SHUT UP, THIS IS SERIOUS By Carolina Ixta

December 29, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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.

SHUT UP, THIS IS SERIOUS By Carolina IxtaShut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta
Published by Quill Tree Books on 1/9/24
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 364
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She’s at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant—by the boyfriend she hasn’t told her parents about, because he’s Black, and her parents are racist.

Things are hella complicated.

Weighed by a depression she can’t seem to shake, Belén helps Leti, hangs out with an older guy, and cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Leti is becoming a mother. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her?

Short and Sweet Review

Belén just wants to be a normal teenager and have normal experiences but in her life nothing is going right, her father left, she may not graduate, and her religious and studious friend ends up pregnant by a boy she can’t tell her parents about because they’re racist. Soon Belén starts to distract herself by skipping class and hanging out with an older guy but she starts to wonder what the future has in store for her when she sees everyone around her ready to move on.

First and foremost this is one of the best books I’ve read this year! The story follows Belén who’s in high school, she’s not taking school very seriously and has a chance of not graduating. Belén and Leti are best friends, Leti is pregnant and her parents are super religious and also racist which complicates things because Leti’s baby daddy Quentin is black. We follow Belén try to navigate this time during her life, her father left and since then her mom has become more absent and her older sister Ava is almost the mother figure in her life. When Belén, Leti, and Quentin go to a college party, Belén meets a college guy who she spends a lot of time with mainly to distract herself from everything that’s going on in life. My favorite thing about this book was how realistic it is. It also reminds me of those movies where the student is failing but they find a teacher who cares about them who helps them make it to the finish line. I loved the friendship between Belén and Leti, Leti was the more logical one but Belén would balance her out and make her realize she doesn’t have to take everything so seriously. I liked that Belén wasn’t pregnant but that she was the biggest support for Leti and Quentin during this time. This book takes place over a school year and I just loved seeing Belén navigate life and where she started to where she ended, her character made leaps and bounds in the development department.

Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone! It’s so realistic and you fall in love with the characters and their stories. Belén was an amazing character that was relatable and showed that even through the hard times you can still find the light at the end of the tunnel.

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THIS TOWN IS ON FIRE By Pamela N. Harris

June 5, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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.

THIS TOWN IS ON FIRE By Pamela N. HarrisThis Town Is on Fire by Pamela N. Harris
Published by Quill Tree Books on 6/20/23
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 445
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

A lot is up in the air in Naomi Henry’s life: her spot as a varsity cheer flier, her classmates’ reaction to the debut of her natural hair, and her crush on the guy who’s always been like a brother to her. With so much uncertainty, she feels lucky to have a best friend like Kylie to keep her grounded. After all, they’re practically sisters—Naomi’s mom took care of Kylie and her twin brother for years.

But then a video of Kylie calling the cops on two Black teens in a shopping store parking lot goes viral. Naomi is shaken, and her town is reeling from the publicity. While Naomi tries to reckon with Kylie, the other Black students in their high school are questioning their friendship, and her former friends are wondering where this new “woke” Naomi came from. Although Naomi wants to stand by her best friend, she now can’t help but see everything in a different light.

As tensions in her town escalate, Naomi finds herself engaging in protests that are on the cusp of being illegal. And then a bomb explodes, and someone is found dead. Will Naomi be caught in the center of the blast?

Short and Sweet Review

Naomi and Kylie have been friends since they were kids and now they’re going into their senior year of high school, they’re like sisters and Naomi looks to Kylie to keep her grounded. Naomis world is rocked when a video of Kylie calling the cops on two black teens is released and goes viral. The other black teens at their high school start to judge Naomi and Kylies friendship so much so that Naomi starts to question if she ever knew Kylie in the first place. Tensions start to escalate in town, including protests and there’s even a bomb that goes off and Naomi is caught in the crossfire.

Naomi and Kylie have always been friends but after the video comes out Naomi is confused and starts to distance herself from Kylie. I feel like Naomi is so used to doing what Kylie is doing and isn’t exactly comfortable hanging out with other black kids. So when Kylie is called out Naomi is caught between hanging out with a girl who’s being called a racist and trying to figure out her own identity as a black girl. Naomi is trying to balance this two parts of her life and is having trouble bringing them both together without cutting one out and losing a part of herself. We see the tension the video causes between Kylie and Naomi and when Naomi starts to distance herself she cuts cheerleading out her life and joins the dance team and during this time she also finds herself joining a group that enjoys protesting. Naomi also has a romance with Kylie’s twin brother Connor but that also turns sour when she sees he also has a questionable past when it comes to making fun of black people. The book goes back and forth between the present which talks about the explosion and the past which shows which led up to everything.

This Town Is on Fire, showed Naomi struggle between her friend and her identity as a black girl. I did enjoy seeing Naomi find herself throughout the book. This book was hard to put down and it’s interesting to think about what someone would do when their friend ends up being coined a “BBQ Becky”. I will say the ending was shocking, I wasn’t expecting it. This book was full of important messages and its very realistic, it was captivating. I would definitely recommend this book!

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ON THE COME UP By Angie Thomas

February 24, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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.

ON THE COME UP By Angie ThomasOn the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Published by Balzer + Bray on 2/5/19
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 452
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral . . . for all the wrong reasons.

Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn’t just want to make it—she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.

Short and Sweet Review

Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers, but first she has to get through a battle at the ring and win. When Bri does win she starts to get some traction and eventually she ends up recording her first song On the Come Up, unfortunately the people closest to her don’t approve her song and outsiders are hyping it up. Bri knows that she’s getting attention for all the wrong reasons but with her family struggling she feels like she has to make it in this industry.

On the Come Up becomes viral and for the wrong reasons, Bri is talking about a life she’s never lived and people start to think the song is about hating police and being in gangs when Bri wanted it to be about how people with her skin color are looked down upon as these things. Anyway Bri hasn’t had the easiest life her dad a well known rapper was murdered, her mom is a recovering addict, and her aunt is in a gang and a drug dealer. Bri is passionate about rapping and her aunt is probably her biggest supporter, but her aunt Pooh is also not as committed as Bri would want her to be. So when Supreme her dads old manager offers to start managing Bri and get her a record deal, Bri says yes mainly because she knows if she makes it she’ll be able to support her family. I think my biggest problem in this book was Bri. Like she may be struggling but she has a great support system around her, one that won’t let her reach rock bottom. Bri gets a lot of advice from the people around her that the song isn’t who she is and that its a bad representation of her but she takes the advice as if someone is attacking her and that bothered me the most. She really ended up learning that the things she was doing had consequences. I guess that’s a big thing in books people have to continue to be hard headed until the lesson smacks them right in the face. There was a love triangle which didn’t work out because first of all one of the boys had a girlfriend and it just ended up being awkward. Also there’s a lot of things that kind of remind me of The Hate U Give mainly that the character goes to a predominately white high school and that the peers don’t understand how black kids may be treated differently, and they definitely start saying that Bri’s song incited a violent incident that took place at the School. I did like how different issues were dealt with, like the gangs, drug usage, institutional racism and other things. Bri talks about most of these things in her raps and I feel like when she’s being authentic is when we see her best self.

Overall this was a good book, I can see how it’s like a love letter to hip hop and rap. I just think the hardest thing for me was seeing Bri make these bad decisions when everyone around her is giving her the best advice. The ending was a little rushed but I’m glad that in the end we see the support system Bri has around her and that she knows its okay to be herself.

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THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT By Tracy Badua

January 16, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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.

THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT By Tracy BaduaThis Is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua
Published by Quill Tree Books on 1/17/23
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 347
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

At sixteen, Perla is the youngest graduating senior of the hypercompetitive Monte Verde High. Praised—and not-so-quietly bashed—as “Perfect Perlie Perez,” Perla knows all the late nights, social isolation, and crushing stress will be worth it when she gets into the college of her (and her parents’) dreams: Delmont University.

Then Perla doesn’t get in, and her meticulously planned future shatters. In a panic, she forges her own acceptance letter, and next thing she knows, she’s heading to Delmont for real, acceptance or not. Soon, Perla is breaking into dorm rooms, crashing classes, and dodging questions from new friends about her lack of a student ID. Her plan? Gather on-the-ground intel to beef up her application and reapply spring semester before she’s caught.

But as her guilty conscience grows and campus security looms large, Perla starts to wonder if her plan will really succeed—and if this dream she’s worked for her entire life is something she even wants.

Short and Sweet Review

Perla Perez is the youngest student in her graduating class and all her life she’s worked to get accepted into Delmont University. So when Perla gets a rejection letter she panics and creates a fake acceptance letter and shows it to her parents. Perla plans to pretend to be a student and try to improve her next application and become a student in the spring.

This book was addicting and nerve wracking. Perla really went through almost every scenario when she came up with the idea of pretending to be a college student. She attends lectures, finds an empty dorm room, and makes some friends. What Perla wasn’t expecting was to have money problems and see someone from high school who may be on to her. Perla’s parents and family have high expectations for her and I felt bad because this is one of the main reasons she’s in this predicament. Perla is used to being on top so when she’s here in college she realizes that she may have been a lot more sheltered back at home than she thought. Perla has a lot of character development and that was one of my favorite things about this book, Perla just learning that this is her life and she has her own dreams and she doesn’t have to try to live out someone else’s. We see Perla make it 3 months on campus which is pretty insane because she did a lot of sneaking around, and it was always how long can she go before she gets caught or will she be successful and actually get accepted in the spring?

This was an amazing book, it will have you on the edge of your seat following Perla around campus. The biggest thing was the message that you get to pick the overall course of your life and you should follow your dreams and not anyone else’s. This is a must get book, I may have struggled in my college journey but Perla took fake it til you make it to another level and I will never forget her story!

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THE LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE By Cynthia Hand

June 15, 2022 by Leave a Comment

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 LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE By Cynthia HandThe Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand
Published by HarperTeen on 2/10/15
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Since her brother, Tyler, committed suicide, Lex has been trying to keep her grief locked away, and to forget about what happened that night. But as she starts putting her life, her family, and her friendships back together, Lex is haunted by a secret she hasn't told anyone—a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Short and Sweet Review

The Last Time We Say Goodbye follows Lex as she navigates life after her brother’s suicide. Lex used to be happy with her family and friends but now everything is different. One thing that people don’t know is that Tyler texted Lex before he died, now Lex is trying to pick up the pieces and trying to block out what happened the night Tyler died.

This was a good book, it covers hard subjects like suicide and mental illness. Lex is struggling and she sees a therapist who suggests that she should start journaling to process her feelings. I liked reading Lex’s journal entries it’s basically a flashback and every journal entry leads up to what happened that night so everything is basically pieced together. Other chapters show how Lex is currently going through her days, we see her distance herself from her friends, make some new friends, and try to forgive her dad, and figure out what she’s going to do in the future.

This book was focused on Lex’s grief after losing her brother. I liked seeing her process her grief and this book was beautifully written. I’m sure people would find this book emotional but I was okay, but it didn’t take away from the great writing. If you’re looking for a book that focuses on grief and is well written this book is for you.

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TEMPESTUOUS By Kim Askew And Amy Helmes

July 24, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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.

TEMPESTUOUS By Kim Askew And Amy HelmesTempestuous by Amy Helmes, Kim Askew
Series: Twisted Lit #1
Published by Simon Pulse on 11/18/12
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Realistic Fiction, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 226
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

After a mistake with big financial consequences topples her throne, former "it girl" Miranda Prospero is bitter: she finds herself stranded in a crazed new world, holding court among geeks and misfits at a mall Hot Dog Kabob stand. Then, she gets her chance for revenge. When the storm of the decade snows in the mall workers and last-minute shopaholics for a long winter's night, Miranda sets out to get back at the catty clique who was behind her exile. But there's a complication. She somehow gets handcuffed to sullen loner Caleb. With him (literally) bound to her side, Miranda learns more in one night about her own heart, and human nature, than she ever did as prep royalty.


Short and Sweet Review

Miranda used to be the “it girl” until a scandal brought her down. Now Miranda is working at the mall’s food court and trying to make it through being a social outcast. A snowstorm hits and leaves Miranda, her coworkers, and her former friends stuck in the mall together, Miranda thinks this is the perfect time to get revenge. There was a lot going on in this book, not only was Miranda stuck in the mall, she’s also trying to get revenge, throw a party for a coworker, and trying to figure out who in the mall is committing robberies during the snow storm. I liked that the setting was the mall I think it would be so much fun to be locked in a mall for the night. I didn’t enjoy Miranda’s character, she was so rude to people and didn’t give them a chance even if she just met them, we do get to see a change in heart from her but it was later in the book like the last 30 pages. Miranda’s coworkers were diverse and it was fun to learn what stores they worked at and getting to know more about them. We also get to see Miranda’s former friends, they’re pretty awful too, most of the book was focused on them and the revenge Miranda planned to get on them. The robbery was a minor plot in the book we hear about it once during the beginning of the book and then again at the end, it wasn’t really much of a mystery because most of the characters blew it off, they knew the person was still in the mall but they didn’t go looking for who it would be. Miranda also has a romantic interest in the book, I liked it mainly because of Caleb he didn’t let Miranda get to him, they were also handcuffed to each other during most of the book. I’ve never read The Tempest by Shakespeare so I don’t know how closely this book resembles it but overall I thought it was an okay read. The book was short and easy to read I just didn’t like Miranda’s dialogue, but I think some of the other characters make up for it.

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ALL THE FEELS By Danika Stone

July 19, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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.

ALL THE FEELS By Danika StoneAll The Feels by Danika Stone
Published by Swoon Reads on 6/7/16
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life. When her favorite character is killed off, Liv Just. Can't. Deal. She launches an online campaign to bring her hero back to life. Step one: Bribe her best friend, Xander, into helping by making costumes for his steampunk cosplay. Step two: Balance her booming fandom life with school, parental disapproval, and her (nonexistent) love life. Maybe a trip to Dragon Con with Xander would help?


Short and Sweet Review

Liv is a college freshman and a fangirl of the Starveil franchise. Her heart is shattered when her favorite character is killed off, now Liv is determined to bring him back with the help of her fellow fans, Starveil fandom, and her best friend Xander. I enjoyed this book it was short, light, and a quick read. I found it interesting to read because of her love for this franchise and seeing how Liv interacted with the fandom online, I also liked how Xander wasn’t into the movies like Liv, but was into steampunk. I loved Xander he was quirky and he looked out for Liv and was the sweetest person to her. Liv was a good character too I found it funny how she was moping around because of Spartans death but she was determined to change that I thats what I liked the most about her. I felt bad that her mom didn’t understand why Liv loved Starveil so much, it was her only connection with her now deceased father. Liv continued to pursue her passion even though there was that disapproval lingering from her mom. I liked the transitions in the book, we get to see Liv in Boulder, and then follow her during her spring semester, and then her and Xander go to Dragon Con in Atlanta. Xander and Liv’s friendship made me swoon I loved them so much, they made a cute couple in the end and I was so happy! This book is cute and I would recommend it! We get fandom and steampunk and friendships and the life of a college student, pick this book up!

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EMMY & OLIVER By Robin Benway

July 8, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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.

EMMY & OLIVER By Robin BenwayEmmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
Published by HarperTeen on 6/23/15
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 357
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy's soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life. . . . She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents' relentless worrying. But Emmy's parents can't seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart. . . . He'd thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who had kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing, and his thoughts swirling.


Short and Sweet Review

When Emmy’s next door neighbor and best friend Oliver is kidnapped by his father, things in her town change. Emmy’s parents become over protective, and all Emmy wants is to be free and feel like she’s in charge of her life. When Oliver returns ten years later, Emmy wonders if they can pick up their friendship where it left off. Emmy was a good character I liked how she went out of her way to make Oliver feel welcomed even though some of the other people in town made him feel like an outcast. I felt bad for Oliver, he was torn because now he has to try to get used to this new life with his mom but he still loves and misses his dad. The pacing in this book was a bit slow which was fine for me. I liked how Emmy and Oliver took the time to get to know each other again they made a sweet couple. Benway did a great job showing the struggles of this two teens, Oliver and his conflicting feelings about his dad and Emmy and hiding her secret passions from her parents like surfing and wanting to go to a college that they might not approve of. This is a great contemporary read and the writing portrays what’s happening in this book in a real light.

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GRIT By Gillian French

May 6, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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.

GRIT By Gillian FrenchGrit by Gillian French
Published by HarperTeen on 5/16/17
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Social Issues, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Seventeen-year-old Darcy Prentiss has long held the title of “town slut.” She knows how to have a good time, sure, but she isn’t doing anything all the guys haven’t done. But when you’re a girl with a reputation, every little thing that happens seems to keep people whispering—especially when your ex-best friend goes missing.

But if anyone were to look closer at Darcy, they’d realize there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface. Staying out late, hooking up, and telling lies is what Darcy does to forget. Forget about the mysterious disappearance of her friend. Forget about the dark secret she and her cousin Nell share. Forget about that hazy Fourth of July night. So when someone in town anonymously nominates Darcy to be in the running for Bay Festival Princess—a cruel act only someone with a score to settle would make—all of the things that Darcy wants to keep hidden threaten to erupt in ways she wasn’t prepared to handle…and isn’t sure if she can.


Short and Sweet

Darcy Prentiss lives in a small town and has the reputation of “town slut.” During the summer Darcy works picking blueberries with her cousin and her sister. Things are going fine until talk starts about Darcy’s ex-best friend Rhiannon who went missing the last summer, now people are trying to figure out what happened and if Darcy knows more than shes saying.

Characters

Darcy: Our main character who is unfairly judged. I think she’s gone through a lot she’s lost her dad and her reputation has people judging her before they even know who she really is.

Nell: Darcy’s cousin. Nell is a bit slower which makes Darcy feel like she has to protect Nell all the time, but Nell is compassionate and sweet.

Romance

There is a bit of Romance between Darcy and Jesse one of her fellow workers who picks blueberries. It was interesting to see how this relationship would develop. Darcy is known to be a good time which isn’t a secret to anyone in town but Jesse has her confused when he doesn’t seem to care about that.

My Thoughts

~ There were two storylines in Grit, one about Rhiannon who went missing the summer before and then one about Darcy’s day to day life and how she deals with family, work, and everything else that comes her way. There’s also a bit of a mystery surrounding why Darcy is so protective of Nell.

~ There’s a lot going on in this book and it’s not hard to follow at all, it made it more captivating if anything.

~ Darcy was an enjoyable character I felt bad because of how much everyone judged her, but she just owned it and I love how she felt like she didn’t have to explain anything to anyone.

~Rhiannon’s storyline is interesting. What really happened to Rhiannon? The police are now questioning everyone again because they found something of hers. The police also thinks Darcy knows more than she’s telling. I liked seeing this unfold because we slowly learn what actually happened that night and what Darcy knows.

~ Nell’s storyline is also interesting. Her and Darcy and they both knew if their secret got out everything in their lives would unravel.

~ I liked seeing Darcy’s day to day life shes headstrong and smart she knew what she wanted. She definitely didn’t let people walk all over her.

~ I loved Mags, Darcy’s older sister. She was like another mother to Darcy she was caring and protective and was always there for Darcy.

~This book was hard to put down I wanted to know what happened and how each character had something to do with what was going on in the present day based on what they did in the past.

Overall

Grit was raw and memorable. I couldn’t put this book down there were so many twists that just had me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I recommend this book, it would be a perfect read for the summer!

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FALLING INTO PLACE By Amy Zhang

March 29, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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.

FALLING INTO PLACE By Amy ZhangFalling Into Place by Amy Zhang
Published by Greenwillow Books on 9/9/14
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyAli

She would be an object in motion that would stay in motion, even if it meant flattening everything in her path.

One cold fall day, high school junior Liz Emerson steers her car into a tree. Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? This haunting, nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High's most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn't understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn't understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect?


Liz Emerson has been in an accident of her own doing, which began long before she ran her car into a tree. We go from present to past and back again to delve into Liz’s life and that of her friends, Julia and Kennie, to see how actions and interactions have the power to impact ourselves and those around us.

Amy Zhang has written a raw and mesmerizing story that’ll have you loving and hating Liz Emerson and her two best friends. They come across as typical superficial high school girls, but we come to see them as multi-layered characters who came to be a product of circumstance.

Falling Into Place is emotional and comes across as true to life. I’d recommend to not just YA readers but to those who have been or are now where Liz Emerson found herself, thinking the world would be better off without them. Engaging and heartfelt, readers will continue to ponder on this story even after the end.

Filed Under: Reviews