To Best The Boys

By Mary Weber

Thomas Nelson, Harper Collins, Nashville, TN 2019

Rhen Tellur has been born a Lower and a girl. Two strikes against her in this old-world, some-what fantastical seaport village. She has a slight advantage over most of the Lowers as her Ma was born an Upper, one of the wealthy, and her Aunt, Uncle and BFF cousin Seleni still welcome her into their home and upscale parties.

Still, Rhen is more herself in the pubs with her rowdy guy friends. Or, in Da’s lab working on biological experiments in hopes of finding a cure for the mysterious illness which is paralyzing and killing a growing number of Lowers, including Rhen’s Ma.

Each year every household in the county receives an invitation to Mr. Holm’s estate for the contest. “All gentlepersons of university age (respectively seventeen to nineteen)are cordially invited to test for the esteemed annual scholarship given by Mr. Holm toward one full-ride fellowship at Stemwick Men’s University.”

Rhen Teller is smarter than any of the boys her age and wants to go to college. There's only one way to get there – on scholarship. So, she and best friend Selani dress as boys and enter the contest.

There is romance: Seleni and Beryll are cutely coquettish throughout the story. Victor, an Upper and childhood buddy of Rhen’s, believes her intelligence will enhance his political career. His arrogance has him assuming Rhen would never turn him down as he announces he will court her. And then there’s Lute, the Lower who Rhen has her eye on.

There is angst and danger: the contest can be brutal and harsh. Many have been injured over the years, some have died; generally at the hands of greedy bullies who’ll do anything to win. There are also fantastical creatures to avoid or more often combat.

There are moments of darkness and bright spots throughout. The group of teen friends starts out working together to escape the maze, locked room, and other tests Holms has created. 
There is betrayal.

The love story is interesting (I’m not big on romance), the contest exciting, the descriptions delicious, the characters are uniquely engaging. Told in first person POV, Rhen's voice carries the story. You will love her.

Thanks to my friend Dana Nuenighoff for the recommendation. I rate it an A.

Misery Loves Cabernet

by Kim Gruenenfelder

ST. Martin’s Griffin, NY, 2009

My second time through this light-hearted, funny, “yo girlfriend,” summer beach read.  Rated A.

Charlie is the 'I can do it all' assistant to a young eccentric movie star, Drew Stanton. As she dutifully serves yet again as a bridesmaid approaching thirty, Charlie bemoans her future with a dead-end job, no boyfriend, and a few too many extra pounds.

Charlie’s sarcasm is comical as are some of the situations we find her in. Her situation is relatable as one, I believe, every woman has endured at some point in their life.

Throughout the novel, Charlie is writing her own book of advice for her granddaughter. All the things she knows now, she wished she knew when she was sixteen; like, “some days are a total waste of make-up” (a nod to Gruenenfelder’s prior novel), or “never drink wine from a box”. These nuggets add to the charisma and humor of Charlie’s story.

So, grab a glass of wine and a copy of the book and have a few chuckles on Charlie and Kim.

Then She was Gone

By Lisa Jewell
                    

Atria Books an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2017

Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She had a perfect life, perfect boyfriend, perfect family, and a fairy-tale future. Until, at the age of 17, she disappeared and her family fell apart; especially, her mom, Laurel.

I would age this at the New Adult level. While it’s about Ellie, it is primarily told from the perspective of the adults around her, ten years after her disappearance. Jewell creates deep characters and an interesting story-line told in five parts.

While Ellie’s family is prominent throughout the story, the primary characters are Ellie, a 17-year old dream child, Laurel, her adoring mother, Noelle, her obsessive tutor, and Floyd, first Noelle’s and later Laurel’s lover. These characters, as well as the minor characters, are superbly crafted which is what kept me vested in the story. Although I was pretty sure I had the mystery figured out, (and, yes, I did, very early on) I had to know how things worked out for them.

My disappointment is the POV. Part One is the set-up. Presented in limited third-person POV change between Laurel today and Ellie THEN. I haven’t read a lot of third person lately I found it well done and refreshing but it took some getting used to.  Part Two is essentially Laurel finally accepting Ellie’s fate and moving on.

But then we come to Part Three which for me totally disrupts the flow of the story. We already know the when, where, and why of the mystery. Here, in Noelle’s voice, we are told the how. (The only remaining question is who, but I bet you can guess).  Who is Noelle talking to? Supposedly Floyd, but she is not present so how can this be? This would have been better presented as Noelle’s journal and earlier in the story amongst the THEN retrospections of Part Two. Part Three revisits information already given to us by Laurel and Ellie and really slows the plot pace down.

Part Four flips POV between an omniscient narrator and Noelle which doesn’t work for me. Then Part Five is told in the first person POV of Floyd (via a video but still). WHAT????? Whiplash.

Then She Was Gone is a contemporary mystery, set in England. (I actually had to look up what a jumper was. Should have remembered from my Hogwarts days.) Great characters and a strong story although the mystery was revealed too soon for my taste, and I would have preferred a different structure.

Overall, I gave it a B. A good read with a flawed format.

the Secrets we Keep

By Trisha Leaver

Farrow, Strauss & Giroux, 2015

 It’s hard to review this novel without spoilers so watch for the alert.

SECRETS is an emotional contemporary YA with themes of devotion between sisters, divisions within family, and the conflict of teen identity crises. I rated this a B+.

Ella’s character and story are deep and well presented. Some of it is a little beyond realistic but that’s why we call it fiction.

Polar-opposite identical twin sisters Maddy and Ella are in a car accident. Maddy is wearing Ella’s coat when she dies. Ella survives but wakes with no memory of who she is. Everyone believes she is Maddy; the super-perfect, popular girl everyone loves. Ella soon figures it out but decides to be Maddy because that’s who everyone around her wants her to be.

SPOILER ALERT:  But when Ella discovers a dark secret about Maddy. She decides she owes it to Maddy to right her wrong. And now she knows it’s okay to be Ella, flawed and alive; after all, Maddy wasn’t perfect.

Everything, Everything

By Nicole Yoon

Delacorte Press, 2015

 I recently had the privilege to volunteer at Esperanza Academy, a private middle school for girls in Lawrence, MA. The ladies I counseled on essay writing were articulate, poised, mature and utterly delightful. I asked each of them their favorite novel. This was one of their recommendations and I have to agree. One of the most romantic stories I have ever read, I rated it an A!

Maddy Whittier was diagnosed at age 4 with SCID, bubble baby disease. She can't leave her home or interact with the world. Her Dad and older brother were killed in a car accident shortly before her diagnosis. Her mother is her doctor. Her best friend is her nurse, Carla. Just before her 18^th birthday a family moves into the house next door and Maddy spies Ollie and his family and for the first time grieves her existence. Not seeing people come and go had made it easier for her to accept her life of reading, online classes, having her vitals checked every two hours and movie and game-nights with mom.

Mom is adamant that friendship with the neighbors will only make Maddy hurt more when she realizes she can't do the things healthy teens do. But after IMing into all hours of the night, Maddy convinces Carla to allow Ollie to visit. He must go through an hour-long decontamination shower each time. They are falling in love. When they kiss, they are both terrified Maddy will fall ill.

Ollie’s dad is abusive. When Maddy hears shouting and witnesses this from her window she runs outside to Ollie’s defense, not thinking of herself. Her mother, now aware of the deception, fires Carla and forbids communication with Ollie. After months of loneliness and longing, Maddy decides she may have a life but she is not living. She plots and plans, lies to Ollie about an experimental drug, and travels to Hawaii for a romantic getaway. But the story doesn’t end there.

 SPOILER ALERT:

As expected Maddy gets ill on day two. Ollie takes her to the ER. Mom brings them home. After a few weeks, Maddy receives a letter from the ER physician that rocks her world. Maddy does not have SCID. We learn her mother couldn't cope with the loss of her husband and son so she created a world where Maddie would always be safe.

Fresh Ink An Anthology

Edited by Lamar Giles co-founder of WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS

  

                                                         

Crown Books for Young Readers, Random House Children’s Books, NY 2018

Merriam-Webster - Definition of anthology. plural anthologies. 1. : a collection of selected literary pieces or passages or works of art or music.

FRESH INK is an enlightening collection of fiction which exposes what is lacking in the literature available today. It exemplifies the essence of the WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS movement by bringing together short stories and other genres written by award-winning diverse authors.

A non-white family is forced out of their home of twenty years by higher rents and the broken romance that’s left behind.

A young woman first recognizes her attraction to another girl.

A Native America denying their heritage to fit in with the popular kids.

An outstanding one-act play featuring victims of inner-city gun violence.

A young woman coming out to her grandmother and the peace she achieves in her acceptance.

A sci-fi featuring people of color saving the world.

A gang of non-violent kids who steal to survive but care about and support each other.

College kids united against hate and the view that non-persons of color just don’t understand.

Standing up to bullies.

The uncertainty of living in America on a green card.

A young woman having the courage to become a young man during their high school years.

A young woman entrusted with saving the world takes a giant leap of faith.

Twelve tales of true-life troubles. Fresh Ink is something to experience. I rated it a B+.

A side note of particular importance to me. I support #WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS, 100%. This anthology solidifies my position on that. We need more stories by authors with these experiences. The experiences of today’s diverse youth. However, I cannot ignore the fallout created by the #OWNVOICES a cause with a similar goal. I urge diverse authors to come forward and write more of these powerful truths. At the same time, I urge agents and editors not to ignore a gifted author’s ability through research to craft a world which they themselves have never experienced. 

If we are adamant about #OWNVOICES – who will soon be left to write about the World Wars, the Holocaust, landing on the moon? Even Corrine Duyvis originator of #OWNVOICES believes… “Q: Are you saying privileged authors shouldn’t write outside their experiences?  A: “No. People can write whatever they want; that goes both ways…”1

 “All #ownvoices does is center the voices that should matter most: those being written about.”2 

I agree, these voices matter. I just don’t believe it’s the only way a story can be told. I can write contemporary fiction about countries I’ve never been to. Can I write about the American Revolution? I didn’t live it but I can still experience a vision of it. Be open to the possibility of good writing, whatever the source.

1,2 Source: www.corinneduyvis.net/ownvoices/

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

By Erika L. Sanchez

Borzoi Book Publishers by Alfred A. Knopf, Penguin Random House

National Book Award Finalist, 2017

YA Contemporary

Julia’s older sister, Olga, is dead. Julia didn’t realize how much she loved and depended on Olga, but that’s not what is bothering her. Julia senses from the smirk on her dead sister’s face (I found this a bit of a stretch) that Olga had a secret. It’s only a twitch in the back of Julia's mind until she searches Olga’s room and finds lingerie and a hotel room key.

Their parents Ama & Apa are undocumented immigrants from Mexico. Ama runs a traditional household keeping her girls close and safe. Olga loved her parents and sat at home with them each evening, attended prayer circle with Ama and led too boring a life for Julia to understand.

Julia rebels, fights with Ama, is always sneaking out, getting caught, getting punished.

Olga is hit by a truck coming off the bus because Ama couldn’t pick her up because Julia got in trouble at school, again. Julia senses her mother blames her for her perfect daughter’s death. We go with Julia deeper into a depression that is so contained her friends and family don’t suspect.  Until one day they know.

Julia wants to be healthy and happy. She is sent to her grandmother, tias,  tios, and cousins in Mexico. Julia believed she was poor until she visited with them.

I haven’t mentioned Conor, her love interest, but it is a hopeful side story. Her BFF Lorena and her new friend Juanga are loyal and good to her, even while Julia learns to be good to herself.

I would love to share some of the secrets Julia uncovers in Mexico and upon her return, but I’m opposed to giving away the twists of the story.

Julia struggles. She keeps secrets and uncovers secrets as she learns about herself. Most importantly, Julia perseveres enough to get accepted to college and leave home. She needs and wants to be her own person.

I rate this a B+. A good story, a little slow in the middle, with a quiet hopeful ending – which is whatI love about this novel.