People Like Us by Dana Mele

Bates Academy is an all girls boarding school where Kay Donovan is trying to reinvent herself from a past the reader does not learn about until late in the book. People Like Us is a suspenseful novel that appears to be predictable and obvious until deep, dark secrets are revealed. Kay is the star soccer player on her team with hopes and dreams of receiving a soccer scholarship at a top-ranked college or university and it seems as though she is on the right path to do that. That is until a classmate's body is found floating in a lake face down and now detectives, classmates, and teammates start to point the finger at Kay. She has to figure out how she is going to convince everyone she is innocent by completing a computer-generated scavenger hunt, which was left behind by the murdered classmate. The book was really interesting for the first half, but had a lull in the middle, and then picked up again when everything started to come together. There are some sexual and explicit scenes and the language may be a bit much, but overall this is an entertaining book that does keep the reader interested for the most part.

Antisocial by Jillian Blake

I picked up Antisocial from our newly purchased books shelf and was pleasantly surprised at how much I was into this mystery. Anna Soler is an introverted artist who spends most of her time in the art room at Prep, a co-ed private school, who recently broke up with Palmer, the star basketball player. She suffers severe anxiety and experienced a treatment center for it, and now is immersed in a major hack job that releases text messages, social media posts, and DMs to every student at Prep. While trying to mend her friendship with her two best friends whom she turned her back on during her relationship with Palmer, she breathes a sigh of relief each day her private texts are not hacked into and released for all to see and judge, particularly her former best friends. I highly recommend this book because it kept me engaged the entire time and I was so anxious to find out who the hacker was, if Anna would mend her relationship with her friends, and what the outcome would be for all the students at Prep. Though the hacker is revealed much before the end, the story all comes together at the climatic point that brings somberness, but also closure to the release of everyone's personal and for some, illegal or inappropriate actions. 

Forgive Me Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

I read this book after the recommendation from Mrs. Spreder because she said it was a good story, but also very heartbreaking and disturbing. This book is about the challenges a teenage boy faces with his sexuality and communicating it to those closest to him; but it's also about a decision he has already made in that he will kill himself on his birthday after he has killed his former best friend for reasons the reader will learn throughout the book. The author, Matthew Quick tells this story of a teenage boy who is silently screaming for help over the course of several days that lead up to his birthday. While there are parts that make the reader laugh out loud with Leonard's witty sense of humor, knowing the inevitable makes the reader sympathetic for Leonard and hopeful that someone will reach out and help him during his darkest times. 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a book that disturbed me, intrigued me, and had me determined to finish it even if I had to take a break from reading it for a few weeks! In this controversial, realistic fiction, a traumatic event occurs in which a young man, Khalil, is shot by the police with his friend, Starr Carter (the book's protagonist), was watching it all happen before her eyes. Now, she has to decide whether or not to testify to fight for her beliefs and protect her neighborhood. The language is rough throughout the book and the situations are realistic, but also a bit dramatized. However, I live in a sheltered world, so what the characters in this book have experienced and are exposed to I only have seen or read about through media. The ending, without spoiling it, seems as though everything is resolved; however, there are still major issues that as the reader, we know will continue: the opinions on police brutality; racial tension; and gangs. I do highly recommend this book, but full disclosure it can can be controversial, at times uncomfortable to read, and some could view it as biased or one-sided.

Educated by Tara Westover

Tara Westover grew up in the mountains of Idaho in a family who didn't believe in public schooling or medical care. Her father believed the end of the world was coming and was preparing for this day. He expected the children to complete extremely perilous tasks such as running dangerous equipment with no regard for their safety. Tara and her siblings experienced several horrific accidents which could have resulted in losing an arm or death.  Despite all of this, Westover is able to earn several degrees from Brigham Young University and Cambridge.  Her story is compelling and at times unbelievable. If you have read, The Glass Castle and are looking for a similar read, try Educated.