THE PRISONER OF HELL GATE by Dana I. Wolff

Published: July 5th 2016 by Picador
Read: July 2016
How I Got It: Paperback ARC (224 pages) from Library Journal

Review published in Library Journal Xpress Reviews July 28, 2016.

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2016/07/books/fiction/fiction-from-avit-gregson-hiaasen-london-walker-plus-debuts-and-mississippi-noir-xpress-reviews/

THROW AWAY GIRLS by Jennifer Vaughn

Published July 2nd 2016 by Waldorf Publishing
Read: July 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 348 pages) from NetGalley 

Jaycee Wilder is a dedicated on-air reporter who gets involved in a story about three murdered women in an underground sex community. She works closely with Detective James Barton to get justice for these girls even going undercover to perform her own investigation. Set in Los Angeles, the scenery becomes part of the story, and Jaycee’s boyfriend is even an actor with several roles on TV crime dramas. It is unknown why Jaycee becomes so attached to these murdered “throw away girls,” but she becomes so closely involved that she may also become a victim.

Throw Away Girls is told in third person perspective often switching between perspectives of multiple characters. This device truly takes away from the story, and it adds to the already poor characterization. The plot is interesting, but the execution does not allow the reader to feel anything for the characters. The progression of the story is also quite predictable, and the mystery and crime aspects lack motive. Dedicated mystery fans should skip this one for more developed crime procedurals, but if readers want a quick emotionless read as a palate cleanser, this is the pick.

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

TAG, YOU'RE DEAD by J.C. Lane

Published July 5th 2016 by Poisoned Pen Press

Read: July 2016

How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 338 pages) from NetGalley 

What happens when you mix smartphone technology with a deadly game of Tag? Well, you get J.C. Lane's Tag You're Dead. In this debut novel, Lane introduces six teenagers: three Its and three runners. The Its have paid good money to chase...and kill... their runners, but if the runner gets to Home Base first, the game is reversed and It is in danger. Welcome to the Game.  

Upon reading the synopsis for this novel, one might wonder how the technology can be executed for such a game. Lane clearly explains the details: the smart watches that cannot be taken off, the motivation for the runners to play along, and even the skewed logic of the Its. Lane has created a dystopian future where this type of game is possible not unlike Joelle Charbonneau did in Need as well as other authors’ novels such as Jeanne Ryan’s Nerve and even Lauren Oliver’s Panic. Lane's novel is a fast-paced narrative told in the multiple perspectives of the players, and any YA reader can find something to enjoy this dangerous chiller. 

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

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. 

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. 

SECURITY by Gina Wohlsdorf

 Expected Publication  June 7th 2016 by Algonquin Books

Read: June 2016

How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 288 pages) from NetGalley 

The Manderley is the safest hotel. It has the highest security: former Navy SEAL security personnel, countless hidden cameras, and even a secret elevator. However, the tight security can still be breached; The Killer roaming the hotel is proof. Readers get to experience the suspense through the many angles of the security cameras as the unknown (for the majority of the novel) narrator peers through the different lenses. The only people occupying the hotel are staff members as the hotel has not yet opened to the public, but the small cast of characters allows for the reader to become attached to every one of them... and make the deaths even more terrifying.

The format is original, and the jumping around of scenes keeps the reader on edge. The writing is superb; the narration goes from seemingly cold at the beginning to a first person narrative that causes the reader to feel the anxiety of the characters. Horror fans of authors such as Stephen King and Harlan Coben will devour Gina Wohlsdorf’s first novel. 

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

SCARLETT EPSTEIN HATES IT HERE by Anna Breslaw

Published: April 19th 2016 by Razorbill

Read: May 2016 

How I Got It: Hardcover (288 pages) from Uppercase Box* 

Scarlett's favorite TV show gets cancelled, her crush starts dating a popular girl, and things are not looking good. She decides to keep writing fan-fiction for the show despite its cancellation, but she bases her characters off of people that she knows. When others read her stories and deem them judgmental and mean, Scarlett is forced to reevaluate herself and her writing. Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here is laced with some deep issues, but the focus on Scarlett as a writer keeps the story light and engaging.

The novel is interspersed with Scarlett's fan-fiction as well as chats with Scarlett's online writing group. Breslaw truly brings the reader into Scarlett's world, and it is a hilarious, snarky, sarcastic journey. Scarlett is a highly relatable character, and Breslaw introduces a cast of characters with lots of personality to compliment her and teach her the lessons she needs to learn. Scarlett’s 73 year old neighbor Ruth is especially interesting as she is a feminist, pot-smoker who doesn’t sugarcoat things for Scarlett. Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here is a quick read that will make readers laugh out loud. Every teen and adult can learn something from Scarlett and have a good time while doing it. 

*Uppercase Box is  a Young Adult Monthly Subscription Box (https://www.uppercasebox.com/)