All Fall Down: A Novel by Jennifer Weiner

Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic and the like many addictions the recovery process is arduous. Weiner, tackles this subject in her new novel, "All Fall Down."

Weiner gives an unflinching look into addiction. This subject is heavy for, Weiner and I wasn't sure if she could pull it off but she did. Despite the fact that it took me a while to get into this novel it is engrossing, however I had some difficulties believing aspects of the addiction and the easy access to prescription drugs.

Allison is a wife, mother, daughter, friend, blogger and the main bread winner of her family. The stress of everyday life and a heavy mortgage is weighing heavily on her shoulders. She uses prescription pills to push through the day and deal with stressful situations that pop up.  Things began to spiral out of control and Allison finds herself sitting inside a rehab clinic having to face her addiction.


Grade: B

Shanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa See

Shanghai Girls is a spectacular novel. It is set in the mid 1930s. The main characters, May and Pearl are beautiful, sophisticated and leading the life of luxury but all of that is about to come crashing down around them.

They are forced into arranged marriages in order to pay off their fathers debts and their lives are about to change in unimaginable ways. The Japanese drop a bomb on their city and in order to seek refuge they must travel on foot across the county side in hopes to catch a boat to America. 

After much anguish and lost, they find themselves in, America. These newly arrived immigrants have much to overcome. Acclimating to their new surroundings and family proves to be difficult. They lean on one another but a long buried secret will test their family bonds. 

See is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her writing is spectacular. She crafts vivid characters and story lines that tug at your heart. The narrative flows and your emotions will roll as the story is unveiled. This book stands out amongst historical fiction novels.

As a side note... I made the mistake of reading the sequel, Dreams of Joy first ( you can read that review here) and while it stands alone, I believe reading Shanghai Girls first will make a bigger impact on your reading experience. 

Grade: A+

The Vacationers: A Novel by Emma Straub

TheVacationers took a lot of fortitude to get though. To be honest, I'm not sure why, I continued to read it. I didn't like any of the characters, the storyline was bland. Nothing, happens. Really, NOTHING, happens.

This book is essentially about a bunch of over indulgent, spoiled individuals who go on a family vacation. There are seven characters but it is nearly impossible to tell them apart, there is no true distinct characterization. It appears that the author took characters from the TV show "Modern Family", made them her own and attempted to develop a story around them.

Reading this book is akin to watching paint dry. Skip this read and pick up a different book. It will save you time, frustrating and money.

Grade: F


Overview: [B&N]

For the Posts, a two-week trip to the Balearic island of Mallorca with their extended family and friends is a celebration: Franny and Jim are observing their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, and their daughter, Sylvia, has graduated from high school. The sunlit island, its mountains and beaches, its tapas and tennis courts, also promise an escape from the tensions simmering at home in Manhattan. But all does not go according to plan: over the course of the vacation, secrets come to light, old and new humiliations are experienced, childhood rivalries resurface, and ancient wounds are exacerbated.

Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch

Perfected goes on sale today!

Perfected had me completely captivated. The idea of humans being sold and breed as pets is intriguing and scary. Ella lives in a dystopian world in which girls are genetically engineered and bred as pets. They are ideal, perfect and beautiful. They are thee stats quo for elite.

 Ella is purchased as a pet for Congressman Kimbal's, daughter, Ruby. Ella is whisked away to live the pampered life of a pet. Ella is naive and slowly learns about life, love and relationships outside of the kennels. 

Ella and Penn, the congressman's son form an intense relationship and their love can mean the end of life for, Ella. 

This story is told from, Ella's point of view. Do not expect background information on the politics and laws that made breeding humans as pets, possible. This dystopian novel is also quite different from other dystopians in that, there is no mention of wars, plagues or apocalyptic events that have caused this change to happen in society. It is about moral compass and ethics. 

The ending is heart wrenching and leaves you wanting more, more, more. I hope a sequel is in the works.

Grade: A


If you enjoyed,  Lauren DeStefano's, Chemical Garden trilogy and Kiera Cass's,  Selection Trilogy this book is PERFECTED for you!

Brutal Youth: A Novel by Anthony Breznican

Brutal Youth has been given  high accolades. When authors such as, Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, Stephen Chbosky, James Dashner and Jason Reitman give a book high praises you expect top notch.

The cover is phenomenal and the first few chapters are absolutely riveting. It's disturbing, dark and full of unlikeable characters. There is no loyalty between teachers, staff , students and parents. You will be hooked and then cliches and stereotypes start popping up left and right making you feel as though you are in the midst of another teen angst novel. The plot is a bit on the weak side and slightly predictable. This book is "Dazed and Confused" meets "Mean Girls."

Brutal Youth takes place in 199? at St. Michael's Catholic School. The school is literally falling apart from the inside out. The staff are at odds one with one another and the seniors have raised the bar on the traditional hazing of freshmen students. This story follows three students through out their freshmen year and the violence they are subjected to.

The ending is anticlimactic. This book doesn't merit the praises it has receive it. It is a disappointingly "ok" read.

Grade: C

Mr. Mercedes: A Novel by Stephen King

People often lump Stephen King into the horror writer genera but he is so much more then that.  They immediately conjure imagines of ghosts, monsters, killer clowns and things that go bump in the night.

When, I think of Stephen King as a writer, I picture, sociological experiments, psychological thrillers and good writing. I expect to go on a journey with his characters. I know his story won't be formulaic and that, I will be entertained. I'm not saying every book he has written is a winner but you have to have an appreciation for his craft because it tends to have well developed characters and thought out plots.

Mr. Mercedes is a classic, King novel. It has realistic characters, minor characters that play pivotal roles and twist and turns that keep you turning the pages.

Mr. Mercedes starts of with a bang. A madman intentionally plows into a group of job seekers causing death and injury. A year passes and no one has been apprehended. The lead detective on the case, Hodges retires and then --- he receives a letter that lures him into a cat and mouse game with the killer.

King is at the top of his game with this book. Set some time aside because once you start reading you won't want to stop.

Grade: A+

The Art of Arranging Flowers by Lynne Branard

Ruby is a well respected florist in the small town of Creekside, Washington. She knows the inns and outs of the town residents and can make the perfect floral arrangement for the recipient. She uses the meanings behind flowers and their names to bring peace, love or comfort to the person on the receiving end.

Ruby has closed herself off from others. She is grieving the death of her sister and isn't interested in letting anyone into her life or heart , other than her dog, Clementine. When, Will a 10 year old boy and Captain Dan enter the picture, she is forced to reevaluate things and take a chance on opening up her heart.

I have to be honest and say that it took quite some time for me to really get into this novel.  I almost gave up on it but forced myself to read one more chapter and I'm glad that I did.  Once you get past the lyrical descriptions of flowers and get down to the character development and storyline the book takes a turn in the right direction.


Grade: C+

A Little Bit of Everything Lost by Stephanie Elliot

Stephanie Elliot has created a realistic world with flawed characters. Flawed characters are among the very best because they are real, they are relate able and they have traces of who you are inside of them.

I can't remember the last time a novel had me so captivated that, I finished it in under 24 hours. It was the last thing, I thought about before I went to bed and the first thing in the morning. I just had to know what happened!

Marine's story is of lost love and what ifs. It is told in present and past tense, moving seamlessly through, Marine's youth and present time. Elliot holds nothing back. The sex scenes will make you blush and you might learn and thing or two. She also tackles difficult subjects with finesse and compassion.

Marine was only 19 years old when she met Joe. Their relationships was intense and what one would call "crazy love". Marine was head over heals in love and then Joe dropped out of her life as quickly as he entered it, shattering her and putting her in an emotional downward spiral. Fast forward 15 years later and Joe re-enters her life, making her tackle past and present issues.

This is one book you don't want to miss. I have never  linked back to an authors book before but I feel compelled to do so with this one. You can order, Stephanie's book here.

I loved every single part of this book and can't wait to see what, Stephanie has in store for us next. I just hope that the next book I get to read is one I pick up off the book shelf at my local bookstore.

Grade: A ++

The Heiresses: A Novel by Sara Shepard

Sara Shepard took aspects from her Pretty Little Liars Series and her Lying Game series and created this book. This isn't necessarily a good or bad thing --- it just gives you a hint of what is to develop.

This book is full of deceit, secrets, beautiful people and money.  The Saybrooks are beautiful, filthy rich and have a family "curse" hanging over their heads. Aster, Corrine, Poppy, Natasha and Rowan are heiresses to the great Saybrook jewlery empire. When one of them dies, a  gossip site publishes a headline saying "One heiress down , 4 more to go" . This prompts an investigation to open on the death of an heiress, an external and internal.

Major secrets are revealed. Some bring family members closer and others might destroy what the family has built up over generations. 

This book is entertaining, suspenseful and slightly predictable. It is written in, Shepard's usual craft. I suspect this will become a series. The book does introduces a ton of characters in the first chapter and it can take a bit of work to keep them all straight. You have to "dig" into the book a bit to get fully immersed but once you do you will be hooked.

I must add that this is NOT a YA book, it is for an adult audience (not in an erotic way). 

Grade: B-

The Fever: A Novel by Megan Abbott

The Fever is set to be released on June 17, 2014

A popular high school girl has a seizure in class and is rushed to the hospital. Her situation is dire and then other girls start to experience similar symptoms.

Could it the a side effect of the HPV vaccine ? Could it the the glowing Lake or something else more sinister? 

This is one of those books that starts off great! There is a lot of build up and excitement and then it just falls apart and becomes anti-climatic. You keep expecting a epidemic than a majorly frighting pandemic but you get  neither. The title, cover and synopsis are misleading .... pass on this read and pick something else up.

Grade: D

Safe Keeping by Barbara Taylor Sissel

Safe Keeping is  a roller coaster, emotional journey that the Lebay family is on. Tucker Lebay is once again being considered a person of interest in the murder of a woman. The modus operand is the same and his family has to consider the possibility that he is a murderer.


Family relationships will be tested and a twists and turns will keep you turning the pages.

Emily and Roy has a difference of opinions when it comes to their son, Tucker and Lissa will do anything to "prove" her brothers innocence. What would you do if your son or brother was suspected of murder?  Read this book to find out what the Lebay family does --- the ending will leave you speechless.

A perfect read for a hot summer day!

Grade: B