Review: We Told Six Lies by Victoria Scott

Young love is hard, y’all. All those emotions and hormones and stuff running wild. It’s easy to see how feelings could get out of control. But how far is too far?

Molly is missing. Just disappeared. And of course, the first place the police look is at her boyfriend Cobain. But he’s just as perplexed as the authorities are. He would never hurt her. After all, she’s his everything. Before Molly came into his life, he was just existing as he wandered through life. Molly brought the light to his world. And now she’s gone.

Cobain is determined to find out what happened to Molly. He knows more than what he’s told the police, and he has a suspect list. Did he really know Molly, though? What secrets was she hiding from him?

There’s A LOT going on with this story. It’s told from two different perspectives as well as shifting from past to present. Surprisingly, though, it’s easy to follow and suspenseful enough to keep you reading until the twisty end.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: We Told Six Lies

Review: In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira

Within the first few pages of this book, I knew it was going to be a keeper. And then a bit deeper in, I knew that it was going to break my heart.

The story opens with Angie at age 17. She’s thinking of her dad. All she has to hold on to are a few old pictures. No memories because he died before she was born. Or at least that’s what she’s been told by her mom, Marilyn. So Angie is off to find out the truth, whatever that may be.

Marilyn, 18 years earlier…also age 17. She and HER mom are at a crossroads of sorts. Marilyn’s going to be the next big thing in Hollywood, according to her mom. So what if they have to struggle for a bit? And at the moment, that struggle includes moving in with not-so-dear Uncle Woody. The only thing that saves Marilyn is their new neighbor, James. Neither of them is looking for a serious relationship, but what they want doesn’t really matter.

These two perspectives are fleshed out over the remainder of the story until they finally converge at the very end in a dramatic conclusion that you maybe saw coming but not exactly. Both are lost souls searching for something. Both find what they’re looking for in very different yet similar ways.

Ava Dellaira writes one heck of a story. She makes you care about the characters, and her words stay in your soul long after you turn the last pages of the book. Another outstanding tale!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: In Search Of

Review: From a Distant Star by Karen McQuestion

24036088On one hand, this latest book from Karen McQuestion is your typical young adult-love found-love lost-love found again story. But on the other hand, it’s just a little bit different…

Young Emma has found the love of her life in Lucas. They’re meant for each other, and she just knows they’re destined to spend the rest of their lives together. There’s just one problem, however. Lucas has cancer, and it’s not the kind of illness he’s expected to rebound from. Everyone, even his family, has given up on him. They’re resigned to the fact that he only has a short time left. But Emma isn’t having any of this. She’s certain that he’s going to survive.

And sure enough, he does make a seemingly miraculous recovery. It’s a miracle, everyone says. He’s come back to us, everyone proclaims. Emma couldn’t be happier to have her soulmate back from the brink of death.

But is it really Lucas? Little pieces of a puzzle begin to add up, and Emma has her doubts. Who is actually residing in Lucas’ newly healed body? And what has happened to Lucas? And why are mysterious federal agents tracking their every move?

I admit, I’m not a huge fan of spacey, alienish science fiction. While I’ve read a few keepers from the genre, it’s not my go-to choice of reading material. And this book is a little bit of that. But it’s not the biggest part of the story. It’s more of an afterthought, a supporting character even. This is a love story, sure. But it’s more of a friendship story, a story with a little bit of suspense and a lot of hope.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: From a Distant Star