Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

 I can't think of too many books this year that have been met with as much advanced buzz as Everything, Everything, the debut from Nicola Yoon.  Ever since the wild success of The Fault in our Stars back in 2012, publishers and audiences have been clamoring for the next romance with a "hook," which this title delivers: 18-year-old Madeline lives a life of solitude.  She's never been to school, never learned to drive, never taken a vacation.  Maddie suffers from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, also known as "bubble boy disease."  Because any small element outside of her sterilized environment could trigger a massive attack or illness, she spends all her time indoors with her mother and her nurse. 
Maddie spends lots of time looking out her window at the house next door, eventually catching the attention of her cute neighbor, Ollie.  He writes his email address on the window pane, and soon the two begin emailing and instant messaging.  When that doesn't become enough, Maddie's nurse, Carla, begins sneaking Ollie inside the house (after going through decontamination) for short visits in person.

One thing I liked about Everything, Everything is the format; it's not just straight prose, but includes diary entries, IM chat transcripts, sketches, and so forth.  It makes for a very quick, accessible read.  Madeline and Ollie are both sweet, likeable characters, even though you know their relationship will only spell trouble in the end.  My biggest complaint, however, was the unlikely "twist" at the end.  It defied credulity and was something of a let down for me.  The ending felt rushed and a little too tidy.  Nevertheless, this title should find a big audience with teens.

5 to 1 by Holly Bodger

5 to 1, by Holly Bodger, is a book whose premise I enjoyed much more than its execution.  We're in India, far into the future.  A culture that previously put so much emphasis on having boys rather than girls has produced a population that cannot continue.  Girls are in short supply, and therefore are a prime commodity.  Because there are 5 boys born for every 1 girl, the state has set up a series of tests designed to match the best boy to every girl, with the hopes that their marriage and subsequent offspring will produce more girls.  The winners are assured a life of comfort and riches, while the losers are sent to "the wall."  (You know nothing, Jon Snow...).

The story begins with Sudasa, 17, beginning the preparations for the contest where she will select her husband after a series of tests.  The boys are not given names and are simply referred to by number.  The book switches back and forth between Sudasa's point of view, told in verse, and "5," told in first person narrative.

If this book reminds anyone of Kiera Cass's The Selection, you're not alone.  I liked the idea that it was boys competing for the hand of the girl instead of the other way around.  However, 5 to 1 reminded me not just of The Selection, but so so so many other YA titles, that I felt there was very little here that was new.  We've seen the idea of arranged marriages in Matched.  Women who are valued for the reproductive role in The Handmaid's Tale.  Being told that life outside "the wall" is bad and therefore you know the main character(s) will end up outside of it: The Giver, Delirium, Divergent, etc...

This book was such a short, fast read, I felt that the author did not give us time to flesh out the characters enough for us to care about them.  The end is not surprising or suspenseful, even though it's clear there will probably be another title to come. 

Additional purchase recommended only where The Selection is constantly checked out and students want something else to tide them over.

Review given in exchange for a digital ARC from NetGalley.

Things We Know By Heart, by Jessi Kirby

In the opening moments of Things We Know By Heart, teenager Quinn wakes up to the distant sounds of sirens, and somehow she just knows they are for her boyfriend, Trent.  Skip ahead to over a year later, where Quinn is still deep in grief, not only over Trent's death, but over the future they will never have together.  A year later, and Quinn refuses to let herself move on or let go of Trent.  However, she writes donor letters to those people who received his organs, and she's heard back from all but one - the one who got Trent's heart.

Relentless and a bit obsessive, Quinn uses her best Internet sleuthing skills and figures out the recipient is a boy named Colton, about her age and living nearby.  Crossing all lines of acceptable behavior, Quinn goes to see him, intending to confront him, but she chickens out.  Instead, she befriends Colton and soon the two start spending more and more time together.  All the while, Quinn can't bring herself to tell Colton the truth.  Obviously, we as readers know everything will come out eventually, and it won't be pretty.

As YA romances go, I felt that Things We Know By Heart was pretty lightweight.  Colton is too much the Perfect Teenage Boyfriend.  He's cute, sensitive, outdoorsy... other than the fact that he still has to stop and take medication for his heart, Colton has few flaws.

There are many four star reviews for this book over on Goodreads, which completely baffles me.  It's hard for me to review books like this not from a grown-up point of view.  The adult in me just Really.Disliked.Quinn.  I know her boyfriend died tragically, and that's a sad thing.  But they weren't married.  They didn't have kids or a family together.  They were juniors in high school.  And although I'm sorry Quinn won't get to go to her prom with Trent or celebrate graduation with him, I just didn't feel very sympathetic toward her decision to just shut down and refuse to move on.  I think part of the problem is that we, as readers, don't get to know Trent as a character.  We just know a few fleeting details: he was an athlete, he once brought Quinn a huge sunflower.  I think if we had been invested more in their relationship, I would have cared about Quinn more. 

Colton, on the other hand, is the more interesting character, but Kirby makes this Quinn's story.  As Quinn begins to fall for Colton, she begins to heal emotionally and starts to move on with her life.

I'm sure there are plenty of teenage girls out there who will eat this up.  I think it would be an additional purchase for libraries, but not a necessary one.

Review given in exchange for an ARC from Edelweiss.  Book will be published in April.

Dream a Little Dream, by Kerstin Gier

At last!  Another book from the delightful Kerstin Gier, whose Ruby Red series was a fun, romantic, comical time-traveling adventure.  I've been eager to see what Gier would produce next, and now it's almost here.  Dream a Little Dream will be released in April, 2015.

This is book 1 in The Silver Trilogy.  Teenager Liv Silver and her sister, Mia, have lived all over the world with their parents.  The book begins with Liv and Mia arriving in England to join their mother, who is supposed to be lecturing at Oxford.  They cannot wait to live in a quaint English cottage filled with the possibility of charm and mystery.  However, upon arriving in London, they find their mother has met a man and plans for them all to move into his house along with his twin children.  Although there are the usual hiccups and disagreements when this new plan is announced, everyone in the household begins to genuinely gets along.

One night, Liv has a dream that feels incredibly real.  She follows her future stepbrother, Grayson, into a cemetery where he meets up with three other boys from school.  They perform a ritual, asking the "Lord of Shadows and Darkness" to show them who will be part of their circle.  Naturally, Liv falls out of the tree she's been hiding in right at this moment.  Only later will she learn out what she's been "chosen" for.

The book is part Inception, part Raven Boys (by Maggie Stiefvater), with Gier's knack for humor and a taste of Gossip Girl thrown into the mix.  As we previously saw in Ruby Red, she writes wonderfully real teenage girls, who are sarcastic, flawed, and spunky all at once.  As Liv gets pulled farther into this mysterious dream world, she begins to fall for one of the boys, Henry.  Their budding romance is genuine and sweet.

My only complaint about this book is that Gier spends a lot of time exploring dream worlds, but never really gets around to Liv's part in the secret circle.  When the moment finally arrives, it feels too rushed.  However, because we have 2 more books yet to come, the ending is only the beginning.

Review given in exchange for an advance reader's copy from Net Galley.

One additional comment: I really hate the cover.  The purple door, bubbles, butterflies, and pink curly script are all misleading.  The book was really a bit dark and sinister in some places, and I think could appeal to boys and girls if the bookseller or librarian talks it up enough.  However, NO TEENAGE BOY that I've met would touch this book with a ten-foot pole based on this cover.  maybe they'll change it before publication?

1/16/15 UPDATE  Yay!  They did change the cover after all.  The new one is still kinda' girly, but at least it better reflects the darker aspects of the book.