Lisa McMann CRASH

I've read several other books by Lisa McMann, so this was an easy selection. I knew I'd love it. And I did. You can read my previous reviews here.

CRASH is the beginning of a new series. Here is your quickie synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Jules, whose family owns an Italian restaurant and has a history of mental illness, starts seeing a recurring vision about a rival restaurant, a truck crash, and forbidden love.

What I enjoyed:
I was intrigued at the beginning, but it didn't really grab me until mid-way through when it sucked me right in. The suspense was relentless from that point on. I began staying up way too late to find out what would happen next. The sense of urgency forced me to read the second half all in one sitting.

Another highlight of the book is the relationship between Jules and her brother. Trey is her rock and helps her throughout the book. Plus he's just a really fun, witty character. You will adore him! Her sister Rowan is also an important part of the family. I'm looking forward to seeing these relationships build in the next installment. Of course, there is another relationship that I'm sure everyone is eager to see develop, but I won't divulge any spoilers here.

Anyway, if you like suspense with a little physic visions thrown it, this one's for you!

Author Tidbit: Lisa McMann was a featured author at the Montgomery County Book Festival in January. As the official blogger for the festival, I was able to snag an interview. Click below to go straight to the interview.

Maria Semple. WHERE'D YOU GO BERNADETTE

I ADORED this book! It's wickedly funny. First of all, here is your quickie synopsis:

When Bee aces her report card she claims her reward, which is a trip to Antarctica, but her mother, Bernadette, disappears due to her intensifying allergy to Seattle and people in general, which has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands and Bee uses emails, invoices, school memos, private correspondence, and other evidence to try and understand why her mother has left.

The format is unique and captured my interest right away. It begins with Bea describing how she got her parents to agree to a family vacation in Antartica, then it jumps write into an email from Bernadette to her virtual assistant in India. Of course, you don't know this at first, so it's a bit curious. You think that maybe it's her actual secretary, in real life. Anyway, right away, you know this book was different because this is when you begin to glean the crazy-goodness that is Bernadette.

The book continues in emails and letters from various people to various other people like Bernadette's neighbor, a parent-teacher organization guru, police reports, hospital bills, etc. There is crazy-goodness from all directions! Really the only pretty normal characters are Bee and her father. But they are fabulous, rich characters too.

I adored this book because it is so uniquely funny and moving. There is so much more than I can describe here. If you like satire and wickedness sprinkled with a little unexpected warmth and truth, you'll love this!

In closing, the author's website is a sight to behold. For real. You must check it out for it's unique-ness. I promise, you've never seen anything else like it, ever. Go HERE.

This book is an Alex Award winner for 2013, meaning it's an adult book that has special appeal for teens.

Cassandra Clare. CITY OF BONES

This one has been on my "to read" list for ages! I finally got to it, and boy am I glad I did!

Here's your brief synopsis:

Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizarre world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster.

Here's what I loved about it:

The writing, the characters, the humor, and the writing. Oh, and did I say writing? Cassandra Clare is a brilliant writer. Her descriptions are so vivid. I get a vibrant, clear image of everything she describes, including the action scenes, which can be tricky. Wow, I really loved it from the first page.

Also, the witty dialogue, particularly between Clary and Jace is fabulous! I'm always a sucker for funny action whether it's in books or movies. It's a great combination. The characters are rich and well developed. This installment definitely sets up an awesome series. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next one.

Every great YA book deserves a great movie, which brings me to the movie. I really, really hope it's good. The trailer looks promising. I notice right away some differences from the book, but that's to be expected. I'm super curious about one particular surprise near the end of the book. I wonder how the screenwriter handled it in the movie. Well, I guess we'll have to wait until August 21st to find out. Can't wait!

If you were like me and were putting off reading this one, get right on it! You won't regret it.

Check out Cassandra Clare's website HERE
The movie website is HERE
Check out the trailer here:

Maureen Johnson. THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH

This is the sequel to THE NAME OF THE STAR, which I loved and reviewed here. MADNESS begins shortly after the near death events from the first book. Rory is recovering at her parent's house in Bristol. But she simply wants to get on with her life. She can't talk to anyone about the actual events that led up to the stabbing, since they involve the secret ghost-fighting society, in which she's a quasi-member.So she'd like to just go back to Wexford and continue school.

Rory finally convinces her parents that she's ready to go back to school, and she heads back to try to catch up on all that she's missed. but just as she's settling back in, she gets caught up in a murder that she swears was committed by a ghost. She gets Stephen, Callum and Boo involved and realizes that she may never be just a "normal" high school student anymore.

This one took a while to really get going. There was a point when I began to wonder if I wanted to finish it. It was really slow. It had the wonderful characters, sense of humor and quirkiness that I expect from Maureen Johnson. But there just wasn't a lot going on until about half-way through. Then some really interesting characters were introduced, along with some cool historical aspects that I enjoyed. But the last few chapters really stood out and the book finished up with a shocking ending. So, of course, I'm going to be excited when the next book comes out.

If you enjoyed the first book in this series, you'll want to read this one too. And if you've been living under a rock all these years and haven't read anything by Maureen Johnson, by all means get right on that! My favorite is SUITE SCARLETT. Check out the other books I've reviewed by her here. You will LOVE any of them. Her characters and memorable settings are fabulous!

In closing, the trailer:

Michelle Gagnon. DON'T TURN AROUND

Noa wakes up on an operating table in a dark, mysterious place that is most definitely not a hospital. She narrowly escapes and ends up on the run. After getting her hands on a computer, she begins to get small shreds of clues to what happened to her.

She is able to hook up with Peter, the head of an underground hacktivist group called the ALLIANCE who is also on the run. After digging around in his father's files, Peter angered the wrong people.

Noa and Peter seem to have the same dangerous men trying to hunt them down and kill them. Together the try to piece together the huge mystery behind Noa's mysterious operation and Peter's dad's affiliation with these men out to kill them.

I loved this! It had non-stop action, an exciting plot, and wonderful characters. I really enjoyed all of the computer stuff. Obviously, they made it seem so easy to hack into large corporations. I'm sure it's more difficult in real life. But it was super fun reading about it, nonetheless. Gagnon is a wonderful writer. This will leave you on the edge of your seat. Seriously, you'll be begging for the sequel. I have no idea when it's coming. But I know this will be a trilogy.

For more, check out the author's website here.
Also, enjoy the short, but creepy trailer: