LA Readers' Reviews

Cold by Mariko Tamaki stars a girl named Georgia and a boy named Todd. Todd was dead, and he hovers over the policemen that try to crack the mystery of his murder. He reminisces about his old life and trails back to the moment his life ended. Georgia hears the news of Todd’s dead body, and it hooks her in. She couldn’t figure out what was luring her in, but she tries to find the murderer anyway. She listens to the news, her friend, her brother and suspects the culprit was nearer than she thought. Georgia discovers secrets, lies, but also a bit of love. balancing her regular life with a murder mystery like this she never expects to know the secret that has been looming around since Todd’s death.

Cold is not much of a love story book, but has some spots where it shows that. I enjoyed reading it, especially for the plot. The mystery behind Todd’s death was quite luring, and got me wondering who the culprit was. Gathering the knowledge that Georgia and Todd had in this story. And it really does show how hard it is to be an outcast, in a school. The struggles of trying to fit in when you don’t. And maybe friendships that help you. Another thing is that Georgia was kind of helping Todd’s case. She never knew him, and yet she tries to help with his murder mystery. And that spark of kindness was heartwarming to me.

I especially like Todd’s character because he had so many struggles in school. He was an outcast, a nerd, and queer. And yet he still manages to trudge through life. And it’s the same with Georgia, she has a friend, but she still suffered. I liked how the two had so much in common, even though they really never knew each other.

One thing I might dislike about this book is probably the relationships. particularly Todd and the person he loved. I wish it went into more detail about their relationship, and maybe what that person’s feelings are for Todd are. it’s something I find interesting. A conformation of the relationship in this novel or any novel is what I’m interested to look for, or if there even is a relationship.

Cold is a marvelous book and I recommend this book for people who might enjoy a thrill of a little mystery. Especially if that person loves to read about LGBTQ+ books.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman is science fiction novel set after the second American civil war which was fought over reproductive rights. In the post war society teens who are predicted to go no where in life are unwound. Unwinding is the process of taking apart their body, organs and limbs, while keeping all of it alive, and then using the pieces to help other people who need replacements.

Unwind won many awards including the Margaret A. Edwards Award. This award is awarded to an author for a specific body of work that will have a lasting affect on the YA genre, and deals with characters becoming aware of themselves, their world, society or relationships.

Unwind fits this award quite well, a large amount of this book is about weather these kids have a place in the world, which directly relates to what the award is for. It is also a well crafted book that makes it worth selecting over other books that could have also gotten the Margaret A. Edwards Award.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who likes to be presented with difficult moral questions in a way that allows you to think about it on your own. Shusterman is very good at laying out a problem, and then not telling you what to think, but that you should think.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is a romance book with a mix of fantasy. The book follows a young girl in high school and the dangers of love. The story follows Bella Swan the main character of the book and she has just moved to Forks Washington to live with her dad while her mom traveled with her boyfriend. Bella is 17 and a junior in high school, and she hasn’t lived with her dad since she was a baby and her mom and dad divorced.Bella easily makes many friends on her first couple days of school but her main friends were Jessica, Mike, Angela, and Eric. She also became friends with one of her dads friends sons Jacob who lived on the other side of town. On the first day a boy named Edward Cullen caught Bellas eye and ignoring her new friend’s warnings she starts a complicated relationship. I really like this book and I think it’s perfect for kids around the ages of 12-15 as like an introduction to YA. This was one of my favorite and one of the first YA books that I read when I was younger. Some of my favorite things about the book are the way that Stephenie made the book have an aspect of fantasy but also somehow make it realistic. I also like how she added the details of Bellas dad trying as hard as he could to fix there relationship with little things like getting her a new comforter etc… What I didn’t like about the book is how fast paced it was. I feel like the relationship escalated a little fast when she could have added a little more in between them getting together. On the same note I think this makes it a little more realistic to a teenage relationship. I also didn’t like the ending to this book in particular, I feel like she could have done something better than the prom especially after Bella was adamant on not going.

“Gather” by Kenneth M. Cadow is a touching YA book, which was also a finalist for the Printz Award in 2023. “Gather” explores complex themes of identity, family, and loss.

Ian, actually Doria Gray, is a teenage boy who lives with his mother in Vermont. His father abandoned him and his mother a long time ago, and has already started a new family. Unfortunately, that’s not the only problem in Ian’s life. His mother is struggling with a drug addiction and is currently unemployed. Ian’s best friend Drew seems to be on a downward spiral, which is causing him to worry. To make matters worse, Ian and his mother are struggling to pay their numerous bills, which forces Ian to give up his passion for basketball to support his mother financially. One day, Ian meets a stray dog that he names Gather. He takes the dog under his wing and begins to look after him, feeding and caring for him. While taking care of Gather, Ian also meets a girl with whom he develops feelings for. The two of them soon become close and start spending more time together. However, just when Ian’s life seems to be getting better, he suffers a tragic loss that pulls the rug out from under his feet. He seems to have lost everything, but Gather becomes like an anchor for him that he doesn’t want to give up under any circumstances. 

“Gather” is beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time. Despite facing numerous challenges at such a young age, including poverty, addiction, and a dysfunctional family, Ian remains steadfast in his commitment to his mother, his home, and his dog. His unwavering sense of responsibility and dedication is truly remarkable and inspiring.

The book is a reminder of the harsh realities that many young people face every day. It highlights the struggles of those who are often overlooked and marginalized in society. The story is both touching and heartbreaking, and it should be recommended to have some tissues by your side. 

However, “Gather”  is not all sadness and despair. Amidst the struggles and hardships, there are moments of warmth and tenderness that shine through. Ian’s mother, despite her addiction, clearly loves her son deeply and will do anything to protect him. The first romances in the book are portrayed in a very beautiful way.. Ian’s story is one of resilience and perseverance, and he serves as a role model for anyone facing difficult circumstances in their life. The book takes readers on a rollercoaster of emotions, with many highs and lows. It is a captivating read that will keep you hooked until the very end, and will leave a lasting impact on anyone who reads it.

I recently finished reading a book that really impressed me. The story is written  from the first-person perspective of the main character, which really helped me connect with the story on a deeper level. I was able to see the events unfold through the eyes of the character and feel their emotions as if they were my own.. The first-person perspective really added personality to the story and gave it a unique depth that I haven’t found in many other books.

 Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA and coming of age stories. While it is emotionally heavy, it is also incredibly beautiful and heartwarming. The mix of emotions is what makes the book so fascinating and I found myself thinking about it long after I finished reading it.

Lightlark is a fantasy mystery Following the young ruler Isla as she competes in the Centennial, a battle of rulers from the nations of Lightlark to save the island and break free from their curses. The rulers from each realm are all gifted with special abilities but due to their curses, they are left powerless. Isla is a ruler plagued by her own curse not from the island. Isla is powerless and must compete in the Centennial against the powerful rulers not only in an effort to save the island, and break her people free from her curse but also to break herself free of her own curse.

Lightlark is full of mystery, lost twists, betrayals, and underlying subplots, making the book very fun to read. The writing is very easy to follow which makes it quick and simple which is refreshing when you just want to curl up and read and relax. The plot is very deep and complex which is very entertaining but can sometimes be hard to follow especially toward the end of the book. The worldbuilding of this book goes into a lot of detail and in some parts makes it very easy to imagine the world exactly how Aster does.

The only problem I found with the book was that at times it was a bit too complex for the way it was written. Lightlark was Aster’s first book and I think that at points it shows. The plot had a lot of complex elements and darker topics however the writing used to portray these situations didn’t change along with the plot and it seemed more like a middle school interpretation rather than showcasing the complexity used in other ways throughout the book.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think this book is more geared towards younger YA lit readers however as an older YA reader I still found this book fun and entertaining however it lacked complexity of characters and any social commentary which is something I typically look for in my books.

Four for the Road is a book that stars a boy names Asher that lost his mother by a drunk driver. And ever Since he was never the same. He ends up going to a bereavement group, but not just one. There he met people who also suffered the way he did. Asher plans to go to Tennessee, and he did, along with 3 friends he met. a girl who lost his father, a boy who lost his brother, and an old man that lost his wife. Together they embark in a journey that was full of surprises, tears, and love. And as they got closer, they learned more and more about each other, creating a bond that Asher wasn’t expecting. His point was for revenge, sweet revenge that would satisfy him. But in the end his plans took a turn for the good. He felt relief that people actually understood his pain and suffering, And in the end he fell in love with a car full of strangers, and half of them were dead.

I’ve never read a book so sad, then this. I’ve read about betrayal, murder, plot twists, and unnatural super powers, or dystopian world. I’ve never read a book that sets in the actual world, and with a sort of a normal plot. The characters and plot almost made me cry. I enjoyed this book because it was like I was on an emotional rollercoaster, that had several turns. But it’s not only that It’s also the facts that it relates to real life deaths. It highlights how painful it can be to lose someone that you really love. That it’s not easy to let go of them.

Four on the Road touched my heart, and made me understand the feeling of loss, guilt, and friendship. That you never know where you’ll meet someone or people that makes you feel at home, and that they might be the people who’s the right fit for you.

I don’t have many complaints of this book. In fact, I have no bad comments about the book. It had everything for my taste, and made it feel like I was in the story there myself. it’s become in my top ten books I’ve read, and really is a captivating book.

It’s a match for me, and I would recommend this book to people who love books that can make you cry. I would also recommend Four for the Road to people who just lost someone dear to him. Maybe it could make them more open to others, and help them cope with their struggles, especially if that person feels guilty for the death. It gives a lesson that stays with you, and help you.

Russell Boudreaux is guy from a very small town of Lousiana, hius only goal is to establish himself in the world of football in order to get out from his situation. Football represents the only way to salvation for these guys from poor region and cities of United States. Russell’s goal is very simple: get a scholarship trhough football to continue his studies in university.

Main character and narrator Rus is impulsive, loyal, and a good son in addition to being a good football player. His parents have scrounged and saved in hopes that Rus will have better opportunities than they had.

However an event changes his life; indeed his close friend gets arrested unfairly and this puts Rus in front of a crucial choice: stay in silence and accept thre system or take some risks and fight for a right cause.

That’s why he decides to kneel during the national anthem to show his protest against a “rigged system”, however this action results him a lot of hate towards him from the local population.

But during the story he founds more and more people on his side, who ask for a better society and who don’t let him fight alone.

This book is very special because it describes really perfectly the American society and his problems tied with racism and racial injustices, it describes also the life of the young boys who come from lower class and how they try to get out of their situations. Indeed it is written by the point of view of a black teeneger boy to make the reader understand better the life of the subjects decribed in the book.

I would advice this book for everyone who would like to read an adventure book based on realistic events and to everyone who would like to understand by a better point of view some issues of American society.

Challenger Deep, by Neal Shusterman is a book that uses many extended metaphors to travel through the mind of a teen boy named Caden, as he struggles to understand what is real, and what is in his head.

Challenger Deep is about a boy named Caden that is put in a mental hospital. The story is told from two vantage points, one is this world, and the other is the world Caden spends some of his time in. Caden’s world is on a pirate ship with the Captan, and the parrot as the two main entity’s. In the mental hospital there are people who, as the book unfolds, become eerily similar to those on the ship. The times Caden meets people in the mental hospital is misaligned to when he meets them on the pirate ship, making the pirate ship become more real as the pieces fall into place throughout the book.

Challenger Deep is brilliantly laid out, at the beginning Caden is not in the mental hospital, but you still get pieces of the pirate ship, although it is unclear the actual time the two worlds line up. The way Shusterman slowly reveals the connections in the worlds is absolutely brilliant. There are also many extended metaphors that seem random until the end of the section, then they are often used later in the book as short hand. It’s like an inside joke between you and the book, although many of them aren’t funny. The metaphors are extremely affective and they add another level of enjoyment to reading this book. I now live for secret metaphors.

If you like books that pose difficult questions you should read this book. At first glance Challenger Deep could be viewed as fiction, but upon further inspection you realize this book is all too real. If you are someone who has no respect for realities other than your own you need your bubble burst. In other words, read Challenger Deep.

Mockinjay by Suzanne Collins is a sequel to her two other books The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. The book follows Katniss as she faces the guilt of (slight spoiler) leaving Peeta in the hands of the capitol after the 75th games. Katniss isn’t alone though as Finnick Odair, Beetee, Effie and Haymich were also rescued. Finnick is from district 4 and was the winner of the 65th Hunger games at age 14, he along with Beetee from district 3 were two of the allie’s that Katniss and Peeta had in the games. Peeta was captured after the games and take. to the capital as well as Johanna Mason and Annie Cresta. Johanna is from district 7 and won the 71st hunger games , and was one of there allie’s. Annie however was captured because she was Finnicks lover but, she had won the 70th hunger games. After the capture of Peeta and there allie’s  Katniss is faced with the choice of leading a rebellion against the capitol or staying quiet in hopes to keep Peeta unharmed.

              After seeing what the capital had done to district 12 the answer was clear to Katniss on what she had to do, Katniss became the face of the rebellion.     This book is easily my favorite although there’s some sad deaths and twists in it. The story ends on a note that I didn’t really expect but still made total sense. I think that Suzanne did a really good job at making Katniss stay true to her character in the end and that the book series ended perfectly. Even though in the ending Katniss went back on her words Suzanne still managed to make it make sense on why she did.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the sequel to the book The Hunger Games. The book follows Peeta and Katniss as they have to face the victory tour after their big win in the games the previous year. Katniss and Peeta are faced with the challenge of making the districts believe in their love story to keep rebellions at bay. In hopes to make the districts believe in there love after a mistake in there speech at district 11 Katniss makes the decision that her and Peeta should engage, but (slight spoiler) due to their failed attempt to make the districts believe in there love story the two sadly find themselves forced to play in the games against 22 previous victors for the quarter quell. Katniss and Peeta are faced with the task of trying to find tributes they trust to form an alliance with in the games, and with only a short amount of time to decide Haymich has to step in to help out.             The book has a lot of twists and turns that surprise you, and even a twist in the love story that I didn’t expect. It’s one of my favorite books I’ve read and it kept me on my toes the whole time. I think that Suzanne did a really good job at introducing all the new tributes so that you got a slight idea of who they were before the next games started. I think she also did a good job at portraying how alliances would work in a situation like this and showing all the different emotions of being thrown back into the arena. I think she did a really good job at pacing the whole book out so that we got to catch up with Peeta and Katniss before they were thrown back into the games. I think this book series is perfect for anyone who likes dystopian romance that’s more slow paced but also isn’t just focused on the romance aspect.