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Reed, Amy
8 Reviews
(3)
YA
Grace, Erin, and Rosina are very different but united by their shared disgust at what happened to classmate Lucy Moynihan after she accused some popular boys of rape. In response, the odd trio starts the Nowhere Girls, a shadowy group committed to resisting sexism and sexual assault. Reed's novel is marked by diverse representation, strong prose, and an unflinching portrayal of rape culture.
Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer
(3)
YA
After Marcus saves his girlfriend Evie from drowning, she cuts him out of her life. Furious and heartbroken, Marcus reflects on his relationship with Evie while still grieving his brother, who killed himself, and his mother, who left his family when he was young. Marcus's pain--both emotional and physical--is palpable in this lyrical, dark companion to Invincible.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(3)
YA
Evie surprises everyone by miraculously beating terminal cancer; her best friend in the hospital is not as lucky. As she grieves, Evie attempts to readjust to "normal life," but ends up addicted to painkillers and alienated from everyone in her life except Marcus, a guy who's similarly emotionally broken. Evie's downward spiral is unflinchingly and honestly portrayed in Reed's expressive prose.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(4)
YA
Kinsey's best friend, Camille, died in a car crash in which Kinsey was the driver. Numb and traumatized, Kinsey accompanies Hunter, Camille's boyfriend, on a cross-country road trip--a journey fraught with intense emotional pain. The use of Camille's "ghost" to torture Kinsey isn't especially effective; otherwise, this is a well-written examination of how devastating grief and guilt can be.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(4)
YA
Max and Sadie have always been best girlfriends, but their friendship is tested when, escaping problems at home, they work on an organic farm in Nebraska for the summer and Max falls for a boy for the first time. Told in the second person from Max's point of view (addressing Sadie), the novel offers emotional intensity but its language is melodramatic at times.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
(3)
YA
Bonded together in a way that usually only happens at camp, larger-than-life Isabel and introspective Conner maintain a colorful friendship online. But as Isobel's volatile emotions begin to feel too big for the screen, Connor may be the only one who knows enough to help her. A provocative story of truth, risk, and rescue.
Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer
(3)
YA
"I'm the nerdy guy, Kelly's the pretty girl, Jason's the tough guy, and Eva's the emo/goth girl, like we're some drug addict version of that movie The Breakfast Club..." Alternating narration, personal essays, and transcribed conversations are woven together to relate the inpatient rehab experience of five people. Voice and character development feel authentic and distinct in this story of individual growth.
Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer
(4)
YA
Thirteen-year-old Cassie reinvents herself as a beautiful bad girl after moving from a tiny island to a Seattle suburb. Her descent into drinking, drugs, and casual sex is interrupted when she starts to care about a girl who has real problems. The story is purposeful and melodramatic, but Cassie's travails may resonate with readers.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
8 reviews
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