In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.
The Memory Trees
Kali Wallace
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Magical Realism
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
The Memory Trees is a dark magical realism novel about a mysterious family legacy, a centuries-old feud, and a tragic loss that resurfaces when sixteen-year-old Sorrow returns to her mother’s family orchard for the summer.
Sorrow Lovegood’s life has been shaped by the stories of the women who came before her: brave, resilient women who settled long ago on a mercurial apple orchard in Vermont. The land has been passed down through generations, and Sorrow and her family take pride in its strange history. Their offbeat habits may be ridiculed by other townspeople—especially their neighbors, the Abrams family—but for the first eight years of her life, the orchard is Sorrow’s whole world.
Then one winter night everything changes. Sorrow’s sister Patience is tragically killed. Their mother suffers a mental breakdown. Sorrow is sent to live with her dad in Miami, away from the only home she’s ever known.
Now sixteen, Sorrow’s memories of her life in Vermont are maddeningly hazy; even the details of her sister’s death are unclear. She returns to the orchard for the summer, determined to learn more about her troubled childhood and the family she left eight years ago. Why has her mother kept her distance over the years? What actually happened the night Patience died? Is the orchard trying to tell her something, or is she just imagining things?
- Pro: The writing was so beautiful. Wallace's prose had this magical quality, that fit the story so well.
- Pro: I really liked the format. Flashbacks and vignettes of Sorrow's ancestors were intertwined with Sorrow trying to gain clarity about her sister's death. It was interesting the way the pieces fit together, and it added to the tension and mystery of the story.
- Pro: I really cared about Sorrow. I wanted her to get the answers she desired in order to get that closure she had been needing for so long. Her pain and frustration just made my heart ache.
- Pro: This is a grief story and I love grief stories. This one definitely put the grief and loss center stage, but there were so many other things, such as the way the town isolated Sorrow and her family, the way she lost a little bit of her childhood due to her mother's illness, and the way she had to shoulder so much guilt, because she could not remember the events leading to her sister's death. Let's just say, I felt a lot of feels.
- Pro: So many different ideas of family are explored. I was especially fond of the relationship between Sorrow and her step mother. It made me happy to know that Sorrow got to experience that type of relationship, because she had lost her whole world when she left the farm, and I was needed something positive came from that loss.
- Con: I could have used more closure with the ending. It was hopeful, but there were some things left open ended, that I would have liked tied up.
- Pro: I loved the whole concept of the trees. "Their only ceremony was giving the dead back to the earth and planting a new life to mark its passage." It was a lovely concept and combine with the idea that the trees held their memories, just worked so well in the overall story and enhanced the effect of the magical elements present.
Overall: A magical journey towards healing after a great loss, filled with a rich family history and a little magic.
**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.
The House at 758
Kathryn Berla
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult,
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Sixteen year old Krista is still grieving the untimely death of her mother when her father's new girlfriend moves into their home. He's already moved on and wants Krista to do the same, but she's not ready to resume a normal life yet. Distancing herself from those around her, Krista spends all of her time obsessively watching a mysterious house, the house at 758.
When a fellow classmate, Jake, takes a sudden interest in her, Krista feels excited for the first time in two years, but feelings of guilt consume her, and she ends up pushing Jake away. It isn't until her grandfather makes a surprise visit from Venezuela that Krista is finally able to confront her grief and begin to let things go.
- Pro: Yes, it's another grief book, and the pain in this one was intense. We know Krista is still dealing with her mother's death two years later, but we don't have the full story, and I knew there was more to it, because Berla dropped these little breadcrumbs along the way. My heart cracked in half when I got the whole story.
- Pro: Krista was so wounded and consumed by her sadness. She felt alone, but also felt like people handled her with kid gloves, because of what had happened. I really wanted her to find an outlet for her pain, because it was eating her alive.
- Pro: Jake! This boy was special. Any guy, who can see past that "meet cute" is a keeper, but he proved himself worthy of Krista's friendship over and over again. I really enjoyed the scenes they shared together, and was keeping my fingers crossed that Krista would be able to escape her fog of grief long enough to enjoy Jake's company.
- Pro: I loved my grandparents so much, and am thrilled when they are featured in stories. Krista's maternal grandfather visited from Venezuela, and he really helped Krista with her healing process. We also got to learn about her grandfather's childhood, which caused some tears. I loved the way his story was used to help Krista too.
- Pro: It was awesome to see Krista's social circle grow as she started to heal. With each new friend, we saw Krista becoming more and more whole.
- Pro: I was really impressed with how much story Berla gave us in so few pages. This is a short book, but it's very complete. I felt like the characters and storyline were well developed.
- Pro: Berla didn't go with the miraculous healing angle. Krista suffered a great loss, and avoided dealing with it for two years, so her journey was not over when the book ended, but she was moving in the right direction, and I thought that was realistic.
- Pro: It was an interesting choice Berla made with the ending, and the very end. Well, let's just say I re-read it, and I am crying a little right now. It was very sweet.
Overall: A beautiful and moving story of love, loss, grief, loneliness, family, and healing. I loved every minute of this book, and adored the way Berla had the story unfold.
**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.
In Some Other Life
Jessica Brody
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Kennedy Rhodes turns down an acceptance to an elite private school, instead choosing to stay at her high school and jump at the opportunity to date the boy of her dreams. Three years later, Kennedy walks in on that same boyfriend cheating with her best friend—and wishes she had made a different choice. But when Kennedy hits her head and wakes up in the version of her life where she chose to attend the private school, she finds that maybe it’s not as perfect of a world as she once thought.
- Pro: I am a fan of parallel universe stories, and this one had a little touch of It's a Wonderful Life in how Kennedy's alternate choice affected all those in her world.
- Con: I would have been fine with the cheating part of the book, if it had just served as the impetus for Kennedy rethinking her choice, but I just was not a fan of where Brody went with it. I appreciated how she tried to build a case for her decision and direction, but I could not get on board with it. That said, it did not ruin the whole story for me.
- Pro: Kennedy grew so much through this experience. She re-evaluated many things she thought were important and also recognized the things that were really important.
- Pro: The whole idea of how one decision can have a butterfly effect is quite powerful.
- Con: I thought the book could have been shorter. A few things felt unnecessary and at 464 pages for a contemporary, we could have done without them.
- Pro: Frankie was so fabulous. He was this little science nerd, and man, I was enthralled when he was talking nerdy to me. I also love strong sibling relationships, and was surprised by this one, because of the age difference, but I adored their interactions.
- Pro: I was a total Dylan fan. I liked the verbal sparring between him and Kennedy, and I liked how he challenged her. I greatly enjoyed watching their relationship bloom, and wish we had gotten more of it later on.
- Pro: I like most of the ending. If one thing had been omitted, I would have loved the ending. (I know, it's shocking to hear me say such things.)
- Pro: This was a fun read, and I love fun reads. I enjoyed a majority of the story, and liked almost all the characters. The family focus was a plus too, because it's always great when we meet solid YA families.
- Pro: There are a lot of great subtle messages in the story: being true to yourself, doing what you love, forgiveness, looking ahead and not behind. Lots of good take aways.
Overall: A fun and breezy tale, which asked if you should consider "what-ifs" or appreciate the "what-ares".
Have you read any of these books?
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