Ash Reads Stuff

Phantom Limbs by Paula Garner Publication Date: September 13, 2016 Pages: 368 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 3   Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  How do you move on from an irreplaceable loss? In a poignant debut, a sixteen-year-old boy must learn to swim against an undercurrent of grief—or be swept away by it. Otis and Meg were inseparable until her family abruptly moved away after the terrible accident that left Otis’s little brother dead and both of their families changed forever. Since then, it’s been three years of radio silence, during which time Otis has become the unlikely protégé of eighteen-year-old Dara—part drill sergeant, part friend—who’s hell-bent on transforming Otis into the Olympic swimmer she can no longer be. But when Otis learns that Meg is coming back to town, he must face some difficult truths about the girl he’s never forgotten and the brother he’s never stopped grieving. As it becomes achingly clear that he and Meg...

Before it Gets Better  by Erica Cope Publication Date: December 27, 2016 Pages: 25 4 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 3 stars Goodreads Synopsis: ALL proceeds will go to Love is Louder (A project of the JED Foundation)* Anthology includes: Forget Me Not by Erica Cope Collins Bell is used to things not going her way. Abandoned by her mom as a small child, she's spent most of her life in and out of foster homes. Starting a new school is never easy, but she’s just hoping to get through the day completely unnoticed--and preferably without a trip to the principal’s office. The last thing she expects is to bump into the one person from her past that she thought she had a real connection to. Only it’s not the reunion she dreamed it would be, because he seems to have completely forgotten all about her. If You Knew Me (and Other Silent Musings) by Mary Crawford Sadie Anderson used to being considered different and a little strange. Having the soul of an ar...

Heartsight  by Kay Springsteen Publication Date: February 7th, 2016 Pages: 222 (kindle) Genre: Contemporary Adult My Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  On a secluded beach in North Carolina, three lonely people find hope in each other. Trish Evers is an artist and single mother, who has inherited her grandmother's Bed and Breakfast in a North Carolina coastal town. Though she must sell the house, she decides to bring her daughter to the beach for one last summer vacation in her childhood town. Bella is a six-year-old girl who has Down syndrome. Rejected by her father, Trish, is the only parent she's ever known. Bella likes to explore the beach and has a tendency to wander off. One day, Bella goes exploring on her own, and Trish finds her in the company of an intriguing stranger. Dan Conway is a U.S. Marine, who had been born into a family of Marines. Now blind as a result of combat injuries and unable to "suit up," he feels he no longer ha...

The Summer I Found You  by Jolene Perry Publication Date: March 1, 2014 Pages: 261 (Kindle) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction. Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all? My Review:  This was definitely an interesting premise and it kind of reminded me of I'll Meet You There in the sense that the characters were going through some of the same things. Kate is struggling with learning to live with diabetes and Aidan is home from the war learn...