Review: Room-maid

Room-maid by Sariah Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

I really enjoyed this story.

It's a great way to talk about being independent from a toxic family and how anyone can do it.

Madison Huntington grew up as the youngest child of an extremely wealthy family in Houston. When she chose to not follow through on the expectations her family laid out for her, she was cut off from her trust fund and any chance of "love" from her parents. Her family had spent her whole life pitting the children against each other to earn their parents love and affection.

When Madison takes a job as a teacher at a local school, she suddenly has to find an apartment, learn to drive, and buy a car. She ends up becoming a roommate to Tyler Roth who is in need of someone to help him clean and take care of his rescue dog Pigeon. Having never cleaned anything in her life, there are definitely some adventures as she learns the basics... like Dawn doesn't go in the dishwasher!

I enjoyed the interaction between Madison and Tyler.

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Review: Hope Rides Again

Hope Rides Again by Andrew Shaffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask, I'll tell you to read it

This was a fun way to escape the world for a little bit. This book takes place before Joe Biden has decided to run for President in 2020. He visits Barack Obama in Chicago on his way home from a book signing tour. While stopping by a conference on economics, Joe meets a young man who is helping out. He also learns that Obama has misplaced his beloved Blackberry.

When searching for the Blackberry, Biden comes across a shooting scene where the young man has been shot. Biden decides this is a mystery he must solve, to follow through on something he'd told the young man (that if he were his father, he'd always be there for him).

As Obama and Biden romp around Chicago, we're introduced to brothels, speakeasies, the mob, gangs, and churches... A variety of characters and a variety of wrong turns later, they solve the mystery of where the Blackberry went AND who shot the young man.

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Review: Pumpkinheads

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

I really enjoyed both the story and the artwork in this graphic novel.

It follows the last night of the last season for 2 high school friends working in a pumpkin patch. Throughout the story, Deja is encouraging Josiah to ask out his long term crush before they end their employment. There are many obstacles throughout the evening, including snack thieves, lost children, and a corn maze!

I recommend it to anyone who needs a good Halloween story geared toward YA or older.

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Review: How to Fail at Flirting

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you to read it without even asking!

I always enjoy reading books that reference my home state of Iowa, even if all it says is that the main character is from "a small town in Iowa".

This was a great way to throw some focus on a really tough subject, women who are abused. Women can be powerful in their professional lives and yet still be abused (mentally and physically) behind closed doors. This book shows the before, during, and after view from the perspective from someone who had lived through it.

I hope the author wasn't writing from a place of personal experience, but it was written in a way that allowed those who haven't gone through it to understand how it can happen to a strong, independent woman.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this Advanced Reader's Copy.

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Review: The Lost Princess

The Lost Princess by Connie Glynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it (but read the rest of the series first)

In this 3rd book in the Rosewood Chronicles Series, Lottie and Ellie attend summer school in Japan while still attempting to figure out who is behind Leviathan.

They meet a variety of characters in the Japanese boarding school. They also appear to find themselves while there.

I enjoyed the story, but it was a cliffhanger... I can't wait until the next book in the series is released!

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Review: Like the Willow Tree: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce: Portland, Maine, 1918

Like the Willow Tree: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce: Portland, Maine, 1918 by Lois Lowry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 out of 5 stars - It was ok

I think I would have given it 4 stars, if the narrator had been a little different. You could tell she was reading in a child-like voice, to match the age of the character. That part was fine. I had issues with the singing, to be honest. It was louder than the rest, so I'd have to quickly turn it down. There were also times it wasn't quite sounding right... Just my $0.02.

The story was an interesting one. It told about the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 and the story of how the Shakers took in orphans to raise them in the faith throughout history.

Lydia and her brother are orphaned when the Spanish Flu kills her parents and baby sister. When it is determined that her uncle and his family cannot take them in, Lydia and her brother are taken to the Shaker community and raised there. Lydia has to learn all sorts of new rules, customs, and religious beliefs.

I didn't know much about Shakers, and I loved this historical information shared at the end of the book. I also did a little extra research on my own, and I hope that someday I can visit Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village where this book was set.

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Review: Lu

Lu by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it (but read the other 3 first!)

I really enjoyed how this series wrapped up nicely. A story line from book 1 came full circle and was concluded in this book.

It's also a great way to explain about the drug problem in America in a way that younger people can grasp (to a point). A cautionary tale of why drugs are bad, and all that.

The narrator was great.

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