The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

It's been five years since Sunnybrooke High had a cheerleading squad. Five cheerleaders died within one month of one another in 3 separate incidents. Monica Rayburn's sister is one of the five. She finds her sister's cellphone hidden upon her step-fathers things and when she starts to put things together she realize that something is off about the deaths of all five cheerleaders.

Monica Rayburn put on her investigators hat and starts to look into the death of these young teen girls. The story is told in different points of view and time periods. We get Monica's perspective and her sister, Jennifers. There lives, family and friend dynamics are explored.

The plot has many twists. The reveal is slow yet satisfying. This is probably one of the better YA mystery/thriller novels I have read. It is worth taking a few hour of your time to read.

Katerina by James Frey

Katerina is Frey's newest novel and flips back and forth between 1992 (Paris) and current day Los Angeles.  It's a story about love, betrayal, sex and the emotions that flow through your body as your are consumed by them in particular during youth when you are "finding" yourself..

While fictional the characters clearly mirror Frey's life. The main character is Jay and his story flips back and forth to his youth as a writer living in Paris who falls in love with a woman named Katerina and his life in current day Los Angeles as a married man, father and successful author. 

It all starts with an anonymous message pushing Jay's mind into the past and reminiscing of his prior life, including the controversy surrounding an infamous novel Jay had written. The writing is full of emotional highs and lows.  The sex scenes are hot (unless you are a prude), F words are abundant and  the story flows however at times the layout of the writing can be a bit maddening to read. 

The read is worth your time and energy. 

* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist Book by Eli Saslow

I can't stop talking about this book and recommending it to everyone book reader I know especially those who, like me have a difficult time wrapping our minds around racism, white supremacy and in general hatred towards someone because they are "different" from us.

This book is about Derek Black, the son of  Don Black ( of the white nationalists). Derek Black was raised in the white nationalist movement. He became the face of it. He was raised to become the future of it and coined the phrase "white genocide".

Derek is incredibly intelligent, well mannered and when he leaves home to attend a liberal college, he easily blends in and seems like everyone else until --  it is revealed who he really is. Many students are outraged but others seek him out, those who he befriended before and over time dialogue flows between them and Derek. Derek slowly begins to see them in a different light.

Derek starts to have in depth conversations with a friend (who becomes more) and pull away from Stormfront. He eventually publicly denounces the white nationalist movement, changing the course of his life.

This is by far the most important book I have read this years and I encourage you do read it. Get insight into the hatred and discover what  a strong character Derek Black has.

* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.