’t sucked into the story, I was told what was happening. And that’s just not for me. Maybe if I was younger and didn’t pay attention to things like that I wouldn’t mind, because the story is very unique, but it just wasn’t for me at this time in my life. Not to say that it isn’t for other people though. I will say that I think the cover is beautiful though, it’s really what drew me to the book in the first place before the description.
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Thanks for reading! Hope you’re having a good day.
4/5 Stars 165 pages Published January 6th 2011 by Harben Publishing
A classic zombie apocalypse situation, mixed with high school aged characters, filled with action, military, and deception. What more could you ask for? The twist here is, is that it’s set in Australia, and the zombie outbreak is trying to be kept hidden by the government, the military, and everyone else in charge of it. Created by scientists, this deadly virus will tear apart the world person by person if it gets the chance to get out. But will it? You’ll have to read to find out.
It starts out like any other teen novel with Rebecca, our main character, going to school and hanging out with her friends after moving to Australia. Her mom is absent most of the time, busy with work, but one day before she can return the world she knows starts to crumble before her eyes. What is there to do? Grab your friends, grab some supplies, and maybe your military ex boyfriend, and go on the run of course. But the horror they’re going to experience is so unexpected and brutal that I don’t think they’ll ever recover.
The story itself was just different enough from the other zombie apocalypse novels I’ve read, that it was actually really interesting to read and learn about. I liked the little part at the beginning where it showed what the end of the book would be like, I thought that was really insightful and different. So I knew where it was all going to end up, but I got to see really how it ended up that way. I couldn’t even imagine a situation like the one that the characters have to go through in this book, how traumatizing that must be. I do know that this is just the first book in a series however, so I’m interested to see what happens in the next one.
If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.
And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here on Twitter!
Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day and are doing well.
Wallflower Cookie O’Gorman
Publication date: March 25th 2021
Genres: Romance, Young Adult
Wallflower (wohl-flou-erh): Identifier for someone who is shy and/or awkward. For reference, see Viola Kent.
Seventeen-year-old Viola Kent likes being invisible. Well, not literally, but she’s content being a loner, reading her books, and hanging out with the animals at the shelter. She just wants to keep her head down and get through her senior year at Durham High.
Driving Dare Frost to school every day wasn’t part of the plan.
And when Viola finds out her dad recruited Dare, his number one player, to be her friend?
Her inner Slytherin demands revenge.
The solution: Get Dare to be her fake boyfriend.
Convincing the star athlete to pretend is easier than she’d thought it would be. The hard part is protecting her heart. With every word, touch, and kiss, Viola’s feelings become more real.
The problem: Viola knows she’s falling for Dare—but he doesn’t believe in love.
This book features two sets of soulmates, one happy pooch named Hermione, so many sizzling kisses and answers the question:
Can a dork and a jock fake their way to true love?
Cookie O’Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, and The Good Girl’s Guide to Being Bad are out now! She is also the author of NA sports romance, The Best Mistake.
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