PLBR Book Reviews 2018 - ELLES BOOK BLOG

ELLES BOOK BLOG

THE REBEL OF RALEIGH HIGH BY CALLIE HART

6/16/2019

While I liked the idea of this book, the execution was lacking. The author threw so many issues at us but never resolved them. It made for a very frustrating read.

Rating: ★★★
Release Date: April 27, 2019
Genre: New Adult. High School. Bad Boy Romance.
Series: Raleigh Rebels #1 (can stand alone)
Pages: 377 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

* The Rebel of Raleigh High is the first book in the Raleigh Rebels Series. Please be advised, this book comes with a trigger warning. Intended for readers 17+ *

Silver

Hit me.
Kick me.
Hurt me.
Hate me.

There’s nothing that the students of Raleigh High can do to Silver Parisi anymore. Over the past year, she’s had to endure more pain and suffering than most people are asked to bear in their lifetimes. She’s a pariah, an outcast, a ghost. She’s also never been one to take shit lying down, though…despite what half the football team might say.

PRETTY RECKLESS BY L.J. SHEN

6/12/2019

L.J. Shen has started this series with a bang and you don't want to miss it! If you enjoy angst, bully romances between highschoolers this is your book! While these kids are technically teens, I consider the novel to be New Adult!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: April 21, 2019
Genre: New Adult. High School. Bad Boy Romance.
Series: All Saints High #1
Pages: 362 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

From USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen comes an intense, high school enemies-to-lovers romance with a twist.

Penn

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.
I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart was completely iced.
I took her first kiss.
She took the only thing I loved.
I was poor.
She was rich.
The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast.
Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project.
Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much.

THE SILVER SWAN BY AMO JONES

3/2/2019

An excellent and darkly entertaining read that has me hooked! I love books where the "hero" is a bully and the heroine is a sweet but sassay gal and this book hits those marks!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Genre: YA Dark Romance.
Series: The Elite King's Club #1
Pages: 261 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

Riddle me this...
“I am neither dead, nor alive, and I’m not something little Madison can hide.
But you will be dead, by the time this is done...
the timer starts now, and the games have just begun…”

Madison Montgomery comes from money and power, but when someone close to her commits the ultimate crime, Madison must live with her tainted name for the rest of her life. When she begins Riverside Preparatory Academy, the private school her father has swept her into in The Hamptons, she hopes for a fresh start. What she wasn't hoping for was the pack of bad boys who run the school; ten, to be exact. When Madison gains the attention of their leader, Bishop Vincent Hayes, a whole new world that she didn't think existed is exposed to her. A whole world that starts and ends with The Elite Kings Club and these

BOYS OF BRAYSHAW HIGH BY MEAGAN BRANDY

2/20/2019

OMG. I am so obsessed with this book! It's got perfectly blended dark notes, a sexy as hell group of guys, and a kick ass heroine that anyone would want on their side. I highly recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: January 15, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Romance.
Series: Brayshaw High #1
Pages: 386 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

"Girls like you aren't exactly welcomed at a place like this, so keep your head down and look the other way."

Those were the exact words of my social worker when she dropped me in my newest hellhole, a place for "troubled teens".

I didn't listen, and now I'm on their radar.

They expect me to play along in their games of hierarchy, to fall in line in the social order they've deemed me fit.

Too bad for them, I don't follow rules.
Too bad for me, they're determined to make sure I do.

Inconceivably attractive and treated like kings...these are the boys of Brayshaw High.
And I'm the girl who got in their way.

ONLY A BREATH APART BY KATIE MCGARRY

1/22/2019

Only a Breath Apart by Katy McGarry is a beautiful and emotional romance novels between two you adults who are struggling to come to terms with their families demons. If you are a fan of the author or the genre in general I highly recommend this!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: January 22, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 368 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

Bestselling author Katie McGarry’s trademark wrong-side-of-the-tracks romance is given a new twist in the gritty YA contemporary novel, Only a Breath Apart.

Jesse Lachlin is cursed.

So the town folklore says, but while Jesse’s had his fair share of tragedy, the only curse he believes is in his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year, Scarlett Copeland.

Scarlett Copeland is psychic.

Glory Gardner tells Scarlett she has hidden psychic abilities, but Scarlett thinks Glory is delusional. What is real is Scarlett’s father’s

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY BY JAY ASHER

12/30/2018

Thirteen Reasons Why is a compelling read from beginning to end. It's emotional, realistic, and an all around important read. I tihnk older young adults are a good fit for this one.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Genre: Young Adult. Social Issues.
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 320 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

You can’t stop the future.
You can’t rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.

Need to talk? Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) anytime if you are in the United States. It’s free and confidential.

NINE PERFECT STRANGERS BY LIANCE MORIARTY

12/16/2018

Unfortunately, I didn't feel like this book was on par with Big Little Lies and The Husbands Secret (both of which I loved). Now I didn't hate it either. I just didn't feel compelled when I was reading.

Rating: ★★★
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Genre: Women's Fiction. Drama.
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 453 pages
Format: Hardcover. Purchased.

Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out...

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.

Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic

TEN TINY BREATHS BY K.A. TUCKER

12/10/2018

An emotional new adult romance with a twist I did not see coming. K.A. Tucker knows how to write a good book and while this wasn't a favorite of mine I can see why everyone loves it.

Rating: ★★★
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance.
Series: The Ten Tiny Breaths Series #1 (can stand alone)
Pages: 289 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

After a terrible car accident destroys her life as she knew it, twenty-year-old Kacey escapes to Florida, where she encounters an irresistible man determined to capture her wounded heart.

Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

Four years ago, Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend, and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, Kacey and her fifteen-year-old sister, Livie, escape Grand Rapids, Michigan, to start over in Miami. They’re struggling to make ends meet at first, but Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.

Trent Emerson has smoldering blue eyes and deep dimples, and

PUSHING THE LIMITS BY KATIE MCGARRY

10/28/2018

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. And the fact that this is a young adult romance blows my mind! If you haven't read this one, I highly recommend grabbing it!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Series: Pushing the Limits #1 (series of standalones)
Pages: 392 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

Book 1 in Katie McGarry’s award-winning, powerful and romantic Pushing the Limits series, perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Stephanie Perkins and Simone Elkeles!

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth.

But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can PUSH THE LIMITS and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her HOW TO LOVE AGAIN.

THE CHASE BY ELLE KENNEDY

9/14/2018

I am really excited to see how Elle Kennedy develops the rest of this series because this is near perfection in terms of College Romances. I very much recommend this book!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: August 6, 2018
Genre: College Romance
Series: Briar U #1
Pages: 377 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

A sexy standalone novel from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy

Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.

And that his best friend has a crush on me.

And that I just moved in with them.

Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?

I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not

THREE LITTLE LIES BY LAURA MARSHALL

9/8/2018

Three Little Lies is a fantastic book and I am so glad to have read it! Laura Marshall does it again in this brilliant book. I hope everyone gets a chance to read it!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: September 4, 2018
Genre: Mystery. Thriller. Suspense.
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 352 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

When Sasha disappears, Ellen fears the worst. Then long-buried secrets resurface, Ellen realizes she may not know Sasha -- or what she's capable of -- at all.

2005: 17 year old Ellen falls under the spell of glamorous newcomer, Sasha. As Ellen is welcomed into Sasha's family, she doesn't see the darkness that lies beneath their musical, bohemian lifestyle. At a New Year's Eve party, events come to a dramatic head, resulting in a court case (in which Ellen is a key witness) that means family life at the Corner House will never be the same again.

2018: Now 30, Ellen and Sasha are still entwined in each other's lives and sharing a flat in London. When Sasha disappears, Ellen fears the worst. She has gone missing like this before and the police won't take it seriously, but long-buried events in their shared past mean that Ellen has good reason to be frightened - not only for Sasha, but also for herself. Finding out the truth about

FROM HERE TO YOU BY JAMIE MCGUIRE

8/21/2018

Not since she releases Beautiful Disaster have I fallen in love with her books. But with From Here to You, by love for the authors work has one again grown.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: August 21, 2018
Genre: Romantic Suspense.
Series: Crash and Burn #1 (can stand alone)
Pages: 384 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

As Darby Dixon sits in a tiny Texas church bathroom on her wedding day holding a positive pregnancy test, she realizes that marrying her fiancé would be the worst decision of her life. She's never been very good at standing up for herself, but she'll sure as hell stand up for her baby. With very little cash and a ton of courage, she flees town to take a new name and start a new life.

As a Marine, Scott "Trex" Trexler worked in the most treacherous, corrupt, war-torn places on earth. With his new top-secret security job, he finally has a chance to return to the one place he's felt at peace: Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The moment Trex checks in at the hotel where she's working, Darby knows he's dangerous. He may want her to think he's another hotshot firefighter, along with all the others battling the nearby mountain blaze, but something doesn't add up. No way will she get involved with another man she can't fully trust - and Trex clearly isn't telling her everything. As Darby's ex gets closer

BACKLASH BY SARAH DRAER LITTMAN

8/4/2018

Backlash highlights important social issues about the dangers of online bullying. I think many teens and their parents should read this one! I enjoyed it too and recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Drama (Social Issues)
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 336 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

He says: You're an awful person.
He says: What makes you think I would ever ask you out?
He says: The world would be a better place without you in it.

Lara just got told off on Facebook.

She thought that Christian liked her, that he was finally going to ask her to his school's homecoming dance. They've been talking online for weeks, so what's with the sudden change? And where does he get off saying horrible things on her wall? Even worse--are they true?

It's been a long time since Lara's felt this bad, this depressed, this ugly. She's worked really hard to become pretty and happy - and make new friends after what happened in middle school.

Bree used to be best friends with overweight, depressed Lara, but constantly listening to Lara's issues got to be too much. Secretly,

THE RUMOR BY ELIN HILDERBRAND

7/28/2018

This is a must have beach read for anyone who loves some gossip and a good scandal! I am now an instant fan of Elin Hilderbrand. I loved this book so much!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: June 16, 2015
Genre: Women's Fiction
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 367 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

A friendship is tested in this irresistible page-turner from New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand.

Nantucket writer Madeline King could not have picked a worse time to have writer's block. Her deadline is looming, her bills are piling up, and inspiration is in short supply. Madeline's best friend Grace, is hard at work transforming her garden into the envy of the island with the help of a ruggedly handsome landscape architect. Before she realizes it, Grace is on the verge of a decision that will irrevocably change her life. Could Grace's crisis be Madeline's salvation? As the gossip escalates, and the summer's explosive events come to a head, Grace and Madeline try desperately to set the record straight--but the truth might be even worse than rumor has it.

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT BY LIZ FENTON & LISA STEINKE

7/24/2018

A little bit slow and quite anticlimactic, but a good solid book if you're looking for something easy and interesting to read. I liked the book but there was something missing for me.

Rating: ★★★
Release Date: July 24, 2018
Genre: Mystery. Thriller. Suspense.
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 333 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

From the bestselling authors of The Good Widow comes a chilling novel of psychological suspense that will make you think twice about what your best friend may be hiding…

For estranged friends Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren, it’s time to heal the old wounds between them. Where better to repair those severed ties than on a girls’ getaway to the beautiful paradise of Tulum, Mexico? But even after they’re reunited, no one is being completely honest about the past or the secrets they’re hiding. When Ashley disappears on their girls’ night out, Natalie and Lauren have to try to piece together their hazy memories to figure out what could have happened to her, while also reconciling their feelings of guilt over their last moments together.

Was Ashley with the man she’d met only days before? Did she pack up and leave? Was she kidnapped? Or worse—could Natalie or Lauren have snapped under the weight of her own lies?

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