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‘Through to You’ by Lauren Barnholdt presents readers with a strong dose of the reality and complications that plague high school relationships. Penn Mattingly prides himself on being super cautious – with girls, life, and the secrets that threaten his peace of mind. It isn’t until he meets Harper that he begins to see a different path for himself – one that she plays a part in, and one in which hope exists. Despite being what can only be described as a typical guy, his attempts to be void of emotion project through mood swings that threaten all he knows and holds dear, including how he feels about Harper, and how he treats her.

Their relationship has its ups and downs, to be sure, and he isn’t always there for her like he should be. or even like he wants to be. She wants to give up on their relationship at times – if one can even call it that because they never truly define it – but something keeps drawing her to him, making her want him back. His elusive nature doesn’t help matters, and her attempts to stand tall and do what’s best for herself and not for him are hard-won battles at times. She cares too much, and, in her opinion, he doesn’t care enough. As she begins to question whether their meant-to-be may not really be so, life unexpectedly happens, forcing them to see new possibilities and how the other one fits into those potential future plans.

Rounding out the cast of characters are Harper’s best friend Anna and her friend/crush Nico, who give Harper a different perspective on how love and loss can affect someone. Harper’s mom, as well as Penn’s family add to the drama, showcasing the pains and triumphs that teenagers can go through during their high school years on the home front. Lastly is Jackson, Penn’s former best friend and baseball teammate, who proves that just because someone seems like a jerk doesn’t mean they may not have your best interests at heart all the while.

A story of sympathy and empathy, truth and uncertainty, ‘Through to You’ by Lauren Barnholdt is a story that is hard to put down because it speaks to the vast array of emotions that come over someone when they want what’s best for themselves but don’t know what the best choices are to make themselves fit to be in that position. I look forward to checking out more of Barnholdt’s novels as time goes on.

You can find ‘Through to You’ by Lauren Barnholdt here: http://amzn.to/1LsciZw

‘Love & Other Theories’ by Alexis Bass was a poignant, telling read about love and loss, friendship, and the courage to be true to yourself despite overwhelming evidence that the contrary rings stronger.

Aubrey is one of four best friends, the closest of whom is Shelby. Over their high school years, they have cultivated what they have termed their “theories,” meant as preventive measures to keep them safe, protected, and immune from the pain of relationships. Even though these theories seem to work on the surface, Bass shows how Aubrey begins to dig deeper into her own matters of the heart, especially when she meets Nathan Diggs, a newly attractive, sweet, and invigorating addition to the second-semester senior year scene.

The way that Bass forges a relationship between the two, while at the same time showing Aubrey’s decisive, yet indecisive nature through her past interest in Trip, a past “guy friend,” if you will, since he was never really Aubrey’s “boyfriend,” is eye-opening. It brings to the forefront questions of what the best way is to live one’s life. Keeping yourself distant and mysterious so you’ll always have the upper hand is one method that has worked for Aubrey and her friends as they’ve steered clear of true relationships. Yet vulnerability is sneaking its way into Aubrey’s life, making her wonder if the theories are true, or if they ever really worked at all. Her feelings for Nathan are written by Bass in an almost poetic sounding way, as readers watch the ebb and flow of their “relationship,” and wonder how it will all turn out, especially with friendships and conflicts becoming intermingled and overlapping in ways that only serve to make Aubrey contemplate if anything she has ever known to be true is actually so.

The story gave off a mean-girl kind of vibe in certain parts, but the girls were not really this way. Their treatment of others was more a mechanism to save themselves rather than an assertive way to offend and hurt others. Aubrey often seemed a bit scared to feel the way she felt about Nathan, since her best friend Shelby was characterized as someone who wouldn’t stand for the theories not resonating with each girl in the group as truth. When Aubrey started to realize that Shelby’s reasons for starting the theories may have been for solely selfish, her life is thrown into disarray, startling her and making her fear the future, all the while hoping that everything will turn out okay despite the fact that she knows, at any given moment, anything can change – personal experiences have told her this is definitely possible.

A relevant and thought-provoking novel, Alexis Bass has written a story that will compel readers to see life for what it truly is – a never-ending cycle of uncertainty and doubt, but with some tried and true details that will stand the test of time.

You can find ‘Love & Other Theories’ by Alexis Bass here: http://amzn.to/1OUHF1c

‘Sophomore Year Is Greek to Me’ by Meredith Zeitlin was a fantastically addictive read. From chapter to chapter, I found it hard to put it down and go about my day without wondering what would happen to main character Zona next.

Zona Lowell is a high school sophomore, deeply interested in journalism, a love inherited from her father, famous writer David Lowell, of Pulitzer prize fame. She’s been given the job of writing feature articles for her school’s newspaper just as her father decides it’s high time to whisk her away to Greece for a news story he wants to cover in preparation for publishing a book on financial issues in the faraway country. At least it’s far away to Zona, whose whole life is in New York City. Despite her father’s insistence that she should feel a connection with Greece, since her mother is from there and all, Zona’s desire to travel to a far-off land, leaving behind her friends, her feature articles in the school newspaper, and her crush on her editor is anything but strong. She does everything to try to convince her father of how awful an idea this is. Her mother died when she was born, and the family he wants her to meet has never been in contact. They may not even know she exists. It’s too much for her to handle, and with best friends Hillary and Matt on her side, she tries – yet fails – to make her father see that their move is not a good idea. The inevitability of it occurring, though, is not lost on her. A girl has to try, though, right?

Zona’s adventures in Greece start out with a newly discovered cousin, Yiota, and quickly morph into regular classes at a new school. She makes some friends, forms some crushes, learns about Greek nightlife, and explores the city after getting her bearings. Greece may not be so bad after all. However, she has to travel over Easter to visit her mother’s family, and despite having her cousin Yiota to help introduce her and show her the ropes, she is terrified of meeting the people that she has always had it out for – because she feels they have had it out for her, not looking for their daughter and basically disowning her after she married Zona’s father.

Despite some of her family remaining stoic and basically unfazed by her presence, others are warm and welcoming, making her question all she has ever thought about these people who gave up on her mother, and as a result, gave up on knowing Zona herself. Zona learns through her long-lost family that breaking barriers, seeing people for who they really are, and standing up for oneself despite the odds and potential negative outcomes are all important traits for someone to have. All the while, relationships (both family-wise and friend-wise) are tested, and Zona discovers that being a true journalist lies in not just doing the writing, but being the story. By placing herself in the mix, more truth is revealed than she would have ever thought possible.

I highly recommend this fun, entertaining, and smart novel. I can’t wait to read Meredith Zeitlin’s other novel, ‘Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters,’ as it’s surely just as compelling!

You can find ‘Sophomore Year is Greek to Me’ by Meredith Zeitlin here: http://amzn.to/1PznUg5

‘Will There Be Watermelons on Mars?’ by Debbie Manber Kupfer told an interesting story. Having listened to it as an audiobook, I may not have gotten as much out of it as I would have by reading the written words on the pages of the collection of vignettes. This isn’t to say that the audiobook wasn’t intriguing; it’s just that this was my first foray into listening to an audiobook, and I found that it wasn’t quite as much my cup of tea as reading it myself. To each their own, however. I’m sure that audiobook lovers will find the recorded version just as enjoyable as I find the words on the page.

The stories brought out my love of symbolism. Whether Manber Kupfer meant for symbolism to be injected or not, I cannot say, but it struck me after finishing the collection that the question of whether there will be watermelons on Mars is akin to the idea of impossibilities and pondering whether or not they have the likelihood of coming true. No one would have ever thought that watermelons could be present on Mars, or that travel to Mars would one day come to fruition. Yet, in Manber Kupfer’s stories, these ideas are given credence.

As someone who has followed the unrest in the Middle East with quite a bit of worry over what may come to pass if people continue to resist just getting along and finding ways to make peace, I found the last couple vignettes, especially, to be much more intriguing than the first couple. The idea of a Jewish man and an Arab woman falling in love and finding resistance to their relationship on all sides rang all too true, as even though this isn’t heard about much, it certainly must occur sometimes, even if not often. Despite the anger stemming from both sides of their relationship, they want to find a way to move forward with their love, and the way they want to do that is to move to Mars since the end of the world is supposedly near. Despite their living in Jerusalem, as all the characters throughout the vignettes do, they don’t even know if they are safe there from this potentially inevitable end, in the only place where anyone thinks God may save them, since it is the Holy Land, after all. Uncertain whether life still exists outside of Jerusalem, they find solace in the idea of moving to Mars, which is where the symbolism lies. They never thought they would be able to live a life of peace and happiness, free of the burden of people’s stares and judgment, but they find that it may just be possible with this attempt at a new life.

Debbie Manber Kupfer has woven a tale that rings true in this day and age of uncertainty and hope for possibility. I recommend checking it out.

You can find ‘Will There Be Watermelons on Mars?’ by Debbie Manber Kupfer here: http://amzn.to/1G8DgGs

‘Visions’ by Kimberly Readnour captivated my attention. Even though the beginning took me a little bit to get into, once the preliminary introductions of characters and the idea of main character Heather’s visions were explained, I sped through the story with deliberate ease.

Heather’s visions come to her at any time, dependent especially on touch, whether it comes from a person or an object. Even though this quality of clairvoyance should be something to be admired and respected, Heather is instead shunned by her peers and made to feel as though this characteristic gives her a freak-like quality that defines her. Being a teenager in the midst of attending high school doesn’t make her life any easier. Judgment and stares follow her no matter where she goes.

That is until she moves to a new town. She’s certain she doesn’t want to open herself up to anyone in any way ever again after what happened to her last, but she finds herself drawn to Barry, the grandson of her next-door neighbor. When he drops by to help she and her mom unpack when they first move in, sparks fly and a relationship is the only natural outcome. Despite her guarded nature, she allows Barry in, only to be upset by the fact that when it is revealed to him about her visions, he tells his friend Nicole without getting Heather’s permission first. This is all cleared up in time, as Barry and Nicole’s old friend Johnny went missing ten years ago, and Barry only told Nicole about Heather’s ability since she had been close with Johnny and her uncle was the lead detective on the case that has since gone cold.

Working with Barry, Nicole, and Detective Tanner, Heather finds herself embroiled in the mystery of what happened to Johnny and the worry over a new seven-year-old boy who, they fear, will go missing as well. Passions run high, professionally and personally, in this intriguing story that combines newfound friendship and acceptance of oneself with a mystery that will certainly keep you on the edge of your seat, reading until your curiosity is fully satisfied. The story does end on a cliffhanger, but it will only make you that much more eager to read the next installment in Readnour’s series.

You can find ‘Visions’ by Kimberly Readnour here: http://amzn.to/1LtbTqK

‘Deadly Diamonds’ by Denise Rodgers drops you right into the action of a murder mystery. Not only are you given background as to main character Bella Blumer’s long-time marriage turned sour by cheating husband, Robert, but you find yourself immersed in a world that revolves around Bella’s jewelry business that she runs with her kids and sister. Also introduced are her nosy mother who wants nothing more than to set up her newly single daughter with a nice Jewish man, as well as her mother’s new husband, Albert, and her ex-husband’s lover turned new wife, Barbara, among a variety of other side characters who only serve to further the storyline through their interesting takes on the investigation into Robert’s murder.

One more character, Max Fosner, is a vital addition to the cast of characters, as he serves as Bella’s attorney while she works to defeat the charges against her claiming she was the one who murdered Robert. Bella’s relationship with Max mixes business and pleasure well, showing that even in the midst of a murder mystery, lighthearted conversations and relationships can take shape. The balance that Rodgers attains in making Bella a well-rounded character with many facets to her personality, including a newfound interest in solving mysteries – not only to save her own reputation, but to find the person who murdered the father of her children – is finely tuned.

Even though we never get to meet Robert in person, we learn a lot about him through the investigation that delves into his and Bella’s divorce, his relationship with and eventual marriage to Barbara, and the role he played in his children’s lives and in that of the jewelry business he himself ran when he was alive. The mystery is fashioned in a way that keeps you guessing throughout the entirety of the story, which is what any lover of mystery stories should find intriguing. The truth comes out in a way that is not predictable, and anyone who reads mysteries regularly should agree that the heart of a good mystery story relies on the lack of predictability and the ability to take readers on twists and turns that make them second guess themselves every chance they get.

I very much enjoyed ‘Deadly Diamonds’ and am eager to read the next novel in Rodgers’ Jeweltown series!

You can find ‘Deadly Diamonds’ by Denise Rodgers here: http://amzn.to/1NFtvCb

‘Adventures on the Breeze’ by Kristen Iten, illustrated by David Overholt, is perfect for young children as well as adults. Not only does it take readers on a journey through a cloud’s busy day trying to offer shade to those around it, but it supplies adults with an abundance of creative verb choices – such as “wisped,” “puffed,” “flurried,” and even “prickled” for a cactus – that describe the actions that stimulate the cloud’s adventures throughout the day.

Having read this story with my 2-year-old son, the language was well-constructed to make for an easy, yet intelligent read. The images were adorable, lending further focus to the story through the colorful illustrations.

The story teaches how, despite someone’s (in this case a cloud’s) best intentions, not everyone will be thrilled with what someone or something might be trying to do to offer help. Readers will empathize with the cloud as it struggles with understanding why it isn’t welcome to share its shade with anyone or anything that crosses its path. Between the concepts of empathy, sharing, and merely trying to make sense of the world around it, the cloud finds its own happiness as the story goes on, just as it wishes its shade to provide happiness for others.

My only suggestion would be for the illustrations to be a bit more developed throughout the half of the story that only used clouds as images on those pages. Even though the cloud’s expressions changed from page to page, more illustrations of where the cloud was carried, as described in the story, including above treetops, meadows, roads, houses, etc. before reaching unknown lands, would have made for an even richer storytelling than the book already contained.

All in all, a creative and adorable read that teaches lessons that any child can learn from, any parent can identify with, and all readers can appreciate.

You can find ‘Adventures on the Breeze’ by Kristen Iten here: http://amzn.to/1P6hTYW

‘Maisy and the Missing Mice’ by Elizabeth Woodrum is a simply written story, yet contains more than enough intrigue to keep even adults readers focused and questioning motive.

Maisy, a fourth grader, loves solving mysteries. The only thing she may love more, or at least in equal proportion, is her cherry lollipops. When some mice, which serve as the school mascots, go missing, everyone just knows that Maisy will take the case. What she doesn’t bargain for, however, are the personal stakes mounted against her when her lollipops are stolen and her best friend’s little brother Vince has his just-pulled tooth stolen.

Maisy is a determined and headstrong character. Despite being in the fourth grade, she exudes confidence, but young readers will surely be very able to empathize with her as she struggles to figure out just who would be so mean as to steal a little girl’s lollipops right out of her school locker.

Even though the book was short, as it was written for a younger age range, the characters were developed well, the plot was completely satisfied by the end of the story, and the mystery was well-constructed. As an adult reader who loves to try to solve a mystery on her own now and again, I found the way that Maisy kept clues written down refreshing and definitely true to form for someone who wants to piece it all together.

My favorite part of the story, since I am someone who loves metaphors, symbolism, and all those other fun literary devices, is how Maisy’s world would turn to black and white, like in old mystery TV shows and movies, when she was solving a crime. It’s important to keep the mystery alive, much like Maisy does in this story, and having a vivid imagination and a keen sense of what makes your world interesting is what Elizabeth Woodrum has captured in Maisy and her adventures. The only item that I would have loved to hear more about is how Maisy solved the mystery that occurs just as the story is ending. I understand, though, why it ended that way. It gives something to look forward to as Maisy continues her whodunit adventures! I look forward to reading more about Maisy!

You can find ‘Maisy and Missing Mice’ by Elizabeth Woodrum here: http://amzn.to/1YFihB6

Chantel Seabrook has written a riveting tale that combines love, lust, contempt, deceit, and pulse-pounding scenes of romance and action-packed encounters. ‘Cara’s Twelve’ revolves around Cara, who is to be crowned queen in place of her cousin, Maeve, since Maeve has been found to be incapable of bearing children. As the novel begins, Maeve’s mother Birkita, not only drunk on, but completely enamored with power and nothing else, forces Maeve to befriend her cousin, only so she can deceive Cara and take the throne back when Cara bears an heir. Maeve’s opposition to this, which could have proven completely futile, fuels the storyline, causing Maeve to share warnings with Cara as they set out on the journey that will have Cara touring the various provinces of her future kingdom, in an effort to choose her future king out of the twelve men who are serving as her consorts.

The storyline reminded me at times of ‘The Bachelorette,’ as the men were living under the same roof, traveling together, and seeking relations with Cara. Some men were loyal and true, while others were nothing more than brute savages who would happily dispose of Cara once they achieved the throne. Maybe that’s a little more than anyone who watches ‘The Bachelorette’ bargains for, but in the time period this novel was set (I sometimes pictured ‘The Princess Bride’ as a backdrop with all the travels they had to make in that movie, but that’s just me), the fight for freedom and the retaliation against those who seek to keep that freedom from occurring rang quite true.

Cara learns about and spends time with the men as the novel progresses, but it is her time with Finn and Tahdaon that resonates most with readers. There are others who hold a special spot in her heart, and whom she trusts and cares for, but those two were the ones who cause her heart to flip-flop in her chest, questioning herself about which one of them was the right one for her. Finn, on one hand, is kind, true, and loyal almost to a fault. He cares for her and shows her nothing less than admiration and strength as she fights against the powers that be. Tahdaon, on the other hand, is more of a mystery at first. It is only through their time together that trust begins to emerge, and their relationship grows, albeit more slowly than the one she has with Finn. Tahdaon seems hardened and angry, and Cara doesn’t understand what it is that causes his animosity toward her. It was hard as a reader to try to decide which one of these two men she should be with more, as she most obviously cared for each of them, and the author’s description of each man, and how he cared for her in his own way, astutely captured his feelings. Seeing both sides of each relationship made the ending of the novel a bit hard, as she does have to choose one of them to be her husband, as well as the King. However, the choice, and how she made it, made sense based on the ways in which she grew over the two years she spent traveling, fighting, surviving, and connecting with those around her, no matter whether they were kind or vicious, pleasant or threatening. Her strength was never in question, despite times when it could easily have been lacking. Inner turmoil often made her stronger, and made for a more compelling and worthwhile read, as she struggled against her own feelings and uncertainty over how to handle certain situations.

Chantel Seabrook has written an electrifying and provocative tale of love, truth, war, and peace. I am excited to read more of her work and encourage others to pick up ‘Cara’s Twelve’ as soon as they have the chance!

You can find ‘Cara’s Twelve’ by Chantel Seabrook here: http://www.amazon.com/Caras-Twelve-Chantel-Seabrook-ebook/dp/B00ZPQJOLA