November's Random Read: Five Summers

Title: Five Summers
Author: Una LaMarche
Pages: 384
Published: May 16th 2013 by Razorbill
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Summary:  Four best friends, five summers of camp memories.

The summer we were nine: Emma was branded “Skylar’s friend Emma” by the infamous Adam Loring...
The summer we were ten: Maddie realized she was too far into her lies to think about telling the truth...
The summer we were eleven: Johanna totally freaked out during her first game of Spin the Bottle...
The summer we were twelve: Skylar’s love letters from her boyfriend back home were exciting to all of us—except Skylar...
Our last summer together: Emma and Adam almost kissed. Jo found out Maddie’s secret. Skylar did something unthinkable... and whether we knew it then or not, five summers of friendship began to fall apart.

Three years after the fateful last night of camp, the four of us are coming back to camp for reunion weekend—and for a second chance. Bittersweet, funny, and achingly honest, Five Summers is a story of friendship, love, and growing up that is perfect for fans of Anne Brashares and Judy Blume's Summer Sisters.

Notes from Ghost Town from Kate Ellison

Title: Notes From Ghost TownAuthor: Kate Ellison
Pages: 336
Published: February 12th 2013 by Egmont USA
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Summary: Summary: They say first love never dies...

From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it’s only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death.

There’s a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there’s a good chance she’s losing her mind completely—just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn’t really there?

With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It’s the only way she can save herself.

MY REVIEW 

Notes from Ghost Town is a story about Olivia “Liver” Tithe who goes color blind in a dramatic event and also is able to see ghosts. The story starts off with you knowing that Olivia’s mother is guilty and waiting trial of the death of Olivia’s best friend and first love Lucas Stern. Olivia faces the days before the trial struggling with the idea of her best friend and first love’s death and the idea that her mom is the one who killed him because not only was she seen at the crime scene but she also confessed. It’s a lot for Olivia to swallow. 

I loved Notes from Ghost Town from the start of the book to the finish of it. Olivia had her moments of being a little annoying, but who could blame her? She just lost two major people in her life, and her dad is already moving on with another woman. It’s hard for her to accept. The only thing that keeps her going is her new step sister. I loved every relationship in this book from the relationship of Lucas and Olivia, Olivia and her step sister to Olivia and the love interest that she begins to have feelings for. 

The book can be a tad slow at some parts, but once you get towards the end everything falls into place perfectly. Things happen for reasons and they are set up. This is one that I will keep in my own book collection, and possibly read again.