(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When 10-year-old Mia Tang arrives in Anaheim, California, her head is filled with the same visions as any other kid—screaming happily on a roller coaster at Disneyland, splashing in the cool water of a hotel pool, and basking in the brilliant sunshine, warm and content.  That's not exactly what she gets when she lands at the Calivista Hotel.  For starters, she's not a guest.  She's living there because the room comes with her parents' housekeeping/hotel management jobs.  Also, the mean owner has banned employees from using the pool.  As for Anaheim being a happy, joyous place?  Apparently, that doesn't apply to Chinese immigrants whose English needs a little help.  Anaheim might be the setting for other people's dream vacations, but it's not turning out so dreamy for Mia.

Then, Mia starts working the front desk when her parents are too busy to manage that and room cleaning.  Suddenly, she has a purpose.  As she organizes the office, takes care of guests, and gets to know the hotel's permanent residents, Mia's gloom starts to dissipate.  She still has to deal with the greedy, dishonest hotel owner and his snooty son; worry over her parents' secret hiding of illegal immigrants; and deal with demanding guests; but at least she has a purpose.  Will her growing skills be enough to help her family survive in a hostile new environment?  Will she be able to keep the Calivista Hotel running?  Or will the Tangs be forced to start over once again or, worse, turned over to the authorities?  

Inspired by her own experience working at a California hotel with her immigrant parents, Kelly Yang's Front Desk is a bright, engaging book about using your talents to help people.  It's got plenty going on to keep readers engaged and wondering how everything is going to turn out.  While I enjoyed the story overall, I had trouble believing a 10-year-old would be giving as much responsibility as Mia had or that adult guests would trust a child with handling money, fielding complaints, and dealing with check-in/check-out.  I realize that Yang was an exceptionally bright 10-year-old (she entered college at 13, started Harvard Law School at 17, and graduated at 20), but still ... Mia talked and acted like no 10-year-old I've ever known.  That major suspension of disbelief tainted the book for me.  Still, Front Desk is an appealing story that young readers will find entertaining and empowering.  I didn't love it, but that's okay.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other MG books about immigrant families trying to find their way in America, although no specific titles are coming to mind.)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I borrowed a copy of Front Desk from the library at my child's elementary school.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Ever since her mother died on her 30th birthday, Althea Bell has dreaded the start of her own third decade.  Something happens to the Bell women at 30.  Always has, always will.  At 29, Althea is trying to shake off the superstition.  After all, she's just out of rehab.  Her life isn't ending; it's beginning.  

With nowhere else to go, Althea returns to Mobile, Alabama, eager to make amends with the father she hurt with her descent into addiction.  As the family black sheep, she knows not to expect a celebratory welcome home party.  Still, she's surprised when she's thrown out of the family home by her brother, who's running for governor, and his ambitious wife.  Althea's even more shocked to discover that they plan to have her admitted to the local psychiatric hospital as a preventative measure.  

Disturbed by her brother's announcement and subsequent revelations about a dark family secret, Althea takes off, determined to find the truth about the curse that has haunted the Bell women.  With an old boyfriend by her side, she will not rest until she's uncovered every unsavory bit of her hidden family history.  As her actions grow increasingly dangerous, Althea will have to remain sober, focused, and, above all, sane to avoid the fate that has befallen the women before her.  She is not insane and she is not cursed ... or is she?

It's a little tough to describe the plot of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls by Emily Carpenter.  Suffice it to say, the book tells a mesmerizing, mystical tale and I had a very hard time putting down.  It's far-fetched, yes, but it's also an addicting story featuring appealing characters and an intriguing mystery.  The tale kept me tearing through pages, racing toward a satisfying end.  This isn't my favorite of Carpenter's books, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other books by Emily Carpenter, including The Weight of Lies and Every Single Secret)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, depictions of illegal drug abuse, disturbing subject matter, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Struggling journalist Ellis Reed is in desperate need of a juicy story to propel him out of the society pages into the more prestigious world of investigative reporting.  When he happens upon an arresting sight—two kids sitting on a sagging porch in rural Pennsylvania beside a sign reading "Two Children for Sale"—he snaps a photograph.  It's a heart-wrenching scene that says volumes about the struggles people all over the country are facing in the midst of the Great Depression.  Ellis never intends to publish the picture, but when it is inadvertently shown to his editor, the man in charge sees a golden opportunity.  After the original image is accidentally destroyed, Ellis is sent to get another, which leads to a staged photograph and the subsequent destruction of an innocent family.  As the situation grows increasingly out of control, Ellis is haunted by what he's done.  He can't tell the truth without ruining his now successful career, but he can't live with himself if he doesn't. 

Equally horrified by her role in the situation, Lillian Palmer vows to help Ellis reunite a family torn apart by lies and besieged by unwanted public attention.  Risking her own position at the newspaper, she has to decide how far she's willing to go for redemption and for her developing relationship with Ellis.  Can Lillian and Ellis put to rights a situation that gets more complicated every day?  Or have they doomed themselves and a guiltless family to a lifetime of sorrow and remorse? 

With a haunting premise and a compelling plot, Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris is an evocative novel about the sometimes long-reaching consequences of one split-second decision.  Peopled with flawed, but authentic characters, it tells an empathetic story that highlights the abject desperation that characterized a devastating period in American history.  Although this is a sad story, it's also a hopeful one.  Sold on a Monday kept me reading, hoping, and yearning for a happy ending.  I enjoyed it immensely.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs), violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

It's been two centuries since the famed Salem Witch Trials took place, but that doesn't mean a Massachusetts woman can't still be accused of conjuring evil.  Lydia Montrose should know.  Although the 18-year-old is quiet and serious, there's a restless itch inside her that sometimes grows into more.  It's whispers of a scandal involving her older sister, however, that force the family to flee Boston.  As they settle into Willow Hall—their country home in tiny, isolated New Oldburg—both Lydia and her younger sister, Emeline, feel happier, especially thanks to their association with handsome John Barrett.  While Lydia falls helplessly in love with the only man who's ever really noticed her, Caroline, the eldest, only grows more self-centered.    

Despite its idyllic setting, Willow Hall is a place acquainted with tragedy and sorrow.  It's not long before its quiet darkness seeps into the sisters' souls, taunting them with a power that will take its toll on the entire Montrose family.  As the dormant force that lies asleep inside Lydia slowly awakens, she will have to harness what she doesn't understand in order to save everyone and everything she's ever loved ... 

The Witch of Willow Hall, a debut novel by Hester Fox, has gotten a lot of buzz this year.  And deservedly so.  Its bewitching (See what I did there?) backdrop, compelling plot line, and shivery Gothic vibe combine to create a read that is engrossing and entertaining.  Lydia is a sympathetic heroine whose bravery and kindness make her an appealing character to follow.  Her relationship with her sisters feels authentic, true.  While this is a sad novel, it ends on a hopeful note which, combined with its other appealing aspects, makes The Witch of Willow Hall a very satisfying read.  I loved it.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare and a little bit of Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs), violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Witch of Willow Hall from the generous folks at Harlequin via those at NetGalley.  Thank you!