Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction/Fantasy

Though Cinder is the best mechanic in New Beijing and the breadwinner for her family, her stepmother treats her like she is a burden. It's true that cyborgs like Cinder are treated as second-class citizens - even used as guinea pigs in an effort to find a cure for letumosis, a disease currently ravaging the planet. 

Prince Kai is in the horrible position of needing to prepare to take the throne if his father, the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth, doesn't recover from the dreaded "Blue Fever." If Emperor Rikan dies, it will be up to Kai to try to work out a treaty with the Lunars, a different race from the Earth's satellite that have the ability to control minds and seem to be looking for an excuse to wage war. Their queen, Levana, is rumored to have killed to capture the crown, but a more legitimate heir is out there.

When Cinder is hired by Kai to fix his droid, it will forever change her destiny. Will she live through the spreading plague? Will she be able to help Kai with his droid and the information it holds? Will she find a dress for the royal ball? Read this first book of The Lunar Chronicles to find out.

- Sarah R.

Check out Cinder @ the library.

The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle

Title: The Dinner List
Author: Rebecca Serle

Genre: Romance, Coming-of-Age Fiction, Audrey Hepburn

When you begin reading and Audrey Hepburn is one of the characters, you know you are in for a treat. When Sabrina and her best friend are in college, they craft the classic list of the five people, dead or alive, who they would like to have at their thirtieth dinner parties. The lists get forgotten as lives get lived and love is won and tragically lost. Enter Sabrina's thirtieth birthday and Audrey Hepburn, among others, is seated at a table in a fancy restaurant and having dinner with her. How would you live out a few hours of borrowed time as you savor a meal with your ideal dinner companions?

- Elizabeth

Check out The Dinner List @ the library.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Title: The Friend Zone
Author: Abby Jimenez

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Josh Copeland just got out of a long term relationship with pretty much only the clothes on his back, but he's OK with that because his ex-girlfriend, Celeste, decided she doesn't want children. She can keep the house, and her new boyfriend, Brad. Josh wants kids and lots of them so he's moved on: to a new state, a new job, and hopefully (fingers crossed) a new gal. He just needs to get through his duties as Brandon's best man.

Kristen Peterson pulls no punches, adores her Yorkie, and has been cursed with  lady parts from hell. Mars is less hospitable than her uterus. She hopes she can keep it together long enough to throw her bestie, Sloan, a killer bachelorette party. 

As they're thrown together, will Josh and Kristen be able to get past the past to a combined future, or will the obstacles prove to be too much to overcome?

I laughed. I cried. I enjoyed all the movie references. 

P.S. This book will make you want street tacos.

- Sarah R.

Check out The Friend Zone @ the library.

Summer Hours by Amy Mason Doan

Title: Summer Hours
Author: Amy Mason Doan

Genre: Fiction

Summer Hours by Amy Mason Doan is an excellent summer read. It's set against the backdrop of Southern California/Pacific Coast and skips between the 1990s and 2008. The story revolves around main character Becc as she comes of age in college, the aftermath of her decisions during that time, and how they play out in the 2008 time period. Becc's two storylines contain the same characters, so it's really interesting to see how they all grow. 
What really hooked me in to this story was the setting. It has several settings which draw you into the warmth of the west coast, keeping things varied with sailing to Catalina Island,  the cool of dark movie theaters, and to the world of early internet reporting offices. I'd recommend this read for anyone looking for a read with not only a great setting, but romance, friendship, and forgiveness.

- Jamie

Check out Summer Hours @ the library.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Title: The Bride Test
Author: Helen Hoang

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Khai Diep is on the autistic spectrum: he avoids touch, he likes an organized life, and he believes that he cannot feel things the way others do because something about him is broken. Khai's mom believes nothing of the sort so she is on a mission to bring him home a suitable wife on her next trip back from Vietnam.

Esme Tran is a second generation single mother cleaning bathrooms in Ho Chi Minh City when she's interviewed by Khai's mom in the lounge of her assigned restroom. She is shown the picture of a handsome young man and told that if she can woo him before the end of summer, she can earn herself a better life in the U.S. 

As Esme disrupts Khai's carefully orchestrated life, will he embrace the chaos and open his heart? Will Esme find the father that returned to America not knowing Esme was conceived? Take The Bride Test to find out.

- Sarah R.

Check out The Bride Test @ the library.

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Title: Once Upon a River
Author: Diane Setterfield

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Once Upon a River is set on the Thames back when the river was a primary means of travel and inns along its banks were the center of their communities.

The Swan was known for its storytelling and one dark night a tale landed right on their doorstep. The mystery begins with a wounded man carrying a drowned girl.  It continues when the man passes out, the girl miraculously awakes, and all who meet her are ready to claim her as their own. 

A feat of good storytelling in itself, this book offers an extensive group of townspeople who are introduced and interconnected skillfully, flowing together like the river that runs through it. 

Juliet Stevenson does a fantastic job voicing the audio book version for those of you who'd like to hear the telling of a story within a story. 

- Sarah R.

Check out Once Upon a River @ the library.

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Title: Red, White, and Royal Blue
Author: Casey McQuiston

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

If you're looking for a sweet love story with a political twist, this is the perfect book for you. When the son of the first female U.S. president, Alex, realizes he's falling for with the young Prince of England, Henry, they begin their relationship in secret. They send emails and texts and struggle to find time to be together without the world finding out. But as all good stories go, this doesn't last for long and they begin to deal with the personal and political problems of being young world leaders in different countries falling in love. In the acknowledgements, McQuiston writes, "What I hoped to do, and what I hope I have done with this book by the time you've finished it, my dear reader, is to be a spark of joy and the hope you needed." This book did exactly that.

- Megan

Check out Red, White, and Royal Blue @ the library.