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TagHigh School

Secret Catch by Cassie Mae and Jessica Salyer

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
November 24, 2014
S

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 7th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Tyler Koontz is Trojan gold all the way. There’s nowhere he loves to be more than on the football field.

Sam Nolan is Skyhawk red born and raised. With her mom’s alcohol problem and her dad’s recent death, she lives for her little brother who is a big football fanatic.

There’s one rule in this town …

Trojans and Skyhawks don’t date. EVER.

So when Tyler and Sam fall fast and hard for each other, what are they to do? Keep it a secret of course.

The problem is in a town this small, secrets don’t stay secret for long.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Death (Heroine’s father dies and the Heroine becomes the primary caretaker to her younger brother because her mother has checked out)
• Violence
• Allusions to physical abuse
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• Both the Hero and Heroine are virgins
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have the Hero pushing away
– This is what made the book Safe with Exceptions for me. Most would find this book completely safe but it really bugged me how the Hero purposefully broke his promise to the Heroine to “protect her.” For someone who’s been repeatedly abandoned by the people she loves, it was not a well thought out move. The good intention was there, but the Hero just ended up hurting the Heroine that much worse.
– And then, worse than that, he didn’t have the courage to stand up for his relationship when the Heroine asked him to during their separation. It took until the end of the novel.
• Does have a brief separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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He Said, She Said by Kwame Alexander

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
November 3, 2014
H

Series: Standalone

Release Date: November 19th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>

Insert Here

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Black main and supporting characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Gun violence
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Not Safe
• Does have cheating
– The Heroine finds out from someone else that the Hero cheated on her
• Does have a descriptive sex scene with OW
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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Magnolia (Magnolia Branch, #1) by Kristi Cook

By Sarah
In 2-stars, Book Review
October 20, 2014
M

Series: Magnolia Branch

Release Date: August 5th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Black side characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Hurricane storm
• Death
• Cancer
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• Does have OM drama
– The Heroine kisses and goes on dates with OM (before the Hero and her get close)
• Does have OW drama
– There’s a rumour that the Hero hooked up with the Heroine’s cousin (we never find out if it’s true)
– Hero leads on OW–Heroine heard the Hero and the OW made out but there’s no clarification if that happened or not
– The Hero was trying to make the Heroine jealous
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• No separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

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A Different Blue by Amy Harmon

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
September 30, 2014
A

Series: Standalone

Release Date: March 23rd, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Blue Echohawk doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know her real name or when she was born. Abandoned at two and raised by a drifter, she didn’t attend school until she was ten years old. At nineteen, when most kids her age are attending college or moving on with life, she is just a senior in high school. With no mother, no father, no faith, and no future, Blue Echohawk is a difficult student, to say the least. Tough, hard and overtly sexy, she is the complete opposite of the young British teacher who decides he is up for the challenge, and takes the troublemaker under his wing.

This is the story of a nobody who becomes somebody. It is the story of an unlikely friendship, where hope fosters healing and redemption becomes love. But falling in love can be hard when you don’t know who you are. Falling in love with someone who knows exactly who they are and exactly why they can’t love you back might be impossible.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• Native American biracial main character
• Hispanic side characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Sexual abuse
• Drug addicted parent
• Allusion to molestation (flashback)
• Abandonment
• Teen pregnancy
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Not Safe
• Kinda cheating
– The Hero kisses the Heroine and is in love with her while dating the OW (so the Heroine is kind of the ‘other woman’)
• Does have OW drama
– The Hero has a childhood friend who he’s in a physical relationship with–the Heroine sees them kissing and believes they are a couple
• No OM
– The Heroine sleeps with OM but the sex isn’t detailed
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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Offside by Shay Savage

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
September 17, 2014
O

Series: Standalone

Release Date: August 3rd, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
I have to be the best. I am the best. I’m quick. I’m strong. I’m smart. I’m the star keeper of my high school soccer team, and I’ve got major leagues scouting me. As their captain, my teammates will do anything I say – on or off the field. Girls practically beg to be added to my list of conquests. As long as I manage to go pro for the best team in the world, I won’t have to worry about my father’s earth.

I’m Thomas Malone, and I’ve seen to it that the world revolves around me.

There’s a new girl at school, and it’s just a matter of time before she gives in to my charm. This one’s just a little more stubborn than most – she won’t even tell me her name! She’s smart, too. Maybe too smart. I can’t let her in. I can’t let anybody in. I’m not too worried, but even I have to admit she’s interfering with my focus on the goal.

Dad’s not going to be happy about that.

Did I mention I love Shakespeare? Yeah, I know. I’m a walking contradiction, According to the Bard, ‘Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Somehow, I got all three.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Sexual assault (off-page, memories)
– Heroine drugged and then coerced into sexual acts which were then photographed
• Death of parent (off-page, memories)
• Domestic abuse (on-page)
• Suicide (on-page)
• Traumatic accident resulting in serious injury (on-page)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Not Safe
• No cheating
• Does have (light) OW drama
– An ex-hookup of the Hero’s spreads rumours about the Heroine because the OW is jealous
• Does have a descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
– Before the Hero meets the Heroine: one descriptive scene at the beginning of an OW giving the Hero a BJ
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
– They were separated for a couple of months
– Assumed they were both celibate but not confirmation
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4/5 stars

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The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
August 31, 2014
T

Series: Standalone

Release Date: January 7th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• PTSD
• Suicide
• Depression
• Violence
• Abuse
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• Cursing
• Sex
• Teen drug use
• Underage drinking
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
August 25, 2014
T

Series: Standalone

Release Date: December 31st, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Wren’s Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who’s always done what she’s supposed to – only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future – until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp”. Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their past, figuring out who they are – and falling in love.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Blackmail
• Threatening behaviour
• Criminality (including theft and plagiarism)
– The Hero and his friends had been conning girls romantically and then robbing them
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• (Kind of) cheating (Heroine kisses a different guy twice and the Hero attempts to pull another girl while the Hero and Heroine were dating)
• Cursing
• Implied sex
• Underage drinking
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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The Lonesome Young by Lucy Connors

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
August 21, 2014
T

Series: Standalone

Release Date: April 8th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Get swept away in the first book of the sensational romantic drama that is Romeo & Juliet meets Justified.

WHAT HAPPENS when the teenage heirs of two bitterly FEUDING FAMILIES can’t stay away from each other?

The Rhodales and the Whitfields have been sworn enemies for close on a hundred years, with a whole slew of adulterous affairs, financial backstabbing, and blackmailing that’s escalated the rivalry to its current state of tense ceasefire.

IT’S TIME TO LIGHT THE FUSE . . .

And now a meth lab explosion in rural Whitfield County is set to reignite the feud more viciously than ever before. Especially when the toxic fire that results throws together two unlikely spectators—proper good girl Victoria Whitfield, exiled from boarding school after her father’s real estate business melts down in disgrace, and town motorcycle rebel Mickey Rhodale, too late as always to thwart his older brothers’ dangerous drug deals.

Victoria and Mickey are about to find out the most passionate romances are the forbidden ones.

. . . ON A POWDER KEG FULL OF PENT-UP DESIRE, risk-taking daredevilry, and the desperate actions that erupt when a generation of teens inherits nothing but hate.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Drug addiction
• Gun violence
• Drug dealing and running
• Corrupt cops
• Blackmail
• Physical violence
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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Me, Him, Them, and It by Caela Carter

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
August 13, 2014
M

Series: Standalone

Release Date: February 26th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Me: Evelyn, closet good girl turned bad.

When she decided to earn herself a bad reputation, Evelyn was never planning on falling in love.

Him: Todd, supposed Friend with Benefits

She just wanted to piss Them off. To make people take notice.

Them: the cold, distant parents.

She wasn’t planning on ruining her valedictorian status or losing her best friend, and she definitely wasn’t aiming to get pregnant.

It: the baby growing inside her.

Now, Evelyn needs a plan. And someone to help with the heart-wrenching decisions that are coming up fast.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Lesbian couple supporting characters
• Chinese supporting character
• Latina supporting character
• Black side characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• No abuse
• Unprotected sex
• Teen pregnancy
• Discussion of abortion and adoption
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• Sex
• Infidelity
• Underage drinking
• Drug use
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.75/5 stars

(more…)
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Sanctuary of Mine by Shelly Pratt

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
July 16, 2014
S

Series: Standalone

Release Date: July 13th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Mackenzie Deeks is struggling. Outwardly she plays the tough guy and acts like being a young adult with an eating disorder is no big deal. Inside, she’s crumbling.

Ever since her parents’ divorce, the only way she has been able to feel in control of her life is by purging the despair that has its grips on her and won’t let go.

Tyler Redding knows when someone needs help – he’s seen it before. This time, though, he’s not going to take no for an answer. From the moment he first sets his sights on Mackenzie, he’s unable to think of anyone else. But how can he focus on a football career when all he wants to do is date the most unassuming person he’s ever met?

As their lives become intricately entwined, it becomes more than wishful thinking when Mackenzie and Tyler find each other again as adults. With successful careers, a beachside lifestyle and each other’s love to contend with, life should be pretty damn good. But just when they think they’ve found their wonderful kind of normal, their perfect world comes crashing down.

It’s going to take a lot to keep Mackenzie from succumbing to old habits, but Tyler thinks he might just be the one to save her for good.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
• LGBTQIA+ side character
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Bulimia
• Anorexic
• Death of family member
• Grief
• Sexual assault
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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