Book Review: Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

On a muggy night in 1978, a Florida State University sorority girl decides to not go out with her friends—a decision that saves her life. In the early morning, Pamela investigates a noise in the house, sees a man leaving, and discovers a brutal crime. With her sorority sisters brutally murdered, Pamela finds herself in […]

Book Review: Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

Flor Marte can predict the exact day when a person will die, so when she arranges a “living wake” for herself, her family assumes the worst. Over three days Flor, her three sisters, and two younger cousins will all delve into the stories of their family. As the timeline goes from the rich past of […]

Book Review: Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

20-year-old Mia’s life has just been upended. Her father is missing and the only person who may have the answer is her younger brother, Eugene. But Eugene has a rare genetic condition, Angelman syndrome, and is nonspeaking. As a search party is organized to scour the nearby woods where Eugene and Mia’s dad take their […]

Book Review: The St. Ambrose School for Girls by Jessica Ward

Sarah doesn’t really fit in with the carefully cultivated girls of private school St. Ambrose. On the surface, Sarah wears black, isn’t wealthy, and is socially awkward. Her mother—always looking for an angle to advance her own status in life—submitted an essay Sarah wrote and now Sarah is a St. Ambrose girl. But while Sarah […]

Book Review: The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop

As a teenager, Rachel spent a summer on a remote Greek island. She soaked up the sun, made new friends, partied, and fell in love. Alistair was twenty years Rachel’s senior and worked for a wealthy businessman. Rachel and her friends were soon invited to parties at the home of the illustrious Henry Taylor and […]

Book Review: How I’ll Kill You by Ren DeStefano

This is the story of Jade, her first love, and her first time. But Jade isn’t her real name. And this isn’t so much about her first sexual experience as her first murder. Jade (also known as Sissy, though that’s not her real name either) has come to Rainwood, AZ for her first kill. She […]

Book Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

Houses remember. That is how The Villa opens. Once you read about Villa Aestas, you’ll have no doubts! Emily and Chess’s lifelong friendship is feeling the strain of their stressful and diverging lives. Fresh from a divorce, Emily jumps at the chance for an Italian getaway with her friend. Six weeks in the a high-end […]

Book Review: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton

It’s hard to not compare The Final Revival of Opal & Nev to Daisy Jones and the Six. Both are told in a similar format: through interviewed segments with people at the heart of the events. But Opal and Nev are not Daisy Jones and the Six. Dawnie Walton has done a magnificent job of capturing life and […]

Author Spotlight: Brenda Drake

 Name:  Brenda Drake Author of: Analise Rising (coming January, 2019) The Library Jumpers series: Thief of Lies; Guardian of Secrets; Assassin of Truths The Fated series: Touching Fate; Cursing Fate; Seeking Fate (coming June, 2018) Thunderstruck   Can you tell me about the first piece you remember writing? I was eight, I believe, and it was a story about […]

Author Spotlight: Barbara Quinn

Name: Barbara Quinn Author of: The Summer Springsteen’s Songs Saved Me (Lakewater Press) Speed of Dark; Hard Head (Eternal Press) 36C; Slings and Arrows (DiskUs Publishing)   Can you tell me about the first piece you remember writing? I started writing early; at five or six years old. I remember my brother and I put […]