Maybe - Brent Runyon

Maybe everything will be different here. Maybe I should drive away and never come back. Maybe my brother didn't mean to. Maybe my brother was right. Maybe I can get someone to have sex with me. Maybe no one will ever love me. Maybe I should be an actor. Maybe I shouldn't pretend to be deaf.

Maybe if I mouth the words no one will know I'm not singing. But maybe someone, somehow, will hear me anyway.  

This one is very moving and I enjoyed watching the journey that Brian goes on through his adolescence. It is a very easy read, only 100something pages. I finished it in about one and a half days. Brian is a good character, he doesn't like showing his feelings so it was nice to see is resolve weaken and him become more accepting of other people. There was also a lot of humor in it, since he's constantly thinking about sex...it broke up the seriousness of the novel. I liked this one a lot!

****

Torn to Pieces - Margot McDonnell

Seventeen year old Anne thought her mother was kind of quirky. In fact, her mom’s taste in 70s-esque furniture and mysterious frequent business trips were just the tip of the quirky iceberg. When her mom doesn’t come home on time from one of her long jaunts, Anne isn’t too surprised. But when a day late turns into a few days late, Anne knows something is very wrong.

She tries the hotel number that her mother left her, but it has been disconnected. Then a strange man keeps leaving messages on their answering machine, looking for a woman who doesn’t even live there. However, when Anne discovers a lengthy letter from her mother explaining why she has disappeared, the fabric of Anne’s relatively normal life is torn to pieces.

I really enjoyed this one! There was just enough suspense at a time so there's constantly something going on. I liked the writing a lot and the concept of the novel. It is divided between Anne's POV and letters her mother has written her, helping guide her through her life. There were so many twists I wasn't expecting that I had to keep reading. My heart went out to Anne and I was always going back and forth between trusting different people. It seems to change constantly! I really enjoyed this one!

****

Shock Point - April Henry

Cassie discovers that her stepfather, Rick, a teen psychiatrist, has been illegally prescribing a new behavioral drug to his patients-and three teens have died. Before she can report him, Rick commits Cassie to Peaceful Cove, a boot camp for troubled teens in Mexico. Cassie knows she has to get out now, before more teens die. But no one has ever escaped from Peaceful Cove alive-and even if Cassie gets over the walls and survives the Mexican desert, will anyone believe her story?

Wow...what an interesting concept for a YA novel! It was an amazing read and was executed pretty well in my opinion. The book starts off with her kidnapping right away and it doesn't stop. The novel goes back and forth between Cassie figuring out what's going on with her stepfather and after she's been taken to the center. I found myself completely engrossed with Cassie's struggles that my mind couldn't think of anything else!

While reading I couldn't fathom what Cassie had to go through in the home, it was a gripping read and I found myself having a hard time putting it down. Definitely read this one if you're feeling down about your home life - you'll thank your lucky stars after you're done!

****

My Soul to Take - Rachel Vincent

She doesn't see dead people, but…

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…

This series was an unexpected gem for me. I wasn't sure how I was going to like it but I didn't want it to end by the time it did. I wasn't a huge fan of Kaylee but she grew on me. I did find this one to be a huge page turner, I didn't want to stop reading. There were some things I didn't like about the book, such as Rachel Vincent's preachy sort of attitude towards alcohol and how the female characters were kind of weak and the men were pretty influential.

I really like Nash, but I think I'm definitely team Tod so far ;) I need to read the next one!

****

Cracked Up to Be - Courtney Summers

When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her counselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

I have to admit that when I saw the cover for this book I thought it was going to be another one of those teeny love stories. Not that I don't like those, but I'm not a fan of them since I prefer less than PG-13 love stories ;) But i was pleasantly surprised when I decided to give it a try.

I loved the plot line and all the characters except for Parker. I understand she had a rough time and everything, but I am one of those people who believe a situation can be hard only if you choose it to be so. She didn't seek help from anyone and they stepped out of their way to help her and it annoyed the crud out of me.

The other characters definitely had heart, and I appreciated that in the novel. I couldn't stand how Parker swore up and down that Chris (ex-boyfriend) still wanted her even when she was messed up and things like that - I don't do well with stuck up people! All and all though I did enjoy it and my heart went to Parker despite her obnoxiousness. I definitely like Courtney Summers style of writing so I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of Some Girls Are.

****