Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz is a powerful novel based on the true story of Jack Gruener, a Jewish boy who survived the horrors of the Holocaust. The story follows Yanek, a young boy whose life is shattered when the Nazis invade Poland. As he is forced from his home and taken through ten different concentration camps, he endures unimaginable cruelty, starvation and loss. Despite everything, Yanek refuses to give up hope, clinging to the promise of survival.
Hockey player, Nathan Hawkins, and figure skater, Anastasia Allen, do not start off on the right foot. Ana seemingly hates hockey players, especially the ones that play for Maple Hills. Ana and Nathan meet at one of the Nathan’s parties and end up hooking up. However, after Ana flees the scene. As they grow up the try to discover themselves and each other while playing their respective sports.
Lowen Ashleigh is walking down the street when someone gets into a car accident. She stays to clean up when a stranger, Jeremy Crawford, also helps her clean up. They share an intimate moment. Jeremy’s wife, Verity, was a famous author who was tragically killed in a car crash. Jeremy asks Lowen to finish Verity’s novels and even offers to let her live in his house. While Lowen is living there, she finds Verity’s unpublished autobiography where strange and mysterious things are revealed about her life.
Pippa Fitz-Amobi decides to investigate the Andie Bell case as part of her high school project. Andie Bell was murdered five years ago, and the case was closed when they named Sal Singh, her boyfriend, her murderer. However, Pip always thought there was something off with this case. She teams up with Ravi Singh, Sal’s brother, to investigate the truth of what truly happened to Andie Bell.
Bree, a former ballerina, has been best friends with Nathan, the NFL star quarterback for years. They both have been secretly in love with each other since high school, but avoid talking about their feelings because they do not want to ruin the friendship they have created. They start to discover themselves and each other as they continue to spend more and more time together.
Lucy Albright is very nervous to see her ex-boyfriend, Stephen, at her friend’s wedding. They have a very intense and complex past. In 2010, they got together after seeing each other at a party. While Lucy gets very attached to Stephen, he doesn’t reciprocate the feelings. As their relationship gets more complicated, feelings are hurt, secrets are spilled and people are torn apart.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover is a novel about Lily Bloom, a girl with a rough past, who falls in love with neurosurgeon - Ryle Kincaid. Their relationship grows and Lily begins to see Ryle’s darker, abusive side, taking her through flashbacks to her past. This book defines the complexities of abusive relationships, mainly the struggle to leave them as the love and emotional manipulation is hard to break away from. It explores Lily’s growth and strength to leave a toxic relationship.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is an insightful, dystopian novel with timeless metaphors. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman whose job is to burn books in a world where literature is prohibited. Montag has never questioned the book burnings and is content with his life, including his boring wife, who spends her days watching her television “family”. Until he meets Clarisse, the unconventional neighbor who leaves Montag with more questions than he can keep up with.
Half-blood follows Alexandria, a 17 year old, who after the death of her mom is forced back into the world of the covenant. Alexandria trains to become a sentinel, a person who hunts daimons. Becoming a daimon is worse than death, but the threat of being turned is more prevalent than ever. This book is very similar to Vampire Academy, like the exact same premise but instead of vampires and moroi, they are half-bloods and pures.
Stolen follows Gemma, a sixteen year old girl who was abducted on vacation with her parents. Gemma is taken to the Australian outback and is forced to adjust to the harsh terrain. Her attempts to escape her captor are useless, but as she spends time with him she realizes that he’s not as bad as she’s made him out to be. This book was definitely strange. It had super quick pacing, but ultimately had a rushed ending leaving a lot to be unresolved. I liked the setting for the book as well as the characters.
