How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski Pages : 307 Genre : YA, Contemporary Stand alone My Rating : 2.5/5 From the back of the book : Rosie’s always been impulsive. She didn’t intend to set her cheating ex-boyfriend’s car on fire. And she never thought her attempts to make amends could be considered stalking. So when she’s served with a temporary restraining order on the first day of summer vacation,...

Parallel by Lauren Miller Pages : 381 Genre :  YA, Speculative fiction Stand alone My Rating : 3/5 From the back of the book  : Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She’d go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is...

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight Pages : 384 Genre :  Mystery Stand alone My Rating : 3.5/5 From the back of the book  : Litigation lawyer and harried single mother Kate Baron is stunned when her daughter’s exclusive private school in Park Slope, Brooklyn, calls with disturbing news: her intelligent, high-achieving fifteen-year-old daughter, Amelia, has been caught cheating. Kate can’t believe that Amelia, an...

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson Pages : 378 Genre :  YA, Fantasy Series : The Rithmatist, book 1 My Rating : 4.5/5 From the back of the book  : More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings — merciless...

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales Pages : 288 Genre :  YA, Contemporary fiction Stand Alone My Rating : 4/5 From the back of the book  : Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets...

The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace Pages : 229 Genre :  YA, Contemporary fiction Stand Alone My Rating : 2,5/5 From the back of the book  : Madelyn Hawkins is super smart. At sixteen, she’s so gifted that she can attend college through a special program at her high school. On her first day, she meets Bennett. He’s cute, funny, and kind. He understands Madelyn and what she’s endured – and missed out on...

You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle Pages : 355 Genre :  YA, Contemporary fiction Stand Alone My Rating : 4/5 From the back of the book  : For the rest of the world, the movies are entertainment. For Justine, they’re real life. The premise was simple: five kids, just living their lives. There’d be a new movie about them every five years, starting in kindergarten. But no one could have predicted what the...

Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson Pages : 336 Genre :  YA, Contemporary fiction Stand Alone My Rating : 4/5 What it’s about  : When Violet comes across a centuries old painting of a girl who could be her twin, she feels like this is her opportunity to answer all the questions she has about who she is. Before long, she has planned a wonderful summer in Italy for herself, where she plans on discovering her link to the...