I Read YA: Book Recommendations

Today is Share your YA Book recommendations

So here are some that I recently read and LOVED:

I Read YA: The Book that Changed My Life

What is the book that got you into YA?

I talk a bit here about my love for Princess Mia and the Princess Diaries series on the YALSA Hub Blog but what I didn't say was that reading these books changed my life. I was in graduate school at the time to become a Librarian. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do or what road I would travel on.

Then I devoured this book and it hit me. This series was so fun, so addictive, so funny that I wanted to become a YA Librarian so I could share this book and other amazing books with teen readers.

I've consumed and talked about so many books since, but the Princess Diaries series will always hold a very special place in my heart for the way they changed me.

I"m super excited about the new book, Royal Wedding, so I'm re-reading the entire series again.
 It's just a great the first time around.

I Read YA: Upcoming YA Books

A few YA upcoming books that I'm really excited about:

I Read YA becuase...

It's amazingly good.

Here's a post I wrote a few years back for the Teen Librarian Toolbox blog.

There are lots of reasons why I love about YA books, but the biggest is the first moments.Teen years are the biggest moments for firsts – first kiss, first love, and first heartbreak.

Review: All Fall Down

Grace returns to the embassy of Adria where her grandfather is the ambassador and the ghost of her mother lingers around every corner.

Grace isn't happy to be here, but she's on a mission.  She watched her mother die and Grace was positive that she was murdered. No matter how many times she is told that her mother's death was an accident,  Grace knows the truth and she's determined to prove it.

When she spies the man responsible for her mother's death, she vows to get her revenge.

My Thoughts: A great start to a new series with everything you'd expect in an Ally Carter book: danger, action, friendship, loyalty, the truth, a little romance, and of course intrigue. 

I loved Grace - she's not always reliable but I would trust her. I love her determination and her drive. She's not about to let her mother's death go unpunished - not matter how many times people tell her it's an accident or how many times she has a panic attack over the situation. I love that she's strong enough to pull it together and make a stand.

Lots of Great secondary characters that kept me guessing about their true intentions throughout the book. I loved learning about Embassy Row and meeting Noah, Rosie, and Megan. I liked Grace's interactions with Lila - they added humor to the book. I liked the Grace and Alexei moments together. I even warmed to Ms. Chancellor - sort of.

I loved the layout of the city - the row of Embassies, but more importantly the tunnels beneath the city where there was the potential for danger around every corner. 

I loved the ending and can't wait to read more about Grace.


Cover Thoughts: Great
Source: ARC sent for Review

Final Overall Thought: Another brilliant heart pounding read from Ally Carter - add this one to you TBR pile immediately!