ONE SMALL THING by Erin Watt

Rating: A
Synopsis:
Beth’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister died. Her parents try to lock her down, believing they can keep her safe by monitoring her every move. When Beth sneaks out to a party one night and meets the new guy in town, Chase, she’s thrilled to make a secret friend. It seems a small thing, just for her.

Only Beth doesn’t know how big her secret really is…

Fresh out of juvie and determined to start his life over, Chase has demons to face and much to atone for, including his part in the night Beth’s sister died. Beth, who has more reason than anyone to despise him, is willing to give him a second chance. A forbidden romance is the last thing either of them planned for senior year, but the more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings get.

Now Beth has a choice to make—follow the rules, or risk tearing everything apart…again.

My thoughts on the book:
This was my first Erin Watt book, and I loved it! I really enjoyed this novel, though at times it was incredibly frustrating. The situations were very real, and sometimes I wanted to smack people for being blind, etc., but it was so much like real life that I related to the characters on a deep level. I lost my father this year, and I understand that pain, and how there's never a right way to grieve. No matter how you grieve, someone is going to tell you that you're doing it wrong. The other social issues in this book were extremely realistic, too, and the writing was beautiful. 

Beth was, in my opinion, a very relatable character. I felt so bad for her because of her parents being way too over-protective, to the point of insanity. No one would listen to her. No one cared what she wanted. Everyone wanted to dictate how she should feel and act because apparently they all thought she was incapable of making her own decisions. Therefore, she acted out. A lot. Which didn't help her cause any, but I can't say that I blame her for her reactions. Chase was a complex love interest, and not just because he's the one who is to blame for her sister's death. He has a lot of baggage in addition to that, but he's a good guy. I liked him quite a bit. Scarlett wasn't my favorite person, but she redeemed herself a bit in the end. 

My favorite thing about this book is that it didn't pull any punches. Not everything was sunshine and roses. Horrible things happened, things that wouldn't be okay, and that was okay. I like messy books with messy endings a lot better than everything in the book being fixed at the end. I mean the ending wasn't depressing or anything, but it wasn't perfect, and I appreciated that. Also, it's always refreshing to see authors take on behaviors such as bullying, grief, parental over-protectiveness that borders on abuse, sexual assault, and relationship abuse. This is a real book. Additionally, but just as important, the book was well written and the plot was engaging. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good YA contemporary romance that deals with real and very messy issues. 

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DEADLY SWEET LIES by Erica Cameron

Rating: C
Synopsis:
Nadette Lawson knows when you’re lying.

Every night for the past two years, the Balasura have visited her dreams, enticing her to enter their world. And every night she’s seen through their lies. Now, they’re tired of playing in the shadows and they begin to stalk her in the waking world. It’s no longer just an invitation; if Nadette doesn’t join them, they’ll take her family. Forever. She needs help, and the haven she’s seeking may be just out of reach.

Julian Teagan is a master of deception.

To survive, he has to convince the world his mother isn’t useless, that everything’s fine, otherwise he’ll lose what little he has left in this life. He knows the lying won’t be enough to keep him and his mother in the shadows, but it’s all he knows. The only light of truth is Orane, a Balasura who sees past Julian’s facade and challenges him to face the darkness.
Then Orane is killed, and Julian learns his mentor was far from innocent. The Balasura have hunted children like him for centuries, and their next target, Nadette is his one chance at finally being a part of something real. If Julian can just convince her to trust him…

My thoughts on the book:
Deadly Sweet Lies wasn't half as good as its predecessor, in my opinion. The characters were kind of weak, and the little bit of world-building still wasn't sufficient, in my opinion. The writing was pretty good, but the pacing was super slow. It just didn't hold my interest as well as Sing Sweet Nightingale. I did enjoy seeing what happened to the characters of the first book, but the ending of this one really freaking sucked. I just wasn't blown away. 

Nadette was a pretty strong character for the first 75% of the book or so, then she just got annoying. I liked her fine until the really bad things started happening and she acted like an entirely different, weaker character. That threw me and made me not like her as much. Julian also was obnoxious. I didn't like him from the very beginning. Lexi was pretty interesting, and I liked Aisling a lot. Other than that, the old characters were the only ones who stood out and interested me. 

The pacing was super slow, and I got bored several times reading this book. Also, the world-building is still lacking. I get what's going on more, but I could have used a lot more info. It's one thing not to info dump every other page, but it's a completely different thing to not have enough information to make the story make sense. Also some random people just vanished without any explanation at the end, and characters we didn't even meet were mentioned like we were supposed to care about them. I did like that the author had characters of different sexual orientations, and I also appreciated her taking us inside the home of a neglected kid so that everyone could understand more what they went through. Along with that, the writing was pretty good, and she had some memorable quotes in there. However, the ending was awful. It's like it stopped in the middle of the story. This was like a cliffhanger on steroids, and I hated it. Not even sure if I want to read the next installment or not because of that. 

Overall, this book was unique and addressed some important topics, but it just didn't blow me out of the water. I really wish there was more world-building and that the author had tied things up a bit more at the end. The novel wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fantastic, either. 

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WE'LL NEVER BE APART by Emiko Jean

Rating: C+
Synopsis:
Murder. 

Fire. 

Revenge. 

That’s all seventeen-year-old Alice Monroe thinks about. Committed to a mental ward at Savage Isle, Alice is haunted by memories of the fire that killed her boyfriend, Jason. A blaze her twin sister Cellie set. But when Chase, a mysterious, charismatic patient, agrees to help her seek vengeance, Alice begins to rethink everything. Writing out the story of her troubled past in a journal, she must confront hidden truths.

Is the one person she trusts only telling her half the story? Nothing is as it seems in this edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller from the debut author Emiko Jean.

My thoughts on the book:
We'll Never Be Apart was a solid debut from Emiko Jean. The novel managed to keep me interested the entire time, and I was able to have sympathy for the main character. The writing was top notch, and the narrator's (Alice) voice was believable. The big reveal didn't shock me, though, and the Epilogue kind of bothered me. However, I did enjoy this book, and I'm going to attempt to write this review without giving anything away.

Alice was a great narrator. While I never trust narrators who are institutionalized, I couldn't help but sympathize with her. She'd had a horrible life, and it broke my heart to see what she went through. Chase was a great leading guy, too. It didn't take me long at all to warm up to him. He was a good guy, even though he was broken, and he just wanted to do what was right. The supporting characters, such as Donny (who had a mullet) the tech and the psychiatrist were also well-rounded and intriguing. 

Jean's writing was top-notch. The author really has a knack for great storytelling. The big reveal wasn't shocking; I had it figured out by the 20% mark, but I kept thinking and hoping that I was wrong. That hope kept me turning the pages. The novel was fast paced, and I flew through the pages. Some of the revelations were shocking, but the main one was not. I'm really glad that there are more books coming out that deal with mental health issues. It's so important for people to understand those with mental health problems, and I'm happy to see that more is being done to foster that understanding. The Epilogue was a big letdown, and I really hope that things don't end up the way the author hinted they would. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to people who enjoy psychological thrillers. There were some parts of the story that turned my stomach a bit (some graphic violence), but for the most part, this novel was gritty without being too harsh. It dealt with some real life problems, and sometimes those are harder to take than fantastical problems. This wasn't a feel good book, but it was good nonetheless. It'll stick with me for awhile, that's for sure. 

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DAMAGE DONE by Amanda Panitch

Rating: A-
Release Date: 7/21/15
Synopsis:
22 minutes separate Julia Vann’s before and after.

Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend.

After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-two minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that’s what she tells the police.

Now that she’s Lucy Black, she's able to begin again. She's even getting used to the empty bedroom where her brother should be. And her fresh start has attracted the attention of one of the hottest guys in school, a boy who will do anything to protect her. But when someone much more dangerous also takes notice, Lucy's forced to confront the dark secrets she thought were safely left behind.

One thing is clear: The damage done can never be erased. It’s only just beginning. . . 

My thoughts on the book:
I read this entire novel in 4 hours. I could not put it down. That alone shows that Panitch is a brilliant YA author. This book shook me to my core. It messed with my head and freaked me out. It broke my heart and made me mad. Needless to say, I doubt I'll read another book this year that impacts me in such a way. However, novels like this also exhaust me, and I can't read them often. I haven't read a book that messed with me to this extent in over 10 years. This is a must read for anyone who loves psychological thrillers.

Lucy/Julia is an extremely interesting narrator. From the start, you want to trust her and sympathize with her, but you can't decide whether or not that's in your best interest. This kind of unease continues throughout the novel and really carries the story. The secondary characters are equally compelling and complete contrasts to Lucy/Julia. Michael really broke my heart. The MIA parents are a nice touch to illustrate how many kids go astray and stay that way due to lack of parental involvement, and I feel like the villain's need for approval stems from that. This book really brings to light a lot of problems facing our society.

The plot itself is intricately woven and captivating. It will suck you in whether you want it to or not. Panitch's ability to randomly drop clues is astounding, and I spent most of the book hoping I was wrong. The clues she drops are not complete giveaways, either, and they will confuse you and make you think that everything you knew up until that point is wrong. The romance is kind of lacking, but in books like this, I think it should be. That's not the focus. The ending is both satisfying and dissatisfying. It's satisfying in the fact that it tells you what happens to everyone, but it's dissatisfying because you feel like it's not fair. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. If you're not one who likes to have your head messed with, then I'd say steer clear of this one. It will stick with you for a long time, and it will burrow in your mind and make you think about a lot of things you may or may not want to think about. I absolutely commend Panitch for this novel and for pointing out some of the many flaws in our society and showing how society and parents can fail children and/or make problems worse. She also raises an important question that isn't at all answered in her novel: is there a cure for sociopathy?

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