Ash Reads Stuff

Everything We Keep  by Kerry Lonsdale Publication Date: August 1, 2016 Pages: 306 (ebook) Genre: Adult Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: A luminous debut with unexpected twists, Everything We Keep explores the devastation of loss, the euphoria of finding love again, and the pulse-racing repercussions of discovering the truth about the ones we hold dear and the lengths they will go to protect us. Sous chef Aimee Tierney has the perfect recipe for the perfect life: marry her childhood sweetheart, raise a family, and buy out her parents’ restaurant. But when her fiancé, James Donato, vanishes in a boating accident, her well-baked future is swept out to sea. Instead of walking down the aisle on their wedding day, Aimee is at James’s funeral—a funeral that leaves her more unsettled than at peace. As Aimee struggles to reconstruct her life, she delves deeper into James’s disappearance. What she uncovers is an ocean of secrets that make her question ...

What Light by Jay Asher Publication Date: October 18, 2016 Pages:  272 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating:  3 stars Goodreads Synopsis: Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it's a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other. By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb's past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love. What Light ...

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear by Paul Crilley Publication Date: July 26th, 2016 Pages: 296 (hardcover) Genre: Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 3.5 stars Goodreads Synopsis : A guilt-ridden father. A harsh mentor. A passionate lover. What drives the Man Without Fear? Matt Murdock was raised by a single father, an over-the-hill prizefighter with one last chance to make good - a chance that cost him his life. Taunted and tormented by other children, Matt's life was irrevocably altered after he was blinded by radioactive materials while saving the life of an old man. The payoff? An unbreakable will and a keen intelligence, helping focus the super-senses with which he was blessed during the accident. His story is one of love, pain, disappointment, and strength. In this brand-new adaptation, witness the strange machinations behind the life of one of Marvel's most beloved heroe s. My Review:  I've been mildly obsessed with Daredevil since Netflix aired season...

Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood Publication Date: May 6th, 2016 Pages: 304 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 4 stars Goodreads Synopsis: The summer before Ivy’s senior year is going to be golden; all bonfires, barbeques, and spending time with her best friends. For once, she will just get to be. No summer classes, none of Granddad’s intense expectations to live up to the family name. For generations, the Milbourn women have lead extraordinary lives—and died young and tragically. Granddad calls it a legacy, but Ivy considers it a curse. Why else would her mother have run off and abandoned her as a child? But when her mother unexpectedly returns home with two young daughters in tow, all of the stories Ivy wove to protect her heart start to unravel. The very people she once trusted now speak in lies. And all of Ivy’s ambition and determination cannot defend her against the secrets of the Milbourn past… My Review:  I picked this up for my kindle on sale...

Meet Me Halfway  by Kim Carmody Publication Date: December 6, 2016 Genre:  Contemporary Romance My Goodreads Rating:  3.5 stars NetGalley Summary: An ambitious journalist on a fast track to success. A first round draft pick determined to keep his personal life his own. And a story that proves sometimes opposites really do attract. Olivia Callahan is a woman on a mission. Her boss has given her the green light to produce her very own documentary, and she’s not going to let anything get in the way of perfection. After a few setbacks in college, Nate Sullivan is finally on his way to the big leagues as the newest recruit for the New York Warriors. Determined to put his somewhat colorful past behind him, Nate’s all about the straight and narrow as he sets out to prove he’s worthy of his first round draft pick. The last thing Nate wants is to delve into stories from his past. But when his new team directs him to set the record straight, he has no choice but t...

P.S. I Like You  by Kasie West Publication Date:  July 26th, 2016 Pages:  336 (paperback) Genre:  Young Adult  My Goodreads Rating:  4 stars Goodreads Synopsis: Signed, sealed, delivered… While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue! Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out… My Review:  I am a HUGE fan of Kasie's work and was super excited to finally get to sit down with this one. I've been really good this year about not running out ...

The Secrets We Keep  by Deb Loughead Publication Date:  December 10, 2016 Pages:  184 (ebook)  Genre:  Young Adult  My Goodreads Rating:  2 Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  First she blamed herself. Now she doesn’t know who to trust. When Kit disappeared at a party and was found drowned in the quarry the next day, Clem knew who to point the finger at: herself. She was the last person to see him alive, the last person who could have helped. If she had just kept a closer eye on him instead of her crush, Jake, maybe Kit would still be here. She knows she made a mistake, and wishes she could just forget about it — but Clem’s friend Ellie says she’ll expose Clem’s secret if she doesn’t play along with Ellie’s lies. Jake seems to have his own difficult secrets, and when he and Clem start to talk, they make a plan to help themselves move on. But when an unexpected discovery at the quarry makes everyone question what they thought they knew, Clem ...

Swear on This Life  by Renee Carlino Publication Date: August 9,2016 Pages:  320 (paperback)  Genre:  Contemporary Romance My Goodreads Rating:  3 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J.Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. As an adjunct writing instructor at UC San Diego with her own stalled literary career and a bumpy long-term relationship, Emiline isn’t thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of a young and gifted writer. Yet from the very first page, Emiline is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life beyond the long dirt road that winds through their impoverished town in rural Ohio. That’s because the novel is patterned on Emiline’s own dark and desperate childhood, which means that “J. Colby” must be Jase: the best friend and first love she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Far from being...

All the Good Parts by Loretta Nyhan Publication Date:  September 20, 2016 Pages:  338 (hardcover) Genre:  Women's Fiction My Goodreads Rating:  2.5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: At thirty-nine, Leona Accorsi is broke, single, back in school, and living in her sister Carly’s basement. She’s perfectly content being quirky Auntie Lee to Carly’s four children. That is, until Leona’s doctor tells her that if she wants to have a child, she’d better do it now. Leona does want a baby. She always has, but the circumstances have never been right. Now she has a huge decision to make: face motherhood on her own or risk missing out on its rewards. Unfortunately, she’s let her romantic life go stagnant. She barely even knows any single men. She has just a few prospects: a Vietnam vet and partial amputee, his intimidating son, the sweet but troubled man who tutors her niece, and a fellow nursing student she’s never actually met. As Leona discovers more about each ...

Just a Kiss  by Denise Hunter Publication Date:  September 6, 2016 Pages:  336 (kindle)  Genre:  Contemporary Romance My Goodreads Rating:  2 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Riley Callahan’s plans to reveal his secret feelings for his best friend are ruined when his life is drastically changed in Afghanistan. Watchingthe love of his life falling for his brother was enough to send Riley straight to boot camp. But over a year later, he’s officially a marine, and Beau and Paige are no longer an item. When Riley’s tour in Afghanistan is up, he intends to confess his feelings to Paige and win his best friend’s heart once and for all. But all that changes when an IED takes the life of two comrades and leaves Riley an amputee. Now he’s heading home, injured and troubled. His plans to win Paige are a distant dream. She deserves so much more than the man that’s left. All he can do now is put some healthy distance between them. But upon his return he di...

The Delphi Effect  by Rysa Walker Publication Date:  October 11, 2016 Pages:  379 (kindle)  Genre: Young Adult Fantasy My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: It’s never wise to talk to strangers…and that goes double when they’re dead. Unfortunately, seventeen-year-old Anna Morgan has no choice. Resting on a park bench, touching the turnstile at the Metro station—she never knows where she’ll encounter a ghost. These mental hitchhikers are the reason Anna has been tossed from one foster home and psychiatric institution to the next for most of her life. When a chance touch leads her to pick up the insistent spirit of a girl who was brutally murdered, Anna is pulled headlong into a deadly conspiracy that extends to the highest levels of government. Facing the forces behind her new hitcher’s death will challenge the barriers, both good and bad, that Anna has erected over the years and shed light on her power’s origins. And when the covert org...

Never Ever  by Sara Saedi Publication Date:  June 21, 2016 Pages:  320 (hardcover)  Genre:  Young Adult My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Wylie Dalton didn’t believe in fairy tales or love at first sight. Then she met a real-life Peter Pan. When Wylie encounters Phinn—confident, mature, and devastatingly handsome—at a party the night before her brother goes to juvie, she can’t believe how fast she falls for him. And that’s before he shows her how to fly. Soon Wylie and her brothers find themselves whisked away to a mysterious tropical island off the coast of New York City where nobody ages beyond seventeen and life is a constant party. Wylie’s in heaven: now her brother won’t go to jail and she can escape her over-scheduled life with all its woes and responsibilities—permanently. But the deeper Wylie falls for Phinn, the more she begins to discover has been kept from her and her brothers. Somebody on the island has been lying to ...

Riders  by Veronica Rossi Publication Date:  February 16, 2016 Pages:  384 (hardcover)  Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy My Goodreads Rating:  3 Stars Goodreds Synopsis: Nothing but death can keep eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does. While recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can’t remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse. Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen—Conquest, Famine, and Death—are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence. They fail. Now—bound, bloodied, and drugged—Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of ...

Wanderlost  by Jen Malone Publication Date:  May 31, 2016 Pages:  352 (paperback)  Genre:  Contemporary/Young Adult My Goodreads Rating:  3.5 Stars  Goodreads Synopsis: Not all those who wander are lost, but Aubree Sadler most definitely is on this novel’s whirlwind trip through Europe. Aubree can’t think of a better place to be than in perfectly boring Ohio, and she’s ready for a relaxing summer. But when her older sister, Elizabeth, gets into real trouble, Aubree is talked into taking over Elizabeth’s summer job, leading a group of senior citizens on a bus tour through Europe. Aubree doesn’t even make it to the first stop in Amsterdam before their perfect plan unravels, leaving her with no phone, no carefully prepared binder full of helpful facts, and an unexpected guest: the tour company owner’s son, Sam. Considering she’s pretending to be Elizabeth, she absolutely shouldn’t fall for him, but she can’t help it, especially with the...

The LIttle Paris Bookshop  by Nina George Publication Date:  March 22, 2016 Pages:  416 (paperback)  Genre:  Adult  My Goodreads Rating:  Did Not Finish Goodreads Synopsis:  Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hearts and souls. The only person he can't seem to heal through literature is himself; he's still haunted by heartbreak after his great love disappeared. She left him with only a letter, which he has never opened. After Perdu is finally tempted to read the letter, he hauls anchor and departs on a mission to the south of France, hoping to make peace with his loss and discover the end of the story. Joined by a bestselling but blocked author and a lovelorn Italian chef, Perdu travels along the country’s rivers, dispensing his wisdom...

With Love from the Inside  by Angela Pisel Publication Date: August 9, 2016 Pages:  320  Genre: Adult Fiction My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  Angela Pisel’s poignant debut explores the complex relationship between a mother and a daughter, and their quest to discover the truth and whether or not love can prevail—even from behind bars. Grace Bradshaw knows the exact minute she will die. On death row for murdering her infant son, her last breath will be taken on February 15 at 12:01 a.m. Eleven years, five months, and twenty-seven days separate her from the last time she heard her precious daughter’s voice and the final moment she’d heard anyone call her Mom. Out of appeals, she can focus on only one thing—reconnecting with her daughter and making sure she knows the truth. Secrets lurk behind Sophie Logan’s big house and even bigger bank account. Every day when she kisses her husband good-bye, she worries her fabricat...

Every Falling Star  by Sungju Lee, Susan McClelland Publication Date:  September 13, 2016 Pages:  336  Genre:  Nonfiction My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars NetGalley Summary: Every Falling Star , the first book to portray contemporary North Korea to a young audience, is the intense memoir of a North Korean boy named Sungju who is forced at age twelve to live on the streets and fend for himself. To survive, Sungju creates a gang and lives by thieving, fighting, begging, and stealing rides on cargo trains. Sungju richly re-creates his scabrous story, depicting what it was like for a boy alone to create a new family with his gang, his “brothers”; to be hungry and to fear arrest, imprisonment, and even execution. This riveting memoir allows young readers to learn about other cultures where freedoms they take for granted do not exist. My Review:  It's always hard going into a nonfiction book or memoir like this and expecting too much fro...

A Court of Mist and Fury   by Sarah J. Maas Publication Date : May 3rd, 2016 Pages:  624 (hardcover)  Genre:  Fantasy My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people. Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two. My Review:  Okay, Sarah. You got me again. Around this time last year I read A Court of Thorns and Roses (read my review here ) and completely fell in love with...

Goldfish by Nat Luurtsema Publication Date: June 7, 2016 Pages: 241 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult  My Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: I am Lou Brown: Social outcast, precocious failure, 5'10" and still growing. I was on the fast track to the Olympic superstardom. Now, I'm training boys too cool to talk to me. In a sport I just made up. In a fish tank. My life has quickly become very weird. Nat Luurtsema's YA debut is side-splittingly funny and painfully true to anyone who's just trying to figure out how they fit into the world. My Review:  Lou's description of her life pretty much sums up this book, to be honest. It was weird. It starts with Lou, a competitive swimmer, losing a race spectacularly and basically getting shunned by her whole team.  Lou is a fifteen-year-old girl who is a little strange to begin with. She lives with her divorced parents and her sister, a popular girl at school. Her best friend Hannah didn't s...

Blackhearts  by Nicole Castroman Publication Date:  February 9, 2016 Pages: 384 (hardcover) Genre: Young Adult  My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything. Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back. Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely work...