Review: Thornbird - E. Kennedy - June 2026 I had high hopes for Thornbird by E. Kennedy because, honestly, the premise sounded like it had been written specifically for me. A serial killer father? A mother who was one of his victims? A daughter who changes her name and creates a whole new identity to escape the shadow of his crimes? Come on  that is basically catnip for a thriller reader! Ten years after infamous serial killer Gabriel Thorn was caught, Ryan Shipley returns to Starling, Tennessee, determined to keep her head down and her true identity hidden. Nobody can know who she really is or the connection she has to the notorious killer. But when fresh eyes begin digging into the old case, the secrets Ryan has worked so hard to bury start clawing their way back to the surface. Cryptic texts, unsettling coincidences and a chilling note all suggest that someone knows more than they should. And as questions surrounding Gabriel Thorn's crimes begin resurfacing, Ryan finds herself r...

Review: Winter Untold - Book #3 Summer Unplugged - Amy Sparling - December 2013 You know those mornings where nothing quite clicks? I started my reading day with a thriller that turned out to be a firm DNF, so I did what any self-respecting bookworm does, I scrolled my Kindle looking for a rescue read. That's when I landed on Winter Untold by Amy Sparling, a book that had been sitting in my library for a while. I knew going in it would be one of those cutesy YA romances ,light, a little fluffy, probably not a lot of substance and honestly? Sometimes that's exactly what you need. The story follows Bayleigh, a teenager navigating the trials of a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend Jace, who's making waves in the world of Motocross. Enter Chase, the adorable new neighbour who's just moved in next door and, naturally, has taken a bit of a shine to her. It's classic YA setup territory, and Sparling leans into it fully. Here's where I'll be honest thou...

Review: The Kiss Bet - #Volume #2 - Ingrid Ochoa - August 2025 There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about curling up with The Kiss Bet – Volume #2 . As I read through this WEBTOON collection, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d stepped straight back into the cosy comfort of those classic late 90s and early 2000s chick flicks I used to adore. You know the ones – She’s All That , Not Another Teen Movie , and all those high school rom-coms that mixed awkward crushes, friendship drama, and that fluttery feeling of first love. This volume gave me that exact same vibe, and honestly, it felt like revisiting an old favourite. Sara Lin is now eighteen and in her final year of high school. She’s got a good group of friends, a dad who thinks he’s still the coolest guy around, and a whole future ahead of her. The only thing she hasn’t experienced yet? Her first kiss. And thanks to her friend Patrick and his relentless betting challenges, that suddenly becomes the one thing everyone seems to be ...

Review: Gemini Falling - Eleanor Wood - October 2013 As part of my 2026 mission to finally clear out the "digital dust" on my Kindle, I dove into Gemini Falling by Eleanor Wood. I went in expecting a sharp, Mean Girls -style drama set in an exclusive private school. The opening hooked me immediately: ‘First of all, let’s get something straight. This is not going to be one of those stories where the school bitch turns out to have a heart of gold.’ I love a book that promises a complex, unrepentant protagonist! But oh boy, "complex" doesn't quite cover where this story went. The story starts with Amie, the reigning Queen Bee, and her loyal second-in-command, Lexy. It’s that classic social hierarchy we all know (and maybe secretly love to read about). But the status quo is shattered when the mysterious twins, Elyse and Melanie, arrive mid-term. These twins aren't just new students; they have this "magnetic power" that completely disrupts the school’...

Review: Notice Me - Suzana Thompson - December 2015 You know that feeling when you scroll through your Kindle and realize you have titles from years ago just gathering digital dust? I’ve decided that this is the year I finally stop ignoring my "backlog" in favor of flashy new releases. That’s how I found myself tucking into Notice Me by Suzana Thompson. We’ve all seen the setup before: the quiet, bookish new girl arrives at school, hoping to blend into the wallpaper, only to catch the eye of the campus playboy. Our protagonist, Emma, has been through the wringer. After having her heart shattered by the double betrayal of her ex-boyfriend and her best friend, she just wants to be invisible. But then there’s Tyler. Popular, charismatic, and used to getting what he wants, he initially views Emma as a "challenge" a conquest to be seduced. However, what started as a shallow game quickly shifts into something much deeper. What I appreciated most about Suzana Thompson’s w...

Review: That Night - Amy Giles - October 2018 There's something about young adult fiction that doesn't shy away from the hard stuff that always draws me in. Give me a story that tackles grief, trauma, or those impossible questions we all wrestle with, and I'm there. That Night by Amy Giles landed on my radar because it does exactly that, it sits with the uncomfortable reality of mass shootings and asks: what comes after? The story follows Jess and Lucas, two teenagers forever changed by the Balcony shooting in their Queens neighborhood. Both lost siblings that night. Both survived when others didn't. And both are drowning in the aftermath in their own ways , Jess trying to hold her depressed mother together while her own grief threatens to swallow her whole, and Lucas channeling everything into boxing while his parents hover, terrified of losing him too. When they end up working together at Bruno's Hardware, something shifts. Their shared trauma becomes a bridge r...

Review: Reinventing Hannah - Jack A. Ori - November 2022 I'll be honest—I've been struggling with romance novels lately. The meet-cutes and happily-ever-afters have felt hollow, so I've been gravitating toward my collection of edgier reads that have been gathering digital dust on my Kindle. That's how I rediscovered Reinventing Hannah by Jack A. Ori, and I'm grateful I did. Hannah starts as the archetypal "good girl"—student council member, rule-follower, someone waiting for marriage (or at least the right person) before having sex. She doesn't drink, smoke, or do drugs. She's the perfect student, the one parents point to as an example. But perfection, as we learn, offers no protection from the worst humanity can offer. When Hannah agrees to be the designated driver for her friend Sasha's party, she's still the responsible one—having fun but staying sober. The next morning, though, she wakes up with no memory of the previous night and the...

Review: Dirt - Laura Baggaley - May 2025 Every so often, a book comes along that feels like a breath of fresh air – the kind of story that reminds us why we love curling up with a good read. Laura Baggaley’s Dirt was one of those surprises for me. Though set in a dystopian world where food is scarce and life feels controlled, the story has a warmth and tenderness woven through it that makes it hard to put down. In Newbeck, survival is simple but stark. Families live off small government-allotted Squares of land, where they grow what they can using seeds and soil purchased from the mysterious Green Cultivation Corporation. It’s a bleak setting in some ways, yet there’s also a quiet resilience in how people adapt to their circumstances – something I found both believable and relatable. Enter Avril, a curious and mysterious girl who literally rides into town one hot day, her enormous sunhat catching everyone’s attention. She’s different, she’s full of questions, and she’s not afraid to...

Review: The Thrashers - Julie Soto - May 2025 When I spotted The Thrashers during one of my voucher-shopping trips, I knew I had to have it. The premise immediately reminded me of Kara Thomas's razor-sharp YA thrillers like The Cheerleaders, and honestly, who could resist that cover? (Yes, I'm absolutely guilty of judging books by their covers, and this one had me completely smitten.) Julie Soto delivers something slightly different than what I expected, though no less compelling. While I went in anticipating a full-throttle thriller, what I found was more of a legal drama with YA sensibilities—think courtroom tension meets high school hierarchy. It's edgy without being exploitative, which is a delicate balance that Soto manages beautifully. Set at New Helvetia High (and yes, the font connection came to mind), the story revolves around the school's most powerful clique: The Thrashers. Named after their charismatic leader Zack Thrasher, this group—consisting of Zack, J...