The Gauntlet-Karuna Riazi

I’ve tried to start reading more young adult novels to expand my reading palate, if you will. I’ve read YA when I was young but I feel like it’s gotten more inventive the older I’ve gotten.

Farah is a lonely girl who feels as though she has no friends because she isn’t “cool enough”. When she has two friends over for her birthday party, which turns out to be more for the adults than the kids, they stumble upon an unusual board game. Unknowingly the game has taken Farrah’s younger brother and now Farah and her friends are in for an adventure of a lifetime. They must save Farrah’s brother and beat the game or they will be trapped inside the game forever.

The Gauntlet is 294 pages and took me 3 days to read.

This book is so much fun! I’m giving it a 3 out of 5 for the unique experience the book provides. I could picture everything the kids went through and enjoyed their triumphs!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Kids for sending me a copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

The Perfect Mother-Aimee Molloy

When I heard Kerry Washington was going to be in an upcoming movie based on a book I was, naturally, pretty damn excited.

The Perfect Mother follows a group of new first time moms. When baby Midas goes missing on the night the moms go out for a night on the town, all of the mothers lives turn upside down.

The Perfect Mother is 317 pages long and took me 4 days to read.

I’m giving this book a 3.5 out of 5. I really enjoyed this story and the twists in this story genuinely kept me guessing. I’m definitely recommending this to anyone who enjoyed The Couple Next Door!

Thank you Harper for sending me an advance copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

Be Prepared-Vera Brosgol

When I heard about this graphic novel I was so excited. A tale of a young girl who doesn’t quite fit in, decides to have a go at summer camp.

Vera is different than the other girls at her school. She is Russian, loves to draw and her single mom can’t provide everything brand new like the girls she knows. Her birthday party is even different. When Vera hears of an all Russian summer camp from her church, she begs her mom to go. Maybe there she will make friends and finally fit in! When Vera arrives at camp she fears that camp is just like her normal life, but without indoor plumbing.

Be Prepared is 244 pages long and took me one day to read.

I’m giving this graphic novel at 4.5 out of 5. Oh my gosh, I loved this so much! An honest tale of life not quite on the inside! The artwork is perfect and I will be sharing this with everyone I know!

Thank you so much First Second for sending me an advance copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

River of Teeth-Sarah Gailey

When I heard Liberty Hardy from BookRiot talking about this book I immediately added it to my wish list.

The year is 1890 and there are feral hippos in the Mississippi River. In this alt history, Gainey explores what might have been if the US followed through on their plan of bringing hippos to the country as a food source. Needless to say, there are cowboys riding hippos and that was enough to sell me this book.

River of Teeth is 166 pages long and took me 1 day to read.

I’m giving this story a 4 out of 5. I REALLY REALLY LOVED THIS STORY. It’s so much fun to read and you don’t want it to be over when you hit the last page. LUCKILY, it’s a series!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

Two Can Play (#2 Audrey Harte series)-Kate Kessler

I’ve been trying to read more books with female characters because I feel like the majority of the mystery/legal main characters I read are men. I’ve found a badass women named Audrey Harte and she’s so much fun to read.

Audrey is a criminal psychologist who is helping the prosecution charge a teen serial killer. When Audrey starts to get into the mind of the serial killer, someone starts killing others in the same way. Did this teen have a partner or do they have the wrong person. Is Audrey in danger or is he just messing with her head?

Two Can Play is 355 pages long and took me 4 days to read.

I’m giving this book a 3.5 out of 5. I really love this character and her dark past casts a shadow on her current cases while also helping her see what others cannot. I recommend this series wholeheartedly!

Thank you Redhook for sending me this copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

The Burial Place-Larry Enmon

Police procedurals are my favorite. Between watching Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and reading books with murder and or crimes, I’m basically a detective! Lol

Katrina is a privileged daughter of the Dallas, Texas mayor. She is used to getting her way and when she has an argument with her parents about the boy she is dating, she leaves in a hurry and with a bang. When she hasn’t returned for serval days, the Dallas mayor reaches out to the chief of police for help tracking down his daughter. Although Rob and Frank are partners and are the best of the best, they aren’t usually assigned to missing persons cases. But after seeing a picture of Katrina, Frank is driven to the point of obsession and he knows he has to be the person to find her, no matter the cost.

The Burial Place is 280 pages long and took me 3 days to read.

I’m giving this book a 3 out of 5. I really enjoyed reading this book but I have to admit there were some slightly cheesy parts and once scene that I found really strange and didn’t entirely flow with the book. I do hope there will be more of Rob and Frank stories to look forward to!

Thank you Crooked Lane for sending me a copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

Beastly Bones (#2 Jackaby series)-William Ritter

The second book in the Jackaby series, Beastly Bones picks up from where it left off. Abigail Rook attempting to maneuver around her new employer, Jackaby’s strange and sometimes other-worldly ways. When Jackaby and Abigail receive word from an old friend that a mysterious death has occurred at the site of recently found dinosaur bones, Abigail insists they investigate.

Beastly Bones is 295 pages long and took me two days to read.

What can I say? As if I needed another reason to love this series, they brought the allure of dinosaur bones into the picture?!? I give this book at 4 out of 5. I realize this might be high, especially to those who don’t love dinosaurs like I do, but honestly this book is amazing.

Thank you SO MUCH Algonquin for sending me this copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

All The Beautiful Lies- Peter Swanson

I was lucky enough to read Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson when it came out last year. When I saw he had written a new novel, I freaked out and badgered William Morrow into send me an advance copy of All The Beautiful Lies.

Before yesterday, Harry had a grip on life. He was about to graduate college and start his life as a “real adult”. But finding out your father has passed away in a suspicious manner isn’t exactly the kind of situation Harry was prepared for. Going to his father and step-mother’s home in Maine for the summer seems like the right thing to do now that his step-mother Alice is grieving and completely alone. To make matters worse, Alice seems to be making sexual advances towards, the much younger, Harry.

All the Beautiful Lies is 285 pages long and took me four days to read.

I’m giving this book a 3 out of 5. I enjoyed reading this twisty book even through the parts I found particularly upsetting.

Thank you William Morrow for sending me a copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey