Lies Between Us by Jessica Goodman (pub date 06/02/26)

 

 Do you ever really know the people you love?

For the Gold sisters and Silver brothers, life has been idyllic, growing up in side-by-side waterfront mansions in a town where doors are never locked and the police do little more than issue speeding tickets. The Golds and Silvers have known each other their entire lives, as neighbors, as friends, as family.

But one carefree summer takes a dark turn when a beach party ends in tragedy and their perfect world cracks wide open. Suddenly, the bonds that tie these families together are strained by suspicion and fear. Painful secrets surface, revealing the fragile truths they’ve all been hiding.

Lucy, the oldest Gold girl, harbors a crushing secret from her boyfriend, one of the Silver boys. Millie, the middle sister, quietly yearns for the one person she can’t have. And the youngest, Frankie, uncovers something that could blow their island apart. 

From New York Times bestselling author Jessica Goodman, comes a gripping novel about the lies friends tell, the façade siblings build, and how one summer tests—and breaks—the bonds of family. Penguin Random House

Lies Between Us by Jessica Goodman reminded me of all those great teen dramas they used to have on Freeform – a small town with a circle of friends all hiding secrets when a shocking murder threatens to expose them all.  I could easily see this novel adapted into a TV show. 

I loved the multiple POVs between the Gold sisters, Lucy, Millie, and Frankie.  This mystery kept me guessing until the end as there are multiple suspects and red herrings.  I enjoy trying to solve the case with the protagonists and being able to correctly guess “whodunnit.”  The ending here though is subject to interpretation which will be satisfying for some and frustrating for others.  Overall, this was a quick fun read.

Thank you to Penguin Teen/G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lies Between Us by Jessica Goodman officially releases 06/02/26 but you can pre-order your copy now at your local bookstore or favorite online shop.

 

 

Sibylline by Melissa De La Cruz

 

 

Raven, Atticus, and Dorian have dreamed of attending Sibylline for as long as they can remember. But when the magical university rejects them, the friends’ plans for a future studying the arcane together begin crashing down.

Until they decide to steal an education.

Getting jobs on campus, they sneak into lectures and swipe forbidden texts, dodging the administration’s watchful eye. In the quiet of night, in the thrill of secrecy, their magic awakens. And so do long-buried attractions that turn their friendship into something more.

But like magic, love can create, and it can destroy. As unrequited feelings and resentment threaten to fracture their bond, the trio discovers an insidious magic that has sunk its claws into Sibylline, killing students and corroding the very bones of the university. Now the three intruders may be the key to saving the institution from wreckage . . . if they don’t wreck one another first.- Penguin Random House

 

I stumbled upon a bonkers tweet about Sibylline by Melissa De La Cruz that me racing to the mall to grab a copy and see if it was true.  I want to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read it, so I’ll delve into that further down in the post.

Three eighteen-year-old friends: Raven, Atticus and Dorian and devastated when they don’t get accepted to the prestigious Sibylline college for magic.  So, they decide infiltrate the college by taking jobs on campus.  They quickly discover that Sibylline holds some dark secrets.  The trio is also faced with their growing feelings for each other that may be more than friendship. 

I have been a fan of Melissa’s books for years both her previous YA work on the vampire series Blue Blood series, her adult series The Witches of East End and its YA spinoff, Summer on East End along with her contemporary YA series The AuPairs.  To me her strength in all those series was a great mix of characters and soapy plots mixed with some magic and fantasy and Sibylline is another example of what I’ve enjoyed about Melissa’s previous work and easily recommended her books to others when working at Borders back in the day.  Sibylline has an ending that is open for interpretation and sets up for sequel(s).  I hope there is more to come from the folks at Sibylline as at times I needed a little more depth into the how this magical world worked and I’m curious to see what happens next.

I believe I would be remiss in my review if I didn’t mention Chapter 41.  If you google Sibylline by Melissa Delacruz and Chapter 41 you will see it is the subject of some discourse as to if its content is appropriate in a YA novel marketed to teenagers.   

 

***** SPOILER AHEAD ******  DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO AVOID A SPOILER ****  

 

The tweet I read alleged that this book contained a “graphic” scene in which teenagers engage in a threesome with a dead body and thru sexual activity bring the body back to life.  This is indeed essentially Chapter 41.  I believe the use of the word graphic is open to interpretation but there is also questionable consent issues here.  Chapter 41 is only a page and half long in the hardcover print copy that I had.  I read a lot of wild stuff when I was a teenager (ex: Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews, The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch) and I could easily separate fact from fiction and moral appropriateness.  However, I don’t have children so I won’t presume to tell anyone how to parent, but I believe this book is best for older teens or literal young adults, the tone of this whole book really seemed a better fit for burgeoning New Adult sub-genre of YA or if not NA then actually geared for an adult audience like The Magicians series by Lev Grossman.

I purchased my copy at Target and you can find yours at your favorite local bookshop, online book retailer or library. 

 

 

The Mall by Megan McCafferty

The year is 1991. Scrunchies, mixtapes and 90210 are, like, totally fresh. Cassie Worthy is psyched to spend the summer after graduation working at the Parkway Center Mall. In six weeks, she and her boyfriend head off to college in NYC to fulfill The Plan: higher education and happily ever after.

But you know what they say about the best laid plans...

I think everyone wants to escape 2020 right now. Travel back in time 1991 and check out The Mall by Megan McCafferty. I loved this book, I could actually smell the Parkway Center Mall and relished riding the wave of 90s nostalgia all throughout the novel. Despite being set in a simpler time, the themes of finding yourself and learning who your true friends are is timeless. While Cassie is the star of this novel, I thought it was her friend Drea who really shined the most here and I would love, love, love  if McCafferty gives us a follow-up novel starring Drea.

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 

Visit the publisher’s website for ordering info and pick up The Mall today!!

Special Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

P.S. - Anyone know where I can get a Pineapple Orange Julius that tastes as good as it did in the 90s? 

Meme Crush Monday

Forget about “Man Crush Monday’s,” here #MCM means Meme Crush Monday! For those who don’t have access or don’t wish to use Instagram, I’ll share a bookish meme right here weekly on the blog.

This Week’s #MCM Meme Crush Monday:

I saw this making the rounds on Facebook this weekend and had to laugh. I hope you’re all staying safe, practicing social distancing and taking care of yourselves. 

Now, tell us who is your favorite dystopian heroine and why? 

T-Minus by Shannon Greenland

Today we’re proud to be a part of the Blog Tour for T-Minus by Shannon Greenland as sponsored by XPRESSO Tours. 

A terror with no answer needs a girl with no limits.
I am the daughter of the first female POTUS, and today is about to become the longest day of my life…
24 hours—that’s how much time I have to save my mother before terrorists assassinate her. But now my father and brother are missing, too. This goes deeper than anyone thinks. Only someone on the inside would know how to pull this off—how to make the entire First Family disappear.
I can’t trust anyone, so it’s up to me to uncover the conspiracy and stop these madmen. Because little do they know, they picked the wrong person to terrorize.
My name is Sophie Washington, and I will not be a victim. No one, I repeat no one, is taking me or my family down. But the clock is ticking…

I am a huge fan of the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child. Sophie reminded me of a young Reacher in her renegade efforts to protect her family at all costs. While this novel is YA, it doesn’t hold back in its delivery of action packed thrills. Sophie takes a lot of risks (including a couple of foolish choices) but what teenager doesn’t? Definitely check out T-Minus by Shannon Greenland and meet Sophie Washington - one of the strongest YA heroines I’ve seen! 🌟🌟🌟.5/5 

Click here for a Tour Wide giveaway of (3) $5 Amazon Gift Cards.

For purchasing information, visit: Kobo, Amazon, B&N, and iBooks. 

Click here to visit the other stops on the tour and learn more about the book! 

Thank you NetGalley, XpressoTours and the publisher, Entangled Teen for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for a fair, honest review. 

The Perfume by Caroline B. Cooney

Welcome to the 8th installment of Summer of Fear,  a weekly series of posts where I will review/revisit a classic YA Horror/Thriller from the 70s-90s. This week I read The Perfume by Caroline B. Cooney which was originally published in 1992. 

When fifteen-year-old Dove Daniel’s friends discover the new perfume called Venom, they become infatuated. They have Obsession and Poison; now they simply must have Venom. When they discover it’s available at Dry Ice, the coolest store in the local mall, they rush over after school. But to Dove, Venom seems inexplicably terrifying, as does the store that carries it. If she breathes in its potent scent, she is sure something terrible will happen. At first whiff, she senses something primitive and dark. Once she’s inhaled the scent, she begins to feel something . . . different . . . and her heart beats in double time. What has Venom’s bite awakened inside her? 
-openroadmedia.com

I am a huge fan of Caroline B. Cooney’s book The Face on the Milk Carton and all the books in the “Janie” series. Prior to reading The Perfume last night, I hasn’t read any of her horror novels. This book is extremely well written but also bizarre. I couldn’t tell if was a commentary on what it may be like to have a mental illness such as Dissociative Identity Disorder or if Dove is truly possessed by an evil Druid spirit.  My heart broke for Dove in the beginning when she first starts to hear and respond to the voices in her head and thinks “she decided against describing what was going on inside her skull. The world did not sound sympathetic.” Ultimately Dove’s workaholic distracted parents take her for mental health counseling at a facility full of the worst bad stereotypes of mental health clinics which was truly horrifying. The resolution is also abrupt. 

🌟🌟🌟/5

Have you read The Perfume? Please share if you have, I’d love for some feedback as I’m still trying to process this book myself. 

The Perfume is currently physically out of print but is available as an e-book. Click on the publisher link above for ordering information. I borrowed my copy through Kindle Unlimited. 

Summer Bucket List by T.K. Rapp

Today we’re proud to be part of the “Book Blitz” for Summer Bucket List by T.K. Rapp

Recently graduated from high school, Holland Monroe had no expectations for her last summer before heading off to college to be anything but ordinary.
Until she got a job as a waitress at the local country club to make extra money for school.

Milo Davis was smart, cute, and absolutely not interested in Holland. At least that was what she believed. But the day she started working at the restaurant, everything changed.

Finally together, they were left with only three months to spend time together before she moved away.
Good thing they decided to make their time as memorable as possible.
But will they remain friends? Or will checking off items on their summer bucket list lead them to something they didn’t expect — Falling in love.

This was a sweet contemporary YA romance. Holland and Milo made a cute couple. I appreciated that the cost of college was a concern. That’s a reality I don’t see in many YA books but I do wish that Milo’s initial interest in what was referred to as a “junior college” was not stigmatized as being inferior. I obtained an Associates Degree at my local community college and it provided me with the study skills and drive needed to earn my Bachelors. Also, I was a little turned off by all the underage drinking but I was relieved that at least the important of designated drivers was stressed. Overall, the true heart of this story of two teenagers falling in love and really getting to know each other and their families was well done. 

🌟🌟🌟.5/5 

Xpresso Book Tours is Sponsoring a Giveaway for a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card and a Signed Copy of Summer Bucket List by T.K.Rapp.  Click here to enter.

For more information visit the book’s Goodreads page: 

For purchasing info, check out the following links:

Amazon 
Barnes and Noble

iBooks

Kobo

Thanks to Xpresso Book tours and the author for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for a fair, honest review. 

Sweet Valley High Super Thrillers

Welcome to the 7th installment of Summer of Fear,  a weekly series of posts where I will review/revisit a classic YA Horror/Thriller from the 70s-90s. This week I’m looking at Sweet Valley High’s Super Thrillers.  Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal (who like James Patterson came up with the stories for all the books then got ghostwriters to actually write them) was a publishing phenomenon in the 80s before ultimately ceasing in 1998 with 181 titles in the series. 

My favorite Sweet Valley High book, Murder in Paradise, is part of the Super Thrillers collection.  Super Thrillers were special editions that were longer than your average Sweet Valley High book and usually involved the twins in mortal peril. 

In May of 1993, the Sweet Valley High series “jumped the shark,” after the publication of A Night To Remember. After that book, the series was kind of like a telenovella with numerous miniseries following that which took normal high school drama to unbelievable, campy heights. 

All the Super Thrillers prior to 1993 were great because they could all conceiveably happen in reality aside from the fact that the twins had summer internships at the local newspaper for four different summers yet it was still a summer following their junior year in high school. Lol. They all revolved around one of the twins either witnessing or investigating a crime they heard about in the newsroom and then getting into disasterous situations as a result. 

After 1993, the Super Thrillers went wild ultimately producing my aforementioned favorite, Murder in Paradise which was published in 1995. Are you ready for the plot??! I’ve got to spoil the ending for once because it’s just THAT bananas and you’ll want to read the book even more because you’re not going to believe it. 

Jessica and Elizabeth’s mom wins a trip to an all inclusive spa resort and  invites her daughters but  instead of also inviting actual friends of her own she invites Jessica’s best friend Lila and Lila’s mother Grace and  Elizabeth’s best friend Enid and Enid’s mother Adele. Adele can’t attend as she couldn’t get time of work which is the only element of reality here. So the group sets off to the spa. Upon arrival the normal SVH shenanigans ensue. Lila hits on an older man and is embarrassingly rejected, Enid has many “woe is me” allow self esteem moments and Elizabeth sticks her nose in everyone’s business. Liz’s nosy nature leads her to uncover the dark truth about the spa - spoiler alert 🚨 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 the spa is run by a deranged former college classmate of Alice’s who is obsessed with plastic surgery. In fact nearly all the teenagers she “rescued off the streets” to employ there have undergone intense (like Heidi Montag) levels of plastic surgery and to top it all off, she wants to murder Alice and STEAL HER FACE!!!  😂😂😂😂.  After the twins and company finally rescue Alice, the book closes with them all making jokes and getting ready to return home to Sweet Valley while Jessica gushes about what was actually good about the spa. No trauma ever lasts long in Sweet Valley. 

Murder in Paradise 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 for snark-tastic fun. I must confess that the “newspaper” Super Thrillers are more realistic they don’t quite rock the entertainment scale. Did you ever read the Super Thrillers? What was your favorite?