Book Review - The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor

 

Joe thought once he left Arnhill, he would never have to return again. He left behind painful memories of bullying, the betrayal of friends, the suicide, and what happened after his sister went missing. However, Joe has no choice but to return home, when he receives an ominous email. The sender claims to know the truth behind his sister's disappearance and claims it is happening again.

Joe decides to lie and apply to a teaching job at his former high school. Joe has to deal with a few people who aren't happy with him coming back to town including, new ones he made over the years. Joe knows he will need to come to terms with his past if he wants to help prevent another tragedy.  However, he is having hard time returning to the abandoned mine where his entire life changed forever.

I have read "The Chalk Man" and have enjoyed it. This book was equal amount of creepy and suspenseful. The novel had a few unexpected twists but, I felt that the ending was a bit lacking. It felt like it was thrown together and I felt like some things were left unexplained. However, I still enjoyed the book and look forward to read more works by the author.

Book Review - A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck

Photo Credit - Amazon

Matt Wainwright has the best laid intentions, but is constantly sabotaged by the thoughts in his head. Matt is in love with his best friend, Tabby but he has a hard time articulating his feelings into words and actions.  He feels only comfortable  in Mr. Ellis's English class where he can write to express his inner thoughts and feelings.

If everything worked the way that Matt planned that he would be dating Tabby. Except, life doesn't work like that for Matt. Instead, Tabby falls in love with Liam Branson. An unfortunate accident causes Matt to be sidelined and without the ability to express his feelings even in his English class. Will Matt be able to get out of his head and work through his feelings?

I thought this was going to be a romantic comedy where the best friends either fall in love or they let each other be with other people. However, I was drawn how this wasn't like many other YA romance novels I have read. It had a touch of humor while being realistic enough that you can feel each the character's pain. My only qualm is that Tabby's two love interests both never stuck up for her when she was being made teased. We have read in the backstory that Tabby usually sticks up for Matt, but it seems that her love interest, Liam would be the one to defend her. 

It was a very interesting read and I can't wait to read other works by the author.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**