Can We Please Start It Again
Who watched the Grammys last night? And by Grammys we mean the Beyoncé and Adele Variety Special with a few Carly Rae Jepsen commercial breaks and technical difficulties for good measure. As if we couldn’t love Adele more, her mid-performance demand for a redo (like a true boss) during her tribute to George Michael reminded us all that we’re human and sometimes it’s okay not to get it right on the first try. Plus, her fangirling out over Beyoncé was pretty much all of us last night. We want Queen Bey to be our mom, too.
Not to be outdone by anyone, not her mom or the fly celebs she deigned to sit with, Blue Ivy’s pink tux was a cool nod to Prince --- rumor is she’s a baby genius, so we’re guessing she picked it out herself. There were other people there, including Chance the Rapper, Lady Gaga and Rihanna’s flask, but we only had eyes for our favorite divas. James Corden didn’t do too bad, either. Making music cool again, one cardboard car cutout at a time.
Speaking of entertainment, besides “Big Little Lies” finally making its premiere next Sunday on HBO, there’s a full roster of book-to-TV adaptations making their premieres this spring. The highly anticipated “The Handmaid’s Tale” is coming to Hulu on April 26th. We caught a #RealNews report that book sales for the dystopian sci-fi classic by longtime favorite Margaret Atwood have skyrocketed since the trailer got everyone woke during the Super Bowl, and we’re happy to hear it. Elisabeth Moss, a.k.a. Peggy from “Mad Men,” is the star of the show, and Alexis Bledel, everyone’s favorite from “Gilmore Girls,” costars. Here’s hoping the show’s not too real to enjoy come April.
In a glorious throwback to our childhoods, there will be a fresh, timely adaptation of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. The new show, aptly titled “Anne,” is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on May 12th, and we can’t wait to watch our favorite feisty redhead come to life again. We’re calling it now --- long pigtail braids are going to be hotter than ever this spring. “Breaking Bad” Emmy award-winning writer Moira Walley-Beckett is the lead writer for this one, so our expectations are skyrocketing. As if we weren’t already on board, her Instagram tagline reveals she’s a dog lover and a whiskey drinker. We are, too, Moira. We are, too.
Suffice it to say, it’s no secret that actors, actresses and all sorts of celebrities alike are currently embracing the written word. So much so that everyone’s favorite Kardashian, Kimmy West, is starting her own book club with a few of her famous friends. Entrepreneur and hairstylist Jen Atkin has joined the group along with supermodel-turned-tweeter-extraordinaire Chrissy Teigen. We’ve heard that some of the other Kardashian/Jenner sisters are in for the wild ride, and the group may expand beyond that. For now, their first pick is EMBRACED BY THE LIGHT by Betty Eadie, but we’re keeping our eyes and ears open to find out what’s coming next.
If Kimmy’s book-loving ways got you interested in joining a book club, and if you happen to live in NYC, then don’t worry because the city’s got you covered. Word on the street is that the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment in partnership with Buzzfeed is launching "One Book, One New York," which is also known as perhaps the largest book club in the world. Residents of NYC (which pop. stats as of ‘15 were around 8.5 million and includes all five boroughs) are invited to vote online for the first book by February 28th here. The first shortlist is the compilation of can’t-miss reads of our dreams: BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates, AMERICANAH by Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie, THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO by Junot Diaz, THE SELLOUT by Paul Beatty and the very on-the-nose A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith. Reading commences in March, so clear your to-read list.
If you aren’t NYC-based or a part of Kim’s inner circle, and you’re looking to start a book club, a good place to start is over on our sister site, ReadingGroupGuides.com. Not only are there great book group title suggestions, but also discussion guides for many titles to follow along with. There’s also --- if we may say so ourselves --- some great contests over there, where you can win multiple copies of a single book for yourself and members of your now- or future-group. Like a Grammy split in half, it sounds like a win-win to us.
There’s only a handful of hours left in our Books to Fall In Love With special Valentine's Day contest. Click here to enter by tomorrow at noon ET for your chance to be one of five lucky winners who will receive a copy of each of the three titles and some treats. We love to share our love of books with your love of books, so we say: get on it and get it on!
Beyond music, book clubs and Valentine's Day, if you're looking for some great solitary reads, check these out:
THE BLOOD OF EMMETT TILL by Timothy B. Tyson is a riveting true story. In 1955, a 14-year-old black boy named Emmett Till was murdered by a group of white men. He had gone into a small country store a few days earlier and made flirtatious remarks to a white woman, 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant; Bryant’s husband and brother-in-law were two of Till’s attackers. THE BLOOD OF EMMETT TILL revises the history of the Till case, not only changing the specifics that we thought we knew, but showing how the murder ignited the modern civil rights movement. Timothy Tyson uses a wide range of new sources, including the only interview ever given by Carolyn Bryant; the transcript of the murder trial, missing since 1955 and only recovered in 2005; and a recent FBI report on the case.
In THE GIRL BEFORE by JP Delaney, Emma wants a new place to live while reeling from a traumatic break-in. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control. The space is intended to transform its occupant --- and it does. After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street, she is instantly drawn to the space --- and to its aloof but seductive creator. Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to her in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror as the girl before.
Lisa Gardner's RIGHT BEHIND YOU tells the story of Sharlah May Nash. Eight years ago, her older brother beat their drunken father to death with a baseball bat in order to save both of their lives. Now 13 years old, Sharlah has finally moved on. About to be adopted by retired FBI profiler Pierce Quincy and his partner, Rainie Conner, Sharlah loves one thing best about her new family: They are all experts on monsters. Then the call comes in. A double murder at a local gas station, followed by reports of an armed suspect shooting his way through the wilds of Oregon. As Quincy and Rainie race to assist, they are forced to confront mounting evidence: The shooter may very well be Sharlah’s older brother, and it appears his killing spree has only just begun.
Have a very lovely Valentine's Day!
5 Things We’re Obsessed With at This Very Moment, in no particular order:
1. The new true crime podcast from "Serial" creators
2. Beyoncé's twins
3. Annette Bening as the star of the next FX "American Crime Story" series
4. This newer The Circle trailer
5. Fifty Shades Darker. We saw it, and it did not disappoint.
Nicole Sherman + Emily Hoenig
Feature + Contest: Books to Fall in Love With 2017
Valentine's Day is minutes away, and we're spreading the love with our Valentine's Day contest and feature. Readers will have the chance to win one of our five 20SomethingReads.com Valentine's Day prize packages, which includes one copy of each of our featured books and some divine chocolate so enter by TOMORROW at noon ET. If you're feeling frisky, share with us your all-time book character crush. Don't be shy, we all got 'em! We'll post your top ten literary loves and lusts...and the five winners on Valentine's Day, so be on the lookout!
Our featured Valentine’s Day titles include:
• I LOVE YOU SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS: A Contract Killers Novel by Erin Lyon
• ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes
• AFTER YOU by Jojo Moyes
Click here to enter the contest.
THE ANIMATORS by Kayla Rae Whitaker (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Alex McKenna
In the male-dominated field of animation, Mel Vaught and Sharon Kisses are a dynamic duo: Sharon is quietly ambitious but self-doubting, Mel is brash and unapologetic, always the life of a party. They spent their 20s ensconced in a gritty Brooklyn studio. Now, after a decade of striving, the two are finally celebrating the release of their first full-length feature and stand at the cusp of making it big. But with their success comes doubt and destruction, cracks in their relationship threatening the delicate balance of their partnership. When the only other partner Sharon has ever truly known --- her troubled, charismatic childhood best friend, Teddy --- reappears, long-buried resentments rise to the surface, hastening a reckoning no one sees coming. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
BEHIND HER EYES by Sarah Pinborough (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Anna Bentinck, Josie Dunn, Bea Holland and Huw Parmenter
On a rare night out, single mom Louise meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. When she arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David --- the man from the bar. David is married and says the kiss was a terrible mistake, but he still can’t keep his eyes off her. And then Louise bumps into Adele, who’s new to town and in need of a friend. But she also just happens to be married to David. David and Adele look like the picture-perfect husband and wife. But then why is David so controlling? And why is Adele so scared of him? As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
BELOW THE BELT: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Tony Roberts
Newly ensconced in his Santa Fe abode with a lovely female companion, Stone Barrington receives a call from an old friend requesting a delicate favor. A situation has arisen that could escalate into an explosive quagmire, and only someone with Stone’s stealth and subtlety can contain the damage. At the center of these events is an impressive gentleman whose star is on the rise and who would like to get Stone in his corner. He is charming and ambitious and has friends in high places --- the kind of man who seems to be a sure bet. But in the fickle circles of power, fortunes rise and fall on the turn of a dime, and it may turn out that Stone holds the key not just to one man’s fate, but to the fate of the nation. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.
THE BLOOD OF EMMETT TILL by Timothy B. Tyson (History)
Audiobook available, read by Rhett S. Price
In 1955, a 14-year-old black boy named Emmett Till was murdered by a group of white men. He had gone into a small country store a few days earlier and made flirtatious remarks to a white woman, 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant; Bryant’s husband and brother-in-law were two of Till’s attackers. THE BLOOD OF EMMETT TILL revises the history of the Till case, not only changing the specifics that we thought we knew, but showing how the murder ignited the modern civil rights movement. Timothy Tyson uses a wide range of new sources, including the only interview ever given by Carolyn Bryant; the transcript of the murder trial, missing since 1955 and only recovered in 2005; and a recent FBI report on the case. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
CLOWNFISH BLUES by Tim Dorsey (Mystery/Humor)
Audiobook available, performed by Oliver Wyman
Serge A. Storms and Coleman’s adventure traveling the byways of the Sunshine State’s underbelly is about to take a detour. Someone is trying to tilt the odds in the state lottery amidst a conga line of huge jackpots, spinning off more chaos than any hurricane season. With this much at stake, of course every shady character wants in. Crooked bodega owners, drug cartels laundering money through the lottery, and venture capitalists are all trying to game the system --- and lining up to get their cut. They’re also gambling with their lives, because when Serge and Coleman get hip to this timely (and very lucrative) trip, there’s no telling whose number is up next. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
FALSE FRIEND by Andrew Grant (Mystery/Thriller)
An arsonist is targeting schools in Birmingham, Alabama, with devastating effect. Detective Cooper Devereaux --- a man you can’t quite trust and should never ignore --- must put a stop to the elusive pyromaniac’s reign of terror before more damage is done. Or worse, before students’ lives are lost. But as Devereaux sifts through the ashes of the case, a grisly discovery at a burned-out school sends the investigation spiraling in a new, terrifying direction. The detective and his partner are dragged into a nightmare world by revelations of gruesome rituals, the disappearance of local citizens, and allegations against city officials of shocking crimes that stretch back decades. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
FATAL by John Lescroart (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jacques Roy
Kate and her husband, Ron, attend a dinner party where they meet another couple, Peter and Jill. Kate and Peter only exchange a few pleasant words, but Kate is suddenly overcome with a burning desire for Peter. Her fixation on him results in an intense, passionate encounter between the two. Confident that her life can now go back to normal, Kate never considers that Peter may not be so willing to move on. Not long after their affair, a masked man barges into the café Kate is sitting in with her best friend, firing an assault weapon indiscriminately into the crowd. This tragedy is the first in a series of horrifying events that will show Kate just how grave the consequences of one mistake can be. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE FIFTH PETAL by Brunonia Barry (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Ann Marie Lee
When a teenage boy dies suspiciously on Halloween night, Salem's chief of police, John Rafferty, who is now married to gifted lace reader Towner Whitney, wonders if there is a connection between his death and Salem’s most notorious cold case --- a triple homicide dubbed "The Goddess Murders," in which three young women, all descended from accused Salem witches, were slashed on Halloween night in 1989. He finds unexpected help in Callie Cahill, the daughter of one of the victims newly returned to town. Neither believes that the main suspect, respected local historian Rose Whelan, is guilty of murder or witchcraft. But exonerating Rose might mean crossing paths with a dangerous force. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
THE GIRL BEFORE by JP Delaney (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Emilia Fox and Finty Williams, with Lisa Aagaard Knudsen
Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control. The space is intended to transform its occupant --- and it does. After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street, she is instantly drawn to the space --- and to its aloof but seductive creator. Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to her in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror as the girl before. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
HOMESICK FOR ANOTHER WORLD: Stories by Ottessa Moshfegh (Fiction/Short Stories)
There's something eerily unsettling about Ottessa Moshfegh's stories, something almost dangerous, while also being delightful and even laugh-out-loud funny. Her characters are all unsteady on their feet in one way or another; they all yearn for connection and betterment, though each in very different ways, but they are often tripped up by their own baser impulses and existential insecurities. HOMESICK FOR ANOTHER WORLD is a master class in the varieties of self-deception across the gamut of individuals representing the human condition. But part of the unique quality of Moshfegh’s voice is the way the grotesque and the outrageous are infused with tenderness and compassion. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
THE MAN WHO SHOT OUT MY EYE IS DEAD: Stories by Chanelle Benz (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available; read by Johanna Parker, Cassandra Campbell, Tristan Morris, Janina Edwards, James Shippy and Matthew Waterson
A brother and sister turn outlaw in a wild and brutal landscape. The daughter of a diplomat disappears and resurfaces across the world as a deadly woman of many names. A young Philadelphia boy struggles with the contradictions of privilege, violence, and the sway of an incarcerated father. A monk in 16th-century England suffers the dissolution of his monastery and the loss of all that he held sacred. The characters in Chanelle Benz's debut share a thirst for adventure that sends them rushing full-tilt toward the moral crossroads, becoming victims and perpetrators along the way. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
MINIATURES: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi written by John Scalzi, illustrated by Natalie Metzger (Science Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available; read by John Scalzi, Luke Daniels, Peter Ganim, Khristine Hvam, Greg Cope White and Fred Berman
The ex-planet Pluto has a few choice words about being thrown out of the solar system. A listing of alternate histories tells you all the various ways Hitler has died. A lawyer sues an interplanetary union for dangerous working conditions. And four artificial intelligences explain, in increasingly worrying detail, how they plan not to destroy humanity. These four stories, along with 14 other pieces, have one thing in common: They're short, sharp and to the point --- science fiction in miniature, with none of the stories longer than 2,300 words. But in that short space exist entire universes, absurd situations, and the sort of futuristic humor that propelled Scalzi to a Hugo with his novel, REDSHIRTS. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
PERFECT LITTLE WORLD by Kevin Wilson (Fiction)
Audiobook available, performed by Therese Plummer
When Isabelle Poole meets Dr. Preston Grind, she’s fresh out of high school, pregnant with her art teacher's baby, and totally on her own. Izzy knows she can be a good mother, but without any money or relatives to help, she’s left searching. Dr. Grind, an awkwardly charming child psychologist, has spent his life studying family, even after tragedy struck his own. Now, with the help of an eccentric billionaire, he has the chance to create a “perfect little world” --- to study what would happen when 10 children are raised collectively, without knowing who their biological parents are. He calls it The Infinite Family Project, and he wants Izzy and her son to join. This attempt at a utopian ideal starts off promising, but soon the gentle equilibrium among the families disintegrates. Reviewed by Bianca Ambrosio.
THE PRISONER: A John Wells Novel by Alex Berenson (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by George Guidall
Evidence is mounting that someone high up in the CIA is passing messages to ISIS, alerting them to planned operations. Finding out the mole’s identity without alerting him will be very hard, and to accomplish it, John Wells will have to do something he thought he’d left behind forever. He will have to reassume his former identity as an al Qaeda jihadi, get captured, and go undercover to befriend an ISIS prisoner in a secret Bulgarian prison. Many years before, Wells was the only American agent ever to penetrate al Qaeda, but times have changed drastically. He knows it may well be his death sentence. But there is no one else. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
RATHER BE THE DEVIL by Ian Rankin (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by James MacPherson
When Rebus starts reexamining the facts behind the long-ago murder of a glamorous woman at a luxurious hotel --- on the same night a famous rock star and his entourage were also staying there --- the past comes roaring back to life with a vengeance. And as soon as Rebus starts asking questions about the long forgotten crime, a fresh body materializes. His inquiries reunite him with his old pals --- Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox --- as they attempt to uncover the financial chicanery behind the savage beating of an upstart gangster, a crime that suggests the notorious old school crime boss Big Ger Cafferty has taken to retirement as poorly as Rebus himself. Reviewed by Jennifer McCord.
RIGHT BEHIND YOU by Lisa Gardner (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Luke Daniels and Teri Schnaubelt
Eight years ago, Sharlah May Nash’s older brother beat their drunken father to death with a baseball bat in order to save both of their lives. Now 13 years old, Sharlah has finally moved on. About to be adopted by retired FBI profiler Pierce Quincy and his partner, Rainie Conner, Sharlah loves one thing best about her new family: They are all experts on monsters. Then the call comes in. A double murder at a local gas station, followed by reports of an armed suspect shooting his way through the wilds of Oregon. As Quincy and Rainie race to assist, they are forced to confront mounting evidence: The shooter may very well be Sharlah’s older brother, and it appears his killing spree has only just begun. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
THE ROAD TO ENCHANTMENT by Kaya McLaren (Fiction)
As a young girl, Willow watched her mother leave their home in Washington State in a literal blaze of glory: she set the mattress of her cheating husband on fire in her driveway. With that, she and Willow set off to New Mexico. Willow’s eccentric mother believed in this new life and set about starting a winery and goat ranch. But for Willow, it meant initially being bullied and feeling like an outsider. Today, as a grown woman, Willow much prefers Los Angeles and her job as a studio musician. But things tend to happen in threes: her mother dies, her boyfriend dumps her, and she discovers she is pregnant. Can Willow redefine what home means for her, and can she make a go of the legacy her mother left behind? Reviewed by Dunja Bonacci Skenderović.
SNOWBLIND by Ragnar Jónasson (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Will Damron
Siglufjörður is an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors. Ari Thór Arason is a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik --- with a past that he’s unable to leave behind. When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theater, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and secrets and lies are a way of life. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness --- blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS by Laurie Frankel (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Gabra Zackman
When Rosie and Penn and their four boys welcome the newest member of their family, no one is surprised it’s another baby boy. At least their large, loving, chaotic family knows what to expect. But Claude is not like his brothers. One day he puts on a dress and refuses to take it off. He wants to bring a purse to kindergarten. He wants hair long enough to sit on. When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl. Rosie and Penn aren’t panicked at first. Kids go through phases, after all, and make-believe is fun. But soon the entire family is keeping Claude’s secret. Until one day it explodes. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
TRANSIT by Rachel Cusk (Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Julia Franklin
In the wake of her family’s collapse, a writer and her two young sons move to London. The process of this upheaval is the catalyst for a number of transitions --- personal, moral, artistic and practical --- as she endeavors to construct a new reality for herself and her children. In the city, she is made to confront aspects of living that she has, until now, avoided, and to consider questions of vulnerability and power, death and renewal, in what becomes her struggle to reattach herself to, and believe in, life. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.
THE TRAPPED GIRL by Robert Dugoni (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Emily Sutton-Smith
When a woman’s body is discovered submerged in a crab pot in the chilly waters of Puget Sound, Detective Tracy Crosswhite finds herself with a tough case to untangle. Before they can identify the killer, Tracy and her colleagues on the Seattle PD’s Violent Crimes Section must figure out who the victim is. Her autopsy, however, reveals she may have gone to great lengths to conceal her identity. After evidence surfaces that their Jane Doe may be a woman who suspiciously disappeared months earlier, Tracy is once again haunted by the memory of her sister’s unsolved murder. As she begins to uncover a twisted tale of brutal betrayal and desperate greed, Tracy will find herself risking everything to confront a killer who won’t go down without a deadly fight. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
ALLEGEDLY by Tiffany D. Jackson (Family, Fiction, Young Adult 14+)
Mary B. Addison killed a baby. Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? Reviewed by Melissa Hurt.
THE CAREFUL UNDRESSING OF LOVE by Corey Ann Haydu (Family, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult 14+)
The girls of Devonairre Street have always been told they’re cursed. Any boy they love is certain to die too soon. But this is Brooklyn in 2008, and the curse is less a terror and more a lifestyle accessory --- something funky and quaint that makes the girls from the shortest street in Brooklyn special. They wear their hair long and keys around their necks. People give them a second look and whisper “Devonairre” to their friends. But it’s not real. It won’t affect their futures. Reviewed by Bryn D., Teen Board Member.
SILVER STARS by Michael Grant (Fiction, Friendship, History, Military, Young Adult 14+)
The women won’t conquer Italy alone. They are not heroes for fighting alongside their brothers --- they are soldiers. But Frangie, Rainy, Rio, and the millions of brave females fighting for their country have become a symbol in the fight for equality. They will brave terrible conditions in an endless siege; they will fight to find themselves on the front lines of WWII; and they will come face-to-face with the brutality of war until they win or die. Reviewed by Rachel R., Teen Board Member.
THE X-FILES ORIGINS: Agent of Chaos by Kami Garcia (Fantasy, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult 14+)
While Mulder doesn’t mind the fresh start and not being known as “that kid with the missing sister,” he’s still obsessed with finding Samantha. So when a local boy turns up dead and another child is abducted, Mulder can’t stop himself from getting involved. Could there be a link to his sister’s case? As he uncovers the truth, Mulder and his friends find themselves on the trail of a serial killer. Reviewed by Killian Walsh.
THE YOU I’VE NEVER KNOWN by Ellen Hopkins (Family, Fiction, Gay & Lesbian, Young Adult 14+)
For as long as she can remember, it’s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel’s mom disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments, new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots. Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a different kind of desire. Reviewed by Emily G., Teen Board Member.
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