"Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen" by Susan Gregg Gilmore

In Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore, a young teen girl lives in a small town, but thinks she would be better off in a large city.  Why does she think that?  Does she go to a large city?  This book is okay.  I liked all the characters and the story line.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Sunrise on the Reaping" by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins disappointed me.  I was hoping Katniss would return as a mentor, but no.  That did not happen.  Haymitch, the main character was good, but not as good as Katniss was.  I couldn't help making comparisons.  The first part of the book pretty much dragged along for me and I didn't care for all the poetry in it.  I liked it a lot though when they finally got to the arena, but was very disappointed in the ending.  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review:
In Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games are back.  A young teen boy and a young teen girl try to outwit and survive the 50th annual Hunger Games against twice as many tributes as before!  Haymitch from District 12 understands he has been set up to fail, but there's something in him that wants to fight.  I was into this book from the start.  It has good action and twists and turns.  I LOVED IT!  (5++ stars)   

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"The Inmate" by Freida McFadden, A Wild Read!

The Inmate by Freida McFadden is a quick read because the chapters are short and the whole book is like a puzzle with each chapter being a new piece.  I did not figure this one out at all!  I was way off track on this.  Brooke is a single mom, never married, but in a love triangle.  What was supposed to be a fun sleepover turned into a multi-murder.  Luckily, she got away before getting killed herself; however, the whole incident haunts her ten years later.  This is a good mystery and a thriller as well.  I think this one would be a good book club read since it even has discussion questions in the back.  I was flabbergasted 

by the surprise ending but loved the epilog.  All I can say is WOW after reading this book!  I highly recommend it if you enjoy modern-day thrillers.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review:

In The Inmate by Freida McFadden teen boys and three teen girls decide to party all night at Shane's farmhouse since his mom will be away.  It will be a night they will always remember!  This author is always on her game, and this is no exception.  It has a great storyline, interesting characters, and I never knew what was going to happen.  She definitely kept me guessing!  Freida McFadden is a master storyteller.  I LOVED THIS character driven murder mystery.  (5++ Stars)

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"The Reappearance of Rachel Price"

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson is about an 18-yr.-old girl whose mom just disappears one day.  Where did she go and why?  People think she is dead and that is the end of it.  However, the mom comes back and she has a story to tell!  I thought this book was really good because it has a great storyline and action.  I LOVED IT!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Divine Rivals" by Rebecca Ross (Teen Fantasy--Letters of Enchantment #1)

In Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, there is a war in progress and Iris is in the middle of it.  Her mom is not doing well, and her brother who joined the army is missing from the front lines.  Iris writes letters to her brother to try to combat her worries.  Little does she know this will take her on a life-changing adventure.  This book was even better than I expected!  It has a great storyline and characters I cared about.  There are lots of emotions with this book as well.  Do not miss this one--must read!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"A Far Wilder Magic" by Allison Saft

In A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft, Margaret wants to kill the Halo aka a fox, and claim all the fame and the money that goes with it!  However, according to the rules, she cannot do it herself.  She needs a helper.  Who will she get and will she be the one to kill the fox?  I thought this book was pretty good.  I enjoyed the two main characters and the Trouble, the dog, storyline was good.  I also liked the ending.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Ashlords" by Scott Reintgen (Book 1 in series)

Ashlords by Scott Reintgen is teen fantasy about horse racing.  It is time for the race with 11 horses and 11 riders.  Three riders (Imelda, Pippa and Adrian) have a lot at stake.  You will have to read the book to find out what that is.  This book gets off to a slow start, but once the race begins, it more than makes up for it!  It is easy to follow.  I really enjoyed the three main characters and liked it because it has lots of action.  Now it is on to Book 2.  (Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

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"Killer Instinct" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Naturals #2)

Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the second in a series about five young teens who each have a special ability to solve crimes.  In this one, a serial killer is on the loose and needs to be stopped.  This was pretty good.  I liked how all the teens had to work together to figure out how to stop the killer.  It has a good storyline with good action.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Girl in the Castle" by James Patterson and Emily Raymond

In The Girl in the Castle by James Patterson and Emily Raymond, Hannah lives in two worlds.  One is the year 1347 in a castle where she must save her sister, Mary, from the evil Barron.  The second world is where she is now--the Looney Bin.  She must go back to save Mary, but no one believes her until . . . .  You will have to read this book to find out what comes next!  I thought this book was really good!  It has great characters an unique storyline and plenty of action!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"One of Us Is Back" by Karen M. McManus (Book 3)

One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus is the third book in the One of Us Is Lying series.  The whole gang is back and looking forward to a fun summer until one of them goes missing.  This is pretty good.  The characters were brought out well and the storyline kept me engaged.  It has good action with a nice finish.  This book has been made into a TV series on Peacock.  Unfortunately, I do not have it, but if I did, I'd be watching it.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Click on links below to read my previous reviews of books in this series:

One of Us Is Lying

One of Us Is Next

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"Heroine" by Mindy McGinnis (Second Time I've Read This)

In Heroine by Mindy McGinnis, this is the year Mickey has been waiting for.  She is the bad ass catcher of her school softball team.  This is the year they are going to win State!  It will be the first time in school history, except she gets into a car accident.  She will need to re-hab big time to be ready for the first game.  Her doctor gives her a prescription for pain pills and the more she takes, the more she wants.  Can she still make her softball dream come true?  This is a really good book!  Mickey was a great character with a good storyline.  I enjoyed it very much!!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

I read Heroine back in 2019 but enjoyed reading it again.  Click the link to see my earlier review.

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"Fireborne" by Rosaria Munda

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda is told by Annie and Lee.  They have been friends since childhood, but now war is coming and their friendship will be tested like never before.  Can they lead a revolution?  This is good stuff.  Annie is a great character and drives this book.  This is book 1 of 3 and I look forward to reading the next two.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Ballad of Never After" by Stephanie Garber

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber is the sequel to A Broken Heart.  In this, Evangeline tries to find a cure for her husband, Apollo.  It will not be easy!  People are willing to stop her.  Can she turn to Jacks for help?  Can she trust him?  This book is even better than the first one with lots more action, new characters, and lots of twists and turns.  What an ending!  Can't wait for book 3 coming out in October.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Once Upon a Broken Heart" by Stephanie Garber

In Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber,  Evangeline learns the love of her life will marry her stepsister, Marisol!  To stop this from happening, Evangeline turns to the wicked Prince of Hearts for help.  She makes a deal with him in exchange for his help and how it all plays out makes up this novel.  I thought this book was really good!  I liked the storyline which was unique as well as the characters, especially Evangeline and Jacks.  The ending was perfect!  I enjoyed the Caraval series by this author and this one is good as well.  On to book two of this three-part series.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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Not Impressed With "Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are" by Kathryn Foxfield

In Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield, five teens go on a reality show.  They need to survive a night in haunted caves, but should they be afraid of each other?  This book was okay.  The storyline was pretty good, but not great.  I never connected with the characters and wasn't impressed with the ending.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars) 

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"Five Survive" by Holly Jackson is so Good It's a Must Read!

Five Survive by Holly Jackson is a teen thriller than kept my interest.  Six friends head to spring break in an RV and end up in a deserted area with a shooter shooting out their tires and gas tank!  He says one of them has a secret and he'll only let them go if they tell him what he wants to know.  What does he want to know?  He doesn't say!  He just says they know who they are.  They can't call for help because there is no cell service.  How will they get out?    

This has lots of suspense in it as the friends try to figure out ways to escape and send for help.  This is a really good book because all through it, I was trying to figure out who was the one going to die (based on the title), how they would get out of this predicament and what the secret was and who had it.  I agree with my husband about this one--it's a page-turner and a must read if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers.  Even the ending is a shocker!    (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 1/23/23:
In Five Survive by Holly Jackson, six friends pile into an RV for a fun weekend at a camp.  They get lost in the dark and go into the woods where their RV breaks down!  Just when they are about to go, someone makes sure that they are not going anywhere until they give him what he wants.

This was SO GOOD from the writing, to lots of action, the storyline, the believable characters, and a great ending!  This went really fast because I couldn't stop turning the pages!  Do not miss this one!  (5++ stars)

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"Nine Liars" by Maureen Johnson--A YA Contemporary Thriller

In Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson, nine friends are on a sightseeing trip to London.  They decide to play a night time game of hide and seek at an England country home.  The next morning, two of the nine are found dead, killed by an axe.  The other seven say they know nothing about it.  See if you can figure out who killed the two people.  I thought this was really good because of the characters and storyline.  It kept me turning pages.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"For the Throne" by Hannah Whitten (teen fantasy)

For the Throne by Hannah Whitten is the sequel book to For the Wolf.  In this book, Red has contained the threat of the five kings, but at a cost.  Her sister, Neve, must give herself up to the Shadow Lands for life.  But Red wants to save her sister.  Can she?  

It was so good being back with Red and Neve again.  It did not take me long to get into this.  This book has a good storyline and action so I enjoyed this two-book series very much.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)     

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"The First to Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

In The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera, two young men meet in Times Square on New Year's Eve.  It is the beginning of a new year and the start of death cast.  Death cast calls people on the day they are supposed to die.  Can they really do that?  One of the young men gets a call.  It could be a very short friendship.  This book is the prequel to They Both Die At the End.  I enjoyed this book just as much as the other one.  I liked that this book has more characters.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Woods Are Always Watching" by Stephanie Perkins

The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins is about two teen girls going on their first camping trip.  They are best friends but will be separated when they go to different colleges in the fall.  What should be a fun time turns into a nightmare!  This book is good stuff!  I liked both girls and the story moved along.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)  

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