"Bruiser" by Neal Schusterman

Bruiser by Neal Schusterman is a contemporary fiction novel but with one special boy, named Bruiser. Somehow, he has an unusual power to take on himself the pain of those he cares about, like his younger brother and his Uncle. His uncle tries to protect him as best he can be keeping him home so he doesn’t make friends. He just goes to school and comes home, until Bronte decides to be nice to him. Her brother, Tennyson, doesn’t like her seeing Bruiser at first, but then also becomes his friend, realizing he’s not really so bad after all. Bruiser is wired to only receive pain, not give it.

Teaser from page 14:  I hate him.  I hate the concept of him.  He's a freight train of bad news barreling at my sister.

I thought this book was just okay because Bruiser was so unbelievable in what was an otherwise modern-day contemporary fiction book. The story was pretty good and it kept my interest but it wasn’t near as good as the other books I read by this author.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)


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"Everfound" by Neal Shusterman (Fantastic Book 3 of the Skinjacker Series)

Everfound by Neal Shusterman is the amazing third book in the Skinjacker trilogy. Will Allie, Mikey, Nick, Jix and Jill be able to stop Mary, Milos, Rotsie and Speedo from destroying the real world? Will Nick and Mikey get out of the Wraith’s trap? Will Jix bring Mary back to the City of Souls? Will Johnnie O and Choo Choo Charlie ever be able to get off the Heidenberg? Will Allie every get back to her parents? Teaser from page 41: Allie didn’t want to believe it. “No! Milos didn’t! He couldn’t have . . he wouldn’t dare!”

Everfound is fantastic! What a great finish to a great series! I LOVED IT! This had lots of adventure as well as relationship building, humor, supernatural abilities and lots of plot twists. Certain parts were so captivating that I couldn’t turn pages fast enough and other parts were so funny, I laughed out loud! I was always eager to see what would happen next and really came to care about certain characters. At some points, I felt so bad that I had to put it down for what happened to sink in, I couldn’t believe it! This series was wild and quite a ride! Unlike Scythe and Unwind, this series mostly takes place in Everlost, a ghost world between the real world and the light at the end of the tunnel into eternity. The ending was perfect! I highly recommend this series if you want an entertaining fantasy read! Neal Shusterman is becoming my favorite YA fantasy author very quickly with his well-developed characters and extremely original plot lines.
(Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Links to my reviews of previous books in this series:  Everlost and Everwild

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"The Perfect Nanny" by Leila Slimani

In The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, Myriam decides that she wants to go back to work as a lawyer. She and her husband, Paul, decide to hire a nanny. It does not take them long to decide to hire Louise, she seems perfect! This book starts out a bit flat, but stick with it! When it picked up for me, I had a hard time putting it down. At less than 250 pages, it will not take you long to finish it. Like everybody else, I did not care for the ending.

Teaser from page 19:  "It was heartbreaking when we had to let her go.  To be perfectly honest, I even thought of having a third child at the time, just so we could keep her."
(Gerard’s review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Woman in the Window" by A. J. Finn

In The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn, Anna lives alone.  She loves to watch old movies, drink, remember old times and spy on her neighbors!  One day she sees something terrible, but is an old lady who mixes booze and pills to be believed?

Teaser from page 70:  And suddenly I'm rushing down the stairs; suddenly I'm back in the dark of the hall, my bare feet on the tiles, my hand on the knob.  Anger grips me by the throat; my sight is swimming.

This book is on the New York Times Bestseller List and now I know why!  Anna is an enjoyable main character and as you read along, you are not sure if Anna is in her right mind or not.  I enjoyed it a lot!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Only Child" by Rhiannon Navin (School Shooting told by a child) UPDATED

In Only Child by Rhiannon Navin, there has been a school shooting at the school that Zach attends.  He is going to tell you all about it!  Zach is 6 years old.  This book centers around the shooting mostly; however, there is a whole lot more to this book than that.  The aftermath of the shooting and how it affects Zach's mom, dad and other people connected to the school. 

Here is the teaser from page 7 I'd like to share with you:  She pulled the door closed again and told me to hold the metal piece this time.  I did, even though it hurt my fingers and the door was heavy to keep closed.

 I was into this book from page 1 and I thought the pacing of it was very well done.  I really enjoyed Zach's perspective of the events going on.  Only Child is the author's first book and I will be looking forward to her next one after reading this!  With all the school shootings going on this year, this is one book you definitely should read! 
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review 2/21/18:
Only Child by Rhiannon Navin is a contemporary fiction novel about Zach, a first grader whose fifth-grade brother was killed in a school shooting. Zach narrates the story of what happened and how his family sort of fell apart afterwards, his mixed feelings and how he spent time in his secret hideout in his brother’s closet. Zach is a cute little kid I couldn’t help but feel sorry for throughout the book.

Only Child is a touching novel that leads to healing for the family of a victim. This is an emotional read that kept my interest. I liked the ending and the child narration. Overall, it is a sad story but has some good advice for dealing with sadness. (4 stars)


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