thoughts on books

Category: Young Adult

  • The fall of iris henley by Jennifer graham

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    A Young Adult suspense with several mysteries. The small town in Texas a few months ago was ravaged by an apparent murder suicide. Iris’s boyfriend Rocky and his “side piece” her ex-best friend and recovering addict and former cheerleader Lynnette. Rocky was the quarterback and was found dead of an apparent self inflicted gunshot wound. Then someone posts on “secret” a social networking app, that Iris was guilty of their murder.

    I was definitely very drawn in to the murder mystery, but the main storyline here is who is cyber bullying Iris. Someone is anonymously posting secrets online and accusing her of murder. Oddly the school seems to be on board with bullying her, she gets benched from the cheer team. I found the motivations of people to be really strange, she should have been really upset about her boyfriend being dead and why is he able to also pull these side pieces? Jeez he is a bad person. I feel like these are all ways teenagers don’t really act. And this bullying storyline is kind of unrealistic. I did like the book and I thought the pacing was good, but it was a bit lacking in a couple of ways for me. I liked it, but you may love it.

    Three adjectives to describe the main character? Popular. Controlling. Cold.

    My favorite character? Iris’s sister who is mean and jealous but plays the trombone, which is cool. Not a lot of heartwarming funny or fun characters in this one tbh

    Audiobook review- a fun mystery with lots of twists and reveals. I appreciated the performance. My only critique is that for a book based in Texas SOMEONE should have had a little twang in their accent. These characters sound like they are from Omaha.

    Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC. Book to be published February 24, 2026.

  • they call her regret by channelle desamours

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    Fantastically creepy, suspenseful YA story and a STANDOUT audiobook performance by Kristolyn Lloyd.

    Simone is a privileged teen, although her parents divorced due to her mom’s alcoholism, her dad is retired NFL and she has great friends and going to graduate top in her class. The setting is a farm house and lake where people leave old creepy dolls. The plot involves a very old doll possessed by a demon/ghost.

    It’s stellar YA, good dialogue and plenty of reveals. I adored the pacing. It’s a great story.

    Favorite character? Simone. Very authentic to an 18 year old girl, like able and easy to root for. I felt motherly towards her.

    3 ways to describe the main character? Scared. Smart. Devoted.

    It’s truly 5 ⭐️audio on performance alone. Her voice acting for the witch and ghost and Greta were soooooo creepy and will give you nightmares (complimentary).

    Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC. book to be published February 16, 2026.

  • summer of second chances by kl walther

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    Olivia is floundering a bit. Well, at least she is according to her stepmother. At 19, she deferred her first year in college at Northwestern in order to work part time at a bookstore and to spins lots of time with her grandmother, Annie, who is deteriorating with dementia. Annie is Olivia’s favorite person in the world, and while sometimes she greets her as her believed granddaughter, sometimes she honks Olivia is an aide at the assisted living facility. Sometimes she says things that don’t make sense, but Olivia is doing her best at loving Annie the best way she can.

    After she finds some photos of Annie on Martha’s Vineyard that raise a lot of questions, Olivia is determined to find out what her grandmother was like before her dad was born. She doesn’t count on reconnecting with Connor, who she went to camp with, nor does she count on getting sidetracked by love.

    I am grateful for the chance to early read this book- I loved KL Walter’s While We’re Young and find her YA work to be very effervescent and positively uplifting. I loved this book’s first 20% as we got to know Olivia and Annie, and the portrayal of caring for a loved one in dementia was very touching.

    For me; the story somewhat slowed when she got to the island. Connor seemed fine and the chemistry was sweet. I was anxious to return to Annie’s storyline and the ending was just as magical.

    I definitely recommend this clean YA romance for the grandma and mostly the vibes.

    Thanks to NetGalley and sourcebooks fire for the ARC. Book to be published May 5, 2026.

  • undergrads: student union by julie murphy

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    A fake dating/marriage college kids spicy romcom. Over grew up with Bennett, a few years younger. She and her mom were “the help” and because he owes her (no spoilers, but it’s kinda a sad story) they get married so she can qualify for married student housing.

    The premise is ridiculous (I mean, if he’s so rich and he owes you, just have him chip in 5 grand for your dorm) and the back story is touching. I liked this but I didn’t love it, the chemistry felt a bit forced to me. Julie Murphy is a favorite author – I was hoping this would be less spicy since it is a YA/Childrens imprint. But definitely good for fans of Hannah Grace such as the Icebreaker series.

    If you want something more on the sweet side, I do enjoy Dumplin and If the Shoe Fits.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Balzer and Bray/McMillan Children’s for the ARC. Book to be published May 4, 2026.

  • escape game by marissa meyer and tamara moss

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    n absolute page-turner- you’re solving a murder in a LITERAL locked room, a reality show about ESCAPE room nerdom- if you love the locked room mystery trope, the shadiness of production of reality shows and a YA intensity- this book needs
    To go on your TBR.

    I’m a huge fan of the lunar chronicles series by Marissa Meyer, and this is a return to her best work – intriguing characters with a load of secrets, a fun setting and plenty of twists and turns. I am not a big escape room person, because I lack the intelligence or patience and critical thinking- but it was so much fun to read about characters that are smarter than me and see how they uncovered puzzles.

    I stayed up late into the night and I was completely shocked at the ending!

    Thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam books for young readers.

    Book to be published April 6, 2026.

  • they want us dead by cj montblanc

    A Young Adult Locked Room Mystery with a touch of romance, They Want Us Dead.

    Sam is going to a retreat for content creators that are influencers in the area of true crime. Their online troll/enemy Dylan is also coming as a last-minute substitute. It doesn’t take long for them to be stranded with no wi fi or information, just as a dead body happens to fall into their laps (or down the steps).

    A lot to like here- a non-binary main character, enemies-to-lovers energy, a cast of characters with foibles and dialogue around their craft. At 320 pages, it is intensely readable. In particular the main character Sam is endearing, and while insecure, I thought their voice was a solid one throughout the novel. The Gen Z/Gen Alpha language was pure and very believable. For me, what didn’t work was the pacing and the legacy family storyline. But this book already has really strong reviews so I know others will enjoy it.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC. Book to be published April 28, 2026

  • where there’s room for us by hayley kiyoko

    A well produced narrative, this is a well crafted and performed audiobook for fans of Emma Alban. The story itself felt a little slow to me, but I do absolutely love the premise. A historical book set in the English countryside, but it is a different version than actually happened in history- this universe is much more accepting of queer couples. Although the inheritance traditions do leave the same sex couples out, gay marriage and gay couples are widely accepted. I really loved being in this kind of environment and imaging what it would be like if we were far ahead. The story itself is reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice or Little Women, but in a world a little more accepting than our own. Ivy and Freya had a lot of yearning, each with a different voice, with great chemistry.

    The audiobook not only has a strong performance, but also includes sound effects (horse hooves, etc) and brief musical interludes.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. Book to be published 11/4/25

    #macaudio2025

  • in time with you by kristin dwyer

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    For fans of Ashley Poston and Lynn Painter, this is a very classic magical realism YA romance. Short on details of world building, this is best read as you let go of trying to understand the time travel consequences and think of it as a journey towards trying to change the past to the “meant to be.”

    Nieve lost her boyfriend Carter in a drowning accident. They are only sophomores in college and somewhat legacies, kids with money and connections. Nieve blames herself, and Carters best friend Max blamed himself. Very quickly into the narrative, Nieve wakes up a year earlier in her dorm at the start of freshman year before she met Carter and Max. She is determined to not let him get into the water this time, but seems to start to feel differently about Max.

    This book is for everyone who has ever thought, “I couldn’t everything better if only I could go back in time.” This one is lighter on the spice but not entirely what I would consider closed door. Less sci fi and more magical realism, you won’t want to spend time hoping for lengthy explanations and world building, but enjoy the banter and characterization.

    Most time travel stories are either “butterfly effect” or “final destination,” and this story explores them both. The heroines journey is a well paced one, causing Nieve to grow and mature to be able to understand both versions of herself, what she wants, and wherein lies her true north.

    I also appreciated complicated storylines of light academia and deep family estrangement situations. Nieve has a close cousin and grandmother Grandee in both timelines.

    Thank you to NetGalley and st martins press for the arc! Book to be published March 23, 2026

  • fake skating by lynn painter

    Dani’s parents have gotten a divorce, and she and her mom are moving to Minnesota, moving back in with her grandfather. Although she has visited in the summer many times, it will be very different to live there, and in particular to move halfway through her senior year. She is brilliant and wants to go to Harvard. Her father is in the air force and her mom married him at age 18. Dani is not sure she wants to reconnect with her childhood friend Alec, because they wrote to each other for awhile but then he ghosted her.

    Ony to find that Alec is now a high school hockey star and the kids all call him Zeus. She and Alec are accidentally caught in a compromising situation, so they agree to fake dating to save his reputation with the hockey scouts and her reputation at a new school and for college applications. Dani also becomes a manager of the hockey team, which is convenient because her grandfather was a star player in the NHL.

    Lynn Painter is really the master of the YA romcom, I appreciate that they have good story content aside from the romance. They aren’t spicy but they do have realistic dialogue and funny banter. This was well paced and a fun setting. It reminded me of the couples in Better than the Movies and Nothing Like the Movies. I would have liked a little more from the side characters, as they were interesting and had good personalities of their own. It feels like most small towns and the culture of high school sports.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC. Book to be published September 30, 2025.

  • the house saphir by marissa meyer

    Part fantasy, part romance, part ghost story, part adventure, the world building is quick in this novel. As a far of Marissa Meyer’s former work, I was excited to see a new fantasy that is a retelling of blue beard. Mallory and Anais are sisters who do tours of The House Saphir, who are kind of con artists who sell unsuspecting people phony jewelry and non authentic “authentic” artifacts. Mallory can see dead people; that is, she is constantly in communication with the slain wives of Bastian Saphir.

    One day his great great grandson and only heir, Armand, comes for a tour and offers Mallory the chance of a lifetime; one that will help Mallory and Anais have a shot at a better life.

    There are twists here, lots of fun magical creatures, and formerly alive friends and enemies alike. I’m not sure if this is a YA shelved book but I think it could be, it reminds me of the later Percy Jackson series or The Hunger Games level of fantasy elements. Very descriptive, good and nuanced character development and sharp dialogue. This was a heroines journey for the ages.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel and friends for the ARC. Book to be published Nov 3, 2025.