After

Devon is an all-American girl; she gets good grades, has no discipline record, and has a bright future as a soccer player. Everything changes after Devon gets arrested for attempted murder, among other charges for giving birth to a baby and dumping it in a trash can behind her apartment. Devon is locked up in a juvenile detention center, her mother has abandoned her, she has no other family, and the state is attempting to try her as an adult. As Devon struggles with her emotions and the realization that she could spend her life behind bars, the reader gets insight into how Devon became pregnant, how she was able to hide the pregnancy from those closest to her, and what drove her to literally dump her baby.

A compelling and relateable story, After hooks the reader from the beginning and keeps the reader enthralled throughout. Although the ending is abrupt, I enjoyed the book overall and would recommend it.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Henry and Clare are soul-mates; they meet when Clare is just a girl and Henry is in his 30's, and then again, when Clare is 21 and Henry is 28. How is this possible?? It's possible because Henry has a genetic condition which causes him to travel through time. He has no control over when he leaves the present, no control over what time period he ends up in, and no control over when he returns. The only constant is that he does travel, mostly to the past. The novel tells the story of their relationship from the beginning of Clare's life through the end. The reader has the opportunity to read the story from Clare's point of view at times, and then from Henry's point of view at times.

When I first found out the premise of the book, I wasn't interested in it at all. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, and do not like stories that seem impossible, however Henry and Clare's love story is oddly believable and very touching. I absolutely loved this book; I found it hard to put down.

Wake

Janie is a high schooler who gets sucked into people's dreams. This wouldn't be SO bad, if it weren't for the fact that she has no control over it. Sometimes during study hall, someone near her will fall asleep, and she is instantaneously sucked into their dream - which also means that she looks as if she's having a seizure. Afraid of being labelled a freak, Janie is secretive about her "ability." Everything changes one day when she gets sucked into a nightmare of a presumed pyscho. To worsen the situation, Janie begins to see herself as part of this nightmare.

Wake is a fast-paced, interesting read.