Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge | Paul Krueger

Summary:

Bailey Chen had her life all figured out in high school. Then, after college, real life kicked in. She has to move back home and get a job as a bar back at the Nightshade Lounge, a bar owned by her friend's uncle. When she makes herself a screwdriver using some secret vodka, she discovers the literal magic of cocktails. Then she discovers that bartenders don't just mix drinks for people, they also use these magical cocktails to protect patrons from creatures that feed off a human's life force. She now needs to survive the creatures, the in-fighting of the bartenders and her family's insistence that she get a "real job".

Review:

I do so love when a book almost makes me laugh out loud on the bus. That is the sign that I'm having a great time with a fun read. This book made me do this not once. Not twice. But three times! I absolutely loved this book and the world it takes place in. I want to more books like this! I also want to know what magical abilities my favorite drink, a Scurvy Medic, would grant me! 

It's not often that I read a New Adult book, but I was interested in this one by some of the book trailers from QuirkBooks YouTube page and decided to give the book a try (seriously, look them up. They're really cool!) There were so many good characters, too. Bucket and Vincent were, hands down, the best two characters in this book! I kinda wish they were main characters, but then, that might take away some of their charm. Seriously, Vincent almost had me crying and Bucket almost had me crying tears of laughter. You gotta love it!

And the story was not predictable to me. It was very well thought out and well paced. There were plenty of non-forced or plot-hole-driven twists that kept me guessing about the outcome. This story and this world are wonderful to read and I really want more!

So, here's why it only gets 4 hoots, not 5. Relationship drama. Every time the main character did something stupid, it was because of relationship drama. She wasn't even that interested in Zane until she found out he had moved from his crush on her high school and gotten a girlfriend. This aspect of the story literally had me putting the book down a few times and completely kicked me out of the book. If it weren't for the other characters and the interesting world, I may have not liked the book at all.

That being said, I did enjoy the book. A lot. That's how awesome the rest of the cast of characters are. That's how interesting the world is. I absolutely love that bartenders are protecting their patrons and baristas are healers to the bartenders. Coffee really does cure all that ails you. So, if you can get past the relationship drama, I highly recommend this book. Be forewarned, though, it may make you want a drink or two. 4 hoots!

               Hoot!Hoot!

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ActivAmerica | Meagan Cass

*Image and book received via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary (From Publisher):

Drawing from fairy tales, ghost stories, and science-fiction, the stories in ActivAmerica explore how we confront (and exert) power and re-imagine ourselves through sports and athletic activities. A group of girls starts an illicit hockey league in a conservative suburb. A recently separated woman must run a mile a day in order to maintain her new corporate health insurance. Children impacted by environmental disaster create a “mutant soccer team.” Two sisters are visited by an Olympic gymnast who demands increasingly dangerous moves from them. Sports allow the characters to form communities on soccer fields and hidden lakes, in overgrown backyards and across Ping-Pong tables. Throughout the collection, however, athletic risk also comes with unexpected, often unsettling results.

Review:

Let me start by saying, each of these stories were good. They were well written, interesting and I can see why they were included. There were a few stories where I sincerely hope the authors are continuing to practice their writing and honing their skills."Night Games" was an interesting story of learning to take control and learning your limits. "ActivAmerica" showed how getting even just one thing going right in your life can help the rest.

The problem I have with this book is that, after a while, the stories all kinda start sounding the same. Don't get me wrong, they're all different stories, clearly. Stories are told from different perspectives, have different main characters, take place in different dimensions. But the vast majority of the stories had a lot of common themes that were not part of the description. So many of the stories had parents divorced or on the brink of it. Families that would smile and pretend nothing was wrong. An alcoholic mother. A cheating spouse. A parent who genuinely tries to connect with their child and fails. Daughters becoming their mothers despite all attempts otherwise. Hawthorne, NY. I know, you'd think with this many different themes there'd be enough diversity of stories, but when so many of them have one or more of these elements, it gets kinda boring.

This is one of those situations where the contents are genuinely good, but you have to read something in between the stories. This gives each one the opportunity to be fresh and new to you so it can be the great story that it is. If you try to read it all at once, it'll get boring, depressing or both. And I'm not saying I need all stories to have happy endings. I'm just saying, in this anthology, with this many different voices and styles, I was able to predict just about every short story's progression.

So, I'm gonna give this book 3 hoots, but also warn you to read with caution.

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We're All Mad Here by Leigh Raines

This was an interesting book for me for a few reasons. I normally do not read New Adult books or books about the Greek Lifestyle in college. I have never found myself drawn to these types of books as I never feel I have anything to provide me any kind of emotional investment in the characters or the stories.

That being said, HOLY WAH did this main character ring true with me! As someone who has gone through the pains of anxiety I felt her pain was very real. I even had the same problems with an older sibling hating you from the moment you were born and you don't know why.** And, really, who hasn't had experience with a manipulative boy/girlfriend? This book does a masterful job of getting you to look past the sorority stereotypes and see what you actually have in common. Don't get me wrong, I still can't afford vacations in New York City or Acapulco, nor am I ever going to prioritize clothes shopping over other expenditures, but that's not the meat of the story. This is just the vehicle for the book's real message about depression and getting your life back in your own control.***

I'll admit, the vehicle for this story is not my favorite, I've never really cared for Greek Life. In fact, if this book has an accurate portrayal of Greek Life, I'm very glad I did not participate. The lifestyle does live up, or down, to my stereotypes. There's a LOT of drama, a lot of sex and a lot of drugs. But if you can get past this, the characters are quite interesting. I found myself getting angry when the main character was angry and agreeing with how she handled a lot of later situations. Gotta admit, though, the ending was a little cheesy****. However, because of the characters that I never considered making this book a DNF.

I have to say, this book surpassed my expectations and I happily give We're All Mad Here 4 hoots!

Hoot!Hoot!

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*I received a free digital copy of this book from French Press Bookworks in exchange for an honest review. And an honest review this is.

**Turns out, it was for the same reason as the character's sister: the younger sibling took ALL the attention away from the older.

***I'm pretty sure this is also a double-meaning thing with the book's look at superficiality. Better not get too meta, though.

****All it seemed to be missing was rain.