Braving the Brontes (Carly Keene,Literary Detective #1) by Katherine Rue

I've read a lot of reviews of Carly Keene and the prevalent feeling is that Carly is that she too often lets her emotions lead the way during her time helping the Brontes.  Yes, Carly shouts to make her feelings known.  Yes, she throws tantrums once or twice in order to get people to listen to her.  More than anything, though, Carly has been transported from 2014 to 1846.  She's a twelve-year-old girl who is stuck in a place that doesn't place much value on being either young or female.  I think that would wear on me, too.  It's hard to go from being important and heard to being ignored and pushed aside. 

Braving the Brontes is excellently written, and is a great step into the literary world.  There is much to be said for a strong protagonist who doubts herself, but finds the courage to fight her way through unexpected situations.  Carly Keene provides a character to aspire to, no matter what the age of the reader- especially because she provides so many examples of literary heroines in her own story.

4 out of 5 stars.

Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher

By the end of Billy and Me, I was underwhelmed. Sophie May's secret wasn't really a secret. The relationship between Sophie and Billy seemed to have not progressed at all from when they first met and barely knew each other. Sophie became a character I didn't even like. (How does one relate to a character who seems to do nothing with her life other than be someone's girlfriend?) And what was supposed to be a happy ending felt saccharine and overly sentimental.

The writing is technically correct- too correct, actually. Everything was so formal it felt almost like reading a recitation of facts rather than being told a story by a friend. The use of ellipses drove me absolutely crazy. There was, at a minimum, one per page. Exclamations points were used in even the most mundane of sentences, making me feel as if I were talking to someone who'd indulged in way to many espressos before telling me this (mostly) dull story of a regular girl's love for a famous man. 

It's unlikely that I'll read this again.  I'll give Fletcher's next book a chance, but I don't hold high hopes. 

Precious Thing by Collette McBeth

This is a story of friends- real, true, loyal friends- and what happens when a friend is betrayed. 

I thought, at a couple of points, that I had this book all figured out.  In fact, I was kind of disgusted that the author had made it that predictable.  I stuck with it, thinking, hoping, praying I'd be wrong.  I never imagined where Collette McBeth would take it.

We've all had those friends who are more like family to us than friends.  We've all had that one person who knows every single things about us, even if anyone else would be judgmental of us.  Rachel and Clara were just such friends.  I could picture them so clearly, whispering secrets, getting high for the first time together, sharing everything about themselves and still loving each other.
I could also imagine the depths to which one of them would sink.
 I could see, understand even, why she would do such horrible things to the person she loved most in the world.  I could even (almost, but not quite) imagine carrying out such a depraved plan of action in order to keep my friend. 

This one kept me on my toes, and will faintly keep the idea in my mind that maybe not everyone who loves me is as loving as I think.