Reviews written by Renae M

A Midsummer’s Nightmare is Kody Keplinger’s third novel, and I think it’s her best so far. Always the queen of being honest about teen life, I think the author hit an all-time high in this book, with Whitley Johnson and her seriously screwed up pre-college summer. This book is fresh...

This is a review of momentous significance and importance. (No, I’m not bragging.) You see, Just Listen is my first-ever Sarah Dessen book! I know, I know—”But Renae, you say contemporary YA is your favorite. How have you not read Sarah Dessen before?” Uh…yeah, I have no valid excuses. I’m...

Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s Dairy Queen books are something else. They’ve got heart and humor, and they’re honest. Front and Center was just as amazing as its predecessors—if you asked me which of the three was my favorite, I’m not sure I could tell you. There’s something amazing and special about...

In all honesty, I completely wrote this book off based on the cover—it did not look like my style at all. But everybody liked it, and somebody said it was “realistic,” which got my attention, and then everyone was making a big deal about Howland’s true-to-life portrayal of first-time sex,...

Retellings are a difficult thing, especially if the retelling is of a book like Jane Eyre. Not only should the author stay true to the original, s/he should also make this new book original, give it an identity of its own. Jane, April Lindner’s debut novel, is entertaining and easy...

For me, My Life Next Door has been one of those novels you see floating around, universally liked, not unreasonably hyped, but…for some reason or another, a book that never gets picked up. Huntley Fitzpatrick’s debut always seemed like something I’d like, but I kept putting it off. My current...

Jessi Kirby’s third novel is certainly deserving of the massive amounts of praise it’s been getting. Golden is a strong novel with important messages and an engaging story. It’s enjoyable and breezy, and all in all is my absolute favorite kind of YA contemporary. If I were...

There’s something so intensely likable about this series, in spite of its complete wackiness. It took me a while to warm up to Perfect Scoundrels, but by the end I was totally immersed in the zany, hilarious world of cons and thieves Ally Carter has created. Possibly, this is the...

The tale that began in Cinder carries on in Scarlet, and this time around Meyer is even more ambitious than she was before. Combining the narratives of a familiar voice, Cinder, and a new voice, Scarlet, this book covers an intense few days, during which the evil Lunar army and...

In my opinion, Jennifer Brown is one of the strongest writers of realistic fiction the YA world has. She tackles tough issues straight-on, remains objective throughout her portrayal of real life, yet manages to remain compassionate and gently honest. Her books are always excellent, and Thousand Words, her latest, is...

Taylor Edwards has a habit of running away. When things stop going her way, she checks out. Running has always been second nature to her, something she could depend on to keep her from dealing with bad things. But when her dad finds out that he has stage IV pancreatic...

Identical does not pull any punches. This novel in verse is decently long, and in its pages, just about every “issue” that can possibly be covered in an “issue book” is dealt with. Rape, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, student/teacher relationships, schoolyard bullying, self-harm, BDSM (of dubious consent), sexual abuse of...

This book is an ambitious debut novel that takes a very different approach to eating disorders and recovery from anorexia. The novel’s titular protagonist, is sent to a rehab center but doesn’t know why—she’s so very different from the other girls, she doesn’t fit in, she’s not a freak like...

This book is, well…it’s different. Different in many, many good ways, but different in some bad ways as well. Libba Bray, as I well know from my experience with A Great and Terrible Beauty and its sequels, is a wonderful writer who can truly create a haunting, gothic atmosphere in...

There are some novels where everything comes together, the stars align, and you get butterflies in your stomach within a chapter, and by the end…well, by the end you’re halfway to Vegas for a drive-in wedding and honeymoon in the casinos. For me, 17 & Gone was exactly like that....