The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

Karen M. McManus is a must read for me.  Since reading her debut novel, One of Us Is Lying, I was hooked.  I have been highly anticipating her latest novel, The Cousins, since it was first announced, seemingly forever ago.  And I have to say, it didn't disappoint.  McManus is such a great story teller.  She is a master of the mystery and will keep you guessing throughout.  As with her previous novels, this one will keep you on the edge of your seat as you discover all the twists and turns that this story provides.  If you like a good mystery novel, you can't go wrong with The Cousins.

This novel is the story of three cousins, Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah, who barely know each other.  Their parents come from the ultra-rich Story family, but were cutoff and disinherited by their mother many years ago, when they were all young adults.  Mysteriously, these three cousins all get a letter from their grandmother, whom they have never met, inviting them to come to Gull Cove Island and work at the Story family resort for the summer.  While the kids are all a bit hesitant, their parents insist they go.  This could, after all, get them back in the good graces (and of course the will) of Mildred Story.  But when these cousins arrive on the island, they quickly discover that they were most likely brought there on false pretenses.  Their grandmother takes no real interest in them, the family lawyer is more interested in getting them off the island, and there are more questions than answers when it comes to why their parents were disinherited all those years ago.  As the mystery unravels, the reader will be hanging on to every twist this story can throw at them.   

 

From Amazon: 

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying comes your next obsession. You'll never feel the same about family again.

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised . . . and curious.

Their parents are all clear on one point--not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious--and dark--their family's past is.

The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over--and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.

Dear Child by Romy Hausmann

So this book came to me on a recommendation from Andrew Smith.  As a general rule, if Andrew says so, I read it.  And as expected, Dear Child by Romy Hausmann did not disappoint.  This story is terrifying in all the right ways.  It will keeping you guessing throughout, trying to figure out who you can trust and who you can't.  If you love those WTF?!?! moments in a book, this one will definitely deliver.  It was just unfortunate that I had students in my room when I read one of those parts.  I really wanted to yell out loud, but I restrained myself.  If you are looking for a read that will keep you on edge and take you on a roller coaster of emotions, look no further than Dear Child.  This one will for sure be on my list of favorite books of 2020!

 

From Amazon: 

“[A] tantalizingly disturbing debut…As enthralling as it is thought-provoking.” -New York Times Book Review

Bustle Best Books of Fall 2020
Publishers Weekly Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers of Fall 2020
She Reads Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2020

A woman held captive finally escapes―but can she ever really get away?

Gone Girl meets Room in this page-turning, #1 internationally bestselling thriller from one of Germany’s hottest new talents

A windowless shack in the woods. A dash to safety. But when a woman finally escapes her captor, the end of the story is only the beginning of her nightmare.

She says her name is Lena. Lena, who disappeared without a trace 14 years prior. She fits the profile. She has the distinctive scar. But her family swears that she isn’t their Lena.

The little girl who escaped the woods with her knows things she isn’t sharing, and Lena’s devastated father is trying to piece together details that don’t quite fit. Lena is desperate to begin again, but something tells her that her tormentor still wants to get back what belongs to him…and that she may not be able to truly escape until the whole truth about what happened in the woods finally emerges.

Twisty, suspenseful, and psychologically clever, Romy Hausmann's Dear Child is a captivating thriller with all the ingredients of a breakout hit.

“Chilling, original and mesmerizing.” ―David Baldacci

All the Pretty Things by Emily Arsenault

All the Pretty Things by Emily Arsenault is a delightful mystery novel that may also have you devastated as the truth comes to light.  While a mystery, this story is all about family and friendship and what exactly those things mean when they don't always fit together.  The main setting for this story is an amusement park, Fabuland, and all that goes along with it.  This setting makes for a fun place to be as Ivy tries to unravel the mysterious death of Ethan, a coworker and classmate, who appears to have fallen off a bridge walking home from work one night.  Ivy was out of town at the time, but her best friend Morgan is the one who found Ethan's body.  This discovery has shaken Morgan to the core.  As Ivy begins to ask questions about the night of Ethan's death, she soon discovers there is more to Morgan's fragile mental state than just her gruesome discovery.  Ivy now has to figure out what role her father, the owner of Fabuland, has played in all the strange things that have been going on with the employees at the park.  Arsenault keeps the read on edge throughout this enjoyable novel. 

 

From Amazon: 

"A skillfully plotted mystery, bursting with the glare and feverish energy of its summer amusement park setting." --Holly Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

For fans of Sadie and The Cheerleaders comes an all new thriller about a boy who turns up dead under suspicious circumstances and the one girl who may be the key to solving the mystery of his untimely death.

For Ivy, summer means roller-coaster season, spinning cotton candy at the Fabuland amusement park, and hanging out with her best friend, Morgan. But this summer is different.

One morning, Morgan finds a dead body. It's their former classmate and coworker Ethan. To make matters worse, Morgan is taken to a hospital psych ward only days later, and she's not saying much--not even to Ivy.

The police claim that Ethan simply took a bad fall, but Ivy isn't convinced and realizes it's up to her to get answers. What she finds is unsettling--it's clear that some people aren't being honest about Ethan's last night at Fabuland. Including Morgan. And the more secrets Ivy uncovers, the closer she gets to unraveling dark truths that will change her life forever.

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

Dear Justyce is the incredible follow up to Nic Stone's bestselling debut, Dear Martin.  This book is important and powerful and will stick with the reader longer after turning the final pages.  It is about the injustice our young people often face in the juvenile justice system.  It is a novel about the trauma that youth often face in their own homes and the impact it has on their lives.  Most importantly, this is a story about the importance of having people in your life who truly believe in you. 

Dear Justyce tells the story of Quan, a young man who has been incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit.  Through flashbacks and letters to his childhood friend Justyce, we learn what has put Quan where he is.  Through the trauma of a troubled childhood, Quan finds a group of people who fulfill his familial needs.  But his loyalty causes him to take the rap for a crime he didn't commit.  As he awaits trial nearly two years after being arrested, he suddenly finds himself surrounded by a support team who truly believes in him, including Justyce, who has just completed his first year of pre-law at Yale.  When Quan finally tells Justyce that he didn't do what he has been accused of, Justyce puts together a team that is intent on giving Quan a chance at a new life.  Having people with a true belief in him gives Quan a new outlook on a life that he felt, and was often told, was destined for a prison cell.  With the support that he always lacked, Quan now has the chance at a life that he not only wants, but one he deserves. 

The stunning sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin. Incarcerated teen Quan writes letters to Justyce about his experiences in the American juvenile justice system. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Angie Thomas.

In the highly anticipated sequel to her New York Times bestseller, Nic Stone delivers an unflinching look into the flawed practices and silenced voices in the American juvenile justice system.

Vernell LaQuan Banks and Justyce McAllister grew up a block apart in the Southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Wynwood Heights. Years later, though, Justyce walks the illustrious halls of Yale University . . . and Quan sits behind bars at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center.

Through a series of flashbacks, vignettes, and letters to Justyce--the protagonist of Dear Martin--Quan's story takes form. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school give rise to police encounters and tough decisions. But then there's a dead cop and a weapon with Quan's prints on it. What leads a bright kid down a road to a murder charge? Not even Quan is sure.

"A powerful, raw, must-read told through the lens of a Black boy ensnared by our broken criminal justice system." -Kirkus, Starred Review

Bye-Bye, Blue Creek by Andrew Smith

Bye-Bye, Blue Creek is the latest middle grade novel from the incomparable Andrew Smith.  This is the sequel to The Size of the Truth, his first novel in the Sam Abernathy series.  It is such a fun novel about growing up and letting go.  It is about holding on to those things that are most important to us, while at the same time accepting what the future holds.  Sam is such an enjoyable character and this story about his last days before starting high school is a beautiful way to inform the reader about this boy we encountered years before.  

We first met Sam in Smith's YA novel Stand Off.  In this newest story, Sam is getting ready to leave his small Texas town of Blue Creek and head to school in Pine Mountain, Oregon.  As a 12 year old incoming freshman, this is a pretty scary prospect.  Sam is preparing to say goodbye to all that he has ever known: his family, his friends, this quirky little town.  And as he embarks on a scary little adventure in his last days in Blue Creek, Sam learns that saying goodbye doesn't mean it's the end.  In fact, this is just the beginning of a wonderful adventure to come. 

From Amazon: 

Sam Abernathy prepares to leave home for the first time in this charming follow-up to award-winning author Andrew Smith’s The Size of Truth.

Vampires have just moved in to the haunted house next door.

All twelve-year-old Sam Abernathy wanted to do was make the most of his last few weeks in Blue Creek before he has to say goodbye. Goodbye to the well he fell in eight years ago; goodbye to cooking at Lily Putt’s snack bar; goodbye to his overdramatic best friend, Karim; goodbye to unsweetened iced tea at Colonel Jenkins’s Diner every Saturday with Bahar (who he does not have a crush on); goodbye to his old life.

But the arrival of the Monster People throws a wrench into his plans. Things only get worse when the new family hires Bahar to babysit their child, Boris, who is almost certainly a cannibal. And then—scariest of all—they employ Sam’s catering services. He can’t possibly say no.

If he doesn’t survive the summer, Sam might not have to say bye-bye to Blue Creek at all.

Thoughts & Prayers by Bryan Bliss

My latest read is the new novel from Bryan Bliss, Thoughts & Prayers.  This one is immensely powerful and uniquely told.  Bliss's novel is all about our reaction to trauma and the healing that must come from it.  It is about connecting with those around you and finding peace in their presence.  Even in shared trauma, we all heal differently, and Bliss has given us a novel, told in three different stories, about the different ways in which we find help.  

Thoughts & Prayers is a beautifully told story about three teens, Claire, Eleanor, and Brezzen, who are all survivors of a school shooting.  Each have handled the trauma in different ways, but each are searching for a path to healing.  While told in three separate stories, they are all connected to one traumatic and shared event in the lives of these three students.  This novel is powerful and important and will help the reader understand the trauma our kids go through each time we face these unspeakable acts. 

From Amazon: 

"In his unflinching and resonant new novel, Bryan Bliss shows that there is no straight line through trauma, no easy recipe for healing. Instead, in three loosely connected stories of young people bound by an all-too familiar tragedy, he deftly illuminates the small  moments of human connection and resolve that might just lead to a place of grace."—Gayle Forman, bestselling author of If I Stay and I Have Lost My Way

Fight. Flight. Freeze. What do you do when you can’t move on, even though the rest of the world seems to have? 

For readers of Jason Reynolds, Marieke Nijkamp, and Laurie Halse Anderson. Powerful and tense, Thoughts & Prayers is an extraordinary novel that explores what it means to heal and to feel safe in a world that constantly chooses violence.

Claire, Eleanor, and Brezzen have little in common. Claire fled to Minnesota with her older brother, Eleanor is the face of a social movement, and Brezzen retreated into the fantasy world of Wizards & Warriors.

But a year ago, they were linked. They all hid under the same staircase and heard the shots that took the lives of some of their classmates and a teacher. Now, each one copes with the trauma as best as they can, even as the world around them keeps moving.

Told in three loosely connected but inextricably intertwined stories, National Book Award–longlisted author Bryan Bliss’s Thoughts & Prayers follows three high school students in the aftermath of a school shooting. Thoughts & Prayers is a story about gun violence, but more importantly it is the story of what happens after the reporters leave and the news cycle moves on to the next tragedy. It is the story of three unforgettable teens who feel forgotten.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

One of my absolute favorite authors, Tiffany D. Jackson, has once again given readers an unbelievably powerful story.  If she writes it, I am going to read it, and this one, like every other novel she has written, did not disappoint.  In this dark and gritty story, Jackson gives us a novel about the abuse of power that adults often inflict on young victims.  It is about how fame and money often causes people to look away when they should be looking deeper.  This is a novel about trauma and the perseverance to survive and move on.  But most importantly it is a novel about how often we don't believe the victims, especially when they are people of color.   Just like her other novels, this one is timely and important and one that should force you to open your eyes to the things we often overlook in our world.  

Grown is the story of Enchanted Jones, an aspiring young singer.  While on an audition, Enchanted catches the eye of Korey Fields, one of the biggest superstars in the music industry.  Korey sees something special in her voice.  And as he convinces her parents to let him make a star out of her, he also starts to seduce this young woman.  The sweet and loving side of Korey is often replaced with a terrifying and abusive man who continues to isolate and abuse Enchanted.  When she wakes up one morning covered in blood, she becomes the prime suspect in Korey's murder.  Did all the trauma she endured finally cause her to snap or did someone frame her for a crime she didn't commit.  Either way, what we see is a group of adults who covered for a man who knew what he was doing was wrong.  We see a group of adults who don't believe the accuser because she is young and black.  Jackson begs us to listen to the victims and condemn the abusers.  This is just another masterpiece in the works of Tiffany D. Jackson. 

 

From Amazon: 

An instant New York Times bestseller! “Grown exposes the underbelly of a tough conversation, providing a searing examination of misogynoir, rape culture, and the vulnerability of young black girls. Groundbreaking, heart-wrenching, and essential reading for all in the #MeToo era.” —Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles 

Award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another riveting, ripped-from-the-headlines mystery that exposes horrific secrets hiding behind the limelight and embraces the power of a young woman’s voice.

When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields?

Before there was a dead body, Enchanted’s dreams had turned into a nightmare. Because behind Korey’s charm and star power was a controlling dark side. Now he’s dead, the police are at the door, and all signs point to Enchanted.

“Never have I read a story that so flawlessly hits the highest high and lowest low notes of Black girlhood in pursuit of the American Dream.” —Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin and Jackpot