Frat Girl by Kiley Roache

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For Cassandra Davis, the F-word is fraternity—specifically Delta Tau Chi, a house on probation and on the verge of being banned from campus. Accused of offensive, sexist behavior, they have one year to clean up their act. For the DTC brothers, the F-word is feminist—the type of person who writes articles in the school paper about why they should lose their home.

With one shot at a scholarship to attend the university of her dreams, Cassie pitches a research project: to pledge Delta Tau Chi and provide proof of their misogynistic behavior. They’re frat boys. She knows exactly what to expect once she gets there. Exposing them should be a piece of cake.

But the boys of Delta Tau Chi have their own agenda, and fellow pledge Jordan Louis is certainly more than the tank top wearing “bro” Cassie expected to find. With her heart and her future tangled in the web of her own making, Cassie is forced to realize that the F-word might not be as simple as she thought after all.

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review


Now, it's been a few years since I was in college and the college I went to didn't have fraternities or sororities so I've never got the allure of them. However, the title to Kiley Roache's debut had me doing a double-take. That her heroine, a self-professed feminist was willing to go undercover and pledge for a fraternity had me simultaneously going, "You crazy, girl!" and "Please be careful!" Yeah, I just had to read this one.

Cassie comes up with this research idea because she needs to win a scholarship to attend the school of her dreams. Her interest in gender studies and her defiance of gender stereotypes makes joining a frat the perfect opportunity to study several issues. What she doesn't bank on though is how much her experience within the frat would challenge her initial thoughts about Greek life and affect her findings.

The research process doesn't go as smoothly as she hopes since she has to work in secrecy. Therefore, no one can know what she's up to and some of her actions tend to rub some new friends the wrong way. While she's hoping to get inside the frat house culture, some folks think she's either hurting women's causes or doing this as some kind of attention-getting stunt. Dealing with the skepticism and negative fallout make this an isolating experience though she manages to keep her chin up. And the surprise is that despite some rough patches, she does end up befriending a few of the guys in the frat and through their interactions she gains a different perspective on the issues she's trying to bring to light. The funniest, laugh-out-loud moment comes when Cassie conducts a sex-ed lesson to the frat brothers. Holy cow, I could not stop laughing! It makes you realize how much misinformation is out there so kudos to Cassie for taking that on. 

I thought Frat Girl was entertaining  with Cassie being a delightful character whose strength is shown through her confidence and her conviction to see something through to the end. It does attempt to tackle some of the currently relevant issues - perceptions about men's sexuality vs women's sexuality, misconceptions about feminism, bullying and hazing - just to name a few, but holds back from delving too deep, otherwise the tone of the book would be completely different. If anything it serves up several talking points for continued thought and discussion which I sincerely hope it does. I also can't wait to read more from Kiley Roache in the future!

~ Bel

I'm so happy to share an interview that Kiley graciously did with us. Keep an eye out for more good things to come from this talented young writer!

Photo source: kileyroache.com

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Congratulations on FRAT GIRL! You’re a rock star to write and publish a book while still at university. How long had the idea been simmering in your mind?

Thank you so much! I wrote the first draft of the book after my freshman year of college. Although I did not personally join a frat, the emotional truth of the book was inspired by the things I felt and experienced throughout my freshman year. The idea first sparked when one of my friends bet me $50 to go with them to fraternity rush. For weeks after that conversation, I wondered what this experience would be like—for the first woman to join such an organization. I thought it might crystalize a lot of the experiences that my friends and I had our freshman year.

After writing countless articles for the likes of Huffpost, San Francisco Chronicle, The Mash, just to name a few, what was the transition to writing a book like? How did it change your writing approach?

Well, I had been writing “books”—50 page Microsoft Word documents on my pink laptop—since the seventh grade, even before I worked as a reporter. So writing fiction has been in my life for a while. However, there were definitely unique challenges to writing a full novel for the first time.  It is easy to be excited about an idea at the beginning, but to make sure that premise and that character are well developed enough that they can take you through an entire story with a satisfying end, is definitely a different kind of challenge. However, I found that when it did come together, it was quite magical. I wrote the first manuscript I ever completed while I was in high school, and I often ended up writing well into the night, until 2 or 3 am, after doing homework until midnight. It was hard work for sure, but it was also one of the most rewarding experiences.

In the book, Cassie joins the frat in order to study the culture of sexism and misogyny up close. She steps into it with definite views but periodically finds those views challenged, demonstrating that it’s not as clear cut as initially thought. Is that how you felt as you developed the story?

I think that throughout the process, I wanted the characters to meet people who challenged each other’s views. For young men like Duncan, Bambi, Jordan and Peter this means understanding the perspectives of women, and how they might experience fraternity houses, campus, and the world differently. For Cassie, her fundamental belief in feminism, in equality among the sexes, remains steadfast. She does however, encounter women who define what feminism looks like in a different way than she does, which challenges the details, but not the core, of her views. I definitely think this mirrored my experience during college, as I lived in dorms with people of various perspectives and backgrounds, and saw my own beliefs challenged and further developed through the conversations I had.

Is there a character in FRAT GIRL that you can relate to, and one that you’d like to know better?

In many ways I can relate to Cassie, particularly because my freshman year of college I had a group of friends, the majority of which were men. So a lot of the situations Cassie is in are things I have experienced as well. One of my best guy friends really did run across campus when a boy I was seeing was mean to me. I also relate a lot to Ben or “Bambi” as he is called for much of the book, since I was very focused and serious in high school, and had not really been to a party until college.

One character I’d like to get to know better is Peter. I don’t want to spoil, but there is a lot we learn about Peter at the end, and I’d be curious to explore further how his friendship with Cassie would develop.

How are you going to celebrate your book’s release?

The day of my release I primarily celebrated on the internet, and received so many kind messages from friends and the YA community. A week after the book came out, I had an event right near Stanford’s campus at Kepler’s Books, and a bunch of my friends attended, which was really great.

Okay, now we’re going to have some fun. The Bibliojunkies motto is “books, boys, pie” so with that in mind: 

Which do you prefer: E-reader or a physical book? And is there a book that you had to have on both platforms?

I am definitely am a physical books person, although I have had an e-reader before. I read Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones for the first time on Kindle, and then just had to buy it to complete the set when I read all the other books in the series in paperback. 

One Direction is mentioned in your book a couple of times… so who’s your favourite?

Oh wow that is a great question. I have to say Harry.

And if he showed up at your door, what dessert would he bring for you?

An even better question! I would say chocolate lava cake J.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

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The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true.

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world. 


Source: advance e-galley provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review


Beartown takes a look at the dynamics of a small town and its residents who live in the woods. The town's entire culture and psyche is centered on that of the junior hockey team. Their identities along with their goals, their economics, their purpose in life are tied up in it. Think Friday Night Lights but more intense. Backman introduces us to several people  - adults and teenagers - who are directly or indirectly involved with the hockey team and shows us how their lives are impacted by it. It takes a few pages to meet all of them but as soon as he's set that up he's the director having the camera slowly pan out, giving us a wider scope of the town. The result is that we see what hockey means to these individuals, what they've done for it, sacrificed for it and ultimately created because of it. Beartown is another testament to Backman's amazing ability to write about people's flaws and strengths, bringing their humanity to the forefront. What he's done here is show us that sometimes that thing that unites a community can also be something that pits one against the other. In this case, it's a sports culture that makes celebrities out of those who aren't ready, and how bringing them to cult-like status can create heroes and villains.

The beauty of Beartown is that we get to be inside the minds of all the characters and see how they affect one another. It's such a lovely advantage as a reader to be able to have that within reach but it's also an imposing thing as the story takes on a dark turn. You're an eyewitness to these events as the chips fall into place, coming to a climax that you're anxiously awaiting. Backman lays it out perfectly, weaving together their histories and keeping you guessing as to what's next. All the while, these characters feel real and their struggles or insecurities are relatable. You can recognize those things in them which makes this story an interesting study in human psychology and relationships.  

I'm not going to delve into plot specifics because the effect won't be as impressive if you're not watching it unfold yourself. The first page did startled me. It had me wondering as I continued when Backman would bring me back to that very moment on that first page. The anticipation gave me a rush! Because there are so many characters, there are a several storylines and for the most part they do intersect. By the way, there are some triggers but in order to avoid spoilers I've included them in the labels so please refer to them if you'd prefer to know ahead of time. 

I've wanted to read Beartown for months ever since I saw it was out in Backman's native Sweden. Sadly or rather inconveniently, I don't speak Swedish so I've had to wait patiently for it to be released in the US. As I've come to expect it's another outstanding novel from a master storyteller. The surprise though was the type of story this was and how serious it became. But it's the various twists and revelations that make Beartown a must-read now and a must-have addition to your bookshelf!

~ Bel

The Boy Who Killed Grant Parker by Kat Spears

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Luke Grayson's life might as well be over when he's forced to go live in rural Tennessee with his Baptist pastor father. His reputation as a troublemaker has followed him there, and as an outsider, Luke is automatically under suspicion by everyone from the principal at his new school to the local police chief. His social life is no better. The new kid in town is an easy target for Grant Parker, the local golden boy with a violent streak who has the entire community of Ashland under his thumb.

But things go topsy-turvy when a freak accident removes Grant from the top of the social pyramid, replacing him with Luke. This fish out of water has suddenly gone from social outcast to hero in a matter of twenty-four hours. For the students who have lived in fear of Grant all their lives, this is a welcome change. But Luke’s new found fame comes with a price. Nobody knows the truth about what really happened to Grant Parker except for Luke, and the longer he keeps living the lie, the more like Grant Parker he becomes. 

Source: advance e-galley provided by St. Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review


High school is that unique jungle that divides teens into various social classes. Students either love or loathe their experience.  As my own child enters freshman year, I worry about what she'll encounter and how she'll adapt. I keep reminding myself that is a time for her to develop those valuable life skills - to figure out who she is and what genuine friendship means. That was reaffirmed for me as I read The Boy Who Killed Grant Parker.

Moving from Washington, DC to a small town has Luke Grayson completely out of his element. Being the new kid in his senior year is rough and is made worse when his principal and the local sheriff have him pegged as a troublemaker as soon as he enters the door. His goal is to remain under the radar, get through his senior year and then as far away as possible from Ashland. The universe unfortunately has other ideas. He ends up in a humiliating altercation with a mascot that only draws more unwanted attention to him. Then Grant Parker, football star and local god, zeroes in on Luke as his latest victim. When Luke is involved in an accident that sends Grant out of the picture, he becomes the hero who stood up to the bully. Suddenly he's popular. As his notoriety grows, it becomes glaringly obvious that he was more comfortable as an outsider than being part of the in crowd. Rather than do something to rectify the situation, he resigns himself to apathy.

What struck me most about the story is how realistic its premise is. Like most kids, Luke wants to sit at the cool kid table and fit in. The new pecking order means no longer socializing with the initial outcasts who befriended him. His situation reminded me of a conversation I had recently with a parent of a 6th grader who was having troubling with how to be nice to her old and new friends. It's definitely not an isolated problem. Two worthwhile characters to note are Delilah, the police chief's daughter and Roger, owner of a garage where Luke works. They are the most authentic people in Luke's life. Delila, who prefers to be an outsider has a cynical view on things whereas Roger tells it like it is, even if it's at Luke's expense. He has no qualms at all about telling him what a knucklehead he's being and that brings out the laughs. Everyone else had me doing so many eyerolls with their hypocritical nonsense that I couldn't wait to get out of there myself. 

Kat Spears doesn't write likable or care-free characters. To a certain extent her heroes or anti-heroes are the most honest about who they are. And she lets their circumstances get messy before offering them the opportunity to redeem themselves, and that's why I'm drawn to her stories. There's no telling how things will turn out but I feel like her characters are always on the edge of discovering some grand, illuminating idea about life that will propel them forward. And that's the entire reason to read The Boy Who Killed Grant Parker.

~ Bel

Waiting on the Sidelines (Waiting on the Sidelines #1) by Ginger Scott

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Nolan Lennox had things figured out. Named after a baseball legend, she enjoyed being the Tomboy, her closet filled with her brother’s hand-me-downs, cut-off jeans and soccer shorts. But when her first trip to high school results in a broken heart from the first boy to ever make her heart flutter and cruel words from an older girl she once thought a family friend, Nolan starts to question the very person she thought she was and wonders if her humble upbringing can compete with the afforded luxuries of her privileged peers.

Throughout the next four years, Nolan struggles to maintain herself throughout her path of discovery, learning just how cruel teenagers can be through the pressures of underage drinking, sexuality and class. And despite how life seems to continue to work against her, she still manages to listen to her heart, falling deeper and deeper for the guy the entire town adores, even if he only sees her as a friend. Can Nolan strike a compromise between her own integrity and the boy she loves? And can she make him notice her before it’s too late?

Reed Johnson came to Coolidge High School with a lot of fanfare. The son of a hometown football legend and the brother of a local football hero, Reed wore all the pressures of carrying a town without hope into the spotlight. Thankfully, he had the talent to back it up. But when he meets a girl who makes him think twice about exactly what being a hero means, he starts to wonder if following in his brother’s footsteps might be all wrong.

Nolan Lennox was everything that was opposite of expected. She didn’t flirt, she didn’t drink and she didn’t sleep around. Nothing about her was easy, but something about her made Reed want to try harder. Though she didn’t look the part, she seemed to be spending a lot of time in Reed’s thoughts, and he wondered if she could be the one who made it all worthwhile. But could Reed handle letting her down? And would breaking her heart break him beyond repair?

Waiting on the Sidelines explores young love to its fullest, exposing how real young heartbreak and passion is and how important it is to discover yourself and hold onto your own identity. The story follows two young characters as they deal with mature situations, including the prevalence of bullying and promiscuity in today’s high school setting. Ultimately, Waiting on the Sidelines is a story of hope, honesty and those powerful, first true loves—the ones worth holding onto at any cost.

I’m still on a high from reading this amazingly well-crafted story of a high school crush that evolves into friendship and then into something more.

It occurred to me as I read along that many of the YA novels I’ve read in the past have zeroed in on a specific aspect of that character’s life and everything else is just background noise. Waiting on the Sidelines works with a different formula. It follows Nolan and Reed over the course of their entire high school career. In doing so, Scott is able show their growth and the shedding of their innocence. She subtly introduces several high school-age themes from self-esteem issues to anxiety to peer pressure to bullying to sexual awakening to drinking and finally self-identity. The story develops organically and I really felt as if I went through four years of high school watching these two blossom.

Nolan is perhaps now one of my favourite YA heroines. While she may crush after the guy, she’s not entirely defined by it. She still has other things happening in her life that make up who she is – athletics, studies, family and friends. During this time when many teens are confused and exploring who they are, her core principles are intact. Believe me, she’s challenged a lot. She stands up for herself several times, including to Reed when he’s crossed the line. She’s strong — not perfect — and overcomes her shortcomings to be even stronger. This is a heroine I want my teen daughters to read!

And speaking of friends, they’re surrounded by some well-rounded, level-headed friends. The fact that their social circles remain a significant part of the story only enriches it and made me so happy.  It’s also a comfort considering the drama that comes and goes.

Nolan and Reed stumble spectacularly over the years on their way to each other. With the way their tale is spaced out, it allowed me the opportunity to experience all their milestones along with them. The high moments are sweet indeed and the low moments are crushing. This is my seventh Ginger Scott novel and she hasn't failed me yet. I admire her ability to write about real life issues and pull the reader into the journey at hand. I believe it’s because she’s not a narrow-minded writer. She’s always incorporating the bigger picture. In this case, it’s Nolan’s own self-discovery amidst AND outside the chaos of her relationship with Reed. The various themes contained within the story will resonate with many readers and elicit some strong emotions.

If you ask me to name my favourite YA novel, it would be this one. I can’t think of a single thing that I’d change about this story. It’s simply perfect to me.

~ Bel

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

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One single mom. One chaotic family. One quirky stranger. One irresistible love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You.

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your maths whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Maths Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages... maybe ever.

One Plus One is told from four POVs – Jess, Ed, Tanzie and Nicky. Entrepreneur Ed is in legal hell due to allegations of insider trading. Jess is a single mom, trying to make ends meet for her daughter and stepson by cleaning houses. Tanzie is a very gifted student and an incredible mathematician who has the opportunity to go to a swanky private school that would nurture her brain if only she can scrounge up the money for it. Nicky is her older half-brother who would love to see her escape their neighbourhood and public school where he’s often picked on and beaten up by the neighbourhood bully. The only connection that Jess has to Ed is that she cleans his house.  One day, as he’s driving he sees Jess and her family by the roadside talking to the police. Jess was pulled over (see she’s not supposed to be driving and that car she was driving was a bit of a disaster.) Ed jumps in to offer them a ride to Edinburgh so that Tanzie can make the maths competition. Jess accepts out of sheer desperation and lack of a better option. Ed does it for no other reason than to just do something good in his already messed up life.

It's hard not to love this story that’s paced so well allowing the characters to develop and open up. Everyone starts out with an idea about themselves, what they’ve done with their lives so far and how they fit into the scheme of things. Throughout the course of the book, each character’s perspective is altered. Previous preconceptions are slowly stripped away as they learn about what the other’s reality is. Being with Jess’ family gives Ed a glimpse of what life’s like for a family on a very limited income. One particularly enlightening conversation takes place when Tanzie recounts a list of what a certain amount of money can buy them at the store. Ed is by no means a millionaire but he lives comfortably. The point of that conversation being that he doesn’t have to worry about money every day whereas Jess has to account for every bit of it daily, and choose between which bill takes precedence over the other. Same goes for Jess when she learns of the legal troubles he’s facing. Just goes to show you that you can’t make assumptions about people. Tanzie and Nicky are quieter, offering introspective but illuminating views of the world through their inner monologue.

This is a motley crew of awkward people who come together through fate or coincidence – whatever you’d like to call it. It’s a big risk for these strangers to trust one another and along the journey, they discover more about themselves as they do about each other. There are laughs, tears, ridiculous scenarios and also triumphant moments that’ll warm your heart. One Plus One made a fan out of me, so much so that I immediately bought Moyes’ other book, Me Before You as soon as I was done with it. I really enjoy her writing and how she allows her characters to tell their stories without feeling rushed. If you’re looking for an entertaining summer read that leaves you feeling very content, then add One Plus One to your list.

 ~ Bel

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

* * * * 1/2

Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

Suspenseful and disconcerting. That’s how I sum up Tiny Pretty Things. Underneath the alluring cover and innocent title, is a sinister story about ambitious people who want to get ahead regardless of the price. In the process, they each lose a little bit of their soul.

Each character has a unique identity. Gigi is the vibrant, happy-go-lucky girl who revels in the pure joy of dancing. Bette, is the diva of the school who has everyone under her thumb. Her older sister's success pushes her to elevate her game which would be resorting to pranks, intimidation and manipulation. Gigi’s innocence and popularity are threats to her success. Then there’s June, whose stand-offish nature is her weapon. June doesn’t have friends. She has competition. She has a surgical approach in how she analyzes everyone to target their strengths and weaknesses. At times Gigi’s charismatic personality almost breaks down her iciness but June is exceptional at compartmentalizing. Despite their differences,  all three want the same thing: to be the lead in the next production.

These young people undergo intense auditions and grueling rehearsals. It's a sensational environment where things can often get fierce. As the story progresses, the characters become more distraught and desperate. The things they do to each other and to their bodies are horrifying. They make you wonder at what point they lost their moral compass to blur the line between right and wrong. I mean, do they still love the art of ballet, or performing or are they so deeply entrenched in its dark underbelly that they don't know anything else? I know I became more distressed with each chapter as “mishaps” and foul play became more serious. Gigi, who is the only genuine person there, appears to be the innocent lamb nestled deep in the lion’s den.

The feeling I had as I read Tiny Pretty Things was the same jittery feeling I had when watching the tv show Revenge - always on edge because you never know what the next surprise will be. I both cared about and despised these characters for all their heartache and their flaws. There are reasons why Bette and June are as vile as they are but even those don't erase the the truth that these girls are treacherous when it comes to achieving their dreams. At times they’re something to be feared and at others, they’re close to crumbling.

Charaipotra and Clayton have written an enthralling story about bloodthirsty ambition featuring dynamic and diverse characters from different backgrounds, even breaking some stereotypes.  The fact that these characters sway back and forth between being decent and wretched, leaves you guessing as to how things will turn out by the end. 

~ Bel

The Deal & The Mistake (Off-Campus 1 & 2) by Elle Kennedy

The Deal * * * *

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy...

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice... even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

...and it’s going to be oh so good.

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

I’d first heard of The Deal when I saw someone highly recommend it on Facebook. The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan had almost burned up my ereader with its hot college sports romance and had definitely whet my appetite for more like it. Readers, I went on a bit of a bender and read both The Deal and The Mistake in one weekend. Go me! Hence, I’m covering both books in this review and no spoilers included.

The Deal gives you Hannah and Garrett who are in the same ethics class together but where she’s passing, he’s failing. One look at her score on the latest test has Garrett begging her to tutor him. She doesn’t succumb to his fame or flirty ways so refuses him because she honestly has no time. Garrett doesn’t give up easily and eventually wears her down by dangling a carrot in front of her – help him pass the class and he will make sure that she gets noticed by her crush, a popular football player in their class.

Despite everything he tries, Garrett can’t break Hannah’s defenses. That’s okay though because while he’d never noticed her before, he’s actually enjoying her company now. Hannah finds him growing on her though she won’t admit it out loud. There’s a reason why Hannah guards herself so closely and when she’s finally brave enough to admit it, Garrett shows that he can actually be a really stand-up guy. He also has his issues which would break any illusions people have of him and his family. When Hannah and Garrett come together, it’s beautiful and also maddening because of some despicable interferences from outside sources.

I liked The Deal a lot. At first I couldn’t help but notice similar themes with other novels but whatever similarities I’d noticed were fairly innocuous. The story pulled me in and I took to both characters. I mean, I have a soft spot for sarcastic and cocky guys…in fiction. And Hannah is awesome because she doesn’t back down to anyone or follow the pack. Her sarcastic nature is something I adored about her. Combine all their qualities and some sexual tension and you have yourself one helluva read!

~ Bel

The Mistake * * * *

He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

By now we’re aware that our hockey player guys in the Off-Campus series are serious players. Being in a relationship is not high on the agenda. Hook-ups are the way to go and there are a few right off the bat here.

Logan is Garrett’s best friend and fellow teammate. Things between them are a bit off lately because now Garrett has a girlfriend and Logan may or may not be silently crushing on said best friend's girl in a bad way. He feels like a collosal jerk and the only way to alleviate the guilt is by being with other women. It leaves him empty inside but it’s a better alternative than being around the two love birds.

Grace is a sweet and awkward girl. She has a confidence about her that gets overshadowed by her tendency to blab too much when she’s uncomfortable. She runs across Logan one night at a party which leaves an impression on her. Let's say he's living up to his reputation. The next day in an attempt to avoid Garrett and not feel like a loser, he decides to take up a friend’s offer to meet them at a dorm party but when he arrives there, he doesn't remember the room number. He knocks on a door which turns out to be Grace’s room. That leads to some awkward chatting. Happy coincidence, she's been watching a movie (Die Hard) and he just so happens to share her love of action movies so he says yes to staying when she invites him in. One thing leads to another and they kind of sort of hook up. But then he bolts. Yes, that’s a jerk move. But he can’t get over how he left her feeling.

Logan attempts to make things up to her and thus begins a bizarre relationship. Even Logan can’t fathom what he’s doing. Whatever they’re embarking on, he’s worried that he may be leading her on and Grace isn’t exactly sure what’s happening between them.

Just as with The Deal, Logan and Grace have other matters in their lives that need attention. For Logan it’s his family obligations that could hinder his own career goals. For Grace, it’s her changing relationship with her best friend and a need to break out of her friend’s shadow.  Even with all the confusion and miscommunication between Logan and Grace, what I admire most about her is that she will not be anyone’s consolation prize. When Logan screws up big time, she makes him work to earn her trust back. Believe me, she makes him do it in the most hilarious and inventive ways possible!

The added bonus to The Mistake is seeing a bit more of the other guys in the house, Dean and Tucker. They’re both fun and sometimes shockingly insightful. Oh and one part that made me squeal was a shout out to a certain other fictional character that many may recognize.  I wasn’t expecting it and it was a nice touch!

In conclusion (like I’m debating here or something), The Deal and The Mistake both make for a great time. They both highlight some serious issues that affect many people and I think they’re dealt with sensitively here. I'm impressed by these heroines who aren’t afraid to be smart and won’t compromise their principles. And the guys – got to love them for all their brawn and ego but they do gain some maturity and wear their hearts on their sleeves. If that didn’t happen, there’d be no way I’d enjoy this series as much as I do.

Now the wait is on for the next story ...

~ Bel

Playlist For The Dead by Michelle Falkoff

* * * *

A teenage boy tries to understand his best friend's suicide by listening to the playlist of songs he left behind in this smart, voice-driven debut novel.

Here's what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, his best friend, Hayden, was dead. And all he left Sam was a playlist of songs, and a suicide note: For Sam—listen and you'll understand.

As he listens to song after song, Sam tries to face up to what happened the night Hayden killed himself. But it's only by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him that he will finally be able to piece together his best friend’s story. And maybe have a chance to change his own.

Part mystery, part love story, and part coming-of-age tale in the vein of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular Now, Playlist for the Dead is an honest and gut-wrenching first novel about loss, rage, what it feels like to outgrow a friendship that's always defined you—and the struggle to redefine yourself. But above all, it's about finding hope when hope seems like the hardest thing to find.

Sam discovers his best friend Hayden dead. Not something that can be unseen.  He goes through the cycle of sadness, anger, guilt as he wonders if there was any way in which he could have prevented Hayden from taking his own life.  It’s always the ones left behind left with all the questions. Hayden had left Sam a playlist along with a note simply stating that he’d understand once he listened to the songs. Putting the pieces back together dredge up all sorts of memories. Trouble is, he’s no closer to understanding anything. 

Hayden’s death has also affected a lot of people which outrages Sam when he sees the hypocrisy of some of the mourners who claim to have loved him but were major players in traumatizing him when he was alive. His fury is specifically directed at Hayden’s older brother and his friends who used to bully him incessantly, and also at Hayden’s parents who were never kind to or accepting of their younger son. As much as he blames them, he also blames himself.

A mysterious girl named Astrid introduces herself to Sam after the funeral saying that she knew Hayden but doesn’t elaborate on how. He can add this to the growing list of things Hayden kept secret. Striking up a friendship with Astrid moves Sam from being a loner to a circle of friends that he wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. With them he realizes that there’s more to appearance and what you think you see about a person. Astrid’s complexity and role in Hayden’s life gnaws at him and he’s anxious to get more details. In the meantime, the rumor mill is turning as some nasty things are happening to kids at school. Sam doesn't know what to think and in between lack of sleep, grief and hallucinations, he's worried that he could possibly have a role in some of the events taking place.

There are a few books I’ve read and reviewed previously that dealt with the aftermath of suicide. Each one had the protagonist searching for clues and answers to explain what they found hard to accept. Yet with these similarities, each one of these stories handled the theme differently. Playlist shows Sam admitting his confusion and anger, even acknowledging that he'd like to see some kind of vengeance on those whom he feels were responsible for making Hayden miserable while he was alive. However, he's also capable of being rational.  Each chapter, titled after a song on the playlist, sets up the mood and also provides both good and painful memories that help to describe the depth of their friendship. Sam is persistent about uncovering the truth which means he also has to come to terms with how he and Hayden left things shortly before the latter's death.

I'm always surprised when I'm drawn to what I expect to be morbid books. The thing is, I didn't find Playlist to be a depressing affair. His recollection of his friendship with Hayden are all he has to hold on to. I enjoyed reading how they'd spar over who had the better taste in music, often to just rile each other up. There's appreciation for the special language they shared and their loyalty. Sam's loss and bewilderment are natural, his feeling of betrayal when he discovers things about Hayden he didn't know previously are valid. Despite that, what got to me most was his ability to get to a point of forgiveness. Not all the questions are answered because that would be impossible. Faced with that reality, Sam must adjust to life without his best friend and he has to learn to accept that it's okay. The healing will come as he figures this out one day at a time.

~ Bel

   

     

   

If you'd like to know what songs are included in Playlist For The Dead, Michelle Falkoff has put a Spotify playlist together. It's brilliant! Enjoy!

Undone by Cat Clarke

* * * * 1/2

Jem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend. Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it.

Then the unspeakable happens. Kai is outed online ... and he kills himself.

Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back. But she wants to know who was responsible. And she wants to take them down.

A searing story of love, revenge and betrayal from a bestselling author.

When I start to read a book like this, it’s usually with trepidation. There’s no way to know without reading through it how it’ll go, if by the end you’ll be shred to bits or filled with a glimmer of hope. I found out that Undone did both.

Undone begins in such a dark and grief-filled place with Jem so distraught and unable to bring herself to face life without her best friend, Kai. She relives their many moments as she’s holed up in her bedroom shutting off the world. She sees her best option is to off herself as there’s no point in going on without him. The day she decides to do it, she’s interrupted by Kai’s younger sister Louise, who was instructed by Kai himself to deliver a package to Jem. Within it are 12 letters, one for each month that Jem is directed to open on the 23^rd of every month.

As unlikely as it seems, this whole exchange between Jem and Louise is rather funny. It basically wakes her up from her long grief stricken stupor. Jem’s internal monologue drips with sarcasm and dry humor. First, she’s deciding between the pros and cons of a sandwich or ordering Chinese takeout as her last meal, then her disappointment with her suicide attempt being thwarted and Louise cutting into her valuable suicide time. It all caught me off guard and I loved it.

So Jem reenters the world and unexpectedly becomes part of the in crowd or as she calls it, Team Popular at school. It’s at this point that she hatches a plan to seek revenge for Kai’s death. Of course, it’s not quite that easy but in Jem fashion which would be snarkiness and social awkwardness, she makes some serious headway with plenty of goofy moments too. There are also the somber moments when she reads Kai’s letters, filled with unconditional love, affection and jokes that come with a lifetime of knowing someone so well, that may have you reaching for a tissue. But even his letters can’t deter her from The Plan, as screwy and misguided as it may be.

The story proceeds through the next few months and Jem makes progress in her own personal life but revenge is never far from her mind even as her relationships with certain members of Team Popular get complicated. It's ironic that during this entire time she's finally participating in life as opposed to watching on the sidelines like she used to do with Kai and it doesn't even register with her. No, she's still planning her impending death. By the end, things come to a serious head and Jem is faced with choosing between what she has wanted for the past year and the potential for a future that she has never allowed herself to contemplate.

Undone is written so well and there were a few moments where I was reminded of another of my favourite books, Saving June, also about the aftermath of a suicide.  Whereas the latter’s story is much more heavy, Clarke manages to relate Jem’s story with compassion and humor. Things do get serious toward the finish and I was absolutely stunned silent by the end. Whether or not Clarke intended to, my personal belief is that the end is open to interpretation which I appreciate because I am still going back and forth between what I think happened, what I feel the author wants me to think happened and what I hope happened.  

Read Undone. It's outstanding and well worth it!

~ Bel

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

* * * * *

 

 

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret.

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

 But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

It’s absolutely no secret at all as to how much I adore Harrington’s debut novel Saving June. When she had mentioned to us in her interview last year that she was working on Speechless, I knew that she’d be sharing something fabulous with us again.

Speechless deals with the hard topics of bullying and gossiping. Chelsea lives in the upper echelon of her high school’s social hierarchy. I didn’t like her at first. We’re not supposed to. She represents everything that is awful about high school. Gossiping is a way to maintain her status though I will say she is most definitely a follower here as she’s always under the influence of her best friend, Kristen. At Kristen’s New Year’s Eve party, she gets drunk and unwittingly becomes witness to a very private moment between two boys. Unable to keep her mouth shut as usual, she blurts out what she’s seen to everyone resulting in a disgusting act of violence that lands the victim in the hospital. Realizing that her gossiping was responsible for the violent act, she decides to refrain from speaking for as long as she can. The way she sees it, nothing good can come from her talking so why not for ?nce be silent?

The tables turn on Chelsea swiftly after she comes forth to the authorities with the truth about the perpetrators. It is a long, painful fall down to the bottom tier. She’s completely isolated and removed from her former friends. At this point you expect the author to throw in some grand life lesson learned. She doesn’t. Instead Chelsea very stoically accepts her “sentence”. She understands that her actions have hurt people and that they all need time to calm down. She's very simplistic about this at first. She’s under the notion that things will blow over soon and that things will be normal again. Not so much. Everyone is downright vile towards her including her former best friend.

What makes Speechless outstanding is the honesty with which Chelsea approaches her new status. She doesn’t experience any immediate epiphanies. It’s a gradual learning curve. She misses her old life, especially Kristen. Now that she’s exiled from the cool crowd, she does meet other kids at school, people she admits she was completely unaware of. She examines her decision to turn her former friends in to the police but it’s surprising that she doesn’t necessarily see it as doing the right thing – just something she had to do. Her vow of silence starts out as a way for her to assuage her guilt but becomes an opportunity for introspection. She gains remarkable insight by simply being silent. It’s as if her other senses have kicked into high gear and she’s truly listening and seeing people for the first time. Her new friends Asha and Sam are among many delightful highlights in the book. Their friendship gives Chelsea a whole new lease on her high school life.  

There’s so much more I want to add about the story itself but I’ll refrain from giving it away.  I cannot begin to describe how this story has wrapped itself around me. Hannah Harrington is a very gifted storyteller with an amazing ability to just capture your heart by diving into these very real moments with such authenticity and compassion. You get into the mindset of these individuals and understand what’s motivating them because you’re living vicariously through them.  Harrington’s writing evokes strong feelings because her characters are genuine and you trust the direction she’s taking them in. They’re very much alive and heartfelt because of the voice she gives them.

Another reason to love Speechless — it features a young girl who matures into a strong young woman. I don't come across enough of them in contemporary YA fiction.  It's about becoming a better person after having gone through all the crap and nonsense life throws at you. It’s about finding a voice that has purpose. 

~ Bel

 

 

Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

* * *

Available March 13, 2012

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.


Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friend” – know to everyone as the Glitterati – without them suspecting a thing, is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls. Who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.


The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her – evening the social playing field between the have and have-nots. There’s not time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.


But when the cops start investigating the string of burglaries at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could he wind up being the person Willa trusts most?


Mean Girls meets Robin Hood in this charming tale of Willa Fox who has been transplanted to a snooty new high school called Valley Prep in Paradise Valley, AZ. Willa has made a career out of being a new girl at every school. This time, thanks to a chance encounter with another student, Cherise, Willa winds up in the world of the Glitterati – the “it” girls of the school.


Willa is very likable; her quirkiness is endearing. She's easily forgiven for initially falling under the Glitterati's spell before realizing just how ruthless they can be. And while the description above gives the impression that the bad boy, Aidan is a huge distraction, it is really Willa's struggle to establish her own ground and create a more tolerant environment at her school that's front and center.  


Eliza Ludwig does a fine job with the story. Even though it touches on the topic of online bullying, she doesn't get preachy.  Instead she adopts plenty of humor and intrigue that takes the story in a different direction where Willa sticks it to the over-privileged brats at school.


Pretty Crooked is very entertaining and everyone will recognize the social hierarchy that's described in it. The book offers a glimpse into what some of the other kids at Valley Prep go through. Cherise, for example, who used to be on the outside before being accepted by the Glitterati, has learned to turn a blind eye because she's terrified of being a social outcast. There's Tre, another transplant like Willa, and son of the Phoenix Suns' head coach, who has constant rumors swirling around him. Then there's Aidan and his endless attempts at getting kicked out of school so that he can send a message to his overbearing father. All of them demonstrate that there's more to people than meets the eye.


In the end, Willa does have to face the consequences of her actions, especially the negative fallout from her otherwise good intentions. Aside from that, there's also the added mystery of the secrets her mom has been keeping from her since they moved to Arizona. All of this provides for plenty of material for the next book which I very much looked forward to!


~ Bel


And now BiblioJunkies is very happy to have Elisa Ludwig share more about Pretty Crooked.  Don’t worry, you won’t be running into any spoilers!

Elisa Ludwig

The kids at Valley Prep where Willa goes are quite diverse.  How much of that setting echoes your own high school experience?

Actually, the school I went to was not terribly diverse at all. It was a private school, not unlike VP. I got a wonderful education but when I was there, the majority of students were white and affluent.

Willa is a confident person. It’s nice to see a teenager who with her quirks and a few missteps along the way still has a handle on things. And then there’s Cherise who’s still a bit unwilling to stick her neck out even if she disagrees with the Gliteratti. How did you shape those two characters?

In the earlier drafts, Willa was a little too tough, a little too confident. Over time she came to be more enthusiastic and slightly more naïve, at least in terms of her social life. I think Cherise has more to protect – she knows what the Gliteratti’s wrath can be like, and so she is more defensive of her social position. Cherise was always more conflicted than Willa but the nuances of characters’ interactions and dynamics always seem to come (for me, anyway) in later drafts.

The overall tone of the book is whimsical even though it brings up online bullying and the perils of rumor mills. Were they something you had wanted to address?

Yes. These being real issues for kids. The stealing part and the fashion and of course the romance are meant to be fun fantasies, but it’s also important to ground stories in the here and now, and have some substance.

How did you research the fine art of pick pocketing and breaking into lockers? And how fun was that?

Mostly on the internet! Everything is out there for the reading (and writing). Some things took longer than others to nail – I remember that figuring out the locker scene was pretty tricky. Sometimes I would try to write one method but then it wouldn’t work as well on paper so I’d scrap it and use another. But it was super fun. I just the FBI isn’t keep a case file on me, given some of my search terms.

So in the next book will we learn more about this mystery surrounding Willa’s mom? Can you drop us any little hints?

Yes, for sure. This book is a cliffhanger and the next one solves most, if not all the questions raised. Hmm..hints. *maniacally steepling fingers together* I will say this: All of the major characters will be back.

Aidan in the story is the big prankster at school. Did you take part in any yourself?

I wish I could say I did. There was one senior prank the whole class did and I recall it has something to do with condoms. But in general, my rebellions (you better believe I had them) were much quieter.

And now is the part of the interview where we get silly. We BiblioJunkies have the mentality of sixteen year olds, so with that being said…which fictional character would you love to go on a date with?

:) If we’re talking teen boys, I think I’d have to choose Tom Henderson from King Dork. He’s smart, quirky and we could geek about music. Now if it had to be someone my age, well, that would be a challenge. I haven’t run into a dreamy thirty something guy in a book in a while! May be you have a recommendation??

When it comes to dessert, what’s your favorite guilty pleasure?

Much like Aidan, I prefer the combination of salty and sweet: Chubby Hubby, salted caramel anything, or Mo’s Bacon Bar would fit the bill.

And finally what kind of reading do you enjoy when you’re not busy writing? (Okay so it’s not a silly question.)

I love contemporary YA, of course. One of my day jobs is writing guides for other people’s novels so I read all kinds of books for that. I also like literary fiction, short stories, the New Yorker, narrative nonfiction, cookbooks, and blogs like The Hairpin. (I’ve been known to waste a minute here or there on cheesy celebrity gossip. Ahem.)

Congratulations on the new book Elisa and thank you for taking the time out of your very busy day to chat with us. We wish you much success!


Readers, we hope you enjoyed it and we hope you add Pretty Crooked, available March 13 to your TBR list!


~ Bel