Reading, Writing, and Me

The Lies They Tell  by Gillian French (304 pages) Overview: The tiny, country club town was rocked by the murder of the Garrison's, the club's first family. Only their college aged son Tristan survived, and now he's the black sheep of the summer town. Pearl, a server at the club, gets sucked into the world of the rich kids when Bridges and Akil and Tristan take an interest in her. Though she sacrifices her relationship with her best friend and fellow server, Reese, she gets close to the boys for the chance to solve the Garrison cold case and clear her father's name. Overall: 4.5 Characters: 5 Each of the characters had their own layers of complexity. Told in a close third person to Pearl, we see how she struggles with her love for her father and her anger with his drinking problem. We also see her lose out on the boy she's had a crush on forever to another server at the restaurant. The country club boys also get interwound into their own dramas and we see new

Summer Constellations  by Alisha Sevigny (May 1) Overview: In this cute, summer romance, Julia must fight to save her family camp ground with the threat of developers weighing heavily in the air. Because of her brother's medical bills, the her camp-boyfriend's uncle buying the property may be the only chance to keep her family afloat, even at the cost of the home that they love. It has also put Julia's future in limbo as she missed her college application deadlines. Only one person can make her forget about all her problems, though. Nick, the developers son. They navigate their relationship under the summer stars while they work together to save the campground. Ove rall: 3.5 Characters: 3.5 All of the characters were super fun and cute. While Nick, Dan, Taylor, and Julia felt very much out of every teen summer romance book, they made for a sweet story. Beyond the romantic tension, I loved the storyline between Julia and her brother Caleb, who is recovering from a life

All The Rage  by Courtney Summers (336 pages) Overview:  Romey Grey has always been poor. She's also always had to live with the stigma of her father's heavy drinking. But Romey's life is finally starting to take a promising turn at home, with her mother leaving her father and moving them in across town to live with her new boyfriend, Todd. This isn't to say Romey isn't still reeling from her past. A year before, she was raped by the sheriff's son, Kellen, at a party, and her attempts to speak out about the incident have gotten her labeled a liar by the entire town. School is awful, but she pushes through until she learns that her ex-best friend Penney has gone missing after the party of the year. Discovering what happened to Penney, and herself, that night throws her life into upheaval once more. Overall: 3.5 Characters: 4 I enjoyed Romey's character. She made for a relatable protagonist that suited the narrative. Summer's lets you into the inner