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Good Riddance
Good Riddance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Daphne has just inherited her mother's yearbook from the class of 1968 at Pickering High School in New Hampshire. That year her mother was not only the English teacher, but also the yearbook advisor. Mrs. Maritch has gone to every reunion and each year she has added notations to the yearbook to all of the students. Daphne has no need or room for the yearbook in her small New York City apartment, so she puts it in the recycling. A neighbor who is also a budding documentarian finds the yearbook, and is determined to make a movie with her findings. When Daphne finds out a dark secret at the 50th reunion they attend, she will stop at nothing to make sure the yearbook is not made public. With family secrets around each corner, Daphne will try her best to keep her mother's legacy in tact and her father's heart from being broken.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I remember the thrill of getting my yearbook from middle school all through high school and having all of my friends sign it. I don't think that I ever had or even wanted any of my teachers to sign it though. And I've been to one or two of my reunions and I surely didn't go back and makes notes on what everyone is up to now.

This was a quirky story that had quite a few different elements in it. A little bit of romance, some mystery, and an annoying neighbor. Daphne is newly divorced and trying to find her way in New York City. Her apartment is small and there isn't any room for much more than her. She is going to school to be a chocolatier, but that's not really working out. She tries going back to teaching at Montessori school which she did before she was married. But with the contents of the yearbook and rumors about her mother maybe reaching the public Daphne's plate seems to be overflowing. Can she keep her mom's legacy alive and keep herself from going crazy at the same time?
  
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The Spite Game
The Spite Game
Anna Snoekstra | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Creepy and readable but rather strange
Ava was terribly bullied in high school by three girls she idolized: Melissa, Cass, Saanvi. One particular incident so traumatized her that she cannot move on and years later, she finds herself unable to get past it. So she watches her former classmates--online and in real life--and she plots. If she can just find a way to get even, Ava thinks, then she can move on with her own life. But Ava's stalking threatens to overtake her life and perhaps her sanity. She finds herself in a police station, waiting to tell her story to a detective. What has Ava done?

"The bad thing inside of me took root there. Like mold, it grew in that hot moist place. You won't want to hear any of this. My story. I know that. But if you want me to confess, then you'll have to listen."

This one reminded me of a lesser version of Roz Nay's Our Little Secret, where so much of the tale is our main character telling her woes and recapping her life while in a police station. I didn't love Ava or hate her: I often felt sorry for her. Her inability to move past high school basically crippled her entire life, and her revenge mission is all she has.

This was a weird book. It switches in time frequently, going between whatever the present moment is and then Ava remembering moments in high school. I found the timeframe to be confusing at times. Ava's singular focus on her former classmates--and getting even--could be frustrating at moments, yet the book was also oddly compelling and somewhat addictive. It certainly did a good job at capturing the meanness of high school girls. What a terrible time that is.

"I was so naive, so ready to give those girls everything: my loyalty, my trust, my devoted friendship. I was ready to spill every secret I ever had, to follow them to the ends of the earth. I guess the last bit turned out to be true, in some ways."

It was a creepy read sometimes. I guessed the ending a bit early, but that didn't really make it any less enjoyable. Overall, I found this one a little odd and a little off-putting. It was a strange read, with a pointed focus on its main character (and her own mission). Still, it was rather readable.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).