One good thing about working is getting a long weekend. I will be using mine to write, read and watch a baseball tournament.
And look what I get to read! I was a lucky winner of a give-away from the industrious (and numerous) authors over at Ya Outside the Lines. Surprises have been arriving – from all over the country – through my mail slot – such fun to get presents! Perfect timing.
TRY NOT TO BREATHE by Jennifer R. Hubbbard. Learning to live is more than just choosing not to die, as sixteen-year-old Ryan discovers in the year following his suicide attempt. Despite his mother’s anxious hovering and the rumors at school, he’s trying to forget the darkness from which he has escaped. But it doesn’t help that he’s still hiding guilty secrets, or that he longs for a girl who may not return his feelings. Then he befriends Nicki, who is using psychics to seek contact with her dead father. This unlikely friendship thaws Ryan to the point where he can face the worst in himself. He and Nicki confide in one another the things they never thought they’d tell anyone—but their confessions are trickier than they seem, and the fallout tests the bounds of friendship and forgiveness.
I absolutely loved her first book, THE SECRET YEAR and thoroughly enjoy her blog. (It’s quite likely that I found YA Outside the Lines through her blog in the first place.)
GIRL STOLEN by April Henry ~ the U.K. version. Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder is asleep in the back of her mom’s car when it’s stolen from the pharmacy parking lot. Cheyenne is not only sick with pneumonia—she’s also blind. Griffin, the teenager who was stealing packages out of parked cars, hadn’t meant to kidnap her; he just impulsively stole the car with her in it. But once Griffin’s dad finds out that Cheyenne’s father is the president of Nike, everything changes—now there’s a reason to keep her. Will Cheyenne be able to survive this harrowing ordeal and escape? And if so, at what price?
PRETTY AMY by Lisa Burstein.
Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. Even worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.
Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.
Thanks, YA Outside the Lines!
Sarah Wones Tomp
WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK
Ooh! Nice stash! I’ve only read Girl, Stolen (but the US version) of the three. Looking forward to hearing what you think of the books!
I know! I’ll keep you posted.