THE HAND ON THE WALL By Maureen Johnson

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE HAND ON THE WALL By Maureen JohnsonThe Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson
Series: Truly Devious #3
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 1/21/20
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 375
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Ellingham Academy must be cursed. Three people are now dead. One, a victim of either a prank gone wrong or a murder. Another, dead by misadventure. And now, an accident in Burlington has claimed another life. All three in the wrong place at the wrong time. All at the exact moment of Stevie’s greatest triumph . . .

She knows who Truly Devious is. She’s solved it. The greatest case of the century.

At least, she thinks she has. With this latest tragedy, it’s hard to concentrate on the past. Not only has someone died in town, but David disappeared of his own free will and is up to something. Stevie is sure that somehow—somehow—all these things connect. The three deaths in the present. The deaths in the past. The missing Alice Ellingham and the missing David Eastman. Somewhere in this place of riddles and puzzles there must be answers.

Then another accident occurs as a massive storm heads toward Vermont. This is too much for the parents and administrators. Ellingham Academy is evacuated. Obviously, it’s time for Stevie to do something stupid. It’s time to stay on the mountain and face the storm—and a murderer.

Short and Sweet Review

Stevie Bell has solved the crime of the century, but accidents are still plaguing Ellingham Academy and after the latest accident Ellingham is evacuated. The Hand on the Wall takes place right where the last book ended and now Stevie is just trying to figure out how the three deaths that recently occurred are connected. Stevie is so smart just watching her piece things together was amazing because just reading the book I had no idea how everything could have happened. The book still alternates between the past and the present and in this book I appreciated looking into the past more than I did in the previous books, it showed what happened in the original case and how that case became what it was. I’m glad that Stevie had friends like Janelle and Nate around I also enjoyed Hunter’s presence. When all of the other students are evacuated, Stevie and her friends decide to stay at Ellingham by hiding and they obviously get to stay because of the massive storm. During that time our dear friend David comes back… I still don’t like him I still don’t know what Stevie sees in him but that’s none of my business. In the end everything is laid out and its amazing how everything came together. This was a great trilogy and the mystery was great not once over the course of these three books did it become obvious as to who the culprit was or what was causing the accidents. I love these books and this was a great ending and I would read these books all over again. If you love mysteries and crime solving pick this trilogy up, you won’t be disappointed!


#MURDERFUNDING By Gretchen McNeil

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

#MURDERFUNDING By Gretchen McNeil#MurderFunding by Gretchen McNeil
Series: #MurderTrending #2
Published by Freeform on 8/6/19
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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WELCOME TO WHO WANTS TO BE A PAINIAC?, the latest reality TV show on the hunt for the next big-hit serial killer. But don't worry-no one is actually going to murder anyone, as real as the fake gore and pretend murder may appear . . . uh, right?

Seventeen-year-old Becca Martinello is about to find out. When her perfectly normal soccer mom dies in a car crash, a strange girl named Stef appears and lets Becca know that her deceased mom was none other than one of Alcatraz 2.0's most popular serial killers-Molly Mauler. Soon, Becca ends up on Who Wants to Be a Painiac? to learn the truth about her mom's connection to Molly, but things turn sinister when people are murdered IRL. Will Becca uncover dark secrets and make it out of the deadly reality show alive? Or will she get cut?

Short and Sweet Review

Becca’s mom just died in a car crash, but when a stranger comes up to Becca and tells her that her mom was actually Molly Mauler and died on Alcatraz 2.0 and not in a car crash Becca can’t believe it. When Who Wants to Be A Paniac? a new reality show looking for the next serial killer holds auditions Becca realizes that this is her chance to learn if her mother really was Molly Mauler. Becca and Stef head to LA and audition while also looking for anything that will prove or disprove Stef’s theory about Becca’s mom. I thought this sequel was great we get new characters and we also get to see the characters from the last book. Everything comes around full circle the new characters end up trying to escape psycho killers and the old characters are trying to find out who was behind Alcatraz 2.0 and Who Wants to be A Paniac?. Becca and Stef had a lot of tension but the more trials they face and the more time they spend together the more their feelings for each other come out. I was on edge while reading this I felt bad for the characters Who Wants to be a Paniac? was supposed to be a nonviolent show but what they got was the complete opposite. I’m glad that Becca found out what she needed to and that the other characters from the past book fought for justice. I love this series and I’m excited to see what the next one brings!

THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO GETTING LUCKY By Mackenzi Lee

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO GETTING LUCKY By Mackenzi LeeThe Gentleman's Guide to Getting Lucky by Mackenzi Lee
Series: Montague Siblings #1.5
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 11/26/19
Genres: Historical, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 128
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Monty’s epic grand tour may be over, but now that he and Percy are finally a couple, he realizes there is something more nerve-wracking than being chased across Europe: getting together with the person you love.

Will the romantic allure of Santorini make his first time with Percy magical, or will all the anticipation and build-up completely spoil the mood?

Short and Sweet Review

The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky is a novella that takes place right after the first book. Monty and Percy are a couple now but they haven’t been together romantically yet. Monty wants this to be special and the romantic setting of Santorini should help, unless the anticipation and build up end up ruining the mood. This novella was so cute I’m glad I got to see these characters again. Not only are Monty and Percy worried about being together romantically but they’re planning the rest of their lives together which also ends up making Monty nervous. Monty and Percy are a great couple. They do have their moments when they fight or disagree about something but in the end they come together to find a resolution. This novella is cute and hilarious and just made my love for these characters grow even more! If you’ve read the other books, I recommend this novella!

A DREAM SO DARK By L.L McKinney

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A DREAM SO DARK By L.L McKinneyA Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney
Series: The Nightmare-Verse #2
Published by Imprint on 9/24/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Still reeling from her recent battle (and grounded until she graduates high school), Alice must cross the Veil to rescue her friends and stop the Black Knight once and for all. But the further she ventures into Wonderland, the more topsy-turvy everything becomes. It’s not until she’s at her wit's end that she realizes―Wonderland is trying to save her.

There’s a new player on the board; someone capable of using Nightmare creatures to not only influence the living but raise the dead.

Dreams have never been so dark in Wonderland, and if there is any hope, Alice must confront the worst in herself―and in the people she loves―and face the very nature of fear.

Short and Sweet review

Not long after her last battle, Alice has to go back to wonderland to save her friends from the Black Knight one last time. Things are different than before and there’s new characters that Alice has to figure out. The more I read this series the more I fall in love! This version/retelling of Alice in Wonderland is so intriguing, I love it. Alice is back and this time there’s more at stake. Chess has been taken by someone in wonderland, and there’s someone in wonderland who’s trying to create an undead army. A Dream So Dark continues where A Blade So Black left off, so our characters are still looking for the Heart. What I loved was that everyone had to band together at one point Alice was split from the rest of the group but she did end up meeting Haruka which was another dream walker. I also loved how Courtney finally got to go to wonderland and see what Alice’s other life was like. There’s so much action and there’s kind of a mystery surrounding who the Black Knight is. We get a few different POVs which really added to the story. The ending was great and I’m really hoping this isn’t a duology because I would love to see more of these characters! If you’re in the mood for an Alice in Wonderland retelling put this series on your list!

3:59 By Gretchen McNeil

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

3:59 By Gretchen McNeil3:59 by Gretchen McNeil
Published by Balzer + Bray on 9/17/13
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, SciFi, Young Adult
Pages: 373
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. And just when she thinks it can't get worse, she wakes to an image of herself in the bedroom mirror. Except it's not her at all—the girl in the mirror is blonder and prettier. And her name is Jo.

The two girls are doppelgängers whose universes overlap every twelve hours at 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to pass through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo's world is far from perfect, and the stuff of nightmares lurks around every corner. And when Josie finds herself trapped there, her life becomes more dangerous—and more deadly—than she ever imagined.

Josie’s life seems to be spiraling out of control but things get weird when Josie sees herself or a girl who looks exactly like her in a mirror, it turns out that the girls are doppelgängers. Every 12 hours their universes overlap and Josie thinks that Jo lives a better life than her jumps at the opportunity to switch places for 24 hours. But Jo’s world isn’t as perfect as it seemed and now Josie is trapped there and has to find a way back home. I love books by Gretchen McNeil so I was excited to finally read 3:59, I throughly enjoyed it. We mainly read from Josie’s point of view but at 3:59 we get to see a few things from Jo’s POV as well. There were so many twist and turns that I didn’t know what to expect or who to trust. I liked feeling like I was with Josie on a journey, she had to use everything she knew about physics to figure out how to get back home. I also liked how Josie learned how things may look better on the other side but it’s not always what you think. The people in Jo’s world don’t really trust her so it was hard for Josie to earn their trust and it was interesting to see how everything worked out. I wasn’t expecting most of the things that happened but it just kept me on the edge of my seat. 3:59 is definitely a page turner and I would recommend it!



A BLADE SO BLACK By L.L. Mckinney

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A BLADE SO BLACK By L.L. MckinneyA Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney
Series: The Nightmare-Verse #1
Published by Square Fish on 9/25/18
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice's handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she'll need to use everything she's learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head... literally.

Short and Sweet Review

After her father’s death, Alice meets Addison Hatta. Hatta eventually trains Alice to be a dream walker and takes her into wonderland to fight nightmares. After Hatta ends up being poisoned Alice has to venture further into wonderland than she has before to save her mentor. A Blade So Black was an interesting take on Alice in Wonderland. Our Alice lives in Atlanta and she travels to wonderland through a gate that’s in a pub. It took me a while to get used to Alice and the way she talked but I eventually got used to it. Alice’s mom was very overprotective so she was usually getting yelled at for coming home late or not answering her phone. Alice was great she cared for those around her which made it hard for her to make decisions. The book started off a little slow for me but it picked up in the middle and I thought the ending was great. I loved each of the characters and how they have a distinct personality and how they reflect someone from the original Alice in Wonderland. I’m excited to see what will happen in the sequel!