Searching for Normal

Author: C.J. Darlington

Series: Riverbend Friends #2

Publisher: Focus on the Family

Release Date: April 6, 2021

The second book in the Riverbend Friends series picks up where the first left off, but now readers get to focus on Shay and see her story. A great YA/Coming of age story that is perfect for young adult readers.

The second book in the Riverbend Friends series focuses on the life of Shay Mitchell. Her life changed forever six months ago when she came to live with her aunt and started a new school that brought about her being bullied. Living with her Aunt Laura above a bookstore is nice, but none of her new friends know the real reason she came to live with her aunt and what happened in her past that is causing her to be bullied. While living with her aunt, Shay learns the truth about her biological father and rushes at the chance to meet him. All she wants is a normal family life and to be happy without all the bad stuff hanging over her. But what she wishes for and how she thinks it will happen might be the farthest thing from a happy normal life.

With this second book in the Riverbend Friends series, I am falling in love with these four friends and the way these books are written to young adults, especially young girl readers. For me, this is the perfect series because it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, it shows these girls going through hard things and the way they lean on each other and find a deeper relationship with God through the problems they are facing. They go through hard things, but they realize that even through bad, good things come out of it, like the new friendships they find with each other. I think that is one of the most important things, especially now, finding a few good friends you can trust and rely on through the hard times makes getting through those hard times a little bit easier.

Shay and her story picked up where the first book left off but also gives readers some good back story as to what happened to her and makes the first book even better because I was able to reflect on why she reacted the way she did to some of what happened in that book. I liked this character and how she handled what happened to her, her aunt was one of my favorite characters with her taking Shay in and dealing with how she was treated by both family and school issues. I would recommend reading the first in the series with this one, it could be read after but in my opinion to get the most out of the series go in order. Young girls will be the target audience for this one and parents can enjoy the fact that it is a good story that is clean and no questionable content. I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Real, Not Perfect

Author: Stephanie Coleman

Series: Riverbend Friends #1

Publisher: Focus on the Family

Release Date: April 6, 2021

A great teen book about family, relationships, and the struggles young girls can face growing up and why it is important to have a close relationship with God.

Tessa’s life has always been pretty easy; she goes to swim practice, gets good grades and has two loving parents. All of that changes as she comes home one afternoon to find out her parents are getting a divorce and her best friend is moving away. To top things off, she is put in drama, the worst class ever. As Tessa tries to cope with her new family life, her mom gets more and more depressed, her best friend is posting about how great her new life is, and Tessa feels like everyone has a great life except her. Her goal is to convince herself and others that she is fine and nothing is wrong, but it only takes a little bit for her new friends to realize she is anything but fine and they help her discover that it is ok for things to not be perfect.

This was such a great fast read; I loved how real it was (no pun intended). It’s true though, being real and not perfect in this day and age of social media is so hard to do. Everyone tries to put their very best little snap shots up to post for all to see when that isn’t real life. Life is hard and messy and if we realize that and let others see the real life we are living, it will take away the stress and weight of trying to be perfect all the time. Tessa is going through what a lot of kids end up going through these days and to see her angry, hurt and letting her emotions get the best of her at times is what really made this book connect with me. This is the first book in the series about four friends that have different lives but find a way to connect with each other through their struggles and come closer because of it. While Tessa was the main character, readers get to see a small glimpse into the lives of the others that will shine in their own upcoming stories. The fact that Tessa didn’t get the perfect fairy tale ending was something I give props to the author for, very rarely does life give us that fairy tale ending and to see things play out there the way they did is going to be bringing me back for more. I am thankful that teens will have a realistic view of life when picking this one up. I recommend this to young teen girls that are looking for characters they can relate to and want to feel connected to a storyline that is more than just an escape.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Solo

Author: Kwame Alexander

Publisher: Blink YA Books

Release Date: August 1, 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A stunning tale of finding one’s self and realizing the most important things in life. Told in poetic verse, Solo is a tale that is touching and real down to the heart.

Solo is the story of Blade Morrison, a seventeen-year-old of a rock star that has fallen from grace. Blade is tired of living the life of glitz and glamour and wants to find more in life. His mother died when he was nine leaving him and his sister to deal with the aftermath of their father’s addictions. When Blade discovers a deep held secret within the family, it threatens to throw everything into a tailspin and threaten his relationship with everyone around him. This sets him on a journey across the country to discover the truth about who he is and how that will shape the rest of his life.

Solo is one of the clearest examples of not judging a book by its cover I have ever read. The premise sounded very interesting, but when I opened and realized it was told in poetic verse I was initially turned off. Poetry is usually not my kind of thing. I have a hard time getting into poetry and the flow of the story told that way. I decided to give Solo a chance and as the story progressed with each poem, I found myself entranced and pulled into the story. There was such an intimacy to the characters and the way they interacted with one another. I read this in one day and enjoyed the flow much more than I imagined I would. This is the type of story that is for poetry readers, but also for those that enjoy a good story with heart and will leave readers thinking of their family and friends in a different way. So, if you are like me and open the pages of this book and think it isn’t going to be your cup of tea, give it a few pages and enjoy the story for what it is. You won’t be disappointed!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

In 27 Days

Author: Alison Gervais

Publisher: Blink YA Books

Release Date: July 25, 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A hard hitting, emotional roller coaster that will leave readers pulling at their heart-strings and wiping a tear from their eyes by the last page.

When Archer Morales commits suicide, his classmate Hadley Jamison is surprised by how much it affects her. She knew him from freshman English class, but that’s about it. He was the kind of guy that pretty much kept to himself. Hadley decides to attend Archer’s funeral for some closure. As she is leaving the funeral, she runs into a man who calls himself Death. Death offers Hadley a deal; he will send her back in time twenty-seven days to try and stop Archer from killing himself. It doesn’t take much to convince Hadley that this is something she must do. She agrees but finds that it is not going to be an easy task. Archer has kept himself isolated for several reasons, none of which he is especially eager to share with anyone. As Hadley works to gain his confidence, strange accidents start to occur that keep Hadley and Archer farther from each other and make Hadley wonder if she is really ready to risk everything, including her own life, to accomplish her mission.

All I can say is WOW!. When I started In 27 Days, I had no idea where it would lead me. It was one of the most raw, real, and amazing books I have read in a very long time. The way these characters and their storyline laid out was unbelievable. This is the kind of writing I would expect from someone with decades of experience. Alison Gervais is an author that has the potential to take off and never look back at where her writing can take her and her readers. The way the story of Hadley and Archer came together was absolutely beautiful. I never once felt as if anything was forced or rushed between the characters or with their actions. Out of all the books I have read this year, this is going quickly to the top of my list. With the rampant amount of bullying going on in our society, this is a story that needs to be read by many. I highly recommend this to all readers, especially anyone that might be struggling with feeling alone or how to help someone in that position.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.