GReads Recommends... {2}

Need something new to read?  It's a new month, so I thought I'd list a few recommendations from my reading pile.

This month I am pulling from my, "oh this book is so dark & heavy, yet SO emotionally rewarding!" pile. Yes my friends, I am a lover of dark YA contemps.

Freefall by Mindi Scott

Seth McCoy was the last person to see his best friend, Isaac, alive, and the first to find him dead. It was just another night, just another party, just another time when Isaac drank too much and passed out on the lawn. Only this time, Isaac didn't wake up.

Convinced that his own actions led to his friend's death, Seth is torn between turning his life around . . . or losing himself completely.

Then he meets Rosetta: so beautiful and so different from everything and everyone he's ever known. But Rosetta has secrets of her own, and Seth soon realizes he isn't the only one who needs saving . . .

I am a HUGE pusher of this book.  I feel like it hasn't gotten the attention it deserves among the book blogging community.  If you haven't read Mindi's debut novel, Freefall -- then what are you waiting for??  She does a superb job of speaking in a teenage boy's voice.  I found this story to be real & compelling.  Definitely a tear jerker, but so definitely worth it!


Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

When “Perfect” Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter’s High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher’s pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn’t want to talk about it. She’d just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her counselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there’s a nice guy falling in love with her and he’s making her feel things again when she’d really rather not be feeling anything at all. Nobody would have guessed she’d turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth. Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

This was my first novel written by Courtney Summers that I read & I am so, so glad that I did.  This woman is the epitome of dark YA contemps that should be glorified by all.  Her writing is so unique & brilliantly laid out.  I love the rawness in her words & the depth of her stories.  Read this & then every thing else by this fabulous lady!

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

This book literally exploded off the pages for me while reading it.  I was grief stricken right along side Lennie & felt the turmoil she faced when trying to decide which boy she needed to seek comfort from.  This story is beautifully written, so much that I can't believe it's Jandy's first.  I cried like a baby while reading this book, but oh man -- it left a huge impact on me when I finished.

Recovery Road by Blake Nelson

From acclaimed author Blake Nelson, the story of girl meets boy...in rehab.

Madeline is sent away to Spring Meadows to help with a drinking and rage problem she has. It's a pretty intense place, but there is the weekly movie night in town--where Madeline meets Stewart, who's at another rehab place nearby. They fall for each other during a really crazy time in their lives. Madeline gets out and tries to get back on her feet, waiting for Stewart to join her. When he does, though, it's not the ideal recovery world Madeline dreamed of. Both of them still have serious problems. And Stewart's are only getting worse....

This book gives a real look at the ugly side of rehab & the effects it has on teenagers.  I loved the rawness of Blake's words & how devastatingly accurate he portrayed this scenario.  Though the subject matter was tough to get through at times, I think what I appreciated most was the true ending.  Life is not wrapped up in pretty bows.  It's messy & it hurts.  But at the end of the day, we all somehow survive.