Ever Since by. Alena Bruzas | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Ever Since

Author: Alena Bruzas

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 5/23/23

Publisher: Rocky Pond Books

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Rocky Pond Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An intense, beautiful debut about the power of finding your voice and sharing your story after trauma. Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Kathleen Glasgow.

Seventeen-year-old Virginia makes bad choices. In fact, she’s That Kind of Girl, according to the whispers. But as long as she has her tight group of best friends by her side, she’s able to ignore the gossipers. Until she finds herself spending time with Rumi, Poppy’s boyfriend. Breaking with tradition, she doesn’t hook up with Rumi. Worse, she falls in love with him.

While Virginia and Rumi’s relationship grows in secret, she discovers that his little sister, Lyra, is being groomed for abuse. The soon-to-be-abuser is a respected member of the community, and only Virginia knows who he is and what he does. If she stays quiet, Lyra will become a victim. But coming forward feels equally impossible.

Content Warning: drug use, grooming, child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, suicidal ideation

First off, I love this book cover – it’s beautiful. This is a story with heavy topics but it’s an important book. The thing that really hit me about the story was that it resonated with me and not because I experienced these things but I have friends who went through some of these things and the way these girls are a tight group of friends, reminded me of me and my friends in college. The partying, the secrets, the drama – I felt like I knew these girls in this story.

I know a Virginia, a few Virginia’s and that’s a sad and scary reality. But although Virginia and her friends’ story is scary, and heartbreaking – they are courageous and brave. The ending is full of hope which I loved. I also loved the diversity represented in the story.

This story is under 300 pages and it’s a quick read. I found the story powerful but the writing didn’t flow for me. It was a bit choppy at times and I always had to find my place again. I felt like I missed a word or a sentence and had to reread the previous sentence. I understand it’s supposed to probably reflect Virginia’s panic, pain and her fears, but sometimes it took me out of the story. Despite all of that, this story is devastating.

Why you should read it:

powerful story about child abuse and the courage to stop it from happening again

Why you might not want to read it:

lots of trigger warnings

My Thoughts:

If you can handle the trigger warnings then read this book. This is a story filled with pain, hard issues like abuse, but a story about courage as well. Stories like these are never easy to read but I like how we get Virginia’s story because she’s that girl who has a bad reputation, yet people don’t know what she’s been through. And even though she is scared of her abuser her bravery to speak about what happened saved someone else from him, no matter the consequences and that matters.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Monday’s Not Coming by. Tiffany D. Jackson | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Monday’s Not Coming

Author: Tiffany D. Jackson

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 5/22/18

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Categories: Coming of Age, Young Adult, Teen, Abuse, Mental Health, Dyslexia, Mystery

Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried. When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.

As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

Content Warning: Sexual Harassment, Abuse, Bullying, Homophobia

I love Tiffany D. Jackson’s writing. This is the third book I’ve read from her and I just love how her writing flows and how her stories are mysterious, thrillers with some horror, and yet infused with stories about friendship, community, abuse, growing up/coming of age, and family. The setting of the story is in the city of Washington D.C., and we get a good sense of the community and the difference of where Claudia lives in her own home and where Monday lives in a public housing. The girls both go to a charter school to get a better education.

Claudia is only in the 8th grade and on the verge of going to high school. As the new school year starts her best friend Monday has not shown up to school at all and she is worried. She doesn’t know why anyone else isn’t worried but she knows something is wrong. We see through Claudia’s memories how close she and Monday is, like sisters! Then we really see how important Monday is to Claudia as the story goes on. Claudia is going through so many changes, like dealing with boys, being bullied at school, pressure to do good in school – but without Monday that’s difficult. All she wants is to know what happened to Monday.

Claudia and Monday are as close as sisters, or so Claudia thinks from all their time spent together. You could really feel their bond in the story just through Claudia’s memories. Monday is vibrant, smart, talented and beautiful. Claudia also has another friend in the story, Michael, who is someone she knows from church and I liked how he stayed by her side through it all.

The mystery about Monday intensifies when Claudia doesn’t let up her search for her best friends and we find out some pretty horrific things about what went down in Monday’s house. It’s chilling because we know these things do happen, and heartbreaking because I wish children in these situations had a better chance at life.

The one thing that didn’t work for me in this story was the chapter titles which made some parts confusing. There is a major twist to the story and I think that’s why the chapter titles are worded the way it is but it was confusing. The confusing timelines are in line with Claudia’s mental state when she finds out what happens to Monday and I can sympathize with her mental breakdown.

Also Claudia and Monday are meeting boys in this story even though they are only 8th grade – now this seems young, but to me it’s realistic.

Why you should read it:

the story is inspired by real events – important read
Claudia and Monday’s friendship
Claudia’s journey without Monday

Why you might not want to read it:

the chapter titles are so confusing because the timeline jumps around

My Thoughts:

Despite the confusing chapter titles, I love this author’s work! This was a heartbreaking read because you do get an idea of what happened to Monday – but just how and why it happens is just so sad. It’s an important read not just because we find out what happens to Monday but Claudia’s personal journey also is rife with challenges that she overcomes. In a tragic story there is hope through Claudia who never stops to find her friend Monday. I look forward to reading more from this author!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Book Review | Sadie

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Sadie

Author: Courtney Summers

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 311

Categories: Sexual Abuse, Drug Abuse, Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery

A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial―like podcast following the clues she’s left behind. And an ending you won’t be able to stop talking about.

Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.

Sadie is an important book. It is a story that cover tough subjects like child abuse, drug abuse, and murder. It broke my heart.

The way the book is written is really interesting because it starts off with a podcast. West McCray the show’s host is trying to find Sadie by following the trail she’s left behind. But time is not linear in this book, it starts off with the show, but when Sadie shows up in the story and we are following her, these are flash backs. They are trying to find her trail but I don’t know, with the ending…is it too late for Sadie? As West rushes to put the clues together, we learn the horrifying things that has happened to Sadie through her memories. Sadie’s journey made me feel so helpless.

I was engaged in the story right away but in all honesty, I started this book and put it down for a week because my out-of-state family was visiting and I didn’t want to read something sad. The beginning of the story gave me a feeling this would not end happily. ☹️ Sadie is a gritty character, a girl with a stutter who was already ostracized so much for that in her short life. She is a girl hurting so bad and she’s so empty – you just wish you could protect and help her. Sadie is also angry, resourceful and has a desire to hurt the man who’s hurt her and her sister. I was cheering her on, but oh was I scared for her.

Sadie has had it rough since birth – all stemming from her mom’s drug abuse. The only joy and love she had in life was for her little sister Mattie. And when Mattie’s life is taken, Sadie is more than devastated. What she uncovers on your journey to find her “father” is more sick and depraved men like him. Stories like these gut me and make me afraid for my own kids, there are some scary people out there, and it’s the ones you don’t suspect. For Sadie, all she wants is revenge and to find the man that hurt her. But everyone else back home is trying to find Sadie. Of course, she doesn’t know that. 💔

The only thing that bugged me about the story was the open ending – ugh…..I want to know what happened to Sadie. 😫😢 I have a feeling she died…did she die?! If you did read this already – what do you guys think about the ending? What are your theories? I know that part doesn’t matter, because the story was about the girls out there being preyed on – the ones who don’t, can’t, or won’t tell their story because they are dead, very afraid, or just too broken. But goodness, in the time I spent reading Sadie (and it’s a quick read), I felt like she was real and I had to know if she’s okay.

The story subject matter is not enjoyable, but it is real. We hear the stories, we see it in the news, we know people who have been been abused or abused drugs. The story is raw, suspenseful, heart-breaking and relevant. Read it if you can, but if you can’t, that’s okay too.