Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter is a charming young adult romance centered around Liz Buxbaum, a hopeless romantic who views life through the lens of her favorite rom coms. Liz has always dreamed of a grand, movie-worthy love story, especially with her childhood crush, Michael, who has recently moved back to town. To win Michael’s heart, Liz enlists the help of her next-door neighbor, Wes, who she finds annoying but knows is her best shot since he’s friends with Michael.
Lines Of Courage is a book by Jennifer Nielsen that is set during the time of World War I. The book is about how five people who are each on different sides of the war experienced it and how they survived and eventually met up at the end as friends. The book was better than I expected. I have no clue how it is possible to not only show five perspectives in a book, but also have each of them have a connection with each other, but this did it.
Two Degreesis a survival book about climate change by Alan Gratz. The book is about three different stories, and how climate change impacted each of them, from snow to wildfires to floods, but it was not too good. I would give it a 3 out of 5 stars. The problem for me was that it was not the most readable because they were switching between stories (but I am sure that author Alan Gratz does that for his books), but the message about climate change elevated this book.
The novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells the story of a 15-year-old girl named Kambili. In Kambili’s family, everything is controlled by her father, Eugene. Her father forces everyone in his family to follow his strict Catholic rules and punishes them if they don’t abide by his rules. When Kambili and her brother Jaja go to visit their Aunt Ifeoma’s house during Christmas, they are able to see what a truly happy family looks like, and they are able to feel love.
The Secret History is a novel by Donna Tartt who follows the life of a new college student named Richard Papen. He wants to become a part of his college’s prestigious Greek club, and he tries to fit in with the members of this group. He later finds out that this group is not what he thought it was, as they have somewhat of a weird connection with one another. As they continue to study in this group, they forget the difference between reality and fantasy, and start to go down an evil path.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is a book about a young boy named Theodore Decker, who is dealing with the grief of losing his mother in a sudden terrorist attack in a museum that his mom and him went to go see. During the terrorist attack that killed his mom, he steals a painting called The Goldfinch, which later becomes the only thing he has left of his mother. Once he moves in with his mother’s friends, the Barbour’s, he meets a bad influence, named Boris. He starts to fall down a bad path.
War and Speech is a realistic fiction book written by Don Zolidis. At the beginning of the book, Sydney Williams has just moved to Eaganville in the middle of the school year. At this school, popularity is lopsided-with the Speech and Debate kids at the top. On the first day, Sydney is lucky enough to make some friends-but that can’t be done without also making enemies as well-the Speech and Debate team.
The Cousinsis a thriller fiction book written by Karen M. McManus, the author of One of Us is Lying. In her book, Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah are the three-Story cousins, but they lead completely different lives that are about to converge into one. Back in the day, their parents had lived on Gull Cove Island with their mother, which she owned.
Geekerella is a realistic fiction book written by Ashley Poston. It also happens to be the first book in the Once Upon a Con series. The book revolves around Elle Wittimer, a girl who lives with her step-monster and two stepsisters. Her only escape is a show called Starfield, and yet, now even her favorite show is about to be ruined. She has been patiently waiting for the cast decisions in the new live-action remake-and that excitement falls flat on its face.
Evelyn Hugo, an aging Hollywood star living out her days alone, has decided to share her story. The public hasn’t heard anything from the elusive actress in years, so any bit of information is pounced on. Used to being in the limelight, Evelyn isn’t sure who to give the story to, as she wants the truth depicted, not a dramatization meant to draw in views. She decides on Monique Grant, an unknown magazine reporter with big goals. Monique rises to the task after some back and forth, but eventually they reach an agreement.
