Monday, July 27, 2020

Should I Stay or Should I Go? TBR Edition- Part 3


I've seen a bunch of people do these TBR posts where they go through their To-Read List and debate whether or not to keep or dump the books.

I want to credit someone because I obviously did not come up with the idea, but I have no idea who started this or which blog I specifically see it on.  So if it's you, let me know and I'll link you up!!


Anyway, I'm going way back-- back to the beginning of my Goodreads List!!  Hopefully after doing this for a while, I'll get the massive list of 756 down to a semi-reasonable number (but probably not).




Here are the next books on my TBR (we're talking 2012 adds):





Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder


Restless souls and empty hearts

Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams.

Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest. 




  • Do I need more ghost books in my life??  At least this one is up front about the ghost elements (unlike the ones I had to break up with), but I still don't think I'm that interested in this one anymore
  • Verdict: GO



Ten-year-old Jamie hasn't cried since it happened. He knows he should have - Jasmine cried, Mum cried, Dad still cries. Roger didn't, but then he is just a cat and didn't know Rose that well, really.

Everyone kept saying it would get better with time, but that's just one of those lies that grown-ups tell in awkward situations. Five years on, it's worse than ever: Dad drinks, Mum's gone and Jamie's left with questions that he must answer for himself.


This is his story, an unflinchingly real yet heart-warming account of a young boy's struggle to make sense of the loss that tore his family apart.



  • I have read 2 of this author's books and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED them, so I definitely want to read everything else she wrote/will write.
  • Verdict: STAY





Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig



Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”-known to everyone as the Glitterati-without them suspecting a thing, is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her-evening the social playing field between the have and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.

But when the cops start investigating the string of burglaries at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could he wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?



  • When I put this on my TBR, it seemed like all the bloggers were reading it.  It's not 100% my kind of book, but also it doesn't sound unlike something I'd read.
  • I have no idea what to do with this one because it gives me nostalgia to my baby blogging days-- I need your help deciding!
  • Verdict: UNSURE





Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt



This novel opens on the first day of Hannah's senior year, but the story really starts on the last day of her junior year. That's when Hannah not only gets dumped by her boyfriend, Ryan, but she also finds out her best friend, Ava, is going to be gone for the entire summer. But Ava's boyfriend, Noah, is definitely around--and such a good guy that he snags Hannah a job at the diner where he works. Hannah and Noah move from coworkers, to friends....and one night, to something more.

Now it's back to school, where Hannah will see Ryan, Ava, and Noah all in one place. Over the course of the day secrets and betrayals are revealed, and alliances are broken and reformed. In the end, Hannah will learn a lot about love, friendship...and herself.



  • I kind of wanted to dump this one because I've read some not great reviews for some of this author's other books.  But this one sounds like a book I'd really like.
  • Verdict: STAY





Leftovers by Laura Wiess


A devastating novel of desperation and revenge from one of today's most compelling new voices in fiction. In this follow-up to her heartbreaking debut, Such a Pretty Girl, Laura Wiess once again spins a shattering tale of the tragedies that befall young women who are considered society's Leftovers.

Blair and Ardith are best friends who have committed an unforgivable act in the name of love and justice. But in order to understand what could drive two young women to such extreme measures, first you'll have to understand why. You'll have to listen as they describe parents who are alternately absent and smothering, classmates who mock and shun anyone different, and young men who are allowed to hurt and dominate without consequence. You will have to learn what it's like to be a teenage girl who locks her bedroom door at night, who has been written off by the adults around her as damaged goods. A girl who has no one to trust except the one person she's forbidden to see. You'll have to understand what it's really like to be forgotten and abandoned in America today.

Are you ready?



  • I do like a good revenge book (I'm reading one right now!!), but I think this one way more fits my reading tastes from 2012 than it does now?
  • Verdict: GO





This is What I Want to Tell You by Heather Duffy Stone



Friendship, love, and unexpected secrets

Nadio and his twin sister, Noelle, always had a unique bond. And somehow, Keeley Shipley fit perfectly into their world. But when Keeley spends the summer in England, she comes home changed, haunted by a dark memory. As she and Nadio fall in love, they try to hide it from Noelle, who's jealously guarding a secret of her own. Slowly, a life-long friendship begins to crack under the crushing weight of past trauma, guarded secrets, jealousy, obsession . . . and an unexpected love that could destroy them.


  • Gahhhh.  I don't know!!  Again, this sounds like it fits my past reading self more than my present one-- but I do like the twin + friend dynamic.  I think this is another one that I probably should just toss because my mood reading isn't going to be interested anytime soon.
  • Verdict: GO





Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman


Abby and Luke chat online. They've never met. But they are going to. Soon.

Abby is starting high school--it should be exciting, so why doesn't she care? Everyone tells her to "make an effort," but why can't she just be herself? Abby quickly feels like she's losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke--he is her secret, and she's his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does. But Luke isn't who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don't, they'll never see Abby again.


  • Okay, I do love a good cautionary tale.  Especially when it pertains to the darkness of the interwebs.  I also have read another book by this author and thought it was okay.  I like how she tackles topical issues.  I think I'll keep it??
  • Verdict: STAY





Have you read any of these??

I had a hard time with some of these!!  I used to read a TON of issues books, but I've kind of backed off from them the last few year.  It's weird how our tastes change.

I haven't 100% made up my mind or deleted anything from Goodreads, so if you want to talk me out of (or back into) one of these books, feel free!! And please give me advice on PRETTY CROOKED!



6 comments:

  1. I may have to steal this idea because I have some seriously old books on my shelves and my reading tastes have definitely changed over the years. I haven't read Leftovers but I will say that I adored Laura Wiess' other books, Such a Pretty Girl and How It Ends.

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    1. Steal away!! I stole it from someone, just can't remember who! I read Me Since You and liked it-- maybe I will keep it!!

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  2. These are some deep cuts. I am not familiar with any except Burned. I did just finish a different Barnholdt book this morning, One Night That Changes Everything, and it was pretty good. A bit angsty for me, but entertaining with a strong ending.

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    1. OMG, I'm so glad you commented because I forgot to change Burned to Want to Go Private?? So embarrassing!! Good to know there are people who like Lauren Barnholdt books. It seems I'm always seeing reviews that don't like them!

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