The Living (2013)

The Living. Matt de la Pena. 2013. Random House. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]

The Living is a fast read. It's an interesting blend of genres: survival fiction (natural disaster), romance, mystery, horror, AND medical thriller (conspiracies, evil corporations, oh my!).

Shy, the book's hero, is working a summer job on a cruise ship. He's gotten close to a couple of guys and one girl in particular, Carmen. He's fallen hard for her. She's engaged to another guy, a law student. Shy is a mostly good guy who is not out to steal someone else's girlfriend. He's not out to get her to cheat on this guy. He just likes talking to her about anything and everything, no topics are off limits, really. She just really understands him in a way like no one else. On his latest trip, he has the feeling that someone is watching him, in a creepy not-normal way. He's right: someone wants to know EVERYTHING about a certain suicide that Shy witnessed on the last voyage.

Survival on the open sea. Something BIG and catastrophic happens. (A chain of somethings.) Shy is on board a small boat (life boat? raft? one of the two.) with only a very injured business man and a very young, very attractive young woman. Their days on the sea, their fight for survival, creates a bond, despite the fact that these two have zero in common with each other--and outside of this specific situation they'd never speak to one another. Will they survive? Will they reach land? Is help on the way? When does life return to normal again?

The Living is bleak, in a way. The novel is very up front about death. The first death (by suicide) opening in the prologue. The body count just increases from there. It's also extremely action-packed with just a few meaning-of-life conversations thrown in.

It is the first book in a series. I would say it doesn't have a proper end, and that it might best be saved for late summer (or early fall) 2014 so that you only have a few weeks to wait for the next book.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Serafina's Promise (2013)

Serafina's Promise. Ann E. Burg. 2013. Scholastic. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I loved, loved, loved Ann E. Burg's verse novel, All the Broken Pieces. I was equally impressed with her newest verse novel: Serafina's Promise. This novel wowed me. I enjoy verse novels, but they don't always work for me as verse. Often, I feel, they might as well be written in prose. But that is not the case in Serafina's Promise. There were so many beautiful sentences, so many poetic, just-right sentences. The story itself is so compelling. But the way it is told, well, it's beautiful and incredible. I would love to see this book win something!

Serafina's Promise is set in Haiti. Serafina, our heroine, is a young girl who works hard alongside her family. She does not have any brothers or sisters to help her with the chores that have to be done. She doesn't have time to play with some of the other children, but, Serafina doesn't whine or complain. She dreams. She holds onto the hope that one day she WILL be a doctor. One way or another, she will make a difference in the lives of those around her. She will be able to fight against hunger and poverty and disease. She will save lives. Serafina longs to go to school. Her family cannot afford school or uniforms. But Serafina is determined and diligent. She will work even harder, do even more, to help her family save money--coins in a jar--so that her dream will come true.

I loved this one so much. It is one of those books I just want to tell everyone: READ THIS BOOK!!! I loved Serafina. I loved her family. I loved her grandmother, her mother, her father. I loved seeing the family scenes. Loved seeing Serafina with her new baby brother. This was a story to be felt and experienced. I cared so much about all the characters. (Serafina has a best friend, Julie Marie). It is a compelling, beautiful story--rich in detail. It is one of my favorites of the year.

Quotes:

When Papa talks,
the anger in Manman's eyes
softens
like stingers soaked in honey (27)

I wonder what hunger is like
without a family
to fill the emptiness. (43)

A child who doesn't sleep at night
is a crocodile in the morning! (52)

Manman's worries
are like the mosquitoes
at the ravine, so many
you could never count them
or get rid of them all. (81)

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Heaven is Paved With Oreos (2013)

Heaven is Paved With Oreos. Catherine Gilbert Murdock. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 208 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

I wanted to love Heaven is Paved With Oreos. I really did love Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Dairy Queen trilogy. And Heaven is Paved With Oreos features D.J.'s younger brother, Curtis, as the love interest. So my expectations were high.

Sarah Zorn, our heroine, has a best friend, Curtis. The two are "going out." It was part of her clever plan. The two would pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend so the teasing would stop. The two share a deep interest in dead things. Yes, you read that right, the two love studying how dead bodies (a calf in this case) decompose. These two do seem made for each other. But Curtis is tired of lying. What he is not saying is significant. It takes "losing" Curtis for her to realize that she's been unhappy with the arrangement as well.

The most unsatisfying aspect of this one--in my opinion--was Sarah's trip with her Grandma Z to Rome. Sarah's parents are initially hesitant to let their daughter go on a trip with Z. But Z has concocted a persuasive story, and pleads I've already bought her plane ticket. The middle section of the novel is their vacation together in Rome.

The novel has a theme of lying: of examining why people lie, why it may be justifiable or understandable, why people may choose to lie to the people closest to them, etc. There is something human about this one, and I suppose that is always a good thing. Sarah has to decide if she will stay angry at a person who lied to her and used her.

I did not enjoy reading Heaven is Paved With Oreos. Sarah and Curtis may be made for each other, but, reading about a decomposing calf and all the talk about reconstructing the bones for a science fair was unpleasant. I am glad that Sarah and Curtis eventually communicated with one another. The ending with these two was super-sweet. Sarah's trip to Rome with Z left me unsatisfied.

S
P
O
I
L
E
R


A
L
E
R
T

I really hated Z's lies. I thought she used her granddaughter horribly. She was selfish and untrustworthy. She lied to Sarah's parents; she lied to Sarah. She had ulterior motives for wanting to go to Rome. And when her fantasy collapsed, she had a breakdown leaving Sarah to care for them both in a foreign country. And her excuses for the trip in the first place were WEIRD. Part of me was glad that they fell away as lies. She had Sarah convinced that visiting seven churches in Rome would assure her [Z] a place in heaven. "But thousands of pilgrims over hundreds of years have visited this church because they hoped it would help them with heaven, and Z needs to go!" (101) and "instead we did something that was a lot more fun, even if it won't get us into heaven..." (106)

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Boy on the Bridge (2013)

The Boy on the Bridge. Natalie Standiford. 2013. Scholastic. 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]

The Boy on the Bridge is set in Russia in 1982. Our heroine, Laura Reid, is an American college student studying abroad for one semester in Russia. The book covers that semester January through June.

So early in the novel, Laura meets Alexei (Alyosha). Yes, they meet on a bridge. He "rescues" her from some gypsies demanding money. They talk a few minutes; he tells her he would love to get to know her better, hands her his phone number, tells her how to get in touch. She's not to use any phone near the University. It would be dangerous for them both if their friendship were to be discovered. He wants to practice his English, so he says. And she wants to practice her Russian. And that is how this romance starts.

The Boy on The Bridge is very much a romance novel, one set in a unique place and time in history. It is very feelings-oriented. Laura is swept up in all these emotions as she falls hard for Alyosha. He becomes her entire world; she becomes his everything. It is pure agony to be away from each other even ten or twelve hours.

Is the relationship healthy? Is the relationship genuine? Is Alyosha wanting to marry her so he can get a green card and come to the United States? Is he using her to get out of Russia? Has he attempted this before? Those are the questions that haunt the pages of this romance novel. Laura has been warned by her friends, roommates, classmates, advisers, etc. that she is being too trusting, that she isn't using common sense.

The romance seems sweet in a few ways. But there are a few places where it grows darker. Readers will have to judge for themselves if the relationship is genuine and healthy.

I thought this one was very realistic in its ending.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Counting by 7s (2013)

Counting by 7s. Holly Goldberg Sloan. 2013. Penguin USA. 384 pages. [Review Copy]

Willow Chance is her own person. She may be a little different, a little distant, a little odd. But. There is something truly special about her. At the end of the first chapter, Willow returns home with the school counselor and two other new friends, to discover the police are waiting to tell her horrible news: both of her parents are dead. Willow has no other family; there aren't even any family friends that she knows about, that she could stay with. Mai and Quang-ha her new friends step up and volunteer. They lie. They say their families have known each other for years; of course, Willow will have a home with them, at least temporarily. The school counselor knows the truth, of course, he introduced them not so very long ago, but he stays silent. The novel then goes back to show what happened before: how Willow started the school year, how Willow "needed" counseling, how Willow made some new friends, why Willow suddenly got inspired to learn Vietnamese, how knowing Willow has changed the lives of two different men (the school counselor; a taxi driver). The reader also learns about the accident in greater detail. (Some of the details leading up to the event disappointed me; I thought it was too much.)

My favorite character in Counting by 7s was not Willow Chance. Willow's influence on other people is encouraging, proof that she is special, but Willow's narration alone did not win my heart. My two favorite characters were Mr. Dell Duke, the school counselor, and Jairo Hernandez, the taxi-driver. I enjoyed the other characters as well: Mai, Quang-ha, and their mother, Pattie.

The novel's greatest strength is in its quirkiness. It never felt sentimental. This is not your typical "sad book" about death and grief. There is humor and hope and courage. 

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Imperfect Spiral (2013)

Imperfect Spiral. Debbie Levy. 2013. Bloomsbury. 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Imperfect Spiral is a novel about finding your voice, and finding courage and strength to take a stand. Danielle Samuelson doesn't think she has much courage, ever since her huge panic attack the day of her bat mitzvah, she has doubted herself and her ability to ever be in public without making a fool of herself. (Specifically talking in public). Her best friend, Becca, wanted her to be a camp counselor with her. But Danielle was hesitant; instead she chose to babysit one kid for the summer. His name was Humphrey. The first chapter reveals the tragedy: Danielle and Humphrey were walking home from the park one evening when Humphrey was hit by a van. He died in Danielle's arms. His death upsets a community; neighbors are calling for change and reform. They want sidewalks. They want street lights. They want stronger immigration laws. (The driver of the van was an illegal immigrant.)

What I loved most about Imperfect Spiral was the depth of the characterization. I loved Danielle and her family. I especially loved Danielle's older brother, Adrian. I love how there he is for her during this. I also loved her best friend, Becca. I thought the author did a great job establishing Danielle in relationships. Danielle was a character I cared for. And I wanted her to succeed, to find the strength to speak up.

If the novel has a weakness, it may be in a series of coincidences that are revealed toward the end of the novel. To speak of these coincidences would be to spoil the book.

I liked this one. 

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Language Inside (2013)

The Language Inside. Holly Thompson. 2013. Random House. 528 pages.

Emma Karas may not be the first heroine in a YA novel to ask the ever-important question: where do I belong? but her story--told in verse--is powerful and compelling. Emma may have been born in America, but she's spent practically all of her almost-sixteen years living in Japan. Now that her parents have returned to the U.S.--to Lowell, Massachusetts--because of her mom's recent breast cancer diagnosis, Emma is understandably upset. It's not like her life was completely problem free in Japan, the recent tsunami is proof of that. But it was without a doubt, her HOME. Emma was a part of everything, she belonged. But struggling with her doubts and fears about her mom's cancer in addition to her anxieties about starting a new school, starting a new life, is so overwhelming. And the stress certainly isn't helping her migraines. But some of the changes are interesting if not AMAZING. And in part this is because of her grandmother's insistence that she volunteer at a care center. A couple of times a week, Emma goes and works with Zena, a paralyzed woman unable to even speak. She communicates with a letter board and the rolling of her eyes. Together Emma and Zena write poetry and discuss life--the past, the present, the future. I loved these sections with Zena. Part of her volunteer life includes seeing Samnang on a regular basis. And these two become quite close!

The Language Inside is a verse novel.

lonely is when the language outside
isn't the language inside
and words are made of just 26 letters (130)

letter by letter
word by word
Zena spells
like this poem was just
sitting in her head:

my stroke beached me like a whale on hot sand
come home! my daughter called and called
but I couldn't answer and finally she swam away

by the time I could look up to talk
and tell her to lean over my face
so I could feel the tickle of her hair
she no longer felt like my daughter

come back! I called and called
but she swam away
with my sister (336)

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Moon and More (2013)

The Moon and More. Sarah Dessen. Penguin. 384 pages. 

While The Moon and More isn't my new favorite Dessen novel of all time, it was WONDERFUL to spend time with new characters in the beach town of Colby. What I love about Dessen's YA novels is the fact that relationships--ALL relationships matter. Family relationships and friendships are typically very important in her works. This one was no exception.


Emaline, our heroine, has a steady job, a steady boyfriend, Luke, and a steady (blended) family. Her stepfather has raised her since she was two, and he is her DAD. She can't imagine not having two stepsisters, Margo and Amber. Though each sister can drive her crazy! And her mom, well, her mom is her mom. There's some awkwardness now and then as her mom's good intentions are not quite appreciated as intended. But Emaline knows her family is good and strong. Her relationship with Luke seems steady enough as well, at the beginning. They've been together since ninth grade! But there has been increasing awkwardness between them as well, ever since her mother caught them together in a compromising situation. Morris and Daisy are Emaline's BEST FRIENDS. And I love that these best friends play such a huge role in this novel! Emaline's job isn't horribly fun or exciting, but, it's a job--a job that brings her into contact with some cranky people. Then again, it also brings Theo into her life.

Theo and Ivy are SOMETHING. Ivy films documentaries, and she's in Colby to get the story behind local artist, Clyde Conaway. Theo is her assistant. He's only a few years older than Emaline, and he's so very, very different from all the guys Emaline has ever known. When Theo isn't being abused or pushed around by Ivy, he's making much of Emaline. He's determined that she is key to his "BEST SUMMER EVER."

For those wanting a magical romance, I'm not sure this one will fully satisfy. But that is what makes The Moon and More so great. It is a novel about growing up in a messy world and accepting life as it is. For Emaline that means feeling CONFUSED and uncertain about her biological father. One thing is certain: she loves her half-brother, Benji. But her father, well, he said he would pay her college tuition, he encouraged her--almost pressured her--to apply to BIG schools. When she let him know the good news that she was accepted at Columbia, he promptly disappointed her.  So her "big dream" won't be coming true at summer's end.

I loved this one for the characterization. I loved it because it was complex with no easy answers.

Quotes:

There's a difference between the words father and dad. And it's more than three letters.  (25)

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Catherine (2013)

Catherine. April Lindner. 2013. Little, Brown. 320 pages.

I enjoyed April Lindner's retelling of Jane Eyre entitled Jane. But I really, really LOVED her retelling of Wuthering Heights. I was surprised because I really do not like Wuthering Heights. I just do not see it as romantic or giddy-making. I don't see the appeal. But Catherine worked for me. I loved reading the dual narratives. Readers meet Chelsea, the daughter of Catherine, who has run away from her father to go in search of her mother who was listed as a missing person so many years before. She heads to New York City, to The Underground. She finds her mom's ex-boyfriend, Hence, the current owner of The Underground. He allows her to stay and he gives her bits and pieces of information. She also meets Cooper who takes an interest in helping her get the information she needs on her mom. Readers also get Catherine's story as it unfolds in her diary. Chelsea gets to know exactly what her mom was like when she was her age. Chelsea's search isn't easy, and it will be trying in many ways. Catherine's story is intense and passionate and it fits perfectly. Hence is a talented, misunderstood punk rocker who comes to work at the Underground. Catherine's father, the original owner, even lets Hence stay in his basement. Hence and Catherine just belong together, but, both are spirited. Catherine wants to go to college. She cannot content herself to watching Hence perform and following him around making much of him. She loves him, but she needs her dreams too. Hence, well, he's selfish and his ego is getting bigger and as he's getting more successful...

I really LOVED this one. It has mystery, drama, and romance. The storytelling was great!


© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

This is What Happy Looks Like (2013)

This is What Happy Looks Like. Jennifer E. Smith. 2013. Little, Brown. 404 pages.

This is the third novel I've read by Jennifer E. Smith. I've also reviewed The Comeback Season and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. I loved them both in very different ways. She is definitely an author I'd recommend to fans of Elizabeth Scott, Sarah Dessen, and Deb Caletti.

It starts when Ellie receives an email from a stranger. It's obviously a case of mistaken identity--this G is asking her to take Wilbur for a walk. Not wanting Wilbur to suffer, she replies back and discovers...that he's a PIG and G is a kindred spirit. A true friendship grows between E and G. They both have secrets they're keeping from one another: Ellie's secret isn't hers exclusively, so it makes sense that she wouldn't share it with just anyone. G's secret is that he is Graham Larkin, movie star. He purposefully suggests Ellie's hometown in Maine as a shooting location for his new movie, he's truly hoping to have a magical summer with the woman he can't stop thinking about. But Ellie has reasons--good reasons--not to want attention from the media.

I LOVED the beginning of this one. The email exchanges were great. I enjoyed the rest of the novel as well. It wasn't quite love, love, love for me. I did enjoy both characters, and I thought there were a few scenes in this one that worked really well. But for me, it didn't have as many magical moments as The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight. It's a good romance. I'm definitely glad I read it!

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Orleans (2013)

Orleans. Sherri L. Smith. 2013. Penguin. 336 pages.

Orleans is intense and I suspect unforgettable. The novel is set after the Delta and/or the Gulf Coast have been cut off from the rest of the United States. (There being an actual wall to prevent people from entering/exiting.) The reason is simple: Delta Fever is too contagious and there isn't a cure. Everyone is infected with the fever, but each blood type responds differently to the disease or virus. This separates everyone into groups or tribes according to blood type.

Fen, our heroine, is O positive. But soon after the novel begins, her tribe is attacked. Her chieftain, Lydia, goes into premature labor because of the attack. The baby survives, she doesn't. Fen and the baby are what is left of this tribe, and Fen is desperate to provide a better life for this baby. Her goal is ambitious and dangerous. She wants to find a way to smuggle the baby out before it catches the fever. She wants to reach the wall.

Sometimes helping, sometimes hindering, Fen's ambitions is a young scientist named Daniel. Daniel dreams big too. He is desperate to find a cure. That is why he is there illegally.

Orleans is incredibly intense and impossible to put down. If you enjoy disaster and/or survivor fiction, then this one is a must read! It is extremely creepy in places, which I think will definitely appeal to some readers! But even if you don't like horror elements, you may find yourself hooked.

Read Orleans

• If you enjoy great world-building
• If you enjoy meeting strong heroines
• If you enjoy survivor or disaster novels
• If you enjoy dystopian or post-apocalyptic fiction
• If you like darker stories with some horror elements

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality (2013)

Revenge of The Girl With The Great Personality. Elizabeth Eulberg. 2013. [March] Scholastic. 272 pages.

I have enjoyed Elizabeth Eulberg's work in the past--The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom and Prejudice--so I was hoping that I would enjoy her newest YA novel. It didn't work for me. But I think it may still work for many readers.

The heroine of Revenge of the Girl with The Great Personality is Lexi. She is the girl with the "great personality." It's a label that she has difficulty letting go of, in a way, because she believes what she hears or overhears about herself. What should you know about Lexi? Well, she has a seven year old sister who's into beauty pageants. Her mom is obsessed with putting her sister into every pageant possible--no matter the cost, no matter the drama. Lexi is part of this lifestyle--like it or not. And her favorite thing about the pageant life is spending time with Logan. (Logan has a girlfriend, Alyssa, who's in pageants.)

Essentially Lexi hates not having a boyfriend or a life and one day she's dared by her gay best friend, Benny, to do something about it. He dares her to wear make-up for a week, to do her hair, to wear dresses, etc. She then dares him to start talking to the guy he likes, to ask him out, etc.

What will happen when Lexi transforms into the most beautiful woman ever? Will she get attention? The right kind of attention? Will everyone suddenly think she's worth knowing? worth talking to? worth eating lunch with? worth inviting to parties? worth dating? What will people start saying about her and her new look? And dare she go back to her old self?

I did not like this one. Lexi's obsession with Logan prevents her from taking the one guy who might actually like her seriously. Though it doesn't stop her from dating him [Taylor] for most of the book. While I am glad that Lexi did not get a happily ever after--with either Taylor or Logan--and that she eventually realized how silly she'd been over Logan once she caught a glimpse of the real Logan, I still found most of the book annoying. 

Revenge of The Girl with the Great Personality has plenty of drama and conflict. Lexi's family is certainly dysfunctional and broken. Lexi struggles to have a good relationship with her mom and her sister. And there is even a love triangle, of sorts. For those that like YA books focusing on popularity and fitting in or not fitting in...it may be right for you. But. It didn't work for me. 

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews