Reviews written by Amalie Jahn

If you are looking for a happy-feel-good beach read, A Pain Less Ordinary is not the book for you. But if you are looking for something with significantly more substance which will force you to reexamine the reality many teens face and make you feel a wide range of emotions,...

Told in two distinct parts - before Skye's death and Liv's trip the Himalaya after, I enjoyed seeing the juxtaposition not only between the two settings but how the two girls lives were also juxtaposed against one another. Case truly captures how easy it can be for a teen to...

Although highly irreverent throughout, what I loved most about Arabella is that she doesn't just go along with the social injustices she encounters in OZ. Unlike Dorthy who never questions the established hierarchy set up by Baum, Arabella addresses the hard questions head-on in a way that only a modern...

When I picked up Undiscovered Country I was hoping for the same sort of introspective journey as Wild or Eat, Pray, Love, fictionalized, of course. As the premise is similar, a woman suffers loss and leaves home hoping to find herself in a foreign land, I expected a similar experience....

Declan is, by his own account, a strange boy who is prone to indulging his imagination. But when he begins hearing Rebecca's voice inside his head, he can't be sure he isn't going mad. Written in prose and less than 200 pages, Thin Places is a very quick read....

I thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary offering from Lynn, as it is my favorite genre to read. In many ways, I could relate to the main character Callie's "lostness" throughout the book. In less capable hands, Callie might have come across as boring or self-centered, but instead, as the plot unfolds,...

Lexi Malloy wears many hats. She’s a top-ranked basketball player, already being scouted by prestigious universities. She’s an undercover matchmaker at Boyfriend Whisperer Enterprises, her self-created company aimed at finding love connections for her fellow students at Grand View High School. And she’s a best friend to her longtime pal,...

As someone who was tormented growing up and someone who is currently raising a middle school girl, Joshua's Island really struck a chord with me. Told from the rotating perspectives of Joshua, a bullied, sullen child, and Eve, his out-going science partner, this story beautifully depicts the harsh reality...

Although it included much of the standard YA paranormal fare (insta-love, chosen characters, other-worldly creatures) what I liked most about this book was how much empathy I felt for the main character, Zoe, because the author did such a fantastic job of focusing on her inner turmoil and desire to...

Skillfully crafted. Beautifully written. Kai's character was developed brilliantly. Lovely read.