A book roundup? You betcha!

I haven't done a book roundup in awhile, and I feel like it is more than overdue, right? Of course I'm right, so hang onto your butts! 

The Take-Over Friend - Carol Dines

A solid YA about a friendship we have all had at some point in our lives, and then the awkwardness of learning how to navigate it. While this book does have quite a few triggers in it, including mental health, suicidal ideation, self harm, and even animal cruelty, and you should definitely know that going in. I liked this one, it's short, I liked that it didn't have a lot of fluff (you know how I feel about book fluff), and I liked having one likeable character (Frances) and one not so much (Sonja). It hightlights the complexities of their upbringing, how that shapes them as people, and how that affects relationships going forward. I think your teen would like this one. 

When She Disappeared - Steph Mullin & Nicole Mabry

If you are a fan of true crime, you're going to like this one. We have a little girl who goes missing while on a bike ride, and nobody finds her, or any clues, and the town is forever changed. Fast forward years later, Margo comes back but she soon discovers that her friend's body was found in the swimming hole they used as kids. A documentary crew arrives to look into the bungled investigation and suddenly Margo finds herself helping out. Being a small town, it's likely they know the killer and have been friendly all of this time, but who? 

Again, I really liked this one and I was intrigued to the end! 

Next in Line - Jeffrey Archer

I grabbed this one because I am on a suspense/thriller kick and this screamed "could be a movie" to me. Unfortunately, I think maybe I'm not the right reader. I had a hard time getting into it, and the ending fell flat for me. You know who would love this? My dad. He is really into the Jason Bourne type action books/movies and those are the vibes I got with this one. I will say, it's definitely not short on action, nearly every page had you running to the next and I never really felt like I could put it down, so in that regard, bravo!

A Beginner's Guide to Murder - Rosalind Stopps

Listen, if I'm not learning how to become a good murderer in an effort to save people I don't really know when I'm in my 70s, I don't want it. What am I even doing with my life? That's exactly the kind of friends I want, ones who wouldn't blink an eye if I was like, "come on, girls, let's just commit a felony murder, I've got time on Tuesday", you know? Are we even friends if you balk at that? I really enjoyed this, I laughed and I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to laugh but maybe I watch too much true crime shows to take this seriously. I'm reading this murmuring my own suggestions like I know what I'm doing or something. Overall? Loved this one. Honestly, I feel like this is one I should just leave out on the table for people to see when they come over, let them wonder about my hobbies. 

I have so many books coming up, I am truly out of room on my desk! I'm overflowing, so I need to get crackin'. What are you reading lately? Any of these calling your name?