Category Archives: standalone

2014, action, Book Review, contemporary, mystery, realistic fiction, romance, standalone, YA

[Review] Minders – Michele Jaffe

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Book Title:                      Minders (Standalone)
Author:                             Michele Jaffe
Number of pages:     400

Michele Jaffe - Minders - Cover

Synopsis:

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?

Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She’s been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she’ll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There’s just one problem: Sadie’s fallen in love with him.

Q: What if the crime is murder?

Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.

Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?

Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford’s life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves.

 (re: Goodreads @ Minders by Michele Jaffe)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:
  • Enjoy looking through kaleidoscopes? Well, thoughts and emotions are seen in Technicolor. That’s pretty neat.
  • World building takes on contemporary realism with subtle science-fiction elements that aren’t overwhelming for non sci-fi fanatics.
  • The narrative is not anchored by romance in pacing (although I’d imagine you could still ship them); I mean, she’s pretty normal and he exudes the troubled bad boy.

minders-michele-jaffe-scorecard-600x300

Initial Thoughts:

Hmm, neat cover and premise but even neater opening prologue to the story. That’s really all I got for initial thoughts. Ha.

Lettuce explore my mind.

Disclaimer: Potential spoilers inherent to this review from here onward.

Continue reading [Review] Minders – Michele Jaffe →

2014, Book Review, contemporary, cultural, death, japan, realistic fiction, Reviews, romance, standalone, YA

[Review] When You Were Here – Daisy Whitney

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Book Title:                    When You Were Here (Standalone)
Author:                           Daisy Whitney
Number of pages:    264daisywhitney_whenyouwerehere

Synopsis:

Danny’s mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see.

Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn’t know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.

When he gets a letter from his mom’s property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother’s memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

(re: Goodreads @ When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:
  • Predominately takes place in Japan and exposes its culture.
  • Male perspective on grieving losses, optimism, and discovering the nature of life and love.
  • Some characters are refreshing, others are one dimensional, but they’re all interwoven and linked to some degree.
Initial Thoughts:

This book was suggested to me by Savindi.

I had a brief moment after I read the synopsis: could it be that Daniel Kellerman will redeem the name “Daniel/Danny” after my experience with Daniel Kelly (re: Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas)? It’s totally not a coincidence that their names are practically identical right? Twins in another life, maybe. This is a young-adult contemporary about grieving death and meandering through clouded vision of acceptance and finding a way to move on. It has the inner workings to be one of those heart wrenching discovery reads where streams of figurative (or physical) tears eventually flow out of your sockets. But it didn’t get to that point for me.

Let me regale you with my grief:

Disclaimer: Potential spoilers inherent to this review from here onward.

Continue reading [Review] When You Were Here – Daisy Whitney →

2014, Book Review, horror, mystery, standalone, supernatural, suspense, thriller

[Review] The Waiting – Joe Hart

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Book Title:                     The Waiting (Standalone)
Author:                            Joe Hart
Number of pages:     254

Synopsis:

thewaiting_cover

Evan Tormer is haunted.

His life has been shattered by events beyond his control and regret is his constant companion. His wife is gone, lost to an unbeatable cancer. His son has been mentally and physically handicapped by a tragic accident. He’s been fired for using company funds in a failed attempt to save his wife’s life.

On a whim, Evan accepts an invitation to housesit on a picturesque island in northern Minnesota. At first it seems like the perfect second chance for he and his son to recover and rebuild their life together.

But there is something very, very wrong with the house and all that occupies it. And worst of all, Evan doesn’t know if the house is haunted…

…Or if it’s all in his mind.

(re: Goodreads @ The Waiting by Joe Hart)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:
  • There is emotionally-charged depth in character development.
  • Narrative is layered and is more than your typical horror thrill ride.
  • Inclusion of gimmicks that remind you of why you’re scared of them in the first place. Well played, sir.
  • A certain modern realism in plotting – if you own, want to own, or can imagine a cottage…read this.
Initial Thoughts:

Classified as a (supernatural) horror-ghost thriller? Alright, you can do this; you’ve seen stuff like this before. No problem. Cue the curtain call: creepy basement, a doll that stares back at you, hallucinations and night terrors, the ticking of a clock; a few of many chills that encapsulate this narrative. And for someone who doesn’t normally read horror novels, I might need more.

I’ll explain:

Disclaimer: Potential spoilers inherent to this review from here onward.

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