Those Who Survived

I have enjoyed Carrie Jones’s books for many, many years, and this new series is no exception. With Those Who Survived, the first book in the Dude series, we are introduced to main character Jessica “Dude” Goodfeather. She’s not having a good senior year. Her bestie and boyfriend both dumped her. Her father, though a lovable graphic novelist, isn’t what you would typically think of as “dad” material – Dude takes care of him more than he takes care of her – and her friend group is a little rocky since the loss of bestie Alexis after boyfriend Chase dumps her and moves on to Samantha, who also claims Alexis as her new bestie.

As the teens converge to work on a film project, Dude discovers the dead body of their friend Lucas Landry, and this starts the suspenseful book. Lucas is the first death, followed by another member of the group, and Dude wonders if she’s next.

The plot is well executed and the characters beautifully developed. I love the budding friendship (will it be more as the series progresses??) between Dude and the young police officer Mac. The killer’s identity does come as a surprise when it is revealed, so Jones has done a good job with the suspense. I look forward to the next installment in the series!

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Meant to Be: If the Shoe Fits

Even though this is not technically a YA book, it’s by YA author Julie Murphy and published by Disney/Hyperion so I’m giving it to you anyway. I’ve loved pretty much everything I’ve ever read by Julie Murphy and this new book is no exception. This is sort of a Cinderella retelling – the main character’s name is Cindy, even – but without the evil steps component.

In fact, Cindy’s stepmom is pretty great. She’s a successful TV executive and her current hit show is a reality show called Before Midnight (yes, more Cinderella tones there), where women compete for the heart of a bachelor (or vice-versa). Cindy even gets along with her stepsisters Anna and Drew. Cindy’s just graduated from Parsons, a fashion design school, and she ultimately loves designing shoes. But her last semester was a flop for a number of reasons, including the belated mourning of her father, so she is flying home cross-country to stay with her step-family and be the nanny for her father’s and stepmother’s triplets (born through a surrogate).

On the flight home, Cindy meets a man who seems awesome. They don’t exchange names or numbers. But when a couple of the Before Midnight contestants drop out right before filming, Anna and Drew volunteer, but Cindy is dismissed. She thinks it’s because she’s fat, and convinces her stepmother to let her compete.

The rest of the book takes place in the chateau that homes the show, and there are wonderful plot twists – including the identity of the bachelor and who he REALLY is – that make this book a delight to read. It’s nice to read a Cinderella story in which the stepmother AND stepsisters actually love and support Cindy instead of tear her down. And the ending is absolutely perfect.

This is a great read, even though the main characters are in their twenties and as such, it’s not YA. But I think teens could still enjoy it.

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