Mini Reviews: You Are Here by Liz Fichera & Strange and Ever After (Something Strange #3) by Susan Dennard

From Goodreads: In You Are Here, sixteen-year-old Jennifer Whitman wishes she could just disappear. After her father’s death, her family lost everything, including their home and comfortable way of life. With the help of a local charity, they’ve relocated to downtown Phoenix. But Jenn has unfinished business back in Paradise Valley.

Sixty-six days ago, Jenn fell in love with seventeen-year-old cowboy William Finnigan…and then he shattered her heart. She’s been avoiding him ever since. But if Jenn wants to reclaim her beloved horse, she’ll have to stop running. Jenn needs to face Finn one last time so she can put her past behind her and truly start over.

Review…

For being a very short story, this book was incredibly substantial.

This book touched the topic of homelessness and financial instability. It was very heartbreaking and impacting seeing Jen and her family go through this. The pain of losing your home is unimaginable, but somehow Liz Fichera manages to capture that feeling and convey it accordingly. I could sympathize so much with the characters and it was definitely very difficult seeing them go through that.

A second ago life might have seemed normal. But now we remembered just how far from normal we really were. We were all one step away from shattering into a million pieces.

I am so incredibly happy that this WASN’T about a romance, but about Jen and her need to discover herself and overcome this especially difficult situation.

However, Finn was so cute! He’s the love interest, and in this short little novella this cowboy managed to steal my heart. <3

I also recommend you check out the foundation this book is writing for. Jubilee Women’s Center is a wonderful organization that helps women get through very difficult times. I loved learning about it.

My only disappointment is the fact that it was so short. This book captured my attention and made me want to read so much more. One thing’s for sure though: I’m definitely going to search for other Liz Fichera books.

Amazon Review

 

From Goodreads: In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus…all before it’s too late.

He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.

With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.

Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride.

Review…

*happy sigh* 

Well that was the end of the series. No more Eleanor, no more Daniel, no more Jie, no more Oliver, no more Joseph, no more magic, no more petticoats, no more adventure…

Believe it or not, I don’t finish many series, so when I actually mustered the courage to finish this one… well I’m completely heartbroken. Because it wasn’t a happy ending, it was a satisfying one.

In this book we’re taken to Egypt on a new adventure, and it’s every bit as fun and thrilling as the book before. This book is without a doubt the one with the fastest pace, the one with the most romance, the one with the most feels, and the one with the most twists. I loved every second of reading it, and while it was not at all what I expected at the end, it was a very very great ending to the series. 

Amazon Review