Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Emily is an introverted girl that befriends a wild and extroverted girl. It was Emily’s BFF, Sloane, who helped eliminate Emily’s shyness. But when Sloane mysteriously vanishes at the start of summer, all that’s left behind is a to-do list, with is a bunch of crazy tasks that Emily would never do. With the help of Emily’s new friend, Frank, they head off to complete the list. But will completing these tasks cause Sloane to return?

Since You’ve Been Gone is the perfect summertime read and is the cutest romance. I’ve read probably hundreds of romance novels, and this one is definitely at the top of my list. I love how realistic all of the characters are, and the playfulness of the book. However, (and some may say I’m over analyzing or over critiquing) I dislike how Emily is so determined and committed to finishing the list. If your best friend were to leave you and ignore all your texts and calls, and only leave behind a list of tasks that make you feel uncomfortable, why would you complete that list and why would you remain friends with that person? I know you wouldn’t have a story if this were to actually happen, but it just doesn’t make sense to me why the characters did what they did. Despite my criticisms, I would rate this a 9/10 and I highly recommend Since You’ve Been Gone to any reader who is a big fan of romances. In my opinion, the reader should be at least 12+, due to mild romance scenes (some kissing and one make out scene). 

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Cheyenne Wilson is a blind sixteen year old who suffers from pneumonia. While sitting in her car in the pharmacy parking lot, the car door opens. But Cheyenne discovers that it’s not her returning stepmother, but a stranger who is hijacking the car. The carjacker hadn’t meant to kidnap Cheyenne, but when the carjacker’s father learns that Cheyenne’s dad is the Nike president, they decide to hold onto her for ransom.

I felt that this book, especially the ending, was extremely suspenseful; I couldn’t put it down! I also enjoyed how realistic the main character is. The author does a great job of portraying what it’s like to be blind. However, I disliked how the book frequently switches between past and present events. While each of the past events provide new information that is important to the progression of the story, the switching between tenses does make the book slightly confusing and boring. In addition, Girl, Stolen is kind of predictable. From the first few chapters, I already knew how it was going to end. I highly recommend Girl, Stolen to anyone who is obsessed with thrillers or listening to true crime podcasts. In my opinion, readers should be at least 12+ due to situations of violence.

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maureen Goo

Genius Desi Lee can do everything – she’s the best player on the varsity soccer team, the student body president, gets amazing grades, and even plans to graduate from Stanford. But she can’t get a boyfriend. So Desi breaks down getting a boyfriend into several steps, based on her dad’s Korean dramas. 

I enjoyed the playfulness the author used while writing this book and the overall stupidity of the main character, as this made the book quite funny. I liked how there was a moral at the end of the book (true love is not the same as love portrayed in TV shows or movies). Despite this, I felt that the book was too ridiculous, which made the book completely unbelievable. I felt this way about the whole book, but especially about the ending. I would rate this an 7.5/10. Anyone who loves reading romances would really enjoy I Believe In a Thing Called Love. In my opinion, the reader should be 12+, due to some mild cursing, drinking/smoking marajuana at a party (the main character does not smoke or drink), and some mild scenes of romance. 

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Lara Lington has just learned that her great aunt Sadie has passed away. But while attending her funeral, Lara starts hearing things…or does she? It turns out that Sadie is haunting Lara because she needs Lara’s help to accomplish her last, dying wish. Sadie’s request is for Lara to help her find her stolen family heirloom, a gold dragonfly necklace. If Lara is able to find this priceless necklace, Sadie will finally be able to rest in peace. Will Lara be able to help Sadie, so she can stop pestering Lara?

As with all of Sophie Kinsella’s books, I was very entertained, as there was a lot of humor scattered throughout the whole book. I also enjoyed the mystery of the story because it wasn’t a predictable, cliche mystery like in a lot of other books. It wasn’t obvious who held the stolen necklace or where the necklace was located. The theme of Twenties Girl also focused on family and friendship, which I thought was different for a romance novel, since they usually just concentrate on love. However, I wasn’t a fan of one of the main characters being a ghost because I don’t like the fantasy or sci-fi genres. While it still was a fun read, Sadie being a ghost made the story very far-fetched for me, which I disliked. Anyone who enjoys mysteries, fantasies, rom coms, or all of the above would absolutely love Twenties Girl. In my opinion, readers should be at least 14+.  

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Alice buys her lifelong friend (and crush), Teddy, a lottery ticket as a gag for Teddy’s eighteenth birthday. To both of their surprise, Teddy wins the $140 million dollar jackpot. However, a gift that started off as a blessing slowly turns into an unwanted burden, as Teddy and Alices’ friendship is now in jeopardy due to arguments over this extreme amount of money. Can they still be friends (or more) when wealth has permanently changed their relationship?

I enjoyed how every character seemed very real, even the background characters only brought up a couple times. The author did an excellent job at describing how the characters were feeling, and that made me as the reader be able to emotionally connect with Alice and Teddy. There is also a significant amount of detail, so it’s very easy to visualize scenes depicted in the book. For example, Alice and Teddy had some awkward conversations and I could feel the uncomfortable tension that they were experiencing. However, Windfall is extremely predictable and prolonged. Just reading the first chapter, I already knew the ending of the book. Additionally, there weren’t any major plot twists, so the book lacked the excitement I was waiting for. Windfall wasn’t dull enough where I would put the book down and abandon it, but it was dragged out enough where I just was not eager to read it. While reading, I kept thinking “just end already.”

Despite my criticisms about Windfall, I still think you should read it if you enjoy young adult romances. It’s different from most romance novels that I’ve read, so if you’re looking for a book to mix it up, then this Windfall is a great choice for you. I would rate this book a 7/10.

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Two high school sophomores, Eleanor and Park, become friends while riding the school bus. Both Eleanor and Park struggle with their unaccepting and/or abusive fathers, and school bullies. Poor Eleanor gets harassed for her bright red hair and dorky personality, and Park gets teased just for being her boyfriend. But the couple bonds over their family issues, and together they experience falling in love for the first time.

This book is one of my favorite romance novels of all time. I loved how the characters go from being strangers to soulmates. Perspectives switch between each chapter, and I enjoyed this, as you get to know more details about each of the characters’ lives. Eleanor & Park is also set in the late 1980s in Omaha, so it’s interesting to learn more about the trends, fashion, and how high schoolers acted back then. Additionally, Eleanor & Park had a lot of suspense and drama, so it kept the plot super entertaining and juicy. My only two complaints are about the first few chapters and end of the book. The way the book starts out is really slow, and I had a hard time getting engaged and getting excited to pick up the book. I thought the ending of Eleanor & Park was also disappointing, as it’s not at all what I’d hoped for. I know that this is a vague explanation for the ending, but I don’t want to spoil and ruin it for future readers. Any reader who loves romance novels would adore Eleanor & Park. However, I recommend that the reader that the reader be at least 14+ due to cursing, sexual content, and situations of abuse/violence. 

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover

Tim Grover, famous trainer of NBA legends like Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and even Michael Jordan, explains the key qualities and mentalities that all machine-like athletes have when they play. Grover spells out the physiological factors of people who are unstoppable in their fields, whether it’s athletics, business, the military, etc.

I like how brutally honest Tim Grover is – it’s very refreshing. Personally, I don’t like it when people provide feedback that isn’t honest, or that is heavily sugarcoated, especially when it’s sports related. If you want to become a better athlete, better at your job, or want to accomplish a big goal, reading this book will explain how to channel your passion and emotions into reaching your goal. Additionally, I felt like I had a connection with the author; we are both extremely passionate and competitive about sports, and are obsessed about becoming better and learning more. Whenever I read even a chapter of this book, I always got pumped up. Relentless is great at making you feel like you want to put the book down, play sports, and conquer. It’s fantastic at giving pep talks. My only complaint about Relentless is I wish the book was more transparent about how to actually improve at what you’re doing. Tim Grover only explains traits the “good”, “great”, and “unstoppable” obtain, and doesn’t really elaborate on how you can come to obtain them. Even though this is my only piece of negative feedback, it was still a great letdown, as how can you write a self-help book without actually explaining how to become better at something? However, any athlete or person who is obsessed with sports would enjoy reading Relentless. In my opinion, you should be 13+, as I think anyone younger than 13 would get bored of the book and/or not understand it as well.

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

This story was about a boy named Allen (also called Ali) becoming friends with two kids who just moved into his neighborhood. Their names were Noodles and Needles. Needles had a syndrome which caused him to jerk or say dumb things. Allen had witnessed Noodles treating Needles differently as if he were another person whenever they would hang out. At the end of the book, Needles and Allen save Noodles’ life and Noodles starts to realize how Needles feels to have a syndrome and starts to treat him better.

I liked how the author describes Noodles’ thoughts about Needles. The indirect characterization of Noodles described in the story helps lead to the resolution. I did not like how the beginning of the story was written. I feel the author could have described the characters more before getting into the events of the story. I feel teenagers and adolescents would love this book because it talks about how a character wants to fit into society which is similar to how teenagers are today.

Vijay Sriram (Gum Spring Library)

Midnight Blue by Simone Van Der Vlugt

Midnight Blue by Simone Van Der Vlugt is for lovers of history, art, and a mournful love story.

It follows a young, recent widow, Catrin, in the pastoral Netherlands in the mid-1600s. Catrin flees her childhood town of Delft soon after the sudden death of her husband. In a town outside of Amsterdam, Catrin finds a job as a housekeeper. She soon quits her job after a confession of stealing art supplies from the mistress. Luckily, a mutual friend helps Catrin find a new job in the region as a pottery painter. But just when she thinks she has run from her past mistakes, an old acquaintance blackmails her, shaking the stability that was finally gained after she recently recovered from her broken leg. 

Soon enough, Catrin’s boss, and the brother of another man she was into, showed his interest in her. She reciprocated Govert’s love, and soon they were married. Then Catrin got pregnant. Weeks after she found this out, terrible news of a plague spread. She fled to her hometown, then later, returned to her husband, but unfortunately, it was too late. I loved the constant cliffhangers in this book, and the tragic circumstances of the old Netherlands.

KL (Gum Spring Library)

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Various predicaments erupt in the small town of Shaker Heights when three families find themselves in difficult and bewildering situations. Ng bases the intriguing novel in a suburban city while comparing and contrasting between a wealthy family, the Richardsons, and the less fortunate, the Warrens. The plot primarily revolves around the interactions and members of both families, although, also mildly focuses on the McCulloughs. I enjoyed the detailed background and perspectives of each character as the author introduced every character separately (while also identifying his or her opinions). However, I did not enjoy the ending of the flavorful novel and would have prefered a more happy (reunited) conclusion. I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy a diverse plot and those who like to investigate contrasting characters while uncovering hidden secrets from the past.

Aaryav Walter (Gum Spring Library)