Where You Are by J.H. Trumble

Synopsis:
Robert Westfall's life is falling apart-everywhere but in math class.
That's the one place where problems always have a solution. But in the
world beyond high school, his father is terminally ill, his mother is
squabbling with his interfering aunts, his boyfriend is unsupportive,
and the career path that's been planned for him feels less appealing
by the day.

Robert's math teacher, Andrew McNelis, watches his best student
floundering, concerned but wary of crossing the line between
professional and personal. Gradually, Andrew becomes Robert's friend,
then his confidante. As the year progresses, their relationship-in
school and out of it-deepens and changes. And as hard as he tries to
resist, Andrew knows that he and Robert are edging into territory that
holds incalculable risks for both of them.

J.H. Trumble, author of the acclaimed Don't Let Me Go, explores a
controversial subject with extraordinary sensitivity and grace,
creating a deeply human and honest story of love, longing, and
unexpected connection.

My Thoughts:

Where You Are combines two of my favorite genres, LGBT and student/teacher relationships. I had very high expectations for it. The book definitely went above and beyond my expectations. It might be one of my favorite LGBT books that I have read, which is definitely saying something. If I had to classify the book, I would classify it as new adult. It had a few sex scenes but they weren’t very descriptive. The book held my attention from the first chapter. I felt bad for Robert because of what was happening with his father. I also felt bad for him because he stuck with Nic, who was a total jerk. Some of the plot twists were predictable, while others I had no idea about. What Andrew finds in Robert's wallet especially shocked me. I loved all the characters, except Maya and Nic. Maya reminded me of Overly Attached Girlfriend. I love this book. I want to re-read it again although I just finished it. I will definitely make it a top priority to read more of J.H. Trumble’s LGBT books in the future. 

I give Where You Are: 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.jhtrumble.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JHTrumble
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/J-H-Trumble/170420913002483
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5001654.J_H_Trumble

I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

The Bully Book by Eric Kahn Gale

Synopsis:
The rules governing middle school are often a mystery, but for Eric Haskins, they’re a mystery he needs to solve, and fast. He’s a normal, average kid, until sixth grade starts. For some inexplicable reason, the class bully and his pack make Eric the Grunt. Even his best friend since first grade turns on him. Eric can’t figure out why he’s the Grunt until he hears about the Bully Book, a cryptic guide that teaches you how to “make trouble without getting in trouble, rule the school and be the man” and how to select the Grunt-the kid who will become the lowest of the low. 

Eric Haskins may be this year’s Grunt for now, but he’s determined not to stay at the bottom of the social ladder forever. Hilarious and compelling, The Bully Book is a must-read for every tween, tween parent, librarian and educator!

My Thoughts:

I thought The Bully Book was a a great debut novel. The Bully Book is about a boy named Eric. He is tormented by his classmates and he can’t figure out why. It turns out that there is a book passed down every year from the sixth graders called The Bully Book. In the book, it says if you want to become popular you have to pick a student to bully, among other things. Eric makes it his mission to find the book and put an end to the bullying. The Bully Book teaches kids how bad it feels to be bullied. It hurts physically, mentally, and emotionally. The plot had me turning pages wondering if Eric was going to find the book. I liked all the characters. I could identify with Eric. I was bullied quite a bit in middle school. I thought the ending was great. I don't think the author could have picked a more perfect ending for the book. I look forward to reading more of the Eric Kahn Gale's work in the future. 

I give The Bully Book: 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.erickahngale.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erickahngalebooks?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/erickahngale
Tumblr: http://erickahngalepresents.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4911639.Eric_Kahn_Gale

I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander

Synopsis:
From debut author Cassie Alexander comes a spectacular new urban fantasy series where working the nightshift can be a real nightmare.Nothing compares to being Nightshifted.

Nursing school prepared Edie Spence for a lot of things. Burn victims? No problem. Severed limbs? Piece of cake. Vampires? No way in hell. But as the newest nurse on Y4, the secret ward hidden in the bowels of County Hospital, Edie has her hands full with every paranormal patient you can imagine—from vamps and were-things to zombies and beyond…

Edie’s just trying to learn the ropes so she can get through her latest shift unscathed.  But when a vampire servant turns to dust under her watch, all hell breaks loose. Now she’s haunted by the man’s dying words—Save Anna—and before she knows it, she’s on a mission to rescue some poor girl from the undead. Which involves crashing a vampire den, falling for a zombie, and fighting for her soul. Grey’s Anatomy was never like this…

My Thoughts:

Nightshifted was an okay book. It took me a few weeks to read the book because it didn’t hold my interest for long periods of time. When I first read the synopsis, I was excited. The book sounded original and fun. While definitely being original, it was also boring. The plot dragged on and on. It was very slow paced. When something interesting did happen, it was over fairly quickly and the book went back to being boring again. Other parts of the book were confusing. The part of the book with the shadows and the dragon was confusing. I had no idea what was going on. While some of the characters were easily forgettable, others I liked. I really liked Grandfather. He made me laugh. I also liked Anna. She had a kick ass personality. Even though she was a vampire, she stuck up for Edie. Nightshifted was not my cup of tea. The only way I will read next the book in the series is if I run out of reading material, which won’t happen for a long time. 

I give Nightshifted: 2/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://cassiealexander.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CassieY4
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4517253.Cassie_Alexander

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Seth's review of Zombie Day Care by Craig Halloran

Synopsis:
"He had dozed off, feeling safe and exhausted, in the middle of nowhere. He laid his head back, just for a second, listening to the madness on the satellite radio. America has fallen! Russia has fallen! The Middle East has fallen! He fell asleep. 
His eyes snapped open. A shuffle of dirt caught his ear. He wiped the drool from his mouth. The rear view mirror showed nothing. His heart raced. Something was out there. A flicker of movement caught his eye in the side view mirror. He jerked out of the way just as a hand clutched for his neck. He scrambled through the passenger side door and rolled outside."

The Facility is what the Washington D.C. officials call it. It is a day care for zombie children, tucked deep in the east coast hills. Is there a cure for the zombies? The children of the undead give them the best hope. There are those who think the zombie threat is harmless - and those that don't. The World Humanitarian Society wants to protect the zombies -or do they? Friends, family and colleagues are set at odds, dealing with the deadly dilemma. What about the zombies? What rights do they have in all of this? Or are they just a means to another diabolical end?

Seth's Thoughts:

In this take on the zombie apocalypse genre, the zombies didn’t succeed in taking over the world. It seems however, that they put a fairly large dent in the human population. So much that security forces are apparently barebones operations. Enter in the politicians. They had loved ones who got infected and needed care. Young loved ones. So, what does one do with a bunch of zombified children? Well, you set up a daycare for them. That’s pretty much the premise of this book. There’s a disgruntled person who got the security position because of who he knows. Then, you have the hard workers who are just trying to make a living. The situation deteriorates from there. Sleazeball wants the hard working woman, woman wants nothing to do with him. Sleazeball releases zombie children and mostly everyone dies. Not the worst of books to read but by far not the best book I have ever read in the genre. 

Seth gives Zombie Day Care: 2/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.thedarkslayer.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CraigHalloran
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-DARKSLAYER-REPORT-by-CRAIG/355471586536
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3306488.Craig_Halloran

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Neither Seth nor I were compensated in anyway for this review.

Seth's review of The Secret Life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow: Surreptitious Superhero by Lorin K. Barber

Synopsis:
Copernicus H. Stringfellow, a.k.a. Nick, is not your run-of-the-mill genius. His mind is so powerful it can stop a speeding automobile or stem internal bleeding. As Nick goes about quietly doing good, he discovers that his powers are greatly enhanced by the nutrients present in Twinkies. Follow Nick on his amazing adventures in this humorous and exciting action-packed book for all ages.

Seth's Thoughts:

I had almost forgot about this book until the other day, when I came across an article saying that one of my favorite snack foods was coming back from extinction, the Twinkie. Then it clicked in my head and I was disappointed in myself for letting it go this long. The story was fairly fun to read. It’s about this ‘average’ man who goes about and helps people to the best of his super abilities. The opening part of the book has Nick giving a runaway girl’s mother a job with a call, him getting hijacked by a hitch hiker, who somehow shot himself after trying to shoot Nick. No, he didn’t point the gun at himself. Nick used his super mental powers to redirect the bullet to the unfortunate hijacking hitch hiker.

So here comes the explanation of how he’s able to do it. It’s Twinkies. Nick’s brain has become finely tuned over the years and he found out that they were the perfect energy for his super mental expenditures. No, I’m not spoiling the book. It practically gives it away at the start.

Anyways, I loved this book’s sense of humor. I read it within one setting because I wanted to find out what happened to Nick. 

Seth gives The Secret Life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow: 4/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.lorinbarber.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorin.barber.9
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lorinbarber
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4748004.Lorin_K_Barber

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Neither Seth nor I were compensated in any way for this review.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Synopsis:
They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

My Thoughts:

I loved Requiem. I was a little upset because it was the last book in my favorite series. I’m not sure if Lauren Oliver is going to write another young adult series, but I hope she does. When I found out the book had alternating points of view between Hana and Lena, I was a little nervous. Usually I can’t stand alternating points of view in a book. However, it worked in Requiem. I was glad the reader got to see Hana’s point of view. I liked her. I was sad when she wasn’t in Pandemonium. I couldn’t stand Hannah’s husband, Fred. He was a complete jerk. I can’t even think of words to describe how well written the book is. I felt like I was in the story following Lena and Hana on their adventures. I was happy with Lena’s decision on who she wanted to be with. I think the other person would have been completely wrong for her. The ending of the book left me with goosebumps. It was beautifully written. The Match Trilogy could take some notes from the Delirium Trilogy about how to write the final book in a trilogy. 

I give Requiem: 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/index.php
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenoliverbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OliverBooks
Blog: http://www.laurenoliverbooks.blogspot.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2936493.Lauren_Oliver

I traded with another blogger for this ARC. I was in no way compensated for this review.