Always Watching by Brandilyn Collins

Amazing cover. Amazing characters. Amazing Story.

My almost eleven-year-old read Always Watching in two nights, probably as fast as I did. She loved the suspense. Shaley is a really strong character. You get the feeling of what it would be like to have a celebrity mom and away from home for months at a time. The characters became friends. Going back and forth between Shaley and the murderer's perspective made interesting and fun. My daughter is so like me -- she loved trying to figure out who did it before the story reveals the murderer.

The pacing kept the pages turning and her light burning way too late at night. But she had to know what happened next.

A great suspense for young adult readers and adults who enjoy a page-turner and don't mind a ya protagonist.

The Alliance

Now Beka is a Christian for real. But she is stressed, stressed, and more stressed. Her life is going crazy. Which friend will she pick: Laurie, the friend who will most likely stick by her side, or Gretchen, the hot shot? She has to choose because Gretchen's boyfriend asks Laurie out. Laurie says no, but it kicks off a series of awful pay-backs and lies from Gretchen. Beka is caught in the middle, something many girls can relate to.

My daughter inhales these books. I think it's because she can relate to the characters, even if she hasn't been confronted by the exact situations Beka finds herself facing. Yet, having said that, even at her age there are still friendships complicated by boys. Reading books like this helps girls process how they would respond in similar situations.

A great read for tweens and young teens.