Thousand Words | Book Review

Thousand Words

Written by: Jennifer Brown

Number of Pages: 274

Average Rating: 3.78 / 5 stars

My Rating: 3 / 5 stars

Published: May 21, 2013

Read in November 2018

Summary According to Goodreads

Ashleigh’s boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he’ll forget about her while she’s away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh’s friends suggest she text him a picture of herself - sans swimsuit - to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits “send”.

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone - until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he’s the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh’s photo - and didn’t look. 

My Thoughts

This novel opens on Ashleigh in community service, and we continue to delve right into the aftermath of her trauma. I was a little disappointed in the lack of resolution, as I don’t think Ashleigh completely understands her share in what happened. Although she was indeed a victim and was bullied harshly because of it, she was ignorant of how her decision affected so many other people around her - including her family. She refused to admit that she was as much to blame as Kaleb was, and the entire novel was filled with immaturity and lack of empathy. 

In a contemporary novel it is so important to have strong and independent characters, but I felt that they were not completely developed in this story. As I mentioned Ashleigh was very immature, but unfortunately she was not the only one amongst her crowd. It was almost painful to read the interactions between Ashleigh and her ex-boyfriend Kaleb as it was the cliché breakup experience we could all expect when one goes to college and the other stays behind. At the beginning of the novel Ashleigh started off with a big group of friends and although none specifically up and ditched her, she cut everyone off from her life and isolated herself in her misery.

Jennifer Brown has a very smooth writing style that makes this a very quick and engaging read, but was also aided by splitting the story into both past and present. I think this is a very important novel for young girls to read, especially those with the means to get themselves into this kind of trouble. When I was growing up there wasn’t a huge discussion about the dangers of sending these kinds of pictures, but it’s also not something I ever considered doing. Another aspect of this novel that is so underrated is that there is a female-male friendship that involves absolutely no romance. The only romance in this novel is the brief run of Ashleigh and Kaleb, but with Mack they are just supportive of one another through their community service. I think it is refreshing to read a story where friendship is a focus and to show that even in dark times there are some people that can look through the bad to see the good. 

Overall, I think that was worth the read as it covers an important issue, and teaches lessons such as friendship, family, and bullying. I think I would have enjoyed this more had I read it a few years ago, but I still recommend it to readers, but teen girls specifically.

The Wicked Deep | Book Review

The Wicked Deep

Written by: Shea Ernshaw

Number of Pages: 310

Average Rating: 3.83 / 5 stars

My Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Published: March 6, 2018

Read in November 2018

Summary According to Goodreads

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. 

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbour and pulling them under. 

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into. 

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swift to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters. 

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself. 

My Thoughts

I received an e-arc copy of this novel to review from NetGalley, but that does not influence my opinion. 

I am so frustrated that it took me almost a year to finally pick up my e-copy of this novel, and I have no excuse as to why I didn’t read it earlier. I think I thought that this was a story set around mermaids (which I don’t enjoy) and only felt compelled to read it to clear off my review shelf. It took me a while to get into the plot at first, as I found her writing style to be very over-descriptive but eventually was able to become hooked. I actually read the last 35% in one sitting overnight. Shea Ernshaw’s writing somehow because less overly-descriptive and more atmospheric and mysterious. I wish I was able to pinpoint at which point my perspective to her writing changed, but it was such an effortless transition that left me captivated in her storytelling. 

There were a few characters to keep track of in this novel as we get perspective from both past, with the sentencing of the sisters, and future, of the drownings they set upon the town each summer. I did not have a character that I loved more than any other, and found instead that they worked best as a group - with the exception of the insta-love I really could’ve done without that. 

A final comment that I would like to make is in regards to the plot twist(s). I have seen a lot of negative reviews towards this novel with the explanation that it is too predictable, but I didn’t see it as it’s biggest flaw. No it is not overly original, but I did think it was well written and spooky. Overall, I think this was a really solid read and I’m glad I finally got around to picking it up. Although it is set during the summer, I think it is best read during this gloomy fall weather as it brings you into the perfect atmosphere!

All Hallow’s Eve | Book Review

All Hallow’s Eve

Written by: Vivian Vande Velde

Number of Pages: 240

Average Rating: 3.64 / 5 stars

My Overall Rating: 3.7 / 5 stars

Published September 2006

Read in November 2018

Summary According to Goodreads

A boy is trapped in a possessed car that has stalled in the path of an oncoming train. A girl is dragged into a crypt during a field trip to an eighteenth-century cemetery. A group of friends meet their fate after an unsettling visit with a backwoods psychic. And that’s just the beginning.

Celebrated author Vivian Vande Velde is at her spine-tingling best in this collection of thirteen scary stories, all of which take place on Halloween night. With tales that range from the disturbing to the downright gruesome, this is one collection that teens will want to read with the lights on.. and the doors locked. 

My Thoughts

This is a fun and spooky collection of stories perfect for the Halloween season, so I’m glad I picked it up on Halloween. Although this is classified as a young adult read, I would say it sits low on the spectrum specifically closer to upper middle grade or early teens. The writing has a slight juvenile tone to it, and I didn’t think it took away from the story but instead made it a faster read. 

As with all collections, some stories were stronger than others, so I rated each story individually for those interested.

Come In and Rest a Spell: 4 stars

Marian: 5 stars

Morgan Roehmar’s Boys: 3.5 stars

Only On Hallow’s Eve: 4 stars

Cemetery Field Trip: 3 stars

Best Friends: 4.5 stars

Pretending: 2 stars

I Want to Thank You: 3 stars

When and How: 5 stars

When My Parents Come to Visit: 4 stars

Edward, Lost and Far From Home: 2 stars

My Real Mother: 4 stars

Holding On: 5 stars

Books I Want to Read in November

HAPPY NOVEMBER! 

Can you believe there are only two months left of 2018?! Unfortunately for me the year is ending fast, and I still have 41 books to read in order to reach my Goodreads goal. I recently got a puppy, and her training has put reading on the back burner, but she is getting better and hopefully I can get back into reading and finish the year strong. 

So today I am going to tell you about the 10 books I am hoping to read this month (excluding AYearAThon reads which I will talk about Sunday). Cross your fingers for me!

I am currently reading two books, the first being All Hallows' Eve by Vivian Vande Velde. This is a collection of 13 spooky stories, and I only picked it up yesterday and am nearly finished with it. It was a perfect read to pick up for Halloween, and of the seven stories I've already read, they average at a four star rating. 

I am also reading The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw, as I'd received an e-ARC of this prior to its release, but never got around to it. I am currently about 20% through, and am not sure how I feel about it. The troupe of the mysterious boy is overrated for my reading taste, but the idea of people being inhabited by ghost sisters every year to drown teenage boys intrigues me. Hopefully the suspense and thrill picks up in the story soon, because I'm sure at that point I won't be able to put it down!

When I was looking through my bookshelves deciding what I wanted to read this month, I realized that I have so many outstanding ARCs that I need to catch up on my reviews for. In November I am hoping to get through five (six including The Wicked Deep), and picked the ones that I think I'll enjoy the most, but also the ones I think I will read the fastest. 

One that I received from NetGalley is How to Fracture a Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen, one of my favourite authors due to her stories regarding WWII and the Holocaust. How to Fracture a Fairy Tale is a little different from what I'm used to reading from her, in that this is a collection of short stories retelling classic fairy tales in order to fit modern society. I can't wait to get into it!

The other four books that I want to read and review are ones that I picked up while at BEA this past May. I had such high intentions of having them all read and reviewed before they were released, but now that I've accepted it won't happen, I just want to get them done. 


Easy Prey by Catherine Lo is a young adult mystery following three students involved in the release of racy photos of one of their teachers. After the Fire by Will Hill is another dark YA with a contemporary base, as it follows a girls life after she is freed from a cult. Witchborn by Nicholas Bowling is the one I know the least about, but the one that is most out of my comfort zone. All that I know regarding this story is that it is historical fiction set in the 1500s, and has witches. The final review book that I want to read this month is the one that I am most anticipating: People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins. This novel is perfect for some major issues plaguing our society right now; gun violence and white supremacy. Six people are involved in this story and in the end one will die. I can't wait!


The last four books that I want to read this month are ones that I own and have been wanting to read since I picked them up but never did. I Stop Somewhere by TE Carter, a dark contemporary surrounding topics like rape culture; Ruby and Olivia by Rachel Hawkins, a middle grade story following two trouble-making girls in a haunted house; Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles, another dark young-adult, this one following topics such as abuse and death; and finally, Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor, which sounds fun and mysterious, but also comes recommended to me so I'm interested to see what I think.

This may seem like an ambitious list, but I am determined not to fail my Goodreads challenge, and am hoping not to be too busy with work. 

Happy Reading!