Bern's Bookcase: Forget Me Not Book Review (Middle Grade)

The brave, poetic and heartfelt story 

of a girl with Tourette's Syndrome

“I am Calliope June. I wish I could fly to the moon. There’d be no one there to laugh or to stare and no one to call me a goon.” 

This middle grade book is an amazing, poetic & heartfelt 5 star read! I initially bought this book for the Littlest Diva to read. She read it and we had such a wonderful conversation about it that I knew I had to read it for myself. I’m so glad I did. This book genuinely touched my heart.

Calliope (Calli) is a young girl with Tourette’s Syndrome. Forget Me Not is told in short, simple prose from two points of view - that of Calli and her neighbor/friend Jinsong. It was a quick read but also the kind of story worth reading irregardless of your age and its intended audience. Calli’s story is absolutely captivating. Her mother jumps from relationship to relationship, always packing up & moving on with the ending of each one. Calli tries hard to hide her tics to fit in but of course it’s extremely difficult for her. My heart ached for Calli as she dealt with endless taunts and teasing from classmates. Her own mother honestly did not seem to grasp her Tourette's. Thinking it was something Calli could just stop doing. Calli worked so hard to control her tics and time and time again her body betrayed her. This is such a misunderstood syndrome. I was awed and touched by Ellie Terry’s raw honesty in its depiction (she has Tourette’s herself). 

My heart broke for Calli so many times while reading this book. She is lonely, misunderstood, bullied and made to feel ashamed and embarrassed of herself. Yet, I was beyond touched by her strength, resilience and her innate goodness. Calli had a huge heart. She was sweet, funny and brilliant. The kind of girl anyone would be lucky to have as a friend.

I highly recommend this book for middle schoolers (its intended audience) but honestly I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming, inspirational read. There is much to be learned about friendship, life, resilience, acceptance and bravery from Calli & Forget Me Not.

Bern's Bookcase: The Last Time I Lied Book Review

5 Stars for Riley Sager’s campy summer mystery - 

The Last Time I Lied 

I was uneasy the entire time I read this book. Part of that was my own excited expectations/anticipation of the book but the other part was Sager’s writing. He knows how to create an elusive mood that leaves you full of dread, yet wanting more. You’re reading, turning page after page, just waiting for “that something” to happen. You know it’s coming. You’re creeped out and suspicious of everyone. You can’t put the book down because you simply have to know where its all going. That’s my reading experience with this book in a nutshell and I loved every minute of it.

Sager masterfully spun a tale that is told in two different times - the present & past (told via flashback from 15 years ago). It all began at Camp Nightingale 15 years prior when three girls disappear from Dogwood cabin. Emma, the youngest of the four girls rooming in the cabin was the only one left. She is deeply affected by the disappearance of her friends and is haunted by the girls throughout her life. Emma is unable to come to terms with the terrible tragedy because they never fully learned what happened to the girls that fateful summer night.

Flash forward 15 years and Camp Nightingale is once again opening its doors to campers. Emma has been invited to teach art at the camp for the summer and of course she accepts. It’s her chance to finally solve the mystery and hopefully put the events of that summer behind her.

Emma is a wonderfully sympathetic yet unreliable narrator. Can her memories be trusted when she herself admits to having had a nervous breakdown in the months after her first camp experience? There were so many secrets that it was nearly impossible to figure out what was true and what wasn’t. There were so many well crafted layers to this mystery! I literally suspected everyone, trusted no one & still had it all wrong in the end. I LOVE when I don’t see "it" coming. It was all there, the crumbs had been woven into the story but with Emma being such an unreliable narrator you simply don’t know what to think or who to believe.

The book had me riveted from beginning to end. I too was on a search for the truth with Emma amidst all the secrets, lies & guilt. I definitely recommend this read to fellow mystery fans and hope it will keep you second guessing just as it did me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dutton, Penguin Books, and Riley Sager for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bern's Bookcase: Her Pretty Face Book Review

3.5 Stars for Her Pretty Face - 

a suspenseful domestic thriller 

Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding is told via 3 multiple, ambiguous story lines - Frances, Daisy & DJ. Frances Metcalfe is an outsider in the private school world of "perfect" moms. Enter Kate Randolph who is beautiful, funny, chic and the kind of woman all the moms want to be friends with. Surprisingly, Kate snubs the elite moms and befriends Frances. The women forge an immediate friendship. Too good to be true, right? Of course it is! Both women are hiding secrets about their past and one of them is actually a murdering sociopath named Amber.

"She's a master manipulator. A psychopath. She enjoyed playing with people, she gets off on it."

I'll be honest - there was no big reveal for me in this one. I pretty much had the story figured out early on and I knew who "Amber" was. I found the story entertaining and it was a quick read but I was expecting more twists & turns. I enjoyed the premise and the 3 separate storylines. I felt for Frances and was touched by her backstory. Yet for me, the story was missing something. I actually wish we had more from "Amber's" point of view. It would have been interesting to get a peek into her sinister mind. I know not having her perspective made things ambiguous which was the goal. We are left to ponder if people can really change. If they should be forgiven for the wrongs they have committed and paid for. Yet, for me it was pretty clear that "Amber" was a sociopath.

Her Pretty Face officially releases in the US on July 10, 2018. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for my early copy. All opinions are my own.

Bern's Bookcase: Before I Let You Go Book Review

A heartbreaking story of abuse and addiction 

and their lasting effects.

"There is no off switch to the love between sisters; 

no way to pause it, no way to destroy it." 

Before I Let You Go by Kelly Rimmer was both a heartbreaking and heartwarming tale of the love between two sisters. Annie is a drug addict facing the biggest problem of her life. She is strung out, pregnant and in premature labor. Not knowing what else to do or who to turn to she calls her big sister, Lexie, for help. Lexie has always been more of a mother than a sister to Annie. She has always been the one to step in to help her little sister throughout the trials of her life, with unwavering love and compassion.

"Addiction is, in that way, just like love—in the early moments, you don’t see the potential for it to bring you pain—it’s just something you slide into between laughs and smiles and moments of bliss. It’s something that feels like a shield, until you realize it’s actually a warhead, and it’s pointed right at you." 

Annie's addiction was fueled by her childhood trauma. The early loss of her father and the harsh, abusive years that followed led her down a dark path where drugs offered her the only escape she felt worthy of having. Now, she is faced with jail time and the possible loss of her newborn daughter if she doesn't complete a rehab program and finally remain sober.

The story is told in alternating voices between Lexie's perspective as she struggles to take care of her newborn niece and Annie's journal entries depicting her struggle. The journal entries offer us keen insight into how Annie ended up the way she did.  They are heartbreaking in their brutal honesty.

Aside from the obvious bond between the sisters another aspect I really enjoyed from the book was Lexie's fiance, Sam. What an amazing man! Honestly, I know he was fictional but he seriously made me swoon. He was so patient, loving and compassionate. Knowing that these girls hadn't lived an easy life, I was happy that Lexie had Sam in her life. He offered her compassion, stability and unconditional love.

On the other hand, I was so infuriated by Lexie & Annie's mother. I just wanted to shake her to knock some sense into her! She had her head in the sand for far too long and her daughter's paid the price for it.

"It’s funny how every single thing in your life 

can shatter with a single decision." 

Though I knew what the ending would hold it still utterly broke my heart. There were no surprises in the plot but the story was very well told. It was thought-provoking regarding the issue of drug addicted pregnant women & mothers. It was also an honest look at addiction, family, loss, secrets, love and forgiveness. This story definitely has triggers so go into it aware if those are sensitive topics for you but Kelly Rimmer handled these tough topics with compassion, hope and honesty.

Bern's Bookcase: Save the Date Book Review

A contemporary YA/NA novel 

about familial relationships in all their complexity.

"How was it that you only fully realized what you had when it was gone? And I knew there would be new friends, new experiences, maybe even amazing adventures ahead of me. But I felt like I needed, for just a moment, to appreciate what I was - what we all were - leaving behind." 

Save the Date by Morgan Matson was such an enjoyable, comfy YA (Young Adult)/NA (New Adult) read. The Grant family was the kind of family we'd all want to be a part of. They were funny, imperfect, loving and so heartwarmingly real. It felt like I was in their house, part of the family and  amidst the chaos the entire time I was reading. 

The book's plot revolves around Linnie's wedding and the weekend of festivities which coincide with her  mom's final installment of her famed comic strip which was loosely based off the family. It's impossible to sum everything up that happens in that 1 tidy sentence. There was lots of family drama, & wedding mishaps along the way but what really grabbed me was the sibling relationships in the story. The main character Charlie's love for her brothers & sister and her utter devotion to the Grant family shine through so vividly. It was hard not to fall in love with this bunch. 

This was a perfect summer read - quick, light, funny & heartwarming. It does have some brief sexual content which is why I would rate this as NA - New Adult or older teens.  

Bern's Bookcase: The Perfect Mother Book Review

"This will be great. A few hours out. A slice of freedom...Nothing we'll regret. Just one drink."

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy had me reading through the night. It was full of twists & turns and secrets & lies. Trying to unravel it all was difficult because the story is told via various (unreliable) points of view. At times it was difficult to tell where 1 character's thoughts began and another's ended. Things jumped from person to person but honestly, I felt that it added to the overall frantic pacing of the book.

The plot centers around a group of new mothers who form a friendship over the internet to share the joys & pressures of motherhood - the May Mothers. They decide to have a "Mom's Night Out" only to endure a mother's worst nightmare - one of the babies, Midas, goes missing.

One of the things I really enjoyed was the frank portrayal of motherhood. The sleepless nights, the uncertainty, the love, the hormones and the pressure to be the perfect mother. I also enjoyed the camaraderie between these group of women. It was portrayed realistically - the desire to fit in, the need to be accepted, wanting to have someone who gets it but also fearing being judged. These are all real emotions many new moms have & face in today's society with so much emphasis being placed on being the "perfect mother".

Molloy did a wonderful job layering this story. Everyone had secrets, told lies and added to the twists. I had suspicions about who was responsible but I hadn't figured it all out which I enjoyed. Overall, this was a suspenseful read that grabbed my attention from page 1 and kept it throughout.