3.5 Stars

Sweet story which, obviously, we all already knew how it would end.
It was fun seeing what Sean was thinking during all the times on the show when we just watched things happen.
All of the little peeks behind the scenes of the filming of the show were pretty cool too.

Some of the writing was a little contrived, and it took a long time for the book to actually get interesting. Hence, the 3.5 star status.

Overall, a fun, quick, and LIGHT read.

Damage Done tells the story of high school student Julia Vann, who is the sister of a boy who killed 11 students in a band room and then killed himself. Her family moved to another town and made a new identity for her-- Lucy Black. Completely devastated about the death of her twin brother and the fall out from him choices, Lucy struggles to fit in at a new school. After one year, she finally starts to grow some roots-- a best friend, Alane, and a boyfriend, Michael. However, after she finally seems to be happy, she realizes she is being followed by her brother's old psychiatrist. But why? And what does he want?

This book has one of the most unexpected endings I've ever read. I really enjoyed the twists and turns all the way there.

That being said, I didn't enjoy a lot of the build up. I found it implausible for Michael to completely fall for Lucy so quickly. I also found Lucy's relationships with her parents unbelievable. Also, the writing was hard to follow sometimes, and I would have to read passages a couple times to figure out who was doing what actions, etc.

Overall, I enjoyed the storyline, but not the little pieces that led us to the end.

This book was given to me by the publishers at NetGalley in order for an honest review

4 stars

Random Body Parts is a SUPER cute book of short poems about several different parts of the body, including the heart, the stomach, the eyelids, and the bloodstream. I absolutely loved several of the poems, while others were a little "eh" for me. The best part of the whole book (definitely warranting an extra half star) was the superb illustration work done by Mike Lowery. The next best part of this book was the little excerpts about each body part following the poem. They were easy to understand and also included prompts for how to sound out difficult words.


Overall, a cute book about human anatomy-- definitely would buy for a child who is interested in science/the body. Probably grades 3-5 appropriate

This book was provided to me by the publishers at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This is the same book as "The Woman with a Worm in Her Head." See that review.

I enjoyed the medical aspects of this book and I also enjoyed the descriptions of the different viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. However, I did not enjoy the personal parts of this book-- the parts about Dr. Nagami's life. I would have preferred more gross cases and less discussion of taking her daughter to birthday parties. That being said, this is a great read overall.

My Heart and Other Black Holes is a sort-of coming-of-age love story for Aysel, but definitely not in the way you would think-- or at least not ONLY in the way you would think.
Aysel is depressed after her father killed a local boy. She is sad because she misses her father, but mostly because she is terrified that his extreme moodiness and unpredictability resides within her. She works at a dead end job and refuses to participate in school because honestly, if you are planning on dying, then what's the point?
Enter Roman, aka FrozenRobot. Roman and Aysel make a pact to commit suicide together in one month. Neither is allowed to flake on the other. However, in their journey towards the end together, Aysel discovers that she wants to make a new beginning.... If only she can bring Roman with her.

The reason I gave this book 4/5 stars is because I wish the book had made more reference to the need for mental health and that it shouldn't be something that is stigmatizing. It almost seemed to glorify suicide, in a way.

That being said, this is a fantastic debut book and I look forward to Jasmine Warga's subsequent books.

Deliciously gory and gross. Definitely a suspenseful and scary book. I really enjoyed how unique it was and the descriptions of mythical creatures are pretty fun too. You never get too old for a good monster story

A beautiful book about first love that isn't quite so easy and wonderful as you expect it to be....

Interesting premise-- quick read