Sadie by Courtney Summers (Review)

Title: Sadie
Author: Courtney Summers
Release date: September 4, 2018
Pages: 320 per Goodreads
Format: Ebook for review

Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him.

When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

I love podcasts, especially true crime podcasts.  So when I saw Sadie come across my email, I was very interested.  And to top it off, it is by Courtney Summers, so how could it go wrong? Count me in!

Nightingale by Amy Lukavics (Review)

Title: Nightingale
Series: NA
Author: Amy Lukavics
Release Date: September 2018
Format: Egalley
Pages: 384 per Goodreads

At seventeen, June Hardie is everything a young woman in 1951 shouldn’t be—independent, rebellious, a dreamer. June longs to travel, to attend college and to write the dark science fiction stories that consume her waking hours. But her parents only care about making June a better young woman. Her mother grooms her to be a perfect little homemaker while her father pushes her to marry his business partner’s domineering son. When June resists, her whole world is shattered—suburbia isn’t the only prison for different women…

June’s parents commit her to Burrow Place Asylum, aka the Institution. With its sickening conditions, terrifying staff and brutal “medical treatments,” the Institution preys on June’s darkest secrets and deepest fears. And she’s not alone. The Institution terrorizes June’s fragile roommate, Eleanor, and the other women locked away within its crumbling walls. Those who dare speak up disappear…or worse. Trapped between a gruesome reality and increasingly sinister hallucinations, June isn’t sure where her nightmares end and real life begins. But she does know one thing: in order to survive, she must destroy the Institution before it finally claims them all.

 Nightingale was an interesting book.  I expected - and wanted - horror.  I got Sci-fi.  In the end, it was just an alright read for my personal tastes.   I've a feeling some people would love this whole storyline though.

All The Little Lights by Jamie McGuire (Review)

Title: All The Little Lights
Series: Standalone
Author: Jamie McGuire
Release Date: May 2018
Format: E-galley

The first time Elliott Youngblood spots Catherine Calhoun, he’s just a boy with a camera, and he’s never seen a sadder and more beautiful sight. Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.

Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.

Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book.  I had read Jamie McGuire before, and loved her stories, but it had been a while.  I wasn't sure they would still hold the same magic for me.  But this one did!

Grease Slapped by AM Jones (Review)

Title: Grease Slapped
Series: Ink Slapped #2
Author: AM Jones
Release Date: May 2018
Format: Ebook received for review

Eli Gregor’s hole couldn’t be any larger as he fights to redeem himself. When tragedy strikes, he learns a few things about holes as Taylor explores the values of right and wrong.

Caught between better judgment and desire, Taylor and Eli find themselves at a crossroads—should they make the best decision for their careers or give in to their undeniable connection?

A torrid tale that weaves humor, drama, and sexual tension, Grease Slapped will leave you reeling and wanting more.

*Grease Slapped contains explicit language and sexual content. It's the conclusion of Ink Slapped.*

 I meant to get to this review last week, and time just totally got away from me.  Don't you hate when that happens?

But more to the point!  Grease Slapped!! Before I read it, I thought to myself, what the actual heck is Grease Slapped?  Not the book, but the words.  But as it turns out - it is something totally awesome, and made me go "awwwww".

Ink Slapped by AM Jones (Review)

Title: Ink Slapped
Series: Ink Slapped #1
Author: AM Jones
Release Date: May 7, 2018
Format: Ebook received for review

The heart wants what the heart wants—a concept that free-spirited author T.M. Dabney, never understands until she lays eyes on her new cover model, Eli.

Eli Gregor, a struggling musician and mechanic, thinks he knows the true meaning of heartbreak—that is until he accepts a business venture with the alluring Taylor Dabney. With her help, he pieces his life back together when his dreams dangle within reach and once again everything falls apart. And his success comes with a price he doesn’t want to pay.

Caught between better judgment and desire, they find themselves at a crossroads—should they make the best decision for their careers or give in to their undeniable connection?

A torrid tale that weaves humor, drama, and sexual tension, Ink Slapped will leave you reeling and wanting more.

*Ink Slapped contains explicit language and sexual content.*

 Sometimes you read a title to a book, and you get a clue of what's inside.  With Ink Slapped, I had no idea what I was getting into. Honestly, I didn't even read the blurb.  AM Jones wrote it, I wanted to read it.  And I'm currently about 65% through Grease Slapped.  I couldn't even wait to start it until after I finished the review.

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier (Review)

Title: Jar of Hearts
Series: N/A
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Release Date: June 2018
Pages: 320 per Goodreads
Format: Egalley

This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who's been searching for the truth all these years . . .

When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

But fourteen years later, Angela Wong's remains are discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he's something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo's first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.

For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela's death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.

While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.

How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it? 

This was definitely a different type of read for me, and I really liked it.  It was dark and twisted, and I was never sure who I wanted to root for - if anyone.

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett (Review)

Title: Starry Eyes
Series: Standalone
Author: Jenn Bennett
Release Date: April 2018
Format: EGalley
Pages: 432 per Goodreads

Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?

 I haven't read YA in a while.  Starry Eyes was a complete joy of a read, to bring me back into the genre.  Jenn Bennett has instantly turned into an author I need to read more of (and with 2 more books on the way - I can't wait!)

I Stop Somewhere by TE Carter (Review)

Title: I Stop Somewhere
Series: None
Author: TE Carter
Release Date: February 2018
Pages: 320 per Goodreads
Format: Egalley

Ellie Frias disappeared long before she vanished.

Tormented throughout middle school, Ellie begins her freshman year with a new look: she doesn't need to be popular; she just needs to blend in with the wallpaper.

But when the unthinkable happens, Ellie finds herself trapped after a brutal assault. She wasn't the first victim, and now she watches it happen again and again. She tries to hold on to her happier memories in order to get past the cold days, waiting for someone to find her.

The problem is, no one searches for a girl they never noticed in the first place.

I Stop Somewhere was an unexpected joy for me.  And it feels weird to say that, because I felt sad throughout the majority of the book.  But it caught me in some unexpected ways, and was an amazing story.