We Were Liars

Lockhart, E. We Were Liars. Delacorte Press, 2014.

Cadence's family is rich, rich enough to own an island where her grandparents had one house and her mother and her aunts each had their own house as well. Each summer the family gathers there to vacation together, to socialize, to relax. This summer, though, Cadence is having difficulty relaxing. An accident a couple of summers ago has left holes in her memory and no one seems willing to help her fill in the gaps. Any more details would constitute epic spoilage, so I will leave it at that.

This is an excellently written book. The lyrical writing style draws the reader in, as does the mystery of what has happened to Cadence. The ending was not remotely surprising to me, but I truly enjoyed the journey of this book.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, alcohol use
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me

Peters, Julie Anne. Lies My Girlfriend Told Me. Little, Brown BFYR, 2014.

Alix's girlfriend Swannee dies suddenly, and when Alix finds Swannee's phone filled with messages from "LT," she starts to dig deeper and discovers that Swannee had been leading a double life. Alix continues to untangle the threads of her late girlfriend's lies and uncover the mystery of LT.

This wasn't a bad book, per se, but I definitely didn't like Swannee's mom's choice to raise her daughter to have open relationships. Is it true that most high school romances won't last? Definitely. However, would Swannee's relationships with LT and Alix been better if she had been honest with each of them? Most definitely. The one refreshing thing about this book was that it wasn't a coming-out story; the story was focused on Swannee's lies and Alix's untangling of those lies, rather than either of them coming to the realization of her orientation.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: mild language
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Cruel Beauty

Hodge, Rosamund. Cruel Beauty. Balzer+Bray, 2014.

Nyx is betrothed to the "gentle lord," an evil ruler who has taken over her kingdom. She has been trained by her father to infiltrate the ruler's castle and destroy him, thus freeing her people. But Nyx soon realizes that the situation is much more complicated than she and her father could possibly have imagined, and now she has to sort through her conflicting emotions and limited information to decide what would be the best move.

I listened to the audio version of this book, and while I admit that the narrator did a fantastic job at creating a creepy atmosphere, I wanted to read the print version instead simply so I could get through the book more quickly. The ending seemed to drag out unnecessarily long, so I would recommend this book only to my strongest readers, as I think my weaker readers would probably not be invested enough to finish the book.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: sex is discussed, although it isn't explicit or graphic (Nyx is told what she is expected to do on the night of her wedding)
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Drama Queens in the House

Williams, Julie. Drama Queens in the House. Roaring Brook Press, 2014.

Jessie's family owns and runs a theater company, and they are happily celebrating Jessie's early graduation from high school when she discovers that her dad is cheating on her mom ... with a man. Jessie spends a tumultuous year adjusting to a new family dynamic and trying to discover her place in the world.

I really liked the premise of this book, and I love that the narrator is a POC, but the book isn't just about the Jessie's race. However, Jessie seemed very immature for sixteen. If I imagined that she was twelve or thirteen instead, then the book made perfect sense, but Jessie did not read like a high school graduate trying to find her way in the world. I could easily recommend this book to the middle school students in my library, and even some upper elementary students, but it would not fit a high school audience.

Recommended for: tweens
Red Flags: none
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Better Nate Than Ever

Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders

Herbach, Geoff. Fat Boy vs the Cheerleaders. 2014

This book is a copy of Gabe's testimony after he and the other "geekers" - band geeks, chess nerds, etc. - waged war against the cheerleaders who have stolen their funding and eliminated band camp. Gabe is telling his side of the story to a lawyer, and interspersed with the tale of Gabe's arrest we find out about his family life, the teasing he puts up with at school, and his job at the donut shop. Gabe doesn't hold anything back, and his story is hilarious. Throughout the story we do get to watch Gabe take control of a life that has spun very far out of control, all the while laughing at his crazy antics.

I picked this book up about six times before I actually checked it out of the library. The cover and the title told me the book should be funny, but I was afraid I'd be disappointed in what would count as "humor." I shouldn't have worried. This book is really funny, and teens who have grown up on a diet of Diary of a Wimpy Kid will enjoy this book. I always enjoy books where the spineless protagonist eventually realizes s/he has a problem and takes control; this is one of those books. See below for other funny read-alike suggestions.

Recommended for: young adults
Red Flags: language, some minor violence, minor use of alcohol,
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Notes from the Midnight Driver,  Butter,  Steering Toward Normal,  Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong,  Ungifted