Michelle and Leslie's Book Picks

Title: Solitaire Author: Alice Oseman Expected publication: March 30th 2015 by HarperTeen Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Goodreads | Amazon | The BookDepo Everything about this book screamed familiar to me. Not because I've read this before but because I wanted to. I've been waiting for it. And it was so exciting. From the start I knew I'd love this because the story is set in some charming British school, which is always code for a good time. There's also Victoria Spring, who was an amazing main character. What really set her apart is how troubled she was, yet it was so realistically portrayed, just like you would see it in real life, very subtle, very quietly destructive. To see her struggle was both heartbreaking and eye-opening. And if our main girl is not your typical YA heroine, our main guy couldn't be cookie-cutter either. There's Michael Holden, who is probably one of the most memorable characters I've ever read. So happy and ecc...

Title: My Best Everything  Author:  Sarah Tomp Young Adult Contemporary Published March 3rd 2015 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository ________________________________________________   Unexpected. Brilliant. There are quite a few adjectives that come to mind after reading 'My Best Everything' but I don't plan on writing them all and use all my space. Instead I want to tell you how amazing this story will make you feel. Lulu's idea of selling moonshine to furnish her way to college. She is a smart girl in a small town; we've seen it before, right? Not like this. Never like this. Because Lulu is about to find out she is smart, but not in the way she always thought. So she enlists the help of her best friend Roni and her boyfriend Bucky, who she has known all her life, and of course the mysterious, older bad boy Mason. And it all goes downhill from here (or uphill, depending on how you see it) because you ...

Title: I'll Meet You There Author: Heather Demetrios Published February 3rd 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Drama Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depo    It is my first time Reading anything by Heather Demetrios but after it I'm sure it won't be the last. I'll Meet You There was much more than the light summer romance I was expecting. It carried a powerful message about the terrible struggle of a life post war. A story about a troubled girl and a wounded Young soldier. I can go on about how much I loved the characters. About how captivating everything was. How the story grabbed you and didn't let you go. But I'd be missing the point I want to make. About how it is so important to acknowledge what is happening out there with all these young soldiers and how coming home alive is not the hardest part. Really my heart ached along Skylar and Josh. And Marge. And everything this book stands for. It was a wonderful change...

Title: No Place to Fall Author: Jaye Robin Brown Published December 9th 2014 by Harper Teen YA Contemporary Goodreads | Amazon  No Place To Fall is a fresh take on contemporary young adult, it sets itself apart because it is not afraid of being so uncool it actually becomes cool. I am talking about a novel where hiking, banjos and overalls are the main essence; and it still will make you go whoa I think I can relate. At first I thought I didn't like the book because I just couldn't figure Amber out, but then I understood: if she can't figure herself out then I probably won't either. That's how I opened my mind and started to get into it. Yes Amber is weird, different and completely lost. She has no idea about anything and I really thought she had no backbone either. You'd have to read to see what I mean, to discover what happens. All I can tell you is that at the end, I liked this. It took time but it really got me to a place where I wanted to ...

Title: Beware The Wild  Author: Natalie C. Parker Published October 21st 2014 by HarperTeen YA Paranormal Goodreads | Amazon   It was a pleasant surprise to crack this book open and discover one of the best paranormal stories I’ve read this year. The plot-summary was enough to grab my attention, but I never expected this kind of emotional pull. I liked that the story revolved, most of all, in the relationship between siblings. I really enjoyed reading how much Sterling and her brother Phin cared for each other, it was impossible not to feel a strong pull at your heartstrings every time one of their stories surfaced. I loved Sterling, she was such a strong heroine but fragile enough to be realistic, I loved to see her mature throughout the course of the book. The whole swamp aspect was mind blowing. I love swamps, my brother and I are obsessed with the wildlife of the Everglades so it hit close to home to see the swamp so vividly come to life before my eyes...

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :) The Revenge Playbook  by Rachael Allen Don’t get mad, get even! In this poignant and hilarious novel, Rachael Allen brilliantly explores the nuances of high school hierarchies, the traumas sustained on the path to finding true love, and the joy of discovering a friend where you least expect. In the small town of Ranburne, high school football rules and the players are treated like kings. How they treat the girls they go to school with? That’s a completely different story. Liv, Peyton, Melanie Jane, and Ana each have their own reason for wanting to teach the team a lesson—but it’s only when circumstances bring them together that they come up with the plan to steal the one thing the boys hold sacred. All they have to do is beat them at their own game. Brimming with sharp observations and pitch-perfect teen voices, fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Mlynowski are su...

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :) Between The Notes by Sharon Huss Roat When Ivy Emerson’s family loses their house—complete with her beloved piano—the fear of what’s to come seizes her like a bad case of stage fright. Only this isn’t one of her single, terrifying performances. It’s her life. And it isn’t pretty. Ivy is forced to move with her family out of their affluent neighborhood to Lakeside, also known as “the wrong side of the tracks.” Hiding the truth from her friends—and the cute new guy in school, who may have secrets of his own—seems like a good idea at first. But when a bad boy next door threatens to ruin everything, Ivy’s carefully crafted lies begin to unravel . . . and there is no way to stop them. As things get to the breaking point, Ivy turns to her music, some unlikely new friends, and the trusting heart of her disabled little brother. She may be surprised that not everyone...