Title: While We’re Young
Author: K. L. Walther      
Genre: YA    
Rating: 4 out of 5 

Grace, Isa, and Everett used to be an inseparable trio before their love lives became a tangled mess. For starters, Grace is secretly in love with Everett, who used to go out with Isa before breaking her heart in the infamous Freshman Year Fracture. And, oh yeah, no one knows that Isa has been hanging out with James, Grace’s brother—and if Grace finds out, it could ruin their friendship.

With graduation fast approaching, Grace decides an unsanctioned senior skip day in Philadelphia might be just what they need to fix things. All she has to do is convince Isa to help her kidnap Everett and outmaneuver James, who’s certain his sister is up to something.

In an epic day that includes racing up the famous Rocky steps, taste-testing Philly’s finest cheesesteaks, and even crashing a wedding, their secrets are bound to collide. But can their hearts withstand the wreckage?

This was a cute, fun book. Grace and Isa were both a lot of fun and I enjoyed their viewpoints a lot. The adventures in Philadelphia were fun and I enjoyed reading those parts a lot. I liked James and Everett and enjoyed their viewpoints, but I liked the girls better. This was a cute—and quick—read, perfect for a weekend binge.

K. L. Walther is from Pennsylvania. While We’re Young is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House/Delacorte in exchange for an honest review.)

Title:   All Better Now
Author:  Neal Shusterman
Genre:   YA    
Rating: 4 out of 5

An unprecedented condition is on the rise. It behaves like a virus, with the first symptom being a fever, but those who contract it experience long-term effects no one has ever seen utter contentment. Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone.

Almost everyone revels in this mass unburdening. But people in power—who depend on malcontents tuning into their broadcasts, prey on the insecure to sell their products, and convince people they need more, new, faster, better everything—know this new state of being is bad for business. Soon, campaigns start up convincing people that being happy all the time is dangerous. There’s even a vaccine developed to rid people of their inner peace and get them back to normal because, surely, without anger or jealousy as motivators, productivity will grind to a halt and the world will be thrown into chaos.

It’s nearly impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their own agendas, and two teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended in different ways by the virus find themselves enmeshed in the center of a dangerous power play. Can they reveal the truth?

I found this to be an unsettling read. Not just the whole pandemic thing, but the people fighting so hard against people trying to help other people, people being positive, and against people just being content. That doesn’t say anything good about us as human beings, does it? This was an entertaining enough read, and the little vignettes of different people in the short chapters reminded me a bit of The Stand, which I always enjoyed.

Neal Shusterman is a bestselling author. All Better Now is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.)

Title: What the Woods Took
Author:  Courtney Gould    
Genre: YA   
Rating:  4 out of 5

Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction—one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they’ve all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways—and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness—they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say.

Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods—inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn’t be there flashing in the leaves—and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other—and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.

There’s a solid level of creepiness going on here. Like, I won’t be walking in the woods with my overactive imagination anytime soon. Solid writing and descriptions, and I enjoyed the relationships between the characters, who had all just met, so the growing camaraderie and trust was done well. Devin was a bit too…pushy and brash for me, but I did enjoy this read and thought the secondary characters were great.

Courtney Gould lives in Salem, Oregon. What the Woods Took is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Title:  Heist Royale  
Author:  Kayvion Lewis
Genre: YA        
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

It’s been six months since the end of the Gambit. Instead of winning an impossible wish, Ross has the threat of her family’s execution hanging over her head. Devroe, the only person Ross thought she could trust, could wish the Quests into oblivion at any time. Shockingly, despite his betrayal, Devroe is still making a play for Ross’s heart as the two work together pulling jobs for the Organization. But Ross has learned her lesson: A Quest can only trust another Quest.

When Ross finds herself at the center of a power struggle within the Organization, she sees her chance to change her fortunes. As a new deadly Gambit develops for control of the criminal underworld, Ross strikes a risky deal to guarantee protection for herself and her family.

In this final clash, Ross will square off against a ruthless opponent who will stop at nothing to seize power, and in their corner will be not only Devroe but his mother, who wants to destroy the Quests at any cost.

This was a lot of fun to read! I actually enjoyed it more than the first one. Non-stop action, danger, and tricky situations kept me glued to the page, and the different characters and their intrigues kept me invested. This was just solidly fun.

Kayvion Lewis lives in Louisiana. Heist Royale is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group in exchange for an honest review.)