The Weight of Living: I'll Meet You There

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
Henry Holt, 2015

*ARC provided by the publisher - thank you! This in no way impacted my opinion of this book.*

Calling Creek View a town is being generous. Especially since her dad died, Skylar Evans has dreamed of leaving her trailer park and at the end of the summer, it will finally happen when she moves to college in San Francisco. At least, it was looking that way until Mom lost her job and Skylar will have to pick up the pieces. Again. Josh Mitchell also had plans for a life far away, and he even had it for a while when he joined the Marines. But after losing his leg, he is back, a shell of the person he used to be. These two have little in common besides working at the Paradise, yet this quirky motel becomes a place where an unlikely friendship, and more, finds a home.

This is one of those books where I was torn between wanting to inhale it as fast as possible and knowing that I shouldn't, that I should take my time to absorb and appreciate the story, the characters, and the incredible twisting of my emotions on every single page. I did the later and I'm so happy I did. While this story is told mostly from Skylar's perspective, Josh's voice is peppered throughout, offering insights into what happened to him in Afghanistan, his feelings about his friends and fellow soldiers - some still living, others not, what it's like for him to be back in Creek View, the loss of his leg, his feelings for Sky, and the PTSD that pulls at every part of who he is.

Demetrios is one of those rare writers who has the magical ability of writing a story that is simple on the surface in terms of plot, but incredibly complex in terms of feeling and characters. Every single person in these pages is flawed and is struggling with something in their own way. Sometimes they're succeeding, sometimes they're not. I was engaged and invested every single step of the way, and much more emotional than I usually am while reading.

This is a shining example of a great book and an exceptional YA novel. A solid choice for the older YA crowd, younger readers (or perhaps parents of younger readers) should know that this is a more mature book both in terms of subject matter and language aka adult situations and swearing. While I had absolutely no problem with either of these things and this book will joining my school library's collection, it is something to be aware of.

This book packed a punch in all the right ways, making me think and leaving me raw and in awe. PTSD is a hard topic to tackle, but Demetrios does it both well and realistically. If you're someone who doesn't mind books puts your heart in an emotional blender but leaves you better off, then you must read I'll Meet You There.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Heather Demetrios's Website
Heather Demetrios on Twitter

Short Story Saturday: Defy the Dark, I Gave You My Love by the Light of the Moon

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Defy the Dark.

Story: I Gave You My Love by the Light of the Moon
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Summary: Berthe suddenly gets sick at a coffee shop and leaves to go home, but must accept the help of a mysterious stranger who claims if she doesn't want anyone else to get hurt, she must come with him.
Thoughts: Called it! I called it. I figured out the direction that this story was going in pretty early on and am now being purposely vague so as to not spoil anything. However, I like the complexity of the characters in this particular situation. Brennan does a good job of taking a situation that's been a popular trope in fiction and adding another human dimension to it. Nice job.

It's a Wild World: The 100



The 100 by Kass Morgan (The Hundred #1)
Little Brown, 2013

A while back, I was judging a speech tournament like I do almost every Saturday in the winters when one of the students from my school was going on and on about this great TV show he'd been binge watching. He was so enthusiastic and the whole time I couldn't help but think This sounds super familiar. And then it hit me - I'd ordered this book for our library years ago! The 100 TV show is based on (more like inspired by) this novel by Kass Morgan, and while the two are wildly different, they both are action packed and kept me on my toes!

So, a recap. The book follows four teens who, like the rest of the survivors of the human race, have spent their entire lives living on a space station. That's how it's been for the past 300 years, ever since war left the planet toxic. Strict rules are in place to ensure survival, and even minor infractions by adults are punishable by death. Minors are imprisoned with the chance at a retrial when they turn 18. But now the space station is dying, and people need to know if it's safe to return to the ground, so 100 juvenile criminals are sent down.  While they've each broken different laws, one thing becomes clear on Earth: there is no law here.

At first I was nervous when I saw how many different points of view there were, but I had absolutely no trouble following the story. Clarke, Bellamy, Wells, and Glass all have stories that intertwine, yet are each tackling their own demons, some of whom I was more sympathetic or empathetic to than others. I also felt like the pacing of events on the ground was much faster on Earth than the chapters taking place in space, but that could be because there were more characters there.

People expecting the book and show to be identical will be in for a surprise - other than the basic premise and some character names, these two stories are very different. This was some escapist reading for me, in a way reminding me of The Selection books by Kiera Cass - there's nothing too deep or complicated going on, but the story was engaging so I'll keep up with this series, on the page and on the screen.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Kass Morgan on Twitter

Short Story Saturday: Defy the Dark, Stillwater

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Defy the Dark.

Story: Stillwater
Author: Valerie Kemp
Summary: Pruitt and Delilah have nothing in common except an ancestor, some land, and a mutual hatred of their town of Stillwater, but things get even stranger as Pruitt starts seeing things and people that shouldn't be possible.
Thoughts: This one was a little strange and a weird and wonderful Doctor Who sort of way. The idea of certain things being forgotten when characters go to sleep was really interesting, and while this story didn't have a particulalry tidy ending (open endings are a frequent feature of short stories, I'm finding), I didn't really mind this time.

Twisted Sister: Fairest

Fairest by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles Prequel)
Feiwel and Friends, 2015

Yes I know this book just came out yesterday, but I already inhaled it and can't contain my excitement!! Cinder may be the first book in Marissa Meyer's epic Lunar Chronicles series, but the events that set our favorite cyborg's story in motion actually started long before she was even born and far away from New Beijing. It starts with an unhappy princess who hides from mirrors and is desperate to be loved, something she's never had before. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Levana.

Fairest is the story of Levana, the woman readers have come to know as the evil queen who has quite a twisted past. While this story is not long by this series' standards - 220 pages - it breathes a whole lot of insight into what made Levana into the horrible woman she is. The novel holds a classic question at its core: was Levana always evil, or did circumstances make her that way? It is my firm opinion after reading that it's a little of both. At times I was sympathetic to this young girl. Her older sister Channery is careless and heartless towards her and she has no friends, and these facts contribute to the choices she makes for the rest of her life, choices that she sees as justified and necessary, but any sane person can see are certifiable.

This novel is a welcome addition to the Lunar Chronicles universe, adding a lot to it. Though it is a prequel, especially given the first three chapters of the final book in the series Winter that are included here, I wouldn't recommend reading this book until after reading Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress. Doing so would mean spoiling some wonderful surprises that comes in those books. However, tucking Fairest in between Cress and Winter feels like perfect placement if you're reading this series for the first time.

I know this review is short and incredibly vague, but as a devout lover of this series, I don't want to spoil anything, it's that good! And now I'm even more excited for Winter, which I didn't think was humanly possible! Like I've been saying for years now, if you haven't read the Lunar Chronicles yet, what the heck are you waiting for?

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Marissa Meyer's Website
Marissa Meyer on Twitter

All You Need is Love: We Can Work It Out

We Can Work It Out by Elizabeth Eulberg (The Lonely Hearts Club #2)
Point, Expected Release Date: January 27, 2015

*ARC provided by the publisher via Liza Wiemer's Novel Cuisine Luncheon - thank you! This in no way impacted my opinions of this book.*

Elizabeth Eulberg's debut novel, The Lonely Hearts Club, was a love letter to two things: friendship and The Beatles. Penny Lane Bloom was a girl who had given up on guys and love, and found incredible strength and family in The Lonely Hearts Club, an all-girl group dedicated to the idea that you don't need a boyfriend to be happy. The girls are back in this adorable sequel, and Penny is as busy as ever. Not only does she still have the club to run, but a romance with Ryan, a completely wonderful guy. Penny wants it all, and she seems to have it for now, but can she really juggle this much for long?

While it's been a while since I read book one (a novel that easily stands on its own in case you're not one for series) and I was rusty on more than a few characters and relationships, I had no trouble getting back into the swing of Penny and her world. Eulberg crafts a story around a classic problem - taking on too much. I could completely identify with Penny in that she constantly spreads herself just a little too thin. She doesn't mean to, and she has good intentions, but people can only keep up that kind of pace for so long before crashing becomes inevitable. While at times she made choices that made me cringe, I could understand them. Heck, when I was 16/17, I probably did a lot of the same things, and I have no doubt that today's teens will also have no trouble seeing the world the way Penny does.

There were a few moments in here where things felt like a smidge bit too much - how many times can one girl seriously put her foot in her mouth or make the same mistake over and over? Also, like with the first book, I'm a bit concerned at how seriously the girls in the LHC must live by the rules they've set up -  lunch every day, meetings every Saturday night (no exceptions except for emergencies) - or maybe that's just Penny because she's the leader so she feels like she has to set the example. However, but the end of the novel, I was less worried. Here is a girl who grows, who learns the hard way that life is about balance. We give and we take and if we care about someone, we need to show it. That's how relationships work - not just the romantic ones, but the platonic ones too.

All in all, I really liked this book. It was great to get back into the lives of these characters and while there's plenty of drama in Penny's world, there's also a lot of humor and love. If you're looking for a book with colorful characters determined to take this thing called life head-on, look no further than the novels of Elizabeth Eulberg. You'll be in for a fun ride.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Elizabeth Eulberg's Website
Elizabeth Eulberg on Twitter

Short Story Saturday: Defy the Dark, Eyes in the Dark

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Defy the Dark.

Story: Eyes in the Dark
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Summary: Sam knows that spending time with her crush Kelley Hamilton is a bad idea, but she doesn't really question her decision to hang out with him one night until he takes her to the Cater Creek Bridge.
Thoughts: Scary! Granted I am a super huge pansy, but this was a so scary (and well written)! Horror and thriller are not my fortes, but if you like tales that will terrify you, then I'm sure you'll love this one.