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Teen SRC 2021 – The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“Forever was something we all took for granted, but the problem with forever was that it really didn’t exist.” 

The Problem with Forever – a romance novel by Jennifer L. Armentrout– is a beautiful book that captures emotions so elegantly. The book revolves around main characters Mallory Dodge and Rider Stark, who knew each other from the same foster home they went to. No, they didn’t just know each other. They were friends; best friends when they were younger, and maybe even more now.

It’s been four years since escaping that abusive home, and still Mallory hasn’t healed. When she meets Rider again, she realizes he hasn’t, either. So when they cross paths once again, neither of them are sure if they want to be reminded of their past, but turns out, fate is something they can’t control.

The characters in this book are too cute. None of that “make-a-character-just-for-the-sake-of-the-plot” nonsense, and somehow the well-thought characters make the plot even more appealing. I’m not gonna say this was the kind of thrilling, breathtaking, overflowing-with-plot-twists book, but it was a sweet read and was easy to get through.

I would recommend this book, and rate it 7/10. It was really smooth and I feel like a movie adaptation would be amazing!

Teen SRC 2021 – Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Powers

Burn Our Bodies Down

I was a bit wary when I first picked up Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Powers because the synopsis didn’t attract me greatly. Still, the cover was too gorgeous for me to put down, and it was marketed as a teen mystery/thriller which I usually love. I do wish that the book would have been clearer from the get-go that it would include some paranormal elements… I don’t enjoy horror/sci-fi books as much as I do mysteries and it detracted from my experience of reading this.

Anyway, one thing I completely loved in this book, right from the start, was the writing style. This is the first book I’ve read from Rory Power but she seems to me the kind of writer that has a very powerful, lyrical style that lends depth and beauty to her books. This translates very well into the relationships between characters. The neglectful and sometimes abusive relationship between Margot and her mother, for example, I found well-written and emotional to read.

That’s as far as my compliments go for this book, unfortunately. I did not like the individual characters. I found Margot, our protagonist, boring and with little personality of her own. Other characters like Gram and Tess are barely developed and mostly confusing. The plot doesn’t get much better either, with a slow start and rushed ending. There were a couple twists that shocked me, and some plot lines that I haven’t read in any other YA mystery, though. The action also gets much tighter (see: gory) near the end, which surprised me since the first two thirds of the book was mild. Still, the plot, characters, and mystery aspect was disappointing to me.

I give Burn Our Bodies Down 7/10. If I’d known to expect a horror/paranormal aspect to the book, maybe my rating would be higher. If not for the beautiful writing and complex mother-daughter relationship this book portrays, my rating would be lower. I recommend this to anyone who wants a creepy and weird thriller with well-written scenes but flat characters and a just-tolerable mystery.

Teen SRC 2018- Swagger by Carl Deuker

Swagger

This book is about a boy named Jonas. He has his eyes out to jump from high school to college basketball. He plans to bring Levi, his quiet best friend, along. While playing basketball, they meet a guy called Ryan Hartwell. Levi is not doing well in school and needs to get his grades up in order to stay on the basketball team. Ryan and Jonas tutor him, but what Jonas doesn’t know is that Hartwell is abusing Levi. He has to debate between calling Hartwell out on it or ignore it to keep his spot on the basketball team.

I really loved this book. Believe me when I tell you that you’ll fall in love with the characters. They really stuck out! I really recommend this book to people who have an interest to basketball or just books that will make you cry and laugh and cry and laugh all over again. 🙂

Teen SRC 2018- Stronger Than You Know by Jolene Perry

Stronger Than You KnowStronger Than You Know by Jolene Perry

Okay, this book is not about my life (just to clarify) even though my name is the same as the protagonist in this book, Joy. Joy lived for most of her life in fear in the trailer of her abusive mother. But thankfully, now at 15, she has escaped from this torture-but not unscarred. She has an unspeakable trauma deep within her, and anxiety that kills her more and more each day. However, she learns that she must testify in her mother’s trial, and she is terrified to bring back the memories of the past.

Also, as a warning, this book is about some pretty terrible abuse. So if you don’t like reading about that then steer clear of this book. I just picked this book up randomly at my local library, and I don’t regret my choices. I loved all the characters’ flaws and achievements. They are memorable, and touching.

Teen SRC 2018 – The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis

Image result for the art of blending inThe Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis

I knew it was going to be an emotional one but  the ending basically had me feeling at least 1000000000 things all at once which is RIDICULOUS, because we only have 5 senses. I spent the entire afternoon reading this and it really broke my heart. This book is brutal and devastating. If you can’t handle abuse and hard beatings, well, this book will not do well with you. Books like this hit me right in the heart, because the stuff that happens in this book happens every day in real life. It might be happening in your classmate’s, or your neighbours home, or your best friends home. It is a book about a boy named Evan who is gay. Like, straight-out. But his mother doesn’t take this information really well. In fact, she despises him for it. So the abuse continues.

This book slammed itself right into my arms. I’m not even kidding. When I was browsing the teen sections of the library, I found this book and decided not to read it. But after, however well I placed it, the book would continue falling off the shelves, so I was exasperated, and checked it out.