ENTER TITLE HERE by Rahul Kanakia

Publication August 2nd 2016 by Disney-Hyperion

Read: October 2016

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

Enter Title Here is a novel within a novel. The novel is being written by a high school senior, Reshma, who is contacted by a literary agent after writing a column for a local publication. Reshma decides that writing a novel and having an agent will help her get into Stanford. Reshma is a selfish cutthroat character that will do anything (something she says often) to get what she wants. When she cannot earn her grades, she results to finding loopholes and suing the school so that she can get the valedictorian spot and in turn attend Stanford.

The meta element of this novel will draw readers in, but putting up with the main character’s annoying personality may take some work. There are some supporting characters that make following through worth it though. Reshma’s friendships and her familial relationships are mentioned, but in going along with Reshma’s point of view as the author and narrator, her selfishness does not allow the reader time to truly enjoy those other characters. Ultimately, readers looking for a diary format YA novel might be better off with the darker subject matter of Anonymous Go Ask Alice or the humorous angst that Louise Rennison presents with Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. 

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

THE CRESSWELL PLOT by Eliza Wass

Published: June 7th 2016 by Disney-Hyperion

Read: June 2016 

How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 272 pages) from NetGalley 

The Cresswell family lives by God’s word and the word of their father. They do not live like the rest of society, partly because they believe this life is only temporary. Real life begins in Heaven where the six children, three boys and three girls, will marry one another and live eternally. Their father decides that the time has come for the family to go to Heaven, but Castley Cresswell realizes she may not believe as strongly as her family does. She has started attending public school and hanging out with other teens, and she’s not ready for her Earthly life to be over. Can she convince her brothers and sisters that their father may not be right? And can she do it in time?

The Cresswell Plot was a bit of a paradox. The novel was slow moving and predictable at times, but also, the ending seemed to come too quickly. It was interesting to experience this cult-like family, and see which members of the family would realize first that there may be a different way to live life. Readers who like books about outsiders and overcoming difficulties may like this book. Also, readers who liked Sarah Jude’s The May Queen Murders, about a small village of people living outside the norm, may also be drawn to this novel. 

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