NO LOVE ALLOWED by Kate Evangelista

Published April 19th 2016 by Swoon Reads
Read: July 2016
How I Got It: Paperback (approximately 256 pages) from Swoon Reads via Goodreads Giveaways 
(Note: I entered a Goodreads Giveaway for another book from Fiewel & Friends, but received this book instead. Swoon Reads publishes under Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan). 
Series: Doge Cove (subsequent book to be published October 2016).

Caleb has one rule: no falling in love. As a result, he breaks a lot of hearts. When he breaks up with the daughter of one his hot-shot lawyer father’s clients, it means a summer law internship and attendance at all of the corporate parties. And he can’t go alone, so in order to keep with his rule, he decides to hire a fake girlfriend for the summer.

Didi is a painter and completely opposite from Caleb’s rich-kid crowd. She has a few manic episodes, but they are well-taken care of by her meds. Caleb finds her interesting, and she agrees to his one rule. She decides to immerse herself into Caleb’s world, complete with a high society makeover, simply because she doesn’t have anything else to do with her summer. Will their fake relationship make it through the summer, or will they break the rules?

The novel is in third person switching between the perspectives of Caleb and Didi, but it begins rather bizarrely. The initial point of contact between the two main characters seems forced and inconsistent with how the characters are revealed through the rest of the story. Also, Didi’s mental illness plot line is clichéd as this storyline is popular in current YA releases: manic girls goes off her meds and chaos ensues. Awareness for mental illness is important, but, on that topic, a reader would be better off picking up Emery Lord’s When We Collided. However, readers looking for a quick romantic read will enjoy this novel, they just have to push through the first few chapters. 

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

BLOOD DEFENSE by Marcia Clark

Published May 1st 2016 by Thomas & Mercer
Read: May 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 400 pages) from NetGalley 
Series: Samantha Brinkman (subsequent book to be released Nov. 2016)

Samantha Brinkman is a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles. She doesn’t get many paying clients, she’s behind on her bills, and her office is in gang territory. So when a high profile case comes her way, she can’t turn it down. An LAPD officer has been accused of killing a Hollywood starlet and her roommate. The case soon becomes more personal than Sam could’ve imagined though, and she becomes a crime investigator more than a lawyer. Sam is unsure of the innocence of her client, but she has to prove reasonable doubt- for her client and for herself.

Marcia Clark has experience in the courtroom; she’s best known for her role in the OJ Simpson trial. Clark uses that experience to create a well-timed and believable fictional crime story. The main trial is interspersed with other smaller cases that allowed the reader to really see Sam in action. Also there were just enough personal details spread throughout to keep the reader caring about the characters and the outcomes. However, the reader is kept guessing. There were many twists and turns and a new surprise every few pages. Clark kept the story unpredictable, and the ending is shocking enough to leave the reader craving the sequel. 

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

FLAWED by Cecelia Ahern

Published April 5th 2016 by Feiwel & Friends 
Read: April 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 368 pages) from NetGalley 

Series: Flawed (subsequent book to be released in 2017)

Celestine North lives a perfect life… that is, until she doesn’t. No one suspects that Celestine, whose boyfriend is the son of one of the Guild’s most powerful judges, would aid a Flawed, but Celestine’s world of black and white and logic require her to show compassion to sick man no matter his societal status. Because of Celestine’s act she is forced to go on trial so that society can determine whether her act of helping a Flawed man means that she is Flawed as well. People who are found to be Flawed must be branded and forced to live a bland life. The Flawed are mocked, ridiculed, and treated like criminals even though their flaws may have been minimal offenses like infidelity or lying. Celestine’s case may be the turning point for the entire system, however. She will turn into the poster girl for a movement that is trying to overturn some of the rules of the Guild and change a system that is, in itself, flawed.

Cecelia Ahern writes an intriguing story about a dystopian society. The concept of the book is great, however, the execution was lacking. There is so much information introduced, so many characters, and almost too many separate events occurring for Celestine that it’s hard to keep up. It is important to the story to see what Celestine is going through, but there were so many annoying little things to read through as well like Celestine’s reliance on her boyfriend, a flat character that only seems to be written so that Celestine could have a tie to the judge (oh, and he has to be jealous of another character for a minute because what’s YA lit without a love triangle?). Also, after all of that build up, this may be viewed as a spoiler, but there is zero resolution. This book will be a part of a series, but even knowing that fact, the ending of this book was still disappointing. 

Possible Read-Alike: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan (The branding especially is similiar to this dystopian novel about a gene that determines whether a person will become a murderer). 

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

FIND HER by Lisa Gardner

Published February 9th 2016 by Dutton
Read: February 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 416 pages) from NetGalley 
Series: Detective D.D. Warren Series ( # 8)

Flora Dane was kidnapped and forced to live in a pine box. It has been five years since her terrifying final days with her kidnapper, and she is not adjusting well to the life of a survivor. When she hears about the recent abduction of Stacey Summers, she cannot help but turn into a vigilante. This is where her path crosses with Detective D.D. Warren. Just as Flora’s having trouble adjusting, D.D., on restricted duty due to a shoulder injury, doesn’t like being chained to a desk either. Both women take their own paths to find Stacey, but both also have a lot to learn if they are to find her alive.  

Lisa Gardner writes an intriguing mystery that hooks the reader from the very first sentence. Not only is the story a genius concoction of past and present crimes, it is a story that makes the reader feel. Annoyance, fear, and disgust are just a few of the emotions the reader will inhabit while switching between the perspectives of Flora (both past and present) and the detective. Gardner’s writing devices, the perspective switch as well as her repetition of phrases (“nobody wants to be a monster”) work well to add suspense. Readers who love mystery will speed through the pages of D.D. Warren’s latest case. Although this is the eighth novel of Garner’s Detective D.D. Warren series, it works as a standalone, and readers should not shy away from entering D.D.’s world now. 

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

ILLUMINAE by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

        

Published October 20th 2015 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Read: November 2015
How I Got It: Purchased Hardcover (599 pages) from Amazon
Series: The Illuminae Files (subsequent books to be released in 2016 and 2017)

In the year 2075, people travel through space, artificial intelligence has a name and personality, and terrorism is unfortunately still a problem.  When the Kerenza colony is attacked by a company called BeiTech Industries, Kady and her boyfriend (or is it ex-boyfriend?), Ezra, are forced into a war. There is battle carrier action, a disease turning the ship inhabitants into zombie-like creatures, and a supercomputer (AIDAN) with a god-complex. The book is set up like a dossier of the “incident” including news briefs, chat conversations, surveillance footage, and data straight from AIDAN’s core. The text is not always linear; the words twist and turn on the page to reflect the ships in battle and become convoluted with a mix of ones and zeros when AIDAN becomes damaged. 

In the midst of war, there is still romance, humor, and strong character development. Young adult readers, especially those who prefer short text message language, will enjoy the way this story is written. Readers will also love the mix of outer space, warfare, zombies, and technology that this book presents. Kady and Ezra are relatable characters, and seeing this war through their eyes allows it to be exhilarating yet somehow a little less scary. Knowing that this book is part one of an upcoming series, the Illuminae Files, lends to the fact that the characters will be okay even if there are many yet unanswered questions.