Save Me by Lisa Scottoline

Title: Save Me
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Date Pulbished: April 12, 2011
Pages: Hardcover- 384

Summary: Rose McKenna volunteers as a lunch mom in her daughter Melly’s school in order to keep an eye on Amanda, a mean girl who’s been bullying her daughter. Her fears come true when the bullying begins, sending Melly to the bathroom in tears. Just as Rose is about to follow after her daughter, a massive explosion goes off in the kitchen, sending the room into chaos. Rose finds herself faced with the horrifying decision of whether or not to run to the bathroom to rescue her daughter or usher Amanda to safety. She believes she has accomplished both, only to discover that Amanda, for an unknown reason, ran back into the school once out of Rose's sight. In an instance, Rose goes from hero to villain as the small community blames Amanda’s injuries on her. In the days that follow, Rose's life starts to fall to pieces, Amanda’s mother decides to sue, her marriage is put to the test, and worse, when her daughter returns to school, the bullying only intensifies. Rose must take matters into her own hands and get down to the truth of what really happened that fateful day in order to save herself, her marriage and her family.


Review: I have been reading Lisa Scottoline's novels for years; she writes suspenseful, mysterious reads with plots that will have a person gasping for air until the last sentence is read. Her latest style and genre has taken a slight turn, but in a good way! Lisa still continues to give that reader the intense, thrilling feel but real life controversial subject matters are put into play.

I enjoy reading about controversial topics and seeing how an author incorporates or makes it into his or her own story. And in the end seeing how the outcome of that controversy takes place. In Save Me, the subject matter are two ideas: bullying and the question, "If you can only save one person, then who's child should you save, yours or somebody else's?" 

Melly is an 8 year old who is bullied due to a large birthmark that sets her apart from the other peers in her class. I believe that Lisa did a fabulous job at portraying a young girl who is innocent and interested in little girl things (okay, maybe not barbie dolls & fashion, but Harry Potter! Who can blame her!) but at the same time she understands that she doesn't fit in.

Melly's mother Rose does what any mother would do. She volunteers at the school so that she can keep an extra eye on her daughter. Meanwhile, a tragic even happens that leaves Rose with the decision to take the children who have been bullying her daughter outside to the playground where they can be safe, or go find her Melly before it's too late. She quickly reacts and tries to get all the children to safety. Unbeknownst to Rose, not every child she tried to help made it out of the school building unharmed. Rose has to juggle between being a Hero Mom- saving her own daughter and being a villain who chose her daughter over others.

Rose's character changed throughout the book and I loved that about her. Her overall personality shifted. She doesn't stand back from the crowd near the end of the novel anymore. She takes charge and does all she can to figure out who caused the tragic events that started at Reesburgh school. 

Events begin to take place that unravels important information. Information that most people would overlook, but Rose has her heart set on getting down to the bottom of this mysterious explosion. The one that she has been potentially blamed for by student parents because she chose to save her daughter over others. Believe me, when you think everything is just starting to settle down---new surprises arise!!! ;-)

This book was creative and pieced together so well. I enjoyed Save Me by Lisa Scottoline and look forward to seeing where she goes next with a new novel.

Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Title: Hourglass
Author: Myra McEntire
Publishers: EgmontUSA  
Publishing Date: June 14th 2011

Summary:

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

 For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Review: Ever wonder what your life would be like if you could go back in time and change just one little thing? Maybe something that was life changing, didn't work out the way you wanted, broke you heart, or even something you may regret? This isn't the first time I've thought about these questions and Hourglass makes a person think about the pros and cons for being able to change the past.

To say I loved this book would be an understatement. It's actually very hard to write this review without spoilers, so I'm going to try my hardest. Myra McEntire's story has various elements that come together in different dimensions- hmm..where to start?
The overall psychological aspect of this book had me from the beginning- trying to understand a character who doesn't even understand herself. The reader grows alongside Emerson as she discovers who she really is, and what she can do with the "gift" she has. 

A reader can emotionally connect with the main character Emerson. She lost her parents and in the midst of all that she also looses herself. Emerson begins to discover she has a gift, in which she often mistakes as being "crazy" because she doesn't understand how seeing people and objects from the past can be helpful.  The connection that Em has with her brother is strong and heartfelt. If I had an older brother I'd want him to be just like Thomas. Always wanting the best for his younger sister, he hires Michael.
Michael, who works at Hourglass comes into play very early on in the book. That is something that I enjoyed greatly- events are always taking place when you least expect them. Michael is one of those people who seem mysterious. You know there is more to his character that hasn't been revealed yet, so we patiently wait. haha. Emerson may think that she is alone in her crazy world, but Michael is more like her than she thinks and together they have to undergo a mission that could potentially hurt or even kill them both. They don't know what they are up against and the people that they least expect are against them!

Sound dramatic? it is! And that is one small element to this amazing story that pulled me in even deeper And the twists and turns towards the end of the plot are written so well- I didn't see it coming. Hourglass is a creative read that will take you back in time, to look at life and question whether or not life would be better if one little detail from the past is changed.

Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Body Finder
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publishers: HarperTeen

Summary: Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. 

Review: WOW! was literally the first word that rolled off my tongue right after I read the very last page of The Body Finder and closed the cover. I'm not even sure where to start with this book honestly. I read the synopsis one night as I filed through a large stack of sale books at a bookstore and was immediately impressed with the storyline. When I read first read the title, I thought maybe  it was similar to those "I see dead people" movies... but I was wrong, and in a good way! The Body Finder surpassed all my expectations of a fantastic read: the vocabulary and writing is exquisite, a thrilling storyline with a plot that will have any person on edge, and some of the sweetest and not so sweetest characters ever. 


Kimberly Derting chose to write about young girl named Violet who has a special gift for finding anything that may be deceased. My first thought was, oh my goodness, I can't even imagine a young girl going through all of this and being okay. But Violet is one tough girl, even at the risk of her own life she sets off to find a killer who has been burying little girls in which Violet finds. Her writing will have you gasping for air and yelling at the book because there are many surprises (and everyone loves surprises...right??) 

I loved the fact that Kimberly adds tidbits of the killers thoughts into the book- yes, parts were creepy, but it made my mind turn and question myself as to who the killer could possibly be. 

There is a fun romance story amongst  the frightening and suspenseful storyline that had me head over heals in love with the couple: Violet and her best friend, Jay. The author does an excellent job with portraying a young couple. Another thing I truly enjoyed was reading the dialogue between Violet and her school friends- typical high school girls- had me laughing. 


It is VERY easy to sit down and read in a days time. Don't be surprised if you can't put it down. Yes, its that good! :-) I recommend this book to anyone. I do think that some of the ideas could potentially scare a younger reader, afterall, it is about a girl who tries and finds a killer after she uncovers the bodies that he has buried, but yes, this book is great, and I can't wait to continue with the second book Desires of the Dead!

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

Title: Never Knowing
Author: Chevy Stevens
Pages: 416 (hardcover)

Summary: All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara’s home life was not ideal. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and find closure. But some questions are better left unanswered. 

Review: I've always been a fan of psychological thrillers, I'm not sure whether it is because I have a degree in psychology or the fact that I love getting an adrenaline rush ;-)  So when I won an advanced copy of Never Knowing through a Goodreads drawing I was very excited to read it and I will say that I was not at all disappointed!! 

 Author Chevy Stevens knows how to write gripping novels that will have you literally on the edge of your seat. I read this book in one setting, just could not put it down. I would tell myself "okay after this chapter I'll go do something else" then another intriguing event happened and I had to find out the results. The intensity and suspense factor in this book were high at times and low at others, but never went away. The author was full of surprises in the plot, which I loved!!

The topic of adoption is the overall theme of this book and having a family member who has been adopted this made the book even more interesting. I think this is something not everyone can relate to on a direct level, but it definitely will pull at the heartstrings.

Sara, the main character is someone who an reader should and could look up to. She is a woman who seems brave, but only because of the circumstances that are thrown her way she has to be for her family. Sometimes a person has to chose the right thing to do, even if that may mean going against what others are saying, in order to keep family safe. And Sara does exactly that. I truely enjoyed the characters in Never Knowing. Each person had a distinct personality that allows a reader to understand a little more about what they could be thinking about the actions that Sara takes.


Overall, Never Knowing was an intense, enjoyable read! I look forward to picking up Chevy Steven's other book Still Missing.

Crossroads by Mary Ting

Title: Crossroads
Author: Mary Ting
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Summary: On the same night of her friend’s tragic death, Claudia Emerson encounters another world, Crossroads, through her dream. There, she learns about a mix breed of angels and humans, who possess supernatural powers. Among those with these powers, lies evil, known as the fallen. Mystified by her ability to enter this place called Crossroads, certain that the fallen will be after her, she is assigned a guardian angel named Michael. Her dream becomes a nightmare as more secrets are revealed, about who she really is, and the true identities of the people she loves most

Review: I have never read any books about angels before, but after reading this book, I definitely will! Crossroads lets a person's imagination explore a a world where only books can take you. Crossroads is a wonderful Young Adult book that could be categorized as a Paranormal Romance.

Speaking of Paranormal Romance, the two main characters in Crossroads, Claudia and Michael are wonderful! I absolutely fell in love with both these characters. In the beginning you automatically want to dislike Michael, but can't help taking a liking to his personality throughout the book. Claudia is a girl who I believe most teenagers could relate to, besides the fact that she has a special supernatural gift, that even she is unaware she has. Although there were characters that I could not stand due to their greed and lies and pure evilness, Mary did a fantastic job at writing the part of Aden, a  Fallen who is after Claudia.

For  first time, self published author, I was impressed. I loved the way author Mary Ting wrote; she added so much detail into the story that made a reader feel as if they were actually there. The writing was fun but at the same time there were tidbits that were suspenseful and serious. This book is a page turner, unfortunately at the time I was reading I was busy and had to allow myself to read only several chapters at a time, which was very difficult to do! So I recommend having a day or two filled with nothing but reading Crossroads. The ending will have you wanting more!

I would recommend this book to anyone! Crossroads is a fantastic YA book. It goes beyond the cliched paranormal romance and makes a person question the true meaning of love, life and religion.