Review: Break to You - Neal Shusterman , Debra Young, Michelle Knowlden - July 2024 There are books you finish and quietly set aside, and then there are books that stay lodged somewhere in your chest long after the final page. This is one of the latter. At its heart, this is an intense yet tender story of two teens, trapped in impossible circumstances and unjust systems, willing to risk everything for love, no matter the consequences. And honestly? It wrecked me in the best possible way. Adriana is simply trying to survive. Seven months at the Compass juvenile detention center - her plan is to keep her head down, do her time, get out. Her journal is her lifeline, the one place where her feelings can spill out without consequence. Until they aren't private anymore. Someone has read her words. And written back. That someone is Jon, a boy living on the other side of the gender-divided facility, and from that first stolen exchange, something quietly electric begins to build between t...

Review: One Good Reason - Erin Lee - September 2016 Erin Lee's "One Good Reason" emerges as a powerful therapy tool and companion journal, intricately woven to complement her novel, "When I'm Dead." Targeted at victims of sexual abuse, as well as those navigating the journey of self-discovery, this companion journal transcends its pages, offering solace and empowerment to readers seeking healing. This companion journal, standing at 122 pages, serves as a valuable therapeutic resource. Drawing from her background as a trained therapist, Lee incorporates narrative therapy prompts designed to guide victims through the process of rewriting their own narratives. "One Good Reason" becomes a transformative tool for readers, facilitating their transition from victimhood to survivorship and, ultimately, thriving. The inclusion of a clinical article within the journal adds depth, providing insight into the therapeutic benefits of journaling and the healing p...

Review: The Good Sister - Sally Hepworth - April 2021 Already released in some parts of the world, I grabbed this book from Netgalley. The Good Sister sounded like an amazing mystery/thriller read and also I love stories that involve siblings that are one Good/ one Evil. It could be due to my childhood but it has always fascinated me. I found myself loving The Good Sister way more than I thought I would. This book was so amazing that afterward, I was ranting about it to a group of friends on Instagram. One of the main characters Fern is a Librarian and we read a lot of her interactions in the library, her customers, and the ones she recommends books too and her hate of technology especially the photocopier/printer. This made me love her even more, as a Librarian myself I saw a lot of myself in Fern's character and understood her on a personal level. The same goes for being a sister and growing up in a rocky home. Like Fern, the library and books growing up were my escape. In the Go...