Reviews
"What Happened That Night" by Deanna Cameron
"What Happened That Night" by Deanna Cameron was a spectacular read. The moment I read the first sentence, I couldn't put it down. I would spend hours reading this, coming up with various scenarios in my head. Every time I wasn't reading it, all I could do was think of a time to pick it up and continue. Cameron's style of writing was unique and easy to follow along with. She is a writer to look up to. It was so beautifully written with unique and able to remember characters.
I love how the story didn't just focus on the mystery but also included humor and complicated relationships. It was relatable and really showed the the struggles within the aftermath of abuse and death.
"What Happened That Night" is about a high school girl named Clara. She thought she was in love with her neighbor, Griffin Tomlin, until after the Super Bowl party. He would then do something that physically and emotionally scarred Clara Porterfield. But then later that year, Griffin was found floating in his own blood in his pool one September night. And the main suspect is Clara's sister, Emily. But why would someone like Emily murder the boy across the street. Out of revenge? Jealousy? It will take Clara, her new friend Aniston (Yes, like Jennifer Aniston), and Griffin's "friend" Kolby, a lot of searching and investigation into the past and present to try and discover what really happened that night.
This is definitely a book to look into and I have a feeling you'll enjoy it just as much as I did.
"What Happened That Night" is now available online and at Barnes & Noble. Grab yourself a copy and experience that same roller coaster of emotion I did while reading this remarkable novel.
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Sarah Swartz
"The Opposite of Falling Apart"
by Micah Good
"The Opposite of Falling Apart" is a must-read for any young adult. If you enjoy the works of John Green and Gayle Forman, then I can guarantee you will enjoy this novel. Once you get into it, you will not want to put it down. I would spend numerous hours a night reading this book and would pick it up whenever I found the time.
Originally a Wattpad Paid Story, "The Opposite of Falling Apart" (Originally titled "Three and a Half Good Legs") tells the story of two recent high school graduates during the summer before college (Followed by the first year of their college freshmen year). Both of them with their own flaws and fears. Jonas is living in the aftermath of the car accident that costed him his left leg while Brennan is living with major anxiety, causing her to overthink every situation in her day-to-day life. Both their paths cross when Jonas accidentally dings her car while driving to drop off a permission slip for his sister. In which he offers her several times to pay to fix any dent caused in the minor accident, but, Brennan refuses, not wanting to worry about a dent that will just popped out.
There's something about Jonas that gets Brennan out of her shell. And at the same time, encouraging him to practice walking again (on a prosthetic, of course.)
This is a story of lost and gain. A story that shows that even with our flaws and fears, we can still conquer what we put our minds to.
I will guarantee you that "The Opposite of Falling Apart" will melt your hearts and give you something to believe in again.
"The Opposite of Falling Apart" will be published through Wattpad Books on February 18th, 2020 and available in bookstores.
This is a novel you definitely don't want to miss and I have been lucky enough to receive an advance copy, making me extremely excited to see this in bookstores!
I highly recommend this book to anyone suffering with loss and anxiety disorders. I was able to relate to both Jonas and Brennan and I have a feeling you'll be able to relate to them too.
Sarah Swartz
"Always Smile: Carley Allison's Secrets to Laughing, Loving and Living"
by Alice Kuipers
At this point, I'm sure plenty of you have heard the name Carley Allison. I've mentioned her numerous times on Instagram so if you've been following me, you would see that.
Carley was a singer and figure skater. When she was seventeen, she was diagnosed with a rare form of throat cancer. Originally thought to have been as rare as being one in 1 billion diagnosed with this rare form of cancer, she was later diagnosed with Clear Cell Sarcoma. So rare that she was just one in 3.5 billion. Making her only the second person diagnosed with this cancer in medical history.
"Always Smile" by Alice Kuipers shares Carley's own battle and coming to terms with her illness. It even has passages from Carley's friends and family, sharing their journey with her throughout her battle. It shows us a more personal side of Carley that we didn't know about.
Carley's life was documented in the 2017 film "Kiss and Cry" starring Carley's real-life best friend Sarah Fisher (Becky Baker on "Degrassi: The Next Generation"). The movie also included Luke Bilyk (Drew Torres on "Degrassi: The Next Generation") and Chantel Kreviazuk.
This book has given me great insight to more of Carley's story along with the stories from friends and family.
This is a book I highly recommend for anyone looking for a reason to smile. It's right here. In these 390 pages. A story that will touch your heart. She didn't let cancer define her. She made her own destiny. She continued to sing and post on YouTube. And though she succumbed to the cancer, she left a positive mark on the world she left behind.
This book will touch your heart just as it did with mine.
Be someone's reason to smile.
Carley's Angels was founded in honor of Carley Elle Allison. A charity organization working to unite Traditional and Holistic cancer care in Hospitals all while spreading Carley's message to "Always Smile."
Carley's story will touch your heart in such amazing ways just as it did mine.
Sarah Swartz
"What are Friends For?" by Sarah Sutton
"What are Friends For?" by Sarah Sutton is the perfect YA book for fans of friends-to-lover stories and anyone who needs a good laugh. The main characters were instantly lovable which is one of my favorite qualities in a book.
"What are Friends For?" tells the story of life-long best friends Remi and Elijah. They are friends and nothing more. But that was until one accidental blind-folded kiss changes how they feel. Remi knew she kissed Elijah at the party. But Elijah has no clue, thinking he was making out with his girlfriend. Remi doesn't know how to tell Elijah that she was the one he was kissing and the aftermath causes a bunch of drama, especially since Elijah's girlfriend is jealous of their close friendship and is threatened by Remi. Remi tries to get rid of her new found feelings for Elijah, but it is proven very difficult. Will Remi tell Elijah, and will Elijah feel the same way?
I was fast to fall in love with Remi and Elijah. First impressions are always important and these two made a great one. I've read books where the authors try too hard to make their main characters lovable but in reality they come off as annoying. That wasn't the case with this book. The characters were lovable in a natural way. They're personalities made you love them more than if they were only discribed as being attractive.
I am extremely proud of Sarah Sutton for releasing this book which is honestly the best book I read so far in 2020. If I had to recommend a book to read in 2020, I would highly recommend this one. Especially if you love the friends-to-lovers story line.
This one was unique and I will for sure be reading it again. I highly encourage you all to check it out!
Sarah Swartz
"Miss Memory Lane: A Memoir" by Colton Haynes
From model and actor Colton Haynes, comes a young man's cautionary tale of addiction and redemption.
Haynes is known for his roles in shows such as Teen Wolf and Arrow. But there's more to him than just the handsome actor we see on our television screens.
As a child, he suffered abuse and identity crisis. Each chapter shares a story from a certain point in his life.
We see a side of Haynes that we have never seen before. One that we didn't expect.
This story impacted me in a way that no other could. I felt as if I was sitting down, having a cup of coffee with an old friend as we were catching up on all that's been going on. It was just that personal.
I highly recommend this book. Not only if you're a fan of Colton Haynes or any of his works. But if you want to dive deeper into a story of a famous actor's rise to fame and everything that came before.
I will warn you though that there are parts that include sensitive topics. Take a good, long look at the description before you decide to read.
All in all, this book of lust, abuse, addiction, stardom, and redemption is for anyone who has been hiding their true self.
You are not alone in all this.
Sarah Swartz