Monday, November 26, 2018

In a Nutshell: YA Edition


In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.


The Infinite Pieces of Us
Rebekah Crane
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Skyscape
Rating:  5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
From the author of The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland comes a hilarious and heartbreaking novel about coming apart, getting it together—and moving on. It’s just a two-hour drive…

Pondering math problems is Esther Ainsworth’s obsession. If only life’s puzzles required logic. Her stepfather’s solution? Avoidance. He’s exiled the family to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to erase a big secret from Esther’s past. So much for the truth. Now for the consequences: an empty swimming pool, a water-sucking cactus outside her window, a goldfish rescued from a church festival, and Esther’s thirst for something real.

Step one: forget about her first love. Step two: make allies. Esther finds them in Jesús from the local coffee bar; a girl named Color who finds beauty in an abandoned video store; Beth, the church choir outcast; and Moss, a boy with alluring possibilities. Step three: confess her secret to those she hopes she can trust. Esther’s new friends do more than just listen. They’re taking Esther one step further.

Together, they hit the road to face Esther’s past head-on. It’s a journey that will lead her to embrace her own truth—in all its glory, pain, and awesomeness.
I don't know if I will be able to properly express how much I loved this book, but be certain, I LOVED this book! When I first met Esther, she was suffering a double-dose of broken heartedness. She never thought she would be able to overcome her loneliness and feelings of abandonment, but special things happen, when you find Heaven in a former Blockbuster.
  • Pro: Esther captured my heart, and I instantly claimed her as one of my own. I ached and openly cried for her. I had this profound need for her to get the closure that she so desperately desired, because I knew it was the only way she would be able to maintain any forward motion in her life.  
  • Pro: Crane is so good at crafting characters. This book is flush with characters, who were each special in their own way, and I adored each and every one of them. 
  • Pro: The friendship formed between Esther, Color, Moss,  Jesús, and Beth was really special. They made Esther see how she had retreated inward, pulled her out, and helped her value the connection they made with each other. They were all very supportive and encouraging, and by the end of the book, I knew each one would go to great lengths for each other. Most of them had some void in their life, and they filled that space for each other in a really beautiful way. 
  • Pro: Esther was a math wiz, and there were these Complex Math Problems, which popped up from time to time in the book. They were absolutely brilliant, and such an interesting way for Esther to frame some really profound thoughts. 
  • Pro: There was this "search for truth" throughout this book, and I really appreciated the different ways Crane addressed and explored the idea. Definitely thought provoking. 
  • Pro: There was a lot of fallout from what happened to Esther. It not only affected her, but her family, and the coming to terms with the situation, seeking and granting forgiveness was a important part of Esther's journey. 
Overall: An emotional and honest story of forgiveness, family, faith, and finding the strength to move on, which tugged at my heartstrings and filled me with happiness.


Paper Girl
Cindy R. Wilson
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mental Health
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
I haven’t left my house in over a year. My doctor says it’s social anxiety, but I know the only things that are safe are made of paper. My room is paper. My world is paper. Everything outside is fire. All it would take is one spark for me to burst into flames. So I stay inside. Where nothing can touch me.

Then my mom hires a tutor. Jackson. This boy I had a crush on before the world became too terrifying to live in. Jackson’s life is the complete opposite of mine, and I can tell he’s got secrets of his own. But he makes me feel things. Makes me want to try again. Makes me want to be brave. I can almost taste the outside world. But so many things could go wrong, and all it takes is one spark for everything I love to disappear…
Jackson was homeless, and Zoe never left her home. When their online lives clash with their real world lives, they both may find the courage they need to tackle their respective issues.
  • Pro: I really liked Jackson. He was forced to take on grown up responsibilities sooner than he should have due to his mother's death and his father's alcoholism. This could have made him jaded or bitter, but he didn't let it get him down. He kept his focus on his future and kept pushing ahead. 
  • Pro: This book was pro therapy, but it didn't show it without any shortcomings. Zoe was on her 6th therapists, and she made a game out of how many times they used the word "cope". But, when she found the right therapists, changes started happening. 
  • Pro: Zoe's family was very present in this book, but they were not perfect. I thought their imperfect reactions and responses to Zoe's agoraphobia were realistic. It's a difficult thing to see your loved one withdraw from the world, but at least they were there for her, and they never gave up on supporting her. I also liked that Zoe's agoraphobia wasn't the result of some BIG trauma. It just slowly grew from everyday things. 
  • Con: Oddly enough, as Zoe started to sort of take charge of things, I felt like the pacing was off. I am not sure about what happened, but it did get better towards the end.  
  • Pro: I enjoyed the chats between BlackKNIGHT and Rouge2015. Their banter was fun and honest as they hid behind their screen names, and it was great seeing the relationship between those two grow alongside the IRL relationship of Zoe and Jackson. 
  • Pro: The romance was pretty adorable. These two had been mutually interest in each other prior to Zoe's dropping out of school. Jackson was very sweet and patient with Zoe, and they both gave each other little nudges in positive directions. 
  • Pro: Jackson's story was heartbreaking, and we got peeks at the emotional toll it was taking on him, but thank you, Cindy Wilson, for giving him such a hopeful resolution. 
Overall: A thoughtful look at two struggling teens, who were able to find the strength and courage to overcome their obstacles.


Kiss Collector
Wendy Higgins
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
When seventeen-year-old Zae Monroe gets cheated on by the only guy she’s ever loved, then watches her parents' marriage crumble, she decides to forget about relationships and turn the tables on the boys of the world. It’s time to take what she wants, and what she wants are kisses. Athletes, musicians, poets, and bad boys—their lips are all on her agenda, and it's time to collect.

Zae proposes a contest with her friends to see who can kiss the most boys during spring break. But what starts as a harmless competition leads to a downward spiral she can’t seem to break free of. As family, academic, friend, and guy drama come to a head, Zae is forced to face the reasons behind her boy angst, and starts to wonder if she was wrong about the male race...or at least some of them.
After finding her boyfriend with another girl and finding out her dad left the family for another woman, Zae's faith in love was pretty weak. Her revenge on the institution was to kiss and walk away from as many boys as possible during spring break. To make it even more fun, she challenged her three best friends to do the same, and though it was amusing at first, things got complicated quick once emotions played a part.
  • Pro: This book surprised me in a good way. I will admit I struggled a little with the beginning, but once it got into the thick of the plot - the kissing, it was fun, like a teen movie, and then it turned into a much more meaningful story, which I really enjoyed. 
  • Pro: Zae and her friends were a robust and vivacious group of young women. They shared a fantastic friendship, which was tested over the course of this book, but they were also about supporting other women. The focus on the highs and lows of friendship was done well, and a good female friendship will always capture my attention. 
  • Pro: If you look at the cover of the book, you can tell it included a lot of ethnic diversity, but there was also diversity with respect to family structure, which is something I connect with. One character was adopted and lived in a two parent home, another lived with multiple generations of women in her home, and the other two were from single parent homes. 
  • Pro: Zae was not only struggling with the changes in her home life, she was also grappling with worries about her future and her feelings of being left behind by her friends. I really liked where Higgins went with this subplot, because it gave the story a good dose of substance, and I loved the way it played out. 
  • Pro: Even though she was down with love, Zae did find some romance, and I loved the paring and the way their relationship evolved. He was more complex, than he first appeared, and this was a slooooooow burn, but so satisfying. 
  • Pro: What a great epilogue! Not only did Higgins wrap up Zae's story for us, she caught us up with everyone, who played a significant part in the story. And, let me tell you, there was some super-sweet-awesome stuff that transpired in that epilogue. 
Overall: A revenge turned romance turned self-realization story, which made me giggle, smile, swoon, and shed happy tears.  

** ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

Have you read any of these books?
Let us know in the comments!

32 comments:

  1. Where have I been? I haven't even heard of Kiss Collector for some reason and it sounds like the perfect book for me. I am definitely going to add The Infinite Pieces of Us to my TBR since you loved it so much. Those math problems are really intriguing to me. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Crane's books and wish I saw more people talking about them.

      Delete
  2. I looked at your review for Kiss Collector more carefully since I have enjoyed Higgins' previous novels. I was hesitant because the romance seemed convoluted but I might give it a go for the friend group.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The book had a lot more depth than I thought it would. The beginning, with the kissing stuff was ok, but it really took off for me when Zae started working on her dreams.

      Delete
  3. They all sound different. Glad you enjoyed htem.
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All really different for each other, but some real quality reading in there

      Delete
  4. Fantastic reviews Sam! You have tempted me here ;-) Sophie @bewareofthereader

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was really glad I took a chance on the Higgins book, because I saw some meh reviews, but I really liked it. I knew I would love the Crane book

      Delete
  5. All three sound terrific. I am leaning most toward the first one, but the last one has me curious as I want to see how Higgins does with a contemp.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The strength of Higgins book, for me, was Zae's personal journey. I actually enjoyed the deeper parts of that book more than the fluff

      Delete
  6. Kiss Collector sounds very cute - I like that even though the premise might seem a bit fluffy, the story gets deep and meaningful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was really surprised the way the story did a sort of about face, but that was when I really started enjoying the story more too.

      Delete
  7. All three of these are new to me and they all sound great, especially that first one. I seem to have a thing for books that feature math whizzes, lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish more people read Crane's books, because I have loved them all!

      Delete
  8. Oh I have The Infinite Pieces of Us!!!! Will have to bump it up for sure. Great reviews!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crane's books are always so lovely and filled with intriguing characters. I read and loved three of her books. I hope you get a chance to read it.

      Delete
  9. I really like the sound of The Infinite Pieces of Us. That cover kinda jumps out at me too! Glad that one was so special!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I want everyone to read Crane's books, because I have loved them all so much.

      Delete
  10. Revenge turned romance turned self-realization sounds like a lot for a book, but this one seems to have mastered those transitions :) Your reaction Esther makes me want to read that one too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You just wrote the perfect synopsis for Kiss Collector. Esther was such a complicated character, who was dealing with some real grown up pain. I just wanted to hug her and shelter her from the world.

      Delete
  11. I'm going to be starting Paper Girl soon! It's a bummer about the pacing, but I like that it mentions therapy and the impact it can have. I feel like a lot of people avoid therapy because of the negative connotations surrounding it. I'm happy that is shows some of the good and the bad! Lovely reviews, Sam! I added The Infinite Pieces of Us to my TBR.

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paper Girl had a lot of things to like, but something was off, which kept me from loving it, but I did like it

      Delete
  12. The first two sound really good! I'm going to add them to my TBR list on Goodreads. Thanks for the recs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoyed them all, but The Infinite Pieces of Us was my favorite. It had a great approach to a really emotional journey

      Delete
  13. All of these are on my list to read. I really would love to read Paper Girls. I am a bit put off of it because of your 3 stars. I usually like to see 4 or better for a book review to grab it. But, it is on my christmas list so maybe. Great mini review day!

    Mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were a lot of good things about Paper Girl, but there was something with the writing that kept me from rating it higher. It is a promising debut, though, and I would read more from Wilson.

      Delete
  14. I came so close to picking The Infinite Pieces of Us as my Kindle First pick. I am kind of mad at myself for not doing it. I am going to have to give that one a try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was so mad I didn't have Prime when I saw it, and then I have to wait 6 months to be added to my mom's account. EEK! I was lucky it came up on NG and I got approved, though, I love Crane and probably would have bought it. It was really wonderful!

      Delete
  15. oh I love how Paper Girl sounds! Especially the mental health element. And that Cover! I gotta add it to GR!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The story was good. Little bit of pacing issue, but I thought the mental health issues were dealt with well

      Delete
  16. It's obvious how much you loved The Infinite Pieces of Us. :) Sounds like quite a motley assortment of friends that embark on the road trip. I like how it sounds like they were so supportive of each other. I love seeing that represented!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a fun and quirky friend group, but they had a lot of depth too. Infinite Pieces was so good.

      Delete