From the book blurb:

Adorkable (ah-dor-kuh-bul): Descriptive term meaning to be equal parts dorky and adorable. For reference, see Sally Spitz.

Seventeen-year-old Sally Spitz is done with dating. Or at least, she's done with the horrible blind dates/hookups/sneak attacks her matchmaking bestie, Hooker, sets her up on. There's only so much one geek girl and Gryffindor supporter can take.

Her solution: she needs a fake boyfriend. And fast.

Enter Becks, soccer phenom, all-around-hottie, and Sally's best friend practically since birth. When Sally asks Becks to be her F.B.F. (fake boyfriend), Becks is only too happy to be used. He'd do anything for Sal--even if that means giving her PDA lessons in his bedroom, saying she's "more than pretty," and expertly kissing her at parties.

The problem: Sally's been in love with Becks all her life--and he's completely clueless.

This book features two best friends, one special edition Yoda snuggie, countless beneath-the-ear kisses and begs the question:

Who wants a real boyfriend when faking it is so much more fun?

This book is exactly what it promises to be: sweet, adorable and fun.

I found Sally amazingly relatable in all her nerdiness (I just wish I'd had Becks in my life!).  When you're a teen there is so much pressure to find a boyfriend/girlfriend, and let's face sometimes it isn't easy. Especially, if deep down in your heart, you know you have already found your perfect boy. He just doesn't seem to be interested in you romantically, because you've known each other for all your lives and he is your best friend.

Sounds predictable? You know how the story is going to work out? That's because you're romantic ! :-)
In real life, very often you don't find courage to take your friendship to the next level and see if you might be perfect for each other - even if you don't realize it, that's exactly what you're doing by asking your BFF become your fake boyfriend. And there are plenty of reasons for your fake couple to become a real one: you already trust each other, you spend lots of time together, you know things about each other that other people don't and you hope will never find out...You just need a bit of time and being honest with yourselves to say: my feelings are not fake and I want you to know it, whatever comes!

 I think it is clear by now that I love this trope and never get tired of seeing it re-told with new, fascinating characters such as smart, witty, self-conscious Sally and popular and charming Becks. It was a quick, fun read, and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Entangled Teen for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

n

From the blurb:

In a land where magic is outlawed, eight criminals led by seventeen-year-old Larkin are sent on a mission to kill an ancient evil that plagues their kingdom. Descending into an underground realm full of unspeakable horrors, Larkin and her party must use their forbidden magic to survive what lies in wait, teeth sharp and jaws deadly.

As she fights for her life, Larkin finds a light in Amias, a fellow outlaw with a notorious past. Soon Larkin and Amias realize their fates are entwined. The eight of them were chosen for a reason.

But as the dangers multiply and her band of felons are picked off one by one, Larkin must confront a terrible truth: They were never meant to return.


My thoughts:
Seventeen year old Larkin is a miner who comes from a family of Empaths, magic users who can channel other people's emotions and use them to create or destroy things. Not that they get a lot of practice doing that. Magic is absolutely forbidden by the law.  Empaths are all but enslaved by non-magic users and their queen Melay, who can break their families by sending some members to farms while others earn meager wages mining luminite, a rare mineral that suppresses the Emapath magic by blocking their ability to sense other people's emotions. Emapaths have no surnames and are not allowed to learn to read. Larkin knows her wages and her brother Garran's keep her family from starvation, yet when humiliated and provoked by a shopkeeper's disdain, she uses a tiny bit of destruction magic to create a diversion that allows her to steal a bit of food. Very soon she and Garran are arrested and taken to the Queen's dungeons. Larkin would give anything to fix the situation and protect her brother's life. Even draw the Queen's attention to herself when Melay appears to be choosing several inmates for a dangerous mission. There are eight of them: six Empath teenagers, an Empath soldier (a rarity in itself), and a non-Empath scholar. The Queen tells them that dark destruction magic is being used by unknown forces and there have been multiple disappearances from the farms. She sent her soldiers to investigate the underground area called the Reach where a thousand of years ago seven rebel Empaths were imprisoned together with their leader Kyran. Old legends say the darkness will rise. Could the mysterious disappearances and the fact that the soldiers never made their way back to the surface have something to do with this ancient lore?
As the Queen holds Garran and and the families of the other six Empaths as her leverage, Larkin and her party must descend into the Reach with one week worth of food and water, find and kill Kyran. The good news is that luminite is a surface mineral, so they will be able to protect themselves by using their forbidden magic. The bad news is that since it has been outlawed for such long time, they haven't had much practice.

The magic system is very clear and interesting in this book. We often read about mind-readers, but what about emotion-readers? Wouldn't it be fascinationg to be able to read and use the mood of other people to be able to create various objects or destroy obstacles? In Larkin's world it is impossible to live alone- you wouldn't be able to feel the calm and joy that comes from other people's company, even fear, rage and anxiety have their usefulness- they just have to be acknowledged and controlled.
Larkin is a strong character and I am always on a lookout for great female leads. The blurb might have led you to think that there will be multiple points of view in the book. There is only one, Larkin's, and while it certainly helped to flesh out her character, at least hald of the others remained less developed, especially the ones who died closer to the beginning of their horrifying adventure.
The book was conceived as a duology and then was re-written as a standalone. On plus side, we still get great worldbuilding and the action starts really soon. On the other hand, some things we learn from the characters talking about old legends, while we could have been shown, not told. For example, I am still not clear about the reasons for the conflict between the original non-magic Queen Ilona and Kyran. I would have also preferred to meet the other disciples in their sectors of the Reach.
The ending also seemed a bit rushed. As I read I could almost envisage which parts would have been developped in the second book of the duology.
I would define the genre of this book as horror/ dark fantasy. There is definitely enough blood and gore, so it is better to go in the book expecting these elements. I am a bit claustrophobic, so there was one particluar scene that made me feel for poor Larkin and her companions. This book would make an excellent read for a Halloween readathon or a book club for slightly older teenagers who enjoy this kind of stories.
Finally, I just loved the cover. It is dark and beautiful, and perfectly matches the mood of this book.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Henry Holt for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Book synopsis from Goodreads:

How much does the internet know about YOU? A thought-provoking near future YA thriller that could not be more timely as it explores issues of online privacy, artificial intelligence, and the power and perils of social networks.

Because her mom is always on the move, Steph hasn’t lived anyplace longer than six months. Her only constant is an online community called CatNet—a social media site where users upload cat pictures—a place she knows she is welcome. What Steph doesn’t know is that the admin of the site, CheshireCat, is a sentient A.I.

When a threat from Steph’s past catches up to her and ChesireCat’s existence is discovered by outsiders, it’s up to Steph and her friends, both online and IRL, to save her.

Catfishing on CatNet is a surprising, heartfelt near-future YA thriller by award-winning author Naomi Kritzer, whose short story “Cat Pictures Please” won the Hugo Award and Locus Award and was a finalist for the Nebula.

My thoughts:
One of my favourite reads this year. The story does go to some extent into thought-provoking questions on how much information about us is available to any serious hacker or an AI and how trusting we are of the good intentions of those who have become a member of our social network closer circle. But it isn't all dark and gloomy, quite the opposite. It is more about our fundamental desire to make friendships and find people we belong with.

Steph Taylor has changed six high schools. Her slightly paranoid mother keeps moving every couple months and Steph hasn't even worked out what triggers these frequent moves. Mom says Steph's father is a psychopath who once already burnt their house and cat and the only way to keep safe is to keep a low profile and run at the first sign of danger. Steph would do anything to keep her mom happy, but their lifestyle choice also means she has never had time to make any real friends or develop a crush. The only permanent feature in Steph's life is CatNet a social network site where cat (or any other animal picture at a pinch) pictures serve as a currency and where everybody is put in big chat groups called Clowders. Steph (or Little Brown Bat /LBB) feels her Clowder are the only people who can understand and relate to her and to be fair, they are supportive and respectful of each other. Then she notices that one of the permanent members of the group is always online (that is whenever she logs on) and a strange event involving a hacked package delivery drone makes her think that somebody in her Clowder may be not telling the whole truth.

The story is told from three points of view: Steph, her Clowder chat, and an AI being ( if you've read the blurb you already know that they are the admin of the site). The events move forward quickly and there is never a dull moment as Steph makes new real-life friends in her new town, re-programs a sex ed robot with the help of her online friends, and escapes her father- the homicidal maniac/ wannabe world dictator. The characters are very sweet, especially the AI/Cheshire Cat who does grapple with serious ethical questions in a very human way. There isn't really anything dark or scary about this book, apart from Stephanie and her mom's life of perpetual nomads. On the other hand, Steph seemed to act quite selfishly, so it is up to the reader to decide whether they like her character, are annoyed by her, or simply accept her as a typical teenager with her own set of flaws. There is  diversity in characters and LGBTQIA representation, which makes the story stand out more out of the usual coming of age YA novels.  I also liked the way it is stressed that nobody should be rushed into a romantic relationship, especially if they need time to work out their feelings.

Some of the things in the plot are far-fetched, and I still think everything works out a bit too neatly in the end. The events may appear just one big rollercoaster of adventure, but I hope the serious issues of how new technology is redefining our privacy or how the differences between virtual and real-life friendships are getting blurred are also going to be noticed by the readers of this entertaining novel.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Tor for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Shy bookworm Amy McIntyre is about to compete for the chance to interview her favorite author, who hasn't spoken to the press in years. The only way to win is to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight, but that level of confidence has never come easy.

The solution? A competition coach. The problem? The best person for the job is the guy she's secretly crushing on…local surfer celebrity Toff Nichols.

He’s a player. He’s a heartthrob. He makes her forget basic things, like how to breathe. How can she feel any confidence around him?

To her surprise, Toff agrees to help. And he’s an excellent teacher. Amy feels braver—maybe even brave enough to admit her feelings for him. When their late night practices become less about coaching and more about making out, Amy’s newfound confidence wavers.

But does Toff really like her or is this just another lesson? (From Goodreads synopsis)


















My thoughts:

A very cute sequel/ spin off to 'The replacement crush' by Lisa Brown Roberts.

This time Amy MacIntyre, Vivian's best friend and co-blogger, gets her own chance at HEA.
Amy has had a crush on Toff Nichols, Vivian's future stepbrother, for a very long time, but they seem to have very little in common. Toff is a gorgeous surfing champion with plenty of charisma and 'swagger', and absolutely no interest in books. When Amy decided to participate in a social media book contest, she asks Toff to become her 'coach' and teach how to become a winner. Toff knows that all Amy really needs is a bit more self-confidence. He is intrigued by the challenge and is gradually drawn into Amy's world which turns out to be surprisingly interesting.

This was a very enjoyable read. To be honest, the author had me at the word 'kniffiti' (Amy's first challenge in the context), and then I just couldn't put the book down, until I knew how the romance is going to develop and what obstacles they will have to overcome.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher (Entangled: Teen) for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.