Anyone But You

by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
4/5 stars
Merit Press, 2014
222 pages
YA Contemporary Retelling

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing the first two books in the Twisted Lit series, Tempestuous and Exposure, which tackled Shakespeare's plays "The Tempest" and "Macbeth" respectively. They made me wish I was more familiar with the source material so I was pleased that this third book was inspired by "Romeo and Juliet" because that is one play I know very well and I feel like the opposing feuds can translate into a modern context well.

As I suspected, the antipathy between the two families (rendered here as the Caputos and the Montes) was strong and fairly popped off the page. However in this retelling, we get a peek at the origin of the feud in alternating flashback chapters. Personally I found those historical chapters more engaging than the contemporary love story-we get a peek at a World's Fair, Pearl Harbor, and one character manages to survive a Japanese prison camp. The origins of the feud aren't particularly engaging but the ending chapters where a participant comes to grips with his pointless anger are incredibly touching.

I found ostensible main character Gigi to be a bit dull and her romance with Roman is love at first sight with what felt like insufficient meat to justify their relationship and the drive they have to end the feud to celebrate their love openly. Maybe I would have liked it more if I hadn't been comparing it to the historical chapters, which packed more of a punch for me. The comparable Paris character is a real creep, adding a new twist to this old story and the outside confessors Gigi appeals to were incredibly appealing (I suggest Chef and Carmen are similar to Juliet's Nurse and Friar Lawrence in the original play).

What this book excelled at for me was highlighting the pointlessness of carrying a grudge. The character who does comes to regret it immensely especially the damage it has wrought on several generations. It is to be hoped that future generations can heal and bring their families together to overcome the tragic rift.

Overall: Another strong entry in the Twisted Lit series and I bet it will prove to be a popular one due to its "Romeo and Juliet" inspiration.

The Namesake

The Namesake by Steven Parlato
3/5 stars
Merit Press, 2013
285 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an ARC from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not really sure why this book callled to me as on the surface it doesn't really seem like a "Stephanie" book. It's a male narrator dealing with grief and some very dark subjects in a literary novel fashion. But it is contemporary YA mostly set in a high school and featuring religious questioning so maybe those were elements I somehow sensed.

My rating for this book is largely based on personal enjoyment, which was not very high for this book. It is dark: the book opens with the narrator reflecting on his father's suicide and that hangs over the entire book as Evan delves into his father's tortured past (if I mention that his father was an altar boy, you might be able to figure out some of what he endured). I do not tend to like dark books and there were many difficult passages for me.

As for the writing, I thought this book had a more literary quality unlike a lot of YA, which tends to lean commercially in my opinion. However some of the characterizations felt off. Evan is supposed to be very smart (having skipped at least one grade) but I didn't really get that impression from him. He was more sensitive than some of his peers but intellectually,  he seemed average. His best friend Lex has had some trauma in her past and I thought the reveal of that darkness wasn't handled as well as it could have been (I don't want to reveal spoilers) although by the end, it was almost completely laid bare.

Another element that was hard for me was just the formatting. This book isn't divided into chapters but every few pages, there are section breaks. I would have preferred for each of those sections to be turned into chapters. This is a very odd little personal preference that probably wouldn't bother anyone else.

Overall: A warning that this book is definitely on the dark side and more suited for older readers. Definitely check out some other reviews to see if this one might be right for you.

Other Opinions:
Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
In Bed With Books
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ARC Review: Exposure

Exposure by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
3.5/5 stars
Merit Press, 2013
216 pages
YA Contemporary Retelling
Scheduled for release January 18

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After loving Tempestuous, I was eager to check out the next book in the Twisted Lit series. One of my disappointments with Tempestuous was that I did not know the story of The Tempest well enough to be able to spot similarities or differences. I do know Macbeth well though so I was excited to see this "twisted" take on it.

What I Liked: Again I loved the writing style-Askew and Helmes are a great writing team! I felt like everything flowed naturally and was a fun mix of contemporary with some Shakespeare references. I also loved the trio of friends who stood in for the witches; while I wish there could have been more of them, that might have overwhelmed the story. I also loved the setting in Alaska-very evocative of the cold and perfect for this darker story.

What I Was Neutral About: The remix of Macbeth. I could see the similarities but they are very loose. This is good for those who don't know the story of Macbeth or are looking for a less tragic version (there are way fewer deaths in this version for one thing!) As said above, I thought the updated witches was the best part while Skye's character doesn't really have a parallel, making her kind of a weird entry point to the story.

What I Didn't Like: Skye has had a crush on Craig (the Macbeth character) for years and was his first friend when he moved to Alaska but then he quickly became swept up in the popular crowd, leaving her behind. Still she adores him and spends most of the book protecting his secrets. First I didn't get why she liked the guy so much and second, she's covering up what she thinks might be a murder. And she doesn't say anything! I just wanted to scream at her.

Cover: Love the blue and the crown-it's not a busy cover and I appreciate that.

Other Opinions:
Loaded Shelves
Confessions of a Book Addict
Diamonds&Coal Book Reviews
The (YA) Bookcase

The Girl in the Wall

The Girl in the Wall by Daphne Benedis-Grab
4/5 stars
Merit Press, 2012
186 pages
YA Contemporary Thriller

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm starting by admitting that I was sad to see that the cover had changed as the pink cover on the ARC had been what initially caught my attention when browsing titles on Netgalley. However I do think the pink suggets a more lighthearted story than is actually contained within this book as this is a very high-stakes, no-holds barred suspense story.

It starts deceptively calm with Sera dreading going to her best friend Ariel's birthday party. Why? Well, the two are actually estranged after Sera shared something and Ariel marshaled her wealth and popularity to ostracize Sera for that "betrayal." However Sera's father makes her go, with at least the plus side being that Sera gets to see heartthrob Hudson Winters perform.

The party is disrupted though when masked men burst in and kill Ariel's father and friend who they mistook for Ariel. In all the chaos, Ariel sneaks out to hide in the walls of her ginormous mansion while Sera struggles to remain calm. The two girls will have to work through their differences in order to get out alive.

I did think the story was a bit of a slow starter as I kept waiting for someone to disappear in the walls. Then it started and I kept closing my nook after each chapter feeling so tense and needing to decompress from what I had just read, only to pick it up again immediately because I had to know what was coming next. In addition to the girls rebuilding their friendship, there is also a mini-romance for each (just mini because surviving is more of a priority) and the suspense behind the attack. Obviously Ariel was a target but why and who? You'll need to read to find out!

Cover: I preferred the pink cover for the ARC but this one is okay-it's not my favorite or anything. It actually makes me think of a molestation story with the girl's eyes looking particularly vulnerable.

Louder Than Words

Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner
4/5 stars
Merit Press, 2012
247 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Earlier this year, I read What I Didn't Say, a novel where the main character loses his voice permanently. I also read Speechless where the main character willingly chooses to remain silent to atone for past mistakes. I thought it would be interesting to check out another book where the main character does not speak.

In this case, Sasha has lost her voice after a horrific car accident that killed her parents and sister. The diagnosis is selective mutism based on the traumatic incident and she speaks using a voice box. After four years of therapy, she has basically resigned herself to never speaking again. Until one day she meets Ben, who can read minds and a beautiful relationship is born. With his support (as well as the continued support of her her aunt, uncle, and best friend), Sasha fights for her voice and looks into the possibility that the car accident was no such thing.

One thing that was interesting to me was Ben's ability to read minds. Although Sasha is surprised, she quickly accepts it after he demonstrates and that's that. There isn't an attempt to make this a full-on paranormal or fantasy. It's just one element that sets Ben aside from other people in her life, not a big deal at all. And their relationship is pretty sweet, especially as he challenges her not to accept the life she was planning to accept but to want more. He's hugely supportive as they experiment with ways to reclaim her voice as well as when she investigates the accident site and discovers cryptic notes that reveal there is more to the story of the accident.

I did think the ending was a little rushed. Thankfully all my questions were answered but everything unfolded over just a few pages. We confirm that the accident was purposeful and we learn who and why (hint: the person is somewhat deranged). It just happened so fast.

Content warning: a lot of sexual stuff-I was quite surprised; it may make this book inappropriate for younger readers.

Cover: I'm a self-professed fangirl of covers that feature girls in pretty dresses but I actually really like this one. It's different, feels very arty in an appealing rather than exclusionary.

Tempestuous

Tempestuous by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
4/5 stars
Merit Press, 2012
181 pages
YA Contemporary Shakespeare

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love when contemporary YA novels take the classics and twist them to creative something different and fun. Unfortunately I thought I knew the story of "The Tempest" better than I actually did because I'm not really sure how this book relates to that play beyond a few shared character names. Fortunately that did not impair my enjoyment at all, as I found this a fun fast read.

Miranda Prospero used to be one of the most popular girls in school until one of her ideas is exposed as a cheating scandal jeopardizing the future college prospects of several of her classmates. Now she is ostracized and forced to work in the food court to repay her debt to society. The trait that always gets her in trouble is her ability to manipulate situations, arranging them to her satisfaction but sometimes with unintended consequences. However this actually comes in handy when a snowstorm leaves her, her coworkers, and many of her peers stranded at the mall. As her angry classmates take over one corner and a burglar runs rampant, Miranda takes matters into her own hands (while being handcuffed to the annoying but cute magic shop guy) to wreak vengeance and track down the thief.

I think what I liked most about this book was the fun writing. The two authors wrote very seamlessly and very polished. The plot itself is also cool. Although perhaps slightly overstuffed, there is something very compelling and more than a little wish fulfillment about staying overnight in the mall with all the food and fun contained within. Beyond stuffing themselves silly, there is looting and a rock concert. I shudder to think of the mess that would need to be cleaned up afterward but it's all alright within the confines of the book.

Miranda is of a very different personality to myself but one that I found most compelling. She is so good at sizing people up and although her former self was incredibly selfish, this new personality she is forging is more humble while still retaining her strength and sense of self. Ariel is Miranda's coworker, a home schooled sheltered sweetheart with a surprisingly deviant sense of humor. That girl is just so cute and I loved her! The last character to mention would be Caleb, the boy who is handcuffed to Miranda for much of the story, is the main person capable of standing up to Miranda's machinations and is (*surprise*) her love interest. He was perfectly acceptable in that role.

Overall: A really fun story-great for a quick read! I would love to know how it compares to the actual story if there is anyone who has read both.