Neverworld Wake, by Marisha Pessl

Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

 

Life after death… the great unknown. What happens when we die? For Beatrice Hartley and her friends, life after death isn’t all pearly gates and angel wings. No, for Bea and her five once-upon-a-time best friends a fatal car crash doesn’t send them to heaven or hell but rather, the Neverworld Wake. Stuck in purgatory these six friends must come back together to make the ultimate sacrifice… of them, which one gets to return to the world of the living?

 

A year after graduation, Bea not only finds herself trying to make sense of the Neverworld Wake but also still asking questions about her boyfriend’s mysterious death. Does the Neverworld Wake hold the answers? Are her so-called-friends hiding something? Who is the mysterious old man, only known as the Keeper, and what does he want with Bea and her friends?

 

Neverworld Wake took me by surprise. I picked it up at the recommendation of a friend and found that it held a secret message for me. Hidden within its pages are messages from loved ones lost and the key to remembering that they will be with us always. It’s a mystery. It’s paranormal. It’s about friendship, love, and loss. But more importantly it’s about remembering. Not only who we are but where we come from and who we hold dear to us.

 

While you could spend years in the Neverworld Wake, you never know how soon your time on earth will end. With that, Neverworld Wake reminds us of the fragility of life and the importance of friendship. This is one of my favorites this summer and one I will recommend always. I would like to dedicate this review to my dear friend, Hannah James, who passed away recently. She was an integral part of this library and will forever be missed.

 

“The most we can do is hold out our hands and help each other across the unknown. For in our held hands, we find pathways through the dark, across jungles and cities, bridges suspended over the deepest caverns of this world. Your friends will walk with you, holding on with all their might, even when they are no longer there.” – Neverworld Wake

You'd Be Mine, by Erin Hahn

I have never, in my life, read a novel in a single sitting; let alone a romance novel. But this book had me in its grips instantly. I read this book cover to cover in a single night, sitting up into the wee hours. I devoured this book and loved every second of it.

         Annie Mathers is country music’s favorite daughter and also their favorite tragedy. Having lost both her famous country music star parents at a young age, the world is waiting for her to follow in their footsteps and take the stage in her rightful place as country music royalty. Clay Coolidge is country music’s bad boy. Always in trouble and on the verge of losing his one shot at his dream, but the record label has the perfect fix to Clay’s bad image and Annie’s reluctance to step on stage. The tour to end all tours; one great summer with America’s sweetheart and a few months out of trouble should keep Clay in the label’s good graces.

         Annie and her band agree to join the tour and from the start fans see sparks between the two young country stars and rumors fly off the pages of tabloids everywhere. Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if what the fans are seeing is real. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s involvement in a high-profile relationship. Annie isn’t interested in repeating history, but she can’t help thinking to herself, “But if I close my eyes and wish it all away… Let my stupid heart decide, there’s no doubt in my mind, you’d be mine.”

         I don’t read romances, like ever. But this one called to me in a way I can’t explain. And let me tell you I’m glad it did. I cried as I closed this book and added it to my very small favorites pile, knowing well and good I’ll probably pick it up again one day if I need a good love story. It’s the perfect summer read, and you should try it out for yourself, even if you’re like me and don’t normally read love stories. This one might just change your mind.

Savvy is an avid Young Adult fiction superfan. She contributes these reviews, weekly.

The Missing Season, by Gillian French

For fans of the infamous cryptid Mothman, you will find a home in the woods outside the town of Pender. You might also find a friend in The Mumbler. The Missing Season by Gillian French follows the new girl at Pender District High and all the usual trials and tribulations of trying to fit in. But what Clara doesn’t realize is there is much more to worry about than the mysterious allure that is the bad boy Kincade and trying to understand the lifestyle of her new friends Bree and Sage.

 

There’s a tyrannical monster in the woods behind her house who preys on the lives of innocent children every year at Halloween. For fans of books like Here There Are Monsters by Amelinda Berubé and Little Monsters by Kara Thomas this YA thriller will have you fearing the noises from inside the closet. You’ll be wondering how the separation between reality and nightmares can be so thin.

 

This was another weekend reader for me. I read it during quarantine and let’s just say I was thankful to have an excuse to stay in the house while reading this one! The truth is always hiding, but sometimes it’s hiding closer to home than you’d like to think!

 Savvy Harn is an avid young adult book superfan and her latest review can be found at http://randolphlibrary.libguides.com/c.php?g=247624&p=1649881

Wilder Girls, by Rory Power

            Wilder Girls by Rory Power is part science fiction and part horror story. Maybe hitting a little too close to home lately, this book follows a group of girls on a secluded island boarding school, left to fend for themselves when a vicious virus breaks out and starts taking the girls down one by one.

           

            The Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine and since the Tox hit eighteen months earlier, Hetty’s entire existence has been thrown upside down. First it was the teachers and then the students, turning their bodies strange and forgein, and then came the sounds from outside the gate. While they wait for the cure time seems to be running out for Hetty and her friends, Byatt and Reese, along with the food.

 

            I was quite shocked at the ending for this one and really hope it’s picked up for a sequel. You’ll be hanging onto the edge of your blanket for dear life. Just make sure you don’t scratch that itch at the back of your neck and try to remember it’s just a book! Until it’s not.

 Savvy Harn is an avid young adult book superfan and her latest review can be found at http://randolphlibrary.libguides.com/c.php?g=247624&p=1649881

Here there are Monsters, by Amelinda Berube

“How many times do you have to rescue somebody before they figure out how to save themselves.”

 

Here There Are Monsters is perfect for the Goosebumps generation. It has everything we are used to being scared of. A disappearance, scratches on the basement window, and worst of all, a hideous creature capable of anything your imagination can create!

 

Looking forward to a fresh start, Skye and her sister, Deirdre, are unfortunately growing apart when they move to a new town with their parents. Skye can’t grow up fast enough while Deirdre is still stuck playing pretend in the woods behind their house. But there is something lurking in these woods and if they aren’t careful Skye and Deirdre will pay the ultimate price.

 

“I told you, I didn’t have any choice! What was I going to do, explain this to my parents? ‘Oh, sorry, Mom, I can’t be grounded right now. I have to go do the bidding of the monsters in the woods.’ You’ve seen them now; you know I didn’t have any choice! They have my sister!”

 

Nail biting and dramatic until the final sentence. It’s been a long time since I actually had to put a book down at 1:00 am because it was freaking me out! Amelinda Bérubé does a great job in her sophomore novel about two sisters and the things we would, and maybe wouldn’t, do for family and the monsters that stalk us all.

 Savvy Harn is an avid young adult book superfan and her latest review can be found at http://randolphlibrary.libguides.com/c.php?g=247624&p=1649881