THE BLACKWOODS By Brandy Colbert

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

THE BLACKWOODS By Brandy ColbertThe Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert
Published by Balzer + Bray on 10/3/23
Genres: Contemporary, Historical, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The Blackwoods. Everyone knows their name.

Blossom Blackwood burst onto the silver screen in 1962, and in the decades that followed, she would become one of the most celebrated actors of our time—and the matriarch of the most famous Black family in Hollywood. To her great-granddaughters, Hollis and Ardith, she has always just been Bebe. And when she passes away, it changes everything.

Hollis Blackwood was never interested in fame. Still, she’s surrounded by it, whether at home with her family or at the prestigious Dupree Academy among Los Angeles’ elite. When private photos of Hollis are leaked in the wake of Blossom’s death, she is thrust into the spotlight she’s long avoided—and finds that trust may be a luxury even she can’t afford.

Ardith Blackwood has always lived in the public eye. A television star since childhood, she was perhaps closer with Blossom than anyone—especially after Ardith’s mother died in a drug overdose. Ever since, she has worked to be everything her family, her church, and the public want her to be. But as a family secret comes to light and the pressures from all sides begin to mount, she wonders what is left beneath the face she shows the world.

Short and Sweet Review

The Blackwoods follows a famous family and we follow their beginnings with Blossom and how she got her start in the acting industry and in the present we see her two great granddaughters, Hollis and Ardith, and how life is for them in the spotlight.

When I first started this book I wasn’t sure if I would even want to finish it, mainly because I thought it was slow, but once I started to get invested in each characters story I couldn’t put this book down. Blossom Blackwood is the one who started it all, she worked hard to get her foot in the door and she wasn’t going to give up on her dream to become an actress. In the beginning of the book we see the other characters at Blossoms funeral, but while we read we get to go in the past and read from her point of view. We see her go to different auditions and some that were successful and others that would send her on her way, but she never let that discourage her. We also see during that time that there isn’t a lot of roles for black people so for Blossom to even make it was a great achievement. Blossom was a relationship with Michael Babinaeux which doesn’t work out mainly because they want different things in life, they end up having a baby together, I’ll explain more of this relationship later. Blossom is what I would consider complex, she’s in the industry trying to make a way for herself and her family which she eventually does but its interesting to see the things she had to do to get there.

Hollis and Ardith are the modern day POVs. Hollis is in school and she goes to a fancy academy where most rich kids go, but there are some scholarship kids and one of them in particular seems to hate her. Hollis spends most of her time wondering what she could have done to receive this treatment and also hanging out with her best friend Dwayne who is also her love interest. Hollis also has to deal with the fact that a nude picture of her gets out and that pretty much rocks her world for a majority of her story. Ardith is not only the great granddaughter of Blossom Blackwood but her mother Kimberly was also an actress, unfortunately her mother got into drugs and died from her addiction. Ardith is also an actress and we see her deal with the pressure to be perfect and be a good girl. Ardith and her dad are also trying to figure out if they want to take part in a project about Kimberly’s life. We see Hollis and Ardith go through the pressure of trying to keep the Blackwood name out of a bad light. I do wish that Hollis and Ardith spent more time together because I did like scenes when they were both there. The whole family is also dealing with the fact that Blossom never told her son, Abe, who his father is so they end up finding a family closer to home then they thought and they’re all trying to navigate what its like being a family especially when they seem to be on different sides of the wealth spectrum.

I really did enjoy this book once I was able to get into it. I think Ardith may have been my favorite character POV to read from but Hollis’s nude crisis is what really made me want to read on, and learning more about Blossoms life was fascinating. This is a book I would definitely recommend, it was interesting to see how a household name in Hollywood goes on to affect the younger generation in that family and how much pressure they have to live up to it.

AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT By Tahereh Mafi

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.

AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT By Tahereh MafiAn Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi
Published by HarperCollins on 6/1/21
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 256
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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It’s 2003, several months since the US officially declared war on Iraq, and the American political world has evolved. Tensions are high, hate crimes are on the rise, FBI agents are infiltrating local mosques, and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever. Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down.

She's too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots.

Shadi is named for joy, but she’s haunted by sorrow. Her brother is dead, her father is dying, her mother is falling apart, and her best friend has mysteriously dropped out of her life. And then, of course, there’s the small matter of her heart—

It’s broken.

Shadi tries to navigate her crumbling world by soldiering through, saying nothing. She devours her own pain, each day retreating farther and farther inside herself until finally, one day, everything changes.

She explodes.

Short and Sweet Review

Its two years after 9/11 and tensions are running high, but Shadi has other important things to worry about than people looking down on her for being Muslim.

Honestly, I wish this book was better than it was. I thought it would be more about navigating life after 9/11 especially because our main character is Muslim but the plot in this book is so weird. So Shadi has lost her older brother, her father is in the hospital, and her mother is struggling with her mental health, and I would say Shadi is too but she is like checked out to those around her. Her older sister is unimpressed with her lack of emotion and we can see how disconnected Shadi is. We also see Shade reconnect with Ali, her ex best friend Zahra’s brother. Zahra doesn’t want anything to do with Shadi anymore for whatever reason, and every time they interact Zahra comes in hot, which I felt was common for most of the conversations Shadi had with other characters. I’m not sure this book actually had a plot. It was just Shadi navigating her emotions or lack thereof about situations going on around her.

I really wanted to like this book but I was not interested in what was going on or even our main character. It was hard to be invested in a story when the main character wasn’t even interested.

IF I HAVE TO BE HAUNTED By Miranda Sun

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

IF I HAVE TO BE HAUNTED By Miranda SunIf I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun
Published by HarperTeen on 9/26/23
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Cara Tang doesn’t want to be haunted.

Look, the dead have issues, and Cara has enough of her own. Her overbearing mother insists she be the “perfect” Chinese American daughter—which means suppressing her ghost-speaking powers—and she keeps getting into fights with Zacharias Coleson, the local golden boy whose smirk makes her want to set things on fire.

Then she stumbles across Zach’s dead body in the woods. He’s even more infuriating as a ghost, but Cara’s the only one who can see him—and save him.

Agreeing to resurrect him puts her at odds with her mother, draws her into a dangerous liminal world of monsters and magic—and worse, leaves her stuck with Zach. Yet as she and Zach grow closer, forced to depend on each other to survive, Cara finds the most terrifying thing is that she might not hate him so much after all.

Maybe this is why her mother warned her about ghosts.

Short and Sweet Review

Cara is able to see ghost and its rough because on one hand her mom doesn’t want her to but her grandma is also a ghost that she can talk to and lives in their house and gives Cara advice. At school Cara has a rivalry with another student, Zach, and they’re paired up for a project. When Cara goes to meet with Zach she ends up finding his dead body instead. Now Cara is forced to embrace her ghost speaking abilities and try to help resurrect Zach. On their journey they encounter some crazy monsters and Cara starts to understand why her mom would try to keep her away from this world.

This book was different then I thought it would be and I’m not sure why I thought that because I did read the synopsis before going into it. Anyway I thought Cara would find Zach and it’d be like a mystery and they try to find what killed him. Instead we find his body and learn that Cara can help resurrect him and they go on almost a week long adventure through different thresholds, running into different monsters to try to save him. It was a welcome surprise for me because it wasn’t what I was expecting. Cara and Zach have a relationship where they get on each others nerves and they have a reputation for doing this and everyone around them knows it, so this journey they go on gives them lots of time to cozy up to each other. Like I mentioned earlier the fantasy element was more prevalent then I thought it would be, we see our main characters travel to the liminal world which is like another dimension but using places from the real world that the characters recognize. We see different monsters and even a cannibal who was unhinged and very creepy, we even meet a new character. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this character tagging along but in the end I did like her involvement. I will say I’m not completely sure how I feel about this book, there’s things that I loved like seeing Cara embrace her powers for once and realize that the choice to be a ghost speaker is hers alone to make, and also the fantasy elements that were involved. When I didn’t like so much was how Cara and Zach conveniently overcame their years long issues with each other in a week but I guess things do change when someone is dead. I also didn’t like how quickly Cara and her moms problems were solved in the end. Lastly that last chapter didn’t feel necessary if anything that could have been the epilogue or it could have been omitted it was cringey and I didn’t like it. The epilogue did make it seem like this would have more books involved which could be interesting now that Cara is okay with being a ghost speaker and her mom is coming around.

Overall, this book had more good than bad for me but unfortunately I can’t get past the things I didn’t like. I will say this is a good book for the upcoming fall season and I did mostly enjoy it.

THE ONLY GIRL IN TOWN By Ally Condie

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

THE ONLY GIRL IN TOWN By Ally CondieThe Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers on 9/19/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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For July Fielding, nothing has been the same since that summer before senior year.

Once, she had Alex to be her loyal best friend, the one who always had her back. She had Sydney, who pushed her during every cross country run, and who sometimes seemed to know July better than she knew herself. And she had Sam. Sam, who told her she was everything and left her breathless with his touch.

Now, July is alone. Every single person in her small town of Lithia has disappeared. No family. No Alex or Sydney. No Sam. July’s only chance at unraveling the mystery of their disappearance is a series of objects, each a reminder of the people she loved most. And a mysterious message: GET TH3M BACK.

Short and Sweet Review

July Fielding’s life hasn’t been the same since the summer before her senior year. Now July is the only person in town, she can’t find anyone, including friends and family. Around town July finds a message saying “Get Th3m back”, July follows clues to try to get everyone she loves back.

In this book we follow July try to piece together everything and try to find out why and how everyone disappeared. We alternate from the present and the past. I will say it was kind of hard to follow when we alternated because the chapters are so short that it felt like we didn’t have enough time in one time period. We see in the past what happened during July’s summer which includes the three people who are closest to her, Alex one of her best friends, Syd also a friend and cross country teammate, and Sam a boy she likes and ends up dating. In the present we see July try to use clues that reminds her of people to try to find out what happened but those clues lead her to what happened in the past so everything was a correlation. This book had me hooked I just wanted to know why July was alone in this town. I will say that July did have depression which plays a big part in this story.

Overall, this book makes you think, especially when you get to the end. I liked following July around town trying to find traces of anyone who could still be around, and also seeing how the summer before senior year impacted what’s going on now. The book didn’t end in a way I expected but I think that’s the best thing about it and Condie was able to accomplish what she was trying to with the plot and July. The writing was great and it will have you guessing right up to the end.

THOSE PINK MOUNTAIN NIGHTS By Jen Ferguson

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

THOSE PINK MOUNTAIN NIGHTS By Jen FergusonThose Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson
Published by Heartdrum on 9/12/23
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Overachievement isn’t a bad word—for Berlin, it’s the goal. She’s securing excellent grades, planning her future, and working a part-time job at Pink Mountain Pizza, a legendary local business. Who says she needs a best friend by her side?

Dropping out of high school wasn’t smart—but it was necessary for Cameron. Since his cousin Kiki’s disappearance, it’s hard enough to find the funny side of life, especially when the whole town has forgotten Kiki. To them, she’s just another missing Native girl.

People at school label Jessie a tease, a rich girl—and honestly, she’s both. But Jessie knows she contains multitudes. Maybe her new job crafting pizzas will give her the high-energy outlet she desperately wants.

Short and Sweet Review

Those Pink Mountain Nights, follows a trio of teens who work at a local pizza shop. Berlin is an overachiever, Cameron has recently dropped out of high school, but things haven’t been the same for him since his cousin Kiki went missing, and Jessie is known as the rich girl and also a tease but working at the pizza shop is the escape she needs.

In this book we get the POVs of Berlin, Cam, and Jessie, there’s a lot of subplots and layers to this book that climax and get resolved in a bigger plot to save the pizza shop. I did enjoy the characters, they’re an interesting group of teens and I like how they come together and the workers at the pizza shop are a family. Cam and Berlin have a love hate relationship which we see a lot of, and Jessie is the new comer and she truly gets to be herself at work. We see the plot line of Cam’s missing cousin and trying to save the pizza shop from being sold. There’s a lot that goes on in this book and its well written, but there are a lot of hard topics that require a trigger warning which is included at the beginning of the book so that’s a plus.

Overall, this felt like a coming of age novel and I did enjoy all of the elements that were involved. Each of the characters add something different and I liked how all of the subplots eventually came together and everything was wrapped up nicely. There’s a lot to process when reading this book and you’ll still be thinking about it after finishing it. Maybe grab a slice of pizza while reading this book!

LOVE & LUCK By Jenna Evans Welch

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.

LOVE & LUCK By Jenna Evans WelchLove & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch
Series: Love & Gelato #2
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 5/8/18
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 321
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding and hoping she can stop thinking about the one thing she did that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once inseparable siblings. Miserable, Addie can’t wait to visit her friend in Italy and leave her brother—and her problems—behind.

So when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s able to finally escape her anxious mind and Ian’s criticism.

And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute, Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.

That is if they don’t get completely lost along the way.

Short and Sweet Review

Addie and her family are in Ireland for her aunts wedding. What should be a joyous occasion is ruined by Addie and her brother Ian fighting. Addie is supposed to go to Italy to visit Lina, and Ian is coming to, but their mom warns them if they step out of line they’re going to face punishment. We learn that Addie and Ian have been arguing about something that happened back home, which is why Addie is reading a guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken. On the day Addie and Ian are supposed to leave for Italy she finds him getting in a car with his friend Rowan to go to a music festival instead which leads to an exploration of Ireland and trying to fix broken hearts.

I wasn’t sure about this book when I started it, mainly because the arguing and tension between Ian and Addie was too much. It was like if someone breathed the wrong way one of them would explode, we don’t really get to the bottom of what happened until the end of the book but we do learn it’s about a boy Addie was seeing. Back home Ian is a jock so Addie is shocked to find out he’s a popular blogger and music is his main topic. Ian is determined to go to landmarks that are important to music and do a few interviews and make it to the festival to see his favorite band play one more time. The thing is their mom believes they’re in Italy so they really have to be careful because how big is Ireland really? I loved Ian’s friend Rowan, he was also dealing with a bit of heartbreak which is why he was willing to go to some of the places in the guidebook. It was a roadtrip where we learned a little more about each character and I loved that. I thought it was cool that Addie knew a lot about cars and was the reason the trio got so far. I was kind of bummed that she wasn’t able to go see Lina in Italy but I also understand that this was Addie’s adventure and it needed to take place in Ireland. I do think that the end was a little rushed and I felt like it was abrupt.

Overall, I did like this book. I will say the beginning wasn’t my favorite but when things got going and we saw the different places recommend by the guidebook I was all in. This was a quick and easy read and I’m looking forward to reading the next book!

THE NAME DROP By Susan Lee

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

THE NAME DROP By Susan LeeThe Name Drop by Susan Lee
Published by Inkyard Press on 9/12/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 273
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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When Elijah Ri arrives in New York City for an internship at his father’s massive tech company, Haneul Corporation, he expects the royal treatment that comes with being the future CEO—even if that’s the last thing he wants. But instead, he finds himself shuffled into a group of overworked, unpaid interns, all sharing a shoebox apartment for the summer.

When Jessica Lee arrives in New York City, she’s eager to make the most of her internship at Haneul Corporation, even if she’s at the bottom of the corporate ladder. But she’s shocked to be introduced as the new executive-in-training intern with a gorgeous brownstone all to herself.

It doesn’t take long for Elijah and Jessica to discover the source of the mistake: they share the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched—so Elijah can have a relaxing summer away from his controlling dad while Jessica can make the connections she desperately needs for college recommendations.

As Elijah and Jessica work together to keep up the charade, a spark develops between them. Can they avoid discovery—and total disaster—with their feelings and futures on the line?

Short and Sweet

Elijah Ri and Jessica Lee are both in New York for an internship at the Haneul Corporation. The difference is that Elijah is the son of the owner and is expected to one day be the CEO, Jessica is the daughter of an accountant for the company. Elijah is expecting to live very comfortably when he arrives in New York but he’s surprised when he’s in an apartment with 10 other interns for the summer. Jessica ends up in a nice brownstone and now she knows something is wrong. Jessica and Elijah realize that they have the same Korean name and Elijah decides it may be okay to switch places for the summer and if anyone finds out they’ll deal with it when the time comes.

The plot of this book was basically a case of mistaken identity. Jessica and Elijah are very different. She’s hard working and has to work for the things she wants and Elijah lives a life of luxury but he can never make his father happy. When these two decide to switch places we see that Elijah is dedicated to working hard and also being a team player, Jessica on the other hand is hard working but is a nervous wreck about being caught. This book feel flat for me I didn’t like the characters there wasn’t much to them. The plot wasn’t anything to rave about we see them have the same Korean name but them getting away with it at the airport and for most of the summer seemed too far fetched. The romance also felt underdeveloped and I didn’t feel sparks when reading about these two and in the end the romance was rushed.

Overall, this book was okay, it wouldn’t make it on a list of my favorites. Everything in this book let me down from the characters, plot, and romance. I believe this concept would have worked if it was executed better.

EVERYONE’S THINKING IT By Aleema Omotoni

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

EVERYONE’S THINKING IT By Aleema OmotoniEveryone's Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni
Published by Balzer + Bray on 9/5/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Within the walls of Wodebury Hall, an elite boarding school in the English countryside, reputation is everything. But aspiring photographer Iyanu is more comfortable observing things safely from behind her camera.

For Iyanu’s estranged cousin, Kitan, life seems perfect. She has money, beauty, and friends like queen bee Heather. But as a Nigerian girl in a school as white and insular as Wodebury, Kitan struggles with the personal sacrifices needed to keep her place—and the protection she gets—within the exclusive popular crowd.

Then photos from Iyanu’s camera are stolen and splashed across the school the week before the Valentine’s Day Ball—each with a juicy secret written on it. With everyone’s dirty laundry suddenly out in the open, the school explodes in chaos, and the whispers accusing Iyanu of being the one behind it all start to feel like déjà vu.

Each girl is desperate to unravel the mystery of who stole the photos and why. But exposing the truth will change them all forever.

Short and Sweet Review

At Wodebury High, reputation is everything. Iyanu is a photographer and she’s able to capture a lot of moments and observe everything around her behind the safety of her camera. Kitan is Iyanu’s cousin but they don’t really talk. While Iyanu is almost like an outcast, Kitan is apart of the popular group. When someone steals Iyanu’s photos and puts everyones secrets on the back of them and distributes them around the school its chaos. Iyanu is being accused of releasing the photos and she’s determined to figure out who did it.

This book was addicting and really did have a mean girls feel, when Iyanu’s photos are stolen and spread around the school with secrets on them, it reminded me of Regina George passing out copies of the burn book. The only difference is Iyanu wasn’t behind this. Photography is her life and she needs those pictures for an opportunity for an article. Kitan is used to hanging out with the popular group and her best friends are Heather and Sarah. There’s a bit of a disconnect with her friends though seeing as they’re white and Heather seems to think culture appropriation is okay and Kitan is too afraid to say anything. We get both girls POVs and I enjoyed them equally, Kitan and Iyanu are going through different things that it was easy to get invested in their lives. High School is rough but I think going to a school like Wodebury where it seems like everyone knows each other and everyones business makes it worse. Iyanu ends up working with Quincy an old childhood friend and someone she’s drifted away from after something happened. Anyway these two basically set off to investigate who could have taken the pictures and I loved seeing them try to figure out motives and follow their classmates. Kitan on the other hand is dealing with figuring out if her friends are really her friends and also realizing that sometimes you do need to let your “friends” know when they’re in the wrong. I think this book covered some important topics and one of them would be embracing your culture and not shying away from it because others aren’t accepting. The ending was great and I feel like I knew who was behind everything but there was also a few false leads that through me off.

Overall, this was an addictive book. I loved the plot and the characters, this book reminded me about how crazy and drama filled high school could be but I also enjoyed the mystery aspect that was involved. If you like Mean Girls and also mystery novels then this book is for you!

AGAIN AGAIN By E. Lockhart

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.

AGAIN AGAIN By E. LockhartAgain Again by E. Lockhart
Published by Delacorte Press on 6/2/20
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 288
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?

After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times--while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.

Short and Sweet Review

In Again Again we meet our main character Adelaide, who is trying to figure out how to feel about her brothers drug addiction and her struggles with a recent break up and having feelings for someone new. We also see Adelaide’s story play out in different universes of this could have happened or maybe not depending on the choices she made.

I like the idea of seeing how what ifs would play out but the way it was written in this book was very confusing to me and I had trouble following along. I couldn’t tell which what if I was reading so that didn’t help. Besides that I did like seeing how Adelaide’s relationship with her brother was different and how they were working on repairing it. I wasn’t into the romance because that’s where most of the what ifs came into play.

There’s really not much to say about this book, it’s kind of repetitive. I did like that the book was short and I was able to finish it in one sitting. I wish the multiple universe aspect Lockhart was going for would have been better executed and maybe the book would have been an easier read.

ONE OF US IS BACK By Karen M. McManus

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.

ONE OF US IS BACK By Karen M. McManusOne of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus
Series: One of Us Is Lying #3
Published by Delacorte Press on 7/25/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 362
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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It’s been almost two years since Simon died in detention, and the aftermath has been hard to shake. First the Bayview Four had to prove they weren’t killers. Then a new generation outwitted a vengeful copycat. Now the entire Bayview Crew is back home for the summer, and everyone is trying to move on.

Only, this is Bayview, and life is never that simple.

At first the mysterious billboard seems like a bad joke: Time for a new game, Bayview. But when a member of the Bayview Crew disappears, it’s clear this “game” is serious—and whoever’s in charge isn’t sharing the rules. Or maybe there aren’t any.

Bronwyn. Cooper. Addy. Nate. Maeve. Phoebe. Knox. Luis. Kris. Everyone’s a target. And now that someone unexpected has returned to Bayview, things could start getting deadly.

The thing is, Simon was right about secrets—they all come out eventually. And Bayview has a lot it’s still hiding.

Short and Sweet Review

It’s summer in Bayview and all of the Bayview crew are back together. You would think after Simon’s death two years ago and another group stopping the copycat that this would be the end, but nope someone is targeting the group again. It starts with a sign on a billboard then one of the crew members goes missing. Simon warned everyone before he died that secrets will come out, and there’s a few more Bayview has to give.

I love this series and as happy I was to hear there was going to be an installment I don’t think this book was needed. We’re back in Bayview and this time everyone is there, but we only get the POVs of Addy, Nate, and Phoebe. I understand Phoebe and Addy but not really sure we needed Nate. Phoebe is trying to figure out if her brother is a psychopath and we need Addy because Jake is back and we need to follow her thoughts and emotions through it all. If I had to guess why we got Nate maybe it was so we could see how he’s trying to better himself and also his relationship with Bronwyn. Anyway, Jake is out and about on probation so when the “games” are starting he looks like the number one suspect except that’s too easy. I honestly think Jake was there to throw us off and it’s funny because he’s still a horrible person so it very well could be him. When we get to the end and everything is explained it just feels like it was out of left field, because really how out of whack can one town be? Anyway in this book we get our normal something is happening that shouldn’t be, lets do a little investigating, something happens to one of our members, and we were a little off but now we know who the suspect is.

I do enjoy this series but I do feel like everything here was so convenient and out of nowhere that it worked but also made me feel like this shouldn’t have been a new book. I liked seeing all of the characters together and how the characters from the first book were like mentors to the characters from the second book, they had a great friendship with each other. Definitely recommend this series books 1 and 2 were amazing this book threw me for a loop.