ebook review: Carefully Everywhere Descending

Audrey Anderson has one chance to escape poverty—excel academically and get into a good school. She’ll let nothing stand between her and her goal: not dating and certainly not snotty Scarlett West. The girls can’t stand each other, so why is Scarlett hanging around Audrey and getting under Audrey’s skin—in more ways than one?
Scarlett needs a tutor, and Audrey doesn’t want the job. She still resents Scarlett offering to pay Audrey to do her homework, but her compassionate best friend talks Audrey into giving Scarlett a second chance. The more time they spend together, the harder it becomes for Audrey to fight her growing attraction to the other young woman.
At the same time, Audrey’s interest in her new neighbor’s bizarre behavior gnaws at her, and she can’t leave the mystery alone. Her relentless curiosity might cost her everything. 

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My review:

Unpopular opinion time. I liked this book. Let's go Star by star:

1, readability: The flow was easy and the sentences were smooth. Subject matter aside, this is the kind of writing voice I craved as a high schooler.

2, plot: When you're reading YA romance, there typically isn't a whole lot of plot. But I did like what happened at the end. I'm not sure if maybe the other reviewers weren't paying attention during the novel, but I didn't find it out of left field at all.

3, Characters: I honestly had a crush on Scarlett because I knew a girl like her in High School and had a crush on that girl. I loved that Audrey is so studious and focused on her future. And Amber is so sweet, I was actually totally hoping she and Audrey would end up hooking up. The whole thing with Mitchell was a little weird, but you know. Writer's license. 

4, predictibility: Did not see the ending coming. I loved it. 

5, buyability: I would definitely recommend getting the kindle book, since you may be of the slightly more popular opinion that you don't like it. But personally, I would definitely buy a print book for a younger friend of mine.

Book source: Netgalley

Review: Even You

Impetuous isn’t a word you'd use to describe Claire Bramany. She’s capable, reliable and steady. But when a sudden accident in Brooklyn in 1995 takes the life of her lover, Jessie Friedman, Claire’s world implodes. And worse is soon to come: while cleaning out Jessie’s desk, Claire finds hidden journals that tell long-buried secrets of Jessie's western girlhood. Jessie’s account of Tulsa in 1944 appears innocent and playful, at first. Her days are peopled with quirky characters--especially Uncle Jimmy, an honest-to-goodness teenage hero just back from war-torn Europe. He’s Jessie's favorite, until the afternoon he makes his move on nine-year-old Jessie. No secrets, secrets kill: this was the promise Claire and Jessie had made to each other. But in twenty-three years together with Jessie, Claire never heard of any Uncle Jimmy, much less any sexual violation. Shattered, yearning to reconnect with the Jessie she thought she knew, Claire heads out to Oklahoma to find this man. Is the story in the journals true? If so, has Claire any other course than to avenge Jimmy's hideous crimes…?
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My Review:

I've been reading a lot of books lately with a similar theme to the one found in this book, when grief turns up new information and the ones left behind get latched on to an obsession in the name of finding closure. But even tough it's a similar theme, this book was poignantly written and a delight to read. I found myself drawn to Claire's character in her quest to come to terms with Jessie's death. It was pretty refreshing to read an LGBT+ book from the point of view of middle aged women. Not that points of view from teenagers aren't important, but there are so many of them. How are those who survived puberty supposed to relate to anyone older in books? While this book would make a fine addition to my shelf, I'm afraid it wouldn't be read too often. That said, I recommend borrowing it first or getting the cheaper kindle version before making your decision on the physical copy. My rating: 4.5

Book Review: Mad About the Hatter by Dakota Chase

This isn’t his sister’s Wonderland….

Henry never believed his older sister, Alice’s, fantastic tales about the world down the rabbit hole. When he’s whisked away to the bizarre land, his best chance for escape is to ally himself with the person called the Mad Hatter. Hatter—an odd but strangely attractive fellow—just wants to avoid execution. If that means delivering “Boy Alice” to the Queen of Hearts at her Red Castle, Hatter will do what he has to do to stay alive. It doesn’t matter if Henry and Hatter find each other intolerable. They’re stuck with each other.

Along their journey, Henry and Hatter must confront what they’ve always accepted as truth. As dislike grows into tolerance and something like friendship, the young men see the chance for a closer relationship. But Wonderland is a dangerous place, and first they have to get away with their lives.
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My Review:
Netgalley gave me this to review
Alice's brother, Henry, has never believed her tales about where she went when she disappeared. So Alice decided to do something about it. She sent him to Wonderland with only one piece of advice: "Mind the Mad Hatter."
Hatter, on the other hand, is imprisoned by the Red Queen. The only promise of keeping his head is delivering Henry (known as Boy Alice) to have his head off instead.

Mad About Hatter is a great throwback for lovers of the Wonderland series and variations of it. I get the feeling the emotional scenes were meant to be more emotional, but the light hearted lexicon of the book kind of glossed them over. What I did appreciate, though, was Hatter's self description of being just right out bisexual. Personally, I feel bisexuals don't have nearly enough representation in a publishing industry that is still largely of a black-and-white mentality.

Overall, this is a well written book with great characters and the overhanging question of What Will Happen To Henry that keeps you going and a romance that keeps you rooting for the adorable couple to be okay.

My rating: 4.7 (rounded to 5)