The Box in the Woods

 

The Box in the Woods  by Maureen Johnson  YA

(from Amazon)  Amateur sleuth Stevie Bell needs a good murder. After catching a killer at her high school, she’s back at home for a normal (that means boring) summer.  But then she gets a message from the owner of Sunny Pines, formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls—the site of the notorious unsolved case, the Box in the Woods Murders. Back in 1978, four camp counselors were killed in the woods outside of the town of Barlow Corners, their bodies left in a gruesome display. The new owner offers Stevie an invitation: Come to the camp and help him work on a true crime podcast about the case.  Stevie agrees, as long as she can bring along her friends from Ellingham Academy. Nothing sounds better than a summer spent together, investigating old murders.  But something evil still lurks in Barlow Corners. When Stevie opens the lid on this long-dormant case, she gets much more than she bargained for. The Box in the Woods will make room for more victims. This time, Stevie may not make it out alive.

(My Review)  I love this series! Maureen Johnson continues this series with a totally new mystery, with Stevie and friends solving a cold-case at a summer camp. It was a fun read.

Instructions for Dancing

 

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon  YA

(from Amazon)  In this romantic page-turner from the author of Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star, Evie has the power to see other people's romantic fates--what will happen when she finally sees her own?  Evie Thomas doesn't believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.  As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything--including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he's only just met.

(My Review)  I thought this was a cute, solid little romance.  I like the addition of magical realism (her ability to see if a couple will stay together when they kiss), and how that added complications for her friendships and in her own romantic life.  Great read!

Ace of Spades

 

Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-lyimide  YA

(from Amazon)  All you need to know is . . . I’m here to divide and conquer. Like all great tyrants do. ―Aces  When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too.  Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures.  As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly?

(My Review)  I really wanted to like this book - I had such high expectations.  It wasn't bad, it just wasn't my favorite style.  It had multiple points of view, and it was very slow paced.   I've heard the comparison that its a cross between Get Out and Gossip Girl.  I can see that, and I liked it more for the former than for latter. I thought the story was very intriguing.  

This Story is a Lie

 

This Story is a Lie by Tom Pollock  YA

(from Amazon)Seventeen-year-old Peter Blankman is a math genius. He also suffers from devastating panic attacks. Pete gets through each day with the help of his mother—a famous scientist—and his beloved twin sister, Bel.  But when his mom is nearly assassinated in front of his eyes and Bel disappears, Pete finds himself on the run. Dragged into a world where state and family secrets intertwine, Pete must use his extraordinary analytical skills to find his missing sister and track down the people who attacked his mother. But his greatest battle will be with the enemy inside: the constant terror that threatens to overwhelm him.  Weaving between Pete’s past and present, This Story Is a Lie is a testimony from a  protagonist who is brilliant, broken and trying to be brave.

(My Review)  I was intrigued by the mystery of this book, and the mental illness representation in this book.  However, there was so much science and math discussion (knowledge that I did not have) that made it difficult to follow sometimes.  Some books can handle this without disrupting the flow of the book (I'm thinking Project Hail Mary), but I kept getting bogged down, and even had to Google a few things just to get through a paragraph.   It took a while for me to read this one, even though the mystery/story was interesting and original.  Overall, I really liked the story, I just wished it wasn't such a difficult read.

Tokyo Ever After

 

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean - this is a Reese Witherspoon YA Book Club Book -   

(from Amazon)

Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in―it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi―or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”―and her mom against the world. But then Izumi discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity…and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.  In a whirlwind, Izumi travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight.  Izumi soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself―back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairy tale, happily ever after?

(My Review)

I mean, come on!  Look at this cover!!  It's so beautiful, I was immediately drawn to this book.   Izumi is a Japanese-American girl who finds out that her father is the crown-prince of Japan.  She travels to Japan to meet him.  I love the clash of cultures and stories where a girl finds out she's royalty.  There is definitely Princess Diary and Crazy Rich Asians vibes here.  This is a fun read.

Ophie's Ghost

 

Ophie's Ghost by Justina Ireland   Middle Grades

(from Amazon)

Ophelia Harrison used to live in a small house in the Georgia countryside. But that was before the night in November 1922, and the cruel act that took her home and her father from her. Which was the same night that Ophie learned she can see ghosts.  Now Ophie and her mother are living in Pittsburgh with relatives they barely know. In the hopes of earning enough money to get their own place, Mama has gotten Ophie a job as a maid in the same old manor house where she works.  Daffodil Manor, like the wealthy Caruthers family who owns it, is haunted by memories and prejudices of the past—and, as Ophie discovers, ghosts as well. Ghosts who have their own loves and hatreds and desires, ghosts who have wronged others and ghosts who have themselves been wronged. And as Ophie forms a friendship with one spirit whose life ended suddenly and unjustly, she wonders if she might be able to help—even as she comes to realize that Daffodil Manor may hold more secrets than she bargained for.

(My Review)

After the death of her father, Ophie realizes she can see ghosts (i.e. the movie the Sixth Sense).  She and her mother flee the South and move to Pittsburgh to live with relatives and work at Daffodil Manor.  She learns more about her gift from her aunt, and soon finds her gift sets her out on solving a mystery at the manor.  This books does deal with the prejudice and discrimination of the time.  I highly enjoyed this book.

The Agony House

 

The Agony House by Cherie Priest (Illustrations by Tara O'Connor).  YA/Comic Hybrid

(from Amazon)

Denise Farber has just moved back to New Orleans with her mom and step-dad. They left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and have finally returned, wagering the last of their family's money on fixing up an old, rundown house and converting it to a bed and breakfast. Nothing seems to work around the place, which doesn't seem too weird to Denise. The unexplained noises are a little more out of the ordinary, but again, nothing too unusual. But when floors collapse, deadly objects rain down, and she hears creepy voices, it's clear to Denise that something more sinister lurks hidden here.Answers may lie in an old comic book Denise finds concealed in the attic: the lost, final project of a famous artist who disappeared in the 1950s. Denise isn't budging from her new home, so she must unravel the mystery-on the pages and off-if she and her family are to survive...

(My Review)

Denise and her family move into a creepy old house in New Orleans, and she finds an old comic in the attic.  Also, strange noises and things start to happen, so Denise and her two new friends start to investigate and realize the mystery is tied to the newly discovered comic, and the previous owner who died in the house.  I enjoyed this creepy, haunted mystery, and I loved the addition of the comics in the story.