I have read Stead's two previous books, When You Reach Me and Liar and Spy, without any success. I was not able to connect with the characters and I thought the books tried too hard. I guess the third time is the charm as I found her latest book, Goodbye Stranger, to be delightful because of her fleshed out characters and an engaging plot. Please note that this review is based on the advanced copy of the book provided by the publisher via Netgalley. Goodbye Stranger will be published on August 4, 2015.

Description: Bridge is an accident survivor who's wondering why she's still alive. Emily has new curves and an almost-boyfriend who wants a certain kind of picture. Tabitha sees through everybody's games--or so she tells the world. The three girls are best friends with one rule: No fighting. Can it get them through seventh grade? 
  This year everything is different for Sherm Russo as he gets to know Bridge Barsamian. What does it mean to fall for a girl--as a friend? 
On Valentine's Day, an unnamed high school girl struggles with a betrayal. How long can she hide in plain sight?

Review: Junior high is a turbulent time where your friends transform inexplicably, your own body and emotions perplex you, and the world seems fraught with questions, and perhaps the most confusing ones of all concern the nature of love. Stead expertly brings all the emotions and frustrations we felt during this time in our lives by focusing on Bridge Barsamian, her best girlfriends, and her newest friend Sherm-a boy who is definitely not her boyfriend (probably). 
 Bridge and her girlfriends have vowed from elementary school to stay friends and to never fight. Their friendship is tested in seventh grade when each girl begins a new transformation. Emily has suddenly developed a figure that attracts a lot of attention. Tabitha is an increasingly committed human rights activist and becoming a budding feminist. Bridge is trying to shake off her anxiety and nightmares of an accident that almost cost her life and seeks security from wearing a headband with black cat's ears. 
  Stead's set up might not sound unique, but instead of following the all too common path of friends being divided due to their different interests, the author goes with a different approach by examining (and really) celebrating female friendship along with various forms of love. The seventh graders aren't the only characters working out relationships. There are married parents and divorced parents who interact with one another. There is also Sherm's grandfather who has suddenly left his wife of 50 years and moved to New Jersey with a new family. There's also a mysterious character whose Valentine's Day is doled out in second-person snippets interspersed within the rest of the story. 
 Stead also explores how we communicate and how messages, both digital and verbal, often get distorted. I really liked the discussion of sexting in the book. It was unexpected but handled with maturity and levity that would I hope spark conversation with both young readers and their parents. All of the themes in the book are taken seriously, but the writing is never condescending. There are plenty of humor, delightful coincidences, and the drama that can seem life-shattering to a tween and a teen alike. The book ends on a high note as characters realize their faults and short comings with grace, forgiveness, and kindness. The big reveal of the mystery person subplot comes nicely together in the end.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is discussion of sexting in the middle school, slurs, and bullying. Recommended for strong Grade 5 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Shug by Jenny Han, Secret Language of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell,

 I thoroughly enjoyed Gier's time traveling romance series and I was very happy to hear that there is another series that centers around dreams that is just as delightful. Dream a Little Dream is the first book in the Silver Trilogy. Please note that this review is based on the advanced reader's copy of the book provided by the publisher via Netgalley. The book is currently published and now available in libraries/bookstores.

Description: Mysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yes, Liv's dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially the one where she's in a graveyard at night, watching four boys conduct dark magic rituals.
  The strangest part is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They're classmates from her new school in London, the school where she's starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again). But what's really scaring Liv is that the dream boys seem to know things about her in real life, things they couldn't possibly know--unless they actually are in her dreams? Luckily, Liv never could resist a good mystery, and all four of those boys are pretty cute.

Review: Liv Silver is an unconventional teenager. She has lived all over the world thanks to her mother's constant job changes. Her arrival at her new home has a new surprised in store for her, Liv is shocked to learn that not only does her perpetually single mom have a serious boyfriend (a widower with twin 17-year-olds), but that their families plan to "merge." She and her little sister have to move to their stepfather's London home and be students at an exclusive preparatory school that step-siblings Grayson and Florence attend. Out of the two step-siblings, Liv's eyes are drawn to the constantly distracted Grayson. 
  Grayson runs in a conspicuous quartet of fellow handsome upper-class boys, Arthur, Henry and Jasper, who are also on the  school's most wanted list. They seem to be hiding a dark secret, which Liv soon discovers after finding herself in a vivid dream with the boys when she falls asleep in Grayson's borrowed sweatshirt.  It becomes clear that these are not ordinary dreams. With a bit of her own investigation and observation, Liv soon discovers that the boys can enter and exit the dream world but at a very high and dark cost that involves with the supernatural. The boys are now in need of another partner and Liv may just fill that void.
  Dream a Little Dream is much darker in tone than the free, light weight of the Red Ruby trilogy. The plot moves quickly because there are many things happening in the plot. Liv is an adorable character full of wit and sass, always keeping the other characters on their toes. The boys are also alluring, each with distinguishable personalities. The ones that catches my eyes the most are Henry, Liv's interest, and Grayson, soon to be Liv's step-sibling, since they interact with her the most.  This series opener offers the right ratio of answered and unanswered questions, just enough to keep us interested in the next installment. Full of plot twists, swoony romantic moments, a touch of humor, and a scary culmination make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. I plan on recommending this to my students who can't get enough of paranormal romance. 

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some crude humor and discussion of sex along with underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Lynburn Legacy series by Sarah Rees Brennan, Arkwell Academy series by Mindee Arnett

Description: Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.
  Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle—and people in general—has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.
  To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence—creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world.

Review: Where'd You Go, Bernadette is a disappointing read in which I did not understand its humor nor its characters as was promised by the book's blurb. Though cleverly constructed via emails and other various forms of documents, the book is essentially an offbeat domestic comedy about a wife/mother/genius architect named Bernadette who left Los Angeles years earlier after a professional disaster and neighbor drama that destroyed her house. Now she lives in Seattle with her equally genius husband, Elgie, who is working on a big project in artificial intelligence at Microsoft, and their genius eighth-grade daughter, Bee, whose devotion to her mother is the only redeeming quality that I found in this book. 
 Bernadette may be brilliant and funny to some, but I found her to be mean and self absorbed with large doses of entitlement issues. She hates everything about Seattle, especially the other mothers at Bee's private school. After her vendetta against one of her Seattle mommy-enemies goes terribly awry, Elgie begins to wonder if Bernadette is having a mental breakdown. Meanwhile, Bernadette decides she wants to get out of a planned family trip to Antarctica. Days before the trip, Bernadette disappears. I didn't care for Bernadette at all and I could care less about what happened to her.
 Like Bernadette, I also found Elgie to also be self centered and a workaholic who is oblivious to everything until it is too late. He stops and starts an affair with his sycophantic, lovesick, administrative assistant. Through it all it slowly dawns on him to take care of his precocious daughter, Bee.
  Bee was the only character that I liked though I found it hard that she could care for such absent parents so much. It is she who tries to make sense of her mother's disappearance by creating a book by collecting the Internet postings, public records and private emails she has received from an anonymous source. Although there are moments when I chuckled, I thought this book tried too hard to be funny. It used the city of Seattle as the butt of its many jokes, many of which went over my head. 
 For me Where'd You Go, Bernadette was a chore to read, but some might find it to be a fun beach read and might appreciate the book's humor and quirky characters. 

Rating: 2 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language sprinkled throughout the book and it also contains allusions to sexual situations. Recommended for teens and adults.

If you like this book try: Dometic Violets by Matthew Norman, Truth in Advertising by John Kenney

Description: Callie's younger brother Travis keeps bringing home strays. And Callie has her hands full keeping the animals—Travis included—away from her mother's critical eye.
 When a storm blows change into town in the form of a visiting veterinarian, Callie discovers a life and a vocation she desperately wants. But with societal expectations as they are, she will need all her wits and courage to realize her dreams.

  You, Me, and Him is a quick and for the most part an enjoyable read about the complexities of friendship and romantic relationships. Please note that this review is based on the advanced reader's copy that I received from the publisher via Netgalley. You, Me, and Him is now available in bookstores and/or libraries.

Description: Maggie and Nash are outsiders. She’s overweight. He’s out of the closet. The best of friends, they have seen each other through thick and thin, but when Tom moves to town at the start of the school year, they have something unexpected in common: feelings for the same guy. 

Review: When I first heard about You, Me, and Him, it reminded a lot of the archetypes common in YA. The novel is aware of the cliches surrounding its story and its characters, but it manages to plant some seeds of complexity if you are willing to give the book a shot and dig deeper into the story. 
 What kept me reading You, Me, and Him are the characters. Our protagonist and narrator, Maggie, is a self deprecating outsider and knowingly labels herself as the fat girl. She has been painfully aware of her weight, a sensitive topic which her mother constantly addresses. She is fine living on the outskirts of her high school social circle by hanging out with her best friend Nash who happens to be gay and working at a cool but underused record store where she blasts songs by The Smiths. I wanted to hug Maggie many times and wished she would realize how awesome she is as a person. It just takes her a long time and heartache to fully understand and appreciate herself in particular with accepting her body image as someone who is healthy and active while not necessarily being a size two as well as someone worth loving.
  The inevitable unrequited love triangle forms when Tom, the new cute guy at school comes into play. Nash calls dibs on Tom and tries to make a move, however, Tom possibly likes Maggie, who in turn might like Tom but is scared to lose Nash in the process. Each character's expectations along with both the positive and negative aspects of their personality come into play in various aspects of the narrative, each with their own motive. The author does a good job in addressing the complexities of friendship from the thin line of wanting to be loyal versus being a pushover, when to be selfless vs. being selfish. 
 All of the protagonists, but especially Maggie, are pushed to ask themselves what expectations other people have of them and whether or not they have accepted these as their own. I really liked the epiphany Maggie has toward the end of the book which pushes her to stand up for herself, but I felt this important aspect of the book was rushed towards the end of the book. I would have liked the author expand on Maggie's evolving relationship with her mother along with delving into Nash's personal story. I also thought the argument between Nash and Maggie resolved too quickly after they were not on speaking terms for weeks. I also wanted to know what Tom truly felt rather than see him flip flop on his decision and not use his constantly moving as an excuse for his behavior. Though I liked the message about self acceptance and strong friendships and was pleased that the book did not end neatly, I thought You, Me, and Him was a decent story though it is not one that will stick with me.   

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, crude humor, attempted sexual assault, and underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Fat Cat by Robin Brande, The Misfits by James Howe, Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by David Levithan and Rachel Cohen