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February 4-March 29 , 2018

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THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF ELVIS PRESLEY by Ted Harrison

Published: September 15th 2016 by Reaktion Books

Read: September 2016How I Got It: Paperback ARC (256  pages) from Library Journal

Review published in Library Journal's The King’s Legacy | Arts & Humanities Reviews, October 15, 2016

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2016/10/books/nonfic/arts-humanities/the-kings-legacy-arts-humanities-reviews-october-15-2016/

MY HUSBAND'S WIFE by Jane Corry

Expected Publication: January 31st 2016 by Pamela Dorman Books
Read: December 2016
How I Got It: Paperback ARC (352 pages) from Library Journal

Review published in Library Journal Xpress Reviews January 5, 2017.

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2017/01/books/fiction/fiction-from-bauer-dial-mendoza-and-stachniak-plus-two-debuts-xpress-reviews/

WRECKED by Maria Padian

Published: October 4th 2016 by Algonquin Young Readers
Read: December 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 368 pages) from NetGalley 

Haley and Richard know each other from math tutoring, but they soon find out that they are linked in a disturbing way: Richard’s housemate is accused of raping Haley’s roommate. The two struggle to build a relationship with each other while at the same time being sucked into the college’s disciplinary process through supporting their respective friends. These characters were written with strong personalities so as to present opposing viewpoints of the situation through alternating perspectives. The writing to that point in the novel is strong, but the novel also seemed to be an experiment of how many times Padian could use the word “wrecked” throughout the narrative. The references to the title of the novel seemed forced when many other synonyms could have been used as alternatives.

As it’s told from the perspectives of two outsiders, the story offers a fresh viewpoint in the literature about sexual assault. Readers who want an honest view of sexual assault from both male and female perspectives may find this book enlightening. Also it presents the topic through a college environment where as many others are set in high school such as the eloquently written Courtney C. Stevens’s Faking Normal and the ever popular Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

THE CABIN by Natasha Preston

Published September 6th 2016 by Sourcebooks Fire 
Read: December 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 352 pages) from NetGalley 

What should have been an unsupervised, drunken, fun-filled weekend away, ends in tragedy when two teens are brutally murdered. Police find no signs of break in or forced entry to the cabin though, so that means one of the remaining five friends is the killer. Mackenzie Keaton trusts her friends though, so she launches her own investigation. Was there a break-in, was it one of her friends she'd known her whole life, or her new crush who is a relative stranger to the group? This story of deceit and suspense will keep readers guessing until the end.

While the plot is far from original, the strong characterization will keep readers interested. Readers of Preston's other professionally published works will not be disappointed as this is yet another terrifying story. This is a quick read that will leave readers feeling just a little off kilter for days after turning the very last page.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

THE TRESPASSER by Tana French

Published: October 4th 2016 by Viking
Read: November 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 464 pages) from NetGalley 
Series: Dublin Murder Squad- Book 6

Antoinette Conway and Stephen Moran are back in Tana French's most recent Dublin Murder Squad novel. In this novel, readers get the perspective of Conway as she and Moran try to solve a case that seemingly starts out as domestic violence. They'll soon find out that those closest to victim are keeping secrets, and even some of the other detectives are acting strange. Can Conway get to the bottom of this case, even with the squad (of all men) are doing things to try to push her out? 

Tana French (The Secret Place; Broken Harbour; Faithful Place; The Likeness; In the Woods) has created another beautifully written suspense novel. The dialogue is gripping, and readers will obsessively (not unlike some of this novel's characters) tear through the pages of this one. French offers diversions, and she keeps her readers guessing (about multiple plot lines) until the very end. Tana French's devoted fans will view this as a worthy installment to the series, and those new to the Dublin Murder Squad will appreciate this as an introduction. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

LEAVE ME by Gayle Forman

 

Published: September 6th 2016 by Algonquin Books

Read: November 2016

How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 352 pages) from NetGalley 

Maribeth Klein has it all: a job as editor, a husband, a set of twins, and lots of responsibilities. That’s why, when she has a heart attack, she dismisses the pain. She doesn’t believe that her condition is serious, until it becomes so, and her life is turned upside down. Soon the people she cared for were left to care for her, and not doing a very good job of it. Maribeth decides then to leave; leave her cell phone, her computer, her work, and her family. She starts a new life in a new city, and she tries to figure out who she is in the midst of this big crazy world.

Gayle Forman is an extraordinary writer, so extraordinary in fact that she can make readers fall in love with highly unlikable characters. Maribeth is a character who has done a very taboo thing by leaving her family with nothing but a note as a goodbye, and she makes some bad decisions along her journey as well. However, she is not a bad person, and Forman does a great job of showing all sides to this character. Forman is well known for her YA novels, If I Stay, Where She Went, Just One Day, Just One Year, Where She Went, and Sisters in Sanity, but this adult debut will appeal to both adults and her avid YA readers. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.