Review: Never After

I started this week determined to have a good one, and so far, it isn't so bad. I mean, we're two days in so I don't want to get cocky, but it isn't so bad. It IS ridiculously cold where I am so I am completely over winter and wishing for spring and summer, though. Guess what I have for you today? A book review! I'm sure you aren't at all surprised, but this one is another fun one from this author, who brought us The Descendents, so you know this is bound to be good. 

Never After - Melissa De La Cruz

Nothing ever happens in Filomena Jefferson-Cho's sleepy little suburban town of North Pasadena. The sun shines every day, the grass is always a perfect green, and while her progressive school swears there's no such thing as bullying, she still feels bummed out. But one day, when Filomena is walking home on her own, something strange happens.

Filomena is being followed by Jack Stalker, one of the heroes in the Thirteenth Fairy, a series of books she loves about a brave girl and her ragtag group of friends who save their world from an evil enchantress. She must be dreaming, or still reading a book. But Jack is insistent--he's real, the stories are real, and Filomena must come with him at once!

Soon, Filomena is thrust into the world of evil fairies and beautiful princesses, sorcerers and slayers, where an evil queen drives her ruthless armies to destroy what is left of the Fairy tribes. To save herself and the kingdom of Westphalia, Filomena must find the truth behind the fairytales and set the world back to rights before the cycle of sleep and destruction begins once more. 

I am here for this turning into a series because too many fantastical things were introduced in here that it would be a dang shame to leave it to just one book! If you are in the market for a solidly middle grade book, which no shame if you're an adult who loves them because sometimes we just need something that doesn't crush our souls or make us think too much. 

Filomena is the little book nerd in all of us, over the top excited for the newest installment of her favorite series, and is crushed when she finds out it doesn't exist because her favorite author died years ago. 

Frankly, I think we've all felt the grief of a beloved author who just up and dies on us. Also, I think we all can agree that our first (or maybe second) thought is always, "Is there one last book?!" because that is just who we are. We want the next book. 

What makes this day less of a bummer is she discovers that she is being stalked by a boy named Jack, who swears he's the actual hero from the books because the books are real and she is the one to save it all. (Side note: if Edward Cullen followed me, saying the same thing, I think we all know that I would do an abrupt about face, ditch my life, and skip along with him knowing I'll probably die at the hands of vampires but you only live once, am I right?). 

You know what I loved about this? Filomena is the girl I wish I was in middle school. She's brave when she needs to be, even when she doubts herself. She has insecurities but she's a strong female hero that is a perfect character for young girls (and boys) to read about. Even better? She has a normal family, she's a good kid, she has nice/normal parents that she gets along with, she's willing to learn from her mistakes, and she recognizes the strength in others. 

As an adult reading this I recognized a lot of classical characters from nursery rhymes, which kids will make the fun connections with. I loved that amazing creatures are included in this story, making way for future fantasy readers. (I am a firm believer that every kid can grow up to be a reader if we take the time to introduce them to different genres, and this book is a great way to do just that.)

My only complaint is that I solved the mystery almost immediately. It sounds ridiculous to even list that as a complaint, so feel free to ignore me, because I am an adult so I'm obviously better at you know, solving crime and such. Do I think it will be lame for a kid to read it? No, not at all, I think they'll enjoy picking up the clues and trying to piece it together for themselves. 

Overall, I'm giving this one a solid 4 stars. If you're a fan of Melissa De La Cruz, you'll recognize her writing style and imagination, definitely a fun book to have in a school library or classroom, but also in your home library. I'm excited to see what will come next! 

Thank you to Roaring Book Press for sending me a copy for review, this was a fun, quick read. 

This post contains affiliate links.

Books That Should Be On Your Radar

I've been meaning to post a lot of these sooner but moving had them in boxes but guess what? They are free from their dark cardboard dungeon! Let's talk about them!

Gotham High - Melissa de la Cruz
No surprise here that this is a great book, Melissa de la Cruz consistently brings us great stuff, and always with a little twist. In this one she partners with DC Comics and illustrator Thomas Pitilli and together they give us a young adult graphic novel. Now, I know some of you are rolling your eyes but this was actually really interesting and fun. Not to mention, its an incredibly fast read! It gives us the younger versions of Batman, Catwoman, and The Joker slogging their way through the doldrums of high school. If you are a fan of Riverdale or even Gossip Girl, you'll enjoy this one and your teen will, too!

Close Your Eyes - Darren O'Sullivan
I gave this one five stars because it was pretty great. We have a man who clearly is having memory loss issues (something I deal with daily) after waking up from a coma. Years later someone is demanding he find something that he apparently stole, except this guy has NO idea what they are talking about. I think this was compared to Gillian Flynn novels and that is pretty accurate, the twist at the end had me shrieking. 

The Sound of Stars - Alechia Dow
To be honest, I'm only half way through this but I really love it. I think my daughter is itching to get to this one herself. A really interesting dystopian/sci-fi young adult book has a teen girl named Ellie being helped by a lab created AI named Morris to basically save the world. It really reminds me of a modern version of Fahrenheit 451, where books are illegal and destroyed. In this one it is books and music, basically art in general. Its really interesting and strange but if you want something different from what you usually grab, this is the one to do that with. 

What I Want You To See - Catherine Linka
Easily one of the prettiest and coolest covers I've gotten this year so far. I read this one a few months ago, so did my daughter, and she really enjoyed it. This one centers around a high school graduate heading to art school who finds out higher education isn't like what the brochures sell you on. She realizes that it is competitive and nobody is really your friend, even the teachers who are meant to guide you along. She inadvertently finds herself in the middle of a crime and nobody to really help her. Again, this one is YA but adults will enjoyed this one a lot too. Definitely an interesting one if you have a teen interested in art. 

The Last Letter From Juliet - Melanie Hudson
I know I'm not the biggest historical fiction fan but sometimes on sounds so good I have to give it a try, and I am so glad I did. Yes, this is a WWII book and I don't know about you but it feels like there are SO many in the market right now. I'm not going to say much because this one had me misty eyed at the end and I think I read the last third in one sitting because it was beautiful. So far, this has been my favorite historical fiction of the year and it will likely make my top ten list for the year.

Little White Lies - Philippa East
Oh guys. One of my worst fears is for myself to be kidnapped, but also having one of my children abducted. In this one we have a young girl abducted but is found seven years later. By this time she's a teenager and not only do we find out exactly what happened to her during her time away, but her mom has some confessions of her own and basically she's trying to bond with her daughter again but also find out if her daughter really remembers all of the details from the day she disappeared. It started a little slow for me but once it got moving I really enjoyed this one.

Alright guys, I think that's all I have for right now. I have so many review books coming up (mostly romance) but I spent the last of my gift cards on books that were specifically NOT romance just to shake things up a bit.

Have you read any good ones I haven't read yet? Let me know because I have room for more books!

Book Review: The Birthday Girl

No weight loss post this week, friends. That isn't to say I didn't exercise because oh I did, but I'll talk about how physically exhausting last week was for me when I talk about our trip on Wednesday, so watch for that. Today though, I have a review for a book that I've seen everywhere. It's all over Instagram and Facebook, I've seen it pop on Twitter, I've seen it on store shelves, it's everywhere. You may know Melissa de la Cruz from her wonderful young adult books but she's coming back to adult fiction in a big way with this one.

The Birthday Girl - Melissa de la Cruz

Ellie de Florent-Stinson is celebrating her fortieth birthday with a grand celebration in her fabulous house in Palm Springs.

At forty, it appears Ellie has everything she ever wanted: a handsome husband; an accomplished, college-age stepdaughter; a beautiful ten-year-old girl; two adorable and rambunctious six-year-old twin boys; lush, well-appointed homes in Los Angeles, Park City, and Palm Springs; a thriving career as a well-known fashion designer of casual women's wear; and a glamorous circle of friends.

Except everything is not quite as perfect as it looks on the outside—Ellie is keeping many secrets. This isn’t the first of her birthday parties that hasn't gone as planned. Something happened on the night of her sweet sixteenth. Something she’s tried hard to forget.

But hiding the skeletons of her past comes at a cost, and all of Ellie’s secrets come to light on the night of her fabulous birthday party in the desert—where everyone who matters in her life shows up, invited or not. Old and new, friends and frenemies, stepdaughters and business partners, ex-wives and ex-husbands congregate, and the glittering facade of her life crumbles in one eventful night. 

Beautifully paced and full of surprises, The Birthday Girl is an enthralling tale of a life lived in shadow, and its unavoidable consequences.

You guys. If you know me at all you know that I usually read thrillers and such in the fall and I have absolutely no idea why, it's just what I do. I don't even do it on purpose, it's just what comes to me in the fall and what I buy without thinking about it so here we are. I have a copy of The Birthday Girl in my hands and it's almost fall, so why not.

First off, this book was really good. I'm going to start you with that and I'm giving this a solid 4 stars and the only reason I wouldn't give it 5 is because I was getting confused as to who was who with nicknames and I'm not sure if this is from my cognitive impairment or if it's an intentional act by the author because by the time I got to the end and I finally realized who everyone was, it felt like all the tumblers clicked into place and I was left with my jaw open. It's like looking at a 3D puzzle and its all blurry and weird, but as soon as you put the glasses on the picture is clear as day? That is what this book was for me. To say this author crafted this story into a weird web that takes you awhile to get through is an understatement.

In this book we have Ellie, throwing her own 40th birthday party for no other reason than to show people (more like herself) that she made it. She isn't the trailer trash girl she was destined to be, that everyone thought she would be. She's rich, she's successful, she has it all, and she always wants to one up the next person. Because she can. The guest list is extensive from people she barely knows to the people from her past who know more than they should and they know that under all the glitz and makeup is a girl from a dirty trailer park with a whole other life of secrets.

The book is a dual timeline so we read about this party as it unfolds but also have flashes from her past, giving some context to why she is the way she is but also the events that led her to this day. Not only did the book keep me completely hooked because I wanted to know who Ellie really was, the absolute history of this character is unbelievable.

The beginning is a little bit slow, the middle is all of these clues thrown at you and you start to feel like the ball of yarn is unwinding and the end is just, what the hell just happened. My real quips is her husband Todd, we go through the whole book thinking he's kind of an ass and his mentioning in the book is just meh, kind of like he dropped off the planet. Also, Harry Kim, the investor in her business. I get where the author was going with that piece of the story but it felt like an unnecessary extra to me, there was enough drama in the book as it was that it didn't need to be added.

Overall? I liked this one. I read this one while on vacation, flew through it, and it was a good start to my fall suspense pile. This is kind of like suspense light because it isn't like an episode of Law & Order but it's still enough to keep you hooked until the end.

   

A huge thank you to Melissa de la Cruz, Dutton, and MB Communications for sending me an ARC for review! All thoughts expressed are my own, and this post contains affiliate links which help keep this blog going. If you give this one a try, let me know what you thought of it, I'm interested to see if it kept you on your toes!