Captive by A.J. Grainger

Captive by A.J. Grainger

Release Date: November 3, 2015

Publisher: Simon And Schuster Books For Young Readers

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages:  272

Summary:  When a teen is held hostage, her efforts to escape uncover a conspiracy that forces her to question everything in this psychological thriller with a twist of forbidden romance.

They told her not to worry—

because the man who shot her father was in custody.

They told her that she was safe—

because security had been increased.

All it took was one opportunity, one breach,

and then she was theirs. Kidnapped, confined, alone.

They told her she could go home when their demands were met.

That it wouldn’t take long, because she was the prime minister’s daughter.

But it has been days, and still no help has come.

She wonders when they will tire of this game and kill her.

She cannot wait around for that to happen; she will escape. She has to.

My Thoughts: Honestly, when I started this one, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it or not. Sometimes I like kidnapping books, other times I do not.

I really liked it. I thought it was a good one. I enjoyed the plot, but I also liked the characters more than anything.

We are introduced to Robyn who is just a normal teenager. She has most teenage problems, except for one exception. Her dad is the prime minister of the UK. This means her life is always in danger. Something could happen to her or her family. Terrorists, threats, a lot of things really.

When Robyn gets kidnapped it is quite the whirlwind for her. Two of the kidnappers were pretty mean, and jerks. I didn’t like those two at all. Both of them rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning. But, there was another one. His name was Talon. I really liked him a lot. I wanted him and Robyn to become friends. I found myself rooting for him many times during the book.

I felt at times this book  was very fast paced however it did feel like her kidnapping lasted forever. At times, I just wanted her to be found or to escape.

I really liked learning about her relationship with her dad and her little sister. I liked her family a lot even if things weren’t perfect.

I think I liked the parts between Talon and Robyn the most out of the whole novel. But I never really felt completely right about it either. It was a hard one to grasp.

Overall: I did really enjoy this one all in all. I liked Talon and I understood why he was the way he was. It was just hard wanting Robyn to like Talon because he was in on the kidnapping but I always liked the scenes with them. I really liked Captive a lot.

Cover: Its mysterious enough for you to want to read it!

What I’d Give It:

The Lies About The Truth by Courtney C. Stevens

The Lies About The Truth by Courtney C. Stevens

Release Date:  November 3, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 336

Summary: Sadie Kingston, is a girl living in the aftermath. A year after surviving a car accident that killed her friend Trent and left her body and face scarred, she can’t move forward. The only person who seems to understand her is Trent’s brother, Max.

As Sadie begins to fall for Max, she's unsure if she is truly healed enough to be with him — even if Max is able to look at her scars and not shy away. But when the truth about the accident and subsequent events comes to light, Sadie has to decide if she can embrace the future or if she'll always be trapped in the past.

My Thoughts:  Wow, this one was so amazing and I enjoyed every minute of it. Part of me wishes it was longer. I didn’t want it to end!

We are introduced to Sadie who has survived a car accident. In the car was her best friend Trent. Sadie grew up with Trent and was always around him. Losing him devastates her but she also loses part of herself. Her self confidence. In the accident, she gets quite a few scars and has to live with the aftermath. The only person who really gets it is Trent’s younger brother Max. Max was also in the car that day. His trauma was his voice-box. He has gotten somewhat better but still has a raspy voice.  In the car in front of them was Sadie’s boyfriend and another friend.

The Lies About The Truth was a wonderful novel. We see Sadie drift away from her boyfriend and she gets closer to Max. They email each other for a while because Max left for awhile with his parents.  Once Max is back, Sadie and Max get to know one another in a new way. I just want to tell you everything that happens but this is one of those romantic sweet novels that I want everyone to read. It has so much going on, it's just not rainbows and sunshine. I enjoyed getting to know Sadie and Max and seeing their struggles and understanding them.

Overall:  I really loved this one. Probably one of my favorites of the year so far! I just loved Max. So adorable! And I really did like Sadie's voice!

Cover: Love it! It just fits perfectly! The teens, the car, it just works! Cute!

What I’d Give It:

The Jock And The Fat Chick by Nicole Winters

The Jock And The Fat Chick by Nicole Winters

Release Date: October 13, 2015

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 250

Summary:  No one ever said high school was easy. In this hilarious and heartwarming debut, one high school senior has to ask himself how much he's willing to give up in order to fit in.

Kevin seems to have it all: he's popular, good looking, and on his way to scoring a college hockey scholarship. However, he's keeping two big secrets. The first is that he failed an assignment and is now forced to take the most embarrassing course ever--domestic tech. The second is that he is falling for his domestic tech classmate, Claire.

As far as Kevin is concerned, Claire does have it all: she's funny, smart, beautiful, and confident. But she's off-limits. Because Kevin knows what happens when someone in his group dares to date a girl who isn't a cheerleader, and there's no way he is going to put himself—or Claire—through that.

But steering clear of the girl of his dreams is a lot harder than Kevin thought…especially when a cooking project they are paired together for provides the perfect opportunity for things to heat up between them outside the classroom….

Epic Reads Impulse is a digital imprint with new releases each month.

My Thoughts:  We are introduced to Kevin who is really into sports. He plays hockey and all he can really think about at the moment is getting a hockey scholarship. He lives at home with his mom and mostly lives off junk food and whatever he can find at the moment. Kevin is part of the popular crowd and all the guys aren’t very considerate really. They constantly make jokes about the girls who are overweight or have extra meat on their bones.

His coach realizes how bad he’s eating and that he isn’t doing the best at some of his classes and ends up making him take a domestic class! He gets to learn how to cook!  Sounds fun, right? Not to Kevin! If anyone finds out he’ll be so embarrassed!  

Well, he ends up in the class and finds himself really liking it. He starts eating healthy and actually making himself the right kind of food. He also meets a girl named Claire. I really liked her. But of course, she’s a bit of a bigger girl. Her personality was awesome! I never really saw her as anything else but Claire. But of course Kevin finds himself falling for her but he’s scared to admit it to anyone in fear of them making fun of her and embarrassing himself.

I did like this one. I loved the cooking moments and getting to know Kevin and Claire. I also liked Claire’s parents. I did have a little bit of trouble with Kevin’s voice at times. I always just like reading girl narrators better. I relate more. And, there was some crude language but that didn’t really bother me.

I was happy with how things ended up turning out, even though there were a lot of bumps in the road.

Overall: I would probably give this one a 3.5 cupcake rating. I liked it but I didn’t love it. And it did interest me as I read through it. I liked Kevin even though I struggled a little bit with him. I also laughed out loud a few times!

Cover: Like it! Like the colors!! 

What I'd Give It:

Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru by Tera Lynn Childs

Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru by Tera Lynn Childs

Release Date: September 10, 2015

Publisher:  Entangled Publishing

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 240

Summary:  When life gives you a blank canvas, make art.

Sloane Whitaker hates everything about moving to Texas. She hates leaving behind her friends and half her family in New York, starting over senior year at Austin’s NextGen Academy, and having to say she lives in Texas. Most of all, she hates that it’s all her fault. If she wants to earn her way back to the Big Apple, she has to prove she can still be the perfect daughter.

Which means no vandalism art, no trouble at school, and absolutely no Tru Dorsey, her serial screw-up neighbor, who loves nothing more than pushing her buttons.

But from the moment he vaults onto the roof outside her bedroom, there is something about him that makes her want to break every rule. Suddenly it’ s not the ten things she hates about Tru that are at the top of her list. It’s the ten reasons she doesn’t want to be without him.

My Thoughts: I wasn’t sure what I was really getting into as I started this one. I remember requesting it originally and knowing it sounded good but I randomly decided to read it one night on my kindle.

And I thought it was a cute story! We are introduced to Sloane who has gotten into some trouble at her old school so her mother uproots her and they decide to go away for a little while so Sloane can start over. New school, new friends, new life.

Sloane and her mother move into a nice little house next door to her mom’s old friend. She has a son named Tru. Tru is popular and a good guy. But even though people believe he’s a good guy he gets into a lot of trouble. And he’s mischievous. Sloane’s mom tells her to stay away from him!

I just knew from the first night he jumped up on her roof things were gonna be crazy! And sweet, and romantic. Tru and Sloane become friends and someone ends up doing the exact same thing at Sloane’s new school that she got into trouble for at the old school. And, of course some blame Tru.  The culprit turns out to be the person I thought it may be.  Kind of suspected that.

I really did enjoy this one. I thought it was cute and I enjoyed getting to know Tru and Sloane both.

Overall: This one was a very fast read for me. And though it does have some deep lessons it was a cute and fun read. I just loved learning about Sloane’s art but I also liked seeing Tru’s deep personality! Very nice! I'd probably rate this between a 3.5 and 4 cupcake rating!

Cover:  Love it! I’d pick it up. Very nice. Romantic!! 

What I'd Give It:

Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis

Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 336

Summary: Sixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in the galaxy, it's hard to escape it. So when a group of men show up at her house uninvited, she assumes it's just the usual media-grubs. That is, until shots are fired.

Liddi escapes, only to be pulled into an interplanetary conspiracy more complex than she ever could have imagined. Her older brothers have been caught as well, trapped in the conduits between the planets. And when their captor implants a device in Liddi's vocal cords to monitor her speech, their lives are in her hands: One word and her brothers are dead.

Desperate to save her family from a desolate future, Liddi travels to another world, where she meets the one person who might have the skills to help her bring her eight brothers home-a handsome dignitary named Tiav. But without her voice, Liddi must use every bit of her strength and wit to convince Tiav that her mission is true. With the tenuous balance of the planets deeply intertwined with her brothers' survival, just how much is Liddi willing to sacrifice to bring them back?

Haunting and mesmerizing, this retelling of Hans Christian Andersen'sThe Wild Swans strings the heart of the classic with a stunning, imaginative world as a star-crossed family fights for survival in this companion to Stitching Snow.

My Thoughts: I really loved Stitching Snow last year when I read it! And, I enjoyed this one I’m not too familiar with the story of The Seven Swans.

We are introduced to Liddi who lives in a world where she’s the richest of them all and will have a lot of power one day. A day very soon.

She has eight brothers! What a big family. Her mother and father are both dead. Her brothers are all some kind of inventors and she’s expected the same fate but she has a lot more trouble than any of them. She doesn’t have as many ideas or she thinks not.

Well, when Liddi gets put in a position where she’s under siege and people are out to get her, she travels to another place to get help. But, she actually doesn't quite end up where she wants to go and ends up somewhere else. She meets a boy named Tiav. I really liked him. I was drawn to get from the get go. Just something about him was sweet and sincere.

I really liked watching Liddi get to know Tiav, even without speaking and how things happened slowly between them. I also liked seeing how her mind worked on how she was going to get everything back to the way it should be.

I really did like this one. It was complex yet a fast read for me. And, I was happy with the ending.

Overall: This was a bit confusing at times, but I flew right through it. Its one of those books you have to go into with an open mind and know things can happen that might not happen in our world. I really enjoyed getting to know Liddi and Tiav.

Cover:  Like it. I think the colors work!

What I’d Give It: