Courtesy of Teens Read Too
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Emily the Strange is back in her second novel, STRANGER AND STRANGER. The last mystery has been solved and now her, her mom, and her awesome cats are off to another oddly-titled city. Once there though, Emily finds a way to duplicate herself and now has an OtherMe to deal with.

Things seem great at first: the two of them work on a Master Prank, turning everyone in the town strange; Emily finds a secret sewer to design a mural on (though she keeps this to herself); and each generally enjoys having a copy of the other.

However, things get bad when OtherMe believes she is the real Emily and turns into EvilOne. Can Emily stop things before her cats abandon her forever and she's stuck with all the blame? And just who exactly is her strange neighbor, Venus Fang Fang? More than she seems, of course!

Emily the Strange is not for everyone. The story isn't realistic in any way, but that's what makes half the fun. She's a strange little girl who loves cats, drawing, and being scientific. She hates company though, so having a double is bound to get annoying for her no matter what...if only that double wasn't a complete evil being.

I had a hard time getting through this book in places. I feel the first book flowed a lot faster, while this one seemed a bit more on the "Oh gosh, get on with it!" side. If people are fans of Emily, they are bound to love it. If you're not, or not yet, then obviously you should stick with the first book first and see what you think of the style.

I do love that the EMILY THE STRANGE books include fun drawings on basically every page and that it's told in a diary format. Those make it fun to read even during the boring bits.

Reviewed by:  Lauren Ashley
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A fun, quick read that somehow manages to include a diverse, supportive family, a girl who loves spiders, a fun twist on ghosts, and a pair of kids who get to be heroes!
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This book is part of a series so beware there is a cliffhanger.  I know some readers don't like cliffhangers - but this one you can work with since the sequel is already out.

This book is about Alexis, a teenager who although she is smart and responsible her parents still treat her different than they do her sister.  Strange things start to happen around Alexis and she starts to get memories of the past.  She realizes she's been marked for death and needs to learn to control her powers.  There are several more books in the series and even if you aren't a teen this series has something for you.
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Chasing Truth is a YA mystery filled with super spies, intrigue, romance and a touch of teen angst. The combination makes for a fabulous read! The book follows Ellie, a teenage girl who has left her con artist family and is now living with her sister, Harper and Harper's secret service boyfriend. Ellie's left her grifter life behind, but when her best friend Simon commits suicide, she can't let things go. She needs to figure out what happened that night, why he was pushed so far---or if it was truly a suicide at all. Turns out, Ellie's con artist skills are perfect to help her get close to people who might have more information than they've let on. Of course, the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous the search becomes.

What Fed My Addiction:

Ellie's backstory.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was learning about Ellie's past. We know pretty much from the start that Ellie used to be a con artist, but we don't know much beyond that. How did she end up living with her sister and a secret service agent? What made her leave the rest of her family? The details of Ellie's early life unfold throughout the book, and they're fascinating.

Miles and Ellie.
I'm a sucker for a good romance, so it's no surprise that I was more invested in Miles and Ellie as a couple than I was in the mystery Ellie was trying to solve---that's just me. Ellie has quite a few secrets, so she can't let anyone close to her. I don't want to spoil anything, so I feel like I can't go into any detail about how Ellie and Miles's relationship gets complicated---but let's just say that they end up finding their lives woven together in some major ways, but there are obstacles that threaten to tear them apart in others. The romance between Ellie and Miles is slow-developing (but not too slow!) and believable, and I was really hoping for a happy ending for these two (even against some pretty insurmountable odds). One more note: I appreciated the way sex was approached in this book---as something that you build up to in a relationship rather than just jumping into it at the first opportunity. (Not gonna lie, things still moved faster than would be my preference in real life, but the pace was a lot better than a lot of YA books I've read.)

That ending!
Throughout the book, I was kept guessing as to who the murderer was---or if there even was a murder. The ending of this book was pretty spectacular and kept me furiously turning the pages. I was very satisfied with the conclusion and how it all came together. Some aspects I expected, but there were also plenty of surprises.

What Left Me Hungry for More:

Felt a little long.
This book took me a little longer to get through than I expected it to. Even though I was really enjoying the story overall, I wasn't feeling compelled to pick the book up at first (to be fair, I was really busy and mystery isn't an automatic favorite genre---it was the romance that kept me coming back for more, and there was plenty of that too). Once I got about halfway through and the mystery really started to pick up, I got more engaged with that part of the story. It didn't hurt that the romance had kicked up a notch too. By the end, the pace was galloping and I was glued to the book until its conclusion!

Even though I'm not always a fan of crime story type mysteries, this one had enough other elements to keep me hooked. I'm eager to see where Cross takes the series in future books! I give this one 4/5 stars.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
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Trust by Kylie Scott is a coming-of-age novel of two teens connected by an irrevocable night that changes both their lives in different ways. Filled with emotion and drama, Ms. Scott's debut YA novel touches upon the subject of family, friendship, bullying, death, survivor's guilt, and evaluates what's really important in life.

Seventeen-year-old Edie Millen finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time when she goes to the convenience store in the middle of the night. Held at gunpoint during a robbery as a hostage with two other teens, Edie is saved by the heroic efforts of the two teens who were held hostage with her, one of whom is John Cole.

Unable to go back to her old life, with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she decides it's time for a change. Life is not infinite and soon Edie finds it hard to motivate herself to pursuing good grades, or attending class.  Going to the local public school, Edie makes new friends with a kind and supportive girl named Hang, talkative and goofy Anders, and most of all she makes friends with John.

Like Edie, John Cole's life will be forever changed after the night he saves her life, but instead of running wild and getting in trouble like Edie ends up doing, he changes his ways from being the bad boy with the bad reputation to being on the straight and narrow.  After years on the wrong side, dealing drugs with his older brother Dillon, he's now thinking about his future and wanting to do good.  When he and Edie are reunited, an unlikely bond grows as they share in their experience of surviving that one night, as well as, what they're feeling and dealing with afterwards.

What I enjoyed about Trust is how relatable and endearing Ms. Scott's characters are. Edie and John are supportive of each other and as their relationship grows from friendship to more, I found it believable and filled with emotion. My favorite character in the story was John.  He was a strong character and wanted a future: away from his brother, and from his past.  I loved how he was with Edie and helped bring her out of her shell.

Overall, Trust by Kylie Scott is a well-written novel that will have you wanting to see what is going to happen next.  I very much recommend.

(I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)
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Nessa is a junior in high school who loves running and runs cross country for her high school. Running is her ticket to a full scholarship. She needs this scholarship because without it she will never get into a good college. Her mom would help her out but she has her hands full just trying to put three kids through high school and putting food on the table.

Nessa and her sister help her mom out around the house with all the chores while she is working. Nessa also helps out with her little brother by being at home when he comes in from school and she also takes him to the clinic on Saturdays. She grabs every seconds she can to run though.

Nessa loves running in the woods at night sometimes. It is on one of these nights that she sees a wolf with his paw in a trap. Nessa tries to help the wolf but he is not making it easy for her. He keeps growling at her every time she gets near him. The next thing she knows there is another wolf knocking her down getting in her way of helping the wolf or so she thinks. When she turns to run away from the wolf he bites her and needless to say Nessa is now a werewolf. How is she going to keep this a secret from her mom and everyone else? Is it going to interfere with her running in anyway or maybe it will help?

While Nessa is trying to figure out what is happening to her and how to be a werewolf and what all that may entail; maybe she needs a book with a title like The Beginners Guide to Being a Werewolf or maybe Introduction to Becoming a Werewolf; she learns that the company that came in and saved their little town several years ago from becoming a ghost town has a little secret; one that may involve her little brother and other children in the town and Nessa will give it her all to find out what this company is up to and save all the children.

I have read several books about werewolves but I will have to say I don't think I have read anything quite like Weregirl before it is one of a kind. It had me guessing all the way through as to who is the grey wolf? I would think I had it figured out but then realize I was wrong. It had me guessing all the way to the end. I couldn't put it down I just had to know who the grey wolf was. I also kept trying to take some of the other wolves and pair them up with some of the kids at school. I would love to know more about Nessa, Bree, Luc, Chayton, The Grey Wolf and all the other wolves and I would also like to know where the other wolves hang out and live. Who are these wolves?

If you have not read Weregirl then I would like to suggest that you give it a try. I would recommend it for all ages.
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This was a very good read. I really like how even though this starts out with the two main characters teenagers, they aren't immature and annoying. They have some hard life experiences and have matured with them. I am so happy that book 2 is already out because I'm buying it right away.
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We have started reading through this series with our children aged 11 - 17 and we all enjoyed this book. After we started reading it, we were hooked. the story keeps you guessing at what's going to happen next. We usually read a chapter or two at bedtime and it makes for some really good cliff hangers. This is a great book for pre teens, teens, and the teenager in all of us adults. There is suspense, magic, mystery, and even some romantic elements. All in all, it's a pretty awesome book.
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If you're a fan of THE MIDNIGHT TWINS, or even if you've never heard of it, you're going to love this book!

LOOK BOTH WAYS by Jacquelyn Mitchard is a fun-filled book, with suspense, comedy, and even romance. It's definitely a book for everybody - there are elements of this novel that would be appealing for any different type of teen reader. Although it is geared for young adults, I think any age group could enjoy it.

Mally and Merry thought life had gone back to normal by the close of THE MIDNIGHT TWINS, but by the first couple of  chapters of their second adventure, they and their readers knew they were in for another wild ride.

The twins, one born the minute before midnight and one born the minute after, have odd dreams throughout the series. At the beginning of the novel, their visions and dreams start up again. They discover, partly through their visions, a secret that Eden, another character in the book, has been keeping from them; one that ties into an accident involving a girl on the cheerleading squad.

Can they figure out what's going on before it's too late?

This book is a fun, quick read - coming out just in time for summer!

Reviewed by:  Margaret Waterman
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At first I was a little put off by the idea that the second book in the Farsighted series was going to be told not from Alex's perspective, but Simmi's. I liked Alex's girlfriend just fine, don't get me wrong, but I'd grown rather attached to the sensitive blind boy. But then Open Heart and Simmi came along and it was like - POW! Author Emlyn Chand had hit another one right out of the park.

When I read teen fiction, I try not to read as a mom of three who's in her (cough cough) mid-thirties. I've learned a lot since I was a teenager millions of years ago. However, I think the more mature (in age only) audience runs the risk of missing the point when they approach teen fiction from a parent's more wizened perspective with years of Life Experience under their collective belts. They tend to see the world through a more narrowed focus instead of with a teen's wide-eyed wonder and intense passion.

Simmi is a sixteen-year-old girl and has some pretty big problems. Paranormal powers aside, she's dealing with a serious eating disorder, pressure from her parents to get perfect grades, conflicting feelings for two different guys, and some intense jealousy and self-hatred. Now I have no paranormal powers to speak of (although my children would probably claim I can read minds, particularly theirs) and I've never had an eating disorder, but I've certainly experienced all of that other icky stuff that bores into your brain and really wreaks havoc. It's hard enough to go through that when you're older and have a little experience to back you up, but it feels darn near impossible when you're a teenager. Chand could have taken a page directly from my own life at sixteen, and I suspect I'm not the only one who feels that way. And while the mom in me wanted to wrap Simmi in a hug and tell her to just hang in there, things always have a way of working out and that they really will get better, the young girl in me wanted to invite Simmi over to jump on the bed while belting out the lyrics to every Broadway tune we could think of. You know, just to make us feel a bit better.

Story aside, Chand's books are visually appealing inside and out. She's a prime example of an indie author who really knows what she's doing and takes great pride in her work. The next book in the Farsighted series, Pitch, can't come out fast enough.
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Prolific author Melody Carlson has successfully jump-started another real-to-life teen series, this time featuring tomboyish DJ Lane (aka Desiree), who has to figure out how to fit in at her grandmother's boarding house for teen fashion plates. Katherine Carter, once an international fashion model herself, has now retired. To supplement her income, she has opened a home for the wealthy, fashion-oriented young teenage girls to be groomed in culture and the finer ways of life. Too bad DJ has no use for such things as designer clothes, makeup and hair highlights. She would rather be outdoors playing sports than indoors playing dress-up.

Since her mother's death, DJ tried living with her dad, his new wife and their infant twins, only to feel like she was being used as a full-time babysitter. So she jumped at the chance to live with her maternal grandmother, even though the two are as different as night and day. Still, DJ is semi-excited to find out that two old friends are coming to board at Mrs. Carter's with her.

Rhiannon, a former neighbor girl with little funds, is taken in by Mrs. Carter and is a different person from who DJ remembered. The change? God. Rhiannon's home life was no picnic and she had discovered Christ to be her source of strength and hope. Then there is Casey, her one-time best friend forever turned Goth with her spiky, jet-black hair and the electric blue center piece, assorted facial piercings and thick black eyeliner. DJ almost doesn't recognize Casey, but her looks aren't the only alterations. Attitude --- lots of angry, bitter, in-your-face attitude --- now pours out of Casey as well. Like Rhiannon, Casey has a story of hard times, and her current outward appearance is her way of protecting herself. DJ just doesn't know what to think.

Then there are the "other" boarders --- Eliza, Taylor and Kriti --- three girls with money, individual egos and minds of their own. With the six young ladies sharing bedrooms and closet space, there are soon arguments, tantrums, backbiting and power plays --- all of which DJ is no match for. Especially difficult for her is the interplay between the girls and boys in town. One particular boy, Connor, is soon caught between DJ and their blossoming friendship, and the conniving Taylor, who is set on destroying DJ's chances with Connor as well as her reputation. Are there any winners here? DJ soon realizes that she is out of her depth and makes external and internal changes that have Connor and the girls noticing.

MIXED BAGS is an excellent beginning to a fun-filled, teen angst-driven lifestyle storyline that highlights the rich and famous...with all their peculiar habits, biases and prejudices. Melody Carlson's books always promise an emotional (and educational) ride to her readers --- and the first installment of the Carter House Girls series is no exception.

  --- Reviewed by Michele Howe
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I had the opportunity to read this amazing book before it was published (helps to know the author, right?). I was so impressed by the storyline in this book. Completely unique, and filled with engrossing characters who were at once sympathetic and enthralling.

This is the story of teen Ben who's renting a house where he lets other troubled teens live. None of them know it's his house, they believe it's owned by their landlord, the mysterious Mrs. Kremer. The story begins when Megan moves into the house, upsetting the sort of strange balance these teens have found together. Her move-in is particularly upsetting to Emily, who has something of a crush on Ben, especially when Ben quickly develops feelings for Megan.

It would be a good enough story just watching this group of troubled kids dealing with their many, many issues, but something wicked has come into the house and creates new tensions. Each teen deals with one another, their own issues, and the strange new happenings in their own unique ways until finally everything comes to an explosive head.

Debra portrayed each of the kids in such realistic ways that I wanted to reach into the book and pull them out and give them a hug and protect them from the hurts they were going through. This is not a light read, as others have stated, but it's so fascinating I found it very difficult to walk away from, and couldn't wait to get back to it. Great book that you'll find yourself thinking about long after you've finished it.
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I got the chance to read this book for free, in exchange for my honest opinion, through Book Look Bloggers.

My Review: I was so happy when I stumbled across this on Book Look Bloggers. Typically I don't read books out of sequence, I have yet to read the first book in this series, which I will eventually read. This book, like the rest in the series, is pretty easy to follow whether you've read the whole series, or just picked up one of the books on a whim.

In this third installment of the Samantha Sanderson series, the grades of Robinson have tampered with leading to a lot of angry students and parents. Sam enlists her best friend Makayla's ninja computer skills, to help find the virus, and the person who let it loose in the school's system. However, Sam's new friend Felicia is targeted as a suspect, and one of the school's newspaper writers posts this information on the blog, Sam has to decide to stick by Felicia or write the story as she sees it.

This is really a wonderful series for middle grade girls, it touches on topics like faith, bullies, friends, and doing the right thing. Even in my twenties, I still get life lessons from these books.

They also hold just the right amount of mystery too, while the last book had some predictability, this book had me guessing until the very end, and when it was reveled who did it

Positive Elements: Sam's Sunday school teacher Ms. Martha, asks her kids to pick out a Bible verse to use for their New Years Resolution. Sam picks out Love your neighbor and soon realizes it's more than just her next door neighbor, but also those in her community as well. Sam attempts to reach out to Aubrey. Nikki, Aubrey's best friend, apologizes to Sam for the way her friend treats her.

Negative Elements: Once again, Aubrey the mean girl of the series, makes sure she goes out of her way to purposely be mean to Sam. Aubrey considers Sam a liar and has no problem telling other people she feels that way.

Spiritual Elements: This is a Christian book, so of course, it is full of conversations and sequences about God, the Bible, praying, etc. However, once again, I feel the author did this perfectly and not once does it feel the book is preaching.

Other Thoughts: I love that the youth room has my favorite Bible verse, I think it's an important one. Which brings me to this: Even though it's August and not New Years just yet, I did decide to take a page from this book (no pun intended), and pick out my own verse that I can apply to my life. I choose my favorite 1 Timothy 4:12.
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Sylvie has been struggling with a strange disorder where she suddenly "leaves" her body behind where it crumples to the ground alarming family and friends. She and next door neighbor, Cassie, best friends since they were 10 years old, find themselves at odds over a boy: both like the same one and he has settled on Cassis. After discovering that there are other people out there like herself, Sylvie researches astral projection and finds that she may be able to control her disorder to her advantage, and this is when things get even more interesting.

Good characters with typical teenage problems (dealing with divorcing parents, siblings, fitting in, and loyalty) intermixed with the paranormal to give us an exciting and hard-to-put down young adult novel. I highly recommend this book and fervently hope that the author gives us more!
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Wow, I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel teenagers and young adults would love to read this book. I still love how Ava hates doing what she has to do and she so wants to change it, but no matter what it comes back to haunt her.  Now that her love of her life is a seeker, because of her choice to bring him back to life in the last book, will he forgive her, can she teach him about auras because her new handler wants her to teach Cole. She has to make a decision on saving her mother or saving others, can she make that choice.  Will all the choices she has to make be the right ones?  I so had a hard time putting this down, just cause I had to know what was going to happen and what was going to happen next.  I received an ARC copy for my honest review.
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First in Alyssa Rose Ivy's Afterglow trilogy, Beckoning Light evokes The Secret Garden, Narnia, and other young adult fantasies. Brother and sister Charlotte and Kevin follow a well-worn path of parentless teens when they return to South Carolina from Alaska. Their mother was lost in a car accident a while ago, and their father's gone travelling. So the teens return home to their uncle just a few days before school begins.

The story's told in first person through Kevin and Charlotte's eyes. Different view-points on the same events and conversations create a pleasing sense of real-world teenagers. Kevin's confident and over-protective, but his athletic skills mean other players might lose their place on school teams so he's not over-popular. 15-year-old Charlotte's quiet and shy but her friends have moved on and she struggles with loneliness and an excessive desire to please. Meanwhile there's a glow at the bottom of the garden where Charlotte and Kevin's mother used to stand. The locked gate beckons.

That Charlotte will find another world behind the gate is almost a given. The author creates a nicely imagined middle-ages civilization with magic and politics, devious plotters and honest helpers betrayed. The clash between good and evil becomes a question of choices and some surprising decisions are made.

The story's clearly incomplete, and it's intriguing enough to make me want to read more. I liked the switching view-points and I'm curious which of many love interests will finally get the girl. I guess I'm hoping Charlotte will learn to make better choices in her own life as the series progresses too, as her real-world sense of self-preservation is still running on Alaska time.

Disclosure: I received a free ecopy from Enchanted book promotions in exchange for my honest review.
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Title: Every Other Day
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: Egmont USA
Number of Pages: 352
Date of Release: December 27th, 2011
Summary From Goodreads:

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . . She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human.

Review: I am a huge fan of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's writing and when I saw the summary for this novel, I literally could not wait to read this book! The cover is stunning and compliments the novel perfectly. Every Other Day brings a whole new concept to the paranormal genre and will leave fans of Jennifer's Raised by Wolves series begging for more.

I love everything about Kali, especially her name she shares with the goddess of destruction. It was intriguing watching her be the predator one minute and prey the next. It led to a lot of character analysis that really gets the reading thinking about what makes Kali tick. To not give anything away I will just say that I loved all the minor characters as well, because they all brought another element specific to them to the story that had me laughing and crying.

While at first glance the world Kali lives in is very similar to what we know of today. As we delve deeper in the story we see that while there are many similarities, there are some key things that changed in the past that have led to major repercussions on this new world. I found this world to be shocking yet I found that it could have been entirely possible in this day. That is what pretty much made the novel the fact that the setting was so believable.

I highly recommend this novel to my readers. If you like novels with wild twists and turns, and action Every Other Day is the novel for you.