Unhinge by Calia Read
Best quote: “Instead of looking at me,” he says, “perhaps you should consider looking at yourself. Maybe you’re the villain in the story of us.”
The first thing you should know about this book is it’s written in first-person, but that person is a ward at an asylum. The author does an outstanding job of drawing you into Victoria’s unstable mind. We are led through her day-to-day therapy sessions as well as flashbacks of her life before the asylum. Along the way, we meet plenty of characters that thicken the plot. One of those characters is Sinclair Montgomery, a steamy handyman/construction foreman that is good with his hands. One of the other characters is her possibly dead husband that hired said handyman to renovate their dream house. I really don’t want to give too many details, because doing so would ruin the suspense. I will say, though, that things get pretty twisted and trippy.
Never Tear Us Apart by Monica Murphy
Best quote: “Promise?”
This story centers around Katie Watts, a young woman dealing with the traumatic effects of being kidnapped and raped when she was a child, and Will, the son of her abductor and the boy who ultimately saved her life. The story unfolds in alternating chapters of past and present from both Katie and Will’s POV’s. I’m not going to sugar coat anything, this story starts out with Will as a present-day stalker. After researching Katie’s current whereabouts he checks up on her several times. When fate intervenes and he’s forced to interact with Katie, he introduces himself as “Ethan” and they start dating. As you can imagine, chaos and heartbreak ensues.
I have two warnings for this book. One, it is very dark. The author does a good job of writing the rape of a 12-year-old girl, but, really, there is no good way of writing the rape of a 12-year-old girl. It’s harsh, horrible and really hard to read. Will was also abused and, again, it is very difficult to process such cruelty. Second, this book is only the first in a two-book series. So, yeah, it ends on a horrible cliff hanger.
The Bright Effect by Autumn Doughton and Erica Cope
Best quote: “Loving her is strange and confusing and damn risky. And if I had the chance, I’d choose it all over again.”
This book is sort of YA/NA cusp, because it deals with characters in high school despite them having very adult responsibilities. Amelia is our “perfect” girl, who makes good grades and volunteers as a tutor for elementary schools. Sebastian is the wayward love interest who is the sole provider for his younger brother that … you guessed it! … needs a tutor. The dialogue in this book was fantastic and the scenes in the first half were just awkward and adorable.
Then there’s the second half of the book. Amelia’s world is devastated by an event – No spoilers! Sorry! – and the whole course of the story changes. The plot twist was unexpected, surprising and well written. These characters could have so easily released the drama llamas, but they didn’t. The authors kept those suckers leashed and under control.
Girl Underwater by Claire Kells
Best quote: “I spend the fading weeks of summer at my old desk, laptop cast aside, hands cramping despite the stress ball on the shelf. Two pens have already run out of ink. The stack of paper next to my weathered paperbacks dwindles by the hour. I write until dawn breaks over the city. I write until it feels like I can’t possible write another word. I write until my sorrow turns to pain and then I know I’m getting somewhere.”
This story revolves around Avery and Collin, two college swimmers who survive a plane crash over the Rocky Mountains. The author lays out the story in past/present alternating chapters with Avery as the narrator. Her voice is compelling and the love story is a very slow burn, with Avery being pulled between her pre-crash boyfriend and a ghost. The questions Avery faces are never pretentious, though. This isn’t a traditional love triangle, but more a coming of age story. The author does a good job of showing us Avery’s PTSD, as it effects all her core decisions post crash.
