One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus- Reshelved Books

Who is ready for a new review on a new book?! 

I hope you all are eagerly waving your arms up in the air! haha.

I don't know how old the majority of our readers are but if you fall into the mid to late twenties and up, you should know about all of those classic John Hughes films from the 80s! 

Sixteen Candles! Pretty in Pink! St. Elmo's Fire! The Breakfast Club!

And this 90s baby does love Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club   :)

Let me know what you're favorite John Hughes movie is!  You can post down below OR find us on Facebook! FortheLoveofDewey is now a group and we'd love it if you joined!

But onward to the good stuff...   

One of Us is Lying is Karen McManus' debut novel.   As a YA fiction story, One of Us is Lying is a story about five teenagers, one who mysteriously ends up dead in detention.  The "who done it" and the why are what you as the reader are trying to figure out.  

This book is a mash up between the game of Clue and The Breakfast Club.

From what I could find out there on the great internet, it seems like McManus was influenced by the writings of Agatha Christie for her debut novel.  According to Book Club Babble, McManus used The Breakfast Club as her primary inspiration. 

Which is something I can totally see... Take for example Brian and Simon.  For anyone who has seen this movie, do you think that McManus loosely based Simon on Brian?? Brian had the intentions of suicide but was never success.  Simon actually *dies*...

Tabitha Lord of Book Club Babble did an *amazing* review with Karen McManus. I strongly recommend to everyone to go and check out her review!  Another good review on the book was done by The Big Thrill- you can check out that review here.

Lord brings up great questions that included awesome points.  I love how she brings up how nowadays, teenagers don't have a sense of privacy (which is true, when I was in high school, TEXT MESSAGES were just becoming a thing! and I am by no means old!).  How social media has taken over and made things that were once private, public.  (Not only that, but suicide is something that's increasing in teenagers :(  )

I very much liked the delivery of the story!  I liked how as the reader got deeper into the novel, the plot became more twisted.  The police were pitting Bronwyn, Nate, Cooper and Addie against each other- something that should have pulled them apart, made them stronger together in the end.  You slowly learn about Simon's life and 

As, I said before (because for anyone who knows me, I love to repeat myself) I liked how the book was a spin on The Breakfast Club: you had the athlete, the criminal, the brains, the outcast and the pretty girl.  While the five of them were able to walk out together at the end, One of Us is Lying loses the outcast. 

There was a twist at the end of the story that I was not expecting.  I could see how the "killer" was who they were, but I would never have imagined who was helping them.

I give this book 5 out of 5 coffee beans.  It held the right amount of suspense and it answered all of the questions that it laid out.  I didn't get tired of the characters and I didn't find them to be annoying.  The book progressed in a way that didn't leave you feeling ripped off. 

~ Jillian

After the Fall by Kate Hart- Reshelved Books

Hello again Dewey Family, 

This time I present you with After the Fall by Kate Hart.
This book was wonderful! I really did enjoy it.  After the Fall was another book that I could not put down! It was laced with such emotion and it made you feel for the characters (and I don't think that's an easy thing to do!)

NOW, I know what you guys are saying "But Jillian you've been reading books that fall into this category... You reviewed Thirteen Reasons Why *and* The Most Dangerous Place on Earth". Yes yes, I did...this is something that I can not deny. 

Side Note: I promise that I am going to review March's #Bookdrop next - Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon. I'm in the process of reading this book 
(PSA for our IG! @fortheloveofdewey -- you'll be able to check out all of our current reads here... Or you can look up to your left... Right under all of those tabs...)

After the Fall is Kate Hart's debut novel.  Knowing that this was her debut novel and nothing else about the novel didn't satisfy me.  I was wanting to know about this book!

SO! I figured that I would start incorporating a little bit of the background information that I find about the authors (if this is a debut novel) or try to find the inspiration the novel (if it's posted within the vast internet) -- wish me luck, this may be a failed idea. haha.   

With my trusty curiosity in hand, I searched the internet high and low in hopes to find Hart's inspiration...

My searching did pay off!  I was able to find an interview with Ms. Hart from 2010 on the blog We Do Write, you can view the interview here. In her interview with Dorothy from We Do Write, Kate said that her inspiration for After the Fall came from a "local hiking accident" - that sparked her to wonder how she and her friends would have been able to handle the same situation. It wasn't until I finished the book that in the final pages that Hart mentions how her own assault and the loss of a friend influenced her book. 

(Wandering Bark Books had an interesting Q&A with Hart as well - you can find how she handled the love triangle that is in the book.  You can read that Q&A here).

On to the book...
After the Fall follows Raychel Sanders and Matt Riachardson, two best friends since forever. Matt secretly likes Raychel and Raychel is secretly dating Matt's younger brother, Andrew. 

As the reader, you can really feel for Raychel.  You feel for her when you hear how she's been assaulted by Carson (not once but *twice*).  You feel for her when she thought that maybe Carson did actually like her for her and not for anything else like the rumors that follow her. You feel for her again, when she learns who her mother is dating and when she gets into a big fight with Matt; resulting in massive disappointment.  A horrible hiking accident happens causing life as Raychel and Matt know it falls apart. Life will never be the same for either of them and neither will be their friendship. 

SPOILER ALERT!! 
If you don't want to know what happens... DON'T READ PAST THIS LINE!! 
I don't want to ruin anything for those of you who do want to read the book. 

I felt bad for Raychel. I did. No one deserves to be assaulted. No one deserves to be taken advantage of like that. To lose that sense of trust and security. To be stripped down and to be made to feel so vulnerable. That's wrong in every possible way. As I wrote before, it broke my heart to read that her character was happy that there someone out there who was interested in her for her and not because of the rumors about her. To me, that's heartbreaking. 

But (I know I shouldn't start a sentence with "but") Raychel did start to irritate me when she was (for lack of a better term) "sneaking around" with Andrew. I thought that was really crappy of her character.  This guy has been your friend for (what's mentioned in the book) the better part of a decade, and you go and start dating his brother without saying anything to him! That's really crappy! I'm sorry guys. Matt genuinely cared about Raychel (even though we could see that his character was quite overbearing) and I think that's why it bothered me so much that she didn't say anything to him until everything started to fall apart.

To me, it seemed like Raychel's relationship with Andrew seemed a little out of left field. I didn't find it to be very developed- it just kind of happened. I didn't even really get the vibe that she was crushing on him until she borrowed his shirt.  
Carson's assault on Raychel was a formative part of the book (IMO) but it seemed to have died off... Then the reader hears about Carson again, when Raychel takes her "revenge" on him (if you can even say that) and when he apologizes.  Part 2 had a whole different focus -I felt that that was a little strange. 

I was sad at the end of the book.  I guess I wanted Raychel and Matt to see past their differences and to come together once again.  I didn't want to see them end. They had been friends for so long, that it was sad to seem them continue to drift apart.  
As the saying goes: all good things must come to an end...

After the Fall gets a review of four (4) coffee beans out of five (5).

~JBG

Websites Referenced: https://wanderingbarkbooks.wordpress.com/2017/01/18/guest-post-after-the-fall-by-kate-hart-qa/
http://we-do-write.blogspot.com/2010/08/interview-with-kate-hart.html

#RelationshipGoals Readings: Reshelved Books (Valentine's Day Edition)

Hey guys!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I am posting a review on not one but THREE books that are centered around romance and relationships. 

Boys of Summer by Jessica Brody
The Improbable Theory of Zak and Ana by Brian Katcher
The Romantics by Leah Konen

Those three books circle around relationships and love (for the most part... Boys of Summer also deals with death and it affects those who lost their loved one) AND all three books handle the topic of family (on a side note: I realized that family was a commanding topic as well once I was editing this review - this is a comment from Editing Jillian).

As a collective whole, I am giving these three books together twelve (12) coffee beans.
Continue reading down below if you'd like to see the review breakdown!

Scrapbook stickers and washi tape stripes are by Reflections. 

I bought them last year (2016) at Michael's.

Boys of Summer by Jessica Brody: 3 coffee beans out of 5

This book... I thought it was a little odd in terms of the writing style.  The book was centered around three friends; Grayson, Mike and Ian.  Grayson, Mike and Ian developed and fostered their friendship at Winlock Harbor during the summer months (hence the title Boys of Summer).
This is the last summer before the boys go off to college in the fall and it's the summer of major change- change that is influenced by tragedy. 

Grayson got into a major accident, the result of his parent's separation and divorce; affecting his abilities to play football in college.
Mike broke up with his girlfriend (Harper) of six years, changing his plans for once the fall rolls around.
Ian suffered great loss with the passing of his father, who was a SGT in the Army; and is having a hard time coping with the loss and the change in his mother's behavior as she tries to cope too.

As the book progresses, each boy finds a girl that he is interested in and the reader gets to see their relationships bud and how they unfold. The reader also gets to see how the dynamics of each boy's family progresses.

The content in the book didn't bother me. What annoyed me was that I was reading a book where three guys were the narrators and I felt like they were speaking like teenage girls. (Granted, I was a teenage girl back 10 years ago and I don't know how teenage boys think but I don't think that they would think like this!). Like why would a teenage boy go out and buy a whole new outfit, buy cheese and crackers and build a tent outside; never less GOOGLE romantic date ideas?! All to impress a girl who is a teenager herself! 

My heart went out to Ian, I was proud of how Mike was able to pick up and move on, and Grayson... Well, I wish he was a more forthcoming in his decision. But if he did that, then there wouldn't be much of a story on his end and no character progression (or digression at times...)

All in all, I don't think that the book was bad... It just wasn't my favorite book of the three that I am reviewing here.

I am giving this book 3 coffee beans out of five. 

The Improbable Theory of Zak and Ana by Brian Katcher: 4 coffee beans out of 5

I am going to start this review of by asking (you'll see why I'm asking this later on in my review).... Is anyone going bookcon this year?! NYC!! HEEEYYYYY! If you are, comment below! Jess and I are going so we'll see you all there! (Did anyone see that Chad Michael Murray is going to be there talking about his new book??! *swoons*)

Moving right along....

The Improbable Theory of Zak and Ana follows a boy named Zak and a girl named Ana (Duh. As if you didn't get that from the title...) and how one night can make you fall for someone.

Zak or "Duke" is forced to join Quiz Bowl, something he is quite reluctant to do but totally necessary if he wants to pass a required class to graduate in the spring. 
Ana is a high achieving student and captain of the Quiz Bowl, who is less than thrilled to learn that Zak is the new member on the team....

Lucky for Zak, he gets to spend time with the girl he is smitten with! Sadly for Ana...she's that girl and she has NO interest in Zak.

After competing in a day of quiz bowl, Ana's younger brother Clayton decides that he is going to attend Washingcon, the convention where Zak "should" have been spending his weekend, not at the Quiz Bowl competition (See why I asked you guys about bookcon?!).

It is at Washingcon where Zak and Ana go on an adventure to find Clayton before morning, when Mrs. Brinkham would find them missing thus jeopardizing Zak's final grade and Ana's parents finding about their Tom Foolery. 

The main focus of the book is around the adventure Ana and Zak share at Washingcon (The adventure is what makes the book!) All I can say is poor poor Zak...  You're left wanting to know what turns are going to happen in the plot, who Zak and Ana meet at Washingcon, where the last Clayton spotting was! Katcher made Zak to be a lovable character, one with terrible misfortune but a guy who was able to provide laughs.  

The reason why I gave this book four coffee beans out of five is because I could NOT stand Ana! There were times during the book that I thought she was getting better and I was starting to like her and then her character would do something that annoyed me and I was off put by her again.  I would be thinking "WHY Zak?! WHHHYYYY?!? You can find someone different! You could do better! You sound like such a cute guy, PLEASE find someone better!". 

In the end, Katcher wrote a book that had an interesting story line.  The situations that Ana and Zak encountered were unimaginable and crazy but you could laugh with some of things Zak got caught up in (which I think was from his laid back personality). The end of the book also made me happy for Zak and Roger.  

The Romantics by Leah Konen: **5 coffee beans out of 5**

If you want to read a lighthearted book about romance that is absolutely adorable than THIS is the book for you! And yes, "absolutely adorable" is a technical term (;

I loved this book! I loved Gael Brennan, I loved his adorable little sister Piper, Sammy Sutton and I loved how Love was the story's narrator. 

This book follows 17 year old Gael Brennan on his quest to find love and the trials and tribulations that he encounters along the way. You also get to meet three very different girls: Anika, Sammy and Cara.

With Love as the narrator, the reader is taken on a ride where you learn about the different types of romantics and how Love is able to influence certain situations and thoughts.  (Not to mention, there are cute little illustrations within the some chapters.)  The reader also learns that Love peeks in on already established relationships and ensures that the love is not lost... for the most part (if you read the book, you'll get what I mean). 

As for Ms. Konen, she wrote a story that was easy to follow and fun to read.  It was hard to put the book down! Finishing it was bittersweet but the ending was a happy moment for Gael (which is what you were rooting for after what he had been through).  I am looking forward to reading her other two books (hint hint: stay tuned for those reviews in the near future!). 

Happy Valentine's day!

~ Jillian

Jars of Glass by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler - Reshelved Books

Hello Everyone!  

Surprise, surprise... I haven't posted this as "Currently Reading," but I did finish another book.  So here I offer you my review of the young adult novel Jars of Glass and my For the Love of Dewey Rating of 4.5 coffee beans.  

My boyfriend had noticed that I was looking for this book on a recent date night outing to our local used bookstore.  When I couldn't find it, he surprised me with an e-bay copy!  (Yes, I am a very lucky girl.) I'm pretty sure that this novel is out of print, which is a shame because it really is quite captivating.  

This novel takes place in Maine, and tells the story of a family that is barley functioning and staying together.  The two teenage daughters and their four-year-old brother (who was recently adopted from a Russian Orphanage and doesn't speak much English) live together with their dad above a funeral home.  We don't know much about what happened to their mother, but we do know that although she is still alive, the family mourns her loss as though she no longer is.  Through flashback stories of fairytales full of beach glass slowly unraveling to show glimpses of today, we learn the girls' mother suffered from untreated schizophrenia.  Barkley & Hepler keep the reader guessing what exactly happened to the girls mother, as well as if the family can ever heal and become whole again.  

I really liked how this novel tackles the topic of mental disorders, but places the disorder on the parent rather than the teenage character.  Done this way, Barkley & Hepler show a family dynamic of how everyone is effected by mental disorder and how everyone thus has to find a way to heal.  

I'm going to go back to writing my term papers now.  Please feel free to comment below with what you are reading, and if you're bored, check out our Instagram @fortheloveofdewey!  

~Jessica