Tara Goedjen

This was an interesting and unique story. This was similar to Stranger Things and Veronica Mars, which are some of my favorite shows so I was hopeful for this, and I wasn't disappointed.
Rylie and her family move back after being away for a while to Twentynine Palms and right away as they're on the road there some weird things start happening. This is a good YA mystery with some sci-fi genre/vibes. There are quite a few twists and turns I didn't see coming when reading this book that kept me guessing, but with what happened at the end, it felt like a bit of a letdown. This book also reminded me of a kind of dystopian vibe and has similarities to Ally Condie's Matched series. There was also a cute and sweet romance with Rylie and her childhood friend that I enjoyed too.
If you like mysteries/YA mysteries, Veronica Mars or Ally Condie's Matched series, or stories of the sort then make sure to pick this one up and read it. Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, and Delacorte Press for letting me read and review this fun and interesting book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (mehr)

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read an arc version of this book!

“The bees had left, vanished completely, and it scared him enough to send him inside.” -- this line startled me from the first chapter, and I had to reread the first section, trying to figure out who or what Ethan was (one of many mysteries the reader will encounter). One chapter later, we start hearing about the “commune killer”, and people going missing in the desert (another mystery to unravel). Things are definitely what they seem at first glance, and I was not prepared for the twist.

No Beauties or Monsters focuses on Rylie, a high school senior, who moves back to Twentynine Palms, although she has not been there in four years. It is revealed early on that Rylie and her friend Lily saw an accident take place that involved Rylie’s brother, Owen, Rylie’s dad, and her granddad. Since then, her brother has lost his sight, and her mom continues to work on secretive government projects. Once Rylie arrives at her home, odd things begin to happen in the desert, and one of her old friends has gone missing. With the help of memory regression/hypnosis and her friends, Rylie begins to uncover more and more information about her granddad’s role in the missing people.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot, and I would recommend it to students and have it in my classroom library (I think this is very accessible for high schoolers and more mature middle-grade students as well). This book would be great for reluctant readers who prefer a plot-driven book, with some character development, but are more focused on a mystery or conflict being resolved. I also loved that the set-up was more gradual, and the reader was given snippets of information about each character but was not told upfront (ex. You can begin inferring Rylie’s age based on the fact that she is driving, but do not find out until a chapter later that she is in her second half of senior year, etc).… (mehr)

This is a book that delights in perplexing the reader. Is is a mystery, horror, magical realism? How much of what Rylie's encountering is real? Is someone out to get her? Was her grandfather crazy, evil, or did he know things that very few others did? These are just some of the questions readers are hit with while the list of players continues to grow, as does the body count and level of action. I suspect many who pick up this book won't figure out the truths until they're revealed near the end and that will make it all the more satisfying a read for them.… (mehr)

Roxanne’s body was found on the beach and a mystery forms around what has happened. A year later, her boyfriend, Cage, emerges from the shadows with no memory of what had occurred about a year earlier. Mae, Roxanne’s younger sister, has her life turned upside down wondering what has happened. The fact that she has the family journal, full of hidden secrets is one thing that may help her solve the mystery. This book is good for YA 13 +. I did like this book and I did not find it too dark or scary.… (mehr)