Barley Breathing by Rebecca Donovan

Emma's struggles with an abusive home life came to a horrible end. Now everyone in Weslyn know's Emma's secret, but Carol can't hurt her anymore. Emma and Evan are still haunted by the horror of that night, and must face the repurcussions of their choices. As Emma reconnects with her estranged mother, she discovers there is still a lot to learn about her past, and how it will affect her future.

I LOVED this book! I stumbled upon the first one accidentally, and couldn't wait to read this one. With the way this ended, I may EXPLODE if I don't get to read Out of Breath soon!!

Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

Emma is an amazing student and star soccer player. Her best friend is one of the most popular girls in school. Her classmates confuse her focus and shy demeanor for conceite. What they don't know is that Emma has a terrible secret. A secret that she must keep if she wants to survive. Her life, though difficult, is predictable. Then she meets Evan. All he wants is to know her, but trusting him could cost her everything.

I stumbled across this book completely by accident and was beyond captivated. I literally had to stop reading another book so I could finish this one. I am SO excited to read the sequel. I highly recommend this!!

Not Ready for Mom Jeans by Maureen Lipinski

A follow up to her first hilarious novel, A Bump in the Road, Lipinski gives us a laugh-out-loud novel about motherhood, life, and the quest for eight hours of sleep.
Event planner and famous blogger Clare Finnegan expected to go back to work after her daughter was born. After all, she worked hard for her success…and it's not like now that she has a child she has to buy a minivan, wear Mom Jeans, and give up her career! Right? Despite more than a few pounds of baby weight still left to lose, Clare returns to work. But when her husband gets a promotion, she struggles with the big question. Is it better to work or stay home?

This book was absolutely hilarious and the perfect read for any mom. Make sure you read A Bump in the Road first!

TTFN by Lauren Myracle

Angela, Zoe, and Maddie are in eleventh grade now and everything is about to change. Angela's parents are moving her across the country to California, Maddie gets involved in drugs, and Zoe ends up dating Angela's crush. While the girls still deal with typical high school drama, there are many more mature topics as well.

Still told totally through instant messages, this story was pretty intriguing. I found it somewhat hard to believe that after Angela hopped on a Greyhound bus and went back to Atlanta, her parents would let her stay, but I liked that Maddie got busted for her drug use since it showed that there ARE consequences for your actions! The last book in the trilogy is L8R G8R, and I'll be reading it as soon as I can get my hands on it!

TTYL by Lauren Myracle

Angela, Zoe, and Maddie are three best friends starting tenth grade. As they deal with boy drama, mean girls, and school, they share their experiences through instant messaging.

This was actually kind of interesting. Since all of the text in the book is instant messages between the characters, it made for a quick read. I was a little disturbed by the relationship Zoe had with one of her teachers, but the rest of the events were very believable.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don’t get visited by ghosts. Or do they?

When the spirit of Lara’s great aunt appears, Lara must find a missing necklace that she can't rest without. Lara has a number of ongoing distractions. Her start-up company is floundering, and she’s just been dumped by the “perfect” man, to name a few. As the mission to find Sadie’s necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, she learns not only about her great aunt, but also about herself.

This was a hilarious and fun read filled with mystery and suspense. Once again Sophie Kinsella has created a heroine everyone will love. I'm hoping she makes it a series!

The Quickie by James Patterson

When she sees her husband with another woman, Lauren Stillwell's heart nearly stops beating. His betrayal turns her into someone she never imagined she could be. To even the score, Lauren seeks to have her own affair. One night of passion takes a shocking turn when she witnesses an unbelievable, and deadly crime. Now her horrifying secret threatens to tear her life apart. In order to uncover the truth, she must make choices that could cost her job, her marriage, or even her life.

This was a definite page turner! Filled with edge of your seat suspense!

Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella

Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, and a few little secrets. Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. Come Monday morning, Emma’s office is abuzz about the arrival of the company’s elusive CEO. Suddenly Emma is face-to-face with the stranger from the plane, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her. Things couldn’t possibly get worse. Until they do.

Another funny and heartwarming masterpiece from Sophie Kinsella.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Becky has a fabulous flat in London's trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season's must-haves. The only trouble is that she can't actually afford it, none of it. Her job writing at Successful Savings not only bores her to tears, it doesn't pay much at all. Lately she's been chased by dismal letters from the bank. Becky's only consolation is to buy herself something. Finally a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life forever.

The introduction to a hilarious series, if you haven't read these, you need to! Totally different than the movie, these books are fabulous, just like Becky!

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Clay gets home from school one day and finds a shoebox addressed to him with no return address. He opens it and finds cassette tapes. Intrigued, he goes into the garage and plays the tape with the number 1 painted on it with nail polish. He is flabbergasted when he hears Hannah talking. Hannah recently committed suicide and Clay didn’t think he would ever hear her voice again. As he listens to the tapes, he discovers that Hannah has left the thirteen reasons that ‘snowballed’ together and led her to the decision to kill herself. He not only struggles to listen to all of the horrible things that people had said or done to her, but also to figure out his part in her thirteen reasons.

An haunting story that will stick with you long after you've finished it. Make sure you have a box of tissues handy!

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Nick is playing a gig with his ‘queercore’ band when he spots his ex, Tris, in the audience. Nick is still incredibly hung up on Tris and after his band is done performing, he notices her walking toward him with her new boyfriend. Nick grabs the girl next to him, Norah, and asks her if she’ll be his girlfriend for the next five minutes. She responds by kissing Nick. It turns out she knows Tris, too, and is also trying to avoid her. After some encouragement from Nick’s gay bandmates, he and Norah take off together for a night out. Along the way, they run into Norah’s ex, Tris (again!), and transvestite stripping nuns. They begin to realize that there is a real attraction between the two of them, but must decide if they are ready to move forward and leave their pasts behind.

The dual authorship lends very distinct voices to each character. A hilarious read!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Arnold “Junior” Spirit is a Spokane Indian. Living on the ‘rez,’ Junior sees the members of his tribe drink, fight, and underachieve. The hopelessness he feels on the reservation is eating away at him. A teacher encourages Junior to get off the rez and seek a better education and the chance for a better life. Although it costs him the respect of most of the tribe and his best friend, Junior goes to a white school. He begins as an outcast, but slowly works his way into the lives of the white children at his school. Although he gains acceptance, he struggles with finding his place in the world. As Alexie puts it, Junior feels like an “apple: red on the outside and white on the inside.”

A great story of self discovery and being true to oneself.