I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt, Illustrated by Cyd Moore is an adorable little book about the unconditional love between a mother and her son.

This one would be a great story to read out loud at bedtime!

My manager recommended this one to me, saying that it was her and her little boy's favorite. I can definitely see why!

This book was so much fun to read, and I can only imagine it would be more fun to read out loud with a kid!

The storyline flowed easily as the little boy asked his mom a bunch of "what if" questions. And of course, she had the best answers to each to help reassure the boy that she would indeed still love him even if he were a stinky skunk or meat-eating dinosaur.

The illustrations were lovely! I really enjoyed the little things in each such as the children in the background of one panel looking on as the boy ate a bug sandwich. And the colors were so bright and fun! Each page was so fun to look at.

I would definitely recommend this book! This is another that I will be gifting at birthdays and baby showers in the near future for sure!

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager is an intense thriller that will keep you totally immersed while it continuously throws you for a loop! Just when you think you know what's going on, something else will happen that you did not see coming.

Pick this one up on a day off. You won't be able to put it down!

I so incredibly thankful to have been part of the The Last Time I Lied blog tour. I had previously read Final Girls by Riley Sager and I LOVED it. So of course I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.

My thoughts:
Two truths and a lie-
1) This book was incredibly captivating
2) I enjoyed this one more than Riley's first novel, Final Girls
3) I cannot wait to see what Riley Sager does next

Spoiler; they were all truths!

I loved this book! From start to finish I was totally hooked!

This book was organized in such a wonderful way; the chapters were split between the present and fifteen years ago when Emma first went to the camp, and they were all told from Emma's POV. Each timeline was so interesting and they were woven together so perfectly. I loved that as the present storyline started to get intense, we were also learning more about the first time she was at the camp in a way that really cranked up the intensity of both timelines. This really kept me flipping the pages to see what would happen next!

On the long list of things I think Riley Sager is really great at is making the reader feel like we are
really in the main characters head. I really felt Emma's heartbreak, guilt, and her constant internal turmoil over not having the answers she needed in order to heal.

I didn't love Emma's character at first. Early on, there were a few scenes where I found myself getting a little irritated by Emma and how, for the lack of a better word, stupid she was was being. However, as the storyline progresses and you learn more and more about what happened in her past, it all starts to make sense. There was one point of the book where I stopped reading and thought, "Oh! This all makes sense now!" I can't wait to reread the book to see how I feel about Emma's character now that I know the full history.

I really loved that, as a reader, I really got behind all of Emma's theories about what had happened to the girls. The information was presented in a way that made total sense, which made each curveball even more shocking! On a quest for answers in situations, Emma was just so ready to dive whole-heartedly into each theory because it made perfect sense to her up until the last second where she got one more tiny piece of information that made the whole theory fall apart. This process made her a bit unreliable, especially in the eyes of other characters, but it also added to the suspense for the readers!

There was also a line in the beginning of the book that I highlighted thinking, oh this is definitely going to be important later... and it was. I LOVE when authors foreshadow like this!

My only complaints about this read were things that I definitely think will be cleaned up before release, so I didn't let them affect my rating. One slight complaint was about all of the typos and grammatical errors. There weren't a ton, but there were enough for me to feel the need to note it. My other complaint was simply the format of the mobi copy I was given. It was really out of whack.


My favorite passages:

*Please note: some of these passages may have changed in the last rounds of editing before the final copy was released*

I've heard Randall boast to potential buyers that my surfaces are like Van Gogh's, with paint cresting as high as an inch off the canvas. I prefer to think I paint like nature, where true smoothness is a myth, especially in the woods. The chipped ridges of tree bark. The speckle of moss on rock. Several autumns' worth of leaves coating the ground. That's the nature I try to capture with my scrapes and bumps and whorls of paint.

My future is quite literally a blank canvas, waiting for me to fill it.

Fifteen years. That's how long it's been. It feels like a lifetime ago. It also feels like yesterday.

This time around, I went overboard in the sporting goods store, snapping up items with the whirlwind of a romantic comedy heroine in a shopping montage.

One theory about the girls' disappearance is that they walked to the main road and hitched a ride. To Canada. To New England. To unmarked graves when they climbed into the cab of a deranged trucker.

He calls to me from the open door of the arts and crafts building. Like Franny's speech, nothing about his voice has changed. Hearing it sends more memories shooting into me. They hurt. Like a quiver of arrows to the gut.

The tension between us is like a fraying rope, pulled taut, ready to snap.

The flashlight remains off as I indulge myself with a view of the darkened sky above I'd forgotten how different night is here. Clearer than in the city. Unmarred by light pollution and constant air traffic, the sky spreads out like a vast canvas painted midnight blue and studded with stars.

Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

All those mistakes and humiliations following us as we march inevitably forward. There's no ignoring them.

It's like barbed wire that's been stretched between us - invisible yet keenly felt whenever one of us nudges against it.

Impatience nudges my ribs and shimmies down my legs.

People always prefer drama over the truth.

In that thin sliver of time, I assume that this is what death must feel like. Not a drift into deep slumber or a slow edge toward a warm light. Just a sudden halt. But then the pain arrives. A screaming, nerve-jolting pain that floods every part of me, telling me I'm still alive.

Having the truth revealed means you can finally start to unburden yourself of it.


My final thoughts:
I cannot wait to snag this one in print so I can give it another read! What an intense story! I loved how suspenseful it was, especially toward the end!

Bravo, Riley Sager!

DNF :(

All Summer Long by Hope Larson is a heartwarming and very relatable graphic novel about a thirteen year old girl who finds her true self over the course of just one summer.

This was the perfect read for a warm summer day!

I loved how realistic this story was! While I'm far outside of the target demographic here, I really connected with the main character, Bina. A lot of what she went through reminded me of things that I dealt with at her age.

The other characters in the story were interesting, even if they weren't the nicest to Bina. There were quite a few times where I wanted to shout, "Be nice to Bina! Being thirteen is hard!"

There was a fun level of humor in the novel as well that made me chuckle from time to time.

The overall storyline was wonderful! I really enjoyed the musical element and I loved watching Bina grow as a character. I would definitely like to see another edition or two so we could see her again in eighth grade and high school!


My favorite passage:
Lots of people spend forever looking for something they care about. Sometimes they never find it. But you already have, and you're doin' it, and you're gonna be great.


My final thoughts:
I really enjoyed this! I would definitely recommend it simply based on how realistic and humorous it is! This is definitely one I would highly recommend to middle grade graphic novel fans, and especially to eleven, twelve, and thirteen year olds!

The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott, illustrated by Robin Robinson is a wonderfully illustrated tale about a girl who lives a very sheltered and boring life. All she wants is to get a bit dirty and go on an adventure when suddenly, she finds herself on the other side of the vale! She is then thrust into a quest where the fate of the world depends on her.

The artwork of this graphic novel is lovely! To me, that was the best element. I loved how fun and colorful each panel was. The Seelie and Unseelie characters themselves were so interesting! I loved seeing new ones every now and again, even if they didn't play much of a part, other than just being in the background.

I was also a bit surprised with the slight violence. For some reason, I just wasn't expecting it in this graphic novel.

For main characters, Button was by far my favorite. He was so funny and I just loved his facial expressions! I also really liked Isabel and how quickly she was ready to dive in.

The overall story was interesting. While a bit predictable, I would still definitely recommend this one! It would be a great one to pick up and read through in one sitting when you're looking for something fun and light.

Deep Dark Fears by Fran Krause is a wonderful collection of illustrated fears that range from silly to the absolutely terrifying.

This was such an interesting collection! One of my takeaways was simply how one thing said by one person can stick with and totally haunt another for years and years!

One of my fears as a kid was about accidentally swearing...

I grew up in an old farm house that had a pond in the yard. When I was young, my parents told me that a thin blue dragonfly that we always saw flying around would come and sew my mouth shut if I swore. I was so terrified by that that I would keep my mouth pressed tightly closed when I was near the pond for YEARS so the dragonflies couldn't reach my lips, just in case. And of course I was so young that I never thought to ask why they didn’t sew Nana or my Dads mouths shut...

Back to the book!

Some of the fears from this collection were rather strange to me, some were creepy, and some had me chuckling. Some of the fears made me nervous because I hadn’t thought about something like that happening before. While other fears were shocking because they were SO accurate for me.

I mean, fears #7, #18, #43, and #61...

I also really loved how the book was framed. First there was a short introduction where the author explained the collection. Getting a little background info on the comics that were coming up was lovely and the dramatic effect was fun! Then later, the book ended with shoutouts to those that sent in their stories.

My final thoughts:
Overall, I thought this was a wonderful collection! Though not one to read right before bed.... when I went to the bathroom I couldn’t look in the mirror... And when I went to get into bed after shutting off the light, I ran and jumped onto the bed, making sure no body parts hung over the edge....

And then the book didn't end there! I immediately logged on to Instagram when I got into bed to check out the Deep Dark Fears Instagram feed. I spent far too much time very late at night scrolling through and reading additional comics!

Dead Ends by Tony Moyle is the third book in the How To Survive the Afterlife book series. If you're looking for a humorous read with some great characters, I highly recommend this series!

I took my time getting through this one so I could really take it all in. Even so, I was so sad when it ended simply because I didn't want it to end!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

“Notes from Book 2” section- I love that Tony adds a little section like this to get the reader back into in the story! This is such a useful addition!

I also really enjoyed that in the first few chapters, when we first see each character again, Tony finds the perfect way to give a little recap. Whether it was in an inner monologue the character has, during a conversation with another character, or simply in a quick summary in the narrative.

Speaking of characters, it was so great to see my favorites back again! Sandy was still power hungry and bossy. Roger was still a bit insufferable. Vicky was so condescending and funny. The sloth, Gary, was too funny! I loved seeing his dialogue and how his storyline progressed. Brimstone was perfect and hilarious! Nash was great! Scrumpy was so adorable! He is still one of my top favorites, especially when he was being a bit fresh with other characters! Grace was a bit quiet, as she mulled everything over. But man, when she had her speaking lines, they were so powerful! Ian was still an adorable mess.

There were also a bunch of new characters! My favorites have to be the sheets of paper that folded themselves into humanoid origami. These creatures were called the Accountants of Neutopia! The ones that panicked and folded themselves into planes or paper fortune tellers just cracked me up! I also loved how they poked fun at Accountant A being in charge, even though they had just come into being. Accountant M was my favorite! I loved how quick and witty he was! For example, in this exchange with Accountant A:

"Improvise."
"With what?" asked M.
"Your minds."
"My mind is logical. I don't think it does improvisation. Isn't that more of a creative thing?"
"God! M, you're more inquisitive than a four year old."
"Then it would appear I'm a quick developer."
"You're a pain in the arse."

And lastly, I've said this before, but I will keep saying it for any novel that Tony uses this writing style in; I LOVE the way he begins some chapters seemingly out in left field, but then suddenly it jumps right back into the story and it all makes sense. For example here, chapter three. The first nine paragraphs are all about hospitals and the stressors that are related, all written out in a hysterical way. Then suddenly, we're back in the story because a character is standing outside of a hospital. Just wonderful!

First things first, I have to say that this is such a stunning cover!! I love the design so much. The design of the naked cover is stunning as well. This one would definitely be on my list of all time favorite covers!

Unfortunately, the content just wasn't for me.

DNF

I was SO excited to pick this one up when my work book club pitched it... but when I finally bought a copy and started reading... I just wasn't into it.

My first hesitation came when I saw that the story would be narrated by different characters. It takes a LOT for me to enjoy this format; the characters all need to be very different and have their own tones, each storyline needs to add to my overall feelings of the story, and they cannot be repetitive.

Unfortunately in this case, I just didn't care about any of the characters. Not a single one. And with the different narratives, I found it to be very repetitive, especially with Inan and Zélie. From the storyline standpoint, I didn't care to see where things were going. And with the writing, there were too many similes for me.

So first of all...all the mention of Vlad the Impaler? What a let down. Sure the fathers name was Vlad. We saw two (maybe it was three?) people being tortured, but it wasn't graphic at all. It wasn't the least bit "scary" or "thrilling."

Things I liked about this book (in order):
#1- The cover
#2- A handful of quotes/passages (at the bottom of this review)
#3- ONE particular scene...

Now onto my negative thoughts...

I was so excited for this book.... but this was a total miss for me. I think giving it two stars is being generous. I wanted to like it so badly that I read the first 80 pages, stopped, read a different book, and then restarted this one. I thought it was going better the second time around, but no. This one threatened to put me into a slump but I was determined to finish it in hopes that it would pull me in. It didn't. I should have added it to my DNF list.

I felt like we could have used some more backstory to better understand the setting and time. It felt to me, that I was dropped into a second book in a series, though this was the first...

I didn't care for any of the characters. In fact, I found most of them to be either incredibly selfish to the point of annoyance or underdeveloped so they didn't even seem like the same characters at times. Obviously they all went through a lot and changed over time, but they seemed to be strong one second and too childlike the next and it just didn't work for me.

I felt that the storyline dragged on and didn't hold my interest at all. The overall flow also kept throwing me for a loop and I was confused about how much time had passed and what was happening, especially with the varying POV's and how they overlapped from time to time.

I also caught on to a lot of repetition and got really annoyed. Especially when it came to the love interests...

There was one scene that I found really interesting, but it was only a couple pages long.

The cover is absolutely stunning. By far my favorite part of the book :(

I would not recommend this book to friends.

There were a few lines/passages I did like, however:
“If Lada was the spiky green weed that sprouted in the midst of a drought-cracked riverbed, Radu was the delicate, sweet rose that wilted in anything less than the perfect conditions.”

"Lada's eyes burned with a look the nurse had come to dread. That look meant injury, destruction, or fire. Often all three."

"There are other ways to beat someone than with fists."

"They trust a smile more than a promise that you will leave them choking on their own blood."
Lada snorted. "Yes, but my promise is more sincere than your smiles."
She was right, of course.

Radu looked over his shoulder at his responsibilities. He did not want to misbehave, or draw attention, or do anything that would bring punishment down on his head.
But it was simply too hot for worry.

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler is a frustrating but heartwarming story about a girl in high school that is struggling to get comfortable in her own skin while navigating the both the tricky world of high school and some very difficult family situations.

This was one of my favorite books in high school. In fact, when I finished reading this for the first time, I immediately put it in the hands of one of my classmates. I made such a fuss about this book, that it soon made the rounds through our high school. Granted, it was a small school, so making the rounds didn't take too long. I was just so excited to share it!

Finally, 10 years later... I've finally reread it and it was just as enjoyable the second time around!

The very first sentence of this book is: Froggy Welsh the Forth is trying to get up my shirt. What a funny line to begin with; I love it!

I adore this book. It's one that I wish was on required reading lists, but I know that would never happen. It just covers so many really important and difficult topics such as struggles with body image, self harm, fat shaming, eating disorders, date rape, tricky family dynamics, and others. All things that high schoolers should be talking about rather than brushing aside or trying to cover up.

Many of the characters in the book are so lovely and so realistic! I absolutely love Virginia and I really enjoyed watching her transform into her true (and happy!) self. Froggy was also lovely, especially on the last page! And the scene of him trying to act out crawling under a bed during French class will always make me chuckle.

The relationship between Virginia and Froggy was also very realistic. I remember really pulling for them when I first read this book, and it was the same the second time around.

Shannon, Virginia's best friend, and her parents were a refreshingly fun family to read about, especially compared to what Virginia was dealing with back home. The chapters in Seattle are some of my favorites in the book!

Another couple of characters that need shout-outs is Dr. Love and Mrs Crowley.

I really liked that Dr. Love really drove home the health aspect of things, and how the way a body looks isn't everything. I was so sad when Virginia let her mother into the room after her exam, so I was very glad that she had another scene with the doctor alone later on.

Mrs Crowley was so good for Virginia and helped steer her in the right direction with her body image. I remember really appreciating her gentle methods when I first read this. She wasn't too pushy with trying to get Virginia comfortable with her body image, she let her get there on her own by simply sharing things about her own life. I wish Virginia had been more patient with Mrs Crowley, because I feel like there could have been more to learn from that relationship.

Was some of this book a bit harsh? Absolutely.

The way that "being fat" is brought up time and time again was more difficult for me to read this time around. However, I also remember so clearly the first time I read this, that rather than focusing in on the language, I focused in on the main point; how hard we all are on ourselves when it comes to body image.

We're absolutely rotten! Far too often we think of ourselves as too this, or too that. We obsess over losing weight, toning up, gaining weight, and so on, and so on. We're so obsessed with the way we look, that we let it affect other aspects of our lives...


My favorite passages:
It’s not like Froggy Welsh the Fourth is a huge catch. First of all, there’s his name. Not a nickname for Frank or Frederick or even Frog. I’m still shocked that his great-great-grandparents named a son Froggy. But what astounds me to no end is that three subsequent generations decided to follow suit.

It’s probably time to write a list. That’s what I do whenever I’m overwhelmed and confused. It’s not like I figure out any huge answers, but I always feel better after my thoughts are in writing.

I can spend an entire evening memorizing irregular verbs, but when I wake up the next morning, it’s like they’ve leaked out of my brain and onto my pillow.

If some people’s faces are open books, Mom’s is one of those leather-bound diaries with a lock in the front and a long-lost key.

She has the whitest teeth I have ever seen in my entire life, like a row of peppermint Chiclets.


My final thoughts:
An all around great read! I would highly recommend this one, especially to high schoolers. But of course I would also caution readers about the difficult topics it covers.