Lock And Key by Sarah Dessen

            One day Ruby is sitting down in her yellow apartment when the doorbell rings. She panics because she knows she only has a few seconds to paste a fake smile on her face and come up with a quick excuse for her mother’s absences. But, as she glances around her apartment she sees the disaster around her: there are clothes everywhere, dishes are scattered along the counter, the places smells like burnt air probably because there was a spark from the heater last night.

She looks through the peep hole and she knows that tonight was her last night in this apartment. They are going to take her away and probably send her to an orphanage or maybe to her sister Cora who abandoned her without a single letter. What is going to happen to her?

            Cora is Ruby’s older sister. She is the one that took the majority of the hits from their alcoholic mother, the one who stood between Ruby and the world. She is the one that spent countless hours trying to locate Ruby despite her mother’s constant moves and address changes. She is the one that forgives Ruby for her anger and her mistakes. She is that one that suffered through years of pain and still managed to love. And yet, she still hopes to do the same for Ruby. Will Ruby accept it?

Goodnight, Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson

            Nova is the perfect friend, she will do anything for her childhood friend, Mal. Mal and his wife want a kid more than anything, but Mal's wife can’t have kids. After weeks of heated discussion, the couple decides that the perfect surrogate mother would be Nova because she is so close to Mal and would allow them to help her throughout the pregnancy, even though his wife is extremely jealous of her. The plot thickens when Mal realizes that he might have some hidden feelings for Nova and his wife gives him an ultimatum, either the baby or her. Mal, being a faithful husband, chooses his wife. At first Nova struggles to take care of her son, Leo, but never does she beg Mal for anything. Not until her poor soon is diagnosed as comatose. The doctors said his chance of revival was so slim that she should start saying goodbye. Nova decided that it was her responsibility to notify Mal.

            When I first started the story, Mal, the funny, understanding and yet always cautious friend, was my favorite character. However, I came to see him as a coward, who, unlike Nova, couldn’t face conflict. He never has the guts to stand up for what he believes in. Nova, on the other hand will fight for what she believes in. All the way to through the end, she proves that she is not only the perfect friend, but also the perfect mother.  

This story is a heartbreaking tale that truly demonstrates how dedicated someone can be. It shows the roller-coaster life that comes with motherhood. But what I liked most is when Nova says to her comatose, seven year old son, Leo, “I love you and its okay now. I’ll see you again soon, so I won’t say good bye…”. Within minutes, her son finally lets go. I believe Nova has the maturity to understand that those words were exactly what her son needed to here before he left. She knew that she would see him again some day and that this farewell wasn’t forever.

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

This story is about a girl that was forced to choose between her father, a basketball fanatic, and her mother, who cheated with a head baseball coach of the family’s favorite team. After several court cases, the girl was finally sent home with the parent she wanted to be with, her father. Her father tends to travel a lot, but this girl doesn’t really mind.

The reason I have not yet mentioned the girls name is because every time she moves with her dad, she chooses another name, another identity. I love this character because she is so open to change, something that is difficult for me. She is extremely honest, and raw about what she is going through, which is something anyone and everyone can relate to.

For anyone that has ever moved, this is a must read. Mclean, the girl’s real name, truly finds herself when she meets Dave. She allows herself to forgive her mom and see the true Mclean, instead of Liz, Eliza, Lizbet, or Beth. She learns that it is okay to say goodbye, that farewells aren’t always forever.

The Rescue: By: Nicholas Sparks

This story revolves around Kyle, a four-year-old autistic boy who is fascinated with airplanes, loves to be outside, and doesn’t grasp the concept of fear. After a horrible car crash in the biggest storm of the century, Kyle unbuckles him self from his booster seat and disappears into the swamp and forest around him. When his mother, Denise, bloody from all her injuries, is woken up by Patrick, a police officer that was taking the rounds, she frantically asks about her son. When she discovers that know one knows where he is and she set out to find him, but is stopped with the ambulance arrives and expects to check on her first. They determine that she is too weak from blood-loss and trauma to go out into the storm. Search troops are rallied up and Patrick sets out to find the little boy.

Patrick is an amazing character in my eyes because he relies solely on his instincts when finding the boy. He is told by the mother that Kyle will not reply verbally and isn’t afraid of anything. So Patrick does what he does best, he becomes the thing he wants to find and tracks him down. He thinks like Kyle as best as he can. He knows the boy is drenched so will walk away from water and try to stay dry. He guesses the small boy will walk with the wind, not against it and looks in every crook in corner.

            The reason I find this book so fascinating is because its like being pushed off the deep end. There is nothing you can do but trust you instincts and hope that everything will be okay, because if you don’t, then you will never get anywhere. In this book, Patrick teaches Kyle to trust him as well as Denise. However, more than with Kyle, Patrick struggles with Denise to prove to her that he will always be there for them, unlike her past unsuccessful relationships that have ended badly. Everyone needs to learn to trust his or her guts and just jump into the deep end.

Kissed by an Angel: By: Elizabeth Chandle

Basically this book is about a girl named Ivy who is extremely simple. She and her brother are moving in to a new home because her mother is getting married and even though some of her mom’s previous relationships have not worked out, Ivy is trying hard to at least put on the act, for her younger brother Philip, that she thinks this will all work out. At one point, one of her mom’s ex’s threw her into a pool at the age of four, and since then she has been terrified of the water. Her new stepbrother Gregory reeks of eeriness. He just always seems to throw her off edge no matter how much she tries to like him. Ironically, her best friend claims to be in love with him and invites him everywhere, for everything. Everything is headed down hill until she meets her crush, Tristan, the best swimmer at her school, at her mother’s dinner, in a closet, with her brother, with carrots up his nose and celery in his ears. But the thing she finds most outstanding is that her brother, for the first time in months, was laughing again. Again and again Tristan makes his way into her life.

Tristan, without trying, can get any girl in the school, and yet, he is set on Ivy. He never pushes her to do anything she is set against, however he, of all people, manages to teach her how to swim. His patient personality allows him to use his experience to not only teach Ivy to trust but also he gives Phillip a reason to laugh again.

Though everything seems to be heading in the right direction, I think we all know that something bad is about to happen because conflict is necessary in every book. In this story, the conflict is represented as a car crash. There were only two people in the car that day and the accident was not accidental. Someone outside of the equation caused the accident trying to kill Ivy, however, she wasn’t killed. Tristan was. All throughout their relationship, Tristan and Ivy have only ever had one conflict: her angels. Ivy believes in them with all her heart and prays to them in a situation of need and Tristan thinks that they are imaginary, solely a source of confidence for her. However now the tables are turned when Tristan has become an angel and Ivy is so devastated she refuses to believe. Tristan has been given a deadline and if he can make Ivy believe in angels again, then he can be given another chance. He does whatever he can to help Ivy believe, to make her trust her own instincts.

Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

This book is very different from most books because it talks about a very controversial issue, drugs. There are three children Hunter, Autumn and Summer, all three born from the same mother, Kristina, however in extremely different circumstances. Due to the fact that Kristina was a drug addict when she was pregnant with this kids they are going through many problems as they grow older. The similarities in Kristina and her children are remarkable, however disturbing they may be.

I cannot decide which character among the children is my favorite. Hunter, the oldest, is finding that he is also very addicted to drugs, and though he tries to avoid them, he ends up in the same disaster as his mom. Then there is Autumn, who is suffering from extreme OCD, which was caused by the drugs in her mom’s system during the period that she was in her mother’s womb. She finds it necessary to have everything in a specific order and wants to control situations as well as all of the people around her, including her boyfriend, Brian. Summer, on the other hand, unlike her half siblings, was not put into the care of her Aunt Clora, like Autumn, or his grandparents, like Hunter, she was put into foster care, drifting from one family to the next. Her love triangle is much like her mother’s because she also ended up cheating on her boyfriend with his best friend.

I would definitely recommend this book to all teenagers because I believe it is necessary for them to see the true effects of drugs on your life as well as many other innocent lives. It is vital to recognize the negative events that occur from drug use. You now longer have control over your surroundings and your whole life becomes a blur. Definitely a good read!  

Sing you home: by:Jodi Picoult

                        This is a wonderful novel about a girl who not only finders herself but throughout her whole life she has been helping others get their lives back on track through music. The main character, Zoe, is a music therapist who goes around helping those in trouble who need a way of connecting back to their lives. But what happens when the one person she counted on or thought she needed sends her a divorce. Who will be there for her now? Vanessa, her best friend?  Slowly she enters foreign territory when she realizes that she may love Vanessa a lot more than expected.

                        My favorite character is Lucy, a suicidal teen that is helped through music. Slowly she realizes how precious life can be and she becomes a musician as well. With young Lucy help Zoe in her time of need, or will she add to her troubles?

                        This book is definitely one of my top favorites because music has always been a big part of my life. Also, this book explores many topics I enjoy, for example; suicide, frozen embryos, court cases and homosexuals. It is a perfect combination of drama and passion.

I too had a love story: by: Ravinder Singh

                               

This is a wonderful true love story: one I didn’t not expect to like. It may seem unusual; however I am not particularly fond of Indian authors or love stories. The author, who goes by Ravin, tells the story of a reunion with his best friends and how they happened to discuss marriage. They realized that nowadays everything is online, and decided to apply to one of the websites like Marriage.com. Ravin happens to contact Khushi, a sweet, bubbly, sentimental Indian girl. He instantly falls in love for her. They decide to get married but in India it isn’t that simple. Their families must approve of their relationship as well.  Will their love story have a happily ever after, or will it leave you sobbing for hours?

My favorite character was Neeru, Khushi’s younger sister. She is mischievous and bubbly just like her sister but she still hasn’t fallen in love. Innocently, she helps her sister sneak to meet her lover and she is always teasing them just like any younger sister would. Btu when the time comes, she is there to help.

                        I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good cry. This book left me dazed for days, pondering about the ending. In fact, my cousin is planning to make a movie on it because he loved it so much. All of the characters resonated with me even to this day. It was written perfectly with so much emotion.

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

Can you run away from your past? If you pretend something doesn’t exist, will it eventually disappear? These are two challenges Trixie, her mother and her father suffer throughout this book.  This book contains many different topics, such as rape victims, not belonging, father-daughter relationships, peer pressure, social norms, Alaskan customs, parenting, marriage, infidelity, guilt, murder, and forgiveness..

My favorite character would have to be Trixie’s dad. He is a man with a dark past that he likes to keep hidden. As a comic cartoonist, he fights against the norm and has a part-time job as a stay-at-home-dad. He is Trixie’s main caretaker. He is the one she runs to when she scrapes her knee or does poorly on an assignment. He is the one she can count on. He is the most reliable, calmest person Trixie can imagine. How could she know that in his past life he was the bad boy, the one with a motorcycle and was always hitting on girls. Would she believe that his past was full of violent gang fights and an alleged murder?

I believe that it would be best if I didn’t give away to much about the plot line, simply because this is a book that is full of secrets and mysteries. But I would recommend this book without doubt. There is so much variety that is covered that I don’t think there is anyway you wont like it.