Ava Comes Home follows our main character, Ava, who goes from a (not so) majestic movie scene to her very small hometown in Glace Bay, Cape Breton. When a family emergency occurs, she must put her feelings aside to save herself.

I found this book extremely hard to get into, but I liked how funny this book was. I really loved the characters, especially her past boyfriend Seamus!

This book is set in a beautiful small town that really reminds of most of Newfoundland and Labrador!

My favourite part was getting to know the different version of Ava, meaning the one in LA (Los Angeles) and the one in her hometown.

Overall, I liked the characters, and the setting. I would recommend this book to someone who wants to have a good laugh!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

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Worthy of Love
By: Andre Fenton
Adrian Carter is known as the overweight kid at school. He is either being bullied about his weight or stared and whispered about behind his back. Adrian hates all of the negative attention and he finally decides he wants to do something about his weight but he doesn’t know where to start. While trying to raise funds for kick boxing class Adrian becomes re-acquainted with a schoolmate named Mel. She loves punk, rock and is very serious about fitness. She decides to help Adrian with his weight loss journey. Everything is going great he starts dating Mel and the weight is starting to come off but it is not coming off fast enough! Adrian becomes impatient and decides to take matters into his own hands. He begins to see results immediately and the pounds are falling off of him! Finally Adrian is starting to feel better about his image but Mel does not approve of what is happening. His new weight loss method is consuming his life and is ruining their relationship. Will he be able to get control again?
I really liked this book, even though I accidentally read the sequel “The Summer Between Us” first.
This booked touched on many things that teens face on a daily basis such as body shaming, bullying, and poor self-esteem. I like how the main character was male and highlights how young men can also have eating disorders. It shows how easily a disorder can take over when you have been exposed to a negative and environment. I give this book a 4/5.

This book was such a lovely and pleasant surprise. I don’t know what I was expecting from this book, but it certainly wasn’t what I read here. This book feels so dreamy. The setting is sparse and void of any warmth or comfort, the story is incredibly thought-provoking and interesting. One of the big things about the story is that it’s so nicely paced, there’s time to care, there’s time to run and flee, but there’s also time to breathe and think about a lot of things.

A slight drawback is that there’s not much vivid imagery in this book. However, this can be excused by the fact there’s actually not much to picture. It’s set in vast open plains, Felix lives there and wanders around a lot. We don’t really get any more than that. Characters come and go, but they’re really nothing more than just characters, they exist only as their personalities, and not very visually. I think it’s a stylistic choice, and I don’t think this hinders the reading experience in the slightest, because you’re just imagining everything in your head anyways, and it’s not too hard to just imagine a few more people. I actually thought this was a really interesting technique because they still felt like really good, really fleshed out, well written characters, just minus the visuals.

Not a huge fan of the 3rd act of this book. Lots of stuff happens, but it really starts to suddenly lean more into the “fantasy” aspect of the world. I like that there’s worldbuilding, but I do also find that there’s not enough? I think the lack of visuals certainly affects that. It’s very strange, because whereas the whole book feels extremely dream-like, in the 3rd act, suddenly everything gets dialled up to 11. All of the original worldbuilding that I previously praised for being removed from the real world just comes crashing down, and I got so incredibly lost.

That being said! I would certainly recommend this book, it’s an enjoyable read, I was very pleasantly surprised, and I think that there are a lot of others who can enjoy it too. It’s a very thought-provoking book, it’s very powerful and unique in it’s storytelling. I would recommend it if you’re into that!

“Rattled” by Lisa Harrington certainly left me rattled in the best possible way. From the very first page, this novel had its hooks in me. It’s a compelling blend of mystery, heart, and humor, woven together by Harrington’s sharp storytelling and deeply relatable characters.

We follow Lydia, the younger of two sisters, who becomes increasingly suspicious of the peculiar new neighbor, Mrs. Swicker. There’s something about this woman that just doesn’t sit right with her, and Lydia’s gut feelings refuse to be silenced. With her older sister Jilly, the girls begin piecing together strange clues, each one more unsettling than the last. As the story unfolds, so does the suspense, until it left me stunned. Lisa Harrington has a gift for building tension while keeping you emotionally engaged.

One of the novel’s strongest aspects is Harrington’s ability to make the characters, especially Lydia feel so real. I found myself completely immersed in Lydia’s world; it felt like slipping into her shoes and seeing things exactly the way she did. Harrington also finds balance between light-hearted humor and darker themes, enriching the emotional experience. It’s this balance that makes the novel not only thrilling but also moving. There were moments I laughed out loud, and others where I sat staring at the wall, reflecting deeply about what I’d just read.

I highly recommend “Rattled‘ by Lisa Harrington to readers who enjoy clever mysteries with a touch of emotional depth.

This one will stay with me for a while.