Description: Graduating into the long maw of an American recession, Sneha is one of the fortunate ones. She's moved to Milwaukee for an entry-level corporate job that, grueling as it may be, is the key that unlocks every door: she can pick up the tab at dinner with her new friend Tig, get her college buddy Thom hired alongside her, and send money to her parents back in India. She begins dating women--soon developing a burning crush on Marina, a beguiling and beautiful dancer who always seems just out of reach.
   But before long, trouble arrives. Painful secrets rear their heads; jobs go off the rails; evictions loom. Sneha struggles to be truly close and open with anybody, even as her friendships deepen, even as she throws herself headlong into a dizzying romance with Marina. It's then that Tig begins to draw up a radical solution to their problems, hoping to save them all.

Description: When Georgia Avis finds the dead body of Ashley James outside the gates of an exclusive resort, she teams up with Ashley's older sister Nora to find the killer, and she is thrown into a world of unimaginable wealth and privilege--and the fight for her life.

Description: Ellice Littlejohn seemingly has it all: an Ivy League law degree, a well-paying job as a corporate attorney in midtown Atlanta, great friends, and a “for fun” relationship with a rich, charming executive—her white boss, Michael. But everything changes one cold January morning when Ellice goes to meet Michael and finds him dead with a gunshot to his head.
And then she walks away like nothing has happened. Why? Ellice has been keeping a cache of dark secrets, including a small-town past and a kid brother who’s spent time on the other side of the law. She can’t be thrust into the spotlight—again. But instead of grieving this tragedy, people are gossiping, the police are getting suspicious, and Ellice, the company’s lone Black attorney, is promoted to replace Michael. While the opportunity is a dream-come-true, Ellice just can’t shake the feeling that something is off.
When she uncovers shady dealings inside the company, Ellice is trapped in an impossible ethical and moral dilemma. Suddenly, Ellice’s past and present lives collide as she launches into a pulse-pounding race to protect the brother she tried to save years ago and stop a conspiracy far more sinister than she could have ever imagined.

Description: 2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher.

2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager—and who professed to worship only her—may be far different from what she has always believed?

Description: Bea is on the run. And then, she runs into Lou.
This chance encounter sends them on a journey through West Texas, where strange things follow them wherever they go. The landscape morphs into an unsettling world, a mysterious cat joins them, and they are haunted by a group of threatening men. To stay safe, Bea and Lou must trust each other as they are driven to confront buried truths. The two women share their stories of loss and heartbreak--and a startling revelation about sexual assault--culminating in an exquisite example of human connection.

Review: Are You Listening? takes a simple conceit of a road trip and turns into a quiet, introspective study of heartbreak, grief, and identity.  Bea and her adult acquaintance Lou find themselves unlikely companions on a road trip through Texas. There are many wordless panels as the Bea and Lou start their trip, but they soon open up to one another. We discover that the two women have two things in common: both are gay, and neither is going somewhere so much as escaping something. Bea is fleeing sexual abuse by a cousin and the shame that has prevented her from telling anyone; Lou is avoiding dealing with her grief following her mother's death.
  As Bea and Lou drive to one of Lou's relative in a remote location in Texas, they share their own personal anecdotes and Bea works on her driving skills, they find a lost cat whose ID tag bears an address in "West, West Texas" at a rest stop. Bea names the cat Diamond, and insists they deliver her home. Up to this point the trip has been pretty normal and peaceful, but unease builds as the trio sets out for West and their surroundings become increasingly surreal. Snow falls heavily; roads appear and disappear. There's something off about the locals-who imply that the town exists only some of the time. Most bizarre are the menacing male "Road Inquiry" officers who have an aggressive interest in the cat. Lou's fierce protectiveness of Bea is mirrored by Bea's of Diamond; their growing fear and anger are reflected in a darkened palette and distorted figures, panel frames, and speech bubbles.
  I got lost pretty quickly when the illustrations became surreal and took a magical realism turn. The pacing is inconsistent and I still didn't fully understand the purpose behind Diamond. I wish I got more of a backstory for Lou like we did for Bea. The protagonists and their emotions drive this story and if you can go with the odd turn into the surreal, I think Are You Listening? is worth the read.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language in the graphic novel. One of the characters reveals she has been sexually assaulted by a family member. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Will and Whit by Laura Lee Gulledge

Description: Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?
  Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

Review: Ninth House is a dark fantasy/murder mystery that takes place in Yale University's secret societies. Galaxy "Alex" Stern is our main character who has recently woke up in the hospital after an overdose to learn two things: that she was the only survivor of an unsolved bloody multiple homicide and that because of her ability to see ghosts, she was being offered a spot in Yale's freshmen class, provided she join Lethe, the clandestine group that monitors the school's eight secret societies. At Yale, each secret society or house specializes in a discipline of the occult, from necromancy to divination, and the members of Lethe are responsible for making sure their activities don't harm anyone, inside or outside of the societies.
  Ninth House is very different from Bardugo's YA novels. The world building is quite solid, however, fantasy takes a back seat to the murder mystery which surprised me. The pace is very slow for the first 200 pages or so as we try to wrap our heads around the secret societies and learn about Alex through flashbacks. The narrative is initially told from two perspectives: Alex in the present at Yale and from Darlington, Alex's mentor until he abruptly goes missing.
  It took me a while to warm up to Alex. She is constantly numbing herself either through drugs or alcohol and she is very cagey, abrasive, all of which are defensive mechanisms. Though she seems to flounder in her day to day routines and is exhausted by trying to act "normal", she seems to find her footing when trying to solve a girl's murder, which no one seems to care. Bardugo efficiently demonstrates female rage as well as the power of privilege and class through out the story.  Readers can tell she is greatly influenced by the #MeToo movement.
  I would have liked a bit more explanation regarding the ghosts and Alex's connections to them, which I was most interested in the book. The book's uneven pacing and a lot of information to keep track of took me out of the story multiple times, but I am still interested to see where this series goes. Had I expected less fantasy and more of a murder mystery, I may have liked this book a lot more than I did.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, drug use, overdosing, gore, self-harm, rape, sexual assault, talk of suicide, physical abuse, sex, and forced eating of human waste. Recommended for adults and mature teens only. 

If you like this book try: Broken Girls by Simone St. James

Description: Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and advocates for, survivors of sexual assault. Now, inspired by her fans and enraged by how little in our culture has changed since her groundbreaking novel Speak was first published twenty years ago, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she's never written about before.

Review: Like many readers my first introduction to Laurie Halse Anderson is through her powerful, heart wrenching debut novel, Speak, which I read during my first year of library school and it has resonated with me since then. I had no idea that the root of that novel stemmed from personal experience. In this powerful, timely, candid, and exquisite memoir told in free verse, Anderson delves into her past and that of her parents, sharing experiences of being a sexual assault survivor at the age of 13 and dealing with her father's PTSD and rageful episodes as a World War II veteran.
  Anderson's writing is clear, raw, and lyrical as she traces the years from her childhood to the start of her writing career, describing how the memory of her rape finally spurred her to write the truth and to become an activist against censorship and rape culture, which are both addressed in the book along with confusing social messages surrounding sexuality. Her road to reclaiming her voice and facing her demons is long, hard, and painful but also incredibly inspiring. Silence is a repeating theme throughout the memoir whether is it done subconsciously or forced upon in fear of not being believed. Shout should be required reading just like teaching consent should be required at all grade levels.

Rating: 5 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language and candid discussions of sexual assault, sexual harassment, drug abuse, underage drinking, and domestic abuse. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try:

Description: It is summer in Phoenix, and seventeen-year-old Maximo offers to help a Jordan, a fellow student in high school, with the food truck that belonged to Jordan's deceased father, and which may be the only thing standing between homelessness for Jordan and his mom; the boys are strongly attracted to each other, but as their romance develops it is threatened by the secrets they are hiding--and by the racism and homophobia of those around them.

Review: Maximo (who prefers to be called Max) is a popular high school athlete who spends most of his free time with his two best friends, playing video games and joking around. Max has a secret that he hasn't told anyone, not even his buddies, that makes his heart pound and his hands sweat. He is trying to be a man, a fighter his father raised him to be. A fighter pushes through the fear and pain.
    Jordan is an awkward, anxious, introverted teen who is attempting to help take care of his mom after the death of his father. He also dreams of striking out on his own, pursue a career in writing and be in a relationship. In order to save their home Jordan and his mom work on their food truck, but thing are not going according to plan. In fact neither Jordan nor his mom know how to run a food truck. Jordan hires Max to work the food truck with him, and two boys who thought they had nothing in common find that they are more alike than they thought.
   The Music of What Happens is a character driven story with an easy, conversational tone. The story is told from alternating points of views of Max and Jordan. Max is confident though he is afraid to show and talk about his feelings because that is not what a fighter does. Max grapples with understanding whether he has actually been raped and what he should do about it; the consequences of the rape also cause him to question the lessons his father taught him as a young child. While the author makes clear what happened to Max, the assault is not described in graphic detail. This topic of consent and rape are rarely mentioned between boys (or at least from the YA books that I have read thus far). Max also laughs off crude sexual jokes regarding promiscuity and homophobic slurs until he himself becomes woke and comfortable enough to have an honest talk with his friends. Jordan is struggling with self confidence and keeping his mother afloat. Oftentimes he ends up being the adult and she the child.
  We follow these boys as they uneasily become friends and into a budding romance along with getting to know their separate groups of friends. The plot is balanced nicely between heavier topics such as toxic masculinity, homophobia, racial microaggressions, consent, addiction, and sexual assault. None of these topics are heavy handed but they are also not sugar coated either. There are some truly heartbreaking moments that Max and Jordan go through, but ultimately it is an uplifting and relatable story.   

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, mentions of underage drinking, allusions to rape, crude sexual humor, and homophobic slurs. Recommended for Grades 10 and up.

If you like this book try: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, Bloom by Kevin Panetta, Release by Patrick Ness

Description: From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless--an outcast--because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. Through her work on an art project, she is finally able to face what really happened that night: She was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. With powerful illustrations by Emily Carroll, Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak: The Graphic Novel comes alive for new audiences and fans of the classic novel.

Review: I read Laurie Halse Anderson's debut YA novel, Speak, when I began library school and it has stayed with me ever since. The novel is told from Melinda's point of view and mostly through her inner monologue as she recounts her harrowing freshmen year of high school as a social pariah. We get glimpses of what has happened, mainly from other people's perspectives, that she had called the police in an end-of-summer party and now everyone shuns her. Unable to tell anyone what actually happened at the party, Melinda withdraws more and more into herself. She loses her voice and herself as she ditches classes and spirals downward into apathy and depression. One of the few people to reach her is her art teacher, who helps her express with art what she has so deeply and painfully buried. It is through art that Melinda finds her voice to speak.
  The graphic novel adaptation of Speak highlights the importance of art in the novel. It blends words and images to bring Melinda's story to life. We get a visual survival journey of Melinda as she loses her voice, fights the daily battles she must wage to find it again, and the triumph of finally being able to speak out. Carroll who is known for her horror graphic novels perfectly depicts in gray artwork the starkness of Melinda's depression through strong ink lines and striking panels that rely on pencil and charcoal textural effects for the backgrounds. In the original text Melinda was so removed, regulated to the background as an observer. In this graphic novel we get to be an active part of her story. The graphic novel is a faithful adaptation with the dialogued pulled directly from the novel. Despite some minor changes the graphic novel evokes the style and emotions of the original novel seamlessly. It adds a layer of complexity to the story. It is a timely, haunting, and powerful read that is not to be missed.

Rating: 5 stars

Words of Caution: There are allusions to sexual assault, underage drinking and partying. Recommended for Grades

If you like this book try: Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson, All the Rage by Courtney Summers, The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith

Description: Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him.
  When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Review: Sadie is a powerful, gut wrenching, thriller that will elicit strong emotions from you as you read it. The book has a very simple plot, Sadie Hunter is going to kill the man who murdered her 13-year-old sister, Mattie, but its execution sets it apart from other thrillers. The story alternates between Sadie's first-person point of view as she makes her way across Colorado in search of Keith, who sexually abused her when he dated her mother and who she believes murdered Mattie, and the transcript of a serialized podcast called The Girls by a well established journalist West McCray who is both drawn and repelled by Sadie's and Maddie's story. His interviews with her family and those who crossed her path provide an outsider's perspective to Sadie's actions and interior monologue and always remains painstakingly close to Sadie's present story. The podcast makes the story come alive and expands on book's themes of revenge, ineffective policing, poverty, and addiction and its impact on parenting. 
  Sadie is a precocious survivor. Her mother, Claire, is a drug-addicted, single mother. When Mattie was born Sadie became a de facto parent at the age of 6. Though both sisters had different fathers, Sadie was determined to never let Mattie feel unloved. Her baby sister’s love filled a hole in Sadie’s fiercely protective heart and quickly became her world. Claire favored Mattie, who remained attached to her long after Claire disappeared from their grim, trailer-park home in rural Colorado. Sadie believes that Mattie’s determination to find Claire led to her brutal murder. Without Mattie Sadie has lost her anchor, but her drive for justice, revenge, and hope of preventing other girls like Mattie from abuse and murder propels her into action.
  Sadie is an extraordinary female heroine that I have not seen in a long time in YA thrillers. She is smart, observant, tough, and at times heartrendingly vulnerable. Sadie exempts no one, not even herself, from her unsparing judgment. It broke my heart several times when Sadie immediately questioned a person's kindness, though she was almost always right, but it made me feel incredibly uneasy.
  The book set me on edge and I had to put it aside a few times because of its intensity, but I did feel compelled to find out what happened next. Summers does a fantastic job in not reveling in shocking the reader with graphic and gratuitous detail of the abuse that Sadie encountered, but just the right amount that we can connect the dots. I am still unsure of how I feel about the open ending, perhaps it is selfish of me for wanting a glimmer of hope for Sadie but she really deserves one.
  Sadie is a very timely book especially at a time where female survivors of sexual assault and abuse are being silenced and doubted. This will make an excellent book club discussion and the format lends itself to also be a fantastic audiobook if done well. Unforgettable and one of the best thrillers I have read in a very long time.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, allusions to sexual abuse and attempted rape, pedophilia, drug abuse, and parental neglect. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis, Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess, All the Rage by Courtney Summers

Description: After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they hear that their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in Hed, take in that fact. Amidst the mounting tension between the two rivals, a surprising newcomer is handpicked to be Beartown’s new hockey coach.
   Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.
   As the big match approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple and innocent.

Review: Backman returns to Beartown, the hockey-obsessed small-town in Sweden, which was rocked was rocked after a junior team member was convicted of rape the previous spring. We are still witnessing the ripple effects of the incident. The Beartown team is in a precarious situation. The hockey club is in danger of being liquidated. General manager Peter Andersson is under intense scrutiny-particularly from one aggressive group of fans who call themselves "The Pack"-and enters into a questionable agreement with slippery local politician Richard Theo in order to save the team. When an unconventional new coach arrives, Beartown's hopes fall on the shoulders of the four remaining hockey star teens who can resuscitate the hockey club and return the town's pride.  untested (and possibly unreliable) teenagers. As tension between Beartown and its rival town, Hed, comes to a boiling point over hockey, jobs, and political squabbles, each member of the community confronts the same questions about loyalty and friendship.
  I read Us Against You shortly after reading Beartown and I enjoyed it a bit more. You can read Us Against You as a standalone but I would not recommend it. Reading Beartown first gives you a better understanding of the community and its characters. Backman keeps his panoramic writing style, but since I had a familiarity with the characters already it did not bother me as much. We do get to spend more time with the characters, but I still selfishly want more. The running theme of loyalty is showcased throughout the story from the troubles of Andersson's marriage, the shame of little brother Leo who feels hopeless in not defending his sister and his sudden interest in violence, and the secret of Benji's sexuality that alienates him from his community. I also liked how the author asked rhetorical questions surrounding masculinity and violence and not shying away from addressing rape culture and homophobia. Definitely pick this one up if you enjoyed Beartown.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language including homophobic slurs, violence, and scenes of bullying. Recommended for older teens and adults.

If you like this book try: The Locals by Jonathan Dee, Girl in the Snow by Danya Kukafka

Description: Zarin Wadia is many things: a bright and vivacious student, an orphan, a risk taker. She’s also the kind of girl that parents warn their kids to stay away from: a troublemaker whose many romances are the subject of endless gossip at school. You don't want to get involved with a girl like that, they say. So how is it that eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia has only ever had eyes for her? And how did Zarin and Porus end up dead in a car together, crashed on the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? When the religious police arrive on the scene, everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is questioned. And as her story is pieced together, told through multiple perspectives, it becomes clear that she was far more than just a girl like that.

Review: When Zarin and her friend Porus die in a car accident in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, everyone, from the religious police to Zarin's classmates and neighbors, is suspicious. What were Porus and Zarin doing? Was Porus one of Zarin's many romantic liaisons? Only the deceased teens know the truth, and as their spirits hover above the wreckage, they look back on what led up to this point.
  Zarin has been doomed since her illegitimate birth. She is the daughter of an Indian gangster and a bar dancing "loose" Parsi mother. Her origins are a shameful secret to her family and follows her like a black cloud over her head. Raised by aunt and uncle, Zarin moves to Mumbai, India to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for work and hopes of escaping rumors of Zarin's mother's death. In Jeddah Zarin's domineering, abusive, and paranoid aunt fears Zarin will follow the same path as her mother, keeps a tight grip on Zarin, removing all signs of physical femininity from her haircut to her clothes and shielding her from boys and men, to no avail. Zarin defies convention, dating boys and smoking, developing a bad reputation at school. It was only after reconnecting with Porus, a Parsi friend from Mumbai, whomoved to Jeddah for work, that Zarin began to reconsider her behavior—and her capacity for love.
  Bhathena's debut tackles rape culture in Saudi Arabia and for the most part does it quite well. The book addresses double standards and the gender expectations among men and women. Men are expected to demonstrate their masculinity by taking what they want and being aggressive. Women are expected to be "pure" and submissive. The narrative is split between five points of view: Zarin, Porus, Zarin's ex-boyfriend Abdullah; his righteous sister, Mishal, and Farhan, Abdullah's best friend and the popular student on whom Zarin nurses a crush. All of these points of views attempt to give the reader a multi-layered view of Zarin's reputation. Due to the numerous voices, it was hard to distinguish between the many voices and witness character development especially from Mishal and Farhan when they want to repent for their actions. The timeline between past and present jumps around and was confusing to follow.
      What I found troubling with A Girl Like That is the treatment of its Muslim characters. With the exception of the angelic Porus, the Muslim males are stereotyped and one dimensional. Abdullah follows his father's behavior of tossing one girl aside and moves on to the next when he is unable to have sex with her. Farhan takes this behavior to the extreme and uses the date rape drug to make scores on his "man card" even though he seems to be desired by virtually every female he sees. The drug dealer who supplies Farhan is also Muslim. While rape culture is unfortunately not limited to one country, due to the lack of wide range of male characters the book dangerously implies that it is limited to one group of men.
   Similarly, Muslim women are not complex characters either. Mishal is Abdullah's sister who bullies and harasses Zarin by spreading rumors about Zarin around social media and in school. The other female classmates are also bullied for their wayward actions and some are survivors of sexual assault though their stories are not talked about nor are they believed. It is also hinted at several times that Zarin's aunt suffers from mental illness but it is also not addressed in the story. Overall A Girl Like That tackles an important subject and gives the reader a lot to think about. I just wished it was more nuanced, fleshed out, and balanced. 

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: The novel contains graphic descriptions of abuse and sexual assault. Recommended for Grade 10 and up.

If you like this book try: What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold, Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

Description: People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Review: In rural Sweden there is a small town called Beartown where hockey is more than just a sport. For some it is a religion, an identity, and for others it is a means to overcome short comings and aspire to be better. A team of junior hockey players are on the cusp of changing everything for Beartown. If the players can win the championship, the small town may attract new businesses, improve its ailing economy, and recover its dismal sport dignity. Everyone in the town shares a link to the teen players, from the local bar owner to the mother who cleans the rink, is affected whether they win or lose. Star players are raised on pedestals and considered immortal despite their social standing in the community.
  After a night of celebrating a memorable semifinals win, the star player is accused of raping the general manager's daughter. The community must decide between holding the alleged rapist accountable, and thereby forfeiting their chances at success, and overlooking the crime. I was completely taken aback by this book. I was anticipating a regular underdog sports story, a subgenre that I don't read often. This is far from a typical sports story. Backman provides a panoramic analysis of the sexual assault and all the ripples it causes within the community. There is a large cast of characters, some of which you root for and cherish and others that you hate. Due to the size of the cast, I didn't feel like I had a good amount of character development as I would have liked, but enough to make a decision if I found them to be likable or not. The book is very timely, unfortunately, as sexual assault and sports is a common story and in the time of the #MeToo movement. I was not surprised by the outcome of events though angered and frustrated how the survivor of the assault was not taken seriously or believed. I could not help to think that this would make a wonderful TV show as I constantly thought how much this reminded me of Friday Night Lights TV series which I adored. Beartown is a lighthearted book like the author's previous popular works. This is a serious look at how the actions of one or two people can affect an entire town.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, scenes of bullying, sexual assault, mentions suicide, homophobic slurs and jokes, and underage drug use. Recommended for older teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Us Against Them by Frederick Backman, Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger

Description: When Poornima first meets Savitha, she feels something she thought she lost for good when her mother died: hope. Poornima's father hires Savitha to work one of their sari looms, and the two girls are quickly drawn to one another. Savitha is even more impoverished than Poornima, but she is full of passion and energy. She shows Poornima how to find beauty in a bolt of indigo cloth, a bowl of yogurt rice and bananas, the warmth of friendship. Suddenly their Indian village doesn't feel quite so claustrophobic, and Poornima begins to imagine a life beyond the arranged marriage her father is desperate to lock down for her. But when a devastating act of cruelty drives Savitha away, Poornima leaves behind everything she has ever known to find her friend again. Her journey takes her into the darkest corners of India's underworld, on a harrowing cross-continental journey, and eventually to an apartment complex in Seattle.

Review: Girls Burn Brighter is a story of sacrifice, exploitation, and reclamation, but most of all it is a story of true and enduring friendship. Poornima and Savitha are two friends and talented weavers who navigate poverty, abuse, and the relentless pressure to find suitable husbands in contemporary South India. In Indravalli their paths cross when Poornima’s father hires Savitha to help him meet the demand for new cotton saris. Savitha is very skillful with the charkha, the spinning wheel, and weaving with Poornima is respite from searching garbage dumps for metal and plastic to sell to support her family. Savitha finds in Poornima a sister and friend. Mourning the recent death of her mother from cancer, Poornima finds in Savitha a mother figure, a gifted storyteller, and a confidante. Though weaving brings their world together, a horrific crime tears them apart. Out in the world alone, with no knowledge of each other’s whereabouts, they must find a way to maneuver the cruelties lobbed at women with no education, little money, and a desire to want more from life in both India and the United States.
  Girls Burn Brighter is a difficult read that gets bleaker as it continues. There is no glimmer of happiness for neither woman as they find themselves in brutal circumstances and a constant fury of abuse, almost entirely at the hands of men. It is telling that there is not one redeemable male character in the entire book and those who have the potential to be so are problematic. There were many times I had to put the book down because I could not endure Poornima's and Savitha's pain and suffering. The narration alternates between Poornima's and Savitha’s points of view. I had no problems distinguishing the two voices because they were each distinct characters. What kept me reading is how resilient and brave Poornima and Savitha are as women whose indefatigable courage it took to escape their circumstances and their undying hope to reunite. I hated the abrupt and ambiguous ending mainly because I wanted to see these women happy after all they have endured. Girls Burn Brighter will make you uncomfortable and rage against the many injustices against women, it will also make you think. A great choice for book clubs and book discussions. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: Domestic abuse, rape, violence, and human traffiking are heavily featured in the book. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: The Color of Our Sky by Amita Trasi  

Description: Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone. As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

Review: Mindy McGinnis's The Female of the Species has been on my reading pile since it's release in 2015. It sat on my pile for almost two years now, not because my interest in it has waned but rather I needed to be in the right head space to read it and appreciate it. This is a book that many people will be uncomfortable reading and for a good reason. It is an unflinching, brutal, and thought provoking look at rape culture, its insidiousness, and repercussions. After reading this book I had several emotions swirling in me such as heartache and anger, but most importantly I wanted to discuss it with someone.
  McGinnis transports the reader to a cage-like, small, impoverish town in Ohio where everyone knows everyone and people have rarely left. Teens seeking to escape their provincial lives turn to drinking, drugs, and sex. The book is told in three distinct voices of teens who struggle with sexual violence, both together and individually. Alex, Jack, and Peekay are three high school seniors looking ahead to life beyond high school. Alex is known as the girl whose sister Anna was raped and murdered. Jack is the golden boy who is blessed with looks, brains, and athleticism. Peekay, (real name Claire) a nicknamed dubbed by her classmates because she is the preacher's daughter, is the everygirl though she strays from her religious upbringing but still believes in the goodness of others. All three teens are haunted by the memory of Anna's murder and their outlook on life change as their relationships with each other shift.
  Alex is a fantastically complex character and the book's foundation. She does not fit neatly into any boxes and her ambiguous morality makes her compelling and flawed. When Anna's murderer walked free because of 'contaminated' evidence, she took the law into her own hands. She stalked and killed her sister's murderer and skillfully evaded any legal repercussions. Alex has become a vigilante (serial killer?) and protector of girls who have been victims of sexual abuse and unwanted sexual advances. So, is Alex a hero? An anti-hero? A villain? I don't know and I keep going in circles in my head, but I really loved her. Her voice is mature and she is keenly aware of her own actions and surroundings. It is very easy for McGinnis to isolate her protagonist to an isolated, cold-hearted killer, but she does humanize her by developing a friendship with Peekay and a romance with Jack.
  Unlike Alex, Peekay is a forgettable, ordinary girl for the most part. It is through her eyes that we see how girls illicit violence, with words instead of fists, upon one another or on themselves, whether it is through slut-shaming others and measuring themselves in sexual currency- where having a male openly and lasciviously gaze at your body is equivalent to self confidence. Peekay finally becomes a more three dimensional character when she comes in contact with Alex who helps her change her outlook, but she still keeps silent when she becomes a victim of attempted sexual assault due to shame. Her friendship with Alex brings the much needed light into this dark suspenseful story.
  Similarly to Peekay, Jack is probably the weakest character out of the three. Through his voice, we are given the male perspective where girls are constantly sexualized and objectified. Overall he is a good guy who tends to make his decisions with the lower half of his anatomy and struggles to make the right decisions. I didn't buy into his romantic relationship with Alex. It still struck me that he wanted Alex because she was an exotic and unattainable object. Like Peekay, he too begins to look closely at his actions and how he speaks as he becomes closer to Alex.
  The Female of the Species is not a perfect book. I had unanswered questions and had to suspend my disbelief on the absence of police officials for majority of the book. The book, however, does ask the reader to look closely to the behaviors that our society has normalized and quietly accepted. Some readers might feel that the topics of sexual abuse and assault are heavy handed in the book, but I disagree. It is treated with sensitivity but also portrayed with the necessary weight and power. This book should make your stomach churn, should make you angry, and should make you want to change our society. It is timely, important, and would make a terrific book discussion with mature teens. Despite my discomfort in reading it, I am glad that I did.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language throughout the book. Brief strong violence including attempted sexual assault, murder, and animal cruelty are mentioned in the book. Strong sexual content and underage drinking and drug usage are also mentioned thorough out the book. Recommended for mature teens only.

If you like this book try: All the Rage by Courtney Stevens, What Girls are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold

Description: Four months ago: Sara Zapata’s best friend disappeared, kidnapped by the web of criminals who terrorize Juàrez.

Four weeks ago: Her brother, Emiliano, fell in love with Perla Rubi, a girl whose family is as rich as her name.

Four hours ago: Sara received a death threat…and her first clue her friend’s location.

Four minutes ago: Emiliano was offered a way into Perla Rubi’s world—if he betrays his own.

In the next four days, Sara and Emiliano will each face impossible choices, between life and justice, friends and family, truth and love. But when the criminals come after Sara, only one path remains for both the siblings: the way across the desert to the United States.

Review: Disappeared is an intense thriller and an eye opening read. The novel chronicles the lives and decisions of the Zapata siblings. The story is told in dual perspectives and are both equally suspenseful and  nail biting as Sara and Emiliano are constantly faced with making tough decisions and the line between right and wrong is unclear. 
 The book kicks off with Sara Zapata's best friend, Linda's disappearance and being an another victim of human trafficking. Sara, a rising-star reporter at Juarez, Mexico's El Sol newspaper, is determined to find her and shine a light on Juarez's missing and murdered girls, the Desaparacidas. Sara is a terrific investigator with a very strong moral compass and she is dismayed when she discovers that the Mexican State Police has a deep connection to sex slavery. As she pursues the truth and writes her findings in El Sol, she receives numerous death threats that puts her family in danger, but Sara has an obligation to her best friend and to the families of the Desaparacidas. 
  We follow Sara's younger brother Emiliano in the second story line. Emiliano is an entrepreneur with great people and business skills. If given the opportunity, he can become a very successful businessman. He is networking and trying to make a better life for their family and be considered worthy of his wealthy girlfriend. Above anything Emiliano does not want to become his father, who abandoned his family in order to pursue his dreams in the United States while leaving his struggling family behind. When Emiliano is tapped to undertake a new business venture that will financially secure his family and his place in his girlfriend's life, Emiliano must decide is the comfortable life worth his soul.
  Disappeared is an emotional and complicated thriller. It really reminded me of the movie Sicario which takes the viewer behind the scenes of the drug cartels in Mexico. The book takes place over the course of seven harrowing days and includes betrayal, desperate escapes, a dangerous trek across the desert in order to cross the border into the United States. I appreciated that Stork did not shy away from the intricate and pervasive corruption in Juarez as the city tries to rebuild itself after the horrifying aftermaths of drug cartels. The lines between right and wrong are constantly blurred throughout the book. Making the 'right' decision can bring you constant pain and danger and the 'wrong' decision can bring you security and comfort. Both Sara and Emiliano have a very hard time making decisions for themselves given their loyalty to their family and friends. The book also provides readers a reason why immigration is such an important topic and so complex. Though the book ends on a hopeful and open note for the Zapata siblings, I don't think we are done from hearing them yet. I would like to know what happens next and what path has their decision taken them.  

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, underage drinking, and mentions of drug cartels and human trafficking in the book. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like this book try: City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

Description: Grace wants out. Out of her house, where her stepfather wields fear like a weapon and her mother makes her scrub imaginary dirt off the floors. Out of her California town, too small to contain her big city dreams. Out of her life, and into the role of Parisian artist, New York director—anything but scared and alone.
   Enter Gavin: charming, talented, adored. Controlling. Dangerous. When Grace and Gavin fall in love, Grace is sure it's too good to be true. She has no idea their relationship will become a prison she's unable to escape. Deeply affecting and unflinchingly honest, this is a story about spiraling into darkness—and emerging into the light again.


Review: Drawing from the author's own experience of a toxic relationship, Bad Romance is a rough and raw read that follows one teen's descent into an abusive relationship. Grace has a tough life and is waiting for someone to save her. Her stepfather is verbally abusive and any small trigger can set off her contrite, subservient mother. Grace has only known on how to be on survival mode. She just has to keep her head down at home, work hard to save money for college applications, and maintain high grades to qualify for scholarships. Grace wants an escape and a way to raise her depleted self esteem. Enter Gavin, the most talented, hottest, and charming senior in school. Grace feels like she is given a break when Gavin, the most talented and charming senior in school, notices her. 
  Written from hindsight after escaping her unhealthy relationship with Gavin, Grace reflects on how she worked herself in and out of a toxic situation. With searing honesty and no holds back, we are taken on a dark journey of Grace's relationships, both familial and romantic, until she has found the strength and confidence to get out of it. It is important to note that with the exception of her friends, Grace is consistently surrounded by negativity, emotionally unstable adults, and not shown what a healthy relationship entails, which may be the reason why she is so susceptible to a toxic relationship. She only knows the story-book kind of love. Grace savors the attention from Gavin and everyone who notices them together. She rides the high of her romantic relationship. There are plenty of red flashing neon signs of danger that Gavin gives off such as limiting who Grace can talk to and how much time she must spend with him, many of which her friends and her sister point out, but at first Grace chalks up to as "tiny details" that she is willing to give up in order to maintain her perfect relationship. Before Grace knows it, she is back again in survival mode when her relationship becomes too constricting and she has lost her identity. Now, all her dreams seem to be slipping out of her grasp as she realizes that the perfect relationship she dreamed of is twisting out of control. 
 It is clear that Gavin needs serious help, but he emotionally blackmails Grace into believing she is responsible for his mental health and being if she ever leaves him. Grace needs out of the relationship, but she also needs help in doing so. We cheer as she finds the power to do so. 
  Though hard to read because of its content, Bad Romance is a dark, realistic look at dating violence and abusive relationships, a story that is best suited for older high school readers. Demetrios expertly conveys the suffocating feeling of life in a dysfunctional family and the longing of teens to be on their own. It will serve as a great book for teens and their parents to discuss.


Rating: 4.5 stars


Words of Caution: There is strong language, sexual content, and underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 10 and up.


If you like this book try: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen, Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn

Description: Mary B. Addison killed a baby. Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: A white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? She wouldn’t say.
Mary survived six years in baby jail before being dumped in a group home. The house isn’t really “home”—no place where you fear for your life can be considered a home. Home is Ted, who she meets on assignment at a nursing home.
  There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary must find the voice to fight her past. And her fate lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But who really knows the real Mary?

Review: Allegedly is an intense, raw, and gritty suspense novel that will generate a lot of emotions, questions, and dialogue among its readers. Easily accessible to both teens and adults, Allegedly takes a critical look at the criminal justice system and addresses race, age, and mental illness through its complex characters. The lines between victim and perpetrator, right and wrong are blurry at best.      
    Mary Addison is a black teen from Brooklyn, has been locked up in "baby jail" for six years, after allegedly killing a three-month-old white child. Now living in a group home, Mary is selectively mute, extremely bright, and well behaved, which makes her the target of bullying from the more aggressive girls in the home. She dreams of surviving the group home and restarting a new life which includes going to college and getting a job. Her one escape is volunteering at a nursing home and having secret assignations with Ted, a fellow convict and volunteer also living in a group home.  
  When Mary becomes pregnant and faces losing custody of the baby, she begins thinking of her baby's future and comes forward with a startling confession after 6 years: she didn't kill the baby. Interspersed with Mary's current story are media accounts of Mary's trial. Police interviews with the then nine-year-old Mary, other people do character sketches including the baby's parents, and social workers. Startling revelations of the crime are unveiled, but the reliability of the evidence is unclear and the more Mary speaks the more unreliable she seems. In the end it is up to the reader to decide Mary's verdict in this twisty, well written debut novel.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is very strong language throughout the book. There are also allusions to sex, physical and sexual abuse. Recommended for Grades 10 and up.

If you like this book try: The Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

Description: Hermione Winters is captain of her cheerleading team, and in tiny Palermo Heights, this doesn’t mean what you think it means. At PHHS, the cheerleaders don't cheer for the sports teams; they are the sports team—the pride and joy of a tiny town. The team's summer training camp is Hermione's last and marks the beginning of the end of…she’s not sure what. She does know this season could make her a legend. But during a camp party, someone slips something in her drink. And it all goes black.
  In every class, there's a star cheerleader and a pariah pregnant girl. They're never supposed to be the same person. Hermione struggles to regain the control she's always had and faces a wrenching decision about how to move on. The assault wasn't the beginning of Hermione Winter's story and she's not going to let it be the end. She won’t be anyone’s cautionary tale.

Review: When Hermione Winters arrives at Camp Manitouwabing for the final pre-season cheer camp of her high school career, she's prepared for intense competition and exhausting practices. Working with her equally fierce and driven best friend Polly as co-captain, Hermione anticipates athletic challenges and triumphs, but she never imagined being drugged and raped at a camp dance. Despite being a book that revolves around sexual assault, Exit, Pursued by a Bear is an inspiring story of survival in the face of adversity. The author takes an unconventional route in focusing on Herminone's recovery and her refusal to wallow in self-pity or avoiding the world. This book transform our vocabulary of "rape victim" to "survivor of sexual abuse". It also shows that everyone has their own way to cope with trauma, which is why I didn't mind so much that Hermione seemed detached to what happened to her. I actually thought working with a therapist and navigating her way through certain trigger points made the story stronger and allows the author to explore recovery emotionally, mentally, and physically.
  Exit, Pursued by a Bear is also a clever albeit loose retelling of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale where victim blaming and a woman's reputation are some of the core topics of the play. I applaud the author for approaching the hard topics such as sexual violence and abortion in unflinchingly honest and frank manner without being graphic or preachy about it. More over the book tackles rape culture through a feisty and audacious heroine who does not want people to feel sorry for her, pray for her, and refuses to be labeled. While it is true that Hermione's recovery may be too good to be true because she enjoys all the advantages of being popular and middle-class, and she gets the help she needs so she can continue to enjoy that life. This doesn't make Hermione's journey easy or less inspiring. Hermione's victories are earned. I really appreciated the author's note that is upfront in explaining that Hermione's experience is a best-case scenario while also providing links for both U.S. and Canadian resources, and offering encouragement to readers not so lucky as Hermione.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, crude sexual humor, underage drinking, allusions to rape, and abortion is mentioned. Recommended to strong and mature Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like this book try: All the Rage by Courtney Stevens, Asking for It by Louise O'Neil, The Way I Use to Be by Amber Smith

Description: Today is Leonard Peacock’s birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather’s P-38 pistol.But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate, Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school’s class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.

Review: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, is a striking coming of age novel that reminded me a lot of the J.D. Salinger's classic, The Catcher in the Rye, and Jay Asher's powerful debut novel 13 Reasons Why. In a gut-wrenching, opening chapter Leonard Peacock declares his intention for his 18th birthday: he is going to kill his former best friend and himself with his grandfather's gun.
  Leonard is a loner, an outcast, a misfit, who has a difficult time connecting with people. His parents are neglectful. His father is a washed-up, drug addict musician who has vanished and his mother is a self-absorbed, workaholic. The only real friend Leonard has is an elderly neighbor who spends his days smoking and watching Bogart movies. Leonard's anger, emotional pain, and brokenness build until he feels there is nothing left to do but end his life and the cause of his misery.
 The plot of the book centers around this 24 hour period as Leonard gives gifts to the four people who mean something to him and he reveals some of his anguish. There are many topics that Leonard touches upon such as bullying, hypocrisy, and religion in the book that will provoke discussion. While reading the book, I kept hoping someone would see Leonard's suicidal signs and intervene. Luckily his most admired teacher, Herr Silverman, picks up on Leonard's erratic behavior and offers to listen without any judgment, something which  Leonard so desperately needs.
 Quick does a great job in his use of flashbacks, internal dialogue, and interpersonal communication. Each of the four people that Leonard meets all have an important meaning in his life and used effectively in the story regardless of how time they spend on the page. Quick also captures teenage angst and alienation perfectly in Leonard's voice which at times is funny, on-point, cynical yet heart-rending. The suspense about what happened between Leonard and Asher is what kept me glued to the pages. The slow reveal builds tension until the heartbreaking climax unfolds and we finally learn about the emotional trauma that Leonard has endured. Many readers have struggled with Leonard's likability as a character, but I don't think that is the purpose of the book. Leonard is just an example of teens who are struggling with mental illness and desperately needs help. I think the book serves as a wake-up call about identifying suicidal signals and providing help to those in need.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, allusions to sexual abuse, and crude sexual humor. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger