Sorry I'm a little tardy with this.  Better late than never, right?  So, congratulations, Ivy, you've won a copy of Second Chances by Melanie Jacobson.  If you'll email me (at blogginboutbooksATgmailDOTcom) with your mailing address, I'll pass it along to Melanie, who will be mailing out your prize.  Enjoy!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Kate Baron, a 38-year-old lawyer working for a prestigious firm in Manhattan, receives a call from her daughter's high school, she's stunned.  Amelia's always been a model student.  She can't possibly be guilty of plagiarizing; the administration's obviously made a huge mistake.  When Kate reaches the school, she gets an even worse shock—Amelia's not waiting in the headmaster's office because her dead body is sprawled on the ground outside the school.  The police are quick to rule the 15-year-old's death a suicide.

Kate can't believe her only child is dead, can't fathom why someone as beautiful and smart as Amelia would take her own life.  It just doesn't add up.  Then, Kate gets an ominous text:  She didn't jump.  It's obviously some monster's idea of a sick joke, but what if it's not?  What if someone pushed Amelia?  As horrible as the idea is, it makes more sense than a girl like Amelia killing herself.  Kate can't imagine who would want to hurt Amelia, but she's determined to find her daughter's murderer.  She doesn't care if voicing her concerns makes her sound like a desperate, grief-crazy psycho—she will find out what really happen to Amelia.       

As Kate searches through her daughter's texts, emails and Facebook statuses, she begins to wonder if she knew her daughter at all.  Did Amelia's involvement with a secret campus club twist her into a lying, cheating bad girl?  Or was she the victim of extreme hazing?  Was her death caused by someone she knew or was it a random crime?  The closer Kate gets to the truth, the more disturbing the answers become.  Can she handle knowing what really happened, especially if it shows how largely she failed as a mother?  Kate's no longer sure ...

I've said many times that I love a nice, twisty psychological thriller and Reconstructing Amelia certainly qualifies.  The debut novel by Kimberly McCreight offers a murder (or not?) mystery that takes plenty of surprising, sinister turns.  Although it does get cliché in spots, the plot's tight construction as well as its alternating viewpoints keeps the story tense and edge-of-your-seat interesting.  It's well-crafted, for sure.  Not that there weren't times when it felt a little far-fetched or when Amelia acted a lot older than 15, but overall, the plotting's tight.  That being said, Reconstructing Amelia is a dark, disturbing novel that's deeply unsettling.  Let's just say, it's R-rated for a reason.  There were lots of times throughout the novel when I thought, "Why in the world am I still reading this?"  So yeah, beware.  The story made me that uncomfortable, but it was also that compelling.  Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult)  

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language, sexual content (including homosexual encounters), and depictions of underage drinking/drug usage 

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Reconstructing Amelia from the generous folks at Harper Collins via those at TLC Book Tours.  Thank you!

       

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Lexi Ryan made a stupid mistake.  One that ended up killing her father.  As if the guilt and grief aren't enough to bring the 17-year-old to her knees, she's also got no money, no home, and nowhere she can turn for help.  Before she screwed everything up, Lexi could have run to her best friend, Eli Katz.  He would have done anything—anything—for her.  Not anymore.  Now, she's well and truly alone.  There's only one avenue for Lexi to follow:  she'll have to track down the mother who abandoned her only child in order to pursue a singing career.  Last anyone knew, Callie Ryan was working in Florida with a traveling circus.  It's a start.

At the end of a long Greyhound ride, Lexi finds Circus Europa.  But not her mother.  It's a dead end.  Lexi has nowhere else to go, so she hires on as a glorified pooper scooper.  While shoveling dung, she surprises herself by falling in love with the vibrant, ever-changing circus life.  And the people who keep it running, especially the tall, dark, handsome ones.  When Lexi lands the job of circus fortune teller, she finally feels like she's found her place.  Like she's home.  She still has no leads on her mother's whereabouts, but maybe finding Callie doesn't matter so much anymore.

Then, a surprise visitor shows up and throws Lexi's life into another tailspin.  Just as she was feeling comfortable with her new life among the lions, tigers and bears (oh my!), she has to ask herself the tough questions:  Where is her true home?  What does she want for her future?  And, most importantly, what does family really mean?  As she wrestles with the big questions, Lexi will find the one thing she's been looking for all along:  herself.

Ever since I glimpsed the cover of That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard somewhere in the book blogosphere, I've wanted to read this debut novel.  So, I was thrilled when a copy showed up on my doorstep, courtesy of the good people at Scholastic.  As soon as I opened the book, I knew my excitement was justified because really, everything about the book is appealing, from its design to its premise to the engaging voice of its heroine.  Sure, there are things about the story that bugged me—it's far-fetched, a bit contrived, not as atmospheric as I wanted it to be, the love triangle (square?) gets a little annoying, etc.  Overall, though I found this one cute and magical.  I enjoyed it.  

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and a teensy, tiny bit of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs) and mild sexual content/innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of That Time I Joined the Circus from the generous folks at Scholastic.  Thank you!