It was worth it just to learn some sleight of hand: RECKLESS GIRLS.

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Lux McAllister followed her boyfriend Nico to Hawaii after losing her mom to cancer. She was drawn to his adventurous ways and his love of his boat, The Susannah. She winds up stuck in a dead end job as they save up money to get the boat ready to sail. When two college best friends, Amma and Brittany, offer Lux and Nico a large sum of money to sail them to a remote island, they jump at the chance. This is what they've been waiting for. Meroe Island has a strange, mysterious history, when a group of soldiers were shipwrecked and their story ended in cannibalism and murder. When they arrive on the Island, they find another boat anchored there, housing an apparently wealthy and gorgeous couple, Eliza and Jake. The group gets along well on the exotic island, until the arrival of a solitary stranger changes everything.

This is a twisty "locked island" thriller that takes a little time to get going as we are introduced to Lux and her past, along with how she met Nico. Things get more exciting when they finally set sail and hit the island. Meroe is a very atmospheric place--beautiful and ominous. The story is interspersed with past memories and blog posts of other's experiences with the island (none of them exactly pleasant).

GIRLS is a dark tale that slowly introduces us to our characters--there's Lux, who is recovering from her mother's death and trying to seize the day like Nico. Nico, meanwhile, seems not to have a care in the world, which is especially easy since he has family money. Then there's Amma and Brittany--two best friends who may or may not be keeping secrets from one another. The couple they meet, Jake and Eliza, are gorgeous and lavish the group with food and wine, but are also potentially hiding things from their newfound friends.

I enjoyed most of the twists in this one and its dark plot. It takes some time to get into it, and the characters are certainly hard to like. But the setting is great, between the boat and the island. 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Goodreads via a giveaway.

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And I yearn for a hand on my forehead: BETTER TOGETHER.

Better Together by Christine Riccio
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A cute albeit long read about family and finding yourself

Jamie and Siri wind up at the same Re-Discover Yourself Retreat at Colorado because their lives are both slowly crumbling. Jamie is an aspiring comic in LA, but she can't seem to make it through her set without throwing up. She's been kicked out of her apartment and is back at home, stuck living under her famous father's oppressive thumb. As for Siri, ballet is her entire life. But when she suffers a career-ending injury, everything she's planned for falls apart. Jamie and Siri also happen to be sisters. They've grown up entirely apart: Jamie lives with their dad in LA and Siri with their mom in New Jersey. When they reunite at the retreat, they decide to switch places and seek revenge on their estranged parents. With the help of a little magic (yes, actual magic), Jamie shows up in New Jersey, looking just like Siri and Siri arrives in LA, looking like Jamie. Before they know it, Siri's hanging out with (and falling for) Jamie's best friend Dawn. And independent Jamie might be making an actual attachment with Zarar, their instructor from camp. But can Jamie and Siri set out to do what they planned--right their childhood wrongs?

"The day everything fell apart three months ago, I tripped into this anger ditch, and I can't seem to find my way out." -Siri

I stumbled across this book because it was billed as The Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday and well, sign me up. To me, there's not a ton of The Parent Trap here, as the goal isn't to reunite Siri and Jamie's parents, but rather seek some sort of vengeance on them, as they basically split the kids up when they were six and four and then each parent abandoned one of the siblings. Jamie and Siri never saw each other again, and Siri's mom told her Jamie was imaginary. So, um, yeah she has some baggage. The parents come across as pretty hideous here, to tell you the truth! (Reexamining The Parent Trap as an adult and parent is quite eye-opening!)

Also, reading some of the other reviews for this book, apparently there is some sort of rating controversy and issue with the author? I had no clue about any of this. I have no idea who Christine Riccio is. I am one of those people who dislikes videos of all kinds. News article is only a video? Won't watch. I don't even really like Instagram reels let alone Youtube. I don't even love that my car has a backup camera. So whatever drama surrounds this book totally escapes me. If you don't like a book about magic, I guess don't read a book about magic? I thought this was pretty cute. Anyway, just a disclaimer, I guess, that my review has nothing to do with any of whatever that drama is.

You need to go into BETTER TOGETHER prepared to suspend a little disbelief if you want to fully enjoy it. There is magic involved--a happy haunted trail at the retreat that leads to the sisters looking like each other. Jamie and Siri already look really similar, so it didn't seem like maybe they needed that? (You don't in the The Parent Trap, this purist says!) Then there is their terrible parents. It's sort of hard to believe people that awful exist.

But if you accept the magic and the awful parents, this is a cute book. Is it weird? Sure. But it was definitely better than I expected after reading all the hater reviews. I liked Jamie and Siri. They were flawed (pretty expected after those parents) but funny. There's some great bisexual representation and while the book is about family, forgiveness, and reuniting, there's some sweet side romantic plots, too. Siri and Dawn were pretty adorable. And Zarar, their canoe instructor who winds up in New York, is just a cutie. Siri and Dawn each have a grandparent living near/with them who offers some great comedic relief, as well.

The story is told from Jamie and Siri's perspectives and sometimes it takes a moment to remember which sister is speaking, though the chapters are labeled. As the book progresses, you get more used to which sister is which. Siri has a very annoying quirk where she says things like "intercoursing" instead of the f-word, which grew old quickly. The book was long--there definitely could have been some cutting down.

Still, this was a cute read and I enjoyed Siri and Jamie's story and watching each of them come into their own. I have Riccio's first book on my shelf, and I'll definitely pick it up at some point. 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Netgalley, along with Goodreads, in return for an unbiased review. Look for BETTER TOGETHER on 06/01/2021!

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I've forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet + Giveaway!

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


On a chilly day, the principal of Opportunity High School is giving a speech to her students, kicking off the new semester. The majority of the school is gathered in the auditorium, listening to her speak. As she finishes, they prepare to head to their next class, but the doors are stuck. Then, suddenly, someone begins to shoot.

The book is told from the viewpoint of a handful of kids (four) from Opportunity High and basically unfolds in less than a hour -- the time it takes for a horrific tragedy to fall upon their school and community. We hear from Sylvia and her twin brother Tomas. We also get the perspective of Autumn, Sylvia's best friend, who is struggling with the death of her mother and her abusive father, all the while watching her brother, Tyler, an Opportunity High dropout, drift away from her. Finally, we see things from Claire's perspective; a member of the track team - Claire is outside practicing when the tragedy begins, but worried about her brother Matt, who is inside.

I read this book in a few hours - its short time span makes it terrifying and you want to speed through to find out what happens to these kids. It's an all too horrifying and realistic account of what can happen with school shootings (and beware, some of the descriptions can be very graphic). The interwoven stories of the kids do a good job of telling the story and portraying the strong bond of family and friendship that can exist -- especially at the hyper-sensitive stage of high school, where everything truly does seem like life or death sometimes.

There's an added LGBT angle to this story, which is a nice twist, as it's very natural to the book. The kids' tales, overall, seem true to their voices, but some of the writing is stilted and tough to read (not from the subject matter, but the way it's written). The author overuses the play on words with "opportunity" far too much - it would have been better to just let the story play itself out. We get the parallels - no need to spell them out (over and over and over) for us.

Still, this is a powerful book - it's heartbreakingly lovely, really, and will leave you hoping and praying that no more children *ever* have to go through this experience. It's a worthy read, even if it leaves you hurting, but I would make sure you talk about it in detail with your teens. It's a tough subject matter that needs to be discussed.

This is definitely a book worth reading - if you're interested in winning an advanced copy, please check out the publisher's tumblr page here at the Sourcebooks Fire Tumblr. 



(I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)



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