Focused by Alyson Gerber

 

Focused - Alyson Gerber - 4.5 Stars - My younger self would have loved this. So relatable.

My younger self felt so seen reading this. I have ADHD and absolutely relate to Clea. I had and have some of the same struggles as she does and boy did this book really hit home for me thinking back to my struggles in school. Loved this. SO close to 5 stars but I didnt love seeing the romance/relationship thrown in at the end. Overall loved this though and feel like it's an excellent representation of someone with ADHD. So relatable.

This is all about Clea who is struggling with keeping up with school work and her chess team hobby/practice. Clea's thoughts are out of control, from speaking out of turn, interrupting people, getting distracted, not being able to focus, etc. These signs all point to ADHD. She's falling behind and needs help. She goes to the doctor to get evaluated and the story goes on here.

Loved seeing Clea and her family, the support was so nice, her little sister was so sweet, and the book in general was very heartwarming. I liked how the author took us through the entire process of ADHD with the testing too and how Clea's support team was going to put a plan together to work with her and help. Highly recommend.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5343950073
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rrIP0H
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghDr4wiLXDY

A Boy Called Bat - Elana K. Arnold

 

A Boy Called Bat - Elana K. Arnold - 4 Stars - Such a cute and heartwarming story! 

This was so cute! This is all about an autistic boy named Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed BAT) and his mom, who is a veterinarian, brings home a baby skunk one day as she needs to take care of it until she can hand him off to a wild-animal shelter. The minute Bat meets this little kit, he loves it and wants to help raise it as his pet.

I really enjoyed this story. It was a good representation of an autistic child that showcases their special interests and some of their struggles. You can see his sister struggles with his quirks but she is slowly starting to open up by the end. What I liked most about this is that it was just a story about a little boy who loves animals and learns how to go after what he wants to do and how to make friends. He does complain quite a bit but he is also a very young boy and that's typical as they learn and grow. I love that this wasn't just "about autism" but about Bat and his life with his family and at school. This book will make you smile and laugh. Very heartwarming.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5395850467
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44omkbH
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELA8SzwYdKM

Pulp Friction by Julie Anne Lindsey

Pulp Friction - Julie Anne Lindsey - 4.5 Stars - LOVED being back in Blossom Valley, WV!

This is book 2 in the Cider Shop Mystery series after Apple Cider Slaying and I loved being back in Blossom Valley, WV! In this book we follow Winnie at her new cider shop as she is hosting a wedding at Smythe Orchards in June. Her ex Hank shows up and is caught in an argument with the groom to be. She sees him running off and then the groom ends up dead, hit by the honeymoon getaway car. Hank ends up being the main suspect, he's nowhere to be found and Winnie is off to find the truth! Detective Colton is back as well as he and Winnie work together to figure this new mystery out....

I had so much fun with this second book! I love the characters most of all, very easy to relate to and just enjoy her interactions with the characters. I wish we had a bit more of her Granny here and I never was fully attached to some of the suspects but overall loved this book! I did love learning more about Colton's past and I'm dying to see more of Winnie and Colton together in the next book to see what happens with that storyline from his past. Lots of action going on in this book, very well engaging story and I can't wait for the next one.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5392938323

Amazon: https://amzn.to/44omhwx
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELA8SzwYdKM

The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

 

The Cheat Sheet - Sarah Adams - 4 Stars - A cute, funny friends to lovers sports romance!

What a cute, funny friends to lovers story! I was cracking up the whole time! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this! Sarah Adams writes such fun rom coms with engaging characters! The sports aspect was also really fun.

This is all about Bree Camden, who is in love with her best friend and NFL star, Nathan Donelson. Each one loves each other but doesn't think the other likes them back LOL - SO GOOD. They keep hiding their feelings and getting into very funny situations. Bree has her own dance studio and wants to expand it but the rent has increased....buttttt Nathan comes in and buys the entire building - HA We love to see it!! Bree isn't very thrilled about that but one night they're out and she has a few too many drinks, spills her secret love for Nathan to a TMZ reporter and her video goes viral! EVERYONE wants Nathan and Bree together so Nathan's publicist says they should pretend to be in love for 3 weeks - AHH WE LOVE A GOOD FAKE DATING TROPE LOL Story goes on from there as they start to realize their true feelings for one another.

I had the BEST time with this book, made me laugh SO many times and I just really appreciate this author writing a clean closed door story for those of us who do not want to read smut. Especially since her books are very popular in the big bookstores - SO awesome to see that!

The whole idea of the "cheat sheet" inside this story was so fun too.

Content—closed door secular romance, mention of panic attacks, some drinking, mild language

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5019881478
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pE39M0
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELA8SzwYdKM

Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry

 

Forget Me Not - Ellie Terry - 2 Stars - Enjoyed learning about Tourette syndrome, but the way this was told in verse, it wasn't my favorite.

A 7th grade girl, Calliope June, has Tourette syndrome and starts at a new school She tries to hide her quirks mostly because her Mom tells her to. Her Mom is not much of a mother to her - she leaves her alone, is always finding a new boyfriend and is moving her from place to place all the time. Her Dad passed away so it's just Calli and her Mom. At this new school, she makes a new friend and potential love interest, but he is afraid to embrace their friendship in front of everyone....

I am having a hard time fully understanding this book. Maybe because it's told in verse (poetry style) I must be missing something because the ending of this book was just....bad. Our main girl struggles with not having a present mom, being bullied at school, not being able to be who she truly is with her TS, etc. I liked seeing her point of view with TS and learned a lot about TS. However, the scenes and details with her mom were so sad. Mostly, this book was so depressing - yes it was realistic in many ways - but I didn't get the feel good ending I was looking for as we usually get in a middle grade. The connection just wasn't there. The ending frustrated me. Yes we got to see her embrace who she was but the way this ended -without spoiling it- was not what I hoped. It was too centered about her mom. It just feels unfinished.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5343953382
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44NC1Jj
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELA8SzwYdKM

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll

 

A Kind of Spark - Elle McNicoll - 5 Stars - So many adults should read this book!

THIS BOOK MADE ME CRY YA'LL. 5 stars. A middle grade book about an young 11 year old autistic girl - Addie - who lives in a small town in Scotland near Edinburgh. She learns about innocent women who lost their lives during the witch trials centuries ago and she sets out to honor those falsely accused so long ago. But not everyone wants her to do this... Addie's sister, Kaddie - is also autistic and is in college and helps her along the way. Addie goes through so much in this book. SO MANY ADULTS SHOULD READ THIS! It truly gives you the perspective of an autistic child. The importance of understanding sensory overload and overstimulation.

Addie: "While you may be neurotypical and I'm autistic, I promise. We are more alike than we are different."

This poor girl went through so much in school and it shows just how important it is that we support children with special needs and those that are different / neurodivergent. This teacher in this story, Miss Murphy, is a terrible person and teacher. I am SO thankful for the teachers my autistic son has today in his Pre-K class. This book also makes you think of how appreciative we, as parents, are for the good teachers we do have.

Highly recommend this book. So glad my friend told me about it!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5343578328
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pLjH4w
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELA8SzwYdKM

Honest June by Tina Wells

 

Honest June - Tina Wells - 5 Stars - A precious story about a young 11 year old girl named June!

Y’all what a precious story about a young 11 year old girl - June. She just wants to make everyone else happy, but struggles with telling the truth…she learns just how important it can be to tell the truth. She’s visited by her fairy godmother, Victoria, who puts her under this spell where she can’t lie- if she does, she will basically start sneezing uncontrollably! So she starts to learn all about why it’s important to be honest and not hold everything inside. Very important message here. I truly related to her, especially my inner child, because I am always such a people pleaser. Can’t wait to read more about June! Sweet middle grade story!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5353113803
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NRrjuj
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELA8SzwYdKM