"Hush, Hush" by Becca Fitzpatrick (391 pgs)

Nora Grey’s life was never really all that normal. Her dad died from homicide, her mom was almost never home, and there was something, or someone, watching her. She assumed that it was just her dad watching over her. Boy was she wrong. Then, she meets Patch. He seems kind of rough around the edges, the typical bad-boy type. Nora ends up being stuck with Patch to be his lab partner in Biology, and that’s when things start to get weird. He starts watching her, following her, and knowing what she’s doing. She’s freaked out at first, but once she finds out his real intentions, her safety relies on Patch . This series is suspenseful, action-based, and has a nice twist of forbidden love. Once you begin to read the first book, you become attached to Nora’s attitude, Patch’s bad-boy image, and so much more.


Reviewed by Jazmin Straffin

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford (300 pages)

It feels like just yesterday Carter was enjoying the summer of eighth grade, riding bikes and swimming in the Merrian Pool with EJ. But before he knows it, Carter is catapulted into a world of sex, lies, and hallway fights. Even with advice coming at him from all directions, his big mouth still manages to get him into some humiliating situations. Carter will charm (and stutter) his way through awkward moments, vicious fights, and teenage victories. And maybe between the fog of his ADD clouded mind and the tender bruises of organized sports, even Carter will learn something about life. It’s hard to find books that give a truthful perspective of a high school experience, but I think Brent Crawford told it well. This is a hilarious view into the meaningful and sometimes disturbing thoughts of an average high school boy.

Reviewed by Madeline Mayor

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan (211 pages)

A quick-paced, heartbreaking, yet amusing read, “The Lover’s Dictionary” tells the story through the eyes of an anonymous person. He uses words to describe his relationship, giving each word a special definition, based on his experience, making the book an actual dictionary, telling the story of the twists and turns of his relationship.

This is a feel-good book, a love story that gives you insight into a perfect relationship, while at the same time telling the very realistic story of a relationship that may or may not have fallen apart. “The Lover’s Dictionary” will leave you very satisfied in the end, so much that you’ll want to start all over again.

Reviewed by Alli Sweeney

"Perfect" by Natasha Friend (172 pages)

“But maybe underneath all that perfect it’s not so great for them. You can’t always tell just from looking,” said pretty, perfect Ashley Barnum one night in Group. Coming to Body Image Therapy Group was now Isabelle Lee’s punishment ever since her sister found her with her face in the toilet and her fingers down her throat. With a dead father, a depressed mother and her snitching little sister, it seemed like group therapy was the last thing Isabelle wanted to deal with right now. She was sick of pretending that everything was “fine.” This is the kind of story that gives people hope and I think anyone who reads this will be rooting for Isabelle all the way to the end.  The author, Natasha Friend, did a great job of capturing the rather painful thoughts of a thirteen-year-old girl and teaching us readers that sometimes the toughest decisions are the ones that change things for the better.

Reviewed by Madeline Mayor

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Former child prodigy Colin Singleton has been dumped by nineteen girls, all of them named Katherine. After Katherine XIX left him aching in misery on his bedroom floor, his carefree friend, Hassan Harbish, put the only logical plan he could think of into action: road trip. From Indianapolis, Indiana to Gutshot, Tennessee in an air-condition-less car known as “Satan’s Hearse,” Colin decides his last hope to really matter is to finish his theorem. The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability that will allow him to mathematically predict the outcome of any potential relationship. With the help of a motherly but powerful woman, Hollis, and her intriguing daughter, Lindsey, maybe Colin really will make some discoveries about the future. This was another excellent book from John Green with honest and relatable characters and an unpredictable series of events. I think anyone who enjoys any kind of realistic fiction books will like An Abundance of Katherines as much as I did.

Review by Madeline Mayor