A good YA read on difficult subjects
921098
Like Moonlight at Low Tide was certainly a very emotional story. It starts off with a vague description of what happened at the beginning of Melissas senior year, and then mentions the suicide of someone dear to her. BAM!  Right off the bat. Except she never names the person who does it. She simply names the three potential fellows who could have: Her brother Robby, her long-time crush Sam, and her new friend Josh.
One who loves her. One who couldnt. And one who didn't know how.

I read this book chomping on my fingernails, unsure who would commit suicide before the end and terrified to get too attached and have my heart broken as well as Melissas. I determined to stay as far away from these guy characters as possible, unfortunately Melissa did not have any premonition of what was to come and so spent a lot of time in the presence of each guy and I ended up coming to care deeply for them (well except for Sam, I didn't really like him) even though I had determined not to.

This made the reading all the more nerve wrecking. Im surprised that I have hair and nails leftover from this book, but I did like the ending. Though I think I would have liked just a little bit more closure.

This book deals with the very tough subject matters of suicide and bullying and abandonment, but it does so very well.

I received a copy of this book for free. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
545563
A moving YA suspense-mystery with some dark themes. The novel is fast-paced and switches between two POVs. Although the story flows well throughout most of the book, the ending is abrupt and doesn't offer closure. Overall, a good novel to promote conversations about some serious themes.

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1297030
I really liked this YA novel because the characters were all very strong in personality and quirks. It was a mystery why they all ended up in this camp for troubled teens which made it that much more interesting to keep reading. At one point in the novel, Cassie, who is the teen we can assume has the most troubled past reaches a low point and rather than feel sorry for her, I became frustrated with the author for taking readers around and around in circles with her. The story moved forward, but then it just kept winding around and around with the same confrontations, same reactions. Overall I enjoyed it. I appreciated the spectrum of emotions within the novel (humor, mystery, drama, romance, joy) that I gave it a four out of five.
1802479
A nice YA coming-of-age story about finding your own way and making your own decisions.  Discovering your own beliefs and realizing they not be the same as your parents or those around you, and that that's OK.  Although I would say the book would mostly appeal to a teenage audience, adults will enjoy it as well.
3264393
Ill give this book four stars for being well above average so far as YA novels go, though it didn't speak to me enough to merit five stars. The authors prose style was lovely, though it made for a jarring contrast with the teen characters profanity-peppered dialogue. I also found her choice of names for certain significant characters a bit distracting; Triinus name isn't too bad, since her family is of proud Estonian stock, and I think the author intended her name to set her apart as a parallel to her sexuality, but I kept stopping to wonder whether the u at the end is supposed to be pronounced oo or uh. The more glaring examples were the first objects of Triinus fascination, Deirdre and Ursula - what the heck are names like that doing in rural Oregon during the 1990s?

The portrayal of the main character, Triinu, was a nuanced and accurate depiction of an outcast teenager struggling to define herself. Though I sympathized with Triinus loneliness, fear, and longing for true love, I often wanted to reach into the pages and shake her for her fickleness, bouts of ridiculous adolescent pretension, and refusal to see her first love, Ursula, for the self-centered brat she really was. I outright cheered when Triinu finally told Ursula to take a hike, but was disappointed that childhood friend Isabel never called Triinu out for abandoning her when she herself was going through a rough time, especially since Isabel unquestioningly supported Triinu throughout the Measure 9 controversy. I sometimes felt that the villains in the book, Pip Weston and Principal Pinn, were reaching almost cartoonish levels of malice, but never having been the victim of anti-gay sentiment myself, I don't feel Im in a position to judge the accuracy of their portrayals. I liked Forgive Mes take on faith and religion in this novel - it was interesting to see a character trying to reconcile her religious beliefs and her sexual orientation in contrast to the general opinion that Christianity and homosexuality go together about as well as water and oil.

Overall, I found this book to be a well-written, interesting, and alternately heartwarming and slightly frustrating coming-of-age story about a girl who finds her life both complicated and enriched by her attraction to other girls. For all the drama Triinu goes through, both externally imposed and self-inflicted, she emerges as a stronger, wiser, and generally better person at the end, and her future looks a good deal more hopeful than her stormy high school period.

Oh, and if any parents are looking at this book, be warned - it does contain some rather frank depictions of teenage sex.
2114536
Three sisters find they've developed abilities that they can't explain, but their father can.  Although their abilities offer them almost super-human capabilities, they come with a down-side.  Unless they can find the antidote to whatever their father did, they're going to die.  Added to that is the fact that their abilities make them freaks in their school.  For high school girls, that's almost worse than dying.  They struggle, and their struggle is worth the read.  A good book.
3207809
3.5/5 stars

I Have Lost My Way is a contemporary standalone novel. It is listed as Young Adult. But it doesn't really feel like YA to me. They are 19 years old. I guess since they are teens and their parents are so involved in their lives that it could be considered YA. But I'm used to YA being under 18.

The book takes place in New York City. The book takes place in 1 day, but it doesn't really feel that way (as there are lots of flashbacks).

The book has three third person POVs: Freya, Harun and Nathaniel. Freya is a half Ethiopian, half Jewish singer who is on the verge of becoming the next big star. Harun's family is Muslim and from Pakistan. He is scared to tell his parents who he loves. And Nathaniel has arrived in NYC with a backpack. He has basically had to take care of his dad for most of his life.

They have each suffered losses. Each of them has lost their way. They meet unexpectedly.

As mentioned this book takes place in one day. However we get flashbacks of each of their pasts as they describe their childhoods. It was very interesting to see what each of them went through as kids.

The beginning started with Freya. And I was so intrigued by her story. I was fascinated by what was happening with her voice. And the story with her dad and sister was riveting.

Harun's family was also very interesting. And I enjoyed learning more about his culture.

Nathaniel had a difficult childhood, being forced to take care of his dad. The things that he went through were very different and unusual.

The three stories start separately but then intertwine. I thought that it was very interesting how their storylines connected.

All three stories were quite fascinating on their own. So I'm not exactly sure why I didn't connect to this book more. I think that part of it was the third person POVs. And maybe part of it was that the POVs changed so often that it was difficult to really connect with any of the stories.

There is some romance in this story. Although I would say that the focus is more on family and friendship.

How I feel at the end of a book is very significant. The ending is everything to me. And to me the ending of this book was lacking. I wanted more. I definitely wanted to know what happened to each of the narrators. And I did not feel satisfied with the ending chosen.

This book was definitely not really what I was expecting at all. The author does tell a unique story. The title was meaningful. And the book deals with many important and relevant issues. However, I just wanted more.

Thanks to edelweiss and Viking Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read this book.
4576245
I read this book because a friend recommended it to me. I didn't expect it to be nearly as good as it was, looking at the back of the book and reading the reviews on here. It has solid characters and nice character development (particularly Todd's character development), and villains that actually creeped me out, which is very rare in a YA series. This is a great read as far as dystopian fiction goes, especially in the YA genre, which is bogged down with frustrating reads such as The Forest of Hands and Teeth and an abundance of romance-centered novels (the Matched series, for example). For those who prefer an action series with serious and dark themes to an emotionally-charged love story, this is the book for you.

This is sometimes considered too violent or too mature for the YA genre because of all the violence and the adult themes, but that may just be the reason that young adults should read it. The premise of the story is that a boy is coming into adulthood (in a dystopian society where all men can hear each other's thoughts and the women have all died) and must learn what it means to be a man. As such, there are a lot of hard lessons and mature themes that the boy has to face. It wouldn't be as strong a story if it were toned down for children, and it wouldn't make a statement. This book is meaningful. It expresses the journey from boyhood to manhood quite well, even though the setting is much different from today's world. It's all presented in a package that feels like you're really in the story, with colloquial language and plenty of grammar and spelling errors that one would expect from a relatively uneducated boy.
3866115
This little book is intended for a YA audience, but appeals to adults as well.  The story of two teenaged "misfits" who befriend and support each other, the book touches upon themes of family violence, bullying, insecurity and lonliness.  Although set in the mid 1980's these topics continue to be relevant today.  The author appears to be in touch with the teenaged mindset.  Dialogue is "spot on" and the tenderness contained within, conveys a feeling of hope.
552334
Like many "YA" books, many themes in the book transcend an age group. For example, standing up for what you believe in even in the face of strong opposition (or wishing you had, after the fact), and ending an unhealthy relationship/friendship. Also like in life, the ending wasn't fairy-tale happy and there's no rewind for poor decisions. What's important is to grow from hardships, as demonstrated by Anika. The book definitely had humor too. (And a tiny bit of foul language and sexual language, FYI.) I'd think it'd mostly appeal to females, but I think all people can relate to wanting to stand up to a "mean girl" and the struggle to stay true to oneself despite peer pressure or the appeal of the easy way out.
2335355
This book has faced challenges in many schools and communities. Check out the interview with Stephen Chbosky from Word Riot on his response to some of the challenges.

My response: What's more important - a few things you don't agree with, or a powerful story about a teenage boy learning to deal the world around him? I know, what a silly question.

I'll be honest, I had a hard time with this book at first. I spent the first part of the book wondering whether Charlie was supposed to have emotional problems or whether the writing was just awkward. When it became clear that Charlie did have emotional problems, I started to wonder why nobody but me seemed to notice. But then comes the big reveal... And Chbosky does it so well that it made the whole rest of the book shift into focus, and I could see why this is such a powerful book for so many teenagers.
3293207
This book was an impressive example of young adult fiction. Often, YA Fiction these days touches on nothing but the trivial, vapid subjects that riddle the media, but, as Gail Giles is apparently known to do, Right Behind You travelled way beyond that. I was drawn to the controversial subject of a story from the killer's view, the more so because I couldn't really decide who to side with in the end: the victim or the murderer, who was actually something of a victim himself. Even though I couldn't necessarily forgive Kip for his previous crimes, I could still feel for him and wish him the best for the future. Books like this beg the question: what would I do in this position? The position of the victim's family members? Kip's new friends? A difficult situation all around. For a YA book to tackle such a topic was a great feat, and for the most part, it was a success. Definitely alters the way one views forgiveness.

Additionally, the design of the book itself was intriguing. I actually picked it up initially because of its atypical size. The short pages helped to move the story along, and caused a deceptively quick, poignant read.
3843625
I usually don't read Y/A books, but this one caught my eye, so I downloaded it.  The writing was strong and it takes a person back to that painful first love and a teen on the verge of leaving home for college for the first time.  And what to do with the surly, dropout boyfriend.  It had an unusual presentation, shifting back and forth between two girls who don't know each other.  Amelia is dead at the first of the book, and her story is told in retrospect.  The other girl, Becca, has just graduated from high school and is college-bound and afraid of leaving the familiar town she grew up in, and her boyfriend who is beginning to act very strange.  The only problem I saw with the book is that there just wasn't much logical cause/effect between the trauma of the discovery of the dead girl and Becca's decision about college and her boyfriend. Most of it seemed just unfortunate circumstance rather then her becoming aware of some greater realization about men or brutal crime that might affect her own future. She probably would have made the same decision if none of this would have happened.
4293530
Middle school & High school are tough years. Peer pressure threatens to change/define who we really are. The author portrays a teen's experience as she struggles to navigate her way through these challenges. The story encompasses feuds between friends, relationship struggles, the allure of alcohol and above all, a glimpse that she will be able to overcome all of it as she learns to define herself not by the pressure from others, but by the values that SHE finds to be important. This is a good, quick read that would benefit teens and parents who feel they are going through similar issues.
3986582
I will be honest - I read this book because of the cover. I was intrigued by it from the first time I saw it. Realistic fictional YA novels, especially those narrated in the first person, are not high on my preferred reading list. But this is one of the best I've read lately.

I liked the book. It had a strong main character and good narrative flow. I think this could be a fine reading choice for any young woman feeling judged. There were many good secondary characters who helped Hermione through her trauma.  The cover photo turned out to be a perfect choice for the book as well. It's an excellent representation of the story inside. The cheerleader on the cover is both at the top of her game and extremely vulnerable, partly in sunlight and partly in shadow.

The publisher description is misleading, I think. The thing I would emphasize most when describing this book is not the relationship between Hermione and Polly but how Hermione stays strong, grows into adulthood, and capably handles her traumatic experience.

A reveal about three fifths of the way in was hinted at from the first chapter and didn't come as a surprise, nor did I think it really added to the story. It's not enough to write an issue book these days, you must write an issues book.

I originally thought it was too soon to have a teen heroine named Hermione, but that didn't end up bothering me at all. One thing I didn't feel was the connection to Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, aside from the character names. Its cute that the team name is the Golden Bears, but some of the language trying to tie this book to the plot of The Winters Tale is quite belabored.

That aside, I recommend this to readers of realistic young adult fiction, especially readers looking for empowering messages for young women about rape and choice.
2387150
One of the things I love about the YA genre is that, as of recently, YA authors tackle themes of difference and marginalization far better than authors of general and literary fiction. The Radius of Us is part of this burgeoning group of social justice oriented YA literature. The novel follows Gretchen, a young white American woman who is battling the trauma of a recent attack, and Phoenix, a Salvadoran immigrant seeking asylum in the U.S. after entering the country from Mexico. The author takes on so many themes here: sexual violence, trauma, mental health, Central American gang violence, and refugee migration to name a few. While the storyline is indeed intriguing, I found that the character development, dialogue, and narrative exposition all fell flat. I wanted Gretchen and Phoenix to be more complex; I was hoping that the dialogue would pull me in; I wished that the narration had captured my attention and made me deeply invested in the story. I wanted to be wholly engaged in the novel, but I simply wasnt. That's not to say that it isn't a solid read; it is. I just think that it could have had more layers, more dimension.

I received an e-galley of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3006492
3 1/2 I love YA books and this was a good one.  It took a bit for me to get into, but once there I enjoyed the journey and the characters I met along the way.  Magical creatures living among us and yet we don't realize it.  That is a great premise for a YA book, who doesn't want to believe that?

I have read another book by this author, Far Corners, and I enjoy the way she writes and the stories she weaves.  The main little elf like character finds himself needing the help of others and those others are not of his choosing.  Being tossed in with people or creatures we feel we have nothing in common with is difficult, but if you go with the flow some of those experiences are the best times you can recall and I think the characters from this book discovered that truth.  Let yourself have experience you wouldn't normally have and watch what you learn and who you meet.  It could change your life and theirs.

I think that anyone who enjoys fantasy and YA will find this book to their likin.  Give it a try.