Review: Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne

"They Said It Was An Accident...Sawyer Dodd is a star athlete, a straight-A student, and the envy of every other girl who wants to date Kevin Anderson. When Kevin dies in a tragic car crash, Sawyer is stunned. Then she opens her locker to find a note:
You're welcome.Someone saw what he did to her. Someone knows that Sawyer and Kevin weren't the perfect couple they seemed to be. And that someone—a killer—is now shadowing Sawyer's every move..." (Barnes and Noble)

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From the very first pages of Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne, I was sucked into a mystery. At first glance, Kevin's accident seemed like an accident. It's not until Sawyer gets the message in her locker and a detective shows up at her house that the accident seems like it may not have been an accident after all. Each chapter drew me further into Sawyer's mystery and I found my self trying to solve the crime. The culprit completely surprised me!

I give Truly, Madly, Deadly 3.4 dragonflies. I really enjoyed the book and I felt for Sawyer, but I am not sure I would want to re-read the book now that I know the ending.

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

"An edgy, realistic debut novel praised by the New York Times bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys, as “a beautiful reminder that amid our broken pieces we can truly find ourselves.”

Alexi Littrell hasn’t told anyone what happened to her over the summer by her backyard pool. Instead, she hides in her closet, counts the slats in the air vent, and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does—and deal with the trauma.

When Bodee Lennox—“the Kool-Aid Kid”—moves in with the Littrells after a family tragedy, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in this quiet, awkward boy who has secrets of his own. As their friendship grows, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her summon the courage to find her voice and speak up about the rape that has changed the course of her life." (overview provided by Barnes and Noble.)

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I picked up a copy of Faking Normal after coming across the blurb on EpicReads, and didn't put the book back down until  I finished it that night. From the very first pages of Faking Normal,  I was invested in Alexi. I wanted to know exactly what happened to her and who was responsible for her pain. The pain Alexi struggles with is so apparent to the reader that it's almost depressing how much it seems others don't see it. There are a few times when her friends mention a change in her behavior and attitude, but her parents and sister seem a little oblivious. The only one in the book who truly notices how much pain Alexi is in is Bodee, a boy whose mother is murdered by his father shortly before the story begins.

What I love about Faking Normal is how accurately Courtney C, Stevens portrays small town southern America. Set in Rickman, Tennessee, the highlight of the town are the high school football games and some of the football players have a pretty significant role in the book. Alexi's best friends, Heather and Liz date football players (Collie and Ray), Alexi is asked out by 2 different football players (Dane and Hayden), and Alexi's sister Kayla is dating/engaged to the high school football coach, Craig Tanner. 

Alexi's story is complicated. She doesn't want to tell anyone about what happened, not just because she's embarrassed and ashamed, but because she doesn't want to hurt someone who means so much to her and would be devastated if the truth ever came out. At one point, I thought I knew who Alexi's rapist was and when it was finally revealed, I had to double check that I read the correct name-- something that Bodee had to do as well when he found out the who. AMAZING twist. I loved how that reveal occurs.

Faking Normal  is an amazing book about trying to heal after trauma and how you can't do it on your own. I love this book. Another amazing review of Faking Normal can be found here by Teen Librarian's Toolbox.

Falling for You by Lisa Schroeder

"Rae’s always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants of her time, of her love, of her…and the less she wants to give.

As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive Nathan becomes jealous. He’s not about to let her go. And with danger following her every move, Rae must fight for the life and love she deserves if she’s going to survive." (bn.com)

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Rae's relationship with the new-to-town Nathan is rocky from day one. Nathan seems to set his sights on Rae and almost immediately decides he WILL date her, refusing to take no for an answer. Instead of asking her out (like a normal human being) he basically demands she meet him at a restaurant, makes her wait for him and orders for her. Then after asking her opinion on what she likes on pizza, purposely orders one with onions after Rae told him she hates onions.

From the very first date, Nathan's possessive nature is evident, starting with his demands that she delete all the boys from her phone to pressuring her to have sex when she has told him repeatedly that she's not ready. When Rae meets her friend Leo at his families coffee shop, Nathan violently confronts Rae, then switches his anger into sadness and confusion as a way to disarm Rae's justifiable anger at the present situation.

In between stressful moments with Nathan, Rae has to deal with her abusive stepfather and his ever increasing demands for her hard earned money.

Rae's life is in chaos. She lives in constant emotional turmoil. Her rays of sunshine are her love of poetry, a mysterious floral philanthropist who sends Rae on Special deliveries and Leo, the true "boy-next-door."

My thoughts:

Falling for You by Lisa Schroeder is a really good, thought provoking novel. Watching Rae navigate her way through high school, abuse at home and a controlling boy, who just won't accept she broke up with him, makes me hope my younger cousins can navigate through life without these issues. I hope my cousins and nieces have healthy relationships. But more importantly, I hope if any of my cousins, nieces or nephews find themselves in abusive relationships, they find Rae's courage and GET OUT.

February (yes I know that is 4 months away) is Teen Dating Violence Month. According to the CDC 1 in 10 teens REPORT being hit, hurt, kissed, touched or even raped by a boyfriend or girlfriend. Keyword: REPORT. So many more teens are being abused and never say a word.

February may be TDVA month, but the time to speak up is NOW. Resources are available to help.

One resource I came across is Love is Respect, hosted by Break the Cycle. Not only does the site offer valuable information for teens, there is stuff for adults wanting to help.

Love is Respect offers a live chat feature, texting with advocates (text: "loveis" to 22522), or the ability to talk to someone over the phone at 1-866-331-9474.

Please if you need help, Get Help.

Falling for You has earned 5 dragonflies. I will pass this book on to my cousins and anyone who needs it. 

Stronger than You Know by Jolene Perry

" 'I'M JOY, THE GIRL WHO'S BEEN BROKEN. I'LL PROBABLY ALWAYS BE BROKEN.
Joy's fifteen. Her normal life just began three months ago. Before that was another life that she doesn' like to remember. When the police came, it was supposed to be all over.
But now, living with her aunt and uncle in this new family where everyone tries to understand, it's not over. Joy's got a whole list of reasons why she's crazy-- the panic attacks, the meds she's on, and the hard-to-breathe feeling she gets when she has to talk to someone new. Somehow it's even harder when the person is nice.
Yet hope has a way of taking hold, and Joy just might find a way to hold on . . ." (book jacket summary)

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Wow. When I picked Stronger than You Know off the shelf I could not have imagined how amazing the book would be. The first few pages of Jolene Perry's book drew me in and I could not put it down. I believe that Joy's hidden inner strength is present from the first pages of the book. For 15 years, Joy lived with her abusive mother and endless parade of other adults who did NOTHING to help the young girl, Joy had the strength to survive and open up when finally questioned.

I'm going to give this book 4 fireflies for the following reasons:

• Stronger the You Know is the kind of book that will stick with your for awhile. I finished reading this book on New Year's Eve and I couldn't help but think about it the next couple of days. 
• Joy's struggle to acclimate to her new reality is exactly what it should be -- a struggle. Fifteen years of abuse and neglect won't go away in the blink of an eye.
• The struggle of Joy's extended family is beautifully portrayed with each member of the family trying to find ways to interact with Joy and not cause her to panic.
• The relationship between Joy and her Uncle Rob is probably my favorite relationship of the entire book. From Joy's wariness and Uncle Rob's protective instincts it's a beautiful relationship.

Fat Angie by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo

Angie, known by people at school as Fat Angie, whale, girl who tried to off herself and all sorts of other insults. Her mother is sleeping with her adopted brother's therapist and mentally abusive to Angie, saying things like "No one is ever going to love you if you stay fat." and other horrible things about Angie's weight. Her adopted brother Wang is bordering on the criminal side of life, her father is recovering from a stroke with a whole new family and her sister. . . well her sister is a missing Air Forces soldier in Iraq. A soldier whom the Iraqi's have had on their news blindfolded and tortured. A solider who people are assuming is dead. Everyone but Angie. And that is where Angie's downward spiral to attempted suicide begins.

Bullied by the kids at school, Angie feels all alone until KC Romance moves to town and Jake, her neighbor across the street, who used to play basketball with Angie's sister, start talking to her and sticking up for her.
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I should have known when I was 6 pages in and on the verge of crying that this would be an amazing book. During the book, I really wanted to hit Angie's mother several times to get her to look and see what she was doing to Angie and even to Wang. I wanted to know about Angie's sister and hoped she'd return. I wanted Wang to start sticking up for his little sister and I wanted adults to start caring.

This book was amazing and probably the first book that I've read cover to cover in a day for a very long time. This book is definitely one I will recommend to others and I may have to buy a copy for my personal library.

Exposed by Susan Vaught

Exposed by Susan Vaught is a haunting Cautionary tale about the dangers of the internet. At first glance, Chan Shealy seems like a typical high school girl. She's a member of her school's twirling team,  she's a straight A student and she's got a great friend in Devin. However, Chan also got an STD from her ex-boyfriend, Adam P.

Once news about her Herpes spreads around school, boys won't come near her. Chan starts to feel that her life is falling apart and she'll never have another boyfriend. That all changes when she meets Paul online. To Chan, things start falling back into place. She gets into shape for Regionals with a set of weights that Paul sends her, and even poses for topless photos for him. Chan gives Paul details that end up putting her and her little sister in serious jeopardy.

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Ok, I love Susan Vaught and her novels. This one included. I think Susan Vaught did a decent job delving into the mind of a girl being lured into an online trap. While Chan isn't always believable, I did have some gut wrenching emotions flowing through me as Chan started piecing information together and realizing what her baby sister was getting into.

Also, I learned a few things about the net I didn't know about (things which I will NOT be discussing here.) While I did enjoy this novel, it wasn't as good as Susan Vaught's Big Fat Manifesto. I will however, eagerly await her next novel.