“If You Could Be Mine” by Sara Farizan (247 pages)

This realistic fiction story is about two teenage best friends, Sahar and Nasrin, who grow up in modern-day Iran. With Sahar motherless, Nasrin’s family has been there for her since she was just a child but things start to change when there are suspicions of the girls having a secret relationship. In Iran, homosexuality is illegal and sometimes even punishable by death, but getting a sex change isn’t. Is Sahar willing to go through surgery to be with the love of her life? If so, she needs to hurry, and fast, because Nasrin is getting married off, thanks to her parents. 

This book is a quick read and is hard to put down. If you’re someone who enjoys suspense and panic, this book is the one for you.   

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"(Me, Him, Them, And It)" By Caela Carter (310 pages)

Evelyn, a good Christian girl, is sick of the tension in her house. Her dad hooked up with the dentist, moved out many times, and ended up living in the same house as Evelyn and her mother at the worse possible time. Sick of the bickering and silence, Evelyn makes a plan to make her parents notice her more- become the Bad Evelyn. She stops going to church, cuts her skirt shorter, stops painting, quits the cross country team, and becomes the school slut. After hooking up with Todd, one test completely changes her life; she's pregnant. Mary, Evelyn's counselor, tries to guide Evelyn through the decision making process of what to do with the baby. Abortion? Adoption? Keep it? Evelyn has no idea at first, but she eventually rules out abortion. Telling her mom and Todd was probably the hardest thing Evelyn has ever had to do, until she lies to her best friend and gets sent to live with her Aunt Linda.

Once you read the beginning of this book, there's no way you can put it down. Each new page shows how Evelyn is changing, physically and emotionally. Watch as old relationships crumble and new relationships sprout. Does Evelyn end up keeping the baby? Find out all of the luring details as you're sucked into this book even more!

This book is perfect for those who don't have a grasp on how good life is with what they have. Behind the fictional story, lessons on pregnancy choices and family importance shine through. I wasn't sure if I wanted to read a book about this, but once I started, I couldn't stop. The ending kept me thinking for a while by letting me decide what might have happened. 

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"Nantucket Blue" by Leila Howland (294 pages)

When Cricket is invited to Nantucket for the summer by her friend Jules and her family, she jumps at the opportunity. However, a fatal incident causes Jules to revoke the invitation. Thinking that Jules will regret her decision, Cricket boards the ferry to Nantucket. The Jules she used to know is no longer the Jules standing in front of her on the doorstep. Jules wants nothing to do with Cricket, so Cricket is forced to find somewhere to stay and find a job to support her for the summer. Cricket planned to spend the summer with her best friend’s family. She planned to fall in love with Jay Logan and get a nice tan. She planned to get away from her mom’s sadness and her dad’s new marriage. Not all of her plans actually happened.

The Cranberry Inn offers Cricket a place to stay and a job for the summer. At the time, the island of Nantucket is mourning a loss of an important political figure, which brings a new job opportunity to Cricket; an intern for a journalist. As Cricket keeps track of interviews and cleans hotel rooms during the day, she secretly falls in love with someone completely off-limits at night. Not only does she find out who she really is, she finds out who her mom was years ago. Does Cricket’s life turn out to be the perfect Nantucket blue? Dive in and find out!                                                

This book is full of self discovery and romance. I really enjoyed watching Cricket's relationships begin and grow. I am really looking forward to reading "Nantucket Red" in March! 

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"The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die" by April Henry

“Take her out back and finish her off." 

This thriller, a 16-year-old girl wakes up in a cabin, not knowing who she is, where she is, or why two men are arguing about whether or not to kill her. All she knows is that there is a throbbing pain coming from two of her fingers, and that she must escape. When one of the men takes her out back to kill her, she manages to attack the man, which buys her time to run. She’s not sure where to go, so she takes the man’s SUV and drives. Along the way she meets Ty, a McDonald’s cashier, who befriends her and helps her run from the men hunting her down. When she hears about herself and her family in the news, she learns that her name is Cady Scott. She has a mom, and dad, and a 3-year-old brother – all of whom cannot be found. She travels back to Portland, Oregon with the help of Ty, only to find the man she escaped from and one of her parents'  bosses waiting for her. And they are not happy. Her parents have something these people want, and they are willing to do anything in order to get it. Killing included.

Find out how Cady (with Ty by her side) saves her family, and potentially millions of others, in this amazing book that I finished in one day. You won’t be able to put it down!

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