Ash Reads Stuff

Who I am With You by Robin Lee Hatcher Publication Date:  December 11th, 2018 Pages:   318 (kindle) Genre: Christian Fiction My Goodreads Rating:  4 stars Goodreads Synopsis: For these two broken hearts, the first step toward love will be a huge leap of faith. Jessica Mason isn’t looking for love when she meets Ridley Chesterfield. Instead she is still reeling from the tragic, unexpected loss of her husband and daughter—and awaiting the arrival of her unborn child. Harboring the secret of her husband’s betrayal, her pain is deeper than anyone knows. Ridley Chesterfield is hiding out in Hope Springs, Idaho, avoiding a political scandal and the barrage of false media headlines that have tarnished his good name. The last thing Ridley wants is a relationship—but when fate leads Ridley to form a friendship with his reclusive and pregnant neighbor, he wonders if this small-town hideout might be more of a long-term destination. When Jessica begins to read her gre...

Start Here by Trish Doller Publication Date: August 13th, 2019 Pages:  352 (hardcover) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating:  4 stars Goodreads Synopsis: Two teens go on a life-changing sailing trip as they deal with the grief of losing their best friend in this heartwrenching, hopeful novel from the author of Something Like Normal and In a Perfect World . Willa and Taylor were supposed to spend the summer after high school sailing from Ohio to Key West with their best friend, Finley. But Finley died before graduation, leaving them with a twenty-five-foot sailboat, a list of clues leading them to destinations along the way, and a friendship that’s hanging by a thread. Now, Willa and Taylor have two months and two thousand miles to discover how life works without Finley—and to decide if their own friendship is worth saving. From acclaimed author Trish Doller comes a poignant tale of forgiveness, grief, and the brilliant discoveries we make within our...

You'd Be Mine  by Erin Hahn Publication Date: April 2nd, 2019 Pages: 304 (hardcover) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things. But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen. Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part ...

Beautiful Mess  by Claire Christian Publication Date: August 27, 2017 Pages: 304 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult  My Goodreads Rating: 1-2 Stars Synopsis: Since Ava lost Kelly, things haven’t been going so well. Even before she gets thrown out of school for shouting at the principal, there’s the simmering rage and all the weird destructive choices. The only thing going right for Ava is her job at Magic Kebab. Which is where she meets Gideon. Skinny, shy, anxious Gideon. A mad poet and collector of vinyl records with an aversion to social media. He lives in his head. She lives in her grief. The only people who can help them move on with their lives are each other. My Review: Do you ever wonder if you've read the same book as other people? That's how I feel about Beautiful Mess .  This book had a lot of potential. I love a story that brings characters out of grief with the help of love, but this didn't really feel like that kind of story.  Ava i...

How Far We Go and How Fast by Nora Decter Publication Date:  September 25, 2018 Pages: 264 (paperback) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 3 stars Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jolene, named after the girl in the Dolly Parton song, is from a long line of lowlifes, but at least they're musical lowlifes. Her mother is a tanning-salon manager who believes she can channel her karaoke habit into a professional singing career. Jolene's dad, a failed bass player, has gone back to the family demolition business and lives by the company motto: "We do not build things; we only tear them down." But Jolene and her big brother, Matt, are true musicians, writing songs together that make everything Jo hates about their lives matter less. When Matt up and leaves in the middle of the night, Jo loses her only friend, her support system and the one person who made her feel cool. As it becomes clear that Matt is never coming back, Jo must use music to navigate her loss. ...

I Have Lost My Way  by Gayle Foreman Publication Date: March 27th, 2018 Pages: 304 (hardcover) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 4 stars Goodreads Synopsis: A powerful story of empathy and friendship from the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of If I Stay. Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from everyone he has ever loved, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City with a backpack, a desperate plan, and nothing left to lose. When a fateful accident draws these three strangers together, their secrets start to unravel as they begin to understand that the way out of their own loss might just lie in help­ing the others out of theirs. An emotionally cathartic story of losing love, finding love, and discovering the person you are meant to be, I Have Lost My Way is best­selling author Gayle Forman at her finest. My Review: Sigh. I love Gayle Foreman. She just has a way of pullin...

All the Wrong Chords  by Christine Hurley Deriso Publication Date: December 12, 2017 Pages: 280 (ebook) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating:  3.5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Scarlett Stiles is desperate for a change of scenery after her older brother, Liam, dies of a drug overdose. But spending the summer with her grandfather wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Luckily, Scarlett finds something to keep her busy--a local rock band looking for a guitarist. Even though playing guitar has been hard since Liam died, Scarlett can't pass on an opportunity like this, and she can't take her eyes off the band's hot lead singer either. Is real happiness just around the corner? Or will she always be haunted by her brother's death? My Review:  I kind of requested this one on a whim, not sure what to expect. The premise sounds great and it's totally something I'm into, but I was a little worried about it being pulled off. I get super picky with my hea...

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...

The Idea of You by Amanda Prowse Publication Date:  March 21, 2017 Pages: 332 (kindle) Genre: Women's Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: With her fortieth birthday approaching, Lucy Carpenter thinks she finally has it all: a wonderful new husband, Jonah, a successful career and the chance of a precious baby of her own. Life couldn’t be more perfect. But becoming parents proves much harder to achieve than Lucy and Jonah imagined, and when Jonah’s teenage daughter Camille comes to stay with them, she becomes a constant reminder of what Lucy doesn’t have. Jonah’s love and support are unquestioning, but Lucy’s struggles with work and her own failing dreams begin to take their toll. With Camille’s presence straining the bonds of Lucy’s marriage even further, Lucy suddenly feels herself close to losing everything… This heart-wrenchingly poignant family drama from bestselling author Amanda Prowse asks the question: in today’s hectic world, what does it...

Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara Publication Date: December 3, 2013 Pages: 342 (paperback) Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating:  3.5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Wren Wells is trying to outrun the accident that killed her boyfriend and wrecked her plans to live a normal life. Instead of going to college, she retreats to her father's isolated art studio. There, in the remote northern woods of Maine, she meets Cal Owen, a boy who wears his own hurt like a badge. But when their connection threatens Wren's hard won isolation, she has to choose: open up her broken heart or join the ghosts who haunt her. My Review:  This book has been sitting on my shelf for a while and, in an effort to actually read some of the books I already own, I picked it up.  Wren (also known as Mamie, to some) has suffered a tragedy and has separated herself from her old life. She's off in the woods of Maine, sleeping and running and not doing much else. At first glance W...

The Art of Not Breathing  by Sarah Alexander  Publication Date: April 26, 2016 Pages: 288 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult  My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Since her twin brother, Eddie, drowned five years ago, sixteen-year-old Elsie Main has tried to remember what really happened that fateful day on the beach. One minute Eddie was there, and the next he was gone. Seventeen-year-old Tay McKenzie is a cute and mysterious boy that Elsie meets in her favorite boathouse hangout. When Tay introduces Elsie to the world of freediving, she vows to find the answers she seeks at the bottom of the sea My Review:  I was super excited about this because NetGalley compared it to two of my favorite YA novels that also deal with grief in mysterious ways. This debut by Sarah Alexander did not disappoint.  Elsie is a sixteen-year-old girl whose family is still reeling over the loss of Eddie, Elsie's twin brother. It's been five years since E...