Andye Reads

WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI by Sandhya Menon Age Range: 12 and up Grade Level: 7 and up Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Simon Pulse (May 30, 2017) Goodreads | Amazon A laugh-out-loud, heartfelt YA romantic comedy, told in alternating perspectives, about two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married. Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right? Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, R...

Review by Jackie IRON CAST  by DESTINY SORIA Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 11, 2016) Language: English Goodreads | Amazon In 1919, Ada Navarra—the intrepid daughter of immigrants—and Corinne Wells—a spunky, devil-may-care heiress—make an unlikely pair. But at the Cast Iron nightclub in Boston, anything and everything is possible. At night, on stage together, the two best friends, whose “afflicted” blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art, weave magic under the employ of Johnny Dervish, the club’s owner and a notorious gangster. By day, Ada and Corinne use these same skills to con the city’s elite in an attempt to keep the club afloat. When a “job” goes awry and Ada is imprisoned, she realizes they’re on the precipice of danger. Only Corinne—her partner in crime—can break her out of Haversham Asylum. But once Ada is out, they face betrayal at every turn. It’s the early 1900s and hemopaths are s...

Review by Sara... THE BLOOD BETWEEN US By Zac Brewer Grade Level: 8 up Hardcover: 274 pages Publisher: HarperTeen (May 3, 2016) Language: English Goodreads | Amazon Growing up, Adrien and his sister, Grace, competed viciously for everything. It wasn’t easy being the adopted sibling, but Adrien tried to get along; it was Grace who didn’t want anything to do with him. When their scientist parents died in a terrible lab fire, there was nothing left to hold them together. After years apart, Adrien and Grace are now forced to reunite for their senior year, at the elite boarding school where their parents were teachers. Being back around everyone he used to know causes Adrien to examine the person he’s become, even while being back around Grace turns him into someone he doesn’t want to be. But all of those questions are cast aside when Adrien starts to suspect that Grace might be stealing their parents’ research and claiming it as her own—or worse, that she had a hand in...

Review by Reagan  KEEP ME IN MIND by Jaime Reed Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Point (April 26, 2016) Language: English A girl who doesn't remember. A boy who can't forget her. A wise, witty, and heartbreaking love story for today's YA generation. Ellia Dawson doesn't recognize the handsome boy who sits in tears by her hospital bed. But he's telling her that he's Liam McPherson, her boyfriend. Boyfriend? Ellia thinks in shock. She has no clue who Liam is, let alone whether or not she once loved him. She remembers her family, her friends, and the fact that she wants to be a fashion designer. But Liam is a big blank in her life. Meanwhile, Liam is devastated that Ellia, the love of his life, who suffered an accident while they were running together on the beach, has lost her memory. He is desperate to win her back, rebuild what they once had, but Ellia keeps him at an arm's length. She's much more comfortable with a new boy she meets at the...

Review by Jackie NOT IF I SEE YOUR FIRST Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Poppy (December 1, 2015) Language: English Goodreads | Amazon The Rules: Don't deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public. Don't help me unless I ask. Otherwise you're just getting in my way or bothering me. Don't be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I'm just like you only smarter. Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart. When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react-shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but ...

I was really excited to read SOUNDLESS . I had never read a book by Richelle Mead before, and I've only heard amazing things about her writing. However, I'm having a really hard time getting into this book. Is it just me? Is this her normal writing? Not that it's bad! It's just so slow! The story sounds really interesting on the outside. I love that she's writing something that hasn't been done 1000 times before, but it just doesn't seem to be working for me. It is super slow, and not just because the characters are deaf, so there isn't much dialogue. Also, the world building is lacking and there just isn't very much happening. Not to mention that I feel no connection to the main character, and I really think the current (only?) love interest is a jerk. I'm listening to this on audiobook , which I'm usually much more patient with, but I don't know guys. I'm strugglin' So, do you have any advice for me? Does it get b...

Review by Leydy DREAM THINGS TRUE by Marie Marquardt Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (September 1, 2015) Language: English Goodreads | Amazon Evan and Alma have spent fifteen years living in the same town, connected in a dozen different ways but also living worlds apart -- until the day he jumps into her dad's truck and slams on the brakes. The nephew of a senator, Evan seems to have it all - except a functional family. Alma has lived in Georgia since she was two, surrounded by a large (sometimes smothering) Mexican family. They both want out of this town. His one-way ticket is soccer; hers is academic success. When they fall in love, they fall hard, trying to ignore their differences. Then Immigration and Customs Enforcement begins raids in their town, and Alma knows that she needs to share her secret. But how will she tell her country-club boyfriend that she and almost everyone she's close to are undocumented immigrants? What follows is a...

Review by Sara SERPENTINE by Cindy Pon Age Range: 12 and up Grade Level: 7 and up Series: Serpentine Paperback: 300 pages Publisher: Month9Books, LLC (September 8, 2015) Amazon | Goodreads Inspired by the rich history of Chinese mythology, this sweeping fantasy is set in the ancient Kingdom of Xia and tells the coming of age story of Skybright, a young girl who worries about her growing otherness. As she turns 16, Skybright notices troubling changes. By day, she is a companion and handmaid to the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. But nighttime brings with it a darkness that not even daybreak can quell. When her plight can no longer be denied, Skybright learns that despite a dark destiny, she must struggle to retain her sense of self – even as she falls in love for the first time. Serpentine is the story of a young coming of age girl named Skybright. Skybright is the servant girl for the daughter of a wealthy family, Zhen Ni. Skybright and Zhen are roughly the same age...

Review by Paola THE MARVELS by Brian Selznick Hardcover: 640 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 15, 2015) Goodreads | Amazon Two seemingly unrelated stories--one in words, the other in pictures--come together. The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations. The prose story opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an estranged uncle's puzzling house in London, where he, along with the reader, must piece together many mysteries. Sometimes you look at a book and think "I'm going to love this book." I had a good feeling about The Marvels and I'm happy to report that I was right. This book is gorgeous inside and out. It just oozes magic and wonder from the very first page.    source I think the best way to read this book is to go into it without knowing anything about it. I read the blurb after ...

Review by Sara JOYRIDE by Anna Banks Age Range: 12 - 18 years Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (June 2, 2015) Goodreads | Amazon Who says opposites don't attract? It's been several years since Carly Vega's parents were deported. Carly lives with her older brother, studies hard, and works the graveyard shift at a convenience store to earn enough to bring her parents back from Mexico. Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He used to date popular blondes and have fun pranking with his older sister. But now all that's changed, and Arden needs a new accomplice. Especially one his father, the town sheriff, will disapprove. All Carly wants, at first, is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to not do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they've been living according to the wishes of others. Carly and Arden's journey toward their true hearts - and one...