"Listen to Your Heart" by Kasie West

Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardback/ Library
Publication: May 2018
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars

From Goodreads: Talking to other people isn't Kate Bailey's favorite activity. She'd much rather be out on the lake, soaking up the solitude and sunshine. So when her best friend, Alana, convinces Kate to join their high school's podcast, Kate is not expecting to be chosen as the host. Now she'll have to answer calls and give advice on the air? Impossible.

But to Kate's surprise, she turns out to be pretty good at the hosting gig. Then the podcast gets in a call from an anonymous guy, asking for advice about his unnamed crush. Kate is pretty sure that the caller is gorgeous Diego Martinez, and even surer that the girl in question is Alana. Kate is excited for her friend ... until Kate herself starts to develop feelings for Diego. Suddenly, Kate finds that while doling out wisdom to others may be easy, asking for help is tougher than it looks, and following your own advice is even harder.

Kasie West's adorable story of secrets, love, and friendship is sure to win over hearts everywhere.

My Thoughts: This was my first Kasie West book, but it won't be my last! While I wasn't a fan of the cover (the heart shaped floats were a little too much for me), I really did enjoy the story! I read it in one weekend (which is fast for me these days as most of my time is spent chasing my toddler around) and I absolutely loved snarky Kate's character and how she handled the situation of falling for her best-friends guy. I won't spoil it for you and tell you what she did, but just know that Kate's character is so refreshing and loyal to not only her friends, but also herself. I also really enjoyed the other characters in the novel, like Frank (who has the BEST wit), Alana, and of course Diego *swoon*. Overall Listen to Your Heart is the perfect fun, light-hearted summer read that I was looking for.

Bottom Line: I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good YA contemporary novel. Also, side note: If you have younger teens this would be perfect for them as well as there is no adult language our explicit scenes in this novel.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

"There's Someone Inside Your House" by Stephanie Perkins

Genre: YA Horror
Publication: September 2017
Format: Hardback
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars

From Goodreads: Love hurts...

Makani Young thought she'd left her dark past behind her in Hawaii, settling in with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska. She's found new friends and has even started to fall for mysterious outsider Ollie Larsson. But her past isn't far behind.

Then, one by one, the students of Osborne Hugh begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasingly grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and her feelings for Ollie intensify, Makani is forced to confront her own dark secrets.



My Thoughts: I was so excited when I heard about this book. I loved Stephanie Perkins past books and they're all sitting pretty on my favorites shelf, so the fact that she was combining her talents with one of my favorite genres really thrilled me.

Before starting this one though, I noticed that it didn't exactly have a high GR rating (3.44 at the moment- her other books all average over 4 stars), which made me wonder exactly what the deal was. Well, after reading I can tell you I'm still wondering. Honestly, I really enjoyed this one! It was exactly what it proclaimed itself to be a Teen Slasher novel. I read someone compared it to the classics Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and it definitely has that same campy slasher feel to it. I wasn't expecting some deep complex mystery here. I was expecting some sexy romance, some scary chills, and a quick page turner to get me through Halloween- which is exactly what I got. I'm really glad I bought this one in hardback because I have a feeling it will be one of my go to Halloween reads in the future.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

"My Life as a White Trash Zombie" by Diana Rowland

Series: White Trash Zombie #1
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Publication: July 2011
Format: Audiobook
Narrated: Allison McLemore
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars

From Goodreads: Angel Crawford is a loser.

Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.

That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in an horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the parish morgue—and that it's an offer she doesn't dare refuse.

Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey—just when she's hungriest!

Angel's going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn't, she's dead meat.

Literally.

My Thoughts: White Trash Zombie has been sitting on my Goodreads shelf since 2011 and I could kick myself for not reading (or in this case, listening) to it sooner! I don't know much about this author, but I can tell you right now that she knows how to build a sincere character. I freaking loved Angel! I get so sick of the same old heroine formulas, and it was so refreshing to read about a foul mouthed, kick ass chick like Angel. Of course, you don't go in thinking that. Angel has given up on bettering her life when we first meet her and it isn't until she's turned into a zombie that things start looking up for her. But once she starts trying, you find yourself wanting her to win.

As for the narrator, Allison McLemore, I don't think anyone could have pulled off Angel's voice better. As an Alabama girl, I get offended when I hear the ridiculous southern accents some people try to come up with. But McLemore pulls of Angels voice perfectly and sucks you right into the story. In fact, my ears binged and I listened to it all in one day. The only issue I really had was that the side characters like Marcus, Ed, etc seemed to have a very slow, monotone voice. I could still distinguish who was saying what (which is super important if you're listening to a book), but they didn't have the same life as Angel's voice did. Regardless, I'm super impressed with the narrating.

Bottom Line: I loved this very original and hilarious cozy paranormal mystery and McLemore's voice! Highly recommend. In fact, once I finished it I immediately started on the second one and I have a feeling I'll just go through the series by the end of this week if my wallet will allow me.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

"The Shining" by Stephen King

Genre: Horror
Format: Audio
Narrator: Campbell Scott
Publication: Anchor in 1977
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars

From Goodreads: Danny was only five years old but in the words of old Mr Halloran he was a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father became caretaker of the Overlook Hotel his visions grew frighteningly out of control. 

As winter closed in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seemed to develop a life of its own. It was meant to be empty, but who was the lady in Room 217, and who were the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why did the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive? 

Somewhere, somehow there was an evil force in the hotel - and that too had begun to shine...

My Thoughts: Oh, Stephen King, you creepy, creepy man! I'm going to keep this review short and sweet. Basically, if you enjoyed the movie, you're going to love the book. If you love horror, you're going to love this book. If you love Stephen King, you will love this book. So with that said, here are some things that I particularly enjoyed while listening to the novel:

• The narrator. Campbell Scott does an *excellent* job of making each character distinct. When you're listening to an audio-book, it's important that each character has their own "voice". Mr. Scott does a wonderful job at this.
• The Creep Factor. Obviously, Stephen King is, well, the King of Horror, so of course this book was going to be terrifying. I just didn't realize how terrifying. There were so many times that I actually had to cut off my phone to stop listening because I got so creeped out.
• Danny and Jack. While I just wanted to punch Wendy Torrence in the face for being an idiot, I did love Jack and Danny's characters. Jack was just this insane ball of intelligence and violence. He was constantly trying to do the "right" thing, and always failing. Danny was just as interesting with his interactions with Tony and his psychic talent. I was so thrilled to know that King picked up Danny's character again in his novel Doctor Sleep. He's definitely one character I'm not ready to leave behind yet.
• The Comedy. I was pleasantly surprised to find that while, yes, this novel could be considered absolutely completely horror, it also had some laugh-out-loud moments (although very few and in between). There were times while I was cleaning my kitchen that I would snicker out loud while my husband looked at me like I was crazy.

Bottom Line: While Pet Sematary will always be my favorite King book (at least until I read It anyway), I would definitely recommend The Shining to any horror fan.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

"The Dead List" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Genre: YA Thriller/ Mystery
Format: Wattpad
Publication: April 15, 2015 by JLA
Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts: The Dead List is a precious gift from the Awesome One (also known as Jennifer L. Armentrout or JLA) to all of her fans. It was published a few months ago on the site Wattpad and it's FREE for however long the Awesome One so feels inclined for it to be.

But for real, on to the review. I'm a huge JLA Fangirl (in case you couldn't tell) and there's a reason for that. She cranks out novels like nobody's business and they never disappoint. They're always good and delicious and leave you wanting more. The Dead List is no different.

Meet Ella:  She's your average high-school girl, who's just trying to move on with her life after a mutual break up with her boyfriend/ best-friend. But someone doesn't want Ella to move on. Someone knows about Ella's tragic past, and they're not about to let her forget. After narrowly escaping an attack herself, Ella watches on the sidelines as her peers start to disappear, only to show up dead later. But then she starts to notice a trend. Something... or someone actually, connects them all. Someone who Ella failed when she was young and naive. And now someone out there wants revenge on all of those involved.

Here's the thing: If you like those 90's campy pyscho killer horror flicks (like Scream), you will love The Dead List. Of course, there's great character development and the plot has plenty of twists and turns, but what I really loved was the nostalgia of it. It's no secret that I love cheesed horror films and the 90's, so this was like getting a Godivia Chocolate Cheese Cake (because they're boss) AND a glass of your favorite wine!

Bottom Line:  I would definitely recommend this book, and I would also tell you to read it ASAP. Because while JLA hasn't mentioned taking it off Wattpad anytime soon, why would you wait and chance it?

My Rating: 4/5 Stars