Snarky and silly slow burn rom com.

A haunted house, a group of kids, and a game of survival. This was pretty creepy! The empathy and growing friendships were great.

A cute graphic with differing interests portrayed. Themes such as the importance of communication and acceptance between friends and family members.

“Midnights with you". The title conjures romantic walks under the stars. The reality of this book is messy people trying to survive messy relationships. It is full of angst and angry and tense. It is sad and sweet and hopeful. While I felt the late version of the teens was a bit too emotionally aware for what they had gone through and the support systems they had, it was still a great story. Trigger warnings: verbal and emotional abuse

The characters and atmosphere were fantastic but the pacing was erratic.

This little novel in verse tells a big story. What a love story to communication, caring adults, friends, nature, and poetry.

This was a good old-fashioned type of children's story. As a read aloud it would be fantastic! The pace was a bit slow and the stories felt a bit disjointed for the independent reader.

Americans love their heroes to be perfect and their villains to be the worst humanity has to offer. Those who smuggle their fellow man over borders illegally seem to be the worst of villains. I had doubts as to whether the author could make good his promise of portraying complex, often violent, individuals as those who have often been under threat of death, live close to the bone themselves, and at best are survivors of dire circumstance. He did.

To die beautiful, Hannie, a member of the Resistance, did just that. This fictionalized version of Hannie‘s life was at times a bit slow but still interesting. A brave soul. She came so close to making it to the end of the war.

McBride‘s writing, characters, and atmosphere are second to none. This was packed with symbolism which went right over my head and if there was a plot, I don‘t have even a nodding acquaintance with it.

A beautiful heartbreak. The characters are complex. Even the villains are beloved. The atmosphere is so well portrayed that it isn‘t an exaggeration to say the reader may very well awake from the pages of the novel expecting to hear gunfire and see enemy soldiers creating the mountainous ridge.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this sweet and fun teen manga.

Darkly engrossing and imaginative. These are no sweet magical beings but selfish, manipulative, and dangerous creatures. Incredibly enough, there is at least a bit of an ending to this story before it reaches it hints tentatively at a future story. Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an advance copy.

Nature is scary enough but being abandoned in a forest when there is something or someone stalking you....hard pass. High stakes adventure and teen bonding. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

We always want out heroes to be saints. Tuvia Bielski was the right man at the right time in the right place with the right supporters. This was an inspiring accomplishment even with the brutality and misogyny.

For those lucky enough to have had that one special teacher, this book hits all the right spots with fantastic characters and a heartwarming plot.

In just a few words, Fipps makes abundantly clear how it feels to worry about bills, have no where to shower, and no food for money. She also paints a pretty rosy picture of friendship and the generosity of others.

When their family moves from Ohio to Colorado, Thea and her little sister Amelia lose their home and friends. The author does almost too good of a job portraying the stifling,dry, dusty atmosphere of their isolated farm house. The many descriptions of the devastated land bereft of water became a bit repetitive. Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss.

This was a riveting story of codebreaking, spies, and a country under pressure from its enemies. There was a fantastic blending of historical information with fascinating characters and a well-paced plot. I do wish the ending had been tied up a bit better.

While I am glad they were able to spend more time together, I can‘t imagine the risks they ran or how much pain her husband was in at the beginning of each walk. Sometimes the tone felt very incongruous to the situation. I completely understood why people backed off in many cases when they learned the couple were homeless. No one likes to be reminded of how close we are to being homeless ourselves or of our mortality.

The Arlee Warriors won state twice, once while the starters were battling the flu. These kids are the light and life of their communities but that type of responsibility comes with a toll but it does not always come with the same amount of acknowledgement. Many of the Warriors were not signed to college basketball teams even though their talent was obvious. these teammates helped shine a light on the need for support and suicide prevention.

Doris Kearns Goodwin brings the Presidents and journalists of the Progressive era alive in all of their strengths and foibles. Theodore Roosevelt comes across as a thoroughbred…always antsy for more, in love with physical stamina and hardship, reckless, and looking for a fight. Taft appears more of the loyal, plodding, draft horse who accomplishes perhaps more but with less showmanship. The advances of the era were many and profound.

Imaginative, adventurous, and thoughtful. This children‘s book has prose any literary fiction book would be proud to claim. Bullying, mental illness, and feelings of isolation are all dealt with in a sensitive manner. Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an advance digital copy.

A new addition to the “how to” type of children‘s books. The language is simple, the pictures, uninspired. Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an advance review copy.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for an advance digital copy. This is a slight children‘s book about food, culture, and friendship. While that is a lot to cover in 32 pages, the story had a plot, character growth, and delicious food.

This was sweet and fun. Loved the sibling relationship and loved the relationship between the main characters.

The author does a great job of filling in the blanks in this fourth part of Edinburgh Nights. It could be read as a stand alone. As the author did not see fit to provide an ending, there will probably be more in the series. There was nonstop action but it never felt overwrought. The characters were interesting and the atmosphere was amazing. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a digital ARC.

The first half was quite funny. The second half lacked momentum.

This sweet, slow burn romance puts a spotlight on the pressures put on high achievers in high school. The friendship between Sadie and her best friend was amazing. The bitterness between Sadie and Julius, her nemesis and love, became almost cruel at times. While Sadie had some resolution with her family, Julius had none. I wasn‘t always wishing for a HEA for these two.

High school is a misery. When a girl deprived of a home and abandoned by her only family decides to finish school and make friends, she begins to see the way life could be if she allowed herself to care. No one has a life without problems including the haunted musician and the wealthy, popular girl. All of these characters and issues are deftly handled. Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for a digital ARC.

These are so popular with young graphic novel/manga readers. It is a very simple story of a kitten and his family.

Cozy, gently humorous and quite thoughtful. What a cool way to showcase the important part nostalgia and food play in our lives. While at times hopeful, it never crosses into saccharine.

Set in 1930's Los Angeles, a few young Chinese-American women decide to take on a corrupt police force, a bunch of rich men trying to run roughshod over Chinatown, and a murderer of a beautiful starlet. The characters were fantastic, the atmosphere lush. There was just the right amount of history, danger, and romance.

In a wet, dangerous place, the ground shook and a family of darkness was born. Unlikely characters and bad choices abound.

This is a very basic book about the Bill of Rights. It is annoying how often he refers to Washington and Jefferson as against slavery. They enslaved people. If they didn‘t believe in it, they weren‘t required to participate in it. Words vs action.

The artwork and fast paced plot make this a pick!

The pacing was a bit erratic but the characters were wonderful. I may never forgive Ms Ibanez for one of her choices. Atmospheric and mysterious with a touch of romance and magic, this book has it all. The motivations of a key player were quite obscure. Light pick.

A dark Princess has one goal, freedom. She is a master politician and a dangerous foe. To accomplish her goal, she must outwit them all. The writing and pacing is fantastic. If there had been an ending, it would have been one of my favorite books of the year. It is hard to believe this was a debut. Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss.

These short stories are grim. Most of the characters are unlikable and there is none of the cozy cat vibe I was expecting. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance reader copy.

A fairy tale atmosphere, a quest, friendship and magic with a large helping of creativity and humor make this a rollicking good time. It would make a good read alike to House on the Cerulean Sea. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a digital copy. Due out early November.

At one time, you could read any work which was a part of a series and still come away with an ending. The next book would pick up with a different quest or mystery. That time is no more. Now you read 500 pages and still don‘t get an ending. It dragged a bit in the middle but the opening and last pages were intense The characters were plentiful & interesting& the atmosphere immersive. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a digital ARC.

A light mystery. I wish Agatha, the turtle, had a bit more character. I wasn‘t fond of the narrative voice. Everything felt a bit rushed and the characters weren‘t fully developed. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

This was a sad, sweet story but it felt a bit forced.

A bit convoluted in parts, a bit predictable in parts. Lots of action and rich people behaving badly.

This was repetitive with massive plot holes and contradicting information. Apparently, it was the Author‘s mafia novel. Also, the book is about a woman, not a girl. Stilted language and unbelievable characters. This Author has done much better. Pick a different book of hers. Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the advance digital copy.

Should we be judged on the worst thing we have ever done? Twelve-year-old Alex has been. When he goes to fulfill his court ordered punishment of working at a nursing home, he finds each Resident has a story to share. The beauty of Gayle Forman's story is the depth she gives to each character, from a retired opera star to a Holocaust survivor. This is a book of connection and hope.

Two feuding families, one premonition of death, and the possibility of a forbidden love. When the story starts in a cemetery late at night, it bodes well for the rest of the tale. The writing and characters were engaging. It is unfortunate that no one believes in endings anymore. Let‘s just leave a thought dangling out there and consider it a job well done. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance digital copy.

Ms Kelly knows how to write a tale. These characters are sympathetic and become even more thoughtful as the story progresses. The love of knowledge and commitment of the girls towards the cranes was inspiring and the adults were mature and did not treat the girls with condescension. This is a must read author.

The relationships between the villagers and their commitment to their village is a thing of beauty in the hands of Kira Buxton. The massive amounts of description regarding truffles and the bidding for the giant truffle could almost drive a reader insane. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance digital copy.

Love, magic, and broken curses. A great holiday read from witchy season to Christmas season. The banter was great. At about the halfway point, the plot took a hard turn making it a much more convoluted story than it needed to be. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a digital ARC.