Current TBR shelf: 3700
Last week's TBR shelf: 3708
The rules
- Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
- Order on ascending date added.
- Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
- Read the synopses of the books
- Decide: keep it or should it go?
The List by Siobhan Vivian
It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.
This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.
I was interested by the premise and the examination of beauty standards but SO many reviews dislike the ending and how the characters don't get any sort of closure for their individual storylines by the end of the book.
Verdict: Remove
Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay
Dragged to New Hampshire for the summer, Marcie soon realizes that her mom has no plans for them to return to Marcie's father in Idaho. As Marcie starts at a new school, without her ragtag group of friends called the Leftovers, a new romance heats up, but she struggles to understand what love really means.
From the synopsis alone it just seems pretty samey to all the other YA contemporaries out there that focus on starting a new school, a premise that I'm over reading about.
Verdict: Remove
The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.
But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what's next?
Road trip + friendship + music = a big thumbs up from me!
Verdict: Keep
The Story of Us by Deb Caletti
Cricket’s on a self-imposed break from her longtime boyfriend—but she’s picked a bad week to sort out her love life. For one thing, her mother’s romance is taking center stage: After jilting two previous fiancés, her mom is finally marrying Dan Jax, whom Cricket loves. But as wedding attendees arrive for a week of festivities at a guesthouse whose hippie owners have a sweet, sexy son—Ash—complications arise:Cricket’s future stepsisters make it clear they’re not happy about the marriage. An old friend decides this is the week to declare his love for Cricket. Grandpa chooses to reveal a big secret at a family gathering. Dan’s ex-wife shows up. And even the dogs—Cricket’s old, ill Jupiter and Dan’s young, lively Cruiser—seem to be declaring war.
While Cricket fears that Dan is in danger of becoming ditched husband-to-be number three, she’s also alarmed by her own desires. Because even though her boyfriend looms large in her mind, Ash is right in front of her....
I've talked about this author before and how I want to start off by reading one of her other novels that I'm more interested in.
Verdict: Remove
Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg
Emme has long lived in her best friend Sophie's shadow. She writes songs, and Sophie sings them. It's always been like this, and feels like it always will be.
Sophie will stop at nothing to be a star. Even if it means using her best friend and picking up a trophy boyfriend, Carter.
Carter is a victim of a particular Hollywood curse: He's a former child star. Now all he wants is a normal life. But being normal is about as hard for him as being famous.
Ethan has his own issues - a darkness in his head that he just can't shake. He's managed to sabotage every relationship he's ever been in. Emme's the only girl he's ever really respected... but he's not sure what to do about that.
Emme, Sophie, Carter, and Ethan are all students at a performing arts school, where talent is the norm and fame is the goal. But sometimes, being in the spotlight isn't as important as the people you're sharing it with.
I'm not too sure about this one. The reviews are decent but I just have a feeling that this isn't a book I'll ever reach for.
Verdict: Remove
The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.
Brie's life ends at sixteen: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.
But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.
With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?
If I'm rolling my eyes at the blurb then I'm not holding out much hope for the actual book.
Verdict: Remove
In Too Deep by Amanda Grace
Carter didn't rape me. People at school think he did. Suddenly, new friends are rushing to my side, telling me that Carter hurt them, too. They say he's getting what he deserves.
Maybe I don't want to fix this.
Sam is in love with her best friend Nick, but she can't seem to tell him. So she decides to flirt with golden-boy Carter Wellesley, hoping Nick will see it and finally realize his true feelings for her.
On Monday, everyone at school is saying that Carter raped Sam. He didn't, but Sam can't find the words to tell the truth. Worst of all, she's afraid she'll lose Nick if he finds out what really happened.
As graduation approaches, Sam discovers that living the lie isn't as easy as her new friends make it sound--and telling the truth might be even worse.
The topics dealt with here do interest me but a lot of people have said that there are other books that handle the consquences of lying and rape a lot better then they are here.
Verdict: Remove
Cracked by K.M. Walton
Sometimes there's no easy way out.
Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.
Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn't stop Bull's grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.
When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there's no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better….
If i'm reading a book about mental health then I need these topics to be handled realistically which this book doesn't appear to do if reviews are to be believed.
Verdict: Remove
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she’s somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.
Mandy Kalinowski understands what it’s like to grow up unwanted—to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she’s sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It’s harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?
As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy—or as difficult—as it seems.
This is one that I've wanted to try for a while now as well as this author being on my radar for a few years.
Verdict: Keep
7 Clues to Winning You by Kristin Walker
When forced to switch to a rival high school before the end of her junior year, Blythe’s carefully laid out plans for a perfect future begin to unravel. At first she thinks that being the principal’s daughter is the worst part, then an unflattering viral picture of Blythe has everyone laughing at her the first day. Although vengeance was never her thing, Blythe vows to abolish the Senior Scramble, a long-revered school scavenger hunt.
Afterwards, things don’t go to plan, though. To make amends, she teams up with Senior, Luke—the surly head of the hunt and so-called-journalist who first posted her picture. Together they defy Blythe’s father and take the Senior Scramble underground. Blythe soon realizes that Luke isn’t so bad after all. In fact, she’s drawn in by his sly geekish wit, spontaneous Shakespearean quotes, and peering gaze.
As Blythe speeds through the scavenger hunt, she faces expulsion, an arrest, and a split from her best friend. But she won’t give up. If she wins the Senior Scramble, she just might win back her reputation. And maybe even win Luke’s heart.
This cover looks like a Disney Channel original movie and the synopsis sounds like one too...
Verdict: Remove
This Week:
Kept: 2
Removed: 8
Overall:
Kept: 155
Removed: 345
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