What happens next
Colleen Clayton

 5 star read

Reviewer: Emily
Publisher: Colleen Clayton
 Format:Paperback

 Genre: Contemporary

About Book

                                 
How can you talk about something you can't remember? Before the sky trip Cassidy "Sid" Murphy was a cheerleader (on the bottom of the pyramid, but still....) and a straight-A student, with two of the best friends a girl could ask for. When Sid finds herself on a sky lift with a hunky local college guy, Dax Windsor, she's thrilled. "Come to a party with me" he tells her, but Dax isn't what she seems. He takes everything from Sid-including a lock of her perfect red curls-she can't remember any of it. After the sky trip, Sid is an insomniac and an obsessive late-night runner, unable to relate to her old friends. Caught in a downward spiral, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey "The Living Stoner" Lavingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey--slacker, baker, total dreamboat-- Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if only she could shake the nightmares, everything would be perfect....Witty and poignant, Colleen Claytons debut is a stunning story of moving on after the unthinkable  happens. 

                                                               
                       My Thoughts
                                 

I purchased this book having not very high expectations, thinking it wouldnt be a too heavy read. 
i was right yet so so wrong. I had no idea that could happen but Colleen managed it beautifully. 
Sid was a talented, happy, beautiful teenager who was assaulted and left to wake up on her own with a fuzzy memory and blaming herself. 
i dont want to spoil anything but this book had its ups and downs, i cried, laughed and was on the edge of my seat the entire time yearning to find out how it all ended. 
Leaving me with only 2 pages i wasn't sure if id be left questioning everything but everything was answered, wasn't rushed and i applaud any author who can pull this off. Some cannot do so with an entire book to wrap it up but in 2 pages i was left satisfied and though not wanting to leave Sid and Corey i wasn't disappointed. 

SPOILERS

Sid lied and said she just fell asleep to her friends and family, leaving her isolated and having to deal with a traumatic experience by herself. Coming to terms with what happened was very hard for her, if she had opened up things might have been easier but i understood she was afraid. Then she felt it was too late to come clean.
Colleen dealt with rape, drugging, eating disorders and taught readers a valuable lesson or two by the end. 

Corey was Sids rock, he has his own issues that were skimmed over but it gave enough to give us an insight but still kept the story Sids. 







this is a beautifully written book that i would recommend to anyone. Well done Colleen Clayton on this amazing book.

The Friday Edition
Betta Ferrendelli

 5 star read

Reviewer: Emily
Publisher: Betta Ferrendelli
 Format:Paperback
Source:author copy

 Genre: Murder Mystery

About Book

                                 

Christmas is coming to Denver, Colorado, but it isn’t only snow that’s falling.

A beautiful young woman, who also happens to be a Truman County Assistant DA, tumbles from her apartment balcony to her death on Christmas Eve.

The incident is ruled a suicide, but the DA’s sister, newspaper reporter Samantha Church, isn’t buying it.

Feverishly Samantha throws herself into finding out what really happened to her sister. She pursues her sister’s killers, maneuvering through a minefield of intrigue deliberately set out to divert her from the truth. She invariably stumbles when confronted by the inescapable specter of a greater enemy: the alcohol dependency that has already cost her the respect of her peers, and, worse, custody of her daughter.

Samantha must summon the courage to face not only a cartel of criminals, but also her own demons. Physically threatened and betrayed, she nearly defeats herself through her own insecurities and fears. She not only must summon the courage to get beyond her own shortcomings, but she must work quickly to beat her nemesis – a reporter at the major metropolitan daily newspaper, who is also in close pursuit of the developing story.

Can Samantha ultimately prevail, write the biggest story of her career, and finally begin to change her life before it is too late?

                                                               
                       My Thoughts
                                   

i received this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well where to start, i dont read many murder mysteries but when i do i either love it or hate it. Luckily i loved this one.

I was kept guessing at every turn right up until the end. Whilst reading this i felt every emotion, sad, happy, loss and hope.

When Robin Marino, a Truman county assistant DA falls from her balcony from apparent suicide after leaving a bottle of Jack Daniels and a note on the kitchen bench. Being sober and in AA for a year her sister Samantha Church didnt believe it even once it was ruled a suicide.

Sam was an interesting character who had made mistakes whom upon hearing of her sisters fatal fall from a balcony, sets out to solve her sisters murder.

Betta did a wonderful job giving this book life, i yearned for Sams loss of her sister and felt for her with her alcohol addition that lead to her losing custody of her daughter to her ex husband.

Sam Church is a newspaper reporter for the Grandview Perspective, a community newspaper. Throughout the book she investigates her sisters murder, hitting wall after wall being a functional alcoholic herself but pushes through. She lost everything due to her alcoholism which had a lot to do with trauma from when she was younger caused by her father.

Betta Ferrendelli did a wonderful job and i will be piking up the next book asap.