Nick Andreas is rich, hangs with the popular crowd, plays on the football team, and has a great girlfriend.  HAD a great girlfriend is more like it.  As the story opens, we find Nick and his ex Caitlin facing off in a courtroom where she has accused him of physically abusing her – an incident he dismisses as a little “slap.”  As a result of the incident, Nick’s life begins to crumble – his friends no longer speak with him, he still longs for Caitlin, and he is forced to take an anger management course where he meets an assortment of boys and men dealing with issues of abuse and manipulation against the women in their lives.  Many of the boys come from families where they were also abused.    While Nick originally thinks he has nothing in common with the other guys in his group, he soon finds similarities which force him to take a hard look at himself. 

The story progresses in two directions:  we watch Nick’s life unravel after the trial while we are also slowly introduced to the details behind the story of Nick and Caitlin’s confrontation.  The final revelation is shocking.

Reviewed by Mrs. Walker

So, does the author look familiar?  Meyer, the author of the hyper-popular Twilight series, tries her hand at a bit of Sci-Fi.   Aliens have taken over the planet earth.  Known as “Souls”, these small, shimmering beings  implant themselves into human bodies (”Hosts”) and minds.  The  Souls are a peaceful group of aliens, but the price is that the original human spirits who inhabited their bodies are erased.  A small group of native earthlings still exist in hiding.  Melanie, a rebel earthling, is caught and implanted with a soul named Wanderer.  Melanie’s strong spirit refuses to be erased, and Melanie and Wanderer are forced to share one mind until/unless Wanderer can eventually eliminate Melanie’s presence.  But Wanderer begins to be moved by Melanie’s memories and emotions, particularly Melanie’s love for her younger brother Jamie and her boyfriend Jared, both of whom she left behind in hiding.  Eventually Wanderer and Melanie agree to try and find them both.  They find MUCH more than they bargained for.   There’s something here for all sorts of readers – thrilling science fiction adventure, moral delimmas, action, drama, and absolutely the most complicated love story you will ever find.  A bit long in the middle, but it’s SO worth the time and effort, as the end is completely fascinating and satisfying.

Reviewed by Mrs. Walker

Andy Jackson and Rob Washington are stars of their high school basketball team and great friends.  When Rob is killed in a car driven by Andy who had been drinking, Andy’s world turns upside down.  As he drowns in guilt and grief, others try to help him come to terms with the accident and loss of his friend. His girl friend, family, and teachers struggle to recover the vibrant Andy they once knew.  This heart breaking story is told from the perspective of a variety of characters through dialogue, letters, poems, and news articles which allow you to piece together a very honest and complete picture of how the tragedy is affecting Andy and his friends and keeps the pace fast and readers interested.

Reviewed by Mrs. Walker