BLOG TOUR AND REVIEW FOR - THE VICAR'S DAUGHTER - BY JOSI S. KILPACK

Welcome to my stop on this tour.  I am excited to share my thoughts with you on this book!

pic taken from Amazon description taken from Goodreads

DESCRIPTION:

Cassie, the youngest of six daughters in the Wilton family, is bold, bright, and ready to enter society. There's only one problem: her older sister Lenora, whose extreme shyness prevents her from attending many social events. Lenora is now entering her third season, and since their father has decreed that only one Wilton girl can be out at a time, Cassie has no choice except to wait her turn.

Evan Glenside, a soft-spoken, East London clerk, has just been named his great-uncle's heir and, though he is eager to learn all that will be required of him, he struggles to feel accepted in a new town and in his new position.

A chance meeting between Evan and Lenora promises to change everything, but when Lenora proves too shy to pursue the relationship, Cassie begins to write Mr. Glenside letters in the name of her sister. Her good intentions lead to disaster when Cassie realizes she is falling in love with Evan. But then Evan begins to court Lenora, thinking she is the author of the letters.

As secrets are revealed, the hearts of Cassie, Evan, and Lenora are tested. Will the final letter sent by the vicar's daughter be able to reunite the sisters as well as unite Evan with his true love?

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

I love me some Proper Romance Books.  I love them.  I haven't read one yet that hasn't been wonderful.  Kilpack does it again with another great novel.

Historical romances are probably one of my favorite genre's.  This story is so sweet, and so frustrating all at the same time.  Which makes it a wonderful read.  I couldn't put this book down.  

Cassie is dying to be out in society, but she has to wait for her older sister to find a match.  Lenora, is quiet, scared, and not good in social situations.  Cassie on the other hand is out going, connects well with people, and is ready to be out and available to date.  Tradition is tradition though, and Cassie's parents are all about tradition.

A new man is in town though, and he is new to the whole high society thing.  He has become heir to his Great-Uncles fortune because he is the only surviving heir to take over.  While he is trying to become acquainted with the high life he takes a breather at one of the balls.  

While taking his break he hears someone else come up, and hears her crying so Evan tries not to intrude, but wants to offer a neckerchief to her.  When doing so he meets Lenora.  It's a just a quick meet but enough to peak an interest.

Cassie, sees an opportunity, and takes it.  If she can get Lenora married she can finally come out in society and start a family of her own.

What Cassie does, is out of love for her sister, even if it is a bit deceitful.  This is when the story gets really interesting.

There is a love story, along with some impropriety and deceit.  It makes for an interesting story.  It's the first time this little town has really seen any kind of scandal.

If you like historical romances you will enjoy this book.  I hope you take a chance to read it.

Source:  I was given this book as part of a tour.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

Content:  Clean and wonderful

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

    

  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and description taken from www.josiskilpack.com

Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and credits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and has written twenty-five novels, one cookbook, and been part of multiple collaborations since then. She is a four-time Whitney Award winner and Best of State winner in Fiction.  Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her husband and children.

When Kensington Press picked up her first national women's fiction novel, As Wide as the Sky, Josi was in need of a pen name to differentiate between her other genres. For years, Josi has bee called Jessica Pack by people who hear her name but don't know her, it made her new pen name easy to choose. As Wide as the Sky will be released in paperback sometime in 2018.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Shadow Mountain for this wonderful opportunity!

BLOG TOUR / REVIEW FOR - DRAGONWATCH - BY BRANDON MULL

Welcome to my stop for the Dragonwatch Tour!  I am so, so excited about this book!

pic and description taken from Goodreads

DESCRIPTION:

In the hidden dragon sanctuary of Wyrmroost, Celebrant the Just, King of the Dragons, plots his revenge. He has long seen the sanctuaries as prisons, and he wants nothing more than to overthrow his captors and return the world to the Age of Dragons, when he and his kind ruled and reigned without borders. The time has come to break free and reclaim his power.

No one person is capable of stopping Celebrant and his dragon horde. It will take the ancient order of Dragonwatch to gather again if there is any chance of saving the world from destruction. In ancient times, Dragonwatch was a group of wizards, enchantresses, dragon slayers, and others who originally confined the majority of dragons into sanctuaries. But nearly all of the original Dragonwatch members are gone, and so the wizard Agad reaches out to Grandpa Sorenson for help.

As Kendra and Seth confront this new danger, they must draw upon all their skills, talents, and knowledge as only they have the ability to function together as a powerful dragon tamer. Together they must battle against forces with superior supernatural powers and breathtaking magical abilities.

How will the epic dragon showdown end? Will dragons overthrow humans and change the world as we know it? 

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

Thank you Brandon Mull!  Thank you for bringing back this wonderful world and these wonderful characters.  I have missed them.

Welcome back to the wonderful world of Fablehaven.  Where we get to go on another adventure with Kendra and Seth Sorenson.

We get to be introduced to a tiny hero and fierce dragons, along with all the other amazing creatures and characters Mull brings to life.  If you have a teenager who is wanting to read a wonderful series, have them start with Fablehaven, which will lead them to Drangonwatch.  

Mull's world is absolutely beautiful.  Kendra and Seth become caretakers of Wyrmroost, and are immediately sent into the line of fire as they try to save Wyrmroost and the rest of the world from the dreadful dragons.

While on this journey we get to see a different side of Kendra and Seth as they take on the role of caretaker.  Great adventure still, but now they are in charge.  It's exciting.  It's fun...It gets intense for them.  

I am in love with all the creatures we get to meet in this book.  Like I said early, tiny creatures with big hearts, large creatures, and lots of in between.  It's so exciting to be brought back to this wonderful world.  I cannot express how much I loved this book.

I know that this is geared towards younger readers, but I think I love this world just about as much as any other great book I have read.  Mull's writing grabs you by the arms, and pulls you in full speed.  The creatures capture your hearts, whether with joy or anger, but you cannot deny the power they have over you while reading.  I enjoyed every moment in this world, with these characters and creatures.  Grab a copy!  I promise you won't be disappointed.

Source:  I was given this book as part of a blog tour in return for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

Thanks to:  Shadow Mountain Publishing for allowing me to be part of this tour.  It was so wonderful.

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

  

ABOUT THE AMAZING AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

Brandon Mull resides in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife and three children. He spent two years living in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile where he learned Spanish and juggling. He once won a pudding eating contest in the park behind his grandma’s house, earning a gold medal. Brandon is the author of the New York Times bestselling Fablehaven series and The Candy Shop War.

THANK YOU:

AUDIO BOOK REVIEW FOR - YOU'RE NEXT - BY GREGG HURWITZ

pic and description taken from Goodreads

DESCRIPTION:

Mike Wingate, abandoned by his father at four and raised in foster care, is finally living the life he always dreamed of — he’s happily married with a precocious 8-year-old daughter, and his construction company is about to finish a “green” housing development that will secure a solid future for them all. But then something from his own past, a past he doesn’t even remember, comes back to visit terror upon him and his family.

Shady characters begin threatening Mike and, when he reports them, the police seem more interested in Mike’s murky past than in protecting him. Now, with Mike, his wife Annabel and daughter Kat suddenly under attack from all sides, Mike turns to Shep, a dangerous man — and Mike’s only true friend — from his childhood days in foster care. Together they will do whatever it takes to protect Mike’s family against the hidden men behind the terrifying warning, “You’re Next.”

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

Mike has a wonderful marriage, with a beautiful 8 year old daughter.  Mike has built a "green" community for people to move into.  When the last inspection happens he finds out it's not as green as it's suppose to be.

One night while sleeping Mike swears he hears something coming from the baby monitor that he still has in his daughters room.  He rushes to her, to find her sleeping like a baby.

Mike starts to believe he is being followed every where he goes, and he thinks it is because someone found out about the housing development.  

Things really start to get sticky, and then someone come into contact with him while at a gala where Mike was being honored for the "green houses".  

Mikes life turns upside down from that very moment on.  This book went in a totally different direction than I thought it would.  It surprised me and I loved it.  

I was on the edge of  my seat listening to this book.  Lives coming unraveled, old friends being reunited, bad men circling around all the time, a family in danger.  It's fantastic.

If you like suspense, fast paced chases, criminals, and intrigue, you should pick this book up.  The narrator (Scott Brick) is one of my favorites.  He brings the book to life.  Such a great book!

Source:  I bought this book for myself on audible.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

Content:  Some language, and violence, but not too descriptive (in my opinion)

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

    

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

Gregg Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of 17 novels, most recently ORPHAN X and THE NOWHERE MAN. His novels have been shortlisted for numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been published in 30 languages.

He is also a New York Times Bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for Marvel (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin). Additionally, he’s written screenplays for or sold spec scripts to many of the major studios, and written, developed, and produced television for various networks. Gregg resides in Los Angeles.

REVIEW FOR - THE THIRD TWIN - BY C.J. OMOLOLU - AND TBR CHALLENGE

pic and description taken from Goodreads

DESCRIPTION:

Identical twins. Identical DNA. Identical suspects. It's Pretty Little Liars meets Revenge in this edge-of-your-seat thriller with a shocking twist.

When they were little, Lexi and her identical twin, Ava, made up a third sister, Alicia. If something broke? Alicia did it. Cookies got eaten? Alicia's guilty. Alicia was always to blame for everything. The game is all grown up now that the girls are seniors. They use Alicia as their cover to go out with boys who are hot but not exactly dating material. Boys they'd never, ever be with in real life.

Now one of the guys Alicia went out with has turned up dead, and Lexi wants to stop the game for good. As coincidences start piling up, Ava insists that if they follow the rules for being Alicia, everything will be fine. But when another boy is killed, the DNA evidence and surveillance photos point to only one suspect: Alicia. The girl who doesn't exist. As she runs from the cops, Lexi has to find the truth before another boy is murdered. Because either Ava is a killer…or Alicia is real. 

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

Lexi and Ava are twins.  They have a devoted father who loves them fiercely.  They have Cecilia, who wears many hats...nanny, cook, maid.  She has been with the twins almost their whole life.

Lexi and Ava are identical twins who sometimes like to play tricks on the boys they are dating.  Instead of playing each other, they made up the "third" twin named Alicia.  Alicia, is much more out going than Lexi or Ava, and is much more adventurous.  Alicia, is also a lot of trouble.  

What started out as fun for Lexi and Ava, eventually turned out to be very bad....and it was all Alicia's fault.  Even if she didn't really exist.

This was a fun story to read.  I love stories about twins.  There are not many that I have read, but the ones I have read always turn out quite interesting.  Ava, and Lexi are great characters.  They are very different in personalities, but each ones has something unique about them.  

Alicia, was mischievous.  I guess it was Lexi and Ava's way of letting some of their rebellion out.  She makes for a very interesting character. 

There are a lot of great side characters that you come to love in this book as well.  The author did a great job of bringing every character into the book.  I love the voice she gives all her characters.  Zane is probably my favorite ;).

The world Omololu built was great.  It grabbed my attention from the very beginning which I loved.  She has a way of making every day life seem much more exciting than it is in the "real" world.  I love it when I can escape in a book and feel like I am sitting on the sidelines watching, or even participating in it.  She brought my imagination to life with all the twits and turns.

If you like mystery, I think you will really enjoy this book.  I hope you give it a chance.  If you do I would love to hear what you think.

Source:  I bought this book for myself.  I was not compensated in any way for this book.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

I write as C.J., but you can call me Cynthia. My YA novel DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS came out in early 2010. My next book TRANSCENDENCE came out in June of 2012, followed by the sequel INTUITION in June of 2013. My newest book is a YA thriller called THE THIRD TWIN and will be out in February 2015 followed by another standalone thriller RECOVERY in early 2016. 

You might notice that I only give 4 or 5 star reviews. That isn't because I love everything, it's because I only review things I really love. As a writer, I know all that goes into making a book, and while a story might not strike a chord with me, who am I to say it won't with someone else? I hate tomatoes, but lots of people like them, and it's the same with a book. So, if I rate something here, it's means that I'd let you borrow my copy, but I really do want you to give it back so that I can read it again. 

TAKE CONTROL TBR CHALLENGE - HOSTED BY CAFFEINATED BOOK REVIEWER & REVIEW

I stole the rules from the one and only Kim @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer...(sorry Kim :))

~*Rules*~

• Link-up! This is open to everyone. If you do not have a blog then link your Goodreads account. It is a good idea to friend me if your shelves are private.
• Create a Goals/Updates/Results post (can be combined) It can also be a shelf on Goodreads. Be sure to friend me, so I can see it. Friend me: Kimberly
• Begins midnight March 1st, 2017 and ends March 31, 2017 at 11:59 pm.
• Read/listen to books from your TBR pile.
• ALL books/audios must have been published before March 1,  2017. I don’t care where you got them, so old ARCS count too!
• Post a review to Goodreads, or your blog then link it to the Rafflecopter for an entry. ( these can be mini review)
• You can combine events, challenges etc.
• No novellas for this one peeps. Page count must be over 100 pages to qualify. Yes any book over 100 pages, even graphic novels.
• The rafflecopter will only allow you to enter up to two books daily, so update as soon as you finish a book.
• Use hashtag #TakeControlTBR
• Twitter Party March 15th @ 7 pm (CST) The Ides of March. Come chat about books you have read and win prizes.
• 24-hour TBR read-a-thon Saturday, March 18th (sign-up will post in February) Grab your snacks, snuggle up and read until you drop! Instagram challenges and more.
• Earn extra entries for participating in the Twitter Party and 24-hour TBR read-a-thon
• Rafflecopter will close on April 2, 2017 at midnight and a winner will be chosen within 72 hours. Open internationally as long as Book Depositor ships to you. Prize: New 2016 release valued at up to 20 US dollars. I will do pre-orders as well. (may request eBook copy from Amazon or B&N. Audio from Audible.com)

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I don't really have very many goals, because I don't seem to get the time to read any more like I use to.  So, I am going to try and read as many as possible, but number wise I have no idea what that might look like.

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW FOR :

THE FAMILY PLOT

pic and description taken from Goodreads

DESCRIPTION:

The author of the enormously successful Boneshaker returns to Tor with her unique take on the classic haunted house book

Chuck Dutton built Music City Salvage with patience and expertise, stripping historic properties and reselling their bones. Inventory is running low, so he's thrilled when Augusta Withrow appears in his office offering salvage rights to her entire property. This could be a gold mine, so he assigns his daughter Dahlia to personally oversee the project.

The crew finds a handful of surprises right away. Firstly, the place is in unexpectedly good shape. And then there's the cemetery, about thirty fallen and overgrown graves dating to the early 1900s, Augusta insists that the cemetery is just a fake, a Halloween prank, so the city gives the go-ahead, the bulldozer revs up, and it turns up human remains. Augusta says she doesn't know whose body it is or how many others might be present and refuses to answer any more questions. Then she stops answering the phone.

But Dahlia's concerns about the corpse and Augusta's disappearance are overshadowed when she begins to realize that she and her crew are not alone, and they're not welcome at the Withrow estate. They have no idea how much danger they're in, but they're starting to get an idea. On the crew's third night in the house, a storm shuts down the only road to the property. The power goes out. Cell signals are iffy. There's nowhere to go and no one Dahlia can call for help, even if anyone would believe that she and her crew are being stalked by a murderous phantom. Something at the Withrow mansion is angry and lost, and this is its last chance to raise hell before the house is gone forever. And it seems to be seeking permanent company.

The Family Plot is a haunted house story for the ages-atmospheric, scary, and strange, with a modern gothic sensibility to keep it fresh and interesting-from Cherie Priest, a modern master of supernatural fiction.

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

I haven't read a ghost story in a very long time.  This was a such a great ghost story with some fabulous characters.

Chuck has owned Music City Salvage for years, but now the company is hanging by a string...that is until one day when Mrs Withrow came in and offered her estate to be stripped for all it's valuables before it was demolished.  She was willing to sell the estate to him for $40,0000.00.  Chuck couldn't pass it up.  He had to use all his money to purchase this property, but was hoping that they would get enough out of the house to fix their money problems.

Being on a very shoe string budget, Chuck asks his daughter Dahlia to take the very few workers they have to go to this estate and strip it of all it's valuables.

Dahlia and her nephew and a few other workers take on the task at hand, and this is when everything starts to fall apart.

Day times seems to be just fine, but when the sun goes down strange things start happening in the Withrow Estate. 

Dahlia seems to think that the house is sometimes talking to her.  Or at least responding to her.  There is a door that only unlocks certain parts of the day or night.  

As, the crew starts to notice more and more weird and strange things happening they all come together and decide to sleep in the same room.  The shower seems to be  the most dangerous part of the house.  

There is so much to this story.  I could keep going on, but I am afraid I will give everything away.  I LOVE ghost stories.  I love it even more when there are multiple ghosts.  This has all of that.  Good ones, bad ones, and just plain strange things are happening to this crew.

I think if you enjoy a good ghost story you will really enjoy this one.  The narrator was awesome, which made the story that much better.  

Source:  I bought this book for myself to listen to.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

MY RATING:

 

WHERE TO BUY:

    

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

CHERIE PRIEST is the author of over a dozen novels, including the steampunk pulp adventures The Inexplicables, Ganymede, Dreadnought, Clementine, and Boneshaker. Boneshaker was nominated for both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award; it was a PNBA Award winner, and winner of the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Cherie also wrote Bloodshot and Hellbent from Bantam Spectra; Fathom and the Eden Moore series from Tor; and three novellas published by Subterranean Press. In addition to all of the above, her first foray into George R. R. Martin’s superhero universe, Fort Freak (for which she wrote the interstitial mystery), debuted in the summer of 2011. Cherie’s short stories and nonfiction articles have appeared in such fine publications as Weird Tales, Publishers Weekly, and numerous anthologies. She lives in Chattanooga, TN, with her husband, a big shaggy dog, and a fat black cat. 

BLOG TOUR / REVIEW FOR - STU STORIES - BY PATRICK HUELLER

Welcome to my stop for STU STORIES.  I am excited to be part of this tour.

pic and description taken from blog tour site (http://blog.cedarfort.com/blog-tour-stu-stories/)

DESCRIPTION:

Stu Sanderson is no ordinary eighth-grader. Not only is he seven feet tall, but he also vanishes into thin air, duels knights and ninjas, lifts the downtrodden, and woos the best-calved girl in school. Become a middle-grade legend with Stu and his sidekick, Bird Bones, on the journey of a lifetime in “Stu Stories.”

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

This was such a fun story....or stories :).  Although the whole time I read this book all I could think of was my son...hehe.  I can see him doing some of the things Stu and Bird Bones do in this book.

Stu wanted to become legendary so he tries new ways all the time to make himself that way.

With titles to the chapters like "Stu Goes Undercover", and "Stu's Head Falls Off", you can imagine the shenanigans these two boys get into.  I think poor Bird Bones was talked into participating a lot.  Doesn't that seem to always be the way?  One a leader, one a follower.

Some of their "tricks" were quite funny.  For example Stu disappears in the middle of class one day.  His teacher freaks out calls the Principal to report a missing student.  While the teacher was freaking out Stu slips right out of his hiding place and right back to his seat.  The way it happens is just funny.  It's what I picture any 13-14 yr old doing :).

Then there is the saying "it's all fun and games until someone looses an eye".  I will leave the book for you to find out what I mean.  Happy Reading!

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic taken from Amazon and bio taken from tour page

Patrick Hueller has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota. His fiction and humor have been published fairly widely (sometimes under the pen names “Paul Hoblin” or “P.W. Hueller”). Fun fact: he’s Cedar Fort author Andy Hueller’s identical twin brother. They like to do readings together whenever they can. He’s been a middle school teacher and is currently a college English professor at Hamline University.

THANK YOU!

BLOG TOUR / REVIEW FOR - DATING NEVER WORKS...UNTIL IT DOES - BY ZACK OATES

WELCOME TO MY STOP ON THIS FUN TOUR

pic and description taken from tour site

DESCRIPTION:

Tired of mixed messages, confusing signals, and of playing the dating game? Dating expert Zack Oates has experienced it all in this comical guide that will keep you happy and laughing. Perfect for audiences in dating situations of all kinds, these encouraging steps will help you find your celestial mate.

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

I am not in the dating world any more which I am very thankful for.  I decided to join this tour because I do have a daughter that is in the dating world.  I thought it would be fun to read the "mans" point of view on dating.  This book was a lot of fun.  It was like Oates was sitting in the room with you having a discussion on how he got to where he is today.  It's entertaining, and a great "guide" to dating.

This book has so many great ideas for dating.  There are so many things in this book I tell my kids all the time, and it was fun to see another perspective.  He is so funny in this book.  One of his headings says "Dating is like passing gas - if you try too hard, it hurts".  I laughed so hard.

There is a lot of great advice in this book.  Some of them are.....

"Don't worry why they waited an extra five minutes to text you back, but just be grateful you are texting.  Enjoy the process and try not to get caught up in the details" (why do girls always make everything so important while dating, and forget to enjoy the ride).

"...if you never leave the safety of the friend zone, you'll never have anything but friends."  (too many kids now a days just want to "hang out" instead of breaching the "friend zone").

There is a quote in the book from Tony Robbins that Oates heard in a conference.  He was talking about a change of perspective...."...Nothing in the world changed in the last five minutes besides your perspective.  The positive attitude to succeed is completely up to you"

I really enjoy the date ideas at the end.  I am an old married woman but never too old to date my husband.  Plus, that is part of the "working" on my relationship.  

This really is a great book.  Even if you are not in the dating world anymore, there are some great ideas on ways to work on your relationship.  Marriage is work.  Sometimes it's hard and sometimes it's not, but it's work.  I am sure it took all of us going through many "duds" to get to our "Prince Charming's".   Take some advice from Oates, and read this book.  You will enjoy it so much.

Source:  I was given this book as part of a blog tour.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

MY RATING:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic taken from www.bowlofoates.com and bio taken from tour page

Zack Oates is an entrepreneur, hot tubber, and blogger. He has started six businesses, which have been featured in Wired Magazine, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He has an MBA from BYU with an emphasis in innovation and a bachelor’s in advertising and marketing. He was voted one of the top 100 entrepreneurs by VSpring Capital and received first place at the largest university business plan competition in the world (over 800 teams participated). After living in Ukraine for two years serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he started a nonprofit in 2008 called Courage to Hope, which works with victims of domestic violence in Ukraine. In addition to being a finalist and then “Love Guru” on the Mormon Bachelor and Bachelorette, he has an inspiration and dating blog called Bowl of Oates..

A SPECIAL THANKS TO:

for allowing me to be part of this tour!

AUDIO BOOK REVIEW FOR - THE STRANGER GAME - BY CYLIN BUSBY

pic and description taken from Goodreads

DESCRIPTION:

The Stranger Game is a dark, suspenseful, and twisty young adult novel—perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver and E. Lockhart—about fifteen-year-old Nico Walker, whose sister returns home after a four-year disappearance.

When Nico Walker's older sister mysteriously disappears, her parents, family, and friends are devastated. But Nico can never admit what she herself feels: relief at finally being free of Sarah's daily cruelties.

Then the best and worst thing happens: four years later, after dozens of false leads, Sarah is found.

But this girl is much changed from the one Nico knew. She's thin and drawn, where Sarah had been golden and athletic; timid and unsure, instead of brash and competitive; and strangest of all, sweet and kind, when she had once been mean and abusive. Sarah's retrograde amnesia has caused her to forget almost everything about her life, from small things like the plots of her favorite books and her tennis game to the more critical—where she's been the last four years and what happened at the park on the fateful day she vanished. Despite the happy ending, the dark details of that day continue to haunt Nico, and it becomes clear that more than one person knows the true story of what happened to Sarah. . .

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

Nico's sister Sarah disappeared 4 years ago.  Her parents were devastated, but Nico had not determined if she was sad or happy about it.  Her sister Sarah was horrible to her.  Treated her like crap, always demeaning her.  Just an all around mean girl.

Through the years Nico and her parents had been though a lot.  Always being called to the Police Station to identify a body, or getting phone calls saying there was a sighting of Sarah.  Each time Nico's parents would take her out of school to go with them "just in case" it was Sarah.  Life was an emotional roller coaster for Nico and her family.

Then one day, Nico's parents get a phone call that Sarah has been found.  When she came home Nico wasn't quite sure what to think.  So many things were different about Sarah.  Then another roller coaster of emotions come over the whole family again.  Nico's mom and dad wouldn't let either of them out of their site, but wanted Sarah to have whatever she wanted.  Trying to make up for the 4 years she was gone.

This story is so very interesting.  It went in a totally different direction than I thought it would, which surprised me, and I love it when books do that.  I am sure others who reviewed this knew how it was going to end, but not me.  I was kind of shocked.

I really enjoyed listening to this book.  It was a fast listen.  I know that sounds funny, but it really was.  I hope that if you choose to read it you like it as much as I did.   Happy reading!

Source:  I bought this audio book for myself.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

    

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

Cylin Busby is the author of several teen books and numerous articles as well as the acclaimed young adult memoir, THE YEAR WE DISAPPEARED,which was a Wall Street Journal bestseller, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, and a Cybils Award winner. 
Her latest novel, THE NINE LIVES OF JACOB TIBBS, has earned starred reviews and was an Amazon Best Book of the Month. The former Senior Editor of Teen Magazine, Cylin now lives in Los Angeles with her family.